South Africa: Motsoaledi welcomes Constitutional Court court ruling

Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has welcomed the Constitutional Court judgment dismissing an application challenging the cancellation of a R1.5 billion Electronic Document Management System contract.

In a statement, the Department of Home Affairs said the matter started when it wanted to digitise its records.

In terms of the law, SITA had to issue a tender looking for a service provider on behalf of the department, the department said.

The tender had initially been awarded to three companies - New Dawn, Valor IT and Ideco.

But before any contract could be signed or service level agreement could be finalised, National Treasury warned that there was no money for such a huge tender.

As a consequence, the Home Affairs Department could not go ahead with this contract, said the department.

It said that Ideco understood the position of government and let matters rest there. However, said Home Affairs, New Dawn and Valor IT somehow decided they were entitled to State money in this regard and litigated against the Department for R602 million and R28 million respectively.

The Constitutional Court this week dismissed the application after it found that the application lacks reasonable prospects of success. Consequently, it has decided that the leave to appeal must be refused with costs.

Because of litigation by these two companies, the department's audited contingent liability shot up to R2.1 billion in the 2019/20 financial year, the department said.

Contingent liability in Home Affairs is the amount that companies and individuals claim by way of litigation either for contracts, as is the case in this one, or for Immigration or Civic matters.

The department said as long as a public institution had contingent liability on its books, the Auditor-General would flag it each year as a risk. The department said if it cannot successfully defend litigation and the money becomes payable, the budget of the department would be severely impacted.

However, the department said in this case, it vigorously defended the matter and contended that there was no contract signed.

The Minister said: "It baffles the mind that the two companies could pursue the State for this huge amount of money, going right up to the Constitutional Court, despite knowing that they had never provided any service to the department.

We are aware that it is the Constitutional right of individuals and companies to utilise the various courts of the country in pursuit of justice. However, we believe it is sheer opportunism, bordering on theft and corruption, for anybody to demand State money when they didn't provide any services. We strongly discourage this kind of behaviour.

Consequently, the Minister has instructed the department to pursue legal costs against New Dawn and Valor IT, which date back to 2010 when the initial claim was filed.

The Minister intends to write a letter to National Treasury to request that these two companies be blacklisted from doing business with the State.

"This is not vindictiveness but it's a warning to individuals and companies who believe that they can receive millions in public funds via spurious litigation," said Motsoaledi. - SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-12-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
RTHK: Park Geun-hye pardoned 'out of national unity'

South Korea's ex-president Park Geun-hye received a pardon on Friday, cutting short a jail term of more than 20 years for corruption with her successor saying he granted it in the interest of national unity.

Park became South Korea's first woman president in 2013, but less than four years later she was impeached and ousted after a graft scandal sparked huge street protests.

The 69-year-old was serving a 20-year prison sentence for bribery and abuse of power, with another two years after that for election law violations.

"We must overcome the pain of the past and move forward into the new era," said President Moon Jae-in, who was propelled into power in 2017 following public backlash against Park and her conservative party.

"Considering the many challenges we face, national unity and humble inclusiveness are more urgent than anything else."

Moon said Park's deteriorating health after serving almost five years in jail was also a factor in the decision to pardon her.

Park has been hospitalised several times this year. She is currently receiving treatment at a facility in the capital Seoul.

The amnesty will take effect on December 31, the justice ministry said.

"I express my deep gratitude to President Moon Jae-in and the government authorities who decided to grant amnesty despite many difficulties," Park said through an aide, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Her corruption scandal exposed shady links between big businesses and politics in South Korea, with Park and her close friend Choi Soon-sil accused of taking bribes from conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics, in exchange for preferential treatment.

The amnesty decision marked a shift in Moon's position from January, when at the end of her trial process, she became eligible for a pardon from the president.

His office had said at the time that it was a "historical lesson" that a former president had committed acts that led to a prison sentence.

"This should never happen again."

The scandal marked a dramatic fall for Park, who grew up in the political spotlight and enjoyed a pampered life as the eldest daughter of Park Chung-hee, a dictator who ruled South Korea for nearly two decades until his assassination in 1979.

It shattered the image she had tried to create, of an incorruptible conservative icon who was beholden to none.

In addition to her prison sentence, Park was also hit with hefty fines.

South Korean prosecutors said in March this year they had seized the ex-president's house after she failed to pay a US$19 million penalty for corruption.

Despite her ouster, Park has remained popular in some conservative strongholds and the pardon comes during an increasingly bitter campaign for the presidential election in March next year.

Yoon Suk-yeol, the main conservative People Power Party's candidate, welcomed the pardon.

His rival, Lee Jae-myung from the ruling Democratic Party, said he understood "Moon's anguish for national unity".

But, he added: "A sincere apology from former President Park is needed for the Korean people."

Special pardons like the one received by Park can only be granted by the president in South Korea.

"While it may be too late to reduce political polarisation, it could improve Moon's legacy," Leif Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Womans University, told AFP.

"Moon ending the political saga with Park might be an attempt to reduce the odds that he himself will face legal retribution after leaving office."

South Korean presidents have frequently ended up in prison after their time in power, usually once their political rivals have moved into the presidential Blue House.

Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, former army generals who served jail terms in the 1990s for corruption and treason after leaving office, received presidential pardons after serving about two years.

Ex-president Roh Moo-hyun killed himself in 2009 after being questioned over graft allegations involving his family.

Lee Myung-bak, the only living ex-president aside from Park, is currently serving a prison sentence over corruption. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-12-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Vietnamese Giang Brothers break own world record in Spain

Vietnamese acrobat duo the Giang Brothers made a new Guinness World Record on December 23 when they climbed the stairs of the Cathedral of Girona in Spain with one sibling balanced atop the other using head-to-head contact.











Vietnamese acrobat duo the Giang Brothers made a new Guinness World Record when they climbed the stairs of the Cathedral of Girona in Spain on December 23



Giang Quoc Co, 37, and his brother Giang Quoc Nghiep, 32, scaled 100 steps in 53 seconds, breaking their own previous record of 90 steps in 52 seconds made here in December 2016.









The two circus artists arrived in Spain on December 17 and underwent several days of training before taking on the challenge on December 23.



Quoc Co and Quoc Nghiep first rose to global fame after finishing in the top 4 of the 2018 series of Britains Got Talent.













They also set a Guinness World Record in 2018 for 'climbing and descending ten stairs backwards while being blindfolded and balancing head-to-head' during a performance filmed in Italy.



The Vietnamese duo also won several local and international circus prizes, including the Grand Prix Award at the 10th International Circus Festival in Havana, Cuba in 2011. In addition, they picked up three prizes at the 13th International Circus Festival in Italy, including a silver medal and two minor titles awarded by internationally renowned circus groups Monte Carlo Circus and Cirque du Soleil, along with the Silver Lion Award at the 2011 13th International Circus Festival in Hebei Province of China.
Vietnam eyes raising average floor area per person to 27 sq.m by 2025

Vietnam is looking to increase the average housing floor area per person to 27 sq.m by 2025, in which the floor area per person will be 28 sq.m in urban areas, and 26 sq.m in rural areas.









Vietnam is looking to increase the average housing floor area per person to 27 sq.m by 2025 (Photo: VNA)

The target is set in the national housing development strategy for the 2021-2030 period recently signed by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh.



By 2030, Vietnam strives to increase the proportion of solid houses nationwide to 85-90 percent, with 100 percent in urban areas and 75-80 percent in rural areas; and equip 90 percent of houses nationwide with electricity and water supply and wastewater drainage systems.



The strategy also sets the goal of developing and repairing more than one billion sq.m of houses, equivalent to about 11.9 million apartments.



It is to create conditions for everyone to have a place to live and focus on improving the quality of housing, as well as implementing the trend of green and smart housing development.



In addition, the housing development must include urban development, urban embellishment and re-construction of old apartment buildings. The housing development in the post-COVID-19 period will be implemented according to targets on sustainable real estate market development.



The strategy aims to establish the orientation of national housing development activities and local housing development programmes, and increase rental housing products and promote the development of commercial housing with medium areas and reasonable prices, meeting the needs of people. The renovation and reconstruction of old apartment buildings in urban areas will also be promoted.



The strategy focuses on renewing specific policies for each kind of housing and the target group of social housing policies including workers and low-income people in urban areas, and officers and soldiers of the people's armed forces.



Regulations on housing management and development are also amended according to housing development master plans, strategies and programmes.



Vietnams average housing floor area reaches 25sq.m per person in 2021, one sq.m higher than that of 2020, according to the Ministry of Construction/.
Hundreds of health workers infected with Covid-19 at HCM City hospital

As many as 300 staff members at a hospital in HCM City have been infected with Covid-19.









Covid-19 patients are being treated at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital

Speaking at a conference on the pandemic held in HCM City on Thursday, director of Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, Vo Duc Chien, revealed that 327 staff members had been infected with Covid-19 during work between January and September, 2021.



"Most of the infected staff are female nurses aged below 35," he said. "They had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and showed mild symptoms. Many of them had recovered and there were no fatalities."





According to the doctor, Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital has set up a Covid-19 treatment area with 200 beds. Besides, the hospital has also sent doctors to assist the Covid-19 treatment in some other field hospitals in HCM City and Bac Lieu Province.



Ho Chi Minh City has been the hardest-hit locality since the fourth virus wave hit Vietnam in late April, with over 500,000 cases.

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have asked the Ministry of Health to send 3,000 health workers to local hospitals amid rising numbers of seriously-ill patients in recent months.



The municipal Peoples Committee has also asked the Ministry of National Defense to continue providing support in terms of human resources at mobile medical stations in the city.



During the peak of the fourth outbreak in July, the Ministry of Health mobilized nearly 20,000 health workers from northern and central provinces to assist pandemic prevention efforts in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities. When the pandemic was basically put under control in October, most of these health workers were withdrawn from the localities.



According to Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son, a doctor and nurse in HCM City has to take care of between 140-150 patients on average, and each has to work eight-ten hours straight in protective suits, which can cause dehydration and electrolyte disorders.
WHO pledges support for Vietnam's safe living with COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) is committed to maintaining close co-ordination with the Vietnamese Government in all aspects during the transition from COVID-19 control to safe coexistence with the virus as the pandemic turns into an endemic.













Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam



Talking to the media recently, WHO representative in Vietnam Dr Kidong Park said that the most important priority in this transition period includes strengthening the protection of vulnerable groups and taking necessary measures so that the health system does not become overwhelmed.



According to Dr Park it will be impossible to totally eliminate the virus overnight and will also be difficult to predict the emergence of new strains in the future. The important thing is about how to limit the number of deaths and minimise the negative impact of the pandemic on socio-economic development, he emphasized.



Although we may not eradicate the virus and it would be difficult to predict future scenarios of virus mutation, we now know how to save lives and the adverse social and economic impacts, he said.



As we transition safe and flexible adaptation to COVID-19, it is critical that we continue our strong public health response through vaccination together with calibrated public health and social measures, the WHO Representative went on to note.



He stated that the WHO hailed the Vietnamese Government for its hard work and tireless efforts to suppress COVID-19 outbreaks with the whole-of-society approach.



He highlighted that the Vietnamese pandemic response strategy is linked to a very strong political commitment from the highest level of the Government. It has a robust surveillance and public health emergency response system in place, along with dedicated and highly-skilled health care workers both at prevention and clinical management side. In addition, the Vietnamese people have co-operated with the implementation of all public and social measures.



The WHO also expresses its admiration for the persistent commitment from localities for the excellent work of community COVID-19 teams and for Vietnamese people who have been doing their share in combating the virus. This has largely seen citizens follow personal protection rules through the consistent practice of the 5K message and getting themselves vaccinated when it was their turn.



Dr Park said the organisation has been working hand in hand with the Vietnamese Government since the start of the pandemic as a means of preparing for any public health emergency.



The WHO has therefore been providing technical, operational, and logistical support to aid the countrys response.



We will continue to do so and keep providing the most updated scientific evidence to support the Government in their response decision-making processes, he pledged.



The groups support primarily focuses on strengthening capacity across technical areas such as surveillance, risk assessment, outbreak investigation and response, communication, laboratory, including the provision of test kits and supplies.



Moving forward, the WHO will continue to support the Vietnamese Ministry of Health to review and update technical guidelines based on the latest evidence, such as diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19. Other guidance relating to infection prevention and control, how to ensure the safety of health workers, and ICU care of COVID-19 will also be provided.



We have also deployed medical equipment and supplies, especially for hotspot provinces, he said.



As a co-lead of the COVAX Facility, at a global level the WHO provides technical recommendations on vaccination by convening the Strategic Advisory Group of Expert on Immunization (SAGE); assesses efficacy, safety, and quality of vaccine products through WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure. It also advocates for equitable access to vaccine based on science-based prioritisation.



The WHO therefore recommends the country prepare for the Omicron variant, Dr Park said, while suggesting the nation greater efforts should be made to intensify surveillance, continue to increase public health, and boost medical capacities with a well-coordinated patient referral system in place. This should be linked from primary care to intensive care services in order to manage an increase in cases, and achieve high COVID-19 vaccination coverage across all eligible populations in combination with 5K measures.



It is therefore imperative to step up communication on pandemic prevention and control measures and widely publicise the results of genetic sequencing of COVID-19 cases so that scientists are able to get greater research information regarding new viral mutations, he stressed.
China's Shandong Port Group sees 1.5-bln-tonne cargo throughput

Xinhua) 08:14, December 24, 2021

Guests attend a celebration ceremony at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 23, 2021. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a container vessel docking at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows containers loaded at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Port staff members and guests attend a celebration ceremony at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 23, 2021. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a container lifted at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
What's behind China's robust FDI this year?

Xinhua) 08:17, December 24, 2021

-- China posted faster growth in foreign direct investment (FDI) this year, with a growing appeal thanks to its steady recovery despite a COVID-19-induced global economic slowdown.

-- While the pandemic interrupted the global economy and trade, China has defied the trends of a worldwide investment slump and posted stellar growth.

-- China's mega-market volume, policy dividends, and improved business environment also win over the long-term investment commitment from multinationals.

-- The Latest forecasts of China's economic growth for 2022 from major international organizations have manifested their confidence in its economy.

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China posted faster growth in foreign direct investment (FDI) this year, with a growing appeal thanks to its steady recovery despite a COVID-19-induced global economic slowdown.

In the first 11 months of the year, FDI into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, surged 15.9 percent year on year, crossing a remarkable line to reach 1.04 trillion yuan or 157.2 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

The 11-month figure has already outnumbered that for the whole of 2020. The entire year figure for 2021 will likely achieve double-digit growth, rarely seen in recent years.

The foreign capital inflow is widely seen as a window to observe a country's opening-up level and reflects its economic vitality. FDI flows react more strongly to crises than trade and gross domestic products (GDP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said in a report.

"Foreign capital would flow to wherever the market flourishes and opportunities thrive," said Liu Xiangdong, a researcher with the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. He pointed out that China's stable economic performance and promising prospects were the underlying reason behind the impressive capital inflows.

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 18, 2021 shows a container ship by the Pacific international container terminal at the Tianjin Port of north China's Tianjin Municipality. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)

STABLE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE

While the pandemic interrupted the global economy and trade, China has defied the trends of a worldwide investment slump and posted stellar growth.

In the first three quarters, the country logged a 9.8-percent GDP expansion, well above its annual growth target of over 6 percent, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows.

Multinational companies have galloped to pump their cash into the Chinese market as the country's recovery gained steam partly thanks to its effective pandemic response.

November economic data showed that the "real sector" of China's economy registered solid expansion. The value-added output for major companies in the manufacturing sector witnessed accelerated growth, while high-tech industries saw rapid growth.

The production of industrial robots in November jumped 27.9 percent year on year, while the output of new energy vehicles surged 112 percent from a year ago.

"The real economy continued to strengthen, and positive changes have gradually increased," said Fu Linghui, an NBS spokesperson.

The country has overcome the negative impacts of the virus and leveraged its advantages in complete supply chains and sound foundation of the manufacturing industry, filling the gap between global supply and demand, said Ren Hongbin, vice minister of commerce.

Workers assemble new energy vehicles at an automobile company in Liuzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 12, 2021. (Photo by Li Hanchi/Xinhua)

DEVELOPMENT DIVIDEND MAGNET

China's mega-market volume, policy dividends, and improved business environment also win over the long-term investment commitment from multinationals. The resilience of foreign investment has defied earlier expectations that multinationals would withdraw from the country.

In the first half of the year, the European Union saw its actual investment in China grew 10.3 percent year on year. Foreign investments from countries along the Belt and Road and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations into the Chinese mainland jumped 24.7 percent and 23.7 percent, respectively, during the January-November period.

As China accelerated industrial restructuring, more foreign investment flowed into modern service industries and advanced manufacturing industries, according to Tu Xinquan, a professor with the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics.

In May, Roche, a Switzerland-based global healthcare company, invested over 200 million yuan in helping incubate and support innovative Chinese medical enterprises.

Automation giant Honeywell International also signed cooperation agreements with more than 20 Chinese enterprises on green and low-carbon development, advanced manufacturing, and digitalization at the China International Import Expo.

China actively promotes green and low-carbon transformation and brings broad development opportunities to multinational enterprises, said Steven Lien, president of Honeywell China and Aerospace Asia Pacific.

Photo taken on Nov. 9, 2021 shows the booth of Roche of Switzerland at the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

ROSY PROSPECTS AHEAD

The Latest forecasts of China's economic growth for 2022 from major international organizations have manifested their confidence in its economy.

The International Monetary Fund forecasts that China's economy will grow 5.6 percent next year, 0.7 percentage points higher than global economic growth. The World Bank's prediction came in at 5.1 percent.

At the tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference earlier this month, China's top policymakers urged proactive efforts to align with the high-standard international economic and trade rules, deepening reform via high-level opening-up, and boosting high-quality development.

The meeting also stressed promoting institutional opening-up and attracting more investment from multinational companies.

German carmaker BMW recently announced its upgraded strategy for the Chinese market.

"Next year, three new or upgraded plants will open in Shenyang and Zhangjiagang. We will soon be launching the second BMW electric battery vehicle from Shenyang," said Nicolas Peter, member of the board of management of BMW AG responsible for finance and China affairs.

He believed that the move would enhance China's position as one of BMW Group's top three new energy vehicle production bases globally.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
LegCo election major step in democracy with Hong Kong characteristics: experts

Xinhua) 08:22, December 24, 2021

Chairman of the China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Electoral Affairs Commission Fung Wah (2nd R) opens a ballot box in Hong Kong, south China, Dec. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

The seventh-term Legislative Council election of the HKSAR laid a solid foundation and opened a new chapter for sound governance in Hong Kong, as it demonstrated high-quality, benign and substantive democracy, an expert said.

HONG KONG, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The just-concluded seventh-term Legislative Council (LegCo) election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) marks an important step in developing a democratic system with Hong Kong characteristics and fits Hong Kong's reality, experts have said.

As a candidate running for the legal functional constituency in the LegCo election, Louis Chen, also secretary general of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, believes that the election laid a solid foundation and opened a new chapter for sound governance in Hong Kong, as it demonstrated high-quality, benign and substantive democracy.

Liang Haiming, a Hong Kong economist and chairman of China Silk Road iValley Research Institute, believes that newly-elected lawmakers can solve the various conflicts and problems in Hong Kong, improving people's livelihood.

"Hong Kong will be more competitive and shine brighter as the 'Pearl of the East,'" Liang said.

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

STRENGTH OF DIVERSITY

The HKSAR on Dec. 20 unveiled its new lawmaker lineup after successfully holding its first legislative election under an improved electoral system, a major step towards getting rid of past political quagmire and fast-tracking solutions to Hong Kong's deep-seated problems.

Ninety elected lawmakers, standing out from a total of 153 candidates from different backgrounds and across the political spectrum, will sit on the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR.

The improved electoral system features the characteristics of broad representation, political inclusiveness, balanced participation and fair competition.

"Candidates and winners in this election are from different backgrounds and across the widest political spectrum," said Li Huan, associate research professor of the Institute of Hong Kong and Macao Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, noting that this demonstrates the superiority and progressiveness of the election.

Li was echoed by Liang, who believed that the newly-elected lawmakers are what the Hong Kong people have been looking for, as they are a group of patriots that include elites and representatives from all walks of life, representing the interests of all people in Hong Kong.

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)

WESTERN LIES DEFEATED

Accusations from certain Western countries to vilify the just-concluded LegCo election were extremely weak and absurd in the experts' eyes.

Tian Feilong, associate professor with the Law School of Beihang University and director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, pointed out that the improved electoral system only requires candidates to be patriotic, a basic requirement that is similar to other regions in the world, refuting the allegations saying that this election is only about "uniformity."

"Certain people with ulterior motives smeared the election, looking at Hong Kong in a twisted way," Tian said.

Tian said that these allegations laid bare the anti-China forces' double standards and their attempts to preserve their hegemony, as well as their unwillingness to face and accept the reality of the development of Hong Kong's democracy under the "one country, two systems" principle.

The implementation of the improved electoral system has defeated their lies, and their attempts to contain China's development and undermine the HKSAR's democracy will inevitably fail, Tian said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
China's Xi'an tightens control measures amid COVID-19 resurgence

Xinhua) 08:26, December 24, 2021

-- Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, imposed closed-off management for communities and villages on Thursday, in an effort to curb the spread of the latest COVID-19 resurgence.

-- In this megacity with a population of 13 million, more than 3,000 nucleic acid testing sites are working simultaneously to provide services for residents in communities and on roadsides.

-- Since the city implemented its newest measures, numerous frontline workers and volunteers have been devoting their time to fighting the epidemic, building stringent lines of defense against the highly transmissible virus.

XI'AN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, imposed closed-off management for communities and villages on Thursday, in an effort to curb the spread of the latest COVID-19 resurgence.

All communities, villages and working units have been closed off since Thursday, and residents have been asked not to leave the city unless absolutely necessary.

Long-distance passenger transport lines have been suspended, with the exception of freight vehicles transporting epidemic prevention materials and daily necessities.

Taxis and drivers working for online ride-hailing platforms are forbidden from entering medium or high-risk areas, or traveling outside the city.

Residents queue up for nucleic acid test in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A total of 127 people tested positive for the virus during the second citywide nucleic acid testing, according to data released on Thursday by the city's COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. At 8 a.m. Thursday, the city launched a new round of testing, with more than 4 million people sampled by noon.

By 1 p.m Thursday, the popular destination for tourists worldwide had registered a total of 234 cases since the latest resurgence was triggered by imported infections on Dec. 9.

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has urged swift virus containment measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Xi'an during her inspection in the city starting Sunday.

"All COVID-19 patients are receiving the best medical treatment," said Lyu Yongpeng, deputy director of the municipal health commission.

In this megacity with a population of 13 million, more than 3,000 nucleic acid testing sites are working simultaneously to provide services for residents in communities and on roadsides.

Tens of thousands of frontline workers and volunteers are working against the clock to contain the virus.

Few cars are seen on a street in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021 after the city tightened control measures amid the latest COVID-19 resurgence. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

To swiftly contain the spread of the virus, local authorities have rolled out urgent measures while ensuring the city's residents have access to daily necessities.

Adequate supplies of daily necessities such as rice, cooking oil, milk and meat have been guaranteed, with the market supply of vegetables at 13,000 tonnes per day, according to the municipal bureau of commerce.

LINES OF DEFENSE

Since the city implemented its newest measures, numerous frontline workers and volunteers have been devoting their time to fighting the epidemic, building stringent lines of defense against the highly transmissible virus.

Police officer Li Fuli, 40, began work at 8 a.m. Wednesday and was still patrolling local communities at midnight.

Li has not seen his 7-year-old son for almost a week. "The police never get off work because we have to be on call 24 hours a day in case of any emergency," he said.

"The health and safety of citizens matter most, and we hope that through our efforts, the city can return to normalcy as soon as possible," Li said.

Aerial photo shows residents queuing up for nucleic acid test in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

The sudden outbreak has inevitably increased the workload on police officers like Li, and the same is true for his wife Ji Meiru, a community official at a residential compound of Chang'an University.

The university in Xi'an's Yanta District has reported dozens of confirmed cases and was listed as a high-risk area last Sunday.

Ji has had to wear a protective suit throughout the day since she began helping medical personnel test residents for COVID-19 on Dec. 14.

In front of the Jinsha shopping mall, which has been sealed off from visitors, five young volunteers were helping with the disinfection work.

"All of the employees in our company started taking time off last weekend. Since we are free, we want to help those in need," one volunteer said.

"We will definitely get through this winter before long through concerted efforts," she said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Putin says Russia, China trust each other, contribute to global stability

Xinhua) 08:41, December 24, 2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at his annual press conference in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

MOSCOW, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia and China trust each other and their cooperation is a stabilizing factor in the international arena, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during his annual press conference.

Russia and China have formed "an absolutely comprehensive partnership of a strategic nature, which has no precedent in history," Putin said when answering a question raised by Xinhua.

He noted that the two countries are cooperating in the fields of economy and trade, energy, high technologies and defense.

"This intense daily work benefits both the Chinese and Russian people, and is a serious stabilizing factor in the international arena," Putin said.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China boasts over 1.3M 5G base stations

Xinhua) 09:19, December 24, 2021

Aerial photo taken on April 15, 2020 shows people working at the construction site of a 5G base station in Chongqing, southwest China. [Photo/Xinhua]

China has launched more than 1.3 million 5G base stations so far amid the country's efforts at expanding its 5G network coverage, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

To date, the number of 5G users in China has reached 497 million, MIIT Minister Xiao Yaqing said on Monday.

In 2022, the country will further boost its information and communication technologies and advance the construction of 5G services and gigabit fiber optic networks in a stable and orderly manner, Xiao added.

China expects to see the number of 5G users exceed 560 million by 2023, according to a guideline released in July.

By then, the 5G network is expected to be used by over 40 percent of personal mobile phone users, and every 10,000 people in China will enjoy more than 18 5G base stations, the guideline said.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China firmly rejects U.S. signing of so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act"

Xinhua) 10:28, December 24, 2021

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China deplores and firmly rejects the U.S. signing of the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" into law, and urges the United States to correct the mistake immediately, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said here Friday.

"This Act maliciously denigrates the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang in disregard of facts and truth. It seriously violates international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs," the spokesperson said.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China, South Asia friendship organizations boost mutual trust, cooperation

11:24, December 24, 2021 By Zhong Wenxing ( People's Daily Online

With the theme of Win-Win Cooperation for Common Development, the 7th China South Asia Friendship Organizations Forum was held on Wednesday via video link to promote friendly exchanges between China and South Asian countries.

Representatives participate in the 7th China South Asia Friendship Organizations Forum via a virtual call online on Dec 22, 2021. (Photo/ CPAFFC)

About 140 participants from China and six South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Nepal, joined the event both online and offline.

They reached a consensus on enhancing people-to-people connectivity between China and South Asia, joining hands to build the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), strengthening win-win cooperation for common development, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. A joint declaration for the forum was also issued.

The forum was co-hosted by the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Organization for South Asian Regional Friendship and Cooperation with China (OSARFCC).

In the face of new opportunities and challenges, China has always been committed to deepening South-South cooperation and upholding multilateralism, Lin Songtian, the President of CPAFFC remarked at the event.

Lin Songtian, President of CPAFFC at the 7th China South Asia Friendship Organizations Forum. (Photo/ CPAFFC)

Lin proposed three initiatives to foster win-win cooperation and common development, including supporting South Asian friendship organizations in promoting capacity building while mobilizing resources from Chinas local governments, enterprises and other non-governmental sectors to carry out meaningful projects for the benefit of people, in addition to assisting them with other people-oriented activities.

Anoop Bhatarrai, President of OSARFCC and the Nepal-China Executives Council, expressed his gratefulness to China for its help directed at South Asian countries in their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic on behalf of OSARFCC.

"While most countries were reluctant to provide vaccines to South Asian Countries, China extended a helping hand and provided badly needed medical supplies and vaccines," Bhatarrai said. "China has proved that it is truly a friend in need!"

Bhatarrai encouraged South Asian countries and China to work together to pursue the common goal of creating a beautiful world and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Hou Yanqi, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, said she witnessed and experienced many important moments in China-South Asia cooperation. She was delighted and proud to see many high-quality projects under the BRI start from nothing but scratch and come to benefit the people.

Pakistan is committed to working with South Asian countries to achieve our common goals on the basis of mutual respect, trust and cooperation. We also sincerely acknowledge, appreciate and support Chinas efforts and initiatives in promoting friendship and collaborative partnerships with the region, noted Moin ul Haque, Pakistani ambassador to China.

Altaf Hossian Choudhury, President of the Bangladesh-China Cultural, Economic & Mass Communication Center, spoke highly of BRI. "The international community has welcomed the BRI and its positive impact the BRI reaffirms Chinas commitment to building and opening its economy, ensures free and inclusive trade, opposes all forms of protectionism, endeavors to promote universal rules-based opening, and a non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system ensuring win-win at every level," he said in his video speech.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Feature: Filipino "sponge boy" sends letter of thanks to "Dear Chinese vaccine"

Xinhua) 12:34, December 24, 2021

MANILA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Standing on the shore of Manila Bay, Melvin Chua, 25, folded a letter of thanks carefully into a bottle and let it flow into the sea.

"Dear Chinese vaccine, I would like to thank you for providing supplies to my country, the Philippines, to save the Philippine people and their families," Chua's letter reads.

China was the first-ever country to donate and supply the Philippines with COVID-19 vaccines.

Chua knows every narrow street of an urban district called Pembo in the Philippines' capital city Manila like the back of his hand.

Rain or shine, Chua sold dish sponges to support his family and fund his education. Hawking dish sponges for 13 years earned him the nickname "sponge boy."

Chua was among the Filipinos who earned a scholarship to pursue a master's degree in international business administration at Renmin University of China in Beijing in 2019. However, it was not long after he arrived in Beijing that the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

"At the time, I was terrified. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money to return home. But looking back now, I'm really proud of my decision to stay in China during the difficult time," Chua said.

Chua noted that he had been fully vaccinated in his university in May this year, whereas the Philippines was still short of COVID-19 vaccines, and his family and friends could not get their jabs.

"I was really happy and grateful to be able to get vaccinated in Beijing, because it just gave me so much confidence to explore (the city and my university). I was even able to celebrate festivals and birthdays with my friends and visit some beautiful places in Beijing," he said.

Moreover, with the continuous and timely delivery of life-saving vaccines from China, nearly 38 million Philippine people have been fully vaccinated, including Chua's mother and siblings.

China has sustained its COVID-19 vaccine supply to the Philippines since the first delivery on Feb. 28, allowing the country to kick off its vaccination drive on March 1. To date, the Philippines has received more than 158.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from different vaccine makers, with China being its biggest vaccine supplier.

"We could not feel more safe and protected. I trust that you will continue to supply the world to save lives and bring the world to its normal state again," Chua's letter reads.

According to Chua, after having experienced so many "first times" of seeing snow, tasting Chinese hotpot, meeting Chinese and foreign friends from all over the world, he would like to use "life-changing" and "magical" as keywords to describe his adventure in Beijing.

Chua just went back to his home country in December after finishing his education in Beijing. He is looking forward to working in a technology or internet company soon, fully utilizing his social network established during his stay in China to help the Philippine communities become better.

"I've experienced a lot of incredible things in Beijing, especially the vibrant community. I plan to bring that community to the Philippines and encourage many young people to talk about big things such as entrepreneurship, technology, and AI. I want them to feel or receive the same environment that I had in Beijing."

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Chinese photographers undertake trip to capture rare pictures of Mount Qomolangma

People's Daily Online) 13:42, December 24, 2021

Dong Shuchang (left) and Ma Chunlin (Photo/yangtse.com)

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of mankinds first Mount Qomolangma expedition, two young men from China went on a photography trip to the mountain. The stunning views of the giant mountain peak turning pink during the sunrise thrilled the two while on their trek.

The two photographers arrived at the mountain by following the same path taken by the English mountaineer and explorer George Mallory, who had died on one of his ascents of Mount Qomolangma. They arrived at a place called the Kada Valley, which has an elevation of 5,700 meters and sits to the east of Mount Qomolangma, using it as a safe platform where they could admire the mountain. Seen from this angle, the magnificent mountain appeared like a massive pyramid.

Photo shows Dong Shuchang and Ma Chunlin on their photography trip to Mount Qomolangma. (Photo/yangtse.com)

Ma Chunlin, a photographer born in 1995 in Chengdu, southwest Chinas Sichuan Province, spent a long time capturing photos in the Tibet Autonomous Region during a year-long visit there. In 2019, he saw the Kada Valley on the map, and realized that it would be a good platform for shooting pictures of Mount Qomolangma. In late September, Dong went on a photography trip to Mount Qomolangma, sponsored by the Chinese National Geography magazine.

Photo shows the Kada glacier near Mount Qomolangma. (Photo/yangtse.com)

Dong Shuchang, born in 1998 and from Yinchuan, northwest Chinas Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, was crowned the overall winner of the 2021 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition and won the Royal Observatory Greenwichs title of Astronomy Photographer. With a similar interest in geographical photography, Dong joined Ma on the September trip.

Because the route had not been taken by any explorer for a period of 100 years after Mallory, before embarking on the journey, Ma and Dong carefully studied 400 pages of documents recording Mallorys trip and then planned their own route. The preparatory work lasted three months from June to September.

Setting off on Sept. 23, the two had to deal with adverse weather and bad road conditions, as well as encountering some very dangerous animals before they finally arriving at the Kada Valley. However, it was cloudy up there at the time and they could not see Mount Qomolangma behind the clouds. What was worse, due to the low temperatures, their batteries drained very fast, so they had to keep the batteries warm using their body heat in an attempt to ensure they wouldnt deplete so quickly.

Mount Qomolangma is bathed in the sunshine early in the morning. (Photo/yangtse.com)

In the early morning of Sept. 26, the clouds swirling around Mount Qomolangma began to fade away, finally granting a view of the giant mountain before them.

Words couldnt express my feelings at that moment. The mountain peak turned pink during the sunrise, and we couldnt help but cry out loud Mount Qomolangma glows! The miraculous view lasted for two hours, during which the two photographers were able to clearly spot the climbing route along the mountains northern slope.

A thin layer of clouds appearing like a floating veil is seen above Mount Qomolangma. (Photo/yangtse.com)

The two photographers instantly put their cameras and drones into place and started to record the breathtaking scenery. They were also lucky to capture the moment when a thin layer of clouds, which looked like a floating veil, swirled around the peak of the mountain for just about 30 seconds.

Photo shows a hat-shaped cloud in the sky. (Photo/yangtse.com)

The photos taken by the two photographers during their journey were taken up by the Chinese National Geography magazine for inclusion in its latest edition. The two photographers expressed that they were happy about this opportunity and thought that their trip was worth all the effort despite all the difficulties they had encountered.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Time for America to wake up from democratic delusion

Xinhua) 15:16, December 24, 2021

People take part in a "Black Lives Matter" protest commemorating Juneteenth in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, June 19, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

Many countries around the world have called into question whether the United States is in a position to hold a so-called "Summit for Democracy" earlier this month. Rather than a Summit FOR Democracy, it is simply a Summit AGAINST Democracy.

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- "Democracy doesn't happen by accident," U.S. President Joe Biden said in remarks during the so-called "Summit for Democracy" earlier this month.

The White House claimed "a diverse group of the world's democracies" had attended the virtual event, and it already planned a second, in-person event for next year.

Biden clung to the hope that the gathering, allegedly focusing on fighting authoritarianism, corruption, and violation of human rights, could rally the like-minded to defend what he has described as "universal values."

However, many countries around the world have called into question whether the United States is in a position to do so.

Drawing an ideological line at the expense of international solidarity, the United States excluded countries representing billions of people from the so-called "Summit for Democracy" and sought to keep the rights to defining democracy to itself.

The gathering is hardly an event to promote democracy as the United States claims, given the absence of some major countries in the world, two-thirds of African nations, and almost the entire Arab world.

Photo taken on June 8, 2020 shows a protester holding a sign that reads "Black Lives Matter" near the White House during a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Rather than a Summit FOR Democracy, it is simply a Summit AGAINST Democracy.

Portraying itself as the champion of democracy is hypocritical at least.

The United States has long been obsessed with exporting its own version of democracy, wreaking havoc in many countries and regions.

Color revolutions orchestrated by the United States have brought about great disorder and chaos, while Washington's sanctions have exacerbated humanitarian crises and COVID-19-induced calamities in multiple countries.

A failure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic has led to more than 51 million infections and nearly 810,000 deaths in the United States, where African Americans have suffered disproportionately and hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise.

White flags honoring the lives lost to COVID-19 are seen on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Political divide continues to deepen in the United States, with partisan interests overriding national priorities. The abuse of gerrymandering testifies to flaws in the country's electoral and democratic systems.

Democrats and Republicans are increasingly antagonistic toward each other, with blue states and red states moving further apart. Partisanship and endless political fights have prevented the United States from moving toward in the right direction.

U.S. democracy has also been swamped by money. Political spending in the 2020 election topped 14 billion U.S. dollars, more than doubling the total cost of the record-breaking 2016 presidential election cycle.

The United States is therefore in no position to style itself a champion of democracy, let alone a leader of democracy.

The country needs to adopt an open and inclusive attitude toward different forms of democracies rather than indulge in the delusion created by itself.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Myanmar, China sign semi-finished vaccines supply agreement

Xinhua) 15:48, December 24, 2021

YANGON, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Ministry of Industry and China National Biotec Group, affiliated with China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), signed a supply agreement on Wednesday for semi-finished vaccine products.

The agreement marks the achievement of China-Myanmar cooperation in vaccine filling and packaging, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai said at the signing ceremony, hoping that locally produced Sinopharm vaccines can be available soon and more people in Myanmar can have access to them.

Union Minister for Ministry of Industry Charlie Than said this is an important milestone in the cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and China National Biotec Group.

He hoped the two sides would continue joining hands in producing important vaccines and other medicines for Myanmar's medical service sector.

On the same day, a new batch of 1 million doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrived in Myanmar's Yangon.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
Hong Kong reports 7 more cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant

Xinhua) 16:40, December 24, 2021

HONG KONG, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported seven additional cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of Omicron infections to 41.

After investigations on seven imported cases announced on Dec. 20 and Dec. 22, the CHP confirmed that the infected people, three males and four females aged between 18 and 61, all carried the highly contagious Omicron strain.

The CHP also reported five additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, taking the total tally to 12,555.

The newly reported cases involve four imported cases and an import-related case, comprising two males and three females aged 20 to 64.

The import-related case involves a 64-year-old man, who is a cleaner at a designated toilet solely for use by preliminary positive imported patients confined at a designated area at Hong Kong International Airport while waiting for transfer to hospital.

A total of 72 cases have been reported in the past 14 days and all were imported, according to the CHP.

Since the launch of the government inoculation program in late February, around 4.85 million people, or 72 percent of the eligible population, have taken at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, with over 4.62 million, or 68.7 percent of the eligible population, having taken two doses.

Meanwhile, a total of 331,352 people have taken the booster shot in Hong Kong as of 7:00 p.m. local time Thursday.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Liang Jun)
China's top political advisory body opposes U.S. signing of so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act"

Xinhua) 17:30, December 24, 2021

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Friday expressed strong indignation at and opposition to the United States signing the "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" into law.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee said in a statement that the act grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and seriously violates basic norms governing international relations.

(Web editor: Shi Xi, Hongyu)
By Li Haozhe

Lately, the ROK and US different positions on the time of the assessment drill on the Full Operational Capability (FOC) needed for the transition of wartime Operational Control (OPCON) reflected subtle divergences between the two sides.

According to the plan, the ROK and US militaries will verify and evaluate in three stages whether the Future Combined Forces Command (F-CFC) under the ROK commander is competent enough to exercise the wartime OPCON. The FOC assessment is the second stage between the first stage of Initial Operational Capability (IOC) assessment and the third stage of Full Mission Capability (FMC) assessment. The first stage was completed in 2019, but the second stage that was scheduled for completion in 2021 hasnt even started yet due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors.

Yonhap News Agency quoted the US Department of Defense spokesperson John Kirby as saying that the US and ROK agreed to carry out the FOC assessment drill next summer and evaluate again ROKs capability of exercising the wartime OPCON next fall. However, ROK Minister of National Defense Suh Wook said during a radio program that his US counterpart Lloyd Austin already instructed the US military to study whether its possible to carry out the wartime OPCON competence assessment drill next spring.

Considering the two different versions, analysts said either Kirby wasnt updated on the behind-the-door consultations between the US and ROK militaries, or consultations are still underway. ROKs Munhwa Ilbo reported that if the Moon Jae-in administration wants to determine the time of transferring the wartime OPCON within his term, it must complete the FOC assessment next spring. In comparison with Moon Jae-ins simple and clear goal, Washington seems to have more calculations.

First, Washington tries to leave the matter to the next ROK administration. While Moon Jae-in wants to make some substantial progress on retrieving the wartime OPCON before he steps down, the US side thinks otherwise. ROKs Newsis published an article saying that Washington may be considering re-negotiating the matter with the next ROK administration that will come in office next May. As the conservative and progressive groups in ROK dont see eye to eye on the transfer of wartime OPCON, the US military may not give a definite answer until after the results of the ROK presidential election come out.

Second, the procedures are complicated for adjusting the drilling troops and the training schedule. Analysts said that the ROK-US joint military exercise in the first half of the year usually takes place in early March, which may be affected as it overlaps with ROKs presidential election and related activities. If the assessment drill is moved forward to next spring, reported World Journal, the US military needs to mobilize troops from America, Japan or other places within about three months, for which the US may have to rearrange the pre-agreed training agenda and participating troops with other countries regarding the scheduled joint exercises. Therefore, it is unlikely to agree to ROKs request as it had already re-deployed its overseas troops according to the Global Posture Review (GPR).

Third, the US wants to postpone the transfer of wartime OPCON as much as possible. Former US Forces Korea Commander Gen. Robert Abrams recently said that the transfer will not take place until 2028 at least. ROK media commented that by holding the wartime OPCON in its hand, the US can kill two birds with one stone  dispatching ROK troops if a war breaks out on the one hand and selling weapons and equipment to it on the other. The FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act recently adopted by the US Senate said that to consolidate the Indo-Pacific alliance, its necessary to reinforce the alliance between the US and ROK and keep the US forces there at the current size of 28,500 troops. Its clear that Washington doesnt wish to give back the wartime OPCON to Seoul before it comes up with a plan that can make it hold more control and influence over the ROK military.
BEIJING, Dec. 24 -- An open-sea training fleet of the navy under the PLA Southern Theater Command returned to a military port in Zhanjiang, South China's Guangdong Province, on December 22 after completing a training mission of more than 20 days, with a total voyage of more than 7,000 nautical miles. The training fleet consisted of guided-missile destroyer Nanning (Hull 162), guided-missile frigate Hengshui (Hull 572), comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu (Hull 887), and shipborne helicopters.

During the more than 20 days of open-sea training, the fleet practiced anti-shore fire support, joint sea assault, anti-aircraft and anti-missile operations.
Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command John Aquilino (L) talks with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their meeting at Kishida's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, November 11, 2021. /Reuters

China is watching reports of a draft joint operation plan between the U.S. and Japan closely, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters on Friday.

Japanese and U.S. armed forces have drawn up a draft plan for a joint operation in the event of a "Taiwan emergency," according to a report by Japan's Kyodo News Agency on Thursday that cited unnamed Japanese government sources.

Stating that the country is closely following the situation, Zhao reiterated the Taiwan region is an integral part of China and that China does not allow any countries to interfere in its internal affairs in any forms and with any excuses.

He warned relevant parties not to underestimate the determination, will and capability of the Chinese people to defend the country's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
A day after approving Pfizer's COVID-19 pill, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authority to a similar pill produced by Merck.

Called molnupiravir, the drug could be given to high-risk adults once they show initial symptoms of the coronavirus. The drug is not approved for those under 18 because of concerns about bone and cartilage growth.

The FDA said that of those given the Merck pill, only seven percent were hospitalized, compared to 10 percent who took a placebo. One person died over the 30-day period compared to nine who took the placebo.

The drug works by inserting errors into the coronaviruss genetic code, which makes it harder to reproduce.


President Moon Jae-in in a stunning U-turn on Friday morning pardoned his predecessor Park Geun-hye, the first democratically elected president to be forced out of office in massive street protests in 2017.

"For the sake of national reconciliation, [Park], who is serving a long-term prison sentence, will be granted a special pardon," Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said in a statement. She will be released on New Year's Eve.

The former president has repeatedly been hospitalized for shoulder pain and other unspecified ailments, but she had not been on a Justice Ministry list for the annual New Year's amnesty.

Moon earlier ruled out pardoning her because she neither admitted her crimes nor expressed remorse but seems to have changed his mind because she is ill and there is little risk of a political comeback. "It looks like sentiment in Cheong Wa Dae changed recently to an amnesty," a source said the previous day.

Apart from her stints in hospital, Park spent nearly five years since her arrest at a priosn in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, where she refused all visitors except her lawyer.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court after a number of retrials upheld her 20-year sentence on numerous counts of extortion, bribery and abuse of office. Revelations about her misrule and her toxic operetta court at Cheong Wa Dae rocked Korean society to its core and condemned her conservative party to rock-bottom ratings ever since.


President Moon Jae-in's has buried his hopes of a visit from his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and settled for a Zoom call.

The Foreign Ministry here on Thursday said Korea and China are "in talks" to arrange a video summit between the two leaders. That scotches Moon's hopes of magically turning his party's fortunes around with a visit to from Xi before Moon leaves office in March.

"Close negotiations are taking place between Korea and China over a summit," Vice Foreign Minister Yeo Seung-bae told reporters. He added the two countries "share the view that smooth communication at various levels is very important to the development of bilateral relations."

National security adviser Suh Hoon and Chinese Communist Party foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi already discussed the video summit when they met in Tianjin early this month. It is expected in January before the Beijing Winter Olympics begin.

The U.S. is leaning on its allies to join its diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games, but Korea has already said it will not join the campaign.
A record 109 people died of or with COVID-19 on Thursday and 1,083 were severely ill in hospital. Far too late the government is now promising to increase dedicated hospital beds and medical personnel, raising concerns of straining facilities for people who are sick with something else. The big idea now is to secure hospital beds by postponing non-emergency surgery and cutting outpatient services. "There is no realistic way of preparing for coronavirus patients without affecting the number of hospital beds and personnel for patients with other diseases," a health official admitted. How can Korea have slipped into triage with one of the most advanced medical systems in the world?

The government now says it will boost the number of hospital beds for serious cases to 25,000 by next month and is preparing for daily coronavirus infections to surge to 10,000. To do that, it has slapped a 20-day limit on hospital stays and ordered 210 long-term hospitalized patients to vacate their beds. A rise in coronavirus patients does not mean other patients are any less ill, especially with chronic diseases. But the government's latest measures do not include any plans to deal with them. State-run hospitals such as Seoul Medical Center offer services to low-income patients and the government must make sure they continue.

Simply boosting the number of dedicated hospital beds does not guarantee smooth medical services. Healthcare workers are exhausted, and many people are questioning how the government can bolster their number. In order to use limited medical resources effectively, some say the government should have set clear guidelines for admitting COVID-19 patients in the first place. Not everyone with mild or middling symptoms needs to be in hospital, and ICU beds are only needed to save lives.

A growing number of people are afraid to go to hospitals these days because that is where coronavirus is rampant. A government should at least guarantee proper medical treatment to all citizens, but now they can only hope that they do not get sick. Judging by the present rate of coronavirus infections, serious cases will only rise further and the situation is expected to grow worse. The government's lack of preparation is now playing havoc with everyones lives.


Many plan to spend New Year in Changbai Mountain

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-12-23 17:24

Many citizens are planning to ring in the New Year at the Changbai Mountain scenic area, in northeast China's Jilin Province.

At 0:00 on December 21, as the risk level of COVID-19 across the entirety of Shanghai was reduced to low-risk, the citys inter-provincial travel could restart. Just one day later, travel agencies in Shanghai received bookings for ski trips in Changbai Mountain. It is estimated that over 1,200 tourists will travel from Shanghai to the popular scenic spot for New Year.

In order to meet the demands of the growing ski tourism market, Spring Airlines will increase the number of flights for the Shanghai-Changbai Mountain route starting from January 1. By then, there will be three direct flights every day.

At the beginning of 2022, many other tourists will fly to the southern part of China to enjoy the warm weather in Sanya, Hainan Province. Many hotels in Sanya have thus prepared various welcome activities for tourists from afar.

Besides, Lijiang, Chengdu, Enshi, Changchun and other destinations are also popular among Shanghai citizens to spend the New Year.




Shanghai ranked 2nd among global e-sports cities

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-12-23 17:28

People travel to Paris for fashion and Tokyo for anime. Why come to Shanghai? Maybe for e-sports. Shanghai was ranked second among the worlds e-sports cities according to a newly-published report.



The report compiled by a Shanghai Jiao Tong University team evaluated 15 cities across the world which are committed to e-sports development, based on five major indicators: industrial ecology, infrastructure, competitions, clubs and social influence. It found that Los Angeles and Shanghai are clearly in the first echelon of global e-sports cities.

With an overall score of 100 points, Los Angeles was recognized by the report as the top 1 among the 15 cities, boasting plenty of world-renowned e-sports venues and a large number of e-sports clubs, plus rich media resources.

Shanghai, with an overall score of 94.9 points, was right after Los Angeles. Last year, the final game of the 2020 League of Legends S10 global finals was held in Shanghai. The city is now home to multiple high-quality e-sports enterprises, with a complete industrial cluster having already taken shape. To break it down, in terms of two indicators (infrastructure and competitions), Shanghai was scored the first among the 15 cities. The number of e-sports companies, clubs, and star teams in Shanghai accounts for approximately 80% across the country. Over 40% of e-sports competitions took place in Shanghai. The scale of Shanghais e-sports industry is expected to exceed 20 billion yuan in 2021, maintaining annual growth.




BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday that no matter how the international situation changes, China-Peru relations have maintained a momentum of steady development and been the "front-runner" in China-Latin America relations.

Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with Peruvian Foreign Minister Oscar Maurtua, noting that the traditional friendship between China and Peru dates back to ancient times.

Not long ago, the two heads of state exchanged congratulatory messages on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, which fully demonstrated that both sides attach great importance to China-Peru relations and share a good will to deepen friendly cooperation, Wang noted.

He stressed that China is willing to work with Peru to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and advance China-Peru comprehensive strategic partnership to higher levels.

Wang congratulated Peru on the 200th anniversary of its independence.

He said that as representatives of developing countries and emerging economies, China and Peru share broad common interests and common pursuit, and both hope to accelerate national development and rejuvenation.

Wang added that the cooperation between the two countries is South-South cooperation featuring mutual help and support, and has great potential and bright prospects.

Both sides should uphold multilateralism, defend the international system with the United Nations at its core, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, especially emerging economies, Wang said.

China will continue to support Peru in safeguarding its sovereign independence, national dignity and legitimate rights and interests, Wang said.

He added that the Chinese side believes Peru will also continue to support China's position on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns, so as to consolidate mutual trust and the political foundation of bilateral relations.

China and Peru, united in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, have written a new chapter in their friendship, Wang said, adding that as the first country to provide Peru with COVID-19 vaccines, China will continue to support Peru until the South American country defeats the pandemic.

Noting that China has been Peru's largest trading partner and major source of investment for seven consecutive years, Wang said that the two sides should speed up the negotiation on upgrading the China-Peru Free Trade Agreement, and steadily advance key practical cooperation projects.

China is willing to encourage more competent and reputable Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Peru and hopes Peru will provide a sound and stable investment environment, Wang said, adding China is also willing to import more Peruvian quality specialties.

Wang said that Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, which is aimed at forming global synergy to help developing countries achieve economic recovery at an early date and promote the timely implementation of UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Peru is an active advocate of multilateralism and an important defender of the rights and interests of developing countries, said Wang, adding that Peru is welcome to support and participate in this initiative.

China supports Peru in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2024 and is willing to work with Peru for new progress in APEC cooperation, he said.

For his part, Maurtua said Peru and China celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year, and bilateral relations have reached a new level.

The Peruvian side stands ready to deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields, accelerate the negotiation on upgrading the China-Peru Free Trade Agreement, and push forward Peru-China comprehensive strategic partnership to achieve better development, Maurtua said.

Maurtua said Peru sincerely thanks China for providing support and sharing experience in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in healthcare and the resumption of work and production in the post-pandemic era.

Practical cooperation between the two countries has brought tangible benefits to Peru, he said, adding that the Peruvian side welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest in Peru.

When the two countries first established diplomatic relations, Peru explicitly stated that the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China, and it will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy, he said.

Both Peru and China are representatives of emerging economies, who share similar positions on and play important roles in international and regional affairs, Maurtua noted.

Peru appreciates China's support regarding the hosting of APEC in 2024, and it will always staunchly support multilateralism while attaching great importance to and seriously studying the Global Development Initiative proposed by China, Maurtua added. Enditem
CAIRO, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The solid cooperation between China and Egypt, especially in the health field, will achieve the well-being of the two peoples and contribute to the global prosperity, Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Health, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"China has supplied Egypt with COVID-19 vaccine products, either fully manufactured vaccines or raw materials for their manufacture inside Egypt," Abdel-Ghaffar told Xinhua.

"There are procedures in full swing to transfer manufacturing technology through vaccine factories in the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA)," he added.

In April, VACSERA inked a deal with the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech on creating a joint venture with a capacity of producing 2 million doses of vaccine per week. On July 18, the venture celebrated the production of the first 1 million doses of Sinovac vaccine.

China and Egypt have also exchanged shipments of medical and preventive supplies, in a move to boost their relations in the health field and achieve prosperity, decent life and public health in the two countries, said Abdel-Ghaffar.

Speaking about the opportunities for Egyptian-Chinese cooperation in providing COVID-19 vaccines for African countries, the Egyptian spokesman noted that cooperating with China to achieve prosperity in the African continent is one of the important goals of the Egyptian state.

"Everything that would lead to the prosperity of the African continent is a strategic goal for Egypt," Abdel-Ghaffar noted. Enditem
A man wearing a face mask is seen on a bus on Christmas Eve in London, Britain, Dec. 24, 2021. Britain has reported another 122,186 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, exceeding 120,000 daily cases for the first time since of the start of the pandemic, according to official figures released Friday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

LONDON, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Britain has reported another 122,186 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, exceeding 120,000 daily cases for the first time since of the start of the pandemic, according to official figures released Friday.

It brought the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,891,292.

The country also reported a further 137 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 147,857, with 8,240 COVID-19 patients still in hospital.

Another 23,719 Omicron cases have been confirmed in Britain, the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 114,625, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said Friday.

However, experts said there are likely to be hundreds of thousands of infections per day, with many being missed by the system.

The latest figures came as data showed that around one in 20 people in London had COVID in the week to Dec. 19, the highest proportion for any English region.

The Office for National Statistics said its headline results of a national survey showed the British capital had the country's highest rate of the virus. The result was based on data gathered between Dec. 13 and 19.

In England, ONS said an estimated 1,544,600 have had COVID-19 in the past week, with 2.83 percent of the population testing positive. It equates to 1 in 35 people across England having the virus, added ONS.

More than 89 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and around 82 percent have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 56 percent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem

A masked man is seen in a bus on Christmas Eve in London, Britain, Dec. 24, 2021. Britain has reported another 122,186 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, exceeding 120,000 daily cases for the first time since of the start of the pandemic, according to official figures released Friday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

People wearing face masks visit Hyde Park Winter Wonderland on Christmas Eve in London, Britain, Dec. 24, 2021. Britain has reported another 122,186 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, exceeding 120,000 daily cases for the first time since of the start of the pandemic, according to official figures released Friday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A masked woman walks in Hyde Park Winter Wonderland on Christmas Eve in London, Britain, Dec. 24, 2021. Britain has reported another 122,186 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, exceeding 120,000 daily cases for the first time since of the start of the pandemic, according to official figures released Friday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

People wearing face masks visit Hyde Park Winter Wonderland on Christmas Eve in London, Britain, Dec. 24, 2021. Britain has reported another 122,186 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, exceeding 120,000 daily cases for the first time since of the start of the pandemic, according to official figures released Friday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
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Facebook: Jennifer and James Crumbley

As this correspondent reads accounts of the latest media inspired school shooting, there was an obvious theme: blame the parents. Convict them before any evidence is presented in court. Indict them with crimes seldom used in such circumstances. Declare they are fugitives in a "manhunt".

This is all depressingly familiar. The media smells gun control blood in the water. They launch a narrative: all is the fault of the parents. The narrative advances their political agenda and masks their own liability. The Constitutional rights of gun owners, especially of white gun owners, are not considered worthy of protecting. The mother, Jennifer Crumbley, even supported President Trump in 2016!

How dare she!

The Trump-support letter, supposedly a blog post written in November of 2016, is claimed by some to be a hoax. Is it? This correspondent does not know. Time will help clear the confusion.

This correspondent does not know all the details of what happened. No one does at this point. A narrative is being formed and pushed with little fact and little due process. The Michigan prosecutor has announced four counts of involuntary manslaughter charges for each parent, with very little investigation, and lots of publicity. The public is inflamed. The sheriff in the county says this is not the way things are usually done.

Calls for harsh punishment of the Crumbley parents is common on the Internet. .....
Many will spend Christmas homeless, without electricity: Pangilinan

CEBU -- Many will spend Christmas homeless with the barest of essentials, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan says as he calls on the government to hasten the release of funds to address shelter and other urgent needs of residents in calamity areas flattened by Super Typhoon Odette.

In his visit here Thursday, Pangilinan met with residents living in temporary shelters for a week now without electricity.

Natividad Condeno, 38, of Suong Uno, Barangay Mactan, Lapu-Lapu City, narrated to Pangilinan how she held on to her six children embracing them tightly, as the wind swept away the roof over their heads.

In the typhoon's aftermath, Condeno said she and her family gathered littered steel sheets and formed a structure similar to pyramids where they are crammed awaiting help.

"Odette survivors are increasingly getting desperate with scarce or no aid in sight. Hindi makakahintay ang gutom," Pangilinan said.

The senator said no less than the Department of Budget and Management has acknowledged that funds are available for release.

"Time is of essence. Money and resources should be readily available. Response should be swift and vast given the dire situation of our people," Pangilinan said.

He said basic needs of the typhoon victims such as food, drinking water, and building materials

should be on hand.

Hunger and disease stalk the typhoon victims in evacuation centers and makeshift shelters that many residents have erected themselves.

Pangilinan also warned that the increasingly desperate condition of the victims could lead to looting or mobbing for survival.

"No one who has been here and has seen the situation of our people will be able to sleep comfortably without taking action. Sama-sama, tulong-tulong, makakaraos din tayo," Pangilinan said.

In his visit here Thursday, Pangilinan together with wife Sharon and volunteers distributed food packs to residents who have been staying in temporary shelters for a week now without electricity.

The senator also committed to donate cash assistance, 840 fifty-kilo sacks of rice, and 2,000 five-liter drinking water.
Press Release

December 23, 2021 Inoperative Cebu wharves pose delivery woes for bulk donations to Odette victims: Pangilinan CEBU -- Four non-working wharves, non-available RORO ships, and ships run aground pose delivery difficulties for bulk donations intended for those affected by category-5 typhoon Odette here, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Thursday. "Kailangang-kailangan ng tubig, pagkain, gasolina, kuryente, transport at komunikasyon dito sa Cebu. Sa tubig, Metro Cebu Water District cannot provide water yet so deepwell pa ang source," Pangilinan said after speaking with several local government officials and residents on the post-disaster situation in the province. "Sa Olango Island, tourism at fishing ang kinabubuhay ng mga tao. Hirap magpadala ng relief goods dahil hindi kaya ng chopper, kailangan ng barko. Ang problema, apat na wharf ang down, walang available na RORO, at nangangamba silang baka magka-oil spill dahil doon sa 42 na nabalahaw na barko," he said after conferring with Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard "Ahong" Chan. Pangilinan said he will contact Energy Undersecretary Wimpy Fuentebella to ask that Cebu's fuel supply be assured so that generator sets for water refilling, phone charging, and other activities may be done even as electricity is still out. "Naging charging station ang mga city hall na napuntahan natin dahil wala pang kuryente ang malaking bahagi ng Mega Cebu," he said. The senator said that in the middle of all the depressing news, the good news is that there has not been any Covid case monitored the past 14 days. "Masaya na sana ang Pasko pero parang pilit tayong sinusubok ng pagkakataon. Bigla namang dumating si Odette. At meron pa raw anim na taong missing, kasama na ang isang boatman," he said. Pangilinan said he will get in touch with the Departments of Agriculture on assistance to fisherfolk whose boats were smashed to bits by Odette, of National Defense for Navy assistance on the beached ships, of Energy on getting fuel to the area while power infrastructures are restored, and private telecommunications companies Globe and Smart for phone and internet signals in the affected areas. Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes told Pangilinan that 34,000 of his constituents were affected, of whom seven died; 13,926 structures were damaged, of which 7,500 were completely damaged. He said 58 ships in his area ran aground. "Kailangang-kailangan din sa Mandaue ay tubig, kuryente, at syempre pagkain," Pangilinan said. Pangilinan, who visited several areas in the province with his wife Sharon on Thursday, called on concerned government agencies to speed up repair works in the affected seaports to make them serviceable to vessels arriving with food packs, water, and other donations to families impacted by the calamity. "The government should pick up the pace in making the seaports functional so that assistance could get to our people urgently needing food, water and other supplies," he said. "With their present condition, we have to bring everything to the devastated areas from bulldozers and generators to tents and food and medicine. The people have nothing left with them," he added.
In Libya, after the announcement of the postponement of the presidential election that should have been held this Friday, December 24  the 70th anniversary of independence  the Parliament appointed a commission to prepare a new roadmap for the transition. Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibahs mandate officially ends on December 24, according to the Geneva political agreement.

On Monday, December 27, Parliament will consider a government reshuffle to appoint a new executive until the presidential election, which is not expected to take place in a month, but rather in a window of six to 12 months. This is according to parliamentary sources working on this new roadmap.

Parliament will consider on Monday the Electoral Commissions proposal to hold the election on January 24, but the adoption of this date is far from certain, given the internal divisions and the tug of war between the Parliament, which is based in Toubrouk, in the east, and the authorities in Tripoli.

While Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah is sending signals that he wants to keep his post, forces in the west and east believe he should not be extended.

The new electoral timetable to be established by parliament will therefore necessarily include a call for a government reshuffle.
Saudi Arabia has accepted the return of Iranian diplomats to the kingdom amid rapprochement between the two sides after five years of diplomatic row.

Hossein Amirabdollahian, Irans top diplomat, Thursday indicated that the Gulf Arab country has agreed to grant visas to three of our diplomats who will start work at the Organization of Islamic Conference in Jeddah.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, Amirabdollahian also indicated that the next round of Saudi-Iranian talks will take place soon in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in 2016 after one of the kingdoms diplomatic missions was stormed and torched after Saudi authorities executed a prominent Saudi Shia figure.

Iraq has already hosted four rounds of talks between the two sides for a rapprochement, hoping its mediation will stop neighbors settling scores on its territory.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
Phoenix TV: Weve noted that Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on December 24 that Japans Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita, Paralympic Committee President Kazuyuki Mori and Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee President Seiko Hashimoto will attend the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Do you have any comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: China welcomes representatives of Japans Olympic Committee and other organizations as well as Japanese athletes to the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. We have every confidence that working together with all sides under the Olympic motto of together, China will deliver a streamlined, safe and splendid Olympic event to the world.

MASTV: Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis said in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt on December 24 that Chinese customs are not clearing goods from EU countries if they contain parts originating from Lithuania. The number of such cases is increasing. The EU will work to find resolutions acceptable to both sides. In the meantime, it is collecting evidence and may take action against China before the WTO, if necessary. What is Chinas comment?

Zhao Lijian: China always acts in a way that conforms to WTO rules. Certain media reports about removing Lithuania from Chinese customs clearance systems, suspending Lithuanias permits of importing from China and pressuring multinational corporations not to use parts made in Lithuania are not true. If companies meet technical problems in exporting certain products to China, they can report to competent authorities in China through normal channels. We hope certain individuals of the EU can respect facts and stop making irresponsible remarks. At the same time, I have to stress again that what Lithuania did has gravely undermined the political foundation of China-Lithuania diplomatic relations and the atmosphere of practical and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. I also learned that many Chinese companies no longer see Lithuania as a trustworthy partner for cooperation. When facing difficulties in economic and trade cooperation with China, Lithuania must look for causes from within.

Dragon TV: The UNGA just adopted a Chinese-proposed resolution titled Promoting International Cooperation on Peaceful Uses in the Context of International Security. Could you share more with us and tell us the follow-up measures China will take?

Zhao Lijian: On the afternoon of December 24 Beijing time, the plenary meeting of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution Promoting International Cooperation on Peaceful Uses in the Context of International Security submitted by China.

This resolution holds high the banner of a community with a shared future for mankind, advocates universal security and common development, calls for safeguarding the legitimate rights of all countries to peaceful use of science and technology and participate in international cooperation, and urges relevant countries to remove excessive restrictions and discriminatory export controls imposed on the peaceful use of science and technology by developing countries. The resolution also requests the UN Secretary-General to submit a report to the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly next year for further discussion by member states.

This is a resolution that reflects the common position of developing countries and serves the common interests of the international community. As the initiator of the resolution, China stands ready to work with all parties to advance the follow-up process of the UN General Assembly and ensure the full and effective implementation of the resolution.

RTHK: US President Joe Biden signed an Act that bans all imports from Xinjiang, unless businesses can prove the items did not involve forced labor. What is Chinas response?

Zhao Lijian: On December 23 local time, the US side signed the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law. This Act maliciously denigrates the human rights situation in Chinas Xinjiang in disregard of facts and truth. It seriously violates international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly interferes in Chinas internal affairs. China deplores and firmly rejects this.

The so-called allegations of forced labor and genocide in Xinjiang are nothing but vicious lies concocted by anti-China forces. Xinjiangs economic development and social stability is recognized by the whole world. The fact that residents of all ethnic groups there enjoy happy and fulfilling lives is witnessed by all. The US side keeps using Xinjiang-related issues to create rumors and make trouble. Essentially it is engaging in political manipulation and economic coercion, and seeking to undermine Xinjiangs prosperity and stability and contain Chinas development under the pretext of human rights.

It is preposterous for the US, a country with a deplorable track record of human rights issues, to accuse and smear China. The US has serious problems of human trafficking and forced labor. Up to 100,000 people were trafficked into the US for forced labor annually over the past five years. Crimes against humanity against Native Americans in the past constitute de facto genocide. The US should save the labels of forced labor and genocide for itself.

Xinjiang-related issues are not human rights issues at all, but in essence about countering violent terrorism and separatism. The Chinese side sternly warns the US side that crafting conspiracies and plots with Xinjiang-related issues will not stop the pursuit of a better life by people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang or hold back Chinas development. The US acts totally violate market principles and commercial ethics. Such moves will only undermine the stability of global industrial and supply chains, disrupt international trade order and hurt the US own interests and credibility. The rock they are lifting will end up dropping on their own feet.

I must stress once again that Xinjiang-related issues are purely Chinas internal affairs. The Chinese government and Chinese people are firmly resolved in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests. We admonish the US to correct the mistake immediately, and stop using Xinjiang-related issues to spread lies, interfere in Chinas internal affairs and contain Chinas development. China will make further response in light of the development of the situation.

Shenzhen TV: On December 23, the China Society for Human Rights Studies issued a report titled Limitations and Drawbacks of American Democracy, which systematically elaborated on the political nature and historical limitations of the American democracy and points out its real drawbacks, including polarization, double standards, domination of money and formalized nature. What is your comment?

Zhao Lijian: I have noted the report. The American democracy is full of chronic malaise and riddled with problems. The US is in no position to call itself a human right judge, still less export hegemony.

First, the American democracy exists only in formality, which cannot protect whole-process equality among people. Election featuring one person, one vote becomes the entirety of the American democracy, while the whole process of democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight are neglected. As a result, political donations hijack elections at the expense of voters interests. People of color in the US have long been deprived of the right to democratic participation, and Native Americans suffered systemic genocide, exclusion and assimilation. They have no democratic rights to speak of.

Second, the American democracy follows hypocritical double standards as the US is lenient toward itself but harsh on others. US politicians describe the Jasmine Revolution and Arab Spring as democratic movements, call violence destabilizing Hong Kong by some anti-China forces a beautiful sight to behold, but denounce the storming of the Capitol Hill as a riot. It is laid bare that the so-called democracy is only a slogan to serve the purpose of protecting US interests. And to safeguard self-interests, the US will take a stand against true democracy without a second thought.

Third, the American democracy is filled with hegemonic mentality that has caused grave humanitarian disasters. The US disregards the historical limitations and real drawbacks of the American democracy as well as the diversity of democracy. It is bent on imposing the American democracy on the world, and even goes so far as to wage illegal wars in Iraq, Syria and other countries in the name of democracy that killed civilians and violated human rights, among other horrendous crimes.

People all over the world should be able to independently choose paths to democratic development suitable to their countries characteristics. This represents a historical trend that cannot be changed by anyone. The American democracy has fully shown many historical limitations and real drawbacks. But the erroneous practice to impose its own model of democracy and thwart democracy under the pretext of democracy will only be met with greater opposition.

The Paper: Id like to follow up on an earlier question. A fellow journalist said that Japans Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita, Paralympic Committee President Kazuyuki Mori and Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee President Seiko Hashimoto will attend the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Ive seen other reports that Japans delegation of athletes will compete in the Beijing Games as scheduled, but Japan has no plans to send a government delegation. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: China welcomes representatives of Japans Olympic Committee and other organizations as well as Japanese athletes to the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. We paid attention to the statement from the Japanese government. Japan and China agreed to support each other in hosting the Olympics. The Japanese side is hoped and urged to take concrete actions to honor its word on this and on not politicizing sports. China has every confidence that working together with all sides under the Olympic motto of together, China will deliver a streamlined, safe and splendid Olympic event to the world.

Beijing Daily: On December 23, the White House spokesperson commented on Intels statement of apology around supply chains in Xinjiang that the private sector and the international community should oppose Chinas weaponizing of its market to stifle support for human rights. She added, American companies should never feel the need to apologize for standing up for fundamental human rights or opposing repression, and called on all industries to ensure that they are not sourcing products that involve forced labor, including forced labor from Xinjiang. What is Chinas comment?

Zhao Lijian: Deflecting blames is nothing new. But none is in parallel with this one. The so-called forced labor in Xinjiang is an out-and-out lie. The US makes up lies to hype up Xinjiang-related issues, formulates evil laws, hobbles businesses in Xinjiang and deprives all ethnic groups there of the right to a prosperous life through hard work. Essentially, the US seeks to undermine Xinjiangs stability and prosperity and hold back Chinas development. Such practice, without morality and credibility, is nothing like a major countrys demeanor. The US scheme will never succeed and China will make resolute response.

We believe that any company should respect objective facts, distinguish right from wrong, and uphold conscience and justice. Otherwise, it is the companys interests and reputation that will be hurt.

MASTV: On December 23, the summary of proceedings of the Summit for Democracy was released on the US State Department website. It details Nathan Laws malicious accusations of the Chinese government. What is Chinas comment?

Zhao Lijian: This individual you mentioned is a criminal suspect wanted by the Hong Kong police. The US blatant provision of a platform for this criminal suspect and Hong Kong independence element reveals the political motive behind this so-called summit, which is nothing but political manipulation.

I want to stress again that Hong Kong affairs are purely Chinas internal affairs that allow no intervention of any foreign government, organization and individual. Any attempt to use Hong Kong to undermine Chinas sovereignty, security and development interests will never succeed. All the anti-China elements destabilizing Hong Kong and colluding with external forces to smear Hong Kong and defame China will end up being etched into the historical pillar of shame.

Bloomberg: Yesterday Kyodo News reported that Japan and the US have made a draft joint operation plan in case of a Taiwan emergency. And the two nations are likely start working to formalize the operation plan when their foreign ministers and defense ministers meet in January. What is your response?

Zhao Lijian: There have been quite some reports like this recently. China is following them closely.

I want to stress that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. China never allows any country to meddle in the Taiwan question and interfere in Chinas internal affairs under any pretext or in any form. No one should underestimate the strong resolution, determination and capability of the Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

MASTV: I have another question about the summary of proceedings of the Summit for Democracy. It reads, US Secretary of State Blinken and Lithuanian Foreign Minister co-hosted a roundtable discussion. Participants, including family members of people arbitrarily detained in Belarus, China, and other countries, shared personal stories of political persecution and called for greater cooperation among democratic governments to pursue the release of those unjustly imprisoned. US Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya called for increased governmental action to secure the release of the million-plus political prisoners worldwide. What is Chinas comment?

Zhao Lijian: The US so-called Summit for Democracy had concluded with lukewarm response from the international community. This shows the US wins no support as it serves its own interests under the guise of democracy. The Summit for Democracy indeed tears open the US mask of democracy defender, and reveals its true face of democracy saboteur.

Facts have proven time and again that the US is the world champion in terms of arbitrary detention and political persecution. Perhaps for the US, it should charge and extradite political prisoners like Snowden and Assange who are courageous enough to reveal US crimes and misdeeds, while other countries should increase action to secure the release of political prisoners. The hypocrisy and double standards of the US are self-evident and preposterous.

CCTV: Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora said on December 23 that the eighth round of talks to revive the JCPOA will resume on December 27. Important to pick up the pace on key outstanding issues and move forward, working closely with the US, he said. On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that if you want to have your concerns addressed, then all sanctions must be lifted. Whats Chinas comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: China welcomes the upcoming eighth round of negotiations on resuming compliance with the JCPOA in Vienna. We hope all parties will adopt a serious attitude, focus on outstanding issues, and continue to advance the negotiations to achieve early results.

Id like to reiterate that, as the culprit of the Iranian nuclear crisis, the US should overhaul its erroneous policy of maximum pressure on Iran, and lift all illegal sanctions on Iran and long-arm jurisdiction on third parties. On this basis, Iran should resume full compliance.

China will continue to play an active and constructive role, and work with all parties to bring the JCPOA back onto the right track at an early date. Meanwhile, we will firmly safeguard our legitimate rights and interests.

TASS: At his annual news conference on December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned China several times. He said that the close cooperation between Russia and China benefits both the Russian and Chinese people. It is, of course, a strong stabilizing factor in the international arena. Does the foreign ministry have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: We have noted President Putins positive comments on his personal friendship with President Xi Jinping and the China-Russia relations. China appreciates that.

President Xi Jinping and President Putin are good and congenial friends. Since 2013, the two heads of state have met more than 30 times. With each others development and revitalization and world peace and stability in mind, the two sides have steered the course of bilateral relations and designed and advanced all-round cooperation. We have made the relationship between China and Russia a major-country relationship with the highest level of mutual trust, coordination and strategic value, and set a good example for major countries and neighboring countries to get along with each other.

There is no limit, no forbidden zone and no ceiling to how far China-Russia cooperation can go. China is ready to further expand all-round mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia in accordance with the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, boost the development and revitalization of the two countries, and share development opportunities with the rest of the world.

Not long ago, President Xi Jinping and President Putin held a virtual meeting and agreed on their upcoming meeting on the occasion of the Winter Olympics and the Spring Festival. We believe that President Putins visit will renew the good tradition of head-of-state exchanges and add new impetus to the development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era.
Lake Tuz was once the second-largest lake in Turkey. Flamingos flocked there to feed and nest.

People visited to witness the lake's seasonal color changes and to steep in the mineral rich water, mud, and salt.

Now, the lake rarely spans an area much larger than a puddle. In some summers it completely dries up. "Lake Tuz is unfortunately in danger of desiccation," said Fulya Aydin-Kandemir, a scientist at the Hydropolitics Association of Turkey, and external lecturer at Akdeniz University.

Lake Tuz is a saline lake (Tuz is Turkish for "salt") located on the Central Anatolia plateau, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) south-southeast of Ankara. It is fed by groundwater that originates in the Northern Taurus Mountains and passes through Konya Plain and Obruk Plateau bubbles up into Lake Tuz via springs. Other sources of water include two major streams, and rain that primarily falls in the springtime. The lake has no outlet.

Water here has become increasingly scarce. The Mediterranean Basin, which includes Turkey, has already seen more frequent and intense droughts, according to a report by the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change. In addition, the Mediterranean Basin is considered a climate change hotspot, having warmed more since the pre-industrial period compared to the global average (1.5C/2.7F compared to 1.1C/2.0F).

Aydin-Kandemir (previously at Ege University) and colleagues decided to examine how Lake Tuz has changed in recent decades, and to what extent the changes have been influenced by climatological conditions such as drought. To find out, they began by classifying lake's various surface types--water, salt, and marsh--using false-color images acquired each August between 1985 and 2016 by Landsat satellites. Their findings were published in Regional Environmental Change.

The images used in the study were similar to the false-color image above, acquired on August 9, 2021, with the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. Shortwave infrared, near-infrared, and red light (OLI bands 6-5-4) were used to distinguish the different surface types; in this view, water appears dark blue, salt is teal, and marshes are brown.

Next, the Landsat images were converted into maps showing how the spatial extent of water, salt, and marsh has changed. The maps above show the lake every few years; they are a subset of the annual maps published by the scientists in their paper.

The maps revealed two distinct periods. Prior to 2000, Lake Tuz generally contained enough water in August for the lake to be considered permanent. From 1985 through 2000, water filled more than 20 percent of the lake (based on the current shoreline) in all years except 1992 and 1994. At its fullest, during the humid years of 1988 and 1996, water spanned 93 percent and 58 percent of the lake, respectively. Even during drought conditions in 1992, water still managed to cover 16 percent of the lakebed.

"The presence of permanent water in the southwestern and western parts of the lake was vital for breeding and feeding species such as flamingos because the bacteria they feed on were concentrated in this part where the salinity is lower," Aydin-Kandemir said.

After the year 2000, there was a distinct shift. Between 2001 and 2016, water spanned less than 20 percent of the lake in every August (except 2015) as droughts became more frequent and intense. In 2008 and 2016, the lake completely dried up. Aydin-Kandemir's current research shows that more recently, extraordinary meteorological drought has devastated Lake Tuz since 2019.

"In July 2021, the state was worse, and there was almost no water, which resulted in the mass death of baby flamingos that came to the lake this year," Aydin-Kandemir said.

The patterns led the scientists to wonder why the lake had become more sensitive to drought after the year 2000. Before that time, Lake Tuz usually contained water even during periods of drought. But something changed.

Aydin-Kandemir noted that that Lake Tuz's decline coincided with the "excessive use of groundwater and surface-water resources feeding the lake." For example, some streams were rerouted to irrigate agriculture, and some were dammed to meet the water needs of the surrounding provinces. And as surface water dwindled during intense drought, people turned to the groundwater that historically fed the springs.

"The future is quite uncertain for the lake," Aydin-Kandemir said. With drought conditions expected to become more severe, people might continue to extract water at current levels. "The lake is not expected to reach the 1988-water area in the future," she added.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and data courtesy of Aydin, F., Erlat, E., & Turkes, M. (2020). Story by Kathryn Hansen.

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Six divisions of the Pop Up Series  two for trotters and four for female pacers  went postward during Thursdays 12-race card at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Black Betty rallied from out of the clouds to win her $14,000 division of the Pop Up Series for the female pacers that fit the conditioned claiming event.

J Harris got away ninth with the even-money favourite who eventually made a powerful move at the head of the lane. She kicked home in :26.4 to win by 1-1/4 lengths over P L Orchid in 1:55.2. Dilly Taryn settled for third prize.

Daniel Mead of Rockwood, ON owns the streaking campaigner who improved her 2021 record to 6-2-3 from 25 starts with the win. She pushed her lifetime earnings to $43,364 in the process.

Delimas pulled off an 11-1 upset when she rallied from far back to score in 1:55.3 in what was her debut for new connections.

Purchased privately since her latest outing, the four-year-old daughter of Vintage Master-Delirante was fourth-over in the backstretch, but she steadily advanced on the rim and then kicked home in :27.1 to win by three-quarters of a length over Katys Delight. Rounding out the top three finishers was Im Chiara.

Anthony Montini now trains the six-time winner for partners Victor Montini and Pino Albanese. She pushed her lifetime earnings over $30,000 with the victory.

Clodam Bayama clicked off the claim for trainer Carmen Auciello in the first division for filly and mare pacers who were non winners of $30,000 in 2021.

Driver Doug McNair quarter pole-moved the mare to the top and after carving out middle panels of :58.1 and 1:27 she used a :28.1 closing quarter to win by 1-3/4 lengths over JMR Mach Mel in 1:55.1. Cranberry Brie nabbed the show dough.

Sent off as the 1-2 favourite, the eight-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight-Korinna Bayama improved her 2021 box score to 3-7-4 from 27 tries with the victory. Dan Sarafian of Unionville, ON owns the career winner of $59,662.

Shemars Lady Havoc was nowhere to be found in the early going, but she was front and center when it counted.

The six-year-old daughter of Dali-St Lads Havoc sat last for the majority of the mile for driver James MacDonald, who fanned her out wide in the lane and she stormed home in :26.3 to pull off the 10-1 upset over race favourite Catch An Ace and Outlaw Imahotvixen.

Peter Finnegan trains the homebred for owner Sheila Lewis of Waterford, ON. It was her second win this season and the ninth of her career. She pushed her lifetime earnings over $90,000 with the win.

Great Magic was a wire-to-wire winner in the first of two divisions for the trotters.

Michael Whelan hustled the veteran to the lead from Post 1 and together the led the group through fractions of :28.1, :57.1 and 1:26.4. A :29.3 closing panel was enough to earn the nine-year-old son of Kadabra-Dream Again the win by a head over Magics Wizard in 1:56.2. Holdin Aces was third.

Sent off at odds of 13-1, Great Magic now boasts a 3-4-2 record from 22 trips to the track this season for owner/trainer Walter Whelan of Dundas, ON. The 13-time winner has banked $185,994.

GP Dreamin also used front-stepping tactics to take home top prize in her division for the tandem of driver Jody Jamieson and trainer Jared Bothwell.

The four-year-old daughter of Cornaro Dasolo-Fiorentina muscled to the top from Post 5 and had the field chasing her through panels of :29, :59.3 and 1:29.1. A final quarter clocked in :28 earned her the win by 2-3/4 lengths over Wickenburgh in 1:57.1. Shes Got Pizzaz was third.

Sent off as the 1-2 choice, GP Dreamin won for the second time this season for the Estate Of Carolyn Polillo of Brantford, ON. The seven-time winner has banked close to $130,000 to date.

To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results  Woodbine Mohawk Park.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan's Deputy Economy Minister Rovshan Najaf has said that the Trade House of Azerbaijan is planned to be opened at Istanbul Consulate.

He made the remarks during the 1st Azerbaijani-Turkish Energy Forum held in Baku on December 22.

Noting that relations between the two countries have reached the highest level in all areas, he stated that economic cooperation had expanded despite the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deputy minister mentioned that the trade turnover between the two countries increased by 7 percent up to $4.1 billion.

"In accordance with the agreement on electronic commerce, which came into force this year, negotiations are underway to build this potential," he said.

At the same time, he noted that additional agreements were signed on the participation of Turkish companies in projects in Azerbaijan's liberated lands. Rovshan Najaf added that regional relations are expanding, and Azerbaijan is making large investments in Turkey.

Green energy concept

During the forum, Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said that Azerbaijan together with Turkey will be able to quickly achieve the goal of transition to green energy.

Stressing that Azerbaijan's Karabakh region has a huge potential in the production of solar, wind, and other types of alternative energy, the minister noted that big opportunities have been created for the Turkish companies there.

Azerbaijan will create favorable conditions for investments in the public and private sectors within the Green Energy Concept, which is planned to be implemented in the Azerbaijani liberated territories," he said.

In turn, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez stated that Turkey will support Azerbaijan with the participation of both the public and private sectors within the framework of the "green energy concept".

"Turkey will continue to work coordinated with Azerbaijan to restore lasting peace in the region and the liberated territories. The experience of successful cooperation in the carbon industry and in the field of renewable energy will be an impetus for our ties," he said.

Moreover, State Agency for Renewable Energy Director Tabiz Ammayev noted that Azerbaijan will continue to study the experience of Turkey in the transition to green energy.

Stating that the project of transition to green energy will also affect the social sphere, Ammayev said that the installation of solar panels on the roofs of households is planned.

He emphasized that Azerbaijan intends to reduce production emissions by up to 40 percent by 2050.

"Azerbaijan successfully cooperates with Turkey both in the oil and gas sector and in the field of renewable energy sources. Azerbaijan's electricity generation potential by wind farms is 3,000 megawatts, solar - over 23,000, bio - 380 megawatts and hydro - 520 megawatts," he said.

Ammayev also said that agreements have also been signed with foreign companies for the construction of a 40 MW wind farm (ACWA POWER), 230 MW of solar power (MASDAR) and a 240 MW solar power plant (BP).

Bilateral cooperation

Azerbaijan's State Oil Company President Rovnag Abdullayev stated that SOCAR is actively cooperating with Turkish energy companies to expand the supply chain.

Noting that SOCAR is one of the largest and most stable oil and gas companies in the region, Abdullayev underlined that a number of new projects of the company were launched both in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

"Turkey is a country which has access to a number of countries around the world, including the U.S. market, and this cooperation is beneficial for Azerbaijan as well. Although Azerbaijan does not have direct access to the oceans, we have access to the pipelines which can pump oil and gas products to the markets we need," he said.

Abdullayev noted that SOCAR also works with Turkish companies to protect energy projects from external threats, both physical and cyber.

At the same time, Turkish State Oil Company TPAO CEO Melih Han Bilgin noted that Turkey's investments in cooperation with Azerbaijan total $13.2 billion.

He stated that it is not only an indicator of cooperation but also trust and ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

"Turkey will continue to invest in cooperation with Azerbaijan," he said.

In turn, Turkey's Energy Council of the Foreign Economic Relations Board Head Haluk Kalyoncu noted that Turkey's cooperation with Azerbaijan, which invests in renewable energy, will continue. He noted that bilateral relations will be continued in the economic sphere as well.

"We are grateful to Azerbaijan for organizing this forum, which will be held every year and will benefit the private sector," he said.

Next energy forum

Additionally, Fatih Donmez emphasized that the next Azerbaijani-Turkish energy forum will be held in Turkey.

"Our strength lies in our brotherhood. Energy cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan is not limited to hydrocarbons. Turkey will continue to support Azerbaijan in the restoration of peace and creative works on the liberated territories. I believe that all sectors of the economy will benefit from the documents to be signed within the forum. The projects implemented between Azerbaijan and Turkey are an indicator of the great potential of our cooperation," he said.
By Ayya Lmahamad

Under the trilateral agreement on the swap of gas supplies signed in November this year, Turkmenistan will start supplying gas to Azerbaijan via Iran from the turn of the year.

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji made the relevant remarks, according to the Iranian media.

"The size of the swap contract is 1.2 to 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, with which we can also use to help the stability of the natural gas network of the northern parts of the country in the cold season of the year," he said.

To recall, after a meeting with the Turkmen delegation led by Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov in October 2021, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Ovji announced Tehran's intention to pay the gas debt to Turkmenistan. It should be noted here that due to Iran's debt Turkmengaz has stopped gas deliveries to Iran since January 2017.

After the talks, during Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev's visit to Iran, an agreement was reached on the swap of gas supplies to Azerbaijan via Iran from Turkmenistan.

On November 28, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan signed a trilateral agreement on swapping gas supplies in Ashgabat. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi.

The agreement envisages deliveries of 1.5 to 2 billion cubic meters of gas each year, with Turkmenistan supplying gas to Iran and Iran delivering an equal quantity of gas to Azerbaijan. Thus, under the trilateral deal, Turkmenistan will sell 5-6 million cubic meters of gas per day to Azerbaijan. These volumes are expected to increase in the future.

Turkmenistan is the world's fifth-largest gas reserves according to OPEC and fourth-largest according to BP. Iran is firmly in second place in both rankings. Azerbaijan ranks 21st and 13th on these lists, respectively.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani carpet artist Eldar Hajiyev has presented his masterpieces in Ukraine.

The exhibition opened at the Taras Shevchenko National Museum with the support of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Ukraine.

Eldar Hajiyev creates wonderful art works which reflect the artist's creative ideas and traditional carpet patterns.

The exposition provides a wonderful opportunity to get to know more about Azerbaijani culture, art and traditions.

It features a variety of subject lines from traditions of the Azerbaijani people to national literature. There are also carpet paintings that combine several carpets of the Karabakh carpet weaving school.

A special place in the exposition is occupied by a carpet created based on the poems of the outstanding Azerbaijani poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi.

The carpet "Victory" dedicated to Azerbaijan's victory on the 44-day Patriotic War, is of particular importance.

"The carpet depicts a Karabakh horse that beats a snake with its hoof. The snake personifies the image of an enemy. The carpet also depicts the Khari Bulbul flower and the ornaments of Karabakh carpets. I have created a whole series of Karabakh carpets, now it includes eight works, but the series will be replenished in the future," the artist told Trend Life.

The exhibition will run until January 15.
By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Nizami Ganjavi's monument has been erected in Minsk, Belarus.

The monument to Azerbaijani poet and thinker was installed by the presidential order of Ilham Aliyev declaring 2021 the Year of Nizami Ganjavi.

The statue stands next to the building of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Belarus.

Designed by People's Artist Salhab Mammadov, the monument reaches 3.5 meters.

The official opening of the monument is expected in the near future.

Nizami Ganjavi is considered one of the most prominent figures of medieval Azerbaijani philosophical poetry.

The poet wrote lyrical poems, including gasidas, ghazals and rubais. He dedicated his whole life to lyrical poems, and different philosophical problems.

The works of Azerbaijani poet and thinker have been translated into many languages.

Rare manuscript copies of his works are kept and preserved in world-famous libraries, museums and literary foundations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Baku, Tashkent, Tabriz, Tehran, Cairo, Istanbul, Delhi, London, Paris and others.

In Khamsa (Quintet), the poet revealed the living pages of history.

The attack of the Russians on Barda city, a fairy tale of the Russian Princess, the beautiful Shirin amazons, battles, described in various poems of Nizami - all this is historically and geographically related to medieval Azerbaijan and the Caucasus.

Nizami Ganjavi passed away in 1209 in his native city of Ganja. A grandiose tomb was raised over his grave.
By Laman Ismayilova

The National Art Museum has celebrated the centenary of the outstanding painter and graphic artist Mikayil Abdullayev.

The event was organized in accordance with the order of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the 100th anniversary of Mikayil Abdullayev.

In their remarks, the Culture Minister Anar Karimov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Artists' Union, People's Artist Farhad Khalilov, director of the National Art Museum, Honored Art Worker Chingiz Farzaliyev stressed that Mikayil Abdullayev played a great role in the development of painting and graphics.

His canvases reflect national and spiritual values as well as the unique beauty of Azerbaijan's nature.

The talented artists who master their skills at Mikayil Abdullayev's art school contribute to the development of national art.

On behalf of the family, the artist's son Jami Abdullayev expressed gratitude for the organization of the exposition.

The National Art Museum displayed over 190 paintings and graphic works.

Mikayil Abdullayev's painting and graphics cover such genres as thematic painting, portraits and landscapes.

The harmonious unity of colors in his works is associated with national and miniature art, which he knew from childhood. Over time, this feature became one of the main artistic manners of the artist.

Mikayil Abdullayev created portraits of many prominent personalities like Uzeyir Hajibayli, Samad Vurgun, Imadaddin Nasimi, etc.

The artist made a great contribution to book graphics, in particular, he created illustrations for the works of Nizami Ganjavi, Fuzuli, Ashug Alasgar, Jafar Jabbarli, Samad Vurgun.

Mikayil Abdullayev created successful works one after another. Creating the famous series of works "Mingachevir Suite", he participated in the construction of the Mingachevir hydroelectric power station.

The artist's triptych "On the Fields of Azerbaijan", which is dedicated to the theme of the Patriotic War and reflects the difficulties of those years arouses special interest among viewers.

Along with Azerbaijani landscapes, the artist also created various canvases depicting the nature and life of many countries.

As a result of travels across India, he painted such paintings as "Women of Rajasthan", "Bengali girls".

In 1970, the Indian government awarded him a gold medal and a diploma of the Jawaharlal Nehru International Award for the "Around India" painting cycle.

Mikayil Abdullayev designed the hall of the Nizami metro station, where he created mosaic panels based on plots from Nizami's works and his portrait. He also decorated the Absheron hotel and the Gulistan palace.

The artist's works have been exhibited in Prague, Beijing, Brussels, Belgrade, Paris, Berlin, etc. Moreover, Mikayil Abdullayev also published a book "Through the eyes of a Baku citizen".

The exhibition dedicated to national artist was highly appreciated by art connoisseurs.
By Orkhan Amashov

A statesmans leadership qualities can be measured in myriad ways. There is no unified formula applicable to every case. But it is generally believed that it is at a time of crisis, or when there is an urgent need for the ultimate concentration of a nations resources, that a leader's true greatness is revealed.

Even a leader with the makings of a formidable statesman and a proven record of success may fail to pass rigorous tests that are de rigueur for those whose shoulders support the weight of the destiny of their countries. The Second Karabakh War has unveiled the essence of Ilham Aliyevs political personality. At this supreme moment, he got it absolutely right.

No-one, at least no serious individual, had the slightest doubt about Ilham Aliyevs credentials as an effective politician. However, it was the 44-day war that happened to be a moment of truth for Azerbaijan and its President. Both the nation and its gallant leader have risen to the occasion, inducing reverberations that will be felt by posterity.

Any war, regardless of whether you are on the victorious side, is a crisis of the highest order, in which clear and trustworthy forms of communication become the most essential components of leadership. Politicians prefer a roundabout way of expressing themselves. Ilham Aliyev, however, has taken the art of explaining complex issues in simple, straightforward language to a whole new level. He has proven to be the antithesis of some of his counterparts, who can complexify even the simplest issue and cloud meaning with unnecessary garrulity and evasiveness.

The kernel of his messages has never been intertwined in ludicrous livery. His addresses to the nation, both during the war and after, were informative and some, without any degree of exaggeration, were textbook lectures on the intricacies of the former Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In a world in which unfounded allegations are permitted to flow freely, and sometimes even transmogrify into contrived truths, if left uncontested, world leaders are expected to deal with all forms of ludicrous insinuations. However, it is a sign of imperturbable superiority to react calmly to unfounded allegations.

During the Second Karabakh War, despite the fact that no claimant provided a single shred of hard evidence substantiating the use of Syrian mercenaries by Azerbaijan, international media was rife with rumours. Ilham Aliyev was the voice of reason amidst the collective hysteria that steered across the globe. He never lost his temper and always acted, amongst other positive traits, with emotional intelligence, defying the stark odds.

In his interviews, addresses to the nation and press conferences, he emerged as a one-man diplomatic powerhouse. President Aliyev also felt the pulse of the nation in an unmistakable manner. He exercised his discretion to reveal news in such a manner that one was compelled to be convinced that euphoria could be a permanent state of affairs. On each single occasion, prior to his addresses to the nation, Azerbaijan felt pregnant with a colossal triumph.

In defending the nations interests, President Aliyev has proven to be a duly focused and indomitable operator. During the war, he not merely frightened the life out of the enemy, but also made its beleaguered and unqualified leader vacillate and flounder. The ineffectual Armenian prime minister was compelled to expostulate the brunt of his displeasure in his own miserable backyard, making pathetic pleas revealing his cumbersome sins and finding himself stupefied, up to the point of telling fairy tales.

Magnanimity within limits is a virtue. It is another unmistakable trait of a leader with acumen to stop a war at the right time. Armenians, the South Caucasus and the world at large are yet to pay their tribute to the Azerbaijani President Aliyev for his compassion and wisdom, which saved lives on both sides.

Furthermore, during his leadership, he has managed to maximise the geopolitical resources of his country, enabling it to punch above its weight and transform into what many influential think-tanks believe is a middle power. In our days, in politics and beyond, events tend to unfold quicker than in the past, and thus it is crucial to see the inception of a pattern in advance, before its nascent emergence, and then to thread the needle. President Aliyev managed to bring two regional heavyweights, Russia and Turkey, which are also rivals, to welcome a shared perspective, which ensured they were not at loggerheads in a way that could have been detrimental to Bakus interests.

We all acknowledge that he spearheaded the army, which became an effective war machine under his management, operating at his personal behest. He has given to my generation, whose childhood was marred with the troubles of the 90s, a new licence and changed our self-perception, enabling us to see the world around in a different light. Younger persons, who are yet at a formative stage, will grow with a victorious mentality.

Ilham Aliyev is turning 60 today. This is a milestone in the life of any human being. He stands high enough not to be in need of lengthy panegyrics. Aliyevs place in history has already been cemented.

They say politics is the art of the possible. President Aliyev has stretched the confines of the possible and, to a certain extent, succeeded in the art of the impossible. The annals of history are yet to issue its loftier encomiums of him.
The chairmen of the political parties of Azerbaijan sent a congratulatory letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday, Trend reports.

Will be updated
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed the law "On the budget of the State Social Protection Fund for 2022" on Dec. 23.

The budget revenues of the State Social Protection Fund for 2022 were approved in the amount of over 5.3 million manat (over $3.1 million), expenses  over 5.3 million manat (over $3.1 million).
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed the law on the approval of "Letter of changes to the loan agreement # AZB-P4" dated May 29, 2009 for the "Water supply and sewerage in small towns" project between the Azerbaijani government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

According to the law, the "Letter of changes to the loan agreement #AZB-P4" dated May 29, 2009 for the "Water supply and sewerage in small towns" project between the Azerbaijani government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which was signed on July 6 and November 12, 2021, is being approved.
King of Jordan Abdullah II has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on occasion of his birthday.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Mr. President,

It gives me great pleasure to extend to Your Excellency, my sincere congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday.

Please accept my best wishes for your good health and happiness.

Sincerely,

Abdullah II, King of Jordan
By Trend





Turkey and Azerbaijan extended a hand of peace to Armenia, Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar said while receiving the family members of a martyr, senior lieutenant of the Azerbaijani army Valeh Mamiyev, Trend reports.





Our desire is for Armenia not to consider this as a sign of weakness, Akar said. We would like Armenia to take the right steps.





The minister stressed that Armenia must ensure stability in the region for people to live in safe conditions.





There is no need to covet other countrys lands, Akar said. We have done everything necessary to protect our rights and lands. We will continue to do this in the future.
By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have discussed friendly ties and strategic partnership, Azertag has reported.

In an phone conversation with Aliyev on December 24, Vladimir Putin congratulated the head of state on his birthday anniversary and wished him success in his activities and the best of health.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked the Russian leader for his attention and congratulations.

"Hailing the successful development of Azerbaijan-Russia friendly relations based on strategic partnership in all areas, the heads of state expressed their confidence that bilateral ties would continue to strengthen," Azertag said.

During the phone conversation, the sides recalled with pleasure the Sochi meeting and discussed the issues related to prospects for bilateral cooperation.

On November 26, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed a statement in Sochi after holding a trilateral meeting.

Baku officially stated that the document signed by the three leaders as a result of the meeting in Sochi fully reflects Azerbaijans position.

"The statement stresses the speedy implementation of projects aimed at revealing the economic potential of the region, including the opening of railways and highways," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijani MPs have congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his 60th birthday during the parliament session on December 24.

Opening the session, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova stressed that Azerbaijan, under the leadership of Ilham Aliyev, who continues the political course of great leader Heydar Aliyev, has achieved great successes.

"Thanks to the successful policies pursued by President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan is recognized in the world as an area of ??political stability, global initiatives and tolerance. Azerbaijan has achieved successful and dynamic economic development, she said.

Noting that investments have increased due to the cooperation platforms created by the leadership qualities and intense efforts of the president, Gafarova stated that the reforms carried out today ensure the sustainable and confident development of Azerbaijan.

"Thanks to President and Victorious Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, having achieved a historic victory, Azerbaijan liberated its lands from occupation [in the 2020 Second Karabakh War], she said.

Gafarova congratulated President Aliyev on his birthday and emphasized that a congratulatory letter was prepared on behalf of the MPs to the head of state.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili sent a congratulatory letter to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Mr. President,

On behalf of the Georgian people and my own, I would like to extend to you my heartfelt and warmest congratulations on the occasion of your 60th birthday.

Under your leadership and relentless devotion, Azerbaijan achieved remarkable success in establishing a modern, independent, and successful state.

It is undeniable that our region is facing multiple challenges and roadblocks on its path to utilizing its full geopolitical potential. As Georgia and Azerbaijan enjoy a centuries-old friendship, based on good neighborly relations, mutual respect, and common interests, I am strongly convinced that together, we will convert our common regional challenges into opportunities. I am certain that through our joint efforts, we can strengthen peace and stability in the region, which will yield beneficial results not only for our immediate region, but for the world as well. It is certainly time for us to fully realize the economic potential of the Caucasus and transform the region into a hub of connectivity  a true link between the East and the West.

I avail myself of this opportunity and express my gratitude for your unwavering support for Georgias sovereignty and territorial integrity. Your steadfast determination towards deepening relations between our countries will remain for future generations as an example of friendship and respect between our two nations. I would like to confirm my readiness to support the strengthening of the existing strategic ties between Georgia and Azerbaijan. I am confident that we will deepen our cooperation, set new ambitious goals, and reap its mutually beneficial results.

Your Excellency, please accept the assurances of my highest consideration and the best wishes for good health, success and prosperity to you and the friendly Azerbaijani people in the New Year.

Sincerely,

Salome Zourabichvili

President of Georgia
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani presidential special representative in liberated lands (except Shusha) Emin Huseynov has said that logistics centers will be created in Kalbajar region liberated from Armenian occupation in 2020.

Huseynov made the remarks at the scientific-practical conference titled "Karabakh: New panorama of South Caucasus opening to the world" on December 24.

"During the 44-day second Karabakh war, the Azerbaijani army liberated its territories which were under Armenian occupation for almost 30 years. This victory reflects regional security, new opportunities, development prospects for individual countries and the region as a whole, he noted.

Huseynov added that in the previously occupied territories, unprecedented destruction and ethnic cleansing were committed, serious damage to the environment and natural resources was caused. According to him, the same can be said about the level of mining on these territories and the number of unexploded ordnance in them, which also has no analogues in world history.

"On November 24, 2020, an appropriate body was established to conduct and regulate work in Karabakh. Its being carried out in 11 directions. The volume of work will depend on the number of people to be resettled here. The natural resources of Aghdam region are estimated at AZN 3.5 billion ($2.06 billion). There are large territories for the conduct of activities by farms and agricultural enterprises," Huseynov also said.

Moreover, he noted that the main driving force of development will be the Aghdam Industrial Park and the Araz Valley Economic Zone.

"At the same time, work continues on the restoration of a number of facilities, including schools, medical institutions and other social facilities. Industrial parks and industrial zones will be created in Aghdam," Huseynov said.

The creation of "smart villages" was also discussed at the event. Agriculture Minister Inam Karimov noted that the creation of the Araz Valley industrial park and the Agdam industrial park in the region will have a significant impact on the development of agriculture.

With the liberation from the occupation of the land, we are faced with the task of using their agar potential. The work on creation in the liberated territories is carried out on the basis of the concepts of "smart village" and "smart city", the most relevant agricultural innovations are being introduced. Autumn and winter crops have been carried out on the territories cleared of mines, Karimov said.
On December 24, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev made a phone call to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated the head of state on his birthday anniversary, and wished him the best of health and success in his presidential activities.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked the Uzbek President for the attention and congratulations.

Praising the successful development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, the heads of state expressed their confidence that bilateral ties would continue strengthening.

During the telephone conversation, the sides discussed the issues relating to prospects for bilateral cooperation.
Leyla Aliyeva congratulates president on 60th birthday [VIDEO]

24 December 2021 [14:56] -

Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on his birthday anniversary. For this occasion, Leyla Aliyeva made a post on Instagram. "Happy birthday dear father!" the message said.



Views: 362
On December 24, President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

President Rumen Radev extended his congratulations to the head of state on his birth anniversary and wished him success in his presidential activities and the best of health.

President Ilham Aliyev thanked the Bulgarian President for the attention and congratulations.

During the phone talk, the sides hailed the development of bilateral relations and exchanged views on prospects for cooperation.
UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Azerbaijan, Baroness Emma Nicholson, has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Dear Mr. President,

My very best wishes to you, to the First Vice-President, and to your family as you celebrate your 60th birthday, a great occasion. I wish you continued success and personal happiness as Azerbaijan continues to grow and flourish under your leadership.

The last year has, I know, been exceptionally exciting as your nation begins the task of rebuilding the recovered territories. I am so pleased to hear that British experts and companies have been helping to clear that area of landmines and to assist in the rebuilding process.

On a personal note, I am very much looking forward to my next visit to Azerbaijan, which I hope will take place in March 2022. It has been too long since my last visit in February 2020. I know that your government has been working closely with our Ambassador and the British Embassy team in the meantime. I have remained close to your excellent Embassy here in London. I look forward to resuming our personal dialogue about the economic diversification and energy transformation challenges we are facing together.

With my very best wishes too for the New Year.

Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne

UK Prime Ministers Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan
Adviser to the President of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, Mufti Salah Mezhiev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of his birthday.

Will be updated
By Trend

Russia welcomes international efforts aimed at normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said on Dec. 24 during a weekly briefing, Trend reports.

We proceed from the agreement dated November 26 and are working to create a bilateral commission on the delimitation of the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia with further demarcation through Russias consultative assistance at the request of the sides, the spokesperson said.

At the same time, we welcome international efforts aimed at normalizing bilateral relations, Zakharova said. We will continue to render all the necessary support, including consulting services, to both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
By Trend

The agreements outlined in the statements on Azerbaijans Karabakh region are generally being implemented, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said on Dec. 24 during a weekly briefing, Trend reports.

Huge work has been conducted every day that has passed since the signing of the agreement, Zakharova said. Baku and Yerevan remain committed to the further implementation of all provisions.

Experts, diplomats, representatives of ministries work every day on the basis of the guidelines given to them by the leadership of the countries and those documents that are jointly adopted, the spokesperson said.
By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

President Ilham Aliyev has said that the creation of a commando brigade will significantly increase Azerbaijan's military strength, Azertag reported on December 24.

He made the remarks while opening a new military unit in liberated Hadrut on December 24.

"Our well-trained children have shown great determination and readiness to sacrifice themselves for the Motherland and will serve in these brigades. This will greatly increase the strength of our army," he said.

The president stated that the creation of the commando brigade is new to Azerbaijan.

"There are representatives of the new military unit, the commando forces in this military unit in Hadrut today. The establishment of a commando brigade is a novelty for us," he said.

Aliyev stressed that the commando teams will be able to perform any military duty.

He also noted that there would be many such teams, and the Azerbaijani army would continue to maintain its professionalism and high combat spirit.

Stressing that today there is no Armenian army, the president underlined that if Armenia tries to be a source of danger to Azerbaijan again "their end will be the same as in the Second Karabakh War".

"We can never allow any threat to be posed to our people, our state and our territorial integrity. Even if it is outside the country and if we see it as a threat, no-one can stop us. They tried to stop us so many times during the 44 days, they threatened us so much, put pressure on us, but no-one could stop us," he said.
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has signed an agreement to provide a concessionary loan valued at AED51.4 million ($14 million) to develop a new waste-to-energy plant on Ado Island in the Maldives.



The agreement was signed by Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADFD, and Ibrahim Ameer Minister of Finance of Maldives, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA).



The new waste conversion and water treatment facility will generate 1.5 megawatts of clean energy to provide electricity to more than 6,000 homes in Ado and surrounding islands. The plant will reduce total waste volume on the island by 10%, contributing to the Maldives waste management strategy as well as climate action targets.



The facility will also contribute to the Maldives economic development strategy by strengthening the energy sector, reducing reliance on fuel imports, and creating new job opportunities through both the construction phase and ongoing operations and maintenance of the facility.
Visiting The Biblically Historic City Of Nineveh

Partially unearthed winged bull which's commonly known as Lamassu during the archaeological excavations by the leading of British archaeologist Sir Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan. Historical view taken by his wife British mystery author Agatha Mary Christie, 1949. Nineveh was the ancient capital city of the Neo-Assyrian Mesopotamian Empire. Nineveh was once the most powerful city in the world (or this region of the world) and was the largest city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

Today Nineveh is located on the outskirts of the city of Mosul in modern-day northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River. While it is not advisable to visit the ruins today, many artifacts can be seen in museums around the world like the British Museum in London.

History Of Nineveh

Nineveh is famous from the Bible and is recorded as having conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel deporting them into exile where they became the famous "Ten Lost Tribes." It is also famous as the Sin City of the Bible where Jonah was commissioned to go and preach to them, he refused and fled from God only to be swallowed by the great fish before giving up and going and preaching to them.

The mighty city's period of glory came to an end around 612 BC when it began its long decline. At this time the mighty Neo-Assyrian Empire fractured and descended into a bitter period of civil war.

Then it was sacked by a coalition of other peoples including the Babylonians, Medes, Persians, Scythians, and Cimmerians. The Babylonians broke free from years of domination by Assyria. Babylon rapidly grew to become the world's preeminent city and empire - the ruins of which can be seen today.

The city of Nineveh continued although not in its former glory but by the Middle Ages, it had passed into oblivion.

Today there are two main tells (tells are mound-ruins of successive cities built on top of each other and then buried creating a mound). The tells are Tell Kuyunjiq and Tell Nabi Yunus ("Nabi" is Arabic For "Prophet" and "Yunus" is Arabic for "Jonah" - the prophet with the unfortunate fish-belly accommodation for three nights).

The ruins of Nineveh remained buried until they were uncovered and excavated by Austin Henry Layard in 1846 and 1847. All the major finds have come from the Kuyunjik mound while the Nebi Yunus mound remains untouched because of an Islamic shrine to the prophet and a cemetery there.

This photo is from the mid-19th century excavation of the colossal statues at the Nergal Gate of the ancient city of #Nineveh. This statue was one of the two winged bull-men (aka #Lamassu) that guarded one of several entrances to Nineveh dated to the time of King Sennacherib.

Many Assyrian sculptures and other artifacts have been excavated here and are now located in museums around the world. Several palaces were also excavated here including the first few chambers of the Palace of Sennacherib. According to a deep sounding by Max Mallowan, there is evidence of habitation as early as the 6th millennium BC.

Looting And Destruction of The Artifacts and Ruins

In 2014 ISIS destroyed the shrine on Nebi Yunus and caused severe damage to some of the site's priceless artifacts. They even destroyed the impressive restored Adad Gate in 2016. Read more about the destruction of the artifacts of Nineveh on the BBC.

A silver lining is that following the liberation of Mosul in 2018, the group had built tunnels under Tell Nebi Yunus that revealed a 3000-year-old palace as well as a pair of reliefs each showing a row of women. There were also reliefs of Lamassu (an Assyrian protective deity).

Today the ruins of Nineveh are in danger of encroaching urban sprawl and being damaged by vandalism. Today there is not much to see, and much of what was excavated has been destroyed or illegally sold off on the antiquities market. Visiting The Site

While intrepid travelers may want to explore this historic site, it is located in a very unstable part of Iraq and there are travel warnings about visiting. See current government travel advisories before going - also the site is not well maintained and there is little tourist infrastructure in the war-torn nation. As of the time of writing the US has issued a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" warning for Iraq.

The British Museum

One can see a number of ancient Assyrian artifacts at the British Museum in London (that is home to some of the world's most priceless treasures). In Room 9 of the museum, one can see many of the stone panels that once adorned the rooms and courtyards of ancient King Sennacherib's Neo-Assyrian Southwest Palace.

The panels depict a variety of scenes, including the transport of huge sculptures of human-headed winged bulls (lamassu) that weigh up to 30 tons and were intended for the main entrances to the palace.

Here one can learn about the ancient quarrying and transport techniques in addition to Sennacherib's keen interest in his building projects. One can also see panels depicting his military campaigns.
Assyrian Youth Exodus Takes Joy Out of Syria Christmas

The Syriac Catholic monastery of Mar Elian, in the Syrian town of Al-Qaryatain, was desecrated by jihadists of the Islamic State group. ( Louai Beshara/AFP) Al-Qaryatain, Syria (AFP) -- Inside a Syrian monastery desecrated by jihadists, Matanios Dalloul stood alone by the shattered altar where a once-thriving community celebrated Christmas before the threat of death drove them out.

The 62-year-old is one of 20 Christians remaining in the central town of Al-Qaryatain out of the community that boasted 900 members before conflict broke out a decade ago.

Tracing a cross against his body between piles of broken stone, the lone parishioner prayed for long life for the remnants of a dwindling community which has nobody left under the age of 40.

"The holidays need people, they need young boys and girls, not just piles of stone," Dalloul told AFP, gesturing at what remains of the mud brick walls of the Mar Elian monastery.

"It is people who generate holiday cheer, and if people do not return, there will be no joy."

The town of Al-Qaryatain in Homs province was once viewed as a symbol of coexistence between Christian and Muslim communities who had lived together for centuries before jihadists of the Islamic State group seized the area in 2015.

IS fighters razed the fifth-century Syriac Catholic monastery of Mar Elian (Saint Elian) and abducted hundreds of Christians, who were locked in an underground dungeon in the desert for 25 days before being freed.

Six years have passed since Russian-backed government forces ousted jihadists from the town but most of the Christians who fled have not returned and those who remain have neither a church nor a priest to turn to this holiday season.

Matanios Dalloul, 62, assesses the damage in the fifth-century Syriac Catholic monastery of Mar Elian, or Saint Elian. ( Louai Beshara/AFP)

Last Christmas

"The last time the churches of Al-Qaryatain celebrated Christmas was in 2015 before the arrival of IS," said Dalloul whose three children have all emigrated to Europe or Canada.

"Now, there are no open churches, nor a priest to oversee Christmas mass," he said.

Dalloul is not alone in his disappointment.

Matanios Dalloul, 62, assesses damage inflicted on the fifth-century Mar Elian monastery by IS jihadists who seized Al-Qaryatain in 2015. ( Louai Beshara/AFP)

Bassam Debbas said he does not have a single relative left in Syria and will therefore spend Christmas alone, working in a small workshop where he produces grape molasses.

"I don't have anyone left, not a father, nor a mother, nor siblings, nor a wife... I will spend the holiday as though it is any other day, any other working day," the 61-year-old said.

Debbas returned to Al-Qaryatain this year to resume the family trade of molasses production from a small workshop where grapes are fermented and then cooked.

Constant power cuts make the cooking a challenge but he is trying to maintain bare minimum production levels despite the odds.

Religious statuettes and an icon seen inside the home of one Christian in Al-Qaryatain, which hasn't celebrated Christmas mass since 2015. ( LOUAI BESHARA/AFP)

Outside his home, the street is empty. Traces of IS rule are still visible on the crater-riddled walls of neighbouring buildings, most of which are either levelled or abandoned.

"The holidays have become completely different since IS arrived and brought sadness into the hearts of the people," Debbas said.

"IS has gone, but the sadness remains," he lamented, the scent of molasses filling the air around him.

'Nothing is the same'

Bassam Debbas, whose family fled Al-Qaryatain when IS overran the town, prepares grape molasses in his workshop. ( Louai Beshara/AFP)

Inside Samira Khoury's home, red rosary beads hang from a small golden cross placed on a wooden table.

A single red candle is lit beside a portrait of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

There are no Christmas decorations.

The 68-year-old and her three sisters were among dozens of Christians kidnapped and locked up by IS in 2015.

"Since that day, happiness has disappeared completely from our home," she said, huddling by a heater.

Without relatives or neighbours to celebrate with, Khoury said "happiness tastes different and the holidays don't look" the way they used to.

"Nothing is the same," she said.

Philippe Azar -- who hasn't put up any Christmas decorations since the start of Syria's war in 2011 -- said he will spend the holiday near his heater. ( Louai Beshara/AFP)

Feeding a small stove with fire wood, Phillipe Azar said his Christmas is once again blighted by the sadness of loss.

"My family has left and my friends are dead," said the 49-year-old, who lives alone in a 10-room house once bustling with relatives.

Azar -- who hasn't put up any Christmas decorations since the start of Syria's war in 2011 -- said he will spend the holiday near his heater.

He may invite an 80-year-old friend over for a glass of wine but that is only if he is in good enough health to come visit.

"The Christmas tree has been packed in a box since 2011," Azar said.

"Who should I put it up for? Why would I celebrate alone, without my siblings, neighbours and friends?"
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Photos: UN\YouTube

The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has been awarded the 2021 Champions of the Earth Award, the UNs highest environmental honor, for her policy leadership.



When the top Barbadian politician stood up in front of the UN General Assembly earlier this year, she was not in a mood to pull punches.

In front of world leaders, she decried the faceless few pushing the world towards a climate catastrophe and imperiling the future of small-island States, like her own.

The impassioned speech would grab headlines around the world and for many, it was an introduction to Mottley. But the Barbados Prime Minister, this years Champion of the Earth for Policy Leadership, has spent years campaigning against pollution, climate change, and deforestation, turning Barbados into a frontrunner in the global environmental movement.

Under Ms. Mottleys watch, the country has developed an ambitious plan to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.

Her vision is for nearly every home on the island to have solar panels on the roof and an electric vehicle out front. At Ms. Mottleys urging, Latin America and the Caribbean became the first region in the world to agree on the Action Plan for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, an effort to prevent and reverse the degradation of natural spaces worldwide.

You can find out more about the Prime Ministers plans to secure a sustainable future for Barbados, here.

Champions of the Earth



The United Nations Environment Programmes Champions of the Earth and the Young Champions of the Earth recognize individuals, groups and organizations whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment. Presented annually, the Champions of the Earth award is the UNs highest environmental honour.

The United Nations General Assembly has declared the years 2021 through 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, is designed to prevent, halt, and reverse the loss and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. It aims at reviving billions of hectares, covering terrestrial as well as aquatic ecosystems.

Visit www.decadeonrestoration.org to learn more.
A box of ivermectin is shown Sept. 9, 2021, in Georgia. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed around the U.S. by people seeking to force hospitals to give their COVID-stricken loved ones ivermectin, a drug for parasites that has been promoted by conservative commentators as a treatment despite a lack of conclusive evidence that it helps people with the virus. (Mike Stewart / AP)
A savior popped up named Manfred Thumberger. He was an Austrian art photographer who turned out to have taken high-resolution photographs of Klimt's famous work just before it left the Belvedere Palace and Museum for the U.S. He owned the rights to the photos, and he was willing to sell them to the filmmakers for a few thousand dollars. Thus, "Woman in Gold," starring Helen Mirren as an Austrian who escaped the Holocaust, relocated to the U.S. and later won the rights to the painting after a legal battle that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, can show the famous painting central to the plot and history.
In April of this year, the trio signed to the beloved indie rock label Matador Records. The signing was one of the greatest seals of approval a young act could achieve. Founded in 1989, the label has worked with some of the most successful independent musicians, from Pavement to Cat Power. Locally, they may be best known for releasing Exile in Guyville, the debut album by another groundbreaking Chicago artist, Liz Phair. In a news release announcing their label signing, the group said, To the adults at the Yo La Tengo show who said we were too young to like good music (and made fun of Penelope for bringing her backpack): kids are going to bring punk-rock back.
It felt like a creative outlet, an energetic outlet, an opportunity to share intentional space in the only way we could, said Kilmurray. I was clearly not alone in wanting that, and Honey From Home started from that same need as (the show) itself: a project born out of my personal curiosity of wanting to test and try to experience my body in a different way as a dancer, to expand the definition of dancer and to find something erotic and liberatory and silly and empowering in its action. Its a movement all of its own.
I can use Hamilton to get the message out that says this is something that needs to be more in the mainstream, more in the forefront and really talked about to see if we can get some better treatment so that people arent constantly on guard for, you know, seizures to come back because that seems like a terrifying way to live, he told CNN in 2017.
Little more than a month ago, de Blasio gleefully announced that a fully vaccinated crowd of hundreds of thousands of people would be back at the iconic celebration after it was limited last year to small groups of essential workers. But that was before omicron caught fire.
One of the bigger problems is  that the kids shut down and you get nothing, said Anselmo, who works with sex abuse and domestic violence victims. Theyre on the (witness) stand, theyre sworn in and ready to go, but theyre not responsive at all. All were trying to do is give them the ability to speak and give us the facts and tell us the truth about what happened to them.
Witnesses told police as many as 15 shots had been fired, though Kruger could not confirm that number. One of the alleged combatants was shot four times in his legs and lower back, he said, and three women who were apparent bystanders were hit by stray bullets.
An exhibition titled Reminiscence: 9 Latent Episodes Behind the Bund is now on at the Rockbund buildings. The Rockbund project has been going for more than 10 years and involves the restoration and refurbishment of 11 historical buildings, the construction of five new ones and the redesign of a structure built in 1897, all located between the Suzhou Creek and Nanjing Road East. When the project is completed in the second half of 2022, several outdoor public spaces will also be opened, and the area will be reintroduced to the public as a new commercial and business center.

The Rockbund and the entire Bund area "mark the birthplace of modern Shanghai and witnessed the evolution of the city", says Shi Hantao, a researcher and curator of photography and contemporary art in Shanghai, who was invited to curate the exhibition that tells stories about the Bund and the city.

"From the early exploration, adventure and struggles of the city's residents, to the socialist transformation, and then the revival and reconstruction of the city over the past 40 years, time and history have been the water running through Shanghai. The tides and waves going up and down are stories of innumerous people and their lives full of ambition, vitality, confusion and disillusionment, as well as greed and hypocrisy," Shi writes in an introduction to the show.

For the exhibition, Shi brought together nine artists and scholars. Among them are veteran photographers who have faithfully documented the changing landscape of the city, multidisciplinary artists who have combined text with pictures and installations, and researchers who have unearthed the unsolved mysteries of the city's past. The exhibition takes place in the four old buildings within the Rockbund, starting with the YWCA building, a nine-story art deco structure built in 1933 that was once used as the office of the China Young Women's Christian Association. Madame Soong Mei-ling used to work as an English teacher there.

The works of Xu Ming, founder of Urban Archaeology, an independent research group on Shanghai's history, are presented on the third floor of the YWCA building. Stepping into the exhibition hall, one is faced with an old photograph of Shanghai's landscape that was taken around the same location where visitors stand today. Looking out of the window, one can still recognize some of the historical establishments captured in the image.

Another exhibit is an animation based on a map of Shanghai in 1939.The original map was created by Japanese artist Kaneko Tsunemitsu, and Xu believed "it is the most exquisite of all existing illustrated maps of the city from that period". On this map, visitors can see vivid details of the landscape, with highlights such as the Broadway Mansion, the Race Course and the railway that connected Shanghai and Nanjing. Many of the buildings are no longer in existence and this is exactly why the map is a rare and valuable subject for historical studies.

Xu adds to the image animated sailboats on the Huangpu River, trains on the railway track, smoke rising from dense factories, as well as small planes in the sky.

Also on exhibition at the YWCA building are more than 150 photographs by Shen Zhonghai. An architecture journalist, Shen has been following the Rockbund project for more than 12 years.

"I've recorded many other projects of urban renewal and reconstruction, and the Rockbund best embodies the characteristics and spirit of Shanghai," he says.

Most of his pictures show the drastic changes in Shanghai's landscape and document important events such as renowned artist Cai Guoqiang's first solo exhibition at the Rockbund Art Museum in 2010.Some of his most striking works are those depicting the people who worked on the construction sites of the Rockbund. Young and old, men and women, their laboring forms, heartful smiles and coarse hands set against the debris leave a strong emotional impact on visitors.

Another photojournalist featured at the exhibition is Lu Jie, who was among the first to capture images of the city from the skies at a time when drones did not exist. Lu's works are on display in the lobby of the Associate Mission building, a six-story structure completed in 1933, which housed the Christian Council and various other religious organizations.

To perform aerial photography in the 1980s, Lu resorted to a daredevil act of strapping himself to the underside of a plane as he was not allowed to shoot from within the plane with the cabin door open. One might think that discomfort or the high-risk nature of the act would have been the greatest challenge involved, but according to Lu, it was the noise generated by the propeller located not far from his head that was more challenging.

Standing in front of two of Lu's aerial photos of the Rockbund-one shot in the 1990s, and the other in the 2000s-a visitor is compelled to spot the differences and imagine the transformation that has taken place.

"I can present hundreds and even thousands of comparison images like this," Lu told China Daily on the opening day. "Professional audiences often point out interesting details that I am unaware of. I am glad that my pictures contain valuable information for researchers, as I don't believe photography is all about just imagery and lighting."

In the lobby of the Lyceum building, which was constructed in 1927 and named after China's first modern theater, Jess Chiayi Seetoo, a lecturer from the Shanghai Theater Academy, presents a multidisciplinary show of family photos, an installation with musical instruments and empty chairs, as well as Deja vu Sonata, a dance film that retells her family story. The Seetoo family's story started with her great-grandfather, a Shanghai native who traveled to the United States to study shipbuilding. Spurred by his love for music, the man also learned how to craft a violin when he was in the US and he took this skill to China where he helped translate Chinese music into Western music notes and vice versa. The man later adopted the techniques used in violin-making to revamp the Chinese string instrument huqin, improving its ability to play high notes.

His passion for music soon spread through the family, as evidenced by how nearly everyone became music professionals. His three sons took up the violin, and his only daughter learned the cello. In 1947, the family quartet presented a concert at the Lyceum Theater before migrating to different parts of the world.

After moving to Shanghai from Taiwan, Chiayi says she was drawn to the family's rich history, established connections with the older generation, and found new inspiration from their stories for her works.
Amid the current lockdown of Xi'an in Shaanxi province, an upcoming film recounting China's early battle against COVID-19 is expected to bring audiences the strength and courage to face off the crisis in this chilly winter, according to some industry observers.

Embrace Again, set to open on Dec 31, gathered its producers and some experts to attend a seminar in Beijing on Tuesday.

Fu Ruoqing, general manager of China Film Co. Ltd and the movie's chief producer, said his company started to collect firsthand information as preparation for the movie when the epidemic broke out in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, in February last year.

The film originally sought inspiration from the true story of Wang Yong, a delivery man who organized a volunteer team to provide commuting rides for many medical workers during Wuhan's lockdown. With female director Xue Xiaolu, the original script was expanded to portray more ordinary people-turned-heroes, forming a group picture reflecting the Wuhan people's optimistic and positive spirit to fight the pandemic, according to Fu.

Zhang Wei, secretary general of the China Film Critics Association, said the film has also carefully examined human relations during the pandemic, and expressed hope it will resonate with many viewers who will see their own confusion and struggles.

Aside from Embrace Again, Fu also announced several of the company's new movies, including the sequel to The Wandering Earth, China's all-time highest-grossing sci-fi epic, and an epic project about the Chinese People's Volunteers forces entering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to fight in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), which might be a trilogy.

The Wandering Earth sequel, still directed by Guo Fan, is currently being shot in Qingdao, Shandong province, with all scenes shot in 26 soundstages - one of the biggest covering an area of 3,000 square meters, Fu Said.

China Film Co. Ltd, the country's largest State-owned studio, expects to start shooting at least seven new movies after the approaching Spring Festival, which will fall on Feb 1, and estimates it will finance more than 30 films next year, Fu revealed.
China's non-financial outbound direct investment (ODI) reached 640.38 billion yuan in the first 11 months of the year, down 2.9 percent year on year, official data showed Thursday.



In U.S. dollar terms, the period's ODI rose 4.3 percent from a year ago to 99.13 billion dollars, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

In the January-November period, investment into countries along the Belt and Road increased 12.7 percent year on year to 17.99 billion U.S. dollars, the data showed.

Outbound investment in multiple fields continued to grow during the period. Investment into the manufacturing sector rose 3.7 percent from a year earlier to 16.35 billion U.S. dollars, while that into transport, wholesale and retail, and information services also reported growth momentum.

From January to November, China saw 404 newly-signed foreign contracted projects with a value of more than one hundred million dollars, up 23 from the same period last year, said the ministry.
Tencent Holdings Ltd is distributing most of its shares in JDa mega-tranche worth HK$127.69 billion ($16.37 billion)to shareholders, representing a virtual retreat from the nation's leading e-commerce company.

Following the transfer as a onetime dividend, the gaming and social media giant will see its stake in JD fall to 2.3 percent from around 17 percent, effectively losing its title as JD's top shareholder.

In a statement to the Hong Kong bourse on Thursday, Tencent, which first invested in JD in 2014, said JD has reached such a stage that it can self-finance its own growth and that it is an appropriate time to transfer the majority of the shares to investors.

As part of the deal, Tencent President Martin Lau will also exit JD's board effective Thursday.

In a separate statement from JD, Chairman and CEO Liu Qiangdong thanked Lau's "extensive experience" that has been "highly valuable" to his company, and pledged to continue the "close and trusted strategic" partnership with Tencent.

Tencent, owner of WeChat, is adept at investing in companies in their initial phase to bolster development, and then withdrawing funds when self-sustenance has become viable.

JD has enjoyed exponential growth in part due to its access to Tencent's vast ecosystem, including the ubiquitous WeChat app which the Chinese rely on for paying bills, making purchases and other activities.

Apart from JD, Tencent also backs social commerce startup Pinduoduo and food delivery player Meituan, both of which have benefited from the paramount traffic generated by WeChat's over 1 billion userbase.

Industry observers see the withdrawal as a natural reaction to a string of antimonopoly investigations in the internet realm, implying the move could raise the curtain of future exits from startups.

"Tencent's plan may signal more disinvestments down the road from e-commerce players such as Kuaishou and Pinduoduo," said Matthew Kanterman and Tiffany Tam, analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence.

The pair pointed to China's antimonopoly efforts, which "aim to promote fairer competition between Tencent affiliates and Alibaba and others, and may give Tencent greater scope to accelerate overseas investments".

Zhuang Shuai, founder of Bailian Consulting and an expert in e-commerce and retail, sees the move inseparable from the credo of dismantling barriers among different internet players that Beijing has been advocating.

"Regulators are zooming in on monopolistic behavior and promoting connectivity across various internet platforms. It would thus be very hard for Tencent to stay impartial if it remains the dominant shareholder in a cohort of online firms," Zhuang said.

He said he anticipates future pullback by Tencent from Pinduoduo and 58.com, a local life services platform, to be "highly likely", and that rival companies might need to join in the fray.

There are also other business factors at play.

Zhuang said JD's synergy with the entire WeChat system has nearly peaked and it is losing out growth potential to rival Pinduoduo, which boasts the largest monthly active users in China's e-commerce territory and banks on strong social ties to make bulk deals at affordable prices.

He pointed to the gradual shift in Tencent's investment strategy, which is leaning toward retail brands such as fast food play Hefu Noodle and coffee chain Tim Hortons.

"Such tie-ins are a lot more complementary in nature, with investees providing goods and services and Tencent paving the way for internet infrastructure. Such a strategy perfectly circumvents the inherent conflicts between Tencent and other internet platforms," Zhuang said.
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An industrial park focusing on economic and technological cooperation between China and Germany opened in Beijing on Thursday.

Approved by China's National Development and Reform Commission, the Beijing China-Germany Industrial Park is a national-level cooperation project between the two countries.

Key industries highlighted in the park include new energy intelligent vehicles, the intelligent equipment and industrial internet sector, scientific and technological services, business exhibition and the digital economy.

With a total planned area of 20 square kilometers, the park is composed of two separate districts in the northeast of Beijing, both with convenient transportation links with the Beijing Capital International Airport, key exhibition venues, and the city's other industrial parks and upscale neighborhoods.

Leading German management expert Hermann Simon praised the park's advantages in location, global talent and industrial ecosystem at the inaugural ceremony via video link.

The park has so far gathered more than 70 German-funded enterprises, including Mercedes-Benz and BMW, with a total annual output exceeding 30 billion yuan (about 4.71 billion U.S. dollars).
The first batch of wind turbine generators of an ultra-high altitude wind farm in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region started to generate electricity and was connected to the power grid on Wednesday.

Standing at an altitude of more than 4,850 meters in Trigu Township, Comai County, the wind farm was financed by China Three Gorges Corporation and designed and built by POWERCHINA Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited.



The installation of the facilities started in May and was completed in October. The wind farm has a total installed capacity of 22 megawatts.

The wind farm is an ultra-high altitude wind power research demonstration project, which is expected to drive local economic and social development, improve the local energy structure, as well as promote the local tourism industry.
Japan and China are to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their normalization of diplomatic relationship in September 2022.

During the past 50 years, China has realized outstanding economic growth, and attained dominant position in the world through their political and economic activities. Japan and China must sublimate their cooperative relationships to a new dimension beyond the previous phase of focusing on China's reform and opening-up policy.

In December 1979, when then Japanese prime minister Masayoshi Ohira visited China, I had an opportunity to accompany him as his secretary.

In his speech delivered in Beijing, Ohira reflected on his thoughts at the time on the negotiation to normalize diplomatic relationships, saying: "Our hearts were full of great anticipation and equally great anxieties. Our anxieties were relieved, however, by the broadmindedness of China's leaders and its people, which was well-expressed by the words of premier Zhou Enlai on 'seeking big common ground while shelving small differences'. That culminated in the successful conclusion of the great deed to normalize diplomatic relationships between China and Japan."

He concluded his speech by stressing that one of the most important factors for international relationships is to maintain the mutual trust between people of the countries beyond the economic interest.

Ohira, who served as foreign minister in Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka's cabinet, participated in the negotiations, and exerted extensive effort in preparatory works to help realize the diplomatic normalization. He had great interests in China's progress after normalization. During his visit in 1979 as Japanese prime minister, he found the robust responses of Chinese people to the reform and opening-up policy and proclaimed Japan's support for China's industrial development.

China steadily pursued its structural reform, learning from the economic reform experiences of other nations, including Japan.

Ohira committed during his official visit to China to offer the so-called yen credit to support the construction of industrial and social infrastructure necessary for economic development. China realized the process of high economic growth since the 1990s and joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

Its economic scale surpassed that of Japan in 2010 to become the second largest economy in the world and grew even further to become about three times as large as Japan's today.

During this period of high economic growth, China advanced its economic reform and technological development to become the largest trade partner of Japan, and even attained sufficient capabilities to compete with the US in advanced technological fields.

From the history of the world, we learned how political and economic structures would change all the time in the world. China would likely expand its economic power further to reach the level equivalent to the US, and then it would be asked to take appropriate responsibilities and roles in international politics. China would undoubtedly provide intellectual contribution to the world in high-tech fields, such as information technologies.

In July, President Xi Jinping spoke at the informal summit meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation about the building of "a new and open economic regime of advanced level, by creating new framework for development". Japan, meanwhile, has overcome the stagnancy of Heisei Era (1989-2019), and is now pursuing the reform of the Reiwa Era.

Reiwa period began on May 1, 2019, following the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the elevation of his son Naruhito to the Chrysanthemum Throne.Japan and China need to undertake efforts to achieve "economy of high-quality" that pivots around revolutionary information and communication technologies, led by artificial intelligence.

While the world economy suffers from the finiteness of resource availability and exacerbation of the global environment, the only path we can choose is to realize, with higher creativity and added values, "economy of high-quality", which has less resource dependency and lower burden on the global environment, so that humans can optimize their functions. Fortunately, humans have acquired necessary tools to realize new, high-quality economy through the advancement in IT revolution using AI.

Japanese industries were proud to be among the world's top-class industrial and technological powers in the 1980s and early 1990s, but its industrial power was flattened to stagnancy by the collapse of economic bubbles. Japan has recently been striving to make a full recovery.

China, on the other hand, achieved outstanding success and reached a level high enough to compete with the US through advancement in industrial technologies.

From the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly expanded worldwide, threatening the health and lives of humans, while driving global economy and society to a standstill. On the other hand, the pandemic has provided good opportunities for accelerating the development of digital transformation and the creation of a "new economy" system.

We are now moving to the new stage of economic and social advancement through technological innovation. We have to challenge the following matters.First, we need to deploy innovation vigorously. The 21st century is the age of new development in innovations, with AI and others at the center.

In the beginning of the 20th century, the world saw the arrival of petroleum age. And in 1910, Austrian political economist Joseph Schumpeter defined the innovation as "the critical dimension of economic change", which might create the novel combinations of production resources, such as materials, labor force, etc.

I would like to propose a new definition of "innovation", in this age of the latest IT revolution, as the creation of new intellectual values within the economic sphere through the combination, integration and utilization of information elements collected through revolutionary IT technologies.

Today, AI and other information technologies make it possible to improve the efficiency of communication beyond physical limits and the boundaries of complexity to enhance added values. Through the fusion of cyber space and material space, we can ensure accuracy, improve efficiency, and realize the fulfillment of temporal values, so to advance economic activities from the material production-ism to the value-use-ism.

The use of AI will allow us to realize unmanned factories and retail shops with the installment of automation equipment, provide advanced remote medical services, make smart phone payments and cashless payments, and introduce cryptocurrencies. The use of AI can promote accuracy, speed, efficiency, and optimal selection of information communication, while realizing the improvement of added values.

The fields where advancement in innovation is expected will likely involve a wide range of areas centering around information technologies, such as biochemistry, new materials, space, oceans, advanced medical services, new energies, electric cars, power storage equipment, drones and hydrogen uses.More intense international competitions in innovation will be likely worldwide.

In the case of Japan, its stagnant economy after the collapse of economic bubbles in the 1990s suppressed its innovation capability. Becoming more aware of its failures, however, Japan started to enforce policies for the development of innovation capability.

To accelerate innovations, major economies are focusing on policies to support research and development, to nurture intellectual human resources, and to develop new competitive environment. The key factors for developing favorable market conditions are innovation, fairness, efficiency and competitiveness.

Recently, it was found that the aggregations of intellectual functions in cities have contributed greatly to promoting innovation, such as in the cases of the Silicon Valley in the US and Zhongguancun Science Park in Beijing and the Nanshan District of Shenzhen in Guangdong province. Regional and social cooperation is strongly expected to be encouraged.

Second, we have to corporate for the efficient operation of global market, which needs to operate freely and rationally under fair and safe rules. Japan and China need to reach agreement for this purpose in cooperation with the US and the European Union, while taking a leading role in restoring the proper functioning of the World Trade Organization.

Until then, it is necessary to promote and utilize regional free trade agreements, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and APEC. Japan and China must exert efforts for the early entry into force of RCEP, which accounts for about 30 percent of the world's population and global trade values. For CPTPP, the UK expressed their intention to join in February, and China submitted its application in September.

Advancement in information and communication technologies has had significant influence over the conditions of world trade competition, such as the monopoly of technologies and the risks of aggregating and concentrating corporate activity locations. Japan and China need to establish appropriate international rules to address these issues.

The two countries need to have mutual exchanges of their experiences in such rule-making and lead the world to realize "economy of high-quality".

Third, we need to have mutual cooperation in reforming corporate management methods. The efficiencies of corporate management have been improved significantly through the advancement of information and communication technologies, with work style reform evolving through digital transformation of offices.

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided good opportunity for companies to promote digital transformation of corporate management. Moreover, such transformation would also provide powers for fundamental revolution in corporate management. For example, digital transformation would make it possible for companies to transform their profit structure from those based on the profits of scales to those bringing the profits of information, consolidation and times, thereby enabling the achievement of overall optimum. Corporate value, which may include profit value, customers' value, workers' value and social value, is increasingly expected to grow further through AI and other advanced management tools.

In the future, corporate management will likely face new and additional constraint factors, such as human security, while necessitating the improved management of markets, such as protecting intellectual properties and removing harmful effects of information monopoly. Such frameworks of markets should be rational and wholly optimized. Japan and China need to mobilize their knowledge and wisdom in developing the optimal conditions.

Japan and China need to jointly lead the world toward the development and fulfilment of human security regime. Such regime will likely have an important function in the urban development index.

The UN Development Program announced its human security policy in 1994 and recommended health, medicines, education, anti-terrorism and response toward natural disasters as its factors. The UN General Assembly further developed this policy and adopted the Sustainable Developments Goals in September 2015, which included 17 goals such as no poverty, zero hunger, decent work and economic growth, and climate actions, as well as 169 action programs. SDGs are the goals every corporation in the world needs to implement seriously and effectively. Corporations in Japan and China are no exceptions. They must cooperate in deploying such SDGs.

How to respond to COVID-19 pandemic is a key factor in establishing human security. Japan and China should lead the world in creating an effective system to fight against COVID-19 by intensifying coordination with other major countries. Major countries are struggling to find the best options to fight against the pandemic, balancing lockdowns and economic recovery measures.This year, many countries such as the UK, Israel, the US and China have had extensive dissemination of vaccines as measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. How to confirm the effects of vaccines and how to distribute them in the world must not be the subject of political diplomacy, but the issue of enforcement through international cooperation from the humanitarian perspectives.

Japan and China are expected to disseminate such awareness and consciousness and contribute to preparatory measures for future epidemics by eliminating various epidemic-causing factors, such as preventing destruction of the nature and developing healthier human-animal relations.

Today, global warming is the biggest threat to humans. This year alone, harsh heat waves and severe rainstorms hit areas such as the US, China and Europe, causing many casualties. The urgent and crucial challenges of humans are to reduce carbon dioxide emission, which is the major cause of global warming, and to shift toward more circular economy.

In Japan, the administration of Yoshihide Suga announced the commitment to realize carbon neutrality by 2050, and China has set the target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Global warming issues are incorporated into the Chinese urban development index. When developed fully in details, this will be sure to become a useful tool to resolve such issues.

The Joe Biden administration of the US has declared their return to the Paris Agreement, and the world is now developing a regime for "great reset". For this, the key is to shift toward circular economy led by technological development, as well as addressing urgent challenges, which include the development of new energies such as solar and wind and their supply networks, the development and dissemination of electric cars, revolutionary development of power storage facilities, the fixation and sequestration of carbon dioxides, and the realization of smart cities.

Fourth, Japan and China have to expand their mutual cooperation in various fields, including more efficient energy consumption and transfer of pollution prevention technologies, with the Japan-China Economic Association holding energy and environment forum in cooperation with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and China's Ministry of Commerce. In the future, Japan and China need to deploy wide-ranging collaboration, including in technological development, and, more importantly, continue working for the deployment and dissemination of their technological achievements to developing countries.

Fifth, we have to address demographic changes in society, with fewer children and an aging population. Japan is now facing grave issues arising from its aging society, such as how to secure financial resources to fulfill social security needs in providing health, nursing and medical services to the elderly. Similar issues will likely hit China in the near future. Both countries need to mutually exchange their experiences and cooperate with each other in developing social welfare policies and measures.

Finally, Japan and China can strengthen their bonds with the international community through cultural exchanges.

Reflecting on the history of human development, the advancement of human civilization has been dramatic and drastic, with their culture advancing steadily.

The cultural development of Greek and Roman empires was amazing, leading to further blooming of culture in medieval Europe. China, India, and Islam pursued their own cultural developments. Japan introduced the Chinese culture through its envoys to Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty (in the 7th to 8th century) and integrated such culture into Japan's own. Japan has continued to introduce culture and technologies from other countries, including Europe and the US, to build its foundation of social development.

Japan has traditionally shown great tolerance to other culture, and actively integrated different culture throughout its history. China has been providing superb culture in great scale, including literatures, calligraphy, China wares and porcelains and Buddha statues. Chinese cuisines are widespread throughout the world.

In addition to traditional culture of both countries, new culture have emerged recently, centering around amass of information and communication technologies. American journalist Douglas McGray recently pointed out that "Japan's gross national product is stagnant, but its gross national cool has mastery engine". New culture can be found in anime, manga, cuisines, fashions and devices relevant to cultural information.

Information-related technologies have opened a new horizon for the development and fusion of industries and culture, as well as technologies and arts. Recently, China is focusing more on the promotion of cultural activities, development of cultural markets, and nurturing of artists, while integrating information technologies not only into its traditional culture but also into newly developed culture.

"Culture" is the summation of artistic and technological values, and the symbol of international reconciliation.

Especially, rapid advancement in information-related technologies including AI will likely improve the cultural quality of commercial products and services, develop the methods and tools of artistic expressions, enhance more sophisticated methods to communicate cultural information, and make it possible to realize both cultural values and efficiencies at the same time.Expanding cultural markets through intensified cultural exchanges, the two countries can develop methods to evaluate cultural values in markets, collect relevant data, and study the conformity of technologies and cultures.

It is my belief that if Japan and China can cooperate in integrating industries and culture, and technologies and arts, this will enhance mutual understanding of their culture by improving the human sense of values, thereby significantly contributing to global stability and the harmonization of human society.

On Oct 4, Fumio Kishida became the 100th prime minister of Japan. He is the chairman of Kouchikai, a policymaking group which Masayoshi Ohira once led. Kishida's political style is to listen to the opinions of as many people as possible before making any political choices and decisions.

During the Shinzo Abe administration, Kishida was foreign minister for 1,682 days, further enriching his experience in diplomacy and international relations.In terms of economic policy, he said that he would make overcoming COVID-19 epidemics as top priority, then establish "new capitalism" supported by virtuous cycle of growth and fair distribution to revive Japanese economy, which has been stagnant for some time. Moreover, he would aim for building and consolidating robust platform for economic growth, by focusing on policies to reinforce innovation capabilities, prevent global warming, and establish economic security.

At the same time, he would undoubtedly stress the importance of establishing economic cooperative relationships with major countries, such as China.Japan-China cooperation will significantly contribute to global stability and the development and evolution of humans.

For the past 2,000 years or longer, excepting the brief period of animosity, people of Japan and China have continued their close mutual relationship in the fields of economy, technologies, culture and education. They would continue and tighten their solid bond of trust for the next 100, 200 and 1,000 years, and further deepen mutual exchange activities.

Moreover, through such a close relationship, they could deepen the knowledge and wisdom of humans and heighten their virtues. Through these mutual exchanges, Japan and China could provide greater contribution to realizing the "economy of high quality" and "global society filled with mutual trust".

The author is former Japanese administrative vice minister of International Trade and Industry and now is chancellor of Incorporated Educational Institution of Toyo University in Tokyo, Japan.
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A Foreign Ministry spokesperson Thursday refuted an accusation against China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Wednesday Blinken and Borrell had a discussion over the telephone regarding this issue. They expressed concern about so-called "escalating political pressure and economic coercion by China against Lithuania."

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press briefing that Lithuania made grave mistakes on Taiwan-related issues. Instead of admitting and correcting these mistakes, it has repeatedly lied, shirked its responsibility, and confused the public.

Zhao noted the United States and the EU are aware of this. He said they should urge Lithuania to admit and correct their wrongdoings as soon as possible, instead of ignoring the facts and deliberately justifying that country's fault.

"The United States and the EU accuse China with no good reason. This position reverses right and wrong, violates morality, and damages their image," the spokesperson added.

Facts have repeatedly proved that the United States is the epitome of various forms of unilateral bullying and coercive diplomacy, said Zhao. Examples abound in how the United States for no reason initiates unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction based on its domestic laws. It abuses state power to unreasonably suppress other countries' institutions, enterprises, and individuals.

"The international community generally opposes this U.S. move," Zhao said.

Zhao added if the EU wants to uphold a fair and rational international order, it should distinguish right from wrong. It should have an objective and fair position and take concrete actions to maintain the sound and steady development of China-EU relations, rather than follow the United States and stand on the wrong side of morality.
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Germany on Wednesday reported a 25 percent daily increase in the number of confirmed Omicron COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative number to 3,198, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases said on Thursday.

Around 1,500 of the laboratory-confirmed Omicron cases in Germany were in the 15-34 age group, and 1,050 cases were identified in the 35-59 age group.

Germany should expect a "massive" wave of Omicron cases before the end of the year, said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The country had not yet seen a "big, rapid wave" of infections like some other European countries, he told the public broadcaster WDR 2.

Germany's COVID-19 incidence rate fell to 280.3 infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week from around 340 last week, according to the RKI. The daily infection count has dropped to 44,927 cases from around 11,750 less than a week ago.

"What we know for sure is that we need a booster vaccination," Lauterbach said, adding that this could prevent 70 percent to 80 percent of symptomatic cases. A fourth vaccination, specific to the Omicron variant, would likely be required, he said.

The country's goal of administering 30 million booster vaccines by the end of the year remains achievable, according to Lauterbach. A further 30 million vaccine doses would be available at the beginning of next year to continue the booster vaccination campaign, he said.
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Two people, including a suspect and a 14-year-old girl, were killed Thursday in an officer-involved shooting at a Burlington store in Los Angeles, California, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon in progress at the Burlington store in North Hollywood at around 11:45 a.m. local time.

During that search, officers encountered the suspect who was in the process of assaulting another person, LAPD said on Twitter.

The suspect was struck by gunfire and taken into custody. Paramedics responded and determined the suspect dead at scene. One victim was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained as a result of the suspect's attack and remains under unknown condition at this time, according to the department.

As officers contacted the suspect, one bullet of the officer's rounds penetrated a wall that was behind the suspect. Officers searched the room behind the wall and found a 14-year-old female victim who was struck by gunfire, LAPD tweeted.

LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi told the media the girl was found deceased in the room and "preliminarily, we believe that round was an officer's round," City News Service, a regional wire service covering Southern California, reported, adding that police also say it's unclear if the suspect was armed, but no gun has been found.

Choi called it a "tragic and unfortunate sequence of events," according to City News Service.
by Xinhua writer Tian Ye

CAIRO, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to rage in the Middle East in 2021, China was the only big power that provided generous vaccine donations and even helped localize vaccine production, lighting up the hope of defeating the pandemic in the region.

China donated and exported a large quantity of COVID-19 vaccines to Middle East countries in dire need of them, at a time when Western countries largely stockpiled vaccines for their own good.

In Egypt, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China created joint ventures to produce the COVID-19 vaccines in order to meet the local demand.

The vaccine cooperation between China and Middle East countries, which helped stabilize the epidemic situation in the region, has sublimated their friendship, deepened mutual trust, and opened up new areas of cooperation.

FRIENDS IN NEED

Following a year of mutual help and cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 in 2020, the vaccine cooperation between China and Middle East countries in 2021 further demonstrated that they are true friends in need.

Many countries in the region rushed to help China by sending medical aid or messages of solidarity in early 2020 at the pandemic's outbreak. China returned favor by offering medical aid and dispatching medical experts to help these countries in their fight against the contagious disease.

The anti-pandemic cooperation continued in 2021, mainly in the form of China's donating the much-needed COVID-19 vaccines for the Middle East countries.

On Jan. 14, Turkey became the first country in the region to start a mass vaccination drive, thanks to the arrival of 3 million doses of China's Sinovac vaccine. To date, more than 127 million doses have been administered in Turkey, playing an important role in the control of the pandemic in the country.

Morocco started its nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 following the arrival of China's Sinopharm vaccines. Many other countries in the Middle East, including Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Algeria, Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Iran and Syria, and the pan-Arab group Arab League also received vaccines donated from China.

By the end of July, China had exported more than 72 million doses of vaccine to 17 Arab countries and the Arab League, official statistics show.

To a large extent, China helped bridge the immunity gap with its generosity, which stood in stark contrast to the U.S.-led Western countries.

"China has improved its image in the MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) region, especially relative to Western countries. Not only has it been perceived as more supportive but also more effective in dealing with the pandemic," Naser al-Tamimi, a Britain-based Middle East analyst, told the press in July.

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

In addition to the vaccine donations and exports, China helped localize the production of the COVID-19 vaccines in the Middle East, with an aim to achieve the goal of vaccine self-sufficiency in the region.

On March 28, the UAE became the first country in the Middle East to start manufacturing a COVID-19 vaccine named Hayat-Vax at a joint venture between China's biopharmaceutical giant Sinopharm and the Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 (G42), with a production capacity of 200 million doses a year.

In April, Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) inked a deal with the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech on creating a joint venture with a capacity of producing 2 million doses of vaccine per week. On July 18, the venture celebrated the production of the first 1 million doses of Sinovac vaccine.

On Sept. 29, Algeria inaugurated a joint venture in the eastern province of Constantine, which was created by Algeria's pharmaceutical group Saidal with Sinovac to produce the COVID-19 vaccines. It aims to manufacture 6 million doses of Sinovac vaccine by the end of this year, and 96 million doses each year thereafter.

Countries in the Middle East embraced China's vaccines, giving a vote of confidence in their safety and efficacy.

In January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the Sinovac vaccine shot, giving a strong push to Turkey's national vaccination campaign.

In terms of immunization efficacy, the UAE revealed in late 2020 that interim analysis of phase III studies showed the Sinopharm vaccine to be 86 percent effective, while Turkey announced on March 5 that the Sinovac vaccine had an efficacy of 83.5 percent against COVID-19.

"Vaccines are the only hope to curb and control the spread of the virus," said Magdy Badran, a professor of virology and member of the Egyptian Association of Immunology, adding the most important thing is that the Chinese vaccines are safe, effective, cheap and available.

"I am deeply impressed by China's proposal of building a global community of health for all, as the virus does not differentiate between the poor and rich, or developed and developing countries," said Badran.

"China has already made tremendous contributions to the global effort through the rapid development of a number of vaccines, and through sharing those vaccines globally," said Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global vaccine partnership.

POSITIVE IMPACT

In addition to the previous business areas, those countries that partner with China in the production of vaccines have expanded bilateral cooperation to other domains including medical and pharmaceutical science.

The UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey participated in the Chinese vaccine's phase III clinical trials, and gained not only health benefits but also economic ones via vaccine cooperation with China.

High vaccination rates have drawn many foreigners to return to work or vacation in these countries.

Cooperation with China in vaccine research and production also allows Middle East countries like the UAE to diversify their economies beyond the oil business. Enditem
URUMQI, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the People's Congress of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Friday strongly condemned and firmly opposed the United States' signing the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" into law.

The standing committee said, in a statement, that the so-called act is based on false information and political motives. It deliberately slanders the human rights situation in Xinjiang and maliciously attacks the region's labor and employment policies.

The U.S. signing of the so-called act is also a flagrant violation of international law and fundamental principles of international relations, and is gross interference in China's internal affairs. It has an actual intention to disrupt the stable development of Xinjiang by suppressing enterprises in the region, said the statement.

Xinjiang strictly implements the Labor Law of the People's Republic of China and other related laws and regulations. The employment of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang is protected by law, and people enjoy complete freedom in employment choices, said the statement.

The statement pointed out that the United States itself has, in fact, an indelible record of forced labor. Over the recent years, the United States has faced a series of domestic labor issues such as human trafficking, forced labor in agriculture, and child labor abuse.

In the face of the truth and facts, no matter how the United States lies and deceives, it will neither disrupt the social stability in Xinjiang nor stop people of all ethnic groups in the region from striving for a better life together, according to the statement. Enditem
AMMAN, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Calls mount in Jordan for the public to adhere to the health precautionary measures, as the total tally of COVID-19 infections in the kingdom has exceeded 1 million amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

Experts called for more stringent regulations that oblige the public to receive COVID-19 vaccines, wear masks, and maintain social distancing, warning that a continuous surge in cases could lead to undesired closures and limited economic and social activities.

Jordan reported 2,239 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the caseload to 1,047,953. Notably, the kingdom also reported 14 Omicron cases.

"Cases have been skyrocketing over the past few months ... The public does not follow the health measures seriously. At the same time, lack of proper enforcement of the regulations may exacerbate the situation," Saeb Rawashdeh, a political analyst at the Jordan Press Foundation, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

According to the government, the public is not allowed to enter commercial centers, malls, public and private agencies without showing their vaccination certification or a negative PCR result. However, people are getting lax as time goes by, said Rawashdeh.

The government announced on Thursday that it will tighten health measures. Under the new measures, people are required to provide the certificate of two-dose vaccination and a negative PCR result valid for 48 hours to attend the New Year's celebrations.

Hosam Ayesh, a local economist, said Jordan's economy has been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting government's closures over the past months.

Jordan's economy grew by 3.2 percent in the first half of 2021. Unemployment in the second quarter reached 24.8 percent, up 1.9 percent from the same period in 2020, according to figures by the Department of Statistics.

"For a more resilient economy, it is important to meet the targeted rate of vaccinated people," he noted. Enditem
BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- A sweeping number of import items will enjoy lower tariffs next year as China has made new tariff adjustments for trade pacts, soon to take effect, amid efforts to improve the quality of life and boost opening up.

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced earlier this month to implement provisional tariffs that are lower than the most-favored-nation rates on 954 imported commodities starting Jan. 1, 2022. The figure saw an increase from 883 last year and 859 in 2019.

"Many of the imports on the list are heavily featured in people's daily lives so that foreign firms can benefit from China's development," said Mei Xinyu, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce.

The country will also grant zero-tariff treatment on 98 percent of taxable items originating in the least-developed countries, according to the commission.

AIMING FOR HIGH QUALITY

According to experts and industry insiders, imports included in the adjustments tell tales of improving livelihood and industrial upgrade aimed at low-carbon outcomes, both traits of high-quality growth.

Tariffs on medical products such as a new cancer drug and artificial joints have been lowered -- a continuation of similar moves in recent years to reduce medical costs and bolster public health.

Since 2018, China has either exempted or lowered tariffs on two batches of cancer drugs, artificial cardiac valves and hearing aids.

Tariffs on some aquatic products, baby clothing, artworks, ski gear are slashed to accommodate consumer demand for quality lifestyles and winter sports, said the commission.

The 954 products also include auto parts that help cut greenhouse gas emissions, as well as high-voltage cables for high-speed trains and fuel-cell components that are expected to bolster high-tech manufacturing.

Meanwhile, the average tariff rate on 62 products of information technology will be slashed from 3.4 percent to 1.7 percent starting July 1, 2022.

These moves will help keep domestic industrial and supply chains stable, spur innovations and industrial upgrade, as well as advance low-carbon development, analysts and industry insiders say.

HIGH-LEVEL OPENING UP

The new adjustments follow China's overriding trend of tariff reduction in the past two decades. The country has cut its overall tariff rate from 15.3 percent in 2001 to 9.8 percent in 2010 to fulfill its accession commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO), before bringing it further down to 7.4 percent currently.

In latest efforts toward high-level opening up, China will impose conventional tariff rates on some products from 29 countries and regions in accordance with relevant trade agreements and preferential arrangements, resulting in lower tariffs on products from countries including New Zealand, Peru, Switzerland, Pakistan, Mauritius, and Costa Rica.

The country also introduced lower or zero tariffs in accordance with trade agreements under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the new free trade agreement between China and Cambodia, both to come into effect beginning 2022.

While China had already made tariff cuts with certain members of the RCEP, the 2022 adjustments covered more products, showcasing China's commitment to tariff arrangements under the world's largest free trade agreement, said Cui Fan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

"China's compliance to trade rules under the RCEP will help advance China's high-level opening up, and in turn boost the integration of industrial, supply and value chains between the RCEP members, injecting impetus into world economic recovery," said Cui.

Under the RCEP, China and Japan will see the first bilateral tariff cuts in the form of zero-tariff treatment on 24.9 percent of imported items from Japan and 55.5 percent of imported items from China in 2022. Companies from both sides are expected to benefit from the agreement.

Experts say that China's current overall tariff level, which is nearing that of many developed countries and still decreasing, will help facilitate global trade with lower costs.

In the first three quarters of the year, China's merchandise imports accounted for around 12 percent of the world's total, up from 11.54 percent in 2020, according to WTO data. Its foreign trade value expanded 22 percent year on year to 35.39 trillion yuan (about 5.56 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-November period.

China has vowed to expand high-quality and institutional opening-up, grant foreign-funded enterprises national treatment, attract more investment from multinational companies, and facilitate the early implementation of major foreign-invested projects in 2022, according to the tone-setting annual Central Economic Work Conference early this month.

To that end, China is working on a slew of measures on top of tariff reductions like shortening the negative list for foreign investment and introducing a negative list for cross-border services trade in the country's free trade zones. Enditem
BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday said that the jobs of migrant workers should be kept stable, and the employment prospects of migrant workers should be expanded, ensuring their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law while permitting no defaults on their wages.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the comments while instructing a teleconference on eradicating wage defaults of rural migrant workers.

Dealing with the issues of rural migrant workers well and ensuring they receive their wage payments on time are matters that concern the livelihoods of China's many migrant worker families and the country's social stability, Li said.

He underlined the importance of supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as individual businesses in navigating the challenges and expanding the employment channels of migrant workers.

The country will promote equal access to basic public services at the county level and roll out more effective measures to resolve the prominent issues concerning the payment arrears of migrant workers, according to Li.

Vice Premier Hu Chunhua attended the teleconference.

Hu highlighted the need to consolidate the results of efforts to eradicate wage defaults and step up work in construction and other key sectors.

The meeting also commended groups and individuals around the country who have made great contributions to eliminating wage defaults among migrant workers. Enditem

Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua attends a teleconference on eradicating wage defaults of rural migrant workers in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)
BAGHDAD, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Ministry of Health on Friday urged citizens to adhere to the health precautionary measures during New Year celebrations amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

The ministry called on citizens in a statement to follow the health precautionary measures, especially wearing masks, maintaining physical distance as well as getting vaccinated.

A separate statement by the ministry said that it reported 322 new COVID-19 cases, raising the nationwide caseload to 2,092,156. It also reported seven new deaths, bringing the death toll from the virus to 24,115.

Iraq has been pushing forward its vaccination drive since January after the approval for the emergency use of the Sinopharm vaccine and other COVID-19 vaccines. Enditem
Rail wagons loaded with humanitarian aid provided by Uzbekistan arrive in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan on Dec. 23, 2021. Uzbekistan has provided 3,700 tons of humanitarian aid to war-torn Afghanistan to help needy people in the chilly winter. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua)

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has provided 3,700 tons of humanitarian aid to war-torn Afghanistan to help needy people in the chilly winter.

Transported by 63 rail wagons to Afghanistan's northern city Mazar-I-Sharif and received by Afghan officials, the batch includes foodstuffs, fuel and winter clothes that will be distributed among destitute Afghans as the country is facing economic crisis.

Expressing gratitude to Uzbekistan, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan's caretaker government, called for further enhancing relations between Kabul and Tashkent.

Stanikzai called on Uzbekistan to help Afghanistan in rebuilding airports, building railways and providing scholarships for Afghan students.

Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August, which resulted in the U.S.-led forces departure and slapping sanction on the new administration, Afghanistan has been facing economic crisis as more than 22 million out of the country's some 36 million population are reportedly facing acute food insecurity.

To overcome the crisis, the Afghan government has called on the international community to provide humanitarian aid, and so far, many countries including China, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Qatar, among others, have provided humanitarian aid to the country. Enditem

A man unloads humanitarian aid provided by Uzbekistan in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, Dec. 23, 2021. Uzbekistan has provided 3,700 tons of humanitarian aid to war-torn Afghanistan to help needy people in the chilly winter. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua)

Rail wagons loaded with humanitarian aid provided by Uzbekistan arrive in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan on Dec. 23, 2021. Uzbekistan has provided 3,700 tons of humanitarian aid to war-torn Afghanistan to help needy people in the chilly winter. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua)

Rail wagons loaded with humanitarian aid provided by Uzbekistan arrive in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan on Dec. 23, 2021. Uzbekistan has provided 3,700 tons of humanitarian aid to war-torn Afghanistan to help needy people in the chilly winter. (Photo by Kawa Basharat/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon registered 2,119 COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest daily increase since Aug. 11, the Lebanese health ministry reported.

It has raised the total number of infections to 709,242 in the country, while the death toll from the virus went up by 16 to 9,012, the ministry said.

Assem Araji, head of Lebanon's Parliamentary Health Committee, urged citizens to follow the health precautionary measures during the festive season of Christmas. Enditem
TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian commander said on Friday that the five-day drill in the southern parts of the country was a response to recent threats by Israel, Tasnim news agency reported.

Chief of the Iranian armed forces Mohammad Baqeri said recent threats from some Israeli officials prompted the Iranian side to hold the war game, dubbed "Great Prophet 17," at this time.

He noted that the war game was among Iran's most successful missile exercises so far.

The drill was held in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the coastal areas of the southern Iranian provinces of Hormuzgan, Bushehr, and Khuzestan.

On Friday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched 16 ballistic missiles of different classes during the drill. The footage of the drill showed all the missiles hit the same target simultaneously, Baqeri said.

They struck and destroyed the very distant target, he added, noting that this is only part of Iran's missile power.

Also on Friday, IRGC's Chief Commander Hossein Salami said the exercise, particularly its last stage, had conveyed a very clear message and a serious and real warning to Israeli officials.

"They must be careful of their mistakes," he said. Enditem
DAMASCUS, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Electricity shortage has done what mortar shells or bombs couldn't: depriving the Damascus residents of Christmas, a day which they used to enjoy and is emblematic of the inspiring peace between the country's Muslims and Christians.

In the Bab Touma district, a part of the Old City of Damascus with deep historical roots in Christianity, people used to put up Christmas trees, warm lights, and lovely decorations in the streets and alleyways despite all the difficulties and fears.

But after peace and stability finally returned to the war-torn country, those who had expected a more festive and elaborate Christmas season were disappointed by the other face of the war. The country is undergoing economic hardship caused by years of havoc and Western-imposed sanctions. One of the most visible aspects of the hardship is the lack of electricity.

Xinhua reporter visited the Bab Touma, Qassa, and Bab Sharqi areas and discovered that Christmas this year appears to be much less cheerful, with only a few windows decorated. A passerby walking down the streets couldn't tell if it was Christmas at all. The usual beam of the holiday didn't reflect on people's faces. Everyone was busy making ends meet and securing basic needs amid skyrocketing prices.

Tarek Abu Heddo, a city photographer, waits excitedly every year for the holiday season to tour the city and snap photos of the decorations.

"When I dressed up, grabbed my camera, and started my tour in the city, I was surprised that last year's decorations were much brighter and more beautiful than this year, " he told Xinhua.

He and others blamed the lack of decorations and the absence of holiday spirit on the scarcity of electricity and the hard economic situation.

Amal Sameer, a housewife, told Xinhua that frequent and long power outages make it hard for them to operate their electric appliances, such as the washing machine and the refrigerator, while turning on the bright festival lights seems like an out-of-reach luxury.

"We lack electricity, and everything is so expensive," she lamented.

Last month, Syria's Internal Trade and Consumer Protection Minister Amr Salem blamed Western sanctions for the suffering of the Syrian people as the country is going through an unprecedented economic crisis.

He said sanctions are hindering the import of petroleum products, and hurting the lives of Syrians.

In August, the electricity ministry reported that the total direct and indirect losses of the electricity sector as a result of the war amounted to about 6.1 trillion Syrian pounds (24.4 billion U.S. dollars).

To address the power shortage, the Syrian government agreed to a deal with Jordan and Egypt to facilitate the flow of Egyptian natural gas through Jordan and the Syrian territories to Lebanon in exchange for getting a certain amount of gas for Syrian electricity plants.

The Syrian government has been accusing the United States of causing Syria's energy crisis, as the superpower controls major oil and gas fields in eastern Syria. The government has repeatedly called on the United Nations to exert pressure for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from eastern Syria. Enditem
ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday said that 22 African countries have so far reported cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

"As of today, 22 African countries are reporting the presence of the Omicron variant," John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC, told journalists in a periodic briefing.

According to figures from the Africa CDC, six African countries that are Burkina Faso, Togo, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Mauritius have reported Omicron COVID-19 variant cases during the past week.

"We can see clearly that the Omicron variant is spreading very quickly in Africa," Nkengasong said.

The African Union (AU) had recently warned that travel and entry bans in connection with the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant limit the free movement of people and goods, imposing immediate and significant impact on African countries.

As of Thursday morning, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa reached 9,259,813 and the death toll stood at 226,536. Enditem
BENI, DR Congo, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The joint armed forces between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda destroyed late Thursday two strongholds of the rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in northeastern DRC, a military source told Xinhua Friday.

According to Athony Mualushayi, spokesman for DRC's army forces (FARDC) in the Beni area, the two main strongholds of the ADF rebels, located in Virunga National Park, located in DRC's north-eastern North Kivu province, are now under the control of the two armies.

Since November 30, the Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF), in collaboration with the FARDC, has officially launched air and artillery operations against several ADF rebel positions in northeastern DRC.

Two soldiers were wounded during the operations, one Congolese and one Ugandan, according to a statement reached to Xinhua by Athony Mualushayi.

"Our troops were in physical contact with the enemies, and despite the resistance of the latter, we managed to dislodge them and completely take control of (the locality of) Kambi YA Juwa," he said.

During an exchange on Friday between Major General Camille Bombele, newly-appointed Coordinator of the FARDC-UPDF joint military operations, and Major General Kayanja Muhanga of UPDF, the two forces reiterated their determination to eradicate the ADF and bring back definitive peace to the Beni region, according to the FARDC spokesman.

At least 1,700 Ugandan soldiers have already arrived on the Congolese soil since the beginning of the operations, accompanied by equipment including about 100 vehicles of the troop transport and battle tanks, according to the Congolese and Ugandan authorities.

The DRC northeastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, long plagued by violence incurred by armed groups, had been under a state of siege since May 6 due to violence by armed groups, especially the ADF rebels. Enditem
COLOMBO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Three more new patients infected with the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 had been detected in Sri Lanka, raising the total number of infections to seven in the country, the Health Ministry announced Thursday.

COVID-19 coordinator, who is also director of technical services of the Ministry of Health, Anwar Hamdani said that among the latest detections was a Sri Lankan national while the other two were foreign nationals.

Jude Jayamaha, consultant virologist of the Medical Research Institute, told journalists that two of the patients had arrived from Sudan while the other patient was a returnee from Tanzania.

The Health Ministry said Omicron cases could increase in the future and thus raised the importance of receiving the vaccine booster doses without further delay.

According to official figures from the Health Ministry, nearly 63 percent of the total population have been fully vaccinated with Sinopharm, the leading vaccine administered, followed by AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Sputnik V.

Presently all those above the age of 20 years are being administered a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine, in order to boost the immunity due to concerns over the Omicron variant. Enditem
DHAKA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 people were killed and 100 others injured after a ferry caught fire early Friday on a river in Bangladesh's Jhalokati district, about 200 km south of capital Dhaka, a senior official said.

Md Nazmul Alam, Jhalokati district's additional deputy commissioner, told Xinhua that the vessel was carrying some 1,000 people from capital Dhaka to Barguna district in southern Bangladesh when a fire broke out in its engine room at about 3:00 a.m. local time Friday due to technical glitch.

"Thirty bodies have so far been recovered following the accident," he told Xinhua over the phone.

Most of the passengers were asleep when the accident occurred, said the official.

He said a search operation is still underway for the unknown number of people missing.

"We've come to know that the ferry was carrying about 1,000 passengers," he said, adding that the boat has been dragged to the bank. Enditem
by Xinhua writers Yan Jie, Liu Kai

MANILA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Standing on the shore of Manila Bay, Melvin Chua, 25, folded a letter of thanks carefully into a bottle and let it flow into the sea.

"Dear Chinese vaccine, I would like to thank you for providing supplies to my country, the Philippines, to save the Philippine people and their families," Chua's letter reads.

China was the first-ever country to donate and supply the Philippines with COVID-19 vaccines.

Chua knows every narrow street of an urban district called Pembo in the Philippines' capital city Manila like the back of his hand.

Rain or shine, Chua sold dish sponges to support his family and fund his education. Hawking dish sponges for 13 years earned him the nickname "sponge boy."

Chua was among the Filipinos who earned a scholarship to pursue a master's degree in international business administration at Renmin University of China in Beijing in 2019. However, it was not long after he arrived in Beijing that the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

"At the time, I was terrified. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money to return home. But looking back now, I'm really proud of my decision to stay in China during the difficult time," Chua said.

Chua noted that he had been fully vaccinated in his university in May this year, whereas the Philippines was still short of COVID-19 vaccines, and his family and friends could not get their jabs.

"I was really happy and grateful to be able to get vaccinated in Beijing, because it just gave me so much confidence to explore (the city and my university). I was even able to celebrate festivals and birthdays with my friends and visit some beautiful places in Beijing," he said.

Moreover, with the continuous and timely delivery of life-saving vaccines from China, nearly 38 million Philippine people have been fully vaccinated, including Chua's mother and siblings.

China has sustained its COVID-19 vaccine supply to the Philippines since the first delivery on Feb. 28, allowing the country to kick off its vaccination drive on March 1. To date, the Philippines has received more than 158.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from different vaccine makers, with China being its biggest vaccine supplier.

"We could not feel more safe and protected. I trust that you will continue to supply the world to save lives and bring the world to its normal state again," Chua's letter reads.

According to Chua, after having experienced so many "first times" of seeing snow, tasting Chinese hotpot, meeting Chinese and foreign friends from all over the world, he would like to use "life-changing" and "magical" as keywords to describe his adventure in Beijing.

Chua just went back to his home country in December after finishing his education in Beijing. He is looking forward to working in a technology or internet company soon, fully utilizing his social network established during his stay in China to help the Philippine communities become better.

"I've experienced a lot of incredible things in Beijing, especially the vibrant community. I plan to bring that community to the Philippines and encourage many young people to talk about big things such as entrepreneurship, technology, and AI. I want them to feel or receive the same environment that I had in Beijing." Enditem
ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Thursday announced a successful competition of the latest military operation against rebel forces in Northern Ethiopia.

Ethiopian government forces have "routed the terrorist group forces in the Afar and Amhara regions, and effectively prevented (the rebel group) from taking ammunitions it brought to the areas it had invaded to its final destination," state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) quoted Legesse Tulu, minister of Government Communication Service, as saying. "The government has decided to order the army to keep the stronghold in liberated areas without further proceeding due to various reasons."

Noting that the aim of the operation was to liberate Amhara and Afar regions from the occupation of the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the minister stressed that the entire Afar and Eastern zones of the Amhara region have been cleared of the aggression of forces loyal to the TPLF as per the plan.

The conflict that started in early November last year in the country's Northernmost Tigray region between the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) following the TPLF's attack on the northern military command of the ENDF had over the second half of 2021 expanded further southwards, affecting neighboring Amhara and Afar regions.

The ENDF had initially taken control of Mekelle, Tigray's capital, within less than one month from the ousted rebel group, which used to rule the Tigray region for about three decades.

In June, the federal government announced a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew its forces from the region, emphasizing the move would facilitate humanitarian assistance, peaceful livelihood and agriculture activities amid the approaching rainy season.

Forces loyal to the TPLF soon took control of much of the area in the region, including the regional capital.

The conflict has since expanded to Tigray's neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, which was followed by a six-month nationwide state of emergency rule by the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives (HoPR) to ward off forces of the TPLF -- an entity designated as a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian parliament.

In line with the national call, which the Ethiopian government dubbed a "survival campaign," the country's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed joined frontline combat late last month, followed by strong mobilization among the general public.

The massive nationwide mobilization seems to have played a role as the ENDF, supported by regional allies and the popular movement, intensified its military operations against the rebel fighters.

Over the past month, the ENDF, together with regional forces and militia fighters, has claimed control of strategic cities and towns across Amhara and Afar regions, reversing months of battlefield gains by the rebel forces, eventually forcing the rebel forces to withdraw from the Amhara and Afar regions against their initial plans. Enditem
Metal Stamping Market Growth & Trends

The global metal stamping market size is anticipated to reach USD 270.32 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 3.8%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The increasing production of automobiles is anticipated to drive the demand for metal stamping as it is used in manufacturing of car body panels, transmission components, and interior and exterior structural components.

Automobile consumers are shifting their focus towards lightweight vehicles on account of rising concerns about environmental pollution. According to the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), the global light vehicles sales reached around 94 million in 2018 and are expected to reach nearly 110 million by 2026. The growing demand for lightweight vehicles is encouraging auto component manufacturers to increase their production capacities and engage in new product developments, which, in turn, is anticipated to augment market growth over the coming years.

Major automobile manufacturers that have in-house component manufacturing facilities are expanding their production capacities to meet the growing demand for automobiles. For instance, in February 2019, Ford Motor Company announced to invest USD 1 billion in Chicago assembly and stamping plants. With the investment, the company plans to add all-new stamping lines and all-new body shops and paint shops that are used to manufacture 2020 Ford Explorer, Police Interceptor Utility, and Lincoln Aviator. Thus, increasing production of these vehicles is anticipated to drive product demand over the coming years.

In Asia Pacific, increasing demand for consumer electronics such as mobile phones, computers, laptops, and headphones is likely to boost the demand for metal stamping as it is used in manufacturing metal frames such as metal headbands that are used in headphones. Change in consumer preferences towards enhanced audio experience along with a rapidly growing music industry, and advancement in VR technology are the major factors that are expected to drive the demand for headphones. This, in turn, is likely to propel market growth over the coming years.

The market is highly competitive with the presence of local as well as global market players including Alcoa Corporation; Kenmode Precision Metal Stamping; Lindy Manufacturing Co.; Acro Metal Stamping; Manor Tool and Manufacturing Company; D&H Industries; and Klesk Metal Stamping, Inc. These companies are focusing on long term agreements, capacity expansions, and mergers and acquisitions to meet the growing product demand from potential customers. For instance, in March 2017, Arconic signed a multi-year agreement with Toyota Motor Corp. to supply aluminum for its new Lexus RX. With this agreement, Arconic is the sole aluminum sheet supplier for Lexus RX.

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Metal Stamping Market Report Highlights

The blanking segment is anticipated to progress at a CAGR of 3.2%, in terms of revenue over the forecast period owing to the increasing demand from the automotive industry on account of its precise and superior stamping ability

The bending segment accounted for a revenue share of 16.7% in 2019. Products manufactured using this process ensure stability and durability, thus it is mostly used in auto components.

Consumer electronics is the fastest-growing segment in terms of revenue with a CAGR of 4.3% over the forecast period. The growth is attributable to the increasing utilization of lightweight metal components to improve the durability of electronics.

Industrial machinery accounted for a revenue share of 19.2% in 2019 owing to the growing demand for machinery and automation to improve the efficiency of the output

North America is expected to witness a CAGR of 2.5% in terms of revenue and is anticipated to continue dominating the overall metal stamping market over the forecast period owing to the increasing production of automobiles and consumer electronics.

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Metal Stamping Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global metal stamping market on the basis of process, application, and region:

Metal Stamping Process Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2028)

Blanking

Embossing

Bending

Coining

Flanging

Others

Metal Stamping Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2028)

Automotive

Industrial Machinery

Consumer electronics

Aerospace

Electrical & Electronics

Telecommunications

Others

Metal Stamping Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2017 - 2028)

North America US.

Europe Germany France UK. Spain Italy Denmark Belgium

Asia Pacific China India Japan

Central & South America

Middle East & Africa (MEA)

List of Key Players of the Metal Stamping Market

Acro Metal Stamping

Manor Tool & Manufacturing Company

D&H Industries, Inc.

Kenmode, Inc.

Klesk Metal Stamping Co

Clow Stamping Company

Goshen Stamping Company

Tempco Manufacturing Company, Inc

Interplex Holdings Pte. Ltd.

CAPARO

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd

AAPICO Hitech Public Company Limited

Gestamp

Ford Motor Company

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, Inc. is a U.S. based market research and consulting company, registered in the State of California and headquartered in San Francisco. The company provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. To help clients make informed business decisions, we offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a range of industries, from technology to chemicals, materials and healthcare.
According to a Trends Market research report titled North America and Europe Medical Display Market Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast by 2021  2030. The Research study on North America and Europe Medical Display Market is a crucial document for the industry players to understand competitive North America and Europe Medical Display Market scenario. The base year considered for North America and Europe Medical Display Market analysis is 2020. The report presents North America and Europe Medical Display Market industry chain structure, market overview, present industry statistics, market share & volume. All North America and Europe Medical Display Market industry is spanned across regions namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, South America and Rest. North America and Europe Medical Display Market key players analysis, regional analysis, product insights, North America and Europe Medical Display Market types, and applications are elaborated.

This has brought along several changes in This report also covers the impact of COVID-19 on the global market.

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The report provides revenue forecasts for global, regional and country levels. It also provides comprehensive coverage on major industry drivers, restraints, and their impact on market growth during the forecast period. For the purpose of research, The Report has segmented global North America and Europe Medical Display Market on the basis of types, technology and region

Major players operating in the medical display market include Alpha Display, ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Axiomtek Co., Ltd., Barco NV, BenQ Medical Technology, Coje CO., LTD., Dell Technologies Inc., Double Black Imaging Corporation, FSN Medical Technologies, Hisense Medical, HP INC., JVC Kenwood Holdings Inc., Nanjing Jusha Commercial & Trading Co, Ltd., Shenzhen Beacon Display Technology Co., Ltd., Steris PLC, EIZO Corporation (EIZO), Sony Corporation, LG Display Co., Ltd., Novanta Inc. (Novanta), and Advantech Co., Ltd. (Advantech).

The Global North America and Europe Medical Display Market Research Report is a comprehensive and informative study on the current state of the Global North America and Europe Medical Display Market industry with emphasis on the global industry. The report presents key statistics on the market status of the global North America and Europe Medical Display Market manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.

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Regional North America and Europe Medical Display Market (Regional Output, Demand & Forecast by Countries):-

North America (United States, Canada, Mexico)

South America ( Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile)

Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, Korea)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy)

Middle East Africa (Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran) And More.

The research report studies the past, present, and future performance of the global market. The report further analyzes the present competitive scenario, prevalent business models, and the likely advancements in offerings by significant players in the coming years.

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 A separate section is dedicated for competitive scenario and market statistics.

 The clear and concise study on North America and Europe Medical Display Market dynamics, cost structures will yield useful results.

 Latest developments and trends in North America and Europe Medical Display Market are evaluated in this report.

This study offers past, present and forecasts information on North America and Europe Medical Display Market. The data is represented in form of tables, infographics, charts to provide an easier view.

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The U.S. and Mexico insulated panels market was valued at $633.7 million in 2018 and is estimated to reach $1,011.8 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2019 to 2026. Insulated panels are high-performance building components used in the construction of walls, roofs, floors, cold rooms, and refrigerated vehicles bodies to improve energy management.

These panels are one of the replacements for conventional stick frame construction, and are manufactured by sandwiching a rigid foam insulation material between two panels. The rigid foam insulation material is developed from polymers such as polyurethane and polystyrene. The lamination process makes use of industrial adhesives, which help to bind the rigid foam insulation material to the wooden structure. Adoption of insulating panels is advantageous as they offer better energy management, improved durability, faster construction, fire resistant, and better acoustical & vibration control at an economical cost.

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Governing and regulatory bodies play a critical role in building or inhibiting the growth of any market in a region. The regulatory framework associated with the U.S. and Mexico insulated panels market mainly focuses on legal and environmental aspects such as thermal insulation performance and use of formaldehyde free insulating panels Specifications such as weight, design flexibility, energy savings, load resistance, fire resistance, and sound proofing are few areas where regulation frameworks are used. One of the major priorities of the legal regulatory framework in Mexico is the protection and security of the city in case of emergency or any situation that poses a risk to the population.

This legal framework includes architectural requirements for the free transit of persons with disabilities, structural design, and construction of buildings using insulated panels, advertisement hoardings, and cellular telephone antennas and energy conservation.

Some of the regulations include the double panel, supplied with reinforcement certified by an official Laboratory in conformity with the Law 5/11/1971 no.1086  D.M. 9/1/1996, complies with the provisions concerning reinforced concrete structures according to the EUROCODE 2 (EC2). Such regulations are expected to have positive impact as it provides legal and environmental benefits to the consumers of insulating panels market. With the implementation of such regulations, it is expected that the market for U.S. and Mexico insulated panels will increase significantly.

Urbanization and globalization are some of the major driving factors of the U.S. and Mexico insulated panels market. Furthermore, surge in demand for refrigerated vehicles and cold storage containers, for shipping food and other edible products will further fuel the market growth. Insulated panels have enough structural integrity to bear load.

They can also be used to replace several individual elements that are usually layered together to form the walls of building. However, formation of burrows in the insulating panels by pests, such as insects and rodents will pose a severe threat to the market growth and acts as a major restraint. Moreover, damage due to moisture leading to leakage in insulated panels hinders the market growth. Eco-friendly characteristics of insulating panels present numerous growth opportunities for market expansion.

The U.S. and Mexico insulated panels market is segmented based on the foam type, skin material, end-use industry, and country. Based on foam type, the market is divided into polyurethane foam, polystyrene, and others. On the basis of skin material, the market is classified into steelsteel, steelcardboard, cardboardcardboard, and others. By end-use industry, the market is categorized into construction, warehouses, cold storage, and others.

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The key players operating in this market are Centria, All Weather Insulated Panels, Butler Manufacturing, Laminators Inc., Advanced Insulation Concepts Inc., Alply Inc., Green Span Profiles, Industrias Unypanel SA DE CV, Metecno SPA, and Ecostruct Panel Systems.

KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS

 Porters five forces analysis helps to analyze the potential of buyers & suppliers and the competitive scenario of the U.S. and Mexico insulated panels market for strategy building.

 It outlines the current U.S. and Mexico insulated panels trends and future scenario of the global U.S. and Mexico insulated panels market from 2019 to 2026 to understand the prevailing opportunities and potential investment pockets.

 Major countries in the region have been mapped according to their individual revenue contribution to the regional market.

 The key drivers, restraints, and opportunities and their detailed impact analyses are elucidated in the study.

 The profiles of key players along with their key strategic developments are enlisted in the report.

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KEY MARKET SEGMENTS

By Foam type

 Polyurethane

 Polystyrene

 Others

By Skin Material

 Steel-steel

 Steel-cardboard

 Cardboard-cardboard

 Others

By End-Use Industry

 Construction

 Warehouses

 Cold Storage

 Others

By Country

 U.S.

 Mexico
Anti-Venom Market Research Report: By Type (Polyvalent, Monovalent, Others), by Species (Snake, Others), by Mode of Action (Cytotoxic, Neurotoxic, Haemotoxic, Others), by Products (Snake Anti-Venom, Others), and by End-User  Global Forecast Till 2027

It is estimated that the Anti-Venom market is expected to grow at a USD 10.57. 54 Million, CAGR 6.50% during the forecast period of 20202027.

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Various factors are boosting the global anti-venom market growth. Such factors, as revealed by the new MRFR report, include enhancing regulatory framework, increasing awareness about anti-venoms, rising government assistance, increasing patient pool, rising funds from the government for R&D activities, unmet medical needs, and increasing cases of snake bites.

On the flip side, shortage of anti-venom stock, inappropriate clinical application, inefficient production processes, high production cost, and inconsistent quality standards are factors that are likely to impede the global anti-venom market growth during the forecast period.

Anti-Venom Market Segmentation

The global anti-venom market has been broadly segmented into type of species, product type, type, and end user.

By type, the global anti-venom market has been segmented into monovalent heterologous anti-venom, small molecule anti-toxins, polyvalent heterologous anti-venom, and homologous anti-venom. Among these, polyvalent heterologous anti-venom will have a major share in the market during the forecast period.

By species type, the global anti-venom market has been segmented into scorpions, snakes, spiders, and others. Snakes are again segmented into common krait, Russell Viper, common cobra, & others.

By mode of action, the global anti-venom market has been segmented into neurotoxic, myotoxic, cytotoxic, cardiotoxic, hemotoxic, and others.

By product type, the global anti-venom market has been segmented into scorpion anti-venom, snake anti-venom, spider anti-venom, and others. Among these, snake anti-venoms will have the largest share in the market over the forecast period.

By end user, the global anti-venom market has been segmented into clinics, surgical centers, hospitals, ambulatory, and others. Among these, hospitals will spearhead the market over the forecast period.

Anti-Venom Market Regional Analysis

The global anti-venom market is geographically segmented into four regions- Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Of these, the Americas will command the largest share in the market over the forecast period for high healthcare expenditure and increasing incidence of scorpion and snake bites.

The global anti-venom market in Europe is expected to hold the second-largest share over the forecast period. Factors propelling the global anti-venom market growth in the region include improvements in the reimbursement scenario and the governments strong financial support for R&D activities.

The global anti-venom market in the Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest pace over the forecast period. Factors propelling the global anti-venom market growth in the region include constant advances in pharmaceuticals and a huge patient pool. Besides, the increasing incidence of snake bites is also adding market growth.

The global anti-venom market in the Middle East & Africa will have the lowest share over the forecast period for the lack of technical know-how, poor medical facilities, and restricted economic development.

Anti-Venom Market Studied by Top Key Players

Notable players profiled in the anti-venom market report include Allison Medical, Thermo Fisher Scientific, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Medtronic plc, Roboz Surgical Instrument, Dickinson and Company, Boston Scientific Corporation, Stryker Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc, Ypsomed Holding AG, Smiths Medical, Hu-Friedy Mfg. Co., LLC, Allison Medical, Inc., Medline Industries, Inc., Novo Nordisk A/s, ArtsanaS.p.a., UltiMed, Inc., Becton, Terumo Corporation, cHill-Rom, and Owen Mumford, Ltd. Industry players have adopted strategies such as acquisitions, contracts, R&D, product launch, collaborations, and mergers, to stay ahead in the competition.

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Patient monitoring devices market information, by Product type (Central monitoring stations, Portable bedside monitors, Electrocardiogram (ECG) Devices, Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices, Fetal and neonatal monitors, Respiratory Monitors, Weight management monitors, Temperature monitoring devices) - Forecast to 2027

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Patient Monitoring Devices Market  Segments

MRFR has segmented the analysis into three key dynamics; for better understanding: 

By Product type : Central monitoring stations, Portable bedside monitors, Electrocardiogram (ECG) Devices, Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices, Fetal and Neonatal Monitors, Respiratory Monitors, Weight Management Monitors, and Temperature Monitoring Devices, among others.

By End-users : Hospitals and clinics, Ambulatory care centers, and Homecare among others.

By Regions : North America, Europe, APAC and Rest-of-the-World.

Key Players:

Fervent players driving the market for the patient monitoring devices include Roche Diagnostics, GE Healthcare, BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, Siemens Healthcare, Abbott Laboratories, Philips Healthcare, Spacelabs Healthcare, CAS Medical Systems, Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., and Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co.

The North American region is estimated to lead the global patient monitoring devices market with a significant market share. Factors such as the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, patients suffering from different lifestyle diseases, and the increase in the geriatric population are contributing to the growth of the regional market. Huge uptake of continuous monitoring technology alongside the rise in the adoption rate of remote patient monitoring devices is fostering the market growth in the region.

The European region is another lucrative market for patient monitoring devices. Augmenting demand to move to a more wireless and streamlined operation in major health facilities as well as in the homecare settings is predominantly driving the market growth.

Tremendous advancements in medical technologies is a key driving force pushing up the regional market. Countries such as Germany and the U.K. backed by their well-developed medical devices markets which are led by enormous investments account for the major contributors to the growth in the regional market.

The Asia Pacific region is rapidly emerging as a promising market for patient monitoring devices due to the technological growth in India and China. AI-based remote patient monitoring solutions have become a trend in India, changing the dynamics of healthcare. Foreign investors are getting attracted to India, investing rapidly with aggressive plans of leading Indian healthcare into the digital age. They are designing remote patient monitoring solutions that can provide high resolution, ICU-grade monitoring to all areas of the hospital, throughout the patient care pathway.

Patient Monitoring Devices Market  Competitive Landscape

The highly competitive market appears to be diversified with the presence of giant manufacturers of the device, playing on the global level. These players are heavily investing in R&D, global expansion, advanced technologies, and product Launch to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Industry/Innovation/Related News:

November 14, 2018  ivWatch LLC (US), a leading global provider of continuous patient monitoring devices announced the partnership with New Medical (Australia), a supplier of medical consumables, devices, and patient monitoring accessories in Australia and New Zealand to manage distribution to support market expansion outside of the United States.

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At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.
In a review meeting with the rice millers held in Vizianagaram in the presence of district officials on Thursday, minister Botsa Satyanarayana said that the welfare of the farmers was most important for the government and no farmer should incur losses in this season. (Photo: Facebook@@BotchaBSN)

Visakhapatnam: Minister for municipal administration and urban development Botsa Satyanarayana on Thursday said that rice millers would be blacklisted if they failed to give bank guarantee for procurement of paddy from farmers by this Saturday.

In a review meeting with the rice millers held in Vizianagaram in the presence of district officials on Thursday, the minister said that the welfare of the farmers was most important for the government and no farmer should incur losses in this season.

"We are aiming at procurement of 4.5 lakh tonnes this season, the minister said, and added that out of 177 millers in the district, only 113 millers submitted bank guarantees.

The millers told the minister that it was becoming expensive for them to transport rice to the FCI godowns in Visakhapatnam and requested him to create a facility in Vizianagaram. The minister said discussions were being held with FCI officials and soon godowns would be set up locally.

Collector A. Surya Kumari said harvest was more this year than the previous year but so far only 400 tonnes were procured by the millers.
The state health department on Friday said 10 people who were under treatment for Covid-19 after being discovered as infected by the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus in Telangana had recovered. (PTI file photo)

HYDERABAD: The state health department on Friday said 10 people who were under treatment for Covid-19 after being discovered as infected by the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus in Telangana had recovered. It also said no fresh Omicron cases were found, adding that it was awaiting genome sequencing results on 15 samples collected from international air travellers who arrived in the city and tested positive for Covid.

With Fridays announcement, the number of active cases of the Omicron variant rose to 28. The department said five passengers who landed from at-risk countries on Friday tested positive for Covid and their samples were sent for genome sequencing, adding to the 10 samples sent on Thursday for which results were awaited.

The government, a day after the High Court directed it to take a decision on implementing curbs on gatherings, stricter checks on people entering the state in the wake of the fast-spreading Omicron variant threat, is yet to announce its intentions on this front.

The court has given the state government three days  till Saturday, December 25  to take appropriate decision on this front.

Meanwhile, health minister T. Harish Rao on Friday yet again appealed to people to strictly follow Covid safety norms. Just because the Omicron variant is believed to be not causing severe disease, we cannot let our guard down. While the state is fully geared up to meet any eventuality, people must play their part, get vaccinated, wear masks and practice safe measures, he said. The minister was speaking after inaugurating a 100-bed ward at the Vanasthalipuram Area Hospital.

In New Delhi, officials of the Union ministry of health made it clear that every state was expected to have at least 60 per cent to 70 per cent of all Covid tests it conducted to be the RT-PCR kind. However, in Telangana, as per the Centres data, most districts do not even touch the 50 per cent mark when it comes to the number of tests conducted using the more reliable RT-PCR tests, against the Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs).

As per the Centres data for tests conducted between December 17 and December 23, only Ranga Reddy, Jangaon and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts logged more than 50 per cent in terms of the number of RT-PCR tests, at 52, 56 and 53 per cent respectively.

Hyderabad district, on the other hand, listed as having only 49 per cent of all its tests listed as performed using the RT-PCR method. At least 19 districts have been listed as relying on the less reliable RATs with the tests conducted using this method ranging from 80 to 99 per cent. The testing data, the official said, was provided by the state.

162 new Covid cases in state, one death

Telangana on Friday saw 162 new Covid-19 cases, the state health department said, adding that one person succumbed to the disease during the day.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area reported 81 cases on Friday, 12 less than on Thursday. The only other districts to report new cases in the double digits were Ranga Reddy with 24 and Hanamkonda with 10 fresh Covid cases.

There were 1,199 people being treated for Covid at various hospitals including those identified as Omicron variant positive. In all, there were 3,547 active Covid-19 cases in the state on Friday with those not in hospitals, staying at home and in isolation, the department said.
Lawyers Association members Former Dy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad(second from right) conducting Civic Reception to Supreme court Chief Justice N V Ramana his wife Shivamala at Ponnavaram village, Veerulapadu mandal in Krishna district on Friday. Photo BY ARRANGEMENT.

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana said one should not forget ones hometown, motherland and mother tongue. He was addressing residents of his native village, onnavaram in Krishna district, on Friday.

People gave a grand welcome to the CJI by carrying him in a decorated open bullock cart and felicitated Justice Ramana and his wife.

Justice Ramana said he had a special relationship with Ponnavaram and that he remembered that the teachers took care of students affectionately. He said that being united was the best solution for all problems. He stated that many people in Delhi talked about the greatness of Telugus and lauded famous buildings built in their states.

Getting nostalgic, the Chief Justice revealed that though his father used to be a Communist Party sympathiser, he used to like the ideology of the Swatantra Party while talking about political ideologies and leaders from his village. He said though the country was progressing, several problems were still persisting. He advised people to be united to fight those problems.

The CJI said he never forgot his motherland and made clear that he would work in such a way to show the fame, superiority, and greatness of Telugus to the nation.
Hyderabad: The TRS leadership has asked party leaders and cadre not to fall for the 'mind games' being played by Opposition parties which it said were claiming that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao would dissolve the Assembly any time and force early elections as he had done in 2018.

According to party sources, the leadership is trying to clear quell the apprehensions of the party leaders, especially the MLAs, as the talk of 'early polls' is spreading like wildfire within the party circles. No interaction between any two or more leaders in TRS was not ending without the talk of early polls, it was stated.

The leadership is putting out the message that the mind games are part of the Opposition's strategy to create confusion in ruling party ranks, demoralise leaders and cadre.

Social media platforms are flooded with posts stating that the TS Assembly polls will be held in December this year, a year in advance, along with Gujarat. About 50 TRS MLAs will be denied tickets, it was stated, causing more anxiety among the legislators and their supporters.

A purported list of these 50 MLAs who include ministers is also being circulated widely on social media platforms, further adding to their tensions.

The party leadership is telling its ranks that the government needs to complete its full term to fulfil its pending major poll promises of 2018, mainly Rs 1 lakh crop loan waiver scheme, Rs 3,016 per month unemployment allowance, job notifications to fill 80,000 posts, Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to each poor family to construct its own houses, and lowering the eligibility age for Aasara pensions from 65 years now to 57.

The party says it could not implement these measures due to the Covid-19 pandemic and string of elections.

BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay and TPCC chief A.Revanth Reddy have been talking about early polls for long. But the issue gathered heat when Union home minister Amit Shah mentioned it during his meeting with state BJP leaders on Tuesday in Delhi.

Following this, TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has started assuring his ministers, MLAs and senior party leaders that there is no scope for early polls. He asked them to remain in public and focus on the development of their constituencies for the

remaining two years.

Party sources said Rao reportedly told the MLAs that he would bear the responsibility of ensuring their victory in the 2023 polls. He also told them that he had so plans to replace MLAs except in five or six seats as was done in 2018.
The top ten natural disasters from earthquakes, volcanoes, tornados, fires, and drought have taken 100,000 lives and 150 million affected all over the globe.

From the time of the Minoan civilization all gone in a volcanic eruption in 1600 B.C., mentioned in a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

Ancient records show these natural disasters. Listed are ten of the most terrible events that have been recorded in the common era documented by historians, reported LiveScience.

The river rose to record heights on August 18 in China; the resulting flood covered 500 square miles wide. It left 500,000 people homeless at the start of August, with a 3.7 million death toll. This calamity happened in several months and it's the worst in the 20th century.

This massive flooding had 900,000 casualties when the river overflowed dikes in Henan Province to the lowest parts of the river. About eleven towns and countless villages were destroyed by a five-thousand-mile inundation that left two million homeless. Hwanghe is also called the River of sorrow.

It must be the most powerful 8-Richter scale quake in recordable history so far. The earth-shaking was quick, but in that time the land was broken will fissure formed up to 66 feet wide! Half of the Huazhou populace died with a death toll of 830,000. Also, one of the top ten natural disasters.

Read also: Ring of Fire: World Has 1500 Active Volcanoes, Which is Active Today?

On July 28, called a Great Quake struck with a 7.6 Richter Scale in Tangshan, Hebei at 3:42 am. Reported it was the most extreme on Mercali scale and with an estimated casualty of 655,000. It was one of the most powerful tremors recorded so far.

The total number of deaths for the cyclone is 500,000 people. On November 11, extreme weather conditions struck Bangladesh. A storm surge caused flooding and a storm surge of 35 feet occurred; creating massive damage for the area affected then.

A 7.2-magnitude quake hit Haiti with an estimated casualty of 316,000 people; the island was devastated by the tremor. It happen on January 12 in the west end part on a Saturday; it destroyed many structures like churches and hotels. One of the most potent quakes in the 2000s.

Occurring in ancient times during the Byzantine Empire in A.D 526 in Antakya, Turkey. The reported death toll from accounts is 300,000 casualties. Antioch was on the most active tectonic plate at that time when a festival was held then and the city was destroyed.

On November 23, the super cyclone killed 300,00 people. Also, the winds were gusting hard. A 40-feet tall storm surge was experienced. Many ships were damaged in Bengal bay.

A combo earthquake and tsunami on December 26 struck the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia which was devasted. The number of deaths was 275, 000 courtesy of a tall wave that surged farther inland.

On December 16 a power tremor shook the Chinese province at 8.5 Richter scale, many structures as far as 200 miles were destroyed and landslides as well.

These top ten natural disasters are the worst calamities on record that show the men are nothing to the upheaval of the earth. Many have perished in these disasters and powerful nations are helpless when such natural events occur.

Related article: Eruption of Dormant Antarctic Volcanoes Could Lead to the Rise of Sea Levels Globally, Affect Earth's Climate

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You probably know that Santa Claus resides at the North Pole with his wife, Mrs. Claus, and a crew of reindeer and elves, but do you know where he came from?

According to historians, the story of Jolly Old Saint Nick started with Saint Nicholas, an early Christian bishop. As per History.com, the Greek saint gave up his wealth and wandered the countryside of what is now modern-day Turkey. Nicholas became one of Europe's most respected saints as stories of his assisting those in need circulated for decades.

When did Santa Claus become famous in the US?

Per Fox News, while documented data on the legendary Christian saint are few, history has it that he wore crimson robes, which is represented in many portrayals of him. Historians believe that these red robes had a role in the development of Santa Claus, whose name is derived from the Dutch nickname for Sint Nikolaas, Sinter Klass.

With the influx of Dutch immigrants in New York in the late 1700s, the Saga of Saint Nicholas found its way to the United States, where it finally gained national recognition. By the early nineteenth century, American businessmen, painters, and authors had shifted away from historical saints toward fantasy narratives.

The adored saint's tall and thin visage was transformed into the fat and jovial Christmas persona that the world remembers today by John Pintard, Washington Irving, Clement Clarke Moore, and Thomas Nast, the New York Public Library reported.

Pintard, a merchant and founder of the New York Historical Society, exploited and marketed pictures of Saint Nicholas to counter British influence. Around the same time, Irving, a short-story writer, published a satirical section in his first novel, 'Knickerbocker's History of New York,' about a gift-giving Nicholas (1809).

Moore's renowned poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas: A Visit from St. Nicholas,' entered the mainstream cultural world fourteen years later, with a comparable piece of written fiction (1823). The 28-line poem depicted a miraculous sleigh-riding Saint Nick delivering presents on Christmas Eve with the assistance of "eight small reindeer," a detail that has stayed a part of Santa's tale for over two centuries.

Nast, a German-American cartoonist who depicted a cheerful suit-wearing and bearded Saint Nick for Harper's Weekly in 1863, is credited with creating the first depiction of the Santa that the world knows and loves. Nast continued to sketch Santa, finally ditching his stars-and-stripes-patterned clothing in favor of a solid red coat with white fur trim.

'Merry Old Santa Claus,' Nast's most famous Santa photo, was made in 1881 and depicted a rosy-cheeked and white-haired Santa clutching a pipe and an armful of presents, as well as a bag, pocket watch, and mistletoe.

In the United States, subsequent portrayals seldom have varied from Nast's illustrations. If you don't believe us, check out a handful of Santa's most memorable pop culture appearances and decide for yourself.

Read Also: Did Gwen Shamblin Fake Her Death? Weight Loss Church Leader Subject of HBO Max Documentary Series

Santa Claus during the COVID-19 pandemic

According to Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease expert at Stanford University, sitting on Santa's lap is almost a comical instance of what NOT to do during the pandemic.

According to him, a combination for disaster may be as follows: an unwittingly afflicted child whispers his holiday wish list to Santa, coupled with COVID-19 aerosols. Santa, whose beard prevents him from wearing his mask properly, develops an asymptomatic condition and continues fling children from his lap, potentially infecting them. Then all children who are too little to get vaccinated or wear a well-fitting mask return home to families who have gathered for the holidays.

Fortunately, an in-person visit may be achievable by taking a few basic measures. Dr. Jill Weatherhead, assistant professor of adult and pediatric infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine, recommends getting everyone vaccinated if feasible and using good-quality masks.

Consider the number of viruses in your area. Keep your visit brief and to the point. Also, look into your mall's unique protocols. Santa and other photo booth staff, such as photographers and other festive figures, may be required to get vaccinated in some locations.

Instead of sitting on Santa's lap, most malls allow children to snap a photograph from a safe distance. Masks are required in several shopping centers. To minimize overcrowding in the picture area, some require parents to secure a place for their child's photo session ahead of time, as per NPR.

Related Article: How to Host the Perfect Christmas Dinner

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The British royal family is best known for upholding their decades-long traditions, and Christmas is no exception.

According to reports, Queen Elizabeth and her loved ones will gather at Sandringham Castle this year to celebrate the momentous occasion.

The royal family's Christmas celebration will be different this year

However, this month's celebration will be very different due to one key reason: Prince Philip is no longer around.

The Duke of Edinburgh passed away earlier this year, and he reportedly played a key role during the royal family's Christmas gatherings.

According to Mirror UK, Prince Philip was in charge of overseeing the presents. He was also the one that was tasked to inform his relatives when it was time to open their gifts.

Without Prince Philip, it's highly likely for the queen to pass on this role to one of his children. Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, or Prince Edward could take over their late father's role.

Royal family won't celebrate Christmas in Sandringham

Other than this, the royal family's other Christmas traditions will usually continue starting with a trip to Sandringham on Dec. 24, but not this year.

The royals gather to have a lavish feast to commemorate the special occasion on Christmas Eve. They also exchange Christmas gifts on this day.

The royal family already has everything that they need in life. So, they do not spoil each other with expensive gifts. Instead, they give each other cheeky presents that usually make them laugh.

Read Also: Royal Expert Predicts Prince Harry Will Attack Prince Charles in His Memoir, Says Future King Should Wear a 'Hard Hat'

Royal family exchange cheeky gifts

There was a time when Prince Harry gave the queen a shower cap with a curse word on it. According to Express, the hilarious present can still be found at the queen's home in Balmoral.

Meghan Markle previously gave the queen a singing toy hamster for Christmas. And reports revealed that the queen's dog had a blast mauling the toy.

Queen Elizabeth will celebrate Christmas at Windsor Castle

On Dec. 25, the royal family attends church services - one is held in private, while the other takes place in public. However, it's unlikely for the royal family to make a public appearance on Christmas Day due to the rising cases of Omicron in the country.

According to NBC News, the royal family won't also head to Sandringham this year to celebrate Christmas due to COVID-19 concerns. Instead, the queen will stay at Windsor Castle, where her relatives are expected to visit her.

The queen is also expected to air her Christmas address, where she usually boosts the public's morale, especially during such a difficult time.

Royal fans are convinced that the queen will give a special shoutout to Prince Philip since this is her first Christmas without her husband.

On Christmas Day, the royal family reportedly gathers together to play a game of charades. They enjoy a Christmas lunch as a family, according to Town & Country.

Prince Harry and Markle won't celebrate Christmas with the royal family this year because they will be in the United States. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give the royal family their gifts before the special day.

Related Article: Prince Harry Will Only Return to UK If Princes Charles, William Will Beg for It But Royals Won't, Source Says

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Billionaire SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is the richest person in the world, pledged that he will be paying more than $11 billion from his personal wealth to pay for taxes this year alone.

Musk made his announcement via a disclosure post on Twitter on Sunday and did not provide further details about the news. With a net worth of $243 billion as of Sunday, the Tesla Inc. chief executive is the wealthiest person on the planet.

For those wondering, I will pay over $11 billion in taxes this year  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 20, 2021

$11 Billion in Taxes

The majority of the billionaire's wealth comes from his share of Tesla and Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s stocks. Last week, Musk butted heads with Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren who urged the billionaire to pay more in taxes.

"Let's change the rigged tax code so The Person of the Year will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else," said Warren in a Twitter post, referring to the billionaire CEO who was recently named Time magazine's person of the year for 2021, MSN reported.

A previous report noted that Musk will be required to pay up to $7 billion in state and federal taxes this year with an additional $5 million by Jan. 1. The figure represents the "single largest tax bill ever" in the history of the United States.

Read Also: Britney Spears' Father Jamie Petitions Daughter To Pay for His Legal Fees Even After Conservatorship Ends

In November this year, Musk sold off billions of dollars worth of his Tesla shares, including paying a combined tax rate of more than 53%. The incident was apparently the result of a Twitter poll in the same month where users voted for the billionaire CEO to sell off 10% of his Tesla stock shares.

However, many observers noted that the world's richest person would be required to pay a large tax bill on stock options that would be expiring next year regardless. But by choosing to exercise his stock options now instead of doing the same in August 2022, Musk could potentially be avoiding higher tax rates that were introduced with United States President Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill, The Verge reported.

Minimizing Tax Rates

Recently, many billionaires, including Musk and other tech CEOs have received criticism for the amount of tax they pay every year. In June, ProPublica, an investigative site, reported that the Tesla CEO, along with others, has experienced a surge in their wealth with disproportionately growing federal tax rates.

Many people claim that the situation is mainly due to how extremely wealthy individuals structure their income or salary. While ProPublica said that the strategy is not against the law, tax records have shown that the richest people in the world minimize the amount they pay in taxes by taking out loans or using their stock holdings as collateral.

Musk's two companies, Tesla and SpaceX, have received negative attention last week on unrelated matters. The two companies are facing sexual harassment claims where six women accused Tesla of "rampant" sexual harassment at its Fremont, California, factory. On the other hand, a former SpaceX engineer said that the space company fostered what they called a culture of misogyny and abuse, CNET reported.



Related Article: COVID-19 Passport Microchip Implants Developed by Swedish Startup Promise To Be More Convenient

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South African residents and people all over the world have been gripped by the mystery of whether or not a woman native to the region actually gave birth to 10 children, which would be the world's first "decuplets" being born.

There have been claims that the woman, identified as Gosiame Thamara Sithole who lived in the Tembisa township found near Johannesburg, gave birth to 10 babies on Monday. The news of the incident was reported by the Pretoria News newspaper which was found to have quoted the parents of the children.

World's First Decuplets

The family has not allowed the 10 kids, seven of which were boys and the remaining three girls, to be seen by the public or captured on camera. The newspaper reported that the decuplets were born prematurely.

In a statement, the South African government said that officials were still trying to verify the claims of the family. The mystery of whether or not the historic birth is true has led South African residents to obsess about the news on social media platforms, dubbing it the story of the "Tembisa 10", Independent reported.

It was the children's father, identified as Teboho Tsotetsi, who told the newspaper that his wife had given birth to their 10 kids in a hospital in the capital, Pretoria. The father of the decuplets said that he was surprised along with his wife when the doctors detected eight babies during prenatal scans.

Read Also: Perfectly-Preserved Dinosaur Embryo Inside Its Egg Provides Crucial Details on How Animals Evolved

"It's seven boys and three girls. She was seven months and seven days pregnant. I am happy. I am emotional," said Tsotetsi as quoted by the Pretoria newspaper, the Los Angeles Times reported.

If the claim is true, then the couple, Tsotetsi and Sithole, would be the parents of a dozen children because they already have six-year-old twins. While relatives and neighbors of the two have claimed that the news is true, South Africans are still eagerly waiting for confirmation of what would be a new world record.

Did It Really Happen?

A neighbor of the couple's family in Tembisa, Wilson Machaya, said that for Sithole to receive 10 blessings at one time was a miraculous work by God. They said that since they were neighbors with the parents of the children, they will be assisting and supporting them in any way possible.

But an official inquiry found that Sithole and her husband's claim of having 10 babies earlier this month were not true. Authorities discovered that no hospitals in Gauteng province have recorded decuplets being born, said the provincial government.

Various medical tests also showed that Sithole was not pregnant in recent days and has been placed under the mental health act for observation and will be given appropriate support. The official statement did not provide details on why the 37-year-old fabricated the story.

However, Pretoria New has stood by its reporting, claiming that hospitals and provincial health authorities were trying to cover up medical negligence. The media outlet said that the allegations against Sithole and her family were false, unsubstantiated, and only served to tarnish the good reputation of Steve Biko Academic Hospital and the Gauteng Provincial Government, BBC reported.



Related Article: Omicron Variant Spreading Quickly Across US, Raises Fears as Being More Likely To Reinfect Than Delta

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The United States' safe haven regulations garnered attention this month when the US Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett emphasized their importance in the abortion issue.

Barrett made the remarks during a hearing earlier this month on a Mississippi bill that would prohibit most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, potentially upending abortion rights established by the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide and upheld by the court's 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Barrett, who has a long history of opposing abortion, honed in on a major argument against pushing women into parenting, claiming that safe haven legislation would solve such concerns. "Why don't the safe haven laws deal with that issue?" " she asked, as per PBS.

The attorney testifying against the Mississippi statute, Julie Rikelman, refuted that premise, claiming that abortion rights are about forced pregnancy as well as forced motherhood. This is just one of the Supreme Court challenges that, depending on the outcome, might touch every American family.

The Supreme Court's abortion rulings have established, confirmed, and reaffirmed a woman's right to choose an abortion before viability in an uninterrupted sequence stretching back to Roe v. Wade, wrote Judge Patrick Higginbotham in the US. In 2014, the Court of Appeals heard a case. The Washington Post stated that states could limit abortion procedures prior to viability as long as they don't create an undue hardship on the woman's freedom to choose, but they can't ban abortions.

The case of Roe v. Wade isn't the only one that has an influence on families. Live Science investigates landmark family-related decisions, including marriage, contraception, mental illness among family members, police searches without a warrant, and right-to-die cases. Through Live Science, here's a look at some of the Supreme Court decisions that have impacted American families.

1. 1972 - Wisconsin v. Yoder

In the 1972 case Wisconsin v. Yoder, religious liberty and the need for education were pitted against one other. Minors in Wisconsin were compelled by state law to attend school until they reached the age of sixteen. Adin Yutzy, Jonas Yoder, and Wallace Miller, all Amish, took their children out of school when they were 14 and 16.

Other states with considerable Amish populations, such as Pennsylvania, agreed with the Amish by establishing part-time vocational schools staffed by Amish teachers. On the other hand, Wisconsin punished the family and fined them each $5. The families contended that the conviction violated their First and 14th amendment rights, and the Supreme Court agreed.

2. 1973 - Roe v. Wade

Jane Roe is a fictitious name for a lady who filed a class-action lawsuit against Henry Wade, a Texas district attorney, in 1970. At the time, Roe was pregnant, unmarried, and had been denied an abortion.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that a woman's right to privacy, as indicated by the Bill of Rights, entitled her to seek an abortion without governmental intervention legally. However, the Supreme Court granted states the power to regulate abortion after the first trimester and the right to limit abortions in some situations after viability, which is usually defined as 20 to 23 weeks into a pregnancy.

States are still enacting new abortion legislation forty years later. In 2012, the Guttmacher Institute documented 43 new state abortion restrictions. In 2011, there were almost 90 new provisions.

3. 1975 O'Conner v. Donaldson

Kenneth Donaldson was sent to a Florida State mental institution in 1957 at his father's request, claiming he was suffering from delusions. Donaldson was held in the hospital against his will for over 15 years, despite proof that he wasn't aggressive and could live independently.

The Supreme Court determined that the hospital had violated Donaldson's 14th Amendment rights. The verdict averted the nightmare situation of a relatively sane individual being locked up in a mental institution indefinitely. However, some mental health activists claim that some interpretations of the case have made it impossible for families to assist their loved ones.

4. 1990 - Cruzan v. Director of the Missouri Department of Health

Nancy Cruzan's case was a forerunner in the right-to-die debates. Cruzan was 25 years old when she was involved in an automobile accident that left her in a vegetative condition. Her parents battled to have the feeding tube that kept her alive removed, but Missouri courts refused.

The Supreme Court decided in favor of the state's power to require proof of an incapacitated person's intentions before disconnecting life support in a 5-4 ruling. The Cruzans acquired the right to remove the feeding tube six months later, notwithstanding the verdict. Nancy Cruzan died eight years after the vehicle accident, at the age of 33.

5. 2006 - Georgia v. Randolph

Police must obtain permission from a person before searching a residence without a warrant, according to the Fourth Amendment. However, in 2005, the Supreme Court was confronted with a situation in which one family member said yes, and the other said no.

Janet Randolph reported her estranged husband, Scott Randolph, to the police, alleging that he had abducted their kid. Janet Randolph accused her husband of taking cocaine when police came, and she gave police permission to search their house. Scott Randolph, on the other hand, was fiercely opposed.

Read Also: You May Receive 2 New Stimulus Checks in February; Here's How To Be Eligible for the Payment

Do these rulings help Americans?

Since the court's creation in 1789, some major Supreme Court rulings have single-handedly transformed the legal business and the lives of Americans. Many Supreme Court rulings have influenced women's rights, race relations, freedom of expression, and other issues.

The court has been criticized for decisions that exacerbated social divisions and harmed impoverished or minority groups. Several noteworthy Supreme Court decisions have lasted the test of time and continue to influence Americans' rights today, regardless of the conclusion.

Related Article: Group of Public School Teachers Ask US Supreme Court To Block New York City's Vaccine Mandate, Arguing It Could Result in Shortage of Teachers

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The World Health Organization stated that developing countries are not getting enough vaccine distribution, expressing that not fully vaccinating everyone globally will not eradicate the virus.

Scientists at the WHO decried how supplies of vaccines are turned to boosters for vaccinated people. It would be better if they would be used for the remaining countries to stop variants like the Omicron and Delta from rising.

WHO says booster shots could have been given to the unvaccinated instead

According to World Health Organization Chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, world leaders from the US, UK, France, and Germany are mistaken that their booster jabs will effectively stop the virus, reported the Express UK.

Their actions not to distribute the vaccines make the pandemic longer, and booster programs are not an effective blanket to stop mutations. Sources say that the third vaccine jab will effectively curb symptoms from the pathogen and its allegedly virulent strains like the Omicron and Delta with fewer hospital occupancies, cited Al Jazeera.

The World Health Organization says the extra doses in fortunate countries where a third jab is possible should have been diverted to developing nations that need it more.

Dr. Ghebreyesus ironically said that boosters would not halt the rise of mutants from infecting their populations, noted NDTV.

He added the boosters would not prevent possible infections from celebrations, with no precautions to follow.

Warnings to vaccinate the most people with current supply not be used as a booster, a massively misguided stop-gap said the WHO. If there is more than enough, sharing via vaccine distribution will be better, reducing the chance of gestating more viruses.

Read Also: COVID-19 Antibodies Reduces the Immune Response Resulting to More Prolonged Symptoms in Long Haulers

Most of the hospitalized have no access to the virus cure that would be less. Those with more than one shot will fare better from infection.

Priorities in global vaccine distribution

The WHO chief said that available vaccines are now effective against the Omicron and Delta. It runs against the idea which some vaccine makers say that present ones are not good enough.

He added that World Health Organization states are lagging in reaching 40% percent of the people vaccinated by the year's end. There is an irregularity in the supply of vaccines worldwide.

Nations and vaccine makers must concentrate on programs that lead to vaccines going to poorer nations. Next would be to pull the ones not getting enough jabs.

The United Nations health agency says there will be enough virus therapy to inoculate most adults globally. Only those at high risk will get the boosters by the first three months of 2022. He added that the booster will be for all vaccinated people in 2022.

Dr. Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that 40% is possible through equal distribution and will be achieved by September. The agency said to lessen huge gatherings this Christmas due to the increase of the Omicron.

He added celebrations could be canceled that to a life balanced by COVID. Suspending is an option, but the grieving will not bring back the dead. To this end, the WHO is working to convince nations to share more via vaccine distribution for jab-less nations that need it most compared to other countries.

Related Article: New Version of the Omicron Variant has Been Allegedly Detected; How Many Similarities Does it Share?

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As the European Union plans to teach Poland a lesson because it refuses interference in its national affairs, a Polexit is feared due to adamant laws in the bloc.

Warsaw is under threat from the bloc, which insisted that all members abide by its laws, with no exceptions. Prior to this, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stoically said they would fight with every weapon in its arsenal.

European Commission urges Poland to follow EU law

The Polish PM drew a redline that the body will not say in the member's constitutional sovereignty, reported the Express UK.

According to the European Commission, which takes legal means against Warsaw, it is imperious to dictate its constitution and sovereignty.

On social media, Deputy justice minister Sebastian Kaleta wrote that the European Commission is beginning to start proceedings to make the Constitutional Tribunal in Poland under EU law, cited Aljazeera.

Kaleta called the move to take away the tribunal voice an attack on the country's freedom.

The Commission declared the legal action last Wednesday because Brussels says EU law is primary and the Polish Constitutional Tribunal is under it. After a ruling in October in which Poland's participation in the European Union did not accord the bloc's judiciary supreme legal power, the country's Constitutional Tribunal caused outrage in Brussels.

Poland failed to fully adhere to an ECJ order imposed in July that mandated the freezing of the nation's disciplinary chamber and the consequences of the previous decision on removing judicial privilege that threatens a Polexit.

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Threatened Placing Nuclear Missiles on the EU Border if the US and NATO will Continue its Provocation

Commission could sue Poland over breaching bloc laws

Mr. Morawiecki, Polish Prime Minister, remarked that he disagrees with the Commission's stance; and that it had misrepresented the power given to it. He added that more bloc members are convinced that the body should not have total power over everyone.

European Commission indicated that it would commence an infraction investigation since the Constitutional Tribunal decisions deprived individuals seeking remedy in Polish tribunals. A right to adequate legal support is promised by EU legislation.

The body expressed serious concerns about the Constitutional Tribunal's impartiality and independence, stating that it no longer meets the criteria of a court established by law.

Poland will be given leeway of two months to respond to the order issued on Wednesday. If Warsaw gives an off reply to the EC's request, another letter will be sent to demand an answer to comply with EU Law, and another reprieve of 60 days will be given to the member.

After the second leeway is granted to Poland and nothing happens, the bloc will initiate a case in the European Court of Justice (ECJ), where Brussels will impose a fine.

An outlet reported that the bloc had given fines to the Poles. Two cases have been charged up to 1.5 million ($1.70 million) a day.

The move complicates a long-running legal dispute between the EU and Poland that started in 2015. Poland's ruling nationalist and eurosceptic PiS party took power at this time.

The EU wants to address an issue of transparency, especially where the money goes. But this is a big issue with Warsaw if they misuse the money. All these activities make people think that a Polexit might be in words due to the European Union interference from the former Communist state.

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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After the bloc gets more gas supplies at the pipes, Vladimir Putin decides to lessen the supply to the EU that raises its price again. The Kremlin surprise move took the European Union after they thought; the worst was not over.

NATO and Brussel were actively telling the Russian leader to stay put and not make drastic moves, but Moscow is unpredictable.

Russia's move sent gas prices soaring

Brussels and Brexit were shocked by the surprise move of the Russian leader that they thought he was deterred from making unpredictable moves. It seemed easy going on the gas tap, but it was reduced that cost more without warning, reported the Express UK.

Costs for gas in the UK went high as 470 pence therm a day ago compared in October that was only 407 pence.

It seemed that days ago, Mr. Putin was intimidated by the threats of the European Union of sanction on an additional supply of the energy source was arranged gas supplies would be coming from Germany through Poland on Friday, cited the BBC.

It was a letdown that gas was getting cheaper, but the Kremlin had not chosen to keep it pumping into western Europe. Since Saturday, the tap has been getting less when it's needed for heating.

According to sources, the newest squeeze on the bloc's gas supplies was done by redirecting the Yamal pipeline to Germany and flowing east instead.

Moscow weaponizes gas

Vladimir Putin has been called for causing an artificial shortage of gas supplies because Ukraine saw the Nord Stream 2 pipeline delay in its certification, noted ABC News.

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

Though the Kremlin remarked that there is no use of gas as a bargaining chip, neither is the Russian-owned Gazprom connected to political powering. Gas is crucial for the bloc as it cannot survive green energy.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked point-blank about the Yamal- Euro pipeline and Nord Stream2. He said there was no connection between them and dismissed the query, and there is no political link.

France has opted to activate its plants with heavy fuel oil to reduce pressure on an overtaxed energy grid. Like a domino effect, the high gas price even increased electricity and surged a bit.

More demands for gas as winter comes

The cold weather makes the demand more expensive, but no gas boost will have higher prices until 2022-2023. Investec experts have cautioned such rising prices could lead to higher energy bills for thousands of British households and the prospect of more energy companies going broke.

Limited storage capacities in the EU, weather conditions that have rendered alternative energy less practical, plus recent energy squeezes. That includes both Mr. Putin's move and French nuclear closures, which are all blamed by experts.

They also alleged that Germany's nuclear power phase-out is escalating energy prices. Nathan Piper of Investec said it is more than a price spike.

He added that the rise in prices would impact the energy cost during winter that will be felt in the next two years. Many energy brokers said there would be a significant increase.

Both the UK and the bloc would be at the mercy of Vladimir Putin as the Kremlin determines the gas supplies. The bloc is so dependent due to green energy.

Related Article: US, Russia Configures Cold War Tension; European Union Locked Out From Preventing Ukraine Conflict

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In 2022, certain people in the United States will receive a financial boost in the form of a stimulus check of up to $1,400 on top of their tax return, but they must meet specific conditions to qualify. To qualify for such a payment, American citizens must either be the parents of a child born in 2021 or have a new dependent.

This $1,400 stimulus check is very significant, and we'll go through all you need to know to figure out if you'll be able to claim it in 2022 and how to do so. All of these new economic measures are part of the new American Rescue Plan, which provides people and their dependent children with $1,400 payments, according to MARCA.

Which families are eligible to receive $1400 in 2022?

Although the majority of families have already received their full payment, those who had qualified children in 2021 can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their next tax return. Economic Impact Payments, sometimes known as stimulus checks, were distributed in 2021 as part of the Recovery Rebate Credit advance payments.

If you did not get the entire amount due by December 31, you could claim the remaining funds when you do your taxes in 2022. Because the 2021 Economic Impact Payments were computed using a person's 2020 or 2019 tax return, any qualified dependents who joined the family in 2021 will be excluded from the computation and payment.

Per The East County Gazette, if you did not get the total amount due by December 31, you can claim the cash in 2022 when you file your taxes. Any qualifying dependents who joined the family in 2021 will be omitted from the computation and payment since the 2021 Economic Impact Payments were computed using a person's 2020 or 2019 tax return.

Some of those states may continue with those initiatives into the following year, but they aren't standardized. Some were national stimulus checks, while others were specific to professions like teachers or first responders. Others were restricted to students or administered through the expansion of programs like SNAP.

Read Also: Some States Will Receive Stimulus Payments After Holidays With Thousands To Get $500; Check if Yours Is Included!

Can Americans expect stimulus checks in 2022?

One of the most common Google searches in 2021 was for stimulus checks for COVID-19 relief, which was one of the most popular inquiries. So it's understandable that some are hoping for another in 2022.

Since early 2020, Congress and Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden have approved three direct-payment stimulus checks to assist Americans who are struggling financially due to the pandemic. Under the CARES Act, they were $1,200 in March 2020, $600 in December 2020, and $1,400 in March 2021 under the American Rescue Plan. There was also money set aside for dependents.

In addition, the American Rescue Plan includes payments to qualified American families in the form of monthly advance Child Tax Credit payments. In addition, the first $10,200 in unemployment benefits received by Americans in 2020 will be tax-free.

There are no indications that Washington, DC politicians are willing to compromise or are debating the possibility of a fourth direct payment stimulus check. While the public and some legislators have called for recurrent payments, there has been little movement, as per 11alive.

Related Article: Five Stimulus Checks To Apply in January 2022 as Democrats Face Perils in Extending Child Tax Credit

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Kim Potter, the former Minnesota cop who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop with a gun instead of a Taser, was found guilty on Thursday of first- and second-degree manslaughter.

Potter was ordered jailed without bail after displaying no reaction as the findings were read. At the defense table, one of her lawyers leaned on his hands. According to a pool report, Wright's parents, Arbuey Wright and Katie Bryant, sighed and sobbed.

Kim Potter guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright's death

Jurors have been deliberating for roughly 27 hours since Monday, when a prosecution portrayed Potter's conduct as a fatal mishap caused by carelessness or negligence, while the defense framed the shooting as an honest mistake, not a crime, in final arguments.

First-degree manslaughter based on negligent use/handling of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Because Potter, 49, has no prior criminal record, Minnesota sentencing guidelines suggest a sentence of 6 to 8.5 years in jail, CNN reported.

Judge Regina Chu expressed her gratitude to the jury, which looked to be having difficulty reaching a decision midway through their deliberations. A female juror sobbed. As she shook and cried, another juror consoled her. "There will be a vacant place at the Wright family table around the holidays," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told reporters.

Read Also: Illinois Woman Sentenced to 10 Years After Pouring Sleeping Boyfriend with Boiling Water, Posting Incident in Snapchat

Daunte Wright family erupts in cheers

The family of Daunte Wright has reacted to former Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter's guilty judgment in Wright's fatal traffic stop shooting. Potter was found guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter, as per Insider.

After former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, police officer Kim Potter was found guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of her son on Thursday, Daunte Wright's mother thanked supporters and said she was allowed to exhale.

Katie and Arbuey Wright, Daunte's parents, commended the community for their support and dedication to justice since their son was slain during a traffic check in April. In a separate statement, the Wright family's attorney, Ben Crump, said the family was happy that the criminal justice system had provided "accountability for the needless killing of their son, brother, father, and friend."

Per Fox26, Potter is set to be sentenced on February 18, 2022. Potter was found guilty on both charges after jury deliberation. On April 11, the 49-year-old former cop fatally shot Wright during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center.

Wright was fatally shot in the middle of ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial for the killing of George Floyd. Potter was plainly seen firing a gun on body camera video from the incident. Outrage over the incident prompted protests outside the Brooklyn Center Police Department for many nights.

The defense argued that Potter, who is white, accidentally grabbed her gun instead of her Taser when she fatally shot Wright, who is black. Prosecutors claimed Potter was careless and negligent and that she should be sentenced to prison. If Potter is found guilty of any crimes and prosecutors successfully argue for a higher sentence, she will be sentenced to life in prison.

Related Article: Daunte Wright Trial: Kim Potter Breaks Down While Testifying as She Recalls "Chaotic" Shooting, Claims Victim Never Threatened Police

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Joe Biden's junior staff are allegedly not happy with the jobs in the White House, and they are struggling with a toxic environment that is bringing everything down with low morale. They complain that most are burnt out and demoralized, even feeling they aren't part of the team.

It was echoed from staffers of Kamala Harris that were reported several months before. The vice president had four senior members who made complaints about her.

Presidential staff struggle with toxic working environment

That Wednesday, Biden's staff told that they were disgruntled as well, alleging a lack of team cohesion and incompetent governance in the throes of a pandemic, noted the Politico.

Most asserted they were particularly affected by their absence from holiday traditions like the Thanksgiving turkey pardon or the White House Holiday decorations tours, reported the Daily Mail.

One of the president's staff expressed dismay that everything with the leadership of the Oval office was disappointing. The source added it only shows how mismanaged it is.

It was not equal how he treated all White House team members. Those who have been working since his early days, those not noticed, and the forgotten ones who work just as hard.

Staff told that they were coming out in the hopes of increasing attention amongst their bosses. Many who cannot take the toxic working atmosphere will leave in January when he becomes president. President Biden's junior staff wanted to leave when it was right because of the low morale making things worse.

Read Also: Press Secretary Jen Psaki Says No Lockdowns Due to New Coronavirus Variant Despite Unlawful Vaccine Mandates Issued Before

Those who expressed misgiving the pandemic are at fault, though the older staff and managers just let things worsen despite the signs of malaise.

Staff members are excluded from White House events

Mogaz News remarked that a source reported some informal happy hours and group diner, but the attempts were halfhearted and fell flat.

An unidentified official of the White House stated that the normal functioning was absent. But the leadership lets it persist and makes it a well-oiled machine, especially with the crisis on leadership more felt.

How holiday party perks were dealt with was very disappointing for many of Mr. Biden's staff who wanted something more.

On the July 4 festivities, there was no pay for those present, and it was a volunteer setup, and no one was paid extra for a holiday.

Other special days associated with the White house include the Thanksgiving turkey pardoning, lighting the tree, Christmas decor inside, attendance being doled out via a lottery system that failed to involve everyone.

One more unknown official aired a grievance that when others like the DNC and Hill staff, other D.C. people get involved but not them. It was disheartening, adding that it was just brought up unplanned due to extreme disappointment.

Later, all other friends in Washington asked if the staff would be suitable for coffee later after the White House event. Ironically many of the staff and aides have not been inside the White House despite working for the president of the United States. The senior staff asked for a comment, but no response yet.

The expose on Kamala Harris by the Washington Post that said she was not capable of managing her own office was damning as well.

Gripes of Biden's junior staff who are struggling with low morale said they expect more because of where they are, but they are not given a chance to shine and be part of an honest group.

Related Article: Joe Biden Yells at Reporters During COVID-19 Brief When Pressured To Explain 'Build Back Better' Snub by Joe Manchin

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Vladimir Putin made it clear that the West impacted the Ukraine border's stability, pushing the situation to worsen. He is willing to temper down the Russian response, but NATO and the bloc weren't ready to listen.

The teleconference between Russia and US heads of the state became a cold setup that eased out the European Union, but they disagreed with the Kremlin's demands.

Russian denies Ukraine invasion amid NATO movements

Mr. Putin had his yearly press meet and gave an ultimatum the West must stand by a binding treaty to keep the border intact. The arms and troop buildup is seen as a prelude to war, but it is denied, reported the Express UK.

He charged that the US is fueling the reaction of Kyiv with missiles at the South Border, using the ruse of invasion to place it there.

The Kremlin leader said it was on NATO who slyly expanded after the Cold War; they are threatening the Russian Federation by doing that, citing Reuters.

He added that the West brought it on, not Russia, and they are irresponsible to allow it to happen. Stressed that securing the border and treaties are crucial to be in place tomorrow and in the future.

Mr. Putin gave NATO a straight answer if they will abide by what Moscow wants. No more encroachment in the Eastern part of Europe, and they cannot keep silent forever, noted France24.

Moscow has a stock of advanced weaponry at its disposal; that it has to use but chooses peace. Furthermore, the Russian leader Vladimir Putin said most of the reaction is positive, and Washington is willing to dialogue.

Read Also: Brussels Plays Best Card Against Putin, Threatens To Shut Down Nord Stream 2 in Event of Ukraine Invasion

Mr. Putin declared on Tuesday that the West should reverse its strong attitude. Russia would be forced to respond brutally to the deadlock with the US regarding Ukraine with no holds barred.

Speaking to the military, the Kremlin asked the US and NATO to stand down and accept the demands to de-escalate. The Ukraine border is a powder keg waiting to explode.

Russia demands legal agreements

The first step to peace is legal agreements that the West should not violate and stop encroaching in the East. Any advance will be seen as aggressive and confrontational.

Mr. Putin is adamant that the US in Ukraine is not welcome; previously, he said Europe would be very sorry. There was no mincing of words from the Russian leader. He added do the Western allies think Moscow is afraid to defend its borders; their leaders are not thinking clearly.

If the US, UK, and NATO cohorts are bold enough to do something foolish, the Russian Army has hypersonic missiles at their disposal. The Western alliance has not perfected it yet.

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, mentioned there would be no face-to-face summit with President Biden. The last one held in Geneva was a disaster with Biden avoiding a mano y mano press conference.

Karen Donfried, the top State Department diplomat, spoke to reporters the US is open to negotiations. Adding that, support for Ukraine continues despite the Kremlin's stand.

The US and the EU promised strong sanctions against Moscow, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is not fazed. He has the bloc by the neck with gas supplies, and his allies are committed to countering the West.

Related Article: US, Russia Configures Cold War Tension; European Union Locked Out From Preventing Ukraine Conflict

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iMessage is one of the most used messaging platforms in the world. But if you don't know, there are several iPhone secret codes to help better utilize the said feature!

iPhone Secret Codes

For background information, Apple's instant messaging program for iPhone, iPad and Mac users is known as iMessage, per Apple Toolbox.

It was introduced with iOS 5 in 2011 and allows users to send texts, images, stickers and other content to and from any Apple device through the internet.

To give clarification, this Apple feature is different from the regular text messaging app that uses cell connection, which bounces from cell tower to cell tower. In addition to this, iMessage transfers data through the internet.

This means that iPhone users must be connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data to use the iMessage.

Moreover, another difference between the two messaging options is the messaging bubbles.

Once an iPhone user sent a message using iMessage, the color bubble on the screen will be blue. While if it was sent through regular text messages, the messaging bubble will be color green.

In relation to this, there are several iPhone secrets codes that Apple users must know to fully utilize Apple's exclusive messaging app.

10 iMessage Secret Codes

For those curious to know, these iPhone secret codes do not require Apple users to be tech gurus in order to master it. This only requires users to type certain words to trigger a message effect.

Read Also: Microchip Implant as COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: Can It Be Taken Out, How Big Is It?

The New York Post clarified that the iMessage effect will only work if the receiver has an iPhone. Additionally, once the following keywords was sent, both iPhone users will be able to experience its messaging effect.

"Pew pew" - It is a laser light show, in which several colors will appear on the screen. "Happy Birthday" - This keyword triggers the appearance of multiple balloons on the screen. "Congratulations" - This word prompts the appearance of confetti. "Happy New Year" - This set of words will produce numerous fireworks displays onscreen. "Selamat" - Since this Malay word has a positive meaning, it also triggers the confetti. "Happy Chinese New Year" - These keywords are special since it turns the message bubble into the color red and shows red explosions. "Happy Diwali" - Since it is a celebration of a five-day festival of lights, it also prompts numerous fireworks on screen. "Happy Lunar New Year" - Same with the "Happy Chinese New Year," it also triggers the same effect. "Felicitations" - Similar to "Congratulations," this word also pop-ups confetti. "Bon Anniversaire" - Since this word is a French translation of "Happy Birthday," it also produces balloons.

Aside from these keywords, a second technique to generate a screen effect is to long-press the send button after typing a message. The said screen effects include echo, spotlight, love and shooting stars.

The echo screen effect fills the screen with message bubbles, while the spotlight effect puts a spotlight on the sent message. Moreover, the love effect is a giant heart that inflates from the sent message, while the shooting star shoots across the screen.

On the other hand, it is worth noting that iPhone users have an option to use these iMessage effects through message bubbles of full screen.



Related Article: iPhone Malware Installs Computer Inside Your Apple Device: Full Details on How Hack Steals Data
The "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" trailer just dropped, and it starts with lines from "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

At the beginning of the trailer, Wong can be heard saying to Doctor Strange, "don't cast that spell," just exactly as he did in the trailer for "Spider-Man: No Way Home".

Weirdly enough, as seen in the latest "Spider-Man" film, that exact same line had been cut from the movie. Although it still lives on in this trailer.

"Doctor Strange 2" Easter eggs, mysteries, and minor Marvel references that fans might have missed in the first trailer will be mentioned below. Furthermore, the movie is thought to have a connection with the current Marvel film "Spider-Man: No Way Home".

The "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness" release date is on May 2022!

'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Easter Eggs

Doctor Strange 2 and America Chavez

According to Buzzfeed, Chavez is seen with her iconic star on her jean jacket just like in the comics. She will be played by Xochitl Gomez. Her capacity to construct star-shaped portals that allow her to travel across the multiverse is symbolized by the star.

America frequently collaborates with the Young Avengers, which include Billy and Tommy Maximoff, Kate Bishop, Cassie Lang, Eli Bradley and others in the comics.

Doctor Strange 2 and Wanda

As seen in the "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness" trailer, Wanda apologizes to Doctor Strange for Westview right away, and it can be seen that she's no longer living in the house she was in during the WandaVision post-credits.

Doctor Strange Villan Version

The "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness" teaser finishes with a scene of two versions of Doctor Strange. The Doctor Strange the fans commonly see with his iconic red and blue costume and another Doctor Strange in the full black costume, who Marvel fans previously saw in What If...? Episode 4.

The Necromancer, an evil counterpart of Stephen from Counter-Earth, appears in the comics. When the Necromancer intended to kill Baron Mardo, he deviated from Stephen's path and his exploits mirrored those of his Earth counterpart.

Read Also: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Spoilers, Easter Eggs: 5 Marvel References You Might Have Missed!

Karl Mordo

Chiwetel Ejiofor returns as Karl Mordo for the first time since Doctor Strange. This time, he's dressed in a gold and green ensemble that closely mimics Baron Mordo's appearance in the comics.

Remember that after the Masters of the Mystic Arts vanquished Kaecilius with the help of Dormammu at the end of Doctor Strange, Mordo decided to quit the Masters of the Mystic Arts for good. Mordo also visited Jonathan Pangborn in the post-credits sequence, snatching the magic that cured him and declaring his desire to halt renegade sorcerers.

Wanda's Magic

Doctor Strange appears to be employing red magi--which is connected with Chaos Magic, aka the magic Wanda possesses--near the end of the clip.

"Don't Cast That Spell"

As stated in Screen Crush, the "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness" teaser began with Wong ordering Doctor Strange to not "cast that spell, it's too dangerous." It als featured Doctor Strange discussing the multiverse, both of which are taken from "Spider-Man: No Way Home".

Related Article: 'Spider-Man 4' Update: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Ending Explained, Will There Be Another Spidey Film?
As Christmas travel increases and the new Omicron variant spreads throughout the U.S., the Biden administration vowed to offer free COVID-19 home test kits.

COVID-19 Home Test Kits

Since COVID-19 home test kits get in demand, retailers including CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and Amazon have set limitations on how many customers may buy, per Cnet.

Chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco Dr. Bob Wachter stated that the at-home antigen test kits still work to detect omicron.

Wachter furthered on his Twitter thread that the US should be working on giving these COVID-19 test kits for free and accessible to everyone.

 and with ready access to testing and oral antivirals to help us manage a small number of ongoing cases  leading to lower rates of transmission and fewer bad outcomes.(24/25)  Bob Wachter (@Bob_Wachter) December 22, 2021

The good news is that beginning in early 2022, everyone will be able to get free over-the-counter rapid COVID-19 test kits. Through President Joe Biden's announcement, health insurance companies will be compelled to pay Americans for rapid COVID-19 antigen tests, which may cost more than $25 for a pack of two.

In addition, as reported in the White House press briefing, the administration has vowed to purchase 500 million at-home quick tests this winter "to be delivered for free to Americans who need them."

The said test kits are intended for those without insurance or who depend on Medicaid or Medicare.

Read Also: Log4j Vulnerabilities Scanner: Where to Get Tool to Detect Serious Threat

Free COVID-19 Home Test Kits: Availability Date

The White House has stated that reimbursement rules would be released on January 15th.

Moreover, a research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms Sabrina Corlette told Cnet that "Typically when an administration issues guidance like this, the requirement is in effect the same day."

According to Corlette, most insurance companies already have a system in place to accept reimbursement requests.

"The question is can they be amped up for the kind of volume we'll expect to see from drugstores," the research professor added.

Although the proposal is unlikely to be retroactive, Corlette recommended buyers keep evidence of purchase for kits purchased during the holidays.

How to Get Free COVID-19 Home Test Kits?

The free COVID-19 home test kits are available at Walgreens, CVS and Walmart pharmacies.

Interested people may also purchase them through Amazon and the websites of the retailers mentioned. However, it is unclear whether insured people could claim the kits on their insurance if they purchased them online.

Since the Omicron's arrival, many vendors, including all the ones listed, are temporarily restricting the number of kits customers may buy.

According to CNN, Amazon is restricting customers to 10 kits, while Walmart is also limiting online purchases to eight per order, although local locations will be able to set their limits for in-store transactions.

CVS has set a limit of six COVID-19 test kits per client, acknowledging that some shops may be entirely out of supply.

Both online and in-store purchases at Walgreens have been limited to four.

In response to the shortage, manufacturers have increased their production and the FDA has approved new tests at an unprecedented rate.

ACON Laboratories estimates that by the end of 2021, it will be able to generate more than 100 million Flowflex COVID-19 Home Test kits per month and more than 200 million by February.

The White House will also make hundreds of millions of free at-home test kits available through a dedicated website beginning in January 2022.

Related Article: Special X-Ray Microscope Detects COVID-19 Damage to the Heart: Complete Details




By Lee Min-hyung







Members of the MZ Generation have offered suggestions recently to KT&G management, advising the firm's CEO, Baek Bok-in, to put more effort into building a sustainable corporate culture.







The meeting between Baek and a group of 10 employees in their 20s and 30s was aimed at sharing ideas on how to ensure its growth in the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) area. The MZ Generation is a Korean term that includes both Millennials (those born 1981-1995) and Generation Z (those born 1996-2005).







Back in May, KT&G launched what it calls the Sangsang Junior Board, a consultative body for the younger generations. Those selected as members of the board have engaged in a diverse range of activities with the focus on enhancing the firm's organizational culture and finding its next growth areas for the firm's global expansion.







The younger employees exchanged their ideas with Baek during the recent face-to-face meeting. They included the activation of communication channels between employees and management and the introduction of eco-friendly packaging for tobacco products, according to the company.







"The meeting was meaningful in itself, as young staff members have presented their visions and directions for sustainable growth," Baek said. "We expect the board to become an ideas bank for the company and for management to spare no efforts in turning their suggestions into reality."








South Korea's financial watchdog has ordered Kyobo Life Insurance to pay a fine of 350 million won ($295,000) for letting its subsidiaries use its brand for free, the company said Friday.







The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) also issued warnings to five officials, including a retired employee of the insurer, in connection with the matter, according to the company.







Kyobo Life Insurance, No. 3 life insurer in South Korea, was accused of providing undue support to the subsidiaries by letting them use the Kyobo brand without paying fees from 2016 to 2019. The unpaid fees are estimated to be billions of won.







"We decided to accept the decision and will receive fees for the use starting from this year," a company official told Yonhap News Agency.







Kyobo Life Insurance holds the trademark rights to its brand and had been advised to receive fees for the use of the rights by other subsidiaries, given its economic value. (Yonhap)


Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum speaks at a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul, Dec. 24. Yonhap



South Korea is in the final stage of signing a contract with U.S. drug giant Pfizer to get its oral drug for COVID-19, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said Friday.



"The government has been discussing a purchasing deal with Pfizer for a volume that is much more than our previously announced plan of 70,000 people," Kim said during a COVID-19 response meeting in Seoul.



"We will announce the deal in detail once we confirm the contract and our drug safety agency approves emergency use of the drug," Kim added.



Kim's remarks came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an emergency use authorization of Pfizer's COVID-19 pill known as Paxlovid.










President Moon Jae-in is likely to grant a pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, a senior official at the ruling party said Friday.







"I understand that ex-President Park is included on a list of people who are to be granted pardons," the official told Yonhap News Agency by telephone.







This year, the 69-year-old Park was hospitalized three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain. In 2019, she received shoulder surgery.







Park has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal. (Yonhap)


Former President Park Geun-hye / Yonhap



South Korea's government on Friday announced a special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, saying that pardoning Park would help bolster national unity.



Park has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal.



The 69-year-old former president was included in a list of 3,094 pardon beneficiaries who are scheduled to be released on New Year's Eve. The amnesty was decided in consideration of her deteriorating health.



This year, Park was hospitalized three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain. In 2019, she received shoulder surgery. She will be released directly from Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul, where she is currently staying for treatment, according to officials.





Special pardon for ex-president fuels speculation Ex-President Park expresses gratitude for pardon: Park's lawyer Parties gauge impact of ex-president Park's pardon on upcoming presidential election Granting a pardon to Park is expected to have a significant impact on next March's presidential election, as Park has commanded the support of voters in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, a stronghold of the main opposition People Power Party.



The government also announced it will exonerate Han Myeong-sook, former prime minister during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration who was convicted of bribery and has served her full prison sentence.



Han, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007, was imprisoned from 2015-2017 after being convicted of accepting about 900 million won ($795,000) in illegal political funds from a late businessman while in office.



She has long claimed innocence, arguing that she never accepted the money and that the charges against her were fabricated as part of political revenge by a conservative government against the Roh administration.



Former President Lee Myung-bak, who is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence over embezzlement and bribery convictions, was excluded from the pardon.



The government said the decisions were made as a means of overcoming a nationwide crisis prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic by moving forward from "the unfortunate history of the past and achieving a grand unity among the people."



In a government briefing, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said the former president's pardon was discussed during a two-day meeting of the ministry's amnesty review committee earlier this week. The minister said the health factor "was a very important criterion" in the amnesty decision.



On the exclusion of Lee from being offered amnesty, the minister said the circumstances surrounding the two former presidents "were different" and added the government had to take into consideration the "public sentiment" in reaching its decision.




Lee Seok-ki, a former left-wing lawmker who had been sent to prison on charges of plotting a rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea, hugs one of his supporters after being released from a prison in the central city of Daejeon on parole, Dec. 24. Yonhap



A former left-wing lawmaker convicted of plotting a rebellion to overthrow the South Korean government in case of a war with North Korea was released on parole Friday.



Lee Seok-ki, the former member of the now-disbanded minor opposition Unified Progressive Party, was released from a detention center in Daejeon, about 165 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10 a.m., more than eight years after he was imprisoned in September 2013.



He was welcomed by about 300 supporters waiting for him in front of the prison since the early morning.



Upon his release, Lee slammed the government's announcement that came earlier in the day it granted a special pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, who is currently serving a 22-year prison term for far-reaching corruption, citing national unity and Park's poor health.






This combination of file photos shows Lee Jae-myung, left, ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate, and Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the main opposition People Power Party. Korea Times file



A special pardon of former President Park Geun-hye stoked contrasting responses from political parties on Friday, as they began to gauge its impact on the upcoming presidential election.



The government decided to grant a special New Year's pardon to Park, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, for national unity and due to her deteriorating health. The 69-year-old has been locked up since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal.



Following the announcement, the ruling Democratic Party said it "respects" the government's decision. The DP and its presidential nominee Lee Jae-myung have been opposed to pardoning Park.



"This pardon, which was decided following deep consideration of President Moon Jae-in, is a constitutional right of the president," said DP Chairman Song Young-gil.



Lee said he also respects Moon's decision, but there needs to be a sincere apology from Park.






People at Seoul Station watch TV coverage of the government's decision to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, announced by Justice Minister Park Beom-kye, Friday. Yonhap



Parties analyzing impact of amnesty on presidential election



By Jung Da-min



The Moon Jae-in government's announcement, Friday, of a special pardon for Park Geun-hye, the former president currently serving a 22-year prison term for multiple charges including corruption, has raised various speculation over the timing and reasons for the decision.



The President's decision to pardon Park was rather unexpected, as the Ministry of Justice had taken a negative stance on the matter and reportedly said it had excluded her from a list of amnesty candidates during a two-day meeting by a review committee on Monday and Tuesday.



Announcing the government's decision, Justice Minister Park Beom-kye said the former president's deteriorating health was the biggest factor in granting her amnesty. Since her arrest in March 2017, Park has been receiving treatment for shoulder and back pain. She is currently staying at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul's Gangnam District and will be set free at midnight at the start of Dec. 31, according to the ministry.



After undergoing shoulder surgery at Samsung Medical Center in 2019, Park returned to the hospital three times this year  in January, July and November. In addition, she reportedly received treatment for psychological anxiety. After being released, Park will stay at the hospital for a few more weeks to continue receiving treatment.





A placard supporting former President Park Geun-hye hangs in front of Samsung Medical Center in Seoul's Gangnam District, Friday, where she has been hospitalized since late November. Park will be set free from the hospital immediately at midnight on Dec. 31, according to the justice ministry. Yonhap



Park has been in prison since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office on charges of corruption and influence peddling. In 2018, she was found guilty of multiple counts, including abuse of power and bribery.



Observers are trying to figure out the reasoning behind Moon's decision because it goes against his earlier pledge not to offer special pardons to those who commit crimes violating market principles, such as bribery, breach of duty and embezzlement.



Political watchers voiced mixed views on the timing and reasoning behind Moon's decision to pardon Park, with some saying it was made in consideration of public sentiment toward the 69-year-old politician, while others claim it was aimed at helping the ruling liberal bloc win the next presidential election slated for March 9.



Political commentator Park Sang-byoung said Moon appears to have pardoned Park and exonerated Han Myeong-sook, a former prime minister during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration who was convicted of bribery and served her full prison sentence from 2015 to 2017, as major political tasks to finish before his presidential term ends in May next year. The government said it will also exonerate Han on Friday.









"Former President Park was in prison during Moon's five-year term and Moon could have been under political pressure to pardon her for the sake of national unity," the commentator said. The former president was in prison for four years and nine months after her arrest in March 2017.



"Also, by announcing the pardon of Park and the exoneration of Han together, he could be seeking a political balance... Besides, his popularity in the last months of his presidency is not too bad, based on recent opinion polls where his support rate recorded around 40 percent, which is higher than those of former presidents in the final months of their presidencies. His decision to pardon Park seems to be based on a sense of confidence that he will not lose public support over the decision."





Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee speaks during a press briefing on President Moon Jae-in's decision to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, at Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul, Friday. She said that there were no political motives behind Moon's decision, as it was done entirely for national unity and in consideration of Park's health condition. Yonhap



But another political commentator, Lee Jong-hoon, said pardoning the former leader was precisely aimed at helping the ruling liberal bloc win the next presidential election, while also causing internal strife among members of the conservative bloc, as Moon excluded former President Lee Myung-bak, who is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for embezzlement and bribery.



"While many of the aides to Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), are supporters of former President Lee, many other PPP members are supporters of former President Park. Yoon led the investigation into Park's corruption scandal as a member of the special prosecutor team led by Park Young-soo. If Park supporters strengthen their status on the occasion of her being granted amnesty, conflicts are expected to erupt between them and other party members," Lee said.



"The case of former President Lee is different as many members of the liberal bloc, including Moon himself, believe Lee is responsible for the death of former President Roh Moo-hyun."



Roh died in May 2009 after leaping off a cliff, while he had been under criminal investigation for corruption under Lee's tenure.



However, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said during a press briefing that there were no political motives behind Moon's pardon of his predecessor, as it was done entirely for national unity and was made in consideration of Park's health condition.



"Considering the fact that Park's health deteriorated significantly after serving a five-year sentence, I hope that the amnesty will go beyond differences of opinion and pros and cons, while serving as an opportunity to start a new era of unity and harmony," Moon was quoted as saying by the spokeswoman.





Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential candidate of the conservative main opposition People Power Party (PPP), holds a press conference on President Moon Jae-in's decision to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, at the PPP's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Friday. Yoon said he welcomed Moon's decision, but did not comment on bringing Park back into the party. Joint Press Corps



The rival candidates of the country's two major parties, Yoon of the PPP and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea, voiced contrasting reactions.



Yoon told reporters at the party's headquarters that he welcomes the decision to pardon Park and hopes she gets well. But he did not say whether he would welcome her back to the party.



Lee was cited by his spokesman, Rep. Jo Seoung-lae, as saying that he understands Moon's anguish for national unity and respects his difficult decision. But Lee, who had been opposed to pardoning Park, said she should sincerely apologize to the victims of the corruption offenses she committed.








President Moon Jae-in will hold a luncheon with the chiefs of conglomerates, including Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, to thank them for their participation in a government-led jobs project, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.







Other likely invitees to the lunch scheduled for Monday include the chiefs of KT, LG, SK, POSCO and Hyundai Motor Group, all of which took part in the project to create jobs for young people.







SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun and LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo are discussing their attendance with Cheong Wa Dae.







This will be the first meeting between Moon and Lee since the vice chairman was released from prison on parole in August.







The President has previously praised the six companies for committing to train 180,000 members of the workforce. (Yonhap)


Moon should take responsibility for fallout from pardon



President Moon Jae-in has decided to extend a special pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, who has been serving a combined 22-year prison term for corruption. Announcing the plan for amnesty, Moon cited the need for the nation to "tide over the past's pain and jointly move forward toward a new era." As Moon put it, we hope the recent pardon will help boost national unity.



Park was impeached and displaced from the presidency, dubbed as the main culprit of what the Moon Jae-in administration described as "accumulated evils." She was put behind bars for 57 months in total. This sentence is a relatively longer period in prison compared to former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who stayed about two years in prison before being released on pardons from then-President Kim Young-sam.



According to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee, Moon cited Park's deteriorating health as a major factor in determining the pardon. Given this, the pardon seems to be appropriate from a humanitarian perspective. In fact, Park expressed gratitude to Moon for the amnesty via her lawyer. Despite such positive aspects, criticism is growing over the decision.



For starters, the pardon appears to have been politically motivated, since it came with only 75 days left before the March 9 presidential election. Early this year, then chief of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Lee Nak-yon raised the issue of releasing Park. But Moon rejected the request then by saying, "it is not proper to talk about the issue now" during his New Year press conference. This slight dealt a critical blow to Lee, who had been the leading presidential aspirant of the ruling party.



In addition, Moon's decision to offer amnesty will likely trigger a dispute within the ruling party, as its presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, has expressed grievances over the move. During a press briefing convened to announce his policies on national defense, Friday, Lee was asked about his opinion of the pardon. In an apparent show of displeasure, Lee said, "How on Earth is it useful to comment on an already concluded issue?" He went on to say that despite the special pardon, the judgment on Park "from the perspective of history and the people will continue to remain."



Moon should explain his reasons for exonerating former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, who was convicted of bribery. Han has yet to pay a forfeit even though she served her full prison sentence. As the head of state, Moon is authorized to offer such a special pardon. However, such authority should be exercised in accordance with the principles of the rule of law.



The decision for amnesty will likely offer little help in terms of enhancing national unity. On the other hand, it will fan controversy over the appropriateness of the decision, as well as internal fighting within the ruling party. It is Moon himself who should take full responsibility for the possible fallout from the decision. He needs to answer the question of whether or not the special pardon was meant to guarantee his safety after retirement by ending the political saga with Park.


Seen are visitors and event participants at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Jan. 5, 2020. Yonhap



Samsung Electronics said Friday that it still plans to participate in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) early next month, even though major brands backed out as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus drives a surge in infection cases in the United States.



Samsung said there is no change in its on-site presence, especially as its new CEO Han Jong-hee is set to present the company's vision for and direction of technological development through his keynote speech.



The world's biggest consumer electronics show, slated for Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas, will serve as a prominent stage for Han to make his global debut as the new chief of the tech giant since he took office earlier this month.



Even if Han cancels his physical attendance at the last minute, there will be an in-person presence, however minimal, at the company's booth, a Samsung official who is familiar with the matter said, adding that a decision, if any, could be made next week.



This week, big American companies, such as T-mobile, Google, Facebook's parent company Meta, ATT, Amazon and Twitter, among others, said they are canceling in-person participation at the show.



The latest company, which notably ditched its physical attendance, was General Motors, even though its CEO Mary Barra was scheduled to make a preshow keynote speech. The speech will now be made online, the company said Thursday.



T-Mobile CEO Mike Siever, who was also among the keynote speakers, said on Twitter on Wednesday that the company decided to opt out of the show for "the safety of our team and other attendees."



The company said in a press release it will "significantly limit our in-person participation" and its CEO "will no longer be offering a keynote in-person or virtually."



"Based on quickly rising COVID-19 infection rates, Waymo has made the difficult decision not to participate in person at CES 2022," Waymo, Google's self-driving auto-technology company, said on the company's official blog.



"The safety and well-being of our team is on the top of our mind," it said.



Lenovo also said Thursday it will suspend "all on-site activity in Las Vegas" on its official Twitter page, because "It is in the best interest of the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners and our communities."



Many South Korean companies are sticking with the wait-and-see approach, while some have already scaled back their on-site presence.



LG Electronics said it will run its floor showcase with limited on-site employees, adding that it will combine "physical and digital elements" to deliver new experiences to its global audience, with the help of a self-guided tour using QR codes and advanced virtual and augmented reality technologies.



SK hynix said the company and its parent SK Group still have no plan to change their in-person presence at the show.



"The size of attendance has grown from last year, as a few eco-friendly affiliates will join next year's event," a company official told Yonhap News Agency. "As you might know, the group's chairman is attending as electric cars and semiconductors are currently hot topics in the industry."



SK Group, one of the biggest South Korean conglomerates, runs a number of businesses ranging from telecommunications, energy and electric batteries to semiconductors.



"A decision could be made to scale back the size of the attendees sometime next week as there is great uncertainty," the official said. (Yonhap)


Huawei's P50 Pocket foldable phone, launched Dec. 23 / Screenshot from Huawei's YouTube channel



By Kim Bo-eun



Huawei unveiled its first foldable smartphone, Thursday, as one of the many Chinese smartphone vendors seeking to challenge Samsung Electronics' foldable models.



Samsung in the past had reigned as the only smartphone manufacturer offering foldable models, since the launch of its Galaxy Z Fold in 2019. But Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei have caught up quickly, launching their own models this year.



Smartphone makers are increasingly experimenting with new forms, as they seek to keep their mobile phone businesses profitable amid a saturated global market.



Huawei's P50 Pocket is the first model to resemble Samsung's clamshell Galaxy Flip phone. The model is thinner than Samsung's, but is a 4G device that is priced higher than the Z Flip 3.



The standard P50 Pocket with 8 gigabits of RAM and 256 gigabits of storage retails for $1,410. The launch price of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 3 with the same specification in September was $999.99.



Huawei's latest foldable phone is now available for purchase in China. The company has yet to launch the model in overseas markets, but has confirmed its plans to do so.



"Huawei's plans to introduce the model in overseas markets will be unveiled at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona in February next year," an official said.



Huawei's P50 Pocket model is set to compete with Samsung's Galaxy G Flip 3, once it makes its debut in overseas markets in the coming months.



Meanwhile, Oppo on Dec. 15 introduced its foldable phone, the Find N. Citing testing lab TUV, Oppo says Find N's crease between the two screens is "up to 80 percent less noticeable" compared to other foldable models.



As Chinese vendors step up their game in the new foldable phone category, Samsung is set to lose its share of the niche market gradually. Market tracker Counterpoint Research forecasts that Samsung's share of the global market for foldable phones will fall to 74 percent from this year's 85 percent.



The agency also forecast that the size of the foldable phone market will expand next year to 16.9 million handsets, from 8.9 million this year. At the same time, foldable devices are set to account for 16.9 percent of the market for smartphones next year, up from 8.9 percent this year.



Samsung is set to ship its foldable phones accordingly. The No. 1 smartphone vendor is aiming to ship at least 13 million foldable devices next year, which is about double its shipments this year.



At the same time, Samsung is expected to increase its engagement with China's smartphone market, where it has virtually no presence due to the dominance of local brands.



Samsung accounts for less than 1 percent of China's mobile phone market. The Korean company set up a team recently to focus on its China business, as part of efforts to improve its market presence there.



Revenue generated from the market in China accounts for 30 percent of Samsung's total sales, but its chip and display businesses have driven most of its earnings in the world's No. 2 economy.


This handout file photo obtained May 26, courtesy of Merck & Co, shows capsules of the investigational antiviral pill Molnupiravir. AFP-Yonhap



The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorized Merck's COVID pill for high-risk adults, a day after green lighting a similar but more effective drug by Pfizer amid a winter surge of cases driven by Omicron.



While vaccines and boosters remain the foremost tools in the fight against the pandemic, experts have welcomed the addition of the new oral treatments, which inhibit the virus' ability to replicate and should withstand variants.



FDA scientist Patrizia Cavazzoni told reporters the two authorizations have expanded "the arsenal of treatment options available to the public" and would help alleviate the burden on the nation's health care system.



The pill developed by Merck, called molnupiravir, is taken within five days of symptom onset and was shown in a trial of 1,400 participants to reduce COVID hospitalizations and deaths by 30 percent among at-risk people.



Pfizer's pill reduced the same outcomes by almost 90 percent, is authorized for people aged 12 and up, and has fewer overall safety concerns.



The U.S. has paid $2.2 billion for 3.1 million courses of Merck's treatment, and $5.3 billion for 10 million courses of Pfizer's.



A Merck spokesperson told AFP: "Merck is ready to ship hundreds of thousands of courses within days, one million courses over the next few weeks, and three million by end of January."



Pills that can be picked up at pharmacies following a prescription should be a major boost to health care systems.



Until now, the main treatments have been synthetic antibodies or Gilead's antiviral remdesivir, which are administered by infusion.



Because the pills do not target the ever-mutating spike protein that dots the virus' surface, they should be variant proof. The companies have said early lab testing against Omicron have borne this out.











A view of the Merck & Co. campus in Linden, New Jersey. Reuters-Yonhap
Pope Francis waves during an audience with the Vatican employees for the Christmas greetings in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Dec. 23. AFP-Yonhap



Pope Francis on Thursday removed the head of the Vatican office that handles migration, the environment and COVID-19 issues, and put a trusted cardinal and one of the Holy See's most influential nuns at the helm temporarily.



Francis thanked Cardinal Peter Turkson for his five years of service but decided on new leadership following the results of an internal investigation, the Vatican said.



Turkson, who until Thursday was the highest-ranking African person at the Holy See, told reporters earlier this week that he had submitted his resignation to Francis and that it was up to the pope to decide what to do with it.



Francis created the Dicastery for Integral Human Development in 2016 by merging four existing Vatican offices that handled migration issues, the Vatican's charity work and its justice and peace initiatives. Turkson, a 73-year-old Ghanaian, was put in charge.



The office handles the dossiers closest to Francis' heart. It was responsible for some of the early drafts of his 2015 encyclical on the environment, was instrumental in the runup to his synod on the Amazon rainforest, and most recently has housed the pope's COVID-19 Commission, which aims to serve local churches in responding to the pandemic.



But in a sign Francis had other plans down the line, he decided in 2019 to make a cardinal out of one of Turkson's deputies, Michael Czerny. It was a clear break from Vatican protocol that sees only one cardinal per Vatican office. Czerny, a Czech-born Canadian and a Jesuit like the pope, had been in charge of the office's migration section and now takes over the whole operation as prefect, ad interim.



Working as his deputy will be Sister Alessandra Smerilli, an Italian economist who has spearheaded the Vatican's COVID-19 response and is now one of the highest-profile women in the Vatican bureaucracy.



Earlier this year, Francis asked Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich, a close ally, to conduct an internal investigation, known as a visitation, into the operations of the Human Development office. The results have not been released, and Francis has launched similar investigations of other Vatican offices that preceded shakeups.



Soon after Cupich's report was delivered, Turkson's two secretaries abruptly left office, one after he reached retirement age and the other to return to his home diocese in Argentina. No explanation was given.



The latest leadership change was announced on the day Francis delivered his usual tough-love Christmas greeting to members of the Vatican bureaucracy, demanding they show more humility and less pride in the coming year.



Francis made no mention in his speech about his plans for reforming the bureaucracy itself, of which the Dicastry for Integral Human Development is a key part.



Francis had been expected to release a reform blueprint this fall, but the document was not published. Presumably he decided not to name a permanent new head of Turkson's office pending the official release of the document. (AP)






Britain's foreign minister on Thursday condemned the Kremlin's hawkish rhetoric on Ukraine and military build-up near the border of the ex-Soviet nation.







"I condemn the Kremlin's aggressive and inflammatory rhetoric against Ukraine and NATO," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement.







She also called troop buildup on the border of Ukraine and in Russian-annexed Crimea "unacceptable".







The Kremlin has grown increasingly insistent that the West and NATO are encroaching dangerously close to Russia's borders.







Moscow presented the West with sweeping security demands last week, demanding that NATO not admit new members and the US not establish new bases in former Soviet countries.







Truss stressed that "NATO is a defensive alliance", praising Ukraine for showing "commendable restraint in the face of Russian provocation and aggression".







Any incursion would be met "with strength, including coordinated sanctions with our allies," Truss said.







Her statement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that he saw Washington's willingness to discuss Russia's security proposals as "positive", speaking at his annual end-of-year press conference.







Putin said that Washington was ready for talks at the start of next year in Geneva.







Truss said that the only way for Russia to resolve the issue was through dialogue, adding: "I welcome the fact that Russia has signaled it is willing to enter talks in January." (AFP)






Job description At HSBC, the health and well-being of our employees remains of utmost importance. Many of our roles are permitted to work from home (in states in which HSBC is licensed to operate) until further notice. Upon resumption of normal operations, this role may be performed at our San Francisco, California office. #LI-VN1 As a Senior Wealth Planner, you will work closely with high and ultra-high net worth individuals and families to advise on wealth and generational planning needs. You will serve as a key client-facing member of the US Private Banking team, partnering with Relationship Managers and Investment Counselors to provide outstanding client experience. As a key individual contributor, you will achieve success through effective marketing of wealth planning advice to an assigned market, and by developing long-term and trusting relationships with clients and their families, in particular those in the target Ultra High Net Worth segment. You will actively look for opportunities to grow client relationships and will introduce appropriate product specialists for cross-sales, particularly Trusts, Insurance, and Credit Advisory teams. You will also serve as a spokesperson both internally and externally, and will promote wealth planning by producing timely, original thought leadership on trust, tax and estate planning, business succession planning, pre-immigration and expatriation planning, philanthropy and family governance topics. About Us Our purpose - Opening up a world of opportunity - explains why we exist. We're here to use our unique expertise, capabilities, breadth and perspectives to open up new kinds of opportunity for our more than 40 million customers. We're bringing together the people, ideas and capital that nurture progress and growth, helping to create a better world - for our customers, our people, our investors, our communities and the planet we all share. Requirements Required Skills To thrive in this job, you will need a JD and minimum of 10 years of experience either in private law practice and/or at a wealth management firm advising high and ultra-high net worth clients on wealth planning topics. A Tax LLM, CPA, or CFP are beneficial, but not required. Commitment to Excellence. The Senior Wealth Planner must be both a technician and also have very strong client and business acumen. Deep technical expertise in trust, tax and estate planning, business succession planning, pre-immigration and expatriation planning is required. Experience working with international estate planning and wealth structuring is a must, given HSBC's global reach and international client base. In addition, a high level of professionalism, attention to detail, responsiveness, an understanding of business processes, and ability to navigate complex organizations are also critical to success.

Sales Mindset. The Senior Wealth Planner will drive new revenue by serving as a vital member of the client-facing team and a core component of the US Private Banking value proposition, and will meet daily with prospective and existing clients. The Senior Wealth Planner thrives in business development meetings and is able to quickly connect with clients, identify their needs, and articulate the value of active and ongoing wealth planning. This individual will look for opportunities to introduce product specialists for cross-sales opportunities.

Thought Leader. The Senior Wealth Planner is a known expert in the estate planning community, with a strong professional network and deep connections to the legal and tax industry. Demonstrated leadership with local industry associations is helpful, as is public speaking and writing experience. As the internal center of excellence for all planning-related topics, the Wealth Planning & Advisory team regularly produce new and interesting client content, including written articles and guidebooks, live and online events, podcasts, etc., and also speak at external conferences and events.

Proactive. The Senior Wealth Planner will develop strong relationships with Relationship Managers, Investment Counsellors, and product specialists. This individual will bring new ideas to the local market and actively seek opportunities to engage with clients on wealth planning matters.

Passionate. The Senior Wealth Planning is passionate about tax and estate planning and finds working with clients invigorating and exciting. This individual will sit on a team of high-achieving, motivated individuals who desire to create a positive impact for families across generations to protect and preserve their wealth, and who stay current on new planning ideas, trends, and the broader legislative and regulatory environment.

Collaborative. The Senior Wealth Planner will serve as the Wealth Planning & Advisory team's liaison to Private Banking Asia, and will work to develop relationships with the Wealth Planning, Trusts, and Relationship Management teams in the Asia markets. This individual must have a strong desire to work creatively and collaboratively with others toward shared wins, and embody a 'one bank' mentality. Must be bilingual English/Mandarin speaking.

Always improving. The Senior Wealth Planner is a team player, detail oriented, and has a positive attitude. As an HSBC employee, you will have access to tailored professional development opportunities and a competitive pay and benefits package. We work hard to ensure that our workplace is a diverse, inclusive and meritocratic environment and we have a strong commitment to sustainability. Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play a central part in life at HSBC, including the development of our employees and our connection to the communities and customers we serve. We value difference. We succeed together. We take responsibility. We get it done. And we want you to help us build the bank for the future! All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.








Position Purpose The Patient Care Secretary is responsible for patient medical records, ordering tests, maintenance of patient medical records, communication internally and externally, acquisition of stock and patient supplies, completion of log books and coordination of ongoing activities at the Nurses' Station. Role Specific Competencies 1. Collaborates with hospital personnel to ensure optimal patient care and promote a positive working environment in Unit and Hospital Consistently on time and ready to work at the start of the shift. Does not abuse or take advantage of sick time or personal days.

Takes corrective action to prevent recurring absences

Adapts to altered work patterns whenever needed

Communicates concerns and problems through proper written and verbal procedures

Always appears well groomed and observes hospital dress code. 2. Coordinates communication on the patient care unit Answers phone professionally, within three rings, screens and refers calls in accordance with policy and procedure

Answers patient call bell lights within third ring, determines specific patient need(s) and refers patient need to appropriate staff in accordance with policy and procedure.

Greets patients and visitors courteously and gives assistance as needed.

Places calls to physicians , department and hospital personnel as directed.

Schedules all tests and procedures with other departments.

Communicates all messages and telephone reports accurately and in a timely manner.

Replies to inquiries from other department personnel, assisting them as needed.

Assists physicians in locating charts, nurses and patients.

Assures written communication is complete, concise and legible.

Assures that computer data entries are complete and accurate.

Communicates STAT orders to designated source, according to policy and procedure.

Obtains, returns charts from/to medical records department when requested or at discharge.

Facilitates follow up appointments for selected discharged patients.

Performs additional unit specific responsibilities as determined by the unit director/designee.

Maintains confidentiality of all records (patient/employee) 3. Maintains the patient medical record to assure accuracy. Labels all pages with correct patient information Assembles and maintains correct order of paper medical record in accordance with unit policies and procedures.

Ensure availability of forms for documentation

Monitors status board in meditech for new orders on a consistent basis and notifies nurse

Checks all charts for new orders at least twice a shift

Checks all handwritten orders as they are written for STAT orders and expedites transcription

Transcribes hand written physician orders accurately and correctly

Flags chart with appropriate labels

Thins paper charts as necessary, indicating date inside chart cover

Utilizes the Meditech system appropriately

Reviews pending orders prior to entering additional orders to prevent duplications

Admits/discharges/transfers patient in Meditech system., expedites written admission orders

Provides copies of documents as requested

Scans appropriate forms to the computerized record in a timely manner 4. Maintains unit supplies efficiently and economically. Assures adequate inventory levels of all office supplies for unit and accuracy of supplies delivered

Orders patient supplies from IPS or UHS as necessary

Notifies support departments of unit needs/repairs as appropriate

Assembles chart packages in readiness for new admissions as needed

Maintains clean and orderly nursing stations

Assists with messenger service as needed 5. Participates in evaluative mechanisms to determine unit quality of nursing practice and to increase efficiency and cost effectiveness in the provision of patient care. Suggests changes in methods and supports which enhance unit functioning

Participates in unit based performance improvement data collection as needed and in unit based improvement efforts as directed

Participates in unit staff meetings

Attends at least one continuing education program annually

Completes annual mandatory review

Ensures appropriate use of equipment; ensures that broken equipment is tagged for repair. Qualifications and Experience Data entry skills preferred.

Degree or C ertification as Medical Secretary preferred.

High School Graduate.

Keyboard knowledge.

One-year previous Unit Clerk experience or one-year previous experience in a clerical position in a similar health care setting preferred.

Working knowledge of basic medical terminology. Physical Requirements Must be able to hear normal sounds with some background noise.

Remembers schedules, tasks to be completed, where activities left off, etc.

Routinely lifts objects under 20 pounds.


ATHENS, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were killed off the island of Antikythera on the edge of the Aegean Sea, when a vessel carrying refugees and migrants sank on Thursday afternoon, the Greek national news agency AMNA reported Friday.

Ninety passengers, including 52 men, 11 women and 11 minors, were rescued. An operation was underway to locate the missing, AMNA said, citing Hellenic Coast Guard sources. Their number was not clear, and survivors said that there were about 1,000 people on board.

The vessel had set sail from Turkey heading to Italy, according to preliminary information.

It has been the second such tragedy in Greek waters this week.

On Wednesday, the Greek authorities announced that a similar boat sank near Folegandros island. Three people lost their lives, 13 were rescued and an unknown number of poeple were missing.

Many survivors told the authorities that a total of 32 people were on board, while others said the number was 50.

Greece has been at the forefront of the refugee and migrant influx since 2015. Hundreds have perished in the Aegean Sea in the past six years. Enditem
Firefighters work at the fire site on a ferry in Jhalokati district, Bangladesh, Dec. 24, 2021. At least 38 people were killed and 100 others wounded when a ferry caught fire in Bangladesh's Jhalokati district, about 200 km south of capital Dhaka early Friday, a senior official said. (Xinhua)

DHAKA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least 38 people were killed and 100 others wounded when a ferry caught fire in Bangladesh's Jhalokati district, about 200 km south of capital Dhaka early Friday, a senior official said.

Md Nazmul Alam, Jhalokati district's additional deputy commissioner, told Xinhua that the vessel was carrying nearly 1,000 people from Dhaka to Barguna district in southern Bangladesh.

He said the fire broke out in the engine room at about 3:00 a.m. (local time) Friday due to a technical glitch, forcing the Barguna-bound "MV Abhijan-10" vessel to drop anchor on the banks of the Sugandha river.

"Thirty-eight bodies have so far been recovered following the fire accident," he told Xinhua over the phone.

Most of the passengers were asleep when the accident occurred, said the official.

He said a search operation is still underway for the unknown number of people missing.

"We've come to know that the ferry was carrying about 1,000 passengers," he said, adding that it has been dragged to the bank.

Survivors told local media that many of the passengers jumped into the river to swim ashore in a desperate bid to save their lives as the devastating fire ripped through the vessel for about three hours.

No deaths of foreign nationals have yet been reported.

The vessel was reportedly excessively overloaded.

The ferry services in Bangladesh, a key means of transport in the country, usually do not maintain a list of passengers and none can exactly say how many passengers are aboard a ferry. Enditem

Rescuers work at the fire site on a ferry in Jhalokati district, Bangladesh, Dec. 24, 2021. At least 38 people were killed and 100 others wounded when a vessel carrying nearly 1,000 people from Dhaka to Barguna district in southern Bangladesh caught fire, according to Bangladeshi government officials. (Xinhua)

People injured by a fire on a ferry receive medical treatment at a hospital in Jhalokati district, Bangladesh, Dec. 24, 2021. At least 38 people were killed and 100 others wounded when a vessel carrying nearly 1,000 people from Dhaka to Barguna district in southern Bangladesh caught fire, according to Bangladeshi government officials. (Xinhua)

Photo shows a burning ferry in Jhalokati district, Bangladesh, Dec. 24, 2021. At least 38 people were killed and 100 others wounded when a vessel carrying nearly 1,000 people from Dhaka to Barguna district in southern Bangladesh caught fire, according to Bangladeshi government officials. (Xinhua)

People injured by a fire on a ferry receive medical treatment at a hospital in Jhalokati district, Bangladesh, Dec. 24, 2021. At least 38 people were killed and 100 others wounded when a vessel carrying nearly 1,000 people from Dhaka to Barguna district in southern Bangladesh caught fire, according to Bangladeshi government officials. (Xinhua)

Photo shows a burning ferry in Jhalokati district, Bangladesh, Dec. 24, 2021. At least 38 people were killed and 100 others wounded when a vessel carrying nearly 1,000 people from Dhaka to Barguna district in southern Bangladesh caught fire, according to Bangladeshi government officials. (Xinhua)
Students at Dimond Academy learn to sing a Chinese song during a Chinese language session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship.

One of the joyful students who were passionately attending their first-ever Chinese language session at the Dimond Academy was Yonatan Henok, a nine-year-old third-grade student at the Dimond Academy, a private school in Addis Ababa.

"Today, we learned two Chinese language songs; one about the friendship between China and Ethiopia and another song about a famous place in the Chinese capital Beijing called Tiananmen Square," Yonatan said.

Yonatan and his classmates received the rare opportunity organized by the school administration in partnership with the 22nd batch of the Chinese Medical Team in Ethiopia.

The rare opportunity was provided to the school children on Wednesday by He Yang, a professor of English language from China's Henan University of Chinese Medicine, presently serving as an interpreter to the Chinese Medical Team in Ethiopia.

During the interactive lecture, He taught students about simple Mandarin words, the long-standing Ethiopia-China friendship and famous Chinese places. The lecture turned out to be captivating to the young Ethiopian students who are keen to learn Chinese culture and knowledge in the future.

Darik Yonas, is another third-grader student at Dimond Academy who spoke highly of her first-ever experience in learning Chinese.

"I am very happy today. It was a very good experience and I was lucky to be able to learn Chinese songs. I wish I'll one day meet fellow Chinese children and make friends," Darik said.

Yilfashewa Mengistu, a teacher at the Dimond Academy, spoke highly of the rare opportunity in terms of introducing the Chinese language to students.

"Learning the Chinese language at a young age is vital as it facilitates students' capabilities to learn the language easily," Mengistu said.

"Teaching these young children the language will certainly play a crucial role in boosting the already excellent relations between the two countries," she added.

Mengistu, however, argued the need to provide Chinese language education on a regular basis if school children are able to master the language at the desired level.

"It is very good to introduce the language to these children at a young age. However, they need to get continued education. Apart from the positive impression they will develop to the Chinese language, they will not be able to grasp better Chinese language skills through limited engagements," Mengistu argued.

Tesfaye Tetemke, Dimond Academy School Director, emphasized the need to boost language education to further strengthen the people-to-people ties among the two countries.

"These children were lucky as they were able to get a rare Chinese language education, which is not easily accessible at their age in our country," Tetemke told Xinhua.

"Given the fact that China is a global power and a very good partner of Ethiopia, it is beneficial for our children and country to be able to learn Chinese as a priority language," he added.

Courtesy of the ever-expanding Sino-Ethiopian ties, the interest in studying Chinese language is growing fast with newly opening institutes being operational across public universities in different parts of the East African country.

In addition to the federal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institute, Chinese language studies are now provided in many other public universities across Ethiopia, such as Addis Ababa University (AAU) in the capital, Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia's northwestern Amhara regional state, Mekelle University in northern Ethiopia, as well as Arsi University in Ethiopia's largest Oromia regional state.

Tetemke argued that the Ethiopian government, with technical support and collaboration with China, should take the initiative and introduce the Mandarin language at lower primary school level.

"Learning Chinese language is very advantageous for our country. It will enable us to master Chinese technologies and developments as well as forge strong relations with China," Tetemke added.

Despite calls to introduce Chinese language education at lower school level, the Chinese language is now available across various higher education institutions in Ethiopia. The interest in studying the Chinese language is also growing fast with newly opening institutes being operational across public universities in different parts of the East African country.

In October this year, Ethiopia's Addis Ababa University (AAU) in partnership with the Confucius Institute at the AAU had announced that it has finalized preparations to launch the first-ever Master of Arts (MA) program in the Chinese language in Ethiopia. Enditem

Students at Dimond Academy learn to sing a Chinese song during a Chinese language session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

He Yang (L), interpreter of the Chinese medical team in Ethiopia, teaches students to sing a Chinese song during a Chinese language session at Dimond Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Yonatan Henok, a nine-year-old third-grader, attends a Chinese language session at Dimond Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

He Yang, interpreter of the Chinese medical team in Ethiopia, teaches students to sing a Chinese song during a Chinese language session at Dimond Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Darik Yonas, a third-grade student, learns to sing a Chinese song during a Chinese language session at Dimond Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Darik Yonas, a third-grade student, learns to sing a Chinese song during a Chinese language session at Dimond Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

Students at Dimond Academy learn to sing a Chinese song during a Chinese language session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

He Yang, interpreter of the Chinese medical team in Ethiopia, teaches students to sing a Chinese song during a Chinese language session at Dimond Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Dec. 22, 2021. Waving Chinese and Ethiopian flags with laughter and resounded feeling, young Ethiopian school children at the Dimond Academy in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa sing Chinese songs manifesting the blossoming Ethiopia-China friendship. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese language education captivates young Ethiopian school children" (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)
People wearing face masks walk on Oxford Street in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

LONDON, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- People with Omicron are significantly less likely to develop severe symptoms, according to new analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) released Thursday.

Early results suggest people are 30-45 percent less likely to go to A&E if they are infected with Omicron than with Delta. They are also 50-70 percent less likely to need to be admitted to hospital, according to the UKHSA.

However, the UKHSA warned that the new variant was more transmissible than previous ones such as Delta, and could still lead to significant numbers of people needing hospital treatment over coming weeks.

Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday.

Another 16,817 Omicron cases have been found in Britain, the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 90,906.

The country also reported a further 147 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 147,720.

Meanwhile, an estimated 1.4 million people in Britain had COVID-19 in the week ending Dec. 16. It is the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Around one in 45 people in private households in England had COVID in the week to Dec. 16, up from one in 60 the previous week.

According to new modelling for scientists advising the government, tougher COVID restrictions are going to be needed to stop hospitals being overwhelmed.

Experts at University of Warwick estimate that even if Omicron's severity is just 20 percent of Delta's, the current plan B restrictions are likely to lead to a peak in daily hospital admissions of just under 5,000 a day in England in early January.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which has been advising the government during the pandemic, has warned that COVID data over the Christmas period will be "significantly disrupted."

In minutes from a meeting on Dec. 20, the group said that "testing behaviour and capacity limits may already be affecting case data", which would make "interpretation of trends difficult".

Experts have said there are likely to be hundreds of thousands of infections per day - with many being missed.

More than 89 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 82 percent have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 55 percent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem

A woman wearing a face mask shops on Oxford Street in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

People wearing face masks walk past a booth in a Christmas market at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A man wearing a face mask takes photos in a Christmas market at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A woman wearing a face mask shops on Carnaby Street in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a masked woman standing outside a shop in Oxford Street in London, Britain. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A vendor waits for customers in a Christmas market at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A man wearing a face mask walks on Oxford Street in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

People wearing face masks walk past a booth in a Christmas market at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A woman wearing a face mask shops in a Christmas market at Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, Dec. 23, 2021. Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Ying)


ZIMBABWE has been hit by a flight of experienced firefighters, industry experts said this week.

The bulk of those fleeing a deteriorating economic crisis have settled in the Middle East, especially in the Gulf states of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.

This weeks reports add more gloom to a country that has already been hit by an unprecedented exodus of health professionals, 2 000 of whom left by the end of November.

Thousands more professionals in other fields have also been pursuing greener pastures out of Zimbabwe annually, with three to five million of the countrys citizens now estimated to be living in foreign jurisdictions.

The Zimbabwe Independent was recently told that the Harare City Council lost 125 employees from the fire department between 2020 and 2021.

Sources said the brain-drain has also affected other cities across the country.

In their new destinations, firefighters are said to be earning at least US$600 per month in basic salaries.

Harare City acting spokesperson Innocent Ruwende confirmed that the city was experiencing a serious shortage of firefighters.

I can confirm that we are having a shortage of firefighters at the moment and there are vacancies for firefighters after 125 of them left the country, Ruwende said.

This is affecting the work schedule as some will have to work for longer hours due to short staffing. We, however, have the capacity to attend to fire breakouts, although there is a need to fill the vacancies.

Council is working on addressing the workers concerns so that we do not continue losing more workers to mainly UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Ruwende said most firefighters leaving Zimbabwe end up settling in North America, after spending a few years in the Gulf states.

Harares fire department was recently thrown into the spotlight after the death of prominent banker, Douglas Munatsi, who died in a mysterious inferno at his Northfields penthouse in the Avenues area.

A fire expert interviewed this week also confirmed that the brain drain at most fire departments affected operations.

You lose resources and time. This is being caused by low remuneration offered locally and the poor working conditions where you are expected to perform wonders without the requisite tools of trade, he said.

Harare City Council fire department chief Clever Mafoti recently said firefighting equipment was inadequate.

Other fire experts noted that most departments in Zimbabwe were relying on donated tenders, especially from the United Kingdom.

The firemen, mostly employed in big cities and towns, said several challenges, including obsolete equipment, low water pressure and failure to access high rise buildings needed to be solved.

Firefighting equipment is expensive with a tender costing approximately US$500 000.

Ideal equipment includes turntable ladders, extended ladders or hydraulic platforms, which assist firefighters to access high-rise buildings.

According to the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (Sirdc), Zimbabwe has been losing valuable human resources.

Sirdc attributes the brain drain to professional and economic causes.

There are also pull-and-push factors. Some of the reasons for the departures stem from poor execution of capacity building and domestic policies, which result in imbalances between labour supply and demand, the centre said. There is an urgent need to win back the confidence of the large community of Zimbabweans of good will who are in the diaspora.

The demand for qualified and skilled manpower for national development has become a critical global issue. It is compelling to both the rich and poor countries across the continental divide to develop policies and strategies to satisfy their human resource demands.

Since other countries are competing with Zimbabwe for similar qualified human resources, a potentially rewarding solution might be to formulate a skills export and import policy that promotes and provides the framework for the training of human resources in Zimbabwe for the labour markets of both target countries and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Independent


Civil servants and their families are in line for some festive cheer after the Government forked out millions of United States dollars to pay their annual bonuses.

The civil servants, who make up the bulk of the countrys workforce, received cash bonuses ranging between US$200 and US$700 this year after President Mnangagwa directed Treasury to pay out the 13th cheque in hard currency.

With prices of most goods and services being pegged against the US dollar, retailers and service providers have been making the situation worse by constantly hiking prices.

But following Governments intervention, long winding queues have characterised most banking halls for the past fortnight as civil servants withdrew their well-deserved dues.

Most supermarkets and clothing shops have also been a hive of activity as the handsomely rewarded Government workforce has been shopping for the holiday, while some have already started their back-to-school bargain hunts.

Those who spoke to The Manica Post said the decision to pay the bonuses in foreign currency helped them to cover a lot of their expenses, while some said they will save as much as possible for next terms school fees as schools will be opening early January.

While those who are fashion conscious took the time to spruce up their wardrobes, those who love the wise waters had a few dollars to spare for their favourite brands, with traffic at the watering holes slightly improving.

Zimbabwe Rural Teachers Union president, Mr Martin Chaburumunda said civil servants will have a memorable Christmas.

As civil servants, we really appreciate the US dollar bonus. Our families will have enough goodies for the festive season.

However, some workers got US$200 and we could do with more money. Government should also monitor prices of basic commodities as some unscrupulous business people are increasing their US dollar prices, he said.

A Mutare teacher, Mr Isheunesu Sithole, thanked the Government for delivering on its promise.

He said the Government has done what many private companies and parastatals have failed to do.

The message was clear from the social media messages we were seeing throughout the year. There was a clear attempt to discredit Government by some detractors who thought Treasury would not be able to bring such a Christmas cheer to its workers.

They were left with egg on their faces when Government managed to do what most private companies have been failing to do. We are really thankful for that and we sincerely hope that going forward, more incentives for civil servants will be availed, he said.

A nurse at a Government hospital who declined to be named citing protocol said Government efforts in taking care of its workforces needs is an indication that the nations economic policies are bearing fruit.

Government is in the process of resuscitating the economy and the bonus shows that things are improving. We really hope this will transcend into more incentives for Government workers.

Mrs Blessing Sakupwanya, a teacher in Mutasa, said she is grateful that she didnt have to go to the black market to buy foreign currency for her rentals and groceries.

It is always a hustle whenever l get my salary as l have to hunt for lower exchange rates on the black market so that l can buy some groceries from the cheaper tuckshops. Thanks to the Government, I got my bonus in cash and managed to purchase some groceries and other goodies, she said.

Mr Tendai Chiroodza, a teacher in Chigodora said: We call upon the Government to continue with this gesture in future. It is going to be a better festive season for us after easily accessing the forex from our banks.

Most goods are being sold in US dollars, especially in downtown shops. We are happy that the bonus enabled us to make meaningful purchases and even make some savings for use next year. It is promising to be an exciting Christmas.

Another civil servant, Mr Kudzi Nyarota said his family will have a holiday to remember.

I will be taking my family to Nyanga for the holidays, something I had thought would be impossible this year. We are locals, but cannot afford to visit some of the places of interest in the Eastern Highlands. After receiving this bonus l am over the moon and will contribute in my small way towards promoting domestic tourism.

I hope the weather will not disappoint us because we are geared for a festive season of a lifetime. We have closed 2021 on a very good note, thanks to Governments sincerity, said Mr Nyarota. Herald
Two teenagers from Plumtree escaped death by a whisker after their donkey-drawn scotch cart came into contact with a live electricity cable.

The two boys aged 17 and 15, did not suffer any injuries while two of the donkeys died on the spot while one survived.

The incident occurred at a business centre in Goba, Mangaramu village.

The two teenagers were later taken to the clinic where they were given injections and tablets.

The owner of the scotch cart, Emody Dube, told CITE in an interview that the two boys were taking his daughter-in-law to the hospital when tragedy struck.

Dube said the live electricity cable has been hanging low for close to a week.

My daughter-in-law is not feeling well so I asked the boys to take her to the hospital. Her husband is in South Africa. They took the cart which was being pulled by three donkeys, said Dube.

That cable has been hanging for almost a week now and it is about seven meters above ground. With all that space in-between I dont understand how the donkeys came into contact with it.

Dube implored Zimbabwe Electricity and Transmission Company (ZETDC) to attend to such faults timeously in order to curb such tragedies from happening.

Right now I have lost two of my donkeys, the ones I was using for farming. It is the rainy season now there is a lot of fieldwork. Who is going to compensate me? We have no transport at this part of the village. We rely on carts. How am I going to get by now? This is a huge setback for me, he said. Cite.org.zw
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday had an extensive bilateral engagement with his Botswana counterpart Mokgweetsi Masisi in the resort city of Victoria Falls with the two leaders committing to intensify cooperation.

In 2019 Zimbabwe and Botswana upgraded their relations from a Joint Commission to Bi-National Commission in a move that has resulted in the leaders of the two sister Republics meeting annually to digest important socio-political and economic matters.

The Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Mr George Charamba yesterday said the meeting focused on enhancing cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders had extensive consultations on bilateral cooperation. They also reviewed the Bi-National Commission.

The two Presidents agreed that the two issues of a bilateral nature will be intensified going into 2022, said Mr Charamba.

The President returned to Harare last night while his counterpart Mr Masisi headed back to his country.

Zimbabwe under President Mnangagwas rule has deepened its engagement and re-engagement drive as it assumes a regional outlook in promoting its tourism and also regional connectivity.

Zimbabwe and Botswana have bilateral national interests and are working on building a railway line that will pass through Zimbabwe from Botswana to Mozambique as part of opening the two landlocked countries to becoming land-linked. Herald
As a child bride, Khulumani FM presenter Farai Farie Jules Magada (32) had to contend with a verbally abusive husband, who, at every turn, reminded her she was worthless.

She was often told nobody wanted her; her mother had sold her and she was shipped off like a cow.

Having been married off at the tender age of 15 and going through depression, contemplating suicide, being pressured to perform an abortion and eventually walking away, Magadas story is one of hope and courage.

Child marriage, according to the UNFPA, is a gross violation of child rights and robs girls of their childhood, preventing them from reaching their full potential and in most cases, resulting in increased poverty.

The practice has since worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has exposed girls to a number of harmful practices.

Findings from the State of the World Population show that all over the world, including in Zimbabwe, thousands of girls are, on a daily basis, having their health, rights and futures stolen from them through the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful cultural practices.

I was married at 15 and was still in high school at the time. It wasnt a marriage I wanted.

You know when youre young, you wont be thinking about marriage. Youll be having your dreams, hopes and everything in-between.

I never actually thought this would ever happen to me, said Magada.

She said she met her ex-husband through her brother-in-law and one afternoon out with her sisters family would change her life completely.

My mother is a very carefree woman, shes very accommodating so she developed a relationship with my brother-in-law.

He would come and ask to take us out so he could bond with his child. So we would go for outings during weekends, spend some time together and go back home.

Then one day, my ex-husband tagged along with us.

I actually didnt think we would come back home late that day.

On this particular day, my sister left me and took off with the father of her child and I was left with this guy.

We waited for them and tried calling but to no avail.

My ex-husband then insisted he had to take me home since it was getting late but I was convinced my sister was going to come through, said Magada.

When they eventually got home however, they were met with a livid mother who was adamant she had to go back where she was coming from.

My mother wouldnt open the door but she opened the window and said I needed to go back where I was coming from.

I was so confused as to why I had to go back where I was coming from.

I tried to plead with her assuming my sister wasnt home yet but to my surprise, she was already at home.

At this point I started to think the whole scenario had been planned because it also happened to my elder sister.

It honestly felt like a joke, said Magada. She said many efforts to reason with her mother were to no avail. She said I had put myself in that situation and I was probably already pregnant.

My brother-in-law tried to talk to my mum but she wasnt reasoning at all, she wasnt budging.

My cousin then suggested I sit in the car until daybreak and maybe my mum would be calm in the morning.

But morning came and while I was still seated in the car, my mum brought my clothes, uniforms and literally everything I owned.

She said she wasnt taking me back and I was now this guys wife, recalled Magada.

She was to become the wife to a 32-year-old stranger.

I was at Eveline High School at the time and our family home was in Sauerstown.

Because my mother wouldnt take me in, my ex-husband took me in and suggested we engage some of my relatives so they could talk to my mother.

But my aunt wasnt around so I suggested we ask my mothers friend for help, in the hope that she would reason with her.

She tried talking to my mother who insisted she wasnt taking me back and instead the guy should be considering bringing lobola and not bringing me back home, said Magada.

While all this was happening, her father had been out of town and arrived home to news that she had run off with a boy.

My father was devastated because I was really young. But he never said anything to me about how devastated he was.

A few months after this had happened, my sister sent a message saying mum wants her lobola, how could he (ex-husband) just stay with our child without paying lobola.

There were a lot of threats to expose and report him so he would lose his job. I would go to school from this guys place. I was actually a wife who was going to school.

As much as people knew about my situation, no one did anything about it.

The teachers never said anything to me, they never confronted me about it. Even at church, they never said anything. It was just hisses but no one came to me. Even in the neighbourhood in Sauerstown, people knew about it but they just ignored it.

That made me really angry and bitter; why couldnt someone just at least help me, said Magada.

She said her ex-husbands family did not know about her until an article about them was published in a local newspaper.

There was an incident that happened which ended up in the newspapers. They confronted my ex-husband about our situation and thats when he introduced me to his family.

This was only after about a year, when my daughter was about six months old, said Magada.

She said she had her first child when she was 16-years-old and sat for her Ordinary Level examinations while she was pregnant.

After my ex-husband paid lobola, thats when we started trying to create a relationship but it was very hard. He would drink a lot and he was never at home. Our marriage was stressing him and it was stressing me too.

He was very emotionally and verbally abusive. I was suicidal. I dont know how many times I tried to take my life. The only thing that would keep me holding on was my daughter, said Magada.

She said there came a time when her parents reported her ex-husband to the police for statutory rape. My ex-husband had said I should go back home and read for my exams.

But when I arrived, they said I wasnt supposed to be there but with my husband. They got him arrested; it was in the newspapers and he was labelled a rapist  it was really bad for him.

Later on, it was found out that my family is the one that had married me off.

My mother wasnt happy with the fact that I was at home and pregnant.

She started panicking and suggested I have an abortion.

Every day was about having an abortion, what was she going to do with the child, I was too young to be having a child, shes not going to take care of it, I dont even know this man.

It was very intense at home and everyone was always fighting about the issue, said Magada.

She said her ex-husband later came to fetch her saying he was not going to abandon his child.

I was depressed. I had insomnia and had to be medicated for me to sleep. It felt like I was going mad so I would drug myself so I could just fall asleep and die.

I used to do a lot of crazy things because I just wanted to die. I then decided to go back to my ex-husband because at least he didnt want me to kill my baby.

After delivering my baby, I didnt go back to school. It was very difficult having to cope with a baby because I was a child too, said Magada.

She said 17 years on, she had tried to mend her relationship with her mother although she still could not understand why she forced her into marriage as a child.

I didnt understand why she did that to me when she shouldve been protecting me.

I actually stayed for 10 years in the marriage because I didnt have the courage or the boldness to walk away.

I didnt have a skill, I didnt have a job  I had nothing. I had my second and my third daughter with this man. But one day I decided I wasnt going to continue with the marriage.

I was depressed but nobody could notice. I was screaming for help but nobody could hear me, said Magada.

She eventually gathered the courage to left the marriage despite the odds stacked against her.

Each time I told my ex-husband that I wanted to leave, he would actually laugh at me and say where will you go, you are just a nobody.

He would say if I left, he wouldnt continue to take care of the girls as much as he used to.

My parents tried to convince me to stay but I was done. My ex-husband has full custody of the girls right now and he stays with them. Im just trying to pick myself up.

Magada said she is working on a foundation that seeks to help women that have gone through child marriages and those that are in child marriages.

The foundation is called the Pink and Purple Foundation. It seeks to fight against child marriages so that other girls dont have to go through them.

I want girls to know that they shouldnt get into a marriage because their family said so or circumstances are telling them to.

Poverty and ignorance are other push factors we have to address, she said.

Statistics show that Zimbabwe has a 33,7 percent prevalence of child marriages with 5,4 percent of the girls getting married before they reach the age of 15 while two percent of boys marry before they reach 18.

In the National Baseline Survey on the Life Experiences of Adolescents (NBSLEA) conducted by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat), 41 percent of girls reported that their sexual debut before turning 18 years old was not consensual.

Zimbabwe Gender Commission CEO, Mrs Virginia Muwanigwa said it was not only the Covid-19 pandemic which was responsible for child marriages.She said some families were marrying off children out of poverty.

What these people need to know is that marrying off their children does not solve their poverty.

Two years down the line you will find the girl will be returned to her family and she will end up doing worse things, said Mrs Muwanigwa.

She advocated for the speedy adoption of the Marriage Bill into law.

The Constitution is against the practice of child marriages but as long as there is no law punishing offenders, men will continue abusing young girls, said Mrs Muwanigwa.

Government has made significant strides to address the issue following the approval of the Child Justice Bill by Cabinet in 2020.

Among other things, the Bill will provide for legal representation for children and the sentencing options available for children.

The Bill also provides for the establishment of child justice committees at national, provincial and district levels that will be mandated with monitoring child justice.

Cabinet also considered and approved the Childrens Amendment Bill, 2021.

Mrs Muwanigwa said the Bill will be amended to align with the 2013 Constitution and incorporate provisions of International Conventions and treaties that Zimbabwe has ratified.

The Bill widens and criminalises instances of child abuse to include allowing a child to reside in or to frequent a brothel; causing the seduction, abduction or commercial sexual exploitation of a child and causing a child to participate in the propagation of child sexual abuse material.

The denial of medical treatment or access to medical treatment to a child without reasonable cause is also criminalised. Chronicle
BULAWAYO up and coming musician, Fanuel Jele a.k.a Richboy, is languishing in prison after he was convicted and sentenced to 10 months for defrauding his mother of over $13 000.

The inmate committed the offence in May 2021 in an attempt to be like Passion Java, who is believed to be one of the highest spending people in Zimbabwe.

In an interview, Jele told a B-Metro News crew that he was incarcerated after he defrauded his mother, who had given him her bank card to buy groceries for the whole family.

Instead of buying the groceries, he went on a drinking spree with friends as he wanted to prove that he could also live the Passion Java lifestyle.

My mother, who is now based in Namibia, came back home and when she got home she tasked me to get into town and buy some groceries using her bank card. Before I left I was given a list of items that were required and those items cost $6 000.

Soon after being given the list of items required I was given two hours to get into town and do the procurement, but when I got into town I decided to get into a bar with my friends and we started buying beer using the bank card and in the process we spent $13 000, he said.

The now rich boy said he decided to take his mothers bank card for a drinking spree with friends as he wanted to prove that he could also match the lifestyle of the prophet by spending to the fullest.

When I got into the music industry I also decided to compose a song called Living life like Passion Java.

I came up with this song after I had been inspired by Prophet Java who spends to the fullest on each and every item that he decides to buy.

When my mother assigned me to get into town I took that opportunity to take my friends on a drinking spree and from her bank card I withdrew more than $13 000,he said.

The inmate said when his mother discovered that he had blown her money, she reported the matter to the police and he was picked up for questioning before the matter was taken to court.

When I came back home the next morning I got a visit from police officers who took me for questioning on the issue and it was concluded that I had defrauded my mother so the issue was then referred to courts for finalisation.

At first I thought my mother was going to reconsider her decision of taking the issue to the courts but she insisted that the matter be heard before the courts and I was found guilty and I was sentenced to 12 months in prison, he said.

The inmate said soon after conviction he was transferred to Bulawayo Prison to start serving his sentence.

When I got into court over the fraud issue I never wasted the court officials time, I admitted that I had wronged her so I was sentenced to 12 months in prison. On that same sentence I was given an option to restitute my mother as part of the sentence.

So far I have served for six months and I can tell you that life in prison is not as easy as I thought and right now I am beginning to realise that I made a very big mistake by stealing from my mother trying to impress friends,he said.

Jele said from his six months stay in prison he is now ready to meet his mother this festive season so that they talk about this issue as his actions had really disappointed her.

I know that I disappointed my mother by spending her money on beer with friends and from my stay in prison I have realised that its high time I apologise for what I did.

We are a family and we need one another in life and for that to happen it would be after having apologised to my mother who is in Namibia at the moment,he said.

The inmate said his stay in prison had turned into more of a blessing as that was giving him ample time to work on his first album that would be ready mid next year.

When I came to prison I had managed to record three singles and at the moment I am working on my album that I will be recording sometime next year and I am urging music producers to visit prisons for talent identification.

I would like to believe this is the turning point of my life as I now understand the importance of respecting other people regardless of the relation that binds the two parties involved,he said.

Bulawayo Prison chaplain officer, Lazarous Mazaka told B-Metro that it was actually encouraging inmates were realising they had wronged members of society.

The counselling sessions that we are conducting daily are actually yielding the results that we require and Jele is one good example of an inmate who has since realised that he wronged his mother by defrauding her of her hard-earned cash.

I hope by the time he completes his jail term he will be a changed man who respects peoples rights out there,he said. B Metro
POLICE have unearthed an ATM card fraud scam where the fraudsters were targeting business people and individuals accounts to withdraw large sums of money.

The net is closing on a number of individuals who are using several ATM cards, mobile phones and fake identity particulars in scamming their targets.

As investigations intensify, detectives recently recovered 88 mobile phone lines, 11 ATM cards and three fake drivers licences from one of the suspects Manyame Park, Chitungwiza home.

The suspect, Trynos Muzanenhamo (23), is alleged to have stolen close to $500 000 from a Mutare business man using several techniques of ATM card fraud and impersonification.

Muzanenhamo has since been hauled before Mutare magistrate, Ms Prisca Manhibi, facing fraud charges.

He was granted $50 000 bail.

Prosecuting, Ms Tafadzwa Chiwanza said the suspect stole from Mr Nyasha Mundembe.

On November 15, the complainant who is the owner of a grocery shop at Chikanga Spar trading as Big Byte mistakenly made two transactions to purchase Econet data bundles using a CABS banking mobile application.

The complainant searched for the accused persons cell number registered in the name of Dennis Samu from a WhatsApp group titled Mutare adverts in which the accused person had previously advertised that he offers Econet and NetOne customer services.

The complainant contacted the accused person to help him reverse the purchase of the excess data bundles. The accused asked the complainant to send him a copy of his national identification card through WhatsApp and he complied, said Ms Chiwanza.

It is alleged that Muzanenhamo requested a onetime password (OTP) from Mr Mundembe indicating that he wanted to finalise the reversal.

Acting upon the misrepresentation, Mr Mundembe sent the password to Muzanenhamo.

Moments later, Muzanenhamo was in control of Mr Mundembes CABS Bank account number and he used the password to transfer $87 750 from that account to another CABS account number registered in the name Tendai Nemeso.

Mr Mundembe reported the matter at Mutare Central Police Station on the same day. On November 16, the accused person transferred $51 300 from the complainants CABS account to a CABS account registered in the name of Bezel Nyakuba as well as $2 800 to Muzanenhamos One money account number.

Police alerted CABS Bank, Mutare, who managed to block Tendai Nemeso and Bezel Nyakubas accounts. Police also managed to alert NetOne Zimbabwes Mutare office and Muzanenhamos One money account was also blocked before the money could be withdrawn, said Ms Chiwanza.

On November 21, Muzanenhamo allegedly made a sim card replacement for Mr Mundembes mobile number at Chigovanyika Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza after producing a fake drivers licence with his photo and the complainants details.

He then registered the newly replaced sim card on WhatsApp and started using it, purporting to be Mr Mundembe.

Muzanenhamo allegedly sent a message on a wholesalers WhatsApp group looking for local currency in exchange of United States dollars.

Samson Chikunguru responded to Muzanemhanos message thinking he was communicating with Mr Mundembe.

The accused person gave Chikunguru three different accounts to transfer the money into. Chikunguru made two ZB Bank internal transfers of $77 250 and $55 500. He also made a First Capital Bank internal transfer of $14 8750 and a $17 500 transfer from CBZ Bank to an Ecocash number registered under Francis Ditimas name.

Mr Mundembe later realised that his Econet line had been blocked and he informed the police. Police swiftly reacted to the information and the accounts where the money had been transferred into were blocked before the money could be withdrawn.

After thorough investigations, Muzanenhamo was arrested at Chigovanyika Shopping Centre and he voluntarily led the police officers to his place of residence in Chitungwiza, said Ms Chiwanza.

At his place of residence, detectives recovered a fake Zimbabwean drivers licence bearing Muzanenhamos face and Mr Mundembes details.

They also recovered two fake Zimbabwean drivers licences bearing Francis Ditima and Itai Mawoyos names.

A total of 11 cellphones, mobile phone lines and ATM cards were also recovered from the suspect.

Muzanenhamo implicated Julius Mupome as the one who manufactured the fake IDs. Manica Post
LAWYERS representing about 180 000 Zimbabwean special exemption permit (ZEP) holders in South Africa yesterday said they were planning to mount a fresh appeal to protect their clients rights following the expiry of the documents next week, the Zimbabwe Independent can report.

Anxiety has gripped Zimbabweans in South Africa, with many now fearing that their children learning in that country would be affected in the absence of legal guarantees.

Court papers detailing Zimbabweans concerns will be lodged with the South African courts on Tuesday next week, according to Simba Chitando, an advocate representing Zimbabweans affected by a change of immigration policy in South Africa.

Ahead of the expiry of the SEP documents on December 31, Zimbabweans held a crisis meeting to discuss how they will navigate the aftermath of the deadline.

Chitando, who chaired the virtual meeting that was addressed by Zimbabwes Ambassador to Pretoria David Hamadziripi, said ZEP holders were making frantic efforts to see how to be assisted if applications to stay in that country are turned down.

Under the plan announced by the South African government last month, ZEP holders will get a one-year grace period to regularise their stay in South Africa, after which those whose applications would have failed are required to return home.

However, there is no guarantee that all of them will be successful, and, for many of them, the thought of returning home to face an imploding economy has been difficult.

In an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent yesterday, Chitando confirmed that his team was mounting an urgent application.

The court application has to do with making sure that the South African government guarantees the rights of ZEP holders after December 31, 2021, Chitando said.

I can also confirm that I chaired a meeting between the Zimbabwean Ambassador and leaders of the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit Holder Association, together with other prominent leaders in both the ZEP community and Zimbabwean civil society, Chitando told the Independent.

Media reports have indicated that Zimbabwe was engaging the South African government to find solutions that would mitigate the effects of Pretorias decision on the livelihoods of those affected.

The meeting dealt with a diverse range of issues, including, but not limited to passports, Zimbabwean court orders being applied in South Africa and the rights of Zimbabwean children in South African schools, Chitando said.

His excellency ambassador Hamadziripi answered the questions that the leaders of the ZEP community asked, he said.

The community also indicated that they understood the position that the Zimbabwean government cannot interfere with the sovereign decisions by the South African government, but would engage the host government on issues that concern Zimbabweans, he said.

The ZEP holders are also aware of the fact that the South African Constitution is the highest law of the land; it is sovereign over that territory; and that they have a right to challenge any executive decision made by the executive branch of the South African government, which is what the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit Holders Association is doing.

The ZEP community accepted the Zimbabwean missions invitation to have further dialogue on any issues of concern to Zimbabweans. This includes discussions on assistance to ZEP holders who are unsuccessful with applications for alternative legal status after the ZEP, and or, in the event that the South African courts arrive at an unfavourable judgement.

Chitando said the litigation initiated by the ZEP community will proceed at the same time as all other diplomatic and political endeavours.

He expressed confidence that ZEP holders rights would get protection.

The South African media on Tuesday quoted an unnamed Zimbabwean government official saying Harare respected South Africas decision not to renew the permits but was engaging Pretoria to find solutions to limit the damage on the livelihoods of those affected.

Its a sovereign decision by the Republic of South Africa to now terminate those permits, and as the government of Zimbabwe we do respect that decision to terminate.

We have always known that there was that clause which was going to end in those permits, so we really do respect that decision by South Africa, said a Zimbabwean official in an interview with Newzroom Afrika.

South Africa is free just like any other country to make immigration laws for their own country and other countries are supposed to respect that decision.

However, we are working with the South African government to minimise the disruptions to our citizens, especially in the implementation of the new regime in South Africa.

The first Zimbabwean special dispensation started in 2009 and was called the Dispensation for Zimbabwe Permit and it provided for the documentation of qualifying Zimbabweans for a five-year period.

In 2014, the dispensation was extended by three years and called the Zimbabwean Special Permit and the current ZEP was initiated in 2017 and comes to an end on December 31, 2021.

The South African cabinet last month resolved not to extend the special permits adding that holders would be required to apply for regular permits within the next 12 months.

Zimbabweans without new permits are expected to travel back home or risk immediate deportation from South Africa.

However, organisations and individuals who are against the South African cabinet decision have argued that Zimbabwe remained a country in turmoil which continues to experience serious economic and political challenges and violence.

They further argued that the special dispensation covered a timespan of over a decade and many Zimbabweans had built their families, lives and homes in South Africa.

Approximately half a million children will be affected by the cabinet decision and the organisations argue that this could result in severe trauma through uprooting them from their lives in South Africa.

They noted that the children will be exposed to trauma and suffering in Zimbabwe while the resolution undermines the best interests of the child principle enshrined in South Africas Constitution.

A coalition of civil society organisations recently wrote a petition to South African Home Affairs minister Aaron Motsoaledi seeking clarification on issues including the immigration status of the ZEP holders after the December 31 expiry date.

The CSOs also enquired on whether the 12-months grace period would be extended to those who submitted applications before December 31 but fail to receive the outcome of their applications before the end of the grace period.

The organisations also sought to understand whether former asylum seekers would be permitted to apply for asylum and what steps the Home Affairs Department would take to disseminate the information to the affected Zimbabweans.

Motsoaledi has not responded to the petition. Zimbabwe Independent
Bangui, Central African Republic (PAN) - The Central African Republics Special Criminal Court (SCC) has announced it will send its first case to frial, a significant moment in the difficult effort to see justice for heinous abuses committed in the most recent conflicts in the country, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has announced
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The Delhi Police have arrested five people for allegedly trying to blackmail Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Misra Teni, an official said on Friday.

"Five people, including four from Noida and one from Seeraspur in Delhi, were arrested in this matter for making extortion calls," the official told IANS.

The complaint was lodged by the Personal Assistant of the Union Minister, saying that he received phone calls from some unidentified people demanding money.

The Police is yet to furnish details about why they tried to blackmail Teni.
Berlin, Germany -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/24/2021 -- Over the past decade the German economy has experienced an impressive boom thanks to the impact of globalisation. However, the pandemic has caused many issues, especially because German businesses now rely on a complex international network of supply chains. That network was once the momentum for growth but, over the past year or so, has proved to be a serious vulnerability. As a result, more than half of German companies doing business abroad are now struggling with supply chains or logistics problems. Shortages, such as those affecting the supply of semiconductors and other industry components, are some of the most obvious. For many businesses these issues have been gradually getting worse - 14% of members surveyed by DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce said that supply chain issues were now worse than in the spring. This is going to mean a strategic shift for many businesses, shortening delivery routes, diversifying suppliers and taking steps to relocate production.



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Using a transmission electron microscope, a team of materials scientists led by the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics in Japan and the Queensland University of Technology has created a carbon nanotube transistor thats 25,000 smaller than the width of a human hair.

Transistors, which are used to switch and amplify electronic signals, are often called the building blocks of all electronic devices, including computers.

The computer industry has been focused on developing smaller and smaller transistors for decades, but faces the limitations of silicon.

In recent years, researchers have made significant steps in developing nanotransistors, which are so small that millions of them could fit onto the head of a pin.

In this work, we have shown it is possible to control the electronic properties of an individual carbon nanotube, said senior author Professor Dmitri Golberg, a researcher with the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics at Japans National Institute for Materials Science and the Centre for Materials Science and School of Chemistry and Physics at the Queensland University of Technology.

In the research, Professor Golberg and his colleagues created a tiny transistor by simultaneously applying a force and low voltage which heated a carbon nanotube made up of a few layers until outer tube shells separate, leaving just a single-layer nanotube.

The heat and strain then changed the chirality of the nanotube, meaning the pattern in which the carbon atoms joined together to form the single-atomic layer of the nanotube wall was rearranged.

The result of the new structure connecting the carbon atoms was that the nanotube was transformed into a transistor.

The research demonstrated the ability to manipulate the molecular properties of the nanotube to fabricated nanoscale electrical device, said first author Dr. Dai-Ming Tang, a researcher with the International Centre for Materials Nanoarchitectonics at Japans National Institute for Materials Science.

Semiconducting carbon nanotubes are promising for fabricating energy-efficient nanotransistors to build beyond-silicon microprocessors.

However, it remains a great challenge to control the chirality of individual carbon nanotubes, which uniquely determines the atomic geometry and electronic structure.

In this work, we designed and fabricated carbon nanotube intramolecular transistors by altering the local chirality of a metallic nanotube segment by heating and mechanical strain.

The research in demonstrating the fundamental science in creating the tiny transistor was a promising step towards building beyond-silicon microprocessors, Professor Golberg said.

The teams work was published in the journal Science.

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Dai-Ming Tang et al. 2021. Semiconductor nanochannels in metallic carbon nanotubes by thermomechanical chirality alteration. Science 374 (6575): 1616-1620; doi: 10.1126/science.abi8884
With a skull size of 2 m (6.6 feet) and an estimated body size of 17 m (56 feet), the newly-identified ichthyosaur species is the largest animal discovered from the Middle Triassic epoch (242-244 million years ago). Named Cymbospondylus youngorum, the giant marine reptile existed at most 8 million years after the emergence of the first ichthyosaurs, suggesting a much more rapid size expansion that may have been fueled by processes after the Permian mass extinction.

Ichthyosaurs were a successful group of large marine reptiles for most of the Mesozoic Era.

These creature first appeared in the oceans after the Permian mass extinction, about 248 million years ago (Early Triassic epoch), and became extinct in the early Late Cretaceous epoch, 90 million years ago.

They breathed air like dolphins and whales, had a streamlined body for moving through the water, large eyes for improved vision at depth, an elongated skull with jaws full of conical teeth, suited for catching fish and squid.

Like modern orca or great white sharks, they may have been apex predators of their ecosystems, but until recently there has been little direct evidence of this.

Ichthyosaurs derive from an as yet unknown group of land-living reptiles and were air-breathing themselves, said Dr. Martin Sander, a paleontologist at the University of Bonn and the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

From the first skeleton discoveries in southern England and Germany over 250 years ago, these fish-saurians were among the first large fossil reptiles known to science, long before the dinosaurs, and they have captured the popular imagination ever since.

The well-preserved skull of Cymbospondylus youngorum  along with part of the backbone, shoulder, and forefin  were recovered from the Fossil Hill Member in the Augusta Mountains of Nevada, the United States.

The fossil remains date back to the Middle Triassic epoch, representing the earliest case of an ichthyosaur reaching epic proportions.

Cymbospondylus youngorum evolved merely 2.5 million years after the appearance of the oldest proposed ichthyosaur relative, which was less than a meter in size, and at most 8 million years after the emergence of the group, suggesting a rapid evolution in body size.

The elongated snout and conical teeth suggest that the animal preyed on squid and fish, but its size meant that it could have hunted smaller and juvenile marine reptiles as well.

As researchers, we often talk about similarities between ichthyosaurs and cetaceans, but rarely dive into the details, said Dr. Jorge Velez-Juarbe, associate curator of mammalogy at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Thats one way this study stands out, as it allowed us to explore and gain some additional insight into body size evolution within these groups of marine tetrapods.

The researchers found that while both cetaceans and ichthyosaurs evolved very large body sizes, their respective evolutionary trajectories toward gigantism were different.

Ichthyosaurs had an initial boom in size, becoming giants early on in their evolutionary history, while whales took much longer to reach the outer limits of huge.

They also found a connection between large size and raptorial hunting and a connection between large size and a loss of teeth.

Ichthyosaurs initial foray into gigantism was likely thanks to the boom in ammonites and jawless eel-like conodonts filling the ecological void following the end-Permian mass extinction, they said.

While their evolutionary routes were different, both whales and ichthyosaurs relied on exploiting niches in the food chain to make it really big.

A paper on the findings was published today in the journal Science.

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P. Martin Sander et al. 2021. Early giant reveals faster evolution of large body size in ichthyosaurs than in cetaceans. Science 374 (6575); doi: 10.1126/science.abf5787
Just two weeks after launch, NASAs Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft has returned its first images from space.

DART is the first-ever mission dedicated to investigating and demonstrating one method of asteroid deflection by changing an asteroids motion in space through kinetic impact.

Its target is the binary, near-Earth asteroid system Didymos, composed of the roughly 780-m- (2,560-foot) diameter Didymos and the smaller, approximately 160-m- (530-foot) size moonlet Dimorphos, which orbits Didymos. DART will impact Dimorphos to change its orbit within the binary system.

DART launched November 24, 2021, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the United States.

After the violent vibrations of launch and the extreme temperature shift to minus 80 degrees Celsius in space, members of the DART team held their breath in anticipation.

Because components of the spacecrafts telescopic instrument are sensitive to movements as small as 5 millionths of a meter, even a tiny shift of something in the instrument could be very serious.

On December 7, DART popped open the circular door covering the aperture of its Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical navigation (DRACO) and, to everyones glee, streamed back the first image of its surrounding environment.

Taken about 3.2 million km (2 million miles) from Earth  very close, astronomically speaking  the image shows about a dozen stars, crystal-clear and sharp against the black backdrop of space, near where the constellations Perseus, Aries and Taurus intersect.

The DART team used the stars in the image to determine precisely how DRACO was oriented, providing the first measurements of how the camera is pointed relative to the spacecraft.

With those measurements in hand, the team could accurately move the spacecraft to point DRACO at objects of interest, such as Messier 38, also known as the Starfish Cluster, that DART captured in another image on December 10.

Located in the constellation Auriga, Messier 38 lies some 3,480 light-years from Earth.

Intentionally capturing images with many stars like Messier 38 helps the researchers characterize optical imperfections in the images as well as calibrate how absolutely bright an object is  all important details for accurate measurements when DRACO starts imaging the spacecrafts destination.

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This article is based on text provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Following excerpts adapted from The Sh*t, They Never Taught You published by What You Will Learn

You are among the wealthiest people in the entire world. The average world income is five thousand dollars. Are you higher than that? Then youre in the top 50%.

Secret 1: Remember The Lottery

The biggest lottery in history was a January 2016 Powerball, with a jackpot of a touch under $1.586 billion. Three tickets hit the right numbers. The Robinson family of Tennessee rolled up with their dog to pick up their novelty check. In their tattered clothes and scruffy hair, the lucky bastards walked out with $528 million. Their life had changed forever. They could be whoever they wanted to be and do whatever they wanted to do for the rest of their lives.

Imagine if you won that lottery.

Now imagine if you won the lottery 100 days in a row! Life would be a dream, and you could finally live happily ever after.

Well, youve already won the lottery. In fact, the amount of luck youve received to get to where you are now took the equivalent of winning the lottery a billion times over.

Dont believe us? Lets do the math.

The first lottery you won was that planet Earth can support life. The anthropic principle says there were so many variables throughout the entire history of the universe that had to be just right for us to get to where we are today. A 0.001% change in the proportion of gases a billion years ago and none of us would be here.

The second lottery you won was being born into a species that dominates the planet. You could be a poor antelope chewing grass on the savannah, not hearing the lion sneaking up behind you about to rip your leg off. You could be a lab rat, bred specifically to be tortured every day to learn more about the science of pain. You could be a dairy cow, getting artificially inseminated by cold machines to produce milk all year round. But luckily for you, you were born a human.

The third lottery you won was being born today. You couldve been born centuries ago, in a time without medicine where a little cut could become infected and youd die a few days later.

The fourth lottery you won was that your great-great-great-grandparents took a liking to each other and got a little frisky one night. If any of your thousands of ancestors didnt happen to meet, or any of the millions of other sperm made it to the egg before yours did, you wouldnt be here today.

The fifth lottery you won is that youre still living. Out of the 108 billion humans that have ever lived, there are less than 8 billion alive today. If your heart's still beating, thats reason enough to be happy.

The sixth lottery you won was to be born into relative comfort. You might look up to the big dogs in your country and cry poor on your measly salary, but youre ignoring the rest of the world. A billion people are living in poverty. The average worldwide wage is about $5,000. If youre making $50,000 a year, you might only be in the top 50% of your country, but youre in the top 0.5% of the world. Youre making more than 99.5% of the rest of the people on the planet.

This is just a taste to help you put things into perspective. Just to get to where you are, to be alive in the first place, the odds are so low we cant even calculate it. Yet we still feel we dont have enough.

Remember how lucky you are to be here. Remember the lottery.

Secret 2: Be Happy First

Most people think the path to success looks like this:

Great Work -> Big Success -> Be Happy

Study Hard -> Great Job -> Be Happy

Work Overtime -> Get Promoted -> Be Happy

The idea is that if we do all of the right things now, then at some magical point in the future well be happy. If we trudge through the mud and the slime, if we get battered and bruised by the storm, then once the sun comes out the other side well find our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

But this model is broken.

We find ourselves in a never-ending loop between step one and step two, never allowing ourselves to get to that all-important step three. We work overtime to get a promotion, but rather than being happy, we just go back to working overtime to get the next promotion. We learn new skills to get a good job, but rather than being happy, we go back to learning the next set of skills. We work hard, achieve our big success, then go straight back to work on the next project. We never get to happiness. Why stop at that college degree when you can keep studying and get a masters? Why stop at a Director when you could work a little harder and become a Vice President? Why stop at one investment property when you could keep working and keep saving to buy a second? We keep pushing happiness further and further away.

Thankfully, there is a simple solution. We just need to flip the equation around: Be Happy First. Heres what your new path should look like:

Be Happy -> Great Work -> Big Success

Harvard Business Review reported that happy people are 31% more productive, make 37% more sales and are three times more creative than their non-happy colleagues. Maybe weve got it all wrong: perhaps its not success that leads to happiness, but our happiness that leads to success. Happier people are better at work and progress further in their careers. Theyre better at home and better in their relationships. So we should all just be happy all the time.

This is easy to say: be happy. But we know that its not quite that simple in reality. Thats because our perception of happiness is out of whack. Happiness does not mean the absence of negative thoughts. We all have negative thoughts! There is no such thing as an eternal optimist - negative self-talk always creeps in. So the problem is not that we have negative thoughts in our brain - the problem is that we think we shouldnt have negative thoughts.

If youre looking for a problem to solve, youre going to find a problem. Instead of always looking for what is wrong with our life, why dont we focus on what is right for a change? Be happy first.

Secret 3: The Third Bucket

Each week is 168 hours long. We can divide our time into three buckets of roughly equal size. Lets put a bucket toward sleep. Then lets put one towards work. That means weve got a third bucket left over. We have 56 hours left in the week to do whatever we want.

You probably think you need more, but 56 hours a week should be plenty. Buckets one and two - sleeping and working - are precisely the things we need to give us the time/energy/money/structure to do whatever we want in bucket three. But most people waste it!

I (Ashto) went to Melbourne High School. Its a select entry school where you have to sit an exam to get in, and you can only get in if you score in the top 2% of the state. Our school typically finishes second in the high school rankings, only losing out to our sister school (the all-girls school seems to trump our all-boys school every single year!). Students go on to study the top university courses and join the top professions - medicine, dentistry, law, finance, engineering.

One of my mates went into management consulting. Every Monday morning he flies to a different city to visit a client, returns late on a Friday night, then spends all of Saturday writing up his reports and recommendations from the week. Another mate went into law and a high-powered legal firm. Most days he works from about 7 am to 9 pm, plus a couple of hours on the weekend to make up for anything he couldnt get done during the week. Both of these blokes are living in small one-bedroom apartments in an inner-city high rise.

Where is their third bucket? Theyre making about $120k a year, but have to work 80-hours a week without many breaks to get it. That works out to about $28 an hour. Plus, theyre both pretty miserable and hate their jobs.

Compare this to my brother, Nigel. He also went to the same school, but took a very different approach to most: he became a primary school teacher. He loves it! He gets to impact the lives of kids at a crucial age. He moved to the bush because he disagreed with the messages the city schools were drilling into their susceptible children. After just two years in the workforce, he bought his first house because house prices in the country are less than half of what they would cost in the city and his cost of living was much lower. Every day hes home by 4pm and he is done. His work doesnt bleed into the evening, and it doesnt bleed into the weekend. Primary schools in Australia have four terms of roughly 10-weeks each, so he gets around 12-weeks a year of holidays. When you factor in the salary, the hours of work, and the number of holidays, Nigel is making about $28 an hour too! And he loves what he gets to do every day. His third bucket is fuller than most, giving him the freedom to do whatever he wants all night and all weekend.

If happiness is the goal, you must identify the right path for you. Some people just look at the yearly salary their job provides them. But its important to look at the hourly wage too, factoring in the effect on the third bucket. If bucket two (work) is creeping into bucket three (everything else you want to do), then your happiness will suffer. If youre working so hard that you dont have the time or the energy you need to enjoy the third bucket, your priorities might need a realignment.

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Copyright  2021 by Adam Jones and Adam Ashton.
No minister in the cabinet has to do more with the implementation of One Country One Law concept than Ali Sabry.

by Rohana R. Wasala

Addressing a gathering of jurists in Sinhala at a function in Colombo, justice minister Ali Sabry said (December 12): To me as minister for justice, and to us all as citizens of this country, people are the most important factor. It is because of them that this (legal) profession exists; judges sit because of them. Ultimately, the interest of the people must take priority over everything (else). I dont think I will (Ali Sabry chuckled as he said this) seek to go to parliament again. I state this without any fear.. I will revert to my preferred occupation, that of supporting the judiciary. We know that some laws of this country have not been updated for over a hundred years. This task (of modernising outdated laws) is our key focus Some thirty committees are engaged in this work (at present).. Then the minister talked about the perennial problem of laws delays. He claimed that even the Mahanayake Thera, when he called on him, asked him to do something about the monks having to visit courts frequently (due to the slowness of court procedures): Well introduce a small claims court as found in other countries; cases that involve less than (Rs) 2 million need no prolonged examination of evidence, except in special instances. A method for resolving these cases through an affidavit system will be put in place. This is to relieve pressure on the district courts. (Explanations in parentheses are mine. I hope I have interpreted the ministers meaning correctly. C.O.O.L in the title is a re-arranged acronym for One Country One Law)

Mohamed Uvais Mohamed Ali Sabry, PC, and the current Minister of Justice in Sri Lanka

The present ruling alliance, the SLPP, led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa sought election on the main platform of One Country One Law. However sincerely both reached out to the Tamil and Muslim minorities,and had never practiced discrimination against them in the past, the level of support expected from them was not forthcoming.This was due to the influence that certain communalist Tamil and Muslim politicians exercise over those minorities. It was a fact that the two brothers came to power chiefly on the strength of the SLPP-ideology-inspired Sinhala votes. But, as could be expected, they assured the minorities that their interests would not be ignored in any way; they invited all of them to participate in nation building with the majority community. Steps were taken to ensure that Tamils and Muslims are fully represented in the administration. The key ministry of justice was given by the president to national list MP Ali Sabry. No minister in the cabinet has to do more with the implementation of One Country One Law concept than Ali Sabry.

Surprisingly, he is now talking as if he has forgotten that all important (at least purportedly so) goal of the government, for which it got the strongest ever electoral mandate. One may think that Ali Sabry is having the last laugh! He implies that even the monks, the most vehement advocates of One Country One Law, are now only complaining about the chronic problem of laws delays, which, of course, is not a political issue! The One Country One Law ideal involves politics, as it is opposed by a minority of communal and religious extremists.

The appointment of a whistleblower Buddhist monk, who had earned a bad reputation due to his own lack of basic self-restraint and discipline (in spite of his cause being a genuine justifiable one), as head of a presidential task force is as questionable and as irrational as the presidents later appointment of a trade union leader monk as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo; but that is a different matter. Bracketing Ali Sabry with the controversial monk could not be accidental. Though the two are handling closely allied subjects, they are diametrically opposed to each other in their education, religious beliefs, and personal attributes. Probably they were coupled together to neutralize each other, or just to make a mockery of the One Country One Law project.

But extremists are a vanishing tribe nowadays, for there are signs that indicate that these communalists will go out of circulation by the time of the next elections, replaced by the emerging progressive younger generation of Tamil and Muslim politicians, just as the old guard politicians of the two major national parties will be ousted by an alliance of smaller patriotic parties and groups led by a refurbished JVP further strengthened by the return to its fold of its earlier stalwarts,and also accompanied by a rejuvenation of its leadership. The concluding paragraph of an article of mine entitled JVP at a crossroads published in The Island Midweek Review on March 7, 2018 was as follows: The JVP must take a long, hard look at its wasteful past and subject itself to serious reform as a party. It must get rid of its outdated ideologies and outmoded leaders. It must not condemn the voters as idiots for not voting for them. Most important, the JVPers must find political allies with whom they can coexist and serve the nation.

(I would now use the term save for serve in the last sentence.)

I imagine that such a broad alliance will absorb emerging young political activists of all communities including Uvindu Wijeweera (son of JVP founder Rohana Wijeweera), Amith Weerasinghe, Dan Priyasad, Arun Siddhartan et al, and non-extremist ordinary young Muslim, and ex-Muslims such as Rishvin Ismath (who has fearlessly appeared on national TV channels, speaking against Islamists, risking his life for the sake of the country). Such a winning alliance must have the last laugh. The One Country One Law ideal must be left for them to realise.

That was a sort of anticipatory digression. Let me return to the Ali Sabry factor that is the subject of this piece. A retrospective survey is necessary at this point. About a year ago,

Media secretary Viraj Abeysinghe of the Ministry of Health issued a press statement warning against spreading false information allegedly concocted by certain politicians and websites regarding the subject of whether to bury or burn the bodies of persons who had succumbed to the COVID-19 infection (lankacnews-Sinhala/December 28, 2020). It notified that the Ministry was turning its attention to some politically motivated fake news stories featuring powerful politicians connected with the government. The statement further said that for the time being (daenata) cremation alone was done on the instructions of all the expert reports received by the Ministry until then. Very much the same news was carried in Hiru TV News (9:55 pecember 27, 2020). We felt that this, despite the provisionality expressed by daenata, was signalling an end to needlesslym/D prolonged dilly-dallying on the part of the authorities about an issue where evidence-based science ought to have had the last word.

Interviewed by two You Tube channels (Hari TV/Lahiru Mudalige/December 16 and Konara Vlogs/Avishka Konara/December 23, 2020) Ali Sabry PC, Minister of Justice, stressed that his struggle was to build bridges rather than walls between the communities. For over eight months by then he had been advocating burial of bodies of Muslims who had died of Covid-19, ignoring the decree of the competent authority, the DGHS (Director General of Health Services). The DGHS was acting on the advice of the local experts who knew best what was suitable for our country in the then existing context, i.e., cremation. The reputed lawyer was the legal consultant of (current president) Gotabaya Rajapaksa at least for fifteen years from the latters defence secretary days; he had successfully defended the latter against false charges of various kinds fabricated by political opponents. Sabrys aim of establishing intercommunal harmony had been laudable, and he might be sincere in his efforts in that direction, but how sincere was yet to be demonstrated. This was because it was puzzling that he repeatedly warned that young Muslims were likely to be pushed towards extremism by what theyd perceive as a denial of their right to freedom of religion if the health authorities did not allow the burial of bodies of Muslims claimed by Covid-19. His totally nonsensical stand on the sensitive issue (that had to be left for science, but not religion, to resolve) was likely to give a fillip to extremists and other miscreants opposed to the government to create trouble. M.L.A,M. Hizbullah, State minister and later Eastern Provincial governor under the previous yahapalanaya, made a similar warning, which was not warranted by the then prevailing ground realities, not long before the 2019 April 21 Easter Sunday terror bombings by Islamists.

During the first interview mentioned above, Ali Sabry made the patently false claim that the Aluthgama and Digana incidents drove young Muslims to extremism, whereas the truth was the reverse of that, as borne out by evidence. (These incidents must be investigated even belatedly to discover the factual situation that then obtained. The disastrous policy of political correctness that led to the submergence of the truth on those occasions then seemed to be at work once again.) Sabry referred to how the UK responded to incidents of Islamic extremist violence as a model to follow in dealing with the same problem in Sri Lanka: the UK government reached out to the mainstream Muslim minority and acted to win their confidence and support in order to contain Islamic extremism in that country. That was a false analogy. He implied that Sri Lanka had to do the same (as if Sri Lanka has not been doing exactly that for centuries) or we must kill all Muslims and put them into the sea! (The violent imagery in his speech was an indication of the commotion in his own mind resulting from his subliminal awareness of guilt as he felt compelled to lie in that situation for political expediency within his own community. His persistent advocacy of burial against the lawful directives of the DGHS revealed his anxiety to avoid displeasing pious Muslims who insisted on burying their dead as per strict Muslim funeral rites.) It was reported that he threatened to resign from his ministerial post on this issue, but that he was persuaded to stay on, which to the genuinely concerned sounded fishy, no doubt.

Ali Sabry had been sounding the warning mentioned above (about possible unrest among Muslim youth over the no burial only cremation problem since early April 2020. He apparently believed that he was undergoing a sort of public trial by being blamed by both the Muslim community on the one hand who felt aggrieved by the compulsory cremation rule imposed on all citizens by the health authorities for the safe disposal of bodies of Covid-19 victims and the numerically strong nationalist faction on the other led by the monks, who insisted] that the rule should not be relaxed to satisfy the whims of one particular group of people thereby endangering the lives of the whole population through the possible release of the still inadequately understood novel coronavirus from the interred bodies to the countrys water table, which, in many places in Sri Lanka, is not very deep, and lies close to the surface. The controversial Gnanasara Thera (who is now heading the presidential task mentioned) was an exception: he spoke up for Muslims who wanted to bury; the monk said that the Muslims demand for burial should be allowed.

Ali Sabry should know better than most that there has been no lack of reaching out to the mainstream Muslim minority either by the majority community or by the successive governments. Muslims as a community are mainly engaged in business. Seventy-five per cent of their customer base comprises Sinhalese, making it possible for Muslim businesses to thrive normally, though theres been just condemnation, among the citizenry including the majority Sinhalese, of worsening Islamist extremism in recent years. Be that as it may, it is not simply because Sabry had served president Gotabaya in the past as his implicitly trusted personal legal service provider that he was made a national list MP by the SLPP and honoured and empowered with such a very important key portfolio.

One country One law was the rallying cry that inspired patriotic Sri Lankans at both the presidential and parliamentary elections to vote for the SLPP, which won with the largest margins. As minister of justice Sabry has been entrusted with the task of supervising the making of a new constitution that is designed to achieve that epoch making change (namely, One Country, One Law) among other things. Gotabaya made no bones about the fact that he won the presidency almost exclusively on the strength of Sinhalese votes, as already hinted above; most Muslims and Tamils chose not to respond positively to his call for support at the presidential election. His bluntness was a reflection of his characteristic candour, which had then not been compromised by the hypocrisy of political correctness, his older brothers blunt weapon, that fails more often than it succeeds. But Gotabaya did not hold any grudge against those who rejected him, for in the same breath president elect Gotabaya said that he was elected as president of all the citizens of the country and that he would serve in that post without discriminating against any citizen. There is no doubt about the fact that he meant what he said. By appointing Ali Sabry to the powerful post of Minister of Justice, the president incidentally reassured the Muslims that he would not exclude them from his vision of prosperity and splendour for the nation.

But Ali Sabry did not budge an inch from his original unqualified opposition to the mandatory burning of bodies of Muslim victims of Covid-19 over which he expressed his disappointment in a Facebook post, something mentioned in an Al Jazeera news report/April 3, 2020, with the authorities decision which, he alleged, ignored the WHO guidelines that allow both burial and cremation. Were we to believe that our experts chose to overlook the WHO guidelines without a rational explanation? Sabry deliberately ignored the various reservations that clearly qualified the WHO guidelines, leaving the authorised specialists of any member country to modify those recommendations as appropriate for local conditions and ground realities. The basic assumption that he seemed to be operating on, regarding the burial problem, was wrong. For all intents and purposes, he pretended to wrongly believe that the health authorities insisted on making no exception for Muslim dead in this case because that was what the monks wanted. Ali Sabry was the last person that rational people would expect to demand that Muslims should be allowed to bury their loved ones dead from the novel coronavirus while cremation was the only safe method ordered by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS).

This is not a happy thing to say about arguably the most important and influential minister in the cabinet, being the closest companion of the president, next to the prime minister, who is the presidents own brother. It was inconceivable how Ali Sabry was capable of (no doubt unintentionally) justifying the berserk behaviour of some virus-infected Muslims (as seen in their show of insubordination, noncooperation, physical harassment of the health workers trying to help them including spitting at them (with the malicious intention of spreading the infection); cases were reported of some Covid-19 positive tested individuals spitting out of the windows of buses carrying them to quarantine centres in vicious attempts to spread dreaded infection). Such demonstration of unprovoked anger is based on the false pretext of alleged discrimination against them by the government in the matter of mandatory cremation of Corona dead as prescribed by the responsible health experts to prevent the escape of the deadly virus with many unknowns into the environment. The virus is no respecter of peoples religious sensitivities. If the Director General of Health determined that cremation was the only option for Sri Lanka in the prevailing emergency, all citizens were obliged to accept that and act accordingly.

Why didnt Ali Sabry make an effort to explain to the agitating Muslims and to the misinformed Muslim world in general, who have never been enemies of Sri Lanka, that this blown-out-of-proportion controversy over the burial or cremation issue had nothing to do with the monks or the government or the health authorities or the army and police officers (the last mentioned having been co-opted into the Covid containment operation only as ancillary personnel employed for a strictly logistical purpose to serve under the DGHS, the government appointed competent authority, who gives leadership to the whole enterprise, which involves every single citizen of the country).

The cremation imperative was not an arbitrary decision taken by the government to spite the Muslim minority under pressure from the monks as misleadingly suggested by the hostile foreign NGO elements, Islamists, a handful of misguided Muslims, and the irresponsible SJB-led opposition. The DGHS was not acting capriciously either; his recommendations were based on a scientific rationale collectively defined by a group of experts belonging to a number of different but relevant fields of study in the best interest of all resident Sri Lankans and foreign visitors. Ali Sabry seemed to be more concerned about remaining in the good books of the handful of Islamists and their sympathisers than about the feelings of the ninety-five per cent of the population who are against them. Was he in the thrall of the five percent? The fate of the goal of One Country One Law under Ali Sabry as Minister of Justice is not difficult to guess.
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/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



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Pollution from Solar Panel installations PV magazine reports SolarEdge, Growatt have been found in breach of Swedish electromagnetic rules, some products have been banned from sale



The article says:



The Swedish Electrical Safety Agency has ruled that some SolarEdge optimizers and one string inverter from Growatt do not meet its electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements  halting their sale in the country. SolarEdge expressed surprise at the banning and claims that the complaints filed with the Electrical Safety Agency came from a handful of amateur radio operators.



The Swedish Electrical Safety Agency has ruled that some SolarEdge optimizers and one string inverter from Growatt do not meet its electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements  halting their sale in the country. The agency had recently inspected inverters and optimizers from eleven different PV power electronics suppliers. The inspections were carried out to check as to whether the equipment meet the country's electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements



The agency found that three companies were not in compliance with Sweden's current EMC rules. As a result, the manufacturers were banned from selling the products that were found to be in breach in the country.



The inspection was triggered by several reports received by the electrical safety agency, in which photovoltaic systems were said to have disrupted the radio communications of the police, aircraft, and the military.



The ban applies to Israel-based power electronics supplier SolarEdge for a number of its optimizers. Chinese manufacturer Growatt was also found to have fallen foul of the regulators, for its 8000TL3-S inverter series, which in Sweden are distributed by Sunnytek Solar Sweden AB, and a second company that has not been identified yet.



Read the full story at

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/12/23/solaredge-growatt-found-in-breach-of-swedish-electromagnetic-rules-some-products-banned-from-sale/
Im deeply taken by the generosity of this early definition: theres a sympathy there  a sympathy with a house divided against itself  thats utterly lacking in the contemporary sense, wherein bad faith is purposeful malfeasance.

by Edward Snowden

Gospel, a word from Old English, is a compound that means good news. And its gospel thats been in short-supply as we head into the Christmas season. Whenever this fact gets me down, I remember that finding evil, malfeasance, and even suffering in the headlines is just a sign that the press is doing its job. I dont think any of us wants to wake up in the morning and read Everything Going Great! over our egg-nog-spiked chai  though even if we do, we know a headline like that is just an indication of all that's unreported.

Coming into this Christmas season, I find myself beset by odd religious yearningsI say odd, because Im not much of a believer, not in God, not in governments, not in institutions generally. I try to save my faith for people and principles, but that can lead to some lean years in the slaking of spiritual thirst. I can find a way to attribute my stirrings to the ritualism of Covid  the ablutions of sanitizing and masking, the penitent isolation, the what-does-it-all-mean? that comes from confronting powerlessness and the caprice of illness  but a more convincing source might be the novelty of parenthood: religion being a stand-in for tradition in general, I ask myself, what am I going to leave my child? What intellectual and emotional inheritance?

Juan de Valdes Leal, Finis gloriae mundi (1672)

Along with good news, Ive been thinking of bad faith, a phrase that always reminds me of the Thomas Pynchon joke, wherein everything bad becomes a German spa: Bad Kissingen, Bad Kreuznach, Baden-Baden Bad Karma.

Id known the phrase mostly through its legal vintage, but Id started noticing it increasingly applied to politics during the Bush-Obama story arcs: Republicans were always negotiating in bad faith, or operating in bad faith, and it only got worse after that  the phrase only became more prevalent once Trump took office. So I was surprised to find that bad faith has roots far deeper than our common law: male fides, from the Latin. Its usage, which is fascinating to explore, was originally literal: it was used to characterize someone who was practicing the wrong religion. From there it departed into Whitmanesque  but way-pre-Whitmanesque  contradiction. Someone who was in bad faith was divided against themselves; they were of two hearts, or two minds, or more. In this sense, even Jesus might be said to have been in bad faith, being part human and part divine.

Im deeply taken by the generosity of this early definition: theres a sympathy there  a sympathy with a house divided against itself  thats utterly lacking in the contemporary sense, wherein bad faith is purposeful malfeasance. This remains, for me at least, a compelling history to decode: how a phrase that roughly meant unknowingly lying to ones self came to roughly mean knowingly lying to others.

Im sure we all have our favorite (least-favorite) examples of this duplicitous (or multiplicitous) practice  this condition that only later became a practice  but for me, the bad-faith category that takes the fruitcake has always been the bureaucratic legalism most familiar to me. Perhaps a better way to put it would be: those situations where law opposes justice.

You know this phenomenon well, Im sure: the health insurance rep or DMV clerk who says my hands are tied, the police officer or soldier who unironically invokes some of the most evil law-enforcement of last century when they shrug and say, I got my orders, bud, or even those who go on TV to suggest whistleblowers might be protected, if only they would submit themselves to proper channels, which is code for standing on a very particular part of the floor suspended above a tank labeled: DANGER! PIRANHAS.

It was Jesus who begged forgiveness for his crucifiers by saying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, but these excruciating practitioners of bad faith invert the formula: they know exactly what they do, and yet they do it. I wonder if they can even forgive themselves.

This Christmas may well be the last that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will spend outside US custody. On December 10, the British High Court ruled in favor of extraditing Assange to the United States, where he will be prosecuted under the Espionage Act for publishing truthful information. It is clear to me that the charges against Assange are both baseless and dangerous, in unequal measure  baseless in Assanges personal case, and dangerous to all. In seeking to prosecute Assange, the US government is purporting to extend its sovereignty to the global stage and hold foreign publishers accountable to US secrecy laws. By doing so, the US government will be establishing a precedent for prosecuting all news organization everywhere  all journalists in every country  who rely on classified documents to report on, for example, US war crimes, or the US drone program, or any other governmental or military or intelligence activity that the State Department, or the CIA, or the NSA, would rather keep locked away in the classified dark, far from public view, and even from Congressional oversight.

I agree with my friends (and lawyers) at the ACLU: the US governments indictment of Assange amounts to the criminalization of investigative journalism. And I agree with myriad friends (and lawyers) throughout the world that at the core of this criminalization is a cruel and unsual paradox: namely, the fact that many of the activities that the US government would rather hush up are perpetrated in foreign countries, whose journalism will now be answerable to the US court system. And the precedent established here will be exploited by all manner of authoritarian leaders across the globe. What will be the State Departments response when the Republic of Iran demands the extradition of New York Times reporters for violating Irans secrecy laws? How will the United Kingdom respond when Viktor Orban or Recep Erdogan seeks the extradition of Guardian reporters? The point is not that the U.S. or U.K would ever comply with those demands  of course they wouldnt  but that they would lack any principled basis for their refusals.

The U.S. attempts to distinguish Assanges conduct from that of more mainstream journalism by characterizing it as a conspiracy. But what does that even mean in this context? Does it mean encouraging someone to uncover information (which is something done every day by the editors who work for Wikileaks old partners, The New York Times and The Guardian)? Or does it mean giving someone the tools and techniques to uncover that information (which, depending on the tools and techniques involved, can also be construed as a typical part of an editors job)? The truth is that all national security investigative journalism can be branded a conspiracy: the whole point of the enterprise is for journalists to persuade sources to violate the law in the public interest. And insisting that Assange is somehow not a journalist does nothing to take the teeth out of this precedent when the activities for which hes been charged are indistinguishable from the activities that our most decorated investigative journalists routinely engage in.

If youve been tuning into the bad news this past week, youve certainly encountered a version of precisely this question, is Assange an X or a journalist? In this inane formula X can be anything: hacktivist, terrorist, lizard person. It doesnt matter what noun you put into this MadLibs, because the entire exercise is pointless.

This kind of sincere, credulous, smug, and gloating inquiry is just the most recent, just-in-time-for-Christmas, example of in-the-flesh-and-in-the-word bad faith, presented by media professionals who are never in worse faith than when they report on  or pass judgment on  other media.

Obfuscation, withholding, meaning-manipulation, meaning-denial  these are just some of the ways in which some journalists, and not just American journalists, have conspired, yes, conspired to convict Assange in absentia, and, by extension, to convict their own profession  to convict themselves. Or maybe I shouldnt be calling the gelled automatons on Fox, or Bill Maher, journalists, because how often have they done the hard shoe-leather work of cultivating a source, or protecting a sources identity, or communicating securely with a source, or of storing a source's sensitive material securely? All of those activities comprise the soul of good journalism, and yet those are precisely the activities the US government has just sought to redefine as acts of heinous criminal conspiracy.

Two-hearted, two-minded creatures: the media is full of them. And too many have been content to accept the US governments determination that what should properly be the highest purpose of the media  the uncovering of truth, in the face of attempts to hide it  is suddenly in doubt and quite possibly illegal.

That chill in the air this Christmas season? If Assanges prosecution is allowed to continue, it will become a freeze.

Bundle up.
The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) has signed a framework agreement for $150 million with the Government of Turkmenistan.

The framework agreement covers bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade financing for the import of essential commodities, supporting the agriculture and textile sectors, providing access to finance for the private sector, especially SMEs, and support for trade promotion, trade capacity building, and trade cooperation in Turkmenistan in line with the countrys national economic priorities and development plan.

The event took place virtually with Eng Hani Salem Sonbol, Chief Executive Officer of ITFC and Rahimberdi Jepbarov, Chairman of the Board, State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan, and IsDB Governor for Turkmenistan signing for ITFC and the Government of Turkmenistan respectively.

This follows the approval of Turkmenistans membership application to join ITFC at the last ITFC General Assembly in September 2021 held during the IsDB Group annual meeting.

Sonbol said: ITFC remains firmly committed in supporting the socio-economic development of our member countries and this Framework Agreement is a step in that direction. Our support will span over several priority sectors of the Turkmenistan economy with particular focus on post Covid-19 pandemic recovery, trade capacity building and Lines of Financing for SMEs."

Jepbarov added: "Development of trade and economic relations on the regional and global levels, as well as supporting private sector are among high priorities of the Government of Turkmenistan and we see a membership in ITFC as a good platform to enhance inter and intra regional trade activity and to enable our private sector to grow at a faster pace. We are glad to be a member of ITFS as it offers us new opportunities in trade."-- TradeArabia News Service
Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced steady progress on its ambitious Barakah nuclear plant project coming up in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi with the last two units - Units 3 and 4 - in the final stages of commissioning.

Enec is part of ADQ, one of the regions largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabis diversified economy.

The Emirati firm said Unit 3 is already undergoing operational readiness preparations.

The development of the Barakah Plant as a whole is now more than 96 percent complete. When fully operational, the four units of the Barakah Plant will prevent 21 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year for more than 60 years, said senior Enec officials during the inspection tour of the visiting International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi.

Grossi was welcomed by Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi, the Permanent Representative of the UAE to the IAEA, Engineer Ali Al Hammadi, CEO of Nawah Energy Company, the operation and maintenance subsidiary of Enec and Nasser Al Nasseri, the CEO of Barakah One Company.

Grossi commended the Enec team for the major progress that has been made at the Barakah Plant, which is now generating clean electricity and rapidly decarbonizing the Nations power sector with Unit 1 commercially operational.

Grossi also toured Unit 2 of the plant, which was connected to the UAE grid in August and recently achieved 50% power for the first time as part of the power ascension testing prior to commercial operation of the Unit.

"It was very impressive to visit Barakah and see first-hand all what the UAE has achieved over the past decade in becoming the first Arab country to build and operate a nuclear power plant. The world needs nuclear power  and more of it  as an indispensable part of the solution to the climate crisis," remarked the IAEA chief.

"Nuclear is a low-carbon energy source that can also provide round-the-clock baseload power in all types of weather to complement wind and solar. The UAE is one of the 32 countries that currently operate a total of 442 nuclear power reactors around the world, producing about 10 per cent of global electricity and more than a quarter of all low carbon electricity," he stated.

"As countries step up efforts to decarbonize their economies, interest in nuclear power is growing," added Grossi.

Lauding IAEA for its guidance, Al Kaabi said: "It has provided a clear path for the UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy Program to follow that has guided our every step since inception, along with continuous guidance and regular inspections to support the UAE Program since its launch in 2009."

"This support has helped to ensure that the Barakah Plant meets the highest international standards of nuclear safety, security, quality and non-proliferation," he added.

Al Hammadi said: "With the support of the IAEA, the UAE became the first country in the Arab world with a multi-unit operating nuclear plant and is today leading the largest decarbonization effort in the region. The close cooperation with the IAEA contributed significantly to establish the UAE Program as a role model for other new nuclear energy projects globally."

"The Barakah Plant is powering a clean and sustainable future for the UAE by generating abundant clean electricity around the clock to fulfil growing demand while in parallel tackling climate change. We look forward to many more years of cooperation with the IAEA and wider international nuclear energy community," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Water Partnerships Company (SWPC) has issued request for qualifications (RFQs) for the development of the 603-km-long Jubail-Buraidah Independent Water Transmission Pipelines Project with a capacity of 650,000 cu m per day.

The Jubail-Buraidah Independent Water Transmission Pipelines Project will be implemented on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model, said a statement from SWPC.

A total of 32 companies have expressed their interests in the project including 14 Saudi firms, said a statement from SWPC.

The top international companies eyeing the project include Spanish infrastructure majors Acciona and Abengoa Agua; Swiss group Hoffmann Technics; top Korean builder Samsung C&T Corporation and Japan's Marubeni in addition to China's Gezhouba, Harbour Engineering, China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering and Powerchina International.

Among the top Saudi firms in the race are Ajlan & Bros; Al Bawani Water & Power (AWP); Nesma; Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies; Sicim; Arabian Bemco Contracting; Mowah, Tamasuk Holding Company and Tecton Engineering & Construction Saudi Contracting.

The regional heavyweights who have expressed interests in the project are Gulf Investment Corporation and Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting (both from Kuwait); Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa); Bahrain-based Lamar Holding and Egypt's Orascom Construction and Hassan Allam Holding, it stated.

The deadline for submitting the bids has been set at January 24.

This comes as part of the Independent Water Transmission Pipelines Programme (IWTP) which aims to develop a network of potable water transmission systems consisting of pipelines and temporary/terminal storage facilities to provide a connection between consumption centers and desalination plants.

SWPC said the winning bidder will develop the project and then transfer the entire water capacity to the company, in accordance with the Water Transfer Agreement (WTA).

The duration of the water transfer agreement is expected to be 35 years. The firm's obligations under the WTA will be backed by a credit support agreement entered into by the Saudi Ministry of Finance.

For the Jubail-Buraidah project, Synergy Infrastructure Consulting and Financial Advisory Services will be the principal and financial advisor, while Amer Al Amr Law Firm will be the legal advisor and Fitchner the technical advisor.-TradeArabia News Service
Esports Middle East LLC (ESME), a world-leading esports and gaming solutions provider based in the Middle East, has posted a 300% increase in 2021 revenue, driven by more than 16 brand campaigns.

The company has signed service agreements with 16 plus leading brands and publishers including Riot Games, Tencent, Moonton, miHoYo, Lenovo and SteelSeries.

The company had highly successful 2021 season, after numerous highly profitable campaigns run for brands such as Riot Games, Tencent, Moonton, miHoYo, Nvidia and Oppo. In addition, ESME has been named and awarded a certificate as Excellent Service Provider by digital media and telecom giant, Tencent, known for publishing or owning majority stakes in some of the biggest hits in the gaming industry including PUBG Mobile, Honor of King, Fortnite and League of Legends.

ESME, founded in 2014, is an award-winning organisation specialising in league operations, talent management, and broadcast. In the same year, the firm launched the region's first Arabic esports news portal, esports-me.com, followed by its AI-powered esports competition platform, ArabEsports.com, in 2020.

ESME also owns a majority shareholder of Arabia E-Advertising, an Influencer Marketing Agency, supporting their campaign profits with ROI-focused methodology. The company recently received the 2021 Excellent Service Provider award from Tencent for their work done on their IPs.

This newest industry award highlights the industry's admiration for ESME's work in gaming, technology, and media in developing a worldwide services platform for the industry and beyond. As more companies sought to reach a wide gaming audience, ESME had over 16 contracted strategic agreements in 2021, ranging from full league operations to awareness campaigns for games and technology products in the sector. This year alone, over 1,400 videos and branded content were made by their roster of more than 170 content creators, garnering a total of 280 million views and 42 million social media interactions.

Saeed Sharaf, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, ESME said: The Middle East games sector has evolved fast in recent years, becoming more than 16% of gamings global population. We owe this to several international firms investing in the region, and ESME is delighted to work with them, bringing their product to Arab players and nurturing local talents as a catalyst for further growth."

ESME is expected to close its fiscal year with a projected growth rate of over 67% of YOY content views with their ever-expanding list of contracted content creators. The entire team is confident in the long-term direction of the business due to a focused growth in its own IPs, and continuous selection by large brands to do business in 2022.-- TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, Dec 24 (UNI) Among the 183 active patients of Omicron residing in the country, 44 have no history of international travel, with the majority being contacts of patients who travelled abroad, the Union Government said on Friday.

The analysis was presented by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare during a press briefing here.

"In our analysis of 183 Omicron cases, we have found that 121 cases had foreign travel history, while 44 did not have any travel history, but the majority were contacts of those who travelled abroad. The travel history of the remaining 18 is not known so far," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.
TTD EO directs officials to digitize all manuscripts available with TTD, University libraries 06 Jan 2022 | 11:51 PM Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Jan 6 (UNI) Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Executive Officer Dr KS Jawahar Reddy on Thursday directed officials to digitise all manuscripts available with TTD and also in the libraries of universities as per regulations of the National Manuscripts Department. see more..

24th national conference on e-governance 2022 in Hyderabad from Jan 7 06 Jan 2022 | 11:49 PM Hyderabad, Jan 6 (UNI) The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), in association with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Government of Telangana is organising the 24th National Conference on e-governance at Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) here from January 7 to 8. see more..

AP CM assures employees unions to make an announcement on PRC in 3 days 06 Jan 2022 | 11:41 PM Vijayawada, Jan 6 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has held discussion with Joint Staff Council on issues related to Pay Revision Commission (PRC) and assured that he would do as much as he can to benefit the employees and urged them to be practical and lower their expectations. see more..

Development works at the fishing harbour to benefit fishermen: AP Minister Kannababu 06 Jan 2022 | 11:32 PM Kakinada, Jan 6 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Minister for Agriculture, Cooperatives, Marketing and food processing Kurasala Kannababu has said that developmental works would be taken up in fishing harbour and also along the coast to benefit the fishermen. see more..
Washington, Dec 24 (UNI) Two major US airlines have canceled flights ahead of Christmas due to fast-spreading Omicron variant of Covid-19 in the country.

United Air Lines (UAL) and Delta Air Lines (DAL) on Thursday canceled their Christmas eve flights.

The Hill quoted UAL as saying that "were seeing about 120 cancellations planned for Friday."

UAL said in its memo: The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation.

"As a result, weve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport. Were sorry for the disruption and are working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays.

Later, DAL canceled its 93 flights due to multiple issues including the Omicron variant, CNN reports.

UNI RNJ
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Chinese Cultural Center in Ulan Bator celebrates 10th anniversary

 00:00:00



The Chinese Cultural Center in Ulan Bator on Thursday celebrated the 10th anniversary of its establishment.

Officials from China and Mongolia, including Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Chai Wenrui, attended the celebration ceremony.

"People-to-people friendship is the cornerstone of sound state-to-state relations, and heart-to-heart communication holds the key to deeper friendship. Culture exchanges play an important role in promoting mutual understanding between the two countries and friendship between the two peoples," Chai said at the ceremony.

The Chinese ambassador said that he believes the Chinese Cultural Center in Ulan Bator will continue to make more efforts to promote culture and tourism exchanges between China and Mongolia in the future.

During the ceremony, music class students from the Mongolian State Music and Dance Conservatory performed famous Chinese and Mongolian works.
BATON ROUGE, La. - A $10 to $15 passenger train ride between Baton Rouge and New Orleans could be just a year or so away  if all the pieces fall into place.

Canadian Pacific Railway is close to gaining ownership of the train tracks that run between the two cities after its shareholders earlier this month approved a $31 billion takeover of Kansas City Southern, which currently owns the train lines. Canadian Pacific also committed to working with passenger rail operator Amtrak and state and local governments to start the passenger service as soon as possible.

This is the most promise this project has had in a long time, said Bryan Jones, the head of HNTBs Gulf Coast offices, who co-authored a 2014 feasibility study for the project for New Orleans and Baton Rouge. HNTB nationwide is an infrastructure design firm that works with New Orleans and Baton Rouge on various projects.

Along with Canadian Pacific, Amtrak said starting a service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge is a priority in its spending plans. State and local leaders, from Gov. John Bel Edwards to the parish officials along the route, have also thrown their support behind the project.

The key is we now know who all the partners are, said John Spain, executive vice president of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and member of the Southern Rail Commission.

There are still details to be hammered out. But the availability of a $66 billion pot of money for railway improvements through the bipartisan infrastructure bill Congress recently approved makes the long-held dream of a passenger train close to becoming a reality, Spain said.

Were at a point and time now where the funding is in place, Spain said. Yes, it will be competitive. The state will need to apply to get those funds, but its there, and we think we have a very strong case to make for funding this project.

The federal Surface Transportation Board still needs to sign off on the deal between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. But once that happens, service could begin shortly thereafter, Spain said.

Approval of the sale is expected sometime in late 2022, Spain added.

East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome applauded the progress surrounding the project. She said the interconnected nature of Southeast Louisiana makes the passenger line ideal for the region.

I am incredibly encouraged by the expression of support by Canadian Pacific officials for the reintroduction of passenger rail service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Broome said in a statement. This project has been a long time coming but I believe the time is now to make it a reality.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the service could be a vital form of transportation for New Orleans residents evacuating from hurricanes.

This critical connection will expand regional transportation and employment opportunities, and can provide an additional mode of evacuation from forecasted storms, giving residents immediate transit service out of harms way in the event of an emergency, Cantrell said in a statement. This is a win-win for our entire region, connecting communities through transformative infrastructure projects and by improving public safety as we continue to experience faster, more intense storms.

HNTBs 2014 study envisions a trip from Baton Rouge to New Orleans taking an hour to an hour and 20 minutes. The cost of a single trip would be about $10 to $15, according to the study.

Initially, a trip could take slightly longer than HNTBs estimation, Spain said. Completion of the rail improvements is not necessary before service starts because the line already carries freight trains.

The largest single portion of the needed spending identified in a 2014 report on rail link upgrades was $62 million to replace the 1.8-mile wooden rail bridge that crosses the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Freight trains running on that now must slow to 10 miles per hour, which would delay a passenger trip. That may not deter officials from starting the service before the improvements are completed, Spain said.

There are a lot of people who, given the option of a train at a reasonable cost, would do that rather than drive because its predictable, Spain said. We all talk about how we can be in New Orleans in an hour to an hour-and-a-half, but depending on the traffic, it can add another 30 or 45 minutes. A train will be predictable. It wont be backed up in traffic or stopped in a wreck.

A passenger train has not run between Baton Rouge and New Orleans since 1969, when Kansas City Southerns Southern Belle service was discontinued.

Restarting the service has the support of the public. A 2019 poll of voters in Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Orleans, St. James and St. John parishes found 63% would be interested in riding the line.

For more than a decade, area economic development officials have touted a passenger rail connection as a key way to help foster growth in the region. The line would include stops in Baton Rouge at the Electric Depot on Government Street and in the Bluebonnet-Essen-Perkins medical district, in Gonzales, LaPlace and at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, with a terminus at the Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans near the Caesars Superdome.

Previous attempts to start the project have failed, largely due to state lawmakers opposition to using state funds for the rail line. Spain and other supporters of the rail line believe this time will be different because of Canadian Pacifics support  and because some of the federal rail money requires only 20% local matching funding. This means there would be minimal local funding required to start the line.

Canadian Pacific had been battling against a competing offer by Canadian National Railway to buy Kansas City Southern, which had long opposed running passenger trains on the track it owned between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

A key intervention with regulators came in the summer from Amtrak, which opposed Canadian National Railway's offer on the grounds that it would have derailed plans to revive the passenger link and would have reduced freight competition in the region.

Spain argued that the passenger line would draw immediate interest from residents in the region, and ridership would only increase as more people experienced the train for the first time.

If you grew up in a place where there werent trains, then you dont know what the experience is, Spain said. I think part of this is once people understand it is fairly predictable and they can count on it being on time, I think theyll find it useful and a great addition to their options.
Photo taken on Dec. 13, 2021 shows the view of the Hadnam China-Laos Friendship School built with assistance from China Southern Power Grid, in Hadnam, Laos.(Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

by Zhang Jianhua, Phouthaphone Sirivong

VIENTIANE, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two China-Laos friendship schools, built with assistance from China Southern Power Grid (CSG), are transforming education in northern Laos.

Poppy-replacement plantations line the winding road through the mountains of the Golden Triangle to CSG's Nam Tha 1 hydropower plant, 350 km north of Vientiane. Completed in 2018 with an installed capacity of 168 MW, its annual generation is expected to reach 720 GWh while providing green power to more than 2 million people in the border regions of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.

OUTSTANDING INITIATIVE

The plant is the first overseas BOT (build-operate-transfer) hydropower project by CSG under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. Construction of the plant has brought reliable road access to the villages around Hadnam, the center of CSG operations in the area.

In 2020, CSG spent 460,000 U.S. dollars building two new schools in Hadnam and nearby Vanglek.

"I came to teach here in 2003 when there were no permanent buildings and no running water," said Ounkham Phikchaphon, 37, principal of Hadnam School. "The new school building is a great learning environment. We hope to build a high school soon."

The plant not only supplies mains electricity for local people but CSG is committed to actively maintaining good community relationships through various public welfare activities.

The two schools have been highly praised by the Lao side.

In April, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh conferred a special development medal on CSG in recognition of the company's outstanding contribution to local welfare.

"My old classroom had earthen walls and a thatched roof that would leak when it rained. I'm very grateful for this schoolhouse. It's much better than before," said Namlin Sidthideth, a junior middle school student in the Hadnam China-Laos Friendship School.

Namlin's home is 90 km from Hadnam, some student's families live even further away, testament to the importance of the school over a very large area.

"WE LOVE IT"

Vanglek Village School was located directly under the mountain, surrounded on three sides by rugged cliffs. It was small and dangerous.

For the new school, CSG chose a vast grassy area beside the asphalt road The new Vanglek China-Laos Friendship School is beautiful and spacious, with excellent facilities.

Moldanoy Sensoulin, the 36-year-old principal, has taught in the village since 2012. She said the old school was in such a poor condition that it had to close sometimes during bad weather. Two classrooms accommodated only 30 students. The new school is comfortable, and the number of students has increased to more than 100, including a kindergarten.

Khamphai Xaiyaseth, the 57-year-old former chief of Vanglek village, came to see his three grandchildren into school. He shared his joy: "It's great to have this power plant here. Now the school is beautiful and we love it. My grandchildren can study well here and may also become teachers here when they grow up!"

A BETTER CHANCE

Villager Xiengla Khamphamek has a 3-year-old son in the kindergarten. He dropped out of school, but hopes his children will have a better chance than him and go to college. "I feel very grateful to CSG, and to China. They have help us so that the children can study well in school. I am very grateful.

"I want them to learn Chinese and study in China someday," he told reporters. Enditem

Students are seen at Hadnam China-Laos Friendship School built with assistance from China Southern Power Grid, in Hadnam, Laos, Dec. 13, 2021.(Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)
Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a meeting of Egypt's cabinet in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt. Egypt's cabinet on Thursday held its first meeting in the New Administrative Capital, as part of the government's gradual transition to the new capital by the end of December. (Photo by Selman Elotefy/Xinhua)

CAIRO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's cabinet on Thursday held its first meeting in the New Administrative Capital, as part of the government's gradual transition to the new capital by the end of December.

"The meeting discussed political, social and economic files, as well as the latest developments regarding COVID-19 and how to provide vaccines doses to citizens," the government said in a statement.

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli said that "today's meeting is a strong message to the world that Egypt walks steadily towards better future despite challenges."

He said a number of ministries had already received their new buildings, where they would begin a six-month pilot operation.

Being built some 50 km east of the capital Cairo since 2015 on an area of 714 square km, the new administrative capital is planned to accommodate 6.5 million people when completed.

The government had planned to relocate ministries and 52,300 government employees to the new capital by mid-2020, but the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic delayed the move.

"Moving to the new capital is not only a geographic transfer, it means a complete change of the administrative work in the government in light of seeking to promote good governance and digitalizing services," Madbouli added.

In November, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi instructed the government to start relocating public employees to the government district in the new capital for a 6-month experimental phase starting December. Enditem

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (4th L) chairs a cabinet meeting in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt, on Dec. 23, 2021. Egypt's cabinet on Thursday held its first meeting in the New Administrative Capital, as part of the government's gradual transition to the new capital by the end of December. (Photo by Selman Elotefy/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a meeting of Egypt's cabinet in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt. Egypt's cabinet on Thursday held its first meeting in the New Administrative Capital, as part of the government's gradual transition to the new capital by the end of December. (Photo by Selman Elotefy/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a meeting of Egypt's cabinet in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt. Egypt's cabinet on Thursday held its first meeting in the New Administrative Capital, as part of the government's gradual transition to the new capital by the end of December. (Photo by Selman Elotefy/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a meeting of Egypt's cabinet in the New Administrative Capital, Egypt. Egypt's cabinet on Thursday held its first meeting in the New Administrative Capital, as part of the government's gradual transition to the new capital by the end of December. (Photo by Selman Elotefy/Xinhua)
Photo taken on Dec. 22, 2021 shows a view of Shaolin Temple in Zambia, Lusaka, capital of Zambia. (Photo by Martin Mbangweta/Xinhua)

by Elias Shilangwa

LUSAKA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- In an attempt to inculcate Chinese Kungfu and culture among the Zambian citizens, the first-ever Shaolin Temple has been opened in Lusaka, the Zambian capital.

The establishment of the Shaolin Temple is a collaboration between China's Songshan Shaolin Temple and Hua'an (Zambia), a Chinese-run company in Zambia.

Yan Lun, the headmaster of the temple, said the objectives of the project include teaching Shaolin Kungfu, Chinese culture, helping understand the African culture as well as enhancing the China-Africa friendship.

"The influence of Chinese culture in the world is increasing. People abroad want to know more about Chinese culture and learn Chinese culture," he told Xinhua.

Construction works of the temple started in April 2019 and were completed in July 2021. Four monks from the Songshan Shaolin Temple in China are at the Temple to conduct the teachings.

The headmaster, however, said activities at the temple have not yet commenced at full throttle due to the COVID-19 pandemic but expressed happiness at the interest shown by people who have been frequenting the temple.

The project was targeting not only Chinese nationals in Zambia but nationalities from all countries, especially the local people.

Other activities to be conducted at the temple include Shaolin medical education in which people will be taught the theories and methods of traditional Chinese medicine, Shaolin Kungfu exercises.

Others include Zen education meant to help improve people's moral quality through meditation methods to help cultivate a culture of responsibility to the country, to be self-disciplined and be patriotic citizens.

The temple also intends to help the vulnerable in society through various means. Currently, three orphaned children are being kept at the temple.

Max, the only African monk at the temple whose Chinese name is Yan Ming, said it is important for African people to learn the cultures of other countries in order to blend into the global system.

Max, who is from Cote d'Ivoire, said due to his interest in culture while at the university, he decided to go to China in 2015 in order to learn the Chinese culture.

He said learning the Chinese culture has opened to him many things and that the time spent at the Shaolin Temple taught him the importance of self-discipline and respect for mankind.

"We are here to impart to the Zambian people Chinese culture and we hope this will help to build China-Africa relations," he said. Enditem
Afghan Taliban members stand guard on the site where an assailant was shot dead in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 23, 2021. One assailant was shot dead by security personnel outside a government office building in Kabul on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of Interior Affairs said. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- One assailant was shot dead by security personnel outside a government office building in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of Interior Affairs said.

"An assailant was shot and killed by security personnel as he tried to enter the office building of Passport Directorate at mid-day. No casualties took place on the side of security personnel and civilians," deputy to spokesman for Interior Ministry, Mohammad Ezam, told reporters via a text message.

An investigation has been launched into the case.

Eyewitnesses said that an explosion was also heard following the shooting in populated area, in Karta-i-Seh neighborhood in the west of the city.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Over the past months, the capital city was hit by a series of terror attacks staged by militants affiliated with the Islamic State group opposing the Taliban government. Enditem

Afghan Taliban members stand guard on the site where an assailant was shot dead in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 23, 2021. One assailant was shot dead by security personnel outside a government office building in Kabul on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of Interior Affairs said. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Afghan Taliban members are seen on the site where an assailant was shot dead in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 23, 2021. One assailant was shot dead by security personnel outside a government office building in Kabul on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of Interior Affairs said. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Afghan Taliban members stand guard on the site where an assailant was shot dead in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 23, 2021. One assailant was shot dead by security personnel outside a government office building in Kabul on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of Interior Affairs said. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Afghan Taliban members stand guard on the site where an assailant was shot dead in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 23, 2021. One assailant was shot dead by security personnel outside a government office building in Kabul on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of Interior Affairs said. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Afghan Taliban members are seen on the site where an assailant was shot dead in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 23, 2021. One assailant was shot dead by security personnel outside a government office building in Kabul on Thursday, an official of the Ministry of Interior Affairs said. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
by Julia Pierrepont III

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pack a punch in the United States and the Omicron variant causes more infections, more universities in California are wrestling to provide a safe educational environment for their students, faculty and staff.

In a bid to slow the spread, a growing number of universities have chosen to move classes back online for winter.

On Tuesday, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the nation's top public university, and six more undergraduate campuses of University of California (UC), including Riverside and Irvine, announced that classes next term will begin remotely. If the surge of infections continues, a transition back to classroom learning would remain unlikely in the short term.

The 10-campus system of UC, with more than 280,000 students and 227,000 faculty and staff, is also going one step further and requiring all eligible students, faculty and staff to show proof of vaccination and a booster shot. The concern is the Omicron variant, which transmits much more quickly than other variants in the unvaccinated and has demonstrated breakthrough infections, though milder, in some vaccinated as well.

"This new safety protocol will help us to quickly identify the presence of COVID-19 in our community while limiting major disruption of campus activities and reducing the risk of serious complications from COVID-19," the university said in a statement.

"The emergence of this new and fast-moving variant, coupled with student travel to and from campus and the prevalence of gatherings over the holidays, will present our campuses with a unique set of public health challenges as we begin the New Year," UC President Michael V. Drake wrote in a letter addressed to UC Chancellors.

Loyola Marymount, a private university in Los Angeles, is also moving classes online for the first two weeks in January. Berkeley and Merced are not scheduled to return to classes on campus until Jan. 18.

Stanford University will also start its new term online, from Jan. 3 to Jan. 18th. "We've all been watching in recent days as COVID-19 cases have increased in some parts of the country, and as other universities have seen surges on their campuses," said Stanford Provost Persis Drell, and Russell Furr, associate vice provost for environmental health and safety in a letter posted on Thursday.

"While there continue to be positive signs that the Omicron variant may lead to milder cases of COVID-19, its transmissibility this winter remains a concern," they explained.

Though having announced to continue in-person instruction for Spring 2022, the University of Southern California said it would continue to monitor the situation and might consider a "temporary remote start in January" and hope to make a decision by Christmas.

California State University, the largest four-year public university system in the United States with 23 campuses, announced on Wednesday that it requires all students, faculty and staff to get the COVID vaccine booster shots for the spring semester. The university system has approximately 480,000 students and 56,000 faculty and staff.

Some university sporting games and other group activities are also being canceled due to a hike of positive COVID-19 tests. UCLA has announced that university team-related activities have been paused, and the status of future games is pending. Enditem
-- Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, imposed closed-off management for communities and villages on Thursday, in an effort to curb the spread of the latest COVID-19 resurgence.

-- In this megacity with a population of 13 million, more than 3,000 nucleic acid testing sites are working simultaneously to provide services for residents in communities and on roadsides.



-- Since the city implemented its newest measures, numerous frontline workers and volunteers have been devoting their time to fighting the epidemic, building stringent lines of defense against the highly transmissible virus.



XI'AN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, imposed closed-off management for communities and villages on Thursday, in an effort to curb the spread of the latest COVID-19 resurgence.

All communities, villages and working units have been closed off since Thursday, and residents have been asked not to leave the city unless absolutely necessary.

Long-distance passenger transport lines have been suspended, with the exception of freight vehicles transporting epidemic prevention materials and daily necessities.

Taxis and drivers working for online ride-hailing platforms are forbidden from entering medium or high-risk areas, or traveling outside the city.

Residents queue up for nucleic acid test in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A total of 127 people tested positive for the virus during the second citywide nucleic acid testing, according to data released on Thursday by the city's COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. At 8 a.m. Thursday, the city launched a new round of testing, with more than 4 million people sampled by noon.

By 1 p.m Thursday, the popular destination for tourists worldwide had registered a total of 234 cases since the latest resurgence was triggered by imported infections on Dec. 9.

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has urged swift virus containment measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Xi'an during her inspection in the city starting Sunday.

"All COVID-19 patients are receiving the best medical treatment," said Lyu Yongpeng, deputy director of the municipal health commission.

In this megacity with a population of 13 million, more than 3,000 nucleic acid testing sites are working simultaneously to provide services for residents in communities and on roadsides.

Tens of thousands of frontline workers and volunteers are working against the clock to contain the virus.

Few cars are seen on a street in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021 after the city tightened control measures amid the latest COVID-19 resurgence. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

To swiftly contain the spread of the virus, local authorities have rolled out urgent measures while ensuring the city's residents have access to daily necessities.

Adequate supplies of daily necessities such as rice, cooking oil, milk and meat have been guaranteed, with the market supply of vegetables at 13,000 tonnes per day, according to the municipal bureau of commerce.

LINES OF DEFENSE

Since the city implemented its newest measures, numerous frontline workers and volunteers have been devoting their time to fighting the epidemic, building stringent lines of defense against the highly transmissible virus.

Police officer Li Fuli, 40, began work at 8 a.m. Wednesday and was still patrolling local communities at midnight.

Li has not seen his 7-year-old son for almost a week. "The police never get off work because we have to be on call 24 hours a day in case of any emergency," he said.

"The health and safety of citizens matter most, and we hope that through our efforts, the city can return to normalcy as soon as possible," Li said.

Aerial photo shows residents queuing up for nucleic acid test in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

The sudden outbreak has inevitably increased the workload on police officers like Li, and the same is true for his wife Ji Meiru, a community official at a residential compound of Chang'an University.

The university in Xi'an's Yanta District has reported dozens of confirmed cases and was listed as a high-risk area last Sunday.

Ji has had to wear a protective suit throughout the day since she began helping medical personnel test residents for COVID-19 on Dec. 14.

In front of the Jinsha shopping mall, which has been sealed off from visitors, five young volunteers were helping with the disinfection work.

"All of the employees in our company started taking time off last weekend. Since we are free, we want to help those in need," one volunteer said.

"We will definitely get through this winter before long through concerted efforts," she said.

(Video reporters:Zhao Yingbo, Zhang Sijie; Video editors: Zhou Sa'ang, Lin Lin) 
Aerial photo taken on Dec. 2, 2021 shows a high-speed train running in a trial operation of the new railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in northeast China's Jilin Province. A new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province was put into operation on Dec. 24.

At 7:35 a.m., a bullet train numbered G9127 departed from the Changchun railway station in the provincial capital Changchun for the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, marking the start of official operations of the railway line. (Photo by Liu Shenku/Xinhua)

CHANGCHUN, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- A new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in northeast China's Jilin Province was put into operation on Friday.

At 7:35 a.m., a bullet train numbered G9127 departed from the Changchun railway station in the provincial capital Changchun for the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, marking the start of official operations of the railway line.

The fastest train takes passengers only two hours and 18 minutes to travel from Changchun to the newly-built Changbaishan station more than 300 km away.

The railway, with a designed speed of 250 km per hour, will shorten the travel time between Beijing and Changbai Mountains to eight hours.

"It's a high-speed railway station with a great scenic view. Standing in the waiting hall, I can see the vast primeval forest," said Wang Peng, a tourist from Changchun after getting off at the Changbaishan station.

Changbai Mountain resort, located in southeastern Jilin, is famous for the stunning crater lake of Tianchi, primeval forests, and several renowned ski fields. Last year, the resort received over 700,000 tourists.

Geng Deyong, a tourism official with the management committee for the mountain protection and development, said the new high-speed railway line will attract more tourists, with some 10 million visitors expected every year. Enditem

A high-speed train is about to depart from the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, in northeast China's Jilin Province, Dec. 24, 2021. A new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province was put into operation on Dec. 24.

At 7:35 a.m., a bullet train numbered G9127 departed from the Changchun railway station in the provincial capital Changchun for the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, marking the start of official operations of the railway line. (Xinhua/Lin Hong)

Staff members serves a passenger on a bullet train on the first operation day of the new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in northeast China's Jilin Province, Dec. 24, 2021. A new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province was put into operation on Dec. 24.

At 7:35 a.m., a bullet train numbered G9127 departed from the Changchun railway station in the provincial capital Changchun for the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, marking the start of official operations of the railway line. (Xinhua/Lin Hong)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 3, 2021 shows a high-speed train running in a trial operation of the new railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in northeast China's Jilin Province. A new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province was put into operation on Dec. 24.

At 7:35 a.m., a bullet train numbered G9127 departed from the Changchun railway station in the provincial capital Changchun for the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, marking the start of official operations of the railway line. (Photo by Liu Shenku/Xinhua)

Staff members dance on a bullet train on the first operation day of the new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in northeast China's Jilin Province, Dec. 24, 2021. A new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province was put into operation on Dec. 24.

At 7:35 a.m., a bullet train numbered G9127 departed from the Changchun railway station in the provincial capital Changchun for the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, marking the start of official operations of the railway line. (Xinhua/Lin Hong)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 2, 2021 shows a high-speed train running in a trial operation of the new railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in northeast China's Jilin Province. A new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province was put into operation on Dec. 24.

At 7:35 a.m., a bullet train numbered G9127 departed from the Changchun railway station in the provincial capital Changchun for the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, marking the start of official operations of the railway line. (Photo by Liu Shenku/Xinhua)

Staff members pose for a group photo with a bullet train on the first operation day of the new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in northeast China's Jilin Province, Dec. 24, 2021. A new high-speed railway line reaching the foot of the Changbai Mountains in Jilin Province was put into operation on Dec. 24.

At 7:35 a.m., a bullet train numbered G9127 departed from the Changchun railway station in the provincial capital Changchun for the station of Changbaishan, or Changbai Mountains, marking the start of official operations of the railway line. (Xinhua/Lin Hong)
URUMQI, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The people's government of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Friday strongly condemned and firmly opposed the United States' signing into law of the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act."

In recent years, Xinjiang has taken employment creation as its top priority for improving livelihood, and basically achieved full employment for those who are able to work, the regional government said in a statement.

The total number of employed people in Xinjiang has increased from about 11.35 million in 2014 to 13.56 million in 2020, up 19.4 percent, it added.

While striving to promote employment, Xinjiang strictly protects people's legitimate rights and interests pertaining to labor in accordance with law. No so-called "forced labor" ever took place in the region, said the statement.

The United States, however, has erred and misbehaved in dealing with labor issues, and has not yet signed most international labor conventions so far, it said.

Xinjiang affairs are purely part of China's domestic affairs, and no foreign governments or external forces have the right to interfere, it said.

The so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" is nothing but a piece of waste paper, and will not affect Xinjiang's development and progress at all, it said. Enditem
RAMALLAH, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of Palestinian protestors were injured on Thursday in clashes with Israeli soldiers in a village northwest of the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian medics and eyewitnesses said.

42 Palestinians, including a local journalist, were injured by rubber-coated metal gunshots and 83 others suffered from suffocation after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli soldiers in the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement.

Eyewitnesses in the village told Xinhua that clashes between the demonstrators and the Israeli soldiers broke out earlier on Thursday. They added that the protestors organized a demonstration against Israeli settlers' assaults and expansion of settlements.

The clashes broke out in the village shortly after hundreds of Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli soldiers, attempted to break into the village, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

In the past few days, the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been flaring in the West Bank over the Israeli measures. Two Palestinians were killed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Saleh al-Arouri, deputy chief of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) told the pro-movement Al-Aqsa TV channel that there is a clear ascending trend of tension in the West Bank as a result of the Israeli occupation practices.

Diplomatic ties between Israel and the Palestinians were interrupted in 2014 due to the Palestinian rejection of the Israeli policies of expanding settlements and the Israeli measures against the Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinians want to establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel on all the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967, including the entire West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Enditem
BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) deplores and firmly rejects the U.S. economic bullying as the U.S. side signed the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" into law, the MOC said in a statement Friday. Enditem
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A UN official on Thursday voiced grave concern over alleged acts of sexual violence by the Sudanese security forces during Sunday's demonstrations in Khartoum and called for accountability for those responsible.

Pramila Patten, the UN secretary-general's special representative on sexual violence in conflict, was deeply concerned about "credible reports of serious human rights violations, including the use of rape and gang rape of women and girls to disperse protesters," said her office.

"I demand the immediate and complete cessation of all human rights violations and abuses including sexual violence. I call on the authorities to take effective measures to ensure ease of access to medical, legal and psychosocial support to the survivors, and put in place accountability mechanisms to prevent reoccurrence of such violence," she was quoted as saying. "The perpetrators of these human rights violations must be identified and prosecuted. I join the call of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual harassment."

Patten called on the international community, including members of the Security Council, to use their good offices with leaders of Sudan to demand an end to all forms of violence and intimidation against civilians, including sexual violence. With further protests planned, it is crucial that security forces act in full respect for international law and standards regulating the use of force, said her office. Enditem
ANKARA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday emphasized the necessity to preserve calm in Libya after a delay in its presidential elections, noting all aspects related to elections should be decided by the Libyans through a legal framework and on the basis of common understanding.

Turkey views the elections in Libya as a significant turning point in the transition process and supports it, a Turkish foreign ministry statement said after Libya's presidential elections, which had been scheduled for Friday, was postponed to Jan. 24, 2022 because the candidates didn't meet the conditions.

Holding elections in a fair, credible and independent manner, recognition of the election results by all parties and the exercise of authority by the new government throughout the country are critical in terms of ensuring unity and integrity of Libya, the ministry noted.

"Turkey, which played a key role in establishing the cease-fire and calm on the ground, as well as advancing the political process in Libya, has been advocating from the outset that the elections must be held on a solid legal basis, which is reached through the broadest possible consensus among all relevant institutions in accordance with the Libyan Political Agreement," said the ministry statement.

The elections in Libya are part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in February, with the aim to bring stability to the North African country.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and political instability since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. Enditem
BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday that no matter how the international situation changes, China-Peru relations have maintained a momentum of steady development and become the "front-runner" in China-Latin America relations.

Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with Peruvian Foreign Minister Oscar Maurtua, noting that the traditional friendship between China and Peru dates back to ancient times.

Not long ago, the two heads of state exchanged congratulatory messages on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, which fully demonstrated that both sides attach great importance to China-Peru relations and have a good will to deepen friendly cooperation, Wang noted.

He stressed that China is willing to work with Peru to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and advance China-Peru comprehensive strategic partnership to higher levels.

Wang congratulated Peru on the 200th anniversary of its independence.

He said that as representatives of developing countries and emerging economies, China and Peru share broad common interests and common pursuit, and both hope to accelerate national development and rejuvenation.

Wang added that the cooperation between the two countries is South-South cooperation that helps and supports each other, and has great potential and bright prospects.

Both sides should uphold multilateralism, defend the international system with the United Nations at its core, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries, especially emerging economies, Wang said.

China will continue to support Peru in safeguarding its sovereign independence, national dignity and legitimate rights and interests, Wang said.

He added that the Chinese side believes Peru will also continue to support China's position on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns, so as to consolidate mutual trust and the political foundation of bilateral relations.

Wang said that Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative which is aimed at forming global synergy to help developing countries achieve economic recovery at an early date and promote the timely implementation of UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Peru is an active advocate of multilateralism and an important defender of the rights and interests of developing countries, said Wang, adding that Peru is welcome to support and participate in this initiative.

China supports Peru in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2024 and is willing to work with Peru for new progress in the APEC cooperation.

For his part, Maurtua said Peru and China celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year, and bilateral relations have reached a new level.

Maurtua said Peru sincerely thanks China for providing support and experience for Peru's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in healthcare and the resumption of work and production.

When the two countries first established diplomatic relations, Peru explicitly stated that the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China, and it will continue to firmly pursue the one-China policy, he said.

Peru thanks China for supporting it in hosting APEC in 2024, and it will always staunchly support multilateralism while attaching great importance to and seriously studying the Global Development Initiative proposed by China, Maurtua added. Enditem
URUMQI, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The people's government of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Friday strongly condemned and firmly opposed the United States' signing into law of the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act." Enditem
BOGOTA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The direction of flights to and from Colombian capital Bogota will be modified due to smoke from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano and it may cause delays, the state-run Civil Aviation Authority reported Thursday.

"Because of the smoke from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano reaching 27,000 feet high, the Civil Aviation Authority informs that air traffic to and from Bogota, and from southern and western parts of the country, will be redirected," the agency said on its Twitter account.

The agency also said that itineraries may be affected, so it asked travelers to contact their respective airlines for more information.

"The Civil Aviation Authority, along with operators, are working in coordination to minimize the impact that this natural phenomenon may have for the safety of air operations and service to users," it said.

The Nevado del Ruiz, 5,321 meters above sea level, is located between the departments of Tolima and Caldas in center-west Colombia, with its last major eruption occurring in November 1985. Enditem
Aerial photo taken on July 13, 2021 shows a container terminal in Jiaxing, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Long Wei/Xinhua)

It is unlikely that either China or the United States is as keen to decouple, a Singaporean daily has reported. As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently reported, "American companies would lose hundreds of billions of dollars if they slashed investment in China or the nations increased tariffs," it said.

SINGAPORE, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Decoupling with China is certainly not in the interest of the U.S. business community, a Singaporean daily has reported.

It is unlikely that either China or the United States is as keen to decouple as the latest developments between Beijing and Washington may suggest, said Yu Yongding, a former president of the China Society of World Economics and director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in an article in The Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao.

The article, titled The Decoupling Prophecy, was published by the Project Syndicate earlier.

As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently reported, "American companies would lose hundreds of billions of dollars if they slashed investment in China or the nations increased tariffs," he said.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai argued recently that, far from decoupling - which "isn't a realistic outcome" - the United States is pursuing "recoupling."

A buyer looks at product samples during China Textile and Apparel Trade Show (New York) in New York, the United States, Jan. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Some recoupling is already happening, Yu pointed out. As the U.S.-China Business Council reported, after the two countries signed the Phase One trade agreement in 2020, both sides halted tariff escalations. Furthermore, China instituted a "robust system of tariff exclusions" with the United States also instituting some exclusions.

This has contributed to a rebound in bilateral trade. In 2020, U.S. goods exports to China grew by roughly 18 percent, more than making up for the tariff-driven drop of more than 11 percent in 2019. With that, China has retained its position as the third-largest market for U.S. goods exports, Yu noted.

China has also been maintaining -- or even deepening -- its ties with the rest of the global economy, he said, adding that China's inbound FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in 2020 grew by more than 10 percent, putting its share of global FDI at an all-time high of one-quarter, almost twice its share in 2019.
People are seen on a bus at a bus station in Gaborone, Botswana, on Dec. 23, 2021. Many people in Gaborone chose to travel to their hometowns to spend holidays on Thursday, despite the fact that the country has seen an increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

People are seen at a bus station in Gaborone, Botswana, on Dec. 23, 2021. Many people in Gaborone chose to travel to their hometowns to spend holidays on Thursday, despite the fact that the country has seen an increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

People line up to get on a bus at a bus station in Gaborone, Botswana, on Dec. 23, 2021. Many people in Gaborone chose to travel to their hometowns to spend holidays on Thursday, despite the fact that the country has seen an increase in the number of people infected with COVID-19. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)
XI'AN, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Discipline inspection and supervisory authorities of Xi'an City, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, said Friday that 26 persons have been held responsible for the latest COVID-19 resurgence.

Xi'an also held four grassroots Party organizations and working units responsible for inadequate epidemic prevention efforts since imported COVID-19 cases were reported earlier this month.

There were problems such as insufficient attention to safety standards, failure to rigorously implement anti-epidemic measures and poor management during the period, according to the city's discipline inspection and supervisory authorities.

By Thursday, the popular tourist destination had reported a total of 255 locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases since the latest resurgence was triggered by imported infections on Dec. 9.

The city, with a population of 13 million, has imposed closed-off management for communities and villages since Thursday in an effort to curb the spread of the latest COVID-19 resurgence. Enditem
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights into and out of Yemen's Sanaa airport scheduled for Thursday have been canceled, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The civil aviation authorities in Sanaa have effectively prevented humanitarian flights into and out of the airport since Sunday, said OCHA.

"UNHAS is a vital link for the movement of aid workers and the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Yemen. As we reported earlier in the week, a UN team visited the airport on 21 December to assess the damage caused by airstrikes the night before and noted that it remains operational for emergency humanitarian use. The UN is exploring alternatives to move supplies and staff into and out of Sanaa," said OCHA.

The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa controlled by Houthi militia.

"We continue to call on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law and to take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects throughout military operations as well as to preserve the civilian character of public infrastructure," said OCHA.

The United Nations also reiterates its call for the airport to be open for regular civilian and commercial flights and calls for the seaport of Hodeidah to be fully operational, it said. Enditem
XI'AN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, imposed closed-off management for communities and villages on Thursday, in an effort to curb the spread of the latest COVID-19 resurgence.

All communities, villages and working units have been closed off since Thursday, and residents have been asked not to leave the city unless absolutely necessary.

Long-distance passenger transport lines have been suspended, with the exception of freight vehicles transporting epidemic prevention materials and daily necessities.

Taxis and drivers working for online ride-hailing platforms are forbidden from entering medium or high-risk areas, or traveling outside the city.

A total of 127 people tested positive for the virus during the second citywide nucleic acid testing, according to data released on Thursday by the city's COVID-19 prevention and control headquarters. At 8 a.m. Thursday, the city launched a new round of testing, with more than 4 million people sampled by noon.

By 1 p.m Thursday, the popular destination for tourists worldwide had registered a total of 234 cases since the latest resurgence was triggered by imported infections on Dec. 9.

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan has urged swift virus containment measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Xi'an during her inspection in the city starting Sunday.

"All COVID-19 patients are receiving the best medical treatment," said Lyu Yongpeng, deputy director of the municipal health commission.

In this megacity with a population of 13 million, more than 3,000 nucleic acid testing sites are working simultaneously to provide services for residents in communities and on roadsides.

Tens of thousands of frontline workers and volunteers are working against the clock to contain the virus.

To swiftly contain the spread of the virus, local authorities have rolled out urgent measures while ensuring the city's residents have access to daily necessities.

Adequate supplies of daily necessities such as rice, cooking oil, milk and meat have been guaranteed, with the market supply of vegetables at 13,000 tonnes per day, according to the municipal bureau of commerce.

LINES OF DEFENSE

Since the city implemented its newest measures, numerous frontline workers and volunteers have been devoting their time to fighting the epidemic, building stringent lines of defense against the highly transmissible virus.

Police officer Li Fuli, 40, began work at 8 a.m. Wednesday and was still patrolling local communities at midnight.

Li has not seen his 7-year-old son for almost a week. "The police never get off work because we have to be on call 24 hours a day in case of any emergency," he said.

"The health and safety of citizens matter most, and we hope that through our efforts, the city can return to normalcy as soon as possible," Li said.

The sudden outbreak has inevitably increased the workload on police officers like Li, and the same is true for his wife Ji Meiru, a community official at a residential compound of Chang'an University.

The university in Xi'an's Yanta District has reported dozens of confirmed cases and was listed as a high-risk area last Sunday.

Ji has had to wear a protective suit throughout the day since she began helping medical personnel test residents for COVID-19 on Dec. 14.

In front of the Jinsha shopping mall, which has been sealed off from visitors, five young volunteers were helping with the disinfection work.

"All of the employees in our company started taking time off last weekend. Since we are free, we want to help those in need," one volunteer said.

"We will definitely get through this winter before long through concerted efforts," she said. Enditem
People wear face masks as they walk down a street amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Havana, Cuba, Oct. 2, 2021. (Photo by Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua)

Cuba has three homegrown vaccines against COVID-19, which it has used to mass immunize the 11.2 million Cubans.

HAVANA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Cuban scientists are advancing research on a nasal vaccine against COVID-19, Eduardo Martinez, president of the state-owned biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries group BioCubaFarma, said Thursday.

"Final evaluations are underway to complete development of the vaccine, #Mambisa," Martinez posted on Twitter.

"We think it may help prevent transmission of #SARSCoV2 and provide a certain level of immunity," the scientist added.

Martinez assured that the vaccine candidate Mambisa "has demonstrated a high mucosal immune response against SARS-CoV-2 in clinical studies. It could be very effective against transmission."

Cuba has three homegrown vaccines against COVID-19 (Abdala, Soberana-02 and Soberana Plus), which it has used to mass immunize the 11.2 million Cubans.

Mambisa, one of the few nasal application COVID-19 vaccines in the world, and Soberana-01 are two other Cuban vaccine candidates still under research. 
RAMALLAH, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Thursday called on the United Nations Security Council to protect the Palestinian people against the Israeli settlers' assaults in the West Bank.

The Palestinian presidency said in a press statement that it urges the international community, especially the UN Security Council, "to urgently intervene to provide international protection for the Palestinian people."

Referring to the recent escalation of tensions in the West Bank, the statement said that "the Israeli measures would thwart the U.S. and the international efforts to revive the stalled peace process."

On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a message to the international community before Christmas Eve, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

Abbas said in his Christmas message that "Christmas reminds us of the importance of justice, resilience and the Palestinian people's quest for human dignity and freedom."

Meanwhile, Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Voice of Palestine earlier on Thursday that the meeting between President Abbas and U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Ramallah on Wednesday "was candid and frank."

"During the meeting, President Abbas stated that he was waiting for U.S. President Joe Biden to fulfill his promises on the two-state solution, reopening the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem and ensuring that Israel halts its settlement construction," he said. Enditem
Residents watch news reporting the decision to pardon South Korean ex-president Park Geun-hye in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 24, 2021. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has decided to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, who has been imprisoned for 57 months over corruption charges, the justice ministry said Friday. (NEWSIS/Handout via Xinhua)

SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in has decided to pardon former President Park Geun-hye, who has been imprisoned for 57 months over corruption charges, the justice ministry said Friday.

Park was included in the list of Moon's special amnesty granted to 3,094 inmates for the new year.

Park was sentenced to a combined 22-year prison term, and has been serving the sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over corruption charges.

Regarding the special pardon, President Moon said the country desperately needs national unity and humble inclusiveness, given a lot of challenges facing the country, according to the presidential Blue House.

Moon said he also considered the deteriorated health for the former President Park, hoping that the pardon could become an opportunity for national unity, harmonization and a new era that goes beyond the difference of thoughts.

Park will be released on Dec. 31 from a hospital in Seoul. The 69-year-old has been hospitalized for one month due to her chronic shoulder and waist pain. She received a shoulder surgery in 2019.

Han Myeong-sook, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2007 under the liberal Roh Moo-hyun government, is also on the list of Moon's special amnesty.

Han was convicted of bribery in 2015 and completing her two-year prison term in 2017.

Previously, the 77-year-old former prime minister claimed innocence, saying the charges against her was fabricated as a political revenge by the conservative bloc against the Roh administration.

Song Young-gil, chief of the ruling Democratic Party, reportedly said his party respects the special pardon decision, noting that the pardon, granted by Moon after careful considerations, is the president's unique constitutional right.

The main conservative opposition People Power Party welcomed the pardon, saying the party will make more efforts for national unity.

Former President Lee Myung-bak, who has been serving a 17-year prison term after being convicted of bribery and embezzlement in October last year, was excluded from the special amnesty.

Justice Minister Park Beom-kye told a press briefing that the circumstances were different between former presidents Lee and Park, saying the public sentiment was also taken into consideration to make the decision. Enditem
QUITO, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's Public Health Ministry on Thursday announced it was making vaccination against COVID-19 mandatory, given a rise in infections and concern about variants, such as Omicron.

The measure will take effect immediately, the ministry said in a statement, urging the public to get vaccinated to protect against COVID-19 and its variants.

The decision reflects "the international trend that shows the speed of transmission and the pressure on health services that have high demand for hospitalization," the ministry said.

Ecuador "has the amount of vaccines necessary to immunize the entire population," the ministry said, adding the measure is lawful.

Since January, Ecuador has fully immunized just over 12.4 million people, or 77.23 percent of the target population aged five and older.

The government's goal is to vaccinate 85 percent of the population, or some 15 million people, by Dec. 31 to achieve herd immunity.

As of Wednesday, Ecuador accumulated 539,037 cases of infection and 23,815 deaths from COVID-19, according to the ministry.

Starting Thursday, access to public venues required showing proof of full vaccination amid the busy Christmas shopping season. Enditem
Guests attend a celebration ceremony at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 23, 2021. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a container vessel docking at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows containers loaded at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Port staff members and guests attend a celebration ceremony at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 23, 2021. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows a container lifted at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. Shandong Port Group held a ceremony in Qingdao Port on Thursday, celebrating its annual cargo throughput exceeding 1.5 billion tonnes, while its container throughput surpassing 34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The cargo and container throughput registered year-on-year growth of 5.8 percent and 8.1 percent respectively in 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday took note of the delay in elections in Libya and stressed the need for the elections to go ahead in appropriate conditions, said his deputy spokesman.

The secretary-general took note of the announcement on Wednesday by the Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC) that the first round of the presidential poll, which was scheduled for Dec. 24, will be delayed, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman, in a statement.

The Libyan parliamentary elections, originally planned to be held also on Dec. 24, had already been postponed to January 2022.

"The secretary-general commends the 2.8 million Libyans who have registered to vote. It is imperative that the will of the people is respected. Presidential and parliamentary elections must take place in Libya in the appropriate conditions to peacefully end the political transition and transfer power to democratically elected institutions," said the statement.

In this regard, the secretary-general took note of the HNEC's recommendation to the House of Representatives and welcomed its continued commitment to the ongoing presidential and parliamentary electoral process, said the statement.

The HNEC on Wednesday proposed to postpone the first round of the presidential election to Jan. 24, 2022, provided that the House of Representatives "takes the necessary measures to lift the state of force majeure that obstructs the electoral process."

The secretary-general's special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, and the UN Support Mission in Libya will continue to support a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process to address outstanding challenges and ensure the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible, said the UN statement.

Williams, in her statement, said the current difficulties should not be used to undermine the political progress in the country.

"The current challenges in the electoral process should in no way be instrumentalized to undermine the stability and progress which has been achieved in Libya over the past 15 months. I strongly urge relevant institutions and all political actors to focus on the electoral process and on creating the political and security conditions to secure the holding of inclusive, free, fair, peaceful and credible elections, whose outcome will be accepted by all parties," he said.

Williams expressed her willingness to work with the concerned Libyan institutions and the broad range of stakeholders to address these challenges through good offices and mediation.

To contribute to the settlement of Libya's political crisis and to durable stability, presidential and parliamentary elections must take place in the appropriate conditions, on a level playing field among all candidates to peacefully end the political transition and transfer power to democratically elected institutions, she said.

Williams said the United Nations welcomes the HNEC's commitment to the ongoing electoral process and to continuing the review of the applications of the candidates for parliamentary elections.

The elections are part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in February, with the aim to bring stability to Libya, which has been in turmoil since the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011. Enditem
RAMALLAH, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Thursday reported 11 new cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the West Bank, bringing the total number to 17.

Kamal al-Shakhra, spokesman of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah that the 17 cases included nine Palestinians returning from abroad and eight others who were infected in the West Bank.

"All of them are stable and don't suffer from any severe symptoms," al-Shakhra said, adding that six of the cases are from Ramallah and all the cases are under home quarantine followed by the health ministry's medical teams.

Al-Shakhra called on the Palestinian citizens to abide by all the precautionary measures, mainly wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and getting vaccine shots.

Afif Atawneh, chief of the coronavirus department in the health ministry, told Xinhua that the Palestinian territories are on the verge of a high rate of infection with the new variant's spread.

On Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry recorded three more fatalities from the COVID-19 and 248 new coronavirus cases in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours. Enditem
PHNOM PENH, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) on Friday unanimously decided to endorse Hun Manet, the eldest son of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, as the future prime ministerial candidate, the ruling party's statement said.

The decision was made during the party's 43rd Central Committee meeting held at the party's headquarters in Phnom Penh, the statement said, adding that the meeting was presided over by Hun Sen, president of the CPP, and National Assembly President Heng Samrin, honorary president of the CPP.

Manet, 44, is currently a member of the CPP's Permanent Committee, and in the army, he is a deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and the commander of the Royal Cambodian Army.

Hun Sen announced early this month that Manet will be the next prime ministerial candidate after his possible retirement in 2030.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, CPP spokesman Suos Yara said two senior CPP members, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tea Banh and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection Men Sam An, were elected as the party's vice presidents during the meeting.

The CPP now has four vice presidents including Senate President Say Chhum and Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng, he said.

"The Central Committee has urged all the CPP's members to strengthen solidarity and internal unity, in order to implement the party's political programs and decisions successfully for the sake of the nation and people," Yara said.

He added that the Central Committee also appealed to the Cambodians to protect the country's peace, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Enditem
A medical worker works at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Medical workers work at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows the air-inflated testing lab in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Medical workers work at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Medical workers prepare to enter the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A medical worker works at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A medical worker works at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A medical worker works at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Medical workers prepare to enter the working area of the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Medical workers work at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Medical workers wait to enter the working area of the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A medical worker works at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Medical workers communicate after the night shift handover at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Aerial photo taken on Dec. 23, 2021 shows the air-inflated testing lab in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

Medical workers prepare to enter the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

A medical worker works at the air-inflated testing lab for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Dec. 23, 2021. An air-inflated testing lab has been built in Xi'an for massive nucleic acid tests. The lab is capable of screening up to 5,000,000 people every day using the ten-in-one mixed testing approach, which greatly improved the testing capability after the recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the city. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)
LANZHOU, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Yang Qiang, 33, a herder from northwest China's Gansu Province, checks on his flock of sheep grazing in a cornfield every two hours to make sure they are adapting well in the new habitat at the foothills of Qilian Mountains.

Since 2015, the herdsman in Sunan Yugu Ethnic Autonomous County has been unperturbed about livestock feed in winter, as he and his herd migrate from highland pasture to downhill farms to spend the winter.

"With the onset of winter, the highland pasture where I live is no longer able to provide enough forage for livestock, resulting in a poor survival rate for lambs," Yang explained.

Over the past few years, 506 households of shepherds like Yang in the mountainous county have driven their flocks downhill to the farms instead of grazing in highland throughout the winter months of October to March, when agricultural lands are barren.

Thanks to a government-aided ecological development initiative, a balance between shepherds' livelihoods and environmental conservation has been struck.

By the end of 2020, the average grass height in the county's pastures had increased to 19 cm from 15 cm in 2015, and the total vegetation coverage of the grassland has increased to over 78 percent from 67 percent in 2015, official data showed.

An Yufeng, director of the county's animal husbandry and veterinary service center, said before the winter migration, herders contact the farms in advance so that the epidemic prevention department can be informed to carry out relevant testings on their animals.

"In the past, shepherds used to follow their herds in their high-altitude ranches in winter. Now, in the plain area, living conditions are much better for us," Yang said.

The winter migration strategy has also financially benefited the herders. Yang has seen his annual income increase by 30,000 yuan (4,710 U.S. dollars).

He said the grass in his 3,000-mu (200 hectares) ranch has grown denser and taller since his herd left in winter.

The lush green pasture lands of the region have emerged as a summertime attraction for tourists, with many herdsmen cashing in on B&B business there. Enditem
BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Untied States is making a fool of itself by signing a piece of legislation allegedly banning imports from China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and imposing so-called sanctions over debunked claims of forced labor.

The dirty trick is a new episode of America's malicious scheme to contain China by trying to stir trouble in Xinjiang based on fabricated lies about the northwestern Chinese territory in the name of human rights, and being driven by Washington's desperate attempt to retain hegemony.

As an old Chinese saying goes, as a clay figurine cannot stand rain water, lies cannot bear scrutiny.

The politically-charged venture and brazen interference in China's internal affairs by the U.S. side will only end up in a complete failure, further undermining America's credibility and image.

The so-called "genocide in Xinjiang," dubbed as the biggest joke and lie of the century, has already been busted easily. There is also no forced labor in Xinjiang, where employment is voluntary and based on free choice in the labor market.

In carrying out the disinformation campaign and misleading the public despite the truth, the United States has been maliciously seeking to deal a blow to Xinjiang's industries and the Chinese economy at large.

The West led by the United States has relentlessly smeared China's peaceful rise as a threat and tried unfairly to counter its development on multiple fronts.

With such despicable moves against the Xinjiang autonomous region, a critical link of the global supply chain for various sectors, the United States will inevitably harm the interests of many businesses and consumers around the world, including those of its own.

This is a typical case of hurting others without benefiting oneself.

As a matter of fact, the label of "forced labor" fits the United States better than anyone else.

There are between 400,000 and 500,000 child farmworkers in the United States, and up to 100,000 people are trafficked into the country for forced labor each year, according to studies.

Meanwhile, a significant number of prisoners incarcerated in U.S. prisons have been forced to work for nearly nothing.

"If the U.S. cared about forced labor, it would deal with those issues. But the problem is that's not the issue. They don't care about that issue," Daniel Kovalik, who teaches international human rights at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, told Xinhua recently. "They use it selectively and they use it strategically to go after other countries."

In the short U.S. history, there were also innumerable crimes against humanity committed against Native Americans -- a de facto genocide.

"Our nation was born in genocide," American civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his 1963 book Why We Can't Wait. "We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe out its indigenous population."

The people of Xinjiang are hardworking and brave, and products manufactured by them are of good quality and competitive prices. It will be a great loss for those buying into the big lies made up by the United States and choosing not to use Xinjiang products.

As for the United States, if the country really intends to address the issue of human rights, it might as well begin to reflect and work on their own problems rather than farcically point fingers at others.

The international community, after all, has had enough of its hypocrisy and ridiculousness. Enditem
LONDON, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- People with Omicron are significantly less likely to develop severe symptoms, according to new analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) released Thursday.

Early results suggest people are 30-45 percent less likely to go to A&E if they are infected with Omicron than with Delta. They are also 50-70 percent less likely to need to be admitted to hospital, according to the UKHSA.

However, the UKHSA warned that the new variant was more transmissible than previous ones such as Delta, and could still lead to significant numbers of people needing hospital treatment over coming weeks.

Britain reported a record high of 119,789 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 11,769,921, according to official figures released Thursday.

Another 16,817 Omicron cases have been found in Britain, the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant was detected in the country, taking the total Omicron cases found in the country to 90,906.

The country also reported a further 147 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 147,720.

Meanwhile, an estimated 1.4 million people in Britain had COVID-19 in the week ending Dec. 16. It is the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Around one in 45 people in private households in England had COVID in the week to Dec. 16, up from one in 60 the previous week.

According to new modelling for scientists advising the government, tougher COVID restrictions are going to be needed to stop hospitals being overwhelmed.

Experts at University of Warwick estimate that even if Omicron's severity is just 20 percent of Delta's, the current plan B restrictions are likely to lead to a peak in daily hospital admissions of just under 5,000 a day in England in early January.

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which has been advising the government during the pandemic, has warned that COVID data over the Christmas period will be "significantly disrupted."

In minutes from a meeting on Dec. 20, the group said that "testing behaviour and capacity limits may already be affecting case data", which would make "interpretation of trends difficult".

Experts have said there are likely to be hundreds of thousands of infections per day - with many being missed.

More than 89 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 82 percent have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 55 percent have received booster jabs, or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem
TIRANA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Technical Committee of Experts on the coronavirus situation in Albania confirmed here on Thursday the first two cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in the country.

At a press conference, Deputy Health Minister and committee head Mira Rakacolli cited test results that confirm the infection of two individuals with the new virus variant.

According to Rakacolli, the current epidemiological situation in Albania remains stable.

Eugena Tomini, director of the Albanian Institute of Public Health, said that the Delta coronavirus variant continues to prevail in the country.

Rakacolli urged citizens to get vaccinated. All Albanians aged 18 and older are eligible to get a booster dose if they have received their second dose six months before.

The current COVID-19 vaccination rate in Albania is 40 percent, epidemiologist Silva Bino said, noting a modest increase in the past two weeks.

On Wednesday, the Health Ministry reported 343 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of confirmed cases in Albania to 206,616, with 198,263 recoveries and 3,180 fatalities. Enditem
"I'm a Chinese COVID vaccine. From birth, I knew I'd be a global public product. My mission is to build a shield for developing countries. Over the past year, my friends and I have traveled to more than 120 countries and international organizations. I received a lot of heartwarming thank-you letters. Now let's read them one by one."

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iraq's foreign minister on Thursday called for direct negotiations between Iran and the United States, Iranian media reported, a rare appeal just days before world powers are set to resume talks over the tattered nuclear accord in Vienna.

Fuad Hussein spoke at a news conference after meeting his Iranian counterpart in Tehran, stressing that heightened tension between Iran and the U.S.  Baghdad's two powerful allies  directly affects his country's stability.

While Iraq remains a pillar of Washington's security policy in the region, Iranian-backed militias wield extensive power in the country.

Any opening in Tehran-Washington relations will positively impact Iraqs internal situation from political, economic and security perspectives, Hussein said.

"We think it's time for direct talks between Tehran and Washington so that the two countries reach a common understanding not only on the nuclear issue but also on sanctions imposed on Iran, he said.

Tehran's 2015 atomic deal with world powers granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Three years ago, America under then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord. In response, Iran has stepped up its nuclear program and is now spinning a stock of uranium enriched to 60% purity  a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Tehran has struck a hard line in negotiations since conservative President Ebrahim Raisi came into office. Consternation is building among European nations at the negotiating table in the Austrian capital. The parties to the landmark deal will resume their efforts on Monday, the European Union said.

Iran has refused to speak directly to American officials in the rounds of talks since the U.S. abandoned the accord.

Hussein also touched on the hasty evacuation and sudden death of Iran's top diplomat in war-torn Yemen, Hassan Irloo, whom Washington has identified as a member of Iran's powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. He said the U.S. cooperated with Saudi Arabia and Iran to transfer Irloo on an Iraqi plane from Yemen to Tehran, where Iranian authorities said he died of COVID-19.

There was no immediate comment from Washington on its reported assistance. Yemen's Houthi rebels had sought permission for his transfer from Saudi Arabia, which maintains an air blockade on Yemen's capital of Sanaa.

Speaking alongside Hussein, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian repeated calls for the U.S. to lift sanctions before Iran walks back its nuclear advances.

We say it out loud that if you want your concerns over Irans peaceful nuclear issue to be removed, then all of the nuclear deal-related sanctions must be removed, he said, addressing the West.

Amirabdollahian also noted that Baghdad-brokered talks between Iran and its long-time Sunni rival Saudi Arabia have continued.

We will attend the upcoming round of talks (with Saudi Arabia) in Baghdad, he said, thanking Hussein and Iraq's prime minister for their support.

He said that three Iranian diplomats had been granted visas to be stationed in the Saudi city of Jiddah at the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a body of Muslim nations. Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Saudi Arabia severed its diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters attacked the Sunni kingdom's embassy in Tehran in response to its execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. The powerhouses support opposite sides of Yemen's spiraling conflict and remain at war for influence across the region.

Baghdad has played a visible role in trying to cool tensions between the rivals.




"People must avoid very large gatherings on Christmas. Meeting with parents and children is totally normal and natural, but you have to take the necessary care and prevent this dinner from becoming a large meeting, to which neighbors or friends are invited, and then such meeting ends up becoming a party," he recommended.





The Cabinet member was emphatic in stating that the Christmas celebration is a tradition which is not prohibited.









"I want to tell people that we can get together as a family, give one another a hug, and sit down to have dinner relying on the necessary care and face masks () maintaining social distancing and avoiding crowds. Of course, we can beat the pandemic if we act responsibly," Cevallos noted.





"Now more than ever, this celebration is not synonymous with gifts; it is more than anything an intimate meeting with the family, a reflection, a hug that the Peruvian people have earned a long time ago for the enormous effort made during the pandemic, but always taking care of ourselves, thinking about the future," he told Canal N.





Police intervention





The Health Ministry (Minsa) head also said he has spoken with the National Police directorate to develop a work in the streets so as to prevent citizens from holding parties or meetings with high concentrations of people.





Christmas curfew





Curfew on Christmas will start tonight at 11:00 p.m. in Peru, not at 1:00 a.m. on December 25 as had been initially established.

The new five-hour-long curfew will be in force nationwide on December 24 and end at 4:00 a.m. on December 25.

A similar measure will be in force on New Year's Eve (December 31) starting at 11:00 p.m. thru January 1 at 4:00 a.m.

The objective is to avoid social gatherings and crowds due to the presence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the country.





(END) RRC/MVB

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Within this framework, the government agency called on the population to behave responsibly so as to reduce the risk of transmission during end-of-year holidays.









Regarding Metropolitan Lima, Omicron has been detected in Jesus Maria, La Molina, La Perla, Lima Center, Lurin, Magdalena del Mar, Miraflores, Pueblo Libre, San Borja, San Isidro, San Luis, San Martin de Porres, San Miguel, Santiago de Surco, Surquillo, and Villa Maria del Triunfo.









Dr. Munayco pointed out that although 47 cases have so far been detected in the capital city, it is very likely that there might be more, and there is a high risk that new cases will appear in regions which have greater interaction with Lima.





Likewise, the expert said that Omicron is worrying because it has shown 52 mutations in important areas such as the spike protein, which helps the virus enter the human cell, thus turning it into a more contagious variant. According to estimates, it is 2 or 3 times more transmissible than the Delta variant.





"In Peru, as is happening in the (rest of the) world, the Omicron variant will start to oust Delta. There is a high risk of an increase in cases and even more so now on Christmas and New Year holidays; that is why we urge people to behave responsibly," he remarked.





Symptoms



Usually, patients infected with the Omicron variant have had mild symptoms such as: sore throat, nasal congestion or general malaise.

However, this can be mistaken for a regular cold. Thus, the person might continue going to work without knowing that he/she is infecting others.

In this regard, Dr. Munayco recommended (in case of any symptoms) wearing face mask at home, quarantining, and getting tested to rule out or confirm the disease, thus not infecting others.





Long COVID

According to Dr. Munayco, it is best not to become infected because the patient's health (problems) can become complicated or the person might even die if he/she is not vaccinated or has not received a booster dose.

However, if a person is saved, there is a 10% to 20% risk of suffering from long-term COVID (long COVID).

"In other words, they could have more concentration problems, headaches, anxiety for a long time, according to recent studies," he indicated.





(END) RRC/MVB

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The Ministry of Health (Minsa) has revealed in which districts of Lima Metropolitan Area and Callao region Omicron variant cases have been detected.Publicado: 24/12/2021
Compartimos con ustedes el saludo del Canciller Oscar Maurtua con motivo de las fiestas de Navidad y Ano Nuevo. ??https://t.co/s4VLYTwk8o
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Answering online questions from media and NGO representatives, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan provided details of the private conversation with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev in Brussels.

During the private conversation, the same thing was discussed as before and after the private conversation. It's not so that Charles Michel left the room for about 20 minutes, and we said he is gone, now let's talk about what we should have talked but didnt talk. The same conversation continued, we continued to discuss the issues on our agenda, our discussion. The dynamic and content of that conversation did not change in any way, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan as saying.

Pashinyan assured that those 15 or 20 minutes or maybe half an hour of their private conversation did not differ in any way from the previous conversation.

The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the President of the European Council Charles Michel had a trilateral meeting in Brussels on December 14. Charles Michel left the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan alone for some time.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Unreasonable optimism should not be expressed over discussions and negotiations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, as there is no basis for that optimism, but the parties express a desire to discuss, talk, try to create a basis for optimism, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in an online press conference. We are ready to pursue that path, ARMENPRESS reports the PM as saying.

Armenia and Turkey have appointed special envoys Armenia will be represented by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Ruben Rubinyan, and Turkey will be represented by the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkey to the USA Serdar Kilic. Their first meeting has not been scheduled yet. Pashinyan, however, expressed hope that the meeting will be scheduled as soon as possible. A rather long process is expected, and one should not have exaggerated expectations from one or two meetings in order to record a concrete result.

PM Pashinyan does not agree with the opinions voiced by the opposition that with the readiness of such negotiations Armenia has agreed to Turkey's preconditions regarding the "Zangezur Corridor". "Armenia has not discussed, does not discuss and will not discuss any issue in the corridor logic. In terms of relations with Turkey, if we ask the question in the logic of communications, the agenda of creating, building and shaping transit routes may be important for us. And if during our contact with Turkey it turns out that the expected opening of the communications can have a larger regional significance, it will be one of the key issues on our agenda. One of the issues will be, for example, the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and the railway.

There are talks about the reopening of air communication, which we positively assess, we welcome, we hope that mutual flights will start. In other words, our expectation is the normalization of relations, but we must understand that we are dealing with a complex problem, which has many nuances and sensitivities. There is a lot of emotional attitude to the issue in the Republic of Armenia, Pashinyan emphasized.

He added that all the Armenian authorities have said that they are ready to normalize relations with Turkey without preconditions, which means that the recognition of the Armenian Genocide has never been a precondition for normalization of relations with Turkey and opening of borders. According to the Prime Minister, the Armenian government has clearly stated its position on the issue of international recognition of the Genocide.

Pashinyan also noted that there ais no agreement or idea for meeting with the Turkish president, but if the negotiation process between the envoys goes on successfully, high and top level meetings can take place.
Washington will not approve Russias security proposals related to NATO, but may agree to other initiatives, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has told reporters, Tass informs.

December 24, 2021, 10:14 US to disagree with Russias NATO-related security proposals  White House

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 24, ARTSAKHPRESS: "There have been proposals put forward by the Russians - some we would agree with, some we certainly wouldnt agree with," she said. Obviously <> the NATO example is a good example of that."

"NATO is a defensive alliance; its not an aggressive alliance. There is no evidence to the contrary - to suggest anything to the contrary from the United States or NATO members," she added.

At the same time, she pointed out that the White House views negotiations as the right path forward in the current situation.

"We also agree diplomatic conversations are the right path forward," she said, adding that the US administration was working "towards diplomatic talks."

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on NATO to begin substantive talks on reliable long-term security guarantees to Russia. He stressed that Russia needs legally binding guarantees because the West has failed to fulfill its verbal commitments. On December 17, the Russian foreign ministry released two Russian draft agreements in security guarantees from the United States and NATO. They were handed over to the US side on December 15, during a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry released draft agreements on legally-binding security guarantees on the part of the United States and NATO. It was reported that Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov informed White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan of Moscows readiness to immediately launch talks on the draft agreements on security guarantees. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov will represent Russia at the negotiations.
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has asked residents to "get ready for COVID" and prepare a care plan, after the state reported 589 new virus cases.

A new COVID-19 care pathway was announced on Friday, with advice on how people can prepare for a positive diagnosis as the virus spreads across the state.

Since mid December, 32 of Queensland's 77 local government areas have recorded a case of COVID-19.

"By getting COVID ready, you're doing the same as we prepare for our bushfires, for our cyclones, for our floods that we do every year," Ms D'Ath said on Friday.

The advice recommends preparing a "COVID ready kit", including a thermometer and pain relief, as well as a plan for who will take care of children if parents get sick and how to get groceries.

Ms D'Ath also welcomed a shortening of the wait time for fully vaccinated Queenslanders to get a booster dose, as announced by the federal government on Friday.

Boosters will be brought forward to four months after the second dose from January 4, and three months from January 31.

Queensland's active cases have risen to almost 1400, but Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said only three patients were in hospital with mild to moderate symptoms.

A total of 268 infected people are being managed in their homes and 110 people are in hospital for other reasons.

"It is somewhat surprising that despite the fact (the virus) is everywhere, we are seeing relatively few sick patients in hospital, and that's because the vaccines are working," Dr Gerrard said on Friday.

But as case numbers continue to grow, the "relatively small" proportion of patients getting sick will have an effect on hospitals.

"It is likely there will be significant numbers of admissions to hospital and you can help by wearing those masks," he said.

Meanwhile, the state has not confirmed if rapid antigen tests will be accepted to allow entry for travellers after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk flagged their possible use from January 1.

Story continues

"In the meantime, we do require PCR tests," Ms D'Ath said, as she pointed to potential supply problems for the rapid tests.

"I don't know if anyone else has gone into any pharmacies or chemists lately, but every one I've walked into, they're selling out the moment they're on the shelves," she said.

"It comes at a cost and they're not available all the time everywhere, so we would still see delays."

The testing requirement for travellers from COVID-19 hotspots will be dropped when the state reaches a double dose vaccination level of 90 per cent.

Currently 85.88 per cent of eligible Queenslanders are fully vaccinated, and 90.36 per cent have had at least one dose.
Farmers across the Owasco watershed are helping to protect Owasco Lake by implementing soil health systems and other farming practices that prevent water pollution and reduce soil loss and runoff.

PJ Houston farms 700 acres on the southern side of Owasco Lake in Tompkins County. The oldest of two brothers, he carries on a tradition that began back in 1905 when his great grandfather purchased 64 acres of land with the intention of turning it into a dairy farm to support his young family.

48-year-old PJ was born and raised on the farmlands that his family has worked for over a century. Farming is all about mentorship, PJ said, and he has worked hard to ensure his 18-year-old son, Robert, will be able to take over the family business when he retires.

We manage 280 cattle, 120 of those are milking cows and we also grow hay, soybeans, corn and grain, PJ said.

PJ has spent his life working with cattle, and truly cares for their health and happiness. I dont think it is possible to treat my cows any better, we really baby them. he said, When you have healthy and happy cows, they produce more milk.

For the fourth-generation producer, farming into the future means ensuring that his business is focused on more than just productivity. PJ believes that prioritizing the well-being of his animals and protecting the local environment are key to ensuring its long-term success for future generations.

One day my son will rely on this land to make a living and I want to make sure I leave it to him in good condition, he said.

PJ farms in the Owasco Lake Watershed, an area that is sensitive to the surrounding land uses, and he knows how important it is to minimize his negative impact on the surrounding environment. Over the years PJ has worked closely with Tompkins Countys local agricultural professionals to help achieve this goal.

Implementing a supplementary feeding program with rotational grazing improved his milk production, cattle weight gain and nutrient distribution across the farm. More recently, PJ modified his tillage methods to better suit his productivity and environmental values, switching from conventional moldboard plow to speed till with a disk on part of his farm.

By changing over to new tillage practices, PJ has saved fuel and time, and has helped to protect Owasco Lake by reducing soil erosion and nutrient runoff on his farm. Reduced tillage practices can help minimize disturbance to the soil, keeping the soil, and nutrients that it holds, where farmers want it  on the farm.

We spend a lot of time fine tuning when we are trying a new practice on the farm, PJ said. "If we dont like the way it turns out the first time, we try it a few different ways until we like it.

PJ is also involved in the states Agriculture Environmental Management program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which have improved his fencing, waterway management and manure storage. Both programs are voluntary and support local farmers to help them achieve their production and environmental goals while also achieving locale, state and federal environmental and water quality goals.

Were lucky to have people like Tompkins Soil and Water Conservation District to help get us access to resources to do things better on the farm, he said.

Paul Gier is the natural resource program specialist at Tompkins County Soil and Water Conservation District. He works closely with PJ and other local farmers to help them implement different practices and get involved in programs through the watershed, including the AEM program.

AEM supports local farmers to protect the quality of their farms natural resources and demonstrate their stewardship of their land, Paul said. We work one-on-one with farmers to develop individualized farm plans, this often includes a range of different conservation practices such as cover crops, no-till cropping and pasture rotation.

If youd like more information about reduced tillage management, the AEM program or what your local farmers are doing to protect the watershed, head to tompkinscountyny.gov/swcd.

Our Owasco is a project to work with farmers in Cayuga and Tompkins counties to recognize and accelerate their efforts to adopt farming practices that protect Owasco Lake. The project is funded by The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Cayuga and Tompkins county soil and water conservation districts, Cornell University and American Farmland Trust.

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AUBURN  An Auburn man was given time in state prison after previously admitting to a drug charge and shooting a woman with a BB gun.

Joseph E. Frijo, 29, whose last listed address was 76 Clark St., back apartment, was in front of Judge Thomas Leone in Cayuga Court Thursday for charges of second-degree assault, a class D felony; third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class B felony; and second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia.

For the assault offense, Frijo was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of post-release supervision. For the possession count, he was given three years in prison and two years of post-release supervision. The paraphernalia charge was satisfied by Frijo pleading earlier this year.

After court, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci said the charges stemmed from separate incidents earlier this year. On May 19, the Auburn Police Department was dispatched for a call on East Genesee Street about someone shooting a woman in the head with a BB gun pellet. The woman still had the pellet in her head and had to be taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

Grome Antonacci noted the victim said she was shot by Frijo and that the victim said she saw Frijo's wife, Tamara L. Frijo, hand him the BB gun. Tamara was charged May 31 with fifth-degree conspiracy by the APD.

The Frijos were not located on May 19, Grome Antonacci said, but Joseph Frijo was stopped at a traffic stop on May 31, with Tamara as his passenger. Grome Antonacci noted the vehicle the couple was in matched the description of the vehicle given by the assault victim. Joseph had a suspended license at the time and $540 in cash was found in his pocket when he was picked up.

The Frijos were taken into custody and law enforcement discovered a BB gun, a backpack with CO2 canisters used for a BB gun, a digital scale, 22 glassine envelopes of heroin and fentanyl compound and 18 grams of synthetic Molly. Grome Antonacci said other charges related to Frijo's offenses were covered by the plea.

Also in court

 The sentencing for the third defendant connected to a 2019 homicide in Auburn has been pushed back to February.

Tyree Anglin, whose most recent listed address was 119 N. Division St., was originally supposed to be sentenced by Leone Thursday for his involvement in the death of 36-year-old Joshua Poole. However, during a conference in court, Anglin's sentencing was adjourned to Feb. 17. A pre-sentence investigation had previously not been done for Anglin, so Leone ordered for one to be done.

Back in June, Anglin pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, a class B felony. He was originally slated to face charges of second-degree murder, a class A felony; first-degree attempted robbery, a class C felony; and fourth-degree conspiracy, a class E felony. For the manslaughter count, he is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision.

Answering questions regarding Poole's shooting during his court appearance in June, Anglin said the scene at 8 Delevan St. was "an attempted robbery gone bad." He said he and his fellow defendants Luciano Spagnola and Gage Ashley had been at the home of the fourth defendant, Christian Rivera, of Auburn, the night before the shooting, though Anglin said he couldn't recall Rivera's exact address. Rivera planned the robbery that lead to Poole's homicide, law enforcement said at the time. Authorities alleged that Rivera provided money for the masks and gloves to be utilized during the robbery and provided the 20-gauge shotgun and 9-millimeter handgun used at the incident. Rivera's trial is still pending.

Law enforcement charged Anglin, Spagnola and Ashley with murder not long after the shooting took place on Nov. 15, 2019, while Rivera was indicted in November 2020 on charges including including second-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery, fourth-degree conspiracy and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon

Last month, Spagnola received a sentence of 17 years to life in prison for two counts of second-degree murder in November, along with sentences for various other counts. Ashley was sentenced on Dec. 16 to 21 years to life in state prison for first-degree murder and second-degree murder, plus sentences for additional charges.

Ashley and Spagnola were previously identified by APD as Poole's shooters but because Spagnola was 17 at the time, he couldn't be charged with first-degree murder.

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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Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chinas major automaker, BYD, celebrated its 150,000th Han vehicle rolling off the production line in its Shenzhen headquarters.

Photo credit: BYD



In fact, BYDs 100,000th units of the Han model have just rolled off line on July 20th, five months ago. The automaker took pride in its production capability, saying a monthly average volume of over 10,000 units is nothing new. Under the universal chip supply crunch, the production capacity of the Han still managed to grow.

Moreover, the Han models rich sales volume matches its production speed.

According to BYDs sales report, the Han model was sold 12,841 vehicles in November, surpassing 10,000 units for the fourth consecutive month, growing month after month successively.

Han; photo credit: BYD



Meanwhile, in November, the monthly sales volume of the Han EV hit the 10,000 units mark for the first time, and became the first battery-electric mid-to-large-size sedan that sold over 10,000 units in a month.

By the end of November, the cumulative sales volume of the Han (including the Han EV and the Han DM) summed up to over 140,000 units since delivery started. The automaker predicts that the models sales performance in December will usher in another breakthrough.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.





NavInfo lands LBS procurement order from Ford

Chinas navigation giant, NavInfo, announced that it had received a procurement order from Ford Motor for its Location Based Services (LBS). Next year, NavInfo will provide a customized LBS data solution for Ford Motor. The specific trade sum is inclusive of the development fee and will be based on software development volume and cloud resource demand.

Dongfeng Motor Group, FAW Group co-found new energy company

According to Chinas corporate database Qichacha, a newly established new energy vehicle battery-focused company, Yidong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., was founded with Dongfeng Motor Group, FAW Equity Investment, Wuhan Economic Development Investment, and Sanxia Technology as its shareholders, with 25% stake each.

HUAWEI obtains patent for vehicle environment alert display

HUAWEI was authorized an exterior patent for its vehicle surrounding environment alert GUI display panel, providing different interactive driving condition alerts on onboard displays, smartphones, tablets, and wearables.

FAW-VWs daily production volume hits record high

According to FAW Group, its Volkswagen joint venture celebrated a new record in daily production volume, at 10,777 vehicles, on December 23rd.

NavInfo lands LBS procurement order from Ford

Chinas navigation giant, NavInfo, announced that it had received a procurement order from Ford Motor for its Location Based Services (LBS). Next year, NavInfo will provide a customized LBS data solution for Ford Motor. The specific trade sum is inclusive of the development fee and will be based on software development volume and cloud resource demand.

Chinas industrial carbon emission information system goes online

Chinas industrial carbon emission information system was officially online, with 68 companies registered, 27 of which are automakers.

Brilliance-BMW to recall faulty iX3 in China

Brilliance-BMW announced that it will recall 1,974 units of iX3 vehicles in China, due to poorly welded components inside the power battery.

iX3; photo credit: Brilliance BMW



GAC Group aims to elevate 2022 annual sales volume by 15% YoY

GAC Group released its 2021 annual production and sales performance projection on December 23rd, which will both hit the 2-million-unit mark.

BYD celebrates 150,000th Han rolling off line

Chinas major automaker, BYD, celebrated its 150,000th Han vehicle rolling off the production line in its Shenzhen headquarters.

Pony.ai reaches cooperation with FAW Nanjing for Robotaxi application

Chinas autonomous driving developer, Pony.ai announced that it had inked a strategic cooperation agreement with the AI development arm of FAW Group, FAW Nanjing Technology for Robotaxi development.

BYD production takes a hit due to COVID in Xian

Starting December 23rd, the capital of Shaanxi Province, Xian initiated locked down due to the sudden COVID outburst in the city. With Xian being a significant manufacturing base to BYD, the automaker is bound to take a hit in production.

Tesla cuts down carbon emission by 855,878 tons in China YTD

On December 24th, Tesla released its year-to-date new energy contribution report in China, stating that it has helped reduce carbon emission by 855,878 tons during the first eleven months this year.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

CATL says no comment to Poland factory rumor



CATL is reportedly planning to build a 2 billion worth of battery plant in Poland and has scouted two locations for it. On December 21st, the battery mogul gave a no comment to a local media outlet regarding the rumor.

Photo credit: CATL



GAC AION to kick off Series-A investment round

GAC Group plans to further the mixed-ownership reform of GAC AION and introduce strategic investors to HYCAN and Ontime Mobility. Currently, GAC AION has completed asset restructuring and will kick off its A round of financing and employee stock ownership.

AION Y; photo credit: AION

CPCA: daily average sales increase 38% MoM in third week of Dec.

During the third week of December, the daily retail volume of passenger vehicles amounted to 67,000 units, down 8% year on year, but increased 38% compared to the same week in November, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Mercedes-Benz to recall 2,307 vehicles in China

Due to MBUX intelligent interactive display errors, Mercedes will recall 2,307 vehicles in China. The automaker will perform OTA updates to the system to eliminate potential safety risks.

Alibaba-backed AutoX unveils first driverless RoboTaxi production line in China

The Alibaba-backed autonomous driving company, AutoX, has unveiled its RoboTaxi production facility, also the first L4 RoboTaxi production line in China to manufacture its latest Gen5 system-powered fully driverless RoboTaxis.

CATLs battery manufacturing base in Fuding, Ningde begins production

On Dec. 21, the No.2 workshop at CATL's Fuding lithium battery manufacturing base first phase was put into operation, according to a local media outlet, meaning the battery giant's largest single lithium-ion battery base officially began production.

GWMs autonomous driving arm Haomo.ai receives investment from Meituan

Great Wall Motors independent, autonomous driving unit, Haomo.ai, announced that it has raised nearly RMB1 billion in its Series-A round of financing.

Plus.ai, Iveco to start L4 autonomous heavy-duty truck test in Europe, China

Chinas leading commercial vehicle autonomous driving company, Plus.ai, announced that it is initiating joint tests with named commercial vehicle brand, Iveco, to test out their L4 autonomous driving heavy-duty trucks in Europe and China.

CATL leads 5mln yuan C round in Chinese drive-by-wire supplier NASN

Shanghai NASN Automotive Electronics Co. Ltd. (NASN), the Chinese drive-by-wire supplier, recently announced it has raised 500 million yuan ($78.465 million) in the Series C funding, which was led by the investors like CATL, BOCGI, CMG-SDIC Capital, and GL Ventures.

T3 Mobility, IDRIVERPLUS to pilot Robotaxi operation in Suzhou with autonomous+manual model

Chinas autonomous driving company, IDRIVERPLUS has officially delivered its first batch of modified Robotaxis to T3 Mobility, the ride-sharing platform established by FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor, and Changan Auto at their strategic agreement signing ceremony.

CATL plows over 16 billion yuan in R&D business

CATL has already plowed over 16 billion yuan ($2,510,867,200) into R&D businesses, Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL, said on Tuesday at an industrial meeting held by Gaogong Industry Research Institute (GGII).

JD Logistics joins hands with Guangzhou Huadu District for last-mile delivery

JD Logistics of Chinas e-commerce giant JD.com announced its partnership with Guangzhou Huadu District authorities for terminal autonomous delivery services in the district.

Lear, Great Wall Motor inks strategic cooperation MOU

Chinas major automaker, Great Wall Motor, announced that it had signed a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding with the world-leading automotive supplier, Lear.

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Beijing (Gasgoo)- Byd Auto Industry Company Limited, a subsidiary of BYD Company Limited, and Daimler Greater China Limited, signed an agreement for the stake transfer in Shenzhen DENZA New Energy Automotive Co., both parties announced today.



After the deal, BYD will have a stake of 90% in DENZA New Energy while Daimler will hold the rest 10%. The deal is expected to be closed in mid-2022 as it is subject to the approval by relevant regulators.

Photo credit: Denza

In the future, BYD will provide more support to DENZA for its future success while Daimler will continue to support DENZAs sustainable growth as its shareholder. Both shareholders will further enhance their fruitful long-term partnership.

BYD and Daimler will be committed to accelerating DENZAs development in Chinas new energy vehicle segment. DENZA brand plans to launch new models in 2022 to increase market share.

In 2010, BYD and Daimler set up a joint venture for technology development with each holding 50% stake. The joint venture is the first joint venture which focuses on new energy vehicles in China. The Denza brand from the joint venture targets at mid-high end new energy vehicle segment.

By the end of November 30, DENZA had a total of RMB2.11 billion worth of assets while the unaudited revenue for the Jan.-Nov. period this year amounted to RMB1.15 billion with a net loss of RMB150 million.
There are distinct pleasures to be had in watching Ralph Fiennes play the lead in an action franchise at this stage in his career.

For as fun as he is as erudite bon vivants, scoundrels and snobs, you always leave wanting more M. Gustav, more Laurence Laurentz, more Harry Hawkes. In that spirit,  The Kings Man, a prequel to Matthew Vaughns irreverent Kingsman series, provides a definite service, and Fiennes is as charming as ever. But its also hard not to wish he had a better movie than this to exhibit both his singular charisma and combat skills.

The Kings Man, which jumps back in time to World War I to the early days of the bespoke spy agency, is an improvement to the last Kingsman movie, which among other deranged choices had Julianne Moore feed someone a burger made of human flesh that she ground and grilled herself. This one is decidedly quainter than that, but its still a Kingsman movie  manic, cheeky and vulgar and its not going to sell anyone who wasnt already on board. The Kings Man also has the uneasy tension of its real historical context which the film wants to use for both sincere emotional beats and fodder for irreverence.

At its heart, this is an origin story about a fictional spy agency that blames WWI and 20 million deaths on an embittered Scottish cashmere farmer. But this mysterious man, who is seen only in shadows until a big reveal at the end, is played like an angrier and more sadistic but no less ridiculous Fat Bastard. And he is able to manipulate world leaders (Tom Hollander plays King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas) with his sphere of influence that includes Rasputin (Rhys Ifans), Erik Jan Hanussen (Daniel Bruhl), Mata Hari (Valerie Pachner) and Gavrilo Princip (Joel Basman).

Fiennes, who also executive produced, plays the Duke of Oxford who were introduced to as his wife is gunned down in front of him and his young son during the Boer War. He returns to England with one mission: To protect his son Conrad.

A few years pass and Conrad has grown into a dashing and patriotic lad, played with admirable dignity by Harris Dickinson, who wants nothing more than to join the army. Fearing the front lines, the Duke tries to convince Conrad to join his little spy group composed of himself and two domestic servants, Polly (Gemma Arterton) and Shola (Djimon Hounsou), and manipulate world politics behind the scenes. After almost preventing the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, their first adventure as a foursome involves going to Russia to either sell Rasputin on entering the war or kill him.

The whole sequence is jaw-droppingly perverse as they try to lure Rasputin, who Ifans plays like a madcap cartoon rock star, with Conrad and poisoned baked goods that he promptly expels with grotesque theatricality. In true Kingsman fashion, this also includes Fiennes removing his trousers, upper thigh licking and Rasputin dancing his way through a fight set to the 1812 Overture. Subtlety is not in their vocabulary, so some whiplash is to be expected when the film suddenly turns into a war drama, and then back to absurdity again.

At a certain point, it becomes clear that not only is The Kings Man a tonal mess, its also just a set-up for a movie with an even more enticing cast thatll leave you feeling even more conflicted.

But you have to admire a modern franchise that has an appreciation of bespoke tailoring as a core principle. If only The Kingsman movies didnt also hold such juvenile humor in equally high esteem.

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Christmas in Shubra - like other parts of the country - is celebrated twice. The Coptic Orthodox community, which makes up 90 percent of Egypt's Christian population, celebrates Christmas on 7 January according to the Coptic Calendar. Smaller Christian denominations in Egypt - Catholics, Coptic Catholics, Protestants and Evangelicals - celebrate Christmas on 25 December, according to the Gregorian Calendar.

Colourful lights, religious icons, and ornaments that exude the Christmas spirit stay alive on Shubra's streets for several weeks before and after the holidays.

One finds the highlight of the Christmas celebrations on Shubra's main streets takes place on famous Teraa Al-Bolakiya Street, where three gigantic Christmas trees stand, including the biggest Christmas tree in the whole district.

The tallest Christmas tree of the three was gifted to the constituency of Shubra from MP Ehab El-Tamawy, a leading member of the Mostaqbal Watan Party and Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee at the House of Representative , according to a plate on it.

This gigantic Christmas tree and its two sisters - who tower on the opposite side of the street - were designed and made by Amir Ghattas, the owner of the largest two Christmas decoration shops in Teraa Al-Bolakia Street: San Abram bookstore and shop.

San Abram for Priesthood Clothes traditionally sells Coptic Orthodox priesthood attires but gained wider fame for its Christmas decorations merchandise.

Ahram Online missed Mr Ghattas when this writer visited his store, but found the staff on duty extremely busy with customers buying all sorts of Christmas decorations for prices cheaper than in other areas in Cairo.

Besides San Abram, there are dozens of small shops throughout the long commercial streets of the district selling Christmas decorations also at competitive prices.

Locally-made short and medium-size Christmas trees range in price from EGP 100 to EGP 300. The same goes for locally-made Christmas wreaths.

One of the shopkeepers explained to Ahram Online that local workshops start making Christmas trees and wreaths every year immediately after the end of celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Christmas on 7 January.

Some Christmas ornaments are imported from China and are sold for prices between EGP 15 to EGP 50, depending on the size and shape.
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In his yearend press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin lambasted the West's brazen lies and stressed the country was forced to make tough decisions as it has no space for concessions amid soaring tensions with the West over Ukraine, which have sparked fears of an all-out war.

Asked by a SkyNews correspondent what guarantee Russia can provide that it would not attack Ukraine or any other sovereign state, the Russian leader said that it was not Russia that created threats to other countries, TASS reported.

"Have we approached the borders of the US or Britain? They have approached ours. And now they say 'Ukraine will be a NATO member,' " he explained.

"You are demanding some guarantees from me. But it is you that must provide guarantees. You must do that at once, now, and not keep talking about this for decades," Putin said.

Many Chinese people admire Putin's courage to defend the national interests of Russia, since US military forces have also approached regions like the South China Sea and Taiwan Straits to threaten China's sovereignty and security, and many web users hope China could be as tough as Russia against the US.

However, Russian-style diplomacy and military action against Western pressure are unique and China has its own way of handling the challenge, said Chinese experts, adding that the tensions in Europe around Russia's border regions are much more serious, because they're too close to Russia's capital, and Russia has no room to compromise and no choice but to be tough and straight.

"Putin and his country were being very sincere and friendly to the West in the 1990s and Russians have tried everything to improve ties with the West. But eventually, they found that the US and the Western world don't want to have good ties with them. All the West wants to do is to keep weakening Russia, profit from the collapse of the Soviet Union, until Russians lose hope to be a major power forever," said a Beijing-based expert on international relations who asked not to be named.

He said, "Putin and Russia's unhappy experiences with the West just told many of us a lesson - that the problems we have with the West are never about ideology, culture or human rightsThey're always about power. If you are a 'nobody' with no influence and unable to say no to them, the West wouldn't care about what you do in your countries. But if you are able to balance their hegemony and fend off their invasions and bullying, then you will become evil in their propaganda."

Russia said earlier it wanted a legally binding guarantee that NATO would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, part of a wish list of security guarantees it wants to negotiate with the West, Reuters reported.

It is the first time that Moscow laid out in detail demands that it says are essential for lowering tensions in Europe and defusing a crisis over Ukraine.

Yang Jin, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that facing questions from hundreds of journalists, Putin has always showed a sharp and tough stance against the West as he is dedicated to safeguarding Russia's sovereignty and national interests by drawing clear redlines.

This is similar to China, when it comes to questions on China's core interests such as the Taiwan question, Yang noted.

Despite the fierce response to the US and NATO, Putin also showed his soft persona and firm commitment to solving domestic issues. He also mentioned China many times, stressing Russia and China trust each other and their cooperation is a stabilizing factor in the international arena.

"It's an absolutely comprehensive partnership of a strategic nature that hasn't had precedents in history, at least between Russia and China," he said during his annual news conference. "This hard day-to-day work benefits Chinese and Russian people and is a serious stabilizing factor on the international stage."

Putin also stressed he has always been against the politicization of sports, noting that the US "boycott" aims to curb China's development. "This decision is unacceptable and erroneous. I spoke with a former US president, and he told me that the boycotts of the Olympics in Los Angeles and Moscow were a big mistake, made by the US as well. But the US continues to make the very same mistake. What caused that? It is an attempt to curb China's growth," the president stated.

Chinese experts noted Putin spoke highly of the country's cooperation with China in his press conference and showed the West how unshakable China and Russia relations are.

Putin said, "They (the US) cannot hold back the development of China. The Chinese economy is already larger than the US economy in terms of purchasing power parity. China will inevitably become the world's top economy in all respects. But you have to understand this."
In a recent open letter from US tech company Intel to its suppliers, the company claimed that it is "required to ensure our supply chain does not use any labor or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region." Although this is not at the top of more than a dozen of requirements from Intel, it still offends the eyes of the Chinese people as it is so absurd.

Entering the Chinese market in 1985, Intel was one of the first American companies in the country following China's reform and opening-up. It has reaped huge benefits from China in the past decades. In 2020, 26 percent of Intel's revenue came from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and nearly 10 percent of the company's properties, factories and equipment are located in China. Therefore, it is justified for Chinese netizens to feel discontent and accuse Intel of "biting the hand that feeds it."

The Global Times has learned that products from Xinjiang constitute only a tiny fraction even if they are involved in Intel's supply chain. The exclusion of Xinjiang products from the supply chain is not a case of "cutting off one's poisoned arm to survive." It is more like plucking a mushroom from a dense tropical rainforest, which is not detrimental at all to the company's actual interests. Some analysts believe that Intel's Xinjiang statement is not simply a move made by a corporation. It is more about proving the company's own innocence under the pressure of the extreme political environment in the US, as well as pleasing the US society with some "fine words."

Today, to suppress China, the US is not only asking its allies to have a greater binding force but also attempting to coerce major US companies into taking sides. Washington is using technology "decoupling" as a grip in its comprehensive strategy to contain and suppress Beijing. This includes semiconductors, which are seen as the most important and sensitive commodity and has become the main focus.

It is reported by US media that the White House rejected Intel's plan to expand chip production capacity in China. However, on one hand, Washington is unwilling to see US companies expand production in China. On the other, it is unable to introduce policies that will benefit those high-tech companies. The so-called Creating Helpful Incentives for Producing Semiconductors for America and Foundries Act that aims to support US chip research and development has been in debate for months in the House of Representatives.

As for the multinational companies, they should be able to endure, properly handle and balance pressures from all parties. This is the basic skill they are supposed to have. But Intel's moves are speculative. It is likely that the company is making a gesture by ignoring facts and taking a high profile on the so-called human rights issues to bargain with the US government in other areas. Perhaps it is also hoping to use "political pressure" as an excuse to gain China's understanding. But this is only a mission impossible.

China does not have to take too seriously the calculation of interests between Intel and politicians in Washington. This is their business. Just let them get entangled. The most important point that the incident reminds us of is that we must speed up the process of producing home-made chips in China. An important reason why Intel dares to offend China over the Xinjiang-related affairs is that it holds the monopoly of the global chip market.

What we need to do is to make it increasingly expensive for companies to offend China so their losses outweigh their gains. In fact, Washington in recent years has launched a technology crackdown against China which has forced China to accelerate its space of independent research and development. As far as chips are concerned, although there is still a gap between China and the US in high-end chips, the gap is narrowing. Those calculations and speculations that ignore facts will not be worth a penny eventually, and only become a historical joke.
After vaccines, monoclonal antibodies are probably the second-best weapon doctors have against COVID-19.

But some patients are reporting trouble getting access to the drugs, even though supply appears to be plentiful.

During a Monday news conference, Gov. Pete Ricketts said he had heard anecdotal stories about people whose doctors would not prescribe monoclonal antibodies.

"I've had many people tell me their doctors just didn't want to do it," Ricketts said.

"It is incredibly frustrating to me that doctors would do that," he added.

Monoclonal antibodies are drugs that use synthetic antibodies that mimic the immune system's response to a virus. In the case of COVID-19, the drugs stop the virus from attaching to cells, making it harder for it to reproduce, which reduces the risk of a severe illness.

Studies have shown the drugs are about 80%-85% effective at keeping people with the disease out of the hospital.

But they must be given to patients early on in their course of the disease, usually within 10 days of a positive test or onset of symptoms.

Dr. Jim Nora, Bryan Health's medical director for infection prevention, said he's seen people at the hospital who could have benefited from monoclonal antibody treatment but weren't offered the option by their doctor.

In some of those cases, he said, treatment with the drugs likely would have kept the patient out of intensive care or off a ventilator.

Nora said with many doctors, it may be an education issue. Some may not be aware of the benefits, while others may not know the eligibility requirements, which have changed significantly in the past year.

He also said, however, that instances of people not getting the treatment aren't all tied to doctors. In some cases, people have waited too long to seek treatment and are past the 10-day window. In others, they may not meet the criteria.

When monoclonal antibodies were first approved for use as a COVID-19 treatment, they were only available to people with very high risk factors, such as those over age 65 and pregnant women.

Now, anyone over age 12 is eligible if they meet some other criteria, such as being overweight or having a chronic illness.

The requirements have been "very liberalized," said Dr. Gary Anthone, the state's chief medical officer.

In fact, he said, patients don't even necessarily have to test positive for COVID-19 to get the treatment. Anthone said high-risk people who have been exposed to someone with a confirmed case can qualify, and the treatment also is available as a preventative measure to some immunocompromised people and those who can't get vaccinated because of a medical condition.

The supply and availability of monoclonal antibodies is higher than it was just a few months ago, when Anthone said the state was averaging only about 300 treatments per week. Now, it's doing about 1,400, he said.

He said one reason doctors may not be prescribing monoclonal antibodies is that primary care physicians are busy, and they may not feel like they have the time to deal with getting their patients a treatment, which isn't as easy as prescribing a pill they can pick up at the pharmacy.

Most monoclonal antibody treatments are done by infusion, and Anthone said there are now 86 infusion centers offering the treatment across Nebraska, including many at rural hospitals. He encouraged people seeking the treatment to get a second opinion if necessary or to go to the state's COVID-19 website to seek help.

In Lincoln, both hospital systems are regularly giving monoclonal antibody infusions to patients who qualify.

Bryan Health said it has given more than 1,300 treatments since it opened an infusion center at Bryan West Campus in September.

CHI Health said it has given more than 4,300 infusions to date at its hospitals across the state, including more than 1,000 at St. Elizabeth in Lincoln. That includes more than 100 this month in Lincoln.

"We can tell you we are seeing a growing demand for the antibodies as the months go on," CHI Health spokeswoman Taylor Miller said in an email.

Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the treatments may be fading. Early evidence shows most of the monoclonal antibody drugs on the market are not as effective against the new omicron variant.

Only one treatment currently in use in the U.S., sotrovimab, retains some effectiveness against omicron, and U.S. health officials have said they will likely direct supplies of that drug to states where omicron case numbers are the highest. As of Tuesday, Nebraska had 18 confirmed cases of omicron, including one in Lancaster County.

Nora said it may only be two or three more weeks before the treatments stop working in Nebraska, depending on how fast omicron spreads.

But the treatments continue to work on people who have cases linked to the delta variant.

"So I would encourage people to still seek out monoclonal antibodies," he said.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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How has the omicron variant impacted case counts? Which areas are the most vaccinated? How does hospital capacity compare across the state? Find out with these charts and maps, updated weekly.
The city didnt expect much of the office since there were few jobs to be had.

In October, 245 men and women signed up for work at the Billings unemployment office. Mann was able to find work for just 38 of them. Statewide, 731 people registered. Only 93 of them got job offers.

The City of Billings did try to help by hiring men, with preference for married men, at 30 cents an hour to clear sagebrush and stones from its parks. But few, at least initially, were willing to work for so little. Alderman Emil Borberg protested that $2.40 a day was starvation wages. But some eventually succumbed to the pressure of hunger. Parks Supt. Michael Hawley reported in mid-October that he had seven men toiling at that wage. He acknowledged it wasnt enough to support a family, but the workers agreed it was better than nothing.

In an effort to feed the poor, Billings hunters decided to organize a rabbit shoot after the New Year. On Jan. 3, the hunters brought in 100 rabbits to the Salvation Army to distribute to anyone in need. Salvation Army Captain Taylor welcomed the donation, saying he had many families who didnt often have fresh meat on the table.
Low pay and burnout

Its a very difficult job that doesnt pay very well, Gardner said of the typical work in his field. If youre having to support someone physically, it can be emotionally exhausting. In one case, a member of his association reported losing someone who had been employed for 20 years to a job at a fast-food franchise that paid more.

Marshall in Sublette County lost two registered nurses to traveling nurse positions  in which she says they can make roughly six times as much money  and a third to a hospital position where pay is also better. Shes since struggled to find nurses to replace them.

Lori Hart, executive director of the Wyoming State Board of Nursing, laughed when she said her office has been getting at least one phone call or email every day from a nurse who wants to open an aesthetics practice, where pay is often better and the work is less stressful.

Youd think we were the most Botoxed state from the number of phone calls and emails that we get on the subject, Hart joked. (While data on the most Botoxed state in the union is elusive, Groupon released a list of the most Botoxed cities based on the number of deals the company sold. None were based in Wyoming).
How, then, did his name get affixed to several geographic points in the state? Many of the early mining camps in western Montana were populated by southerners and ex-Confederates fleeing the war-torn South. They brought their hero-worship and racist baggage with them and thus named landmarks for their leaders and fellow seditionists, marking their territory against the stream of northerners who were also trickling in. It would be tantamount, today, to naming a currently unnamed ridge (and there are still many) Q Shaman Peak for the pathetic bison-horned January 6 rioter, Jacob Chansley. Or a Proud Boys Canyon, or a Rittenhouse River.

It is well past time to remove Daviss name from our Montana maps. And no, this isnt cancel culture or critical race theory (the latest right-wing dog whistles); its about human decency, and righting, much too late, an historical affront. Indeed, we in Montana would do well to realize that the state, and before that the territory, and before that the land itself, is a product of conquest and dispossession of Native peoples who were here long before the Americans showed up and began the on-going process of renaming everything, a process in and of itself that reflects a form of cancel culture at its most acute. After all, what can be more cancelling than the centuries-long obliteration of Native names from the various landmarks that all of us recognize?
 Taking responsibility for the Madison River dewatering disaster. On November 30, Montanans woke up to the news of a severe dewatering of the Madison River  a critical economic and environmental asset for southwestern Montana. The cause was a major malfunction at NorthWesterns Hebgen Lake Dam. NorthWestern is solely responsible for making sure water flows through its dams. In 2022, NorthWestern needs to agree to an independent investigation, commit to making impacted individuals and businesses whole, and guarantee that this type of malfunction will never happen again.

 Committing to transparency, truth, and responsibility for the West Wind Fire. It appears that NorthWesterns utility lines were the spark that caused a massive fire near Denton that destroyed dozens of homes and businesses. Montanans deserve a full and transparent account of what happened and how NorthWestern will prevent such future catastrophes. If NorthWesterns equipment is responsible, then it needs to ensure that impacted individuals are made whole and its transmission system is operated in a safer manner in 2022.
There are areas we have certainly seen population level effects on whitetail, mule deer and elk, she said.

It tends to be less prevalent in elk compared to deer, but in places like Rocky Mountain National Park, where elk density is high and there is no hunting, a higher percentage of animals tend to be infected.

Prevalence in deer and elk herds can range from less than 1% up to the mid-teens. Wild said the prevalence in and around Unit 14 is likely on the lower end but said it wouldnt be surprising to find it as high as 5%.

Human health

The disease has never been shown to jump from deer or elk into humans. But a similar prion-caused neurological disease in cattle  bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease  does occasionally infect humans who eat infected beef. In contrast, scrapie, a similar neurological disease in sheep, has been around for hundreds of years and never made the leap to humans.

Because mad cow disease can make the jump on rare occasions and a study that indicated CWD may be able to jump from humans to macaque monkeys, health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise people not to eat the meat of animals with CWD.
Two high-profile homicides dominated crime news in the Bismarck-Mandan area this year, but there were several other notable cases.

They included bank fraud, sex crimes, drugs hidden in boxes of ramen noodles and a jury trial incident in which a judge used a famous movie line to scold a prosecutor, who was fired before the verdict came in.

The trial of a man accused of shooting and stabbing four people to death in Mandan in 2019 brought national attention to the Morton County Courthouse in August.

The guilty verdict in the case of Chad Isaak, 47, leads the list of crime stories in the region in 2021. A jury deliberated 4  hours over two days before finding the Washburn chiropractor guilty of four counts of murder and three lesser charges. He was charged in April 2019 in the deaths of RJR Maintenance and Management co-owner Robert Fakler, 52; and employees Adam Fuehrer, 42; Bill Cobb, 50; and Lois Cobb, 45. The Cobbs were married.

Their deaths were detailed in a three-week trial through crime scene and autopsy photos, DNA and fiber evidence, and video that prosecutors said showed Isaak planned and carried out the crimes. Three of the victims were shot, and the four suffered more than 100 stab wounds that the prosecution team, led by Assistant Morton County State's Attorney Gabrielle Goter, said were dealt by someone with a medical background. Isaak, a former Navy medic, owned a home that sat on property managed by RJR, but no clear motive for the killings was established.

Defense attorneys called the case one of confirmation bias, suggesting that investigators just days after the killings identified Isaak as the killer and focused their efforts only on him. Defense attorney Bruce Quick said authorities overlooked or ignored other potential suspects, including angry tenants, the ex-husband of a woman with whom Robert Fakler had a longtime affair, and members of a motorcycle gang who had been kicked out of an RJR party.

The murder charges carry potential life sentences without the possibility of parole. Isaak's sentencing is Tuesday.

The trial of two people accused of killing a Bismarck man two years ago will instead be a trial of one. Earl Howard, 43, of Belwood, Ontario, in October pleaded guilty to arson, as well as murder, arson and evidence tampering conspiracy charges in the death of Chad Entzel, 42. He was to stand trial as a co-defendant with Nikkisue Entzel, 40, Chad Entzels wife. The two were accused of killing Chad Entzel in what authorities said was a love triangle with plans to cash in on a life insurance policy.

Howard entered into a plea agreement that will put him behind bars for 25 years with decades more possible if he violates probation after his release. Hell be sentenced Jan. 21. Nikkisue Entzels trial on charges of murder conspiracy, arson conspiracy, and evidence tampering conspiracy starts Feb. 28.

Other notable crime

Prosecutors after reviewing a state Bureau of Criminal Investigation report cleared a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper who shot and killed a man on Interstate 94 west of Mandan in October. Trooper Steven Mayer was justified in discharging his firearm in defense of self and others, said Goter, the Morton County prosecutor. Mayer fired when Craig Knutson, 45, of Billings, Montana, waved a revolver and pointed it at Mayer. The shooting followed a chase at highway speeds.

Three western North Dakota bank employees were indicted in November by a federal grand jury for misapplication of funds and other charges. Authorities say Brady Torgerson, 34, attempted to defraud The Union Bank in Glen Ullin and First Security Bank-West in Beulah by issuing funds to people not entitled to them, failing to register transactions, creating fraudulent loan obligations and covering up the activities. His father, Brent Torgerson, 60, is accused of issuing a $724,000 cashiers check to his son without proper paperwork. Kelly Huffman allegedly issued a $125,000 check advance to another bank at Brady Torgersons request.

Mandan police officer and K9 handler Scott Warzecha pleaded guilty to shooting video of a person under age 18 with a hidden cellphone. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Authorities investigated after responding to a 911 call that Warzecha was threatening to harm himself following the discovery of his actions. The incident was not work-related.

Lance Jacobson, 65, and Jiang Jennings, 57, were sentenced to two years on probation after pleading guilty to facilitating prostitution. The charges were filed after a September 2020 raid at the Hong Kong Spa in Bismarck. Spa owner Craig Grorud pleaded guilty to misdemeanor promoting prostitution and was sentenced to two years on probation.

Clancey Lone Fight, 34, was sentenced to seven years in prison for leading authorities on a January chase that ended in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Passenger Gabriella Perez-Goodbird, 19, suffered severe frostbite but survived two nights in the park in subzero wind chills after the two separated.

Also of note

Former Mandan City Commissioner and Morton County Commissioner Robert Christensen, 64, and another man were sentenced to probation and ordered to make restitution to a woman whose bank account they used for their own purposes.

Attorneys in September reached a settlement in the sixth day of a civil trial stemming from a fatal 2016 home explosion north of Mandan. An attorney representing the children of Clyde and Elizabeth Howe said details of the settlement are confidential.

Diego Ashton, 29, of Bismarck, in September was sentenced to 43 years in prison for shooting Robert Becker 11 times in October 2020. Ashton told authorities he'd "had enough" of Becker's comments about his mental health issues.

Dawson Rouse, 22, of Bismarck, in December entered into a plea agreement on 21 federal child sex charges. Authorities say he befriended girls on social media, harassed some until they sent him inappropriate images, and allegedly had sex with six of them. Hell be sentenced in April.

A judge in September ordered a new trial for a man convicted in 2019 of raping a Lyft customer. South Central District Judge Bobbi Weiler said Corey Wickhams constitutional rights were violated when his attorney failed to object to police testimony that later impacted the jurys decision.

A 22-year-old Bismarck man accused of ramming a Bismarck gun shop and stealing weapons was also charged with shooting electrical equipment that caused an outage for 1,000 Mandan households. Tjaden Smith faces multiple charges in Burleigh and Morton counties.

A judge sentenced 86-year-old Bertha Harper to two years on probation stemming from a June 2020 crash in which pedestrian Amber Rebel was killed.

Frank Gasper, the North Dakota FBI agent who brought Jamaican lottery scammers to justice, retired in April after 25 years with the bureau.

The unusual

Less serious but still of interest are cases that took unexpected turns in 2021.

A tattoo artist was acquitted of causing $18,000 in graffiti damage, and an assistant prosecutor was fired during the trial. Richard Hudson, 33, was accused of spray painting the word CRAN -- his tag or logo -- on a number of Bismarck businesses. Jurors after 10 minutes of deliberation returned a verdict of not guilty, but Assistant Burleigh County States Attorney Scott Miller was not in the courtroom to hear it. States Attorney Julie Lawyer fired him after he sparred with and was scolded by Judge John Grinsteiner, who at one point borrowed a phrase from the movie Top Gun when Miller tried to interrupt him, telling the prosecutor negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.

A Bismarck police officer was reprimanded for using harsh language while attempting to arrest a man who longboarded down State Street in August. Officer Mark Muscha received a verbal reprimand, and skateboarder Seth Voegele, 32, was charged with preventing arrest. Three months later, Mandan police used a Taser on Voegele when he allegedly fled and resisted arrest after riding his skateboard in front of traffic.

North Dakota state troopers in September arrested two people after finding 10 pounds of marijuana hidden in a delivery van loaded with three pallets of ramen noodles. Tariq Alexander, 28, and Latifah Rivers, 24, both of Philadelphia, told troopers they were hauling the noodles from Washington to New York and didnt know the marijuana was there.

A Bismarck man started an apartment fire when he allegedly boiled cooking oil to throw on gang members who were trying to enter his apartment. John Linder, 33, pleaded not guilty to endangering by fire.

The North Dakota Supreme Court granted a jury trial to a Wisconsin Trump supporter accused of an infraction for using public grounds to sell Trump wares. The trial date for Eric Smith is not scheduled in court documents.

Reach Travis Svihovec at 701-250-8260 or Travis.Svihovec@bismarcktribune.com

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Gov. Doug Burgum's appointment of Public Service Commissioner Brian Kroshus as the next state tax commissioner means the governor will fill another elected office now set for the ballot next year.

Burgum on Tuesday announced Kroshus will succeed Republican Ryan Rauschenberger, who resigned effective Jan. 3 following an alcohol-related disturbance at a Bismarck hotel on Nov. 15. He was held in jail for detoxification, and was never under arrest.

Burgum cited Kroshus' background with business management and the public and private sectors, as well as his experience and abilities working with the Legislature, tribal nations and consumers.

His past electoral success "also was a consideration," Burgum said.

"Across all of that, Brian rose to the top," the governor said.

New role

Burgum said his office compiled names of 10 candidates "all interested and qualified" for tax commissioner, "took that discussion down, I would say, informally," narrowed down the names to the most qualified and "had more in-depth discussions with them, all the things that you would take into consideration," such as private sector and business management experience.

Burgum said he "gave Brian a call" about the vacancy.

Kroshus, a Republican, said his top priorities will be "treating taxpayers with fairness, transparency and efficiency with excellent customer service."

"We'll continue to work across state government and with our tribal partners and private sector partners to create a stable tax and regulatory environment that will support economic growth and prosperity for all," Kroshus told reporters, appearing with Burgum at a news conference.

He left his role as publisher of The Bismarck Tribune in 2015 to run for state auditor, but he did not receive the Republican nod. Burgum appointed Kroshus to the PSC in 2017 to fill a vacancy, and he was elected in 2018 to finish out the two remaining years in his predecessors term. He was reelected last year for a six-year term.

He chaired the PSC for two years beginning in 2019.

Kroshus will begin as tax commissioner on Jan. 4 and will complete Rauschenbergers term that expires Dec. 31, 2022.

He said he intends to run next year for the job, with a formal announcement to come. His initial goals are education, outreach and tribal engagement.

Burgum said Rauschenberger has "pledged his full commitment to support the transition."

PSC seat

Kroshus' appointment opens up a position on the three-member Public Service Commission. The seat will be on the ballot next year for the four years remaining on the term.

Burgum said his office will work on an appointment to the seat throughout January. He invites interested people to reach out.

Kroshus' portfolio at the PSC includes electric and gas utility regulation, pipeline safety and damage prevention, and weights and measures. He is the lead commissioner handling utility rate cases.

PSC Chair Julie Fedorchak said she and Commissioner Randy Christmann will temporarily split up Kroshus' portfolio and reassign the duties to the future third commissioner.

She said a vacancy is not unprecedented, and the transition's timing works well with the panel's workload clearing at the end of the calendar year.

She expects all the cases Kroshus has heard will have been decided by the time he leaves the board.

The PSC's next meeting is Wednesday. Fedorchak said she and Christmann are able to proceed as a quorum after Kroshus leaves.

She expects them to conduct at least one meeting as a two-member panel.

The annual salary of the public service commissioners is $115,304. The panel regulates everything from the energy industry to telecommunications to railroads.

Tax Office

The state Tax Office collects more than 90% of general fund revenue. The office has a two-year budget of $64.4 million and is authorized for 118 full-time employees.

The governor said Kroshus will oversee the rollout of $211 million of two-year income tax relief passed by the Legislature last month during its special session.

The tax commissioners annual salary is $121,814. The positions duties also include sitting on the state Board of Equalization and the advisory board for the Legacy Fund, North Dakotas $8.6 billion oil tax savings.

The position has been a springboard to higher office in years past. Former U.S. Sens. Kent Conrad, Byron Dorgan and Heidi Heitkamp, all D-N.D., were former tax commissioners.

Rauschenberger was appointed tax commissioner in 2014, and he won election later that year and in 2018.

He has been involved in several alcohol-related incidents during his time in office, including pleading guilty in 2017 to drunken driving. He was taken to detox for his own safety twice in recent months -- after an incident in downtown Bismarck in August in which police say he was passed out behind the wheel of his car, and after the November incident in which an officer found him passed out in a hotel room that wasn't his. He has been open about his efforts to seek recovery.

Rauschenberger declined an interview last month to discuss his plans for his remaining time in office.

Kroshus' appointment is the third time in Burgum's tenure that he has filled a state elected office upon a vacancy. The governor appointed Kroshus to the PSC in 2017, and named Justice Jon Jensen to the Supreme Court later that year.

Reach Jack Dura at 701-250-8225 or jack.dura@bismarcktribune.com.

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The Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library will host a conversation with North Dakota folk musicians in January.

Stories and Songwriting with Chuck Suchy and Jessie Veeder will have the two musicians share how they approach the songwriting process and play songs.

Suchy is a working farmer south of Mandan who writes and records songs evoking and extoling the Great Plains region and lifestyle. Veeder released her first album "This Road" at 16 and has continued a successful music and creative writing career.

The event is free and open to the public and will take place at 2 p.m. Jan. 8 in Meeting Room A on the library's lower level.

Reach Sam Nelson at 701-250-8264 or sam.nelson@bismarcktribune.com.

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This holiday season marks the 13th year a Bismarck church has encouraged members of its congregation to donate half their Christmas gift budget to support homelessness services in the Bismarck-Mandan area.

Legacy United Methodists goal to donate $40,000 comes at a time when organizations working with homeless people describe a host of needs as they look to build a permanent shelter in Bismarck, improve services and meet challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.

The church calls its initiative Half-a-Christmas. The Rev. Brandon Vetter said its grown in scope over the years, and its a hit with families.

They appreciate having a different focus on Christmas, he said. They have this tool to remind their kids and themselves that Christmas is not all about them.

Legacy modeled Half-a-Christmas after a similar effort started by a pastor in Ohio. When Vetters predecessor first announced the initiative at Legacy, he told the congregation that he hoped to raise an ambitious $25,000 the first year.

The ushers in the back were like, Did he hit his head? Vetter recalled.

The churchs members rose to the challenge, donating $27,000.

Its been a tradition ever since, Vetter said.

Homelessness needs

This years donations will go to Missouri Slope Areawide United Way and the Missouri Valley Coalition for Homeless People.

United Way is working toward building a permanent shelter for homeless people through a partnership with CommunityWorks.

The space it uses now in south Bismarck is small and a temporary solution, Executive Director Jena Gullo said. The facility houses 50 to 55 people per night and does not allow for adequate social distancing amid the pandemic, she said. United Way started operating the site after the 2017 closure of the city's previous shelter, the Ruth Meiers Hospitality House.

Many people United Way serves have health issues that put them at a high risk for COVID-19 complications. Some are staying in hotels, where they do not have access 24/7 to the kinds of support they might need, Gullo said.

For example, a case worker recently visited a hotel room where a woman was watching over her grandchild. The worker realized the woman was in the midst of drug withdrawal. United Way brought her and the child back to the shelter, the best option given the circumstances even though the facility is not meant for families, Gullo said.

United Way aims to raise $3.6 million for a new shelter that can offer a wider breadth of services.

When people walk in, we want to help restore their dignity, give them that sense of hope and the tools they need to be independent again, Gullo said. People come to us as their last option.

The Bismarck-Mandan community is great at purchasing Christmas presents to donate to families in need during the holiday season, said Mark Heinert, president of the Missouri Valley Coalition for Homeless People. Meanwhile, the organizations that make up the coalition and that provide services to some of the same people who receive those gifts still have expenses to pay.

Simple things like (Legacys donation) can help pay the light bill at the homeless shelter, Heinert said.

Winter poses challenges, as people served at the shelter might be less willing to walk through the bitter cold to a soup kitchen for a meal, Gullo said. Their food options arent great at the shelter, where just a single burner works on the stove.

Vetter said the Half-a-Christmas donation comes with no strings attached. Legacy trusts the organizations to use it however they see fit.

Thats been helpful for the coalition, Heinert said. Last year the funds the coalition received went toward the development of a statewide homelessness management database needed to bring federal dollars to support services in North Dakota.

The database helps guide organizations so they know which populations need more help, such as veterans, youth, families or people facing domestic violence or mental health issues, Heinert said.

The coalitions ability to chip in a larger share of the cost of that database meant individual organizations who serve homeless people didnt need to put as much of their own money toward it.

That kept dollars in direct care, he said.

Heinerts and Gullos gratitude toward Legacy was apparent when the two met with Vetter on a recent morning.

Thanks for doing this again, Gullo told Vetter. Its a lifesaver.

Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com.

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Rather than using their power and privilege to preserve freedom and diversity, Americas educated upper class has coalesced around all-or-nothing advocacy, hoping the state does the heavy lifting of social harmonization. []

In 2000, columnist David Brooks wrote Bobos in Paradise, hailing the dawn of a new phase in Americas longstanding story of meritocracy. The bobos were a peculiar breed  part bohemian, part bourgeoisie  blurring class divides in a way that would introduce a new form of enlightened, activist citizenship in a country with an otherwise ambivalent middle class.

The bobos didnt necessarily come from money, and they were proud of that; theyd secured their places in selective universities and in the job market through drive and intelligence exhibited from an early age, writes Brooks in a retrospective essay at The Atlantic.  X types defined themselves as rebels against the staid elite. They were  as the classic Apple commercial had it  the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers.

Its the same group that researcher Richard Florida famously called the the creative class  educated upstarts who could spin magic and mystery from their ideas and initiatives, transforming enterprises and institutions across whatever cities and streets they touched.

Back then, Brooks was optimistic, believing the bobos offered the promise of a more diverse, dynamic, and class-agnostic society. The educated class is in no danger of becoming a self-contained caste, he wrote at the time. Anybody with the right degree, job, and cultural competencies can join. Now, over 20 later, Brooksbelieves he was wrong, calling that earlier prediction naive.

Alas, rather than promoting a deeper, wider diversity through decentralized institutions, the creative class continues to push the needle toward greater consolidation and conformity, from land-use regulations to the educational bureaucracy and beyond. To no surprise, its a trend thats been matched by outright resistance among the working class and their counterparts  those who feel alienated from opportunity and increasingly cynical about the supposed openness of American society.

The bobos  or X people, or the creative class, or whatever you want to call them  have coalesced into an insular, intermarrying Brahmin elite that dominates culture, media, education, and tech, writes Brooks. Worse, those of us in this class have had a hard time admitting our power, much less using it responsibly.

Echoing many of the same themes of his 2012 book, The Social Animal, Brooks highlights three specific areas where power concentration and cultural consolidation have become most pronounced.

Education

First, [the bobos have] come to hoard spots in the competitive meritocracy that produced us. As Elizabeth Currid-Halkett reported in her 2017 book, The Sum of Small Things, affluent parents have increased their share of educational spending by nearly 300 percent since 1996. Partly as a result, the test-score gap between high- and low-income students has grown by 40 to 50 percent. The children of well-off, well-educated meritocrats are thus perfectly situated to predominate at the elite colleges that produced their parents social standing in the first place. Roughly 72 percent of students at these colleges come from the richest quarter of families, whereas only 3 percent come from the poorest quarter. A 2017 study found that 38 schoolsincluding Princeton, Yale, Penn, Dartmouth, Colgate, and Middlebury  draw more students from the top 1 percent than from the bottom 60 percent.

Geography

Second, weve migrated to just a few great wealth-generating metropolises. A few superstar cities have economically blossomed while everywhere else has languished. The 50 largest metro areas around the world house 7 percent of the worlds population but generate 40 percent of global wealth. Just six metro areas  the San Francisco Bay Area; New York; Boston; Washington, D.C.; San Diego; and London  attract nearly half of the high-tech venture capital in the world. This has also created gaping inequalities within cities, as high housing prices push middle- and lower-class people out. Over the past decade and a half, Florida wrote, nine in ten U.S. metropolitan areas have seen their middle classes shrink. As the middle has been hollowed out, neighborhoods across America are dividing into large areas of concentrated disadvantage and much smaller areas of concentrated affluence. The large American metro areas most segregated by occupation, he found, are San Jose, San Francisco, Washington, Austin, L.A., and New York.

Politics

Third, weve come to dominate left-wing parties around the world that were formerly vehicles for the working class. Weve pulled these parties further left on cultural issues (prizing cosmopolitanism and questions of identity) while watering down or reversing traditional Democratic positions on trade and unions   These partisan differences overlay economic differences. In 2020, Joe Biden won just 500 or so countiesbut together they account for 71 percent of American economic activity, according to the Brookings Institution. Donald Trump won more than 2,500 counties that together generate only 29 percent of that activity. An analysis by Brookings and The Wall Street Journal found that just 13 years ago, Democratic and Republican areas were at near parity on prosperity and income measures. Now they are divergent and getting more so. If Republicans and Democrats talk as though they are living in different realities, its because they are.

Such trends have been pointed out before, and with great care and nuance, whether one looks to Charles Murrays Coming Apart or Yuval Levins The Fractured Republic.

Among the bobos-dominated media, however, the divide tends to be characterized through a series of overly simplistic narratives  enlightened elites vs. working-class rubes, compassionate globalists vs. blood-and-soil nationalists, open-society liberals vs. closed-society scaredy-cats, diversity-lovers vs. diversity-haters.

When it comes to the populist piece of the equation, such narratives contain plenty of truth. But what about the bobos side of the blame?

To what extent have diversity and openness become mere buzzwords, backed by little commitment or consequence, and serving instead as fancy fronts for precisely the opposite? Likewise, to what extent does such entrenchment exacerbate the worst elements of the very counterculture it claims to oppose and despise?

For all its talk of openness, the creative class is remarkably insular, Brooks writes. In Social Class in the 21st Century, the sociologist Mike Savage found that the educated elite tended to be the most socially parochial group, as measured by contact with people in occupational clusters different from their own. In a study for The Atlantic, Amanda Ripley found that the most politically intolerant Americans tend to be whiter, more highly educated, older, more urban, and more partisan themselves.

Rather than using their power and privilege to preserve freedom and diversity, the creative class has largely coalesced around all-or-nothing advocacy, from the culture-warring of woke capitalism to the cookie-cutter conformity of higher education to the fatal conceits of central-planning elites. Rather than freeing civil society to do what it does best, our elites have largely deflected such responsibilities to the state, hoping that top-down control will do the heavy lifting of social harmonization.

I didnt anticipate how aggressively we would move to assert our cultural dominance, the way we would seek to impose elite values through speech and thought codes, Brooks explains. I underestimated the way the creative class would successfully raise barriers around itself to protect its economic privilege  not just through schooling, but through zoning regulations that keep home values high, professional-certification structures that keep doctors and lawyers incomes high while blocking competition from nurses and paralegals, and more. And I underestimated our intolerance of ideological diversity.

When it comes to using policy to correct perceived social inequalities, Brooks points to the right low-hanging fruit: education, zoning, and licensing. I would add price freedom, as well.

But at a cultural level, the real source change remains at the lower levels of society, including among the bobos themselves. While the prospects of social and economic mobility may be dimmer than they ought to be, and despite the constant entry of new obstacles and challenges, freedom and opportunity are still widely available across American life.

Indeed, outside the realm of policy, we have plenty of work to do. Problems of plenty continue to trickle down from cultural elites into all else, distorting and discoloring our notions about work and vocation, trade and exchange, marriage and family, or wisdom and education. At the level of our cultural imaginations, theres a tug-of-war over the basic meaning of the good society, one that posits the preservation of freedom against the exultation of conformity.

In such an environment, we ought to be careful that our resistance doesnt mirror the reactive approach of prevailing elites, promoting our own notions of top-down conformity and methods of conservative-friendly coercion. Instead, we can promote a freedom that flows higher than the narrow dualisms of our age  individualism vs. collectivism, localism vs. globalism, and so on. It is up to each of us to be the moral witnesses of such freedom, in our families, churches, schools, businesses, and communities.

In an age where social conformity continues to gain cultural esteem, whether promoted by large, private enterprises or through the collectivized power of the state, a revival of the middle layers or mediating institutions of society is sorely needed. As we continue to preserve the liberties that makes a varied witness possible, we can continue building and rebuilding society right where we are.
In 2020, entrepreneur and Apple Daily publisher Jimmy Lai beat back an attempt to prosecute him for intimidating a pro-Beijing reporter during a Tiananmen Square Massacre vigil. The prosecution appealed, and has now lost, even as Lai remains in prison convicted on other charges. []

Hong Kong prosecutors lost their appeal against a magistrates decision in September 2020 that cleared charges against media tycoon Jimmy Lai on intimidating a reporter from a rival newspaper, according to the South China Morning Post.

Lai, outspoken founder of prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, faced trial last year on one count of intimidating and threatening a photojournalist from the pro-Beijing Oriental Daily News. The court acquitted Lai on Sept. 3, 2020, ruling that the prosecutors had failed to prove Lais intent to physically harm the reporter.

The clash between Lai and the reporter, named X during the appeal, took place in 2017 during an annual Victoria Park vigil marking the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, a peaceful pro-democracy protest that turned horrific after Chinese troops opened fire on unarmed student protesters. This month, because of his participation in the vigil in 2019, Lai was handed a conviction and a 14-month prison sentence.

During the 2020 trial, X testified that he felt threatened by Lai when the entrepreneur said he would mess with him after X photographed Lai at the vigil, according to the BBC. Lai defended his comment in court, saying he had lashed out in a spur of the moment and that X had been following and photographing him for years.

The investigation of the incident had been halted in 2018, but in February 2019, Lai was arrested and charged on criminal intimidation along with the unauthorized assembly charges.

The presiding magistrate of the 2020 trial, May Chung Ming-sun, ruled in favor of Lai, arguing that he had undoubtedly reacted poorly but agreeing with the defense that Lai had used a Chinese expression that could be taken in multiple ways without necessarily meaning an explicit intent to harm someone.

The prosecution against Lai appealed on the grounds that Chung had erred in her ruling, saying she misdirected herself, misunderstood the facts and took into account irrelevant considerations.

But on appeal, Justice Andrew Chan Hing-wai of the high court maintained the 2020 ruling. Chan acknowledged that a successful man like Lai, with ample resources, should be able to recognize when he had made a serious threat, but upheld the previous magistrates ruling that the expression carries with it various meanings and does not necessarily mean Lai meant to personally harm the reporter.

The prosecutors appeal, therefore, was flawed and could not be supported, according to Chan.

Since the magistrate was not satisfied that the utterance made by [Lai] was the cause of the reporters [mental stress], that finding  marks the end of the prosecution case, Chan said.

Lai, the 73-year-old pro-democracy entrepreneur and activist, is currently serving a 20-month prison sentence for his participation in four unauthorized assemblies during Hong Kongs 2019 anti-government protests, as well as collusion charges, under the citys repressive National Security Law (NSL).

The Beijing-imposed NSL, passed in June 2020, cracks down on political dissent, hindering freedoms of speech, assembly, and association. More than 150 Hong Kong citizens have been arrested since the laws implementation, inducing widespread fear and stifling human rights. Lai and a few others have sacrificed their lives for a reemergence of democratic ideals in Hong Kong, a city that used to be a safe haven for such ideals, but now is ruled by an increasingly authoritarian government, which is declining further into a Beijing-like dictatorship.

The Hong Konger, the Acton Institutes documentary on the life of Lai, tells the story of his ongoing struggle against the growing power of the Hong Kong government. It is set to be released in early 2022.
Globalization is routinely decried for its disruptive effects, particularly as it relates to local culture and community enterprises and institutions. Even as its proven to drive significant economic growth, questions remain about its steamrolling influence on the culture.

Even if we grant that global competitive markets create prosperity, is it worth the fast food chains and the big box chains we see everywhere we go? asks Michael Miller in an excerpt from PovertyCure. What about a sense of vulgarity and bringing things to the lowest common denominator? And perhaps most important, does globalization destroy local culture?

The threats to culture are real and pronounced. It is undeniable that globalization can and has and will diminish or destroy certain cultures, traditions, and enterprises. Yet as Miller and others remind us in, we are not powerless in our response, whether as creators or consumers.

Indeed, globalization also presents a tremendous opportunity for cultural diversity.

In Ireland, for example, increased participation in global trade not only boosted and diversified the Irish economy; it also allowed the Irish to spread their culture around the world, whether through beer or film or music and dance. Simultaneously, the influx of competing cultural influences has increased awareness of their cultural identity, spurring citizens to defend, preserve, and restore the cultural features they care about the most (e.g. the recent renaissance of the Irish language).

As Irish economist Marc Coleman explains, even though the predominant push of globalization represents a secularized, individualized view of the world, that message is an opportunity for more traditional or family-oriented cultures to harness those same channels for their voice and cultural perspective. Instead of complaining, he says, lets actually use globalization to fight back and push our view of the world.

Its a reorientation that we would all do well to heed, and it doesnt just apply to more tangible cultural artifacts. For Christians, as with any other proponent of any other belief system, the avenues for application should be obvious. Whether were trying to spread a particular message through more direct communications or cultivating culture and serving our neighbors in the day-to-day economic order, the channels are already there, and theyre only continuing to expand.

Man cannot live by bread alone, concludes Coleman. Its very important that developing countries do not see the global market and the opportunities of a global market as a substitute for their native culture and values. Its extremely important to know who you are and what your culture is.

In terms of germs, the summer gave us a little more leeway than the winter to be relaxed and protected from catching a case of COVID. Now that new strains are upon us, we might have to go back into recluse mode for a while.

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Prices subject to change.
Please refer to my dispatch from Monday before reading the following.

I had a few hours to kill before my flight back to the United States, so I decided to do a little shopping in Warsaw's tony Wilanow district. I found a nice store that sold fine men's clothing. The proprietor was a hirsute gnome who introduced himself as Piotr. His girth was reminiscent of a sea lion, and his receding hairline was shadowed by a thick bramble of unkempt hair that encircled his balding pate like a thicket. He had some sort of freakishly large growth on the side of his head.

Piotr was very friendly and he took a keen interest in my life story. He asked me where I was from, and I told him I was from the United States. He said, "Is that so?" Piotr then launched into a diatribe about the United States, which he did not seem to view with any kind of reverence. I told him that I agreed that the United States had its fair share of problems, but Poland did, too, and in some ways worse problems than the United States.

He asked me what part of the United States I lived in.

"Los Angeles."

Piotr's eyes bulged and he dropped his jaw and his face turned the color of a tomato. He said, "I lived in Los Angeles for two years, and I had a horrible experience there."

"What happened?"

"I was living in an apartment in Culver City, and one day I saw a man in the hallway who was opening his mail slot. I noticed that he had a lot of junk mail in his box.

"I said to him, 'Junk mail is an example of everything wrong about America.'

"He said, 'I love junk mail.'

"I said, 'My friend, do you understand what "junk" means?'

"He said to me, 'I love it so much, I'm going to frame it.'

"I said to him, 'You are very stupid.'

"He then asked me, 'Where the hell are you from?'

"I said, 'I am from Poland.'

"He said, 'Maybe you could tell me where in Poland it is written that junk mail is not a thing to be loved?'

"I said to him, 'It is not written anywhere in Poland, but if you are so stupid that you love junk mail enough to frame it then perhaps it does need to be written down.'

"He got really angry, and he went to the manager of the apartment building and said, 'There is a Polish man in your building who is very rude to me.'

"The manager called me into his office and said, 'Piotr, you will have to leave this apartment. That man is a very important person in Los Angeles. He owns a company that has many thousands of employees. You must apologize to him, or you will be evicted from the building.'

"I told the manager that if I was forced to leave the building, I would sue him for wrongful eviction.

"The manager said, 'If you sue me, you will not get a dime. Your legal fees will eat up any money you might get from me.'

"I had been in America for two years and I was going to be evicted because of a stupid argument over junk mail. I packed my bags, took a taxi to LAX, and never returned to Los Angeles."

"Now I understand," I said to Piotr.

After examining his inventory, I selected a Day-Glo running vest. "This is the perfect item of clothing to attract attention on my long flight home," I told Piotr. "The flight crew will give me the respect that I deserve for wearing such a garment. They will treat me like a viceroy with a taste for the avant-garde."

Piotr rang up the vest and then rang up an additional charge for something he called a "Wi-Fi hot spot." I protested, saying I didn't use his internet service in the store. Piotr became enraged and said, "I don't know who you are to lecture me on what I need to do, but you need to get out of my store."

We didn't part on good terms and I was so upset I went across the street and had a cup of coffee at a cafe to gather my wits. I became aware that I was being watched while I was sitting at my table. I saw a man who was very short and very fat. He was wearing a perfectly tailored, expensive suit. He sat down at a table opposite me, and just stared at me for a few minutes. I stared back at him.

He smiled at me and said, "I know who you are and I know why you are in Poland."

"You do?"

"I must tell you this. I am the man Piotr told you about."

"Who?"

"I am the man who loves junk mail."
"You know you're the ones that got us through the first many months of anxiety," Hochul said of frontline workers. "We need you again. We need you to be able to go to work."

The news surely comes as a sigh of relief to health care employers across the state. Many hospitals, for one, already have struggled to staff enough beds, which has stretched capacity amid rising Covid-19 hospitalizations, sicker-than-ever non-Covid patients who put off care earlier in the pandemic and a difficulty discharging certain patients into nursing homes.

Dr. Brian Murray, chief medical officer at Erie County Medical Center, told The Buffalo News on Wednesday that the organization was concerned with more Covid-19 cases among staff members with the arrival of Omicron, which is expected to lead to more breakthrough infections and has already caused cases to skyrocket in New York City. Before the guidance issued Friday, a health care worker who tested positive could be out up to 10 days.

"We have actually seen with the announcement of the Omicron that we're seeing more and more people getting boosters," said Murray, noting that 40% of ECMC's staff had received boosters as of Wednesday.

Hochul says NY considering booster shot mandate for health care workers New York is considering a booster shot mandate for health care workers, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday, as the state fights a surge of Covid-19 cases driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
"His heart is really into it," Lockwood said. Equally important has been LeBron's work in helping law enforcement officers cope with the traumatic situations they face in the field.

"When I came on the job, they used to tell us, 'Suck it up, kid.' There was nobody to talk to and you'd go home and you would take it all home with you," Lockwood said.

"Things that he's doing now and putting together, it's been long, long overdue."

LeBron, now 53, said he wanted to be a cop since he was a second-grader at School 43 and Officer Paul Quagliano came to talk to his class.

"I remember seeing him walk in in that uniform. He looked like he was 10 feet tall. I thought: Man, I want to do that. I want to be able to help people," LeBron said.

He came on the job in 1989, first working patrol in Precinct 10 and then 15. In 1993, the BPD combined its precincts into five districts and LeBron stayed at A District for the rest of his career.

He recalled when his first chief, Patrick Reichmuth, called him into the office regarding a new assignment. "Tony, I want you to be a community police officer," he told LeBron.
For that reason, Gillibrand authored  and this year, won strong majority support for  a bill that would take the decision on whether to prosecute such cases away from military commanders and give it to trained military prosecutors.

But the bill those four men devised and that Congress passed stops short of that. It establishes a "special trial counsel" for each branch of the military, and those independent prosecutors will have the authority to refer cases for court martial.

But commanders will retain much of the prosecutorial power in the process. They will choose the jurors. They will decide which witnesses testify. They can even grant immunity.

All of those powers would have been removed from the chain of command under Gillibrand's bill  and she's livid that the defense negotiators kept those powers in the hands of commanding officers.

"These are things that are essential to the prosecution of any case, and so if the prosecutor doesnt have the right to do these things, it means the prosecutor has to go ask the commander: 'May I do these things? May I call this witness?' " she said recently on the Senate floor.

But Tokash said commanders might not keep that power for long.
Hes so sacred, so reverent, said Rev. Joe Rogliano, pastor at St. Mark for more than a decade. He brought it to a level of wonder.

+5 Sean Kirst: A tall tale of Christmas leads to a chair of chairs, from AM&A's The magic of Christmas comes alive in many ways for the Overdorf family, which holds dear memories of a downtown Santa.

Maybe it is because this Santa appreciates, in the deepest sense, the meaning of a gift. From Brothers of Mercy, Jim and Mary recalled in separate phone interviews how they met at a bake sale at the old St. Vincent de Paul Church on Main Street. They were soon dating, and they both recalled the trepidation and concern when Jim was drafted during the Korean War, and Mary said farewell from the Central Terminal.

To Jim's quiet surprise, he was never sent into the war. He and Mary became engaged when she met him in Columbus, Ohio, while he was still in uniform, and they walked to a jewelry store and began making their plans. Mary was again at the Central Terminal when Jim stepped onto the platform, home safely and for good. You would think that is a feeling you could never replicate, except for this: After the pandemic arrived in early 2020, they were unable to see each other for seven months at Brothers of Mercy, despite their proximity.
Do you believe the virus that causes Covid-19 is a biological weapon engineered by scientists?

That it was created to start a pandemic to divert attention from an impending global financial crisis?

It was invented as a hoax by interest groups to get filthy rich?

It it being used as a tool to strip citizens of personal liberties and establish authoritarian governments?

If so, you were more likely to catch Covid-19, suffer financial losses and be socially isolated during the first year of the global pandemic, according to a recent study published in Psychological Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal by Cambridge University Press.

Researchers in the Netherlands conducted the study, first reported in the online medical journal Medscape. They noted how social media has amplified those beliefs.
I think initially, after the shootings, there was an overwhelming wave of support for the Asian American experience right now in the age of COVID. And you know, it did matter that there were a lot of people who were not Asian speaking out. And yes, it was nice, for a while to see all these people  not Asian as well  who were you know, using the #StopAAPIHate or #StopAsianHate hashtags. And to degree you know, it was nice to see certain companies, corporations, and even small businesses echo those sentiments. But, of course, like anything, I feel like it's kind of petered out somewhat. I mean, even as recently as this month there's an elderly man in Chicago who was shot and killed very viciously in the Chinatown neighborhood there. And I only see outrage among Asian American social media channels or independent Asian American social media platforms like Instagram accounts, Twitter accounts where their mission is to just go and pull out like all Asian American news. But I don't see much outrage beyond that.
Proponents often cite unbearable pain as a reason for legalizing assisted suicide, however, data from Oregon shows that unbearable pain does not even make it into the top three reasons that patients choose assisted suicide. Loss of autonomy, decreasing ability to participate in life activities, and loss of dignity are the top three reasons people reported when choosing assisted suicide. Lawmakers must realize that pain can be managed, and a multidisciplinary must be employed in end-of-life care. Offering suicide isnt necessary.

Some people support assisted suicide only in extreme cases, but this proposal does not reflect that kind of last resort approach. It does not require a patient to try hospice or comfort care measures prior to receiving a lethal script. In fact, the proposed law does not even require the patient to be in pain or suffering in any way. Under this bill, assisted suicide would be available to everyone diagnosed with a terminal illness, including patients that may have been misdiagnosed.
cryptocurrency, crypto, blockchain

Written by Daniel Da Costa at The Motley Fool Canada

Theres no doubt that Ethereum revolutionized the blockchain industry, and its native token Ether is one of the best investments you can make.

However, the drawbacks of Ethereums network are well documented, and while there are changes and upgrades on the way, they are not slated to be released until sometime in 2022.

In the meantime, several Ethereum competitors have been gaining popularity and continue to be some of the best cryptocurrencies you can buy not just for 2022 but to hold long term.

So, if youre looking for some of the top cryptocurrencies to buy today, here are three Ethereum competitors that could outperform Ether in 2022.

Cardano is getting the most attention from investors who are looking for an alternative to Ethereum

Cardano is the first blockchain network to consider, as its the closest to Ether in terms of market value and continues to generate a tonne of optimism from investors and users. To gain exposure to Cardano or to even use its blockchain at all, investors will need to own its native token ADA.

Cardano was created to allow much faster as well as cheaper transactions than Ethereum. And while there has been some strong development so far, its taken quite a bit of time, which has allowed several other competitors to catch up.

In addition, another drawback of Cardano is that its not compatible with Ethereum. Many of the blockchains that are competing with Ethereum are compatible, meaning that the developers can launch their apps on several networks, which is whats been allowing the growth of many different blockchains.

Nevertheless, Cardano is still one of the best opportunities for investors. Its currently the sixth most valuable cryptocurrency with a market cap north of US$45 billion. However, its still more than 10 times less than Ethers market cap, which currently stands at US$470 billion.

AVAX, the native token of Avalanche, could severely outperform Ether in 2022

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Another competitor to Ethereum that has been gaining in value considerably lately and should continue this performance into 2022 is Avalanche, which has the native token AVAX.

The blockchain network is a lot like Cardano. It was created to improve upon Ethereums drawbacks, namely faster and cheaper transactions. And so far, its been successful.

Avalanches network only launched in September 2020, and, already, the project has raised several investment rounds from crypto venture capital firms. Its native token AVAX has also skyrocketed in value, massively outperforming Ether and bringing Avalanche to the top 10 of all cryptocurrencies by market cap with a current value of more than US$28 billion.

The one major difference between Avalanche and Cardano, and one of the reasons why AVAX has been able to rally so rapidly, is due to the fact that Avalanche is compatible with Ethereum. Therefore, its ecosystem has been able to grow a lot faster, as developers move their applications onto the network.

So, if there was only one competitor I could choose to bet on over Ethereum, Avalanche would be my pick.

Fantom is one of the networks with the most potential for growth

Lastly is one of the best opportunities for investors, Fantom. Fantoms native token, FTM, is currently just the 41st most valuable cryptocurrency, well off other competitors like AVAX and ADA, which are both currently among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market value.

Not only that, but currently, Fantoms market cap sits at just US$4.3 billion, so its currently worth less than 1% of what Ethereum is worth.

Fantom is an exciting investment, not because its cheap, but its another Ethereum-compatible layer one blockchain that offers faster and cheaper transactions.

The network does have potential, but it also faces stiff competition from other blockchain networks, which are also trying to dethrone Ethereum. So, its by no means a sure thing, but it certainly offers a significant opportunity. And if it can manage to differentiate itself and create a unique ecosystem that will attract more users, Fantom could be one of the best projects to consider today.

The post 3 Ethereum Competitors That Could Outperform Ether in 2022 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

Should you invest $1,000 in Air Canada right now?

Before you consider Air Canada, you may want to hear this.

Motley Fool Canadian Chief Investment Advisor, Iain Butler, and his Stock Advisor Canada team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Air Canada wasn't one of them.

The online investing service they've run since 2013, Motley Fool Stock Advisor Canada, has beaten the stock market by over 3X. And right now, they think there are 10 stocks that are better buys.

Learn More Today!

More reading

Fool contributor Daniel Da Costa owns Ethereum and Fantom. The Motley Fool owns and recommends Ethereum.

2021
(Bloomberg) -- Ardonagh Group has agreed to buy Portuguese insurance broker MDS Group.

Most Read from Bloomberg

U.K.-based Ardonagh announced the acquisition, which will be funded with equity and debt, in a statement Thursday that confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The deal is valued at more than 200 million pounds ($268 million), according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. Ardonagh is buying MDS from Sonae Group and IPLF Holding.

MDS manages more than 500 million euros ($567 million) in insurance premiums, generating annual revenue of about 75 million euros. The Lloyds of London broker has a presence in Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Angola, Mozambique, Switzerland and Malta, according to its website.

Founded in 2017, Ardonagh operates as an independent insurance broker with four units -- international, specialty, advisory and retail. Its recently been growing through acquisitions, while also exploring options for its retail unit that could include an initial public offering.

Earlier this month, Ardonagh was valued at $7.5 billion after raising new money from investors including Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and existing backers Madison Dearborn Partners and HPS Investment Partners.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
(Reuters) - Millions of Americans carried on warily with holiday travel plans as the Omicron variant drove a surge in COVID-19 cases across the world, while a Japanese health ministry panel recommended approval of Merck & Co's antiviral pill.

DEATHS AND INFECTIONS

* Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1592404098 for a case tracker and summary of news

EUROPE

* Austria should offer some healthcare staff and other key workers a fourth COVID-19 jab, the National Vaccination Board said in updated guidance published late on Thursday.

* Britain recorded a record number of new cases on Thursday and France had its worst-ever day in terms of new infections, while Italy tightened restrictions as daily infections hit a record high.

* A fire in the intensive care unit of a COVID-19 hospital killed two people in Russia's southern city of Astrakhan, the TASS news agency said.

* The Czech Republic will require all foreign visitors to have a negative PCR test prior to entry starting from Dec. 27, unless they had a booster vaccine dose.

ASIA-PACIFIC

* Four infections with the Omicron variant have been confirmed in Tokyo, its governor said on Friday, while Thailand reported its first domestic cluster of infections from the variant in Kalasin province in the North East.

* Bhutan started giving booster shots to senior citizens and priority groups as the Himalayan kingdom counters the spread of the Omicron variant.

* An Indian court urged government to suspend political rallies and election campaigns in poll-bound states amid the rising number of Omicron cases.

* Vietnam aims to vaccinate all of its adult population with a booster shot by the end of the first quarter of next year.

AMERICAS

* United Airlines and Delta Air Lines on Thursday said they had each canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights, as the spreading Omicron variant takes a toll on its flight crews and other workers.

* U.S. healthcare workers who test positive but are asymptomatic can now return to work after seven days in isolation, provided they test negative.

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* Ecuador has made it obligatory for eligible people to be vaccinated.

* New York will sharply limit the number of people it allows in Times Square for its New Year's Eve celebration, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

* South Africa will start offering booster shots of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) vaccine from Friday, the health department said, following its approval for use as a booster by the health regulator a day earlier.

* Kenya's sudden decision to demand proof of vaccination to access public places and transport was met by a combination of bemusement, dismissal and the occasional spot of enforcement.

MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS

* A Japanese health ministry panel recommended approval of the COVID-19 antiviral pill developed by Merck & Co Inc, part of plans to roll out new treatments by yearend as concerns rise about the Omicron variant.

* CanSino Biologics' vaccine was 57.5% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 and 91.7% against severe disease four weeks or longer after one dose, while its protection appeared lower in older people, peer-reviewed results from a large trial showed.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

* Stock markets in Europe and Asia cemented gains in light holiday trade on Friday, while the safe-haven dollar eased on signs the Omicron variant would not significantly derail global economic growth.

* The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits held below pre-pandemic levels last week as the labor market tightens, while consumer spending increased solidly, putting the economy on track for a strong finish to 2021.

* Japan's cabinet approved an annual budget of $940 billion that is a record for a tenth straight year, prioritising the COVID-19 response and the prime minister's aim of growth and wealth distribution.

(Compiled by Anita Kobylinska and Devika Syamnath; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta and Toby Chopra)
Zimpler offers a B2B payment solution, enabling instant pay-ins and instant pay-outs. The brand opens the door for innovation for internal processes and improves the cash flow for the selling company while providing the buying company with better purchase experience

Stockholm, Sweden, Dec. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The last two years have forced innovation into new areas of everyday life, as an increase in digitization has dominated the pandemic. Businesses and how they operate are no exception to this. Catering to the growing need for digitalization in quick and easy payments, fintech company Zimpler has developed an all-new B2B payment product to bring open banking and instant payments to businesses as well as consumers.

Johan Friis, Head of New Solutions and co-founder at Zimpler, comments on the potential impact of B2B transactions on businesses today: We saw a big gap in the market, a huge demand for this kind of service. We cannot talk about open banking and the speed and innovation it provides and still spends so much time manually handling stuff like invoices. With B2B payments, we combine limitless invoices and transaction processing with the ease of use of a card. All you need is the login details to your company bank account.

The need for innovation in business transactions fueled the development of Zimplers B2B payment solution. The development of this new service was done in close collaboration with Briqpay. Bjorn Widerstrom, Chief Commercial Officer at Briqpay, explains: Briqpay provides any payment method in a seamless checkout experience. We see an interest from our customers in the digital instant bank transfer space, where Zimpler became the natural choice for us. Briqpay and Zimpler share the vision of helping companies grow their digital sales with simple payments.

B2B payments simplify the tedious procedures of traditional methods, replacing invoices, credit cards, and checks with instant transactions. The payments are connected directly to the company bank account. The seller can initiate real-time purchases anytime, from anywhere. And the buyers receive their orders instantly, without having to think about it.

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Johan Friis elaborates: As Zimpler now enters this space, by offering a B2B payment solution, enabling instant pay-ins and instant pay-outs, it opens the door for innovation for internal processes. It will improve the cash flow for the selling company while providing the buying company with a much better purchase experience.

Zimpler is a fast-growing fintech company with a solid and innovative team working toward their shared vision of a world with more accessible payment methods. The idea of B2B payments has undoubtedly been a positive change for the payment complications that companies face each day. The execution and implementation rate of the companys initiative has also reached commendable heights, with an international presence in countries like Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Estonia, and Finland.

Website: https://www.zimpler.com/

CONTACT: Name: Jonna Grenfeldt Email: jonna.grenfeldt@zimpler.com Organization: Zimpler




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2021) - Solis Minerals Limited (ASX: SLM) (TSXV: SLMN) (FSE: 08W) ("Solis Minerals" or "the Company") is pleased to announce its successful listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) following its very well-supported IPO.

The Company raised a total of A$5.5 million through the issue of 27,500,000 Chess Depository Interests ("CDIs") at A$0.20, with one attaching option for every two shares subscribed in the IPO with an exercise price of AUD$0.30 for a period of two-years from the date of issue.

Upon closing, the Company has in excess of A$7.0 million cash at bank, and is very well placed to commence its highly anticipated maiden drilling program at the Mostazal Copper Project in Chile, one of the largest copper production nations in the world.

CEO Jason Cubitt commented: "We were pleased to see the support of past shareholders and we welcome many new shareholders to the company in the IPO. I'd like to thank the administrative and legal teams in both Canada and Australia for supporting this achievement and, in particular, thanks go to our lead manager in Australia, Euroz Hartleys, for managing distribution of the IPO. We now look forward to a busy field season commencing January 2022 and the potential for a significant new copper discovery."

Net proceeds from the IPO will be primarily allocated to funding the upcoming drill program at the Company's 100%-optioned Mostazal Copper Project in Chile's Atacama Desert where previous exploration has outlined significant near surface copper mineralisation.

Mostazal Copper Project Summary

The Mostazal property is located 80 kilometres (km) northeast of Copiapo, Chile (Figure 1) and within the Domeyko fault - a major structural control for some of the world's largest and most productive copper mines*, including Chuquicamata and Escondida, and 40 km south of Codelco's El Salvador mine (Appendix 1).

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The first program of drilling will total approximately 2,900 metres diamond drilling in two phases, is expected to commence in mid-January continuing through until mid-March, and will initially target both porphyry and manto-style copper mineralisation.

As well as testing the copper at near surface, the Company intends to undertake the first-ever drill testing of an interpreted porphyry feeder system underlying a 4 km by 2.5 km, north-south-trending, belt of outcropping copper mineralisation, small-scale mine workings, and geochemical and geophysical anomalies. Four main target areas have been identified (Figure 2) on the basis of historical drilling, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and structural interpretation and modelling.









Figure 1: Mostazal Copper Project - historical drill testing of manto copper mineralisation by a previous operator.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/108454_4dcbbbecf4ec0b75_016full.jpg



Figure 2: Mostazal Copper Project - initial diamond drilling target locations over copper soil geochemistry.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/108454_4dcbbbecf4ec0b75_017.jpg

The Mostazal West target (Target Area 1) is located immediately west of stacked copper-bearing manto lenses and is characterised by the presence of a magnetic low and chargeability high geophysical anomalies. The Company is targetting a potential source of copper mineralisation beginning at a depth of 300 metres - about 100 metres deeper than prior drilling and immediately adjacent to the area of recent exploitation.

The Central target (Target Area 2) is located immediately beneath known manto copper lenses where historical, relatively shallow drilling (Figure 1) to a depth of approximately 150 metres, has encountered wide zones of high-grade copper mineralisation (Table 1). The Company is targetting to penetrate though stacked copper-bearing manto lenses to test for an interpreted buried porphyry/ feeder structure beginning at a depth of approximately 300 metres.

Table 1: Selected significant intersections from historic drilling at the Mostazal Copper Project1.

DDH-MZ-08: 16m @ 1.48% Cu from 56m

DDH-MZ-10: 13m @ 1.23% Cu from 91m

DDH-MZ-13: 8m @ 1.83% Cu from 55m

DDH-MZ-27: 10m @ 1.59% Cu from 40m

DDH-MZ-30: 16m @ 1.27% Cu from 74m

DDH-MZ-32: 11m @ 2.52% Cu from 84m

Appointment of Directors

Effective from the date of the Company's admission to the official list ASX, and as noted in the Prospectus, the Company is pleased to welcome Mr. Michael Parker and Ms. Chaifika Eddine to the Board as Non-Executive Directors. Mr. Fred Tejada has stepped down from the Board. The Company thanks Mr. Tejada for his significant contributions and welcomes his continued role as a technical advisor.

About Solis Minerals Ltd.

Solis Minerals is a Latin American-focused mining exploration company. The Company is earning into a 100-per-cent interest in the Mostazal Copper Project in Chile's Atacama Desert, one of the world's premier copper production jurisdictions. The Company also holds a 100-per-cent interest in a package of highly prospective IOCG (iron oxide copper/gold) and porphyry copper projects in southwestern Peru within the country's prolific coastal copper belt - a source of nearly half of Peru's copper production.

Issued on the directive of the board of Solis.

For further information please contact:

Jason Cubitt

President and CEO

Solis Minerals Limited

+01 (604) 209 1658

Stephen Moloney

Investor Relations

Corporate Storytime

+61 (0)408 228 889





Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release.

Derrick Strickland, P. Geo. (1000315), is a qualified person and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. *The qualified person has been unable to verify the information on the adjacent properties. Mineralisation hosted on adjacent and/or nearby and/or geologically similar properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation hosted on the Company property.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to, market conditions, availability of financing, actual results of the Company's exploration and other activities, environmental risks, future metal prices, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. All the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law.

Competent Person Statement

The information in this ASX release in relation to Geological Information and Exploration Results is based on and fairly represent information compiled by Mr Anthony Greenaway, a Competent Person who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Greenaway is an employee of Solis Minerals Ltd and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and types of deposit under consideration and to the exploration activities undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australian Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Greenaway consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on information in the form and context in which it appears. Mr Greenaway has provided his prior written consent as to the form and context in which the Geological Information and Exploration Results and supporting information are presented in this Announcement.

All information relating to exploration results that have been previously released to the market is appropriately referenced in this document.

APPENDIX 1





Figure 3: Mostazal Copper Project location.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/108454_4dcbbbecf4ec0b75_018full.jpg

APPENDIX 2

Table 2: Mostazal Copper Project historical diamond drilling collar details.

HOLE ID Hole Type Grid ID Easting

(m) Northing

(m) Elevation

(m) DIP

(deg) Azimuth

(deg) Depth

(m) DDH-MZ-1 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440790.40 7049919.37 2819.48 -60 242 120.25 DDH-MZ-2 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440791.39 7049919.91 2819.58 -90 242 120.00 DDH-MZ-3 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440854.43 7049839.98 2795.00 -45 242 98.12 DDH-MZ-4 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440852.90 7049839.20 2794.96 -80 242 111.60 DDH-MZ-5 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440852.39 7049774.71 2789.90 -65 242 95.00 DDH-MZ-6 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440851.67 7049774.31 2789.89 -90 242 141.42 DDH-MZ-7 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441043.87 7049548.01 2819.38 -45 242 166.60 DDH-MZ-8 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441042.00 7049547.38 2819.32 -64 242 182.60 DDH-MZ-9 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441043.48 7049546.16 2819.35 -45 208 129.20 DDH-MZ-10 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440931.35 7049651.52 2810.53 -45 242 144.24 DDA-MZ-11 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440930.74 7049651.10 2810.51 -65 242 127.60 DDH-MZ-12 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440929.89 7049650.65 2810.75 -36 242 159.62 DDH-MZ-13 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440929.38 7049650.33 2810.74 -90 242 132.45 DDH-MZ-14 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440782.02 7049722.79 2764.68 -36 62 135.18 DDH-MZ-15 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440781.04 7049722.22 2764.61 -58 62 139.42 DDH-MZ-16 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440780.48 7049721.91 2764.47 -80 62 140.00 DDH-MZ-17 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440868.09 7049537.34 2747.68 -45 62 144.10 DDH-MZ-18 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440866.99 7049536.76 2747.68 -75 62 110.38 DDH-MZ-19 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440695.36 7049875.38 2787.02 -45 62 171.00 DDH-MZ-20 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440501.00 7050272.23 2820.25 -45 242 90.70 DDH-MZ-21 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440503.00 7050272.00 2819.16 -80 242 83.70 DDH-MZ-22 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440675.75 7050028.70 2816.99 -35 242 102.76 DDH-MZ-23 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440779.97 7049668.71 2768.01 -35 62 141.78 DDH-MZ-24 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441034.27 7049588.84 2813.96 -35 242 170.15 DDH-MZ-25 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441532.82 7051088.34 3011.72 -35 160 130.33 DDH-MZ-26 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441533.40 7051086.96 3011.71 -50 160 131.00 DDH-MZ-27 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441995.00 7051291.00 3045.32 -55 270 110.00 DDH-MZ-28 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441997.00 7051291.00 3045.32 -90 270 115.00 DDH-MZ-29 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441997.00 7051291.00 3045.32 -40 106 82.93 DDH-MZ-30 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441034.27 7049588.84 2813.96 -55 242 230.09 DDH-MZ-31 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440753.00 7049543.00 2721.00 -45 60 259.12 DDH-MZ-32 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440965.00 7049671.00 2814.00 -45 62 141.00 DDH-MZ-33 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441105.00 7049717.32 2836.50 -45 62 150.79 DDH-MZ-34 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441202.00 7049799.00 2878.00 -45 90 301.48 DDH-MZ-35 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441097.00 7049630.00 2838.00 -45 90 299.50 DDH-MZ-36 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441495.00 7049901.00 2956.00 -50 90 247.30 DDH-MZ-37 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441504.00 7049599.00 2904.00 -45 90 300.75 DDH-MZ-38 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441347.00 7049799.00 2898.00 -45 90 240.60 DDH-MZ-39 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441132.00 7049369.00 2814.00 -45 90 241.45 DDH-MZ-40 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440923.00 7049763.00 2819.00 -45 90 318.00 DDH-MZ-41 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441403.00 7049397.00 2858.00 -50 90 225.20 DDH-MZ-42 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441401.00 7049701.00 2879.00 -45 90 249.60 DDH-MZ-43 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440979.00 7049851.00 2848.00 -45 90 249.74 DDH-MZ-44 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441850.00 7049495.00 2921.00 -45 90 250.64 DDH-MZ-45 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440902.00 7049979.00 2850.00 -90 0 250.68 DDH-MZ-46 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440957.00 7049475.00 2768.00 -70 90 200.94 DDH-MZ-47 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440616.00 7049705.00 2755.00 -80 90 202.06 DDH-MZ-48 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441650.00 7050200.00 3058.00 -70 90 250.70 DDH-MZ-49 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441850.00 7049700.00 2980.00 -45 90 250.72 DDH-MZ-50 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440704.00 7049705.00 2751.00 -80 90 252.21 DDH-MZ-51 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440414.00 7049940.00 2761.00 -55 90 250.04 DDH-MZ-52 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440581.00 7049489.00 2615.00 -55 90 252.00 DDH-MZ-53 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440974.00 7049917.00 2845.00 -60 90 249.56 DDH-MZ-54 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441045.00 7049548.00 2819.00 -50 90 250.27 DDH-MZ-55 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440500.00 7049798.00 2759.00 -70 90 249.00 DDH-MZ-56 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440599.00 7049597.00 2708.00 -45 90 219.00 DDH-MZ-57 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440655.00 7049795.00 2775.00 -70 90 246.18 DDH-MZ-58 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440397.00 7049697.00 2732.00 -55 90 299.00 DDH-MZ-59 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440603.00 7049903.00 2796.00 -60 90 269.00 DDH-MZ-60 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440796.00 7049922.00 2818.00 -50 90 256.92

APPENDIX 3

JORC Code, 2012 Edition - Table 1

Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data

(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Drilling techniques Drill sample recovery Logging Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation Quality of assay data and laboratory tests Verification of sampling and assaying Location of data points Data spacing and distribution Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Sample security Audits or reviews

Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Exploration done by other parties Geology Drill hole Information Data aggregation methods Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths Diagrams Balanced reporting Other substantive exploration data Further work

1 Refer to Solis Minerals' TSXV announcement dated 26 October 2021, and Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 for details and associated JORC tables.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108454
France on Friday joined forces with 14 European nations as well as Canada to condemn the deployment in Mali of an estimated 1,000 operatives from the Russian-based Wagner Group.

The units were drafted in during the autumn after French president Emmanuel Macron announced the end of the decade-long Operation Barkhane and the phased withdrawal of 5,000 French troops.

The counter-terrorist operation was launched in 2013 in northern Mali and fanned out across the country into Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Geopolitical analysts as well as a raft of politicians in Africa queried the strategic sense of Macron's decision.

Anticipating a security vacuum after the French departure, Colonel Assimi Goita's administration turned to Wagner as a replacement.

Crimes

But units of the group  which has links to the security services of the Russian Federation  have been accused of a series of crimes.

This deployment can only further deteriorate the security situation in west Africa, lead to an aggravation of the human rights situation in Mali, threaten the agreement for peace and reconciliation in Mali resulting from the Algiers process, said the joint statement of the 16 countries.

The bloc also fears the Wagner Group's presence could hamper the efforts to provide support to the Malian armed forces.

The pressure has been mounting on the Wagner Group and its backers in the upper echelons of Russian politics.

On 13 December, the European Union sanctioned Wagner and 11 of its associates for its activities in Ukraine, Libya, Central African Republic and Syria.

Two days later the US state department urged Malian authorities not to use their operatives.

Countries that experience Wagner Group deployments within their borders soon find themselves poorer, weaker, and less secure, said the US state department.

Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, has said private military contractors have the right to work and pursue their interests anywhere in the world as long as they do not break Russian law.

Story continues

Putin has said the Wagner Group neither represented the Russian state nor was paid by it.

The 16-nation bloc, however, said it rejected denials of any links between the state and the group.

"We are aware of the involvement of the Russian Federation government in providing material support to the deployment of the Wagner Group in Mali and call on Russia to revert to a responsible and constructive behaviour in the region," it added.
lens

Meeting Demands of a Burgeoning Field

New fintech masters degree to prepare students for emerging careers

Image: iStock.com/Andrey Suslov





As the worlds of finance and technology become increasingly intertwinedthink consumer banking apps, cryptocurrencies or cybersecuritymore professionals are needed with overlapping expertise in these areas.

To meet rapidly growing workplace demands, Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve is launching a Master of Science in FinTech degree in the fall of 2022among the first of its kind in Ohio.

This program puts the Weatherhead School at the forefront of the fintech space, said Gregory Jonas, PhD, senior associate dean of academics and graduate programs. Globally, there are so few schools offering academic degrees in this space.

Courses will cover finance, financial big-data analytics and programming, with an emphasis on technologies including artificial intelligence and blockchain. Students also will work on real-world projects for companies, participate in internships and executive roundtable discussions, and have access to alumni involved in fintech applications and companies.

Jonas said the Weatherhead School increasingly heard from employers struggling to find business professionals able to effectively integrate new technologies and finance. A subsequent consultants analysis for the school confirmed high and growing demand for the field, with nearly 180,000 fintech jobs posted nationally for the 12 months ending in May.

From what weve seen, its hard to envision a scenario where there isnt continued and dramatic growth, particularly as technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency are more broadly embraced, Jonas said.

The degree can be completed in two semesters, or students can extend their studies to three or four semesters by enrolling in the Analytics for FinTech specialization track and earning a certificate as well.
lens

Poetic Justice

Cristian Gomez Olivares writing is personal and political

Photo: Matt Shiffler

Cristian Gomez Olivares





Growing up in Chile during the violently repressive dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, Cristian Gomez Olivares struggled to make sense of his countrys tumultuous political situation.

I had many unanswered questions; naively enough, I thought literature might provide some answers, said Gomez Olivares, PhD, a poet and Case Western Reserve associate professor of Spanish.

Nine collections of poetry later, Gomez Olivareswho signs his books Cristian Gomez O.continues to explore how national and global events mark individuals.

His 2020 award-winning La perdida de las colonias de ultramar (Loss of the overseas territories) is a meditation on the different forms of estrangement written before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The timing was paradoxically spot on, he said. If theres anything that better defines the idea of estrangement than this pandemic, you name it.

Gomez Olivares came to the United States in 2002 for a residency at the International Writers Program at the University of Iowa, where he later earned his PhD in Spanish. In 2011, he joined the Case Western Reserve faculty.

Working with his studentsmany of whom arent native Spanish speakersto parse the nuances of Spanish literature inspires his work. The experiences of my students talking about language, about how we read, about how we communicate, inform my own poems, he said. I dont see myself as a teacher and then a poet. Theyre all the same.

Bare Knuckle Fights*

an excerpt from a poem about two opponents

...One

of the twos going to fall soon, because of course

the fight is fixed, the way Destinys fixed

in Greek tragedies: the Oracle already knows

which of the two is going to lose, and which of the two

will have to ask Fortune for a fortune

Im still waiting for my fight with McGregor,

I still want to get out of these godforsaken holes, lost

in the middle of amphetamines and this life which isnt

even middle class, my American Dream consists of

getting my nose broken for a couple more dollars:

a forests nothing more than the possibility of being a forest.

A fight the chance of being a tree.

But a tree after winter.

The branches fallen and the trunk bare.

But standing

still. But still standing.

By Cristian Gomez Olivares with translation by David McLoghlin

La perdida de las colonias de ultramar (Loss of the overseas territories) won the 2020 poetry prize from the International Latinx and Latin American Book Fair at Tufts University. The English translation is forthcoming.

 Jennie Yabroff
dWhen Caitlin Ottmans mother received the news she had cancer, Ottman saw her dreams of going back to school slowly fading away. She didnt think she could support her mother and continue her nursing education at Chippewa Valley Technical College.

But her mother, Maureen Kuhn, had a different take.

She said, I dont want you to put your goals and dreams on hold because of me, Ottman recalled. She said, You need to do this. I have no doubt you are going to do it. I will be here for you. We supported each other through this.

Kuhns aggressive form of cancer was just one of many turns on Ottmans career detour.

Ottman already had a degree in criminal justice from CVTC in 2007. She had landed a job as a corrections officer in eastern Wisconsin after graduation, but during training, she knew it wasnt the career for her. She moved back to Eau Claire and waited to get into the nursing program at CVTC in 2012.

I love working with people in some capacity, Ottman said. I knew this was going to be a better fit and more fulfilling for me.

Before her second semester began, she learned she was pregnant with her first child. She suspended her education, took the licensed practical nurse board exam and began working at Mayo Clinic Health System.

But the urge to go back to school was always there.

In 2020, she threw caution to the wind and applied to nursing school once more.

I got the letter saying Congrats, youve been accepted for 2021, she said. I talked to my mom and my husband and everyone said, Go for it!

Ottman, 34, who lives in Bloomer, said going back to college in her thirties was intimidating.

It was pretty terrifying because I hadnt been in school for so long, she said. Just to go back to school is hard enough. When you have kids and work, and home life and family stuff, it makes it a lot harder and challenging. But the prize at the end has kept me going this whole time.

Katie Stolp Keisler, instructor for mostly fourth-semester nursing courses at CVTC, said she had conversations with Ottman about the challenges she faced.

Caitlin (Ottman) is a driven student who isnt content just to get good grades, Stolp Keisler said. She excels but still wants to know how she can improve. She will make a great nurse.

Ottman has many people pulling for her to succeed.

Her mothers support, despite the challenge of a cancer diagnosis, has been a driving force for Ottman to push through.

Shes my cheerleader and Im hers, Ottman said. I want her to see me graduate. That makes me feel good and it makes her feel good.

Thats exactly what happened Tuesday, Dec. 21.

A proud Kuhn sat in the audience as her daughter followed her dream and received her second diploma from CVTC.

It makes me emotional  so proud. I want to cry happy tears, Ottman said. My mom gets to see me graduate. Its just beyond words.

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State Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, has suspended her campaign for lieutenant governor, suggesting her political efforts might be better used in the legislature.

Taylor issued a statement Thursday evening saying she has suspended her campaign after deliberate thought and prayer. She said the lieutenant governors office offers a platform to discuss issues but she can have a direct impact on constituents as a legislator.

Taylor started her 2022 campaign in October and was the first Democrat to announce a bid for Wisconsins second highest office. She has served in the state Legislature since being elected to the Assembly in 2003. Had she won the lieutenant governorship, she would have been the first Black woman to hold the position.

Current Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes earlier this year announced he is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, who has yet to say whether or not he plans to seek another term in office.

Taylors departure from the race leaves three other candidates vying for the Democratic ticket: state Rep. David Bowen, of Milwaukee; state Rep. Sara Rodriguez, of Brookfield; and Peng Her, CEO of the Hmong Institute in Madison.

Republican candidates include Sen. Patrick Testin, of Stevens Point; Lancaster Mayor David Varnam; and Ben Voelkel, former communications director for Johnson.

Taylor was elected to the state Senate in 2004 and she won her most recent reelection bid last fall.

Earlier in 2020, Taylor lost her run for Milwaukee Mayor to incumbent Tom Barrett.

The Associated Press and State Journal reporter Mitchell Schmidt contributed to this report.

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The Columbus Police Department was recently able to purchase a drone thanks to a $3,600 donation from three groups associated with American Legion Hartman Post 84 in Columbus.

The post itself, the local American Legion Riders and the Voiture 841 group each put up $1,200.

The donation made it possible for CPD to purchase the drone, which comes with a number of different features, including a loud speaker, spotlight and infrared camera.

Columbus Police Chief Charles Sherer and CPD Capt. Douglas Molczyk said the drone can be used to search for people who are hiding, injured or may have wandered off.

"How this all came about was we were looking for a suspect in a field and (Voiture 841 representative Owen Lloyd) happened to be driving by and said, 'You know what, these guys could use something like this to look for that guy,'" Sherer said. "I was kind of taken aback. I was at a meeting -- I'm a member (of Post 84) and the local American Legion Riders -- and they brought it up."

Molczyk said CPD was looking into purchasing a drone even before the offer came, but the donation allowed the department to buy it about a year sooner.

"When I went to order it...I had to have the guy go into the warehouse and find it. He only had two left," Molczyk said.

CPD has the drone now, but there is still a ways to go before the department can start using it. Training operators will be next.

"What we're going to do is assign four officers to it -- two from the support division and two from the patrol division, so that somebody should be available all the time," Sherer said.

Molczyk added that it takes two people to fly the drone.

"FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) rules -- you've got to have a pilot and an observer," Molczyk said. "...With the onset of drones and how prevalent they've become in our society, the FAA has put certain rules and regulations in play. If it's a commercial device, we have to send somebody to pilot's school -- they have to get licensed through the FAA."

Sherer said the FAA considers CPD's use of the drone to be commercial, because the department is a government entity.

"We have to have our guys go through FAA ground school in order to operate this," Sherer said.

While the Legion helped pay for the drone, Sherer said the department will be able to cover the cost of the training.

Molczyk said CPD is considering an online school that costs $250 per person. After that, they can take the exam in Omaha.

Along with a new controller and other miscellanies, Sherer said CPD will have invested as much into the drone as the Legion donated, by the time everything is said and done.

"We couldn't do half the things we do around here without support from the community like (this)," Sherer said. "(The Legion) has supported us in the drone project, in the K-9 project...we appreciate that."

Molly Hunter is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at molly.hunter@lee.net.

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As The Sentinel takes a deeper look at how local food banks and food pantries worked to overcome disrupted supply chains and decreased volunteers in 2021, were taking a closer look at the numbers behind hunger among Pennsylvania and Cumberland County residents.

Data is from Feeding Pennsylvania, a statewide association of nine Feeding America affiliated food banks that includes the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, unless otherwise noted.

2 million

The number of people served annually by Feeding Pennsylvanias member food banks.

2,700

The number of agencies and feeding programs distributing food to Pennsylvanians.

164 million

The pounds of food distributed throughout the state through those programs.

$737,258,000

The amount of money that people facing hunger in Pennsylvania would need collectively to meet their food needs. According to Feeding America, Cumberland County residents face an $11,882,000 shortfall in food budgets.

1 in 9

One in nine people struggle with hunger. One in seven children struggle with hunger.

$3.11

The average cost of a meal in Pennsylvania. According to 2019 data from Feeding America, that rises slightly to $3.44 in Cumberland County.

More than 5,000

The number of food insecure people who received food at Project SHARE in 2021 by the time their autumn newsletter was published.

20,200

The number of food insecure people in Cumberland County according to 2019 data used in a Feeding America map.

49%

Those who are food insecure have incomes that are above the threshold for nutrition programs.

8.1%

The food insecurity rate in Cumberland County according to the Feeding America map. That number was projected to jump to 9.1% in 2021 as a result of the pandemic.

35,277,543

The Environmental Protection Agencys estimate on the number of tons of food waste that ends up in a landfill according to an analysis of 2018 data.

Email Tammie at tgitt@cumberlink.com. Follow her on Twitter @TammieGitt.

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HARRISBURG  David McCormick, CEO of one of the worlds largest hedge funds and a former senior official in President George W. Bushs administration, is accumulating support from longtime party fundraisers and officials in Pennsylvania even before he announces his candidacy for U.S. Senate.

Christine Toretti, Pennsylvanias longtime Republican national committeewoman, and former state party chair Rob Gleason are among McCormicks backers, as are fundraisers Pat Deon and Bill Sasso.

Whether McCormicks high-level support will translate into victory in the May 17 primary election remains to be seen.

McCormick, 56, is preparing to enter a Republican primary field that is newly in flux with the exit of former President Donald Trumps endorsed candidate, Sean Parnell, and the entrance of Mehmet Oz, the heart surgeon, author and TV personality who is the host of daytime TVs Dr. Oz Show.

Other candidates  including conservative activist Kathy Barnette, real estate investor Jeff Bartos and Carla Sands, Trumps former ambassador to Denmark  have been making the rounds of party functions for most of the year, while Bartos toured the state by bus.

Deon, the fundraiser, called McCormick a winner.

Hes a salt of the earth guy who served his country and worked hard, Deon said in a text message. He can relate to someone who wears a hard hat or sits in a boardroom.

The race to replace retiring two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania has thrown open the gates to candidates in what is expected to be one of a handful of competitive contests across the country next year that will determine control of the Senate.

The state backed Democrat Joe Biden in last years election and Trump in 2016.

Democrats have a strong primary field with far more electoral experience.

They include John Fetterman, the states lieutenant governor, third-term U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb of suburban Pittsburgh, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of Philadelphia and Val Arkoosh, a former chair of anesthesiology at Drexel University College of Medicine who chairs the three-member board of commissioners in Montgomery County.

For the Republican candidates, the rubber may begin to meet the road on Jan. 15, when the state partys central caucus will hold closed-door candidate interviews. Other regional caucuses will follow, leading up to the state party endorsement meeting on Feb. 5.

McCormick has avoided media, other than speaking with a conservative-friendly columnist, and has been meeting Republican officials in private meetings arranged by Toretti and other backers.

He is spending more than $1 million out of his own pocket to air a Christmas-themed TV ad across Pennsylvania this week and has filed paperwork with the IRS that allows him to start raising money for his candidacy before he formally declares, a campaign adviser said.

McCormick has lived in Connecticut since 2009 and worked for Bridgewater Associates, one of the worlds largest hedge funds. He is currently CEO.

To reestablish residency, the Pennsylvania native bought a house in Pittsburghs East End, near where he lived two decades ago before leaving in 2005 to serve in Bushs administration.

He is married to Dina Powell, herself a veteran of the Bush administration and Republican National Committee who also was a deputy national security adviser to Trump before she returned to work at investment bank Goldman Sachs. That has helped give McCormick an introduction to Trumps circle.

McCormick, Oz and Sands moved from blue states in pursuit of a Senate seat in purple Pennsylvania.

McCormicks backers tip-toe around that by stressing his growing up in Pennsylvania, graduating from high school in Bloomsburg where he still owns a family Christmas tree farm, and spending about a decade in business in Pittsburgh, where he ran online auction house FreeMarkets Inc.

Some Republicans know McCormick through his father, who was the first chancellor of the state university system under then-Gov. Dick Thornburgh.

After high school, McCormick went to West Point, served in the Gulf War and got a doctorate at Princeton University before he headed into business in Pittsburgh, first as a consultant at McKinsey and Co.

He had insisted on going to McKinseys Pittsburgh office, he said on SiriusXMs Leadership Matters radio show in 2020, because he had imagined that I might try to do something political and thought that coming back to Pennsylvania, Id be able to figure that out.

He was a registered Democrat at the time, but found the local party hard to get involved with and instead, ended up volunteering on a Republican candidates countywide race, which began his transition to becoming a Republican, he said.

He held three positions in Bushs administration, departing after serving as the Treasury Departments under secretary for international affairs.

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PHILADELPHIA  The Philadelphia Health Department canceled its giveaway of rapid COVID-19 tests, scheduled for Thursday, after demand at earlier giveaways depleted its supplies.

A department spokesperson announced late Wednesday that the giveaway scheduled for Waterview Recreation Center in the citys East Germantown neighborhood would be canceled because of a lack of tests, but that the city would move forward with a free vaccine clinic at the center.

The department began giving away tests Saturday at a series of community events that have seen high demand and people waiting in long lines to get the kits.

The department had a goal of distributing 24,000 kits  each with two tests  before Christmas. And through the events and distribution at nine city walk-up vaccine clinics, a spokesperson said, the department had distributed virtually all its rapid test supplies.

The department ordered more last week as supplies waned, but officials were unsure Wednesday when those orders would be filled because of high demand nationwide and shortages. Several national pharmacy chains also announced Wednesday that they were limiting per-person purchase amounts of the rapid at-home tests, also due to shortages.

The White House announced this week that it would begin a program of nationwide distribution of free at-home tests to Americans who request them in January.

A few weeks ago, Philadelphia Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole urged people to avoid multihousehold in-person holiday gatherings because of rising case numbers. She said that if people planned to move forward with holiday parties, they should ask guests who feel sick to stay home, try to have outdoor gatherings and ask people to get rapid tests.

Since the advice, the city has seen increasing numbers of test results, with more than 60,000 test results each of the last three weeks and a record day-high of 13,000 COVID-19 test results Wednesday, health department officials said.
The Missouri State Fire Marshals office is investigating a house fire that quickly spread to neighboring structures Thursday night.

Park Hills Fire Chief Brad Weiss said firefighters were dispatched to a one-story house at 402 Houser in Park Hills when someone called reporting sparks and flames inside the house about 7 p.m. He said the caller soon after told the dispatcher that now everything is burning.

Weiss said the rental house was technically vacant awaiting a passing building inspection but neighbors had reported someone had been seen living there.

When the first firefighters arrived on the scene, the house was completely engulfed in flames and beginning to collapse. It had also started to melt the siding on the neighboring church on one side and it had caught the siding of the house on the other side, 404 Houser, on fire.

Weiss said by the time the first fire truck arrived, the whole side and the attic of 404 Houser were on fire. He said the occupants of 404 Houser were out of town at the time of the fire but neighbors were able to remove their animals from the house.

Weiss said the attic and both upstairs bedrooms were damaged but the house is very much repairable.

No injuries were reported.

He said the fire marshals office is investigating the fire as suspicious because it went up so quick.

Park Hills firefighters were assisted by firefighters from Desloge, Leadington, Big River/Bonne Terre and Farmington.

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Some of the intense conversation that Coen might normally have exchanged with his brother, he had with Delbonnel, poring over sketches and taking contemplative cigarette breaks. Their connection, Delbonnel said, is in questioning everything.

Joel and Ethan were always questioning whether it was the right way to do something. There is no right way, but the right way for the movie, said Delbonnel. We both think Kurosawa was a genius.

As much as the hurly burly of the Coen brothers movies might seem distant from Shakespearean tragedy, their films are crowded with schemers seized by misguided ambitions  just usually more farcical ones. Its not a terribly far leap from Fargo, where foul was also fair, to Macbeth  or even from McDormands opportunistic personal trainer, Linda Litzke, in Burn After Reading to Lady Macbeth.

There are echoes of things weve done in the past in this play, Coen said. One of the reasons Ive always loved the play is how Shakespeare anticipated or prefigured these tropes of 20th-century crime fiction, this idea of a couple plotting a murder. While theyre not comically hapless or characters weve explored in that context in other movies, they nevertheless lose control of the situation.
Charlottesville and the Town of Scottsville have been awarded grants from the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund to help plan and begin projects to address the effects of recurrent flooding and extreme weather.

Charlottesville will receive $94,276, while Scottsville will receive $123,346, it was announced Thursday in a press release.

The Community Flood Preparedness Fund will provide an estimated $75 million a year to improve the resilience of our commonwealth, including targeted funding for Virginias most vulnerable and underserved communities, Gov. Ralph Northam said in the release. This funding is only possible because of our participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which continues to lower costs for families facing severe weather and frequent floods.

Scottsville plans to use its grant money for a survey and floodplain map amendment for two vulnerable areas of the town.

In its application, the town says it has two related problems of mapping which threaten safety and impair economic growth.
Although the vast majority of COVID-19 cases for which genetic sequencing has been done have proved to be caused by the delta variant, Sifri said he has little doubt omicron is here.

When you see someone test positive for COVID, you really dont know what variant they have. What we know is that we have seen almost essentially 100% delta based on sequencing results, and it drove the rates we saw in the fall and that have started to pick back up after Thanksgiving, he said.

We do know theres been at least one case of omicron in our health district. We have seen omicron rising quite steeply in some locations, and I have no reason to expect that its not here. If its not here now, we will find its here soon enough. Sifri said.

According to the Associated Press, preliminary data released Thursday shows that people with the omicron variant in Britain are between 50% and 70% less likely to need hospitalization than those with the delta strain.

The U.K. Health Security Agency findings add to emerging evidence that omicron produces milder illness than other variants  but also spreads faster and better evades vaccines.
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The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined the information technology company HP Inc. $1,100 because it missed an annual report deadline for its Corvallis facility, according to a DEQ penalty order issued Oct. 15.

The penalty was announced in a Tuesday, Dec. 21 news release.

The Corvallis facility, 1070 NE Circle Blvd., houses a semiconductor and wafer fabrication plant as well as an imaging and printing research and development center. HP holds a DEQ air contamination permit for its manufacturing processes. The company did not respond to questions before deadline.

The facility uses natural gas boilers to heat process water, and wet scrubbers are used to treat acid exhausts from the fabrication process. Ammonia scrubbers are also used in several locations. Operations at the facility are not considered a major source of hazardous air pollutants, according to the DEQ.

The penalty order states annual reports are important for determining whether contamination sources are operating within permit guidelines and to ensure emission levels do not pose harm to public health or the environment. HPs report was due Feb. 15 of this year, but it was not submitted until March 30.

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DEQ classified the violation as minor, with no more than a de minimis adverse impact. DEQ found the company operated in compliance during 2020 once the annual report was submitted. HP was given a standard 20 calendar days to appeal the deadline violation.

In breaking down the penalty formula, DEQ cited no significant prior actions against HP for similar violations, though it was noted that an April 2020 warning letter was issued for HP missing its February 2019 annual report deadline.

That negligence would have increased the penalty, but it was offset by HPs reasonable efforts to correct the violation, according to the penalty order, which also states there was no economic benefit to the company related to violation.

HP did not appeal the fine, according to Dylan Darling, DEQ public affairs specialist. He said the company paid the fine in full on Dec. 13. Darling added that repeated noncompliance could result in higher penalty assessments for future violations.

Staff writer Troy Shinn contributed to this report.

Cody Mann covers the cities of Albany and Lebanon. He can be contacted at 541-812-6113 or Cody.Mann@lee.net.

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Events

Friday

Christmas Eve candlelight service, 4 p.m., United Presbyterian Church, 330 Fifth Ave. SW, Albany. Child care will be available.

Christmas Eve service, 5 p.m., Grace Lutheran Church, 435 NW 21st St., Corvallis. In person and on the church's YouTube Channel; the link can be found on the church's website, www.grace97330.org.

Christmas Eve worship, 7 p.m., Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 2650 NW Highland Drive, Corvallis. In person and online at www.svlccorvallis.org or facebook.com/shepherdcorvallis. All are welcome to join in the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Lord and Savior.

Christmas Eve candlelight service, 9 p.m., United Presbyterian Church, 330 Fifth Ave. SW, Albany. The Hosanna Choir will sing. Child care will be available.

Christmas Eve service, 9:30 p.m., Grace Lutheran Church, 435 NW 21st St., Corvallis.

Sunday

First Sunday after Christmas worship, 9 a.m., Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 2650 NW Highland Drive, Corvallis, or www.svlccorvallis.org or facebook.com/shepherdcorvallis. The service will include Gods Word and Holy Communion. Pastor Eric Bohlmanns sermon for the First Sunday after Christmas will be Worship: Purification of Jesus. The congregation continues to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to protect worshipers health, and asks individuals to wear masks.

First Sunday after Christmas Day worship, 9:30 a.m., https://www.facebook.com/CorvallisFUMC/live/. Offered by First United Methodist Church in Corvallis. The Rev. Dr. Leroy Barber will lead the service, asking the question After we celebrate the wonders of Christmas, what is your plan to work it out? Where we may be tempted to see the birth of Jesus as the conclusion of a holiday season, instead, it is a call to share a gospel that can actively change the world.

Baha'i devotions and discussion: Kwanzaa Spirit, 10:30 a.m. Zoom. All are welcome to join in reading and meditating on the seven principles of Kwanzaa through the lens of many religious traditions. Baha'is regard all religions as having one animating source. For Zoom instructions, visit https://linnbenton.local.bahai.us/. The Zoom room opens at 10:15 a.m.

Jan. 1

Guided 2022 First Day Hikes, Jan. 1, several state parks. The normal $5 day-use parking fee will be waived for the day at the 25 parks that normally require a parking permit. Jan. 1 also marks the beginning of the yearlong Oregon State Parks centennial commemoration. A list of guided hikes, including times and meeting locations, is available at https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=things-to-do.events. Visitors should check the calendar in the days leading up to Jan. 1 for additional guided hikes. Some parks not hosting guided hikes may post information that includes recommended hikes and ranger favorites. Parsons added that at this time of year, whales can be seen during winter migration, so bring binoculars to coastal parks to help scan for whale spouts.

Ongoing

Pastega Christmas Display, 5 to 10 p.m. daily through Dec. 31, Benton County Fairgrounds, 110 SW 53rd St., Corvallis; enter off Reservoir Avenue and exit on 53rd. The drive-through event has returned after being canceled last year due to COVID-19. Admission: donation of packaged food items for local food items. Organizers are seeking volunteers to assist with taking down the display after Dec. 31; information is available at https://www.pastegachristmasdisplay.com (click on the "Volunteer" button).

Fourth Annual Ornament Hunt and Sweepstakes, through Jan. 1, non-wilderness trails, Willamette National Forest and Umpqua National Forest. The Willamette Valley Visitors Association is sponsoring the hunt, which encourages locals and travelers to connect with public lands and increase outdoor recreation activities. Two hundred wooden ornaments featuring the Willamette Valley will be hidden along non-wilderness trails not affected by wildfires. Each ornament includes a Willamette Valley leather patch and instructions on how to register to win a prize of an adventure and overnight stay in the Willamette Valley. The visitors association website, https://willamettevalley.org/ornament, will serve as the hub for contest winners to claim their prizes throughout the contest. You can also find trail information and hints throughout December on this page. Once the contest closes, all remaining ornaments will be picked up by U.S. Forest Service professionals. The Willamette National Forest provides recreational opportunities, fishing, hunting, foraging, firewood, minerals, wood products and Christmas trees. Christmas tree permits are available at https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits.

Albany Visitors Association's 34th Annual Nighttime Magic Holiday Light Contest. Pick up a list of the winners at the AVA, 110 Third Ave. SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays, except Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The addresses are also posted on the Albany Explorer App. Participants' lights are on from 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 1, or beyond.

Holiday light string collection; drop off lights at the Republic Services office, 1214 SE Montgomery St., Albany. Through Jan. 3.

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Republic Services has appealed the unanimous Benton County Planning Commission decision to reject its proposal to expand the Coffin Butte landfill.

Commissioners voted 6-0 on Dec. 7 to deny the company's application for a conditional use permit that would allow the expansion. The rejection started the clock on a 14-day period during which appeals could be filed with the county Board of Commissioners.

Republic appealed on Dec. 20 and requested that the appeal not be heard until March 21.

Republic also said, in a report filed by Area President Ryan Lawler, that it reserves its right to present new evidence, testimony and argument to the Benton County Board of Commissioners.

Republic needed the conditional use permit to expand the current disposal cell south beyond the current route of Coffin Butte Road, which would be closed. A new private road would encircle the new disposal area and terminate at a locked gate at Soap Creek Road.

Republic also proposed constructing a new northern route that would link the Soap Creek Road/Tampico Road area to Highway 99W via Robison Road in an effort to replace the highway access lost with the closure of Coffin Butte Road. Residents would continue to have access to Highway 99W via Tampico Road.

The Phoenix-based company said it needs the expansion because the current landfill site will reach maximum capacity in approximately four years. The adjacent Knife River quarry will not available to accept waste for perhaps another eight to 10 years.

The quarry, Republic officials said, has a potential disposal lifespan of 15 years. In all, Republic said, approval of the permit would add 30 years of life to the landfill.

Key findings of the commissioners in their five-page report on the decision were that the proposed use of the property, including the closing of Coffin Butte Road, would create an undue burden on the surrounding neighborhood and that Republic had not effectively answered questions from the community on noise, odor, air quality and other public health impacts of the expansion as well as its effects on the environment and wildlife.

Republic, in its response, challenged virtually all of the Planning Commissions findings. Major objections included:

 That the evidence does not support the commissions conclusion with regard to odor, air quality or noise  and that the landfill has continuously been in compliance with the state Department of Environmental Qualitys required air quality permit regulations.

 That improvements to Robison and Tampico will mitigate for the closure of Coffin Butte Road..

 That Republic will address required wildlife impacts as part of its DEQ permit.

County officials were not available for comment on the appeal or whether it will be stayed and heard in March as Republic requests. Such a decision will be handled administratively, rather than requiring a vote of the Board of Commissioners.

Rejection of the application also started a clock on the possible closure of Coffin Butte and the insertion of a massive question mark into the states landfill equation.

"It is very unlikely that the state would approve a new landfill in the Willamette Valley, Benton County Counsel Vance Croney has said.

That means the closure of Coffin Butte would send all of the regional trash more than 200 miles away to the massive Waste Management facility in Arlington along the Columbia River. The extra distance the trucks would have to travel, Croney said, would have an obvious impact on rates.

Contact reporter James Day at jim.day@lee.net or 541-812-6116. Follow at Twitter.com/jameshday or gazettetimes.com/blogs/jim-day.

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Which team are you the most optimistic about as we start 2022?

You voted:
For many years Omans mobile market was a duopoly between the incumbent telco Omantel and its challenger Ooredoo Oman. In February 2021, Vodafone Group and Oman Future Telecommunications consortium secured a license to operate the Sultanates third network, with services being under the Vodafone Oman brand. The new operator has been able to extend its reach based on a tower leasing arrangement signed in 2020 with Oman Tower Company.

Oman has a modern mobile sector which comprises substantial coverage of both 3G and LTE networks. In February 2021 Omantel launched commercial 5G services, while Ooredoo Group has a five-year framework agreement with Ericsson to develop its 5G platform across the Groups ten markets, including Oman. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a spike in mobile data traffic, which prompted Omantel to upgrade a number of sites from 3G to LTE, as well as build a number of additional 5G sites.

While Omans fixed broadband infrastructure penetration is considered low, it is being improved with the building of fibre-based networks as part of Omans Vision 2040 program.

Oman has also established itself as an important communications hub in the Middle East, with access to numerous submarine cables including the 2Africa submarine cable, which should become available during 2023-2024. The 9,800km Oman Australia Cable running from Muscat to Perth, with the potential for a branch line to Djibouti, is making progress and is expected to be completed in December 2021. This additional infrastructure will provide considerable additional bandwidth.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. To various degrees, the telecom sector during the coming year is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key developments:

MVNOs gaining a small market share;

Helios Towers acquires 2,890 mobile towers from Omantel;

Vodafone Oman receives its licence as Omans third MNO, contracts Ericsson to provide and operate an LTE and 5G core RAN;

Telecom regulator concludes significant telecom competition review;

Two additional cable systems to be added to the Blue-Raman cable system;

Ericsson secures 5G framework agreement with Ooredoo;

Omantel launches commercial 5G services;

Report update includes operator data to Q2 2021, regulators market data to June 2021, Telecom Maturity Index analyses and charts, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.

Get a Full Copy of this Report

Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeCom, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeCom report:

Report title: Oman - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: October 2021

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Number of pages: 141

Companies mentioned in the report: Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel), Oman Mobile, Ooredoo Oman, Oman Broadband Company (OBC), FRiENDi, Majan Telecom (Renna), Integrated Telecommunications Oman (TeO), Awasr-Oman, Oman Future Telecommunications (OFT) consortium, Vodafone Group, Oman Tower Company (OTC)

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$890

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Oman-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83

This article is an update to a previous BuddeComm Market Report.
During the last few years Libya has struggled to rebuild its economy and infrastructure following disruption caused by the civil war and the subsequent political unrest. Much of the telecom infrastructure was destroyed or stolen following the 2011 disturbances, including about a quarter of the countrys mobile tower sites.

For many years reconstruction efforts were stymied by political and military disturbances which affected much of the country. During the decade during which there were two opposing administrations, based in Tripoli and Tobruk, there was no consensus as to how to rebuild infrastructure on a national scale despite numerous attempts to reach a political solution. Some change is anticipated following the formation of a UN-brokered Government of National Unity in March 2021, though this was an interim measure pending the anticipated presidential and legislative elections set for late December 2021.

Despite the political deadlock, there has been some progress made in rebuilding telecom infrastructure. The MNOs have cooperated to extend the reach of LTE services in the south of the country. This has been facilitated by the newly achieved political stability, since the various warring factions had previously targeted telecom towers.

The mobile market is supported by some of the lowest tariffs on the continent. Opportunities remain in the broadband sector where market penetration is still relatively low. To stimulate take-up of services, the regulator in mid-2020 imposed a 50% reduction in internet subscription charges. As for mobile broadband, LTE services have only a limited reach and thus the development of this sector has been slow. A limited 5G service was made available in November 2019.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key developments:

Hatif Libya contracts Infinera to provide an optical transport network to unserved areas of the country;

Silphium submarine cable linking Derna with Greece is again brought on stream;

LPTIC contracts Ericsson to maintain and develop the countrys telecom networks and infrastructure;

Government orders 50% reduction in internet subscription fees;

Al-Madar extends LTE service to Benghazi and Misurata;

LTT launches LTE-based fixed broadband network;

LPTIC signs $80 million contract with Arabsat to provide satellite broadband services;

Italy-Libya cable upgraded to support 100Gb/s technology;

Report update includes Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of Covid-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.

Get a Full Copy of this Report

Developing Telecoms market report summaries are produced in partnership with BuddeCom, the worlds largest continually updated online telecommunications research service.

The above article is a summary of the following BuddeCom report:

Report title: Libya - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Edition: November 2021

Analyst: Henry Lancaster

Number of pages: 98

Companies mentioned in the report: Al-Madar, Libyana, LibyaPhone, Libya Post and Telecommunication Information Technology (LPTIC), General Posts and Telecommunications Company (GPTC), Hatif Libya, Libya International Telecom Company (LITC), Libya Telecom & Technology (LTT), Lap Green Networks, Gateway, Thuraya, Phoenicia Group, Hermes Communications, Wiseband, Bentley Walker, Virtual Dimensions, Ericsson, Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, ZTE, Trans-Sahara

Single User PDF Licence Price: US$890

For more information or to purchase a copy of the full report please use the following link: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Libya-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses/?r=83

This article is an update to a previous BuddeComm Market Report.
Carolyn Foote was shocked and angry when hundreds of books about race, equality or sexuality in Texas school libraries were targeted by Republican lawmakers. She and other librarians focused on making their collections more reflective of the increasingly diverse community and their work was now under threat.

Over the past several weeks, the retired school librarian in Austin, Texas -- along with three other library professionals -- has been spearheading a grassroots effort known as #FReadom. Their goal is to fight back against the wave of book challenges in the state and create a space for school librarians to help each other.

"We wanted to make a statement that we are out here and that we are willing to speak up for our students, for authors and for the books that our students deserve to have access to," Foote told CNN.

Keep scrolling for a list of the top 10 books people wanted removed from schools and libraries in 2020
The United States has expressed grave concerns about political interference in Benins criminal justice system.

After Benins leading opposition leader and former justice minister Reckya Madougou was sentenced to 20 years in prison, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, We are alarmed over the further erosion of space for dissent, overall restrictions on participatory self-governance and freedom of expression, and systematic targeting of political opposition figures.

Madougous conviction on charges of alleged terrorism came just days after Joel Aivo, another leading political opponent of Beninese President Patrice Talon, was sentenced to 10 years for allegedly plotting against the state and money laundering.

Both Madougou and Aivo had been barred from running in the April 2021 election in which President Talon won a second term in office with over 86% of the vote, in a poll that was boycotted by the opposition. They were both tried in the Economic Crime and Terrorism Court, or CRIET, which has been accused of unfairly targeting members of the opposition. A judge of the CRIET fled Benin shortly before the April election, citing undue political pressure.

For years, Benin had been praised as a democratic beacon in a troubled area. Recently, however, there have been disturbing signs of repression and authoritarianism. The State Departments most recent human rights report noted that the disqualification of political candidates from legislative elections in 2019, (as candidates were from the Presidential election in 2021), resulted in a steep decline in voter participation. The State Department also reported significant human rights issues, including politically motivated arrests; serious restrictions on press freedom; unjustified arrests and prosecutions of journalists; and inefficiency and corruption in the judicial system that undermined the right to a fair trial.

At the virtual Summit for Democracy hosted in December by President Joe Biden, he warned against the backward slide of rights and democracy occurring in too many places around the globe. Yet democracy remains, President Biden declared, the best way to unleash human potential and defend human dignity and solve big problems.

Benin knew this once; it is time for the government to act on it again. One place to start, as Spokesperson Price noted, is to demonstrate to Benins citizens and international partners that the judicial system will not be used for political purposes, which is essential to restoring Benins former reputation as a regional leader in democratic governance and rule of law.
ELKO  Snow began falling on Lamoille Summit around noon Thursday, and wintry driving conditions were reported on Mountain City Highway.

Adverse weather conditions were also reported on Interstate 80 between Winnemucca and Battle Mountain. One crash was reported in the area around 11 a.m., according to the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Snow was also falling on Emigrant Pass.

No chain requirements were posted in northeastern Nevada by noon Thursday, but several highways in the Sierra were under travel restrictions.

Most of northeastern Nevada is under a winter weather advisory through 10 a.m. Friday.

Little snow accumulation was expected in Elko because of above-freezing temperatures, but hazardous travel is possible later Thursday over Lamoille Summit and other passes.

For current road conditions see nvroads.com or call 511.

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DENVER (AP)  Wildlife officials have confirmed that a domestic calf found dead in northern Colorado was killed by a wolf or wolves, marking the first wolf-related livestock fatality in the state in decades.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said this week they performed a necropsy after receiving a report of a calf carcass on a ranch in North Park on Sunday.

The results of this investigation indicated wolf tracks in the immediate vicinity of the carcass and wounds on the calf consistent with wolf depredation, said CPW Area Wildlife Manager Kris Middledorf.

CPW will handle reimbursement to the ranch as if the calf were attacked by mountain lions or bears. The agency is formalizing an official process for damage by wolves and is working on draft regulations involving wolves that migrate into the state

The Colorado Cattlemens Association said in a news release Monday that, if confirmed, the death would be the first of its kind in more than 70 years.

Colorado voters narrowly passed a proposition last year to direct state wildlife officials to develop a plan to reintroduce an undetermined number of gray wolves into the state, west of the Continental Divide, by the end 2023, The Denver Post reported.

Gray wolf pups have already been spotted in the state this year.

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BILLINGS, Mont.  U.S. officials announced approval Tuesday of two large-scale solar projects in California and moved to open up public lands in other Western states to potential solar power development, as part of the Biden administrations effort to counter climate change by shifting from fossil fuels.

The Interior Department approved the Arica and Victory Pass solar projects on federal land in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Combined they would generate up to 465 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power about 132,000 homes, according to San Francisco-based developer Clearway Energy.

Approval of a third solar farm planned for 500 megawatts is expected in coming days, officials said.

The Interior Department also Tuesday issued a call to nominate land for development within solar energy zones in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico that combined cover about 140 square miles.

The invitation to developers comes as officials under Democratic President Joe Biden promote renewable wind and solar power on public lands and offshore to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet. Thats a pronounced change from Republican President Donald Trumps emphasis on coal mining and oil and gas drilling.

Biden suffered a huge blow to his climate agenda this week, as opposition from West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin tanked the administrations centerpiece climate and social services legislation.

The administration also has been forced to resume oil and natural gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and numerous western states, after a federal judge sided with Republican-led states that sued when Biden suspended the sales.

During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland did not directly address a question about the faltering climate bill and instead pointed to clean energy provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law last month.

We fully intend to meet our clean energy goals, Haaland said. She said the Trump administration stalled clean energy by shuttering renewable energy offices at the Bureau of Land Management and undermining long-term agreements, such as a conservation plan tied to solar development in the California desert.

We are rebuilding that capacity, Haaland said.

But without the climate bill, tax incentives to build large-scale solar will drop to 10% of a developers total capital costs by 2024, instead of rising to 30%, said Xiaojing Sun, head solar researcher at industry consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.

Incentives for residential-scale solar would go away completely by 2024, she said.

It will significantly slow down the growth of solar, Sun said.

However, she added that streamlining access to federal land could help the industry, as large solar farms on non-federal lands face growing local opposition and cumbersome zoning laws.

The Bureau of Land Management oversees almost a quarter-billion acres of land, primarily in Western states. Agency director Tracy-Stone Manning said boosting renewable energy is now one of its top priorities.

Forty large-scale solar proposals in the West are under consideration, she said.

The agency in early December issued a draft plan to reduce rents and other fees paid by companies authorized to build wind and solar projects on public lands. Officials were unable to provide an estimate of how much money that could save developers.

In Nevada, where the federal government owns and manages more than 80% of the states land, large-scale solar projects have faced opposition from environmentalists concerned about harm to plants and animals in the sun- and windswept deserts.

Developers abandoned plans for what would have been the countrys largest solar panel installation earlier this year north of Las Vegas amid concerns from local residents. Environmentalists are fighting another solar project near the Nevada-California border that they claim could harm birds and desert tortoises.

Stone-Manning said solar projects on public lands are being sited to take environmental concerns into account.

The solar development zones were first proposed under the Obama administration, which in 2012 adopted plans to bring utility-scale solar energy projects to public lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah. Officials have identified almost 1,400 square miles of public land for potential leasing for solar power.

If all that land were developed, the bureau says it could support more than 100 gigawatts of solar power, or enough for 29 million homes.

Thats almost equal to all U.S. solar capacity now in place.

The power generation capacity of solar farms operating on federal lands is a small fraction of that amount  just over 3 gigawatts, federal data shows.

In November the land bureau awarded solar leases for land in Utahs Milford Flats solar zone. Solar leases are expected to be finalized by the end of the month for about land at several sites in Arizona.

Solar power on public and private lands accounted for about 3% of total U.S. electricity production in 2020. After construction costs fell during the past decade, that figure is expected to grow sharply, to more than 20% by 2050, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects.

Developers warn costs have been rising due to constraints on supplies of steel, semiconductor chips and other materials.

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- Some parents will receive $8,000 stimulus checks this spring.

- Biden extends the student debt moratorium to May.

- As Omicron causes business closures, will a fourth stimulus check be passed to combat the economic losses?

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- WHO investigating mysterious illness in South Sudan

- Biden administration lifts US travel ban on southern African countries

- CDC reduces quarantine requirement from 10 to 7 days for health care workers who test positive for covid-19 but are asymptomatic

- Pfizer and Merck receive Emergency Use Authorization for their anti-viral pills to fight covid-19

- Omicron incubation is possibly faster than previous strains

- Small businesses close during their busiest season as Omicron sickens their staff and customers

- Bill Gates urges people to get vaccinated and take the booster

- Moderna could be ready to develop Omicron booster 'in weeks', states CEO

- Omicron's global spread prompts renewed lockdowns

Travel News

- Delta and United Airlines cancel hundreds of flights as Omicron leads to staffing shortages

- Risk of infection on airplanes increases with Omicron

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- Can a PCR test tell me which variant of covid-19 I have?

- What are the Omicron symptoms in children?

- What countries have the highest and lowest covid-19 vaccination rates?

For domestic and international public health information:

- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

- The World Health Organization

- The Lancet

Browse our latest stories on covid-19:
In mid-November the South Sudanese Ministry of Health received a report of several deaths from the local authority in the northern county of Fangak stemming from an undiagnosed illness. Since then 97 people have died, mainly elderly and children aged between 1 and 14.

South Sudan has been experiencing its worst flooding since 1962, which the UN has blamed on climate change, creating serious risks of an increase in waterborne diseases. A health official from the area told BBC that testing for cholera came back negative.

Still awaiting findings from WHO medical team

The Ministry of Health of South Sudan in early December reported that dozens of people had died in Fangak, Jonglei State. This area near the border with Sudan has been one of the areas worst hit by the devastating flooding that has affected around 835,000 people and displaced 35,000 according to a UN report.

The news of deaths from the unknown illness prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to send a rapid response team to investigate. Sheila Baya from the WHO South Sudan told the BBC provisionally the figure that we got was that there were 89 deaths. The medical researchers had to be ferried in by helicopter as flooding has made the area inaccessible via land routes.

The WHO rapid response team have since left according to Fangak County Commissioner Biel Boutros Biel speaking to ABC News, who said the latest victim was an elderly woman bringing the total to 97 killed by the disease. He also said the team's findings havent been released to local officials yet. A spokesperson for WHO Africa could not provide further details but confirmed that a team had been sent in November.

The main symptoms that victims are experiencing include diarrhea, high fever, joint pain, vomiting, body weakness, loss of appetite, and chest pain.

Flooding creates perfect conditions for waterborne diseases

Doctors Without Borders put out a warning about the risks posed by the flooding including the spread of waterborne diseases. The nongovernmental aid group looked at the conditions at Bentiu camp, which is west of Fangak on the other side of the Ez Zeraf Game Reserve. At Bentiu, flooding has cutoff sewage treatment at the site.

The thousands that have been displaced are adding to the peril of the situation. With the conditions further worsened by the influx of new arrivals, people are at higher risk of outbreaks and waterborne diseases such as acute watery diarrhea, cholera, and malaria, the report stated. In the case of Fangak, cholera, which is transmitted via water contaminated with the bacteria, has not been found.
Sound business environment is like sunshine, water and air for enterprises. In recent years, many places in China have achieved obvious progress in improving their business environment, aiming to offer world-class climate for enterprises.

Beijing has enhanced its support for enterprises and improved its all-procedure approval efficiency. Shanghai tailored regulations that suit its own conditions and have built a service system that covers the whole life cycle of enterprises. Guangzhou in south Chinas Guangdong province takes how market entities feel as a primary evaluation index of business environment, and has established a multi-dimensional supervising mechanism that is oriented toward the satisfaction of enterprises.

In recent years, China has been taking huge efforts to optimize business environment. It has continuously improved relevant systems and mechanism, significantly expanded market access, advanced fair regulation and perfected government services.

According to the World Banks Doing Business 2020 report, China's business environment has raised to the 31st place in the global ranking, up by 47 places from two years ago, making the major economy that saw the most considerable improvement in business environment.

Since 2012, over 10 million market entities have been newly established in China on an annual basis, and around 70 percent of these entities are active. It used to take them averagely 22.9 days to set up a company, and now the figure has been cut to less than four workdays. The constantly improving business environment is playing a very important role in such progress.

Better government services make stronger development impetus. Recently, the State Council issued a guideline making clear that pilot reform steps to improve business environment will be rolled out in six cities, including Beijing; Shanghai; Chongqing; Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province; Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province.

This move aimed to further improve the energy and development quality of market entities, and will set an example for business environment building in other regions of the country. It is of important significance for better collaboration between the market and the government, stabilizing market expectation and maintaining economic stability.

Whether a country has a sound business environment shall be judged by its market entities. In general, most of the market entities in China have benefited from and are satisfied with the efforts of local authorities to improve business environment.

To further improve business climate and stimulate the vitality of entities, the guideline issued by the State Council has set major goals in a number of aspects. It includes a list of 101 reform measures, as well as a list of relevant administrative regulations that are to be adjusted in the six pilot cities.

The quality, efficiency and dynamics of the Chinese economy are all going through a reform, while institutional supply has become an important core competitiveness. To pilot reform steps in the six cities will gain more replicable experiences and bring Chinese business environment onto higher levels.

Improvement of the business environment is an on-going process, and there is always room for things to become better. It is believed that by its continuous efforts to improve business environment and stimulate market vitality, China will surely achieve higher-quality development of its economy.
Polish Film Festival in Vietnam 2021

The event is being held by the Vietnam's Cinematography Department in coordination with the Association of Polish Filmmakers, the Da Nang City Department of Culture and Sports, the Da Nang-based Le Do Cinema, and Cinestar Cinema in Ho Chi Minh City. It is taking place in the central city of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City to entertain Vietnamese audiences with five interesting Polish cinematic works and strengthen the bilateral friendship between Vietnam and Poland.

The five films include Danh Thue Tinh Yeu (Taxing Love), Thong Gia (The In-laws), Vang Khoi (Solid Gold), 'Cuoc Tan Cong Kinh Hoang (Panic Attack), and Nguoi Quen Xa La (Perfect Strangers).

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival in Ho Chi Minh City on December 23, Polish Deputy Ambassador to Vietnam Maciej Duszynski spoke highly of the organising boards great efforts to overcome the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in order to host the event.

He hailed that the organisation of the event in Ho Chi Minh City illustrated the great resilience and indomitable spirit of the local people, who are working to revitalise the city following the outbreak of the pandemic./.
The demand for Russian rubber imports from Vietnam is forecast to increase sharply in the near future. (Photo: VNA)

Specifically, Vietnams export turnover to Russia in the 11 months reached 2.92 billion USD, up 10.62%, accounting for 0.97% of the total.

Items with the largest proportion in Vietnams exports to the market include: phones and components (accounting for 33.48% of total); computers, electronic products and components (13.28%), and textiles (10.55%).

Compared to the same period last year, items with a high increase in export turnover include: rubber, up 323.75%; other machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts, up 80.54%; cashew nuts, up 69.73%; and pepper, up 49.63%.

However, some items saw a decrease in export turnover, such as tea, rice, wood and wood products, footwear, and iron and steel.

According to statistics of Russian Customs, bilateral trade between two countries in Jan-Oct 2021 reached an estimated 5.62 billion USD, accounting for 0.9% of the total, up 23% year on year. Of this, Vietnams export turnover to Russia posted 4.04 billion USD, up 22%, while the countrys imports from the market reached 1.58 billion USD, up 25.7%.

Vietnam now holds the first position in terms of trade turnover with Russia among Southeast Asian countries./.
At the event (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

The conference received 15 presentations of scientists and religious dignitaries, focusing on the situation of international relations activities and supporting overseas Vietnamese religious followers in religious activities, preservation and promotion of the national culture in the overseas Vietnamese community; advantages and disadvantages of the overseas Vietnamese communitys religious activities in association with the national culture preservation and promotion; and proposing some solutions to support the overseas Vietnamese communitys belief and religious activities in the coming time.

Venerable Thich Duc Thien, Vice President and Secretary General of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee, said that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha now has Buddhist associations and Buddhist cultural centers of the Vietnamese community in 33 countries and regions.

Every year, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha organizes many delegations to visit countries, teaching Buddhism and holding ceremonies to pray for peace, Lunar New Year Festival, Buddha's birthday, and Vu Lan Festival to serve overseas Vietnamese at Buddhist cultural centers in countries, opening Vietnamese language classes for the 2nd and 3rd generations of Vietnamese people in foreign countries.

According to Mr. Dinh Hoang Linh, Head of the Department of Cultural Information under State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese, in recent years, the Commission has always paid attention to preserving and promoting the identity and traditional culture of the nation, preserving the Vietnamese language for the overseas Vietnamese community, in order to promote the image of the country, people and culture of Vietnam to the world, as well as recommend policies and measures to preserve cultural identity and uphold cultural values of Vietnam, building the movement of teaching and learning the Vietnamese language in the overseas Vietnamese community.

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Thi Minh Nga acknowledged and highly appreciated ideas as well as the presentations at the workshop.

She emphasized that these are basis for the Government Committee for Religious Affairs to gather and propose appropriate guidelines and policies in supporting religious and belief activities of overseas Vietnamese in aspects such as teaching Vietnamese language, opening Vietnamese cultural centers, supporting religious dignitaries and officials to go abroad, as well as overseas Vietnamese returning home, to participate in religious activities.

The Overseas Vietnamese community now has about 5.3 million people living and working in 130 countries and territories, of which over 2.5 million are religious followers./.
svaboda.org svaboda.org

Belarusian volunteers held the first founding congress of the Belarusian Military Council not far from the Belarusian border, in Chernihiv.

Volunteer soldiers involved in the antiterrorist operation in Donbas and who have either a Belarusian passport or Belarusian origin decided to get together to defend their interests and help each other.

The Chernihiv meeting gathered about 30 Belarusian ATO fighters, in total they represent 120 people. For security reasons, members of the Council did not allow journalists into the meeting, but later they made a statement to the press.

We are faced with the goal not to create a combat unit but rather to make an organization that will help with coordination and help with any other issues, including material support, moral rehabilitation, help with documents and registration,  Belsat quotes Yan Melnikau, Belarusian volunteer in Ukraine.

Although officially foreigners can take part in the fighting on the side of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government does not help the Belarusian volunteers in matters of equipment or food on the front. Much rests on volunteers, just like it was two years ago.

Another volunteer, Siarhei Bahukalets, said that these are mostly volunteer units. Right Sector, Azov, OUN. Among the members of the Armed forces there are a lot of Belarusians, but they either do not consider themselves Belarusians or consider themselves Belarusians, but are hiding it.

One of the goals of the Belarusian military council is to get to the official level of communication with the Ukrainian government to help its members. So that they can help Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian hybrid aggression.

Only a well-armed resistance will stop the invaders and their ambitions. That is why I am here, so that there is no war in Ukraine, Yan Melnikau added.

Will there be created a separate large volunteer formation of the Belarusians in the Ukrainian territory  Belarusian military council has left this question for the future.
Gradual thaw has not been planned yet.

"The European Council (of member states) has extended until June 23, 2017, the restrictive measures adopted in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia," a statement said.

The Crimea sanctions prohibit certain exports and imports, and ban investment and tourism services by EU-based companies there.

Let us recall that the sanctions were imposed after the annexation of Crimea in March 2014.

EU diplomatic sources say the economic sanctions will likely be extended for another six months from end-July on the grounds that Russia has failed to live up to its commitments to the Minsk ceasefire accord in eastern Ukraine, AFP informs.

At the same time, some EU member states led by Italy make the case that Russia is a neighbour and its help and cooperation is needed in tackling key shared problems, such as the Islamic State terror threat.

For its part, Russia says the sanctions regime is pointless if damaging, and President Vladimir Putin regularly insists Crimea will never be given back.

On Friday, Putin told a top economic forum in Saint Petersburg he was ready for a fresh start -- if the EU also played its part.

"We hold no grudge and are willing to reach out to our European partners but obviously this can't be a one-sided game," Putin said, stressing that it was the EU's introduction of sanctions which had led to the "collapse" in relations.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker made his first visit to Russia this week since the sanctions were imposed, telling Putin that there could be no lifting of sanctions until the Minsk deal was honored.

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko meanwhile said he welcomed the EU's decision to roll over the Crimea sanctions.

"We will continue fighting until Russia frees Ukraine's Crimea and Ukraine's Donbas," Poroshenko said on Facebook, referring to the rebel-controlled areas of his country.
Minsk should not deceive itself with hopes for joint operation the would-be Belarusian nuclear power plant in Astravets, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said on Friday.

Minsk should not have hope that they will be able to sell electrical energy produced at the dangerous nuclear power plant, Delfi quotes the minister referring to Baltic News Service agency.

According to him, the Belarusian authorities could deserve confidence if the facility were monitored by independent experts.

Discussions about the safety of the Belarusian NPP were resumed after the recent incident at the construction site, Belsat informs.

Belarusian president Aliaksandr Lukashenka said Thursday that Lithuania should think of helping his country run the nuclear power plant instead of criticizing it. He also promised that Belarus would get rid of the reactor vessel that had been lately dropped if it suffered even the slightest bit of damage.

According to Lithuanian Energy Minister Rokas Masiulis, such step would be appropriate because the further usage of the dropped reactor vessel is posing a threat.

As reported earlier, during installation the enclosure of the future reactor fell from the height of 2  4 meters at the construction site of the Belarusian nuclear power plant in Astravets (Hrodna region).

At first, the Belarusian Energy Ministry declined any comment on the situation. The press office group of the company Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of the Russian state corporation Rosatom and the general contractor at the Belarusian NPP construction, said the information about the reactors fall was untrue.

Later, however, the Belarusian side confirmed that the emergency situation had occurred in the storage area of the reactor body during its movement in the horizontal plane but failed to go into specifics.

As the EuroBelarus Information Service earlier informed, Lithuanias government handed a note to the Belarusian Embassy over the incident. Vilnius also asked Brussels for involvement of the European Union in the matter. Lithuania is the main critic of the idea of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, which is only 20 km from the border and 50 km from Vilnius. Minsk rejects Lithuanias claims, arguing that nuclear power plants will have high safety standards.
Photo taken on Nov. 29, 2021 shows a meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria. (EU Delegation Vienna/Handout via Xinhua)

Although uncertainty is the only certainty right now in the Iranian nuclear deal talks in Vienna, the willingness of parties to the 2015 nuclear deal to continue dialogue bodes well for future negotiations. Analysts are cautiously optimistic about the prospects of the talks.

by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng

TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Following seven rounds of talks held since April this year, Iran and Western parties to the 2015 nuclear deal have yet to find a way to break the impasse on salvaging the pact, which Washington unilaterally quit in 2018.

Although uncertainty is the only certainty right now in the Austrian capital of Vienna, the host city of the talks, the parties' willingness to continue dialogue still bodes well for future negotiations, analysts said.

UPS AND DOWNS

Since April, Iran and the major parties to the 2015 nuclear pact, namely Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, have held seven rounds of talks in Vienna on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. The United States has been taking part in the talks indirectly.

No significant progress has been made so far. When the seventh round of talks ended on Friday, Iran and the Western parties accused each other of foot-dragging in the negotiations.

Six rounds of negotiations on reviving the 2015 deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), were already held in Vienna between April and June, before they were interrupted by Iran's presidential election.

Ahead of the Iranian election, an atmosphere of optimism prevailed in the Vienna talks.

Then Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in early June that the main issues between Tehran and Washington in the ongoing nuclear talks in Vienna had been settled.

Similarly, according to European diplomats, in the first six rounds of talks, "we have 70 percent to 80 percent of the work done, but some of the most difficult issues are what remain."

But new uncertainty appeared when the Vienna talks resumed on Nov. 29 with the participation of a new Iranian negotiating team following a five-month hiatus.

Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, wanted Iran to agree to continue talks from where they left off in June, but Iran's new negotiators insisted that what had been agreed upon in the previous talks were not legally binding.

During the seventh round of talks, the new Iranian delegation put forward two draft proposals, which were dismissed as "unrealistic" by the E3 and the United States, accusing Iran of backtracking on "the diplomatic progress made" through demanding major changes.

Iran demanded the United States lift all sanctions and guarantee that it will not quit the nuclear pact again despite future leadership changes in Washington.

"We made no demand beyond the JCPOA, and at the same time will not accept any obligations beyond the JCPOA," said Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, referring to Tehran's refusal to negotiate a new deal that will cover its missile and other weapons development programs.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator in the Vienna talks Ali Bagheri Kani arrives at the venue of the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

BLAME GAME

After the Vienna talks adjourned on Friday, the E3 diplomats called it "a disappointing pause," warning that there are only weeks instead of months before the JCPOA's core non-proliferation benefits will be lost.

"We are rapidly reaching the end of the road for this negotiation," they said in a statement.

In a more frustrating tone, Washington warned Iran against attempting to "drag out this process while continuing to move forward inexorably in building up its nuclear program."

However, the pace of reaching an agreement depends on the will of the opposite side, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani, also deputy foreign minister, was quoted by Iran's Press TV as saying.

"If the other side accepts the rational views and positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the new round of talks can be the last one, and we can achieve a deal in the shortest possible time," said Bagheri Kani.

He criticized the E3 countries for failing to present a more constructive proposal during the talks, saying that "they previously announced that they have proposals and initiatives on some topics, including the issue of guarantees, but we received no proposal or initiative from them during this round of talks."

Neither has the United States made any tangible proposals for the talks, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said, adding that this partially explained why Iran questions Washington's real intentions.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), displays a surveillance camera during a press conference in Vienna, Austria, Dec. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC

Despite the war of words, progress, though limited, has been made in the nuclear talks.

The E3 diplomats revealed after the seventh round of talks that "there has been some technical progress in the last 24 hours, but this only takes us back nearer to where the talks stood in June."

Enrique Mora, deputy secretary general of the European External Action Service, said the parties held in-depth discussions during the latest round of talks on a variety of sensitive issues like "the political positions, the new political sensitivities of the new administration in Tehran."

"We have incorporated some of the most relevant elements of the new Iranian positions ... to the documents that we will still work on," Mora added.

Analysts are cautiously optimistic about the future of the Iranian nuclear deal talks.

Hassan Hanizadeh, an Iranian international affairs analyst, told Iranian media that in spite of all the difficulties, "so far the negotiation process seems to have been positive," and an acceptable outcome to the Vienna talks is possible.

Liu Lanyu, an Iran expert at the Institute for International and Area Studies of China's Tsinghua University, said that despite their differences, both Iran and the United States have the willingness to reach a final deal on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact.

Iran hopes to lift the U.S. sanctions through negotiations to ease domestic pressure, while the United States wants to accelerate its withdrawal from the Middle East by resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, Liu told Xinhua.

Fan Hongda, a professor at the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University in China, said the United States needs to "face future negotiations with a more positive attitude."

Only compromises, instead of sanctions and pressure, can lead to an agreement, Fan told Xinhua.

Ironically, the Joe Biden administration imposed fresh sanctions on two Iranian government agencies and several officials for so-called human rights abuses on Dec. 7 as the nuclear talks were underway in Vienna.

The U.S. move triggered angry reaction from Iran, which warned that such sanctions would not create leverage in the talks to bring about a breakthrough.

Editor: WXL
By Wang Ruoxin

China's State Council Information Office on Dec. 20, 2021 issued a white paper titled "Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems."

As the document said, the central government has taken three significant steps to advance the system of democracy in Hong Kong pursuant to procedures.

Since Hong Kongs reintegration into Chinas national governance system, the central government has remained committed to the policy of One Country, Two Systems and to the Basic Law of the HKSAR, fully supporting the orderly development of democracy in Hong Kong in accordance with the law.

In accordance with the original Annex I and Annex II of the Basic Law, the Second-term Chief Executive of the HKSAR was elected in 2002, and the first, second and third Legislative Councils of the HKSAR were formed in 1998, 2000 and 2004. With these elections, the relevant provisions of the Basic Law for the period prior to 2007 were fully implemented, representing gradual progress in advancing democracy.

Here are the highlights of this white papers third section The Central Government Is Committed to Developing Democracy in Hong Kong:

Editor: WXY
The President's Office of Ukraine is negotiating with gas companies of all forms of ownership to find a compromise mechanism to stop the abnormal rise in the gas prices in Ukraine, which will protect its consumers and preserve market principles, Deputy Head of the President's Office Rostyslav Shurma has said.

"We are negotiating with Ukrainian private and state-owned gas companies, we are negotiating with almost all sectors of the economy. In the coming days, we will find a reasonable solution that can limit the abnormal rise in gas prices in a certain compromise regime that will not allow the end sectors of the economy to stop, and, on the other hand, will preserve normal market principles in the gas market and incentives for private companies to increase production," Shurma said at a briefing at the President's Office on Friday.

According to him, the abnormal gas prices currently prevailing in Europe and, accordingly, in Ukraine can hardly be called market ones.

"We keep our finger on the pulse of how this affects each sector of economy, and we will not allow the domino effect in certain sectors of economy, which can completely stop," he said.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Armed Forces said they welcome the agreement reached at a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) for Donbas on Wednesday, December 22 to firmly observe measures toward bolstering the ceasefire.

"The Ukrainian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian Armed Forces welcome the agreement reached at a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on December 22, 2021 regarding the determination to fully observe measures toward bolstering the ceasefire agreed upon on July 22, 2020," the Ukrainian defense minister and the Ukrainian Armed Forces commander said in a joint statement published on the Defense Ministry website.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces vowed to consistently and strictly observe the ceasefire stipulated by said measures, including as regards the terms and conditions of returning fire, the statement says.
U.S. together with NATO ready to interact with Russia on security guarantees, discuss problems - Ambassador Sullivan

The United States together with NATO stands ready to interact with Russia on security guarantees, U.S. Ambassador in Moscow John Sullivan said.

Sullivan said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper that Washington has reviewed the documents received from Russia and stands ready together with its NATO allies and partners to interact with the Russian authorities and to discuss the problems voiced by Russia. Moreover, the U.S.' partners in Europe and all those who are concerned about security in Europe look forward to interaction with the Russian government on these issues, the ambassador said.

This readiness for interaction is in line with the June meeting of the U.S. and Russian leaders and matches U.S. President Joe Biden's philosophy that he wants to be straightforward and transparent with Russian President Vladimir Putin and with the Russian side as a whole, he said.

Russia and U.S. are rapidly moving forward in this urgent issue dealing with Donbas and Ukraine, Sullivan said.

The U.S. has been insisting on a de-escalation since it itself initiated this discussion during CIA Director William Burns' visit in early November, he said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and British Defense Minister Ben Wallace, the situation on the border between Ukraine and Russia, as well as the security of NATO allies.

"Spoke with Secretary Blinken, Annalena Baerbock & Ben Wallace to discuss Russia's military build-up in & around Ukraine. We continue to assess the implications for our security & will do what it takes to ensure the security & defence of all NATO Allies, while remaining open to dialogue [with Russia]," he wrote on Twitter.

For its part, the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying that Blinken and Stoltenberg had a conversation and discussed NATO's bilateral approach to Russia, noting the Alliance "remains ready for meaningful dialogue with Russia, while standing united to defend and protect Allies."

In addition, the State Department said in a statement that Blinken had a conversation with British Foreign Minister Liz Truss, and they discussed common priorities, including a powerful, unified response to further Russian aggression against Ukraine.

"The Secretary and Foreign Secretary Truss agreed on the importance of reinforcing coordinated support amongst Allies and partners to impose consequences and costs for further Russian aggression towards Ukraine," it says.
The United States welcomes the statement of the contact group for the peaceful settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine on its intentions to maintain the ceasefire in Donbas, the U.S. State Department has reported.

"The United States welcomes yesterday's OSCE announcement regarding the 'strong determination' of Ukrainian government forces and Russia-occupation forces in eastern Ukraine to fully adhere to the Measures to Strengthen the Ceasefire agreement of July 22, 2020," the Department's statement reads.

They expressed hope that "the resultant peace will create the diplomatic space necessary to de-escalate regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussion."

"As the United States has made clear, the conflict in eastern Ukraine can be resolved only in an environment of de-escalation, such as yesterday's announced ceasefire," the statement reads.

The message says that the United States is ready to assist in the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

"We continue to call on the Russian government to fulfill its Minsk agreement commitments to pull back forces and weapons from the Line of Contact in eastern Ukraine, as well as to pull back the forces it has amassed along Ukraine's borders and end its aggressive and threatening rhetoric," the Department added.
About 1.5 mln Ukrainians sign declarations with family doctors in 2021, deputy head of the NHSU Tetiana Boiko said at a press briefing of the NHSU on Thursday.

"Some 1.5 million Ukrainians have chosen their family doctor and signed a declaration with him or her in 2021. To date, 32.5 million Ukrainians have already chosen their family doctor, therapist or pediatrician," Boiko said.

As reported, in October 2017, the parliament supported at the second reading and in general the draft law on state financial guarantees for the provision of medical services and medicines, which introduces the principle of financing "money follow the patient."
Three new Airbus H125 helicopters intended for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine arrived at the Kyiv Zhuliany Airport on Thursday, December 23, the press center for the State Border Guard Service said in a statement.

"These helicopters are fitted with modern advanced equipment to detect and crack down on offenses on the state border. Furthermore, they are equipped with an optical electronic observation system, which can conduct monitoring, including in the infrared spectrum," the press center said.

The latest delivery brings the total number of the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service's helicopters provided by the French company Airbus Helicopter under a Ukrainian-French contract to seven, it said. The first two helicopters arrived in Ukraine in January 2020 and another two in November 2021.

In all, the State Border Guard Service is expected to receive 24 H125 helicopters as part of steps to establish Ukraine's unified system of aviation security and civil defense.
The main topic of NATO's conversation with Russia should be the completion of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

"We support the idea of the U.S., the EU, NATO talking to Russia as long as the primary topic is ending the international armed conflict, Russia's war on Ukraine. Euro-Atlantic security is at stake in Ukraine, therefore Ukraine should be part of security consultations on the matter," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak says that negotiations with Russia are ongoing in various formats, and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is ready for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The president [Zelensky] has said many times that he is ready for such a meeting [with Putin]. When and where it will take place, the question is open... As soon as there is confidence that the president of Russia is ready to talk and there will be a subject for conversation, it will take place," Yermak said in an interview with Focus on Friday.

According to him, "the end of the war, the striving for peace should be the main motivation for this meeting." "As the president of Ukraine said in his statement to parliament, in order to solve this main problem for the whole country today, we need to speak directly with Russia and its leader."

Yermak said that negotiations with Russia are ongoing, in particular, within Normandy format (Ukraine, Germany, France, Russia) and in the TCG. "We hope that we will be able to achieve progress in some areas. Ukraine came up with three very important initiatives. First, a return to the ceasefire. Second, the issue of two entry-exit checkpoints is being raised, Schastia and Zolote. Third, it has been long gone exchange, we transferred to the TCG once again the lists of people for release, this is up to 100 people. There is no answer yet. Our representatives in the TCG continue to negotiate," the head of the President's Office said.

He also said that Ukraine is ready to fulfill its obligations, including the Minsk agreements on resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine, but noted that it contains issues that can be interpreted in different ways. "There are controversial issues in the documents, there are some provisions formulated in such a way that the sides interpret them differently. Therefore, Ukraine offers and will offer ways out of this situation, the main thing is that there is a desire on the other side," Yermak said.

As an example of a collision, he cited the OSCE's demands for the holding of elections, which in the event of the fulfillment of the border provision fixed in the Minsk agreements will be impossible to ensure.

"As for Steinmeier's formula, it was really agreed within the Paris summit, and I do not see anything wrong with it... The key point in this formula is that the legitimacy of the elections is confirmed by the OSCE. There is the so-called Copenhagen Document, which establishes the principles of democratic elections. The elections should be completely under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, with the participation of all Ukrainian parties, the media and international observers, and Ukraine's law enforcement agencies must ensure security. There can be no foreign militants, and even less foreign regular troops. of course, at the time of elections, the border should already be controlled by the government of the state that holds the elections and recognize these elections as legitimate," the head of the President's Office said, adding "there are still very many such conflicts a lot."

"Ukraine has repeatedly demonstrated to the whole world that it persistently fulfills all its obligations. We always say that our country is ready to continue to fulfill the Minsk agreements, but there should be a clear plan for this work to de-occupy part of the territory of two regions of Ukraine. But the Russian side too must show a desire to fulfill the Minsk agreements, starting with full compliance with the ceasefire, ending with other agreements of the Paris summit in Normandy format," Yermak said.
An exclusive interview with Cyprus Minister of Tourism Mr. Savvas Perdios to the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency

Author: Maksim Urakin

Several days ago, Cyprus changed the rules of entry for Ukrainian citizens. Can you explain and tell more details about it?

It's not a change for Ukrainian citizens, but a change for everybody who is entering the country. Just for a few weeks before more information about the Omicron coronavirus strain is available, we decided that all people whether they are vaccinated or not vaccinated, whether they are foreigners or they are locals they all have to do a PCR test upon arrival, just to make sure that they do not have a virus. It is something that is in place now only for a few weeks until January 10. After that, we go back to a protocol as it was before, which means that no test will be required for those who are vaccinated or recently recovered. And tests are needed for those who are not vaccinated. For children under the age of 12, its the same, no test is required, and for kids above 12 test is required.

What restrictions are imposed on tourists in Cyprus now?

Nothing at all. Everything is open. Restaurants are open. If you have the Cyprus flight pass you can use it for up a week. It gives you access to all the restaurants, nightclubs, malls. Everything is open. There are no restrictions for tourists. After 7 days you have to show that you are vaccinated, recovered or you have a negative test.

How many Ukrainian tourists have visited Cyprus this year and the previous year?

2019 was our best year for the Ukrainian market. Almost 100,000 people. This year I expect we will be not far with around 80,000 people. The Ukrainian market recovered well after the pandemic. It has been a lot of interest for Cyprus from Ukraine and I think it is also because we were one of the first countries that opened for Ukraine.

Ukraine is now number 5 among our partner-countries, it has increased a lot after the pandemic. Number 1 is still the UK, number 2 is Russia, number 3 is Poland, number 4 is Israel, number 5 is Ukraine, number 6 is Germany, number 7 is France. After that, there are a lot of countries that are in similar positions, such as Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Hungary, these countries are quite similar. I would say that Ukraine is now in the top 5 markets for us, before the pandemic it was not like this.

And what is the tendency of growth from year to year?

From 2014 we had a growth of around 20% every year. I think the growth is going to continue. I think next year will be the best year we have ever had for Ukraine. I think it is a market with a lot of potential for Cyprus, not only in summer but also in winter, especially due to the differences in weather. Also because of the short flight time, people come for short breaks, weekends, etc.

Can you give some figures about investments in roads, in infrastructure, in hotels?

In the next 4 years we are spending EUR 50 million to refresh hotels with fresh wellness. It is the combination of the state and the EU money. Investments in hotels provide more health, medical facilities. Investments in agro, tourism and mountain hotels make them more green, more digital. Investments are also made in restaurants, renovating restaurants that are offering traditional Cypriot cuisine. Renovating shops that sell traditional products. We are also investing money to create even more authentic experiences in the villages. So people who go there can see an authentic workshop, hand craft, how you carve stone, how you make traditional char, traditional shoes. We are investing a lot to see that tourism is in the hearts of the local community, to make sure people stay in the mountains. We are trying to make young people stay in the mountains. We are investing a lot in these sectors. So local people keep tourism in their heart.

Also I want to tell you about Musan. Musan is one of only three underwater forests in the world. It is a diving project. We opened it a few months ago and it is one of only three underwater forests in the world. The creator of Musan was looking for the cleanest water in Europe. We have the cleanest waters in Europe and this is proved by the European environmental agency.

What are the most popular places for Ukrainian tourists? Are they the same as those of other citizens or have some peculiarities?

The first thing Ukrainian citizens look for, especially in summer, when they come to Cyprus is a good weather, the sun and the sea. So traditionally the Ukrainian market has been focused on Famagusta. Famagusta has the best beaches in Cyprus and very clean water as well. I see that through the pandemic people are interested now in Limassol and Paphos. These places have a lot for shopping, a lot of culture as well, beautiful mountains with hiking, villages. Actually I think that Ukrainians are going to visit Cyprus all year round. Of course, some people will go for sun and sea, but others will chose villages, mountains, nature, shopping, etc.

What air companies and with what frequency fly to Cyprus from Ukraine and back? Are there plans to increase the frequency?

The important thing for us is that a lot of airlines are flying now from Ukraine to Cyprus. Always direct. One of the reasons we came to Ukraine now is to speak with airlines and present to them all of the products that we are adding, especially for winter, we have been doing a lot of work to make sure there is something to do in winter. I am sure more and more flights will be added between Ukraine and Cyprus.

Speaking about winter, what peculiarities would you like to present?

Well, I think we can divide it in to 3 parts. One is wine and gastronomy. The second is nature and nature activities. And the third is the villages.

In terms of wine and gastronomy, we have implemented the concept of Cyprus breakfast. It is available in restaurants, in hotels, in branch places. Another concept that we implemented is called Taste Cyprus, food from local ingredients, it is really authentic and very traditional.

We have launched another concept that is called Vegan Family Restaurants and Hotels. Because actually all over the world there are more and more people, especially young people, who are vegan, they do not eat meat, they do not eat animal products, this program is also for people who decide to eat more healthy a few times a week.

We have added 7 wine roots. Cyprus is one of the oldest wine producing countries in the world. We have been producing wine for 5,500 years. Our wine is one of the best in the world. Commandaria is a national sweet wine, it won an international wine competition in 1224. It is very important for Cyprus to have wine like this. Grapes are only grown at 14 villages.

That is part A for the winter, part B is related to nature. We have been upgrading a lot of our biking roads. Next year we are bringing tour de France to Cyprus. It is huge, it is one of the biggest tournaments in the world. Three years in a role it is coming to Cyprus. It is very important for us, we are developing the infrastructure, renovating accommodations in the mountains. So bikers and hikers can spend nights there.

And the third thing that we have been doing for the winter is related to the mountain villages. We are now awarding villages for how much nature they have, how many flowers they have, how clean they are, how sustainable they are, how many tourism businesses they have. This concept is called Colorful Villages of Cyprus.

The point is to improve our product. In a few days we are also launching the concept called Christmas Villages. We have selected 5 villages in Cyprus. We dress them in Christmas decoration, Christmas lights, Christmas set-up, Christmas music. Whole villages like a Christmas market. It is new for Cyprus and it is a new message for Cyprus , so there are things to do in winter as well . We created 3,000 kilometers of roads in villages. It is called a heart land of legends. You can go to a farm, pick up your eggs, make a traditional Cyprus breakfast. There are a lot of farms making wine, where you can pick up grapes, make your own wine. Or go to a grandmother's house, see how she makes marmalade or halloumi (traditional Cyprus food).

We have started adding all these things to our product now. It is going to be seen as one umbrella. It is called a heart land of legends. The website is heartlandoflegends.com. People will be able to customize for themselves, it is not a mass market. People will be able to choose and create their own holiday.

For me it is very important that we speak about Christmas villages, what are they going to be. It is a completely new concept. Christmas villages in Cyprus is something for us that offer an additional product of mountains in winter. This is something that we are really pushing a lot now, the mountains. Because tourism in Cyprus started from the mountains, hundreds of years ago. This is where tourism started, this is where people lived. Later a lot of people moved to beach resorts. Now we try to spread tourism again back to the whole island.

To some degree Cyprus now is the so called local hub. People who are in Cyprus can visit Israel, Egypt, other countries. Can you give some explanation and the list of these countries?

Yeah. This is actually part of our national tourism strategy. To promote Cyprus as the place from where you can visit surrounding destinations as well. Cyprus is one-hour flight from 3 continents. We are one-hour flight from Europe, one hour from Africa, one hour from Asia. You can use Cyprus to visit Greece, for example, or visit Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon. All these countries are less than one hour away from Cyprus. There are a lot of flights daily to and from these destinations. That is part of our strategy to promote Cyprus for long distance destinations, like the U.S., for example, or China, Japan. These source markets are rarely go to one destination, they are also visiting the neighboring countries. Obviously, when somebody is flying from the U.S., they want to visit 2 or 3 countries, so they can stay a few days in Cyprus and also visit surrounding destinations. And it worked very well, because this year we brought the biggest cruise liner in the world to Cyprus  the Royal Caribbean. They created the home port in Cyprus for the first time ever. And for the first time ever we were able to bring a lot of people from Asia, from the U.S. to visit Cyprus and then take a ship to visit surrounding destinations.

Maybe to some degree a painful question for Cyprus citizens. Do you somehow coordinate your tourism activities with the so called administration, with the so called northern Cyprus. Do you have any relations?

No. There is no coordination from tourism perspective. If somebody wants to visit that area, it is possible with all of the risks because of the insurances, etc. Tour operators and companies that work with the Republic of Cyprus do not insure for visits of these areas. The coordination between the two sides is zero . People can go there only on their own risk.

Cyprus competes for tourists from Ukraine with more popular countries for our citizens as Egypt, Montenegro, Turkey. What methods are you implementing to attract our tourists?

Better quality. Always the solution in cases like this is better quality. Because such countries as Turkey, Montenegro, Egypt, always compete with Cyprus on one thing - prices, cheap prices. We will never be able to compete with cheap prices in Turkey and Egypt. Because Turkey or Egypt want to have over 100 million tourists per year. We dont want to have 100 million tourists per year. We had 4 million tourists before the pandemic, we are a smaller country. We concentrate on quality and improving the product. Because we realize we never will be able to compete with Egypt, with Turkey, with Montenegro on the prices. They have cheap products, they have cheap currency. You can see that the currency in Turkey is devaluating all the time. It is very easy when the currency is devaluating to be a cheap destination and we dont have this opportunity, we have euros, the euro is a strong currency. Also people in Cyprus are earning the fair living wage, so it is not so easy for us as for Turkey or Egypt to import products. So it is obvious that the cost of services is higher and we are offering better services - a cleaner environment, more experiences. This is our strategy when it comes to tourism.

Does the ministry have any special programs dedicated to promoting Cyprus to this or that country, to this or that region? Or you have only traditional methods which are implemented for every country?

No, every market is different. One way we work with many countries through collaborations with airlines, tour operators. So we work with them to join marketing campaigns, etc. But most of the time these campaigns are for summer, because that is when tour operators like to sell Cyprus, but in winter we have a much wider approach. In winter we penetrate 30 countries by using specific digital marketing campaigns - on YouTube, on Google, Facebook, on other social media platforms. We target by age, we target be special interest, paid ads and different campaigns. We are spending good money on our marketing right now, I am happy with the amount we are spending and we are doing it in a very customized approach, depending on the market. So in the country like Ukraine, for example, maybe we are focusing more on the age groups up to 50-55 years old. The other nationalities that we are marketing for 65 year-old plus. So for each market we chose what clients to target and it is very targeted and very customized.

Is medical tourism developing between our countries.

Yeah, medical tourism for Cyprus is something that we are starting to develop now. Actually some of the money that we have received from the European recovery fund are going for the renovation of hotels and to be sure that they are offering more health, wellness, medical facilities and also assisted living facilities. I think that Cyprus as a country that has an unbelievable climate for medical tourism. We have very clean oxygen, with a lot of vitamin D, because of the sun. We have sun 365 days a year. For vitamin D it is excellent. Our produce is very clean, bio, it is good for the health. I believe that for medical, or health, wellness tourism Cyprus is ideal from a holistic point of view. I am not only talking about going to the spa, to massage, pedicure or doing your hair and other things like that, I am talking about wellness from a holistic point of view - mind, body, nutrition, relaxation and things like these. I think during the next 5 years Cyprus will develop a lot when it comes to health, wellness and medical tourism. And if I combine these investments with investments that we are making in wine, gastronomy and local products, I think it is a great combination, again from the EU money by the way. This is a great combination to position Cyprus as an all year round wellness destination.

Speaking about students and universities, also the so called speaking clubs, do you develop these branches of activities to attract people to study English in Cyprus?

That is a very good question. That is something that we have discussed recently. As you know, Malta is specializing on that, but Malta is short-term. It is about month and a half. We are looking to do something different. We are looking to penetrate the Ukrainian market for longer term studies in Cyprus of Ukrainian nationals, not only languages, but the variety of subjects, of course, the language of education and speaking will be English. It is also a great opportunity to offer internships as well to people who study in Cyprus, especially in tourism industry, for example, because it is something that will help us provide a better service for Ukrainian nationals as well.

Do Cypriots have interest in Ukraine as a tourism destination?

If you look at the figures in 2019, we had 100,000 Ukrainians coming to Cyprus and we had 25,000 Cypriots coming to Ukraine. If you consider that Ukraine has more than 40 million people and Cyprus has less than 1 million people, you can see according to these ratios that there are more Cypriots coming to Ukraine than Ukrainians coming to Cyprus. I think that Ukraine has a potential to attract Cypriots especially for long weekends, breaks. As you know there are several cities in Ukraine that have linkage with the Greek heritage and I think this is a story that needs to be told more in Cyprus. I am sure that more Cypriots will be happy to visit Ukraine not only in winter but also in summer time, because the weather is nice, it is warm all the time and you have a very nice weather here that you will appreciate a lot. The flight is not long, it is maximum 3 hours. There are a lot of flights. It is very easy to get here, so it is no reason why Cypriots will not come here. Plus, something that is very important for Cypriots is the food, the food has been improving a lot here, it has been becoming more modern, so this is very important.

Speaking about wine and gastronomy, are you promoting these by some special efforts? Is it your co-business to promote wine, to promote gastronomy?

It is our business to promote that as part of tourism program, but it is not our job to promote the sale of halloumi or Cypriot wine abroad. That is the job of the ministry of commerce, or the ministry of agriculture. But there are synergies, we have to work together. When people want to buy halloumi or wine and they come to Cyprus, they see, they taste, etc. We try to show all our products to people who come to Cyprus, we always try to include wine and gastronomy in everything we promote in Cyprus. If we are promoting wellness, food is part of the promotion as well, if we are promoting religious tourism, food is part of that. No matter what tourists are doing in Cyprus, 3 times a day they have to eat. So food is very, very important. Mostly in all hotels and branch places people can find Cyprus breakfast. We have the concept of Taste Cyprus. Restaurants have authentic cuisine, local products and this is a network of restaurants that people can really go to and really enjoy the Cyprus gastronomy. Plus the wineries, also restaurants that have authentic Cypriot wines, or bars with authentic wine lists. Actually 3 weeks ago a European sommelier competition took place in Cyprus. So we are also trying to promote through the competitions like this. I know, that to promote Ukrainian wine, your people have established several festivals dedicated to wine culture, including Odessa Wine Festival. And our wine festivals are in September-October. And the biggest one takes place in Limassol.

What are your top 3 suggestions for Ukrainian citizens to go to Cyprus? In terms of what to do.

Savvas: Absolutely they have to visit one of the villages that is part of the Heart of Legends project. They have to visit our beaches, we have the best beaches in Europe. They have to eat authentic Cypriot food with the sweet Cypriot wine. It is a unique experience.
Egypts border guards arrested 2,267 irregular migrants of different nationalities at strategic border areas over the past month, Armed Forces Spokesman Gharib Abdel-Hafez said in a statement on Thursday.
More than six million people in drought-hit areas of eastern and southern Ethiopia will need "life-saving" assistance this year, the UN's emergency response agency said in a new report.
Italys Eni announced on Tuesday that it signed agreements with Egypt and Spanish company Naturgy to restart operations at a natural gas plant in the port city of Damietta after resolving long-running disputes.



According to the agreements, operations at the liquefied plant should restart in the first quarter of 2021.



The plant, which has a capacity of 7.56 billion cubic meters per year, has been idle since November 2012.



It was 80% owned by Union Fenosa Gas (UFG), a joint venture between Eni and Naturgy, with the remaining stake evenly split between the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC).



According to the new agreement, the plant will now be 50% owned by Eni, 40% by EGAS and 10% by EGPC. The agreement will also see Naturgy exit the Egyptian market.



"The agreements ... were in line with the ones finalized last February and took into account the evolution of the energy scenario, allow to reinforce Eni's strategic objectives in terms of growth of its LNG portfolio, in particular in Egypt, where the Company is the main gas producer, and are of primary importance for all parties involved to resolve all pending disputes," Eni said in a statement.

"The operation, subject to the authorization of the European authorities and subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions precedent, allows to strengthen the presence of Eni in the Eastern Mediterranean, a key region for the supply of natural gas, an important resource for the energy transition.

"The agreement comes at an important moment, when also thanks to the fast time to market of Eni's natural gas discoveries, especially the ones in the Zohr and Nooros fields, Egypt has regained its full capacity to meet domestic gas demand and can allocate surplus production for export through its LNG plants."

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Italian energy group Eni made three oil and gas discoveries in Egypt's western desert with reserves amounting to about 50 million barrels of oil equivalent, Egypt's Petroleum Ministry announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, the ministry said the oil and gas were found in Meleiha and South West Meleiha concession areas in the western desert and they will add 6,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

In June 2020, Eni signed an agreement with the Egyptian government, the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Lukoil for the merger of the concessions of Meleiha and Meleiha Deep in Egypt's Western Desert and their extension to 2036, with the possibility of reaching further to 2041.

Eni, through its subsidiary International Egyptian Oil Company (IEOC), holds a 38 percent interest in the Mellieha concession, while Russia's oil giant Lukoil holds 12 percent and the EGPC 50 percent.

Eni has been operating in Egypt through its subsidiary IEOC Production B.V. since 1954, with the current daily production rate being 320,000 barrels of oil equivalent.

The Italian company discovered the giant Zohr gas field, the biggest in the Mediterranean, off the Egyptian coast in 2015. The discovery, which holds an estimated reservoir of 30 trillion cubic feet, has drawn the interest of investors to the country's energy sector.

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The importance of the internationalisation of education was a key takeaway from the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO).

This week Cairo hosted the 14th session of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) which carried the title The Future in Action.

The forum discussed the future of jobs, including the preparation of students and youths seeking employment, requirements for the local and international job market in light of the coronavirus, rapid changes in employment skills and job market demands.

There were several activities, meetings, workshops, discussions, and lectures delivered by academic and professional experts as well as representatives from international organisations, businessmen and youth in the forum. The forum also included special pavilions for participants from public, private and international universities as well as technological companies specialised in education and scientific research, international organisations as well as funding bodies.

President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi noted during the conference that the quality of education in developing countries does not equal that offered in developed countries. Therefore, he said, Egypt was keen on introducing joint programmes with international universities to keep pace with the newest developments in education.

Six new technology universities will soon be accepting students, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar pointed out during the conference. He said the number of Egyptian students studying abroad had decreased by more than a half, to 2,200, due to the high quality of universities that have opened in Egypt recently. He added that new research centres in petroleum and electronics will soon open as well. The government has allocated LE150 billion to improve the countrys public universities, the minister added.

Meanwhile, director-general of (ISESCO) Salim Al-Malik called on the organisations member states to increase funds allocated to scientific research which currently do not exceed 0.5 per cent of the member of states GDP while developed countries dedicate around three per cent of their GDP to scientific research.

According to Al-Malik, ISESCO member states need universities that would confidently compete with the most prestigious international universities. To accomplish this, he said universities must work freely and independently, achieve sustainability in funding sources, help students in current and future job markets as well as establish sustainable partnerships with economic, industrial, and technological institutions locally and internationally.

Abdel-Ghaffar said that with a population of more than 100 million, Egypt needs at least 100 universities. At the moment, he said, there are 72 but more are being established.

Last year, President Al-Sisi revealed during the inauguration of King Salman University in Sharm El-Sheikh that Egypt intends to have 125 universities by 2032.

During the conference Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat revealed the role of international cooperation and partnerships in developing the higher education and scientific research sector. Until September 2021, developmental funds for the higher education and scientific research sector of the ministrys current portfolio reached about $1 billion to implement 16 projects. Fifty-three per cent of these funds are non-refundable grants, explained Al-Mashat.

According to Al-Mashat, several multilateral and bilateral developmental partners have contributed to the provision of these funds, including the US, the Saudi Fund for Development, Japan, China, Germany, South Korea, the African Development Bank, the Kuwait Development Fund, and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.

Al-Mashat noted that these partnerships are based on three main principles: comprehensiveness, which means merging youth and women within developmental efforts and to sustain their participation in the decision-making process; digitisation, since these partnerships work on localising digital transformation in the countrys efforts in this field; and the green transformation, as new strategies stimulate plans implemented by the government to shift towards a green economy and reduce harmful emissions, especially in light of Egypts preparations to host the UN Conference on Climate Change next year.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 16 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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You know it's that time of the year when you see all those lights hanging throughout Shubra's main commercial streets, on the buildings, and across shop windows. It's Christmas time.

The famous middle-class Shubra district in north Cairo is home to the largest concentration of Christians of all neighourhoods in the capital.

Christmas in Shubra - like other parts of the country - is celebrated twice. The Coptic Orthodox community, which makes up 90 percent of Egypt's Christian population, celebrates Christmas on 7 January, according to the Julian Calendar. Smaller Christian denominations in Egypt - Catholics, Coptic Catholics, Protestants and Evangelicals - celebrate Christmas on 25 December, according to the Gregorian Calendar.

Colourful lights, religious icons, and ornaments that exude the Christmas spirit stay alive on Shubra's streets for several weeks before and after the holidays.

One finds the highlight of the Christmas celebrations on Shubra's main streets takes place on the famous Teraa Al-Bolakiya Street, where three gigantic Christmas trees stand, including the biggest Christmas tree in the whole district.

The tallest Christmas tree of the three was gifted to the constituency of Shubra from MP Ehab El-Tamawy, a leading member of the Mostaqbal Watan Party and Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives.

This gigantic Christmas tree and its two sisters - who tower on the opposite side of the street - were designed and made by Amir Ghattas, the owner of the largest two Christmas decoration shops on the Teraa Al-Bolakia Street: San Abram bookstore and shop.

San Abram for Priesthood Clothes traditionally sells Coptic Orthodox priesthood attires but gained wider fame for its Christmas decorations merchandise.

Ahram Online missed Mr Ghattas when this writer visited his store, but found the staff on duty extremely busy with customers buying all sorts of Christmas decorations for prices cheaper than in other areas in Cairo.

In addition to the San Abram store, there are dozens of small shops throughout the long commercial streets of the district selling Christmas decorations also at competitive prices.

Locally-made short and medium-size Christmas trees range in price from EGP 100 to EGP 300. The same goes for locally-made Christmas wreaths.

One of the shopkeepers explained to Ahram Online that local workshops start making Christmas trees and wreaths every year immediately after the end of celebrations of the Coptic Orthodox Christmas on 7 January.

Some Christmas ornaments - imported from China in recent years - are sold at prices between EGP 15 to EGP 50, depending on the size and shape.

Santa Claus, the undisputed hero of Christmas who is referred to in Arabic as Papa Noel, has his own line of products, from small plush dolls to mugs to small and large figurines - sold at prices ranging from EGP 20 to EGP 350.

Customers from all ages and backgrounds, from Christian nuns to Muslim moms, buy affordable Christmas decorations and Santa Claus paraphenalia.

Shubra's Christmas trees attract people of all ages. They are used as a favourite background for the pictures taken of children, youth, and adults.

It is not only Shubra that dresses up for Christmas but all areas in Egypt and the Greater Cairo area also mark the festivities.

The Heliopolis district in east Cairo, home to a large number of Christians, keeps the tradition of lighting one of Egypts biggest Christmas trees on Korba Street in a collaborative effort with the private sector.

In the upscale suburbs of Sheikh Zayed district - west of the capital - and New Cairo - east of the capital - malls and residential compounds also strive to display the most spectacular Christmas trees and decorations.

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Egypts cabinet will hold its first meeting in the New Administrative Capital on Thursday as part of the governments gradual transition to the new capital scheduled for this month.

In November, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered the cabinet to start relocating public employees to the government district in the new capital in December for a 6-month experimental phase.

Construction on the 700-square-kilometre new capital, located 60km from Cairo in the area between the Cairo-Suez and Cairo-Ain Sokhna roads, started in 2015 and is set to house 6.5 million people when completed.

The government had planned to relocate ministries and 52,300 government employees to the new capital by mid-2020, but the coronavirus pandemic forced it to delay the move

The city boasts a 360 feddan government district with 10 ministerial complexes that will house 34 ministries, in addition to the headquarters of the cabinet and the House of Representatives.

In a November statement, the cabinet made it clear that the transfer of state employees to the new capital will be implemented gradually, and that government offices that deal directly with the public will not be transferred to the new capital for the time being.

Todays weekly cabinet meeting is scheduled to discuss the major projects inaugurated or set to be inaugurated soon in Upper Egypt, according to reports.

El-Sisi inaugurated on Wednesday a major complex for producing benzene at the Assiut Petroleum Refining Company in addition to several development projects in Upper Egypt.

In a speech during the inauguration, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the government has pumped investments worth EGP 1.1 trillion into projects to develop Upper Egypts governorates, with a successful implementation rate of 96 percent.

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The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) has signed an agreement with the Italian giant energy group Eni for oil exploration and exploitation in the Gulf of Suez and Nile Delta regions worth $1 billion, Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced on Friday.

Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla, EGPC's CEO Abed Ezz El-Regal, and Eni's Executive Director of Operations Alessandro Politi signed the agreement.

The statement pointed out that the deal with the Italian energy giant comes within the framework of the petroleum ministry's strategy to increase production rates and address the natural decline in wells bu using the latest technology.

The ministry also seeks to encourage partners to invest more in the field of oil and gas exploration, the statement added.

In recent years, Eni has taken part in important oil discoveries in the country's Western Desert as well as the operation of gas plants, as the country aims to become a regional energy hub.

Eni has been operating in Egypt through its subsidiary, the International Egyptian Oil Company (IEOC) Production BV, since 1954.

In 2015, the Italian energy giant discovered the giant Zohr gas field, the biggest-ever in the Mediterranean, off the Egyptian coast.

Zohr is located within the Shorouk concession, nearly 190 km north of the city of Port Said. Eni holds a 50 percent stake in the block and is responsible for operations there. The other stakeholders are Rosneft (30 percent), BP (10 percent) and Mubadala Petroleum (10 percent). Zohrs daily production exceeded three billion cubic feet in 2020, making up 40 percent of Egypts total gas output. The total reserves of the Zohr gas field are estimated at 30 trillion cubic feet.

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The Decent Life Foundation (DLF) has sent food and medical convoys - carrying up to 7,000 food boxes as well as comprising specialised medical teams that provide free tests and treatment to needy citizens - to Aswan and Qena governorates in Upper Egypt.

The convoys were organised by the Decent Life Foundation (DLF) in cooperation with the Egyptian Food Bank, a statement by the DLF said on Friday.

The DLF's field team distributed 5,000 food boxes to five villages in Waqf township in Qena, including 2,000 boxes to the Al-Marashda village, 1,200 to the Waqf village, 1,000 to the Qalamina village, and 800 boxes to the Al-Abal and Al-Hamoudi.

The team also distributed 2,000 food boxes to the Gharb Suhail village in Aswan.

The DLF also dispatched a convoy of 10 medical teams to the Al-Marashda village to provide free examination and treatment of various illnesses as well as coronavirus tests.

The medical convoy  sent in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Population  comprised a host of medical specialties, including gastroenterologists, surgeons, and pediatricians.

Decent Life, meaning Hayah Karima in Arabic, comprises a series of countryside-focused national infrastructure projects.

The initiative was first launched in 2019 by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi who tasked the Ministry of Social Solidarity with developing Egypts poorest 1,000 villages.

In December 2020, El-Sisi expanded the initiative to include another 4,500 villages within the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt's Vision 2030.

The foundation regularly sends food and medical convoys to various governorates to help needy citizens nationwide.

In November, the DLF sent aid convoys to Aswan to help citizens affected by heavy rain and flooding that hit the southern Egyptian governorate and caused the collapse of tens of homes and the death of three citizens.

It also distributed batches of appliances and furniture to afflicted families.

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Ethiopia's government said on Friday that its troops would not advance further into the war-torn region of Tigray but warned that the decision could be overturned if "territorial sovereignty" was threatened.

The announcement comes days after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) rebel group declared a retreat to their Tigray stronghold, and signals a pause in fighting following a series of battlefield victories claimed by the government.

Although unconfirmed, the TPLF pullout from the Amhara and Afar regions had raised hopes there would be talks to end a 13-month conflict that has killed thousands and left parts of the country on the brink of famine.

On Friday, the government communication service released a statement saying federal forces had secured eastern Amhara and Afar and been ordered to "vigilantly remain in areas under our control".

"The Ethiopian government has decided not to command its forces to further advance into the Tigray region," it said in the statement shared on Twitter.

The temporary halt to fighting may help lower the temperature after months of battles that have seen both sides claim major territorial gains.

At one point the rebels claimed to be only 200 kilometres (125 miles) by road from the capital Addis Ababa, sparking alarm among foreign governments who urged their citizens to leave the country as soon as possible.

But since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed -- the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner -- headed to the front last month, according to state media, the government has claimed to have retaken a string of key towns.

The government has dismissed Monday's withdrawal announcement by the TPLF as a cover-up for military setbacks.

Communications have been cut in the conflict zone and access for journalists is restricted, making it difficult to verify battlefield claims.

The fighting in Africa's second most populous nation has displaced more than two million people and more than nine million are in need of food aid, according to UN estimates.

There have been reports of massacres, mass rapes and other atrocities by all sides, and the UN Human Rights Council last week ordered a probe into a wide range of alleged abuses, a move condemned by Addis Ababa.

The war broke out in November last year when Abiy sent troops into Tigray to topple the TPLF, accusing its fighters of attacking army camps.

He vowed a swift victory, but the TPLF mounted a shock comeback, recapturing most of Tigray by June and then advancing into Afar and Amhara.

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Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States on Friday urged war-torn Libya to quickly set a new date for delayed presidential elections.

"We call on the relevant Libyan authorities to respect the aspirations of the Libyan people for prompt elections by swiftly determining a final date for the polling and issuing the final list of presidential candidates without delay," said a joint statement from five nations.

The authorities overseeing Libya's first presidential election said earlier this week holding it on Friday as scheduled would be "impossible".

The vote was intended to mark a fresh start for the oil-rich North African country, a year after a landmark ceasefire and more than a decade after its 2011 revolt that toppled and killed strongman Muammar Ghaddafi.

But speculation of a delay had been mounting for weeks. There were bitter disputes over the vote's legal basis, the powers of the winner and the candidacies of several deeply divisive figures.

On Wednesday, the chairman of the parliamentary committee overseeing the vote wrote to the assembly's speaker saying that "after consulting the technical, judicial and security reports, we inform you of the impossibility of holding the elections on the date of December 24, 2021".

It did not propose an alternative to Friday, a date set last year during UN-led peace talks in Tunis.

The country's electoral commission, the HNEC, later Wednesday suggested delaying the vote to January 24.

Libya's parliament is to meet on Monday to debate a new timeline for elections.

The election, intended to go hand-in-hand with parliamentary polls, was part of a United Nations-led peace process, yet UN special envoy Jan Kubis resigned just weeks before the ballot.

One point of contention was a presidential elections law controversially passed by parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Intel found itself on the back foot in Washington and Beijing on Thursday after issuing a public apology over a letter to its suppliers referencing US sanctions targeting human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang province.

The conflict follows passage of a US law that bans virtually all imports from Xinjiang in response to concerns over the use of forced labor and other human rights abuses against an ethnic minority.

The semiconductor giant told suppliers earlier this month to avoid any products from the region in order to comply with the restrictions.

But following public outcry in China, the chipmaker on Thursday expressed regret for the comments in a statement posted on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform.

"Our original intention was to ensure compliance with American laws," Intel said. "We apologize for the trouble caused to our respected Chinese customers, partners and the public."

President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law on Thursday, and Intel's apology drew a skeptical response from the White House.

"We believe the private sector and the international community should oppose the PRC's weaponizing of its markets to stifle support for human rights," said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

"We also think that American companies should never feel the need to apologize for standing up for fundamental human rights or posing repression."

A statement from Intel's US staff made clear the company would follow US law.

"On December 23 we issued a statement in China to address concerns raised by our stakeholders there regarding how we communicated certain legal requirements and policies with our global supplier network," Intel said.

"We will continue to ensure that our global sourcing complies with applicable laws and regulations in the US and in other jurisdictions where we operate."

The pressure on Intel comes as US companies grapple with the new sanctions, which ban the import of all goods from the region unless companies offer verifiable proof that production did not involve forced labor.

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Millions of Americans are traveling before Christmas even as national Omicron Covid-19 infections surpass Delta's peak and hospitals run out of space for patients.

Several thousand travelers face a grim Christmas Eve as airlines United, Delta and Alaska said Thursday they were canceling December 24 flights due to Covid.

United Airlines said it had called off about 120 flights over the "nationwide spike in Omicron cases," with Delta Air Lines telling customers they had pulled 90 flights.

Alaska Airlines said they canceled 17 flights after some employees "may have been exposed to the virus," adding more trips may be scrapped.

A Christmas testing crunch compounded the country's problems, with pharmacy appointments in big cities booked, government sites overwhelmed and home kits nowhere to be found.

At a newly opened federal testing site in New York City's Travers Park, people formed long lines, wearing puffy winter gear in the bone-chilling cold.

"I was planning to meet up with my family, but I might be positive for Covid, so that's something that I don't think is going to be happening," Queens resident Maria Felix said as she awaited her result.

Government workers handed out home tests to passersby -- but with only 2,000 set aside for each of the five boroughs in a city of 8.4 million, the items are set to remain scarce for some time.

"It is so sad that only 2,000 tests are available," said Jocelyn Antigua, who wanted to check her Covid status before seeing her elderly parents.

President Joe Biden -- who as a candidate blasted Donald Trump for failures on the same issue -- this week promised more testing sites and to ship out half a billion home kits, beginning January.

But there are signs that Covid was not massively deterring travel.

The American Automobile Association estimated 109 million people -- a 30 percent increase on 2020 -- will hit the road, board airplanes or take other transport on trips 50 miles (80 kilometers) or longer between December 23 and January 2.

American Airlines said it was operating 5,000 daily flights between December 19 and January 1, representing 86 percent of its schedule compared to pre-Covid 2019.

Omicron passes Delta

Festivities are expected to further drive up Covid cases as the heavily mutated Omicron variant pushes the nation's stretched hospitals -- and exhausted health workers -- to the brink.

Omicron now accounts for more than 90 percent of all cases in some regions.

The seven-day average of new daily cases in the US is about to pass the Delta peak seen in September, according to non-profit website Covid Act Now.

Intensive care units are running at more than 90 percent capacity in many parts of the country.

"There are more people in the hospitals this year, at this time of the year, than there were last year," Delaware Governor John Carney said, announcing all elective surgeries will be postponed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidance to overcome a health worker shortage, allowing asymptomatic staff with Covid to return to work after seven days isolation, down from 10 days.

Workers do not need to quarantine if they are exposed to a case, if they are vaccinated.

US health authorities are banking on vaccinations to lower the number of severe Covid cases, and inoculation numbers have been strong all week.

On Wednesday, 1.86 million doses were administered, White House official Cyrus Shahpar tweeted.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized a Merck-developed Covid capsule as a treatment for high-risk adults, after greenlighting Pfizer's more effective pill a day earlier.

The two oral treatments are intended to complement vaccines and help relieve some of the burden of severe cases.

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Omicron's rise has heralded another pandemic-tinged Christmas for billions, with Santa's arrival and longed-for family reunions overshadowed by the prospect of yet more Covid restrictions.

Festive jokes about reindeer having "herd immunity" and millions isolating "Home Alone" may be wearing thin, but the emergence of the ultra-infectious Omicron variant means the pandemic isn't going anywhere.

For a second straight year, surging infections have complicated yuletide plans from Sydney to Seville.

In Bethlehem -- the city Christians believe was Jesus' birthplace -- hoteliers expecting an influx of tourists have been disappointed. After a near-total pandemic lockdown last year, Israel's borders are again closed.

This year, like last, midnight mass in the city on Christmas Eve will be reserved for a small circle of people by invitation only and celebrations on Friday were subdued.

"It is a bit surreal... there is a selfish part where it's like 'oh I get to see this place so empty' but on the other hand you feel for the shops, all the money they are losing, it's really quite tragic", American student Hudson Harder told AFP.

In Europe, governments are reimposing misery-inducing safety measures that are draining the fun from Christmas for many.

The Netherlands is back in lockdown while Spain and Italy have made wearing masks compulsory outdoors.

And with the United Kingdom recording a record high number of Covid-19 infections on Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested getting a vaccine booster shot as a Christmas gift for relatives.

In France, the government urged people to get booster shots just three months after initial jabs, down from the current suggestion of five months as it sought to fight off the fast-spreading Omicron.

Sliver of hope

Still, Christmas gatherings will be easier than a year ago in many other places around the world.

Most Australians are allowed to travel interstate over the festive break for the first time in two years, bringing a touch of Christmas sparkle even as case numbers hit record highs.

"We've all witnessed the moving scenes of people at airports after months of separation," Sydney's Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher said in his Christmas message.

"In such dark times, Christmas is a ray of light, a sliver of hope."

Pope Francis is still scheduled to deliver the traditional Christmas Eve midnight mass from St Peter's Basilica.

Millions of Americans are also on the move during the busy travel days before Christmas, even as Covid infections with Omicron surpass the peak of the Delta wave and hospitals run out of space for patients.

However, thousands of them are set to face a grim holiday weekend, with major carrier United cancelling 120 flights because infection numbers had impacted flight crews and other operations.

And the spectre of getting sick was also rattling nerves, and threatening plans.

"I was planning to meet up with my family, but I might be positive for Covid, so that's something that I don't think is going to be happening," Queens resident Maria Felix said as she awaited a test result.

Operation Present Drop

In one sign of people's darkened mood, one of the most popular shows on Netflix in the run-up to Christmas has been "The Unforgivable", a less-than-festive tale of a murderer released from prison and struggling to win redemption.

Books on identity and slavery topped the New York Times bestsellers and a profanity-laden rant about a bad break-up led the Spotify charts -- beating even Mariah Carey's perennial Christmas hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You".

But angst borne from a seemingly interminable crisis, long testing queues, cancelled flights and close contact notifications will not prevent Santa from doing his rounds.

The hirsute spreader of holiday cheer has reportedly been cleared for travel in Canada's airspace after showing proof of vaccination and a pre-flight negative Covid test, Ottawa's transport minister said.

Santa's flight crew -- including reindeer Rudolph, whose "nose shone red and bright (but) made sure he had no Covid-19 symptoms before taking off" -- have also been given the all clear.

And Australian authorities said they were working round the clock to ensure "Operation Present Drop" goes smoothly.

"Our air traffic controllers will be guiding Santa safely through Australian airspace," said aviation safety authority Airservices.

"He's cleared to fly at 500 feet so he can skim the rooftops and deliver his presents quickly and quietly -- after all, his magical sleigh isn't your average aircraft."

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The number of Covid-19 cases shot up by almost a fifth across the world this week, as the pandemic picked up speed in most regions, with Europe bearing the brunt.

Here is the global state of play based on an AFP database:

18 percent rise

The average number of new daily coronavirus cases over the past week increased by 18 percent to more than 749,000, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.

It was the tenth consecutive weekly rise.

The highest percentage flare ups took place in Oceania, where the number of cases more than doubled, and the United States/Canada zone, where they increased by 55 percent.

The pandemic slowed in Asia and in the Middle East, where cases dropped by 13 and 12 percent respectively.

The confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with varying counting practices and levels of testing in different countries.

Main spikes

Several countries in Africa, where the highly contagious Omicron variant was first detected, were among those which registered the biggest spikes over the past week.

In Ethiopia the number of cases rocketed seven fold, while in Kenya there was a 483 percent increase, and cases rose by 370 percent in Zambia, 155 percent in Mozambique and 142 percent in Botswana.

Biggest drops

In Zimbabwe new cases halved followed by Belgium with a 47 percent drop and Austria and Hungary down 36 percent each.

US still has most cases

The US remained by far the country with the biggest number of new cases with 184,834 per day on average, an increase of 51 percent.

Next in line came the United Kingdon with 96,010 cases, an increase of 54 percent and France with 61,274 cases, an increase of 21 percent.

In regional terms, Europe is currently recording the most cases, with more than three million over the past week, accounting for 58 percent of the world total.

On a per capita basis, Denmark remains the country with the biggest number of new cases with 1,472 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by the UK (990).

And most deaths

The US also mourned the highest number of daily deaths with 1,498, followed by Russia with 1,035.

In regional terms Europe had the most deaths, with 26,375 over the week, or 54 percent of the world total.

At a global level the number of deaths decreased by two percent to 6,939 a day.

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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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Former President Donald Trump turned to the Supreme Court on Thursday in a last-ditch effort to keep documents away from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol led by his supporters.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally protesting the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden as President in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. [File Photo: AP/Evan Vucci]

Trump's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to reverse lower court rulings against the former president, who has fought to block the records even after President Joe Biden waived executive privilege over them. The federal appeals court in Washington previously ruled the committee had a uniquely vital interest in the documents and Trump had provided no basis" for it to override Biden and Congress.

The records include presidential diaries, visitor logs, speech drafts, handwritten notes concerning the events of January 6 from the files of former chief of staff Mark Meadows, and a draft Executive Order on the topic of election integrity," according to a previous court filing from the National Archives.

Trump's filing came on the day that an administrative injunction issued by the appeals court was set to otherwise expire. That injunction, preventing the release of records, will remain in place for now. Lawyers for the House committee asked the Supreme Court later Thursday to expedite its processes and consider the case as soon as mid-January.

The Select Committee needs the requested documents now to help shape the direction of the investigation and allow the Select Committee to timely recommend remedial legislation, lawyers for the committee wrote.

Repeating arguments they made before lower courts, Trump's attorneys wrote Thursday that the case concerned all future occupants of the White House.

Former presidents had a clear right to protect their confidential records from premature dissemination, Trump's lawyers said.

Congress cannot engage in meandering fishing expeditions in the hopes of embarrassing President Trump or exposing the Presidents and his staffs sensitive and privileged communications for the sake of exposure, they added.

The House committee has said the records are vital to its investigation into the run-up to the deadly insurrection aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election. Before and after the riot, Trump promoted false theories about election fraud and suggested that the real insurrection was on Election Day, when he lost to Biden in an election certified by officials from both parties as fair.

The case was widely expected to reach the Supreme Court, which has decided several previous fights over Trump's records. Trump appointed three of the court's nine justices.

The court earlier this year refused to stop his tax records from going to a New York prosecutor's office as part of an investigation. It did prevent Congress last year, while Trump was in office, from obtaining banking and financial records for him and members of his family.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 25, 2021 - 03:32 | All, World, Coronavirus

The United States will lift a travel ban it imposed on eight southern African countries in late November due to concerns over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus that was first detected in the region, a White House official said Friday.

The travel restriction, which will be lifted on Dec. 31, was put in place to buy time to better prepare for the potential spread of the emerging variant, about which little was known at the time.

"The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron," White House Assistant Press Secretary Kevin Munoz tweeted, adding that the latest move was recommended by the nation's health protection agency.

Under the measure, foreign travelers have been prohibited from entering the United States if they were in South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia or Zimbabwe within the previous 14 days.

The administration of President Joe Biden has hailed South Africa, which was among the first to alert the world about the new variant of concern in November, for being transparent in sharing information.

But as the United States and other countries including Japan closed their borders against South Africa and its neighboring countries, the South African government has expressed its strong disappointment, saying it felt punished for swiftly reporting the threat.

Since then, infections with the Omicron variant have been confirmed worldwide. In the United States, it has become the most dominant strain, accounting for about 73 percent of new coronavirus cases in the week through last Saturday.

The seven-day average of daily new COVID-19 cases in the United States is now above 176,000, higher than the peak of the most recent wave in the summer triggered by the Delta variant, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The country's all-time high for average daily cases was over 250,000, marked in January.
KYODO NEWS - Dec 24, 2021 - 20:15 | All, Japan, World

Japan and the United States are considering changing the planned in-person meeting of their foreign and defense chiefs in January to a virtual format due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

Arrangements had been made for Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi to visit Washington for the "two-plus-two" talks with their U.S. counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on Jan. 7.

A rapid surge in Omicron cases in the United States has led both sides to consider holding a virtual meeting instead on Jan. 7 or 8, the sources said.

The first two-plus-two meeting under the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took office in October, is intended to demonstrate the bilateral alliance's strength in the face of China's military rise. The foreign and defense chiefs are expected to deepen cooperation in the domains of space and cyberspace.

Hayashi and Blinken were expected to sign an agreement on host nation support for U.S. forces stationed in Japan covering the five years from April, but the two sides will consider other options, the sources said.

One option is for former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who was confirmed last week by the Senate as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan, to sign it once he arrives in Japan.

After bilateral negotiations, Japan has agreed to pay 1.05 trillion yen ($9.2 billion) over the five-year period.

With the cancellation of his U.S. trip under consideration, Hayashi is unlikely to attend a U.N. review conference on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons before the two-plus-two meeting, the sources said.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 24, 2021 - 16:06 | World, All, Japan

Lawmakers of the ruling parties of Japan and Taiwan agreed Friday to bolster cooperation in the field of economic security with an emphasis on supply chain resiliency for semiconductors and other crucial goods.

During online talks attended by members of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, the Taiwanese side showed strong interest in a planned bill to promote economic security which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government aims to submit to parliament next year.

"We must make it effective legislation," said Akimasa Ishikawa, head of the LDP's Economy, Trade and Industry Division.

The meeting was held as the LDP has stepped up exchanges with the Taiwanese ruling party, with the self-ruled island facing military pressure from an increasingly assertive China.

In the meeting, the LDP welcomed Taipei's bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement between 11 Pacific Rim countries, which China has also applied to join, Masahisa Sato, chief of the LDP Foreign Affairs Division, told reporters.

Japan, a member of the TPP, said earlier it welcomes Taiwan's application to take part in the trade deal and it sees no technical problem with it, while Beijing has expressed strong opposition to Taipei's move and has lodged a protest to it.

Taiwan submitted an application to join the regional trade pact in September, just days after mainland China filed its bid for membership.

To join the free trade deal, both China and Taiwan will need the unanimous approval of all 11 member countries -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

The latest meeting follows online talks in August involving Sato and other LDP lawmakers as well as Taiwan's DPP members in charge of foreign affairs and defense, during which they agreed to enhance cooperation over security issues.

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KYODO NEWS - Dec 24, 2021 - 21:47 | Others

Japan's health ministry approved Friday an oral COVID-19 drug developed by U.S. pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co., making it the first such pill to be used in the country.

Molnupiravir, which prevents the novel coronavirus from multiplying in the body, was given the green light under a fast-track process after MSD K.K., the Japanese arm of Merck, applied in early December to produce and sell the drug in Japan.

The Japanese subsidiary has said molnupiravir is also likely effective against the Omicron variant of the virus. Patients 18 or older with mild symptoms will be able to take the pill twice a day for five days.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that 200,000 doses of the pill will be delivered nationwide from this weekend if approved. The Japanese government has already agreed with Merck on the procurement of 1.6 million doses.

Health minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters Friday that the drug is expected to be available at medical institutions as early as Monday. The ministry will work with drugstores to enable the treatment to be taken at home to reduce contact between patients and others.

Molnupiravir, also greenlit in Britain in November, has drawn attention as the world's first approved COVID-19 treatment that can be taken orally. But British regulators have not recommended its use for pregnant women, and it is not approved for children.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for the pill on Thursday but emphasized that it should only be used when other authorized treatments for COVID-19 are inaccessible or clinically inappropriate.

Clinical trial data have shown that patients given the drug within five days of developing coronavirus symptoms were 30 percent less likely to be hospitalized or die than those given a placebo, according to the Japanese subsidiary.

In an interim report on clinical trials across areas including Japan, Europe and the United States, Merck initially reported that the oral drug halves the risk of hospitalization and death. But the percentage was revised downward after the company increased the number of trial participants.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the U.S. FDA issued an emergency use authorization for Paxlovid, a pill against COVID-19 developed by Pfizer Inc.

The Japanese government has agreed with the American pharmaceutical company on the procurement of 2 million doses, although the pill has not yet been approved in Japan.

Earlier this month, Pfizer said the pill had shown nearly 90 percent efficacy in preventing hospitalization or death in high-risk patients, citing final study results.






KYODO NEWS - Dec 24, 2021 - 21:41 | All, Japan

Yamaguchi Deputy Gov. Kazuhiko Komatsu was fined 300,000 yen ($2,600) on Friday for recruiting supporters for Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi over the October general election in violation of the election law.

Komatsu paid the fine after prosecutors in the western prefecture issued a summary indictment on Friday, a day after police referred the case to prosecutors. He told reporters he had handed in his resignation, which was later accepted by the government.

According to the indictment, Komatsu solicited prefectural government officials to join the political support group of Hayashi, who became Japan's foreign minister after winning in the House of Representatives election.

Japan's Public Offices Election Law prohibits public servants from making use of their positions in election campaigns.

A member of a faction led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Hayashi was engaged in a fierce competition against former Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura to gain the official endorsement of their ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the lower house election from the Yamaguchi No. 3 constituency.
BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Foreign Ministry spokesperson Thursday refuted an accusation against China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Wednesday Blinken and Borrell had a discussion over the telephone regarding this issue. They expressed concern about so-called "escalating political pressure and economic coercion by China against Lithuania."

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press briefing that Lithuania made grave mistakes on Taiwan-related issues. Instead of admitting and correcting these mistakes, it has repeatedly lied, shirked its responsibility, and confused the public.

Zhao noted the United States and the EU are aware of this. He said they should urge Lithuania to admit and correct their wrongdoings as soon as possible, instead of ignoring the facts and deliberately justifying that country's fault.

"The United States and the EU accuse China with no good reason. This position reverses right and wrong, violates morality, and damages their image," the spokesperson added.

Facts have repeatedly proved that the United States is the epitome of various forms of unilateral bullying and coercive diplomacy, said Zhao. Examples abound in how the United States for no reason initiates unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction based on its domestic laws. It abuses state power to unreasonably suppress other countries' institutions, enterprises, and individuals.

"The international community generally opposes this U.S. move," Zhao said.

Zhao added if the EU wants to uphold a fair and rational international order, it should distinguish right from wrong. It should have an objective and fair position and take concrete actions to maintain the sound and steady development of China-EU relations, rather than follow the United States and stand on the wrong side of morality. Enditem
BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has called for consolidating and expanding the achievement of a campaign on studying the Party's history.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction.

A meeting was held in Beijing on Friday to summarize the campaign, carried out among all Party members in 2021, the year of the CPC's centenary. Enditem
The signing ceremony of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement is held via video conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, Nov. 15, 2020. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- China is well-prepared for implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday.

The core of the agreement lies in its implementation, MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a press briefing.

The MOC, along with other departments, will help local governments and enterprises better understand RCEP rules and promote deeper integration of industrial and supply chains among members, and promote higher-quality and deeper regional economic integration in East Asia, he said.

After the RCEP agreement takes effect, more than 90 percent of merchandise trade between approved members will be eventually subject to zero tariffs.

The RCEP includes 10 ASEAN members, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The 15 states' total population, gross domestic product and trade all account for about 30 percent of the world total. 
URUMQI, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The government of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Chinese Embassy in Senegal on Wednesday jointly held a video conference to share the latest situation in Xinjiang with Senegalese guests.

More than 20 government officials, scholars, media practitioners and students from the African country attended the conference online.

Attendees learned about Xinjiang's social stability, economic development, freedom of religious belief and the improvement of people's livelihoods after hearing stories told by the locals and interacting with them.

Mehmetimin Ihat, who is a practitioner of the Muqam art, the traditional music of the Uygur ethnic group, performed at the conference, and other local representatives also shared their stories of happy and peaceful life.

Chinese Ambassador to Senegal Xiao Han said that thousands of diplomats, journalists and religious figures from more than 100 countries have visited Xinjiang in recent years, and that the conference guests were welcome to visit Xinjiang to see by themselves.

The Senegalese guests said more such exchanges will help the Senegalese people better understand the real Xinjiang. Enditem
A staff member checks vials of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine on an automated packaging line of Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

If China's COVID-19 vaccine has its own passport, every inch of its pages would be covered, having traveled to more than 120 countries and international organizations throughout the year, bringing hope to a possible end to this pandemic.

by Xinhua writer Chen Lu

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- If China's COVID-19 vaccine has its own passport, every inch of its pages would be covered, having traveled to more than 120 countries and international organizations throughout the year, bringing hope to a possible end to this pandemic.

From elderly people to school-age children, people from various countries have received China's COVID-19 vaccines over the past year.

Cargos containing the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines are seen upon arrival in Manila, the Philippines, Aug. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

In April, Filipino student Molvin Chua, who received the first dose of the vaccine in Beijing, thanked the school for arranging vaccination for international students.

But he was also deeply worried about the situation back home in Manila. "I know that vaccines are very scarce now, and I hope my family can get vaccinated as soon as possible," he said.

To his delight, Chua's family members have been vaccinated thanks to the arrivals of vaccines provided by China to the Philippines, with their lives slowly returning to normal.

In a letter of thanks, he wrote "I want to thank China for providing COVID-19 vaccines to the Philippine, protecting Filipinos and their families."

The city of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, famous for its beautiful scenery, had to "close" because of the pandemic, and the city's mayor councillor Somveli Dhlamini said he was distraught until the arrival of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines.

Photo taken on August 6, 2020 shows Victoria Falls at the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. (Xinhua/Wanda)

"The Chinese government's aid to Zimbabwe's vaccine arrived at this time. We are very fortunate," Dlamini told Xinhua.

The city then achieved herd immunity, becoming one of the first cities in the world to do so.

Dlamini sent a postcard to China depicting Victoria Falls. He wrote on the back: "The Chinese vaccines, Sinopharm and Sinovac, have contributed immensely to the recovery of tourism in Victoria Falls. Thanks to the Government of China for the support."

According to statistics, China has provided a total of nearly 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the world, mostly to developing countries, accounting for one-third of the global vaccine use outside of China, becoming the biggest foreign provider of COVID-19 vaccines.

Cresencio Arias, an 82-year-old folk musician who lives in the rural Tabasco state in southern Mexico, didn't expect a vaccine would come from far away China more than half a year ago.

A medical worker holds a Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Ecatepec, Mexico, on April 16, 2021. (Xinhua/David de la Paz)

At that time, Arias waited for the vaccine as the virus spread around him. "Too many people have died in the epidemic. We need the COVID-19 vaccine."

When the vaccines provided by China had arrived, he immediately went to get jabbed with his family.

"I want to thank China and thank you for providing vaccines to people all over the world. We are very grateful. Vaccines have protected our family."

In countries that have authorized the use of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, almost all age groups are covered. Chinese vaccines have won trust and recognition for their safety and effectiveness.

Mostafa Sayed, a young Egyptian man, once studied Chinese for four years at Cairo University. After the outbreak of the pandemic, he was almost unemployed due to a sudden depression in tourism. By chance, he became the translator for the expert group that Sinovac sent to Egypt to build a factory.

"Participating in the construction of a factory for the production of COVID-19 vaccines is the most meaningful translation I have done," he said.

A staff member arranges labelled COVID-19 vaccines before packing them on the vaccine production line of a VACSERA factory in Giza, Egypt, Sept. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

In the Agouza district of Giza province of Egypt, Sinovac and Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines have been co-producing vaccines since September this year, with an annual production capacity of 200 million doses -- enough to meet the country's vaccine needs.

With vaccination rates rising, the tourism industry has gradually recovered, and Sayed has returned to his field.

The holding company is preparing another vaccine factory. With an annual production capacity of around one billion doses, it could be the largest COVID-19 vaccine factory in the Middle East and North Africa.

Up to now, Chinese companies have built or are building vaccine production bodies in 19 countries, providing corresponding technical support to countries in need.

Sayed believed that with the joint efforts of all countries, the vaccination rate will continue to increase, stemming the impact of the virus.

(Xinhua reporters Zhang Yuliang in Harare, Liu Kai and Yan Jie in Manila, Ni Ruijie in Buenos Aires, Wu Hao in Mexico City, and Luo Xin in Beijing also contributed to the story.)


LAGOS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian police said on Thursday their operatives have rescued 48 persons immediately after they were kidnapped by gunmen on a highway in north Nigeria's Kaduna state on Wednesday.

Mohammed Jalige, a police spokesperson in Kaduna, said in a statement a convoy of traders escorted by a team of policemen were attacked on Wednesday morning by gunmen in large numbers while on their way to the city of Kaduna, the state capital, and scores of traders were taken by the gunmen to the nearby forest after the surprise attack.

However, Jalige said the escort team "reinforced themselves and engaged the gunmen in a tactical pursuit in order not to harm the victims."

The police operatives forced the gunmen to abandon their victims and scampered with bloody gunshot wounds, the police spokesperson said.

"The operatives succeeded in rescuing 48 people to safety. They were profiled and subsequently escorted to their destination safely," he said, adding one female trader is yet to be accounted for.

Meanwhile, effort is being intensified to ensure the safe return of the missing trader, while additional manpower will be mobilized to beef up security in the area, he added.

Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, resulting in deaths and kidnappings. Enditem
New Delhi:

At least two persons were killed and four others were injured after a three-storey building collapsed on Thursday in Amraiwadi area of Gujarat. Several people are feared to be trapped under the debris and rescue operations are underway to rescue people.

According to some reports, the building was around 100-year old.

The incident took place in 'Banglawali Chali' society in Amraiwadi area at around 12 pm. The three-storey building was situated at the end of a congested lane in Banglawali Chali society.

While six persons were rescued and rushed to LG Hospital, officials believe around four persons are still trapped under the debris, said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Akshayraj Makwana.

Of the six persons referred to government-run LG Hospital, two women were declared as 'brought dead' by doctors, said hospital authorities, adding four others are currently under treatment.

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New Delhi:

India will extend line of credit worth USD 1 billion (more than Rs 700 crore) for the development of Russia's Far East Region, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Plenary Session of 5th Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday.

Modi took part in the fifth meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on Thursday on the second day of his two-day visit to Russia. Before the forum, PM Modi met his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Thursday and the two leaders pledged to deepen the robust bilateral ties in a number of areas, including in economic and defence sectors. Modi also held bilateral talks with President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga and Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad.

PM Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit to the Russian Far East Region. The Eastern Economic Forum focuses on development of business and investment opportunities in the Russian Far East Region, and presents enormous potential for developing close and mutually beneficial cooperation between India and Russia in the region.

The live updates on day two of PM Modi's Russia visit:

1:38 PM

In Russia, I have always experienced warm hospitality and friendship. Whenever President Putin and me meet, we do so in a very informal atmosphere. Our discussions are also extensive: PM Modi

Let us deepen the bond between India and Russia even further. India and Russia friendship isnt restricted to governmental interactions in capital cities. This is about people and close business relations, says PM Modi

1:36 PM

"India is proud of the achievements of the Indian diaspora. I am sure here in the Russian Far East too the Indian diaspora will make an active contribution towards the regions progress."

"My govt has actively engaged East Asia as part of its 'Act East' policy. This will also give a new dimension to our economic diplomacy," he adds.

1:35 PM

In India also we are building a New India on the 'mantra' of 'sabka saath sabka vikas'. We are aiming to be US$ 5 trillion economy by 2024: PM Modi

"I believe that our brainstorming today at this forum will not only strengthen the efforts for human welfare in Far East, but also the entire mankind."

1:32 PM

India to extend line of credit of 1 billion dollar for Russia's Far East, announces PM Modi.

1:30 PM

"India and Russias Far East have enjoyed close ties for ages. When Vladivostok was not open for other foreigners, it was open for Indias. India was the first to open its consulate here."

PM Modi says, I got a glimpse of the culture of Russias Far East last evening at the Street of the Far East Exhibition.

1:25 PM

PM Modi pays tributes to the hard work and courage of those living in Russias Far East.

1:22 PM

PM Narendra Modi says, it is an honour to be addressing the Eastern Economic Forum.

"I was in St. Petersburg two years ago and here I am today in Vladivostok. In a way, its been a trans-Siberian journey for me as well," he says.



1:20 PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is speaking at the East Economic Forum in Russia's Vladivostok.

8:25 AM

PM met President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga in Vladivostok on Thursday.



Russia: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets President of Mongolia, Khaltmaagiin Battulga in Vladivostok. pic.twitter.com/jLpymtMPep  ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2019

7:30 AM

PM had a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Vladivostok.

"Strengthening ties with an important ASEAN partner. PM @narendramodi met with Malaysian PM @chedetofficial on the margins of #EEF2019 in #Vladivostok. Discussions focused on the multiple layers of India - Malaysian bilateral relationship," tweeted Raveesh Kumar.

Russia: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Vladivostok. pic.twitter.com/5ujaVyxQrm  ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2019

6:25 AM

The meeting between prime minister Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe comes after they met at the G-20 Summit in Osaka in Japan and on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Biarritz in France.

#WATCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Prime Minister of Japan, ShinzAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Abe in Vladivostok, Russia. pic.twitter.com/waDLY4v3dD  ANI (@ANI) September 5, 2019

"Continuous engagement for concrete bilateral ties. Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi meet in Vladivostok," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

"A global partnership reinforced by robust bilateral ties. PM Narendra Modi met with PM Shinzo Abe on the margins of 5th EEF in Vladivostok. Discussed deepening multi-faceted ties in economic, defense and security, start-up and 5G areas and exchanged views on regional situation," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.

What happened on day one of PM Modi's visit to Russia

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi held comprehensive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at finding new horizons of bilateral cooperation in key areas like defence, space, trade, oil and gas, nuclear energy and maritime connectivity.

"We both are against outside influence in the internal matters of any nation," Modi said in a joint press meet with Putin after their delegation-level talks at the India-Russia 20th Annual Summit following a two-hour tete-a-tete on board a ship.

His remarks without naming any country came against the backdrop of tension between India and Pakistan after New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality. Pakistan is trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue after India's decision on August 5.

Russia has backed India's move on Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the changes in the status are within the framework of the Indian Constitution.

A joint statement issued later said the two sides "underlined the primacy of international law and emphasised their commitment to the purposes and the principles stated in the UN Charter including the inadmissibility of interference in the internal affairs of member states."

The two sides signed 15 agreements/MoUs in areas such as defence, air, and maritime connectivity, energy, natural gas, petroleum and trade.

"Today's talks with President Putin were aimed at finding new horizons of India-Russia cooperation. This includes opportunities in trade, security, maritime cooperation and working together to protect the environment," Modi said.

He said a proposal has been made to have a full fledged maritime route between Chennai and Vladivostok.

The statement said the two leaders "agreed to facilitate, in all possible ways, exploring the impressive potential of our strategic partnership to the full, demonstrating its special and privileged nature which has emerged as an anchor of stability in a complex international situation."

The two sides "prioritise strong, multifaceted trade and economic cooperation as the foundation for further expanding the range of India-Russia relations," it added.

The two leaders decided to take the bilateral trade from the current USD 11 billion to USD 30 billion by 2025. The two sides noted the pace of progress achieved in the construction of the remaining four of the six nuclear power plants at Kudankulam.

Modi said Russia will help train Indian astronauts for the manned space mission - Gaganyaan.

Noting that close cooperation in military-technical fields is a pillar of Indo-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, the statement said the two sides vowed to upgrade their defence cooperation, including by fostering joint development and production of military equipment, components and spare parts.

They shared the view that "implementation in good faith of universally recognised principles and rules of international law excludes the practice of double standards or imposition of some States of their will on other States."

They called for reform of the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary global realities. Russia expressed its support for India's candidacy for a permanent membership of the UNSC.

"The sides intend to focus particularly on increasing the effectiveness of countering terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, cross-border organised crime, and information security threats, in particular by improving the functionality of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure," the statement said.

The two leaders strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and called on the international community to set up a united front to fight against this evil.

"They insisted on the inadmissibility of double standards in countering terrorism and extremism, as well as of the use of terrorist groups for political ends," the statement said.

Both sides expressed concern over the possibility of an arms race in outer space and advocated peaceful uses of outer space. They reiterated their commitment to further strengthen global non-proliferation. Russia expressed its strong support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The two sides expressed their support for an inclusive peace and Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation in Afghanistan.

They reaffirmed their commitment to building an equal and indivisible security architecture in Asia and the Pacific region.

On his part, Putin said India is one of the key partners of Russia.

Underlining the Indo-Russia cooperation in technical and military areas, he said, "We are successfully implementing our bilateral programme on military and technical cooperation up to 2020. We are working to update it to extend to another 10 years."

(With PTI Inputs)

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highlights Donald Trump declined to rule out meeting with Irans President Hassan Rouhani. A short time after Rouhanis statement, US officials announced new sanctions on Iran. Iran has long been threatening to carry out a third step unless other parties to the deal offset the effect of US sanctions.

New Delhi:

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to rule out meeting with Irans President Hassan Rouhani even as his administration piled more sanctions on Tehran. Asked at the White House whether he might meet with the Iranian leader at the United Nations, Trump responded: Sure, anything is possible. Rouhani had announced earlier Wednesday that Tehran was poised to take another step back from its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal, from which the US withdrew from in May.

A short time after Rouhanis statement, US officials announced new sanctions on Iran, this time targeting a shipping network it said was run by Irans Revolutionary Guard to smuggle oil.

Brian Hook, the State Department coordinator on Iran, also ruled out a French-proposed credit line that Tehran said could bring it back into full compliance with the 2015 deal curbing its nuclear program.



Earlier, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will announce a new step in scaling back its nuclear commitments by Thursday despite a diplomatic push for relief from US sanctions. Iran and three European countriesBritain, France and Germanyhave been engaged in talks to save a 2015 nuclear deal that has been unravelling since the US withdrew from it May last year. The efforts have been led by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been trying to convince the US to offer Iran some sort of relief from crippling sanctions it has reimposed on the Islamic republic since its pullout.

"I dont think that... we will reach a deal so well take the third step and we will announce the details today or tomorrow, Rouhani was quoted as saying Wednesday by the presidency website.

The Iranian president said the two sides were getting closer to an agreement on a way to resolve burning issues.

If we had 20 issues of disagreement with the Europeans in the past, today there are three issues, he said.

Most of them have been resolved but we havent reached a final agreement. Iran has hit back with countermeasures in response to the US withdrawal from the 2015 deal, which gave it relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

In July, it said it had increased its stockpile of enriched uranium to beyond the maximum set by the deal. It later announced it had exceeded a cap on the level of enrichment of its stocks.

Iran has long been threatening to carry out a third step by Friday unless other parties to the deal offset the effect of US sanctions in return for its continued compliance.

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highlights Due to unprecedented rains, 24 flights were affected on Wednesday.

Power supply hit in areas such as Matunga, Wadala and Kings Circle.

Mumbai residents have been asked to call 1916 for any assistance.

New Delhi:

As Mumbai reels under intense spell of rainfall with the IMD issuing red alert for Indias financial capital, a video of a pick-up truck is going viral for its smooth sailing in a flooded underpass. So much is the popularity of the video that Anand Mahindra, the Chairman of Mahindra Group, also reacted to it with his much-loved wit. The 13-second video clip showed a man driving Mahindra Bolero pick-up truck without any fuss even as a Jaguar sedan appears to be struggling in the knee-deep water. The incident happened yesterday at an underpass in Navi Mumbais Airoli. We wont brag over this. Its an unfair contest. The Boleros meant to negotiate such landscapes (seascapes?)But now you know why the Boleros my favourite vehicle to drive, Mahindra said on Twitter.

SkymetWeather, a private forecast group, has also said that Mumbai should brace for more rains. The Monsoon surge along the West Coast will result in moderate rains with a couple of intense spells over Mumbai and its suburbs but these rains will not be as heavy as they were yesterday., Skymet Weather said on its official Twitter account. According to latest reports said that the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) discontinued power supply in areas such as Matunga, Wadala and Kings Circle.

Flight operations at the GVK group-operated Mumbai airport were crippled partially on Wednesday due to incessant rains lashing the city since Tuesday, with around 20 flights cancelled and another 280 delayed, a live flight tracking website showed. However, much to the surprise for Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), the private aerodrome operator, the operations were "normal".

Due to the unprecedented rains, close to 24 flights were held up on ground until 23:30 hrs. As a result of collective efforts, five flights have departed between 22:30 and 23:10 hours, airport authorities said in a statement. Mumbai residents have been asked to call 1916 for any assistance. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) converted 145 civic-run schools into temporary shelter homes for commuters stranded at railway stations. Trees were uprooted in Tardeo and Matunga due to rain.
highlights Imran Khan was also accompanied by defence minister Pervez Khattak.

Khan and Bajwa interacted with troops and met the family members of deceased soldiers.

The visit comes on a day when Pakistan is observing Defence and Martyrs Day today.

New Delhi:

Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, along with Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, visited the Line of Control (LoC) on Friday, said a press release issued by the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). According to the statement by the ISPR, Khan was also accompanied by defence minister Pervez Khattak, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and chairman of the special committee on kashmir Syed Fakhar Imam.

According to reports, Khan and Bajwa interacted with troops and met the family members of deceased soldiers. The visit comes on a day when Pakistan is observing Defence and Martyrs Day today. Pakistan observes the day to mark the anniversary of the 1965 war with India.

This year, the country marked the day in "solidarity" with the people of Kashmir amid heightened tensions between the two neighbours over Modi-governments decision to abrogate Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier, Bajwa threatened India saying they will fight till last bullet for Kashmir. "We are ready to give sacrifice for our Kashmiri brothers, will fulfill our duty till last bullet, last soldiers and last breath," Bajwa said in a televised speech.

Asserting that Pakistan will never abandon Kashmir, the army chief said 'we are prepared to go till any extent'.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that his country will make the fullest possible response to India's actions in disputed Kashmir and the global community would be responsible for any "catastrophic" aftermath.

"I have informed the world that Pakistan does not want war, but at the same time, Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to the challenges posed to its security and integrity," Khan said in a statement on the website of state-run Radio Pakistan.

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highlights BJP wants to contest on 160 seats out of the 288 Assembly seats in the Maharashtra.

Shiv Sena will reportedly get 110 seats and smaller allies 18.

However, Shiv Sena sources said the party will stick to the formula of 144 seats each.

New Delhi:

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been holding pre-poll pact talks with Shiv Sena for the last few days, has reportedly conveyed to its ally that it wants to contest on 160 seats out of the 288 Assembly seats in the Maharashtra polls. According to a report in Zee, the Shiv Sena will get 110 seats and smaller allies 18.

Sources said state BJP president Chandrakant Patil and his party colleague Girish Mahajan (both also state ministers) are talking to senior Shiv Sena leader and minister Subhash Desai and other party functionaries to arrive at a deal on splitting the 288 assembly seats between them.

BJP sources said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has conveyed to the Shiv Sena that both parties should retain the seats won by them in 2014 and after allocating a certain number of seats to smaller allies, share the rest equally.

However, Shiv Sena sources said the party will stick to the formula of 144 seats each which they claimed was worked out during a meeting between BJP chief Amit Shah, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Fadnavis earlier this year.

It has been decided that all responsibilities will be equally shared, including the Chief Ministers post for 2.5 years. The Sena and BJP should contest 144 seats each, a Sena source close to Thackeray said.

In 2014, the BJP and Shiv Sena had contested the assembly polls separately, winning 122 and 63 seats, respectively. The BJP formed its government under Fadnavis in October 2014 and the Shiv Sena joined the dispensation a few months later.

The Congress and NCP had bagged 42 and 41 seats, respectively. The Congress and NCP, too, had contested the 2014 polls separately after sharing power for 15 years in the state. The assembly polls in the state are due in the next few months.

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highlights Allahabad High Court is going to recruit candidates for the post of UP Higher Judicial Service Part III Exam.

The written exam for the UP Higher Judicial Service Post will be held on September 8, 2019.

The number of vacancies for the post is 61.

New Delhi:

Allahabad High Court is going to recruit candidates for the post of UP Higher Judicial Service Part III Exam. The court earlier invited applications, and the last date to apply was August 25, 2019. The number of vacancies for the post is 61. The written exam for the UP Higher Judicial Service Post will be held on September 8, 2019.

Allahabad High Court Recruitment 2019: Important Dates

The list of important dates for the Allahabad High Court Recruitment is as follows:

Starting Date of Application: August 11, 2019

Last Date of Application: August 25, 2019

Prelims Exam Date: September 8, 2019

It is to note that only those candidates are eligible for the post who are an Advocate with not less than 7 years of experience that immediately precedes the last date as fixed for application for submission. The age limit for the post is 35 to 45 years.

Candidates will be selected for the UP Higher Judicial Service Posts on the basis of Objective Type Prelims Exam. Candidates who qualify the exam will be called for Main exam.

As of now, the application form filling has closed, and candidates who have applied for the post must start revising the respective topics for the entrance test.
New Delhi:

If you think rules of British Royalty are aplenty, another rule bars the two duchess Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle from wearing flashy diamonds until the clock clocks 6pm. The rule of course does not include their diamond engagement rings daily, but anything more lavish items are reportedly reserved for more special occasions. This reportedly is done to avoid the duchesses from looking flashy.

According to etiquette expert Myka Meier, while we may see the duchesses wearing other jewels like pearls and topaz before 6pm, diamonds are reserved for past 6pm so that they "avoid looking flashy".

Before 6pm, youll see metallics, gemstones, pearls [and] sapphires," Meier told News.com.au.

At night, youll see the diamonds come out, and thats in order to not come across as flashy in your appearance.

Royal Butler Grant Harrold also added that tiaras are typically reserved for married members of the royal family. In 2017 Kate wore Princess Diana's favourite tiara in December to a diplomatic ball hosted by the Queen while Meghan wore a diamond and platinum tiara from the Queen's private collection on her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

For married ladies, it was a sign of status and would show you were taken and not looking for a husband," Grant explained.

For the gentleman, it was a clear sign not to make advances toward the lady in question."

"The more significant event, the more likely you are to see them wearing diamonds  specifically when there is a reason."

Kate is often seen wearing budget-friendly jewellery - such as her 8 Accessorize earrings while Meghan has regularly been spotted wearing affordable Missoma rings.






highlights PM Modi said the country is enthusiastically waiting for Chandrayaan-2s Vikram modules historic soft-landing.

The quiz was launched to increase awareness about its space programmes.

There would also be youngsters from Bhutan to watch the event.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the country is enthusiastically waiting for the Chandrayaan-2s Vikram modules historic soft-landing on the Moon. Taking to Twitter PM Modi wrote: The moment 130 crore Indians were enthusiastically waiting for is here! In a few hours from now, the final descent of Chandrayaan - 2 will take place on the Lunar South Pole. India, and the rest of the world will yet again see the exemplary prowess of our space scientists (sic).



I am extremely excited to be at the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru to witness the extraordinary moment in the history of Indias space programme. Youngsters from different states will also be present to watch those special moments! There would also be youngsters from Bhutan. The youngsters with whom I will watch the special moments from the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru are those bright minds who won the ISRO Space Quiz on MyGov. The large-scale participation in this Quiz showcases the interest of the youth in science and space. This is a great sign! (sic), PM Modi added.

Urging people to watch the rare event, PM Modi said,  I urge you all to watch the special moments of Chandrayaan - 2 descending on to the Lunar South Pole! Do share your photos on social media. I will re-tweet some of them too.

Around 70 students are busy packing their bags for Bengaluru to watch Chandrayaan-2's scheduled soft-landing on the moon with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Indian Space Research Organization headquarters on Saturday. These students have been selected based on marks obtained in an online space quiz contest conducted by ISRO in coordination with MyGov.in from August 10 to 25.

Two top scorers from each state and Union Territory have been invited by the space agency to watch the landing of Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module on the Moon from ISRO's centre in Bengaluru.

"...about 70 students in total. They will be watching the landing live along with Prime Minister," a senior ISRO official told news agency PTI.

The quiz was launched to increase awareness about its space programmes. The criteria for selecting successful winners was "maximum correct answers in the shortest time."

The duration of the quiz was 10 minutes (600 Seconds) during which a maximum of 20 questions could be answered, ISRO had said.

"Two top-scoring students (from class 8-10 only) from each state and union territory will be invited to ISRO, Bengaluru Centre to watch the landing of Chandrayaan 2 on the Moon, live along with the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi," terms and conditions of the quiz on the MyGov.in read.

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highlights Mamata Banerjee said teachers will be main force in battle to save our heritage.

She also refered to vandalisation of a bust of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar allegedly by BJP workers.

She awared Siksha Ratna honour to 67 professors and teachers for their services.

Kolkata:

Calling upon the teaching community to be on guard against any attempt to change the Constitution and history of the country, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said they will be the main force in the battle to save our heritage. She recalled vandalisation of a bust of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, a 19th century Bengali social and educational reformer, at a college in Kolkata in May and said any bid to erase the history of Bengal renaissance will not succeed.

Supporters of the BJP and the TMC had on May 14 fought pitched battles on the streets of Kolkata and the bust was vandalised during a massive road show by the saffron party president Amit Shah. Banerjee, however, did not name any political party or organisation while addressing a Teachers Day function in Kolkata.

"Members of the teaching community have always thwarted any bid to change our history, our heritage, our culture. There is a long battle ahead and I need your wholehearted support in the battle," she said.

Banerjee said despite its tight fiscal situation, the state government has allocated Rs 20 crore for PhD scholars as the University Grants Commission has suddenly stopped the fund for research. The chief minister said the Centre has also stopped funding the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and, as a result, the state government is forced to bear the entire economic burden of Rs 17,000 crore to run the project.

Apparently referring to the opposition that had expressed solidarity with the agitating teachers recently, she said, I call upon the teaching community not to be swayed by the propaganda of those who have not done anything for you during their tenure.

Twenty professors, 22 secondary school teachers and 25 higher secondary school teachers were given the Siksha Ratna honour by the state government on Thursday in recognition of their services on the occasion of the Teachers Day.

Sixty-two schools were also adjudged 'Sera (best) School' on the occasion. West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who was also present at the programme, said a large number of colleges and universities came up during the eight-year rule of the Trinamool Congress.

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highlights The TikTok astara had shot his videos in picturesque locations of Dubai.

Police recovered 5 phones from gang that used to target commuters. A

Shahrukh is popular on TikTok and has more than 40,000 followers.

New Delhi:

A young man with huge TikTok following was arrested from Greater Noidaas Alpha-II for allegedly snatching mobile phones. The accused has been identified as one Shahrukh. He used to work in Saudi Arabia and was on holiday in India at the time of arrest. Shahrukh has around 42,000 followers on TikTok. He had formed a gang of five that used to snatch mobile phones from people. "The leader of the gang, Shahrukh is quite popular on the social media video-sharing app TikTok for his dance moves and he has more than 40,000 followers," Ranvijay Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP), was quoted as saying.

The gang led by Shahrukh reportedly confessed their role in various robbery cases in the area. From Bisrakh to Surjapur, the gang used to target commuters. A case has been registered and further investigation in the matter is underway. Shahrukh used to shoot his videos to get maximum likes. He told police that he used to steal phones to fund his TikTok videos. He had shot the videos in picturesque locations in Dubai as well as India. The police recovered five phones from the gang. A bike used in the robberies have also been recovered.

TikTok, which has 200 million users in India, was hitting headlines in April this year, when the Madurai bench of Madras High Court had directed the government to ban the mobile application, as it voiced concerns over the "pornographic and inappropriate contents" being made available through such apps. However, the ban was lifted by the Madras High Court three weeks later.

The mobile application, which was launched in early 2019, is a social video app owned by China's Beijing ByteDance Co. It reached the one billion download mark in February. It is a popular app worldwide and was the fourth most downloaded non-game app in 2018.

Recently, a young lady constable was suspended for making a TikTok dance video inside a police station in Gujaratas Mehsana. The officials said that the lady cop identified as one Arpita Chaudhary was suspended for aviolating rules.a

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Gurugram:

The NHRC on Thursday sent a notice to the Gurgaon police commissioner over reports that a domestic help was allegedly detained for several hours, stripped and thrashed by police personnel after her employers accused her of theft.

The Gurgaon police chief has reportedly initiated a departmental enquiry into the incident and sent four policemen, including the SHO, to the police lines, the National Human Rights Commission said.

The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that a 30-year-old maid was detained for several hours, stripped and thrashed badly on allegations of theft by the police personnel of DLF-I Police Station, Gurugram, Haryana on Tuesday, the rights panel said in a statement.

The NHRC has issued a notice to the Gurgaon police commissioner, seeking a detailed report, along with action taken against the guilty police personnel, in four weeks.

The Commission in its notice observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, are a matter of concern as the inhuman, barbaric and atrocious act, allegedly perpetrated by the police personnel inside the police station raises serious issue of violation of human dignity, liberty, life and safety of the victim.

It further observed that the media reports also seem to suggest gross violation of duty by the public servants, destroying the fundamental edifice of the rule of law, which clearly ensures that no one shall be deprived of the safety of life and limb, much less, an outrageous act of dehumanising a helpless woman, whose modesty appears to have been trampled down by the police personnel.

The victim, who is from Assam, was working as a domestic help in a house located in DLF Phase-I, Gurgaon. On July 31, a theft occurred in the house. The owner of the house suspected two women, including the female domestic help in connection with the incident. DLF Phase-I police registered a case against the woman and called the suspect to the police station for questioning at 9 am on Tuesday, the NHRC said, quoting the reports.

Allegedly, the police officials took her to a room in the police station and removed her clothes and severely assaulted her fragile limbs. It has also been reported that her lower back was hit so badly that the skin had peeled off as a result she was not able to walk, it said.

It is further reported that around 9 pm, the same day, the victim called her husband to the police station. The police personnel asked him to take her home and bring back the next day, the statement said.

The incident came to light when some North-East organisations got to know of her ordeal and they protested in front of the police station demanding action against the erring police personnel, it said.
New Delhi:

Did you miss the August 31 deadline for filing income tax return (ITR) for the Assessment Year 2019-20? Relax! You do not need to feel jittery as there is still an option to file a belated ITR with a penalty fee ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000. Notably, there was no penalty for filing belated ITR until AY 2018. From 2019 onwards, those individuals filing return after the due dates need to pay a late fee under section 139(1) of the Income Tax Act, newly furnished by the government. The amount of fine payable by the taxpayers for a late return varies based on their earning and the degree of delay.

READ | Taxpayer Using Aadhaar To File IT-Returns Will Be Issued PAN Automatically: CBDT

Key Points You Need To Keep In Your Mind Before Filing A Late ITR Return:

According to incometaxindia.gov.in , any individual who has not filed ITR within the due date can furnish the return of their income - at any time before the end of the relevant assessment year or before completion of the assessment, whichever is earlier.





, any individual who has not filed ITR within the due date can furnish the return of their income - at any time before the end of the relevant assessment year or before completion of the assessment, whichever is earlier. A late fee under section 234F of the Income Tax Act will be levied for a belated return.





As per the Income Tax rules a fine of Rs 5,000 is applicable if an individual files ITR after due date but before December 31.





The penalty increases to Rs 10,000 if the taxpayers file the return next year between January 1 and March 31.





Those who have an annual income of Rs 5 lakh, are required to pay Rs 1,000 for filing ITR after the due date.

READ | August 31 Deadline: Only 2 DAYS Left To File Income Tax Returns, Here Are Steps To File ITR

The categories of individual taxpayers are as follows -

Individuals (below the age of 60 years) which includes residents as well as non-residents.





Resident senior citizens (60 years and above but below 80 years of age).





Resident super senior citizens (above 80 years of age).

Individuals having an annual income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh do not need to file income tax returns. For senior citizens (individuals between 60 years and 80 years of age), the limit is Rs 3 lakh while for very senior citizens (aged above 80 years), the limit is Rs 5 lakh, according to the official website of the IT-Dept. For those unserved, there are different ITR forms for different categories of taxpayers. Individuals need to use their respective forms namely ITR 1, ITR 2, ITR 3, ITR 4, ITR 5, ITR 6 and ITR 7.

READ | ATTENTION!!! 20 crore PAN cards may be DEACTIVATED by I-T Dept if not linked with Aadhaar by this date

Over 5.65 crore income tax returns were filed by taxpayers for the Assessment Year 2019-20 as the deadline ended on August 31, showing a 4 per cent rise in ITR filing over the previous year, according to data shared by the tax department. Out of the 5.65 crore ITRs filed so far, 3.61 crore have been verified.

Nearly 50 lakh people filed their tax returns online on August 31, the last date for ITR filing, data showed. From August 27 to 31, 1,47,82,095 people filed online income tax returns, an increase of 42 per cent as compared to the same period of AY 2018-19.

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highlights The RBSE Class 10 th Supplementary Result is likely to be released by this week.

Supplementary Result is likely to be released by this week. Students need to visit the official website of Rajasthan Board, i.e. rajresults.nic.in.

students need to check the supplementary exam result by entering the registration number and other respective details on the official website.

New Delhi:

The RBSE Class 10th Supplementary Result is likely to be released by this week. Earlier, the supplementary exam was conducted by The Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan. Students who appeared for the supplementary exam need to visit the official website of Rajasthan Board, i.e. rajresults.nic.in. In addition, students need to check the supplementary exam result by entering the registration number and other respective details on the official website. The supplementary class 10th RBSE result will include qualifying status and marks obtained by candidates.

The link of the class 10th Supplementary Exam will be activated soon. In order to view and download the RBSE Class 10th Supplementary Result, candidates need to follow the below mentioned steps:

First, candidates should the visit the official website of RBSE

Then, click on the Class 10 Supplementary Result link

Enter the required credentials

Download and take a printout of the scorecard for future reference

Importantly, the RBSE Class 10th supplementary 2019 result will comprise details such as registration number and name of the candidate, exam name, marks obtained and subjects appeared. Students need to go through every detail mentioned in the scorecard. In case of any discrepancy, students need to inform the board immediately.
highlights The ministers were received by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Khan said that Saudi Arabia and the UAE should play a role in urging India to reverse its recent decision.

Tension between India and Pak have spiked after New Delhi withdrew Jammu and Kashmirs special status.

New Delhi:

Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday discussed the situation in Kashmir with visiting foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Tension between India and Pakistan has spiked after New Delhi withdrew Jammu and Kashmirs special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday and were received by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Khan said that Saudi Arabia and the UAE along with the world should play a role in urging India to reverse its recent decision on Kashmir.

A statement released by Khans office said, Both countries would remain engaged to help address the current challenges, defuse tensions, and promote an environment of peace and security.

The two ministers also visited the Foreign Office and held a detailed meeting with Qureshi, who briefed them about the latest situation in Kashmir.

The two ministers are expected to meet Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had said his county will not use nuclear weapons first, according to news agency Reuters. We both are nuclear-armed countries. If these tensions increase, the world could be in danger, Khan said addressing members of the Sikh religious community in eastern city of Lahore. There will be no first from our side ever, Reuters quoted Khan as saying.

Khan said war is not a solution to any problem. "I want to tell India that war is not a solution to any problem. The winner in war is also a loser. War gives birth to host of other issues," he said.

Recalling his previous telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Khan said, "I told him that there are similar circumstances both in Pakistan and India. I told him about the climate change. We are sitting on a ticking bomb. If we do not address this issue (climate change) there will be scarcity of water (in both countries). I told him that we together can solve the Kashmir dispute through dialogue."

Expressing his frustration over "no response" from India for his efforts to talk to Pakistan, Khan said: "Whatever effort I made India was acting like a super power asking us to do this and not to do that (for talks). It was giving us dictation."

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Pushkar:

The abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370, the current situation in the Valley and the Ram temple issue will top the agenda of the RSS's coordination meeting in Pushkar with its affiliates and allied organisations, including the BJP, sources said. The three-day 'Samanvay Baithak' will start on Saturday and will be attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, its top functionaries and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) working president JP Nadda.

Deliberations will be held on various issues, including national security, the situation in the country's border areas and environment conservation, the RSS's publicity in-charge Arun Kumar said at a press conference in the Rajasthan city on Friday. RSS-affiliate 'Seema Jagran', which works in the border areas, may give a presentation on the abrogation of certain provisions of Article 370 and the situation in Kashmir that will be part of discussions at the meet, according to the sources.

READ | Imran Khan compares RSS with Hitler, says its Hindu supremacy will suppress Muslims in India

Similarly, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch and the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh will brief delegates on the overall economic slowdown in the country, they said. With the apex court hearing the Ayodhya land dispute case on a daily basis, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad will share details of the ongoing judicial proceedings in the matter, the sources said.

"Over 200 delegates of 35 affiliates and allied organisations of the Sangh will attend the coordination meeting in which discussions will be held broadly on national security, the situation in borders areas of the country and environment conservation," Kumar said.

Issues related to women empowerment and their role in society, and the participation of youth in nation building will be taken up, he said, adding that a report, which has been prepared after conducting a survey among women and the youth, and people belonging to schedule castes and schedule tribes, will also be discussed.

READ | RSS chief's call for debate on reservation just an excuse, real target is social justice: Priyanka Gandhi

The report has been prepared on the prevailing social issues in the country. Discussions will be held on water conservation, development, employment opportunities and migration from border areas, Kumar said.

This is the first coordination meeting of the RSS after the BJP's victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A detailed analysis of the BJP's performance in the Lok Sabha elections and its recently-concluded membership drive will also be done.

Besides Nadda, BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh and general secretary Ram Madhav will also attend the meeting. Kumar said no Union minister will attend the three-day meet as it is a coordination meeting of the RSS and its affiliates and allies.

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highlights Chidambaram is accused of okaying fund infusion for INX Media for huge funds.

Kickbacks were directed to shell firms owned by his son Karti Chidambaram.

The CBI had finally registered an FIR on May 15, 2017.

New Delhi:

In a massive blow to P Chidambaram, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused his plea for anticipatory bail in the INX Media Case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate. Supreme Court rejected Congress leader appeal against the Delhi High Court order rejecting his anticipatory bail plea in the matter. The ED may seek custody of Chidambaram, who is currently in CBI custody in the same case.

"Anticipatory bail to be given sparingly in economic offences," the top court said. The apex court said that this is not a fit case to grant anticipatory bail. "Granting anticipatory bail at the initial stage may frustrate the investigation....Its not a fit case to grant anticipatory bail. Economic offences stand at different footing and it has to be dealt with different approach," it said.

Chidambaram won't be shown all the materials collected by the ED at this stage and the ED doesn't need to produce the transcripts of Chidambaram's questioning in the court, said the Supreme Court.

It should be noted that Chidambaram's 15-day CBI custody, ordered by the special court in five spells, which started after his arrest on August 21 night, also ends on Thursday. It means ED could get his custody after Supreme Court's order.

Chidambaram's fate will also be decided by the trial court which reserved order on anticipatory bail applications in the cases registered by the CBI and the ED in the Aircel-Maxis deal scam.

In the Supreme Court, a bench of Justices R Banumathi and AS Bopanna, had reserved orders on August 29 on the Chidambaram's plea in the ED case.

While reserving the orders the bench had said it would decide on the question whether to look into the documents placed before it by the ED in a sealed cover.

"Whether to look into the documents will depend on the decision of the court," the bench had said and added that if it decides not to look into the document, then entire documents will be returned to the ED as it is.

Chidambaram, who was arrested on August 21, is in the CBI custody till today in INX Media corruption case. The top court had on September 3 ordered that Chidambaram would remain in the CBI custody till September 5 despite the probe agency insisting that it did not require his further custodial interrogation.

CBI had lodged an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in FIPB clearance granted to INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister. Thereafter, ED lodged a money laundering case in 2017.

The Delhi High Court had on August 20, rejected anticipatory bail pleas of Chidambaram in the INX media scam cases lodged by CBI and ED.

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highlights Johnson failed to get votes for a snap general election on October 15.

Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn abstained from the vote on calling election.

British MPs also backed a bill to block a no-deal Brexit.

London:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday suffered repeated parliamentary blows over Brexit as MPs backed a bill to block a no-deal Brexit, which led him to table a motion for a snap general election on October 15. The final blow came as he lost that motion to push through an election, which he said he preferred than to delay Brexit any further beyond the October 31 deadline.

"The obvious conclusion is that he does not think he will win," said Johnson, in reference to Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party abstained from the final votes, resulting in a 298 versus 56 outcome, which fell way short of the required majority.

Opposition MPs and Tory rebels ensured the bill to prevent Britain leaving the EU without a deal in place passed its first stage of reading by 329 votes to 300 and then its final stage by 327 and 299 votes. It meant Johnson would be forced to ask the EU for extension to the October 31 Brexit deadline if a so-called divorce pact is not in place by mid-October.

Johnson had already warned that he would rather push for an immediate vote on an early general election for October 15 if the "surrender bill" cleared all the Commons stages.

"I don't want an election, the public don't want an election but this House has left no other option than letting the public decide who they want as Prime Minister," said Johnson, as he tabled the bill for an "early general election".

That motion then went into debate and was voted on, dealing Johnson his final defeat of the day.

The Brexit vote that he lost earlier was on the second reading - the parliamentary stage which examines the main principles of the bill - and was the first chance for MPs to show whether they supported the bill.

The MPs then began debating amendments to the bill - put forward by lawmakers but chosen by the Speaker - ahead of a third and final vote.

After his third bruising parliamentary defeat on Brexit since Tuesday, Johnson proceeded to call for an election.

His motion needed the backing of two-thirds of the UK's 650 MPs under the UK's Fixed Term Act to be passed. It looked uncertain as the Opposition Labour Party had indicated that it would not vote in favour of Johnson's election timetable.

"The offer of an election is like an offer of an apple to Snow White by the wicked queen with the poison of a no-deal," said Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Johnson argues that his threat to take Britain out of the EU with or without a divorce deal on October 31 will eventually force the economic bloc's 27 other leaders to agree better terms.

His critics counter that Johnson is playing with fire because of the economic damage such a breakup could cause after almost half a century of close ties with Britain's closest neighbours.

The European Commission also on Wednesday said the risk of a no-deal Brexit had increased, warning that it saw no alternative to the current withdrawal deal.

It would seem that Johnson's six-week-old government, which came to power in July at the end of a bruising leadership battle on a "do or die" Brexit pledge, now stands in complete disarray.

It lost its working majority in parliament on Tuesday after one of its MPs switched to the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats.

It then expelled 21 MPs from the Conservative party for voting against the government a few hours later. The Conservative rebels had supported an Opposition motion temporarily allowing Parliament to decide what legislation is put up for a vote- a power traditionally held by the government.

Johnson now enters what promises to be one of the more consequential days of the entire three-year Brexit saga.

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New Delhi:

Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) on Sunday reported a 51.28 per cent decline in domestic sales at 8,291 units in August as against 17,020 units in the same month last year. The company also exported 227 units last month.

The auto sector continues to witness high de-growth due to poor consumer sentiment, HCIL Senior Vice President and Director, Sales and Marketing Rajesh Goel said in a statement.

This is despite the high discounts prevailing in the market which makes it the best time to buy cars, he added. We hope the recent measures taken by the government will help in improving consumer sentiment and demand creation as we move forward. With the impending festive season, the sales are likely to pick-up in coming months, Goel said.

Recently, Honda introduced a new variant of its compact SUV WR-V priced at Rs 9.95 lakh. The newly introduced V grade will be available in diesel engine option and has been positioned between the S and VX grades, HCIL said in a statement.

Inside the cabin of the all-new Honda WR-V, it comes with the features like steering mounted controls, cruise control, automatic climate control, one push start/stop button with white and red illumination, black and silver upholstery, 17.7 cm advanced touchscreen infotainment with AVN, front centre armrest with storage console, Honda smart key system with keyless remote, and tilt and telescopic power steering.

On the safety features front, the newly-launched Honda WR-V houses features like rear parking sensor, front passenger seat belt reminder, high speed alert, speed sensing auto door lock, advanced compatibility engineering (ACE) body structure, dual SRS front airbags, anti-lock brake system (ABS) with electronic brake distribution (EBD), pedestrian injury mitigation technology and intelligent pedal.

It is equipped with premium exterior features such as headlamp integrated signature LED daytime running lights (DRLs) and position lamps, front fog lamps and gun metal finish multi-spoke alloy wheel, among others, it said.

It has also added additional features such as like rear parking sensors, front passenger seat belt reminder, high speed alert, speed sensing auto door lock, to the S and VX grades of WR-V, the company said.

(With inputs from PTI)
highlights Special Judge Arvind Kumar remanded Puri to EDs custody till September 11.

The judge also noted that the agency sought Puris custody to find out the money trail.

Court allowed Puri to get assistance from his advocate during the custodial interrogation.

New Delhi:

A Delhi court on Thursday sent Ratul Puri, nephew of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, to 6-day ED custody in a money laundering case related to the AgustaWestland chopper scam.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar remanded Puri to EDs custody till September 11, noting that the probe agency has sought his custodial interrogation to unearth the source and end use of tainted money.

The court also noted that the Enforcement Directorate sought Puris custody to confront him with voluminous documents collected by it and to find out the roles of the co-accused.

The judge also noted that the agency sought Puris custody to find out the money trail.

Thus keeping in view the facts and circumstances, I deem it fit to grant 6 days ED custody remand of Ratul Puri. Accordingly, the accused is remanded to ED custody for 6 days. The accused be produced on September 11, the judge said in the order.

The court also directed the agency to get Puri medically examined and to allow him to take his medicines, after consultation of the doctor medically examining him.

It allowed Puri to get assistance from his advocate during the custodial interrogation.

The ED will permit any two of his counsel to assist the accused between 9.30 am to 10.00 am and from 5.30 pm to 6 pm on each day, the court said.

Puri can meet his counsel in private for 15 minutes in the morning and for 15 minutes in the evening; however, the ED official will remain present, within visible distance but not hearing distance, the court said.

It also allowed Puri to take with him his bedding inside the lockup.

The counsel for the agency contended in court that he was using the guise of shell companies in the name of others, accumulated proceeds of crime, which have been parked and later laundered to reach the desired beneficiaries including him.

Custodial interrogation of Puri is required to ascertain his known/unknown entities/ accounts which have been used in the commission of offence to ascertain the source and the end use of such fund, to determine the role of various other persons who facilitated the offence of money laundering, the ED counsel argued.

The agency also submitted that Puri is to be confronted with other accused persons, witnesses and other evidence collected during investigation including voluminous materials to unearth the entire money trail and offence of money laundering.

The agency had on Wednesday arrested Puri and he was sent to one day judicial custody.

The money laundering case was lodged following alleged irregularities in purchase of 12 VVIP choppers from Italy-based Finmeccanicas British subsidiary, AgustaWestland.

In the chopper scam the Delhi High Court had earlier dismissed Puris anticipatory bail plea, saying his custodial interrogation was required for an effective investigation.

Puri is charged for benefiting from the purported kickbacks generated in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP choppers deal case, cancelled by India in 2014 on charges of corruption.

Puri was earlier arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the bank fraud case after he appeared before the central probe agency here in the chopper scam after it had slapped a fresh criminal case against him and others, taking cognisance of a CBI FIR.

The latest PMLA case emerged from a CBI FIR of August 17, where Ratul Puri, his father Deepak Puri, mother Nita (Naths sister) and others were booked in connection with a Rs 354 crore bank fraud case filed by the Central Bank of India.

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highlights Ministry of Railways, Railway Recruitment Board, Northern Railway has announced recruitment notification 2019 for the post MTS (Multi Tasking Staff) in Catering Unit of Commercial Department.

The notification was published by Railways in daily publication newspaper.

All important details of SSC MTS post such as technical qualification, technical qualification, exam fee and age are mentioned in the employment newspaper dated September 4, 2019.

New Delhi:

Ministry of Railways, Railway Recruitment Board, Northern Railway has announced recruitment notification 2019 for the post MTS (Multi Tasking Staff) in Catering Unit of Commercial Department. The notification was published by Railways in daily publication newspaper. All important details of SSC MTS post such as technical qualification, technical qualification, exam fee and age are mentioned in the employment newspaper dated September 4, 2019.

The SSC MTS recruitment drive will be conducted for filling up 118 vacancies of Level 1 MTS for cooking and service.

SSC MTS 2019 Recruitment: Important Date

The application process for the SSC MTS post has started, and the last date to fill the application form is yet to be released by the board.

SSC MTS 2019 Recruitment: Vacancy Details

The total number of vacancies for the post of SSC MTS Level 1 post is 118

Candidates need to visit the official website of Northern Railway to know more about the MTS Recruitment 2019 process.
Another dead corpse was discovered besides a river at the encounter site beneath the Daribas border outpost in Coochbehar, which borders Bangladesh, after a person was shot by BSF on suspicion of being a livestock smuggler.

"A search operation of another Indian National was carried out on locals' request," the BSF said in a statement was also among them, and has been gone since yesterday night's events."During the search, another dead body was found, which the BSF identified as that of a suspected cattle smuggler.The corpse was discovered along the Singhimari River's banks.

The deceased was also listed in a FIR involving illegal cattle transportation, and he was accused by the BSF of being an active cattle "courier." One of his accomplices, Lutfar Rahman, was hurt in a confrontation earlier on Thursday in the early hours of the morning, but he died as a result of his injuries while undergoing treatment.

The injured guy was also described as a "active livestock courier/smuggler" by the BSF. His wife has also been charged with transnational crimes. "Under the NDPS Act, his wife was detained by BSF personnel in November 2020. "Since then, she's been in court custody," BSF added.

Jahidul Miya, a native of Jaridharlla hamlet in Coochbehar district, has been identified as the dead.

Ex Odisha Finance Minister Ramakrushna Patnaik passes away

Pak's folk singer covered popular song of Money Heist, video going viral

Arunachal Pradesh to develop model villages along its border with China
Taiwan's US pop star and actor Wang Leehom has apologized to his family and fans and said he is about to take a break from his career after a high-profile social media dispute with his ex-wife. According to media reports, however, a break is not going to be enough to satisfy mainland Chinese authorities, who have recently been engaged in supporting the need for celebrities to act as proper role models in society.

American-born Leehom is said to be one of the top pop stars in the Chinese-speaking world and has also played acting roles in several movies, including Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution', Jackie Chan's 'Little Big Soldier' and 2015's Chris Hemsworth along with 'Blackhat'. He has been awarded the Asia Society's Game Changer Award in 2019. He has been posted on his official Weibo account, where he wrote in a statement, "I have not been able to manage my marriage properly, which has become a source of trouble for my family, and I have still not become an idol for the public. I apologize for that."

He has said that the more I think about it, the more men should still take all the responsibility, I will not give any clarification now.

"We are already divorced, it is of no use to argue about the past. From today, I will take note of my words and actions, and is about to shoulder the responsibilities of a father, son, and public figure."

Priyanka, who has been struggling in Hollywood for 10 years, said- 'Why don't Indian actors get...'

Spiderman actor unveils shocking secret

Movie 'Uncharted' to be released in the coming year
TEHRAN- Iran: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has called for a fair deal in the Vienna talks between Iran and other nuclear deal parties.

"The other sides should have no doubt that if they wish to offer one point and ask for ten, the Islamic Republic of Iran would never accept this manner," Amir Abdollahian stated at a joint press conference on Thursday with his Iraqi colleague Fuad Hussein.

According to reports, an Iranian official stated, "If you want to resolve your worries about Iran's peaceful nuclear program, all sanctions should be repealed." Iran will keep negotiating until a good deal is agreed, he said, adding that "the day when other parties show their seriousness, that is the day when we can talk about all parties returning to their commitments" under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran will undertake negotiations in Vienna with good faith and seriousness in the hopes of obtaining a "good" agreement, he said, adding that he expects other countries to take the same approach. Iran and Western parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement have held seven rounds of talks since April this year, but have yet to find a solution to break the impasse on saving the pact, which Washington unilaterally exited in 2018.

Iran reports four fresh cases of Omicron variant

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BAGHDAD: Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio paid an official visit to Iraq, where he discussed bilateral relations and security problems with Iraqi leaders, including how to tackle terrorism in the war-torn country following the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces.

According to reports citing a statement from the presidency's media office, when meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and emphasized Italy's role in the international coalition and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Iraq in supporting Iraqi forces in combating terrorism.

"Promoting efforts to de-escalate issues in the (Middle East) area, as well as supporting conversation tracks to address current differences, relieve tensions, and prevent escalation," Salih said. According to a second statement from Mustafa al-media Kadhimi's office, during Di Maio's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the two sides discussed ways to improve bilateral security relations.

"The training of Iraqi troops within the scope of NATO's mission in Iraq," according to the statement, "particularly with the transformation of the partnership with the international coalition to a non-combat role." The Italian foreign minister reaffirmed Italy's support for Iraq's government, applauding its efforts to strengthen regional stability.

Iran's Foreign Minister pushes for a fair deal in the talks in Vienna

Iran Blames Saudi Arabia of 'foot-dragging' after death of envoy in Yemen

Greek Govt announces new measures combat the spread of Covid-19
KUALA LUMPUR- Malaysia: Authorities in Malaysia have confirmed that 37 people have died as a result of the floods. At least another ten people have been reported missing, according to Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, who spoke to the media on Thursday.

The official said, 396 relief centers (PPS) in seven states registered 68,341 flood victims from 18,080 families, with Pahang being the worst-affected state. He also stated that 137 highways were remained closed as a result of flooding in four states, and that 23 river areas were placed under danger or warning levels.

More rain is forecast throughout Peninsula Malaysia on Friday, according to the country's meteorological authority, with rain and storms expected in various regions. Over the weekend, three days of torrential rain in eight states triggered significant flooding, partially drowning a number of cities and villages. The government has been come under fierce for failing to issue timely warnings and responding slowly.

Floods in South Sudan affects 835,000 people

Iran's Foreign Minister pushes for a fair deal in the talks in Vienna

Greek Govt announces new measures combat the spread of Covid-19
A joint group of Turkish and Qatari officials came in Kabul on Thursday to discuss their respective countries' roles in the running of Afghanistan's five airports. If Turkey and Qatar strike a deal with the Islamic Emirate's officials, the airports in Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Kandahar, and Khost provinces will be operated jointly.

The Taliban leadership would fully focus on the country's national interests when signing agreements with Turkish and Qatari enterprises, according to the Islamic Emirate's Ministry of Transport and Aviation. "The deal will cover the tower, ground handling, and certain other technical parts," said Transport Ministry spokesman Imamuddin Ahmadi.

According to the report, after the deal is signed, international planes will be available in Afghanistan 24 hours a day.During the August evacuation, the international airport in Kabul was severely destroyed. "There are no major issues at this time; preparations have been made for flights, and certain outstanding issues will be rectified following the agreement," said Abdul Hadi Hamdan, Director of Kabul Airport.

Blinken discusses Afghanistan with Qatari counterpart Al-Thani

Qatar, Turkey talk Kabul airport's operation with Taliban: Turkish President

Pak Broadcasting Ministry sets up media links Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia
According to officials, a fire ripped through a passenger boat in Bangladesh on Friday, killing at least 16 people and injuring 200 more.

The disaster occurred onboard the Barguna-bound MV Abhijan-10 on the Sugandha River near Jhalakathi. The fire started at 3 a.m., when the ferry arrived in the Dapdapia region, according to police and fire officials. The death toll is certain to rise, according to health experts, because several of the injured had suffered critical burn injuries.

According to media reports, 70 patients have been admitted to the Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital in Barishal by Jhalakathi Deputy Commissioner Md Zohor Ali. Several people leapt into the river in a desperate attempt to save their lives as the fire burned for approximately three hours. The boat was filled with passengers when the disaster happened. Authorities believe the fire started in the ferry's engine room, according to Kamal Hossain Bhuiyan, deputy director of the Barishal Fire Service.

A rescue operation is being carried out by five units of firemen, but the attempts have been hampered by dense fog over the river.

Italian Govt tightens rules for Christmas holidays as Omicron cases rise

S.Korea pardons disgraced former-president Park Geun-hye

Number of people killed in Malaysia's floods rises to 37
Citing the liquidity crunch in the market, Nepals regulatory bank, Nepal Rastra Bank, on Monday brought a new policy that is expected to increase the cost of various products ranging from alcohol and cosmetics to vehicles.

The new policy states the importers need to deposit 50 to 100 per cent of the import amount if they want to bring anything into Nepal. Prior to this, importers had to deposit only 10 per cent of the import amount in the bank.

This, many importers and industrialists say, will definitely increase the price of various commodities as they say it will be the consumers who will face the brunt of such a regressive decision.

Widespread impact

Photo: Pxfuel

The new policy is trying to discourage the import of furniture, playing card, alcohol, dry fruits, chocolates, sugar, lactose, processed drinking water, tobacco and cosmetics among many others. The NRB has told importers to deposit 100 per cent of the amount on all of these products before they apply for a letter of credit.

The same is applicable to objects like helmets, toothpicks, matchsticks, shoes, caps, wooden sticks, marble, bricks, bottle, thermos and decorative items.

The NRB, on Monday, wrote to all banks ordering them to make sure that the only offer letter of credit (LC) to importers that have deposited 100 per cent of the margin amount. For vehicle importers, the margin amount is set at 50 per cent.

Businesspersons say that the government cannot restrict imports although this policy is trying to address the existing liquidity crunch. While many are quite positive about the 100 per cent margin on items like alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes, chocolate and beauty products, people have been puzzled by the NRB plan on including vehicles, marbles and tiles to the list.

Dhurba Thapa, the president of the NADA Automobiles Association of Nepal, says that this new policy has been brought to discourage any sort of import.

This sort of policy that requires such huge investments doesnt make sense, says Thapa. Its effects will appear in the market soon.

Others argue that the policy will stop the import of a lot of items which will result in an unprecedented rise in the price of these products. They also say that the policy will also break a cycle that will be detrimental for a lot of people.

Discouraging business environment

File: A traffic jam in Koteshwar

They say this because businesses were given the LC before the liquidity crunch even at a 10 per cent margin if they stated they would be paying the margin amount within 60 days. But, the new policy will stop this practice which will affect the trade cycle that has been going on for years, says Durga Raj Shrestha, the outgoing president of the Retailers Association of Nepal.

He says that the policy also means businesses cannot even ask banks for loans to import items.

We used to give businesses a month to pay us back, after which we paid the banks back. But now, this policy has closed all doors, says Shrestha, adding the imports will go down drastically because only a handful of people in Nepal have money to do it.

NADA President Thapa says that even vehicle imports will be affected as the traders will find it hard to recoup the amount from the market even though it is only 50 per cent margin on their case.

We need banks to make us LCs at least twice a month. But now, we need to accumulate money and that is going to be a lot of problems, says Thapa.

Even the Federation Of Liquor Association of Nepal says the policy will heavily affect the cash flow in the market.

Consumer to face the brunt

The main people to suffer from this policy are importers of vehicles, beauty products and textile. As they already face a hard time balancing the books, it is highly likely that the cost of products will go up drastically. Along with that, there is also a chance that people will bring in these products through other channels.

Nepal Foreign Trade Associations first vice-president Binod Kumar Sethia says the policy will also affect the construction business as the import of marbles will also go down.

NADAs Thapa says another reason for the increase in prices will be businesses taking loans from people other than banks.

This policy will affect the import cycle. I dont know what will happen, but with import decreasing and the demand still high, Im sure the cost will go up, says Thapa.

Just a temporary policy: NRB

But, the central bank says the policy is only temporary and will not be applicable in the long run. It says it was only bringing the policy to control imports which had increased massively in the past few months, affecting Nepals economy negatively.

Ramu Paudel, the executive director of the Foreign Exchange Management Department of the NRB, says that the central bank had to take this step due to a liquidity crisis in the country that had cut the countrys foreign exchange reserve drastically.

Well reverse this decision as soon as the economy is back to normal, says Paudel.
By Arriana McLymore and Maria Caspani

NEW YORK, Dec 24 (Reuters) - U.S. airlines canceled hundreds of flights on Christmas Eve amid a surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the Omicron variant but millions of wary Americans carried on with travel plans through a second pandemic-clouded winter holiday.

United Airlines and Delta Air Lines both canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights because of staff shortages amid the surge in infections.

United Airlines canceled 177 flights and Delta canceled 150 flights, data from the website FlightAware showed as of 11:56 a.m. Eastern Time (1656 GMT). More than 2,100 flights globally were scrapped, with 527 cancellations within, into, or out of the United States, according to the site.

The cancellations upended some plans but many Americans pushed ahead with holiday travel.

Moses Jimenez, an accountant from Long Beach, Mississippi, flew to New York with his wife and three children, even though the latest torrent of coronavirus cases dashed their hopes to catch a performance of "Hamilton" or visit some museums.

"Hamilton" was one of a dozen Broadway shows forced to cancel shows this week when cast and crew members tested positive for COVID-19. Museums were scratched from the family's itinerary because many now require proof of vaccination and the two younger children are ineligible for the shot.

Instead, Jimenez, 33, said his brood would make the most of roaming city streets and parks and seeing relatives and friends. On Christmas Day, they plan to enjoy a home-cooked meal, a family tradition, at their Airbnb lodging.

"We just wanted to get out of the house, really, get the kids out to the city for Christmas," Jimenez told Reuters on Thursday at New York's LaGuardia airport.

COVID-19 infections have surged in the United States due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant, which was first detected in November and now accounts for nearly three-quarters of U.S. cases and as many as 90% in such areas as the Eastern seaboard.

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The average number of new COVID-19 infections has risen 37% to 165,000 per day over the past week, according to a Reuters tally https://tmsnrt.rs/3Eqp22o.

As Omicron spreads, the Biden administration announced it would lift travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month after the variant was detected there. White House spokesman Kevin Munoz tweeted that the restrictions had bought America time "to understand Omicron" and "know our existing vaccines work."

SURGING INFECTIONS AND TRAVEL

Daily totals of deaths and hospitalizations, considered lagging indicators, were little changed nationwide over the past seven days, but have jumped 55% and 28%, respectively over the course of December.

Friday's flight cancellations were prompted by a spike in Omicron cases which "had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," United said in a statement.

The Transportation Security Administration on Thursday screened 2,187,792 passengers through U.S. airports, a decrease of about 364,000 over the number of travelers it screened pre-pandemic on the same date in 2019.

While Americans scrambled for COVID-19 tests https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-testing-struggles-keep-up-with-omicron-2021-12-22 and weighed varying public health guidance - U.S. officials have said that people who are fully vaccinated should feel comfortable proceeding with holiday travel - many were determined to enjoy some semblance of celebrations and tradition.

In-person Christmas services were planned at all churches and parishes in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, which includes more than 2.5 million worshipers across 10 counties and mask-wearing and social distancing measures will remain in effect, said spokesperson Joseph Zwilling.

Omicron's rapid spread will also put a damper on New York's iconic New Year's Eve celebration for a second straight year. Mayor Bill de Blasio said attendance for the midnight ball drop in Times Square will be capped at 15,000 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-york-city-scale-down-new-years-eve-celebrations-times-square-2021-12-23, roughly a quarter of the typical pre-pandemic crowd size.

Many New York holiday visitors planned to limit themselves to much smaller gatherings.

Madeleine Kennedy, a ski instructor from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, flew to New York on Thursday armed with a trove of COVID testing kits ahead of a scaled-down Christmas affair with family in the borough of Queens.

The second time around, I think the world is less shocked and I think we're going to be able to plow through this, Kennedy said. (Reporting by Arriana McLymore and Maria Caspani in New York; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Writing by Steve Gorman and Raphael Satter; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Andrea Ricci and Howard Goller)
TORONTO, Dec. 24, 2021 /CNW/ - Fidelity Investments Canada ULC ("Fidelity") today announced the final December 2021 cash distributions for Fidelity's suite of ETFs ("Fidelity ETFs").

Fidelity Investments Canada ULC Logo (CNW Group/Fidelity Investments Canada ULC)

On December 20, 2021, Fidelity announced estimated 2021 cash distributions for the Fidelity ETFs. Subsequent to this announcement, investor activity has led to changes to the cash distribution per unit for the Fidelity ETFs, including material changes for Fidelity U.S. High Quality Index ETF (FCUQ/FCUQ.U), Fidelity U.S. High Quality Currency Neutral Index ETF (FCQH) and Fidelity Global Investment Grade Bond ETF (FCIG/FCIG.U). Please be advised that the distributions announced in this press release replace those stated in the December 20, 2021 press release for the Fidelity ETFs.

Detailed in the table below, unitholders of record as of December 29, 2021 will receive a per-unit cash distribution payable on December 31, 2021.

Fidelity ETF Name Ticker Symbol Cash Distribution per Unit ($) CUSIP ISIN Payment Frequency Exchange Fidelity Canadian High Dividend Index ETF FCCD 0.07352 31608M102 CA31608M1023 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. High Dividend Index ETF FCUD/ FCUD.U 0.08792 31645M107 CA31645M1077 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. High Dividend Currency

Neutral Index ETF FCUH 0.09048 315740100 CA3157401009 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. Dividend for Rising Rates Index ETF FCRR/ FCRR.U 0.05117 31644M108 CA31644M1086 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. Dividend for Rising Rates Currency

Neutral Index ETF FCRH 0.05324 31644P101 CA31644P1018 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity International High Dividend Index ETF FCID 0.11557 31623D103 CA31623D1033 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Systematic Canadian Bond Index ETF FCCB 0.04712 31644F103 CA31644F1036 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Canadian Short Term Corporate Bond ETF FCSB 0.06123 31608N100 CA31608N1006 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Global Core Plus Bond ETF FCGB/ FCGB.U 0.01967 31623G106 CA31623G1063 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Systematic U.S. High Yield Bond ETF FCHY 0.12469 31615L105 CA31615L1058 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Systematic U.S. High Yield Bond Currency

Neutral ETF FCHH 0.12704 31615M103 CA31615M1032 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Canadian Monthly High Income ETF FCMI 0.03301 31609T106 CA31609T1066 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Global Monthly High Income ETF FCGI 0.03657 31623K107 CA31623K1075 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Global Investment Grade Bond ETF FCIG/ FCIG.U 0.11043 31624P105 CA31624P1053 Monthly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Canadian Low Volatility Index ETF FCCL 0.16472 31608H103 CA31608H1038 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. Low Volatility Index ETF FCUL/ FCUL.U 0.13392 31647B109 CA31647B1094 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. Low Volatility Currency

Neutral Index ETF FCLH 0.17359 31647N103 CA31647N1033 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Canadian High Quality Index ETF FCCQ 0.11581 31610C100 CA31610C1005 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. High Quality Index ETF FCUQ/ FCUQ.U 0.10328 31647C107 CA31647C1077 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. High Quality Currency

Neutral Index ETF FCQH 0.11904 31648J101 CA31648J1012 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Canadian Value Index ETF FCCV 0.04026 31609U103 CA31609U1030 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. Value Index ETF FCUV/ FCUV.U 0.03909 31647E103 CA31647E1034 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. Value Currency Neutral Index ETF FCVH 0.04506 31646E104 CA31646E1043 Quarterly Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity International Low Volatility Index ETF FCIL 0.28464 31624M102 CA31624M1023 Semi-Annually Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity International High Quality Index ETF FCIQ/ FCIQ.U 0.30252 31623X109 CA31623X1096 Semi-Annually Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity International Value Index ETF FCIV 0.57800 31622Y108 CA31622Y1088 Semi-Annually Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity Sustainable World ETF FCSW 0.49122 31642F105 CA31642F1053 Annually NEO Exchange Fidelity Canadian Momentum Index ETF FCCM 0.15126 31609W109 CA31609W1095 Annually Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. Momentum Index ETF FCMO/ FCMO.U 0.07393 31649P106 CA31649P1062 Annually Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity U.S. Momentum Currency

Neutral Index ETF FCMH 0.08048 31649R102 CA31649R1029 Annually Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity International Momentum Index ETF FCIM 0.28433 31623V103 CA31623V1031 Annually Toronto Stock Exchange Fidelity All-in-One Balanced ETF FBAL 0.11838 315818104 CA3158181048 Annually NEO Exchange Fidelity All-in-One Growth ETF FGRO 0.10886 31581P106 CA31581P1062 Annually NEO Exchange Fidelity Advantage Bitcoin ETF FBTC/ FBTC.U - 31580V104 CA31580V1040 Annually Toronto Stock Exchange

About Fidelity Investments Canada ULC

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At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals.

As a privately-owned company, our people and world class resources are committed to doing what is right for investors and their long-term success. Our clients have entrusted us with $206 billion in assets under management (as at December 15, 2021) and they include individuals, financial advisors, pension plans, endowments, foundations and more.

We are proud to provide investors a full range of investment solutions through mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, including domestic, international and global equity, income-oriented strategies, asset allocation solutions, managed portfolios, sustainable investing and our high net worth program. Fidelity Funds are available through a number of advice-based distribution channels including financial planners, investment dealers, banks, and insurance companies.

Read a fund's prospectus and consult your financial advisor before investing. Exchange-traded funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently, and past performance may not be repeated. Commissions, management fees, brokerage fees and expenses may all be associated with investments in exchange-traded funds and investors and may experience a gain or loss.

Find us on social media @FidelityCanada

SOURCE Fidelity Investments Canada ULC

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Project will support local communities by building advanced, backup energy sources

ATLANTA , Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power and Microsoft today announced more than a $200,000 investment in support of Clark Atlanta University's (CAU) Makerspace and Advanced Manufacturing Lab. The lab is developed to give entrepreneurial undergraduate students the opportunity to expand their knowledge, skill set, and market competitiveness in the renewable energy space. Through the program, students will build an advanced solar powered generator that will ultimately serve as a back-up energy source for their campus, while supporting predominantly African American communities in the Atlanta area.

Clark Atlanta University One Exceptional University! (PRNewsfoto/Clark Atlanta University)

With the financial investment from Georgia Power and Microsoft's Community Empowerment Fund and University Relations team, CAU students and faculty will also experiment with solar capabilities around increasing Wi-Fi internet access and supporting emerging 5G technology infrastructure. Further, this investment will give work opportunities for students in an innovative and sustainable sector while creating intellectual property through a community enterprise venture.

"Through this partnership with Microsoft, Georgia Power is proud to support opportunities for students and our state's future workforce that will enhance their knowledge, skills and interest in the renewable energy space," said Bentina Terry, senior vice president of Regional Affairs & Community Engagement at Georgia Power. "As a committed partner and champion of Historically Black Colleges & Universities across Georgia, we are excited to partner with CAU's students on this entrepreneurial venture that closely aligns with our sustainability and philanthropic goals."

In addition to providing a back-up energy source for communities during power outages, students of the program will have the opportunity to support their local communities with solar power at outdoor events and engagements.

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"Microsoft is honored to partner with Georgia Power and Clark Atlanta University to support the solar powered generator student venture to empower education and workforce development in the sustainability sector," said Rahul Joshi, director of Datacenter Community Development, "The Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund awards are an important way for the company and our employees to contribute to stronger, more resilient communities."

The Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund, created and managed by Microsoft's Datacenter Community Development team, is designed to support community-led and prioritized projects, increase collaboration among contributors and award recipients, and develop ecosystems that help deliver common community priorities. Through this approach, Microsoft hopes to achieve long-term, systemic, and holistic outcomes in the communities in which it operates.

"Clark Atlanta University is thankful to both Microsoft and Georgia Power for this amazing partnership in support of our scholars. Initiatives like this provide invaluable experiences and opportunities for our students ultimately preparing them to be successful in the workforce, and that is our mission and goal here at Clark Atlanta University," said President George T. French Jr., Ph.D.

CAU students are currently working on a prototype of the first solar powered generator. Projects like this align with Clark Atlanta's student leadership development goals in 2022.

About Clark Atlanta University

Established in 1988 by the historic consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). Clark Atlanta University continues a 150-year legacy rooted in African American tradition and focused on the future. Through global innovation, transformative educational experiences, and high-value engagement. CAU cultivates lifted lives that transform the world. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson; American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing) "The Black National Anthem"; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the Company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the Company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the Company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

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SOURCE Clark Atlanta University
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2021 /Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the firm Monteverde & Associates PC ("M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT) relating to its proposed acquisition of First Community Bancorp, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, First Community shareholders will receive 37.7492 shares of EBMT and $276.32 in cash per share they own

The investigation focuses on whether EBMT and its Board of Directors violated securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to the Company by 1) failing to conduct a fair process, and 2) whether the transaction is properly valued.

Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/eagle-bancorp-montana-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, over the years the firm has recovered or secured over a dozen cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

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If you owned common stock in the Company and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE: Monteverde & Associates PC





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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2021 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until January 11, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX), if they purchased the Company's securities between March 2, 2021 and October 19, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

What You May Do

If you purchased securities of Novavax 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-nvax/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by January 11, 2022 .

About the Lawsuit

Novavax and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On August 5, 2021, the Company disclosed another delay in filing the Emergency Use Authorization ("EUA") for its COVID-19 vaccine product candidate, NVX-CoV2373, from the third quarter of 2021 to the fourth quarter of 2021. On this news, Novavax's stock price fell $46.31 per share, or 19.61%, to close at $189.89 per share on August 6, 2021. Then, on October 19, 2021, Politico reported that anonymous sources stated that manufacturing issues could delay regulatory authorizations and approvals for NVX-CoV2373 until the end of 2022.

On this news, Novavax's shares plummeted $23.69 per share, or 14.76%, to close at $136.86 per share on October 20, 2021.

The case is Sinnathurai v. Novavax, et al., 21-cv-02910.

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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:

LogoDescription automatically generated

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC





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Following the period of exclusive negotiations that began on 22 November and the approval of the board of directors of Enodia, Orange Belgium and Nethys have today signed an agreement for the acquisition by Orange Belgium of 75% less one share of VOO SA

The transaction is based on an enterprise value of 1.8 billion for 100% of the capital.

This acquisition represents a major step forward in Orange Belgium's national convergent strategy and will increase investment and competition in the telecommunications sector for the benefit of customers and the competitiveness of the Walloon and Brussels regions.

VOO is a telecom operator that owns the cable network in the Walloon region and part of the Brussels region. VOO offers a portfolio of fixed and mobile telephony, broadband Internet and television services.

With the acquisition of VOO, Orange Belgium will have a very high-speed network in Wallonia and part of Brussels, thus reinforcing the deployment of its convergent strategy at national level.

The investment plan, consisting of cable modernisation and fibre optic (FTTH) rollouts, and the pooling of the two companies' skills will make it possible to ensure and strengthen the quality of VOO's network in the long term, serving customers and the competitiveness of the Walloon and Brussels regions.

Orange's industrial project, the complementary nature of its assets and teams and the excellent working conditions within the two companies will offer attractive prospects for the employees of VOO and Orange Belgium. Orange Belgium is committed to developing WBCC, VOO's call centre, and intends to strengthen BeTV.

Nethys will retain a minority stake in VOO and governance rights to guarantee the implementation of the industrial and social project. Orange is offering Nethys the possibility of converting its stake in VOO into Orange Belgium shares to secure the development of VOO and Orange Belgium through further integration between the two companies.

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The enterprise value of 1.8 billion for 100% of the capital corresponds to an EBITDA1 multiple of 9.5x. This transaction will generate significant synergies, mainly related to the transfer of VOO's MVNO business to Orange Belgium's network. Post synergies, the EBITDA multiple amounts to 6.5x. Orange Belgium, which currently has a very low debt leverage, will finance this transaction through an intra-Group loan.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions precedent, including the approval of the European Commission expected in 2022. Until such approvals and closing of the transaction are obtained, the two companies will continue to operate independently.

Mari-Noelle Jego-Laveissiere, Executive Vice President, Orange Europe Operations, said: "This acquisition reinforces Orange's leadership in convergence in Europe and confirms the Group's long-term commitment in Belgium. This operation is based on a strong industrial project, drawing on the complementary nature of Orange Belgium and VOO.

Xavier Pichon, CEO of Orange Belgium, said: "25 years after the creation of Mobistar and 5 years after the launch of our first fixed-line offers, this operation reinforces the deployment of Orange Belgium's convergent strategy at national level. Our investment plan will enable us to upgrade the network to multi-gigabit for the benefit of customers and the competitiveness of Wallonia and Brussels. The merger of Orange Belgium and VOO, two companies with highly complementary assets and skills, will benefit the employment and development of the employees of both companies.

For further information about the transaction please refer to the presentation that is available on the financial section of the corporate website at Financial news.

About Orange Belgium

Orange Belgium is one of the major telecommunication operators on the Belgian market, with over 3 million customers, and in Luxembourg, via its subsidiary Orange Communications Luxembourg.

As a convergent player, it provides next generation connectivity services to residential customers through multi-gigabits mobile, cable and optic fiber networks, also relating to the Internet of Things. Its high-performance mobile network is equipped with the latest technologies and benefits from continuous investments preparing for the arrival of 5G. As a responsible operator, Orange Belgium is also investing to reduce its ecological footprint and promote sustainable and inclusive digital practices.

Orange Belgium is a subsidiary of the Orange Group, one of the main operators in Europe and Africa for mobile telephony and internet access and a world leader in telecommunication services for companies.

Orange Belgium is listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange (OBEL).



For more information go to: corporate.orange.be, www.orange.be or follow us on Twitter:

@pressOrangeBe.

Press contact

Younes Al Bouchouari  younes.albouchouari@orange.com +32 (0)477 69 87 73

press@orange.be

Investor Relations

Koen Van Mol  koen.vanmol@orange.com +32 (0)495 55 14 99







1 VOO SA's forecast EBITDA for 2021 under Belgian GAAP (no application of IFRS).





Attachment




Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz/Flickr

A major controversy hit Joe Biden this week, as the White House dog was rehomed and a bouncy, young replacement, Commander, moved into the First Doghouse.

Farewell, Major. If it is any consolation to you, two House impeachment committees voted to rehome the last human elected to live in the White House, a man who did a lot more damage than simply nipping at visitors. He was far from being a very good boy and you are one, so we wish you well in your new life.

That said, we have to admit that Commander is cute. I mean real, real cute in that way that bounding, loose-jointed, rabbit-eared, endlessly optimistic, furniture-chewing, ball-chasing German shepherd puppies so often are. And we are pleased to be reminded yet again that our current president, the most powerful man in the world, is at his very core, a dog person.

Welcome to the White House, Commander. pic.twitter.com/SUudQnPv29  President Biden (@POTUS) December 20, 2021

The last occupant of the White House famously did not like dogs. And he was a dick. Those two facts are not unrelated. It does not mean that if you do not like dogs you will end up being the most corrupt president in American history or a racist, sex-abusing coup-plotter. Its just more likely.

Living with a dog requires something crucial that Donald Trump did not have: empathy. You see, dogs cant talk. They communicate all the time. But not with words. So, to care for them, to enjoy them, to get to know them, you have to be attentive to the clues they give you, their moods, their expressions, the way they lick their chops when they want a treat. And people who take the time to connect with animals are much more likely to be able to do the same with humans, to feel compassion, tenderness, and appreciation for other lives.

Hector Guerrero/Getty

Biden is one of those people. In fact, the qualities that make him want to, need to, share his home with his dogs are precisely the same as those that led many to choose him over Trump.

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They are the kind of qualities that we value in friends and colleagues. They are the kind that we celebrate at this time of year. They are the kind that seem especially important in the Washington of today, when the Joe Manchins of this world kick the needy and hungry children of America to the curb to serve their greed-driven, discredited, hypocritical, immoral agendas. (It turns out a lump of Santas coal has nothing on the lump of Big Coal Manchin just put in our stockings.)

Of course, having a dog is not a guarantee that a president will be a person of character. Nixon had Checkers, after allalso a Yorkie, a poodle and an Irish setter. In fact, almost all presidents have had dogs. Washington is considered not only the father of our country but also of a breed of dogs he helped create, the American foxhound. Jefferson, as you might expect, chose to focus on a French breed, the Briard. Franklin Roosevelt had a famous pup named Fala who received his own fan mail and also eight others including a German shepherd named Major.

Not having a dog or any kind of furry friend, however, is a warning sign. Other than Trump, only two previous presidents had no pets while in office. One was Andrew Johnson, who Trump aspired to emulate and who, like Trump, was impeached and disgraced and refused to attend his successors inauguration. The other was James K. Polk, best known for starting the Mexican-American War (something Trump always hoped he might do.)

In the interest of animal equity, I should note that other presidential pets have included cats (Lincoln, Hayes, McKinley, Wilson, Coolidge, Kennedy, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, Bush 43), horses (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Jackson, Tyler, Taylor, Lincoln, Grant, Garfield, Arthur, Kennedy), ponies (Taylor, Fillmore, Grant, Kennedy) and donkeys (Washington, Coolidge). Theyve included many kinds of birds including parrots (Washington, Madison, Jackson, McKinley), mockingbirds (Jefferson, Cleveland), canaries (John Tyler, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Kennedy), an eagle (Buchanan), a turkey (Lincoln), fighting roosters (Jackson, McKinley), songbirds (Wilson, Coolidge), a goose (Coolidge), ducks (Kennedy), parakeets (Eisenhower, Kennedy), lovebirds (Johnson), and a yellowbird (Coolidge).

Presidential menageries have also included: grizzly bear cubs (Jefferson), silkworms (John Quincy Adams), alligators (John Quincy Adams, B. Harrison), tiger cubs (Martin Van Buren), cows (William Henry Harrison, William Howard Taft, Bush 43), goats (William Henry Harrison, Lincoln, Benjamin Harrison), rabbits (Lincoln, Arthur, Kennedy), opossums (B. Harrison, Hoover), a ram (Wilson), sheep (Wilson), a squirrel (Harding), a raccoon (Coolidge), a bobcat (Coolidge), lions (Coolidge), a pygmy hippo (Coolidge), a wallaby (Coolidge), a duiker (Coolidge), a black bear (Coolidge), and hamsters (Kennedy, Johnson).

And then theres Teddy Roosevelt, who had guinea pigs, ponies, a hen, a lizard, a macaw, a garter snake, a black bear, a rat, a badger, a pig, a rabbit, cats, a laughing hyena, an owl and a one-legged roosterin addition to his many dogs.

Im not saying that having an alligator or grizzly bears around the house will necessarily improve a presidents non-verbal communications skills, but it couldnt hurt. And when it comes to dogs, the reality is they are not just our pets, they are, as my wife, Carla, likes to point out, our teachers. They teach us to look for clues about how others feel. They remind us to prioritize our responsibility to others. In fact, day-in and day-out they offer us countless lessons.

Joe Bidens Dogs Have Told This Pet Psychic a Lot About Their Beloved Master, and His Future

For example, Carla, who is the gifted dog whisperer who introduced me to life with a dog, and who often lectures and teaches in universities (not about dogs) often will ask students looking for clues about how to live life, Whats your ball? What is the thing you naturally run after, that means everything to you? That is what you should focus on in life.

Our dog, Grizzly, an 85-pound rescue from Texas, has been teaching me since the moment he first arrived in our life, three years ago. For sure Im a better me when I am around that tender beast even if I do not fully appreciate that fact when walking him on a bitterly cold winter morning. But even then, I can learn from him. For example, this morning I watched him and thought to myself, if only I thought as carefully about the choices I make in life as he does deciding where to poop.

Donald Trump is such a narcissist that there was no room in his heart for any other creature, regardless of species. Hence his attacks as president on nature herself, his putting children in cages, tossing paper towels to hurricane victims, and on and on. I wonder in retrospect if the White House was petless not so much because that president did not care to have a dog but because no self-respecting dog would care to have anything to do with him.

So, it is a grace note to this holiday season, that among the dark stories of our moment, we have one that reminds of yet another crucial difference between this fundamentally good man who is our president and the one who was in office just one short year ago, spending a dogless Christmas plotting an attack on our democracy.

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(PRNewsfoto/Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC)

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 23, 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 18, 2022 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NasdaqGM: RETA), if they purchased the Company's securities, and/or sold put options between November 9, 2020 and December 8, 2021, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

What You May Do

If you purchased securities and/or sold put options of Reata as above 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/nasdaqgm-reta/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by February 18, 2022 .

About the Lawsuit

Reata and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On December 6, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") released briefing documents regarding the Company's product, bardoxolone, stating that "the FDA review team d[id] not believe the submitted data demonstrate that bardoxolone is effective in slowing the loss of kidney function in patients with AS and reducing the risk of progression to kidney failure." On this news, shares of Reata fell $29.77, or 38%, to close at $48.92 per share on December 6, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

Then, on December 8, 2021, the FDA's Advisory Committee unanimously decided that bardoxolone was not effective based on the submitted data. On this news, shares of Reata fell $25.31, or 46%, to close at $29.11 per share on December 9, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

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The case is Doyle v. Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. et al., No. 21-cv-00987.

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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SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
NEW YORK, Dec. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Rosen Law Firm, P.A. Logo

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Zhangmen Education Inc. (NYSE: ZME) in or traceable to Zhangmen Education's initial public offering conducted on or about June 8, 2021 ("IPO"), pursuant to the IPO prospectus (the "Prospectus") and Form F-1 registration statement, as amended (together with the Prospectus, the "Registration Statement"), of the important January 18, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Zhangmen Education securities pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Zhangmen Education class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2213.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than January 18, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

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DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the Registration Statement was false and/or misleading and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Chinese authorities were in the process of implementing sweeping new regulatory reforms on the private education industry in China including, among others, prohibitions on (a) profit-making by private education companies, (b) engaging in core-curriculum tutoring on weekends and vacations, and (c) capital-raising by companies like Zhangmen Education; (2) the known risks, events, and uncertainties noted in the Registration Statement were reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on Zhangmen Education's business; and (3) based on the foregoing, the statements in the Registration Statement concerning Zhangmen Education's historical financial performance, market demand, and industry trends were materially incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Zhangmen Education class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2213.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

lrosen@rosenlegal.com

pkim@rosenlegal.com

cases@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com

Cision

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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
Two New Mexico legislators criticized Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for signing legislation that redefines the state's three congressional House districts, pointing to alleged gerrymandering in the process that they said would dilute conservative influence in the state.

Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 1 (SB-1), Congress Redistricting on Dec. 17, legislation that changed the physical boundaries of the First and Third Congressional districts. Those districts, once restricted to northern and central New Mexico counties, now consist of parts of southeastern New Mexico. The Second Congressional District now extends from southeastern New Mexico to the westside of Albuquerque.

The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Georgene Louis (D-26), Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-31) and Sen. Daniel Ivy-Soto (D-15).

The peoples elected representatives in the New Mexico Legislature have spoken with respect to data-driven and representative new Congressional boundaries, Lujan Grisham said in a news release.

More: Congressional redistricting map a disappointment

It is my duty to ratify the will of the majority here, which I believe has established a reasonable baseline for competitive federal elections, in which no one party or candidate may claim any undue advantage. New Mexico is a vast and diverse state, with both rural and urban communities and interests that span the spectrum politically and economically."

The governor called lawmakers into special session Dec. 6 to work on the redistricting legislation and address outstanding American Rescue Plan Act funds, per a separate news release from her office.

The Legislature charged the non-partisan Citizen Redistricting Committee to develop and process district maps for U.S. House, New Mexico House and Senate and the Public Education Commission.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signs legislation Dec. 17, 2021 changing New Mexico's three U.S. House districts.

Senators representing rural New Mexico protest legislation

State Sen. David Gallegos (R-41) from Eunice, said the grouping of rural Eddy and Lea counties and urban Bernalillo and San Miguel counties unbalanced traditional state political boundaries.

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Because the mindset sort of shifts there at Interstate 40 you would think they would have these blocked different. But, it didnt seem to matter, he said.

Gallegos said New Mexico Democrats focused only on the exact number of constituents within districts.

More: Carlsbad Mayor: State's redistricting effort 'concerning' to southeast New Mexico

They took Hispanics out of Congressional District 1 (CD-1) and forced them into Congressional District 2 (CD-2) and Congressional District 3 (CD-3) just to build up the Democrat influence in CD-2 and CD-3 and removed some of the Republican influence from CD-2, he said.

Yevette Herrell is the lone Republican in New Mexicos Congressional Delegation and represents Congressional District 2.

I think all the maps are skewed. Im anticipating that someone will get tired of this and send it back to the courts, Gallegos said.

According to the New Mexico House of Representatives, the map is a nearly 90 percent reflection of what was called the Peoples Map, produced by an independent Citizens Redistricting Committee, read the news release from Lujan Grishams press office.

State Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R-32) said debate in the New Mexico Legislature is dead, thanks to progressive Democrats.

Change is hard, said the Chaves County farmer who also represents parts of Eddy and Otero counties.

I havent known any other map other than the status quo where New Mexico is split north to south. I find it disingenuous to say Roswell was put with Farmington because it is a community of interest, because Hobbs is only 70 miles away. It would make more sense if we were with Hobbs, he said.

More: Officials express optimism, concern over impending State Legislature redistricting vote

Pirtle said if people examined the map closely they would see why Democrats would want three people in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Communities of interest is all just lip service. Its a complete gerrymandered map to make sure all five Congressional people from New Mexico will be Democrats, he said.

State Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R-32).

In a statement, New Mexico Republican Party Chairperson Steve Pearce said rural New Mexico lost to the urban centers when Lujan Grisham signed the legislation.

Democrats have deliberately carved up and extended areas in order to have an advantage. This is not democracy but simple partisanship. These maps consciously put the state in a position to no longer have a Republican or conservative voice in Congress, he wrote.

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: SENM Senators say rural New Mexico ignored during redistricting
Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - December 24, 2021) - Simba Storage, the first token in the world released for Satoshi Bitcoin, receives a crypto storage license from DMCC (UAE Free Economic Zone). The project is a partner of TRES OTC DMCC, which received the first cryptocurrency trading license in Dubai. Following in the footsteps of a partner company, Simba Storage, based in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the UAE, has received a trading license that will legalize its cryptocurrency storage services in Dubai, UAE. Simba is currently the first Bitcoin-backed token that has an official storage license.

Simba Storage



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/8203/108413_simbaenhanced.jpg

Receiving legal acceptance is a significant step in the project's development, as evident from Binance's recent announcement of receiving a trade license in Dubai. CZ, the CEO of Binance, also recently said in an article that he believes that a crypto company cannot grow without a legal foundation. To that extent, being legally compliant will add to the merits of Simba Storage.

Simba Storage aims to become a leading crypto bank and crypto storage facility in the industry and has already established its presence by achieving several foundational milestones already. They began their development in October 2019 as a self-funded organization and have developed exponentially in the last two years.

One of the unique selling points of Simba Storage is their ability to restore access to a user wallet even if the seed phrase is lost, using the KYC procedure. This feature is unique to Simba Storage, as other cold crypto storage facilities cannot facilitate that. Moreover, the project has a diversified number of locations where the crypto is stored, including UAE, New Zealand, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. To further ensure its security, the cold storage is based on a multi-signature algorithm.

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Simba Storage aims to develop an institutional-grade cold storage technology ecosystem to promote the global adoption of cryptocurrencies using a safe, simple and secure platform for users with or without knowledge and experience. To that end, the project offers a variety of features including the minting of SIMBA tokens to send to the users when transferring Bitcoin to the storage.

Moreover, SIMBA is backed by Bitcoin in the following ratio: 1 SIMBA = 1 Satoshi. The user can use the SIMBA token (ERC 20 token) while their Bitcoin is safely stored at a secure facility. When the user wants to withdraw their Bitcoin, they can simply send back SIMBA tokens and receive equivalent Bitcoin.

Apart from the SIMBA token, the project also offers SIMBA Storage Token (SST). SST is a utility token of a limited distribution company and has a dynamic price that grows as the project develops. The token's price has already increased by 2000% in one year since its first listing in July 2020.

The crypto industry in the UAE is slowly gaining momentum to become a hub in the crypto-verse. Moreover, the legalization of services such as TRES's OTC Trade License and Simba Storage's Storage License is boosting the popularity and reliability of cryptocurrencies globally.

About Simba Storage

Simba Storage is an industrial grade cold storage facility for Bitcoin based on a multi-signature algorithm. Its storage bins are located in four countries: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, UAE, New Zealand.

Simba Storage Token lies at the heart of the storage and works on the basis of the blockchain Ethereum ERC-20 standard. It provides liquidity and convenience, as users can move, exchange and withdraw it within 24 hours.

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Media Contact:

Contact Person: Alena Detkina

Email: partner@simba.storage

Website: https://simba.storage

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108413
Dubai, United Arab Emirates--(Newsfile Corp. - December 24, 2021) - With the successful launch of Uno Re's Risk Investment dApp - where the protocol raised 500K USDC in less than a week, Uno Re is all set for the launch of their V2.

Uno Re

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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With the announcement of their revamped V2, the crown jewel of their next launch will include the Cover Portal, which will scan the user's wallet, detect insurable assets within, measure potential risks using an AI-based algorithm and allow users to instantly purchase coverage for any token in their crypto wallet.

To fund the policies sold on the Cover Portal as well as add to the utility of their token $UNO, the team has decided to launch two new native staking pools, Single-Sided Reinsurance Pool (SSRP) and Single-Sided Insurance Pool (SSIP), for users to stake and enjoy $UNO in APRs of up to 50% and 90% respectively.

Their accompanying Synthetic Pools, SySSRP and SySSIP, will allow users to earn premium rewards where:

10% of all premium rewards will be given to stakers of the SySSRP

70% of the premium rewards will be given to stakers of the SySSIP

20% of the rewards will be used to buy back $UNO from the open market to then burn, making $UNO a sustainably deflationary asset.

Uno Re is also the first insurance protocol to venture into the metaverse and explore various possibilities of insuring users' digital assets such as their weapons, houses, land and more. To add on, the protocol is also looking forward to becoming tenants in their partners' metaverses to build their own insurance shops to further sell policies to users within the metaverse.

With this upcoming launch, Uno Re is all set to revolutionise the crypto ecosystem. To be a part of it, join the first of their 5 Testnet and Bug Bounty programmes here.

About Uno Re

Uno Re is the world's first decentralised insurance and reinsurance platform, allowing the community to invest and trade in 'risk' and receive sizable returns on their investments in one of the safest asset classes in the world. The platform will break barriers to entry for the retail investor by doing away with the historic pre-requisite of absurdly high capital generally needed to invest into the market while also introducing much-needed transparency into the industry as a whole. Uno Re will also allow the community to propose innovative insurance products to the space, thus propelling a new generation of Insurtech companies powered by the Uno Re ecosystem.

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Company Contact details:

Company Name: Uno Re

Contact Person: Misbah SP

Contact Person Title: Content/Marketing Ops

Twitter: @Misbah6SP

Company E-mail: misbah@unore.io

Website: unore.io

PR Contact:

Name - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sourav-ghosal-nca/

Website - www.newscoverage.agency

Email - touch@newscoverage.agency

Telegram - https://t.me/souravghosal_NCA

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108481
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 24, 2021 / Halper Sadeh LLP, a global investor rights law firm, is investigating whether the sale of Vonage Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: VG) to Ericsson for $21.00 per share in cash is fair to Vonage shareholders.

Halper Sadeh encourages Vonage shareholders to click here to learn more about their legal rights and options or contact Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com.

The investigation concerns whether Vonage and its board of directors violated the federal securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders by failing to, among other things: (1) obtain the best possible consideration for Vonage shareholders; (2) determine whether Ericsson is underpaying for Vonage; and (3) disclose all material information necessary for Vonage shareholders to adequately assess and value the merger consideration. On behalf of Vonage shareholders, Halper Sadeh LLP may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits.

Halper Sadeh encourages Vonage shareholders to click here to learn more about their legal rights and options or contact Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com.

Halper Sadeh LLP represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Halper Sadeh LLP

Daniel Sadeh, Esq.

Zachary Halper, Esq.

(212) 763-0060

sadeh@halpersadeh.com

zhalper@halpersadeh.com

https://www.halpersadeh.com

SOURCE: Halper Sadeh LLP





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QUITO, Ecuador  Ecuador is making vaccination against the coronavirus mandatory.

The government said Thursday that only Ecuadorians with a medical condition that could be complicated by vaccination will be exempt. Those people must provide documentation.

Officials say the order comes because of an increase in coronavirus infections and the circulation of new variants such as omicron.

Ecuador says it has enough vaccine to immunize the entire population. As of Tuesday, about 77% of Ecuadors 17.3 million people had been vaccinated. About 33,600 people in Ecuador have died from COVID-19.

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Chile plans to offer a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to its citizens.

President Sebastian Pinera said Thursday that the fourth dose is expected to start in February.

Health Secretary Enrique Paris says the shot will be different than the one people got previously.
A judge ruled Wednesday that a murder suspects statement to police, made after coming out of surgery, can be used by a Fredericksburg prosecutor in court.

Arturo Barnes, 29, is charged with second-degree murder and other offenses in connection with a shootout in Fredericksburg that resulted in the death of 20-year-old Tyriek Powell. The daytime gunfight took place June 3 in the 3300 block of Fall Hill Avenue.

According to evidence presented in previous hearings, Barnes was in the area selling marijuana for about an hour that day when Powell showed up. The men got into an altercation in which Barnes was shot three times and Powell died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

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Prosecutor Justin Witt put on evidence Wednesday in Fredericksburg Circuit Court that showed that Barnes requested to talk to police after coming out of surgery the morning after the shooting. Detective Melanie Schafer went to Mary Washington Hospital and spoke with Barnes.

Barnes made conflicting statements about the incident, Schafer said. At one point, he said he didnt have a gun, then at other times said he fired anywhere from one to four shots. Prosecutors frequently use inconsistent statements against defendants during trials.
BEAVER CITY  Five men were sentenced Wednesday in Furnas County District Court for their involvement in a sex trafficking case.

The men were sentenced after William Billy Quinn was given 176.5 years in prison for 13 counts of sexual assault and sex trafficking of a 15-year-old.

During the sentencings, Corey OBrien with the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office said that it has become more and more obvious to distinguish in sex trafficking cases the difference between someone who exploits and sells someone for sex and a person who buys someone for sex.

OBrien noted the power and manipulation that Quinn had not only over the victim but also over the adult men to make poor decisions.

In some ways, they were victims of Quinn, OBrien said during the sentencings.

The prosecution noted that the mens cooperation in the investigation and testifying at Quinns trial was valuable. The prosecution stated that these men did make terrible decisions, but each of the men had minimal criminal history before this case and were at low risk to offend again. The prosecution did not actively advocate for jail time for each of the men.

Judge James E. Doyle IV told each of the men they did not see the victim as a child, but as an object and defiled her.

 Jacob Kramer, 23, of Oxford was sentenced to 90 days in jail for one count of child abuse. He was given one day credit for time served. Kramer will be on probation for 60 months and pay a fine of $1,000. Kramer will be granted work release during his jail sentence.

 Bucky Weaver, 41, of Axtell was sentenced to 90 days in jail for one count of first-degree sexual assault. He was granted work release. Weaver will be on probation for five years and must pay a $1,000 fine. He must register as a sex offender for 25 years.

 Terry Smith, 39, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for first-degree sexual assault. He was given one day credit for time served and was granted work release. He will be on probation for five years and must pay a $1,000 fine. He must register as a sex offender for 25 years.

 Carl Kramer, 55, of Oxford was sentenced to 180 days in jail for two counts of child abuse. He must pay a $2,000 fine and will be on probation for 60 months.

 Justin Brooks, 32, of Arapahoe was sentenced to 90 days in jail for child abuse. He was given credit for two days served and authorized for work release. He will be on probation for 60 months and must pay a fine of $1,000.

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A British national has been detained in Afghanistan, the British Foreign Ministry said on December 24, following a report of the arrest of a security consultant by the Taliban.

The Daily Mirror reported late on December 23 that Grant Bailey, a British security consultant working for an NGO, had been arrested during a Taliban security clampdown in Kabul.

The Foreign Ministry didnt confirm his identity, but a spokesperson said: "We are aware of the detention of a British national in Afghanistan and have been in touch with their family to support them.

The Mirror quoted a British security source as saying that Bailey was last heard on December 18 after being arrested at gunpoint.

According to the British publication, Bailey who is in his 50s, had worked in Afghanistan for several years. Bailey is believed to have returned to Kabul in September, shortly after the Taliban took over.

The Mirror quoted the source as saying: We were quite surprised he went back to Kabul after the Western withdrawal as the security situation there is obviously much worse.

There was no immediate comment from the Taliban.

Based on reporting by AFP, The Guardian, Mirror.co.uk
An author known as the father of Chicano literature has left behind a bilingual childrens tale after his 2020 death
The mostly vacant Rustic Hills North shopping center in Colorado Springs will be transformed into an industrial commerce center  a change that's expected to help inject new life into the Academy Boulevard corridor.

Brennan Investment Group of suburban Chicago, a privately owned firm that acquires, develops and operates industrial facilities nationwide, paid $7 million last week to purchase the 22-acre Rustic Hills North, northeast of Academy and Palmer Park boulevards.

Built in the early 1970s, Rustic Hills North was once a thriving retail center and home to popular stores and businesses such as Albertsons and Longs Drugs that served east-side residents and neighborhoods.

Shifting demographics and changing retail patterns, however, left Rustic Hills North a shell of its former self as stores closed or moved to trendy Powers Boulevard to chase growing numbers of rooftops on the far east and northeast sides. Albertsons shuttered in 2006 and Longs followed the next year.

Now, Brennan plans a series of upgrades and enhancements for the majority of Rustic Hills North that will create spaces for light industrial users, while giving the property a fresh and renovated look, said Brian Roach, a company principal based in suburban Denver.

"There will be some good changes as we go into the new year," Roach said. "The focus now is to just kind of find businesses to fill that space up. But it will look better, I'll tell you that."

Brennan was attracted to Colorado Springs, in part because of its strong population growth, which draws suppliers and other industrial businesses that want to be near booming markets, Roach said. Thriving cities also give businesses a growing labor pool from which to hire, he said.

"If you're in a market that is a static population base, you already probably have all of your suppliers, your providers," Roach said. "Those people aren't going to move tremendously and grow tremendously. But if you have continual population growth, there's always a need for one more supplier."

Rustic Hills North's central location at Academy and Palmer Park, meanwhile, will provide good access to other parts of town for future industrial tenants, while a large parking lot will offer hundreds of spaces for their employees and customers, Roach said.

As part of Rustic Hills North's makeover, Brennan plans to convert three buildings totaling nearly 207,000 square feet into industrial spaces.

Such uses, Roach said, might include warehouses for e-commerce retailers; storage and offices for heating, ventilating and cooling companies; space for construction industry suppliers; or carpeting, flooring and tile showrooms.

Colorado Springs has a shortage of smaller industrial spaces, but Rustic Hills North will accommodate multiple users, some of whom might need as little as 7,500 square feet, said Aaron Horn and Heather Mauro of Cushman & Wakefield/Colorado Springs Commercial. They represented Brennan in its purchase of Rustic Hills North and are marketing the property.

"Industrial groups that are looking for that, they just don't have any choices," Horn said. "They're stuck with renewing (a lease) where they're at. Sometimes they don't come to Colorado Springs at all."

Building smaller industrial spaces, meanwhile, is cost prohibitive, Horn added. Rustic Hills North will charge $9 to $10 per square foot for its space, but newly constructed, speculative projects  those without tenants signed in advance  would have to charge several dollars more to recover building and investment costs, he said.

Brennan's other plans for the property include demolition of a roughly 21,000-square-foot building on the shopping center's north end, which the city had condemned. Plans will be developed for the site's future use.

The company will keep a 9,742-square-foot building on Rustic Hills North's south end and continue to lease it to retail tenants. A restaurant, tax service and laundry currently occupy the retail spaces.

Also remaining: the Colorado Springs Event Center, which has hosted boat and RV exhibits, home expos, gun and knife shows, and other trade, consumer and specialty events at Rustic Hills North since 2011. It has an existing lease and will continue to operate at the property, Roach said.

Brennan is receptive to keeping the Event Center at Rustic Hills North, he added.

The Event Center could be a complementary use to industrial tenants, Roach said. Home show attendees, for example, might be interested in a carpet installer or kitchen and bath company leasing space at Rustic Hills North.

Kevin Hummer, CEO of RJ Promotions in St. Joseph, Mo., who heads one company that leases and operates the venue and another that puts on shows at the facility, said he's ecstatic over Brennan's acquisition of Rustic Hills North.

He's looking to build "synergy" with the new owner and its efforts to upgrade the property and hopes to keep the Event Center at Rustic Hills North. His lease allows for mutually renewable options at the property, he said.

Brennan will undertake extensive improvements at Rustic Hills North, including facade updates, interior renovations, upgrades to a truck court and dock doors on the building's east side, screening the property from nearby residents, parking lot repairs and landscaping enhancements, Roach said.

Rustic Hills North's transformation from a retail center to another use was inevitable because of Colorado Springs' growth to the north and northeast, said John Egan, a broker with NAI Highland in Colorado Springs. He and colleagues Randy Dowis and Craig Anderson represented the property's former owner, a Denver businessman, in the property's sale.

The new use for Rustic Hills North, meanwhile, should help attract more businesses to the central portion of Academy, which city officials identified years ago as a troubled area because of stores and restaurants abandoning the corridor for Powers Boulevard and elsewhere.

"That really is truly the heart of Colorado Springs," Mauro said. "Since I've lived in Colorado Springs, which would be 2007, it's been an area of town that needs some activity, it needs some redevelopment and needs a heartbeat. I think this is really going to offer that to that part of town."
The Colorado Attorney General is investigating a Denver-based company that is the nations largest provider in a federal community-based home health program for frail, elderly patients, initiating the probe after the company paid back $13.6 million this year to Colorados Medicaid program amid audits by state and federal regulators.

InnovAge disclosed the audits and the Colorado repayments in its Sept. 23 annual report to the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.

In that filing, the company also disclosed that it complied with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weisers civil investigative demand for documents regarding Medicaid billing, patient services and referrals.

We have been fully cooperating with the Attorney General and are producing the requested information and documentation, the company said it its SEC filing. We are currently unable to predict the outcome of this investigation.

Last month, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services barred InnovAges Sacramento, Calif., operations from enrolling new Medicare-funded patients. The agency said an audit found problems including that the firm failed to provide medically necessary items and services to participants needs, and that those failures adversely affected or had the substantial likelihood of adversely affecting its participants.

Maureen Hewitt, who was paid $1.6 million in 2020 as InnovAges chief executive officer, declined requests for interviews, and referred questions to company spokesman Mark Corbae.

In a statement, Corbae said the companys repayment to Colorados Medicaid program was part of an annual reconciliation, which resulted in a "reduction in accounts receivable of $17 million including $13.6 million related to Medicaid." He said the company does not expect adjustments related to the reconciliation to be significant in future periods.

As a healthcare provider in a highly regulated industry, InnovAge has established protocols to cooperate with and fully support regulatory and oversight measures, Corbae said. Our primary concern is always the health and safety of our participants.

The company provides home-based services to more than 6,800 patients in the states of Colorado, California, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia and plans to expand into Florida and Kentucky, according to corporate filings.

Final findings from audits conducted in May by the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing in coordination with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are pending, Corbae said. He said the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initiated its own audit in June. Final findings from federal and state audits are expected in 2022, the company said in its annual report.

Colorado generated half of InnovAges $635 million in revenue for the fiscal year that ended this June, records show.

The firm operates two affordable senior housing complexes in Denver. The company generated nearly $44 million in losses for the recent fiscal year, but a $26 million profit in the previous fiscal year, according to the annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in September. More than 99% of the company's revenues come from government health programs under Medicaid and Medicare.

InnovAge is a participant in the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, offering in-home care services and in-center services aimed at keeping elderly patients out of nursing homes. The program pays providers set fees per patient from Medicare and Medicaid.

In corporate filings, InnovAge stated that it is the largest provider for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly in the United States and operates 18 centers under the program.

One former company executive said in an interview that InnovAge grew dramatically in recent years, through plans including recruitment of homeless residents for enrollment as patients. But promised services were not provided, and people got hurt, said the former executive, who asked for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matters involved. Its a horror show, the person said.

InnovAge's Corbae disputed allegations that the company struggled to provide adequate patient care.

We take a measured and pragmatic approach to our growth strategy, he said. Our primary concern is the health and safety of our participants and staff in every market we serve. All of our participants have access to experts across at least 11 disciplines as required by ... regulations.

The accusations from the former InnovAge executive mirror earlier allegations brought in a now-dropped 2019 federal lawsuit filed by the companys former western region chief operating officer who claimed her advice was consistently ignored while company officials actively hid the depth of its noncompliance from the government.

That whistleblower lawsuit from Karen Lapcewich accused the company of preying on Medicare and Medicaid programs at the expense of quality care for elderly patients.

The litigation's allegations referenced emails and internal company auditing showing instances of thousands of elderly patients waiting, sometimes over a year, for promised services and medications. Delivery of medications stalled due to a lack of transportation couriers and because prescriptions werent sent to pharmacies, the lawsuit stated.

In one instance, a patient needing an orthopedic consult never got one and resorted to medication to alleviate the pain, according to that lawsuit, which Lapcewich dropped in 2020.

In another instance, according to company emails referenced in the lawsuit, a patient waited more than a year for evaluation and treatment of poor vision due to cataracts.

The original order to help this participants vision was not done timely, stated an email from a corporate director of clinical care that was used in the lawsuit. It was not realized the ophthalmology appointment is essential to the participants vision and mobility.

Lapcewich, who resigned from the company in October 2017, claimed in her lawsuit that example of a lack of care was one example of many that left patients suffering from additional injury, pain or exacerbation of chronic conditions.

They needed care and were entitled to it  but InnovAge did not provide it, her whistleblower lawsuit stated.

Hewitt, InnovAges chief executive officer, in 2016 converted the company from a non-profit provider to a for-profit company. Corporate filings state that company revenues have more than doubled since then. Along the way, the company awarded Hewitt more than $4 million in stock options.

The lawsuit from Lapcewich stated that of the 74 Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly organizations audited by federal regulators in 2017, only seven were for-profit operations. InnovAges California and Colorado PACE operations both had federal audit scores that year that were among the 10 worst in the nation, the lawsuit stated.

Each year we develop an annual quality plan that outlines how we will meet the requirements of state and federal regulators ... , InnovAge's Corbae said. The plan evaluates performance against a robust set of measures, including the safety and effectiveness of all services delivered to participants.

He said InnovAge is pursuing certification of its centers as Patient-Centered Medical Homes, which are defined by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as "accountable for meeting the large majority of each patients physical and mental health care needs, including prevention and wellness, acute care, and chronic care."

InnovAge's centers were recertified by the National Committee for Quality assurance in 2020 for the third time, Corbae said.

InnovAge went public in March of this year, raising $350 million in an initial public stock offering. Its board members include Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, and Ted Kennedy Jr., a former Connecticut state senator and son of former U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy. The company also tapped actor Susan Sarandon to work on its behalf as a spokeswoman.

Tracy Miller, who worked for three months as clinical director of an InnovAges program in San Bernardino, Calif., said that despite all the corporate glitz, the company failed to provide adequate care to its elderly patients when she worked for the company.

Miller said she resigned after company officials failed to correct problems she identified. Miller said she personally observed some orders for doctor care and follow-up were not carried through, with patients left to languish while they waited for care.

They didnt seem to like to hear from people actually telling them about stuff, like lack of staff, Miller said. She added that she absolutely believed the company had failed to provide adequate care to many patients.

From my experience, it came from the top, Miller said. It was more about making money in my opinion than about patient safety.
In the span of a few weeks, the omicron variant moved into Colorado and now accounts for as many as half of the state's recent COVID-19 cases.

The variant arrives as the state pulls itself from a months-long fall surge, which pushed hospitals to the brink of being overwhelmed. It also comes on the eve of two major holidays, the sort of travel-heavy large gatherings that have worried public health officials since the start of the pandemic nearly two years ago.

So what's Colorado's status heading into the end of the holiday season, and how should you approach them?

What's up with omicron in Colorado?

Omicron was first identified here in early December, the result of international travel from Africa. It's now surging in resort communities  Eagle, Pitkin and Summit counties in particular. It's been detected in all 21 wastewater systems statewide that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment monitors, and nearly half of samples taken in recent days have a telltale omicron genetic marker.

The good news is that Colorado hospitalizations are still going down. Much remains unknown about omicron in terms of its severity, but it does appear extremely transmissible. That means more cases, which inevitably means more hospitalizations. Each day of declining COVID-19 hospitalizations now buys the state time and resources while we await omicron's full impact.

What can I do to prepare for omicron?

If you're not vaccinated, get vaccinated. If you're fully inoculated but haven't received your additional shot, get your additional shot. Early research indicates that those doses give good protection against infection against omicron, more so than the initial vaccines. Any vaccine is better than no vaccine, and maximizing your protection with boosters is the best way to prevent both infections and serious disease.

Socially distance, wear masks and get tested if you feel symptomatic. The same strategies we've used for the past 21 months, plus vaccinations, continue to be the bedrock of how we can blunt omicron and any other variants that emerge.

If you're out holiday shopping, be aware that the variant is out there and spreading. Keep your distance from others, mask up, and know what you want before you walk in.

I'm sick. Now what?

If you're feeling symptomatic or know you were exposed, get tested. If your test results are positive, then isolate for at least 10 days. That may be tough around the holidays, but it's better than getting any of your relatives sick.

Monitor your symptoms; if you have risk factors, be particularly aware of how you're feeling. Go to the hospital if your symptoms worsen, especially if you have trouble breathing.

Should my family gather for the holidays at all?

The U.S. governments top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has consistently said in television interviews that holiday gatherings can continue, but advised common-sense measures  its safer if everyone is vaccinated and has received a booster shot.

If you and your family are vaccinated and boosted, hopefully you should feel comfortable about having a holiday situation where you have dinners and gatherings in your own home with family and friends. But that will only be safe if people get vaccinated, Fauci told ABC.

Vaccines, vaccines, vaccines. Be sure to tell your guests that if they're sick, they should stay home. Keep a list of guests, in case there is an exposure and you have to let people know they need to get tested. As much as you can, keep gatherings small and short.

Speaking of testing  getting checked before any travel or gatherings is a great idea.

Even if youre fully vaccinated, getting tested before (and) after gatherings or parties ... can make a difference in whether you expose someone you love to the virus, Dr. Dawn Terashita, associate director of Los Angeles Countys acute communicable disease control program, said at a town hall.

Bear in mind, too, that large gatherings are inherently riskier than smaller ones, particularly if they're held indoors. It'll be nice in Denver and parts of Colorado around Christmas, so consider hanging out outdoors, if possible.

Sure, but what if I'm going to attend a large, indoor gathering anyway?

Stop me if you've heard this one before  get vaccinated, get boosted.

People who are particularly risk-averse, or who are older or have a weakened immune system, may want to think twice about attending large, crowded indoor gatherings where people arent wearing masks. If you are indoors, try to keep windows open (weather allowing) or otherwise improve ventilation.

A big problem that has become more noticeable, especially with the newest variants, is how there seems to be an increased chance that vaccinated, boosted asymptomatic people can still be unknowingly infected and be contagious.

Thats why wearing masks in indoor public settings still remains an essential strategy at this particular moment in the pandemic, even if youre already vaccinated, local health officials say.

It stinks to imagine spending your holidays wearing masks around your extended family. But omicron is really transmissible, and if you're going to hang around a lot of people indoors, it's better to be safe.

The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.
Firefighters made progress Friday on a nearly 1-acre blaze burning high in the foothills of northwest Colorado Springs. Despite strong winds that grounded a helicopter supporting the effort, spokeswoman Susan Ford said the Blodgett Peak fire was 50% contained as of early Friday evening.

A late afternoon snowstorm dropped much-needed moisture on the area hours after a small crew of firefighters ascended the peak to continue mitigation efforts near the blaze. The fire will be monitored overnight, Ford said, and officials will return Saturday morning to assess fire and accessibility conditions.

The blaze ignited in rugged terrain above housing developments, presenting a challenge for firefighters on the ground and in the air.

"It is very inaccessible, dangerous terrain," Ford said.

A helicopter dropped water on the area Friday morning but had to stop after winds kicked up to nearly 50 mph. The National Weather Service recorded a high temperature of 60 degrees in Colorado Springs  16 degrees above the average high for Christmas Eve.

Four firefighters from the Colorado Springs Fire Department, one from El Paso County and one with the U.S. Forest Service hiked into the forest to chop down dead trees, cut them into smaller bits and burn them in a controlled setting to prevent the timber from falling and spreading the fire farther, Ford said.

The firefighting activity led to visible smoke.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but a lightning strike last month is suspected as the cause, spokesman Ralph Bellah said.

A fixed-wing aircraft will continue to monitor the fire using thermal sensing, with brush trucks and crews ready to respond if needed, Ford said.

Peregrine subdivision remained on pre-evacuation status as of Friday evening, though Ford said officials were working through various partners to lift that order. Blodgett Peak Open Space remains closed.
Hundreds of volunteers will be on hand at the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center Christmas Eve.

The annual tradition began in 1955 when The Gazette printed an ad from Sears that contained a number for children to call Santa. The wrong number was listed and instead of calling Santa kids called Air Force Col. Harry Shoup -- the on duty commander at the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD). NORAD replaced CONAD in 1958.

Today, volunteers field calls from around the world from people wishing to know Santa's whereabouts.

NORAD uses three resources to track Kris Kringle, officials say.

The first is radar. NORAD has 47 installation across northern Canada and Alaska. NORAD checks radar to determine the moment Santa leaves the North Pole each year.

After Santa takes off, NORAD uses satellites positioned 22,300 miles above the earth to monitor Santa and his reindeer, particularly Rudolph. Rudolph's red nose gives off a tremendous amount of heat that can be detected by the infrared sensors on the satellites, according to NORAD officials.

Finally, when he is in U.S. and Canadian airspace, Santa slows down so that U.S. and Canadian fighter pilots can escort his sleigh.

Here are some other facts about Jolly ol' St. Nick provided by NORAD:

NORAD estimates Santa arrives in most countries between 9 p.m. and midnight when children are asleep.

If kids are away when Santa arrives he moves on to another house and returns when kids are sleeping.

Santa usually starts his route at the international date line and heads west. He starts in the South Pacific, then New Zealand and Australia, then to Japan, Asia and across African. After that he goes to on to Western Europe, Canada, the United States, Mexico and then central and South America.

Time behaves differently when Santa makes his trip around the world, NORAD says. What seems like 24 hours to us lasts days, weeks or even months for Santa.

NORAD estimates Santa is approximately 1,600 years old!

Santa's sleigh moves faster than starlight.

Here are all the ways children and adults can track Santa this Christmas Eve:
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the country's fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The Royal Canadian Air Force's 22 Wing holds its annual NORAD Tracks Santa promotion at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay in North Bay, Ontario, Canada December 9, 2021. Picture taken December 9, 2021. Corporal Rob Ouellette/Canadian Forces/Handout via REUTERS
Surveyors found Colorados primary psychiatric hospital in Pueblo scored poorly on quality measures in comparison to other psychiatric hospitals in the nation but re-accredited the facility for the next three years.

The Joint Commission, the nations oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care, last month notified Jill Marshall, the chief executive officer of the Colorado Mental Health Institute, of the re-accreditation, effective as of Sept. 18.

Regulators with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in November also found new suicide mitigation measures at the hospital sufficient to reverse their recommendation that the facility be barred from billing Medicaid and Medicare for services.

In late September, the legislature allocated $4.1 million in emergency suicide mitigation funds to bring the facility into compliance with federal standards. The money will pay for new surveillance cameras, upgrades in patients' rooms to address suicide risks, and other measures. Gov. Jared Polis is also requesting an additional $5 million from the legislature to make additional improvements to the facility.

The state regulators previously had recommended kicking the facility in Pueblo out of the Medicare and Medicaid program after they found ongoing risk to patients there following a survey conducted in the wake of the July 27 suicide attempt of a patient, 20-year-old Kersey resident Chase Falk.

State regulators in that survey determined hospital staff failed to protect Falk from harm and violated requirements for safety checks of patients and their rooms the day of the suicide attempt. The emergency suicide mitigation money includes $250,000 to improve a deficient system for tracking problems and incidents at the facility and to prevent such lapses from reoccurring.

The state health department regulators found the suicide mitigation measures now underway were sufficient to ease their concerns following an unannounced revisit survey of the hospital in November.

The re-accreditation and move to allow the hospital to continue billing Medicare and Medicaid services comes as the state continues to struggle to reduce a backlog of nearly 350 criminal defendants awaiting inpatient competency services. In addition, Robert Werthwein, the director of the state's Office of Behavioral Health since Sept. 2017, will resign at the end of February next year, he announced in an email on Tuesday. To help ease the backlog of defendants awaiting behavioral health services, Polis also is seeking an additional $10 million from the legislature for the budget cycle that begins in June to hire about 78 employees to operate 44 new psychiatric beds at the other psychiatric hospital in the state, the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan. The costs for bolstering services at the Fort Logan facility would rise to $12.4 million for a total of about 104 employees for the fiscal year set to begin in June 2023.

The backlog of criminal defendants seeking admission for inpatient psychiatric care continues to complicate the state's efforts to meet the obligations contained in a federal consent decree that found the state violated due process in the evaluation and treatment of mentally ill criminal defendants struggling with psychosis.

Not complying with the terms of the consent decree will cost the state at least $17 million in fines since March 2019. Even if Polis succeeds in convincing the legislature to appropriate the additional money to bolster services and create additional bed space, the state likely will pay another $10 million in fines and consent decree costs in the fiscal year set to begin in June, according to a budget analysis by the staff of the Joint Budget Committee. The state will also expand psychiatric services by applying some of the fines it has paid and federal aid to contract for 74 additional psychiatric beds that would be supplied by private providers.

The re-accreditation of the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo was praised by state officials who oversee the facility.

I am proud that CMHIP continues to earn this esteemed designation from the Joint Commission, said Michelle Barnes, executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services, which oversees the hospital, in a prepared release. We are constantly striving to improve safety and treatment practices so all patients under our care can heal and thrive.

The Joint Commission in a Sept. 17 quality survey found the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo lagged its peers in the nation on several national quality improvements goals. The survey reviewed hospital data for January 2020 through December 2020.

The facility performed poorly compared to other psychiatric hospitals in the nation on screening patients for violence risk to self and others, substance and alcohol use, psychological trauma history and patient strengths. Only 66% of 388 eligible patients received such screenings at the hospital, the survey found. In comparison, on average, 96% of patients at other psychiatric hospitals in the nation received such screening during the survey period.

The Pueblo facility did a slightly better job on screening adolescent patients for such issues, but still was far below the average rate of adolescent screenings at psychiatric hospitals in the nation, the Joint Commission found.

The rate of such screening for adult patients at the Pueblo hospital who were 65 or older was particularly poor. Just 47% of the 17 patients in that age group received such screenings. Nationally, the average rate for screenings of patients in that age group was 95%, according to the survey.

The hospital in Pueblo is also below the average rate in the nation when it comes to ensuring patients are receiving appropriate justification for two or more medications when they are discharged, and this was particularly so for patients ages 18 to 64. Patients at the Pueblo facility also were roughly three times as likely to be placed in seclusion under solitary confinement than was the average rate for psychiatric hospitals nationally.

Physical restraints also were nearly three times more likely to be used on adolescent patients at the Pueblo facility when compared to the average rate for adolescent patients at such facilities nationally.

The survey found the Colorado Mental Health Institute had put in place safety goals to improve the following: accuracy of patient identification, communication among caregivers, safety of medication usage and overall protocols. In addition, the hospital in Pueblo had installed measures to reduce the risk of health care-associated infections and harm associated with clinical alarm systems, according to the survey. The surveyors also noted the facility in Pueblo was identifying individuals at risk for suicide.
A "dark money" group that put tens of millions of dollars behind Democratic candidates and progressive causes became the latest target of a campaign finance complaint, the most recent in a volley of partisan carping over which side's secretly funded groups must show the public who is financially supporting them.

The newest complaint goes after Sixteen Thirty Fund, which gave $17.2 million to Democratic causes, and was filed on Dec. 20 by Cory Gaines of Sterling, who calls himself a conservative Libertarian but is registered as an independent voter.

Gaines cited a complaint filed last week against North Fund, which is affiliated with Sixteen Thirty through ties to Arabella Advisors. Influence Watch, a nonprofit organization affiliated with Republican-leaning donors, said Arabella manages four nonprofits that "serve as incubators and accelerators for a range of other left-of-center nonprofits: the New Venture Fund, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Hopewell Fund, and the Windward Fund." All but the Windward Fund have made contributions to support or oppose ballot measures or to support Democratic candidates in Colorado.

Sixteen Thirty is a major contributor to North Fund, with donations totaling $19.4 million, according to a November Politico report.

Gaines told Colorado Politics he had heard about the complaint against the North Fund and was "inspired" to look at what the Sixteen Thirty Fund was doing.

His complaint asks that Sixteen Thirty register an issue committee to cover its spending in 2020 and 2021 and to disclose its donors.

"In two years, they spent half of what they spent in the previous seven years," Gaines wrote. He said the group never registered as an issue committee, and has not fully disclosed its donors.

"This clearly shows that since 2020, Sixteen Thirty Fund have been making it a major purpose of their organization to support or oppose both ballot issues and candidates in this state while simultaneously refusing to file as an issue committee in that year and forward," his complaint said.

Gaines is also taking a page out of the complaints filed both against Unite for Colorado and the North Fund, citing the "flexible standard" for a 180-day statute of limitations under which campaign finance complaints are supposed to be filed. That first arose in a 2020 complaint against attorney Suzanne (Staiert) Taheri, who violated state campaign finance laws by filing tax returns instead of a personal financial disclosure statement when she ran unsuccessfully for the Senate District 27 seat in 2020.

Gaines wrote in his complaint that he was unaware of the "new standard" until he read a story in Complete Colorado on the North Fund complaint on Dec. 16.

In 2020, Sixteen Thirty contributed about $5.8 million to campaigns on ballot measures. Its biggest contributions  more than $3 million  went to Colorado Families First, which advocated in favor of the successful Proposition 118, which sought to create a paid family and medical leave insurance program. For Proposition 113, which sought to ban abortions after 22 weeks, Sixteen Thirty gave the opposition campaign, Abortion Access for All, $406,167.

Also in 2020, Sixteen Thirty gave money to independent expenditure committees spending to back Democratic candidates for the state House and Senate. It gave the IEC supporting House Democrats, Coloradans Creating Opportunities, $250,000, and $1.25 million to Leading Colorado Forward, which helped Senate Democratic candidates. On June 23, Sixteen Thirty put another $75,000 into Coloradans Creating Opportunities.

The complaint against Sixteen Thirty Fund comes as new disclosures by Unite For Colorado, a major Republican dark money nonprofit group, reveal a web of active political front groups whose funding was not previously disclosed. The Colorado Sun first reported the groups bankrolled by Unite For Colorado, which, new tax filings show, has financially backed several other organizations that have acted to advance Republican causes.

Dark money organizations engage in electioneering activities without disclosing the source of their funding by virtue of IRS nonprofit rules or other business and campaign finance regulations that don't require donor disclosures.

Among the groups funded by Unite For Colorado was Colorado Neighborhood Coalition, a group that lobbied the state's redistricting commissions this year. Colorado Neighborhood Coalition urged the state's newly restructured redistricting commissions to adopt specific redistricting approaches, but routinely declined to say who was paying them.

Unite Colorado gave Colorado Neighborhood Coalition $375,000 in 2020, the new disclosures show.

Colorado Neighborhood Coalition, led by former Republican lawmakers and Republican operatives, also held training sessions for people interested in learning about the redistricting process and how to get involved. In at least one case, the group helped the Colorado Farm Bureau draft maps that were presented to redistricting commissioners without disclosing Colorado Neighborhood Coalition's hand in the effort, drawing criticism over transparency concerns.

Colorado Neighborhood Coalition was also the subject of a complaint accusing the group of violating lobbying rules in the course of its redistricting efforts. The complaint was found credible and has been referred to an administrative law judge for further action. The group also held private meetings and communications with some of the redistricting commissioners.

According to the 2020 tax returns, the other recipients of money from Unite were the conservative education group Ready Colorado ($1.365 million), Colorado Rising State Action ($175,00), the Independence Institute ($250,00), Defend Colorado, which backed three failed ballot measures in Denver last month ($330,000), the Public Trust Institute, which launched ethics complaint against then-Gov. John Hickenlooper ($310,000), the Colorado Taxpayers Advocate Fund ($368,000) and Colorado PRFRS, which helped draw Republican redistricting maps in 2011 ($200,000). The latter includes on its board former Republican state Reps. Matt Knoedler and Rob Fairbanks.

Taheri, the attorney whose personal finance disclosures were found to violate state laws, represents Unite For Colorado, and said the group intends to appeal the order to disclose its donors.

"Were appealing every part of the opinion," Taheri said. "We have until January to file something."
Colorado's Sex Offender Management Board is reconsidering its decision to eliminate the use of "sex offender" from its standards and guidelines.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Jurors on Thursday convicted a suburban Minneapolis police officer of two manslaughter charges in the killing of Daunte Wright, a Black motorist she shot during a traffic stop after she said she confused her gun for her Taser.

The mostly white jury deliberated for about four days before finding former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. Potter, 49, faces about seven years in prison on the most serious count under the state's sentencing guidelines, but prosecutors said they would seek a longer term.

Judge Regina Chu ordered Potter taken into custody and held without bail and scheduled her to be sentenced on Feb. 18.

Potter, who testified that she "didn't want to hurt anybody," looked down without showing any visible reaction when the verdicts were read. As Chu thanked the jury, Potter made the sign of the cross.

Potter's attorneys argued against her being held with no bail, saying she was not going to commit another crime or go anywhere.

"Her remorse and regret for the incident is overwhelming," Potter attorney Paul Engh argued. "She's not a danger to the public whatsoever."

Chu rejected their arguments.

"I cannot treat this case any differently than any other case," she said.

Potter, who is white, shot and killed the 20-year-old Wright during an April 11 traffic stop in Brooklyn Center as she and other officers were trying to arrest him on an outstanding warrant for a weapons possession charge. The shooting happened at a time of high tension in the area, with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin standing trial just miles away for the killing of George Floyd. Potter resigned two days later.

Jurors saw video of the shooting that was captured by police body cameras and dashcams. It showed Potter and an officer she was training, Anthony Luckey, pull over Wright for having expired license plate tags and an air freshener hanging from his rear-view mirror. During the stop, Luckey discovered there was a warrant for Wright's arrest for not appearing in court on the weapons possession charge, and he, Potter and another officer went to take Wright into custody.

Wright obeyed Luckey's order to get out of his car, but as Luckey tried to handcuff him, Wright pulled away and got back in. As Luckey held onto Wright, Potter said "I'll tase ya." The video then shows Potter holding her gun in her right hand and pointing it at Wright. Again, Potter said, "I'll tase you," and then two seconds later: "Taser, Taser, Taser." One second later, she fired a single bullet into Wright's chest.

"(Expletive)! I just shot him. ... I grabbed the wrong (expletive) gun," Potter said. A minute later, she said: "I'm going to go to prison."

In sometimes tearful testimony, Potter told jurors that she was "sorry it happened." She said the traffic stop "just went chaotic" and that she shouted her warning about the Taser after she saw a look of fear on the face of Sgt. Mychal Johnson, who was leaning into the passenger-side door of Wright's car. She also told jurors that she doesn't remember what she said or everything that happened after the shooting, as much of her memory of those moments "is missing."

Potter's lawyers argued that she made a mistake by drawing her gun instead of her Taser. But they also said she would have been justified in using deadly force if she had meant to because Johnson was at risk of being dragged.

Prosecutors sought to raise doubts about Potter's testimony that she decided to act after seeing fear on Johnson's face. Prosecutor Erin Eldridge, in cross-examination, pointed out that in an interview with a defense expert Potter said she didn't know why she decided to draw her Taser. During her closing argument, Eldridge also replayed Potter's body-camera video that she said never gave a clear view of Johnson's face during the key moments.

Eldridge also downplayed testimony from some other officers who described Potter as a good person or said they saw nothing wrong in her actions: "The defendant has found herself in trouble and her police family has her back."

Prosecutors also got Potter to agree that she didn't plan to use deadly force. They said Potter, an experienced officer with extensive training in Taser use and use of deadly force, acted recklessly and betrayed the badge.

For first-degree manslaughter, prosecutors had to prove that Potter caused Wright's death while committing a misdemeanor  in this case, the "reckless handling or use of a firearm so as to endanger the safety of another with such force and violence that death or great bodily harm to any person was reasonably foreseeable."

The second-degree manslaughter charge required prosecutors to prove that Potter caused Wright's death "by her culpable negligence," meaning she "caused an unreasonable risk and consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm" to Wright while using or possessing a firearm.

Under Minnesota law, defendants are sentenced only on the most serious conviction if multiple counts involve the same act and the same victim. Prosecutors had said they would seek to prove aggravating factors that merit what's called an upward departure from sentencing guidelines. In Potter's case, they alleged that her actions were a danger to others, including her fellow officers, to Wright's passenger and to the couple whose car was struck by Wright's after the shooting. They also alleged she abused her authority as a police officer.

The maximum for 1st-degree manslaughter is 15 years.

___

Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin.

___

Find the AP's full coverage of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright

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LOS ANGELES (AP)  Heavy overnight rains in Northern California left two people dead in a submerged car as authorities on Thursday ordered evacuations for a fire-scarred Southern California canyon area because of possible mud and debris flows.

Firefighters in Millbrae, just south of San Francisco, rescued two people who had climbed atop a vehicle at a flooded underpass. But they weren't able to reach people in a fully submerged car, San Mateo County sheriffs Det. Javier Acosta said.

In the Sierra Nevada, an evacuation warning was issued for about 150 homes downstream of Twain Harte Lake Dam after cracks were found in granite that adjoins the manmade part of the 36-foot-high (11-meter) structure. Authorities began releasing some water, but the dam didn't seem in any immediate danger, Tuolomne County sheriff's Sgt. Nicco Sandelin said.

The precautions for Southern California came as precipitation that had mostly been falling in Northern California this week spread throughout the state. Heavy rain was falling Thursday night in the southern part of the state.

Earlier, firefighters used a litter basket to rescue a man stranded on a bridge pillar above the flowing Los Angeles River.
The tracks, thought to have been made by children, were made at a time when many scientists think that massive ice sheets sealed off human passage into North America, indicating that humans were there even earlier.

Dragon man

Described as the most important fossil discovery in 50 years, a cranium, which was hidden at the bottom of a well in northeastern China for more than 80 years, could represent a completely new type of human.

The well-preserved skullcap, found in the Chinese city of Harbin, is between 138,000 and 309,000 years old, according to geochemical analysis. It combines primitive features, such as a broad nose and low brow and braincase, with those that are more similar to Homo sapiens, including flat and delicate cheekbones.

Researchers named the new hominin Homo longi, which is derived from Heilongjiang, or Black Dragon River, the province where the cranium was found. Colloquially, hes become known as Dragon Man since the discovery was made public in June.
FORSYTH  The village of Forsyth is expected to have a growth spurt in 2022.

With various buildings sitting empty for a few years, officials say businesses are poised to bring some new life to the town.

Buildings that once housed popular restaurants, including OCharleys, Cheddars and Hometown Buffet, have shown little life beyond the brush and weeds growing through parking lot cracks and alongside the buildings facades.

One of the first signs of life was the opening of the Central Cremation Center on the corner of Weaver Road and U.S. 51. The owners, Tom Cantwell and Jason Murphy, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Dec. 14 with the Decatur Regional Chamber of Commerce. The building once housed Lamar Advertising.

We knew that it would work, Cantwell said of the business which focusses on personal funeral services at lower costs. We knew that it was a business model thats been successful through the U.S.

Central Cremation Center offers direct cremation services and burials, pre-planning, and green burial options.

Rumors have begun circulating about what businesses will fill the other empty buildings.

Plans had included Sweet Basil Cafe, a family style restaurant with six locations in Illinois, taking the place of OCharleys.

But I dont think they are coming to Forsyth like they had originally planned, said Forsyth Mayor Jim Peck. It sounds like it is going to be something totally different.

According to Kendra Johnson, manager of the Sweet Basil Cafe in Springfield, the negotiations for the Forsyth franchise fell through. The details just didnt work out, she said.

Other plans are in the works for the former Cheddars and Good's Furniture buildings, as well as the Hometown Buffet, which temporarily accommodated a church.

Theres some people working on restaurant deals, Peck said. But I really cant say what it is yet.

Additional information about these ventures are expected to emerge with the start of the new year, village leaders said.

Theyre starting to get going, Peck said. Its been slow with the pandemic, but were starting to get some people that are kicking the tires pretty hard right now.

Although he isn't allowed to discuss details of most business dealings, Peck was able to provide information about a new coffee shop. Ziggis Coffee will be built near the Menards, located on the north side of the village on U.S. 51.

Its a franchise coffee place, but its the first one in Illinois, Peck said. Its going to be a walk-up and drive-through coffee place that will have some food items and teas.

Plans for Ziggis opening date will be late summer or early fall, according to Peck.

Other businesses making their home in Forsyth include a Tacos El Paisa in the Food Mart gas station and the resale shop Angel's Attic.

There also has been some communication with the owners of the Hickory Point Mall about its future, according to Jill Applebee, village administrator.

"It's owned by a larger company, but we've talked to them about getting some combined marketing to get some newer names in there," she said. "We're looking for locally owned retail shops, but there's not much going on there."

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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Todays Highlight in History:

On Dec. 24, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe as part of Operation Overlord.

On Dec. 24:

In 1524, Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama  who had discovered a sea route around Africa to India  died in Cochin, India.

In 1809, legendary American frontiersman Christopher Kit Carson was born in Madison County, Kentucky.

In 1814, the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812 following ratification by both the British Parliament and the U.S. Senate.

In 1851, fire devastated the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., destroying about 35,000 volumes.

In 1865, several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tennessee, that was the original version of the Ku Klux Klan.

In 1906, Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden became the first person to transmit the human voice (his own) as well as music over radio, from Brant Rock, Massachusetts.

In 1913, 73 people, most of them children, died in a crush of panic after a false cry of Fire! during a Christmas party for striking miners and their families at the Italian Hall in Calumet, Michigan.

In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts, orbiting the moon, read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a Christmas Eve telecast.

In 1980, Americans remembered the U.S. hostages in Iran by burning candles or shining lights for 417 seconds  one second for each day of captivity.

In 1992, President Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and five others in the Iran-Contra scandal.

In 1993, the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale, who blended Christian and psychiatric principles into a message of positive thinking, died in Pawling, New York, at age 95.

In 2011, in a setback, Republican presidential hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry failed to qualify for Virginias Super Tuesday primary ballot by falling short of the 10,000 signatures required. Troops commanded by relatives of Yemens outgoing president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, attacked a crowd of more than 100,000 peaceful protesters, killing at least nine and driving Saleh to promise to leave the country.

In 2013, Britains Queen Elizabeth II granted a posthumous pardon to code-breaker Alan Turing, who was convicted of homosexual behavior in the 1950s.

In 2016, President-elect Donald Trump said he would dissolve his charitable foundation before taking office to avoid conflicts of interest; the Democratic Party said that wasnt enough and called for the businessman to put his assets in a blind trust. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Barack Obama of a shameful ambush at the United Nations and said he was looking forward to working with his friend Donald Trump; Netanyahus comments came a day after the U.S. broke with past practice and allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

In 2020, California became the first state to record 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases. Bethlehem ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations. Just a week before the deadline, Britain and the European Union struck a free-trade deal that would avert economic chaos on New Years and bring a measure of certainty for businesses after years of Brexit turmoil. President Donald Trump completed a round of pardons for more than two dozen people, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, in the latest wave of clemency to benefit longtime associates and supporters.

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Our readers posted on social media about memories of Joyland Amusement Park. Here are additional photos we found.
OAK BROOK, Ill.  Police said Friday that they were searching for a man suspected of taking part in a shootout at a crowded suburban Chicago shopping mall in which four people were wounded, including another suspected gunman who was taken into custody.

The shootout at the Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook was between two men who apparently knew each other, Oak Brook police Chief James Kruger said. It happened at around 5:45 p.m. Thursday in a corridor near the Ann Taylor and Nordstrom stores at the mall, which was crowded with Christmas shoppers.

One suspected gunman, in his 30s, underwent surgery for gunshot wounds to his legs and back and was expected to survive, police said.

Three female bystanders who were shot, two in their 40s and one in her 20s, were also being treated at Good Samaritan. A woman in her 20s fractured her ankle trying to run away and was being treated at Elmhurst Hospital.

"This is just a very unfortunate incident that is completely out of character for our area," Kruger said.

The outdoor mall is a major shopping destination about 15 miles west of Chicago.

Around 100 police officers, including SWAT teams, rushed to the mall and went store to store in search of the other shooter, Kruger said.

Alex Gay, 23, said she was walking in the mall when she suddenly saw people running. She didn't hear any gunshots.

"I'm shook up," Gay said. "It was scary. Everyone was sprinting out of the mall as sirens went over intercom saying, 'Emergency. Evacuate. Seek shelter.' I almost got trampled."

Kruger said he expected the mall would reopen Friday. "The mall hours are normally 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve," he said, "so obviously well have a significant police presence at the mall to ensure that any shoppers and visitors are safe."

The Chicago Tribune contributed.

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Students from New Braunfels Christian Academy participate in The Thrill of Hope drive-thru live nativity Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 in New Braunfels.
Nathan Merique, a U.S. Army soldier from Hickory, has made a hobby of collecting uniforms and other military items.

Among Meriques keepsakes is the jacket of Bryan Kethley, a pilot serving in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. Kethley died on Christmas Eve 1944.

Kethley, who was from Mississippi, was killed while bombing a Japanese freighter in what was one of his first missions.

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He made a perfect hit, Merique said, but Kethley could not escape the flames shooting up from the ship.

He got caught in his own fireball and couldnt get out in time and it ripped his left wing off and he went barreling into the harbor at about 400 mph, Merique said. It was only his third mission and he was killed in action. They never recovered the body, and the planes still down there, too.

Kethley had not reached the age of 25 at the time of his death, Merique said.

He said it took some effort to trace the uniform back to Kethley.
Handel, as he was apt to do, donated monies from performances to musicians who were ill or to orphanages. By the 19th century, the Messiah oratorio, particularly the chorus, began to be performed as a Christmas staple.

For unto us child is born, unto us a son is given. Even the atheist knows the story even if in a doubting tone. Most religions of the world acknowledge the life of Jesus in some way.

It is the giving which should not be missed in the Christmas story. For a loving God to share his son is the truly greatest gift of all. Handels music champions the story, and those words exude the promise many people celebrate each December; a redeemers life comes to us with amazing promises for the future. In life and resurrection, a savior lives.

Life has been hard these last few years for all of us in various ways. Many might not feel given to by the experience of the pandemic, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, or an unexpected change of career. It seems anxiety and depression have been on the prowl more and more as the pandemic lingers, but hope and normalcy remain.
On December 23rd, lunar soil samples retrieved by Chinas Change-5 lunar lander arrived at Hunan, and later were shipped to Shaoshan. It became the center of public attention once again.

Why are we digging soils in the moon? What are lunar soils samples retrieved by Chinas Change-5 lunar lander ? And what kind of scientific value can be found from these samples?

On December 23rd, lunar soil samples retrieved by Chinas Change-5 lunar lander arrived at Hunan

Photo by Qin Lou

The storage box for lunar soils sample

Photo by Qin Lou

From outer space: a record of the moons geological history

The return capsule of the Chang'e-5 probe landed on December 17, 2020 in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region with 1,731 grams of soil from the Moon. These sample come from northeastern region of the moon. These soils were formed after eruptions of volcanos, and these volcanic rocks preserve records of the moon's magmatic evolution. They are given the name, basalt.

What is basalt from the moon?

Basalt is an aphanitic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron exposed at or very near the surface of the moon. It is a sign of volcanic activity. The volcano become extinct because it no longer has a magma supply, and extinction stands for the end of the moon's magmatic evolution. Therefore, researches on basalt from the moon can reveal geological composition and magmatic activity.

On October 15th, Tian Hengci, a researcher, gives lunar soils a proper treatment at the laboratory.

Photo by Jing Liwang, Xinhua

According to studies based on lunar meteorites and lunar soil samples retrieved by U.S. and U.S.S.R., the moon had magmatic activity between 2.8 billion and 3 billion years ago.The lunar maria, composed by basalts, are results from ancient volcanic eruptions. However, causes and the exact date of late volcano activities are at the center of scientific debate.

On October 19th 2021, researches on lunar soils sample were published by Chinese Academy of Sciences, and revealed that these newly retrieved soils sample come from the moon's youngest region. It is dated to 2 billion years ago, and thus there were magmatic activities on the moon in 2 billion years ago. The age of the moon is extended 8 million years.

Regulations on usage and research of lunar soils



How to use these lunar soils sample always draws public attentions.

On January 18th 2021, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) unveiled regulations on lunar soil use and research. There are four categories of proper usage, permanent storage, backup storage, scientific research and public affairs.

Samples will be used for scientific analysis, and be stored properly. Also, it will be used for public educational programs and exhibitions. Regulation also points out that international cooperations in studying the samples are encouraged.

The regulation regrading lunar soils published by The China National Space Administration

How to conduct researches on this sample?

On July 12th, lunar soils sample distribution opening ceremony held. By the deadline, 85 applications from 23 scientific research entities, such as Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and so on, had been received. 31 applications were approved, and 17.4764 grams of the sample were distributed.

On October 8th, the second round of distribution list was published. 51 applications from 17 scientific research entities were approved. Distributed sample weights 17.936 grams.

On February 22nd, lunar soils were publicized

Photo by Wang Hua, Xinhua

Zhu Rixiang, an academician in Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that current researches are conducted in three major directions: First, the sample will be used to cultivate scientific talents because Chinese scientists cannot obtain Apollo samples; second, based on scientifically approved studies of it, scientists possibly make breakthroughs on comprehending evolution of the moon; third, it can guide future development of lunar and outer spatial probes.

Photo provided by The National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

New understanding concluded from researches

People on earth always hold reveries of the moon. As U.S., U.S.S.R. and China have retrieved lunar soils, these samples demystify the moon through the lens of microscope.

Erica Jawin, a geologist from Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, claimed that lunar soils sample will transform our comprehensions of lunar surface system, origin of the moon and evolution of solar system.

For instance, chemists had analyzed compositions of isotopes found in samples, and considered that soils are older than ones from earth. The age falls in the range between 3 and 4.5 billion years ago. Based on these informations, they create a model to calculate age in any areas of the moon.

Deng Yongchun, a researcher from The National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, considers that lunar soils are found in transitional areas between lithosphere and the solar system, and contain large amounts of scientific information. Research topics should not be limited to study on the moon, but extend to the solar system. The sample contains records of evolution of the solar system, histories regarding cosmic ray exposure and solar radiation, composition of the solar wind, characteristics of solar surface system and meteorites that impact the moon.

On December 2nd, Chang-e 5 probe collects lunar soils

Photo by Xinhua

Researches on lunar soils sample is essential to development of the moons natural resources. One of major results found from this sample is that lunar soils contain helium-3.

Helium-3 is considered as an energy source for safe and effective nuclear fission reactions. Energies generated from one hundred tons of helium-3 is equivalent to the total consumed energy of the world in one year. There is limited helium-3 on earth, and only five hundred kilograms of it are easily obtainable. However, there is the possibility that the moon has more helium-3 than earth does. Possible mining of helium-3 is a driving force for different nations lunar probes.

Lunar soils sample stored in Shaoshan

The storing site for lunar soils in Shaoshan

On December 17th 2020, information office of the state council announced that lunar soils sample will be stored in Shaoshan, Chairman Maos hometown. Actually, on 2014 Hunan University was approved to build a storage space for lunar soils at Shaoshan. On July 2021, this project was completed. On November 2021, it was accepted as fully capable of storing lunar soils sample after check.
THE FACTS: The claim is misrepresenting a bill, first introduced in the New York state legislature in 2015, that would allow for the temporary detention of individuals infected, or suspected of being infected, with a contagious disease during a public health emergency. The state Assemblys health committee has no plans to take action on the bill, and its sponsor, Assemblyman N. Nick Perry, now says he will withdraw it. While the proposal failed to find support among lawmakers, it is still causing a stir online. In recent days, social media users have pushed a claim that lawmakers are planning to vote on the bill as soon as Jan. 5  and that it would allow for the indefinite detention of people who arent vaccinated against COVID-19. But no such vote on the bill in question was slated for that day, which is actually just the start of the legislative session. Citing concocted stories online about the bill, Perry, its sponsor, tweeted Monday that he would take legislative action to strike the bill, remove it from the calendar, thus ending all consideration, and actions that could lead to passage into law. The bill proposed allowing the state to temporarily detain someone carrying or suspected to be carrying a contagious disease  or someone they came into contact with  in a medical facility or other appropriate facility. The bill also said such a person shall not continue to be detained after they are determined to be no longer contagious. It also included a provision to require the state to seek a court order if a person was to be held for more than three days. Frank Shea, a spokesman for Perry, told The Associated Press that the bill was first proposed in 2015 after a nurse defied quarantine after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. Shea said that while Perry reintroduced the bill year after year, he had not actively pushed for the legislation and said it would be withdrawn because it had become a distraction. The most recent introduction came in January 2021, when it was referred to the Assemblys Committee on Health. There was no other action on it. Before Perry announced Monday that he would withdraw the bill, the office of Assemblyman Richard Gottfried  the chair of the Committee on Health  also said in a statement to the AP that there were no plans to vote on it. This bill has been introduced every year since 2015, has never been taken up by the Committee, has not been cosponsored by other legislators, and has not had a companion bill in the Senate, the statement said. The Committee does not plan to put the bill on an agenda.
We are a historically Black college and A&T really has won trust among the African American community, and this is a community that bears a heavy burden of chronic and infectious disease, Ongeri said. So having this center and that trusted history, we are likely to have an impact in informing and influencing participation in research, including clinical trials.

Already, she said, university faculty are conducting relevant research on topics like diabetes, hypertension, HIV and dementia.

Those the areas we are going to continue to build, she said.

Ongeri said that the university is working to renovate space for the center in Hines Hall on A&Ts main campus and she hopes that the center will be able to move into the space by next fall.

Eventually, she said, she expects the center to include not just administrative offices but also space that would be for shared use for research.

The university also is looking to hire a director for the center. Ongeri said that director will also be a faculty member who would do teaching and research and whose salary would be paid from state dollars for faculty positions.
Va. DHR talks about opening the time capsule

A small corner of the time capsules lid had been pried open, and conservator Kate Ridgway inserted a small endoscope, shining light on historical artifacts that had been hiding for 130 years.

The camera's images appeared on her phone and revealed a stack of books. It was another piece of mounting evidence suggesting this wasnt the time capsule described in the 1887 newspapers.

A three-woman team of conservators at the Department of Historic Resources spent more than five hours carefully opening and examining the lead box and its contents that were discovered Friday in the stone base that once held the city's famous Robert E. Lee statue.

Using a micro spatula with a chisel tip, they painstakingly pried the lid from the walls. Then Gov. Ralph Northam lifted the top, looked up at the swarm of cameras and expressed a look of amazement.

The box was indeed a time capsule. But it wasnt the time capsule they expected. While one mystery had been solved, another one persists.

For years, historians have believed a time capsule was placed under the 40-foot granite pedestal that held the Lee statue. Newspapers in 1887 chronicled the assembly, placement and the 60 artifacts contained within it. One item in particular caught the eye of historians  a potentially rare picture of Abraham Lincoln in his coffin.

Newspaper accounts say the capsule was put in the statues cornerstone, and in September, a masonry crew spent 12 hours looking for it in the plinths northeast corner. They looked in the northeast because Masonic tradition indicates thats where time capsules were placed.

They never found it.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced this month the pedestal would be taken down, and two weeks ago, the masonry crew returned and began disassembly.

On Friday, at 7:11 a.m., they discovered a box inserted into a 1,500-pound stone halfway up the pedestal. Though observers initially believed it was the 1887 time capsule, inconsistencies started to arise: the location wasnt right, and the size didnt match. Newspaper accounts said the time capsule was 14 by 14 by 8 inches. This one was 11.5 by 8 by 4.

The material of the box wasnt right either. What they had in their possession was lead. The box described in the newspaper was copper.

And there was no inscription written on the side, as the newspapers had said.

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania contractor B.R. Howard and Associates cut the 1,500-pound stone using a diamond plated saw, dislodging the box.

Once it was opened, officials realized the contents didnt match historical accounts either. Historians had called the newspapers time capsules items Confederate propaganda, yet another way of the south thumbing its nose at Lincoln and the Union.

Inside this time capsule was an homage to the pedestals builders.

The contents of the box include:

 The book Huguenot Lovers: A Tale of the Old Dominion, published in 1889 and written by Collinson Pierrepont Edwards Burgwyn, who designed the circle where the statue was built.

 A series of papers in an envelope containing maps or diagrams with the title Natural advantages and waterpower facilities of the city of Manchester and the County of Chesterfield. Burgwyns name is on the cover page.

 An image of a man, with the words "James Netherwood master stone mason" written in hand on the back. Netherwood supervised the construction of the pedestal. Below the image are the printed words "Virginia Art Studio 525 E. Broad Street."

 A hardbound book titled "American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac 1875."

 An 1887 Victoria Dei Gratia silver coin.

 A softbound book resembling a ledger that wasnt opened Wednesday.

This is an important and exciting day for the history of this commonwealth, Northam said after the opening. These are some very interesting documents.

The publish date of Burgwyns book, 1889, suggests that this time capsule was placed, perhaps quietly, by the pedestals builders, when it was half complete in either 1889 or 1890.

The conservators discovered the artifacts were damp, victims of condensation. There was a crack at the bottom of the box, allowing water and air to seep in. And the 40-degree temperature swing in the past six days didnt help.

Sue Donovan, a paper conservator from the University of Virginia, slowly picked apart the papers, careful not to damage them. Chelsea Blake examined the coin, which began to tarnish after it was exposed to the air.

This was normal work for the conservators. Except this time, there were 25 or so members of the media watching.

Ive never worked with this many reporters watching me, Blake said.

The conservators will place some of the items in the freezer to keep mold from growing on them. They separated the papers in hopes of drying them out. It could take days for them to completely understand what they have and what it means, Northam said.

Its unclear what will happen to the new time capsule placed under the pedestal by the Northam administration in September. The state and the city of Richmond want the Lee statue, its pedestal and perhaps the time capsule to be moved to a museum, said Clark Mercer, chief of staff for the governor.

The question of the 1887 time capsule remains. Did it ever exist at all? Was it stolen or moved?

I think its still in the foundation, said Dale Blumfield, a writer and historian who has studied the capsule.

The final granite stone from the Lee pedestal was removed Wednesday, said Devon Henry, the projects contractor. There are still boulders and rocks below ground level that made up the foundation.

Its unclear if the masonry crew will return from Connecticut after Christmas to keep working or to keep looking for the other time capsule. Those decisions are up to the Northam administration, Henry said.

The other capsule, he said, may still be there, somewhere around the northeast corner. Lying somewhere among the rubble may be the answer to the other mystery.
Australia and the US have signed an agreement to make it easier to share data about crimes in either country.

The CLOUD Act Agreement was signed in Washington on Wednesday by Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews and US Attorney-General Merrick Garland.

The US signed into law its own CLOUD [Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data] Act in 2018.

This agreement paves the way for more efficient cross-border transfers of data between the US and Australia so that our governments can more effectively counter serious crime, including terrorism, while adhering to the privacy and civil liberties values that we both share, said Garland.

According to an Australian legal expert, information that Australian law enforcement authorities collate using the country's 2018 encryption laws will be freely available to their US counterparts.

Helaine Leggat, managing partner of law firm ICT Legal Consulting Australia, told iTWire back in 2020: "The extra-territorial reach of TOLA [the encryption laws] means that it will ease access to encrypted data and work hand-in hand with the CLOUD Act to facilitate access to electronic data held by 'communications-service providers'."

Andrews said the agreement would enhance law enforcement co-operation and help keep communities in both countries safe, while protecting the values, principles and sovereignty of the two countries.

As we saw in Operation Ironside  known in the United States as Operation Trojan Shield  the Australian Federal Police and the FBI are already capable of smashing serious, organised crime networks using sophisticated digital techniques, she said.

By strengthening both nations ability to fight crime, and giving our law enforcement agencies more efficient access to evidence, were ensuring the safety, security and prosperity of our citizens.
WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange could seek permission from Britain's Supreme Court to contest the verdict of a two-bench High Court panel which, on Friday, reversed a lower court's decision to deny a US request for his extradition.

A decision on whether to extradite Assange based on Friday's court verdict rests with British Home Secretary Priti Patel. The hearing on Friday asked the lower court to cancel its January verdict and refer the matter to Patel. If she decides to uphold the decision made on Friday, then Assange can take recourse to the Supreme Court.

On 4 January, British District Judge Vanessa Baraister ruled that Assange should not be extradited, saying the risk he would commit suicide in a US jail were too high.

Assange faces criminal charges in the US for publishing classified information that was leaked to WikiLeaks by an American soldier, then known as Bradley Manning, but now, after gender reassignment surgery, known as Chelsea Manning.

If the Supreme Court does not allow him to appeal the decision, then he would have only one more way to fight against the extradition: an appeal to the EU Court of Human Rights.

Despite her verdict, Justice Baraister had opened the door for the US to get it reversed as she ruled that the reasons advanced by the Americans were justified. She dismissed his protestations that the US was seeking to prosecute him for political reasons, but said he was being pursued for crimes.

Some Australian politicians have asked the Morrison Government to intervene in the matter, with one Labor MP, Julian Hill, criticising the Biden administration for what he called the hypocritical detention of Assange, which he described as a political witch-hunt.

In a Facebook post, Hill described Assange as fighting for his life in London, as the United States seeks his extradition to face an effective death sentence.

The hypocrisy of the United States administration is profound and growing. President [Joe] Biden announced a new initiative on press freedom at his democracy summit, yet his government is hounding Assange for journalistic activities," he said.

This Australian, who exposed US war crimes, is treated worse than a war criminal. He is not receiving a fair trial. There will never be a legal solution to this case. It is an inherently political witch-hunt. The Australian government must stand up to the US and the UK and stop this extradition.

Julian Assanges fiancee, Stella Moris, speaks outside the High Court in London after it ruled to allow the extradition of the Wikileaks founder to the US pic.twitter.com/hWaMJsnqjs  PA Media (@PA) December 11, 2021

Assange was arrested by British police on 11 April 2019 and removed from the Ecuador embassy where he had taken refuge for seven years. His asylum was withdrawn shortly before he was arrested and he appeared in court shortly thereafter. The US made a formal request for his extradition on 6 June 2019.

The Australian, 50, one of the better-known hackers Australia has produced, is being held at Belmarsh Prison in the UK.

In a statement following the decision on Friday, the group Reporters Without Borders said: "We condemn todays decision, which will prove historic for all the wrong reasons.

"We fully believe that Julian Assange has been targeted for his contributions to journalism, and we defend this case because of its dangerous implications for the future of journalism and press freedom around the world. It is time to put a stop to this more than decade-long persecution once and for all. It is time to free Assange."

The British Government has not always been so receptive to US requests for extradition. In 2018, the US gave up appealing a decision by a court in the UK to oppose the extradition of British security researcher Lauri Love to face charges of allegedly breaching the computer networks of a number of American Government agencies.

And another British hacker, Gary McKinnon, was not extradited for accessing US Government computers in 2012, after a 10-year legal battle, because he was considered to be seriously ill.

Former British prime minister Theresa May, who was home secretary at the time, made the decision not to extradite McKinnon.
Retailers big and small may run sales on Super Saturday, the final Saturday before Christmas. Prepare to shop or pick up orders in-store to get discounted gifts in hand by the holidays.

Cancel or return the item

You can usually cancel an order that hasn't processed or shipped and get a full refund. But even if you miss the cancellation period, you can likely return the item after it arrives.

Many retailers have extended holiday return policies. However, certain items or categories may be excluded. For example, Macys has a 90-day return window for most items, but a 14-day window for Apple products and tech accessories.

Check retailers websites for policy details. Read the fine print carefully to make sure you understand the conditions and deadlines.

Take a 14-day return policy, for instance. Does it mean the day that it leaves their warehouse? Is that when the clock on 14 days for returns starts ticking? Is it the day that it leaves there, or is it the day that it shows up at your doorstep? Thomas says.
He believes that there are opportunities here to improve the lives of all people, especially children.

He also spoke of his wife, who was a teacher in her village in Afghanistan.

She is a very respectable woman, Rahmani said. I love her, and she loves me. We have same ideas.

He said his long-term goals are to be a good and beneficial person in the United States, to improve his life and be a good neighbor to all people in this country.

We can show them in the future we can do positive things, he said.

Although Rahmani has visited the United Arab Emirates, he has spent most of his life in Afghanistan.

It was very hard for me to leave my home, he said. I worry about my family there . I hope they can come here to join with me.

Rahmani then spoke in Dari, his native language, and Muhammad Karbalaei, a refugee client coordinator for World Relief Triad and Rahmanis caseworker, translated for him: My big challenge is that I left my family in Afghanistan, so it is quite difficult for us coming from one culture and adjusting to another culture.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Two people died in a submerged car, evacuations were ordered for wildfire-scarred California, and Seattle and Portland faced the rare chance of snowy streets as a wave of storms rolled through the West.

An atmospheric river  a sky-born plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean  was fueling the weather, which could dump rain and snow over much of the region through Christmas, while the Pacific Northwest was looking at a dayslong cold snap.

On Thursday, two people died when their car was submerged in a flooded underpass in Millbrae, just south of San Francisco. Firefighters rescued two people who had climbed atop a car but they couldn't reach the fully submerged vehicle, San Mateo County sheriffs Det. Javier Acosta said.

In the Sierra Nevada, an evacuation warning was issued for about 150 homes downstream of Twain Harte Lake Dam after cracks were found in granite that adjoins the manmade part of the 36-foot-high (11-meter) structure. Authorities began releasing some water, but the dam didnt seem in any immediate danger, Tuolomne County sheriffs Sgt. Nicco Sandelin said.
For many families here in Northwest North Carolina, two years of uncertainty around jobs, daycare and protecting the health of loved ones have taken a toll. But now families face another unexpected challenge  rising costs that only exacerbate existing struggles. Havoc in the food supply chain, induced and worsened by the pandemic, is making everything from pork chops to peanut butter more expensive. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, we and our on-the-ground partner food-assistance agencies see the consequences to the many local families we serve.

Having food should be the last thing on any childs mind, and parents should not have to worry about how they will put food on the table. Yet, even as many of us are planning for holiday feasts, millions of families continue to suffer from hunger in the U.S., and the problem remains especially dire in our rural communities, which make up the majority of the 18 counties served by Second Harvest Food Bank.

That is why it is critical for our lawmakers to invest in The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which supports Second Harvest Food Bank and the more than 430 food-assistance organizations we partner with to serve your community.
Transformational experiences like that changed the trajectory of my ministry. At Pullen, our work with the LGBTQ community aims at integrating its members into our congregation and educating other congregants about the justice and equality issues they face. Our youth programs are fully affirming of LGBTQ-identified young people, and young people and adults from outside our congregation often reach out to Pullen as they struggle with reconciling their faith and their identity.

Several cities in North Carolina have large and vibrant LGBTQ communities, but there are also voices that vilify LGBTQ people. My faith teaches me that we dont need to understand everything about another persons life to appreciate that they are a child of God. Jesus consistently centered the marginalized, demonstrating that all people are deserving of love and just treatment. As a faith leader, I will always appeal to people to follow in the way of justice and love, but I will not ask LGBTQ Americans to be patient while we wait for others to see the light. As a Black woman, I know well the harm inflicted on marginalized communities who lack legal protections.
Health

editor's pick topical alert top story

Struggling to breathe: Nebraskans are delayed care as COVID-19 strains Lincoln hospital

Bryan Health, courtesy photo Julie Bornemier, respiratory therapist speaks with David Polk, float nurse, inside the sixth floor COVID-19 unit at Bryan East Campus in Lincoln in this undated photo.

As William Kieler struggled to breathe, as he grew woozy and unresponsive, as he was hooked up to machines to shove air into his lungs, the worried staff at the small-town hospital in Auburn kept calling the big-city hospitals.

They called every hospital in Omaha. No room. They called Fremont. No chance. They called nearby out-of-state hospitals. No dice.

They called Bryan Health in Lincoln, where a nurse put Kieler on The List. Its a blinking list of names on a computer screen, a digital documentation of ages and illnesses and notes. The List did not exist, in its current form, until last year. Its grown longer as the latest waves of COVID-19 sicken and send mostly unvaccinated people to the Lincoln hospital.

Kim Kieler, courtesy photo Kieler poses with his grandson, Marine Brody Kieler. Staff members at the Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn struggled for days to get the 83-year-old with congestive heart failure transferred to a big-city hospital that could better treat him.

Kieler does not have COVID-19. Hes a retired tugboat captain from the small town of Peru, a man proud of a career spent piloting ships down the mighty Mississippi River. Hes an 83-year-old with congestive heart failure. Hes the sort of patient who has always been quickly transferred from a small-town hospital to a big-city one. But not on Dec. 7.

Kieler was 20th on The List. The next day, ninth. Then seventh. Back to ninth, because too many people were coming into Bryans ER. Then fourth.

For a day, two days, three, the staff of Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn, the people caring for Kieler, called and waited. The Bryan nurses  the keepers of The List  answered and waited. Kielers loved ones waited, and worried.

The horror of The List is simple. Its proof that one of the biggest, best hospitals in Nebraska is currently being forced to ration medical care  isnt able to admit very sick patients it would normally admit  because its emergency rooms, regular rooms, intensive care rooms, makeshift overflow rooms, waiting rooms and even hallways are packed with patients.

Courtesy photo Dawn Isaacs

Of course, you are rationing health care when you cant get in all the people who need it, Dawn Isaacs, the hospitals nursing director, told the Flatwater Free Press. When were making decisions based on capability and capacity, on what we can provide and cant  Yes, we are in a health care system that is rationing care.

For years, that call from Nemaha County Hospital to Bryan would have been routine.

Isaacs said the Lincoln hospital rarely turned down a transfer before COVID-19, and never delayed admitting a critically ill patient.

Now, every time a small-town hospital calls, theres a short conference call with a doctor and the employee running bed control. The key question: Do you have a bed?

The current answer, almost always: Not yet.

On a recent day, 29 Nebraskans  almost all of them awaiting transfers from rural hospitals  sat on the waiting list, said Bob Ravenscroft, a Bryan vice president. In a mid-December briefing, he showed a chart with a gray line denoting a normal busy time at Bryan, and a red line illustrating the hospital at its surge capacity. Since August, Bryan has crossed that red line almost as many days as it hasnt.

Every time we pop above that red line thats where theres not a realistic place to put them, he said of patients awaiting transfer to Bryan. Theres a house supervisor on the receiving end of those calls, and they are going one-by-one, on who gets that next bed. So, obviously, this is heartbreaking for (the staff).

Bryan Health, courtesy photo Julie Bornemeier, respiratory therapist, cares for a patient inside the sixth floor COVID-19 unit at Bryan East Campus in Lincoln in an undated photo.

Bryan has converted the gastrointestinal lab into a space to put hospital patients at night. It has placed patients in rooms meant for observing people who have undergone surgery. It's parked a dozen beds in the hallways of the emergency room.

The ER looks like a war zone, said Isaacs, the nursing director in charge of the ER.

The hospital discharges people speedily. It sends people to urgent care offices for broken bones. It pleads with smaller hospitals to do comfort care for their patients near death.

'It's been hard'  Doctors, nurses from Bryan 6N reflect on last year of fighting COVID While the worst of the pandemic may be over, the nurses and doctors of Bryan Health's 6N intensive care unit said the ongoing fight against COVID has pushed the hospital to the brink  and maybe past it.

Bryan doesnt have beds for patients destined to die within the next 24 hours, officials said. Bryan doesnt have beds, period.

Literally all our beds are used, Isaacs said. This is not a staffing problem. The staff are stressed, dont get me wrong. But we have every area open.

Nebraskans having heart attacks, strokes or other life-and-death emergencies still get immediately into Bryan, Isaacs noted.

But many patients fall into a gray area. They have internal bleeding. Or, like William Kieler, they are having serious trouble breathing. Those patients go onto The List.

It is one thing to hear that hospitals are full because of COVID-19. Its quite another to know that your loved one is bearing the brunt of that No Vacancy sign.

Kim Kieler, Williams daughter, stayed close to him at Nemaha County Hospital as he waited for a transfer Dec. 7, Dec. 8, then Dec. 9. To her, hes more than a number on a list.

Kim Kieler, courtesy photo William Kieler, a retired tugboat operator from Peru, celebrating his 81st birthday. Kieler, now 83, is one of many small-town Nebraskans whose transfer to Bryan Health in Lincoln was delayed because that hospital is past its surge capacity. Hospital leaders say that overcrowding is due to COVID-19 patients, most of whom are unvaccinated.

Hes the man who worked a month on and a month off during her childhood. He steered ships down the Missouri River, the Ohio and the Mississippi, then returned to the house in Peru where he and wife, Beverly, raised four children.

William Kieler still lives in that house. He stayed even after his wife of 59 years died in 2017. Hes long been a healthy horse of a man who, despite two knee replacements, would still captain the occasional tugboat past age 80.

To Kim Kieler, hes Dad.

She tried to stay patient with the Nemaha County hospital staff, knowing they were trying to get him transferred. She tried to stay patient with the phone calls  she knew Bryan wanted to help her father, too. But she felt fear in her temples, her muscles, her bones.

He needed to be in a place that could do more for him, she said. Is he gonna get there? Is he gonna get the help he needs? Is this delay gonna  is it going to make things worse?

Finally, on Dec. 10, a Bryan employee called back. We have a bed, they said.

Then, another delay: The ambulance meant to speed Kieler to Lincoln was occupied by another, severely ill patient. Finally, at about midnight, Kieler was rushed to Lincoln and admitted to Bryan with acute respiratory failure.

Citing vaccination levels, Lincoln to end months-long mask mandate City officials referenced the availability of vaccines to everyone ages 5 and older and booster shots as the underlying rationale for allowing the directed health measure to expire at the end of the day Thursday.

He had waited roughly 80 hours for a spot.

He stayed for nearly a week. He was released  probably too early, Kim Kieler said. He ended up being life-flighted back to Bryan last weekend after the carbon dioxide in his blood spiked. Hes now recovering at the hospital, as others wait their turn on The List.

Some people simply dont realize what this is until youre in this position and you see how hard it is to get a family member into a hospital, Kim Kieler said. To get the care they need.

Isaacs realizes the position Nebraska is in. Bryans nursing director has had to tell anguished co-workers that their loved one cant be admitted  they must go on The List like everyone else.

When she sees friends, she tells them to drive safe, because theres no room for them at Bryan. Its a joke, ha, ha, but its really not, she said.

Bryan leaders have been sounding the alarm for months. They did so again at the December briefing.

The middling vaccination rates in Nebraska are crippling the health care system, Ravenscroft said. The unvaccinated population, as we can see from the statistics, is continuing to occupy beds at an unsustainable rate.

The List isnt going anywhere. Hospital leaders are bracing for it to get longer, thanks to a resurgent flu season and a potential COVID-19 surge tied to the omicron variant.

The List was 10 names long when Isaacs began answering questions during a Monday morning phone interview. An hour later, it had jumped to 13.

It will grow this afternoon, she said before hanging up.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. Learn more at flatwaterfreepress.org.
She said the lack of transparency about the future of the organization both with staff and the community was especially concerning.

That communication  reaching out to residents to find out what they wanted, to make sure they had a seat at the table  was at the heart of the work staff members have been doing.

They were tasked with rebuilding relationships after a proposal to redevelop the neighborhood had been seen by neighbors as gentrification of the area, she said.

I was tasked with building that trust, Shawn also helped with that, Salas said. Weve really come a long ways and our board of directors has come a long way in how we were able to do the work, center our work.  I wasnt confident that would hold true with the transition plan.

Ryba wouldnt comment on what was happening with the organization since his departure but referred to a comment he made when he was hired: that to do community development work well takes a long time and lots of patience.
They also warned that that local or foreign individuals or entities who obstruct or undermine the electoral process in Libya might face UN-imposed sanctions.

On Thursday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that elections should be held in the appropriate conditions, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. The U.N. top diplomat vowed that his organization will continue to support Libyan efforts to overcome challenges and hold both presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

Libya plunged into turmoil after the 2011 uprising that culminated in the overthrow and killing of longtime strongman Gadhafi. Eventually, the country split between rival governments  one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and another U.N.-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli, in the west. Each side is supported by a variety of militias and foreign powers.

In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli. His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the Tripoli government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.
They argue the weeds could harm lake clarity, inhibit boating and affect the rest of the lakes ecosystem. Theyre advocating for a trial program that would use UV light, manual weed extraction and herbicides to remove up to 75% of the invasive plants over a three-year period.

Groups such as the Sierra Club, Friends of West Shore and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance oppose herbicides, which have never been used in federally-protected Lake Tahoe or the Keys. A similar effort to introduce herbicides in 2015 was scuttled.

Instead, they are pushing to wall off the Keys to contain the invasive plants and returning parts of the lagoon to the native marshland  an idea that property owners oppose.

Making sure the Keys homeowners can take their boats out of their backyards is more important than saving the lake? said Tobi Tyler, Vice Chair of the Tahoe Area Group of the Sierra Club and a former water resource engineer with the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Charles Goldman, a longtime professor of limnology Emeritus at the UC-Davis who has studied Lake Tahoe for 60 years and supports the use of herbicides, said that over the years, herbicides have been developed which degrade in days instead of weeks.
Detectives believe her car was involved because it was caught on surveillance video outside the J-N-J Grocery Store near 42nd Street and Bedford Avenue before the shooting, and matched a rough description of the shooters vehicle given by Hills stepfather.

According to the stores surveillance video, the red Cruze circled the business with its lights on and then drove through again with its lights off, which was suspicious behavior, Jackson said.

In an interview, the girl told police that she was sitting in the front passenger seat while Robinson was driving and Wagner was in the backseat. She said Robinson and Wagner directed her to turn off her cellphone before the shooting, about a block away from where Hill was later found shot. When she asked why, the teens responded, Thats what you do before things like this, Jackson testified.

Hills stepfather told police that the two were walking from Hills aunts house when he heard what he thought were fireworks, but realized they were gunshots when he saw Hill on the ground in front of a home near 39th and Pratt streets, bleeding from his torso. ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system used by police, recognized 10 rounds fired about 8:10 p.m.
BURLINGTON  For a girl or young woman trying to decide whether to continue an unplanned pregnancy, sometimes seeing makes all the difference.

Life Choices, a pregnancy counseling center, soon will make it possible for a client to see inside her uterus using a newly acquired ultrasound machine.

Operators of the church-supported center at 324 N. Pine St. hope that ultrasound images of a fetus will persuade clients to continue with unplanned pregnancies and not get abortions.

Renee Meinholz, executive director of the center, said the ultrasound equipment will be a valuable tool in trying to discourage abortions.

People dont realize the miracle that is happening inside, Meinholz said. When we show them that, it is a life-changing experience.

Knights

The new equipment purchase was made possible with a $38,000 donation from the Knights of Columbus, a service club associated with the Catholic church.

Knights of Columbus has been funding Life Choices for years, including donations that are allowing the pregnancy center to expand from part-time to full-time operating hours.

Machine for counseling

The center counsels about 100 girls and young women each year, generally between the ages of 14 and 29.

Chad Novasic, grand knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 15665 in Burlington, said the ultrasound machine will help the pregnancy center counsel young people who are sometimes distraught over unplanned pregnancies.

If a couple is considering aborting a pregnancy, Novasic said, seeing an image of a fetus may convince them to continue the pregnancy.

It helps them make decisions and feel comfortable with that, he said.

The three-dimensional ultrasound device, delivered Wednesday, is similar to equipment used in hospitals and clinics for medical care. At Life Choices, it will be used strictly for counseling clients on family-planning decisions.

The center is not a clinic, but offers parenting classes, adoption referrals, pregnancy testing and other services. All services are free of charge.

Through a national faith-based organization called Care Net, the Burlington facility is affiliated with other Life Choices centers in Kenosha, Elkhorn and Delavan. Some of the other centers have ultrasound equipment already.

The Burlington center plans to begin offering ultrasound services by March, after a nurse has been hired and trained to operate the machine.

Meinholz, who has been executive director for eight years, said the Knights of Columbus donation will allow the center to reach a new level of community service.

It is a huge thing for us, she said.

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Are there 33,500 unemployed people in Wisconsin? Or more than 93,000?

It depends on how you count.

By traditional government statistics, which only counts those who apply for unemployment benefits, there are 33,541 unemployed people, as of Dec. 11.

That number is also how the states unemployment rate, which tied for a record low last month at 3.0%, is calculated.

But according to the U.S. Department of Labor, there are about 93,200 unemployed people in Wisconsin. Although, as shown by the state number, only a little more than one third of them are receiving unemployment benefits.

Its an example of how government officials, elected and appointed, often can use statistics that are not technically incorrect to suit their narrative.

Republicans have aimed to heighten the labor shortages status as a major problem.

Democrats meanwhile have largely pointed to how the current employment climate can be beneficial to workers, who can more easily pick-and-choose what kind of job they want  and are often offered desirable signing bonuses and increased starting wages.

After The Journal Times last week reported on a panel of local elected Republicans and Democrats, during which the labor shortage was discussed at length, an official with the state Department of Workforce Development called a reporter, looking to correct statements made by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who is largely considered the most powerful conservative in the state.

In a follow-up email, the DWD official, Communications Director Jennifer Sereno, pointed to Vos having been quoted as saying: 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.

Sereno then wrote Vos references 100,000 unemployed; these statistic(s) are long outdated  last week the number was 33,541. The week of Dec. 3, 2020, there were 93,669 unemployment claims recorded by DWD. The record high was set in the final week of April 2020, with 321,063 continued unemployment claims plus another 49,993 new claims, according to the Department of Labor.

Secondly, Sereno quoted the following from The Journal Times report: 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 (a Democrat) of failing to enforce it  and increased unemployment compensation was cut off in September.

Sereno said Vos is wrong here: DWD follows the law and is enforcing the work search requirement, she wrote. She then pointed to statistics that showed thousands have been denied benefits from the state every month since the work search requirement was reinstated at the end of May 2021.

According to state statistics, combined in the five months from January through May, only 70 people in total were denied benefits for failing to complete work search requirements. That included 55 denials in January, five in February, seven in March, one in April and two in May.

Then, from June through October, the numbers were in the thousands each month: 22,709 in June, 11,062 in July, 10,089 in August, 10,668 in September and 5,944 in October.

The Journal Times reached out to Vos to respond the DWDs claims. A reply, from Angela Joyce, a spokesperson for Vos, reads in full

It is clear from their responses that DWD only considers those who are actively looking and those who are claiming unemployment in their statistics. According to the US Bureau of Labor, there are 93,247 unemployed people in Wisconsin.

When looking at the unemployment rate percentage, you must remember that anyone who has not actively looked for a job in 4 weeks is no longer a part of that calculation. As I just mentioned, there are over 93,000 Wisconsinites not working, one-third of which are on unemployment. The keyword is look, not actively try to get a job. Employers all around Wisconsin are consistently facing applicants not showing up for interviews. That is something Governor Evers and DWD are failing to respond to or enforce.

We have 93,000 unemployed and we have nearly 130,000 job opening(s) on the Job Center of Wisconsin website. The Governor has consistently failed to get people back into the workforce even as employers have been begging for employees.

Democrats believe people need more government programs to rely on and we believe the best thing for people is a job and making sure government incentivizes get people back into the workforce.

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An attorney representing Wisconsin elections administrator Meagan Wolfe told a judge Thursday that the public would be strongly disserved if former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman is allowed to hold a closed-door meeting with Wolfe as part of his ongoing probe into the states 2020 election.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Rhonda Lanford said she plans to make a decision by Jan. 10 on whether Gableman, who was hired earlier this year by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, to lead the review, has the authority to demand a private, in-person interview with Wolfe. The pending decision stems from Democratic Attorney General Josh Kauls October request for a restraining order against subpoenas issued by Gableman seeking election-related documents and the Wolfe interview.

Kaul has contended that Gableman issued numerous subpoenas to state and local election officials in furtherance of an unlawful investigation focused on debunked theories about the November 2020 election, and Wolfe is willing to meet with Gableman or his team, but only in a public setting. Attorneys representing Wolfe have asked the court to halt Gablemans request, which the former justice has said is paramount to the election review.

Assistant Attorney General Gabe Johnson-Karp said during a hearing Thursday that state statutes require that any meeting with Gableman occur in a public setting before a legislative committee.

I think the public interest would be strongly disserved by the type of closed-door proceedings that these subpoenas call for, Johnson-Karp said.

Attorneys for Gableman and Vos have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and contend that Gableman is operating under the authority of the Legislatures Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.

He stands in the shoes of that committee, said Joseph Voiland, an attorney for the committees chairperson, Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls.

George Burnett, a lawyer for Vos and the Assembly, said Wolfe is acting as a surrogate for the Elections Commission, and the commission itself should be compelled to appropriately respond to the subpoenas.

They are not a citizen, they have no right under the U.S. Constitution, Burnett said. And for good reason because they owe their allegiance, they owe their fidelity, they owe information to the Assembly, which is one of the bodies that created the agency.

Mired in court

The case before Lanford is one of several ongoing legal battles related to the GOP-ordered probe into Wisconsins 2020 election.

Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington on Tuesday issued an order in a separate case declaring that Vos and Gableman must immediately release public records related to the ongoing investigation. The case stems from a lawsuit filed earlier this year by liberal watchdog group American Oversight alleging that Vos and Assembly Chief Clerk Ted Blazel have failed to produce public records related to Gablemans review.

A Waukesha County judge earlier this month scheduled a hearing for Jan. 21 on Gablemans request that the Waukesha County sheriff compel the mayors of Madison and Green Bay to meet with him or else face jail time.

Gableman had initially requested interviews with mayors and city clerks in five cities  a demand he later rescinded. But in a legal filing in Waukesha County, Gableman asked for an order compelling Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich to comply with an Oct. 22 legislative subpoena.

Gablemans lawyer James Bopp said on Thursday the former justice is investigating a series of allegations against the Elections Commission, including those by Republican Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, who earlier this year called for five members of the commission  two Republican appointees and three Democratic appointees  to be charged with crimes for waiving the states special voting deputy requirement in nursing homes. The commission made the decision, at first unanimously, after several nursing homes barred voting deputies because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is (Gablemans) hope that through this investigation some of these allegations  hopefully all of them  can be disposed of, debunked and we just move on, but some of them may not be and that is what he is trying to investigate in order to determine and make recommendations on what legal changes need to be made to election law, Bopp said, adding that recommendations may also include changes to the state Elections Commission itself.

Outside money

Vos has allocated $676,000 to Gablemans review, which has largely focused on private election grants from the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), funded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, that Republicans say were used to unfairly increase turnout in the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha and Racine.

Court rulings have found nothing illegal about the more than $10 million in grants CTCL distributed to about 214 municipalities in 39 of Wisconsins 72 counties, including many in areas solidly won by Trump. Nor did CTCL turn down grant requests from any of the Wisconsin municipalities that made them.

Reviews of the election by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty found no evidence of widespread fraud, but did lead to recommendations on how elections can be improved. The commission earlier this month took the first steps for administrative rules on a number of issues raised in the Audit Bureau report, including rules for ballot drop boxes and what missing information clerks can fill in on absentee ballot envelopes.

A recount and court decisions have affirmed that President Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin by almost 21,000 votes.

An analysis by The Associated Press found only 31 potential cases of voter fraud in Wisconsins 2020 election, which represents less than 0.15% of Bidens margin of victory. In 26 of the 31 cases, prosecutors declined to bring charges after conducting a review.

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The stockings are all hung by the chimney with care and there were not one but three trees decorated with holiday cheer, but Christmas Day is 
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

View Results
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1908 that tribes have rights to as much water as they need to establish a permanent homeland, and those rights stretch back at least as long as any given reservation has existed. As a result, tribal water rights often are more senior to others in the West, where competition over the scarce resource is often fierce.

Litigation can be expensive and drawn-out, which is why many tribes have turned to settlements. The negotiations generally involve tribes, states, cities, private water users, local water districts and others and can take years if not decades to hash out.

What makes them a complicated and often very slow-moving process is there are huge potential ramifications for how a tribal water right gets quantified and developed, said Richard Jim Palmer, the White Mountain Apache Tribes attorney general from 2010 to 2018.

Nearly 40 water rights settlements have been reached with tribes, some of which include more than one tribe. The Interior Department said 31 of the settlements are eligible for funds from the infrastructure bill.

This money will really help us to fulfill our end of the deal, said Elizabeth Klein, senior counselor to the Interior secretary.
Each cradle has the bedtime prayer printed on the side: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

On the other side is an image of a praying baby angel.

We have a laser-engraved, so we design it on the computer, press print and it lasers out the nice designs and words on there to make them really professionally done, he said.

Wamburgs students learn about manufacturing from the class.

Were actually mass producing them, he said. Ive got some kids who are cutting them out, some kids sanding, some doing laser, some kids putting them together. We just kind of have a little factory going on.

There are two classes who work on the cradles, two days each week per Wamburgs part-time schedule.

It is also an opportunity for the students to learn about charity and community.

Im trying to get the kids aware of their surroundings and that people just need a helping hand sometimes, he said.

Those students become a part of a legacy.
NEW YORK (AP)  Revelers will still ring in the new year in New York's Times Square next week, there just won't be as many of them as usual under new restrictions announced Thursday as the city grapples with a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Viewing areas that normally accommodate about 58,000 people will be limited to about 15,000 to allow for more distancing, and everyone in attendance must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news release announcing the changes.

There is a lot to celebrate and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the New Year," de Blasio said, noting the city's success in getting residents vaccinated while also keeping businesses open.

The added precautions for New Year's Eve in Times Square were spurred by the rapid spread of the omicron variant in the Big Apple, where lines for testing have snaked around blocks in recent days.

On Wednesday, the city set yet another one-day testing record with 22,808 new cases, though a true comparison to the number of cases during the initial COVID-19 surge in spring 2020 is impossible because tests were very limited at the time.

Because of vaccinations, hospitalizations and deaths from the current surge are far fewer than at the pandemics height.

The new wave of cases has led to the cancellation of concerts, sporting events and Broadway shows, but de Blasio has shown a strong preference for having the annual Times Square ball drop go on as planned  the last major event of his eight-year tenure, which ends Jan. 1.

Little more than a month ago, de Blasio gleefully announced that a fully vaccinated crowd of hundreds of thousands of people would be back at the iconic celebration  donning goofy 2022-themed glasses and watching a crystal-clad ball drop at midnight  after it was limited last year to small groups of essential workers.

But that was before omicron caught fire, forcing city officials and event organizers to rethink just how many people they wanted to squeeze into the bright, billboard-lined tourist haven known to some as the Crossroads of the World.

On Tuesday, the Fox network gave its verdict, pulling the plug on a planned live broadcast from the New Year's Eve event. Other networks plan to air the festivities, including Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve on ABC, the stalwart now hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

De Blasio said along with Thursday's announcement that the city is monitoring the COVID-19 situation and could impose additional precautions if needed. Among the other changes announced Thursday, revelers won't be allowed into viewing areas until 3 p.m., much later than in past years.

On New Year's Eve last year, Times Square was mostly empty, with Jennifer Lopez and other artists performing behind police barricades. After vaccines became widely available in the U.S., the city allowed crowds back to the Macys Fourth of July fireworks, the Macys Thanksgiving Parade and other events.

New York is the best place in the world to celebrate New Years Eve and now it will be one of the safest against COVID as well, Mayor-elect Eric Adams said in a written statement endorsing the new precautions. New Yorkers and visitors alike can now enjoy Times Square and the rest of our city as we ring in 2022.

Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
DENVER (AP)  The man known as the Unabomber has been transferred to a federal prison medical facility in North Carolina after spending the past two decades in a federal Supermax prison in Colorado for a series of bombings targeting scientists.

Theodore Ted Kaczynski, 79, was moved to the U.S. Bureau of Prison's FMC Butner medical center in eastern North Carolina on Dec. 14, according to bureau spokesperson Donald Murphy. Murphy declined to disclose any details of Kaczynski's medical condition or the reason for his transfer.

Kaczynski is serving life without the possibility of parole following his 1996 arrest at the primitive cabin where he was living in western Montana. He pleaded guilty to setting 16 explosions that killed three people and injured 23 others in various parts of the country between 1978 and 1995.

The Federal Medical Center Butner, in North Carolinas Granville County just northeast of Durham, offers medical services for prisoners including oncology, surgery, neurodiagnostics and dialysis, according to the Bureau of Prisons. It opened an advanced care unit and a hospice unit in 2010.

Butner has 771 inmates, according to the prison bureau, and has been home to notable offenders including John Hinckley Jr., who was evaluated there after shooting President Ronald Reagan and Bernard Madoff, the infamous architect of a massive Ponzi scheme who died at the North Carolina facility earlier this year.

In November, the former Oklahoma zookeeper known as Tiger King Joe Exotic was transferred to the facility after a cancer diagnosis, his attorney said. Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, had been convicted for trying to hire someone to kill an animal rights activist and for violating federal wildlife laws.

The deadly homemade bombs that the vengeful Kaczynski sent by mail  including an altitude-triggered explosion that went off as planned on an American Airlines flight  changed the way Americans sent packages and boarded airplanes.

A 1995 threat to blow up a plane out of Los Angeles before the end of the July 4 weekend threw air travel and mail delivery into chaos. The Unabomber later claimed it was a prank.

The Harvard-trained mathematician had railed against the effects of advanced technology and led authorities on the nations longest and costliest manhunt. The FBI dubbed him the Unabomber because his early targets seemed to be universities and airlines.

In September 1995, The Washington Post in conjunction with The New York Times published his anti-technology manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future. The manifesto was printed at the urging of federal authorities, after the bomber said he would desist from terrorism if a national publication published his treatise.

The treatise led his brother David and Davids wife, Linda Patrik, to recognize his writing and turn him in to the FBI.

Authorities in April 1996 found Kaczynski outside Lincoln, Montana, in a 10-by-14-foot (3-by-4-meter) plywood and tarpaper cabin where he'd been living since the 1970s. It was filled with journals, a coded diary, explosive ingredients and two completed bombs.

Kaczynski hated the idea of being viewed as mentally ill and during his trial tried to fire his attorneys when they wanted to mount an insanity defense. He eventually pleaded guilty rather than let his attorneys proceed.

In his personal journals released at trial by the government at the request of the victims families, Kaczynski described his motive as simply personal revenge."

"I often had fantasies of killing the kind of people I hated - i.e., government officials, police, computer scientists, the rowdy type of college students who left their beer cans in the arboretum, etc., etc., etc., he wrote.

Kaczynski killed computer rental store owner Hugh Scrutton, advertising executive Thomas Mosser and timber industry lobbyist Gilbert Murray. California geneticist Charles Epstein and Yale University computer expert David Gelernter were maimed by bombs two days apart in June 1993.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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State Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, has suspended her campaign for lieutenant governor, suggesting her political efforts might be better used in the legislature.

Taylor issued a statement Thursday evening saying she has suspended her campaign after deliberate thought and prayer. She said the lieutenant governors office offers a platform to discuss issues but she can have a direct impact on constituents as a legislator.

Taylor started her 2022 campaign in October and was the first Democrat to announce a bid for Wisconsins second highest office. She has served in the state Legislature since being elected to the Assembly in 2003. Had she won the lieutenant governorship, she would have been the first Black woman to hold the position.

Current Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes earlier this year announced he is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, who has yet to say whether or not he plans to seek another term in office.

Taylors departure from the race leaves three other candidates vying for the Democratic ticket: state Rep. David Bowen, of Milwaukee; state Rep. Sara Rodriguez, of Brookfield; and Peng Her, CEO of the Hmong Institute in Madison.

Republican candidates include Sen. Patrick Testin, of Stevens Point; Lancaster Mayor David Varnam; and Ben Voelkel, former communications director for Johnson.

Taylor was elected to the state Senate in 2004 and she won her most recent reelection bid last fall.

Earlier in 2020, Taylor lost her run for Milwaukee Mayor to incumbent Tom Barrett.

The Associated Press and State Journal reporter Mitchell Schmidt contributed to this report.

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Up to 8 inches of snow could fall in far southeastern Wisconsin, and much less to the north and west Saturday into early Sunday, forecasters said, while stressing that the storm track was far from certain this far in advance.
Pope Francis urged top Vatican officials Thursday to show humility this Christmas season.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church made the comments during his yearly Christmas speech. He said pride and self-interest is harmful to their spiritual lives and corrupts the Church's purpose.

Francis used his yearly Christmas speech to criticize Vatican administrators, or Cardinals, for what he sees as their moral and personal failings. He spoke about pride-filled clergy who hide behind Catholic Church traditions instead of seeking to help the neediest people with humility.

"The humble are those who are concerned not simply with the past but also with the future, Francis said. They know how to look ahead, to widen their view and remember the past with feelings of thankfulness. The proud fear anything new, he added, because they cannot control it.

The Pope said that proud people only care about themselves, so they do not learn from their wrong actions and are not willing to forgive others. This is a tremendous corruption disguised as a good. We need to avoid it," he said.

Reform measures

Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has used his Christmas speech to speak against those who want to limit his efforts to reform the Vatican and the Catholic Church.

Earlier this year, Francis cut pay to Cardinals by 10 percent. He also barred them from receiving gifts valued higher than $45. And, the Pope passed a law that permits the Vatican's own court to try Cardinals on criminal charges.

Francis compared the leaders to the person in The Bible called Naaman, who was a rich and honored general. Naaman had to become humble to be healed from leprosy.

"The story of Naaman reminds us that Christmas is the time when each of us needs to find the courage and become humble like Naaman, he said.

New rules

This year, Francis took his strongest step yet to control extremely conservative Catholic clergy. He placed restrictions on the use of the old style of Latin Mass ceremony.

He strengthened those restrictions last weekend with a new set of rules to prevent local church publications from advertising the times for Latin masses.

The Pope warned that the church might not survive without change. "All of us are called to humility, because all of us are called to remember and to give life. We are called to find a right relationship with our roots and our branches. Without those two things, we become sick, destined to disappear," he said.

Im Jill Robbins.

Nicole Winfield reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. and Caty Weaver were the editors.

__________________________________________________

Words in This Story

humility  n. the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people

church  n. a particular Christian group

pride  n. a feeling that you are more important or better than other people

tremendous adj. very large or very great

disguise  v. to hide (something) so that it will not be seen or noticed

leprosy  n. a serious disease that causes painful rough areas on the skin and that badly damages nerves and flesh

courage n. the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous

destined  adj. certain to do or to be something

What do you think of the Popes speech? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
A fashion company in Hungary wants to challenge centuries-old ideas about the countrys Roma minority. Another goal of the company, Romani Design, is to make a place in the world of high fashion for this historically marginalized group.

In 2010 when Erika and Helena Varga established Romani Design, they were clear about their goals. They want to use fashion and other arts to build social and cultural standing of the Roma community. They also want to re-establish Roma culture in modern terms.

The two sisters spoke with the Associated Press in Hungary.

We were one of the first brands that actually gave the answer to how to rebuild (Roma) traditions in a contemporary, modern way, said Erika Varga, co-founder of Romani Design.

The Roma are Hungarys largest minority. They represent as much as 10 percent of the population in the Central European country. Like other Roma throughout Europe, Hungarys Roma often do not have the same social and economic opportunities as others. They also face discrimination, segregation, and poverty.

Present in Hungary since the 15th century, many Roma traditions run deep in the larger Hungarian culture. Yet many of their customs, occupations, and language have been slowly dying due to centuries of official and unofficial marginalization.

Before starting Romani Design, the Varga sisters worked as jewelry makers and designers. But they said they still did not feel accepted into the larger society. Their work was not being accepted in the world of high culture. They also worried that valuable Roma traditions were being lost.

Erika Varga said they want the social majority to get used to Roma as being part of the community and part of high culture. She said this was important because those of high social ranking in Hungary often decide, in her words, who is valuable and what position they can occupy in the social structure.

Erika added: We also wanted to communicate messages to our own community that we dont have to give up our traditional values.

Romani Design creates clothing, jewelry, and accessories that show Roma culture in a modern way. They use many flowers and colors. And images of the Virgin Mary are common in traditional Roma clothing and old stories.

Helena Varga oversees the design of their products. She said many of the dresses and accessories -- like jewelry, bags, and belts  show their lived experiences growing up Roma in Hungary.

When I design, I absolutely live my own Gypsy identity, and my roots are absolutely here in my heart and soul, she said.

The term Gypsy for the Roma is seen as an insult in some places. However, it is commonly used by Roma in Hungary as well as Roma living in other places.

Ive seen how (Roma communities) live, what they wear, what kinds of houses they live in... Helena thinks of these memories and experiences when she designs something.

Some human rights groups in Hungary push for the acceptance of Roma music and dance. However, the Varga sisters say that fashion is one of the most powerful means of changing the relationship between their culture and the rest of society.

Fashion -- the way we dress, the clothes we wear on our bodies -- can send a message so fast and so intense that it reaches its target audience very, very quickly, Helena said. Its very effective.

Most of the people who buy from Romani Designs are people who want more from fashion, Erika said. She explained they want to represent values that are important in their personal lives and communities, such as the values of multiculturalism.

Six dresses by Romani Design are on display at an exhibition in the Museum of Applied Arts in Hungarys capital, Budapest. After being displayed, the new contemporary works will become part of the museums permanent collection. This will secure their place for others to see and consider for generations to come.

Judit Horvath is the head of the museums contemporary design department. She says it is the mission of the museum to give shape and form to social problems. The Romani Designs appearance in the exhibition, she said, has done so successfully.

Horvath said that in the exhibit the social problems that the museum wants to show are clear. What is this problem? The conflict, fear, discord and anger that often exists between Roma and non-Roma communities, she said, ...things that we wish were not there.

Im Caty Weaver.

Justin Spike reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

_________________________________________________

Words in This Story

challenge - v. to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal

marginalize  v. to put or keep (someone) in a powerless or unimportant position within a society or group

brand  n. a category of products that are all made by a particular company and all have a particular name

contemporary  adj. living or occurring at the same period of time

segregation  n. the practice or policy of separating a race, class, or group from the rest of society

accessory  n. an object or device not necessary in itself but adding to the beauty or usefulness of something else

exhibition  n. an event at which objects (such as works of art) are put out in a public space for people to look at : a public show of something


Research of 40 years of December 25 United States snow measurements shows that less of the country now has snow for Christmas than in the 1980s. And snow that does fall does not measure up to past depths.

Federal weather records show that the average December temperature in the continental U.S. was a little below freezing from 1981 to 1990. From 2011 to 2020, it was up to an average just under 2 degrees Celsius.

Research done by the University of Arizona for the Associated Press shows that from 1981 to 1990, on average, almost 47 percent of the country had snow on the ground Christmas Day. It showed that the average depth was 8.8 centimeters. From 2011 to 2020, Christmas snow cover was down to 38 percent, with an average depth of 6.8 centimeters.

The change is very clear for the area that runs from Baltimore, Maryland, to Denver, Colorado, and a few hundred miles farther north to Detroit and Chicago. The Arizona information shows that the Christmas snow cover average went from nearly 55 percent in the 1980s to just above 41 percent now. Average snow depth fell from 8.8 centimeters to 6 centimeters.

Xubin Zeng is an atmospheric scientist at the University of Arizona who ran the information. Zeng said the numbers are small enough that it is difficult to tell if this is a meaningful trend and, if so, if climate change or natural weather differences is the cause.

Still, Zeng said the reduction of snow on Christmas lines up with climate change.

Climate scientist Imke Durre said places where there is at least a ten percent chance for snow on Christmas moved north with the new normal. The nations capital, Washington D.C., went from ten percent to seven percent.

The movement of that line is consistent with a warmer December, Durre said. New York, Philadelphia and Concord, New Hampshire, recorded small increases in chances of Christmas snow on the ground.

David Robinson is a climate scientist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He said the university has information based on satellite imagery that goes back to 1966. It shows continental U.S. snow in the last week of December has a small increase, not decease.

Theres no trend. You just dont see it, Robinson said.

Often people in their 60s and 70s think there are fewer Christmases with snow, he added, because the 1960s had more than the usual Christmases with snow.

Meteorologists, or scientists who study the weather, said that temperature changes snowfall in two different ways. In warmer borderline areas, warmer air turns snow into rain. But in cooler more northern areas, where higher temperatures are still below freezing, warmer temperatures mean more snow. This is because warmer air holds more water which comes down as snow.

Several meteorologists warned about finding trends in large amounts of information where both temperature and rain or snowfall are influences.

Victor Gensini is a meteorology professor at Northern Illinois University. He said even with those issues, fewer Christmases with snow seem to be linked with warmer temperatures from climate change.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Seth Borenstein reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

_________________________________________________

Words in This Story

trend  n. a general direction of change: a way of behaving o proceeding that is developing and becoming more common

consistent  adj. in agreement with something

professor  n. a teacher especially of the highest rank at a college or university
Today well do some updates.

The first is from a letter writer who asked us, in August, Is it normal that he is still hiding me from his friends and children (youngest in high school)?

Hi Meredith,

Here is an update:

While I was writing to you, I have noticed how gullible and trusting I was with this guy. Writing helps clear our thoughts, I guess. So a few days after writing to you, I told him that I am ending it (before you published my letter).

Your response, as well as your readers comments, helped me see what we really were. Thanks to you, I resisted the temptation to go back to him. Even after I broke up with him, I missed him very much and regretted the break up every day. I was very much in love with him but it was not mutual. It was painful for months; I cried every time I thought about us.

Almost five months passed since I wrote to you. I met someone else on a dating app. He is a good man, a single dad who raised his daughters alone, now all in college, and he is looking for a life partner. He is 10 years older. We enjoy each other's company and conversations a lot. We're planning to meet each other's kids this month. And it was him asking for it, not me. We are both very honest with each other. We share our thoughts and feelings freely instead of pretending. What started as a rebound relationship is turning into a love story. I feel lucky to have met him.

Thank you :)

Thank you for writing. The next update is from a person who was experiencing a nightmare. The letter is from 2018. This person could use some more advice, I think.

Hi Meredith, thanks for keeping me company through the pandemic. I wrote to you in 2018. After a lot of drama, I packed his bags and told him to leave. But you were right, this was complicated. For two years, it became an on/off relationship. We lived separately  until 2020, when we decided to try again, and funny enough, his lease was ending. Yup, I am an idiot. The other part to the story is that I was offered a job in London, and he knew about it, so he convinced me that he could help me with the move. What I didnt know was that he would lose his job and the pandemic would hit us. So there we were, living on my salary again in my little studio, focusing on him getting a job, talking about his fears while neglecting my needs because I was being "dramatic and difficult."

In summer 2020 he landed a well paying job (two times my salary). My friends were no where to be found so I was grateful for him, but I was also emotionally exhausted. I knew I was hitting a burnout. We co-signed his lease as his debt would not allow him to rent a place alone. He was waiting for seven years to pass so his gigantic credit card debt would be overwritten. He paid a company to move all my furniture to his new place then he dropped me at the airport. I left for London.

Two months later he called me in London to break up with me because the long-distance relationship didnt work for him, but I was his best friend so he wanted to be able to call me whenever he needed. I declined and totally broke down and contacted a therapist. I was not in a good spot, being burnt out and under lockdown in a new country. I have been single for more than a year. I have been working with my therapist to try to figure out why I allowed all of this to happen.

Although he and I have been no-contact, I see his posts, all these pictures on social media with a new girlfriend, acting like some famous TV star in his branded clothes  traveling to Miami, California, New Orleans ... living the life, all fit again. Frankly it still hurts, knowing that I supported him when he was homeless, we could never go on trips. Getting him to the nearby grocery store was a mission. I even paid to take the ferry to the Cape for our only romantic trip in two years ... where he ended up drunk on the beach. He was not able to plan a trip. In hindsight, I wish I had stopped the nightmare after those four months. There is nothing more to say. I want to believe in karma, but then I am the one paying.

My thought is  stop watching this ex on social media! Block him in all ways.

But ... what does everybody else think about how to let this go for good? Discuss, please.

You can send your own letter here. If you're a former letter writer, send us an update to [email protected] or [email protected]

And again, have a safe weekend. And to all a good night, etc.



- Meredith
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TWIN FALLS  Women know how to get things done.

Just ask Linda Watkins, who saw a need in the community and rallied an inclusive and diverse group of women to join her in creating a local branch of philanthropists.

The Womens Giving Connection of Southern Idaho, a nonprofit that launched earlier this month, plans to pool its members dues, then disperse grants to worthy nonprofit groups in the Magic Valley.

In addition, half of the groups funds go toward building a collective giving endowment through the Idaho Community Foundation.

Nationally, each branch of the Giving Circle determines the greatest needs in its own community, Watkins said.

Watkins took the idea to fellow community volunteers Lori Ward, Kathy MacMillan and Sami Ashenbrener in 2018. The four are the groups founding directors.

Pooled giving, greater impact

The Womens Giving Connection empowers women to become educated philanthropists who create positive change locally through collective grant-making, its mission reads.

The group made its first public appearance on Dec. 9 at Yellow Brick Cafe in Twin Falls. Dozens of women of all ages attended. Watkins hasnt seen the initial results of the membership drive yet, but she expects to find some 30 names on its roster so far.

The group has an annual goal of at least 50 members and each member pledges a three-year commitment to keep the organization moving into the future, Watkins said Thursday. The group would have started recruiting members sooner, but COVID-19 got in the way.

We are open to all women in our seven counties, she said.

Three other areas in Idaho have created their own Giving Circles. The Boise-based Idaho Womens Charitable Foundation has raised more than $5 million. Kootenai Countys Idaho Womens Charitable Foundation has raised more than $1.4 million and the Wood River Womens foundation has raised more than $3.3 million.

For the groups first year, the Womens Giving Community executive committee has extended its membership deadline to the end of January.

We do not do any fundraising. Thats the beauty of it, Watkins said. We are granting our own money and we pick where it goes.

Watkins said the group is unique, but the women are not trying to reinvent the wheel.

Treasurer Lori Ward received a scholarship years ago from a similar group.

These groups have been around, Watkins said. Hopefully this group will sustain itself for years as a force in our community that impacts for the good.

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A Martinsville man is headed to prison for 30 years for the attempted capital murder of a police officer and related charges.

Thomas Joe Braxton III, 39, was found guilty in August by Henry County Circuit Judge David Williams of all charges in the wounding last year of former Martinsville City Patrolman Michael Panos.

He pointed his gun at me, looked me in the face and shot me, Panos testified. I heard another bullet and felt it as it whizzed by my head.

Panos and Martinsville Patrol Officer Jason Griffith returned fire, shattering Braxtons pelvic bone and ending a potentially deadly altercation on New Years Day in 2020.

Wednesday afternoon Braxton was sentenced to 40 years in prison with 23 years suspended for attempted capital murder of a law enforcement officer; five years in prison for use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, second or subsequent offense; five years in prison for possession of a firearm by a violent felon; and 15 years in prison with 12 years suspended for elude police at a speed greater than 20 mph, possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm while possessing heroin.

At Braxtons trial in August, Matthew Clark, his attorney, used a defense of voluntary intoxication, describing his client as a strung-out drug addict, high on heroin, methamphetamines and cocaine, who didnt remember what he had done on the night he failed to stop on Memorial Boulevard when Panos activated his emergency equipment, and sending Panos and Griffith on a high-speed chase.

That chase ended several miles away in the parking lot of Glen Ridge Apartments on Theatre Street in Henry County when gunfire erupted.

Panos, who now is employed as a deputy for the Henry County Sheriffs Department, was the first to testify and described in detail what happened that night.

He said he was on patrol when he noticed a black 2002 Toyota Tacoma pickup with no tag lights near the intersection of Memorial Boulevard and Fayette and West Church streets and attempted a traffic stop.

Henry County Commonwealths Attorney Andrew Nester played video from Panos in-car camera that started at 9:37 p.m. and ended at 9:41 p.m.

During those four minutes, the Toyota pickup could be seen heading south on Memorial Boulevard, passing vehicles, including one while crossing the narrow Smith River bridge at speeds up to 90 mph.

The pickup turned right onto Joseph Martin Highway and headed west before turning right onto Theatre Street and then into the Glen Ridge Apartments.

The pickup stopped abruptly and a man, whom Panos identified as Braxton, jumped out of the vehicle and ran toward a fence that separates two groups of apartments.

Nester then swapped the in-car camera video for footage from Panos body-camera, and it appeared that Panos began chasing Braxton in near darkness around the back of the first group of apartments toward a fence.

It looked like he was trying to climb the fence, Panos said. Then he kneeled, stepped back, and I heard a pop and saw a muzzle flash. Then I heard two more pops and felt a pain in my left arm, and I had no movement in it.

Body-cam video from Panos and Griffith showed both officers and Braxton exchanging rapid gunfire before Panos retreated to the cover of a tree, and Braxton fell to the ground.

One of the bullets grazed my head, Panos said. I believed I had been shot in the head.

The video showed Griffith first running to Braxton, kicking a gun away from him, forcing him on his stomach and handcuffing him.

Griffith then ran to Panos and applied a tourniquet to Panos left arm.

Im hit, Im hit, Panos could be heard saying on the video.

Griffith radioed dispatch, Officer down, officer down, he said.

Graphic video showed that Griffiths hands and arms had first been bloodied when he handcuffed the injured Braxton and then again as he provided aid to the injured Panos.

Griffith testified that he and Panos had met at the old A&P parking lot near the intersection of Memorial Boulevard and Fayette Street to make plans for their shift when he told Panos about a tip the department had received concerning a black Toyota pickup that was thought to be regularly transporting narcotics from Collinsville to Ridgeway.

It was during the conversation between the officers that Braxton drove up to the intersection in a pickup matching the description of the suspicious vehicle.

Griffith said they expected to find the owner of the pickup driving the vehicle and not Braxton, but Virginia State Police Sr. Special Agent Billy McCraw testified that he found nine Ziplock bags of an off-white substance in a Crown Royal bag and $363 in cash in a pants pocket of a pair of gray cargo pants he was told were cut off of Braxton by rescue personnel attending to Braxtons injuries.

VSP Special Agent Richard Conley, now retired, testified that he had interviewed Braxton at length after the shooting.

Clark asked Conley to identify Braxton in the courtroom, and Conley pointed to Braxton.

Do you notice anything different about his appearance? Clark asked.

He was in obvious pain from his injuries during the interview, Conley said. He looks healthier now.

Clark pointed out that Braxton had gained as much as 80 pounds in less than 20 months since he has been in jail, suggesting that Braxton was underweight because of his drug habit when the shooting occurred.

He was a drug addict, sometimes sold to support his habit, said he was high and didnt remember what he did, Clark said. There were a number of illicit drugs found in his system at the hospital.

Clark said Braxton was well known among the officers, having been stopped frequently.

Braxton had been pleasant with them before, Clark said.

Braxton and his wife lived in the group of apartments on the other side of the fence where Braxton was stopped.

He was trying to get home to his wife, Clark said. His wife came out after she heard him scream.

At the August trial, Williams said Clarks defense of voluntary intoxication didnt match up with Braxtons precision driving at high speeds, and the fact that he was able to shoot an officer once and nearly a second time in almost total darkness at a distance of 25 feet proved he was sober enough to know what he was doing and be a pretty good shot.

Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt

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His name is Commander! Jill Biden told the kids. And this morning he was eating my slippers!

The president and first lady then sat before the hospital's Christmas tree, where Jill Biden read Olaf's Night Before Christmas to the kids, which was broadcast to hundreds of children in their rooms at the hospital.

The Walt Disney Co. provided copies of the book for each patient so they can follow along with the first lady, the White House said. Each book includes a White House bookmark designed by her office.

The annual tradition of a hospital visit by the first lady dates to Bess Truman, who served in the role from 1945-1953.

Before returning to the White House, the two stopped briefly at a Jill Biden-themed Christmas tree set up on the street in D.C.'s Dupont Circle neighborhood by a local business owner. The president hung the 2021 White House Christmas ornament on one of the branches, nestled between large cutouts of Jill's face dotting the tree.
Explosions rang out Thursday in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri as President Muhammadu Buhari arrived for an official visit, according to local media.

Five people were killed, including a 16-year-old girl, while at least eight others were injured in the explosions. President Buhari was not injured.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Maiduguri residents say they suspect the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

Initial reports indicate the attackers fired projectiles. According to residents quoted by local media, one bomb fell on a mosque, and another hit the Maiduguri airport, where the president landed Thursday.

Nigerian officials have not yet issued a statement.

While in Borno State, Buhari is scheduled to inaugurate projects at the University of Maiduguri and elsewhere in the city. For now, no one knows if the presidents schedule has been affected by the attack.

Nigeria has been battling the Boko Haram insurgency for 12 years, with Borno State the epicenter of the fighting.
Lawyers of former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila announced Thursday that their client reserves the right to file a complaint against the media and NGOs that accused him in a report of siphoning off $138 million over five years.

Former President Kabilas clan was implicated in the investigation titled Congo Hold-up, based on 3.5 million confidential bank documents obtained by the French online investigative media Mediapart and the NGO Platform for the Protection of Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF).

Following the serious and intentional violation of his fundamental rights, our client reserves the right to seize incessantly the competent judicial authorities both in the Democratic Republic of Congo and abroad, said Mr. Raphael Nyabirungu, head of the collective of Congolese lawyers of Mr. Kabila.

Collectives of lawyers have been formed in France, South Africa and the DRC, said Nyabirungu.

A professor of criminal law, Mr. Nyabirungu said he was surprised that the media focused on one man, Mr. Kabila, who has not caused any harm to any of their countries, without presenting a single piece of evidence, a single transaction in his name or for his benefit, without indicating a single account in his name.

The data that accuses the Kabila clan was analyzed by 19 international media and 5 NGOs over a period of six months under the coordination of the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) network.
A new attack occurred in northwest Benin near the border with Burkina Faso on Wednesday, December 22. A position of the Beninese armed forces was attacked. This is the third attack during the month of December in this region of northwest Benin. There are victims on both sides.

Authorized Beninese sources confirm this new attack: it took place late Wednesday afternoon, around 5 p.m., at the Arly post.

It was a position of the Beninese armed forces on the border with Burkina Faso that was attacked by an armed group. The nearest town in the area is Tanguieta, 600 km north of Cotonou.

There have been no claims of responsibility for the moment, and the Beninese are not saying who attacked them. Neither the military nor the government has released any information about this latest attack  there were two in early December.

The current toll: one dead and two wounded on the side of the Beninese armed forces, whose condition is reportedly stable, and two terrorists killed, according to Beninese sources. By early afternoon, one attacker had been killed; the second victim was said to be a body found during the ongoing sweep, according to Beninese sources.

In Niger, the last police and customs checkpoint on the southern border with Burkina Faso was attacked, 90 kilometers from Niamey. Police, gendarmes, and customs officers are stationed at this post in the rural commune of Makalondi. The jihadists, who came on motorcycles, attacked both the police and the customs weighbridge at the same time, presumably in large numbers.

A provisional death toll is at least seven: two customs officers, one police officer, one gendarme and three civilians, customs assistants, said a security source. Significant material damage was recorded. The weighbridge and the police station were completely burned. The same is true for several vehicles, including that of the police.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Chile will offer its citizens a fourth coronavirus vaccine dose from February, starting with high-risk categories, President Sebastian Pinera has announced.

"The main concern and priority is to protect the lives and health of our compatriots," he said Thursday at an event to mark a year since Chile launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

First to get the booster shot will be health workers, old people and those with chronic diseases.

The country already has the doses required, said Pinera.

Health Minister Enrique Paris said the decision was taken as studies showed that virus-fighting antibody levels drop six months after the last dose.

Chile has to date administered at least two vaccine doses to some 16.5 million of its 19.2 million peoplemore than 86 percent.

The country has registered over 1.7 million coronavirus infections and 38,954 deaths, 54 in the last 24 hours.

Since the beginning of December, the vaccine campaign has expanded to include children from the age of three.

At least two other countries, Israel and Brazil, have announced campaigns to give a fourth shot to its immunocompromised population.

Explore further Israel to begin COVID booster shots for over 40s

 2021 AFP
A woman gets her shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. The government of Ecuador has declared COVID vaccination mandatory after a marked rise of infections and the arrival of new variants of the disease. Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Noriega

Ecuador said Thursday that vaccination against the coronavirus will be mandatory for most citizens.

Only Ecuadorians with a medical condition that could be complicated by vaccination will be exempt from the new rule, the government said in a statement. Those people must have documentation to prove it, according to the statement.

The government said it was implementing the requirement because of an increase in coronavirus infections and the circulation of new variants such as omicron. Ecuador has enough vaccines to immunize the entire population, the government said.

This week, Ecuador's Special Operations Committee, which runs health policies to combat the pandemic, said vaccination certificates must be shown in order to access places such as restaurants, cinemas and other public areas.

As of Tuesday, about 77% of 17.3 million people in Ecuador have been vaccinated. More than 920,000 people have received a booster shot.

About 33,600 people in Ecuador are confirmed to have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Last month, Austria announced a national lockdown and a plan to mandate vaccinations as coronavirus infections hit a record high.

A child get his shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. The government of Ecuador has declared COVID vaccination mandatory after a marked rise of infections and the arrival of new variants of the disease. Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Noriega

A health worker prepares a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. The government of Ecuador has declared COVID vaccination mandatory after a marked rise of infections and the arrival of new variants of the disease. Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Noriega

A woman gets her shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. The government of Ecuador has declared COVID vaccination mandatory after a marked rise of infections and the arrival of new variants of the disease. Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Noriega

A woman gets her shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. The government of Ecuador has declared COVID vaccination mandatory after a marked rise of infections and the arrival of new variants of the disease. Credit: AP Photo/Carlos Noriega

Explore further Israelis over 60, medics to get 4th Covid jab to curb Omicron

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Staff absences for COVID-19 tripled this month in London's hospitals, and nearly 10% of the city's firefighters called out sick.

In New York, about 2,700 police officers were absent earlier this weektwice the number who are ill on an average day. And on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, grocery worker Judy Snarsky says she's stretched to her limit, working 50 hours a week and doing extra tasks because her supermarket has around 100 workers when it should have closer to 150.

"We don't have enough hands. Everybody is working as much as they physically and mentally can," the 59-year-old in Mashpee said. "Some of us have been going like a freight train."

The worldwide surge in coronavirus cases driven by the new omicron variant is the latest blow to hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers as the pandemic enters its third year.

Governments have taken steps to stem the bleeding across a range of jobs considered essential for society, from truckers and janitors to child care providers and train conductors. But nurses and other workers worry that continued staffing woes will put the public at greater risk and increase burnout and fatigue among their ranks.

Seattle Officer Mike Solan, who leads his city's police union, said his department is down about 300 officers from its usual force of 1,350.

"It's difficult for our community because they're waiting for that call for help," he said. "And then we're at risk because we don't have the proper safe numbers to have a safe working environment when we answer that call for help."

Michelle Gonzalez, a nurse at New York's Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, said she and her intensive care unit colleagues never truly had a break from COVID-19, and the arrival of omicron has only reawakened her post-traumatic stress.

"Prior to work, I get really bad anxiety," she said. "If I've been off for two days, I will come back in a panic because I don't know what I'm walking into."

Countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines to ease staffing shortages by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus. The U.S. did similar for health care workers only.

Meanwhile in the U.S., states such as Massachusetts have called in hundreds of National Guard members to help fill the gaps in hospitals and nursing homes, where they serve meals, transport patients and do other nonclinical work.

In Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan has promised to veto legislation repealing a $4-an-hour hazard pay raise for grocery workers, which has been in place for nearly a year in some major West Coast cities, including Los Angeles and Berkeley and Long Beach, California.

"Now is not the time to roll back the pay for these critical front-line workers," the Democratic mayor said earlier this week.

Unions representing health care workers gripe that far too many hospitals failed to fill staff vacancies or to retain pandemic-weary staff.

For example, there are 1,500 nursing vacancies in New York's three largest hospitals alone, or about double the number at the onset of the pandemic, said Carl Ginsberg, a spokesman for the 42,000-member New York State Nurses Association.

"There are not enough nurses to do the job right, and so there are situations where the units have dangerous conditions, where patients are in jeopardy," he said.

In London, the U.K.'s omicron epicenter, a wave of staff absences is hitting hospitals just as COVID-19 admissions have doubled in three weeks. The latest surge will probably persist until mid-January, officials said.

"It wouldn't take much to cause a crisis," said David Oliver, a consultant physician at a hospital in southeast England.

The operators of U.S. nursing homes, which were crippled by some of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks early in the pandemic, are among those pleading for officials to do more.

While cases in long-term care facilities have not risen sharply yet, the industry is bracing for omicron with 15% fewer workers today than when the pandemic began, said Rachel Reeves, a spokesperson for the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, an industry trade group.

Nursing homes historically struggle to compete with other health care operators because their pay rates are effectively fixed by the government, she said, so providers hope President Joe Biden's administration can boost Medicaid funding and create staff recruitment and retention programs.

"Caregivers are burned out," Reeves said. "Not only have many experienced tremendous loss, it has been exhaustingphysically and emotionallybattling this virus day in and day out."

Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan provides $350 billion for state and local governments to provide "premium pay" to essential workers. States are also using other buckets of pandemic funds to bolster their workforce.

In West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice said Tuesday that his administration will use $48 million of the state's remaining CARES Act money on recruiting and training nurses to meet a goal of adding more than 2,000 new nurses over the next four years.

But it's not just health care systems warning of dire consequences and seeking more support.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, was among those who have called on the Biden administration to cut recommended COVID-19 quarantine times down to five days, or risk further disruptions in air travel. Delta, United and Lufthansa have canceled dozens of flights over the Christmas period as illnesses take a toll on flight crews.

Train operators also warn of sudden cancellations and other service issues as subways and commuter lines endure COVID-19-related staff shortages.

In the U.K., train company LNER said this week that it's canceling 16 trains a day until Christmas Eve. Transport for London, which operates the subway and employs about 28,000 people, also warned of slowdowns because 500 front-line staff are off work because of COVID-19-related illness.

Even small businesses such as restaurants and nail salons, which are not necessarily considered essential, are preparing to further curtail hours, or briefly shut down if worker shortages worsen.

Manhattan restaurateur Bret Csencsitz said the labor shortage prompted him to reduce seating and eliminate staples such as burgers and oysters from the menu at Gotham, which reopened last month.

Trophy Brewing in Raleigh, North Carolina, cut operating hours and decided to close three of the business' four locations early on New Year's Eve, said David Lockwood, the company's co-owner.

In Washington, D.C., DogMa Daycare & Boarding For Dogs said this week that it was canceling all day care until Jan. 3 because several staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

Daniel Schneider, a Harvard professor focused on low-income workers, said the public should keep in mind that essential workers simply don't have the luxury of working from home, as some Americans do.

"White-collar workers need to appreciate the real risks that these folks take," he said. "You can't ring up groceries from home. You can't stock shelves from home."

Explore further Hospital health care workers in Quebec were at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in first wave of the pandemic

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The number of COVID-19 cases shot up by almost a fifth across the world this week, as the pandemic picked up speed in most regions, with Europe bearing the brunt.

Here is the global state of play based on an AFP database:

18 percent rise

The average number of new daily coronavirus cases over the past week increased by 18 percent to more than 749,000, according to an AFP tally to Thursday.

It was the tenth consecutive weekly rise.

The highest percentage flare ups took place in Oceania, where the number of cases more than doubled, and the United States/Canada zone, where they increased by 55 percent.

The pandemic slowed in Asia and in the Middle East, where cases dropped by 13 and 12 percent respectively.

The confirmed cases only reflect a fraction of the actual number of infections, with varying counting practices and levels of testing in different countries.

Main spikes

Several countries in Africa, where the highly contagious Omicron variant was first detected, were among those which registered the biggest spikes over the past week.

In Ethiopia the number of cases rocketed seven fold, while in Kenya there was a 483 percent increase, and cases rose by 370 percent in Zambia, 155 percent in Mozambique and 142 percent in Botswana.

Biggest drops

In Zimbabwe new cases halved followed by Belgium with a 47 percent drop and Austria and Hungary down 36 percent each.

US still has most cases...

The US remained by far the country with the biggest number of new cases with 184,834 per day on average, an increase of 51 percent.

Next in line came the United Kingdon with 96,010 cases, an increase of 54 percent and France with 61,274 cases, an increase of 21 percent.

In regional terms, Europe is currently recording the most cases, with more than three million over the past week, accounting for 58 percent of the world total.

On a per capita basis, Denmark remains the country with the biggest number of new cases with 1,472 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by the UK (990).

...And most deaths

The US also mourned the highest number of daily deaths with 1,498, followed by Russia with 1,035.

In regional terms Europe had the most deaths, with 26,375 over the week, or 54 percent of the world total.

At a global level the number of deaths decreased by two percent to 6,939 a day.

Explore further Covid pandemic speeds up in Europe, Latin America

 2021 AFP
Statement by the Foreign Ministry on countermeasures of the Republic of Belarus to illegal external sanctions pressure

In response to illegal external sanctions pressure aimed at undermining the sovereignty of Belarus, worsening the well-being of Belarusian citizens and in order to protect national interests, the Government of the Republic of Belarus has banned the import of a number of goods originating from the states applying the illegitimate anti-Belarusian sanctions.

The corresponding decree will be signed as soon as possible.

Necessary measures will be taken to saturate the domestic market with similar goods from friendly countries.

In response to the illegitimate restrictions on the Belarusian aviation industry, which are based on unfair competition, our country will take similar steps in relation to air carriers from the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Belarus has added more people from the countries that systematically discriminate Belarusian officials, journalists and representatives of public organizations to the travel blacklist that bans entry to Belarus and the Union State.

As one of the most significant measures to counter external pressure from the collective West and strengthen its economic security, the Republic of Belarus will continue to implement Union State Programs and strengthen economic integration with the Russian Federation, as well as build strong trade and economic ties with the EAEU states and other partners.

A number of other non-public steps will be implemented.

The measures are reciprocal in nature and can be canceled if the counterparties abandon the broken logic of the Cold War and will return to constructive cooperation in the name of peace and stability on the European continent in full compliance with their international obligations.

Belarus is ready to resolve any existing differences through mutually respectful dialogue based on the respect for each other's interests.

December 6, 2021
For the 20th consecutive year, the Kingsway Vancouver and Richmond Centre White Spot Restaurant locations will do something very special for their community over the holidays: For 2021, theyre offering White Spot Christmas Day Takeout in support of two local charities.

White Spot Christmas Day Takeout for Charity

The Christmas Day menus vary by location but offer White Spot favourites such as The Legendary Burger, The Spots Fish & Chips, Nats Beef Dip and Traditional Roast Turkey Dinner. Order takeout online, in person, or by phone 604-278-3911 (Richmond), 604-874-2825 (Kingsway).

This initiative sees both staff and management from both locations donate all net proceeds including wages and tips earned on the day to these two local charities:

Where: Richmond Centre (Unit 1902  6551 No. 3 Road)

When: Wednesday, December 25, 2021 from 11:00am to 3:00pm

Cause: Richmond Hospital Foundation

Richmond Hospital Foundation, is a registered charity, dedicated to ensuring donors dollars have 100 percent impact on improving health care in Richmond. We work closely with our doctors and health care teams as well as hospital leadership to ensure donations are directed to areas of greatest need.

Where: Kingsway (1476 Kingsway at Knight Street in Vancouver)

When: Wednesday, December 25, 2021 from 11:00am to 3:00pm

Cause: Variety  The Childrens Charity

Variety  the Childrens Charity steps in where health care ends, providing direct help to children with special needs in BC. For over 50 years, Variety has ensured that children have the support to reach their potential and thrive.

Since its inception in 2001, the initiative has generated more than $261,021 for both causes, with both locations raising a combined total of $18,651 in 2020.

Follow White Spot on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date on their latest menu offerings and promotions.

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FRIDAY, Dec. 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- It's clear that COVID-19 has killed many hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. Less clear is its impact on other health issues, which will be felt in the years to come.

Liver disease is projected to be one of those, with 8,000 additional deaths from alcohol-related liver disease, 18,700 cases of liver failure and 1,000 cases of liver cancer by 2040.

The reason is the increase in alcohol sales and consumption during the early part of the pandemic, according to a new study.

"Our findings highlight the need for individuals and policymakers to make informed decisions to mitigate the impact of high-risk alcohol drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.," senior author Jagpreet Chhatwal said in a news release from Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston. He's associate director of the hospital's Institute for Technology Assessment.

A national survey of U.S. adults found that excessive drinking, such as binge drinking, increased by 21% during the start of the pandemic.

The researchers projected that a one-year increase in drinking would also lead, in the shorter term, to 100 additional deaths and 2,800 additional cases of liver failure by 2023. And a sustained increase in alcohol consumption for more than one year could result in 19% to 35% greater death rates.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has had many unintended consequences with unknown long-term impact. Our modeling study provides a framework for quantifying the long-term impact of increased alcohol consumption associated with COVID-19 and initiating conversations for potential interventions," said co-author Turgay Ayer, an associate professor of industrial and systems engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The findings were published this month in Hepatology.

More information

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a helpline to help people facing substance abuse disorders.

SOURCE: Massachusetts General Hospital, news release, Dec. 17, 2021

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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  George Keiser, a longtime Republican North Dakota lawmaker who announced just last week that he would not seek another term in the Legislature, has died. He was 75.

House Republican Caucus Chair Glenn Bosch said Keiser died Wednesday, the Bismarck Tribune reported. A cause of death was not disclosed. Keiser announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs disease, the common name for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a nervous system disease that weakens muscles.

Keiser's body has been taken to Eastgate and Parkway Funeral and Cremation Service in Bismarck, which is handling the funeral, an employee said.

Gov. Doug Burgum said in a statement that Keiser served the citizens of North Dakota with passion and dedication for nearly three decades.

U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer also issued statements. Hoven said Keiser worked to build up his community and secure a more prosperous future for North Dakotans.

Keiser introduced Cramer to his future wife, Kris, while the two were working on a campaign in 1986.

I literally owe George for 35 years of happiness, Cramer said in a statement.

Keiser was first elected to the North Dakota House in 1992, and chaired the House Industry, Business and Labor Committee from 2003-19.

He announced last week that he wouldnt seek another term next year.

Keiser was a U.S. Army veteran who owned Quality Printing Service. He also served on the Bismarck City Commission from 1988-92.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Bismarck Tribune.
By changing a few words, a statute adopted to incentivize landowners to allow public elk hunters access to private land aroused an onslaught of public anger this fall.

The public elk hunting access agreements offered by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks had been altered by the Private Land/Public Wildlife Council. Then the 2021 Legislature added its own changes that flew under the radar until landowners began applying for the free either-sex elk tags offered under the program.

In the end, the so-called 454 permits, named after the original legislation, climbed from only two landowners  who had taken part since 2002 and 2015  to 15. The legislative changes dropped the number of hunters the landowners had to allow for their free tag from four to three.

In addition, FWP previously picked all four of the public hunters allowed on the ranch. The legislative changes dropped that to two.

In the case of the Wilks Ranch in central Montana, eight free bull tags were awarded to the nonresident landowners as well as eight to their "designees."

In return for providing the free bull permits, FWP was allowed to randomly pick a portion of the other hunters. On the Wilks Ranch, those were 16 cow elk hunters.

The either-sex permits were also in addition to any already allotted in the hunting districts during spring drawings. In some cases, those bull permits were coveted because so few were issued, so giving away free ones to landowners stirred up some hunters anger.

Due to those changes, now its not really an access program at all, said Ed Beall, chairman of the Private Land/Public Wildlife Council in a Dec. 17 meeting.

To me, that was one of the smallest things that we ever did that in its application created such a negative backlash, he added. So we do need to clean it up.

Beall went on to explain that when the PL/PW had considered modifying the statute, it seemed like it was no big deal since only two landowners had been taking part.

Theres really no problem, he explained to the group of his thinking at the time. It creates a little bit of access opportunity, which was the whole design, to create a little access opportunity for some public hunters and offer that landowner that did that a coveted permit.

Following changes by legislators, the PL/PWs original intent was obscured and things went awry, one of the members noted.

The councils discussion provided insight into what had been an opaque program overseen by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

FWP director Hank Worsech said the department didnt realize the problem with the legislation until after the session when applications for the program started rolling in. By that time, he said the department felt like it had no authorization to turn down requests.

Now hes looking to PL/PW to help establish criteria for who can participate. The department will also set a June 1 deadline for applications. This year, applications were still being approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission into October, after the rifle season had already started.

Landowner Rich Roth, who is a member of the council, said he applied and received one of the permits under the program for his IX Ranch near Big Sandy in September. Yet he ended up giving the permit away to someone else due to the public outcry over the program.

I was the one who got it, but I said, I dont want it. I dont want any publicity. I dont want anybody knowing. Give it to someone disadvantaged, he said.

Im glad for the program, Roth added. I think its a start in the right direction, but I didnt want the flak that I saw.

Worsech said he was questioned by members of the Fish and Wildlife Commission about why more landowners werent taking part in the program, since it had been around for so long.

I looked into it and we never reached out  to the landowners to explain this option, he said.

Now, theres no question its publicized, thanks to the public outcry, he said, and that the department will see more applicants because the changes made the program more appealing to landowners.

Details about the success of the public elk hunting access agreements wont be known until after the late elk hunts, known as the shoulder season, ends in February. Participants are required to provide the department with information on who participated and their success rate. But Worsech said hes already hearing anecdotally that some landowners are providing more access than originally agreed.

Theres been some real success stories, from my perspective, he said.

Another program, which provides agricultural landowners hunting permits under a preference program, may also be changed after FWPs legal counsel found the agency had been misinterpreting who qualified, Worsech said. A separate citizens group will be organized to look into that issue, he added.

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Running a utility is difficult work, but rising gas and electricity prices make paying utility bills difficult for the rest of us. Thats why its time for NorthWestern Energy to reflect on its missteps in the past year and make a commitment to do better in 2022. Such a commitment is important to the pocketbooks of hundreds of thousands of Montana customers as well as the environment that we all treasure.

NorthWestern Energy, Montanas largest utility, has created a track record over the past several years that is less than desirable. The new year brings an opportunity for NorthWestern to show Montanans that it can be a utility that Montanans are proud of, instead of one that is reminiscent of the copper kings.

It can start by:

Shelving the proposed Laurel methane plant. NorthWesterns proposed methane gas plant along the Yellowstone River in Laurel is simply unaffordable. Its also strongly opposed by the neighbors who dont want to live next to the noise and pollution from 18 loud methane gas combustion engines. Numerous op-eds from Laurel residents and people around the state, as well as nearly 1,000 signatures on a letter to Bob Rowe, show that Montanans want something different to solve our energy needs. In 2022, NorthWestern should finally do what other utilities across the country are doing  move to more affordable and cleaner energy resources.

Taking responsibility for the Madison River dewatering disaster. On Nov. 30, Montanans woke up to the news of a severe dewatering of the Madison River  a critical economic and environmental asset for southwestern Montana. The cause was a major malfunction at NorthWesterns Hebgen Lake Dam. NorthWestern is solely responsible for making sure water flows through its dams. In 2022, NorthWestern needs to agree to an independent investigation, commit to making impacted individuals and businesses whole, and guarantee that this type of malfunction will never happen again.

Committing to transparency, truth, and responsibility for the West Wind Fire. It appears that NorthWesterns utility lines were the spark that caused a massive fire near Denton that destroyed dozens of homes and businesses. Montanans deserve a full and transparent account of what happened and how NorthWestern will prevent such future catastrophes. If NorthWesterns equipment is responsible, then it needs to ensure that impacted individuals are made whole and its transmission system is operated in a safer manner in 2022.

Stopping its never-ending attempt to buy an old, overpriced, and unreliable coal plant, and to pass all of its costs onto its Montana customers. NorthWestern has attempted  and failed  session after session to convince the Legislature to make its customers purchase a greater share of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant. This makes NorthWestern a standout as the only utility in the country that is actively trying to purchase more coal-fired assets, rather than transition to cheaper clean energy options. In 2022, NorthWestern should permanently shelve this idea, help the community and workers transition to the clean energy economy, and actively plan for a clean energy future which virtually every other utility in the country is doing.

Start taking energy conservation seriously. Last, but definitely not least, conservation is the cheapest and cleanest energy resource for NorthWesterns customers, but NorthWestern continues to ignore its immense value. Conservation investments by a utility save every customer money whether they participate in the program or not. We also cant meet our climate goals without relying on energy efficiency and conservation. In 2022, NorthWestern needs to start taking this resource seriously and invest in the only resource that actually saves customers money.

The new year is a chance for all of us to start making better choices. NorthWesterns leadership team needs to take this opportunity and clean up its act for the sake of its customers' pocketbooks and Montanans who want safe, affordable and reliable energy. These resolutions will help guarantee clean air, clean water, and a healthy climate for present and future generations.

Anne Hedges is director of policy and legislative affairs of the Montana Environmental Information Center.

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Procter & Gamble Co. is facing at least 17 federal lawsuits surrounding some of its Old Spice and Secret antiperspirant sprays, alleging they are contaminated with dangerous amounts of a cancer-causing chemical, a review of court records shows.

Six of the lawsuits have been filed in federal court in Cincinnati. They are seeking class-action status. One of the most recent in Cincinnati was filed Dec. 17 on behalf of plaintiffs including two Kentucky residents and a Milford, Ohio, woman who said she used a Secret spray for at least two years.

The lawsuits come in the wake of a report issued in early November by Valisure, an independent lab in Connecticut, which found high levels of benzene  a known human carcinogen  in body-spray products from numerous companies.

Among the products tested by the lab, the highest amount of benzene was found in Old Spice Pure Sport antiperspirant and Secret Powder Fresh 24-Hour. The labs analysis also found high levels of benzene in products from several other companies.

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An Old Spice Pure Sport sample examined by the independent lab had an average benzene concentration of nearly 18 parts per million. The Secret Powder Fresh 24-hour aerosol measured 16 ppm.

When its use is unavoidable, the Food and Drug Administration says benzene levels should be restricted to under 2 parts per million.

Among the spray deodorants and antiperspirants from other companies with high levels of benzene were: Tag Midnight Fine Fragrance Body Spray (14 ppm); Sure Lasts All Day Unscented (11 ppm); Equate Dry Spray Cucumber (6 ppm); and Suave 24 Hour Protection Powder (5 ppm).

Last month, Procter & Gamble voluntarily recalled 18 Old Spice and Secret aerosol spray antiperspirants. The company said other Old Spice and Secret products were not impacted and could continue to be used.

And on Dec. 17, the company announced the recall of aerosol dry conditioner and shampoo sprays from Pantene, Aussie, Herbal Essences and Waterless. It said benzene had been detected in some of those products.

Story continues

The company said it undertook a review of all its aerosol products after Valisure reported finding benzene in the Old Spice and Secret sprays.

Benzene, P&G noted in a statement with the recall, is not an ingredient in any of its products. The company said the benzene came from the propellant, which is produced by another manufacturer, that sprays the product out of the can.

According to one of the recent lawsuits filed in Cincinnati, many of the products tested by the independent lab did not contain detectable levels of benzene. It does not appear that benzene use is unavoidable for their manufacture, the lawsuit says.

P&G spokesman Damon Jones said daily exposure to benzene at the levels detected in the recalled products would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences.

However, out of an abundance of caution, we have issued voluntary consumer recalls, Jones said. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of the consumers who use our products and quality of the products we provide to our customers.

Jones declined to comment on the lawsuits, saying: We will make clear our position on the litigation in our various court filings.

Benzene linked to cancers including leukemia

According to one of the recent lawsuits, it is widely agreed upon, both by U.S. and international agencies, that benzene causes cancer in humans. It has been linked to cancers including leukemia.

The FDA says benzene, for example, should not be used to manufacture any component of a drug due to its unacceptable toxicity effect, according to the lawsuit.

Lawsuits surrounding the Old Spice and Secret sprays also have been filed in federal courts in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Oregon.

The companies that make the other products found to contain benzene have not yet issued recalls. A search of court records found recent lawsuits against Unilever United States, which makes Suave, and the company that makes the Tag body spray.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: P&G lawsuits mount over cancer-causing chemical in sprays
MUSCATINE  A pretrial conference for a Muscatine woman accused of sexually molesting an 8-year-old child and selling the video across state lines has been continued until next year.

According to court records, the conference for Jessica Rochelle Peters, 33, will be held at 11:20 a.m. Feb. 25, 2022. The conference that was scheduled for Dec. 17 was continued to allow the time needed for plea negotiations or discovery. Earlier a trial scheduled to begin Oct. 18 was continued. Charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, a Class C felony, and purchase or possession of the depiction of a minor in a sex act, an aggravated misdemeanor, were dismissed at the request of the state to allow federal charges to be brought.

Peters was arrested after Henry Winchip, 76, of Valparaiso, Ind., was arrested for allegedly paying Peters for photos and videos of the act. He faces felony charges of child exploitation and possession of child pornography.

According to the Indiana filings, on Aug. 12, the child's father told Muscatine police he believed Peters had been sexually abusing the child.
ST. HELENA -- At the heart of Rianda House is the greeter  the volunteer who welcomes you to the converted house that serves as the Upvalleys only senior center, shakes your hand, gives you a warm smile, and establishes a connection with you.

The pandemic might have closed the building, put a stop to handshakes and covered the smiles with a mask, but the staff spent the last year and a half mustering all of its energy and resourcefulness to fulfill Riandas core mission of connecting with seniors.

March 18, 2021 was the day Rianda House went virtual. Operations manager Toni Abdalla remembers Rianda House being inundated with calls in those early days of the pandemic.

People were looking for information, resources and reassurance. Most of all, they wanted the center to reopen, which was still impossible given the statewide lockdown.

Instead, the Rianda House staff worked the phones, checking in with local seniors, asking how they were doing  essentially doing what greeters had done pre-pandemic.

There are so many little connections, so many good friends Ive made over the years that dont go away just because theres a pandemic, Abdalla said. I felt a responsibility to check in and keep everybody updated.

A team of six volunteers made 300 to 400 care calls per week just to keep them connected, said Elizabeth Cobb-Bruno, program manager.

Going virtual

As it became clear that COVID-19 wasnt going away in a matter of days or weeks, Rianda House adapted, issuing email blasts, expanded its events calendar into a full-blown newsletter, and embraced Zoom.

This team didnt give up, said Peter Working, Rianda House board president. They could have said OK, forget it, well reopen next year. But that didnt happen here. Its a tribute to the spirit of the house and its staff.

Executive Director Julie Spencer said the challenges of the pandemic brought the Rianda House team together.

We became closer as a team even when we were far apart, she said. Were more intentional about coming together as a team because our work is more important than ever.

Lisa Hinz is a psychologist and art therapist who has taught two virtual classes at Rianda House during the pandemic. In one, seniors created collages and then wrote poems to accompany them. A core group of six seniors who bonded during the class kept meeting virtually twice a month.

It wasnt until a couple of Fridays ago that we met in person for the first time, after 16 months online, Hinz said.

Another class focused on current events helps participants share their values, core beliefs and emotions. They met in person for the first time just before Thanksgiving.

Hinz said expressing emotions reduces stress, especially amid the social isolation and anxiety of a prolonged pandemic.

I was surprised at how quickly and deeply people shared really important issues and feelings with one another, she said. It showed me what a need there was for this kind of outlet.

A seniors perspective

St. Helena resident Anne Gridley participated in the current events class.

I literally dont think I would be here if it werent for Rianda House, Gridley said. This has been my life.

She said Rianda was my lifesaver when her late husband was experiencing dementia. Rianda House offers a caregiver support group in partnership with Collabria Care and the Alzheimers Association.

That taught me how to take care of him and what to say to him, Gridley said.

Shes taken part in everything from Balance & Stretch classes to music appreciation to the Rianda House book club. She even volunteers to help produce The Wrinkle, the monthly newsletter thats mailed to about 550 people.

During the pandemic, Riandas virtual offerings were a lifeline for seniors when we were stuck in our homes and couldnt go anywhere, Gridley said, adding that she felt overwhelmed when the pandemic started.

Having someone to talk to and classes to enlighten you has been so wonderful, she said.

COVID-19 vaccines

When vaccines became available, the St. Helena Hospital Foundation asked for Rianda Houses house help contacting local seniors.

The Rianda House staff called seniors, told them how to get vaccinated, and coordinated with the foundation on three clinics that vaccinated approximately 500 people ages 65 and up. In some cases, the foundations mobile unit vaccinated homebound seniors in their own homes.

Rianda House staff also attended the vaccine clinics. After months without in-person interaction, the sight of a familiar face  even under a mask  was enough to bring some of the senior centers longtime patrons to tears.

We became their safe zone, Cobb-Bruno said. They knew who we were, so they felt safe.

Aside from their vaccination efforts, the staff distributed about 900 masks manufactured by Beth Lincolns Maisie the Mask Makers group. They also organized a few drive-through events, starting with last years take-home Thanksgiving luncheon, which the staff remembers fondly even though it was pouring rain.

That luncheon gave everyone a sense of human-to-human contact, Cobb-Bruno said. Everybody got the sense that Theres Toni! Theres Priscilla! Theres Julie! Theyre still there.

Hearts were opened

Priscilla Upton, a board member who runs the boards finance development committee, said donations went up during the pandemic.

People appreciate the work that Julie and the staff are doing to reach out to our members and making sure theyre not isolated and alone, Upton said. They feel this is an important part of our community.

With seniors being at the greatest risk of serious illness from COVID-19, the pandemic has focused our community on senior well-being in a way Ive never seen before, Spencer added. Hearts were opened.

You can reach Jesse Duarte at 967-6803 or jduarte@sthelenastar.com.

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Napa County and the city of Napa have opted into a $26 billion nationwide settlement of claims brought against the three largest opioid distributors and a major manufacturer of the drugs.

The Napa City Council unanimously approved the decision to join the settlement during a closed session of the Dec. 7 council meeting, according to city attorney Michael Barrett, who announced the decision at a council meeting this week.

The Napa County Board of Supervisors voted to join the settlement at a meeting last week, according to county assessor-clerk-recorder John Tuteur.

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The settlement will resolve thousands of lawsuits from states and local governments filed against the three pharmaceutical distributors  McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen  and manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and its parent company Johnson & Johnson, for the role theyve played in the opioid epidemic.

About 841,000 people have died from drug overdoses since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 70% of the overdose deaths in 2019 involving an opioid.

The first wave of opioid deaths began with increased prescription of the drugs in the 1990s, according to the CDC. The epidemic has been largely blamed on the pharmaceutical industry for deceptively marketing the drugs.

Overdose deaths have increased further during the pandemic. According to CDC data, about 93,000 people died in 2020, a rise of nearly 30% from 2019.

Public health officials attribute the recent rise in the increased presence of the deadly opioid fentanyl, pandemic-related stressors, and problems in accessing care, according to National Public Radio.

The distributors will pay a maximum of $21 billion over 18 years, and J&J is set to contribute $5 billion over nine years, according to the National Opioid Settlement website.

California stands to receive about $2.34 million if all local governments sign on  the ultimate amount that will actually be paid out is dependent on how many local governments agree to suspend their opioid lawsuits.

Funds could start to flow from the settlement into local and state governments as early as April 2022, according to the website. At least 85% of those funds are required to go toward helping treat the epidemic; pre-approved uses include intervention, education, treatment and recovery services.

California strongly supports continued investment in combatting the devastation that our communities have suffered because of the opioid epidemic, said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a July statement. The opioid epidemic continues to pose a serious threat to the health of Californians. In 2019, California experienced nearly 12,000 opioid-related emergency department visits and more than 3,000 deaths. If approved, this settlement agreement would provide an important investment in opioid treatment and prevention."

You can reach Edward Booth at (707) 256-2213.

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YEREVAN.  A total of 190 economic entities were in the 2020 inspection program, 240 economic entitiesin 2021, and about 700 economic entities businesses will be inspected in 2022. Hakob Avagyan, Head of Health and Labor Inspectorate of Armenia, told this to a press conference Friday.

"Next year, the inspections of 235 economic entities will be connected with the risks of violation of the right to work, the inspections of 200 economic entitieswith the risks of safety violations, the others refer to the healthcare sector," the official noted.

He added that violations of right to work are most often detected in trade and services, while the violations of safety normsin industry.
We were quite surprised that the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan won the elections in June with over 50 percent support after a war he lost to Azerbaijan, a Turkish official told Middle East Eye, speaking on condition of anonymity, Middle East Eye reported.

His election encouraged us to talk to the Armenian government about a normalisation because he now has a strong mandate and his popularity indicates the Armenian people also want a change, the Turkish official added.

Pashinyan has repeatedly acknowledged his interest in opening the border with Turkey and beginning a normalization process. In the summer, Ankara attempted to make some gestures to the Armenians but was unable to succeed due to some unexpected developments, Turkish officials said.

After consultations with the Azerbaijani government in the autumn, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began publicly calling for a three-plus-three platform that consists of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia, Iran and Armenia for a complete regional reconciliation. Meanwhile, Ankara started direct outreach to Yerevan.

Now that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue has largely been resolved for Azerbaijan through its military conquest, the Turkish officials are confident that a resolution is more than likely.

Turkish officials say the biggest difference is that both sides arent trying to have a complete reconciliation deal as they did in 2009.

This time we are only focussing on normalisation steps. And we plan to take it gradually, a step-by-step approach based on mutual trust and progress, the Turkish official said. "The dispute on how to name the killing of the Armenian citizens in 1915 [i.e., the Armenian Genocide] or other issues aren't on our agenda."

Turkish officials believe normalization between Turkey and Armenia will serve the broader security and stability in the region.

Officials say there are more reasons to normalize relations with Armenia than not, and believe won't hinder the process.

However, Turkish officials are concerned that the Armenian diaspora in the United States and France could undermine normalization by conducting a public campaign in Armenia and using its political capital.

We told our western friends, including the Americans, to help us to prevent possible provocations by the diaspora, the second official said.

Turkish officials also mention that the reconciliation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to be important to maintain the Turkish-Armenian talks.

We cannot say that any possible armed clashes between both sides wouldn't have an impact on our diplomatic talks, the first Turkish official said. However, our track is separate and has its own course."
I can say that everything related to railway communication, the initiatives that follow the results of the meetings in Brussels, develop the trilateral agreements reached between the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan on November 26 this year. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, commenting on the recent statements by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in this matter.

"Substantive discussions continue on the trilateral working group co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of the three countries. I would also like to remind that within the framework of this mechanism, a wide range of issues is being discussed on the unblocking transport and economic ties in the South Caucasusincluding the restoration of both railway and transport links in the region. As agreed by the heads of state, we are working towards the immediate launch of specific transport projects.

As for the statements that are being made, they should all have the same goal that we are talking about. It cannot be said that we do not specify the problems. We not only specify them, but also work on them; but, nevertheless, it is important to create an appropriate atmosphere. We all see, realize it in separate and collective conversation, etc. In the information sector we must clearly show that there are positive sides, too, and not make the problematic issues fundamental," Zakharova said.

Earlier, Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev had stated that the checkpoint procedures in the "Zangezur" and Lachin corridors between Azerbaijan and Armenia should coincide.

In response, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Azerbaijan was attempting to lead the matter of opening of regional communications to a deadlock.
Today there is a lot of commotion in Armenia with regard to the special envoy who will support Armenias position in the negotiations with Turkey. Nevertheless, if the Prime Minister of Armenia is Nikol Pashinyan, it doesnt matter who will participate in the negotiations and who will represent our country at all. This is what Spokesperson of the Republican Party of Armenia, former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters.

According to the member of the political opposition, in any case, the envoy needs to lead and advance Pashinyans policy.

In the document, which is currently the foundation for the negotiations, the words Armenian Genocide will be brought into compliance with the text of the position that the President of Turkey had previously expressed. Its unequivocally clear what this document will contain. The document will also state the requirements for the establishment of diplomatic relations, as well as ambiguous statements on the Armenian Genocide. They killed both the Armenians and the Turks. This is our shared pain  this is what Erdogan says. They will say something in general and then say See? Erdogan says this is our shared pain. Then, an average Turkish official will probably visit Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex and lay flowers, after which these authorities will go and lay flowers at the tomb of Kemal Ataturk, and the brotherhood will begin, Sharmazanov said.

Sharmazanov emphasized that with this policy, the incumbent authorities of Armenia are destroying the whole struggle for the Armenian Cause, creating a barrier between the Armenian Diaspora and its historic homeland.
Azerbaijan will deploy special military detachments in the Hadrut region of Nagorno-Karabakh. This is what President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev declared in his speech at the opening of a military unit in Hadrut on Friday.

The creation of commando brigades is an innovation for us. Azerbaijan is creating such brigades that can complete any combat task. This will essentially increase the capacity of our army, he said.

According to the press service of the President of Azerbaijan, Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan did not end army construction after the war and hasnt cut the expenditures for the army, on the contrary, it has increased them.

The new contracts signed after the war are being implemented, and the most state-of-the-art weapons and equipment are being imported on the basis of those contracts, he said.

Aliyev stated that the procurement of military equipment, the increase of military expenditures, as well as the rise of the salaries of servicemen go to show that the process of army construction will not end, even though the war is over.
If safety is not ensured for cargo transportation, there wont be cargo transportation, and if Armenian cargo cant pass through the territory of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani cargo also cant pass through the territory of Armenia. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during his online press conference today.

Obviously, when we discuss these issues, we take into consideration the fact that there needs to be cargo transportation. Imagine how illogical it would be, if Armenia suddenly opened a route and it wasnt used, he said, adding that there are talks about construction of the Azerbaijan-Nakhchivan railway costing approximately $200,000,000, which is very close.

Asked if it is likely that the negotiations will lead to the signing of a peace treaty, Pashinyan said the following: Of course, Armenia is interested in the signing of a peace treaty and the start of talks over the signing of that treaty. If Armenia has declared that it wants to open an era of peace, it would be illogical, if Armenia said it doesnt want to hear anything about a peace treaty. If we succeed in creating a model of peace that will be favorable for both sides, perhaps there will be an opportunity to understand each others viewpoints and form a new scheme, he said.

According to Pashinyan, in Sochi and Brussels, there were such preconditions, but the events that took place after the meeting in Sochi put the talks in jeopardy. Fortunately, there were no such events after the meeting in Brussels, and I hope we can move forward. I returned from the meeting in Sochi with a feeling of satisfaction, and I talked about that during a briefing. However, there were statements that made me think that something was misunderstood. In Brussels, there was tension in the beginning of the meeting, but during the meeting, we tried to understand each others viewpoints when we saw that it was entering a deadlock. There were practical issues, and I saw opportunities for solutions, he emphasized.
If the talks proceed naturally and continue, and we see the prospect for overall normalization of relations, Armenia will seriously consider the issue of granting the status of observer to Azerbaijan within the Eurasian Economic Union. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during his online press conference today.

On Dec. 10, Honorary President of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev declared that Azerbaijan may obtain the status of observer within the Eurasian Economic Union.

During todays online press conference, Pashinyan was asked how Armenia treats this statement and whether Yerevan is considering the issue of granting the status of observer to Baku within the Eurasian Economic Union and what actions does it expect from the Azerbaijani authorities for this.

If Azerbaijan expresses such a desire, we will consider it in any case. Armenias stance will depend on how the talks will continue. I cant express a position now since the issue isnt officially on the table, but even if it is on the table, its a process. If Armenia sees that this is something that will contribute to our agenda, that is, opening an era of peaceful development for Armenia and the region, then the prospect for a settlement of the Artsakh issue and the possibility of compromises will be in the general context. If we are moving forward with the other points, it would be illogical for us to create a new hotbed for the conflict, Pashinyan said.
I dont agree with this viewpoint because we havent discussed, we arent discussing and we wont discuss any issue within the logic of corridor. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during his online press conference today, touching upon the viewpoint of opposition forces according to which Armenia, by going to negotiations with Turkey, has already accepted the preconditions of the Turkish side, one of which is the provision of the so-called Zangezur corridor.

Its important for Armenia to create transit routes and build an agenda. If, in the relations with Turkey, it becomes clear that the potential communications may expand across the region, and this is one of the major issues on our agenda, that is, there will be opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and railway. Were talking about the reopening of air communication, which we welcome, and we hope the reciprocal flights will resume. Our expectation is the normalization of relations, but we need to understand that were dealing with a very difficult issue, and people in Armenia are very emotional about this, Pashinyan said.

When will the first meeting of the special envoys of Armenia and Turkey take place?

I hope the meeting is designated as soon as possible. This will be a very long process. If we can achieve concrete results after four or five meetings, it will be better, but it would be exaggerated to expect that this will happen, Pashinyan stated.

Is it possible for the Armenian side to renounce the demand for recognition of the Armenian Genocide after the negotiations?

Pashinyan touched upon this question raised by several media outlets and noted the following: All governments of Armenia have said they are ready to normalize relations with Turkey without preconditions, which means that recognition of the Armenian Genocide has never been a precondition for the normalization of relations with Turkey and the opening of borders. The government has clearly stated its approach to international recognition of the Armenian Genocide in its program.

Does Ruben Rubinyan, who has been appointed Armenias special envoy for the upcoming Armenian-Turkish negotiations, have enough capabilities? Isnt there a fear that the Armenian side will fail due to the envoys lack of experience?

In response, Pashinyan said its very important for the Armenian sides envoy is a member of the ruling political team during the negotiations and added that Rubinyans education, political career and rather vast experience are sufficient.

Will there be a meeting with Erdogan?

According to the Prime Minister, there is no such idea or agreement.

However, if Mr. Rubinyans negotiations with his Turkish counterpart proceed successfully and the process leads up to that point, there will obviously be meetings at a high level and at a higher level. If progress is made, of course, there will be a meeting, Pashinyan declared.
During the first meeting in the 3+2 format, issues related to the general principles of the future meetings were discussed. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated during his online press conference today.

As our representative put it, overall, we have a good impression of the first meeting, but this doesnt mean that the risks that we talk about dont exist. However, in general, the 3+2 format corresponds to the positions stated in the governments program. If Armenia is negotiating with Azerbaijan in a bilateral format, it will also be negotiating with Turkey, the dialogue with Iran is permanent, the Russian Federation is Armenias permanent partner, and it would be illogical to not want to speak in that environment, Pashinyan said.

According to Pashinyan, there are psychological issues, starting from the rotation of the venue of the meetings.

In principle, it would be logical for the first meeting to be held in Moscow, and then in other capitals. Of course, there are psychological, political and moral complexities for the capitals of Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan, but, at the end of the day, where do we want to go in terms of the military? This is a conversation that we need to participate in so that we can maximally protect our countrys interests. If we see that the format doesnt correspond to Armenias interests, we wont participate in the process. The initial impressions are good, but this doesnt mean that the next meetings will be the same, Pashinyan concluded.
The most important topic and the one that is somewhat complicated is for the government to be able to present all the layers of the process of negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict when talking to the public  the issue on the rights of Azerbaijanis who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh has never been challenged during the whole course of negotiations. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated during his online press conference today.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast has never been viewed as merely and only an Armenian entity during the process of negotiations because during the negotiations it was recorded that Azerbaijanis also lived in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and the protection of their rights was part of the negotiations. I have stated that when there were talks about a referendum for adjustment of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, there were also talks about the whole population of Nagorno-Karabakh. This means not only the Armenian population, but also the Azerbaijani population, he said.

Pashinyan declared that today people are making statements that have nothing to do with the content of the negotiations as of 2018. When I say that a catastrophe took place in the process of negotiations in 2016, this is the context that Im referring to. The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast has always been considered an Armenian and Azerbaijani entity, at least with respect to the population, he said.

Asked what catastrophe took place in 2016, Pashinyan said the following: A very important thing took place  in 2016, the Co-Chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group] presented three packages of proposals in which, since 2011, there hadnt been a phrase about Nagorno-Karabakh obtaining an interim status. Throughout the process of negotiations, the Armenian sides position has been to do everything possible to make sure the conflict is ultimately resolved in the domain of the Minsk Group. In 2016, in essence, the parameters of the solution to the issue were moved to the UN Security Council.

The issue that will be solved is the issue on which part of the country Nagorno-Karabakh will be in until the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh is determined, even with an interim status. When this is in the United Nations Security Council, this is very predictable because back in 1993, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution stating that (a) Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and (b) it recognizes the territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Azerbaijan. This is the catastrophe that took place in 2016. This is important in that if that status of Nagorno-Karabakh is recorded, it means that the adjustment of the final status will be in accordance with the Constitution of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister said, adding that, in essence, the issue on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh was returned to the domain of the UN Security Council in 2016.

Touching upon the allegations against him about giving lands, Pashinyan said they are groundless allegations.
I wont repeat the mistake that I made in the past. I refuse to discuss any issue related to the armed forces publicly. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during his online press conference today, touching upon the question about the arms and military equipment that Armenia has procured.

Asked if the radical reforms in the self-defense system are being considered, the Prime Minister said the following: Again, I wont discuss the subtleties and specific issues related to the army, and I advise everyone to not discuss such issues publicly. However, I will say that all of our thoughts about the army are expressed in the governments action plan.

As for the reason why the defeated high-ranking officers havent been relieved of their posts and why the ones who acted in the best way during the war arent appointed to positions, Pashinyan said the following: As far as the officers are concerned, this is a very important issue. However, we need to be very careful to not mix things up. During the war, I was told that a certain commander had left a military post and escaped, and then, after a long investigation, it turned out that it was totally the opposite. There was also the opposite case when a certain commander was glorified, but the investigation showed that he shouldnt have been glorified. Those who gave wrong reports have been punished, are being punished and will be punished. This is a major issue on the agenda, but I wouldnt like to go into detail.
Dubai [UAE], December 24 (ANI/NewsVoir): With the markets recovering from post-COVID situations, organizations are in a race to reassess, revamp, rebuild their businesses. When it comes to Resilience management demand continues to outplace supply as risks are rarely predictable. Centre Systems Group, the UAE based Disruptive technology company; has been focused on helping firms secure and reinvigorate firms primarily in terms of Business Resiliency. With their clientele expanding to major Government organizations in the Middle East, they have procured a resolute trust among their customer and partner base. Centre Systems Group (CSG) has recently secured a $4 Million Investment in their quest to expand their platform onto diverse domains. The Investors, MCube Holdings were looking to expand in the UAE and the investment in CSG has given them a fortuity to do so. With CSG's ascend as a major service provider in the Middle East market, it was an ideal choice for a confident investment. The funding comes on the basis of the secure reputation they have garnered among organizations and partners that are leading service providers internationally. While keeping strong its current expertise, CSG has not slowed down in its pursuit of innovation and diversified its investment with more ambitions. The investment will be used to accelerate its developments in its group companies with its foray into its establishment of its Virtual Assets Exchange called CoinCULT, its NFT platform called DINERO to be established in Malaysia and Lithuania and their EV company One Moto in India. With the investment already mobilized into multilateral developments, CSG is on the lookout for Series B investments to further amplify its projections. With the company expanding its reach into Virtual Assets and NFT's the investment has come at an apt time to give them a further boost to increase their momentum. Sameer Moidin -Partner with CSG, categorically mentioned that the company has already applied for license for the same in Lithuania and has the licensing process going on in Malaysia as well. With the licensing in Malaysia, CSG intends to create the first Shariah-based Virtual Asset Exchange. The launch dates for the platforms are expected to be announced soon and are predicted to be launched in the first quarter of 2022. With these developments coming to light, the CSG Office is elated and ecstatic to see their ideas in real time and are determined to deliver them. "It has been a very exhaustive process to secure the investments, our investors believed in our reputation, vision, and long-term strategy when they invested in CSG and we aim to direct it towards those goals," said Group CEO Muzammil Riyaz. Plans are also in place to build their in-house, state-of-the-art AI based GRC Software that has been much in demand in all categories of organizations internationally. With its multidimensional approach in direction of various sectors of technology CSG has built itself a strong profile for acquiring Series B Investment it seeks to acquire. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
New Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI/Mediawire): The RMB connect conference in association with The Economic Times is an attempt to celebrate the efforts of some of the individuals for transforming lives through the power of networking Amit.Shanbaug@timesgroup.com The last one and a half years have been challenging for most businesses not only in India but all across the globe. But even at these times, the Rotarians have gone an extra mile to innovate, inspire and enrich people around. Rotary Means Business (RMB), a fellowship wing of Rotary, inspires Rotarians to support the success of fellow members by engaging in business with each other, and by referring suitable people to them. To celebrate the occasion, the Rotary Means Business in association with The Economic Times organised 4th RMB Connect Conference where the efforts of 19 such companies were recognised. Five chapters were also felicitated with the Most Vibrant RMB Chapters recognition. Mark Burchill, the Chairman RMB International Fellowship Chairman and the guest of honour of the event stated that Rotary Means Business (RMB) Fellowship started only 8 years ago and the first chapter was launched in India six years ago on December of 2015. "8 months later the second chapter was launched in Kolkata. Now in the year 20-21, India boasts of 50 local chapters which are more than any other country in the world," he pointed out. Burchill further stated that the local chapters play a very important role in recruiting and retaining Rotarians. "Our 128th chapter was recently opened in Kenya," he said. The main objective of Rotary is the business encouragement and to support the success of its fellow Rotarians by doing business with them and referring others to them. D Shivanandan, former Director General of Police (DGP) was the keynote speaker of the event. He stated that every person has the potential of becoming a transformational leader. "The leader is the one who knows the way and shows the way. That is how unicorns are built and today we have a list of Indians who are been leading," he explained. In this competitive world they have two ways to do business -- either they become very big or they get merged with the big. If there is a possibility of a third way, it is through business networking. Shekhar Mehta, president of Rotary International and the chief guest of the event stated that Rotary today has been associated with trust. Glimpses of RMB Connect in association with The Economic Times 2021 https://youtu.be/xuMRVxmzeOM "What started as an initiative to build networking and ethical business practices have become a corner stone of Rotary. The moment you see someone with a Rotary pin, you suddenly become comfortable dealing with him," he said. The Rotary initiative which began in the USA spread to Australia, then America and Europe and finally it is booming in Asia today. Kanak Jain RMBF Director Asia and Chairman of RMB Connect mentioned that the RMB Fellowship is growing and is very important aspect of rotary. "Rotarians do business because of trust of Rotary and this is a good way to attract new members and also contribute to Rotary Foundation when they earn more from doing business," he added. RMB Connect 2021 page http://rotarymeansbusiness.co.in/rmb-connect-2021/ Linked link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-6879378045682225152-ljaL RMB Kolkata board members Rtn Sourabh Khemani, Rtn Sunny Kollannur, Rtn Rakesh Ghosh along with President RtnManoj Jain were also the core pillars for organising the event Host Club RMB Kolkata website www.rotarymeansbusiness.co.in This story is provided by Mediawire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Mediawire)
Nearly five crore new subscribers joined Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) scheme between September 2017 and October 2021, the government data showed on Friday. According to data released by the National Statistical Office, 4,79,72,153 new subscribers joined the EPF scheme during September 2017 - October 2021. During the same period, 5,82,56,595 new subscribers joined Employees' State Insurance (ESI) scheme and 30,23,250 new subscribers joined and contributed in the National Pension Scheme (NPS), as per the 'Payroll Reporting in India: An Employment Perspective - October, 2021' report. These figures give perspective on the levels of employment in the formal sector. EPF is a mandatory savings scheme under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. It is managed under the aegis of Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). It covers every establishment in which 20 or more persons are employed. The number of members subscribing to the EPF scheme gives an idea of the level of employment in the formal sector. ESI Scheme is an integrated social security scheme tailored to provide socio-economic protection to the workers in the organised sector and their dependents, in contingencies, such as sickness, maternity and death or disablement due to an employment injury or occupational hazard. The ESI scheme is governed by the Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948. It is applicable to non-seasonal, manufacturing establishments (other than a mine subject to the operation of the Mines Act, 1952 (35 of 1952), or a railway running shed) employing 10 or more workers. For health and medical institutions, the threshold limit is 20 or more workers. The wage ceiling is Rs.21,000 per month. Subscribers are termed as Insured Persons (IP) and a new IP number can also arise due to a change in employment. The number of subscribers of the ESI scheme also gives an idea of the level of employment in the formal sector. "Data is sourced from Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and the information may have an element of duplication with EPF data and is thus not additive," the report noted. The National Pension Scheme (NPS) is an easily accessible, low-cost, tax-efficient, flexible and portable retirement account. Under the NPS schemes for the Government sector, the individual contributes to his retirement account and also his/her employer co-contributes for the social security/welfare of the individual. The NPS scheme is regulated by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). (ANI)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 24 (ANI/PNN): Augnito, India's 1st advanced medical Voice to Text software powering the healthcare industry, has given its full-time employees a week off to recharge and take time off as workplaces around the world head into the new year amidst the new virus variant concerns. Known for being the Employer of Choice in India and the global markets it serves, Augnito.ai recognises the current global scenario, and its "AI Week of Rest" initiative is meant to put its employee's mental well-being at the forefront and allow them to spend quality time with their loved ones this holiday season. In 2021, as COVID-19's devastating second wave hit the world and shores in India, it left everyone feeling overwhelmed and scrambling to adjust to the new life amidst the new variant announcements and loss - all employees felt stressed at multiple times during the year and have gone over and beyond to fulfil their commitments both at work and home. The 'AIl In' AI Week of Rest initiative comes in addition to Augnito's already flexible "Work from Anywhere" policy that it implemented at the beginning of the pandemic back in 2020. Rustom Lawyer, Co-Founder, Augnito said, "We keep our employees at the core of the business and taking time off isn't just encouraged; it's critical. We know that our partners aren't just buying our products; they are also trusting the people behind the scenes who work round the clock to build these revolutionary products and sustain all things at Augnito. It is imperative that as a new-age global health tech startup in the business of reducing physician burnout, we ensure all our teams are equally well-rested and able to support our partners in the long run. This should be a magical time for everyone, and they shouldn't need to return to a mountain of emails waiting in their inbox. Our employees deserve an environment that strikes the right work-life balance required for a fulfilling and innovative work experience." Augnito is India's 1st advanced medical Voice AI solution powering the healthcare industry that was launched in January 2020, with the vision to revolutionise and augment digital adoption in the global healthcare market. Augnito is bootstrapped by Scribetech -- a two-decade-old company that is a pioneer in the medical transcription BPO industry collaborating with the NHS in the UK and independent health sector organisations. Currently, Augnito is deployed in 100-plus hospitals and used by 7000-plus doctors in the country with a global footprint in the UK, US and Middle East. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
New Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI/NewsVoir): ThriveDX and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) successfully organised the A.YCEP bootcamp and the inaugural Capture The Flag (CTF) competition from December 13-15, 2021 in Singapore with a mission to introduce youths to career opportunities in cybersecurity. The bootcamp was attended by 180 high school students with an aim to get these younger students interested in cybersecurity as a profession. 18-year-old James Chin emerged the champion in this inaugural cybersecurity competition on December 15, 2021, competing against various students who attended the Advanced Youth Cyber Exploration Programme (A.YCEP). ThriveDX believes that a key pillar for any country's cybersecurity strategy is the development of a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem comprising a skilled workforce, so that it can support the cybersecurity needs and be a source of new economic growth. To develop the future cybersecurity talent pipeline, ThriveDX is moving upstream to engage youths at the pre-tertiary level and university level, through its programmes - bootcamps and labs. The event started with a welcome speech and a thought-provoking presentation from Roy Zur, CEO, ThriveDX SaaS to motivate young talents. He said, "Today cybersecurity isn't just about keeping our company safe or the industry safe, it includes keeping our government safe and achieving political stability." He added, "Cybersecurity is not a technological challenge, it's a human challenge. 95 per cent of all cyber-attacks are due to human error. One of the biggest challenges we face today is the talent shortage in cybersecurity. The estimation is that there is a shortage of 4 million cybersecurity professionals in the world. Our aim is to solve this talent shortage." Towards the end, Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information and Health, Government of Singapore, presented the awards to the CTF competitors. He congratulated all the winners and motivated others to qualify for this competition. He addressed the participants saying, "I encourage students to learn cybersecurity because they will play an important role in protecting cyberspace as we move forward. They will play an important role in creating a safe digital environment for everyone with benefits that are not just economical but personal and affect the lives of people. And as a growing number of industries are digitised, cybersecurity professionals will have the privilege to practise their skills across different industries." With its aim to expand to other geographies, ThriveDX is eying partnership across the region and within the APAC, India stands out as having a large protentional for a booming cybersecurity industry. As a part of the growth strategy, ThriveDX aims to expand its partner network in India, in the next 2 to 3 years to cater to the growing demand of cybersecurity professionals and making it a hub for cyber professionals. With its first partnership with IIT Jodhpur and Whizhack Technologies, the first batch of cyber professionals are set to graduate. With more partners in India in the coming years, a large number of students will have the opportunity to learn from industry experts and world-class educators and they can develop the skills needed to become world-class cybersecurity professionals. The cybersecurity curriculum of ThriveDX is aligned to the USA's NIST/ NICE framework, and has the best industry-based interactive labs where students can learn through real-world simulations and get skilled. As advocates of lifelong learning, ThriveDX is committed to closing the digital divide by providing people with the cyber education and digital skills they need. Through bootcamps, online curriculum resources, for-credit courses, and bespoke programs, ThriveDX provides higher education with world-class education solutions that prepare graduates for future-proof careers. This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
A former stand-in actor on HBO's 'Sex and the City' has spoken out about her alleged experience with Chris Noth. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Heather Kristin, a former stand-in for Kristin Davis, has revisited her viral February 2021 essay for a leading news outlet following the allegations against Noth. In the original essay, titled, "I was Charlotte's stand-in on 'Sex and the City'. Some of the behaviour I saw still shocks me," Kristin, who says she stood in for Davis' Charlotte for four seasons on the original HBO series, wrote about an "alpha male actor" who made an offensive comment about a fellow stand-in. In an update to that column published on Thursday, Kristin has named that actor as Noth, writing, "I remember his toxic behaviour all too vividly." Kristin wrote, "The first time the 'alpha male' actor slid his hand down my back and over my butt, I flinched. I was in my mid-20s and had worked as an extra on movie sets for over a decade; I had never been manhandled. 'That's your spot, sweetie,' Noth said, inching even closer." She says she did her best to stay out of his path following the interaction: "My gut said to quit that first day. Instead, I stayed too long, like staying in a bad relationship for far too many years, hoping I'd persevere and land my big break." About a year later, Kristin alleges Noth pointed to the stand-in for Cynthia Nixon's Miranda and said, "I want that one tied up, gagged and brought to my trailer," She writes, "When he got near me, I balled up my fists, squared my shoulders and said, 'This is my and her space.' He backed up, dramatically putting his hands up in the air and said, 'Whoa, there, little lady!' He didn't even know my name. I clenched my jaw and didn't respond. The crew laughed. But I had had enough; I finally stood up for myself and for the other stand-in." On December 16, two women had alleged that they were sexually assaulted by Noth. Zoe and Lily, who do not know each other and who used pseudonyms for the story, approached THR separately and months apart with their stories, each decided to come forward after being triggered by Noth starring in the revival of the iconic series with HBO Max's And 'Just Like That' reboot, which killed off Noth's Mr Big character in its first episode. Noth, who has denied the allegations, was swiftly dropped by his agency and other show, CBS' 'The Equalizer', following the story. Peloton also pulled a viral ad it had created with Noth and Ryan Reynolds following Mr Big's death. Stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Nixon and Davis have also since supported the women who came forward in a joint statement. "When Mr Big, the character played by Chris Noth, died in the first episode of the 'SATC' reboot 'And Just Like That', I felt relief. I'm sure the three women [a third woman came forward to the Daily Beast] who have come forward in the last week with allegations of sexual assault against Noth felt the same," wrote Kristin in her updated essay on Thursday. Kristin also claims that, following the publication of her original essay, she was met with silence by the 'And Just Like That' casting director when she reached out about returning as a stand-in for the reboot. "I found myself wondering whether I was being blacklisted for speaking out," she says, questioning his demise onscreen. "Was Big killed off in the first episode because the producers knew of his troubles?" A rep for Noth has denied the allegations, telling THR, "Now that everyone is piling onto Chris Noth, the timing is unquestionably convenient to drag him into her 'recollection' of events. Chris denies these allegations and there's never been a single complaint or report about him acting inappropriately on the set of 'Sex and the City'." Big's death was reportedly a big plot point in the third 'SATC' film, which never made it to the screen. In a 2018 'Sex and the City' chapter for James Andrew Miller's Origins podcast, the host reported that Big was set to die "relatively early" in the film of a heart attack in the shower, per the screenplay. At the time, Miller said the narrative of Big's death and its focus on Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) made Kim Cattrall, who was responsible for the third film never getting off the ground, uninterested in reprising her role of Samantha Jones. 'And Just Like That' showrunner Michael Patrick King recently told a news outlet that Big's death was the "origin story" of the reboot. "Nobody wanted to come back if [the show] was not going to be different. The more [Noth and Patrick King] talked about it, the more he understood that it was for Carrie -- and Carrie's storyline is, it's better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all," he said, as per The Hollywood Reporter. (ANI)
The Madhya Pradesh government has decided to impose a night curfew between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. across the state Thursday onwards amid a growing fear of a possible third Covid-19 wave following the detection of the new Omicron variant -- cases of which have been reported in some states including the neighbouring Gujarat and Maharashtra. In an announcement on late Thursday evening, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said: "We can impose curfew during night hours (between 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.) If needed, some more measures will be implemented." "Omicron has reached 16 states and people are coming from these states. The possibility cannot be ruled out that cases of this variant will come in Madhya Pradesh. Omicron spreads very quickly," Chouhan added. The move is as an attempt to minimise the spread of new Covid cases in Madhya Pradesh at a time when some other states have witnessed a marginal surge in new cases, including the new Omicron variant. Though reports suggest that the number of daily cases has started increasing in Madhya Pradesh and several samples of new cases have been sent to Delhi for testing, the state is yet to officially report any Omicron cases. The Madhya Pradesh government lifted all Covid-19 restrictions on November 17, permitting all activities including social, political, religious etc. As per the data, as many as 30 new cases of Covid have been detected in the last 24 hours in Madhya Pradesh. The Chief Minister said that the state needs to be alert and prevent the third wave of Covid-19. He appealed to the people to take measures to ensure that the infection does not spread. He also urged the people to follow measures like wearing a mask, not leaving the house unnecessarily, and getting vaccinated. "If someone gets infected in his house and there is no place of isolation, he will be admitted to the hospital," he said, adding: "We had already decided that if children go to the school, classes will function at 50 per cent capacity," he said. --IANS pd/pgh ( 356 Words) 2021-12-23-23:18:03 (IANS)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 100 crore belonging to a businessman Rebba Satyanarayana and his family members in connection with a Rs 112 crore money laundering case The accused cheated the IDBI Bank by taking fraudulent fish tank KCC (Kisan Credit Card) loans. "We have attached the agriculture lands, fish ponds, commercial sites, plots and flats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and bank balance," said an ED official. Earlier, a case against the accused was lodged by the federal probe agency CBI. The ED initiated it's inquiry on the basis of the FIR of the CBI. Satyanarayana and others were accused of fraudulently availing KCC fish tank loans in the name of 143 benami borrowers from IDBI Bank, Rajahmundry Branch to the tune of Rs 112.41 crore. The ED found during the probe that Satyanarayana was the aggregator and end-beneficiary of all the KCC loans sanctioned to the borrowers. "The said KCC Loan amounts were firstly transferred to the Borrowers' Savings Accounts (opened by Rebba Satyanarayana in their name) and later on, most of the said loan amount was withdrawn in cash and handed over to him which he utilised for various things," said an ED official. The official said that the accused utilised the funds for the repayment of earlier loans which he took in the name of other entities. He was controlling all the benami entities. The accused also purchased a lot of properties in the names of his relatives. "Lastly, he invested in his import and export businesses. This business was being run by his relatives and others," said an ED official. The ED found that properties purchased by Satyanarayana in his relatives' and benami names were again used to mortgage for getting other loans in their other business entities. "He is a habitual offender who is taking cyclical loans to repay old loans and divert portions of the sanctioned loans to run his various benami ventures. He was indulged habitually and continuously in fraudulently availing loans from banks by pledging/mortgaging properties and for repayment of the same, either he used to avail fresh loans or used to settle said loan under OTS in a cycled manner," said the ED official. The accused had incorporated a foreign entity in New Jersey, US and exported sea food/cultured prawns worth more than $24,00,000 from his domestic entity to the said foreign entity, which is pending for export realisation. This non realisation of the export is also suspected, the official said. --IANS atk/pgh ( 440 Words) 2021-12-23-21:04:03 (IANS)
Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to resolve the NEET-PG counselling crisis and augment manpower to face a possible third wave of COVID-19 infections. It is pertinent to note that the original NEET PG exam was scheduled in January 2021 but postponed in view of the first and second wave of COVID-19 and held on September 12, 2021, said the letter. However, due to the legal impediments of the Supreme Court now the Counselling is withheld resulting in a shortage of 45000 doctors in the frontline, added the letter. "IMA is in pain to see our younger children are forced to be in the streets, fighting for the cause of the community and genuine interest in the Covid care of our country," according to the letter. "So, on behalf of the 3.5 lacs doctors of this country, we explicitly express our moral support to the resident doctors who are fighting for their rights and we herewith request the Hon'ble Ministry of Health to resolve this matter quickly with compassionate advice and intervention of Hon'ble Prime Minister to restore normalcy lest Indian Medical Association will be forced to adopt direct democratic participation along with the Resident doctors," stated the letter. "IMA request our Hon'ble Prime Minister of India to resolve the PG Counselling crisis and augment manpower to face the imminent third wave. Indian Medical Association is concerned about the ongoing strike of the Resident doctors and their genuine demands for expediting the PG counselling. It is pertinent to note that the original NEET PG exam was scheduled in January 2021 but postponed in view of the first and second wave of COVID-19 and held on September 12, 2021," said the letter. "However, due to the legal impediments of the Supreme Court now the Counselling is withheld resulting in a shortage of 45000 doctors in the frontline. Indian Medical Association has constantly raised the issue of manpower development in COVID-19 care in particular and in the healthcare delivery system in total," it added. "We express our gratitude to Prime Minister for making too much infrastructure development and we appeal once again that the Hon'ble Prime Minister should personally intervene and help the country to build manpower. The Resident doctors are raising the genuine demands and till now it is not been properly resolved," the letter stated. (ANI)
A 47-year-old man from Bihar was arrested by the Delhi Police's Economic Offence Wing for cheating women victims, in connivance with other co-accused, of over Rs 2 crore. The accused, identified as Manish Singh, a native of Siwan district, duped people on the pretext of paying higher rate of interest on monthly basis and persuaded them to invest in Multi Level Marketing (MLM) schemes. Joint Commissioner of Police, Economic Offences Wing, Chhaya Sharma said the present case was registered under sections 420, 406 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint of several victims. The complainants alleged that Manish Singh and others induced them to invest in MLM schemes and after some time, neither paid the interest nor returned the invested amount. During investigation, it was established that the accused persons collected an amount from the housewives in Rohini area at large. There were a total of 39 investors and the amount involved was more than Rs 2 crore. The DCP said accused Singh and his associates were involved in running committees in Rohini area wherein they used to pay regular return for a few months, and then, stop. They targeted only women, especially housewives, who easily succumbed to their promises of higher returns. "They also knew that most of the ladies had savings which were concealed from their family members. As a result, many ladies did not even approach police as they feared backlash from their family members. The accused used this fear," the DCP said. Nabbing the culprit was difficult as he was absconding and not residing at his rented residence, however, a breakthrough happened when it was learnt that a package was about to get delivered on the locked address but the courier company refused to deliver it on that address. "With the help of the courier company, Manish Singh was arrested when he came to take delivery at his locked residence," the police said, adding efforts are on to nab other accused in the case. --IANS uj/vd ( 350 Words) 2021-12-23-22:44:01 (IANS)
Park Street area in Kolkata has been lit up on the occasion of Christmas where a 50-feet high Christmas tree has been unveiled at Apeejay House. The giant Christmas tree was inaugurated today by State Agriculture Minister Sovhandeb Chatterjee on Thursday. The centrepiece of the decoration is a 50-feet-tall Christmas tree, which is the tallest so far in the city. And with a 4-feet star on the top, the tree stands 54-foot tall. It is 30-foot in diameter. Just beside the giant Christmas tree are a 7-foot-tall Santa Clause and a 7-foot-tall fairy. On the occasion, Park Street has been decked out in fairy lights, tuning bulbs and Christmas - themed lighting. The Kolkata Christmas Festival lights up in the bustling Park Street. Themed decorations take to the streets, while twinkling LED ornaments sparkle after sundown. The streets chime in harmonious carols, while a beautiful Christmas tree decked in baubles awaits at the end of Allen Park. Speaking to ANI, Sovhandeb Chatterjee said, "This is an innovative idea by Apeejay House. This is the tallest tree in Calcutta City. I think this will attract the people of Kolkata as a whole and also the people of the state. They will come and join. In our festival, we will enjoy it irrespective of any political colour or caste or creed." (ANI)
The victim had been identified as Rati Koda (42), added the police.

She was rushed to a private hospital in Durgapur, however, she succumbed to her injuries later, as per the police.

She used to work in the canteen department of the factory. On Thursday, around eight o'clock in the morning, she came under a dumper inside the factory, according to the police.

On getting information about the incident, residents of Mandalpur village of Akhalpur area of Jamudia reached here and started creating ruckus.

A meeting was also held between the factory management and the protesters after the incident.

A local resident told that such incidents are happening frequently and the safety of the employees are compromised. He demanded to improve the safety of the workers in the factory. (ANI)
Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association(AHAR), the apex body of the hotel industry, on Thursday condemned the assault on a hotel staff by an Assistant Police Inspector (API) attached to Mumbai's Vakola Police. A video purportedly showing the API assaulting the cashier at a Vakola hotel, for allegedly refusing to serve food and alcohol after midnight, has gone viral on social media. The alleged incident took place at 'Swagat' restaurant near the Vakola police station around 12.30 am on Thursday. As per the video captured on the CCTV camera inside the hotel, the police officer Vikram Patil goes up to the cashier, pulls his shirt and slaps him, while the manager and the restaurant staff were seen trying to intervene and stop him. The cop was furious that the restaurant refused to serve free food and drinks as the kitchen had closed because of the pandemic related guidelines for the restaurant industry. Commenting on the incident, Shivanand Shetty, President, AHAR said, "We strongly condemn this incident which not only brings bad name to the Police force but causes local business owners to lose trust in the local law enforcement agencies. Restaurant owners want nothing more than to peacefully conduct their business and hence we request that very strict action be initiated on the cop to prevent such occurrences wherein law enforcers become lawbreakers." (ANI)
The new additions to the bill will ease the transportation of cattle for agricultural purposes and ensure stringent punishment for cattle smugglers.

"In our mission to strengthen protection of cattle in the state, we have brought an amendment to the Cattle Preservation Act 2021. The new additions will ease transportation of cattle for agricultural purposes and ensure stringent punishment for cattle smugglers," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted.

One amendment is that the appropriate court on being approached by the police officer may make such order for sale the seized vehicle/conveyance including boat, vessel etc., except cattle, through a public auction, after being produced before the appropriate court during any inquiry or trial.

The Assam Cattle Preservation Bill, 2021 was passed in the state assembly earlier this year replacing the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 1950. (ANI)
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government will issue detailed guidelines on Friday to avoid crowds during Christmas and New Year celebrations as the State is once again reporting a steep hike in COVID-19 cases amid fresh concerns raised by the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

While, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackrey held a meeting with the COVID-19 task force on Thursday at 10:00 pm via video conferencing, as per Chief Minister's Secretariat.

The guidelines will cover the gathering allowed at wedding ceremonies in hotels and restaurants. (ANI)
The Punjab Cabinet accorded approval for the setting up of Geeta Adhyayan and Sanatani Granth Institute at Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University, Patiala to carry out teaching research into wisdom and belief of these faiths. According to a statement by the Chief Minister's Office on Thursday, this Centre will promote a considerate attitude towards the other's spiritual, religious, ethnic and metaphysical perspectives, principles and customs fortifies the societies and helps overcome the social, economic and environmental trails the world is facing today. With the belief that discord exists at various levels of faith, cultural communities, and religious institutions, the Institute will also work to uproot these challenges. The setting up of Geeta Adhyayan and Sanata Granth Institute would require a wide range of consolidation and also monitoring mechanisms so that the institute can be set up early and also start delivering the desired outcomes. "A foundation would be constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister. Further, a managing committee for the institute under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary would also be notified separately after obtaining the approval of the Education Minister and the Chief Minister to oversee the implementation of the Institute," said the statement. The statement further said, "To promote art, heritage and culture to the outer world as well as connecting to the people through film, television and OTT Platform, the Cabinet gave its assent for setting up of Film and Television Development Council (FTDC) in the state." Notably, Punjabi films are now released in other states as also in other countries like Australia, Canada, America, the UK and New Zealand. The Punjabi film Industry approximately produces about 55 films annually. The Cabinet also gave its assent for the creation and filling up of additional 69 new posts on a contract basis for Theme Park, Sri Chamkaur Sahib. The Cabinet also allowed the Department to recruit/engage the manpower as recommended by the Officers' Committee. The Cabinet also authorized the Chief Minister to approve for making any changes in future in this regard. (ANI)
Speaking to ANI, Radhakrishnan said, "Nalini, who was granted by the state government on Thursday, will be released on Friday after completing surety formalities."

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday had informed the Madras High Court that Nalini was granted a month's parole by the government after repeated requests from her ailing mother Padma.

Nalini and six other people were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. In May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. The attack also left 14 other people dead. (ANI)
Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Hafeez Iqbal along with two other associates fabricated the Darbhanga railway station IED blast that occurred in mid-June this year, a chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reveals. Belonging to Kairana in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district Iqbal Mohammed alias Hafeez Iqbal alias Iqbal Kana, is presently staying in Lahore, Pakistan. In order to execute the task, on directions of Hafeez Iqbal, accused Mohd. Nasir Khan and Imran Malik "fabricated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) using locally procured chemicals and placed it in a parcel of clothes", mentions the chargesheet filed by NIA before a special court in Patna, Bihar on Thursday. "The parcel was booked in Secunderabad-Darbhanga Express which departs in the night with an intention that on triggering of the Incendiary IED, the cloth parcel would ignite and further spread fire in other parcels booked in the van converting it into a large conflagration," reveals the chargesheet that was filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and sections 16, 17, 18, 18B, 20, 23, 38, 39 and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The chargesheet mentions the name of Hafeez Iqbal and four of his associates Mohd Nasir Khan alias Nasir Malik, Imran Malik, Saleem Ahmed alias Haji Saleem, and Kafil Ahmad-- all residents of Kairana and were presently residing at Hyderabad. The case relates to an explosion at Darbhanga Railway Station on June 17. The case was originally registered at Darbhanga police station regarding the incident and the NIA took up the investigation of the case in June. "Investigation revealed that LeT operatives had planned to set ablaze a moving long-distance train by placing incendiary Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and parcel bomb in the train so that whole train catches fire and there is a huge loss of life of innocent people and damage to property," the chargesheet mentions. "Investigation further revealed that accused Nasir Khan had travelled to Pakistan and received training in espionage, handling of arms and ammunition and fabricating IEDs," the chargesheet mentions. As per the chargesheet, Nasir also received funds from Pakistan on various occasions. "After the incident, the Pakistan-based handlers had tried to facilitate the escape of arrested accused to a foreign country through Nepal, however, they were apprehended before they could escape." (ANI)
With the administration of 57,44,652 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 140.31 Cr (1,40,31,63,063) as per provisional reports till 7 am today, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday. This has been achieved through 1,48,79,511 sessions, stated the ministry. As per the ministry, the recovery of 7,051 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) to 3,42,15,977. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.40 per cent, the highest since March 2020, according to the ministry. Sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend of less than 15,000 daily new cases that are being reported for the last 57 days now. 6,650 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. India's active caseload is presently at 77,516. active cases constitute 0.22 per cent of the country's total positive cases, which is the lowest since March 2020. The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of 11,65,887 tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 66.98 crore (66,98,09,816) cumulative tests. While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate at 0.59 pr cent remains less than 1 per cent for the last 40 days now. The daily positivity rate is reported to be 0.57 per cent. The daily positivity rate has remained below 2 per cent for last 81 days and below 3 per cent for 116 consecutive days now. (ANI)
As per the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), PM Modi will address the Gurpurab celebrations at around 12:30 pm via video conferencing.

Every year, from December 23 to December 25, Sikh Sangat of Gujarat celebrate the Gurpurab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji at Gurudwara Lakhpat Sahib.

Guru Nanak Dev ji had stayed at Lakhpat during the course of his travels. Gurudwara Lakhpat Sahib has his relics including wooden footwear and palki (cradle) as well as manuscripts and markings scripts of Gurmukhi.

As per the PMO, the Gurudwara had suffered damages during the 2001 earthquake. "The then Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, had undertaken urgent efforts to ensure repair of the damages," the PMO said.

"This step showed the deep reverence of the Prime Minister for the faith, as also reflected in multiple recent endeavours, including the celebrations of 550th Parkash Purab of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, 350th Parkash Purab of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and 400th Parkash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji," it further added. (ANI)
As Christmas is around the corner, everyone is preparing for the festive season in their own way. You might be thinking of cosying up with your family and friends with some hot cocoa but that's not the only option you have. Instead of Christmas parties and get-togethers, people also like to travel during the holiday season. While travelling could have been a great option to celebrate Christmas with your family and friends, now seems like a bad idea due to the rising Omicron cases. Even if you can't travel at the moment, you can surely enjoy reading about it in your blanket while sipping a cup of hot coffee. So, let's have a look at some of the best places to visit during Christmas and how the celebrations have been affected due to COVID-19. 1. London, England Celebrating Christmas in London is truly a magical experience as it is full of unbelievable activities that you wouldn't want to miss even in the freezing temperature. You will already be in awe of the city once you see the glittery Christmas lights all over the place. However, due to the spread of the Omicron virus, Christmas shopping has already taken a step back. There has been a blow for pubs and restaurants so you might not be able to party all night during Christmas. Along with that, there won't be any public transport available on the day of Christmas. However, you can always check out Tower Bridge, Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square. For a nice walk with your family, do go to London's Royal Parks as well as enjoy at The Serpentine Lake at Hyde Park. And you can't obviously miss out on the Christmas day services at one of their beautiful cathedrals. 2. New York City, USA If you're celebrating Christmas in New York City, you better be all set to protect yourself from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Due to the spread of the new variant, you won't be able to see the Broadway show but Christmas still won't be a dull holiday for you. You can visit Macy's Santaland, especially if you have kids. The good news is that ice-skating at Bryant Park or Rockefeller Center is still available. Although some restaurants are closed, some are still open and ready to serve you happily. 3. The Vatican, Italy The Christmas season in the Vatican begins on 8th December every year and the Christmas Eve Mass is traditionally celebrated in St.Peter's Basilica. However, this time, due to the spread of the Omicron variant, the celebration at the Vatican will be low-key. One sight that is a must to see is the St. Peter's Square Christmas tree, adorned beautifully. Apart from that, you can also have a look at the beautiful nativity presented at St Peter's Square. For the first time ever, the nightscape with be illuminated with an LED system which will be a sight to capture. 4. Dublin, Ireland Planning to celebrate Christmas in Dublin? Be prepared to stand in queues for Christmas shopping at the Grafton Street and Nespresso outline on South Anne Street. Although the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is in the air in Dublin, the pubs and cafes are still open. However, Christmas celebrations in Dublin are still quiet and not as hyped as pre-pandemic. All bars, restaurants and live music venues would have to close by 8 pm due to the curfew. 5. Singapore Although the Omicron variant has started spreading globally, Singapore is currently out of the 'at-risk' list for Indians. You can always opt to celebrate Christmas in Singapore as it has a mixed bag of activities planned for you. Indulge in ice-skating at the CHIJMES Skating Rink or look out for dreamy snow play domes at the Capitol Singapore. Apart from that, Universal Studios Singapore will be hosting its first Christmas market, offering locally produced artisanal snacks and homemade festive desserts. Along with that, you can also check out the Museum of Ice Cream as well as shop more at the Christmas Atelier. 6. Dubai, UAE Dubai is known for its spectacular celebrations, especially during Christmas. The place is all dolled up for the people and tourists to be in awe. Although this year the Omicron variant has stepped in, there aren't many restrictions for celebrating this beautiful festival in Dubai. Dining at McGettigan is a great option especially if you are with your partner. Apart from that, there will be special shows at the Dubai Opera for you to enjoy. And don't forget to visit Legoland Dubai if you are going with your family! You can also shop for your Christmas gifts there and surprise everyone back home. Talking about Christmas markets, you can visit Bab Al Shams, Ski Dubai, Mall of Emirates as well as Madinat Jumeirah's Winter Wonderland. 7. Mexico City, Mexico After two years, Mexico City is back with a bang to celebrate Christmas! The celebrations begin at the Zocalo square as the COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. You can enjoy festivities like the light show and also visit the amusement park. Along with that, do take a ride on the Ferris wheel, a merry-go-round and a rollercoaster. Their traditions include 9 days of "Posadas" or gatherings that immortalize Mary and Joseph's wanderings as they searched for lodging. Travelling during Christmas is always a great option to breathe in the different cultures of the world. However, make sure that you are all set with your RT-PCR test which is negative, of course, before travelling. Apart from that, always wear a face mask and carry a sanitiser with you to be on the safer side. Merry Christmas! (ANI)
As many as five persons have been arrested for blackmailing Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra Teni, said the Delhi Police. Mishra's son Ashish Mishra is the prime accused of mowing down the protesting farmers in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
Addressing a rally at Sagolband, Nadda said, "India's first woman defence minister, first woman education minister, first woman foreign minister, and first woman finance minister all were appointed by PM Modi. 12 Central ministers today are women."

Earlier in the morning, Manipur CM N Biren Singh received BJP national president JP Nadda in Imphal.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh, BJP national president JP Nadda and others had lunch at Luxmi Kitchen in Imphal, this afternoon. (ANI)
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Som Prakash, and others reached District Courts Complex, Ludhiana to take stock of the situation after the blast on December 23 that killed one and injured two others. They also met Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and other senior police officials. Ludhiana Commissioner of Police informed that the explosion was heard near the Record Room on the second floor of the Ludhiana Court complex. "One person died, two persons were injured in the incident. Bomb disposal team and forensics team has been called from Chandigarh for probe," he said. (ANI)
"The blast (in Ludhiana court) occurred at 12:22 pm, yesterday (Dec 23)... Preliminary investigation suggests that the person who died in the blast was the handler/criminal. Forensic experts, bomb experts looking into the matter," Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Ludhiana Commissioner of Police, told ANI.

The blast in the court left six others injured, the state government said.

An FIR was registered on Thursday in the case under the relevant section of the Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substance Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. (ANI)
Vivek Johri, the Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on Friday said that the cash recovery of approximately Rs 150 crores from searches in Kanpur at several locations related to Trimurti Fragrance is the "biggest haul ever". The teams of CBIC are currently at various premises of businessman Piyush Jain counting cash. "We got the information that Trimurti Fragrances was working without an invoice or tax payment. We searched their three entities and recovered approximately Rs 150 crore cash. This is the biggest recovery ever in the history of CBIC," Johri told ANI. Briefing about the details of the searches, Johri said, "Ahemdabad unit of DGGI received intelligence that pan masala and G company Trimurti Fragrance, manufacturers of a branded Gutkha, are transporting materials without any invoices and without paying taxes." "DGGI Ahemdabad team started searches on the manufacturer of Pan Masala and their supplier. A transporter and a fragrance company of Unnao were also searched as they were providers of fragrance to the pan masala company," he added. Johri also said that one of the parties involved has accepted the case of tax evasion and has deposited Rs 3 crore for the same. "No arrest has been made yet," he added. As per the GST law, if the invoice is more than a certain limit, then it is necessary to generate invoices. During searches, DGGI found an item on which the Goods and Services Tax (GST) tax rate was 28 per cent plus cess, Johri informed. "The probe further revealed that these people were dispatching material without any invoice and e-way bills. Two-three parties are involved in this. All the invoices we found were fake. Value of the item suppressed," Johri added. "A case of fake invoicing and fake credit has been reported...Those involved were dispatching material without any invoice and e-way bills. All the invoices we found were fake. Value of the item suppressed," he informed. The CBIC Chairman also informed that counting of the seized cash is underway. (ANI)
Senior Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav has demanded action against an Allahabad high court judge for his remark that in view of Omicron, political rallies should be banned and assembly elections should be postponed in Uttar Pradesh. "It is unfortunate that people sitting in important Constitutional posts are now giving such decisions. No one had demanded it and my demand is that the Supreme Court should take suo-motu notice and take proper action against the person giving such directions," Ramgopal told ANI in an exclusive interview. Further, Yadav expressed unhappiness at judge's remarks and sought action against the judge. "The Supreme Court can take action against the judge," Ramgopal told ANI. "In Uttar Pradesh, the public is against the BJP. The BJP is going to lose the elections. It is possible that the BJP is trying to postpone the elections," he said. Recently Uttar Pradesh announced a curfew from 11 pm to 5 am amid Omicron fear. Amid the COVID variant Omicron scare, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday requested the Election Commission of India to immediately postpone the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for 1-2 months.The court also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the EC to immediately ban rallies and public meetings of political parties in the state. "If rallies are not stopped, results will be worse than the second wave," Justice Shekhar Yadav said, adding that, "Jaan hai toh Jahaan hai (if there is life, we have the world)." Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh are slated for early next year. (ANI)
Amid the rising cases of the COVID-19 in the country, former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday lashed out at Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi asking him to rise above politics and to focus on governance. He further said that if timely precautionary measures are not taken now, Channi will be held responsible for the spread of the third COVID wave in Punjab. "Punjab Chief Minister must spare some time from his political propaganda and focus on governance. The rising number of Covid cases is a matter of grave concern. If timely precautionary measures are not taken now, he will be held responsible for the spread of the third COVID wave in Punjab," Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief said in a tweet. Punjab is witnessing a flurry of political activities in the countdown to the 2022 Assembly elections. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has issued a new order under which government employees, who fail to provide their COVID-19 vaccination certificate, will not be paid their salary. The employees are required to upload the vaccination certificates on the Punjab government's job portal to get their salaries. Amid rise in Omicron cases, the Punjab government has resorted to stricter measures to encourage people to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said that the people who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will not be allowed at public places in the state after January 1. India has so far reported over 358 cases of the new variant, which was first detected in South Africa. (ANI)
Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat said on Friday that he will be the face of party's election campaign in Uttarakhand. Harish Rawat made the remarks after meeting party leader Rahul Gandhi. Some other Congress leaders from Uttarakhand also met Gandhi along with Rawat. "Kadam, kadam badhaye ja, Congress ke geet gaye ja.(Keep on marching forward, sing praises of the Congress), I will be the face of the election campaign in Uttarakhand. I will lead the campaign as the chairman of the campaign committee and everyone will support me in fulfilling that responsibility," Rawat told reporters later. Rawat did not directly answer questions about the chief ministerial face of the party in the state. "In Congress, after the election is completed, legislature party meets to decide their leader. They send their recommendation to Congress president and then the president decides who will lead the legislature party. We will follow the same procedure on Uttarakhand too," he said. Ganesh Godiyal, president of the Uttarakhand Congress unit, said the party will fight the polls under the leadership of Rawat. "We will fight this election under the leadership of Harish Rawat who is the chairman of the campaign committee," he said. Rawat met Gandhi two days after making a veiled attack on the Congress leadership ahead of assembly polls in Uttarakhand over the "lack of cooperation" from the state unit. However, before leaving for Delhi to meet Gandhi, Rawat had used lines of a popular Hindi song to express his loyalty to the party. "Kadam kadam badhae jaa, Congress ke geet gae jaa. Zingadi hai Uttarakhand ke vaaste Uttarakhand par lutae jaa," he had said. Taking a dig at the party leadership, Rawat had said on Wednesday that "nominees of those whose directions one has to swim (in the electoral battle) are tying my hands and feet". In his cryptic tweets, Rawat has also expressed anguish at factionalism in the state unit saying there was "non-cooperation" from the party organisation in the state at most places and that thought has been crossing his mind that "it is time to rest". Rawat, a member of the Congress Working Committee, is seen as the party's face for the elections in Uttarakhand. Rawat had also expressed faith that Lord Kedarnath will provide him guidance in the new year. The Congress is keen to come back to power in Uttarakhand in assembly polls early next year.(ANI)
Speaking to ANI, BS Randhawa, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) said, "Security has been tightened outside the court complex. The court is running as per the routine but the security is strengthened. Various teams have arrived for the investigation."

Meanwhile, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Som Prakash, and others reached District Courts Complex on Friday to take stock of the situation after the blast.

They also met Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and other senior police officials.

Earlier today, police informed that the person who died in the Ludhiana court blast is believed to have had brought explosives to the District Court Complex.

"The blast (in Ludhiana court) occurred at 12:22 pm on December 23... Preliminary investigation suggests that the person who died in the blast was the handler/criminal. Forensic experts, bomb experts looking into the matter," Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Ludhiana Commissioner of Police, told ANI.

The blast in the court left six others injured, the state government said.

An FIR was registered on Thursday in the case under the relevant section of the Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substance Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday charged Pakistan and asked why it was trying to destabilise and divide India. He also lauded security forces for foiling such designs. He inaugurated various developmental projects at a gathering in the Dondaicha area of Dhule. Addressing the gathering, Rajnath Singh took a jibe at Pakistan by saying, "I want to ask our neighbouring country as to why they want to destabilise, divide our country? Earlier, there was no airstrike, surgical strike but we did and gave a message that we can kill terrorists in our territory and across the border also." The Union Minister also spoke about the developments in the political sphere in the country. "Due to differences in the words and deeds of politicians, people started losing trust in politicians. Our government accepted this as a challenge and are working to end it. We do what we say," said the Union Minister. On December 12, Singh had said, "Pakistan wants to break India by promoting terrorism and the Indian security forces foiled these plans in 1971 and now work is going on to eliminate terrorism from the root." Defence Minister had pointed out that a neighbouring country is continuously fighting a proxy war with India. "This war also tells us that the partition of India on the basis of religion was a historical mistake. Pakistan was born in the name of one religion but it could not remain one. After the defeat of 1971, our neighbouring country is continuously fighting a proxy war in India," he had said. (ANI)
A total of 1,076 farmers died by suicide in Maharashtra in the past five months, State Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar informed Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in a written reply on Friday. In a written reply, Wadettiwar said, "As many as 1,076 farmers committed suicide in the state from June to October 2021. Of these, families of 491 deceased farmers were found eligible for financial aid from the state government." "A total of 213 families of deceased farmers were not eligible for the financial aid while 372 matters are still pending before the district level scrutiny committee," the minister added. Further, he said that financial aid has been provided to a total of 482 families out of 491 eligible beneficiaries so far. Informing about the amount of aid given to the families, he said that each beneficiary is given Rs one lakh by the state government. "On average, around seven farmers committed suicide every day here during the past five months," Wadettiwar said. These statements came after the members of the Maharashtra legislative assembly raised questions over the number of suicides by farmers in the state and if their families were given financial aid so far. According to the Maharashtra government policy of the year 2006, there are three categories under which the families of deceased farmers get financial aid. "If farmers commit suicide due to crop failure, non-repayment of loan and being insisted to repay the loan again and again, then their families will get financial aid from the state government," the policy read. (ANI)
The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday decided to impose a night curfew from December 25 following COVID-19 concerns in the country. As per the government's directives, a night curfew will be put in place from December 25 from 11 pm-5 am. No more than 200 people will be allowed at weddings, as per the order. Chief Minister said that every single passenger coming from outside in the state should be duly traced. RTPCR testing should be done at airports, railway stations, and bus stations. Appreciating the role of Integrated COVID-19 Command Center (ICCC) and Monitoring Committees in COVID management, the CM said that monitoring committees in villages and urban wards should be reactivated so that tracing, testing and treatment can be done at the earliest. ICCC is to be operated 24x7, as per the order. CM Adityanath has directed the Health and Medical Education Department to review the treatment facilities in all government and private medical institutions of the state. The Chief Minister said that the hospitals have been provided with adequate facilities. If there is an additional need, the necessary equipment and resources should be made available immediately. The Chief Minister has also directed to re-activate the COVID Help Desk and Day Care Center in industrial units. All public events including wedding celebrations, New Year, and Christmas celebrations, will be marked with necessary adherence to COVID-19 protocols. Talking about the usefulness of masks to prevent COVID-19 infection, CM Yogi Adityanath has instructed to run a wide awareness campaign in this regard. As per the instructions of the Chief Minister, the mandatory requirement of wearing a mask will be strictly enforced if stepping out of the house. At the same time, traders will be made aware about the same with the message of 'no masks, no goods' in the markets. According to the new system, no shopkeeper will give goods to the customer without a mask. Police forces are instructed to patrol continuously to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 protocol. In view of the importance of vaccination in the prevention of COVID-19, the Chief Minister has given instructions to intensify the vaccination campaign. He said that till now, the people who have not got the vaccine or whose second dose has been overdue should be contacted by making a list. (ANI)
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Friday held a high-level meeting on the security situation in the country, focusing especially on a blast that occurred in the Ludhiana court complex in which one person was killed and six were injured, sources said. Intelligence Bureau Director Arvind Kumar, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and National Investigation Agency (NIA) Chief Kuldiep Singh and Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Pankaj Singh were among those present at the meeting that lasted for nearly an hour in the Home Ministry. Senior officials of NIA and Home Ministry were also present in the meeting. It is learnt that Bhalla took stock of the security situation in Punjab following the blast. It was the second security meeting chaired by the Home Secretary since yesterday. He had on Thursday held a security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of recent targeted killings by terrorists. The blast inside Ludhiana court premises occurred at 12.22 pm on Thursday in a washroom on the second floor of the court building, which is right next to the district administrative complex and has a daily footfall of over 25,000 people. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who visited the spot, had said that it was carried to disrupt law and order in the state ahead of the assembly polls. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had a telephonic conversation with Channi to take stock of the situation on Thursday and the Home Ministry also sought a detailed report from the Punjab government regarding the incident. Police suspect the deceased, whose burnt body was not removed from the site till late on Thursday evening as investigations were on and a forensic team was collecting samples, was carrying the bomb. Punjab Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Bhullar had said the preliminary investigations suggested that the unidentified suspect was the bomb carrier but nothing can be confirmed at this stage. A team of the National Security Guard (NSG) has visited the spot as well with a separate team of the NIA. The blast occurred on a day when advocates were on strike and the footfall was relatively low. The explosion ripped apart a section of the building and was heard hundreds of metres away. The walls of the washroom were damaged and glass window panes of the lawyers' chambers as well as of vehicles parked near the building were shattered. (ANI)
The Court said that it cannot dictate the manner of conducting a probe as it is not their job.

Justice Anu Malhotra, however, remarked that the agency can conduct the interrogation in its Kerala zonal when restrictions are imposed on travelling to the national capital due to the pandemic.

Further, the Court also pointed out that there is no restriction on travelling at this moment.

PFI members have urged the Court to issue direction to the agency to interrogate them in Kerala zonal office due to COVID-19 as they are not residents of Delhi.

Earlier, Delhi HC had issued notice to the ED to file a response to the PFI petition challenging a money laundering case registered against it.

Advocate Adit Pujari, appearing for PFI, claimed that several of its members have received various summons for inquiry into the matter.

Advocate Pujari told the court that the investigation in the matter arises from a National Investigation Agency (NIA) case. NIA is probing a matter pertaining to the training of people in Kerala for carrying out anti-national activities.

Advocate Pujari also expressed doubt on ED for not following the Supreme Court's directions in connection to the installation of CCTV cameras at places of interrogation.

But Advocate Amit Mahajan, appearing for the ED, had said that it is following the direction of the top Court. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be facing a tough time ahead as he will have to maintain his people-friendly image and tackle discontent brewing in the party in the run-up to the urban bodies and Panchayat polls which will set the tone for the Assembly elections in 2023. Chouhan is known among the masses as 'paon paon wale bhaiya' (foot soldier) and 'betiyon ke mama' (maternal uncle), but with the passage of time, it is not easy for any political leader to keep his/her image intact, and so is the case with Shivraj. Chouhan, who is the state's longest serving Chief Minister and has been elected to the position thrice, has implemented many welfare schemes such as Ladli Lashmi Yojana, Kanyadan Vivah Yojana, due to which he became the face of more than half the population of the state. His Sambal Yojana which aims to strengthen the lives of the poor and the SC and ST communities by providing them social security cover, right from birth to death, gave him an opportunity to reach out to the poor and backward classes. The main challenge before Chouhan is reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC). Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath had increased the reservation for OBCs to 27 per cent during his tenure, but as the matter is in court, the community is unable to reap its benefit. On the one hand, the OBCs are unable to get the benefit of increased reservation in jobs, while on the other hand Panchayat polls have prompted a new debate. On the directions of the Supreme Court, the State Election Commission has postponed the polls for the OBC community in the reserved Panchayat areas. The Congress is holding the government responsible for this. Experts are of the view that Chouhan is standing at the crossroads where his party can benefit or suffer a loss. The Madhya Pradesh government along with the Centre on Wednesday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against the latter's December 17 order staying polling for all OBC-reserved seats. If OBC reservation continues in the Panchayat polls, then the BJP will benefit. BJP spokesperson Durgesh Kesvani said the BJP governments at the Centre and the state are working for public welfare. Welfare schemes are being run for every strata of society. Chouhan's popularity is intact. The Congress had pushed the state back in its 15-month rule. Kamal Nath's priorities changed after the Assembly polls. People have come to know the true face of the Congress, Kesvani added. The priority of Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the BJP has been public welfare and that is the reason the people rejected the Congress in the bypolls and showed them a mirror, he claimed. Though the BJP doesn't see any big challenge for the Chief Minister, the Congress is raising questions about Chouhan. Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafeez said Chouhan's image took a beating in 2018 Assembly elections itself. Hafeez said under Chouhan, who dubs himself as 'Mama' (maternal uncle), crime against women has increased, farmers were promised that their income will be doubled but many of them committed suicide. Madhya Pradesh topped the country in such matters, that is the reason people voted Chouhan out of power in the 2018 polls, Hafeez claimed. "Shivraj, who again formed the government after horse-trading of MLAs, carried forward the schemes which were introduced by the Congress-led Kamal Nath government." Voices of dissent are rising within the BJP. It is being said that the BJP does not want to enter the poll fray with Chouhan as the party's face, he added. --IANS snp/svn/bg ( 615 Words) 2021-12-24-14:02:03 (IANS)
Accused Honnappa Duradappa Malagi, Crime Police Constable attached to Vidyaranyapura police station, is the kingpin of the racket.

The police have also booked Ramesha who worked at a cloth shop, and had joined hands with Malagi.

The police are also questioning two minor boys who indulged in bike lifting on the directions of the accused cop.

According to Sanjeev Patil, DCP (West), the accused used to steal two-wheelers in Bengaluru and sell them at throwaway prices in the north Karnataka cities of Davanagere, Ranibennur, Byadagi and other places.

The accused went to portals where second-hand bikes were put on sale and collected the registration numbers. They used to put those registration numbers on the burgled vehicles and sell them to customers.

They used to tell the customers that the documents of the vehicles could not be given as a bank loan had to be repaid.

Whenever the minor boys were caught by the police after a bike theft, the accused used to call up the police and tell them that they are his relatives.

Malagi indulged in a series of bike thefts in Nandini Layout, Yashwanthpur, HMT Layout, Jalagalli Cross, Hebbal, Jnanabharathi, Peenya, Rajagopalnagar and other areas.

The police will hand over three bikes to their owners on Friday.

DCP Patil has appealed to the people to be careful while purchasing vehicles.

--IANS mka/svn/bg

( 266 Words)

2021-12-24-14:36:07 (IANS)
NIA filed the chargesheet against the accused in Patna court under charges of various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), sections 13, 18, 19, 20, 23, 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, sections 4, 5 and 6 of Explosive Substances Act, sections 25 (1A), 25 (1AA), 25(1B) (a), 26 and 35 of Arms Act and section 17 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act.

Those named in the chargesheet are Parshuram Singh alias Nandlal, Sanjay Singh, Prem Raj, Rakesh Kumar and Mohd. Badruddin.

The case pertains to the recovery and seizure of arms, ammunition and other incriminating materials from the accused persons. The case was originally registered on March 31 this year in Jehanabad district and the NIA had re-registered the case on June 17.

The investigation team has established that the accused Parshu Ram Singh, an active member of the CPI (Maoist) was associated with the top Naxal commander Arvindji alias Dev Kumar (now deceased).

Parshu was responsible for the fabrication of improvised hand grenades and their transportation along with other arms and ammunition to Jharkhand-based Maoist Commanders for the furtherance of terrorist activities, said the NIA.

Parshu used his garage at Danapur for the aforesaid purpose. Mohd. Badruddin was the fabricator to the grenades and the entire module was supported by the other accused persons. (ANI)
During the last day of the Assembly session, Mishra told mediapersons that "elections are not more important than lives of people".

"It is my personal opinion that panchayat elections should be postponed as it is very clear that Covid cases are increasing in many states and Madhya Pradesh also. In my personal capacity, I would urge the chief minister to postpone panchayat elections," Mishra added.

However, the final decision on the panchayat elections is likely to be taken in a meeting called by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan later on Friday.

Uncertainty is looming over the panchayat elections after the Madhya Pradesh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution for 'no panchayat elections without OBC reservation' on Thursday.

The Supreme Court while hearing a petition related to OBC reservation in Maharashtra on December 17 had put a stay on it, instructing the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission to follow the same.

After the Supreme Court's verdict, the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress accused each other of being anti-OBC. The Congress raised the issue from the very first day of the winter session of the Assembly and sought a clear stance from the government.

Subsequently, the ruling BJP said it has filed a review petition before the Supreme Court over its decision related to OBC reservation.

The panchayat elections in Madhya Pradesh are slated to be held in three phases on January 6, January 28 and February 16, 2022.

--IANS pd/svn/bg

( 275 Words)

2021-12-24-15:04:04 (IANS)
The Youth Congress on Friday filed a complaint with National Human Rights Commission against Mamata Banerjee and Commissioner of Police, Kolkata for assisting the goons in unleashing violence during Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections. The elections were held on December 19 in which the ruling Trinamool Congress swept the polls but the Congress accused it of indulging in large scale violence against the Opposition parties. Several Congress party candidates were assaulted by the TMC goons, it alleged. According to Youth Congress Secretary In charge West Bengal Amrish Ranjan Pandey: "The Congress candidate from Ward 16 Rabi Saha was stripped in full public view. Similarly, party candidates and leaders were brutally beaten up in Ward 45 in presence of several police officers. Therefore, there was a large scale violation of human rights and the police department and state administration stood as mute spectators. In some places, they even assisted the goons." In its complaint, the Youth Congress sought an inquiry and action against Mamata Banerjee and Commissioner of Police, Kolkata. "We hope justice will be served to those undergoing surgeries or with broken limbs only when strictest action is taken against the Chief Minister of West Bengal. Earlier, the Youth Congress had approached West Bengal Governor over the issue. --IANS miz/shb/ ( 222 Words) 2021-12-24-15:24:03 (IANS)
The Congress on Friday alleged that there was a 'brazen nexus between the Modi government at the Centre and his corporate friends' and alleged that the rules were bent, laws ignored and misused to protect the vested interests of his 'favourite businessmen'. Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said, "In this case, it is his blue-eyed businessman turned MP Subhash Chandra who stated that the 'Yes Bank induced and pressured him to take the loan' and hence the default was not his fault. The shares invoked by Yes Bank were therefore stolen property under section 102 of CRPC. The Uttar Pradesh Police wrote to NSDL and BSE attaching the shares of Dish TV held by Yes Bank. This unprecedented FIR was slammed by the Supreme Court." He alleged that "On September 4, 2021, Yes Bank wrote to the board of Dish TV asking them to convene an extraordinary general body meeting of shareholders to consider voting out most of the current board of directors and replacing them with a highly reputed board dominated by independent directors. The board of Dish TV refused and Yes Bank approached the NCLT for relief. In the meantime, an AGM was called by Dish TV to meet the statutory requirements. "To avoid key resolutions being voted out by shareholders including Yes Bank, BJP MP Subhash Chandra got the Inspector of Crime Branch Gautam Buddha Nagar to register an FIR on his complaint." The Congress spokesperson alleged, "The Essel Group continued to milk the cash flows of Dish TV. Auditors have raised questions on Rs 1,200 crore invested in a content platform called Watcho. Yes bank too has complained about this to regulators. The stock markets have reacted to the auditors' multiple comments on misgovernance and the stock has lost Rs 20,000 crore in market value. Many aggrieved minority shareholders have also written complaints to SEBI, Finance and Corporate Affairs ministry. "In the interest of tax payers money infused through SBI into Yes Bank, it becomes crucial for SEBI to invoke its powers and help recover the Bank's dues. The bank has written to SEBI and MoC to suspend the board of directors of Dish TV; to appoint an administrator to manage the affairs of the company; to conduct forensic investigation into the accounts of the company." Khera said Yes Bank Ltd was a private sector bank reeling under huge losses in early 2020. "The SBI group & other financial institutions infused Rs 11,760 crore to revive the bank. Today, Yes Bank is classified as an associate bank of SBI and the board of directors include representatives of SBI, RBI and other financial institutions, as significant public money has been invested in Yes Bank to clean up its act. "At the time of placing Yes Bank under moratorium, it was mentioned that one of the main reasons for the problems faced by the bank was the Essel Group of Subhash Chandra, with a total of Rs 6,789 crore outstanding dues were from this group alone. "The new board of Yes Bank ordered a forensic audit into 12 out of 22 Essel Group borrowing entities. 8 out of these 12 have been declared as fraud accounts totalling Rs 3,197 crore. "Many other banks too have declared loans to the Essel Group as a fraud account. One of the securities given to Yes Bank was the shares of Dish TV - a company listed in BSE & NSE. Yes Bank started invoking the pledge in June 2020 and completed it in August 2021. Today Yes Bank owns 25.63 per cent of Dish TV. With many other creditors having sold or invoked the shares, the promoter stake stands at 5.93 per cent," said Khera. The Congress said, "Why was the government not taking any steps to help the SBI affiliated Yes Bank recover money from this BJP MP and funder of the RSS?" --IANS miz/dpb ( 658 Words) 2021-12-24-15:26:04 (IANS)
Advocate Amrish Ranjan Pandey, national secretary, Indian Youth Congress and advocate Ambuj Dixit, national co-coordinator, Legal Cell, Indian Youth Congress submitted a complaint alleging the Trinamool Congress (TMC) indulged "in large-scale violence against opposition parties" during Kolkata Municipal Corporation Elections held on December 19.

Complainants alleged that several Congress candidates were beaten up by TMC goons. The complaint alleged that the candidate from Ward 16 "was stripped naked in full public view". Similarly, a Congress candidate and leaders were brutally beaten up in Ward 45 in presence of several police officers.

"There was large-scale violation of human rights and the police department and state administration stood there and did absolutely nothing and in some places rather assisted the goons," the complaint said.

The complainants sought direction from National Human Rights Commission to order inquiry and action against the Chief Minister and Commissioner of Police, Kolkata. (ANI)
At a high-level meeting that took place after the Ludhiana District Court explosion on Thursday, Director-General of Police (DGP) Punjab Siddharth Chattopadhyaya directed the police officers to keep a vigil at all the sensitive places and deploy maximum police force at Nakas. The DGP accompanied by ADGP Internal Security RN Dhoke, ADGP STF Harpreet Singh Sidhu, ADGP Intelligence AS Rai, ADGP Elections Smt Shashi Prabha Dwivedi and ADGP Law and Order Dr Naresh Arora held a high-level virtual meeting with all the CPs/SSPs to review the crime situation in the state. In the meeting, he also instructed the police officers to ensure day and night police patrolling and conducting spot checks at crowded places like markets, bus stands, railway stations etc. The DGP directed all the CPs/SSPs to launch preventive, precautionary and operational security measures to ensure peace and communal harmony in the State. Chattopadhyaya gave clear instructions to CPs/SSPs to not let anyone take law in their hands and if any person found indulging in any violent activities should be dealt with firmly and appropriate criminal cases should be registered immediately. He also directed police officers to activate police control rooms and mobile patrolling in their concerned districts. The DGP also gave strict instructions to CPs/SSPs that no unauthorised security be given to any individual without the proper order from the DGP or ADGP Security. "In case it has already been given, it should be withdrawn within a day," he added. He also warned of strict action against the police officials if they are found indulged in the Police-Criminal nexus. Chattopadhyaya also directed CPs/SSPs to continue their crackdown against the drug smugglers/suppliers so that drug supply lines remain smashed. He exhorted every police officer/official to join hands together to identify the people involved in drug smuggling and all-out efforts should be made to work in tandem with the Special Task Force (STF) to curb the sale of narcotics in their concerned districts. With Punjab Assembly Elections-2022 also around the corner, the DGP directed CPs/SSPs to increase the effectiveness of Police Checkpoints to prevent criminal activities besides asking them to identify criminal elements active in their respective areas and put them behind the bars. He also directed Police officers to conduct maximum raids to arrest the troublemakers, Parole Jumpers, POs and people involved in extortion, arms and ammunition cases. (ANI)
Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Friday took a jibe at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for appointing party leader Firhad Hakim as the new mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and said that he has ruined the city. Speaking to ANI, Adhikari said, "Everyone knows that the Mayor (Firhad Hakim) has ruined whole Kolkata. There is a 'mini-Pakistan' in the city. There is no hope and no ground reality of his works here. This city has become a disaster financially." Earlier on Thursday, Firhad Hakim was declared the new mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation after TMC registered a landslide victory in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Atin Ghosh has been declared as the Deputy Mayor of the corporation. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said to the elected councillors that in order to ensure effective working on councillors' part, the work of Kolkata Corporation will be reviewed every six months. "State Election Commission and police worked well in conducting peaceful elections. Kolkata Corporation report card will be reviewed after every 6 months. If someone is not working, the government will take action against them," said Mamata. Praising the judgement of Calcutta High Court for allowing polls in the remaining municipal corporations, he said, "Calcutta HC has given a good judgement today. It should be welcomed by all that the polls in remaining municipal corporations will take place." The State Election Commission has informed the Calcutta High Court on Thursday that it is ready to hold polls in the remaining municipal corporations. Hitting out at TMC over Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections, Adhikari said, "I will not comment much on the results of the poll. They had EVM and divided the Opposition parties. They themselves took 134 seats. A legal battle is going on." The Calcutta High Court has given a strong message to the State Election Commission in the case registered on the basis of allegations of unrest in the Kolkata elections. Following this, the state election commission has been directed by the court to preserve all the CCTVs used in the Kolkata elections, not just the presiding officer's diary, voter's signature and hand impressions. The next hearing will be on January 6, 2022. (ANI)
A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to Vimlesh Maan, wife of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker, late Ashok Maan, in the Kishangarh shootout case. Additional Sessions Judge Harjyot Singh Bhalla granted interim protection from arrest to Vimlesh Mann till January 19, 2022, observing that she is a woman. The Court directed her to join the investigation. Legal Counsel of Vimlesh Maan, Advocate Vijay Aggarwal along with his team comprising of Advocate Rhythm Aggarwal and Akshansh Abhiraj Ray moved an application for grant of anticipatory bail on her behalf. Advocate Aggarwal summed up his client's involvement in the case by stating that FIR by Somraj alias Dhami, registered at Police Station Kishangarh on October 18 this year was nothing but an attempt to maliciously prosecute and pressurize Vimlesh and her family, to withdraw their testimony against Somraj and his brothers, in the matter of her husband's murder. The prosecution opposed the anticipatory bail application and it has alleged that there is a suspicion that a conspiracy was hatched for the purposes of taking revenge for the murder of the husband of the applicant Mann. The complainant has alleged that the claim is that the family of the applicant Maan hired hitmen for the purposes of achieving their objective and the present applicant was part of the conspiracy. The Delhi Police had earlier arrested four accused in the case who disclosed that they worked for Manjeet Mahal and Mahal had directed them to meet his aide Harender Maan, who wanted to avenge the murder of his uncle Ashok Maan. According to police, Harender Maan directed the other four arrested accused to kill Dhami and provided a revolver to one of the accused, Wazir alias Jhota. Delhi Police sought custody of the accused to recover the revolver and mobile phone which he gave to Wazir and was returned to him after the incident, to help in arresting the absconding accused persons Bimlesh, Kittu and Punit Maan. The police also submitted that the accused is required to be confronted with the accused persons arrested earlier in the case to unearth the whole conspiracy. (ANI)
In the wake of explosion in Ludhiana District Court Complex, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday assured the residents of Punjab that the Centre will work together with the state government against those who are trying to spoil the atmosphere of Punjab and the country. "I have come here to give confidence to the people of Punjab. I want to assure you all that State and Central government will work together and will take strict actions against those who are trying to spoil the atmosphere of Punjab and country," said Rijiju in Ludhiana. "Spoke with Chief Minister of Punjab Charanjit Sing Channi and met the Judges, Lawyers, Officers of Central Agencies and Punjab Police at the venue of the bomb attack in Court complex at Ludhiana in Punjab," he informed in a tweet. Kiren Rijiju with Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash, along with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes Chairman Vijay Sampla, visited the hospital and inquired about the health of patients at Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMCH) in Ludhiana. He also visited the site of the explosion. The explosion at the Ludhiana District Court on Thursday claimed one life and left six people injured. (ANI)
"Next week we will go to Uttar Pradesh and review the situation there and then take an appropriate decision," Chandra said at a press conference here.

He was responding to a query about Allahabad High Court on Thursday calling upon the Election Commission of India to postpone the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for one-two months.

Amid rising case of new COVID variant Omicron, the court urged the Commission to postpone the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh for one-two months.

"If rallies are not stopped, results will be worse than the second wave," Justice Shekhar Yadav said, adding that, "Jaan hai toh Jahaan hai (if there is life, we have the world)."Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh are slated for early next year.

India has reported 358 cases of Omicron variant. (ANI)
Minister of State under the Ministry of Defence Ajay Bhatt on Friday visited DRDO's Defence Institute of Bio-Energy Research (DIBER) laboratory, Haldwani and its Field station Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. Here, he reviewed the progress of various Research and Development efforts by DIBER. The efforts of DIBER to generate energy from Pine Forest waste, are directed towards finding solutions for space heating and electricity generation in remote areas where grid supply is frequently interrupted due to adverse climatic conditions. Since pine forest waste causes thousands of forest fire incidents; utilization of pine forest waste towards energy generation is a win-win situation. The Biodiesel prepared by DIBER, is matching IS 15607 standards. It has been rigorously tested, found suitable and recommended in Army vehicles and Gen Sets at a blend of 20 per cent in petro-diesel. Another mission mode activity of DIBER is to transfer advanced technologies for the cultivation of native and exotic vegetables to farmers located in remote border villages of Uttarakhand. More than 4,000 farmers are registered with DIBER and are being benefited. The enhanced income and socio-economic status are understood to have long term effects on curtailing migration from borders, the ministry said in its release. Ajay Bhatt highly appreciated Hydroponics (soilless cultivation) and suggested to spread this technology in those areas where cultivable land is in scarcity. The herbal medicine produced by DIBER for treating leukoderma has already been used by nearly one lakh patients. He urged that this medicine should reach to the larger population for benefit of mankind. The technology to grow Ophiocordyceps, an endangered high value medicinal mushroom, by tissue culture, has far-reaching implications in providing nutritional benefits to larger population and also in improving the economy. Bhatt also inaugurated Container-based BSL-III facility at Haldwani. This is the first container-based BSL-III facility of Uttarakhand. Being a container-based facility, it can be easily deployed in hills, wherever there is a space crunch. The capacity of the facility is 96 samples per shift. This facility operates at negative pressure and therefore, offers higher protection to the frontline health workers. (ANI)
Five arrested accused were presented before Metropolitan Magistrate of Patiala House Court Umesh Kumar, who remanded them to three days police custody.

The police had sought four days of custodial interrogation of the accused to unearth the entire conspiracy.

Delhi Police also apprised the Court that four of these accused were arrested from Noida and one was arrested from Delhi for making extortion calls.

Following the complaint, Delhi Police lodged an FIR in the matter. The police told the Court that most of the calls were made by accused Amit.

Ajay Mishra's son Ashish Mishra is a prime accused in Lakhimpur Kheri violence that led to he death of eight people including four farmers. (ANI)
The Congress Screening Committee which was scheduled to meet today to finalise the 117 candidates for the Punjab elections, has been postponed. The second meeting of the Congress Screening Committee for Punjab, scheduled to be held on Friday has been postponed and is likely to be held in the next two days, said Punjab Congress leader Sunil Jakhar. The first meeting of the Committee took place on Wednesday where it was decided to give the party ticket to only one member from a family. Speaking to ANI on Friday here, Sunil Jakhar said, "The meeting (Congress Screening Committee for Punjab) has been postponed till the next 1-2 days at least, discussions weren't held in detail. State Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu has already made it clear that the candidates will be given tickets based on merit. Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu will be present at the meeting.The committee will be chaired by Ajay Maken. "Congress is a secular party in which discussions and debates are properly conducted. It has been decided to give tickets keeping in view the merit. Tickets will be given to the winning candidates. Congress is a secular party that follows a proper procedure. Tickets will be given on merit," Sidhu told reporters. He also said that the party will fight the polls with everyone's involvement."Congress will come together as one, decide roles, give responsibility to every leader and worker, and fight this election. With every passing day, we are becoming stronger," he said.Highlighting that three important resolutions were passed in the meeting, Sidhu said that the party is talking about common people and their welfare. "Creating a welfare state was talked about. The decision of how to make the life of Punjabis better, will be kept in mind," Sidhu assured. Talking about the blast that took place in Ludhiana District Court Complex on Thursday, Jakhar said that it will be premature to link the blast to Pakistan, however, added that the blast was a sophisticated attempt and a common man could not have done this. "Government is responsible to keep the faith of our public. It will be premature to link Pakistan to this. The explosion was a sophisticated attempt, a common man couldn't have done this. Public and the government needs to be aware for now," he said. The explosion at the Ludhiana District Court on Thursday claimed one life and left six people injured. (ANI)
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi has accused the opposition parties of trying to hamper the functioning of Rajya Sabha during the winter session of parliament and said they have deviated from "well-known truth about what transpired in the recently concluded session". "It is both astonishing and saddening that members of the opposition, especially senior members of the Congress party, have deviated from the well-known truth about what transpired in the recently concluded session, in the Rajya Sabha. The opposition appeared committed to hampering the running of the house. The public of our country and even history is witness to the level of noise and indiscipline the opposition has made a kind of practice" in the sittings of the house, he said in a statement. "In fact, the opposition appears to use every means to not let the house proceedings carry on. It was painful when some members of the opposition reduced the temple of democracy to a theatre of street fight," he added. Joshi said Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had reached out to the opposition to break the stalemate. "The Chairman, deeply pained, reached out to the opposition to break the stalemate. The opposition came back in multiple voices which were unclear and contradictory at the same time. Duplicitous-ness was obvious beneath some weak conciliatory overtures. When the Chairman reached out in a concrete manner, the response proved that the intention beneath the conciliatory talk was that the House not run," he said. "Now in order to somehow create the opposite narrative, senior members of the Congress party such as Jairam Ramesh by casting aspersions on the functioning of a Constitutional authority, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, do a disfavour not only to the truth, but to democracy itself," he added. Joshi urged the members of the opposition to accept their role of opposition with grace, "participate in the smooth functioning of our democracy and not make factually and morally incorrect statements". Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also hit out at opposition parties over their remarks concerning the suspension of 12 MPs in Rajya Sabha during the winter session of parliament and said they "should introspect on the uncivilized behaviour of MPs who attacked marshals, women in the Parliament". He said that the government made sincere efforts to resolve the impasse over the suspension of 12 MPs but the opposition was adamant on its stance. "Opposition parties should introspect on the uncivilized behaviour of MPs who attacked marshals, incl women in Parliament and their unregretful, totally obstructive response to honest, sincere efforts of govt and Rajya Sabha Chairman to resolve the issue," said Goyal, who is Leader of House in Rajya Sabha. Goyal's remarks were apparently in response to Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge who on Wednesday said he was ready to express "regret" on behalf of the 12 suspended MPs and accused the government of not being ready to resolve the stalemate over the suspension. He also alleged that the government wanted to push bills through without discussion.Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had said at the conclusion of the winter session that the House functioned much below its potential."I urged all of you to collectively and individually reflect and introspect if this Session could have been different and better," he said. (ANI)
Former Tripura Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Manik Sarkar on Friday launched a scathing attack on TIPRA motha, the ruling party of tribal district council areas. Sarkar felt that any attempt to create a divide among people is obviously is a part of the politics of both parties. According to Sarkar, royal scion, Pradyot Kishore Debbarman who floated the party have no role in raising his voice for the real problems and issues faced by the tribal people in Tripura. "Now, TIPRA Motha gave the slogan of 'Greater Tipraland' and called for unity. We had earlier heard such sort of slogans from Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) and IPFT. The gentleman, who is raising the slogan seems to be himself confused about his demands as his explanations on the subject varies from time to time. The way he described Greater Tipraland in the first TTAADC session and his idea of Greater Tipraland that he shared in New Delhi during their agitation is totally different", said Sarkar. Sarkar also lambasted the royal family of Tripura and said when Tripura was a princely state, the tribal people were deprived the most. "The history of Tripura's monarchs is long. A total of 136 kings ruled the state for a prolonged period of 1,300 years. But, at that time, there was no progress in the fields of education, agriculture, roads, transport, health, etc. Now, all of a sudden, why sympathy has grown for the indigenous people?" Sarkar questioned. Sarkar also took a dig at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well and exhorted the workers to revitalize their organization. "The farmers' protest has set an example before us. We must not forget our fight and celebrate the victory of farmers. We should ponder what are the takeaways of the success and apply them in practical terms. The call that is raised here should reach villages, blocks, sub-divisions. If you have to leave behind your party flag to meet people and organize them, no problem. We should prepare ourselves to give a fitting reply to the ruling party", said Sarkar. Sarkar was addressing a public meeting organized at Agartala city putting forth a ten-point charter of demands. The rally was primarily convened by Sanjukta Kisan Morcha and was a host of senior Left leaders including SKM state secretary Pabitra Kar, AIKS National Secretary Ashok Dhawale, Deputy leader of the opposition Badal Chowdhury, senior left leader Aghore Debbarma, former minister Bhanu Lal Saha, Tripura CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury. Other leaders like Radha Charan Debbarma and Left Front convener Narayan Kar also remained present. All the senior leaders criticized the ruling BJP and adopted a resolution to oust the BJP governments in Tripura as well as at the Centre in the assembly elections scheduled to be held in 2023 and general elections in 2024. (ANI)
With the beginning of Christmas festivities, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended the midnight mass on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday at the Cathedral of The Most Holy Rosary in Kolkata and prayed for everyone's safety and well-being. Taking to social media, she also urged people to follow COVID-19 protocols. "I pray to God for the safety and well-being of everyone. The warm glow of festive lights and smiling faces everywhere filled my heart with joy! As we celebrate, I urge everyone to maintain all COVID protocols. Wear a mask at all times and use hand sanitizers," Mamata wrote on Facebook. "Merry Christmas to all my brothers and sisters across the world. From the Vatican to Goa to Meghalaya to Kolkata - enjoy the festive season and make happy memories! May God bless everyone," she added. Interestingly, as the Assembly polls in Goa and Meghalaya are scheduled to be held next year, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo did not miss greeting the people of the two states that have a sizeable Christian population. Meanwhile, midnight mass prayers were also held at St. Teresa's Church in Kolkata on the occasion of Christmas. The church was all decked up. Several people had gathered inside the church in huge numbers for the ceremonial midnight mass to offer prayers in devotional fervour. Christmas is celebrated every year on December 25 and marks the birth of Jesus Christ. It is commemorated by the Christian community and others across the globe by singing carols and exchanging gifts, as the festival aims to spread the message of peace and prosperity. (ANI)
Google and Intel have joined the growing list of tech companies who have decided not to attend the 'CES 2022' in-person in Las Vegas, as Omicron cases have continued to surge. While Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the governing body on CES, plans to go ahead with the show, several tech companies like Lenovo, T-Mobile, AT&T, Meta, Twitter, Amazon, TikTok, Pinterest, Alphabet-owned Waymo, along with several media outlets, will not attend the consumer electronics show. "After careful consideration, we have decided to withhold from having a presence on the show floor of CES 2022. We've been closely monitoring the development of the Omicron variant, and have decided that this is the best choice for the health and safety of our teams," a Google spokesperson was quoted as saying in media reports late on Thursday. For the last several years, Google's outdoor exhibits have been a mainstay in the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The CTA told TechCrunch that over 2,200 companies are confirmed to participate in-person at 'CES 2022' in Las Vegas. "Our focus remains on convening the tech industry and giving those who cannot attend in person the ability to experience the magic of CES digitally. We are confident that attendees and exhibitors can have a socially distanced but worthwhile and productive event in Las Vegas, or while experiencing it online," the organiser said in a statement. In an earlier tweet, Lenovo had said: "After closely monitoring the current trends surrounding Covid, it is in the best interest of the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners, and our communities to suspend all on-site activity in Las Vegas. "While this is a change in plans, we are excited for you all to see our latest technology launching as scheduled on January 4 and January 5." T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert, one of the CES 2022's featured speakers, announced that his company won't be attending the world's largest electronics show next month. The world's most influential tech event is slated to showcase some first-time innovations around Blockchain-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs), remote health solutions, self-driving cars, gaming, food and space tech. --IANS na/svn/ksk/ ( 364 Words) 2021-12-24-10:14:03 (IANS)
The company said it provides HDR10+ gaming support for hassle-free, accurate HDR gameplay experience with low-latency, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and over 120Hz.

"We are extremely proud to announce that the new HDR10+ gaming standard will be adopted by Samsung's 2022 Neo QLED line up with the Q70 TV series and above and gaming monitors, allowing users to enjoy a game-changing experience through cutting-edge visuals and richer, life-like images," Seokwoo Yong, Executive Vice President and Head of the R&D Team, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.

"Samsung will continue to invest in users' viewing experiences as technology continues to advance and provide enhanced new features and capabilities," Yong added.

This new standard, developed by HDR10+ Technologies, LLC, gives game developers the tools they need to provide gamers with a compelling and consistent HDR gaming experience without the need for manual calibration across a variety of display technologies for various input sources, including consoles, PCs and more.

Samsung's 2022 TV and gaming monitor lineup will support the HDR10+ gaming standard by allowing automated HDR calibration that provides stunning picture quality to meet game developers' demand.

Several gaming companies, including Saber Interactive, are expected to showcase their HDR10+ gaming titles during the upcoming CES 2022.

--IANS vc/bg

( 274 Words)

2021-12-24-14:40:05 (IANS)
"The cases were discovered on Dec. 20, after testing positive for the virus at Tunis-Carthage International Airport," Mahjoub Ouni, a member of the Tunisian scientific committee for the fight against the coronavirus, was quoted as saying by the agency.

The five Omicron cases came from South Africa and quarantine has been applied along with all preventive and health measures, Ouni added.

On Dec. 3, a 23-year-old man from a sub-Saharan African country has been confirmed as Tunisia's first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. (ANI/Xinhua)
"Today, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held the first phone conversation with new Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, who assumed office earlier this month," the office said in a statement on late Thursday.

Bennett wished Nehammer success and thanked him for the Austrian support for Israel.

The leaders also exchanged opinions about the fight against the coronavirus and its new strain, Omicron, as well as agreed to maintain close relations between the two nations.

The Israeli prime minister invited the Austrian chancellor to visit his country when the epidemiological situation improves. (ANI/Sputnik)
Besides those confirmed dead, at least another 10 individuals have been reported missing, Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani told a media briefing on Thursday.

A total of 68,341 flood victims from 18,080 families were recorded at 396 relief centers (PPS) in seven states with Pahang being the most affected state, Xinhua news quoted Sani as saying.

He also said 137 roads were still closed due to floods that hit four states, and 23 locations of rivers are placed under danger and warning levels.

The country's meteorological department has warned of more rain in the Peninsula Malaysia, with rain and storms expected in several states on Friday.

--IANS int/shs

( 139 Words)

2021-12-24-02:04:01 (IANS)
In the wake of the emergence of the Omicron variant, the government has decided the cancellation of all public festive events, the mandatory use of a mask indoors and outdoors, and additional protection protocols for travellers, Health Minister Thanos Plevris told a press briefing on Thursday.

He recommended all travellers entering Greece to repeat tests for Covid-19 on the second and fourth day upon their arrival, Xinhua news agency reported.

"These measures, which will be effective until January 3, are sufficient to celebrate Christmas and New Year, without posing risks to public health," Greek national broadcaster ERT quoted him as saying.

A special body advising the government on the pandemic will make new recommendations next week for additional measures from early next year, depending on the course of the pandemic, the official added.

Greek authorities reported 5,641 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday and 69 deaths within 24 hours.

--IANS int/shs

( 183 Words)

2021-12-24-02:50:01 (IANS)
More than 6,400 journalists in Afghanistan have lost their jobs since the Taliban takeover of the country, according to a recent survey. The survey conducted by non-profit organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Afghan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA) shows a radical change in the Afghan media landscape since the Taliban took power. As many as 231 media outlets have had to close. The Taliban takeover's impact on Afghanistan's media has been dramatic, according to the survey by RSF and its local partner, the AIJA. More than four out of every ten media outlets have disappeared and 60 percent of journalists and media employees are no longer able to work. The hardest hit among all are women journalists as 80 percent of them have lost their jobs since Taliban took control of Kabul. "Of the 543 media outlets tallied in Afghanistan at the start of the summer, only 312 were still operating at the end of November. This means that 43% of Afghan media outlets disappeared in the space of three months," the RSF said in a statement. Just four months ago, most Afghan provinces had at least ten privately-owned media outlets but now some regions have almost no local media at all. "There used to be 10 media outlets in the mountainous northern province of Parwan but now just three are functioning. In the western city of Herat (the country's third largest) and the surrounding province, only 18 of the 51 media outlets are still operating - a 65 percent fall," the RSF said. "The central Kabul region, which had more media that anywhere else, has not been spared the carnage. It has lost more than one of every two media outlets (51%). Of the 148 tallied prior to 15 August, only 72 are still operating," it added. The Taliban had promised women's rights, media freedom, and amnesty for government officials in the group's first news conference after the takeover in August. However, activists, former government employees, and journalists among others continue to face retribution. Reports have emerged from Afghanistan of an increasing crackdown by the Taliban on journalists. Reporters covering protests and rallies have been harassed by Taliban fighters. (ANI)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has called for a balanced deal in the Vienna negotiations between Iran and other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal. "The other sides should not doubt that if they want to give one point and ask for 10 points, the Islamic Republic of Iran will never accept this method," Amir Abdollahian said at the joint press conference with his visiting Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein on Thursday. The Iranian diplomat said Iran "loudly declare that if you want to address your concerns about Iran's peaceful nuclear program, all sanctions should be lifted", Xinhua news agency reported. Iran will continue the negotiations until a good agreement is reached, he said, adding that "when other parties show their seriousness, it is the day when we can talk about the return of all parties to their commitments" under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran will pursue negotiations in Vienna with good faith and seriousness with a view to reaching a "good" agreement, and it is expected that other parties will continue the talks with the same approach, he noted. Following seven rounds of talks held since April this year, Iran and Western parties to the 2015 nuclear deal have yet found ways to break the impasse on salvaging the pact, which Washington unilaterally quitted in 2018. --IANS int/shs ( 234 Words) 2021-12-24-03:26:05 (IANS)
Myanmar's ruling junta did not allow a meeting between visiting Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi. ANI has learnt that no one is allowed to meet her, other than her lawyers. During his working visit, Shringla called on the Chairman, State Administrative Council and other senior representatives and held meetings with members of civil society and political parties, including Suu Kyi's party National League for Democracy (NLD). Sources told ANI, Shringla had good discussions on bilateral issues of importance especially security and people to people ties during his visit. It is learnt Foreign Secretary Shringla, who knows Suu Kyi since 2011, had sought a meeting with her as well, but his request was turned down by the state administrative council of Myanmar. During his last visit in 2020, he had met Aung San Suu Kyi. "During his meetings with all concerned, Foreign Secretary emphasized India's interest in seeing Myanmar's return to democracy at the earliest; release of detainees and prisoners; resolution of issues through dialogue; and complete cessation of all violence," according to MEA. The visit also provided an opportunity to raise matters relating to India's security, especially in the light of the recent incident in the Churachandpur district in southern Manipur. Foreign Secretary Shringla stressed the need to put an end to any violence and maintain peace and stability in the border area, the MEA said in a press release on Shringla visit. Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is sentenced to two-year imprisonment for inciting violence after the military junta took over power in a coup in February this year. India has once reiterated that democratic institutions should be strengthened in Myanmar. MEA in a statement said: "As a democracy and close neighbour, India has been involved in the democratic transition process in Myanmar and in this context has worked with various stakeholders in developing capacities on democratic systems and practices. India proposes to renew these efforts for Myanmar to emerge as a stable, democratic, federal union in accordance with the wishes of the people of Myanmar." (ANI)
Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan spokesperson Imamudin Ahmadi said that delegations of the two countries will begin talks with officials and technical teams of the ministry, reported Khaama Press.

As per Ahmadi, the five airports in the discussion were Kabul International Airport, Kandahar International Airport, Mazar-e-Sharif International Airport, Khost Airport, and Herat Airport.

The ministry said that the government will fully focus on the country's national interests while signing agreements with Turkish and Qatari companies, reported Tolo News.

"The contract will be about the tower, ground handling and some more technical sections," said Imamuddin Ahmadi, a spokesman of the transport ministry.

The ministry said that after the agreement is signed, international flights will be operational for 24 hours a day in Afghanistan, Tolo News reported.

The development comes two days after the Turkish Foreign Minister had announced that Turkish and Qatari technical will visit Kabul and will meet authorities over the management of the airports.

Mevult Cavusoglu had said that the two countries will jointly take responsibility for the airports if they reach an agreement.

Earlier, the Qatari technical team had repaired Kabul International Airport after the US withdrawal was completed on August 31.

International and local flights were suspended at Kabul's international airport and across Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in mid-August. (ANI)
The protests were organised by the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) and the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement (ETNAM) in Istanbul, The Hague, Washington, DC, and Edmonton on Wednesday afternoon.

"Seventy-two years ago today, on December 22, 1949, the independent East Turkistan Republic was overthrown by the People's Republic of China, resulting in the formal annexation of East Turkistan into China," a statement by ETGE read.

The demonstrators urged their host governments to take more decisive actions against China's ongoing genocide of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic peoples.

They also urged their host governments to grant Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples fleeing China's genocide in East Turkistan refugee status and asylum.

Uyghurs in the Netherlands urged the Dutch Government to support East Turkistan's case against China at the International Criminal Court (ICC); this call was also echoed by Uyghurs in the United States and Canada.

China has been rebuked globally for the crackdown on Uyghur Muslims by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities and sending members of the community to undergo some form of forcible re-education or indoctrination.

Early this year, the United States become the first country in the world to declare the Chinese actions in Xinjiang as "genocide". (ANI)
As per Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lance Naik Manzar Abbas, Sepoy Abdul Fath was killed while defending a security check post in the area, reported Geo News.

The ISPR confirmed that a search operation is underway in the area to hunt the terrorists who had fled after the attack.

"Security forces are determined to defeat such acts of inimical elements, aimed at disrupting the peace, stability and progress of Balochistan," said the ISPR, reported Geo News.

Earlier this month, a Pakistan Army soldier was killed as well when terrorists targeted a security forces check post along the Pakistan-Iran border in the Abdoi sector, Balochistan. (ANI)
Children across Afghanistan are increasingly vulnerable to disease and illness due to the deadly combination of rising malnutrition, an unprecedented food crisis, drought, disruptions to vital health and nutrition centres, lack of access to and poor quality of water and sanitation services, and crippling winter weather, United Nations Children's Fund said. As the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Afghanistan, outbreaks of life-threatening diseases are putting children's lives at risk, the UNICEF said in a statement. More than 66,000 cases of measles have so far been reported in children so far in 2021. There have also been outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea, malaria and dengue fever. Four cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV-1) have been confirmed this year. Severe winter weather conditions, with temperatures already well below freezing in many areas, increase the risk of pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI) as families struggle to heat their homes and keep their children warm, the UN agency said. Children living in high altitude regions are especially vulnerable and require urgent life-saving assistance including winter clothing, blankets and fuel for heating. Some 25-30 per cent of deaths in children below the age of five are due to respiratory tract infections, with 90 per cent of these deaths due to pneumonia, it added. "We are approaching a critical juncture for Afghanistan's children, as winter brings with it a multitude of threats to their health," said Abdul Kadir Musse, UNICEF Afghanistan Representative. "There is no time to lose. Without urgent, concerted action - including ensuring we have the resources to deploy additional cash transfers and winter supplies - many of the country's children will not live to see spring," Earlier this month, UNICEF launched its largest-ever single-country appeal to respond to the needs of over 24 million people in Afghanistan, half of whom are children. UNICEF's appeal for US$2 billion aims to help avert the collapse of health, nutrition, WASH, education and other vital social services for children and families. Last month, UNICEF provided more than 10,000 front-line health workers in over 1,000 health facilities with salaries for November and supported over 1,000 health facilities with medical supplies and winter heating materials. UNICEF estimates that 1 in every two children under five will be acutely malnourished in 2022 due to the food crisis and poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene services. Guided by humanitarian principles, UNICEF said it will prioritize life-saving interventions to treat children and provide other vital services. UNICEF's response will help ensure continuity of essential services by preventing the collapse of systems that are critical for children, while also safeguarding hard-won gains, including protecting the rights of women and girls, it said. UNICEF counts on the support of the international community by facilitating exemptions to sanctions to ensure the timely provision of goods and services to the children of Afghanistan, it added. (ANI)
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio paid an official visit to Iraq, during which he discussed with Iraqi leaders bilateral relations and security issues, including how to combat terrorism in the war-torn country after the withdrawal of the coalition forces led by the US. When meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and emphasised Italy's role, within the international coalition and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Iraq, in supporting the Iraqi forces in combating terrorism, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement from the media office of the presidency. Salih stressed the importance of "supporting efforts to defuse crises in the (Middle East) region, and supporting dialogue tracks to resolve existing differences, ease tensions, and prevent escalation." During Di Maio's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the two sides discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations in the security field, according to a separate statement by al-Kadhimi's media office. The two sides also discussed "the training of the Iraqi forces within the framework of NATO mission in Iraq, especially with the transition of the relationship with the international coalition to a non-combat role," the statement said. The Italian foreign minister affirmed his country's support for the Iraqi government, praising its efforts to improve regional stability. The Italian minister arrived here earlier in the day, and his visit came as the combat forces of the US-led coalition are withdrawing from Iraq, and the task of the remaining foreign soldiers' mission shifting to giving advise, help, and empowerment to Iraqi security forces. --IANS int/shs ( 272 Words) 2021-12-24-06:54:03 (IANS)
China on Thursday firmly opposed the "Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act" that bans importing of goods into the US made with forced labour in Xinjiang. "On December 23 local time, the US side signed the so-called Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act into law. This Act maliciously denigrates the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang in disregard of facts and truth. It seriously violates international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. China deplores and firmly rejects this," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement, reported Sputnik. It called on Washington to correct mistakes and stop interfering in the internal affairs of China. This new law gives the US government new tools to prevent goods made with forced labour in Xinjiang from entering US markets and to further promote accountability for persons and entities responsible for these abuses. The ministry also noted that the US had used Xinjiang-related issues to fabricate rumours and provoke incidents. According to the statement, Washington, under the pretext of human rights, engaged in political manipulation and economic coercion in an effort to undermine the prosperity of Xinjiang and to hold back China's development, reported Sputnik. "Xinjiang-related issues are purely China's internal affairs. The Chinese government and Chinese people are firmly resolved in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests. We admonish the US to correct the mistake immediately, and stop using Xinjiang-related issues to spread lies, interfere in China's internal affairs and contain China's development," the statement said. The ministry also stressed that China would react to the issue in the future in light of the development of the situation, reported Sputnik. US lawmakers accuse China of arbitrarily imprisoning as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and members of other Muslim minority groups in a system of extrajudicial mass internment camps, where they are forced to produce textiles, electronics, food products, shoes, tea, and handicrafts, according to the legislation. The Chinese government has repeatedly denied all accusations of being engaged in abuses in the Xinjiang region. (ANI)
The Association offered 25 tonnes of rice, and 10 tonnes of beans amounting to Ariary (Malagacy currency) 100 million (USD 25000) to a large number of villagers, severely affected by the drought, in the region of Ambovombe, south of Madagascar.

In partnership with NGO Fraternidade sem Fronteiras, the Hindu Samaj has distributed those donations to 5000 families from 11 villages mostly affected, in the District of Ambovombe.

This action from the Hindu Samaj, led by its President, Sanjeev Hematlal, forms part of the main mission of the Association, which provides active humanitarian aid for the poorest in Madagascar.

The Hindu Samaj Association of Antananarivo, with its 1200 members, represents the Hindu community, mostly from Gujarat, who has been settled in Madagascar for over 100 years.

In March 2022, the Samaj will proceed to the opening ceremony of a grand Hindu Temple in Antananarivo, Madagascar, since the arrival of the first Hindu immigrants in the country.

The Association of Antananarivo has been very active since 2019 in collaborating with various organisations to fight against poverty in Madagascar. (ANI)
South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday said that he granted a special pardon to former President Park Geun-hye, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, to bolster national unity and in consideration of her deteriorating health. Moon said he decided to pardon Park and exonerate former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook because there is "desperate need for national unity and humble inclusiveness", Yonhap News Agency quoted presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee as saying to reporters. "In the case of ex-President Park, it was taken into consideration that her health deteriorated a lot because (she) has served almost five years of her sentence," Moon was quoted as saying by the spokesperson. Pardoning the former leader came as a surprise because Moon had ruled out the possibility of granting her a pardon. This year, the 69-year-old Park was hospitalised three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain. In 2019, she underwent a shoulder surgery. Park has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal. Granting a pardon to the former President is expected to have a significant impact on next the March 9, 2022 presidential election, as Park has commanded the support of voters in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, a stronghold of the main opposition People Power Party. Meanwhile, the government also announced it will exonerate Han, a former Prime Minister during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration who was convicted of bribery and has served her full prison sentence. Han, who served as from 2006 to 2007, was imprisoned from 2015-2017 after being convicted of accepting about 900 million won ($$795,000) in illegal political funds from a late businessman while in office. Han has long claimed innocence, arguing that she never accepted the money and that the charges against her were fabricated as part of political revenge by a conservative government against the former liberal administration of late President Roh Moo-hyun. --IANS ksk/ ( 344 Words) 2021-12-24-08:40:03 (IANS)
China has adopted harsh measures against Catholic churches to sinicize Christians in the country. Indika Sri Aravinda, a freelance journalist, writing in Colombo Gazette said that the destruction or desecration of Catholic churches and shrines has often been reported from across China, including the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Guizhou, Shaanxi and Shandong. Religious activists call all this a part of a plan by the Chinese government to sinicize Christianity. The plan calls for 'retranslating and annotating' the Bible, to find commonalities with socialism and establish a 'correct understanding' of the text." In 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that religions not sufficiently conformed to communist ideals pose a threat to the country's government, and therefore must become more "Chinese-oriented," reported Aravinda. Since he took power, crosses have been removed from an estimated 1,500 church buildings. Restrictions were put in place in February 2018 making it illegal for anyone under age 18 to enter a church building. Though religious freedom is officially guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution, religious groups have to register with the government and are overseen by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Moreover, in a two-day conference held in Beijing in December, with CCP cadres insisting on "sinicising religion in China". Emphasis was also reportedly placed on guiding religion to "adapt to the socialist society", reported Colombo Gazette. In order to reinforce CCP doctrine on religious policy dozens of priests belonging to the underground Catholic Church have been arrested by police in mainland China over the last few months. The term underground church is used to refer to Chinese Catholic churches in the People's Republic of China that have chosen not to associate with the state-sanctioned Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, said Aravinda. At least 6 bishops from the underground Church have disappeared some for more than 3 years, others for several months all because they refused to accept the control of the official Catholic Church the Patriotic Association. Similar pressure is being exerted on underground Catholic families: their children are banned from schools and their churches are being destroyed. The US Commission on International Religion had stated in its 2018 report that China "advanced its so-called 'sinicization' of religion, a far-reaching strategy to control, govern and manipulate all aspects of faith into a socialist mould infused with 'Chinese characteristics'", reported Colombo Gazette. The Chinese government must realise that it can achieve national unity and integration only by embracing people's diverse religious and cultural significance and therefore, all possible steps must be taken to protect the rights of the minority community and enable them to live according to their religious traditions, said Aravinda. (ANI)
Hanoi [Vietnam], December 24 (ANI/VOVWORLD): President Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and presented gifts to the Hanoi Archdiocese and the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics (CSVC) on Thursday for the upcoming Christmas holiday. The President wished a warm and happy Christmas season for Joseph Vu Van Thien, Archbishop of the Hanoi Archdiocese and Deputy Secretary-General of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Vietnam, Catholic dignitaries, and followers. He spoke highly of the contributions of the Catholic community nationwide, including the Hanoi Archdiocese, to the country's socio-economic, national defence-security and global integration achievements amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vietnamese Party and State always ensure citizens' right to freedom of belief via the Constitution and law, he said, believing that in his role, Joseph Vu Van Thien will continue encouraging Catholics to build a strong archdiocese, contributing to the socio-economic development of the country and Hanoi in particular. At a meeting with the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics CSVC the same day, President Phuc asked the Committee to continue disseminating the Party guidelines and State laws among Catholics. He urged for strengthening emulation movements and the links between the Party and the government with religious dignitaries and followers. The same day, the President sent a bouquet of flowers to the Hue Archdiocese with season's greetings. (ANI/VOVWORLD)
Earlier this month, a mob had lynched a Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara over blasphemy allegations. The mob after killing him had burnt his body.

"The unfortunate incident of this gruesome brutality reflects the mindset of extremist elements that exist in our society, which has not only tarnished the peaceful image of Pakistan but also Islam," the resolution read, as quoted by The Express Tribune newspaper.

It further said that this brutality was in sheer violation of the principles, teachings and injunctions of Islam, the practices of the Holy Prophet, morale and human values, constitution and law of Pakistan and customs and norms of Pakistani society.

"The House expresses its deepest sympathies with the bereaved family of Priyantha Kumara," the resolution said. "The House also echoes the grief and sorrow felt and expressed at the national level over this brutal and shameful incident by the people of Pakistan across the board including political leadership and Islamic scholars."

The resolution urged that the government should take immediate administrative, legal and awareness measures for eradication and countering of violent tendencies in the society.

Earlier, Several human rights groups had condemned the killing in Sialkot.

Pakistan has registered thousands of blasphemy cases, which are mostly against religious minorities like Hindus, Christians, Shia and Ahmadiya Muslims from 1987 till today, according to several reports by rights groups.

A large number of these blasphemy cases in Pakistan are still awaiting justice. (ANI)
Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye has expressed gratitude for her pardon to President Moon Jae-in shortly after the announcement of the latter's decision to grant a special pardon to her, her lawyer said on Friday. Earlier in the day, Moon announced that he granted a special pardon to former President Park, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, to bolster national unity and in consideration of her deteriorating health, reports Yonhap News Agency. In a meeting with reporters in front of Seoul Samsung Hospital where she has been hospitalized, lawyer Yoo Yeong-ha said that Park feels sorry for worrying people and is grateful for their constant support. The former leader also expressed gratitude to Moon for his decision to grant a special pardon to her despite difficulties, saying she will focus on treating her disease and will show her gratitude to the people as soon as possible, Yoo added. Pardoning the former leader came as a surprise because Moon had ruled out the possibility of granting her a pardon. This year, the 69-year-old Park was hospitalised three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain. In 2019, she underwent a shoulder surgery. Park has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal. Meanwhile, the government also announced it will exonerate Han Myeong-sook, a former Prime Minister during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration who was convicted of bribery and has served her full prison sentence. Han, who served as from 2006 to 2007, was imprisoned from 2015-2017 after being convicted of accepting about 900 million won ($$795,000) in illegal political funds from a late businessman while in office. Han has long claimed innocence, arguing that she never accepted the money and that the charges against her were fabricated as part of political revenge by a conservative government against the former liberal administration of late President Roh Moo-hyun. --IANS ksk/ ( 338 Words) 2021-12-24-11:26:02 (IANS)
Stressing that when the Taliban are not ready to recognise Afghanistan's border with Pakistan, a Senator in Islamabad lambasted the Imran Khan government and said that why this government is eager to help Kabul's new rulers get global recognition, a media report said. The Taliban forces on Sunday had stopped the Pakistani military from erecting the border fence along with Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar on Sunday. "They are not ready to recognise the border, so why are we moving forward, Dawn quoted Senate chairman and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Senator Raza Rabbani as saying in the parliament on Friday. He also asked Foreign Minister to take the parliament into confidence over the matter. So far, the Pakistan government has not commented on the matter. Rabbani questioned the government's haste to extend support to the Afghan Taliban when the latter did "not even recognise the border". Pakistan shares a nearly 2,600 km long border with Afghanistan and Islamabad has been claiming that it has fenced most of the border areas. The fencing had been a contentious issue between the previous Afghan governments and Pakistan. But the recent incident points towards that the border issue remains to be a contentious issue between Islamabad and new rulers in Kabul, according to Dawn. Referring to the Pakistan government's talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan group, Senator Rabbani said that on what terms is the state talking about a ceasefire with the banned group. The Senator also expressed concerns over the reports that TTP is regrouping in Afghanistan and in the near future the banned outfit can fuel terrorism in Pakistan. With regard to the Parliament's unawareness over these matters, Rabbani expressed anguish over the government saying the state of Pakistan meant the only civil and military bureaucracy of the country and not the people sitting in parliament. (ANI)
China will send a flight to evacuate its citizens from the Solomon Islands where several protests had taken place in Honiara, the capital city, Chinese state media reported. A special flight will take Chinese citizens back in December, the Chinese newspaper Global Times said citing a Chinese merchant working in the Solomon Islands. The priority will reportedly be given to the elderly, the report added. Many Chinese entrepreneurs suffered serious economic losses, state media report added. Hundreds of Chinese citizens were left homeless due to the unrest in the capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara. Earlier in November, violent protests erupted in Honiara demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. The unrest claimed three lives while over 100 arrests were made. The situation was stabilised with the arrival of foreign forces, including troops and police from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that Beijing will send a group of police consultants and a consignment of equipment to assist police in the Solomon Islands in putting down the riots at Honiara's request. "At the end of November, serious anti-government unrest broke out in the capital of the Solomon Islands, China strongly supported the efforts of the government of the Solomon Islands to ensure stability in the country, unwaveringly defended relations between China and the Solomon Islands, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the Solomon Islands, and sharply condemned all unlawful acts of violence," Zhao said during a regular press briefing. At the request of the government of the Solomon Islands, China will urgently provide a shipment of riot control equipment and temporarily send a group of police advisers to the island country, he said. "Chinese goods and related personnel will arrive in the Solomon Islands shortly and will play a constructive role in enhancing the capacity of the Solomon Islands police force," Zhao added. (ANI)
The explosion took place on Thursday on a shop in the Wadh bazaar area of the Khuzdar district of Balochistan, Dawn newspaper reported.

Citing officials, the Pakistani media outlet said that two unidentified people on a motorcycle hurled the grenade inside the shop and escaped.

The injured were identified as Peer Jan, Sheikh Shahid and Yahya Khan, as per Dawn. (ANI)
The Palestinian presidency said in a statement that it urges the international community, especially the UN Security Council, "to urgently intervene to provide international protection for the Palestinian people", reports Xinhua news agency/

Referring to the recent escalation of tensions in the West Bank, the statement said that "the Israeli measures would thwart the US and the international efforts to revive the stalled peace process".

On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a message to the international community before Christmas Eve, the official news agency WAFA reported.

Abbas said in his message that "Christmas reminds us of the importance of justice, resilience and the Palestinian people's quest for human dignity and freedom".

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Voice of Palestine earlier on Thursday that the meeting between Abbas and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Ramallah on Wednesday "was candid and frank".

"During the meeting, President Abbas stated that he was waiting for US President Joe Biden to fulfill his promises on the two-state solution, reopening the US Consulate in Jerusalem and ensuring that Israel halts its settlement construction," he said.

--IANS ksk/

( 219 Words)

2021-12-24-13:14:03 (IANS)
Protests in Gwadar port have intensified with the locals headed by the leader of Gwadar Ko Haq Do Tehreek (Movement for rights of Gwadar) demanding further rights. Leader of Gwadar Ko Haq Do Tehreek (Movement for rights of Gwadar) Maulana Hidayatur Rehman has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and resources of Balochistan belong to the people of Baluchistan and no person, however powerful, will be allowed to deprive the people of their legitimate and legal rights, according to the Dawn. Further, Maulana Rehman warned the chief minister and provincial government of Baluchistan that if the agreement reached between the government and the movement leaders was not honoured and implemented, the movement would stage a massive protest sit-in of more than one million people in Quetta after three months. "Our struggle will continue till all check-posts of security forces are removed and illegal fishing in Balochistan sea waters by trawlers was stopped," Maulana Rehman said. "Resources of the province are ours, Balochistan is ours, CPEC is ours, the beach is ours and Gwadar Port is also ours," he added. Gwadar has been pitched as a key node of the Belt and Road linked China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Further, Gwadar residents have been demanding access to clean drinking water and an end to the trawler mafia. Furthr, Pakistan's Opposiiton leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif had described the protests in the port city of Gwadar as a "watershed event" in the struggle for basic rights in the country. (ANI)
The death toll is likely to rise as many passengers sustained severe burn injuries, Dhaka Tribune reported.

"Of the 66 with up to 50% burns, 18 are women," said Dr Moniruzzaman, assistant director at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH) in Barisal. "Three women and four men with life-threatening burns have been referred to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital as we've no dedicated burn unit."

Fire Service officials told the media that over 70 passengers were sent to the local hospitals. The fire is believed to have originated in the engine room and then ripped through the launch packed with people, he said.

Flames erupted around 3 am when the launch reached the Dapdapia area. The vessel then went to the Diakul area of Jhalakathi Sadar upazila and dropped anchor on the river bank. (ANI)
This comes as the South African health regulator approved the use of Johnson&Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine as a booster dose two months after the first vaccination.

"Thus, from 24th December 2021, the National Vaccination Programme will provide J&J booster vaccinations to anyone who received their last dose at least 2 months prior (24th October 2021 or before and from then on at least 2 months interval)," the South Africa health ministry said in a statement.

The recommended interval is after 2 months but preferably before 6 months from the primary dose, the ministry said.

"From 28th December 2021 the National Vaccination Programme will provide Pfizer booster vaccinations to anyone who received their last dose at least 6 months since the second primary dose," the statement added.

Booster doses are the same vaccine in the same dose administered to people who have had a primary vaccination series and are administered to allow the body to boost its immunity to the COVID-19 virus, the ministry added.

South Africa on Thursday had cancelled contact monitoring and mandatory quarantine for those in contact with people infected with coronavirus, regardless of whether the person was vaccinated or not. (ANI)
Noting that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's approach to international relations focused on responding effectively to global changes, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday that the late leader sought modus vivendi with China based on mutual interests and strenuously tried to dissuade Pakistan from its path of sponsoring cross-border terrorism. "With China, whether as foreign minister or prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee sought a modus vivendi that was based as much on mutual respect as on mutual interests. With Pakistan, he strenuously tried to dissuade them from their path of sponsoring cross border terrorism," Jaishankar said in his opening remarks at the Second Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture on Friday. "All this was underpinned by his belief that India must develop deeper strands at home. This found expression in the exercise of the nuclear option as it did in the economic modernisation that he presided over," Jasishankar added. Emphasising that the objective of the memorial lecture is to focus on Vajpayee's contributions to foreign policy, Jaishankar recalled the late leader's contributions as a parliamentarian, foreign minister and prime minister. "There is much that can be related in terms of specific policies and particular events in that regard. But if we are to look at the essence of his approach to international relations, it is evident that this focuses on responding effectively to the global changes," the Minister said in his virtual address. Referring to the United States, Jaishankar said Vajpayee had introduced policy corrections that reflected the end of the cold war and the new global balance. "At the same time, he kept India's course steady with Russia despite the turbulence of that era," he added. Underlining that the winds of change are most apparent currently in the Indo-Pacific, Jaishankar said that it is there that the diplomatic creativity which the former Prime Minister inspires should be more strongly applied. "We are looking at a complex set of transformations that are simultaneously underway. The Indo-Pacific is witnessing both multi-polarity and rebalancing," he added. The Minister said Indo-Pacific is seeing great power competition as well as middle power plus activities. "Orthodox politics including territorial differences are in sharper play side by side with currencies of power like connectivity and technology. In fact, no other landscape illustrates better the widening of the definition of our national security," Jaishankar added. The lecture was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs to mark Vajpayee's birth anniversary on December 25. (ANI)
Beary succeeds retired Lt. Gen. Abhijit Guha of India, reports Xinhua news agency.

Major General Beary has had a long career since joining the Irish Army as an Infantry Corps Officer in 1975, serving from 2016 to 2018 as Head of Mission and Force Commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) having previously served there in 1982, 1989 and 1994-95.

He further served as General Officer commanding Second Brigade Irish Defence Forces from 2013 to 2016 with a wide variety of assignments, holding command and staff officer appointments, including at the unit, brigade and defence force headquarters levels.

He spent 10 years on overseas deployments, including in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia and Uganda.

Since his retirement from the Irish Army in 2018, General Beary has lectured at universities in Ireland, authored publications on international peacekeeping, while also having led UN Boards of Inquiry in Africa.

--IANS ksk/

( 200 Words)

2021-12-24-14:50:05 (IANS)
Kyiv [Ukraine], December 24 (ANI/Sputnik): The Auvergne multipurpose frigate of the French Navy entered waters of the Ukrainian port city of Odessa early Friday and invited the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Oleksiy Neizhpapa, to be the first to step aboard, the city Dumskaya online news outlet reported. The frigate entered the Black Sea on December 14 and will stay in Odessa until Tuesday, the media reported. The warship is the tenth NATO ship which has visited Odessa this year. Auvergne is the most cutting-edge ship of the French fleet, which it joined in February 2018, Dumskaya reported. The vessel is 142 meters long (465.9 feet) and 20 meters broad with a draft of 5 meters. The ship is reportedly equipped with the most advanced radio-electronic device. In November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the alliance is pursuing an aggressive policy towards Russia, including the recent military buildup in the Black Sea. The Russian Defense Ministry also reported on the increased military activities of the United States and its NATO allies in the sea. In 2016, Ukraine made amendments to its legislation, which opens the possibility for the country to join NATO. The former Soviet country will have to reach a number of accession standards, which will take a long time, according to former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. (ANI/Sputnik)
The measure will take effect immediately, the Ministry said in a statement, urging the public to get vaccinated to protect against the virus and its variants, reports Xinhua news agency.

The decision reflects "the international trend that shows the speed of transmission and the pressure on health services that have high demand for hospitalisation", the Ministry said.

Ecuador "has the amount of vaccines necessary to immunize the entire population", it said, adding the measure is lawful.

Since January, Ecuador has fully vaccinated over 12.4 million people, or 77.23 per cent of the target population aged five and older.

The government's goal is to vaccinate 85 percent of the population, or some 15 million people, by December 31 to achieve herd immunity.

Ecuador has so far reported 539,037 cases and 23,815 deaths from Covid-19, according to the Ministry.

Starting Thursday, access to public venues required showing proof of full vaccination amid the busy Christmas shopping season.

--IANS ksk/

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2021-12-24-15:06:03 (IANS)
The Pakistan-Saudi Arabia rift widened further after the recently held Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Council (OIC) of foreign ministers on Afghanistan as Pakistan tried to rake up unrelated issues. Pakistan hosted the 17th extraordinary session of the OIC of foreign ministers on the Afghanistan situation in Islamabad on December 19, 2021, according to Policy Research Group (PRG)'s Strategic Insight. Further, the conference was attended by envoys from 57 Islamic nations and about 70 observer delegations from US, China, Russia, European Union and the United Nations. Although the purported objective of the gathering was to help salvage Afghanistan from the humanitarian crisis, Pakistan tried to rake up unrelated issues, which Saudi Arabia did not endorse, according to PRG's Strategic Insight. Earlier, Saudi Arabia wanted to highlight the role and responsibility of Taliban 2.0 in restoring peace, stability and essential supplies in Afghanistan, However, Pakistan Prime Minister seemed inclined to blame the crisis on non-recognition of the Taliban regime and freezing of Afghan funds of USD 10 billion deposited overseas. Further, the line taken by Pakistan was that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is worsening because the world has chosen not to recognise the Taliban government, despite the Saudis being circumspect on the matter. Meanwhile, it was clear from the outset that Pakistan had motives to utilise the platform for its own agenda namely legitimisation of Taliban and its own strategic interests. Pakistan's plan to push the recognition of the Taliban 2.0 regime as a legitimate government of Afghanistan in the OIC platform is clear from the Draft Declaration prepared by the Pakistan Foreign Office shared with the OIC headquarters. It had reportedly a line stating that unless the OIC recognizes the Taliban government, the humanitarian crisis would worsen, according to PRG's Strategic Insight. Earlier, Islamabad wanted the OIC to show direct solidarity with the Taliban. Additionally, Pakistan wanted to add a line in the declaration that the OIC had agreed to establish a Contact Group on Afghanistan, which the Saudi's were against, according to PRG's Strategic Insight. (ANI)
Afghan Ambassador to Tajikistan Muhammad Zahir Agbar said that the embassy has denied the Taliban to return nearly USD 8,00,000 that were sent from Kabul in the last days of the presidency of Ashraf Ghani, reported Sputnik. The former Afghan government had transferred USD 7,86,000 to the embassy in Dushanbe after Ghani fled Afghanistan and took refuge in the UAE. With regard to the money, the Taliban sent a letter to the embassy asking the mission to return funds to Kabul. "The Taliban have no right to demand the return of this amount of almost USD 8,00,000 since the Afghan Embassy is the official diplomatic department of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and therefore different amounts are received here, about which the Taliban have no right to ask questions," Sputnik quoted ambassador Agbar as saying to reporters here on Friday. The Ambassador also emphasised that like almost the whole world the embassy does not recognise the Taliban. "We do not officially recognise the Taliban, like almost the whole world," said Agbar, adding that who are they to demand the money which was sent by a legitimate government. "Now we [the embassy] are one small Afghanistan with a large number of our citizens living and working here," he said. The diplomat informed that nearly 10,000 Afghans live in the country, who can receive assistance from the embassy. (ANI)
Tel Aviv [Israel], December 24 [ANI): Institutionalized Jihad flowing from Hamas to the Taliban has caused concern to the international community. There has been a rapid development of terrorist groups trying to validate their capture of territory and gain recognition as a "government". The Taliban and Afghanistan are just the latest examples, according to the Times of Israel. Further, Colin P. Clark, writing in the December issue of Foreign Affairs called "When Terrorists Govern", paints a chilling scenario of the institutionalisation of terror, with the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and its continued insistence to gain recognition as the sovereign successor. Many Islamic terrorist groups, from Mali to Somalia, are trying to get institutional recognition and that the Taliban has inspired other groups to follow their path, according to Colin P Clark writing for the Foreign Affairs. Further, Clark underlines how the Taliban's victory isn't casual but twenty years of infiltration of ministries, and deep entrenchment into Afghan society and gives the example of Haqqani's rise in Afghanistan. Earlier, in 1975, based in the tribal areas in Pakistan, the Haqqani launched their first attack in Afghanistan. After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan activated all the mujahideen groups, including the Haqqani to fight the Soviets. The Haqqani were considered the favorite, getting the largest share of arms and funds. What caught the attention of the CIA and ISI was Jalaluddin Haqqani's fundraising skills, tribal connections, and fluency in Arabic, according to Times of Israel. By mid-2005, Sirajuddin Haqqani had taken over from his father Jalaluddin and was spearheading Haqqani operations in Loya Pakhtia. And in 2007, the Haqqani officially became a part of the Taliban. While the Haqqani had been a part of the Taliban since 2007, it was never clear if the former fully accepted the top Taliban leadership as the boss. The Haqqani acted on many occasions on their own, attacking US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization Treaty (NATO) troops in Afghanistan, according to Times of Israel. Meanwhile, while fighting the US in Afghanistan, Jalaluddin lived a protected life in North Waziristan, where Pakistan gave him and the entire Network safe haven. Earlier, Haqqani has been an United Nations designated global terrorist since 2007, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation has a reward of USD 10 million for information leading to his arrest. Sirajuddin Haqqani, is currently Minister of Interior and one of the two deputies to the Taliban's supreme leader, Maulvi Haibatullah Akhundzada. Meanwhile, after the formation of the new government in Kabul, there ensued a power struggle between the Haqqani and the Taliban, which was eventually settled by ISI chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed flying in from Islamabad, according to Times of Israel Further, the connection in between the Haqqani's and the Pakistani state, will allow institutionalisation of other terrorist groups-Al Qaeda in Yemen, Al Shabab in Somalia, Sahel-based Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in North Western Syria. (ANI)
China has become much more aggressive in the borders towards the east and west and in its relations with other states since the rise of Xi Jinping as President in 2012, an Australian foreign policy expert has said and noted that the world is heading for a prolonged period of bipolar competition in the Indo-Pacific region. Delivering the 2nd Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture, Dr Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute of Australia, said that China's economic rise has been phenomenal but India's economic rise is also important for the Asian success story. "Emerging Asia is the most dynamic part of the world accounting for more than half of the global growth despite representing only the third of the global economy," he said in the address. Speaking on 'Australia, India and the Indo-Pacific: The need for strategic imagination,' Fullilove said if "the economic outlook is positive is in Asia, the security outlook is not". He cautioned that the world is heading "for a prolonged period of bipolar competition in the Indo-Pacific region". "Both US and China have exhibited troubling behaviour in the Indo-Pacific over the past decade." Slamming the impact of US policies during Donald Trump's tenure on geopolitics, Fullilove said if Washington's international stance over the past decade has been changeable, that of Beijing "has been consistent and increasingly concerning". "Since the ascension of President Xi Jinping in 2012, China has become much more aggressive in the borders towards the east and west and its relations with other states. Australia is an extreme case," he said in an apparent reference to deterioration in China-Australia ties. He said that the main reason for the downslide in Canberra's relationship with Beijing is that "China has changed." "Its foreign policy has hardened. The constraints on people within China have tightened. Its willingness to accept criticism has disappeared," he added. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) organised the second Atal Bihari Vajpayee Lecture to mark the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister, which falls on Saturday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also spoke on the occasion. The former Prime Minister an important role in shaping India's Foreign Policy and the memorial lecture is a flagship event of MEA to recall his contributions. (ANI)
"We call on the relevant Libyan authorities to respect the aspirations of the Libyan people for prompt elections by swiftly determining a final date for the polling and issuing the final list of presidential candidates without delay," the joint communique read.

The High National Elections Commission said on Wednesday it could not hold the general elections on December 24, citing inadequacies in electoral legislation and challenges related to candidates' eligibility.

The Western governments said that candidates holding executive positions in public institutions should continue vacating them until the announcement of the electoral results to avoid conflicts of interests and warned forces inside and outside of Libya against undermining the power transition.

The elections are crucial for the North African nation's staggering peace process that began with the signing of a ceasefire deal between the rival Libyan administrations in October 2020. An UN-picked transitional government was to lead the country into elections and its mandate remains limited. (ANI/Sputnik)
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that he will monitor phase 2 of Local Government Election; it means that to monitor rigging by himself, according to the Frontier Post.

Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) KP President Engineer Amir Muqam has said that despite the worst rigging and clever tactics, the people of KP have rejected the PTI in the recent local government elections.

PML-N President claimed that the Local Govt had proved that it opposition was right that the mandate obtained by ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is fake. He claimed that Chief Minister House is become head office for rigging in local government elections.

Earlier, Pakistan Premier, who is not happy with PTI's performance in KP, had summoned KP's CM Mahmood Khan to Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the Pakisan's Prime Minister's Office received a report citing reasons for the PTI's loss in the local body polls in KP.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM will present a report on PTI's defeat in local body polls to PM Imran Kha.

Further, the next Phase of the Local Body elections in KP is scheduled next month. (ANI)
Several humanitarian organizations on Friday urged the Thai government to adopt a set of measures to address the needs of refugees fleeing from neighbouring Myanmar, which is rocked by hostilities between the country's military and rebel troops. Sputnik reported that signatories to the appeal are Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Asylum Access Thailand, Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons, COEER Foundation, Handicap International, International Rescue Committee, Jesuit Refugee Service, Right to Play, Ruammit Foundation-DARE Network, Save the Children, Pestalozzi Children's Foundation, Stateless Children Projection Project III, Terre des Hommes Germany, the Border Consortium, and WEAVE Foundation. "We, the undersigned organisations, call on the Royal Thai Government to protect and assist thousands of people fleeing violence in Myanmar," Sputnik citing a joint statement of the group reported. The confrontation between ethnic minority separatists from the Karen National Union and forces of Myanmar's military junta, in power since the February 1 coup, broke out on December 15 after soldiers raided the country's Kayin State, Sputnik reported. Clashes have so far displaced some 10,000 people in the area, with 3,900 of them crossing the Thai border, according to the NGOs. People are living in makeshift camps lacking adequate living conditions. The groups also recalled that Thailand banned access to its territory to 1,000 refugees from Myanmar, including children. In this regard, the NGOs asked the Thai government to take a set of measures to improve the situation of asylum seekers, including non-prevention of crossings to Thailand, the provision of humanitarian aid under the five-point statement of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), adopted in spring. Other requests made by groups to the Thai government include a systematic screening tool at the common border and the opportunity for humanitarian organizations to conduct independent screening of refugees. Besides, the authorities should allow special agencies to access camping sites of asylum seekers and maintain them in livable conditions, as per Sputnik. In addition, the statement urged Thailand to cooperate with ASEAN nations, of which it and Myanmar are members, to coordinate efforts to resolve the crisis in the southeastern Asian country, it added. (ANI)
Mitla has been providing technical support to medical institutions by developing Perinatal Electronic Medical Record System called the "Hello Baby Program". "Our main objective is to reduce maternal mortality rate and to achieve that we collect detailed records of examination data like weight, blood pressure etc. And if unnormal levels are recorded, doctors can easily identify that information on our Electronic Medical Record program. In Indonesia, we are promoting cloud sharing electronic medical record system and the main purpose is to make it low-cost to acquire. The maternal mortality rate is high in Indonesia, it is almost 100 times that of Japan and we believe our Hello Baby Program can help the people there," said Tomohiro Fujii, official, Mitla Corporation. After research and study, the company developed customized Perinatal Electronic Medical Record System"Hello Baby Program" for Indonesia so it complies with all requirements by doctors, clinics and hospitals. "In Indonesia, there is pre-decided format for medical records and we customised our program to include all those requirements," said Susumu Nagae, official, Mitla Corporation. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is also supporting the expansion of the HelloBaby Program in Indonesia to solve high mortality rate of pregnant women, lack of cooperation between hospitals due to the traditional storage of medical records, and the problem of medical service disparity between urban and remote areas. "What we can hope from Hello Baby Program feature is, we can input more detailed patient data and we can easily perform analysis data statistic regarding patient condition, also this program make clinician work easier and could reduce human error because we can find the risk factor from the beginning. All these matter above, will bring improvement to health facilities service and in the end, we can decrease mother mortality rate," said Dr M Alamsyah Aziz, Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Indonesia. "We look forward to export Japan's medical technology, not only electronic medical record program but also other operations that can expand to other countries as well," said Tomohiro Fujii, official, Mitla Corporation. Online meetings with local staff are regularly scheduled. Feedback is also received from doctors in Indonesia. (ANI)
A senior Chinese minister has raised concern about the "complex and intricate" Afghan situation that terrorist groups including ISIS and Al-Qaeda are using to expand their presence in the region. Attending the Second International Seminar on Counterterrorism, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao said the year has witnessed major changes in the international counterterrorism landscape and the resurgence of international terrorist activities. "The evolution of the Afghan situation has been complex and intricate. Terrorist groups including ISIS, Al-Qaeda and ETIM have been using the chaos in the region to expand their presence and stir up troubles," he said. During his address, Wu Jianghao said, China maintains that the international community should join hands to combat terrorism. "First, we need to foster the awareness of a community with a shared future. Second, we need to underscore the central role played by the UN. Third, we need to strengthen capacity building in developing countries. Fourth, we need to follow the principle of addressing both symptoms and root causes. Fifth, we need to tackle new terrorist threats and ideologies," he said. This seminar was hosted by the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations and organized by the China Institute of International Studies. Officials, responsible officials of counter-terrorism agencies, and experts and scholars in the field of counterterrorism from 17 countries, including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Egypt and Brazil, attended the conference via video link. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the participants in the international Seminar agreed that terrorism is a common enemy of humanity and a major threat to world peace and security. "The changes in the Afghan situation have complicated the regional and international counterterrorism situation, and the abuse of the Internet and emerging technologies by terrorist forces has become an increasingly acute problem," the statement added. (ANI)
US-China worsening relations will deteriorate further if Beijing misses its obligations under a nearly expired trade agreement. The Economic and Trade Agreement signed by the two superpowers in January 2020 is set to end on December 31 this year. Trade observers say China has not complied with a clause that obligates it to buy imports of manufactured goods, farm products, energy products, and certain services from the U.S. at a total of $200 billion more than the 2017 total. China purchased $186 billion in goods and services in 2017 before the trade war, according to U.S. government figures. Matthew Goodman, senior vice president for economics with the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies said China has had trouble complying because of delays in Chinese aircraft orders from the US and pandemic-related setbacks. "I do think that the Biden administration is going to follow through on this agreement and hold China to account," Goodman said "I don't see any reason that they're going to change tack," he added. Further, the nearly four-year-old trade dispute launched by Trump over the Sino-Us trade imbalance has placed tariffs on USD 550 billion worth of goods, including USD 350 billion originating in China. The dispute also led to a chill in broader two-way relations that would run through Trump's term. Further, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a speech at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in October that the U.S. government will discuss with China its "performance". "Under the agreement, China had made commitments that benefit certain American industries, including agriculture, that we must enforce," she said. The U.S. side will "work to enforce the terms of phase one," she added, referring to the terms of the deal. Further, China is the largest goods trading partner of the United States, with USD 559.2 billion passing both ways in 2020, according to the trade representative's office. (ANI)
Lithuania has supported Taiwan against China by allowing Taipei to open its representative office in the country as an embassy, but the Baltic nation needs support from the West and other foreign power in order to stand against and counter the Chinese aggression, a media report said. In late November, Lithuania permitted Taiwan to open a representative office in Vilnius, the equivalent to an embassy. The office used the name "Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania". Notably, Taiwan uses the name of its capital Taipei in other countries for its representative office. Even Taiwan's office in the US is termed "Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office", reported The Hill. Lithuania's decision did draw criticism from Beijing as the Communist regime was infuriated and it attacked Lithuania for its decision. "This act creates the false impression of 'one China, one Taiwan' in the world flagrantly violates the one-China principle," said China's Foreign Affairs Ministry adding, the decision undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. Even the ministry warned that Beijing will take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty and said that the Lithuanian side shall be responsible for all the ensuing consequences. With regard to Lithuania's decision, China in early December removed the Baltic nation from the country's customs systems. The decision troubled Lithuanian exports as a large number of exports were stranded at various locations. "It seems that such a country [i.e., Lithuania] is non-existent on China's custom system. It creates additional problems for exporters," the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists said earlier. Experts said that it was one of the attempts by Beijing to bully Lithuania over its unhindered backing to Taiwan. And in the near future, Beijing will find other ways to bully Lithuania. The US and the EU have announced their support for Lithuania's decision. With regard to China's aggression, the EU has warned of further consequences if Beijing's pressure on Lithuania continues but has not specified what the consequences might be. According to The Hill, for its part, the Biden administration could go further than simply issuing warnings. It could permit Taiwan to rename its Washington office -- if not as the "Taiwan Representative Office," then at least as the "Taipei Representative Office," thereby dropping the additional economic and cultural designation. Washington would not be the first to do so; Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the EU itself and Singapore already have Taiwan Representative Offices. (ANI)
The Taliban on Friday welcomed the United States's efforts to facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, local media reported. This comes as the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday (local time) issued three General Licenses to facilitate the continued flow of humanitarian assistance and other support for the Afghan people. The Islamic Emirate Deputy Spokesperson, Bilal Karimi, said Afghanistan has witnessed a 20-year war, so it needs more international support, Tolo News reported. "Afghan people passed through long wars, and drought is another problem ahead of Afghanistan, so we appreciate such a decision," said Karimi. "The issuance of the three licenses by the US will prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan and show that they (the US) are worried about the situation in the country; besides this, the decision shows their engagement with the Islamic Emirate," Tolo News quoted Shaker Yaqoobi, a university professor as saying. According to the White House statement, General License 17 authorizes all transactions and activities involving the Taliban or the Haqqani Network that are for the conduct of the official business of the United States Government by employees, grantees, or contractors thereof, subject to certain conditions. General License 18 authorizes all transactions and activities involving the Taliban or the Haqqani Network that are for the conduct of the official business of certain international organizations and other international entities by employees, grantees, or contractors thereof, subject to certain conditions, said the statement. The statement further said General License 19 authorizes all transactions and activities involving the Taliban or the Haqqani Network, that are ordinarily incident and necessary to the following activities by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), subject to certain conditions: humanitarian projects to meet basic human needs; activities to support rule of law, citizen participation, government accountability and transparency, human rights and fundamental freedoms, access to information, and civil society development projects; education; non-commercial development projects directly benefitting the Afghan people; and environmental and natural resource protection. (ANI)
As massive protests rocked Pakistan's Balochistan province, China is concerned about the escalating protests in Gwadar-both the non-violent and the armed versions of it, said a European think tank. For the past several weeks, thousands of people have been protesting demanding basic rights as a part of "Gwadar ko haq do" movement in Gwadar. "Pakistan in general, and the province of Balochistan in particular, has been no stranger to demands by vast sections of its population for basic rights that have either been denied to them or snatched away from them. Too often for comfort, these demands have been staked through violent protests involving senseless loss of lives," said the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS). Since the second half of November Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman Baloch, a leader of a native fishing tribe, has been leading the largely local Gwadar Ko Huqooq Do Tehreek and staging massive rallies and sit-ins in various parts of the province's Makran division to press for the demands of Gwadar's residents who number about one hundred thousand. Traders and businesspeople also joined the movement and complete shut-down strikes and blocking of national highways connecting Gwadar with the economic hub of Karachi complemented the rallies and sit-ins. The main demands of the movement included a ban on illegal trawling in the Arabian Sea, including massive Chinese fishing operations there which the protesters said had rendered the local fishermen and others jobless, access to coastal areas near the Gwadar seaport, and reopening of the Iranian border, which is a major commercial and trading center for the local population, the think tank said. The protestors also demanded the removal of checkpoints erected for the security of Chinese nationals involved in CPEC projects and called for provision of basic amenities like drinking water, health, education, and employment opportunities that have long been denied in Gwadar despite the billions of dollars that have been pumped into the Gwadar port and other related projects under the CPEC, EFSAS said. While Balochistan has long been suffering on account of the oppressive step-brotherly treatment meted out by Rawalpindi and Islamabad, it is the Chinese entry into the province through the CPEC that has compounded the exploitative tendencies of the Pakistani regime, the think tank said. Earlier, the Canada-based think tank The International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) pointed out that "Gwadar is the main strategic hub of Chinese activities and it houses Gwadar port, which is touted as the 'jewel of the CPEC', said the think tank. At the same time, it is the epicentre of anti-China sentiments". The think tank also believes that the ongoing protests and terror attacks against the CPEC could prove detrimental to China's future foreign investment in Pakistan, the think tank added. (ANI)
Two Georgia election workers allege in a defamation lawsuit filed Thursday that conservative network One America News Network and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani falsely claimed they committed ballot fraud over the 2020 election.

Why it matters: Ruby Freeman and daughter Wandrea "Shaye" Moss allege in the suit first obtained by Politico that the baseless public claims "led to an immediate onslaught of violent and racist threats and harassment" that left them "afraid to live normal lives."

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The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., says that Freeman followed FBI advice and left her home for two months due to a group of Trump supporters surrounding her home after the conspiracy theories spread.

Details: The lawsuit names OANN president Charles Herring, its founder Robert Herring and network reporter Chanel Rion.

"On multiple occasions, strangers camped out at Ms. Freeman's home and/or knocked on her door," the lawsuit states.

"When Ms. Freeman was not home or would not answer the door, these strangers would sometimes also harass her neighbors. Strangers were coming to her home so frequently that the local police agreed to add her address to their patrols in the area."

What they're saying: OANN CEO Robert Herring told Reuters his network had "done nothing wrong," adding that he was "laughing" at the lawsuit and "four or five others" filed against the company.

"Eventually, it will turn on them and go the other way," Herring said.

Representatives for Giuliani and OANN did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.

The big picture: Freeman and Ross filed a similar lawsuit against far-right website The Gateway Pundit earlier this month.

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Two former Georgia election workers are suing Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani, One America News Network and several of the networks top executives for pushing a series of debunked conspiracy theories about the workers' role in the 2020 election that they said put them in physical danger and threatened their livelihoods.

Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, her daughter, worked as poll workers counting ballots at State Farm Arena in Fulton County, Ga., during the November 2020 election. In a lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, the two asserted that they became the center of a series of unfounded conspiracy theories pushed by Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who served as an adviser to former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election, as well as several top employees of OAN, the California-based cable news network with close ties to the then-president.

As a result of their vital service, Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss have become the objects of vitriol, threats, and harassment, they said in Thursdays complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington. They found themselves in this unenviable position not based on anything they did, but instead because of a campaign of malicious lies designed to accuse them of interfering with a fair and impartial election, which is precisely what each of them swore an oath to protect.

Trump and his allies, who were desperate to find a way to overturn his loss in Georgia last year, quickly spread a litany of conspiracy theories about a rigged election in the state.

One of them involved the Trump campaign posting a clip from OAN in early December, where a woman falsely alleged that a poll worker was pulling ballots out of a suitcase to tip the election toward Joe Biden. The clip was cut from a state legislative hearing, where a team of attorneys for Trump, led by Giuliani, gave a presentation.

Georgia election officials quickly sought to knock that conspiracy down. They were not suitcases full of falsified ballots, but ballot containers that were routinely used.

Story continues

The 90 second video of election workers at State Farm arena, purporting to show fraud was watched in its entirety (hours) by [Georgia secretary of state] investigators, Gabriel Sterling, a senior official in the states secretary of state office who became the face of efforts to push back against misinformation from Trump after the election, tweeted at the time. Shows normal ballot processing.

Election officials in the state also went through the longer tape with a local TV station the day after the hearing in an effort to debunk the false claims.

But Trump and his allies remained obsessed with the state, and with the lies they have spread about the election workers in Georgia. Trump mentioned Freeman by name in the now-infamous call he had with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in early January, where he tried to convince the election official to overturn his loss in the state.

Raffensperger refused, and also specifically denied Trumps claims about Freeman. I think its extremely unfortunate that Rudy Giuliani or his people, they sliced and diced that video and took it out of context, Raffensperger, a Republican, told the then-president on the call.

Trump had also mentioned Freeman in a statement in April.

Thursdays complaint argued that Giuliani and OAN pushed claims about Freeman and Moss even after state election officials released statements debunking the allegations. The lawsuit, which names OAN president Charles Herring, founder Robert Herring and the networks White House correspondent Chanel Rion, noted that well into 2021 OAN continued to broadcast claims that Freeman engaged in election wrongdoing, despite evidence disproving those claims.

With no concern for the truth or the consequences of their willful conduct, Defendants baselessly portrayed Plaintiffs as traitors who participated in a carefully planned conspiracy to steal the presidential election in Georgia, the complaint said.

Freeman and Moss said the consequences of the claims have been devastating to their lives. As conspiracy theories about their involvement spread, Freeman said she was forced to shut down her online business and did not return home for months at the recommendation of the FBI.

Charles Herring did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment.

The lawsuit against OAN and Giuliani came just weeks after the two election workers filed a similar lawsuit against the Gateway Pundit, alleging that the right-wing website engaged in a campaign of lies by continuing to push debunked conspiracy theories about the duo for months.

OAN has faced a series of legal broadsides over its coverage of the 2020 election.

Earlier this year, Dominion Voting Systems filed a lawsuit against several conservative news outlets including OAN, saying the network engaged in a downward spiral of lies, as each broadcaster attempted to outdo the others by making the lies more outrageous, spreading them further, and endorsing them as strongly as possible. Just a few months later, voting machine company Smartmatic also filed a suit against OAN, arguing that the network knowingly aired false claims that votes on the companys machines were switched from Trump to Biden.
Photo taken outside the Arizona Department of Corrections office in downtown Phoenix.

A 37-year-old man incarcerated at Eyman prison in Florence died Thursday from what officials said was an act of self-harm.

Prison staff found Kurt E. Borgerson unresponsive early Thursday in his assigned housing area, a news release from the Arizona Department of Corrections said. He was later pronounced dead.

Borgerson was sentenced in Maricopa County in October to six-and-a-half years in prison for aggravated assault, according to the department's website.

Borgerson's death was under investigation in consultation with the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office.

Suicide, crisis hotlines for Arizonans

Services for Arizonans in crisis include:

Dial 2-1-1 to reach 211 Arizona. The same number will connect callers to Resilient Arizona Crisis Counseling Program.

The National Suicide Prevention Line is available 24/7 at 800-273-8255 in English and 888-628-9454 in Spanish. It's free and confidential for those in distress who need prevention or crisis resources for themselves or loved ones.

La Frontera Empact Suicide Prevention Center's crisis line serves Maricopa and Pinal counties 24/7 at 480-784-1500.

Teen Lifeline 24/7 crisis line serves teens at 602-248-8336 for Maricopa County and 800-248-8336 statewide.

The Trevor Project Lifeline serves LGBTQ youth at 866-488-7386.

Reach the reporter at chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kurt E. Borgerson, incarcerated at Eyman prison in Florence, dies
Aaron Sorkin didn't want to tell the Lucille Ball story that everyone thought they knew. CBS Films/CBS Television Distribution;Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

The Lucille Ball biopic "Being the Ricardos" doesn't have a happy ending.

Writer-director Aaron Sorkin told Insider that the best story is one "you think you know."

The phrase "Lucy, I'm home" has a powerful impact in the film.

"Being the Ricardos" puts audiences in front of iconic comedian Lucille Ball's life during a high-pressure week of production on the hit 1950s sitcom "I Love Lucy," and if writer/director Aaron Sorkin has done his job, it will change the way you think about the show's famous line "Lucy, I'm home" forever.

In the film's final scenes, Lucille (portrayed by Nicole Kidman) and her husband Desi Arnaz (portrayed by Javier Bardem) are preparing to go in front of a live audience to film an episode of "I Love Lucy" after Desi has publically proven to the audience that Lucille was cleared of any association with the communist party by calling FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover.

Desi expects Lucille to be elated, but she begins questioning him about a handkerchief she found in his suit that has lipstick on it that is not her shade. When Desi tries to convince Lucille that it's hers, she produces a handkerchief with her actual lipstick shade on it.

Writer/Director Aaron Sorkin and actor Nicole Kidman from Amazon Studios' 'Being the Ricardos' speak onstage during Deadline's The Contenders Film. Rich Polk/Getty Images for Deadline

It's the moment Lucille knows that her marriage is over. So, minutes later when they are filming "I Love Lucy," Lucille misses her cue when Desi says the line, "Lucy, I'm home."

In an interview with Insider, Sorkin said that the Kidman wears a smile on her face at the end of the film because "the irony is unbearable" for her. "She just has to stop in front of the studio audience and they have to start again," he said.

Throughout the film, Sorkin "set the table" for the phrase "Lucy, I'm home" to have such a powerful impact at the end.

"On her first date with Desi, she talks about having a home as her ambition," Sorkin said.

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Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Michael Ochs/Getty

During a tense night trying to fix a scene that isn't working in the episode, Lucille tells Vivian Vance (portrayed by Nina Arianda) and William Frawley (portrayed by J.K. Simmons) that she "did the show to save her marriage" and "figured the construction department will build us a little apartment and that's where we live," Sorkin said.

Sorkin could have easily ended "Being the Ricardos" with a triumphant embrace between the couple as they go out to film the show. The pair didn't actually get divorced until 1960.

But Sorkin was not interested in telling the glossy version of Ball's story filled with iconic Lucy Ricardo moments that he knew the audience expected to see.

Nicole Kidman plays Lucille Ball. Jason Mendez/WireImage; Amazon Prime Video

"The only thing better than a story you don't know is a story you think you know," he said.

Sorkin purposefully stayed away from recreating the most memorable scenes from the sitcom for a specific reason. "I didn't want it to feel like, okay, now Billy Joel's going to play 'Piano Man.' I didn't want it to feel like this is 'I Love Lucy's' greatest hits," he said.

You can stream "Being the Ricardos" now on Amazon Prime.

Read the original article on Insider
LAGOS, Nigeria  Computers have become amazingly precise at translating spoken words to text messages and scouring huge troves of information for answers to complex questions. At least, that is, so long as you speak English or another of the world's dominant languages.

But try talking to your phone in Yoruba, Igbo or any number of widely spoken African languages and you'll find glitches that can hinder access to information, trade, personal communications, customer service and other benefits of the global tech economy.

"We are getting to the point where if a machine doesn't understand your language it will be like it never existed," said Vukosi Marivate, chief of data science at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, in a call to action before a December virtual gathering of the world's artificial intelligence researchers.

In this photo taken Wednesday Nov 24, 2021, Kola Tubosun, is photograph in his house in Lagos, Nigeria. Computers have become amazingly precise at translating spoken words to text messages and scouring huge troves of information for answers to complex questions. At least, that is, so long as you speak English or another of the world's dominant languages. But try talking to your phone in Yoruba, Igbo or any number of widely spoken African languages and you'll find glitches that can hinder access to information, trade, personal communications, customer service and other benefits of the global tech economy. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

American tech giants don't have a great track record of making their language technology work well outside the wealthiest markets, a problem that's also made it harder for them to detect dangerous misinformation on their platforms.

Marivate is part of a coalition of African researchers who have been trying to change that. Among their projects is one that found machine translation tools failed to properly translate online COVID-19 surveys from English into several African languages.

"Most people want to be able to interact with the rest of the information highway in their local language," Marivate said in an interview. He's a founding member of Masakhane, a pan-African research project to improve how dozens of languages are represented in the branch of AI known as natural language processing. It's the biggest of a number of grassroots language technology projects that have popped up from the Andes to Sri Lanka.

Tech giants offer their products in numerous languages, but they don't always pay attention to the nuances necessary for those apps work in the real world. Part of the problem is that there's just not enough online data in those languages  including scientific and medical terms  for the AI systems to effectively learn how to get better at understanding them.

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In this photo taken Wednesday Nov 24, 2021, Kola Tubosun, is photograph in his house in Lagos, Nigeria. Computers have become amazingly precise at translating spoken words to text messages and scouring huge troves of information for answers to complex questions. At least, that is, so long as you speak English or another of the world's dominant languages. But try talking to your phone in Yoruba, Igbo or any number of widely spoken African languages and you'll find glitches that can hinder access to information, trade, personal communications, customer service and other benefits of the global tech economy. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

Google, for instance, offended members of the Yoruba community several years ago when its language app mistranslated Esu, a benevolent trickster god, as the devil. Facebook's language misunderstandings have been tied to political strife around the world and its inability to tamp down harmful misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

More mundane translation glitches have been turned into joking online memes.

Omolewa Adedipe has grown frustrated trying to share her thoughts on Twitter in the Yoruba language because her automatically translated tweets usually end up with different meanings.

One time, the 25-year-old content designer tweeted, "T'Ilu o ba dun, T'Ilu o ba t'oro. Eyin l'emo bi e se se," which means, "If the land (or country, in this context) is not peaceful, or merry, you're responsible for it." Twitter, however, managed to end up with the translation: "If you are not happy, if you are not happy."

For complex Nigerian languages like Yoruba, those accent marks -- often associated with tones -- make all the difference in communication. 'Ogun', for instance, is a Yoruba word that means war, but it can also mean a state in Nigeria (Ogun), god of iron (Ogun), stab (Ogun), twenty or property (Ogun).

"Some of the bias is deliberate given our history," said Marivate, who has devoted some of his AI research to the southern African languages of Xitsonga and Setswana spoken by his family members, as well as to the common conversational practice of "code-switching" between languages.

"The history of the African continent and in general in colonized countries, is that when language had to be translated, it was translated in a very narrow way," he said. "You were not allowed to write a general text in any language because the colonizing country might be worried that people communicate and write books about insurrections or revolutions. But they would allow religious texts."

Google and Microsoft are among the companies that say they are trying to improve technology for so-called "low-resource" languages that AI systems don't have enough data for. Computer scientists at Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, announced in November a breakthrough on the path to a "universal translator" that could translate multiple languages at once and work better with lower-resourced languages such as Icelandic or Hausa.

That's an important step, but at the moment, only large tech companies and big AI labs in developed countries can build these models, said David Ifeoluwa Adelani. He's a researcher at Saarland University in Germany and another member of Masakhane, which has a mission to strengthen and spur African-led research to address technology "that does not understand our names, our cultures, our places, our history."

Improving the systems requires not just more data but careful human review from native speakers who are underrepresented in the global tech workforce. It also requires a level of computing power that can be hard for independent researchers to access.

Writer and linguist Kola Tubosun created a multimedia dictionary for the Yoruba language and also created a text-to-speech machine for the language. He is now working on similar speech recognition technologies for Nigeria's two other major languages, Hausa and Igbo, to help people who want to write short sentences and passages.

"We are funding ourselves," he said. "The aim is to show these things can be profitable."

Tubosun led the team that created Google's "Nigerian English" voice and accent used in tools like maps. But he said it remains difficult to raise the money needed to build technology that might allow a farmer to use a voice-based tool to follow market or weather trends.

In Rwanda, software engineer Remy Muhire is helping to build a new open-source speech dataset for the Kinyarwanda language that involves a lot of volunteers recording themselves reading Kinyarwanda newspaper articles and other texts.

"They are native speakers. They understand the language," said Muhire, a fellow at Mozilla, maker of the Firefox internet browser. Part of the project involves a collaboration with a government-supported smartphone app that answers questions about COVID-19.

To improve the AI systems in various African languages, Masakhane researchers are also tapping into news sources across the continent, including Voice of America's Hausa service and the BBC broadcast in Igbo.

Increasingly, people are banding together to develop their own language approaches instead of waiting for elite institutions to solve problems, said Damian Blasi, who researches linguistic diversity at the Harvard Data Science Initiative.

Blasi co-authored a recent study that analyzed the uneven development of language technology across the world's more than 6,000 languages. For instance, it found that while Dutch and Swahili both have tens of millions of speakers, there are hundreds of scientific reports on natural language processing in the Western European language and only about 20 in the East African one.

O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AI enabled language translations made better by African researchers
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. AP Photo/Richard Drew

Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo won't face criminal charges over a female state trooper's sexual harassment allegations.

The Nassau County acting DA said the allegations were "credible" and "deeply troubling" but not criminal.

Westchester County's DA said the statute of limitations for the harassment allegations had lapsed.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will not face criminal charges after a female state trooper accused him of touching her inappropriately in 2019, two county prosecutors said.

The 2019 incident was included in a damning investigation into the former governor's conduct by New York Attorney General Letitia James' office.

The trooper, who was identified as "Trooper No. 1" in the AG's report, said that Cuomo sexually harassed and inappropriately touched her on multiple occasions, including when she was assigned to protect Cuomo during an event in 2019 at the Belmont Park racetrack. According to testimony transcripts, the former governor ran the palm of his left hand across her stomach.

"And while he's walking and we're in motion, while he's walking into the door, he takes his left hand and basically, like, thumb facing down, I felt the palm of his hand in the center of my stomach on my bellybutton and, like, pushed back towards my right hip, like, where my gun is," she said. "So he's walking one way, his hand is running across my stomach in the opposite direction."

"I felt like completely violated because, to me, that's between my chest and my privates, which, you know, if he was a little bit north or a little bit south, it's not good," the trooper said, according to the report.

Joyce Smith, Nassau County's acting district attorney, said, though an "exhaustive investigation" into the trooper's allegations found them "credible, deeply troubling," they were "not criminal under New York law."

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"It is important to note that our investigation was limited to alleged conduct at Belmont Racetrack, and prosecutors in other jurisdictions continue to review other allegations of misconduct by Mr. Cuomo," Smith said in a statement.

She added: "We thank the brave individuals who came forward and cooperated with our office during this investigation and gratefully acknowledge our colleagues, Attorney General James, and the New York State Assembly, for their diligence and collaboration."

In another incident detailed in the AG's report, the trooper said that Cuomo asked to kiss her while she was on his detail at his home in Mount Kisco, New York, in the presence of another trooper. The trooper, afraid of rebuffing the governor, said she allowed him to kiss her on the cheek.

But Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah also announced on December 28 that her office wouldn't bring charges against Cuomo over that incident or a separate case of a woman who claimed that Cuomo grabbed her and kissed her cheek without consent in White Plains, citing the statute of limitations.

"Our investigation found credible evidence to conclude that the alleged conduct in both instances described above did occur," Rocah said. "However, in both instances, my Office has determined that, although the allegations and witnesses were credible, and the conduct concerning, we cannot pursue criminal charges due to the statutory requirements of the criminal laws of New York."

In a statement posted to Twitter, Cuomo's spokesperson Rich Azzopardi slammed James, accusing her of using the investigation into Cuomo as a "political springboard" for her own bid for governor next year, an effort which she has since abandoned.

"With each passing day, it becomes more and more clear that the Attorney General's report was the intersection of gross prosecutorial misconduct and an abuse of government power for political purposes," Azzopardi said. "Her press conference claimed '11 cases of violations of federal and state laws,' ignited the cancel culture mentality, and started a media and political stampede against Governor Cuomo."

Cuomo resigned from office in August amid a slew of sexual harassment accusations by several women. He has since denied the allegations against him in the scandal.

In a CNN interview in August, an attorney for Cuomo said the governor extended an apology to the state trooper.

"With respect to trooper, number one, he wants to apologize to her," attorney Rita Glavin said in the interview. "He has tremendous respect for her, and he never in any way, shape, or form meant to make her feel as if he was touching her in a sexual way or violated her as I think she testified to."

Glavin added: "I do want to make that point, that in many ways that she felt that way, that he did something that, you know, was untoward and that she felt disrespected, absolutely. He feels quite badly about it."

A lawyer representing the state trooper did not immediately return Insider's request for comment. Insider also reached out to James' office for comment on the Nassau County DA's decision not to press criminal charges.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Another woman has said she was sexually assaulted by Chris Noth, the Law & Order and Sex and the City star, becoming the fourth woman this month to make allegations against him.

The woman, Lisa Gentile, a singer-songwriter who came forward Thursday to allege that Noth assaulted her in 2002, is the first of his accusers to name herself publicly.

The Hollywood Reporter last week published the accounts of two anonymous women who accused of Noth of sexual assault in incidents alleged to have happened in 2004 and 2015.

Noth denied the allegations from the Hollywood Reporter story last week. The encounters were consensual, he said. Its difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I dont know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.

Another unnamed woman who spoke to The Daily Beast the day after the Hollywood Reporter article said Noth assaulted her in 2010; Noth denied her account through a spokesperson, calling it a complete fabrication.

NBC News has not independently spoken to any of the anonymous accusers and does not know their identities. Representatives for Noth did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Gentiles allegations Thursday.

Gentile said she first met Noth at Don Marino, a New York restaurant, in 1998 and struck up a conversation-based friendship over the years.

Gentile said at a news conference Thursday that one night in 2002, Noth offered her a ride home. Gentile alleges that when she and Noth were in her apartment, he groped her, tried to remove her clothing and tried to push her hands toward his groin. She said he became extremely angry and stormed out after she said, No, I dont want this!

She said Noth called her the next day and warned me that if I ever told a soul about what happened the night before, that he would ruin my career, that I would never sing again, and he would blacklist me in the business.

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Lisa Gentile said she was sexually assaulted by the actor Chris Noth. (via Zoom)

I was afraid to come forward because of Mr. Noths power and his threats to ruin my career, Gentile said.

Gloria Allred, Gentiles attorney, said Thursday that the New York state statute of limitations prevents her client from taking legal action.

The courthouse door is slammed shut in her face, denying her an opportunity to assert and vindicate her rights in a court of law because of the statute of limitations, Allred said.

Gentile said, I feel that we should have our day in court to seek to hold Mr. Noth accountable for what he did.

Allred, a veteran litigator, called upon Noths former Sex and the City co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis to speak out in support of a bill before the New York Legislature to change the statute of limitations.

Lisa and I appreciate their words of support for the previous accusers of Chris Noth, and now, we urge Sarah, Cynthia and Kristin to take action to speak out in support of the Adult Survivors Act, as Lisa and I are doing today, Allred said. Their endorsement of this act will be important to its passage when the New York Legislature begins its session next month.

Allred also issued something of a political challenge to the Legislature and the governor.

We also call on the first woman governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, to include the passage of the ASA in her State of the State address in the Assembly chamber when she delivers her remarks in less than two weeks on January 5, 2022, Allred said.

We also urge Chris Noth to speak out in support of the New York Adult Survivors Act, she said. He has asserted in his statement that everything he did with those who have accused him was consensual. If that is true, then he should support the ASA so that the accusers allegations can be resolved in a court of law, rather than in a court of public opinion.

Allred said Gentile found it upsetting to see him in the news recently, echoing the sentiments of some of Noths other accusers. Definitely, it was triggering for Lisa, she said.

Following the initial allegations last week, Peloton pulled an ad featuring Noth, he was dropped from the cast of the CBS series The Equalizer, and a multimillion-dollar deal involving his tequila company fell through.

CORRECTION (Dec. 23, 2021, 11:05 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the first name of a co-star of Sex and the City. She is Kristin Davis, not Kristen.
There's a period of time after the Big Bang, when the universe was in its infancy and the very first stars were blinking into existence, that remains one of the most mysterious chapters in the history of the cosmos.

If astronomers could study those chaotic, heady days of the early universe, they could begin to unravel how the cosmos evolved over more than 13 billion years. They might finally understand what extraordinary forces gave rise to stars, galaxies, black holes and planets  including worlds beyond Earth that may support life.

Yet even with the most sophisticated observatories in space and on the ground, scientists lacked the means to observe the oldest and most distant objects in the universe.

That is, until now.

NASA is set to launch into space humanity's largest and most powerful telescope, a $10 billion behemoth called the James Webb Space Telescope. The tennis court-sized observatory, slated to lift off Saturday from a European spaceport in French Guiana, will be able to see deeper into space and in greater detail than any telescope that has come before it.

NASA has billed the mission as an "Apollo moment"  a giant leap forward that could revolutionize our understanding of the universe and humanitys place in it.

"It's kind of a cliche to say that its going to change the course of astronomy, but it might very well do that," Marcia Rieke, an astronomer at the University of Arizona, said.

Rieke has spent the past 20 years leading the development of one of the Webb telescope's four main instruments, a specially designed infrared camera known as NIRcam. She said Webb could unlock mysteries of the early universe, from as far back as 100 million years after the Big Bang. It could also observe exoplanets with instruments sensitive enough to study their atmospheres, looking for potential biosignatures of alien life.

For all its potential benefits, the mission is also one of NASA's most daring.

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Risky business

After launch, the Webb telescope will spend about a month journeying to a point in orbit around the sun that is about 1 million miles away from Earth.

Artist conception of the James Webb Space Telescope in space. (NASA)

The observatory's destination is known as the second Lagrange, or L2, point and was chosen because the telescope can remain in a stable orbit with one side of the telescope permanently facing Earth and the sun. This helps shield the telescope's instruments from heat and light that could interfere with its observations.

But at a million miles away, NASA won't be able to send astronauts to the telescope to make upgrades or repairs if anything goes wrong. Astronauts famously visited the Hubble Space Telescope in low-Earth orbit on five separate servicing missions between 1993 and 2009. That won't be an option this time, said Greg Robinson, Webbs program director at NASA.

"There's no help on the way," Robinson said. "Once it leaves the planet, it's on its own."

Next-generation space telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. First proposed more than 30 years ago, the observatory is designed to help astronomers piece together how the modern universe came to be.

But the project has not been without controversy. Over the course of its development, the telescope ran billions of dollars over budget and was finished more than a decade behind schedule. For the thousands of scientists and engineers around the world involved with the project, it has been a long and often bumpy journey.

Now, Webb is finally ready for launch.

The observatory will build on the legacy of the iconic Hubble Space Telescope, which has been operating since 1990. Though Hubble is responsible for decades of scientific discoveries and some of the most jaw-dropping images of the cosmos, including the famed Pillars of Creation, the telescope is limited in what it can see  and how far.

The Webb telescopes primary mirror, which collects and focuses light from objects in the cosmos, will be the largest to fly in space.

James Webb Space Telescope (Chris Gunn / NASA)

Measuring more than 21 feet across, Webb's mirror is nearly three times the size of Hubble's, allowing it to observe more of the cosmos and in greater detail. Altogether, the Webb telescope will be 100 times more powerful than Hubble, Robinson said.

In other words, if Hubble opened a window to the universe, then Webb will likely kick down the door.

"We knew that there were going to be things that we find where Hubble gave some tantalizing clues but didnt have the right suite of capabilities to pursue," Rieke said.

But the impressive size of Webb's mirror was also one of the mission's greatest design challenges. To fit inside the rocket for launch, the mirror needs to be folded up and then subsequently unfolded once in space. Each of the 18 gold-coated, hexagonal segments requires ultraprecise alignment to function as one single mirror.

The telescope's enormous sunshield will also unfurl once the observatory reaches space. The diamond-shaped sunshield is designed to keep the telescope's mirror and instruments ultracold, allowing them to pick up the faintest heat signals in the universe without interference from Earth or the sun.

Seeing the past

Webb's ability to detect distant stars and galaxies owes to the telescope's infrared "eyes," which probe beyond the range of human sight and beyond other telescopes, including Hubble, that see primarily visible light.

The longer wavelengths of infrared light can pierce through thick veils of cosmic gas and dust that might otherwise obscure some celestial objects.

Mystic Mountain (NASA; ESA; M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team )

Infrared instruments are also better suited for trying to detect the universe's earliest stars and galaxies. Telescopes essentially function as time machines because it takes time for light to travel through space. As such, light that reaches the Webb telescope from the most distant galaxies don't tell of present conditions but rather offer insights into how the universe was billions of years ago.

Since the universe is expanding, light from the earliest stars and galaxies is stretched, shifting into longer infrared wavelengths undetectable by Hubble or the human eye.

"We will see things that we've never known were there, and we'll see things we've known about differently and better," said John Mather, the Webb telescope's senior project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Mather, who has been involved with the Webb telescope for the past 26 years, called it a once-in-a-generation mission, adding that the telescope's discoveries will "keep astronomers busy for decades."

"We'll be able to write a much better history of the expanding universe. We'll see how it happened that galaxies have black holes in the center and how it's possible that a planet can exist that is capable of supporting people," he said.

But perhaps more exciting are the new questions that Webb could raise  ones that scientists didn't even know to ask. Mather said he hopes the mission will inspire curiosity in the general public for generations to come.

"Science is about discovery and the unknown," Mather said. "We're always puzzling our way through the unknown, and I want to invite people to come along and join us in that quest."
Chris Noth has been accused by another woman of a brazen sexual assault  this one allegedly having gone down more than 20 years ago.

In a video press conference held Thursday by high-power attorney Gloria Allred, singer Lisa Gentile alleges in grave detail that in "early 2002" the "Sex and the City" star "forcibly" placed himself onto Gentile at her apartment in New York City.

Gentiles accusation is the fourth to be made against Noth in the last two weeks.

According to the performer, Gentile first met Noth when she frequented the Da Marino restaurant in New York City in 1998.

CHRIS NOTH DROPPED FROM 'THE EQUALIZER' AMID SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS

Chris Noth attends the NY Premiere of "And Just Like That" on Dec. 8, 2021, in New York City. Photo by Gotham/GC Images

She described the actor as "a regular" at the famed establishment and claimed that she and Noth eventually "started conversing and [we] became acquaintances."

Gentile recalled her interactions with Noth to be friendly and said the two typically chatted about music and show business in and around their neighborhood.

However, Gentile said in the virtual press conference that her life as she knew it changed one Saturday night in early 2002.

"We were all hanging out at Da Marino around midnight, I was getting ready to leave. [Noth] offered me a ride home, and I said, OK," she recollected. "When we arrived at my apartment. He asked if he could come up. I told him I had nothing to offer him to drink, and he said, That's OK. He just wanted to see where I lived."

Gentile said the former "Law and Order" star went upstairs with her and the two hung out in the kitchen of the apartment. It was then that Gentile alleges Noth was keen on seeing the rest of the apartment, but she refused to show him since her roommates were asleep.

Gentile maintained that Noth then went to the restroom, and while he was away, she managed to locate "some old box wine and poured him a glass."

'SEX AND THE CITY' STAR CHRIS NOTH ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT BY TWO WOMEN

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Noth began kissing Gentile "almost right away," she alleges, before claiming he "leaned against the kitchen countertop and forcibly pulled [her] against him."

"He was slobbering all over me," Gentile recalled from memory, adding that she "quickly became uncomfortable."

She further alleges that Noth became "more aggressive and put both hands on my breasts and began squeezing them very hard over my shirt. He quickly went under my shirt and began squeezing them even harder over my bra with his fingers grabbing the exposed skin not covered by my bra. Then he pushed my bra up with both of his hands."

Chris Noth has denied allegations of assault, calling his encounters with the women 'consensual.' Photo by Astrid Stawiarz

Gentile said she grabbed Noths hands and tried to stop him to no avail and "kept pushing his hands down while he was pushing mine up."

She presses that Noth forced her hands to pull up his shirt, exposing his belly, and claimed he then pushed her hands down toward his appendage before Gentile said she finally managed to "push him away and get out of his grasp."

Gentile yelled, "No, I don't want this" before she alleges the actor "became extremely angry and started screaming and calling me a tease and a b----."

CHRIS NOTH DROPPED BY TALENT AGENCY FOLLOWING SEXUAL ASSAULT ACCUSATIONS

Noth stormed out of Gentiles apartment after the alleged ordeal and would later wake up her roommate to relay the events of what happened.

It was only the next morning that Gentile alleges Noth phoned her on a roommate's landline.

"He warned me that if I ever told a soul about what happened the night before that he would ruin my career  that I would never sing again and that he would blacklist me in the business," she alleges before Noth "hung up on me, and I immediately called my mother and father crying."

Meanwhile, Gentiles attorney didnt mince words in expressing her desire for New York state to alter the statute of limitations via the Adult Survivors Act (ASA). The change would create the ability to "look back" at an allegation that falls outside the statute of limitations.

Although the alleged assault occurred nearly 20 years ago, Allred claims Gentile hasnt spoken to Noth in "a long time."

On Monday, stars of "Sex and the City" and its spinoff "And Just Like That," Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis spoke out publicly in support of the women who have alleged Noth also sexually assaulted them as well.

'LAW & ORDER' ACTRESS CLAIMS CHRIS NOTH WAS 'SEXUALLY INAPPROPRIATE' TOWARD HER ON SET

Allred used the stance as a launching point to make a plea of her own to the actresses and Noth himself to express his own support for the change if he truly believes the alleged encounters he had with the women was consensual in nature.

"We urge Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and millions of victims and those who care about victims' rights to join us in contacting Gov. [Kathy] Hochul to urge her to include the Adult Survivors Act in her policy agenda in her speech on Jan. 5," Allred said during her address to the media. "We also urge the stars of 'Sex and the City' to state that they would be willing to testify in support of this bill if the New York State Assembly holds a hearing and allows testimony. [Gentile] and I would also agree to testify if the assembly permits our testimony."

Chris Noths character, Mr. Big, died of a heart attack following a Peloton workout in the premiere episode of "And Just Like That." CF/MEGA/GC Images

"Finally. We also urge Chris Noth to speak out in support of the New York Adult Survivors Act. He has asserted in a statement that everything he did with those who have accused him was consensual," she continued. "If that is true, then he should support the ASA so that the accusers' allegations can be resolved in a court of law rather than in a court of public opinion."

She added: "All we want for Christmas is access to justice and the passage of the Adult Survivors Act next year. If and when it becomes law, those who were victimized in New York will have the right and the opportunity to finally hold those who have victimized them accountable in a court of law."

Noths character died of a heart attack following a Peloton workout in the premiere episode of "And Just Like That." He was also dropped from the CBS series "The Equalizer" in the wake of the accusations on Monday.

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Reps for Noth did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment.

Fox News' Jessica Napoli contributed to this report.
ZURICH (Reuters) - Austria should offer some healthcare staff and other key workers a fourth COVID-19 jab, the National Vaccination Board said in updated guidance published late on Thursday, citing risks from the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

But it said there was not enough scientific data for it to recommend fourth shots be given more widely.

"In view of an imminent Omicron wave, (a fourth vaccination) can be offered in high-risk areas (e.g., exposed health care personnel) and in systemically critical areas from six months after the third vaccination," the board said.

Austria said on Wednesday it will tighten restrictions again from Dec. 27 to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.

In November, the government announced a fourth national lockdown and said it would make vaccinations compulsory for all Austrians, the first European Union country to do so.

While that three-week lockdown slashed daily COVID-19 infections from record levels, the country is bracing for another surge. Several hundred Omicron cases have been confirmed already.

In its updated guidelines, the National Vaccination Board said fourth COVID-19 shots could be given "off label" to groups in healthcare and other critical areas following medical consultation.

"There is still no evidence that this additional vaccination can prevent infections. However, it can be it can be assumed that serious illnesses can be prevented," it said.

(Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Catherine Evans)
Dec. 24BELFAST, Maine  City councilors are debating whether Belfast should mandate COVID-19 vaccines for new hires or even all employees.

That question was discussed at Tuesday night's city council meeting, but councilors decided to wait and see what the federal government will require. Some still sounded strongly in favor of taking this kind of action as a way to protect both employees and the public.

"If I had my druthers, I would like everybody to be vaccinated," Councilor Brenda Bonneville said. "If people want to leave, like they're leaving the hospital and other places with mandates, then I'm sorry. But we're working for the city of Belfast, and we want to keep people safe."

Such a mandate would be one of the first in Maine. Portland required vaccines for non-union workers in September and intends to expand it to all employees. Belfast employs 146 people across various departments, meaning that it will be subject to President Joe Biden's vaccine requirement for large employers, which covers roughly 84 million U.S. workers.

Under that mandate, 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. The Democratic president's mandate has been challenged in court by 27 Republican-led states, along with aligned groups and companies. But a federal court in Cincinnati reversed a previous decision last week to say the mandate could move forward.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration said over the weekend that it would not issue citations tied to its coronavirus vaccination mandate before Jan. 10, so companies have time to adjust to and implement the requirements.

"We are waiting for the state [of Maine] to adopt rules and guidance," Belfast City Attorney Kristin Collins told councilors. "We should be operating under the premise that the federal mandate applies. We should be doing what we can to prepare for this."

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Belfast has not adopted any mandates so far and Tuesday's meeting was the first time officials had held a public discussion on the matter. City Manager Erin Herbig told councilors that just over 90 percent of city employees have been vaccinated, which she called "pretty incredible." Only 12 employees have tested positive for the virus, she said.

"We don't have any positive evidence of spread between city employees," Herbig said. "We've been very lucky in the city."

Councilor Mike Hurley said that he believes the virus has nevertheless taken a toll on city operations. He said he would be uncomfortable hiring unvaccinated employees who are not vaccinated and would rather not hire anybody until there is clarity on the policy.

"We've had to close offices, we've had to quarantine people, we've lost people for many, many days," he said. "We've lost productivity. It's very expensive and here comes a worsening situation [with the Omicron variant]."
President Joe Biden. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Biden admin wanted to expand access to COVID tests earlier this year, The Washington Post said.

But it pivoted to vaccinations, thinking tests were less important, the report said.

Now, the White House is scrambling to get tests amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

President Joe Biden's administration abandoned plans to roll out mass COVID-19 testing early this year, thinking vaccinations were the best way to end the pandemic, The Washington Post reported.

The Biden administration is trying to ramp up testing across the US in light of the highly infectious Omicron variant, which has affected unvaccinated people, as well as those who were vaccinated or had received booster shots.

But in the early months of the Biden presidency, the administration made COVID-19 testing a priority as it thought testing was the best way to stop the spread of the virus, current and former US officials told The Post.

Officials were particularly keen on widespread PCR testing as there was greater doubt over the accuracy of rapid antigen tests at the time, the officials told The Post.

A report led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released on January 1, found that rapid antigen tests were substantially less accurate than PCR tests.

But the Biden administration's focus on testing was replaced by a focus on vaccines after modeling at the time showed that vaccines were the best way to drive down infections, The Post said.

"They were like, 'Great. We can vaccine our way out of this thing, so we don't need so many tests,'" a former transition official told The Post.

The Post also reported, citing senior administration officials, that a group of US health officials told the White House this spring that it should buy millions of rapid COVID-19 testing kits, predicting a rise in price and demand. But the White House didn't act on their recommendation, The Post reported.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Biden said on Tuesday that his administration would provide Americans with 500 million free COVID-19 tests from January.

But The New York Times reported that the White House hadn't signed any contracts for them.

The US is also experiencing a shortage of COVID-19 tests. During a media appearance on Wednesday, Biden said he wished he'd thought about ordering half a billion tests two months ago.

When the Biden administration pivoted from tests to vaccines in early 2021, officials estimated that the pandemic would fade out if 75% of Americans got vaccinated, The Post said.

As of Thursday, 61.7% of Americans were fully vaccinated, CDC data indicated.

Though vaccines are considered one of the best forms of protection against the coronavirus, many fully vaccinated people have reported cases, though early data suggested that vaccines still warded off severe disease.

A CDC chart published on Monday showed that the Omicron variant accounted for 73% of new US cases reported in the week ending December 18.

Biden has repeatedly urged Americans to get vaccinated. On Tuesday, he said it was a "patriotic duty" and "an obligation to your country."

"Almost everyone who has died from COVID-19 in the past many months has been unvaccinated," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Biden administration on December 31 will lift travel restrictions initially imposed on eight southern African nations following the discovery of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the White House announced Thursday.

According to our health and medical experts at the CDC, the value of country-based international travel restrictions is greatest early in an outbreak, before the virus or variant has been widely disseminated, the White House said in a statement. This value declines as domestic transmission starts to contribute a larger proportion of case burden.

The administration initially banned travelers from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe on November 26, excluding U.S. citizens and green-card holders. The ban came after the first reports of the Omicron variant in South Africa.

However, Omicron has since spread throughout the U.S. and become the dominant coronavirus strain in the country.

The Biden administration initially justified the restrictions as a way to delay the introduction of Omicron into the U.S. However, journalist Simon Ateba of Today News Africa repeatedly decried the restrictions as racist during White House press briefings.

The Omicron variant is now in 57 countries . . . but 70  almost 70 countries in the world have imposed travel ban[s] on only black African nation[s], Ateba said at a White House briefing on December 9. Why dont you just lift it or impose caution on all the countries that have it? What would you say to those who believe that is a racist ban that target[s] only African and black African nations?

White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded at the time that the restrictions were not meant to be permanent and not meant to be a punishment.

More from National Review
Donald Trump and Joe Biden harangue each other at their first debate in 2020 (EPA-EFE)

Its been just over a year since Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump handily in both the Electoral College and the popular vote. But three years out from the re-election campaign he insists hes going to fight, Biden is in trouble.

His approval ratings are mediocre to poor, his legislative agenda is being obstructed and whittled down, and the macroeconomic mood is glum. On top of that, Covid-19 is once again ascendant. The extent to which he is personally to blame for any of these things is up for debate  but its tough to argue that things are going well.

The calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August heralded the presidents plunge below 50 per cent in the polls; after that, the Democrats returned to Congress for months of abject fighting over the Biden agenda, a long-haul fight thats now seen the Build Back Better bill finally all but scuppered by holdout West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. There has been precious little movement on major progressive priorities such as voting rights and policing and criminal justice reform,

The state of play at the end of 2021 has many Democrats briefing anonymously against their partys congressional leadership and campaigning operation, with different ideological factions warning that the partys national message is badly muddled and that its interminable rifts on Capitol Hill have squandered the goodwill Biden and his party enjoyed until the summer.

As progressive Congressman Jamaal Bowman recently put it to The Independent, Mr Biden is struggling in particular to retain the trust of Black voters, who played a core role in making him the partys nominee in 2020.

Complaining of his failure to advance criminal justice reform or voting rights legislation, Mr Bowman accused the president of nothing less than lying to the electorate. That has been unacceptable. That has been deplorable. And the president needs to do much, much, much more to connect with Black people in this country.

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This sort of dissent in the ranks and other problems have many establishment Democrats concerned about the prospects for a Biden re-election campaign  but for now, the president and his allies insist both on the record and on background that he is still planning to fight it.

Not everyone is convinced either that this is a good idea or that it will actually happen. Bidens most obvious problem beyond his unpopularity (which he has three years to try and improve) is his advanced age. If re-elected, he will be 82 at his second inauguration, several years older than Ronald Reagan was when he left office. Depending on his health, it may preclude him from running entirely.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (EPA)

In that case, the natural successor would be Kamala Harris. But between her infamously difficult policy portfolio, a slow-burning narrative of dysfunction in her office and various minor but embarrassing public missteps, her acceptance as the heir apparent is currently far from assured  as evidenced by a recent flurry of reports that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg could challenge her if Mr Biden bows out. (Both Harris and Buttigieg have poured cold water on the idea.)

On the other side, meanwhile, there is little doubt that Donald Trump is seriously entertaining the possibility of running again. He has held a number of campaign-style rallies across the country, openly alluded to the possibility of choosing a running mate, and reportedly had to be talked out of announcing a run this summer by party strategists wary he could wreck the 2022 midterms with his fixation on the false 2020 election fraud narrative.

Yet there are still obstacles to a Trump renaissance. However popular or unpopular he and Biden might be, by the time it comes to start a campaign in earnest, Trump may find himself in severe legal trouble that makes a winning campaign politically impossible.

Among other things, he faces possible indictment in New York over his property dealings, a still-rumbling Congressional investigation into his tax returns, a defamation case brought by author E. Jean Carroll, who claims he raped her in a department store in the 1990s, and the looming threat of the 6 January committees investigation, which is ensnaring more and more of his inner circle.

And even the former presidents popularity in his own party might not be enough to shore him up. However high his approval ratings among Republicans  which, while impressive, have never been quite as high as he maintained  Trump hardly has broad popular approval for another campaign.

According to a recent Marquette University survey, 73 per cent of Republicans approve of Trump and 60 per cent say he should run again  but on the latter point, only 26 per cent of independents agree. (Unsurprisingly, a full 94 per cent of Democrats are against the idea.)

According to Charles Franklin, a polling expert at Marquette who helped lead the survey, Trumps numbers show a meaningful degree of slippage with a full two years before the primaries begin in earnest.

Donald Trump at a Save America rally in Iowa, October 2021 (EPA-EFE)

Trump seems to have little room to expand his support, he tells The Independent. Democrats and independents who lean Democratic are nearly universally unfavourable and unwilling to vote for him. Pure independents are 28 per cent Trump and 21 per cent Biden, but 34 per cent someone else and 18 per cent wouldnt vote. So there is some room there, but most dont care for either. And on favourability, pure independents are 26 per cent favorable and 67 per cent unfavorable to Trump, so that doesnt look like a strength.

Could the presidents sheer heft among Republicans still save him? Possibly, says Franklin  but based on his performance in the last two elections, nothing can be taken for granted.

Trump could, and probably would, shore up his strength with Republicans of all stripes when pitted against any Democrat given partisan polarization. But dont ignore that Trump has lost the popular vote twice. His path back to office, as in 2016, is a narrow electoral college win through a handful of very close battleground states such as Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona.

But according to Rick Hasen, a professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law who studies and writes about political disinformation, Trumps personal role may not be a decisive factor thanks to the power of the precedent hes set.

Trump has shown a path toward potential subversion of election results in the United States, Hansen tells The Independent. It would not be easy for someone else to come in and do what Trump did given that he has built a cult of personality, but it is certainly possible that someone could more successfully run his playbook.

The real question then isnt whether or not Trump and Biden run again, or who picks up the baton if they dont. Its whether the USs electoral apparatus can still cope with the pressure its now under  that is, whether the result of the election, whatever it is, will be legally upheld without violence.

Trump supporters storm the Capitol on 6 January 2021 (EPA-EFE)

The 2025 certification is doomed to take place in the shadow of the 2021 insurrection. Assuming that events between 5 November and 6 January do not delay or derail it altogether, the certification will likely be conducted under near-maximum-security conditions. And whether or not Trump or Biden is on the ballot, the conditions will inevitably be ripe for an effort to install a Republican president even if the Democratic candidate legitimately wins.

And provided no intervening event changes her position, it will also be presided over by Kamala Harris, potentially as she awaits her second inauguration as vice president  or her inauguration as the USs first biracial female president.

It may well be the next two years of Senate, House and downballot races that decide what happens. For Biden and the Democrats, the risk remains not only that the Republicans control the Senate come 6 January 2025, but that the Republican caucus is even further to the right than it was for the 2021 insurrection  when several GOP senators who planned to object to the election results changed their minds after a violent Trumpist mob arrived to attack them and their colleagues.

The state of play in the Senate in 2024 will be clearer after the upcoming midterms, in which the Democrats are not without hope. Already the Republican caucus is in flux; several of the GOPs less hardcore senators are retiring in 2022, among them Pennsylvanias Pat Toomey, Ohios Rob Portman and possibly South Dakotas John Thune, but the Ohio and Georgia Senate races in particular have already attracted the kinds of hardcore Trumpists that the Democrats hope could win their Republican primaries before going on to alienate swing voters while galvanising even disillusioned Biden voters to help keep them out.

This, however, is not an outcome over which the Democrats have control. The 2024 map, meanwhile, includes some names whose survival or departure could dramatically shape what happens when the 2024 result reaches Congress.

On the Democratic side are Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, the twin betes noires of their partys progressives and the principal obstacles to the Biden agenda. To have both of them out the Senate would suit the rest of the Democratic party perfectly fine, but for them both to be replaced with other Democrats would be an exceptional stroke of luck  and holding the majority under an incumbent president is no easy task.

Among the holdout Republican moderates up for re-election in 2024, meanwhile, is Mitt Romney, the only GOP senator who voted to impeach Donald Trump the first time he was tried in the chamber and one of only seven to do so in 2021. He has not yet confirmed if he will stand again, but it is hard to see him being spared an aggressive challenge from the Trumpist mainstream of the party.

GOP Senators Mitt Romney and Josh Hawley (EPA-EFE)

Then again, two big hard-right Republican names will also be on the ballot that year: Texass Ted Cruz and Missouris Josh Hawley, both of whom objected to the 2020 result on 6 January this year even after the attack. Cruz in particular will be a top Democratic target, though the last few electoral cycles have seen the partys chances in Texas hyped up before being met with crushing disappointment.

Overall, though, the nightmare scenario remains clear: a chain of events where the election result is contested and political violence breaks out as a result. After the events of November 2020-January 2021, that is no longer a hypothetical situation.

For his part, Trump intends to give an address on 6 January 2022 claiming that the real insurrection was on 3 November 2020, and that the openly violent attack by his supporters was in fact peaceful. But other, more reality-based Republicans are warning that the party has urgent work to be done between now and then to prevent the worst from coming to pass.

Gabe Sterling, one of the Georgia election officials who spoke out against Trumps claims that Bidens victory in his state was fraudulent, warns that it will take talking to folks honestly and respectfully to bring mainstream Republican voters back from the Trump narrative of the last election  but that it remains incumbent on the partys leaders to start acting in good faith and try to bring the temperature down.

They need to tell the truth. They need to stop spreading conspiracy theories. When you talk privately to nearly every Republican lawmaker, they know there is nothing to the stolen election claims. Dont just trust whatever rumours you hear from Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump, or your constituents. Giuliani said in court that he just repeated conspiracy theories he read on Facebook without verifying them. Thats nuts, Sterling tells The Independent.

Republican leaders are supposed to be more responsible than that. Im not an elected official, but I am a Republican. Im going to keep fighting for a Republican Party that actually believes in conservative, Republican ideals, not just election conspiracy theories. Defining the party around the stolen election lie is a recipe for failure. Ask former Senators [David] Perdue and [Kelly] Loeffler how that strategy worked out for them.

All the while, the question of which Democrat will be the protagonist in this nightmare still lingers. But for now, the current president is not budging. Asked on ABC News whether he still expects to run for a second term, he insisted that if his health remains good, he will. And pressed on whether a Trump candidacy might put him off, he was his usual avuncular self.

Youre trying to tempt me now, he smiled. Sure. Why would I not run against Donald Trump for the nominee? Thatll increase the prospect of running,
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visit Children's National Hospital





President Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Friday made a Christmas Eve visit to the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., where the first couple met with and read a story to hospitalized children and their families.

It is an annual tradition for the first lady to visit the hospital for the holidays, but Friday was the first time the sitting president has taken part in the holiday tradition at the hospital, according to the White House.

The Bidens arrived at the hospital just after 11 a.m. EST and visited with children in the hospital atrium who were making lanterns as a winter crafts project.

"You're bringing us some joy," the president told the kids in the room.

The first couple then sat in front of a Christmas tree in the room to read "Olaf's Night Before Christmas" to a group of children.

The first lady read the book aloud, which was streamed to the rooms of pediatric patients in the hospital who were not in the atrium.

The hospital president and CEO, Kurt Newman, thanked the Bidens for visiting the facility, noting the significance of the president's appearance at the annual gathering.

"We've never had a president come with the first lady on Christmas Eve," Newman said.

According to the White House, the tradition of first ladies visiting with children and parents at the children's hospital dates back to the Truman administration. The hospital does not have a record of a sitting president making a holiday visit, but former President Obama did make an appearance at the facility after he had departed office in December 2018.

The hospital visit is part of Biden's first Christmas in the White House. The first lady unveiled the White House holiday decor last month, in addition to the theme, "Gifts from the Heart."

The first family will spend the Christmas holiday at the White House this year, which is a departure from their tradition of celebrating in Wilmington, Del., according to CBS News.

The first couple, their children and grandchildren will reportedly visit a church in Washington for Mass on Friday, then return to the White House executive mansion to celebrate with a pasta dinner and a sleepover, both of which are family traditions for the holiday.
A Boston man was arraigned Friday morning in Barnstable District Court on charges in connection with the fatal shooting of Eric Christensen in Hyannis earlier this month.

Judge Edward F.X. Lynch ordered Justin Peckham, 29, held without bail.

Peckham faces charges of murder and one count of assault and battery by means of the discharge of a firearm, according to a release Friday from the Cape and Islands District Attorneys Office. Peckham pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Lynch scheduled a probable cause hearing for Jan. 28.

No further details were available Friday afternoon from the district attorney's office.

The house at 91 Oakview Terrace in Hyannis where homeowner Eric Christensen, 50, was found unresponsive on the kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to the head Dec. 8. A Boston man was arraigned Friday in Barnstable District Court on a murder charge in connection with the shooting.

On Dec. 8, Barnstable police responded to a call at 91 Oakview Terrace in Hyannis around 6 p.m., according to the district attorney's office. Police entered Christensens home, where they found him unresponsive on his kitchen floor with a gunshot wound to the head.

Previously: 50-year-old man dies in Hyannis shooting

Christensen, 50, was taken to Cape Cod Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The death has been under investigation as a homicide by the Barnstable Police Department and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the district attorneys office.

Christensen was a long-time employee of the locally owned radio group CODCOMM Inc., which includes PIXY 103. He worked in the promotions department, and part of his job was setting up and taking down off-site promotions, according to Tim Levesque, CODCOMM general manager.

In court: Barnstable man pleads guilty to charges involving sale of 'ghost guns'

State police arrive at 91 Oakview Terrace in Hyannis where Eric Christensen, 50, was fatally shot Dec. 8. A Boston man was arraigned Friday in Barnstable District Court on a murder charge in connection with the shooting.

Christensen was born on Cape Cod and went to Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich, according to his IMDb profile webpage. He had also worked at iHeartRadio as a DJ, production engineer and producer.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Hyannis : Justin Peckham charged in shooting death of Eric Christensen
The Northwest Texas Council of Boy Scouts of America donated over $3,000 worth of popcorn to the military men and women at Shepard Air Force Base. It was made possible through generous donations from scouting families and friends, and others in Wichita Falls and across Texas.

The Northwest Texas Council of Boy Scouts of America donated over $3,000 worth of popcorn to the military men and women at Shepard Air Force Base.

This was made possible through generous donations from scouting families and friends, as well as generous donors in Wichita Falls and across the state of Texas.

If you are interested in being a part of scouting, call 940-696-2735 or visit www.beascout.org at any time.

More: Nearly 500 graduate from MSU Texas. Click to find out who

More: Wichita Falls resident with big heart shares little library with community

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: BSA Northwest Texas Council donate popcorn to SAFB
(Corrects headline and first and seventh paragraphs to show that exports will only resume eventually; in first paragraph deletes that no fungus found in fresh potatoes. Corrects 4th paragraph to show that no wart found in seed potatoes in fields not regulated by Ottawa, not that no wart found in non-quarantined areas; in 4th and 5th paragraphs, correct to say national survey was of seed potatoes in unregulated fields and not a national survey of fresh potatoes)

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has completed an important step for eventually resuming exports of fresh potatoes to the United States from the province of Prince Edward Island, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on Friday.

Canada unilaterally halted the shipments in November from the province after finding the potato wart fungus on two farms in October, the first in 21 years.

The United States had said it would ban all imports of fresh potatoes from the province unless Canada took further action, a measure Ottawa says would be hard to overturn.

One U.S. demand was for Canada to check for wart in fields of seed potatoes. These are exported and then grown to maturity and the risk of contagion would be greater if they had the wart.

The CFIA carried out a national survey which detected no wart in seed potatoes in fields not regulated by Ottawa. This, it said, was information Washington wanted.

"(This) was provided to the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service earlier today, and should serve to provide reassurances they need that it is safe to resume the trade of fresh potatoes," the CFIA said in a statement.

"We do not anticipate that it will lead to any immediate change in the current prohibition," it added, saying Washington was seeking other information. This, the CFIA indicated, could take months to provide.

The U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service did not respond to a request for comment. Friday is a public holiday in the United States.

Story continues

Potato wart can decrease crop yields but poses no threat to human health or food safety, the CFIA says.

Prince Edward Island grew about 20% of the national harvest in 2020. The crop is worth more than C$1 billion ($781 million)annually to the province's economy.

($1 = 1.2808 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Barbara Lewis)
A 6-year-old boy from Mount Olive died in a multivehicle crash on Route 80 in Morris County Thursday night, according to State Police, who said the driver who started the pile-up fled the scene.

Police identified the boy as Lorenzo Van Dine of Budd Lake. A post by the Hackettstown-based Tiger Wrestling Club mourned Van Dine, who the club said was a three-sport athlete in wrestling, baseball and football. A GoFundMe page created Friday morning by his mother, Ashley Van Dine, asked for help with funeral expenses and had raised more than $38,000 by midafternoon.

"My son and his uncle were in a horrible crash and unfortunately we had lost my son in a tragic very horrible way," the mother wrote. "He also was a kind hearted loving boy who wanted to be a cop when he grew up. He just started out wanting to be on Master Chef Junior and always tried to make new things. He was my familys love. And he knew how to make everyones day brighter."

The crash occurred around 7:45 p.m. near milepost 28.5 in Roxbury Township, according to the Facebook page of the State Police. According to police, a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox was traveling east on the highway when it was struck by an unknown vehicle that fled the scene.

The Chevrolet then hit a Honda HRV, which was then struck by a Nissan Altima, according to the account. A passing Honda Passport then hit the Equinox. A 6-year-old passenger in the Honda HRV "sustained fatal injuries," State Police said.

The accident and subsequent investigation shut down all eastbound lanes for about three hours.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or the events leading to or following it was asked to contact the State Police's Troop "B" Netcong Station at 973-347-1001. Anonymous tips are welcome, police said.

Nicholas Katzban is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.

Email: katzban@northjersey.com

Twitter: @nicholaskatzban

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Lorenzo Van Dine, 6, killed in Route 80 crash in Roxbury NJ
Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral pills are manufactured inside a laboratory in Freiburg, Germany. The pharmaceutical giant asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November for emergency use authorization for its Paxlovid pill, which studies have shown to cut hospitalization or death among newly infected high-risk patients.

Two days before Christmas, Wisconsin continued to see high numbers of new COVID-19 cases and state health officials said distribution of two newly authorized pills would go toward the most vulnerable first.

Following the Food and Drug Administration's emergency authorization this week of oral antiviral medications from Pfizer and Merck to treat patients with mild to moderate COVID-19, health officials said the state Department of Health Services is preparing to receive allocations from the federal government "within the coming weeks."

"At this time, we know that the initial supplies will be limited and we ask for everyones patience. Distribution will focus on the most vulnerable and hard-hit communities," DHS deputy secretary Deb Standridge said in a statement.

The medications, Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, "are not intended as a substitute for COVID-19 vaccination," the statement said.

"In clinical trials, these medications reduced hospitalization and death rates in people who tested positive for COVID-19, and who were at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness," DHS said.

More: FDA OKs second antiviral with Merck pill: COVID updates

The state on Thursday reported more than 5,200 new cases and 46 deaths from the virus.

The seven-day average for new daily cases has remained above 3,000 since the start of December. On Thursday it was about 3,500. Case numbers have been climbing since the summer but have reached especially high levels in recent weeks. Two months ago, the state was reporting about 1,800 new cases each day.

Meanwhile, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state remains high. The number, 1,600, is down slightly from last week when it topped 1,700, but it is still part of a steep, two-month-long surge in hospitalizations.

Track COVID and the vaccine in Wisconsin: See the latest data on cases, deaths and administered doses

Wisconsin vaccine FAQ: Who's eligible, where to get it and what's next

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Latest COVID-19 numbers

New cases reported: 5,205

New deaths reported: 46

Number hospitalized: 1,600 (intensive care: 406); up 350 patients from a month ago

Seven-day average of daily cases: 3,511 (up 339 cases from one month ago)

Seven-day average of daily deaths: 27 (up 11 deaths from one month ago)

Seven-day average positivity rate  as a share of all tests given: 12.7%

Total cases since the start of pandemic: 957,751

Total deaths: 9,862

Latest vaccine numbers

Total doses administered: 8,464,740

Daily doses administered: 21,026

Seven-day average of daily doses: 24,392

Total booster doses administered: 1,505,360

Daily booster doses administered: 14,932

Seven-day average of daily booster doses: 18,165

Residents who have received one dose: 3,596,062 (61.7% of the population)

Residents who are fully vaccinated: 3,379,584 (57.9% of the population)

Residents ages 5 to 11 with at least one dose: 96,517 (19.8% of age group)

Residents ages 12 to 17 with at least one dose: 251,081 (56.5% of age group)

Residents ages 18 to 24 with at least one dose: 306,213 (56.2% of age group)

Residents ages 25 to 34 with at least one dose: 450,744 (60.8% of age group)

Residents ages 35 to 44 with at least one dose: 482,110 (66.8% of age group)

Residents ages 45 to 54 with at least one dose: 486,729 (69.6% of age group)

Residents ages 55 to 64 with at least one dose: 628,345 (76.6% of age group)

Residents 65 and older with at least one dose: 894,279 (85.3% of age group)

Variant cases of concern

The state Department of Health Services, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene and other laboratory partners regularly perform whole genome sequencing on a portion of positive tests. The numbers below do not represent the total number of variant cases.

Cases of the delta (B.1.617.2) variant: 22,486

Cases of the omicron (B.1.1.529) variant: 187

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin health leaders say new COVID-19 pills expected in state soon
It should be a warm and windy Christmas across Middle Tennessee.

The National Weather Service in Nashville issued a special weather statement for Christmas Day, warning winds of up to 30-35 mph are possible. NWS recommends people secure holiday decorations in preparation for the winds.

Temperatures across the region could also reach all-time highs for this time of year.

As of Friday, NWS is forecasting Christmas Day highs of 76 degrees in Nashville, 74 degrees in Clarksville and 67 degrees in Crossville.

The last time temperatures were this warm in Middle Tennessee was on Christmas Day 2016. Nashville reached a high of 76 degrees, Clarksville 73 degrees and Crossville 67 degrees.

Word of advice for today and tomorrow - you may want to secure any outdoor decorations unless you were planning to give them to your neighbor for Christmas...



In all seriousness, expect for gusty winds today and tomorrow with gusts upwards of 30 to 35 mph expected. pic.twitter.com/ZblhG5SLPt  NWS Nashville (@NWSNashville) December 24, 2021

Nashville Christmas weekend Forecast

Christmas Eve (Friday): Mostly cloudy with wind gusts as high as 25 mph. High: 68; Low: 59

Christmas Day (Saturday): Mostly cloudy with wind gusts as high as 35 mph. High: 76 Low: 49

Sunday: Mostly sunny. High: 66; Low: 57

Adam Friedman is The Tennesseans evening reporter covering breaking news, crime, cops and a little bit of everything else. If you have a news tip, he wants it. Email him at afriedman@tennessean.com or call him at 731-431-8517.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Strong winds, high temps forecast on Christmas in Nashville, Middle TN
The body of a Columbus infant was taken for an autopsy to determine his cause of death two days before Christmas.

Ten-week-old Kayson Knight was pronounced dead in the pediatric emergency room of Piedmont Columbus Regionals midtown hospital at 9:18 a.m. Thursday, Muscogee County coroner Buddy Bryan told the Ledger-Enquirer.

The baby arrived at the hospital in a private vehicle from a Columbus motel, Bryan said.

The last time the baby was known to be alive was when the mother put him down to sleep around 4 p.m. Wednesday after a feeding, Bryan said. The baby was unresponsive Thursday morning, he said.

The cause of death is undetermined, and the body was taken to the GBI crime lab in Atlanta for an autopsy, but no foul play is suspected, Bryan said.

The possibility is that it was co-sleeping, he said, adding there were no marks or bruises on the baby.

Knights death is listed on the Columbus Police Departments incident report Friday as not cleared. The L-E didnt reach a CPD official for comment before publication.
Ron Hernandez' daughter called him early Friday morning in a panic. Delta Air Lines canceled her Christmas Day flight from Seoul to New Orleans via Atlanta.

The 26-year-old English teacher hasn't been home since 2019 due to the pandemic, and the pricey Delta business class ticket was her Christmas present.

Hernandez immediately called Delta to figure out a new flight. Despite his top level frequent flier status, which comes with a dedicated phone line, the medical device consultant was on hold for about 30 minutes before rebooking a flight that still gets her home on Christmas.

"Had my daughter called, she would still be on the phone just waiting to get through,'' he said.

Travelers with last-minute holiday flights this year are scrambling to find new flights as two major U.S. airlines, Delta and United, have canceled hundreds of Christmas Eve and Christmas flights. They cite crew shortages due to sick calls from the fast spreading omicron variant and weather in pockets of the country.

Know your rights: What airlines owe you when flights canceled, delayed

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United canceled 196 Christmas Eve flights, or 10% of scheduled flights, Delta, 171, or 8% as of 9:30 p.m. ET, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Christmas Day cancellations for the two airlines stood a 243 for Delta and 168 for United. Christmas Day is one of the lightest travel days of the holiday travel rush. JetBlue is also having issues, with 150 Christmas Eve and Christmas day flights canceled, or 7% of its scheduled flights.

Delta said late Friday morning that it expects the cancellations to continue into Sunday, a busy travel day ahead of the new work week, with an additional 150 cancellations expected that day.

"We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans,'' Delta spokeswoman Kate Modolo said in a statement. "Delta people are working hard to get them to where they need to be as quickly and as safely as possible on the next available flight.''

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The airline, which just a week ago bragged to investors about its strong operational performance this year and staffing levels amid flight woes at other airlines this year, said travelers should check the airline's website and mobile app for the latest information and rebooking assistance.

Callers to Delta's general customer service line were quoted a wait of two hours and 43 minutes late Friday morning. United was quoting a 25- to 30-minute wait. A recording on United's reservations line said "significant weather'' has impacted its call center staffing and urged travelers without flights in the next 72 hours to call back later.

Airlines have struggled with long wait times as travel surged this year.

@Delta any chance someone can tell us if flight DL-0253 leaving JFK tomorrow will be cancelled the same way our flight for this morning was cancelled? Weve been on the line for over 2 hours now no one answers!  Pat cormier (@Patcormier101) December 24, 2021

The holiday flight cancellations have travelers with upcoming flights on edge and checking their flight status repeatedly.

Is my United flight canceled?

Ohio accountant Jason Chadwell is due to fly United from Cleveland to Las Vegas on Christmas. He heard about the flight cancellations early Friday and has been checking United's website and app every couple hours. So far, his evening flight shows on schedule.

Chadwell and his wife have tickets to two shows, a Christmas gift from their children, and dinner reservations at restaurants run by celebrity chefs from their favorite cooking shows. It is his wife's first trip to Las Vegas.

"It stresses me out because you've got plans, you've got reservations out there,'' he said.

He is eyeing a backup flight to Las Vegas on Spirit Airlines but doesn't want to book the tickets and be on the hook for them if his United flight isn't canceled.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United, Delta flights cancelled: Nearly 800 Christmas flight cancellations
Good morning, Chicago.

Chicagos gun violence proved unrelenting in 2021, as the fear and unease many neighborhoods have long felt spread into wealthier, traditionally safer parts of the city.

Shootings remained high in many city neighborhoods that have for decades struggled with violence, but the downtown area this year was also repeatedly the site of shootings, burglaries at high-end shops and large-scale gatherings of young people who sometimes had to be dispersed by Chicago police. Carjackings continued to increase around the city. Children, seniors and even transit workers found themselves victims in areas that are not known for violence.

See more of the data through charts and maps.

 Annie Sweeney and Paige Fry

Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.

COVID-19 tracker | More newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask Amy | Todays eNewspaper edition

Two nights before Christmas, gunfire erupted at one of the Chicago areas most popular shopping malls, leaving four people shot and throngs of holiday shoppers and store employees running for cover.

Shots were fired about 5:45 p.m. Thursday at the Oakbrook Center shopping mall. Oak Brook police Chief James Kruger said two men apparently got into a gunfight in an outdoor corridor near the Ann Taylor and Nordstrom stores. One of the men was wounded and taken into custody and transported to a hospital, he said. The other gunman was still being sought.

Cook County followed Chicagos lead and is imposing a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for patrons 5 and older of restaurants, bars, gyms and an assortment of other businesses, officials announced Thursday. The mandate for suburban Cook County takes effect Monday, Jan. 3, as does Chicagos.

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As shoppers run home with their treasures and wait for the overnight arrival of Santa Claus, lets revisit how Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  a completely Chicago concoction  became a Christmas icon.

The original Rudolph story  about 100 rhyming phrases spread over 32 pages  was written in 1939 by Montgomery Ward advertising copywriter Robert Lewis May. Wards executives thought Mays Rudolph story, which was handed out at more than 600 stores around the United States that year, would encourage families to shop in its toy departments during the Christmas season. But they never imagined the tale of the sorrowful turned triumphant reindeer would also become a popular song and TV special, entertaining generations of children.

 Kori Rumore, visual reporter

Sure, it wasnt as memorable as 2020, but 2021 was quite the year in Chicago sports. Heres a look back, month-by-month, at the years events.

Nina Metz writes: Last month, a survey found 70% of audiences would be upset if movie theaters went away altogether. But less than half those same people have been to in-person screenings since the pandemic began. This makes sense. Health concerns are real and valid. Even so, anecdotally, it doesnt sound like theres a groundswell of viewers eager to return even when (and if) concerns about COVID-19 subside. Can moviegoing survive?
WASHINGTON  House Democrats are facing an onslaught of departures with less than a year to go before the midterm elections.

So far, 23 Democratic representatives have said they won't seek re-election, including five in December alone. Three of them  Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, and Albio Sires of New Jersey  made their announcements just in the last week.

Some retiring members said they are bowing out because their districts have become more competitive under this year's redistricting, while others cited dysfunction on Capitol Hill or satisfaction with their legislative accomplishments in this Congress. Several more are seeking other political offices.

The decisions come as the party faces significant headwinds leading into November.

President Joe Biden's job approval rating has hit new lows over the last several weeksamid concerns about his handling of the economy and the coronavirus response  potentially a bad omen given that a president's party typically loses seats in midterm elections. And the Democrats' concerns about holding their razor-thin majorities in Congress next year have been heightened by the GOP's sweep of last month's elections in Virginia and the unexpectedly close governor's race in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the party's hopes of passing the centerpiece of Bidens agenda, a $1.7 trillion package of social and climate change programs, faded when Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., unexpectedly announced Sunday that he wouldn't support the legislation, which Democrats have been negotiating for months  further highlighting the party's internal disarray. That's in addition to key Democratic initiatives like voting and immigration overhauls already having foundered.

Image: Lucille Roybal-Allard (Andrew Harnik / AP file)

Against that backdrop, 15 of the nearly 23 Democrats who are not running for re-election have chosen to retire completely from public life, including senior members.

Murphy, the co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition and a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, is the chief deputy House whip. Roybal-Allard is a House "cardinal," leading the subcommittee responsible for homeland security spending, and has served in Congress since 1993. Sires, a member since 2006, chairs a Foreign Affairs subcommittee and sits on the budget and infrastructure committees.

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Other prominent members who have announced their retirements in recent months include Peter DeFazio of Oregon, chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; John Yarmuth of Kentucky, who heads the powerful Budget Committee; and Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, the chair of the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

DeFazio, who has held his seat for more than 30 years, played a key role in negotiating the major infrastructure package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in November, while Yarmuth, a member for 15 years, helped spearhead the Democrats' massive social spending package.

Reps. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, the former head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, are also retiring.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, brushed off concerns about the flood of departures, saying they were to be expected because its a redistricting year.

I dont believe it has anything to do with our prospects in 2022, he told reporters last month. Were going to hold the House, and were going to grow a majority. Were going to do it because of extraordinary leadership.

Image: Peter DeFazio (Caroline Brehman / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file)

Across the aisle, a dozen House Republicans have announced plans to retire from Congress or run for another office, not counting members who have already left. Those leaving include Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of the two GOP members of the Jan. 6 committee; Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee; Rep. Tom Reed of New York, former co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus; and Devin Nunes, of California, a loyal defender of former President Donald Trump who's leaving to become CEO of Trump's new media company.

So far, only one Senate Democrat, Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, has announced he won't seek re-election. On the other side of the aisle, five Senate Republicans have announced plans to retire, including Richard Burr of North Carolina; Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania; Rob Portman of Ohio; Richard Shelby of Alabama; and Roy Blunt of Missouri.

Spurred by the upcoming Senate vacancies, four House Democrats are running for Senate in their home states: Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania, Tim Ryan in Ohio, Peter Welch in Vermont and Val Demings in Florida. Several of their colleagues, meanwhile, are running for other elected offices, including Charlie Crist, for governor of Florida, a seat hes held before; Karen Bass, also a former Congressional Black Caucus chair, for mayor of Los Angeles; Anthony Brown for attorney general in Maryland; and Tom Suozzi for governor of New York.

State of the races

Democrats hold a 222-213 edge in the House, meaning Republicans would need to pick up five seats to retake control of the chamber. They last held the majority in 2018, before Democrats gained a number of seats in that years election.

According to the Cook Political Report, five House seats are considered Democratic toss-ups in the upcoming election and seven districts lean Democratic, while two GOP races are viewed as toss-ups and four lean Republican  numbers that could change as redistricting continues.

Democrats also have a chance of losing control of the evenly split Senate, where they hold a majority only because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast tie-breaking votes.

The Cook Political Report rates three incumbent Democrats' Senate seats as toss-ups: Mark Kelly of Arizona; Rafael Warnock of Georgia; and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. It also rates the seat of Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., as leaning Democratic.

The election newsletter rates three Republican seats as equally competitive, including the open seats in North Carolina and Pennsylvania and Ron Johnson's seat in Wisconsin.

When asked on Monday about the implications the upcoming retirements would have for Democrats, White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment, saying only that Biden will be out there campaigning for the candidates.

Bustos, who represents a toss-up district, said in an interview Monday on MSNBC that Democrats need to focus on the big middle of the country rather than infighting between progressives and moderates.

That's what we've got to focus on if we want to get the legislation completed and if we want to make sure that we're successful in the 2022 election, she said. Retirements are a part of the natural cycle, I think that's worth noting. But we've got to get a lot of things right between now and next November.
A Lexington County man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for working with a Mexican cartel to transport drugs through South Carolina, the solicitors office announced.

State Judge Debra McCaslin sentenced 42-year-old Joseph Wade Bernier, of Chapin, to 21 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to his second methamphetamine trafficking offense and charges of first degree assault, weapon possession during a violent crime and pointing a gun at people, court records show.

The 11th Circuit Solicitors Office of Lexington County prosecuted the case.

Law enforcement in Lexington County will not tolerate individuals trafficking large quantities of dangerous narcotics in our community., prosecutor Kelly Oppenheimer said in a statement. Authorities will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases until the drug pandemic in our county takes a significant turn.

In July, the Lexington County Sheriffs Department was called about a man sitting in a car outside of a home.

When deputies arrived, the solicitors office said police found Bernier in the car with drugs and assault rifle in plain view, . After a search, the solicitors office said deputies discovered methamphetamine, pills, another gun, more than $6,000 in cash and a ledger documenting drug deals.

Only a couple weeks later, Bernier, having posted bond, was driving down a Lexington County road when he stopped to ask three strangers if they knew someone he was looking for, the solicitors office said. When they told Bernier that they didnt know the person, he became angry, pointed an assault rifle at them and fired a shot that didnt hit anyone.

Deputies later arrested him and searched his home. In their search, the solicitors office said deputies found meth, heroin and a handgun with an obliterated serial number. Drug investigators estimated that all the drugs in Berniers possession would have brought in more than $100,000 on the streets.

Through investigation and interrogations, investigators discovered that Bernier had been working with a Mexican drug cartel to transport drugs from Atlanta into South Carolina, including Lexington County, the solicitors office said.

Bernier was on probation when police arrested him in July.

Of his 21 year sentence, three of those years are for violating his probation.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  A Dutch court on Friday imposed a 4-year prison sentence on a 41-year-old man convicted of attempted murder for firing gunshots at the Saudi embassy in The Hague last year after he was refused a visa to travel to Mecca.

The man, whose identity was not released in line with Dutch privacy rules, used an automatic weapon to fire 29 shots into the embassy building in the early morning hours of Nov. 12, 2020, his 40th birthday. Nobody was hurt.

According to prosecutors, the defendant was desperate to make a pilgrimage to the Islamic holy site Mecca, an important component of the Muslim faith.

A security guard was present at the time of the attack. The court found the man guilty of attempted murder, as he was aware that the building was guarded, even during hours when the embassy was closed.

Prosecutors had also charged him with committing a terrorist act and asked for a ten-year sentence, but the court said there was no evidence he was trying to scare the Dutch population.

The attack left the embassy riddled with bullet holes. The suspect had previously been fined for defacing the building.
Robert McClendon was the first man released from prison and exonerated because of a test of DNA evidence during The Dispatch's "Test of Convictions." He served 18 years for a rape he did not commit.

Asked to search across my 40-year career in newspapers for an indelible, poignant memory, my mind immediately went to two Dispatch series that continue to deliver profound positive effects for Ohioans.

More: Dispatch Editor Alan Miller to retire this year, take on expanded role at Denison University

The first was "Test of Convictions," a series about Ohio's woeful collection, retention and use of DNA evidence in criminal cases.

Reporters Mike Wagner and Geoff Dutton spent all of the year 2007 traveling the state, visiting courthouse record files and most of the state's prisons to talk with imprisoned people.

More: 'It's like I'm still in prison': Canton man granted hearing he hopes will clear his name

The Dispatch published the series in 2008, and it revealed a system in which prosecutors ignored court orders for testing, judges rejected inmates without following the law, and evidence was routinely lost or destroyed before it could be tested.

Across the past 13 years, seven men have been exonerated or released from prison because DNA testing that resulted from this series showed the men did not commit the crimes for which they had been convicted.

Dewey Jones talks to family and friends after a murder charge was dismissed today at the Summit County Common Pleas Court in Akron on January 30, 2014. Dewey spent nearly two decades in prison for a crime that DNA says he didn't commit. Dewey Jones is the sixth inmate freed as a result of a Dispatch investigation. (Dispatch photo by Kyle Robertson)

I cannot think of a greater public service than helping right wrongs such as those. One man had been in prison for 30 years for a crime he didn't commit.

Let that sink in: He was locked up for 30 years.

More: After wrongful death lawsuit, Gov. DeWine replaces Ohio Department of Youth Services leader

The Dispatch reviewed the 313 cases of inmates who requested DNA testing at the time and found:

Evidence had been lost or destroyed nearly two-thirds of the time when prosecutors agreed to search for it. Ohio did not require evidence to be catalogued and saved, as 22 states did at the time.

Even when evidence was available, the applications for testing typically went nowhere. Judges didn't bother rejecting the requests in 53 cases; they simply ignored them.

Ohio law requires judges to cite a reason when they reject a DNA test. Nearly a third of the time, they didn't. Many rulings were one-sentence denials.

Even in cases in which a judge granted testing, the inmate's odds of actually receiving a test still were no better than a coin toss. The Dispatch discovered 13 cases in which testing hadn't been done more than a year after a judge approved it  in some cases, more than two years.

Tests had been done in only 14 cases since a 2003 law allowed inmates to apply. Two resulted in exonerations. Seven confirmed guilt. The others were inconclusive.

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In addition to helping free seven men, the series also resulted in a number of law changes designed to help ensure better collection, retention and use of DNA evidence.

From left, photographer Shari Lewis and reporters Mike Wagner and Geoff Dutton, who worked on the project "Test of Convictions"

Wagner wrote the most recent story in this ongoing series in September of this year.

A DNA test shows that a Canton man's DNA doesn't match the sample from a rape kit in his 1996 criminal case, and yet, he can't get a hearing to clear his name.

The story showed that even with the law changes, the justice system remains resistant to efforts by those who are wrongly convicted to reclaim their lives.

David B. Owens, The Exoneration Project staff attorney takes a picture with Dewey Jones after a murder charge was dismissed against Jones at the Summit County Common Pleas Court in Akron on January 30, 2014. Dewey spent nearly two decades in prison for a crime that DNA says he didn't commit. (Dispatch photo by Kyle Robertson)

The long tail of this story exists because of a journalistic trait embodied by Wagner, a tenacious reporter who won't let something like this go.

He has written story after story as men are released from prison or new cases develop. Thirteen years is a long time to stick with a story, but a public service such as this one is worth chasing for as long as it takes to make sure justice is carried out.

Miranda Robb, right, and Ryan Netral, left, both of Gahanna, embrace as they listen during the Silent Suffering Community Forum at the Ohio State University's Ohio Union on Dec. 7, 2015. Miranda's mother, Missy, was on the panel talking about the suicide of her husband six years earlier. The Silent Suffering Community Forum brought together the reporting team from the Columbus Dispatch with experts in the field and the public to talk about the suicide crisis.

Some said suicide was a topic no one would talk about. They were wrong.

The second indelible memory is from 2015, when we published a series about suicide  a topic one editor said no one would talk with us about. In fact, people couldn't stop talking about a cause of death that is 100% preventable and remains at crisis levels today.

Wagner worked on that series, too, along with Lori Kurtzman and Jill Riepenhoff.

They spent nine months examining the deaths of thousands of our children, mothers, fathers, grandparents and friends since 2000.

The newspaper studied 15 years' worth of Ohio death records and scrutinized more than 1,500 coroners' investigative reports on suicides in nine counties that represent a cross-section of the state.

More: Silent suffering: Suicide is preventable, rarely discussed

The findings from those records reported in the "Silent Suffering" series were stark:

From 2000 to 2015, more than 20,000 people had died by suicide in Ohio  nearly triple the number of homicide victims.

More than 80% of those who took their own lives were male. Middle-age men, ages 45 to 64, accounted for nearly a quarter of all suicides.

The youngest victims were just 8 years old  and there were three of them.

Even though the state's suicide rate dropped in 2014 to its lowest point in more than a decade, it still accounted for 10.8 deaths per 100,000 people. That meant that more than three Ohioans died by suicide every day. And this isn't an issue just for Ohio. It's a national problem.

Terry DeMio

And it remains a national problem.

I was reminded of this last week when Terry DeMio, a reporter with our sister news organization, The Cincinnati Enquirer, wrote that the phone number 988 is to become the new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in July 2022.

The three-digit help line is being paid for with $280 million in federal funding, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, who announced it last week.

The new number will offer help by voice, text and chat, officials said. Until the service is up, the officials stressed, the national suicide prevention line remains: 800-273-8255.

Our hope is that a combination of such services and continued conversation will help save lives. People will talk about it if given the opportunity.

More: Documents show problems with medical care, supervision and violence at Ohio prison

As we prepared for a public forum The Dispatch hosted after publishing the Silent Suffering series  on a cold, snowy, Monday night in December  I watched in amazement from the back of the room.

The hall with seats for more than 300 quickly filled to capacity with people who wanted to talk about a subject some said no one would want to talk about.

Alan Miller, editor (Home column photo), of the Columbus Dispatch staff. [Fred Squillante/Dispatch]

A young woman approached me and introduced herself as someone who had recently started up a conversation with me on Twitter. She was not surprised by the turnout, because she knew personally what it meant to be there.

"I just want you to know that what you all wrote saved my life," she said.

That's journalism with impact, and it's a memory I will carry with me always.

Alan D. Miller is editor of The Dispatch.

amiller@dispatch.com

@dispatcheditor

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Across 40 years, these indelible stories changed and save lives
An elderly homeowner in Pennsylvania shot and killed a half-naked home intruder after the intruder attacked him and his wife, authorities say.

The suspect, identified as Steven Shaffer, 54, entered the home of a couple in their 70s in Berwick Township, Pa., wearing only a T-shirt and assaulted the couple before being shot multiple times by the husband and killed, Pennsylvania State Police said, according to FOX 43 of York, Pa.

BIDEN'S POPULARITY SINKING IN THE WHITE HOUSE AS UNHAPPY STAFFERS PLAN POST-HOLIDAY EXIT: REPORT

The wife was reportedly "violently assaulted" on the bed after Shaffer followed her to the bedroom when the husband told the wife to retrieve the gun from the bedroom.

The wife was in critical condition in a local hospital after being flown there in helicopter. Her husband was transported there by ambulance.

CALIFORNIA DEAN PUBLICLY MOCKS 'STENCH' OF CONSERVATIVE AGENDA AS RACIST AND UNINTELLIGENT

Before entering the home, police say they received multiple 911 calls reporting that Shaffer was wandering around the street, banging on vehicles.

"Obviously this is a very sad situation," said Lt. Mark Magyar of Pennsylvania State Police. "We all have an expectation to safety and privacy in our homes."

It was unclear why Shaffer chose to enter the home. Authorities do not believe he knew the couple beforehand.
At stake inside a Buncombe County courtroom were a grandfathers legacy and a familys inheritance.

Asheville real estate investor Robert Perry Tucker II had just purchased 10 acres along the Blue Ridge Parkway, but nine siblings in the Lyda family still had a claim to approximately 25% of the property, left to them by their grandfather.

So Tuckers company went to court. Just three months later and without any input from the Lydas, Tucker's company won a judgment that stripped the family of its land. The Lydas never had a chance to defend their ownership because, two of the brothers said, they never knew about the case.

Tuckers lawyer, Peter R. Henry of Arden, reported to the court that none of the nine Lyda siblings could be located. Ile Adaramola, another attorney who had ties to Henry and Tucker outside the case, and who at Henrys request acted as a neutral guardian ad litem to represent the interests of the Lyda siblings, reported to the court that despite due diligence and great efforts, she too, could not find them.

I've been in Asheville 20 years, Charles Lyda told Asheville Watchdog. I got my driver's license, everythings registered here. I own a house here in North Carolina. I mean, Im not that hard to find.

At the same time Adaramola was the guardian ad litem in Henrys case, Henry was the guardian ad litem in a case Adaramola initiated against David Shroat, 50% owner in an Arden property. Henry reported to the court that after diligently searching for Shroat, he had been unable to locate him.

Shroat had been a local cop since the 1970s and had recently worked at the Buncombe County Sheriffs Office  at the same courthouse where the case was filed.

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He should have been easily found here because the people at the courthouse knew that he was staying with me, said his fiance, Kelly Southerland of Asheville.

Both Shroat and the Lydas came away with nothing for their properties, records show.

Asheville Watchdog located both families, in just a few minutes, reaching Charles Lyda by phone on a number he said hes had for nearly two decades.

His brother, Robert, a computer engineer, has lived in Charlotte for eight years, owned vehicles and is registered to vote, records show. Asheville Watchdog reached him through a Facebook message.

The tax man can find me, every year, Robert Lyda said. Id like to know how (Adaramola) defines diligent search.

Henry and Tucker did not respond to questions from Asheville Watchdog. Adaramola was given opportunities to comment but is on leave, her office said.

Damning statement of the system

The Lyda family had owned their acreage on Upper Grassy Branch Road for more than 50 years. A house on the property had fallen into disrepair, Charles Lyda said, but the land was in a prime location.  The back of it was right up against the (Blue Ridge) Parkway.

At issue was a 25% stake left by the Lydass grandfather to them and their mother through a will filed in Burke County. Two years before her death in 2019, the mother, Carolyn Hughey Lyda, signed a deed to Parkway Vistas Inc. that said she was the sole heir to the 25%. The relatives who owned the other 75%, the Lydas' great aunts, also sold to Parkway Vistas, which then sold the property to Tuckers company in February 2017.

View from Blue Ridge Parkway Trailhead 381, adjoining the Lyda familys former property.

The Lydas appeared to still have an interest in the property, Henry wrote in an August 2017 court complaint to clarify ownership. But he alleged Parkway Vistas, now dissolved, had relied on the mothers statement of herself as sole heir and purchased her share in good faith  for $5,000.

Michael Ellis, president of Parkway Vistas, which incorporated the day after Carolyn Lydas deed was signed and sold three other properties to Tuckers companies in 2018, told Asheville Watchdog he could not recall the sales. That was a really long time ago. I have no clue, he said.

Carolyn Hughey Lyda (1948-2019)

Had the Lydas known about the court case, Charles Lyda said, they would have disputed their mothers deed and questioned how she came to sign over her interest. The family didnt even know she had sold her share of the property until just before she died, Charles Lyda said.

Henry wrote in his court complaint that the Lydas were believed to be living in Burke, a county east of Buncombe near Hickory.

None of us ever lived in Burke County with the exception of Jonathan, the youngest, who had left years earlier, Charles Lyda said.

At a court hearing in November 2017, Henry said, We could not find any viable addresses to be able to serve anybody.

You couldnt find any of them? asked Buncombe Superior Court Judge Alan Z. Thornburg.

Your Honor, no, Henry replied. We were not able to locate any of the individual defendants in this matter.

Henry said he had located an estate file in Burke County, and that the addresses that were in that estate file were all Burke County. But none of them were viable addresses. The estate was, I believe it was, nearly 20 years old.

Asheville Watchdog reviewed the same estate file Henry was referencing. The addresses in the file show only one of the siblings, Jonathan, in Burke County. Two of the Lydas, listed in the estate file as residents of Georgia, were still living at those same addresses in 2017, Charles Lyda said.

Henry reported to the court that hed fulfilled his obligation to notify the Lydas by taking out a legal ad in the Morganton News Herald, a local newspaper in Burke. No defendant has answered in any way, shape or form, Henry said at the hearing.

That was because nobody knew about it, Charles Lyda told Asheville Watchdog. None of us live in Morganton.

Judge Thornburg asked Henry what else he had done to locate the Lydas.

We sent notices and letters to all the addresses that were in the estate file, Henry said. We further did Internet searches trying to locate other addresses.

Asheville Watchdog found a 2007 obituary for the Lydas father, available online through a simple Google search, that showed the city and state for each of the Lyda siblings. Six lived in Georgia, where theyd been since childhood, Charles Lyda said.

Henry said at the hearing that he even used an investigator to locate the Lydas. We were simply unable to come up with any viable address, he said.

Asheville attorney Ile Adaramola

Adaramola described her search in the Lyda case in an August 2018 court filing: Due diligence and great efforts were made to locate the whereabouts of the Respondents, (sic) consisting of, internet search, White Pages search for recent phone numbers, called family and friends, DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) search, Ancestry.com search, Buncombe County Register of Deeds, Buncombe County Tax Office, Burke County Estate File, Burke County Register of Deeds, and Burke County Tax Office.

Charles Lyda said hes owned vehicles in North Carolina for over 25, almost 30 years. He purchased property in Waynesville in 2017, a matter of public record, and his address and phone number were available on North Carolinas public corporation database under an automotive business he incorporated in February 2018. Lyda said hed also been paying child support through the state for years.

If the state of North Carolina can find me and send me correspondence and keep up with me, Charles Lyda said, why couldnt anybody else?

On an invoice Adaramola submitted, billing $500 for her work on the Lyda case, she said she had called numbers for heirs, no heir had a working number.

Robert Lyda said hes had the same phone number for 30 years. He said his family held an annual reunion. There is a family directory that is published every year, he said. If they reached one single person  they would have been able to find the rest.

In November 2017, after the Lydas had not filed any answer, or made any appearance in court, Judge Thornburg found the sale by the Lydass mother to Parkway Vistas was made in good faith. The judge declared Tuckers company the rightful property owner because the will identifying the Lydas as heirs had not been filed in Buncombe County, where the property was located.

Tuckers company listed the property for sale but was having trouble despite the judges order declaring it the sole owner. In 2018, Shannon Miller Wood and her husband made an offer but could not get title insurance, she told Asheville Watchdog. Our lawyer  told them that we were going to walk away from the deal unless they went through some legal hurdles to correctly fix the title, she said.

In April 2018, Tuckers company filed a second court action against the Lydas to force a sale of the property through whats known as the partition law and named Ile Adaramola as guardian ad litem.

A guardian can be appointed only by court order, which Henry didnt receive, according to the court file. Adaramola reported that she could not locate any heirs to the property and filed a response on their behalf. Nothing further occurred in the partition action, but Henry used Adaramolas report to return to Judge Thornburg in August 2018 and obtain an amended order. After a diligent search by the guardian ad litem, the judge wrote, no heirs  were found.

Less than a month later, the deal with the Woods closed. Tuckers company sold the property for $255,500, nearly three times the $90,000 it paid Parkway Vistas a year and a half earlier, deeds indicate.

The Lydas received nothing.

The nine Lyda siblings

Robert Lyda said he feels like his familys property was stolen.

Its bad enough that you lose your loved ones, he said. There's ethics independent of what is legal. And the fact that the law does not serve ethics is the most damning statement one could make about our system.

An alliance forms

Asheville Watchdog previously reported how Tucker, who is also an attorney, has taken advantage of the Reconstruction-era partition law and convinced Buncombe homeowners, many of them older and/or Black, to sign over properties and forfeit years if not generations of equity.

Lisa K. Roberts

Lisa K. Roberts of Asheville, who calls herself a housing advocate, negotiated some of the deals for Tucker's companies. Henry, Tuckers lawyer since at least 2015, represented him in court. Roberts has not responded to repeated messages seeking comment.

Henrys and Tuckers association with Adaramola appears to have started the year after she opened her law practice in 2014. Henry began requesting Adaramola to be auction commissioner on partition sales, resulting in Tucker's companies buying properties for as little as $2,000. And in 2017, when Henry needed a lawyer to monitor his client communications as a condition to avoid a suspension of his law license, he chose Adaramola.

Adaramola said in a December 2020 interview with Asheville Watchdog that she didnt recall specifically how the association began.

I'm a real estate attorney. We generally have section meetings for our organizations, Adaramola said. We may have met at a networking event. Like any other client, thats how generally Im found.

Adaramola also represented Lisa Roberts as her attorney, court and property records show.

Easily found, fiance says

A guardian ad litem is supposed to be a disinterested person, who is appointed by the courts in certain property cases to protect the interests of unknown or unlocatable owners, said Johanna Finkelstein, an assistant court clerk in Buncombe who handles such cases.

The main thing they try to do is find them, she said. Then they should follow up and ensure that the process is going correctly.

Disinterested means somebody who doesn't have a conflict of some sort with any of the parties  in terms of an attorney, they didn't represent any of the parties in the past, Finkelstein said. They can't have an ownership interest.

A lawyer is typically appointed under the theory that attorneys know how to use the various methods to find people, Finkelstein said. Sometimes they try real hard and cant.  They have to act as a reasonable, prudent person would.

Guardians are often selected on the recommendation of the attorneys in the case, she said.

David Shroat // Photo courtesy of

Henry was appointed as guardian ad litem to represent the interests of David Shroat, the local cop, in a case brought by Adaramola on behalf of VLM Investments in June 2018. Shroat owned a half-interest in a house in Arden with a tax value of $249,900, and VLM, the owner of the other half, was seeking a partition sale of the property.

Adaramola reported in August 2018 that due diligence and great efforts were made to locate the whereabouts of the Respondent, consisting of, internet search, White Pages search for recent phone numbers, called family and friends, DMV search, Ancestry.com search, Buncombe County Register of Deeds, Buncombe County Tax Office, and cross referenced addresses with Wells Fargo.

Shroats address was on file at the Buncombe courthouse in a mortgage foreclosure case, Asheville Watchdog found. He was served with a court order in June 2018. Also served with the same document in the same case was Adaramola, the attorney for another party.

And in a 2017 divorce file, also available at the courthouse, Shroat listed his employer as the Buncombe County Sheriffs Office.

Shroat, who had spent 28 years at the Asheville Police Department and 15 at the Sheriffs Office, had worked the front desk at the courthouse before retiring in December 2017, personnel records show.

It is pretty likely that someone who has retired in the past few years would still be in contact with people here and we could provide a phone number or address if needed for a legal matter or urgent concern, said the sheriffs spokesman, Aaron Sarver.

Kelly Southerland, Shroats fiance, told Asheville Watchdog Shroat had moved in with her by 2018. Southerland said she left a forwarding address with the sheriffs office, and Shroat received Social Security and pension-related mail at her house.

Nobody ever came by here, gave me their card, or told me to get in touch with them, she said.

Shroats sister, Sandra Ashe of South Carolina, said no one contacted her, either.

Adaramola served Shroat through a legal ad in the Asheville Citizen Times, which Shroats fiance said he never saw.

Shroat did not respond in court, and Finkelstein, the clerk, granted Adaramolas request to put the property up for sale. It sold for $145,000  to Lisa Robertss company  and resold within two months for $210,000, according to the deeds.

Shroat received nothing.

The property had been in foreclosure, and the proceeds from the court-ordered partition sale, after fees, went to Wells Fargo, the bank that held two mortgages. A third mortgage  from Tuckers company  was recorded less than two weeks before the partition action.

Shroat, who is now 74 and has dementia, lives in an assisted living facility in Asheville.

Attorneys word taken at face value

When told about Shroat and the Lydas, Robert N. Hunter Jr., a former judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals who briefly served on the state Supreme Court, said: Those people need a lawyer to examine the records and examine the evidence and bring a motion in the courts to reconsider the judgments that were entered.

It's the job of the reviewing judge or clerk to examine the proofs before him or her to ensure that every effort has been made to locate the person, Hunter said. And if subsequently, the person who has not been found discovers that his interest has been sold, he has a right to request redress in the courts.

In response to questions about the Lyda case, Judge Thornburg told Asheville Watchdog, Given that court cases and disciplinary proceedings are pending or may arise . . . it is not appropriate for me to comment.

The North Carolina State Bar is investigating Tuckers transactions.

Finkelstein, the clerk for the Lyda and Shroat partition cases, said the information Asheville Watchdog uncovered was concerning, but that courts rely on attorneys and guardians to do a thorough job.

In general we do take at face value what is in the report, what the people did to try and find the individuals, Finkelstein said. Sometimes Ill ask them questions about it if theres something that makes me wonder.

'Perfunctory and superficial'

Rick Su, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, said he was taken aback by the perfunctory and superficial nature of the proceedings and efforts, especially given what is at stake.

After reviewing Adaramolas invoice that showed she spent an hour and a half searching for heirs in the Lyda case, Su said that if Asheville Watchdog was successful in locating the owners, then it could be argued that the (guardian ad litems) efforts were deficient.

At best, (Adaramola) is just putting in the bare minimum of effort, Su said. At worst, she may not be all that interested in actually locating the real owners.

Finkelstein said she is no longer appointing Adaramola or Henry as guardians ad litem in cases.

Su said more should be done, such as strengthening North Carolina laws. There appears to be little in the way of assessing the actual effort of an appointed [guardian ad litem], even if a court cared to appoint someone they believed was capable and motivated.

Property owners, he said, should be properly represented, and more than what the current system provides.

Robert Lyda said it may be too late for his family. We've lost that property, that vista, the connection to our family history.

The experience, he said, has shaken his faith in the judicial system.

The judge is dependent upon his fellow officers of the court to bring truthful information. Without that, Robert Lyda said, there's no hope for justice.

Becky Tin contributed to this report.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Sally Kestin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. Becky Tin is a retired district court judge and lawyer. Email skestin@avlwatchdog.org.

Asheville Watchdog gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Duke University School of Laws First Amendment Clinic, with special thanks to Zane Martin.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Equity erased: Attorneys tell court property owners cant be found
(Rex Features)

The royal household seems designed for extraordinary Christmas celebrations: numerous palaces to house giant Norwegian fir trees, banquet halls to lay on a five-course turkey dinner and staff to help with the washing up. But how do the royals actually celebrate?

For the last three decades, the family have celebrated the festive season at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, with generations of the royals descending for a festive lunch and to attend mass with Her Majesty on Christmas morning.

In 2020, the Queen spent Christmas in tier 4 at Windsor castle and was prevented from having any guests, aside from a potential support bubble. This year, the Queens first Christmas without Prince Philip, a celebration at Sandringham should be on the cards once again.

During the 1960s royal Christmases were routinely celebrated at the Berkshire castle but, since 1988, when the property was being rewired, the firm returned to Sandringham.

What does the Queen eat and drink at Christmas?

Darren McGrady was the Queens personal chef for 15 years, accompanying her on two royal tours of Australia and cooking for five American Presidents. McGrady also worked for other members of the royal family  including Princess Diana, and her sons William and Harry.

In a series of YouTube videos and interviews since leaving the royal household, McGrady has opened up about life in the royal kitchen. McGrady previously told Hello! magazine that the biggest food event at the palace is Christmas.

The royals tend to keep it traditional - with a classic turkey rather than other meats. It was the same meal every year, McGrady said. They're actually boring when it comes to festivities. They didn't do hams or anything, just traditional turkeys.

The royals at Christmas mass, with Princess Diana and the Queen Mother (Rex Features)

We did three turkeys for the Queen and her family in the royal dining room, one for the children's nursery and then more for the 100 or so staff, so everyone had a Christmas lunch.

In terms of trying out new festive dishes, royal chefs are under strict instructions not to use strong flavours, such as garlic and onion, as the Queen does not like them, says McGrady. The Queen doesn't like garlic... we could never use it at Buckingham Palace.

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For dessert on 25 December, the Christmas pudding would be decorated in holly, doused in brandy, and the palace steward would carry it, flaming, into the royal dining room.

The Queens Christmas message, 2019 (Rex Features)

Although fond of the festivities, the Queen reportedly only eats small portions - even at Christmas. McGrady has previously said the 95-year-old prefers to have four smaller mealtimes throughout the day.

Paul Burrell, formerly the Queens footman and then Princess Dianas butler, confirmed this on The Secret podcast with Vicky Pattison. He said: [The Queen] only ever eats very little portions. She doesnt eat a Christmas dinner like we do where it is piled high and you cant see each other across the table.

To drink, the Queens favourite tipple is known to be a gin and Dubonnet or a flute of champagne.

Does the Queen help with cooking?

McGrady says in one of his videos that the Queen does not cook for herself but that Prince Philip was an amazing chef and regularly enjoyed cooking on the grill and having family BBQs on the Balmoral estate.

He also described how the younger royals like William, Kate, Meghan and Harry, all enjoy cooking, while the Queen herself stays out of the kitchen.

But, Mr Burrell says, the Queen does like to wash up. She puts on the marigolds and when she goes out to the log cabin at Balmoral she is stood there with her marigolds on and she washes up and the lady in waiting dries, he explained.
The number of people killed in encounters with police has not fallen despite the uproar over the deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright last year, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Although ex-officers Derek Chauvin and Kimberly Potter were convicted for their roles in the deaths of Floyd and Wright respectively, "accountability for officers who kill remains elusive," the Times writes.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

By the numbers: Since Floyd's death in May 2020, over 1,600 people  or an average of three per day  have been killed by police, the Times reports, citing Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit that tracks people killed by the police.

Black people are also still two and a half to three times as likely as white people to be killed by a police officer, according to Mapping Police Violence. A separate study from the University of Washington found Black people were 3.5 times more likely than white people to be killed by police.

Police killings have also been severely undercounted, with the University of Washington researchers saying that police killings, particularly of Black people, was a "public health crisis."

"Systemic and direct racism, manifested in laws and policies as well as personal implicit biases, result in Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic Americans being the targets of police violence," the researchers wrote in October.

The big picture: Murder or manslaughter charges against officers have increased this year, but criminal charges still remain exceptionally rare.

Convictions are even rarer, according to the Times' reporting.

Twenty-one officers have been charged with murder or manslaughter for an on-duty shooting, according to data from Philip M. Stinson, a criminal justice professor and a research team at Bowling Green, the Times reports.

It's the highest number since 2005, when researchers began compiling data, and an increase from 16 charged last year.

Go deeper: Activists focus on systemic change after verdict in Daunte Wright death

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Joan Didion poses in her New York apartment in 2007. As Steffie Nelson writes, it marked Didion's return to New York. It was where her husband had his fatal heart attack in 2003, and where she died on Thursday at 87. (Kathy Willens / Associated Press )

The messages started coming in at noon, Eastern time. Joan Didion died. Joan. Heartbreak emojis. Instagram posts featuring the glamorous black-and-white portraits I can see with my eyes closed. A link to her obituary. California daughter Joan Didion, whose writings about her home state excavated and formed some of its most indelible myths, had died at her home in New York City. She and her husband, John Gregory Dunne, returned here from Los Angeles in 1988, two decades after she wrote the legendary kiss-off Goodbye to All That, which opens, Its easy to see the beginning of things, and harder to see the ends. She was nothing if not committed to new beginnings, but New York is where it ended.

I didnt know Didion personally, but I followed her example in more ways than one, a New Yorker and a journalist summoned west by the pictures shed painted of a Golden Land, by the transformational energies she had mined, even  or was it especially?  from the darkest places. Didion wanted to know what happened when we left the past behind; there was always a cost, but sometimes it was worth it. This potentiality that vibrates throughout her writing eventually became the theme of a collection of essays I edited, Slouching Towards Los Angeles  a project that intimately revealed the part she played in helping other writers like me, mostly women, to hone their voices and define their places in the world.

The Didion devotee will always feel in some way indebted. Id said my own goodbye to all that 16 years ago, when I packed up my Brooklyn apartment and bought a one-way ticket to L.A., but I have always (except in 2020) celebrated the holidays with my family in New York. So it happened that I found myself walking across Central Park on a cold December afternoon, two days before Christmas, heading to Joan Didions apartment building because I couldnt think of another way to grieve this woman, this stranger, this trusted guide.

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Didion herself helped so many to contend with grief through her tragically twinned memoirs, The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) and Blue Nights (2011), which were the last two books of new writing she published. In her final years, Parkinsons disease made it difficult for Didion to see and speak, much less write. She came to embody grief, and during this particularly grim holiday season she is its subject.

Although Didions prose has a gem-like precision, her narratives emanate from the mess of living. The inverse of leaving the past behind is going home again. I think Didion was drawn back to California in the 1960s not out of homesickness for a tidy childhood, but because she recognized it as a nexus of revolution. The subjects she returned to still resonate today: the inspiring yet naive idealism of the hippie movement, the sinister decadence and transcendence of Hollywood and rock n roll, the righteous might and errant energies of the radical left. I dont think Didion went to Haight-Ashbury looking to expose the perils of psychedelics or the sham of the Summer of Love; she went because she saw a movement with the potential to shift society. Its failure didnt give her pleasure; in fact, it might have broken her heart.

After vowing never to leave California, the Didion-Dunnes found that things had grown stale in Los Angeles, as they told a writer for The Times when she visited their new digs on Manhattans Upper East Side. In truth, this coveted and buttoned-up neighborhood was essentially the New York equivalent of Brentwood  where they had apparently received an offer on their house that they couldnt refuse  but it was worlds away from Malibu or the seedy, storied glamour of the couples home on Franklin Avenue. This was the apartment where Dunne would collapse from a fatal heart attack in 2003, leaving Didions life changed forever in the instant, as she wrote. And now it was where she too had taken her last breath.

Approaching the building, a classic pre-war construction just off Madison Avenue and across the street from a church, I expected to find  something. Piles of flowers, maybe, or small clusters of people gathering, votives burning, books left as offerings. I did not expect to walk up a quiet, empty street dotted with bare trees, to find an elegant building whose tranquility was almost offensive. The world behind its shiny black doors had changed forever, in the instant, but its facade was impenetrable. In retrospect, I shouldnt have been surprised: Public scenes of any sort are frowned upon, if not forbidden, in this part of town. Its what residents pay good money for  maybe even the Didion-Dunnes.

I went up to the building, carrying a bouquet Id bought at a nearby market. Is it OK to leave flowers for Joan Didion? I asked the doorman. You can leave them at the service entrance around the corner, he told me. Somebody will take them. But I did not want them to be swept politely out of sight. I wanted these flowers to mark the place where a great writer had lived and died, a small sign for others who might be walking these same staid streets, looking for a way to grieve.

And then, while I lingered on the sidewalk just out of view of the doorman, unsure what to do but unable to leave, a long-haired young punk in a leather motorcycle jacket and combat boots came striding up, holding a lush bouquet of white roses tied with a green ribbon. I watched as he wordlessly, almost without slowing down, laid the roses at the base of a potted tree outside the building. Never making eye contact, he continued down the street and disappeared. Taking that as my sign, I walked back to the entrance and left my own bouquet of roses for Joan, the petals flame-orange with yellow centers and pink-dipped edges, just like a California sunset.

Nelson is a writer and the editor of "Slouching Towards Los Angeles: Living and Writing by Joan Didions Light."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Dec. 24HENDERSON  Visitors to Fuller Chapel Christian Church got a journey through Biblical history on Wednesday evening.

The congregation of the church shared "Stations of Christmas" with the community in a celebration of the Christmas season.

Stations of Christmas was a drive-through event showcasing major Biblical passages leading up to the birth of Jesus and continuing through his ministry.

At each station, drive-through visitors listened to a recorded commentary about the depicted scene before moving on to the next station.

The first station offered "In the beginning was the Word. . . ." from the Gospel of John.

From there, the visitors proceeded through a series of religious tableaus, ending with the final station, which showed an empty cross and summarized the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and his promise to make all things new.

The display was designed to present the Christmas story "from creation to the cross," in the words of Fuller Chapel Pastor Tammy Ayscue.

Copies of the script were given to visitors, Ayscue said, so they could take it home and reflect on it.

The event was presented by children and youth of the church with a little help from adults.

The church was unable to celebrate Christmas in the usual ways last year because of the pandemic. This year, the congregation conceived of "Stations of Christmas" as a way of inviting visitors to its 1470 North Lynnbank Road location to share in the season of giving and receiving.

"It's the first time we've done this," Ayscue said.

During the event, as a stream of vehicles wrapped around the church, Ayscue added, "I think it's going well. Everybody seems to appreciate it. I'm just grateful they can come and get the word. Reflect on what the real meaning of Christmas is and we know it's Jesus Christ."
Lawyers for the Gadsden Airport Authority filed motions Wednesday to address lawsuits alleging violations of the open meeting and open records laws, in addition to a motion contending that the zoning lawsuit regarding a proposed rendering plant is now moot.

Choice Fabricators brought the open records lawsuit, saying the GAA has not provided documents it has requested. Lance Koury and Lance Williamson subsequently filed a suit claiming five out of six members of the GAA violated the open meetings law by deliberating on issues during executive sessions.

Another motion was filed to consolidate those two lawsuits  something the GAA opposes.

The two cases, the authority argues, have no common questions of fact. It contends the allegations are different, the relief sought is different and the cases have no plaintiffs in common.

The authority in its motion in response to consolidation request also argues that the cases are different and the statutes to be considered are different.

Further, the GAA filed a motion seeking dismissal or summary judgment in the open meetings lawsuit, arguing that Koury and Williamson offer no proof to support their speculation about deliberations during executive sessions at three GAA meetings.

All the lawsuits have grown out of the widespread opposition to a proposal by Pilgrim's Pride to buy or lease property at the airport to build a rendering plant, and the subsequent actions of the entities involved.

The GAA on Dec. 17 voted to reject the Pilgrim's proposal, but opponents of the plant remain skeptical that the issue is dead. They want assurance that not just the Pilgrim's proposal is rejected, but that any future effort to locate a rendering plant in Etowah County will be blocked.

The GAA executive sessions were entered to discuss pending litigation and legal options, the motion states, noting the authority is party to three lawsuits all filed by the same attorneys.

Neither plaintiff was involved in the executive session, the motion argues, and they have no proof that anything beyond the legal scope of an executive session was discussed in the cited meetings. Also, the motion stated, the lawsuit named five of six members of the board as defendants, excluding Ken Robertson, who voted against going into executive session.

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The motion contends that under Alabama law, all members who participated in an executive session should be named such a lawsuit, regardless of their vote.

Further, the motion says citizens bringing a lawsuit alleging an open meetings violation should specifically state how they are impacted by the meeting more than the general public.

The motions request that Etowah Circuit Judge Sonny Steen  who has been assigned the open meetings lawsuit  should hold a preliminary hearing in the case, required within 10 days of the defense's response to the filing.

That hearing, the GAA's attorneys contend, should be held outside the presence of the plaintiff's lawyers, lest they get access to confidential information that could be used in a lawsuit filed by Dynamic Collision, a business that adjoins the airport, and later joined by other plaintiffs, that contends a rendering plant at the airport site would violate current zoning regulations.

Steen should hear all issues regarding those lawsuits, the motion states, because Presiding Circuit Judge George Day is hearing the zoning lawsuit slated for trial in January.

As with the plaintiff's attorneys, the motion argues, information could be disclosed in the preliminary hearing that should not be a part of the zoning case, and could lead to the need for Day to recuse himself in that case.

Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: GAA lawyers: Dismiss open meetings case, don't consolidate
Happy Friday, Los Angeles! Here's everything you need to know to get this day started off right. Here's everything worth knowing in town today.

First, today's weather:

Morning rain, then a shower. High: 61 Low: 52.

Here are the top stories in Los Angeles today:

Today's Los Angeles Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community  and to get access to this amazing technology  click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Los Angeles!

Today in Los Angeles:

From my notebook:

Mayor Eric Garcetti: "Lets keep our immunity up against Omicron and other COVID-19 variants." (Instagram)

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: "Santa made an early appearance to the children currently being treated at the LAC+USC Pediatric Ward. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Access to Care Bureau- LCMC Jail Ward staff were able to hand-deliver toys." (Facebook)

LAFD: "WINNETKA - At 11:15 AM on Thursday, December 23, 2021, LAFD responded to reports of a man being swept down the Los Angeles River through Winnetka, near Mason Avenue. Firefighters searched down river and found an adult male clinging." (Instagram)

Los Angeles County Fire Dept.: "#LARain With a significant winter storm impacting #SoCal, please be prepared for the possibility of heavy rainfall, mudslides, and debris flow, especially in recent burn areas. " (Instagram)

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: "The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD), in collaboration with the LASD Community Advisory Council hosted a Department-wide Holiday Toy Drive. We were fortunate to provide new toys to many families in need across the county." (Facebook)

Los Angeles County Fire Department: "EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS  BECOME A FIRE EXPLORER! Our LACoFD Explorer Program returns in 2022! If youre between 15 to 20 years old, nows your chance to join the program and gain hands-on experience on what it takes to become a firefighter." (Facebook)

Discover Los Angeles: "Holiday in the Park Six Flags Magic Mountain is open through January 2   more holiday events: https://www.discoverlosangeles... #discoverLA #holidayinthepark" (Facebook)

Los Angeles LGBT Center: "Beyond words of encouragement, thousands of the members have offered up seats at their holiday tables. Others have shown up for weddings and offered to hold hands at funerals. Some even travel out of state to be there for others.""(Facebook)

Los Angeles County Fire Department: "SPREADING THE LOVE We were proud to partner with ABC7 and the LA Rams for this special Spark of Love event yesterday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Thanks to all of your generous donations, we were able to hand out brand-new toys." (Facebook)

Original Farmers Market, Los Angeles: "Kip's Toyland said the best thing about shopping #local for the #holidays - no shipping delays  Just so you know, the Market will be open on #ChristmasEve from 10am - 6pm! We are the ONLY place for ALL of your last minute #Christmas." (Facebook)

Los Angeles, CA - Lost Dogs, Cats & Pets: "Please spread the word! astro was LOST on December 22, 2021 in San Fernando, CA 91340 Message from Owner: please help me find astro Description: spots on his face and forehead." (Facebook)

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 Paige Austin

About me: Email: paige.austin@patch.comPhone: 714-721-1222Birthday: GeminiI learned how to be a reporter at the Orange County Register before moving to The Press-Enterprise in Riverside. I covered everything from cities, to the national forest, to courts and prisons. I do have some pretty colorful war stories from those beats. So if you see me around town, you tell me your stories, and I'll tell you about the time I met Gov. Schwarzeneggerin prisonwhile wearing a stab-proof vest. Or I can tell you about the time I watched a Manson girl give a talk on anger management.I joke around. A lot. However, journalism might be the only thing I take seriously. It's a very humbling job. Everyday, people trust you with their voice on topics that matter to them, and you have to try to live up to the responsibility. If I ever fail, I need you to tell me about it, so that I can get it right. It's important.I am insecure enough to tell you about some of the journalism awards I have won  the Associated Press Award for investigative reporting, California Newspapers Publishers Association awards for investigative reporting and best special section, the Price Child Health and Welfare Journalism award from the Children's Advocacy Institute as well as Society of Professional Journalists awards for best enterprise stories, beat reporting, feature writing, and best environmental story. I think I tried to collect awards in an effort to intimidate editors into letting me chase the kinds of stories I want to do. It doesn't really work.Working for Patch.com, my office consists of the cities I cover, Starbucks, and my house where my co-workers include a lovely gent named D'Wayne and two pugs  Monkey and Maggie. If we ever talk on the phone, it's Maggie you might hear faintly snoring in the background. Sorry, she just can't help it.Your Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know. Politics: pro-environment and equality for all Religion: The unholy trinity of Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut and John Steinbeck

This article originally appeared on the Los Angeles Patch
The governor of Iraq's Najaf province resigned on Friday, a day after another governor also quit following demonstrations against living conditions and corruption.

Louai al-Yasseri resigned from his leadership in Najaf, in central Iraq, a day after the governor of Nasiriyah province in the south quit following the violent suppression of protesters.

Their departures underline the challenges facing war-scarred Iraq and how little has changed despite protests that swept Baghdad and the South two years ago.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to express their anger at corruption, unemployment and crumbling public services, and hundreds lost their lives in protest-related violence.

Yasseri announced at a press conference that he was leaving his post in the holy Shiite city, according to the official Iraqi News Agency.

His resignation follows harsh criticism from prominent Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, who emerged as kingmaker following legislative elections in October.

Sadr paid a public visit to the municipality in Najaf on Wednesday after "reports of corruption and shortcomings in this institution", according to the news agency.

"We will work on dismissing the governor of Najaf and replacing him legally," he said.

On Friday evening, Sadr welcomed the governor's resignation as a "step in the right direction".

In the past weeks, sporadic demonstrations have broken out across Najaf and the neighbouring province of Diwaniya, as well as in Nasiriyah.

Protesters have decried living conditions and called for job opportunities for young graduates.

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi held a security meeting Wednesday to discuss the protests, where he repeated the need to avoid "the use of force or shoot".

The following day, the governor of Nasiriyah, Ahmed Ghani Khafaji, announced his resignation after protests in which three people were shot and wounded, according to a medical source.

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The 2019 demonstrations petered out after bloody crackdowns and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 600 people were killed and tens of thousands injured throughout the protests.

Kadhemi moved the elections forward to October as a concession to the demonstrators.

But anger gave way to disillusion and the ballot saw record-low turnout.

The movement of Sadr -- who once led a militia against American and Iraqi government forces -- won 73 out of the assembly's total 329 seats, the election commission said.

str-tgg/jsa/it
Joan Didion Griffin Dunne

Gary Gershoff/WireImage

Griffin Dunne is paying tribute to his beloved aunt, Joan Didion, after she died on Thursday at her Manhattan home. She was 87.

"Yesterday morning I said goodbye to my Aunt Joan for the last time. Yesterday morning her enormous readership also began their goodbyes to Joan Didion, one of the greatest writers of our time," Dunne said in a statement on Friday. (The actor, 66, is the son of Didion's brother-in-law Dominick Dunne.)

"In 1961, as a young contributor at Vogue, Joan once wrote, 'People with self-respect exhibit a certain toughness, a kind of moral nerve; they display what was once called character.' As her nephew, I was fortunate enough to witness firsthand Joan's character, her self-respect, her certain toughness," his statement continued.

"These qualities are ones I admire and have tried to learn from all my life. Her voice was that of a writer who saw things as they were before most of us. She wrote about grief to find out what she felt, but ended up giving hope and meaning to those who needed it most. Now I find myself in grief, which I share with so many others who are also mourning this great loss," Dunne's statement concluded.

The This Is Us star produced and directed the documentary film Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold, which was released on Netflix in October 2017. At the time, Dunne released a statement about his aunt and the documentary, which read: "It is a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to convey the life and work of my aunt, and literary icon, Joan Didion. This documentary is a true labor of love and to partner with Netflix, who will help bring this to a global audience, is more than I could have hoped for when I started on this over 5 years ago."

Full of archival footage and one-on-one conversations between Dunne and his "Aunt Joan," Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold features in-depth and intimate details about her work and her life.

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RELATED: Joan Didion, Beloved American Writer and 'New Journalist', Dead at 87

Joan Didion

courtesy netflix

Didion, who was born in California in 1934, attended the University of California, Berkeley, and moved to New York after graduation where she began her career at Vogue.

She released her first novel, Run River, in 1963, sparking a career that would span several decades.

In 1964, Didion wed husband John Gregory Dunne, who died at age 71 in 2003. They shared daughter Quintana Roo, who died of pancreatitis and septic shock at age 39 in 2005. Her husband's death and her daughter's illness were written about in The Year of Magical Thinking, which was adapted in 2007 for the one-woman Broadway production starring actress Vanessa Redgrave.

Didion's works include 1968's Slouching Towards Bethlehem, 1979's The White Album, and 2005's The Year of Magical Thinking, which won a National Book Award for nonfiction writing. Her final published work was the 2021 release of Let Me Tell You What I Mean, an anthology of her essays written from 1968 through 2000.
CAIRO (AP)  Hundreds took to the streets in several Libyan cities to protest the cancellation of Friday's long-awaited presidential election, a blow to hopes of ending a decade of chaos in the oil-rich North African country.

Several parliamentary candidates and political groups have called for the protests, which underline risks to a fragile stability in the oil-rich nation that's a haven for militias and still riven by an east-west divide.

Libyas election commission has proposed Jan. 24 as a new date for the presidential poll, which was to be followed by parliamentary elections on Feb. 15. But no dates have been officially set or agreed upon by the country's rival factions.

At a Benghazi rally, protesters raised banners reading yes for elections, no for postponement."

All of Libya must have elections on time. We reject any postponement or manipulation of the Libyan will," Mohamed Alorfy, an activist told the crowd.

Earlier, many parliamentary hopefuls have circulated a poster calling for rallies on what they dubbed Salvation Friday. The poster listed the demands of protesters, namely to set Jan. 24 as a final deadline for the poll.

Do not be passive. Take to the streets and express your opinion. Force them to respect your will, AlSalhen AlNihoom, a parliamentary candidate from the eastern city of Benghazi, wrote on his Facebook page.

Protesters have also rallied for the same purpose in other cities and towns of eastern Libya including Tobruk and Derna. Small groups also took to the streets in the western city of Misrata, the southern village of Gatroun and the town of Hun in central Libya.

Earlier this week, some 50 parliamentary hopefuls denounced the cancellation of the vote, insisting in a joint statement that the commission should set another final date for holding it. The statement called on Libyans to take to the streets to defend their right to a safe, stable and sovereign country.

For nearly a year, the planned election was the lynchpin of international efforts to bring peace to Libya. But with several well-known figures  including the son of ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi  declaring candidacy despite officials bans, the election commission never published a list of accepted candidates.

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Many observers had warned that either scenario  holding the vote on time or postponing it  would be a destabilizing setback.

The U.S, U.K., France, Germany and Italy on Friday jointly called on Libyan authorities to swiftly determine a date for the polling and to issue the final list of presidential candidates.

We recall that free, fair and credible elections will allow the Libyan people to elect a representative and unified government, and reinforce the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya, the Western nations said in their statement.

They also warned that that local or foreign individuals or entities who obstruct or undermine the electoral process in Libya might face UN-imposed sanctions.

On Thursday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that elections should be held in the appropriate conditions, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. The U.N. top diplomat vowed that his organization will continue to support Libyan efforts to overcome challenges and hold both presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

Libya plunged into turmoil after the 2011 uprising that culminated in the overthrow and killing of longtime strongman Gadhafi. Eventually, the country split between rival governments  one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and another U.N.-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli, in the west. Each side is supported by a variety of militias and foreign powers.

In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli. His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the Tripoli government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.

Mediated by the United Nations, an October 2020 cease-fire led to the formation of a transitional government with elections scheduled for Dec. 24. But with the vote now cancelled, the fate of that government is now unclear. The parliamentary committee said the governments mandate ends on Friday.

On Friday, the interim president of the east-based parliament called on members to convene in a general session on Monday in the city of Tobruk. The call came two days after the parliament's presidency announced that it had tasked a 10-lawmaker committee to propose within a week a new roadmap. It said then that lawmakers would discuss the proposal in the next general session.

The poll cancellation coincided with the 70th anniversary of the independence of Libya. In Tripoli, the mood was festive but more subdued than previous years, with folk music and people waving flags in Martyrs Square.

Libya was occupied for decades by various nations, and it was not until 1947 that both Italy and France relinquished claims to parts of the country. The United Libyan Kingdom was announced with U.N. backing in late 1951 under King Idris. In 1969, Gadhafi led a military coup that deposed King Idris and subsequently forced him into exile until he died in Cairo in 1983.
Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for COVID-19 again Friday after coming into contact with a staffer who tested positive, the White House said.

On Wednesday, officials said Harris tested negative for COVID after being with the staffer the day before. Follow-up antigen tests on Friday for Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, yielded a negative result as well, a White House official said.

Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for the coronavirus on Friday after coming into close contact with a staffer this week, a White House official said. Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images

Harris also took a PCR test to detect the coronavirus and tested negative on that as well.

The White House said this week that Harris is tested on a regular basis.

"On Wednesday morning, a staff member who staffed the Vice President throughout the day Tuesday received a positive test result for COVID-19," the White House in a statement Wednesday announcing Harris' negative test results. "Yesterday, Monday and every day last week, this staff member tested negative for COVID-19. This staff member is fully vaccinated and boosted and did not experience symptoms. Others who were in close contact with this staff member are being contacted and will be advised to get tested per CDC guidance."

President Biden also had a "close contact" with a staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19 , White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Monday.

President Biden answers questions at the White House after speaking about the status of the country's fight against COVID-19 on Dec. 21, 2021. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

"On Monday morning, a mid-level staff member, who does not regularly have contact with the President, received a positive result for a COVID-19 test," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement this week. " Three days earlier, on Friday, that staff member had spent approximately 30 minutes in proximity to the President on Air Force One, on the way from Orange, South Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."
LONG ISLAND, NY  With the highly contagious omicron variant sparking a dramatic uptick in new COVID-19 cases and derailing holiday plans for scores of New Yorkers, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a Christmas Eve video briefing that the state would be adhering to new guidance allowing health care workers and other members of the state's workforce to return to their positions sooner than in past months.

While in the past, health care workers who tested positive had to remain out of work for 10 days, new, emergency guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that that time can be reduced to seven days with a negative test  or less, if there are staffing shortages.

Hochul said on Friday, however, that New York's work force in health care and other front line businesses including transportation and grocery stores can return after five days if vaccinated and asymptomatic with no fever after 72 hours and a negative test; those returning workers must wear masks, she said.

On Thursday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky issued a statement: As the healthcare community prepares for an anticipated surge in patients due to omicron, CDC is updating our recommendations to reflect what we know about infection and exposure in the context of vaccination and booster doses. Our goal is to keep healthcare personnel and patients safe, and to address and prevent undue burden on our healthcare facilities. Our priority, remains preventionand I strongly encourage all healthcare personnel to get vaccinated and boosted."

Looking at the escalating numbers, Hochul said they were not a surprise. "This is very, very contagious variant," she said.

There were 44,000 new cases reported over the last 24 hours, with a seven-day average of 147.3 cases per 100,000, Hochul said. In New York, 4,744 remain hospitalized statewide  with 746 on Long Island. And over the past 24 hours, 69 New Yorkers have died, leaving an empty seat at holiday tables, Hochul said.

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However, she added, the situation is not the same as March of 2020 or even last Christmas. So far, the omicron variant has presented with mild symptoms for many.

On the vaccination front, 3.5 million vaccinations have been administered since December 1, Hochul said. And on Thursday, she said, New York "hit a milestone," with 95 percent of New Yorkers 18 and older having received at least one dose. A total of 4.1 million boosters have been administered, she said.

There are 37 million rapid, at-home tests headed to New York, Hochul said, as well as 1,800 testing sites statewide, with 13 additional sites set to launch on Dec. 29.

Two of those sites will open on Long Island at IBEW Local, 25 370 Motor Parkway, in Hauppauge, open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The second location will open at Kennedy Memorial Park, 335 Greenwich Street, in Hempstead, from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Appointments can be made here starting on Monday.

"To get through this winter surge and protect New Yorkers, we will use every tool at our disposal," Hochul said. "By mobilizing testing sites throughout the state, we will make sure testing is more accessible and convenient for New Yorkers. We will continue to expand testing availability to every corner of the state, evaluating where more capacity and additional sites are needed soon."

Upon launch, all sites will offer RT-PCR testing. Rapid antigen and rapid PCR tests will also be available within a few days of opening, Hochul said.

In addition, 2 million rapid tests will be distributed to New York schools by Jan. 3, with a focus on keeping children in school and preventing against the educational and emotional struggles they encountered during the pandemic's virtual learning pivot.

"It had a devastating effect and we cannot take steps backward," she said.

Addressing nursing homes, Hochul said visitors must provide consent for boosters, get vaccinated and boosted, be tested before visiting, practice social distancing and wear masks when visiting loved ones.

Vaccinations are available at all nursing homes, as well as boosters, but not 100 percent of residents are vaxed and boosted, Hochul said. To visitors, she said: "Step up. If you want to visit, make sure it is safe."

While not a mandate, Hochul encouraged New Yorkers to think "of the most vulnerable person you love deeply  and the guilt you would feel if something happened to them because you wouldn't take precautions."

As for congregate settings including jails, beginning on Dec. 27, all visitors must be fully vaccinated or have a negative test within 48 hours. "This is a population this could run through like wildfire," Hochul said.

In addition, additional rapid tests are coming next week to congregate facilities, with at home tests for visitors distributed on Jan. 3.

If traveling, Hochul urged: "Spread holiday cheer, not COVID."

People who are masked, vaccinated, and boosted are fine, she said, but said if visiting the elderly or immunocompromised, people should remain masked, maintain distance, visit outdoors, get tested, and wash hands.

Hochul also said New Yorkers should support struggling businesses but maintain social distancing. "There is a way to strike the balance," she said.

The goal moving forward is to keep businesses and schools open while doing it safely  and vaccinations remain key, she said.

"Unvaccinated people are 20 times more likely to die from this pandemic than those who are vaccinated," Hochul said. "That is staggering."

For those that are feeling sick, she said: "Stay home. Don't be that person. That is selfish."

Again, Hochul said 2021 is not 2020. "We have all these tools in our arsenal. Let's be smart."









This article originally appeared on the North Fork Patch
Traffic sometimes backs up on I-40 at Exit 44, where interstates 40, 26 and 240 come together.

Heading up and down Interstate 26 visiting family for Christmas? Headed back and forth on Interstate 40 for a New Years' celebration?

Road work and closures could impede your festive travels, including lane closures on I-40 that won't reopen with state transportation officials easing travel constraints for the flow of holiday traffic.

Anyone taking to the highways or airports this holiday season will join 109 million Americans doing the same, according to AAA Carolinas, including more than 3.1 million North Carolinians.

That's a 35% increase over last year, according to AAA, with the vast majority of which, almost 2.9 million, traveling by car.

Travel for the year-end holiday period of Dec. 23-Jan. 2 hasn't quite recovered to pre-pandemic levels, though, down 4.2% in North Carolina compared to 2019, according to the AAA report.

For the main thoroughfares in Henderson and Buncombe Counties, there may still be some slow downs but the state Department of Transportation is taking a break to ease highway traffic for the surge of holiday travelers.

NCDOT presses pause on most projects

NCDOT has been closing section of I-26 at night in relation to ongoing widening efforts, including on Dec. 14, 15 and 17, but announced Dec. 21 that where possible, lanes that have been closed for construction on interstates or state highways would be reopened Dec. 21-28 and Dec. 31-Jan. 4.

NCDOT says Monday, Dec. 27 is expected to see the highest traffic counts, especially on interstates.

The announcement noted that exceptions to its holiday pause on lane closures would be for bridges being replaced and long-term lane construction that cannot be temporarily removed.

A recent lane narrowing between mile markers 32 and 34 to allow for construction is set to remain in effect until March 2022, according to NCDOT, though it's expected to have a low impact on traffic.

More: What caused the I-26 morning commute delays in S. Asheville? Lane shift set for November

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Crews continue to work on widening I-26, a highway that sees anywhere from to 56,000 to 74,500 cars every day, according to NCDOT's traffic counts map.

In April, state Department of Transportation officials said the $531 million project to turn I-26 from four to six lanes was still on track to wrap up in 2024 despite some tough weather early on.

This aerial view of Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge shows the double tunnel where engineers in the 1960s inadvertently left a safe passage for wildlife in the form of a landbridge above the highway, now supporting 26,000 vehicles per day. Image courtesy of Southwings.

Bridge work to keep up on I-40

A prime example of exceptions to the holiday lane re-openings, the NCDOT release says, is I-40 near the Tennessee state line.

Work to replace a 56-year-old bridge at Harmon Den in the Pigeon River Gorge started in November, requiring to merge into one travel lane in either direction.

Crews are replacing the bridge over Harmon Den Road and Cold Spring Creek, with plans that include a wildlife passage to allow bear, deer and elk to move from one side of the highway to the other without crossing traffic.

More: Wildlife passage under I-40 in Pigeon River Gorge, 'excellent start' for bear, elk safety

NCDOT traffic counts list 23,500 cars daily traveling the stretch of I-40.

In anticipation of major delays, North Carolina and Tennessee departments of transportation officials coordinated a traffic management plan that includes two alternatives.

One is to take the zipper merge on I-40, and the other is to take I-26 to I-81, a route that adds about 45 minutes to the normal commute between Asheville and the I-40/I-81 interchange.

While travel mapping apps may encourage drivers to take back roads, NCDOT says motorists shouldn't take any exit between Newport, Tenn. and Asheville to traverse the mountain roads, which could be steep, gravel roads with sharp curves.

Derek Lacey covers environment, growth and development for the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at DLacey@gannett.com or 828-417-4842 and find him on Twitter @DerekAVL.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Holiday travel heads up: NCDOT pauses many closures, but not I-40
The husband of the high-ranking Democratic Illinois lawmaker who was carjacked this week used a legally-owned gun to fire shots at the alleged carjackers, according to multiple reports.

Illinois state Sen. Kimberly Lightford was with her husband Eric McKennie Tuesday night when three individuals wearing masks stole Lightford's Mercedes-Benz SUV, police in the Village of Broadview said Wednesday. Broadview is a Chicago suburb.

At the time, police only disclosed that shots were fired during the carjacking, and that nobody  the senator, her husband or the alleged carjackers  was hurt. But the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday that Broadview Chief of Police Thomas Mills said McKennie and a suspected carjacker traded fire.

Illinois State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood. Reuters

ILLINOIS DEM SENATOR CARJACKED, SHOTS FIRED, POLICE SAY

According to the Tribune, McKinnie is a legal gun owner with a concealed carry license.

"It was a lot of shots being fired. I think they were shooting at my husband and me and luckily enough my husband is concealed and carry and he was able to protect us," Lightford said about the incident in an interview with ABC 7.

"I am thankful that my husband and I are alive and physically unharmed," Lightford said in a statement earlier this week. "I want to thank everyone who has offered their love and support."

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN WHO SPONSORED POLICE REFORM BILL CARJACKED IN CRIME-SURGING PHILADELPHIA

The Broadview Police Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News on Friday.

Lightford is the Illinois Senate majority leader. She is just one of two Democratic politicians to be carjacked in big cities this week  Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., was carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia Wednesday.

"What happened yesterday was traumatic, but I refuse to let it dampen my love for the city of Philadelphia or the gem that is FDR Park," Scanlon said in a statement. "The fact is, this type of crime can happen anywhere and to anyone  yesterday it happened to me. Sadly, we know that over the course of the last year or two, since the onset of the pandemic, we have seen a spike in certain crimes across the country, including gun violence and carjacking."

Fox News' Matt Finn contributed to this report.
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.
In the months since talks aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal restarted, Tehran has announced crossing one technical milestone after another in its nuclear program and has continued racing toward ... what exactly?

The answer to that question remains unclear. But for some nuclear proliferation experts, Tehran may at least be weighing the eventual need for a regime-change insurance policy that brings it to the brink of having a nuclear weapon.

Iran insists, as it has for years, that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes. And this month CIA Director William Burns said the United States still sees no signs that Tehran is weaponizing its program.

For many nuclear proliferation experts, Irans trumpeting of its nuclear production leaps is largely aimed at enhancing its position at the negotiating table, where it is seeking relief from sanctions that then-President Donald Trump imposed after pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, in 2018.

Irans achievements include mounting stockpiles of uranium enriched at purity levels much closer to those needed to fuel a nuclear bomb, and the installation of hundreds of increasingly sophisticated centrifuges designed to turn out that enriched uranium.

But what worries a growing number of nonproliferation analysts is how Irans unbridled nuclear program and the technical advances it has made since 2018 have brought it irretrievably closer to becoming a nuclear threshold state  meaning a state possessing all the physical elements and intellectual expertise needed to deliver a bomb on short notice.

Without a deal that reimposes limits on Irans program while bringing the U.S. back in and removing Trump-era sanctions, bumping up on a weaponization threshold could become an attractive option for Iran, says Suzanne DiMaggio, a senior fellow with expertise in Iran and North Korea at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

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If the diplomatic route fails, she adds, we shouldnt rule out that some in Iran might want to move to a more advanced program as an insurance policy.

Indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran resumed Nov. 29 in Vienna after a five-month hiatus. But no progress was made as the U.S. responded to Tehrans maximalist demand for full sanctions removal by doubling down on the Trump administrations maximum pressure campaign of increasing sanctions.

The talks broke off suddenly last week when Iranian negotiators said they needed time to consult with their government. That left European powers leading the diplomatic effort to rescue the JCPOA, warning that only weeks remain to reach a deal before Irans fast-advancing nuclear program makes diplomacy moot. On Thursday it was announced that the talks would resume Dec. 27.

The North Korea precedent

The idea of nukes as an insurance policy does not originate with Iran, but rather goes back over more than a decade to ultimately failed U.S.-North Korea diplomacy. Regional experts say now that Pyongyangs decision to develop nuclear weapons was a means of safeguarding the Kim regime from American destruction.

A key difference between North Korea and Iran, some analysts say, is that the Iranians have not decided to weaponize their nuclear program. But what worries some is that the U.S. is now employing an approach with Iran similar to the one it used with North Korea, yet expecting a different outcome.

As far as comparing North Korea with Iran, one way were already there is in terms of thinking we can hound them out of their [nuclear] program, says Jim Walsh, a senior research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Security Studies Program in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In both cases the primary U.S. tool is sanctions, the thinking being that we can impose enough pain to compel them to do what we want, he adds. But instead, both North Korea and Iran decided the best response was to accelerate. In both cases, its been the complete failure of compellence and coercion.

Not everyone would agree. Many experts assert, for example, that the harsh sanctions the Obama administration imposed on Iran early on were instrumental in getting Tehran to agree to the limits that the JCPOA imposed on its nuclear program.

But for others, that does not alter the fact that in the cases of both Iran and North Korea, the U.S. rejection of diplomatic agreements early on in the two countries nuclear programs only encouraged both to move forward.

Lets remember that we had an opportunity to strike a deal with Iran in 2003, when they had something like 300 centrifuges, says Dr. Walsh. But because the U.S. said, We want zero centrifuges, the deal fell apart  and now they have 19,000 centrifuges and are ... making noise about stockpiling [highly enriched uranium] at 60%.

As for North Korea, Carnegies Ms. DiMaggio notes that the Clinton administration reached a framework agreement with Pyongyang aimed at nipping its nuclear program in the bud. But then we had a presidential transition from Clinton to Bush, and the agreement was tossed out, she adds, as the new administration decided the deal was essentially appeasement of North Korea.

Now Pyongyang is thought to be expanding its nuclear arsenal and perfecting missiles that could deliver those weapons.

Different regional context

Yet despite the similarities between the trajectories of North Korea and Iran, there are also key differences that could keep Iran from becoming a de facto nuclear power.

For one thing, Ms. DiMaggio cautions, the regional contexts of the two countries are very different. North Korea did not have an Israel to contend with, she says, referring to Irans committed arch-adversary. In fact, if anything, they have a China that in some ways is their only but very important friend.

Indeed, President Joe Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, traveled to Israel this week to confer on Iran, at a time when the militaries of the two allies are discussing joint exercises to game out eventual operations striking at an Iranian nuclear program thats gone too far.

For some, rumblings about such potential exercises are intended as much as anything to rattle Tehran into returning to the negotiating table  perhaps early next year  and to be more open to compromises to get the JCPOA back into effect.

And while Iran may be deepening relations with both China and Russia as a strategic counterweight, neither one is anything near the powerful friend that China is to North Korea.

A path back to mutual trust?

MITs Dr. Walsh says the next round of talks will be the now-or-never moment for both the U.S. and Iran to step away from the new and devious ways both sides have found to push the other and to move away from maximalist positions.

Because if the talks fail and Iran does opt to continue its march to the nuclear threshold, he says, there is no reason to believe military strikes would deter Tehran.

Instead, Iran might go for that insurance policy.

Lets say we do bomb them, he says. Then theres a good chance they decide theyre a nuclear state and they build a bomb.

To avoid that outcome, Ms. DiMaggio says the U.S. is going to have to dial back the maximum pressure campaign, while both the U.S. and Iran are going to have to muster a basic ingredient of successful diplomacy between adversaries  mutual trust.

Over the course of this years talks, weve been sinking into a deep morass of distrust, she says. Reversing that before it becomes entrenched is vital.

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Yair Lapid told the Telegraph Israel and its Western allies must devise a credible military threat to deter Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapons arsenal

Israel has called on the West to develop a credible military threat to deal with Iran if there is no breakthrough in negotiations over Tehrans controversial nuclear programme.

Israel has accused Iran of engaging in nuclear blackmail during talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 deal to limit Tehrans nuclear activities, with negotiators reporting that little discernible progress has been made.

Recent intelligence reports have suggested that Iran is just weeks away from producing weapons grade uranium, a development that would greatly enhance its quest for nuclear weapons, prompting negotiators to warn that diplomatic efforts are running out of time on rescuing the deal.

In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid warns that Israel and its Western allies must devise a credible military threat to deter Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapons arsenal.

If the Iranians think the world does not seriously intend to stop them, they will race towards the bomb, said Mr Lapid. We must make it clear that the world will not allow this to happen. There needs to be a credible military threat on the table.

Mr Lapid was speaking amidst rising tensions with Iran over the nuclear issue, with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan calling for world powers to adopt a common strategy for dealing with Iran following talks this week in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Iran has responded by saying it will hold Washington directly responsible in the event of any attack taking place on its nuclear facilities.

Mr Lapid, who recently met with Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in London, insisted that Israels preferred outcome was a negotiated settlement on Irans nuclear programme.

'A plan for Irans continued intransigence'

Like the United Kingdom, Israel hopes for a permanent and comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear threat, said Mr Lapid.

During his talks in London, during which Israel agreed to strengthen bilateral ties with Britain on issues such as defence cooperation and trade, Mr Lapid set out a comprehensive plan for dealing with Tehran, including tighter sanctions, tighter supervision of Irans nuclear activities, arguing that the West needed a plan for Irans continued intransigence and advancing of its nuclear program. There also needs to be a credible military threat on the table.

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The 2015 deal negotiated by former US President Barack Obama collapsed after Donald Trump withdrew American support and reimposed economic sanctions in 2018. Iran responded by resuming work on its enrichment programme.

With tensions escalating over Irans decision to resume its enrichment activities, Israel is calling for the Vienna talks to be terminated, arguing that the West should instead apply maximum pressure on Tehran to end its nuclear activities.

Iran must be diplomatically and politically isolated, said Mr Lapid, who previously worked as a journalist and a television host before entering politics. Having previously served as Israels finance minister, he was appointed foreign minister and alternative prime minister when Mr Naftali formed his new administration earlier this year.

Regarded as a moderate in Israeli politics, Mr Lapid said he has enjoyed a close personal friendship with Mr Johnson for many years. Our friendship is symbolic of the close friendship between our two nations, he said.

Since becoming foreign minister he has worked hard to develop ties between London and Jerusalem, which resulted in the signing of the UK-Israel Strategic Partnership with Ms Truss during his recent visit to London, a move that will enhance intelligence-sharing and military cooperation between the two countries. We marked a major moment in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Israel when we formally agreed to formally elevate our relationship to a strategic partnership, he explained.

Irans nuclear program was at the top of our agenda of global threats. Foreign Secretary Trusss statement that all options are on the table, and that these negotiations in Vienna represent Irans last chance to return to a nuclear agreement, are incredibly important. They demonstrate the resolve Israel and the United Kingdom share to make sure Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon.

Apart from cooperating on defence issues of mutual interest, Mr Lapid envisages a much broader bilateral relationship with Britain, one that supports Mr Johnsons post-Brexit vision for Global Britain.

Mr Lapid and Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss sign a memorandum of understanding at Britain's Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office in London on November 29

This vision will be reflected in our economic relationship as we open negotiations on a new trade agreement in the first quarter of 2022, he said. It will be reflected in an expansion of our research and development ties, our cultural ties. And, most importantly, the people of our countries are going to start seeing tangible results: more well-paid jobs, new businesses, and more advanced technologies.

Mr Lapid, who has appeared in Israeli movies and lists boxing among his hobbies, believes the improved ties with the UK will enable British businesses to take advantage of the rapidly changing commercial landscape in the Middle East following the signing of the ground-breaking Abraham Accords last year.

Weve truly seen a new reality emerge in the Middle East over the past year, he said. The multifaceted ties brought about by the normalisation agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco have led to greater partnership, prosperity, and stability throughout the region.

And its not just with our new partners. Israel is also deepening our ties with our historic partners, Egypt and Jordan, as shown by my visit to Cairo earlier this month.This group of moderate states is working together for the benefit of their peoples and the region as a whole.

But while the Abraham Accords have heralded a new era of cooperation in the region between countries that were previously enemies, Mr Lapid warns that Iran still poses a major threat to progress being made in the Middle East.

While we in Israel focus on building bridges between peoples, Iran is busy trying to build a bridge of terrorism from Iran, through Iraq and Syria to Israels border, he explained.

'A new alliance of moderates'

Iran and its proxies are constantly working to undermine regional stability in this time of significant global challenges. And its important to remember that a nuclear Iran will not only lead to a nuclear arms race in this moment when tremendous strides are being made to expand the circle of peace in the region, and it will not only mean nuclear weapons in the hands of a fundamentalist, brutal regime: it will also embolden Irans terrorist proxies to further expand their terrorist activity across the region and the entire world, including into Europe.

Iran must see that in contrast to their and their proxies violence and extremism, there is a new alliance of moderates in the region which promotes life, and which is working together for the benefit of all the regions peoples.

Tension in the region increased yesterday after a CNN investigation claimed that Saudi Arabia is now manufacturing its own ballistic missiles with the help of China. Iran is less likely to want to abandon its nuclear programme if rivals Saudi Arabia were also developing weapons.

In his interview Mr Lapid was also keen to express his gratitude to the Johnson government for its recent decision to designate political wing of the radical Palestinian Hamas movement as a terrorist organisation.

I would like to thank the British government for this decision. The proscription of the entirety of Hamas means that Hamas operatives in the United Kingdom will not be able to use artificial cover of being political activists from the political wing of Hamas.

It will make it harder for Hamas to recruit and to raise money to support its terrorist activity. This is particularly important at a time when we see terrorist groups here in the Middle East both in their words and in their actions, taking advantage of our democracy and of our respect for human rights and freedom of speech to advance their murderous goals.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday he will pardon his chief conservative rival and predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who is serving a lengthy prison term for bribery and other crimes.

Moons liberal government said the pardon is meant to promote national unity in the face of difficulties brought by the pandemic. Some observers say Moon may want to ease conservative criticism stemming from Parks health problems, or even use her to split the opposition ahead of a presidential election in March.

We should move into a new era by getting over the pains of the past. Its time to boldly pull together all our strengths for the future rather than fighting against each other while being preoccupied with the past, Moon said in remarks released by his office.

In the case of former President Park, we considered the fact that her health condition has deteriorated a lot after serving nearly five years in prison, he said.

The Justice Ministry said the 69-year-old Park is among 3,094 people who are to be pardoned on Dec. 31. South Korea often grants special pardons to mark New Year's Day or national holidays.

Park has been treated since last month in a hospital, from where she will be released, the ministry said. Officials refused to elaborate on Parks health, but local media said she has been suffering from a lumbar disc, a shoulder injury and dental problems as well as mental stress.

In comments released by lawyer Yoo Young-ha, Park thanked Moon for pardoning her and said she will focus on treating her illnesses. She said she wants to offer her greetings to the people at an early date.

Park, a daughter of assassinated dictator Park Chung-hee, was once the darling of conservatives in South Korea. Dubbed by local media as the queen of elections, she won election as South Koreas first female president in late 2012 by beating Moon, then a unified liberal candidate, by a million votes. Park was propelled by conservatives who celebrate her father as a hero who pulled the country up from postwar poverty despite his suppression of human rights.

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She was impeached by lawmakers in late 2016, and was formally removed from office and arrested the following year over an explosive corruption scandal that prompted months of massive street protests.

In January, the Supreme Court upheld her 20-year prison term. If she hadnt been pardoned, she could have served a combined 22 years behind bars because she was separately convicted of meddling in her partys nominations of candidates ahead of parliamentary elections in 2016.

Park has described herself as a victim of political revenge. She has refused to attend her trials since October 2017.

Among the main charges she faced was collusion with her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to take millions of dollars in bribes and extortion from some of the countrys largest business groups, including Samsung, while she was in office.

Parks scandal led to the arrests, indictments and convictions of dozens of high-profile figures. Choi is serving an 18-year term. Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong was initially sentenced to five years in prison before his term was reduced and was eventually released on parole in August.

Park was succeeded by Moon, who easily won a special presidential by-election while the conservatives were in disarray amid fierce internal feuding over Parks ouster.

Moons single five-year term ends in May and he is barred by law from seeking reelection. Recent public support surveys show candidates from the governing and conservative opposition parties running neck and neck.

It wasnt immediately clear how Parks pardon will affect voter sentiment. It could cause a backlash from the liberals, but some observers say it may also rekindle a division in the opposition camp.

Even if the presidential Blue House may have impure intentions to influence the results of the presidential election with the pardon of ex-President Park Geun-hye, its something that we opposition forces should address, Kim Jae-won, a senior member of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook. United we stand and divided we fall.

Moons office said Parks pardon has nothing to do with the presidential election.

Moon may be accused of trying to influence the next election, but releasing a predecessor from prison has precedent in Korean politics, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Now that staunch conservative and progressive candidates are set for the March 2022 election, this move is unlikely to change their positions or the publics opinion of them, Easley said.

Almost all South Korean former presidents, or their family members and key associates, have been mired in scandals near the end of their terms or after they left office.

Parks father was assassinated by his spy chief in 1979 after a 18-year rule. Moons friend and former President Roh Moo-hyun jumped to his death in 2009 amid corruption investigations involving his family.

Two other former presidents, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, spent time in prison but were later pardoned. Both died this year.

Parks conservative predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, is serving a 17-year prison term on corruption charges.

Those to be pardoned with Park on Dec. 31 include ex-Prime Minister Han Myung-sook, one of Moons former political allies, who served a two-year prison term on corruption charges. The government will reinstate her civil rights so she can run in elections or cast ballots.

Separately, former leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki, who has been serving a more-than nine-year prison term for plotting a pro-North Korea rebellion and other charges, was released Friday on parole. Lee was arrested when Park was in office. He was affiliated with a now-disbanded small progressive party.
Capitol Riot Test Image





A federal judge is allowing a Capitol riot suspect to remain free on bond ahead of his wedding celebration, which is set to take place next month.

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Carl Nichols said Joshua Doolin, 23, who was indicted in July on charges relating to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, can remain free on bond in the time leading up to his wedding celebration in Lakeland, Fla., on Jan. 4, according to The Ledger.

Federal prosecutor Matt Moeder had requested that Doolin's bond be revoked and that he remain in jail until his trial, pointing to a search the FBI completed earlier in the month when agents found a rifle in his home, which violates his release conditions, according to The Ledger.

Nichols, however, rejected the request.

The federal judge also gave co-defendant Joseph Hutchinson III, 25, approval to travel to Lakeland for Christmas and again in January for Doolin's wedding, according to The Ledger. He will reportedly be Doolin's best man at the ceremony.

Hutchinson received permission to take part in events related to Doolin's wedding, including a bachelor party and a rehearsal dinner, according to The Ledger. He is scheduled to travel back to Georgia on Jan. 5, one day after the wedding.

Prosecutors reportedly sought to block Hutchinson's travel to Doolin's wedding events.

Doolin and Hutchinson were both charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees and aiding and abetting, theft of government property, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent angry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, all in connection to the Jan. 6 attack.

They were indicted in July, along with three other individuals. The group of five allegedly attacked several officers on Jan. 6, with some of them attempting to steal equipment from the officers.

The Department of Justice said Doolin had zip-tie handcuffs tucked into his belt and was armed with a riot-control chemical canister when he was at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

According to court records cited by The Ledger, Doolin and his wife were legally wed earlier this year but are planning on having a religious ceremony next month.

Lawyers representing Doolin have reportedly asked twice that the GPS ankle bracelet on their client be removed as part of his pretrial release, but Nichols denied the request. Hutchinson will have a GPS "beacon" device with him when he travels back and forth from Lakeland, The Ledger reported, citing court records.
A lawsuit filed by a group of parents called Let Them Breathe seeks to overturn an order from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan requiring masks in Gaylord schools and other districts in Northern Michigan.

GAYLORD  Otsego County Circuit Court Judge George Mertz has denied a request for a temporary injunction to halt the mask mandate at the Gaylord Community Schools.

Mertz's decision on Dec. 17 came in a lawsuit filed by a group of parents called Let Them Breathe that seeks to overturn an order from the Health Department of Northwest Michigan requiring masks in the Gaylord schools and other districts in Northern Michigan in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Mertz also required the parents who filed the lawsuit to identify themselves before the case goes forward.

Gaylord attorney David Delaney, representing Let Them Breathe, said he will meet with the parents following the holidays to review the court decisions.

The next hearing in the case may occur in February 2022.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Judge turns down injunction for school mask mandate
Police iStock

A 14-year-old girl was reportedly shot and killed by a Los Angeles police officer who opened fire on a suspect in a Burlington clothing store in North Hollywood on Thursday, The Associated Press reports.

The police were responding to a report of a person being assaulted with a deadly weapon when they apparently opened fire in the store on the suspect. The suspect was struck and killed  officers found he had a heavy metal cable lock, but not a gun, The New York Times reports  while a bullet pierced the wall of the dressing room and killed the 14-year-old, who was shopping for a quinceanera dress with her mother.

"Preliminarily, we believe that round was an officer's round," Dominic H. Choi  the acting chief in the absence of LAPD Chief Michel Moore, who was out of town with his family  said at a news conference. Choi added, "The dressing room was behind where the suspect was, in front of the officer. You can't see into the dressing rooms. It just looks like a straight wall of drywall."

Briefed while out of town, Moore added, "There's not a police officer in America who would ever want this type of circumstance to occur." The Los Angeles Times reports that the LAPD said "it wasn't yet clear whether the lock prompted officers to shoot."

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Mr and Mrs Biden at the Norad event

A caller has pranked US President Joe Biden by dropping an anti-Biden taunt into their chat during a White House Christmas event.

Mr Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were hosting the festive call for families when a father told the president: "Let's go, Brandon."

Apparently unaware of the gibe, Mr Biden said he agreed.

The term, which has become a rallying cry for many conservatives, is code for a profane insult directed at Mr Biden.

The first couple were speaking virtually with children for a White House custom, tracking the journey of Santa's sleigh via the North American Aerospace Defence Command.

During Friday's event in the South Court Auditorium of the executive mansion, the Bidens spoke with a family from Oregon: Griffin, 11, Hunter, three, Piper, four, Penelope, two, and their father, Jared.

"I assume you're dad," the Democratic president said.

"Hi. Yes sir," replied Jared.

"OK, Dad, what do you want for Christmas?" asked Mr Biden.

"Maybe a quiet night," he replied laughing.

How did 'Let's go, Brandon' start?

It all began at the end of a televised Nascar stock car race in Talladega, Alabama, on 2 October. NBC reporter Kelli Stavast was interviewing the winner, driver Brandon Brown, when members of the crowd in the grandstand behind them began chanting an obscenity directed at the president.

It was clearly picked up on the broadcast's audio.

Whether by mistake or as an attempt to deflect from the swearing on live television, Ms Stavast told Mr Brown the crowd was cheering him on with chants of "Let's go, Brandon."

A meme was born.

The president said: "You know, Dad, we have a Hunter, too. We have a son named Hunter and a grandson named Hunter."

"I didn't know you had a grandson named Hunter, that's cool," said Jared.

The president asked how old was Griffin.

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"I'm 11," Griffin said. He said he wanted a piano.

Jared interjected: "I was going to say he has to cut some trees down to get a piano!"

Hunter wanted a Nintendo Switch, Piper wanted a Barbie.

The chuckling president reminded the children to be in bed by nine o'clock otherwise Santa might not show up.

The first lady said: "Have a merry Christmas, have a wonderful Christmas."

Mr Biden told Jared: "I hope you have a wonderful Christmas."

The father replied: "Yeah, I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas as well. Merry Christmas and let's go, Brandon."

The president replied: "Let's go, Brandon. I agree."

There was silence.

Mr Biden added: "Hey, by the way, are you in Oregon? Where's your home? I think we lost him."

According to a recent Gallup poll, only 5% of voters who identify as Republican currently approve of the president's performance.

That same poll shows Mr Biden's overall approval rating has dipped to 43%.
(In paragraph 6, fixes typo to say "than," not "that)

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis, leading the world's Roman Catholics into Christmas, said on Friday that people who are indifferent to the poor offend God, urging all to "look beyond all the lights and decorations" and remember the neediest.

Francis, ushering in the ninth Christmas of his pontificate, celebrated a solemn vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for about 2,000 people, with participation restricted by COVID-19 to about a fifth of the size of pre-pandemic years.

Minutes before the Christmas Eve Mass started, Italy reported a second successive record daily tally of COVID-19 cases, with new infections hitting 50,599.

Francis, wearing white vestments, wove his homily the around the theme that Jesus was born with nothing.

"Brothers and sisters, standing before the crib, we contemplate what is central, beyond all the lights and decorations, which are beautiful. We contemplate the child," he said in the homily of the Mass con-celebrated with more than 200 cardinals, bishops and priests. All but him wore masks.

Francis, who turned 85 last week, said the baby Jesus born in poverty should remind people that serving others is more important than seeking status or social visibility or spending a lifetime in pursuit of success.

"It is in them (the poor) that he wants to be honoured," said Francis, who has made defence of the poor a cornerstone of his pontificate.

"On this night of love, may we have only one fear: that of offending God's love, hurting him by despising the poor with our indifference. Jesus loves them dearly, and one day they will welcome us to heaven," he said.

He quoted a line from a poem by Emily Dickinson - "Who has found the heaven  below  Will fail of it above" - and added in his own words: "Let us not lose sight of heaven; let us care for Jesus now, caressing him in the needy, because in them he makes himself known."

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Saying that working people - the shepherds - were the first to see the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, Francis said labour had to have dignity and lamented that many people die in workplace accidents around the world.

"On the day of Life, let us repeat: no more deaths in the workplace! And let us commit ourselves to ensuring this," he said.

The United Nation's International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that there are more than a million work-related fatalities every year.

On Saturday, Francis will deliver his twice-yearly "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) blessing and message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Shopping for bourbon recently on behalf of an out-of-state friend who needed a special bottle for a gift, I told the friendly employee at Justins House of Bourbon I was looking to spend three or four. Thousand? he asked?

Umm, no. There went feeling like a big deal; I thought $300 or $400 was quite a splurge.

We have arrived (actually, thats not new, we arrived quite some time ago) at a point in bourbon prices  particularly in the secondary market  where we're seeing no ceiling, apparently. Old favorites that used to be affordable enough for everyday sippers (Im looking at you Elmer T. Lee) now command wild prices  if you can even get your hands on an (allocated) bottle.

Old Grand Dad

When the conversation turned to what I like, I mentioned some standbys at my house, including Old Grand-Dad. Mention of that $20-$25 bottle at Justins House of Bourbon, which specializes in rare and remarkable spirits, earned a fist bump. It feels like knowing the good, cheap bourbons is more a signal that you know your whiskey than being able to drop a couple-few thousand on a unicorn bourbon, like, ahem, Pappy Van Winkle.

Luckily, theres still plenty of value bourbon to be found. If youve read my column for long, youve probably seen me talk about my (not-so-secret) house bourbon, the decidedly bottom shelf Benchmark. Ive been known to transfer it to a vintage decanter and pour it as if its a big deal bourbon to rave reviews  not surprising since this modest bottle has racked up awards from some of the prestigious spirits competitions in the country. I might also grab Heaven Hill green label, or if Im batching cocktails, Very Old Barton.

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Its also fun to ask bartenders for their under-the-radar budget pick; settle in at Bar Expo, 114 W. Main St., in downtown Louisville for a discussion on the merits of Mellow Corn if you pose the question there.

Story continues

Really, any bourbon aficionado will have their favorite cheap-but-solid go-to.

Justin Thompson of Justins House of Bourbon suggested JW Dant for a recent bourbon gift round-up. This 100-proof, four-year offering from Heaven Hill is a steal at below $20s, he said, with a nuttiness and grittiness that really opens up in the sipping.

But what else is out there? I asked a few local experts for their picks, and thoughts on what makes a value bourbon.

Four Roses, Larceny, Old Forester & more

"When I think of 'value bourbon,' I think of the value for the price paid. Now, that can get really subjective. There are a lot of high-dollar craft bourbons out there that are priced the way they are because you are buying blood, sweat, and tears from a startup and that's literally the best value they can offer. But most people think of getting the best bang for your buck, and you're almost always going to find that in a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

I often tell folks to look for Bottled-In-Bond offerings, but at the least, it should be straight bourbon. Kentucky bourbon has a competitive edge here because we've been making it a lot longer. Regular Four Roses (formerly called Yellow Label), Old Forester 100 Proof (formerly called Signature), Wild Turkey 101, Jim Beam Black Label, Larceny Bourbon, Maker's Mark, and Buffalo Trace all hit the mark here, coming in at the $20-35 range.

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In Kentucky, you can often find even greater values than that, such as a $15 Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond or a $16 Very Old Barton 86 Proof. There are a lot of options out there."  Maggie Kimberl, content editor at American Whiskey Magazine and president of Bourbon Women

Wild Turkey

"I love Wild Turkey because it could very well be the first whiskey you ever have (true for me and lots of people I know) but it's quality is enough you never get away from it. Wild Turkey has always been a happy marriage of quality and price. The Russells like to use a lower entry proof than most distilleries so as to highlight more of the wood qualities from the barrel. This also means less water is added to dilute the whiskey down to 101, preserving more of the flavor.

Wild Turkey was purchased by Campari in 2009 from Pernod Ricard, and since has grown the brand to be the third-largest in its entire portfolio behind only Campari itself and Skyy Vodka, according to what a rep told me a little bit ago. Their roots can be traced to Austin Nichols & Co. all the way back in 1855.

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Wild Turkey 101 is said to be a blend of six to eight-year-old bourbon and utilized 13% rye, giving it just enough of a spicy kick. They also use a level 4 char, which helps contribute to the deep color of 101. This whiskey is great on the rocks or in cocktails as the proof of it will stand up to whatever modifiers are added."  Forrest Price, beverage writer and consultant

Evan Williams Single Barrel & Old Bardstown

The special 2004 Vintage Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon is available at the Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown.

"Two excellent bourbons under $25 come from one of the largest and one of the smallest distillers.

Evan Williams Single Barrel always displays its 'vintage' date. In other words, when it was barrelled, so you know the age. Single barrels by definition are always a little different from one to the next, but that's part of the fun. This bourbon is almost always very balanced  loaded with orchard and berry fruit, plenty of caramel, and usually some cinnamon and cocoa. Proofed in the mid-eighties, it's lovely from sipping neat.

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Willett Distillery makes Old Bardstown and I'm partial to the Bottled-in-Bond expression, which is, of course, bottled at 100 proof and aged at least four years. Look for lots of vanilla with some cherries and cinnamon. and a compellingly rich mouthfeel. Very enjoyable neat but it makes a dynamite Manhattan."  Susan Reigler, bourbon writer and author of "Which Fork Do I Use With My Bourbon?"

Tell Dana! Send your restaurant Dish to Dana McMahan at thecjdish@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Maker'sMark, Old Forester: Experts offer top picks for budget bourbons
Suspects in a fatal drive-by shooting Thursday evening are accused of robbing two people in a nearby apartment complex moments earlier, Durham police said Friday.

Officers responded to the 1200 block of Naples Place, near Sherwood Park in East Central Durham, around 6 p.m., and found a man and a juvenile who had been shot, the Durham Police Department stated in a news release.

The man and juvenile had been standing outside when they were shot at from a vehicle, police said.

The man died after reaching the hospital Thursday evening, police said.

On Friday, police identified the man as Santiago Lopez Paz, 43, of Durham.

The juvenile, a 17-year-old relative of Pazs, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Just before the shooting, police said, the suspects reportedly robbed two people at gunpoint in a nearby apartment complex.

Police did not say how many suspects were linked to the robbery and shooting or provide any other details.

After the shooting, the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle police described as a silver or gray Honda.

5 killed in 2 weeks in city

Thursdays shooting means at least five people have been killed in shootings in Durham over the last two weeks.

Data provided by police earlier this week shows that 261 people were shot this year, 39 fatally, as of Dec. 11.

A total of 297 people were shot during the same period last year, but police recorded fewer fatal shootings: 30.

The Bull City has now recorded 48 homicides this year, the most in a single year since at least 1995, the last year for which police have electronic records available.

Anyone with information about Thursdays robbery or shooting is asked to contact Investigator A. Cristaldi at 919-560-4440 ext. 29283, or Durham Crimestoppers at 919-683-1200.

Crimestoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to felony arrests, and callers can stay anonymous.
Karen Lake, fiscal director for Blue Water Community Action, holds a pack of cloth masks Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, at Blue Water Community Action in Port Huron. The agency hosts the local Head Start program, where children are required to wear masks, which are usually paper.

The Thumbs congresswoman is joining other Republicans in Washington D.C. taking a stance against mask requirements for young children involved in the federally-funded Head Start program.

But how that may impact children in St. Clair County is unclear as the local program organizer said theyre still following state and federal recommendations that also call for them.

U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain signed a letter Tuesday with other lawmakers that urges Head Start, a school-readiness program for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged kids, to rescind rules for wearing masks for children as young as age 2.

It comes days after she backed a measure proposing the Preventing Mandates on Toddlers Act, aiming to nullify an interim rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that requires universal masking in Head Start facilities, as well as requiring staff and volunteers be vaccinated by Jan. 31.

Lisa McClain by the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron in July 2020.

According to its language, itd ban the use of federal funding to enforce those rules.

In separate statements, McClain called it commonsense legislation that ensures not a single dollar of taxpayer money will go toward a mandate she alleged was detrimental to children.

Blue Water Community Action Agency hosts St. Clair Countys only Head Start program.

Executive Director Melinda Johnson said they also follow masking rules among kids as part of state licensing recommendations and those from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outside of the recent federal Head Start rules that were unveiled in late November.

She said they take all recommendations very seriously.

We actually already had it implemented before it came out in the Head Start mandate, Johnson said.  And its working. Weve had some kids and staff who have had cases, but up until now  and please, knock on wood for me because Im in my car  weve had no transmission. So, what were doing is working, and were just going to keep doing what were doing.

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Although she admitted masks can be off more than on with younger kids, Johnson said theyre learning. Outside of requirements, masks arent worn during naps and when theyre eating, she said.

Masking is detrimental to early child development.



Kids in Head Start programs shouldn't be put at a disadvantage due to this unnecessary rule.



Today, I led a letter urging Head Start to rescind their masking mandate for toddlers and young kids. pic.twitter.com/vzL8yeL93N  Representative Lisa McClain (@RepLisaMcClain) December 21, 2021

In a statement to the Times Herald late Thursday, McClain reiterated that Head Start mandating masks was "damaging to our youth" and creating confusion where masks aren't required for students.

Im committed to fighting back against gross government overreach and the mandates our schools are facing," she said. "... Its time to put power in the hands of parents, so I will continue pushing back at not only the Head Start mandate but all unnecessary mandates.

Blue Water CAA has typically referred parents who dont want their children to wear masks, Johnson said, to other local early childhood programs where they arent required.

We have parents who have very strong feelings that they want their child to wear it and to be in a room that only has children with masks on, Johnson said. So, we have parents who believe both ways. We have enough opportunities in our community that we can accommodate (both).

Health official pushes back on claim that masks are harmful to kids

McClain was one of three representatives to co-sponsor the mandate ban proposal with more than a dozen senators.

In the letter she signed, legislators are pointing to concerns about the impact of masks on learning and health among children.

That included pointing to things like a study about the importance of facial recognition and expression in learning. While the CDC recommends masking in kids as young as 2, the letter itself points to the World Health Organizations suggestion that children under 5 shouldnt be required to wear masks.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, St. Clair County's medical health officer.

Dr. Annette Mercatante, St. Clair Countys medical health officer, has been supportive of mitigation measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 among kids and in schools.

She said Thursday, there was no evidence to support allegations of harm from masking in any age group outside of individuals with communication issues or who are hearing impaired. While children suffer less from symptoms of the virus, she added there was also a lack of evidence to support claims that they don't transmit it.

It is stunning and apprehensible to me that elected leaders (and others) are working so hard to ALLOW children to get infected, Mercatante said via email. It is contrary to our moral core of protecting children and puts all of us at greater risk of increased suffering from this pandemic. If we're not willing to use our federal resources to protect our CHILDREN, I have great fear for our future as a nation.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: McClain takes stand against Head Start mask mandate, but local program already had rule
Cleanup continues on the cattle farm of Tony and Cecelia Antonacci after an EF-2 tornado destroyed four structures and severely damaged the remaining structures along Altig Bridge Avenue north of Petersburg, Ill., Tuesday, December 14, 2021. The farm has 45 head of cattle which all survived the direct hit the farm took. [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register]

A request to add Menard County to the states emergency disaster declaration was approved making it eligible for federal funds.

The announcement was made by Gov. JB Pritzker's office Thursday.

According to the National Weather Service, an EF-2 tornado touched down a half mile east of Atterberry the evening of Dec. 10.

Near Petersburg, a house sustained roof damage when trusses from a detached garage went airborne and impaled the roof.

Two metal sheds along Pin Hook Avenue were significantly damaged. On a farm along Masters Avenue about a half mile west of Fairgrounds Street, a machine shed was destroyed, and a couple other outbuildings sustained damage.

Earlier: 13 Illinois counties approved for emergency federal assistance in response to storms

An EF-2 tornado also touched down two miles southwest of Virginia in Cass County.

The emergency disaster declaration provides financial aid under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance program to local jurisdictions for eligible storm related losses or costs incurred in response to the storm.

Among the 14 counties approved under the federal emergency disaster declaration were Cass, Macoupin, Montgomery and Morgan.

More: 'The worst I've ever seen': Lincoln-based meteorologists assess Kentucky tornado damage

Pritzker earlier issued a state disaster proclamation for nearly 30 counties across central and southern Illinois.

The NWS reported high-speed winds led to downed trees, powerlines and other damage throughout central Illinois and the Metro East.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Menard County IL is eligible for federal funds following tornado
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.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP)  The doctor for a private Christian boarding school that has been the focus of an abuse investigation in Missouri was charged with child sex crimes.

An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for David Earl Smock, 57, the longtime physician for Agape Boarding School, the Kansas City Star reported. Smock is charged with second-degree statutory sodomy, third-degree child molestation of a child less than 14 years of age and enticement or attempted enticement of a child less than 15 years of age, court records show.

Smock was not in custody as of Friday, according to the jail website in Greene County, where the case was filed. The probable cause statement was not immediately available Friday because the court was closed for the holiday.

Agape remains under scrutiny after five staffers were charged in September with assaulting students. One of the defendants is Smocks son-in-law.

Smock, who runs a walk-in clinic in Cedar County and volunteers at a Springfield ministry for the homeless, has other ties to the school. One of his sons is married to the late Agape founders granddaughter. And he is featured prominently on Agapes website, supporting the schools model and encouraging parents to send their troubled boys there. Smock has said on the site that he works with the school to wean boys off medications for behavioral issues.

Smock also owns an 11-bedroom mansion that a former Agape staff leader uses to operate another Christian boarding school, called Legacy Academy Adventures.

No attorney is listed for Smock in online court records. And he couldnt be reached at his clinic, which was closed on Friday.
ESSEX, CHESTER, DEEP RIVER, CT  The following notice went out to parents on December 23, the last day before the holiday break for Region 4 Schools:

"Dear Parents, Guardians, and Staff of Chester, Deep River, Essex, and Region 4 Schools,



Today we were notified of 5 positive cases of COVID-19. We consulted with the Connecticut River Area Health District and the Essex Health Department to determine appropriate steps.



These cases impacted 5 students at Deep River Elementary School and 6 students at Valley Regional High School. Students and staff members who were in close contact with these individuals have been contacted by their school principal."



This article originally appeared on the Essex-Chester-Deep River Patch
Associated Press

A team of scientists is 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. Thirty-two scientists on Thursday are starting a more than two-month mission aboard an American research ship to investigate the crucial area where the massive but melting Thwaites glacier faces the Amundsen Sea and may eventually lose large amounts of ice because of warm water. The Florida-sized glacier has gotten the nickname the doomsday glacier because of how much ice it has and how much seas could rise if it all melts  more than two feet (65 centimeters) over hundreds of years.
The Daily Beast

Doug Kuzma via YouTubeFar-right podcast host Douglas Kuzmawho was an outspoken critic of the COVID-19 vaccinehas died while battling the coronavirus, which he contracted after attending a QAnon-friendly gathering in Texas that right-wingers baselessly claimed was the victim of an anthrax attack.I really loved him and I would do anything for him, Amanda Kuzma told The Daily Beast on Thursday morning while confirming her fathers death earlier this week. He was a great father.Kuzma, who host
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that he plans to have a "scaled back" New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square in light of growing concerns over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The celebration, which typically draws nearly 60,000 people, will be limited to only 15,000 people this year, and visitors will not be allowed to enter viewing areas until around 3pm.

All attendees will be required to wear a mask and show photo identification at the event, according to Mr de Blasio's office.

Further, all visitors to Time Square are required to be fully vaccinated if they are older than five-years-old. Unvaccinated minors have to be accompanied by a vaccinated adult, according to Mr de Blasio.

"New Yorkers have stepped up tremendously over the past year," Mr de Blasio said. "We are leading the way on vaccinations, we have reopened safely, and every day we work toward building a recovery for all of us. There is a lot to celebrate, and these additional safety measures will keep the fully vaccinated crowd safe and healthy as we ring in the New Year."

Despite the new measures, some New Year's Eve programming is still slated to continue. ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve" will begin broadcasting at 8pm EST on New Year's Eve.

Fox scrapped its plans for holiday coverage in Times Square. The network announced on 21 December that it planned to cancel its planned "New Years Ever Toast & Roast 2022," which was set to be hosted by Community alumni Ken Jeong and Joel McHale.

"While we are confident in the health and safety protocols for Fox's New Year's Eve Toast & Roast 2022, the recent velocity of the spread of Omicron cases has made it impossible to produce a live special in Times Square that meets our standards," the network said in a statement.

CBS opted to keep its New Year's coverage, "Jack Daniel's New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash," but as indicated by the name, the celebration will not take place in New York City. NBC's "Miley's New Year's Eve Party," hosted by Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson, is also staying out of Times Square, and will be broadcast from Miami, Florida.

New York Mayor-elect Eric Adams praised the move by the outgoing Mr de Blasio.

"New York is the best place in the world to celebrate New Year's Eve and now it will be one of the safest against COVID as well," he said. "The Mayor has made the right move to take precautionary measures as we learn to live with COVID and fight the Omicron variant-and New Yorkers and visitors alike can now enjoy Times Square and the rest of our city as we ring in 2022."
Travellers wait in line at the Philadelphia International Airport

The US is to lift travel restrictions it imposed on eight southern African nations over a new coronavirus strain.

The White House said the 29 November measure, affecting South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini and Malawi, would be lifted by New Year's Eve.

The official said the curbs were no longer necessary amid a US explosion of cases of the Omicron variant.

The variant now makes up most of all new US cases.

"The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, esp boosted," tweeted White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz.

The restrictions were first imposed by the EU and UK. The US and a host of other countries followed suit.

The move was roundly criticised, with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres calling it "travel apartheid".

Justifying the move, the White House's chief coronavirus adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, said earlier this month it was "done at a time when we were really in the dark" about Omicron.

"We all feel very badly about the hardship that might have been put upon not only South Africa, but the other African countries," he said.

Last week, Canada lifted its own ban on foreign travellers from 10 African countries. An official said the country's spike in domestic Omicron cases meant the requirements were "no longer needed".

Canadian media had previously reported that the ban forced some citizens to travel through Ethiopia on their way home in spite of an active travel advisory against visiting that Horn of Africa nation due to the civil war.

In recent weeks the US has further tightened its testing requirements. All international travellers must provide proof of a negative test result within one day of their flight, regardless of vaccination status.

President Joe Biden - who has called Omicron "a cause for concern, not a cause for panic" - has so far resisted backing the lockdown measures seen in some European Union countries.

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The ban did not prevent Americans from returning to the country from the region and only applied to non-US citizens.

Doctors in South Africa - where Omicron was first reported - said early on that infections from the new variant were resulting in only mild illness. This finding has since been backed up by studies in the UK.

The strain has spread faster than any previous variant in the US but has not yet resulted in a significant spike in hospitalisations.

Only one US death so far has been linked to Omicron: a Texas man in his 50s who was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
In 2016, a man picked up two items at an estate sale in Concord, Massachusetts: a fake jade necklace for $1 and a small drawing of the Virgin Mary and Child for $30.

He tucked the drawing away in his house, where he showed it to the occasional guest, his friend would later say. Something about it was intriguing, even though he did not know where it came from.

This month, a panel of experts at the British Museum in London delivered a stunning answer: The artwork, titled The Virgin and Child With a Flower on a Grassy Bench, was an undiscovered drawing by Albrecht Durer, a renowned German artist born in 1471.

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The man, whose identity has not been revealed, had made one of the most extraordinary discoveries of Renaissance artwork in years, the experts said. The drawing might be worth tens of millions of dollars.

The declaration that the drawing was the work of Durer  an assessment that is not universally shared among researchers  came about as a result of a chance meeting and the efforts of a dogged art dealer who amassed thousands of frequent-flyer miles tracking down an answer.

First, the meeting. The owner of the drawing was friends with Brainerd Phillipson, who runs a rare-book shop in Holliston, Massachusetts. In 2019, Clifford Schorer, an entrepreneur and art dealer from Boston, stopped by the shop to purchase a last-minute gift.

They started chatting about art, and then Phillipson mentioned that his friend had what they thought could be a Durer drawing, Phillipson said in an interview this week. The initials A.D. at the bottom of the drawing were rather a tell, he said.

No, you have an Albrecht Durer engraving, Schorer replied, as he would later recount. Engravings are usually stamped onto a paper and are quicker to make than drawings, which are more rare and valuable.

Noting that Durer drawings are extremely rare and that he thought all were accounted for, Schorer said he told Phillipson, As someone who knows Albrecht Durer in and out, its impossible.

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Eleven days later, the owner texted pictures of the artwork to Schorer, who said he drove straight to the mans house, where, he said, the man and his wife lived modestly. Schorer sat down at the kitchen table to look at the piece.

It was either a masterpiece or the greatest forgery I had ever seen, he said.

Schorer, who specializes in recovering lost art, paid the man a $100,000 advance to sell the drawing, he said. (The exact terms are confidential, but both will get money when it sells, he said.) Schorer would lose his advance if the work turned out to be a forgery.

Phillipson said his friend, the owner of the drawing, declined to comment.

Three days later, Schorer boarded a flight to England to rush the drawing into the hands of Jane McAusland, a paper conservator who advises museums, dealers and auction houses. She did not respond to emails this week from The New York Times.

Three weeks after his visit, McAusland told him that the drawing had been stained with tea or coffee to make it look like an antique, Schorer said. But he asked her to look again, and she replied by email the next day with an image. He clicked on it, and the picture showed a translucent light shining through the paper.

It had the trident watermark, which is only in Albrecht Durers drawings, he said. My mind was blown.

Durers preferred medium was a special paper made by his patron, Jacob Fugger, one of the richest men who ever lived. Only Durers workshop had access to that paper, which bore Fuggers signature watermark, according to Christof Metzger, a Durer specialist who was on the panel of experts who authenticated the drawing this month.

Schorer said he met Metzger, the chief curator at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, on his tour of 14 cities around the world to try to authenticate the drawing. Over more than two years, he said, he met a slate of experts, all but one of whom agreed that the drawing was an original Durer.

Clues like the paper, the pen strokes and the style of the Madonna suggested that this was not a forgery, Metzger said.

He dated the piece to 1503, when Durer made a similar depiction of the Virgin Mary on a grassy bench. Metzger believes the artist was drawing ideas for a 1506 watercolor titled The Virgin With a Multitude of Animals.

The newly discovered drawing was the first complete, finalized composition of Durers to be discovered since 1932, Metzger said.

The artists works have long been collected because of his mastery of both granular details and hallucinatory fantasies, Metzger said, and for this reason, a new, absolutely unknown work is absolutely once in the lifetime.

Not all are convinced, however, that the work was drawn by Durer.

Fritz Koreny, a senior researcher at the Institute for Art History at University of Vienna, believes it was made by a Durer apprentice, Hans Baldung. He declined to elaborate, because he is working on his own publication about the drawing. He said, however, All the significant details speak for Baldung.

Koreny estimated that if Baldung made the drawing, its value would be only up to a quarter of what it would be worth if Durer drew it.

No matter who created it, the artwork had traveled from Germany to a noble family in Italy to the Louvre Museum and private collectors in France before it wound up in Massachusetts, Metzger said.

Jean-Paul Carlhian, an architect, took the piece to Massachusetts sometime after his family acquired it in 1912, Metzger said. At some point in the last century, the family decided the drawing was not a real Durer, Schorer said. That is most likely how it ended up at the Carlhian familys estate sale that the unidentified buyer of the drawing attended in 2016.

Carlhians daughter Penny Carlhian declined to comment.

Durer churned out piece after piece until he died in 1528. About 1,500 have been accounted for, Metzger said. Only 24 are known to remain in private collections, which is what makes the newly discovered drawing so special, he said.

For now, the drawing is being housed at Agnews Gallery in London. It will be displayed next month at the Colnaghi gallery in New York.

Schorer and the drawings owner stand to make a significant windfall when the drawing goes on sale, probably sometime in the new year. He declined to speculate on its value, but he said it could be the most valuable work by a Renaissance master to hit the market since a chalk sketch by Raphael sold for nearly $48 million in 2012.

Agnews Gallery plans to ask for an eight-figure sum for the drawing, according to a statement from the gallery last month.

Schorer has traveled the world to learn about art, but he remains astonished that the greatest piece he helped discover was found, as he put it, in my backyard.

Life is downhill from that moment forward, he said. Ill never have an experience like that again.

 2021 The New York Times Company
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  One person is under arrest after a shooting that killed two men at a busy restaurant in Kentucky on Thursday evening, police said Friday.

According to the Louisville Metro Police Department, 21-year-old Karson Reitz was arrested and charged with murder in the shooting at the Roosters restaurant location on Preston Highway. Statements from the scene indicate the restaurant was well-attended when the shooting unfolded, police department spokesperson Alicia Smiley said.

According to Smiley, an arrest citation says that security footage inside the restaurant shows Reitz shooting the two people, and that he admitted to the shooting in a statement to a detective. Smiley said no one else was injured.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the two killed in the shooting as 48-year-old Michael Miller from Louisville, who died at the scene, and 51-year-old Bradley Cross from Shepherdsville, who died at the hospital.

The investigation is ongoing. Police have not yet said what they believe the motive was.

The restaurant posted on Facebook that it would remain closed Friday and reopen Sunday.
Fe and Gareth Hall miss hearing their son laugh as he relaxed on the couch, scrolling through TikTok videos.

It was a small affirmation of his presence that often punctuated the silences in their house.

Thats what I miss. Thats what I miss so much  the noises he made, Fe Hall said recently through tears. I wont hear those anymore.

Christian Hall, 19, was killed by Pennsylvania State Police troopers on Dec. 30. As the anniversary of his death approaches, his parents are continuing to fight for an independent investigation into the shooting. Theyre also reflecting on the last months before their son was killed, trying to understand what led him to the highway overpass where the fatal encounter unfolded.

There are no simple answers. This fall brought the painful release of police videos showing the final moments of Halls life, published by NBC News and Spotlight PA, which revealed that Hall had his hands in the air when he was shot. The State Police investigated the shooting and the Monroe County District Attorneys Office ruled it justified this year, saying the troopers lives were in danger because Hall was holding a weapon, which authorities later determined was a realistic airsoft pellet gun.

Image: A family portrait of Gareth, Fe and Christian Hall hanging on the wall. (Fred Adams for Spotlight PA and NBC News)

Halls parents are suing the troopers who shot him, whose names havent been released, and they are calling on state leaders to open a new investigation. They also support a proposal to have independent prosecutors investigate use-of-force incidents involving the State Police, which was a recent recommendation by the State Law Enforcement Citizen Advisory Commission.

The State Police declined to comment on Halls case because of the pending litigation. They said in a statement: Any loss of life is tragic. The trauma associated with a loss of life affects everyone involved. The Monroe County District Attorneys Office has defended its handling of Halls case and said an additional investigation is unnecessary.

As Halls parents wait for their court case to move forward, theyre holding a vigil across several cities this month to commemorate the anniversary of his death and to seek justice for him and other victims of police violence. Their thoughts are also turning to Halls early childhood, his difficult adolescence and the factors that led to his decline in mental health in the weeks before he died.

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The Halls adopted their son from China in 2002 when he was a baby. As a child, he was diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, which is marked by a difficulty developing healthy or secure attachments to caregivers and is more common among adopted kids. He often ran away from home and, after he accidentally started a fire in a nursing home, spent years in juvenile detention as a result. He was also diagnosed with depression.

Image: Christian Hall (Christian Hall Foundation)

In the fall of 2020, Hall was living at home and working at a grocery store. He had a girlfriend and was seeing a therapist who had experience working with patients who had reactive attachment disorder, his parents said. Therapy had been a consistent aspect of Halls life, both when he was in juvenile detention and after he was released, his parents said.

But as the pandemic wore on, he collided with difficult circumstances. Halls counselor left the practice in October, he went through a tumultuous breakup, and he became more withdrawn as lockdown and isolation continued, his parents said.

He just came to me shaking and he said, I need to talk to someone, Fe Hall said of a conversation she had with her son last December. All I could do is say: I am here. We can talk. But he said: Mom, no. I need someone to talk to.

The Halls tried to find their son a counselor who had a background in working with patients with reactive attachment disorder, but that wasnt easy in Stroudsburg, a town of 5,500. Halls parents widened their search to include professionals within 25 miles. But by the time they found a potential therapist and scheduled an appointment, it was for January. Hall had been without professional help for months.

Image: Framed childhood photos of Christian Hall and family. (Fred Adams for Spotlight PA and NBC News)

The challenge of finding mental health care is a common one for Asian American adoptees, particularly those living outside urban centers, said Kimberly Langrehr, a Chicago-based psychologist and Asian American adoptee herself.

They are living in a world that really knows little about adoption, is heavily misinformed about race and unfortunately also has a stunted understanding of mental health, she said.

Halls parents hope his story brings awareness to gaps in culturally competent mental health resources for Asian American adoptees, as well as the importance of mental health training for law enforcement officers.

In 2015, just 3 percent of the psychologists in the U.S. were Asian, while the overwhelming majority were white, according to the American Psychological Association. Theres also a disparity between urban and rural areas, with metropolitan counties averaging about four times as many psychologists per 100,000 people as rural counties.

The Halls say such resources are key to getting people the help they need before theyre in crisis. And they wonder what could have gone differently if their son had such support.

Lack of understanding on mental health issues

On the afternoon Hall was killed, he called 911 from a highway overpass to report a suicider.

State Police troopers approached him and tried to persuade him to get down from the edge of the overpass. They spoke to him for about 90 minutes, urging him to put down the pellet gun he was carrying.

In the final 22 seconds before the shooting, Hall moved toward troopers with the gun in his hand at his side. After a trooper fired initial shots, which missed him, Hall raised his hands above his head, the gun in one hand. He had his hands above his head for 14 seconds, police videos show, before troopers fired the final shots that ended his life.

He was the reason why we woke up and did the things that we did, and now hes gone, and he was just taken, Fe Hall said. Like his life did not matter at all.

Despite his 911 call, Halls parents dont believe their son was suicidal. They believe he was distressed from a combination of a painful breakup, his depression and his reactive attachment disorder, as well as his being between counselors.

It was not helpful to have a disruption  to have a disruption in his relationship with his girlfriend, a disruption with his counselor, the isolation. It was just so many things, Fe Hall said.

In many cases, reactive attachment disorder, the symptoms of which include withdrawal, fear and irritability, is traced to a lack of care and touch babies get in their earliest days, Langrehr said. Thats why it can be found in some adoptees, particularly those who were raised in large orphanages who may not have gotten enough attention, she said. Some children with the disorder may have difficulty making eye contact and retract in response to being held, among other sensory issues, she said.

The Halls said their son began to show signs of the disorder in elementary school, when he had explosive outbursts and difficulty engaging in conversations. He also started running away from home.

The Halls said its unclear how their son felt about his adoption, but the family was open about the subject. Fe Hall said he had asked about his birth mother a few times, apologetically, fearful that hed hurt her. Once, when he was about 10 years old, Hall was having a rough day on a trip to the Philippines when he raised the subject.

Out of the blue he said, I just want my mother, Fe Hall recalled. Ive never seen him say it that way again.

Another difficult subject the family broached was race. Fe Hall is of Filipino descent and Gareth Hall is Black and Latino; their son was one of the few Asian Americans growing up in Stroudsburg, where Asian Americans make up just 2.5 percent of the population. Halls parents said they observed several instances of racism directed toward their son, including from peers.

Image: Fe and Gareth Hall (Fred Adams for Spotlight PA and NBC News)

Some adoptees struggle silently

Becky Belcore, a Korean adoptee who is an advisory board member of the Adoptees for Justice project, which advocates for international adoptees to receive U.S. citizenship, said adoptees feelings of grief may go undetected while still shaping their lives.

Our very first experience as human beings is abandonment, Belcore said. Thats something that you carry with you.

Many adoptees, particularly those with white family members, might also struggle  often alone or silently  with issues like feeling rejected by two cultures, racism and racial isolation, experts say.

The general adoptee population has higher rates of substance abuse, and they may act out in other ways, Langrehr said.

Belcore said adoption agencies or the government should assign caseworkers to help adoptees parents find the support they may need at different stages of their childrens lives.

Calling for mental health support alongside police

The Halls are working with the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit organization, to push for greater access to mental health care for Asian Americans, including those who are adopted.

The group wants the state to allocate more funding for mental health services, including money to train more counselors who have the language skills and cultural competence to treat the states diverse Asian American population. Mohan Seshadri, a co-executive director of the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, said the need for such resources is increasing in rural parts of the state, not just in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

There are those historic gaps when it comes to our communities but also just, quite frankly, historic disinvestment and lack of funding, lack of access, lack of resources  in a lot of these areas, specifically local municipalities, Seshadri said.

The Halls also want mental health professionals to respond to 911 calls alongside law enforcement officers. Other cities, including Oakland, California; Denver; and San Francisco, have launched pilot projects with similar strategies, deploying teams that include mental health professionals to respond to some mental health crises rather than law enforcement officers. In New York City, which launched a pilot program in June, mental health teams had greater success persuading people to accept mental health care than police officers did alone, according to city data.

Mental health workers should be there, Gareth Hall said, adding that police should work hand in hand with these mental health professionals to help de-escalate and let the mental health professionals take the lead on these kinds of calls.

Mental health and crisis intervention training is a priority for the State Police, a spokesperson said. Training and continuing education, which are ongoing, include de-escalation strategies and partnering with local agencies, Cpl. Brent Miller, the director of the State Police communications office, said in a statement.

Fe Hall said she imagines her son on the bridge by himself, faced with several squad cars and uniformed troopers, guns drawn. Anyone, she believes, would react with confusion or fear.

Police? Theyre not caregivers, she said.
OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP)  A shooting at a suburban Chicago mall full of Christmas shoppers left four people injured Thursday, police said.

The incident at Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook began with two males involved in a shootout in a corridor around 5:45 p.m., police Chief James Kruger said.

He said the injuries were not life-threatening. Three people who were shot were initially believed to have been hit by ricocheting bullets, but Kruger later said they were directly struck. A fourth person suffered an ankle injury while running away.

One person was in custody, and police were looking for another suspect, Kruger said.

This is just a very unfortunate incident that is completely out of character for our area, the chief said.

The outdoor mall is a major shopping destination about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Chicago. TV stations with aerial cameras showed police cars and emergency vehicles spread across the property with their lights flashing.

Shoppers who were interviewed as they were gradually released said they took cover in stores and dressing rooms.

Alex Gay, 23, said she was walking in the mall when she suddenly saw people running. She didn't hear any gunshots.

Im shook up, Gay told the Chicago Tribune. It was scary everyone was sprinting out of the mall as sirens went over intercom saying, Emergency. Evacuate. Seek shelter. I almost got trampled.
Pope Francis Friday called on the faithful to value the "little things in life" and show solidarity with the poor in his Christmas Eve mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

Some 2,000 members of the public and 200 religious figures attended, wearing face masks and respecting social distancing as part of measures against the coronavirus, the Vatican's press office said.

Those who had not managed to grab a ticket watched on huge screens outside St Peter's Basilica.

The 85-year-old Argentinian pontiff recalled the shepherds in the tale of the nativity, who lived modestly and were witness to the birth of Jesus.

"That is where Jesus is born: close to them, close to the forgotten ones of the peripheries. He comes where human dignity is put to the test."

He called for people to seek out "littleness" -- in "our daily lives, the things we do each day at home, in our families, at school and in the workplace".

"Jesus asks us to rediscover and value the little things in life," he said.

Francis, formerly the Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, called for more solidarity with those living in poverty.

"On this night of love, may we have only one fear: that of offending God's love, hurting him by despising the poor with our indifference," he said.

It was the second such Christmas Eve mass during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last year, barely some 200 people -- mostly Vatican employees -- attended.

cmk/ah/yad
Irish President Michael D Higgins said the past year had been a challenging one (Maxwells/PA) (PA Media)

President Michael D Higgins has hailed the courage and resilience of the people of Ireland amid the Covid pandemic.

In his Christmas and New Year message, Mr Higgins said the vaccine roll-out had provided hope for the future.

This last year has been a challenging one and for some more than others, he said.

Throughout this past year we have again been called on to change and adapt our lives as we continue to battle with the great global challenge that is the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Shoppers in Dublin in the run-up to Christmas (Niall Carson/PA) (PA Wire)

Your response has been one that showed courage, resilience, patience and a deep commitment to others. May I pay tribute to you all for your efforts.

The successful roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine programme to citizens across the country has enabled a sense of renewed hope and possibility to enter our lives, for which we can be deeply grateful.

I am, however, profoundly aware of the many people who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 during 2021, and may I extend to you my deepest sympathies at this difficult time, when we remember them all.

Mr Higgins added: All of you, in your lived daily lives, have been called upon to play your own part as we faced the challenge of Covid-19. It is a challenge to which you have risen with commitment and generosity, making the sacrifices necessary to protect your loved ones and your fellow citizens. It has been heart-warming to witness all of our people, across different generations, offering and delivering those expressions of solidarity, kindness, compassion and care for others, and to be given the assurance that those values remain as a source of inspiration in the lives of our communities.

May I take this opportunity to pay tribute to you for your forbearance and commitment

President Michael D Higgins

I am also, at this time of Christmas, deeply conscious of the circumstances of many of our Irish abroad, and of those too living in Ireland whose families are overseas, so many of whom have had to endure long and perhaps painful separations, often at times of great worry or distress. May I take this opportunity to pay tribute to you for your forbearance and commitment, and assure you that your sacrifices for the greater good have been greatly appreciated by the people of Ireland.

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Today we are once more in a period of adjustment, with new measures appropriate to new circumstances, as we hope to emerge from the pandemic.

From what we are going through together, as well as the efforts we are sharing, I am confident that we will have been building a better, shared future, one rooted in that spirit of unselfish citizenship that has been so visible in recent times.

Mr Higgins said the pandemic had reminded people how interconnected and interdependent in a global sense we are.

He also used his address to highlight the challenge presented by climate change.

We are now at a critical juncture in this battle, one that requires vital and meaningful change from all of us

Last month, world leaders met in Glasgow at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, to address the increasingly urgent climate crisis, he said.

We are now at a critical juncture in this battle, one that requires vital and meaningful change from all of us, in every aspect of our lives, be it how we produce, consume or behave, if we are to limit global warming.

This is a challenge where we will once again be required to play a selfless part, as we work to make the lifestyle changes necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As global citizens, we must seek to define and engage in new models of living, remembering that the significant decisions which are being taken at conference tables around the world must now be translated into altered behaviours in our daily lives if we are to protect our planet, and ensure it remains hospitable to current and future generations.

Our new models of living, we must not forget, are much more than protection. They offer a better life in so many ways. They invite us to better, more sustainable, flourishing, equal lives together, on a shared planet.
DETROIT (AP)  The parents of a teenager charged with killing four fellow students at a Michigan school knew that he was depressed, fascinated with guns and had tortured animals, even keeping a bird's head in a jar, prosecutors said Thursday.

The court filing was in opposition to an effort by James and Jennifer Crumbley to get out of jail on a lower bond. They're charged with involuntary manslaughter in the Oxford High School shooting under a theory that they had chances to prevent the bloodshed and made a gun available to their son.

The Crumbleys will flee if they get the opportunity, the Oakland County prosecutor's office said, noting that the couple was behind in mortgage payments and put their house up for sale.

Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged as an adult with murder and other crimes in the Nov. 30 shooting, which killed four students and injured seven more people.

The parents willfully ignored the needs and well-being of their son and the threat he posed to others, prosecutors said. Their son was torturing animals, even leaving a baby birds head in a jar on his bedroom floor, which he later took and placed in a school bathroom.

Ethan's only friend had moved away at the end of October, the family dog had died and the teen was sending his mother disturbing texts about his state of mind, prosecutors said.

On the day of the shooting, the parents were summoned to discuss Ethan's disturbing drawings spotted by a teacher on what appears to be a geometry worksheet.

It included a handgun and the words, The thoughts wont stop. Help me. There's a bullet with the phrase blood everywhere above a person who appears to have been shot. The paper also says my life is useless and the world is dead.

Ethan subsequently scratched out some of the images and words and wrote, OHS Rocks! ... I love my life so much!!!! ... Were (sic) all friends here."

School officials said the Crumbleys refused to take Ethan home, and the shooting followed. The prosecutors office earlier had described the writings but publicly attached them to a court filing for the first time Thursday.

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What is novel about this case is that defendants were made aware, in graphic form, of the serious risk posed by their son prior to the shooting. ... These parents could have done something, the prosecutor's office said.

The Crumbleys, in custody since Dec. 4, are trying to get their bond reduced to $100,000 from $500,000. They were arrested in an art studio in Detroit, though their attorneys insist they weren't trying to flee. The next court hearing is Jan. 7.

In a filing Wednesday, lawyers for the Crumbleys said they were devastated by the school shooting and didn't know Ethan would commit violence that day.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez




Protesters stormed Guadeloupe's regional legislature in defiance of the COVID-19 vaccination requirements imposed by the government, The Associated Press reported.

During a council meeting, demonstrators brought out a banner that read "No to Obligatory Vaccination, No to the Health Pass," and kicked over a Christmas tree.

In a tweet, the council said its president, Ary Chalus, has offered to meet with 10 of the protesters' representatives after the demonstration.

However, Guadeloupe and French officials also denounced the demonstrations, calling them unacceptable and a threat to the democratically elected body, according to the AP.

Depuis 12h14, le president de la collectivite regionale, Ary Chalus, a propose de rencontrer une dizaine de personnes du collectif sous reserve que l'hotel de Region soit libere... pic.twitter.com/w2wXVoFR3C - Region Guadeloupe (@CRGuadeloupe) December 23, 2021

"Since 12:14, the president of the regional community, Ary Chalus, has offered to meet around 10 people from the collective, subject to the regional hotel being released," the council said in a tweet, translated from French.

The demonstrators are also seeking better access to drinking water, pension and wage increases, and more employment opportunities, the AP reported.

This comes as labor unions and the Collective Against Exploitation have asked the French government to end a measure that required health workers to be placed on unpaid leave if they are not vaccinated against the virus.

Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France, is also seeing a rise in COVID-19 infections and on Thursday implemented a mask mandate for indoor and outdoor public spaces and a health pass for tourist activities, the AP noted.
By Vladimir Soldatkin and Natalia Zinets

MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) -The European Union can only blame its own policies for record gas prices as some of its members resell cheap Russian gas at much higher prices within the bloc, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

Putin also called on the EU to approve a new Russian gas route, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, to ease the price crunch.

Europe's benchmark gas price climbed to a new record on Tuesday, up almost 800% since the start of the year. The price eased on Friday, but it was still up more than 400%.

Nord Stream 2 is opposed by the United States and particularly several east European states, which say the pipeline will make the EU even more reliant on Russian gas, which already supplies 35% of the bloc's gas needs.

The pipeline from Russia to Germany, which was built in September, is still awaiting regulatory approval from Berlin and Brussels.

"The additional gas supplies on the European gas market would surely reduce the price on an exchange, on the spot (market)," Putin was quoted as saying by news agency RIA at a joint meeting of the State Council and a council on science and education.

Adding to the squeeze, the Yamal-Europe pipeline that usually sends Russian gas to Western Europe was flowing in reverse for a fourth day on Friday, pumping fuel from Germany to Poland, data from German network operator Gascade showed.

Russian gas giant Gazprom has not booked gas transit capacity for exports via the Yamal-Europe pipeline for Dec. 25, auction results showed.

Gazprom usually books capacity via the route on a short-term basis, after Poland and Russia chose not to extend their long-term transit deal last year.

Putin said Poland had "sidelined" Russia from managing the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which has been working in reverse mode by sending gas eastward. The pipeline runs from Russia to Belarus and further to Poland and Germany.

"This does not increase the Russian gas volumes on the European market, so the price is rising," Putin said according to Interfax news agency, about the reverse flows.

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Putin said on Thursday that Germany was reselling Russian gas to Poland and Ukraine rather than relieving an overheated market.

In Ukraine, another transit route for Russian gas to Europe, the head of state gas transmission operator said Gazprom had reduced daily gas transit across Ukrainian territory to 87.7 million cubic metres (mcm) from 109 mcm.

"The reduction in gas supplies to the European Union at a time when prices reached $2,000 suggests that these are not economic decisions but purely political ones, aimed at increasing pressure on the EU to launch Nord Stream 2 on terms of the Russian Federation," Sergiy Makogon wrote on Facebook.

The benchmark European gas price soared above 2,200 euros ($2,495) per 1,000 cubic metres on Tuesday.

Makogon said Europe had set a record for extracting gas from storage because of supply shortages.

Russia has repeatedly dismissed charges it has played politics over gas and says it is meeting all the amounts it is contracted to supply. Companies with supply deals have also said their contracts have been met.

MISSING OUT

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak also said Europe was missing out on additional Russian supplies because of delays to Nord Stream 2.

"To my mind, European consumers are very interested in the project to start working, while the companies, which participate in it, they could have submitted additional requests as part of long-term relations on gas supplies via this new gas pipeline," Novak told Russian state TV channel Rossiya-24.

He also said European leaders had made mistakes in reducing the use of long-term supply deals in favour of the spot market, where prices are more volatile.

"The countries, which receive gas via the long-term deals, they receive it much cheaper," Novak said.

Europe's red-hot gas market could find some relief from redirected cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Asia as European prices make this diversion attractive.

Gazprom, which has a monopoly on Russia gas exports by pipeline, has not booked gas transit capacity for exports via the Yamal-Europe pipeline for Dec. 24, auction results showed on Friday.

Gascade's data on the Yamal-Europe pipelines showed flows at the Mallnow metering point on the German-Polish border going east from Germany into Poland at an hourly volume of around 1,218,000 kilowatt hours (kWh/h) on Friday and were expected to stay at these levels during the day.

Data from Slovak pipeline operator Eustream showed capacity nominations for Friday's Russian gas flows from Ukraine to Slovakia via the Velke Kapusany border point were at 739,843 MWh, down from Thursday's 785,160 MWh.

That drop was being balanced by higher nominations for flows from the Czech Republic to Slovakia, meaning nominations for flows from Slovakia to the Austrian hub Baumgarten were roughly stable compared with the previous day.

($1 = 0.8818 euros)

(Reporting by Vladimir SoldatkinAdditional reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague and Natalia Zinets in KyivWriting by Edmund Blair Editing by Alexander Smith and Mark Potter)
After a teacher in Chelsea, Quebec was told she had to be removed from her role for wearing a hijab, Canadians are expressing concern and outrage.

Fatemeh Anvari was told she had to move to a position outside the elementary school classroom she had been working in due to Bill 21, a Quebec secularism law that bars some civil servants from wearing religious symbols  like Anvaris hijab.

Since her removal, there has been increased outcry from citizens and politicians. Hundreds gathered in protest on Tuesday in Chelsea, expressing support for Anvari. Meanwhile, Members of Parliament, Senators, and city councillors have been expressing their condemnation of the law.

Bill 21 protest right now in Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/qiF46yI34V  Raffy Boudjikanian (@CBCRaffy) December 14, 2021

While members of the Canadian Muslim community are frustrated by the news, they are less surprised.

Its shocking that Canadians are looking at this incident and are surprised by it. This is exactly what weve been saying since Bill 21 had been passed. Weve been saying what the drastic effects of it could be, and sadly now were seeing them.Fatema Abdalla, Communications Coordinator for the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM)

Throughout the nation, Muslims across Canada are frustrated and disturbed by this bill, and are wanting to do more and take more action, she said.

The NCCM is calling for the federal government to intervene in the legal challenge against Bill 21. Abdalla says they have yet to hear of this intervention.

In a recent press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that despite his opposition to the law, the government would not be stepping in. Trudeau said that he wished to avoid a fight over jurisdiction between Ottawa and Quebec, and would leave the matter of making the case to Quebeckers themselves.

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Liberal MP Salma Zahid released a statement this week saying it was time for the federal government to step in: To date, the challenge has come from civil society. But as the party that brought the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to Canada, as a government that champions human rights around the world, we cannot allow the weight of this fight to be carried by civil society alone.

What does the law mean for Muslims and other religious groups?

The law, known as Bill 21, is officially titled An Act respecting the laicity of the State, and it bars certain civil servants, including teachers, from wearing religious symbols in an effort to impose state secularism.

Abdalla said the NCCM has been fighting Bill 21 since the day it was passed, and has been engaged in an ongoing legal challenge of the bill since 2019. In collaboration with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), they have been challenging the constitutionality of the bill.

Alongside this, the groups were pushing for a temporary suspension of the law until it was reviewed by the courts. However, this request was denied, and the appeals process is ongoing.

Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, Director of the Equality program at the CCLA, spoke to Yahoo News Canada about the organizations ongoing objection to the law.

The harms that are happening are both to fundamental rights  the right to equality is being limited, the right to dignity, and of course to freedom of religion, said Aviv. She added that the law violates arguably a whole slew of other rights on top of these: Peoples livelihoods and professions and career aspirations have been interfered with because of who they are and how they practice.

How do we not step up NOW and stand with Kawthar? I want her to be able to be a teacher. or anything else she wants to be. And it breaks my heart that she sees her future closing to her already. https://t.co/e2XZAwrUzi  Salma Zahid (@SalmaZahid15) December 16, 2021

Aviv said that when Bill 21 was rushed through the National Assembly in 2019, the CCLA filed their challenge within 24 hours.

When we filed, it it was already clear to us that if people who wore religious symbols could not be hired into their professions or make a move within their professions, even those who were grandfathered in, that this was going to have a huge impact on Muslim women, and potentially also on some others, like religious Jewish men and women, Sikh men and women, she said.

Excluded and humiliated and degraded

During the hearings late last year, Aviv says many people testified about the ways the law had already impacted their lives. These included financial impacts, jeopardized family stability, and emotional repercussions.

One person talked about wanting to actually be a person who wears hijab  wanting to be her social, kind, caring self  and work with people who would understand that it could break down barriers. That people could see her and know her and understand.

Some of the moving testimony that was heard at the hearing was from women who talked about feeling like a second class citizen, about feeling excluded and humiliated and degraded.

Masla Tahir is an activist in her final year of university, set to enter law school next year. She founded the organization My Hijab My Right as a response to laws restricting Muslim womens clothing around the world, including in Belgium, France, and Canada.

Tahir told Yahoo News that hearing about Anvaris removal from her position elicited a feeling of helplessness.

Despite our activism work or our community engagement work, the bill is still in place. The power really lies within the federal governments ability to intervene and make this stop, or its going to be dragged on in court, she said.

Tahir said that while the ongoing legal challenges are occurring, it could take years: In the meantime, its Muslim women who are going to be impacted negatively. She cited the economic impacts that set the women, their families, and their livelihoods at a disadvantage.

She says that the recent events in Quebec, and the existence of the law, are particularly demoralizing in light of her own familys perspective on coming to Canada.

My mom specifically chose Canada for us to move to because she wanted to raise her daughters in a country where there were equal rights for men and women, where women were given equal opportunity to flourish and follow their dreams.Masla Tahir, founder of My Hijab My Right

Knowing that Bill 21 exists, and is stealing Muslim womens dreams, leaves her wordless.

Like Abdalla, Tahir is unsurprised that Bill 21 has impacted Anvaris life and the lives of other Quebec women, an outcome she has been speaking out about. But seeing the concerns shes been voicing be confirmed is no consolation.

We knew that something like this would happen, but that doesnt make it hurt any less.
A registered sex offender is facing a new set of charges after police caught him raping an Asian woman at a Manhattan construction site on Wednesday.



The scene: New York police had to physically pull Darryl Phelps, 61, off the woman at around 1:30 a.m. under scaffolding at a construction site on West 28th Street near Eighth Avenue in Chelsea. A witness who saw the attack called 911.



The victim said she was walking home when Phelps punched her face, the New York Daily News reported. The suspect, who stands at6 feet and weighs 200 pounds, then raped her while he was holding her down on the ground.

I want you to have my baby, Phelps allegedly told the victim, according to the New York Post. He was still raping her when officers arrived on the scene.

The victim, a 23-year-old restaurant worker, was taken to Lenox Health Greenwich Village. She sustained a bruised eye but was brought to the medical care facility in stable condition,

However, a police source told the New York Post that shes not mentally OK after that.







The charges: Phelps was charged with rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and assault, according to WABC. Records show he was released on Sept. 9 on lifetime parole after spending 23 years in jail for burglary and attempted rape.



During the 997 incident, Phelps trailed a 33-year-old woman and attempted to rape her in her apartment.. He then locked her in her bathroom, stole her personal belongings and fled the scene.

Phelps reportedly assaulted and robbed the woman on July 11, 1997, the same day he was released on parole for another robbery conviction back in 1987. The state Parole Board, which denied his release in 2019 and 2020, described him as a public risk and mentioned prior failures on community supervision and three incidents of misbehavior while he was in prison.

Phelps has seven aliases. He is registered as a Level 2 sex offender with a designation of sexually violent offender.



Featured Image via WABC

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In my long experience as a reporter and legislative staffer covering several natural disasters, volunteers from one particular state have seemingly always been present to help provide relief to victims.

I saw people from this particular state arrive soon after mighty Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Coast and adjacent states in 2005. Im sure some volunteers from the state were there when Hurricane Camille roared ashore in the same area in 1969, but I was out of the country then.

In 2018 when Hurricane Michael made a landing across the Florida Panhandle and Southwest Georgia, I remember volunteers from this particular state setting up shop in Blakely, Georgia. A group of them worshipped at Blakely First United Methodist Church.

Where were these good souls coming from? They arrived from Kentucky, where theyre now receiving help for their own people after the disastrous tornado that recently struck Mayfield and nearby locales. The national response to their needs has been terrific. Students at North Pike Elementary School near Summit are sending a busload of toys to Mayfield, for example. Good for those Mississippi youngsters.

An example describing Kentucky folks' goodness toward Mississippi after Katrina was in this editorial in the Bowling Green, Kentucky, Daily News on Sept. 14, 2005:

Last week, 70 Kentucky State Police officers from across the state descended on Mississippi and Louisiana to assist local law enforcement agencies in restoring law and order. Detective Brad Harper of the KSPs Bowling Green post said if they could help just one person affected by the disaster, the trip would be worth it. This is the kind of spirit that we as Americans pride ourselves on.

When Hurricane Ida left millions in Mississippi and Louisiana without power last year, a tattoo shop owner in Louisville, Kentucky, Sean Smallwood, who has done relief work after 22 such storms, arrived in our region the same day as the hurricane. He handed out ice and water for days. The Kentucky National Guards Military Police Command joined to assist the recovery.

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I know Mississippi well enough to know that further relief efforts are being planned throughout this state for Kentucky to return the love to the devastated people there. I know that because I have been a part of two such relief groups. I must tell their stories.

Around 1992, a group of us from Jacksons Galloway United Methodist Church descended on tiny Gasconade, Missouri, to help restore a community center and church for the towns 300 people after a monstrous flood on the Missouri and Gasconade rivers. I was a mere gofer among a dozen talented folks, due to my total lack of mechanical and carpentry skills.

I forgot to say that the multipurpose building was also used as the town saloon, which raised eyebrows and a snicker or two upon our return to Jackson.

In 1994, a flood on the Flint River covered a large part of Southwest Georgia, mostly in and around Albany. A retired U.S. Marine veteran of Vietnam living in Jackson, the late Bernie Ryder, collected a tractor-trailer load of supplies to take to thousands of flood victims. The Clarion Ledger sent me to Georgia with Ryder, a professional chef, to write about his relief efforts.

Ryders work was amazing, but thats not the whole story. While there, I made a connection with a 30-year Georgia educator Id known when I was stationed at a Navy base in Albany. In 1970, she was just starting her career and I was leaving the military. That friend, Mary Lee Chandler, is now my wife of 25 years.

Mac Gordon is a native of McComb. He is a retired newspaperman. He can be reached at macmarygordon@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Relief workers paying Kentucky back for favors
"Roses" by Vincent van Gogh is one of the first paintings visitors will see at the Columbus Museum of Art's Through Vincents Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources.

As 2021 drew to a close and art lovers got vaccinated, museum and gallery attendance perked up.

The end of the year saw the opening of two impressive but very different exhibits devoted to Vincent van Gogh: the Immersive Van Gogh light show of paintings in north Columbus and at the Columbus Museum of Art, Through Vincents Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources, more than 100 works by the post-Impressionist and those who inspired him.

While which van Gogh exhibit was which (and where) may have confused some viewers, Nannette V. Maciejunes, executive director and CEO of the museum, said that she believes that the museum has benefitted by the increase level of interest in and curiosity about van Gogh. We have been thrilled to have the galleries full of visitors again.

More: 'Immersive Van Gogh' takes viewers on circuitous journey through the life of famed painter

The Immersive Van Gogh exhibit has extended its run through February and the museums van Gogh exhibit has been strong, drawing nearly 9,000 visitors for its first two weeks alone.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Columbus Museum of Art averaged about 250,000 visitors a year. There were fewer than 100,000 visitors in 2020. The museum is on track to hit about 135,000 visitors this year.

In 2021, the Columbus Museum of Art welcomed its first artist-in-residence, Johnathan Payne, in the restored home of the late Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson.

Missing from the year was the Columbus Arts Festival, canceled for the second year because of the pandemic. The Greater Columbus Arts Council plans to resume the festival in 2022 at a new location in the Arena District.

More: The '2021 Biennial Juried Exhibition' showcases 53 of the state's most talented artists

Transition will be in play at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Johanna Burton, Wexner Center director for nearly three years, left in November to become director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles.

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And the arts community said goodbye to a beloved patron of the arts, Loann Crane, who died in November.

Among the best visual arts exhibits of 2021:

 Raggin On: The Art of Aminah Robinsons House and Journals, Nov. 21, 2020-Oct. 3, 2021, Columbus Museum of Art  The enormous exhibit presented multimedia works, writings and artifacts from the home of the beloved Columbus artist.

"Bo Walking First Family through the Rose Garden" by Aminah Robinson

 Distinctly Paramount: Fashion & Costume from the Paramount Pictures Archive, June 5, 2021 to Jan. 2, 2022, Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, Lancaster  In the centers fourth costume exhibit from the Paramount Archives, visitors are treated to the flamboyant clothes from Rocketman, Zoolander, Dynasty, Indecent Proposal and more.

 Crossover: Trends in Paper, Aug. 8 to Oct. 3, 2021, Ohio Craft Museum  In the remarkable exhibit, paper  in a variety of incarnations  was the art. Forty-two works by 11 artists used commercial and handmade paper in surprising, impressive ways.

More: Visual arts: Exhibit by Nina Katchadourian a compelling look at a family's perilous journey

 Nina Katchadourian: To Feel Something That Was Not of Our World, Aug. 28, 2021 to April 24, 2022, Pizzuti Collection  Katchadourian, fascinated as a child by the 1972 story of a British family lost at sea, has recreated their adventure in a striking, multimedia art exhibit.

 Jacqueline Humphries, Sept. 18, 2021 to Jan. 2, 2022, Wexner Center for the Arts  Humphries abstract paintings employ emojis, digital text and imagery, stencils, video-game graphics, black light, white noise and much more to offer an uncommon and often surprising experiential look at art.

"Sunflowers" seem to come to life at the "Immersive van Gogh" exhibit.

 Immersive Van Gogh," Oct. 28 to Feb. 27, 2022, Lighthouse ArtSpace  In a surround sound-and-pictures environment, the starry nights, sunflowers, irises, potato eaters and many more images from Vincent van Gogh paintings are presented in a larger-than-life light show.

More: 'Through Vincent's Eyes' exhibit a celebration of the Post-Impressionist painter

 Through Vincents Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources, Nov. 12 to Feb. 6, 2022  Seventeen paintings by van Gogh are interspersed among more than 100 works by the artists of his time  Degas, Gaugin, Manet, Monet and more  in an intelligent, beautifully presented exhibit.

negilson@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Van Gogh exhibits among the art highlights of 2021 in Greater Columbus
Reuters

OSLO (Reuters) -Norwegian cruise and travel operator Hurtigruten Group will cut short a voyage in the Antarctica region following an outbreak of the coronavirus, the company said on Thursday. Ten people on board the MS Roald Amundsen cruise vessel had tested positive for COVID-19, and the ship will return to port in Chile two days ahead of schedule, said a spokesperson for Hurtigruten Expeditions, a subsidiary of Hurtigruten Group. The ship, carrying some 362 passengers and crew, had set out for an 18-day cruise from Punta Arenas in southern Chile and will now return to the same port.
A Russian court levied a 7.2 billion rouble ($98 million) fine against Google on Friday for what it claims are repeated failures by the company to delete content the country has deemed illegal. Though Russia has tagged numerous tech companies throughout the year with fines for not following its increasingly restrictive internet content rules, Friday's judgement marks the first time that the court has imposed fines based on a company's annual revenue.

Additionally, the Russian court fined Meta (and its subsidiary, Instagram) 2 billion roubles ($27.15 million) for similar offenses. Per Reuters, Meta is accused of failing to remove around 2,000 banned items while Google had reportedly failed to take down 2,600 bits of illicit content. Those include posts promoting drug use or dangerous behaviors, instructions for making improvised weapons and explosives, as well as anything regarding what and who it designates as extremists or terrorists. Or the spreading of "gay propaganda," apparently.

Google has announced it will review the court documents before deciding how to proceed. The company has 10 days to file an appeal.

This ruling is only the latest in Moscow's attempts to exert greater degrees of control over not just its national network but the internet as a whole and sets up an even larger confrontation come January 1st, when Russian authorities have demanded tech companies set up local servers for their online services.
A Russian court fined Google $100 million Friday for "systematic failure to remove banned content," the Washington Post reported.

Why it matters: The fine  the largest ever on a Western tech company by Russia  "represents an escalation in Russias push to pressure foreign tech firms to comply with its increasingly strict rules on what it deems illegal content," the Post wrote.

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State of play: Russia has opposed online activities by jailed opposition leader Alex Navalny and his allies. Apple and Google removed a Navalny voting app this year.

Russia has also slowed down the speed of Twitter's network this year and has in the past blocked the messaging app Telegram, the Post reported. Fines of tech companies however have rarely exceeded $1 million.

What they're saying: Putin said Russia will continue insisting that our joint work with global network platforms will be in line with the Russian laws. ... If we are forced into it, we will be forced to up our demands in regard to everyone who works with such issues and ignores interests of the Russian society," the Post reported.

What's next: Google told the Post it is deciding on whether to appeal the decision.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that it's the largest Russian fine ever on a Western tech company.

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(Reuters) - New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company show that Russia has continued to build up its forces in annexed Crimea and near Ukraine in recent weeks while pressing the United States for talks over security guarantees it is seeking.

Reuters could not independently verify the latest images from U.S.-based Maxar Technologies. The Kremlin reiterated on Friday that it reserves the right to move its own forces on Russian territory as it sees fit and that Western countries were carrying out provocative military manoeuvres near its borders.

U.S., European and Ukrainian leaders have accused Russia of building up troops again near Ukraine's border since October after an earlier brief buildup in April, when Maxar also released images. U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders say Moscow appears to be weighing an attack on Ukraine as soon as next month, something Moscow has repeatedly denied.

The images released late on Thursday showed a base in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, packed with hundreds of armoured vehicles and tanks as of Dec. 13. A Maxar satellite image of the same base in October showed the base was half empty.

Maxar said a new brigade-level unit, comprised of several hundred armoured vehicles that include BMP-series infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, self-propelled artillery and air defence equipment, had arrived at the Russian garrison.

"Over the past month, our high-resolution satellite imagery has observed a number of new Russian deployments in Crimea as well as in several training areas in western Russia along the periphery of the Ukraine border," Maxar said in a statement.

It cited increased activity at three sites in Crimea and at five sites in western Russia.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia wanted to avoid conflict, but needed an "immediate" response from the United States and its allies to its demands for security guarantees. Moscow has said it expects talks with U.S. officials on the subject to start in January in Geneva.

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On Friday, Putin said Russia had conducted a test launch of a hypersonic missile. The test follows earlier ones this month, in October, and in July as part of what he said was a new generation of unrivalled arms systems.

When asked on Friday about the build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was acting to defend its own security.

"Russia is moving its own troops around on its own territory against the backdrop of highly unfriendly actions by our opponents in NATO, the United States and various European countries who are carrying out highly unambiguous manoeuvres near our borders," said Peskov.

"This forces us to take certain measures to guarantee our own security."

Russia also accused the United States and the European Union of using the planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline to take Russian gas to Europe as a bargaining chip. The West has threatened to block the pipeline, which is awaiting regulatory approval in Germany, if Russia invades Ukraine.

Biden has threatened strong economic and other measures https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-warns-putin-russia-will-pay-a-terrible-price-if-it-invades-ukraine-2021-12-11 in retaliation for any invasion, building on sanctions imposed over Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and backing for an ongoing separatist rebellion by pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. A U.S. official has said new retaliatory measures could include tough export controls.

Russia says its wants NATO to halt its eastwards expansion and is seeking guarantees that the Western military alliance will not deploy certain offensive weapons to Ukraine and other neighbouring countries.

Other Maxar images showed a build-up at the Soloti staging ground in Russia close to the Ukrainian border, with photos shot at the start of December showing a larger concentration of military hardware than in September.

Pictures also showed continuing build-ups at Yelnya, a Russian town around 160 miles (260 km) north of the Ukrainian border, and at the Pogonovo training ground near the southern Russian city of Voronezh.

(Reporting by Reuters reporters; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
By Sisipho Skweyiya

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Caden Khayo stands outside a bar on Cape Town's Long Street, desperate to make the most of this Christmas after months of restrictions and worries about COVID-19.

Many had feared a repeat of last year's holiday shutdown after South Africa became one of the first countries to identify the new fast-spreading Omicron variant.

But President Cyril Ramaphosa has stopped short of ordering any new curbs this time around. He has urged people to be careful and has let bars keep the beer flowing, for now.

"It's Christmas, we have to be merry you know," Khayo, 30, says as drinkers move from club to club around him.

"Last year we were home. We were like closed down and all. But this time, we're out here, we're having fun. That's a good thing."

Hundreds have been heading out to the bars and clubs and bohemian hangouts along the 3km-long thoroughfare.

In Johannesburg, thousands more have turned out to enjoy the light displays that have filled the upmarket Melrose Arch shopping precinct with flashing reindeer, glittering giant teddy bears and glowing Christmas trees.

A pre-existing midnight curfew is still in place. Bar owners are keeping cautious, watching out for more restrictions, or a return to June's alcohol ban.

But for now many are taking heart from vaccination programmes and from data suggesting that those infected with Omicron are much less likely to end up in hospital than those with the Delta strain.

In Long Street, the lunch trade in particular is holding up well, Prince Kabare, the general manager at the bright yellow Beerhouse bar, says.

"This is like 30 to 40% better than we were last year so it's a good sign," he adds. "Now we're able to get some of the staff back and get moving."

Outside, after dark, masked police keep the traffic flowing through the packed streets.

"Everyone's out here partying. I mean look at this place," tourist Jason Smuts says. "Its good to see that everyones got their masks on, and I got the vax, hope everyone got the vax. Its gonna be good, you know."

(Writing by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Tim Cocks and Andrew Heavens)
Good morning, neighbors! It's me again, your host of the Southampton Daily.

First, today's weather:

A shower early in the morning. High: 42 Low: 33.

Here are the top four stories today in Southampton:

January's high school regents exams have been canceled because of the COVID-19 spike, the New York State Department of Education announced on Tuesday. (RiverheadLOCAL) Southampton Village Mayors said they are creating a new Department Of Public Works crew trained to keep the downtown area clean. (Subscription: 27east.com) Haskell's Seafood Market in Westhampton Beach will make over 500 meals for families in need, as part of a new program. (Subscription: 27east.com) North Haven Village will outlaw fractional home ownership plans in the village, responding to an online trend. (Subscription: 27east.com)

Today's Southampton Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community  and to get access to this amazing technology  click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Southampton!

Today in Southampton:

From my notebook:

The Santa tracker from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) that happens every Christmas Eve is run by the New York Air National Guard.

Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation received an offer from t he Solow Art and Architecture Foundation to match donations up to $50,000. (Facebook)

Southampton Youth Bureau's F.A.S.T. program is an opportunity for young children in grades K - 4 to make new friends, learn social skills, and participate in social-emotional growth activities. Program begins Jan. 10. (Instagram)

More from our sponsors  thanks for supporting local news!

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Animal Communication Sessions. Holiday Gift Certificates. (Details)

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Send me a news tip or suggestion at Southampton@Patch.com

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday off right! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with a new update.

 Jackie

This article originally appeared on the Southampton Patch
ZEELAND  Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital was recognized for its maternity care in a recent national report. The U.S. News and World Report listed the facility on its inaugural list of Best Hospitals for Maternity.

Zeeland Community Hospital was one of six Spectrum Health hospitals deemed high-performing on the list. In total, there were 237 hospitals across the country, including 12 in Michigan, that received the honor out of 2,700.

Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital was recognized as "high-performing" in maternity care by the U.S. News and World Report.

The list evaluates hospital data relating to uncomplicated pregnancies at five factors. Hospitals are evaluated on scheduled early deliveries, cesarean-section rates in low-risk women, newborn complications, rate of exclusive breast milk feeding and option for vaginal births after a C-section.

Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital is truly honored to join some of the best hospitals in the nation for maternity care and the recognition speaks volumes about the outstanding care our OB-GYNs, nurses and entire team provide to the families we serve, stated Linda Schaltz, chief nursing officer at SHZCH. Zeeland Community Hospitals outstanding maternity team and personalized approach makes it a very special place to deliver a child. We are extremely proud that we can help improve health and inspire hope to our communitys growing families.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Spectrum Zeeland recognized for maternity care
Dec. 24In a lead-up to his virtual oath of office ceremony on Jan. 3, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter is ringing in his second term with a series of outdoor community events, beginning with sledding on Monday.

"These unique times demand new approaches to every aspect of city-building, including our traditional inaugural activities," said Carter, in a statement. "I am humbled by the opportunity to continue working alongside our residents, businesses and public employees to carve the way forward together."

The events to be coordinated by St. Paul Parks and Recreation, weather-permitting, include:

 1 p.m. Monday, sledding at Battle Creek Recreation Center, 75 Winthrop St. S.

 1 p.m. Wednesday, ice skating at North Dale Recreation Center, 1414 St. Albans St. N.

 1 p.m. Thursday, snow sculptures at Edgecumbe Recreation Center, 320 Griggs St.

 5 p.m. Thursday, virtual happy hour gathering with the mayor. Email communications director peter.leggett@ci.stpaul.mn.us to RSVP.

 12 p.m. on Dec. 31, the I-Spy Evergreen Scavenger Hunt at Phalen Regional Park Beach House, 1400 Phalen Dr. E.

 2 p.m. on Dec. 31, winter bike ride from the Black Dog Cafe, 308 E. Prince St. Bring your own bike.

The virtual oath of office will be livestreamed at 12 p.m. on Jan. 3 from the city's Facebook page, Facebook.com/cityofSaintPaul.

More information is available online at stpaul.gov/inauguration.
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan and Japan's ruling parties agreed on Friday to have "all round cooperation" on semiconductors and to hold regular talks, Taiwanese lawmakers said, after what are de facto discussions between the two governments.

Although Chinese-claimed Taiwan and Japan do not have formal diplomatic ties, they have close unofficial relations and both share concerns about China, especially its increased military activities near the two.

The talks, attended by two senior lawmakers each from Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), took place online, and follow initial consultations in late August.

DPP lawmaker Chiu Chih-wei told reporters that chips were not just an issue for Japanese industry, which like the rest of the world has faced semiconductor shortages, but also an issue of security in the face of China.

"Both sides agreed that in the future there will be even more cooperation on chip supply chains, there will be a complete framework, a system, to have all round cooperation on semiconductors and other industries the two countries put importance on," he said.

Japanese officials said they had agreed with the Taiwan side that both they as well as the United States needed to cooperate to build resilient supply chains in areas such as semiconductors.

"We need to do our utmost in tackling the shortage of semiconductors at the moment, but realms of cooperation should expand as we go forward," Akimasa Ishikawa, a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker who participated in the meeting, told reporters. "One of the major challenges will be how the three countries join hands in response to China's high-tech investments."

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd said last month it would build a $7 billion chip plant in Japan with Sony Group. TSMC, a major Apple supplier, produces some of the world's most advanced semiconductors.

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The head of the DPP's international department, Lo Chih-cheng, who is also a senior DPP lawmaker, added that the two parties agreed going forward their dialogue would become regular.

The Japanese side also reaffirmed its support for Taiwan to join the 11 member Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, Lo said, which China is seeking to join too.

However Lo said that military issues were not discussed during these talks.

Japanese and U.S. armed forces have drawn up a draft plan for a joint operation for a possible Taiwan emergency, Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Thursday, citing unnamed Japanese government sources, amid increased tensions between the island and China.

In October, Japan's government signalled a more assertive position on China's aggressive posture towards Taiwan, suggesting it would consider options and prepare for "various scenarios".

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Gerry Doyle)
The number of low-income students attending college is increasing: According to a 2016 report from the Pew Research Center, the total share of undergraduate college students who come from low-income families increased from 12% in 1996 to 20% in 2016. However, only 11% of students in the bottom income quartile complete their degrees within six years, compared to 58% for those in the top quartile.

This discrepancy should make you pause. Why are so many low-income students making it to college but not to degree completion, and thus, not reaching their full potential in the workforce? One short answer encompasses the issue: a lack of unique and targeted support and resources. And, in the tech sector specifically, this lack of support stems from a problematic ecosystem that often assumes privilege and affluence in its students and future employees.

These assumptions (subconscious or not) perpetuate a tech industry that fails to access a critical and fruitful talent pool by wrongfully and consistently disqualifying low-income students from the educational and career opportunities that open doors.

Its clear that the tech education-to-career pipeline fails low-income students before degree completion and entrance into one of the highest-paid sectors in our economy  but we arent talking about it. Socioeconomic status must be part of the diversity conversation  it is underreported and underdiscussed.

What does it mean to conflate privilege with potential?

Like in many industries, tech recruitment (from internships to full-time jobs) happens well before graduation. High-potential low-income students often dont fit into the ideal candidate archetype sought by this recruitment structure, which overvalues and rewards characteristics that are often a better indicator of privilege than talent or potential. How does that happen, and how can we stop it?

If you ask hiring managers what skills might be necessary to succeed in the tech industry, they may say that theyre looking for new candidates who:

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Have great problem-solving skills.

Have demonstrated time-management skills.

Are hardworking.

Are resilient and willing to persevere through tricky problems.

Are adaptable.

These skills can come from many different experiences  for example, a student working a full- or part-time job while pursuing a technical degree gains a strong work ethic, time-management prowess and resilience. A first-generation student navigating the college experience on their own without the benefit of family knowledge or social networks likely obtains impressive problem-solving skills. Although these are subjective, they are incredibly valuable skills for succeeding in tech.

However, in recruitment practices, these demonstrated skills are rarely part of the equation and are inequitably overshadowed by things like:

Privileged high school experiences (including test prep, high-quality advising, access to higher-level math courses) that open doors to attending a prestigious college/university, and the many opportunities and supports that come with it.

The financial wherewithal and time (i.e., not having to work to support oneself or ability to work fewer hours) to participate in campus clubs and networks, attend hackathons, and/or attend conferences or networking events on weekends and evenings.

The up-front cash and knowledge needed to navigate travel for an in-person job interview or relocate for an internship.

Test scores, GPA and other quantitative measures that are heavily influenced by privilege, such as access to expensive test prep courses, rigorous math preparation before college and, most of all, the freedom to focus solely on academics afforded to those that do not have to work to support themselves and their families.

Awards and recognitions predicated on many of the above factors, as well as social capital.

Unlike the first set, these criteria are considered markers of potential. However, attaining these markers requires a certain degree of privilege and affluence unavailable to most students. All of these experiences take time and energy that keep one from attending to their family, to the job thats paying for their education and to other important responsibilities outside the classroom. Many of these experiences require independent money; most of these experiences favor extracurricular networks, prior knowledge and preparatory privilege.

This is an enormous missed opportunity with dire consequences. The tech industry must decouple event attendance, awards and where one went to school from ones actual ability to succeed in the industry. They are not one and the same, and if we continue to conflate privilege with potential, we are going to fail to access this community of high-potential students, leaving us with an ongoing talent shortage and a less diverse tech sector.

Now what?

How can tech course-correct to ensure that low-income students are uniquely supported throughout their entire tech journey?

Level the playing field for low-income recruits

More than half of college students report experiencing housing insecurity. To put it bluntly: Acing your computer science exam is hard when you cant pay your rent, and completing an assignment is nearly impossible if you dont have a fast internet connection.

To address these barriers (both new and longstanding) we must understand them, and then invest in resources that break them down.

First, support and invest in organizations that work to fill these gaps for students from low-income backgrounds. Second, level the playing field for all new recruits  if youre a decision-maker or HR representative at a tech company, ensure you're supplying all interns and new hires with door-to-door support for relocation and onboarding.

Dont assume students have the credit or family funding to cover these costs upfront and wait weeks for reimbursement. This enables candidates to show up as their best selves.

Invest in college students to invest in diversity

The tech sector tends to invest in the start of the tech pipeline  companies concentrate 66% of their philanthropic funding on K12 programs, compared to 3% on college-level programs.

K-12 investments are important but need follow-through at the higher education level to yield the talent we need. We must ensure students are completing their degrees (and support them throughout their journey to doing so)  this will yield immediate returns in the form of ready tech talent and more diverse minds contributing to the tech innovations that elevate us all.

What does this mean in practice? Heres one example: If you hire a new employee who is still in their senior year, cover their spring term. Invest in your future employees; give them the space to focus on the final, high-level classes that will better prepare them for the job, rather than leaving them to worry about paying tuition, rent and other expenses during those critical last few months.

The current population of students graduating with computing degrees, and the tech sector as a whole, does not mirror our diverse society  not only in race and gender, but also in socioeconomic status. And thats because the tech industry continues to conflate privilege with potential.

The result is a homogeneous tech sector creating critical technologies that dont serve everyone equally. Its past time to uniquely support and invest in low-income students throughout the entire tech pipeline.
Kim Kardashian has been told to stop talking about truck drivers 100-year sentence (PA Archive)

Kim Kardashian has been blasted as a loudmouth by the widow of a man killed in a 2019 Colorado pile-up after the reality TV star claimed the states laws were so unfair.

Kardashian added her powerful voice to calls for governor Jared Polis to grant truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos clemency after he was sentenced to a mandatory 110 year prison term for involuntary homicide.

Kathleen Harrison, whose husband Doyle, was among four killed in the 2019 pile-up, believes the 110 year term was too harsh, and a sentence of 20 years would have been more appropriate.

But she told TMZ she wanted Kardashian to butt out of the case.

I dont think that we want our local proceedings in any state taken over by who has the loudest mouth out there, because people don't know all the details, they are running on emotion, Ms Harrison said.

In a lengthy social media post, Kardashian said she had taken a deep dive into the case to figure out what the situation is.

(A) shocking and unfair part of this case is that the judge didnt want to sentence him to such a lengthy sentence.

However because of the mandatory minimums in Colorado his hands were tied. Mandatory minimums take away judicial discretion and need to end.

Colorado law really has to be changed and this is so unfair.

She continued: Another shocking part of the case is this post by the prosecutor after his conviction. Four people died in this tragic accident. Rogel has a life sentence for the accident, which will not only destroy his life, but it will also impact his wife and sons life.

Nearly 4.9 million people have signed a petition calling for Aguilera-Mederos, 26, to be given clemency.

A prosecutor in the case, Alexis King, has also asked the judge to reconsider the sentence.

Aguilera-Mederos was tearful in court (YouTube/CBS4)

Aguilera-Mederos, then aged 23, was driving an 18-wheeler semi-truck along Interstate 70 in Lakewood, near Denver, Colorado on 25 April 2019, for his job as a driver for a Texas-based trucking firm.

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He said the trucks brakes failed as he was driving down hill in rush hour traffic and he lost control of the vehicle.

The truck slammed into dozens of vehicles and caused a 28-vehicle crash. A gas tank ignited, sparking a fiery explosion which left four men dead.

The victims were Mr Harrison, 61, William Bailey, 67, Miguel Angel Lamas Arrellano, 24, and Stanley Politano, 69.
Trump addresses the crowd on Jan. 6, 2021 Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday appealed to the Supreme Court to block the National Archives and Records Administration from handing over documents from his White House to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, USA Today reports.

Trump's lawyers said keeping White House deliberations confidential was crucial for the government to function. "The Constitution, this Court's precedent, and federal statutes invalidate the expansive request at issue here," the lawyers wrote in their 195-page submission to the nation's highest court.

Trump says he has the right to keep the documents secret, citing executive privilege. President Biden has waived executive privilege, saying the committee can see the documents. The New York Times says the showdown "raises novel constitutional questions about the separation of powers and the power of a president no longer in office."

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Biden tries a harsher COVID message

Solutions Crossword and Sudoku - Issue: December 24, 2021
Former president Donald Trumps recent statements promoting Covid-19 vaccines are the result of President Joe Bidens praise for his predecessors administrations vaccine development efforts, ex-surgeon general Dr Jerome Adams has said.

Mr Trump, who was alone among living former US presidents in not participating in a public service announcement to promote the vaccines earlier this year, drew boos at an appearance last weekend after he said that he had received a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine.

On Tuesday, Mr Biden credited Mr Trumps administration for pushing to develop the vaccine, and Mr Trump again spoke positively of the jab in an interview with anti-vaccine conservative commentator Candace Owens the next day.

"The vaccine worked. But some people aren't taking it. The ones that get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don't take the vaccine," he said. "But it's still their choice, and if you take the vaccine, you're protected.

Mr Trump continued: "Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, it's a very minor form. People aren't dying when they take the vaccine."

Dr Adams, who served as the US surgeon general from 2017 to 20 January of this year, told CNN on Thursday that Mr Trumps newfound willingness to promote the vaccine could be attributed to Mr Bidens positive comments about the Trump administrations role in developing it.

Speaking during an appearance on CNN, Dr Adams said Mr Trumps love language is words of affirmation.

Once [Mr Biden] gave President Trump those words of affirmation, you heard President Trump come out and say, 'Thank you, I appreciate that.' And he applauded it. And I hope we see more of that, he said.

Asked by host John Berman if Mr Trump had waited to say anything positive about the benefits of vaccination until Mr Biden thanked him for pushing to develop them, Dr Adams responded: "People have different words of affirmation, different love languages. That's the truth.

"That is when you saw Donald Trump change his tune. I'm not saying it's right. I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm saying you can't deny that that is when he changed his tune and came out and supported vaccinations, he said. "And regardless, that's a good thing.
By Nathan Layne

(Reuters) - Two Georgia election workers who were the target of vote-rigging conspiracy theories have sued the far-right One America News Network, its top executives, and former President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Rudy Giuliani for allegedly spreading lies about them.

The defamation lawsuit was filed on Thursday in federal court in Washington, D.C., by Wandrea "Shaye" Moss, a voter registration officer in Fulton County, and her mother, Ruby Freeman, who was a temp worker for the 2020 election.

The lawsuit targets San Diego-based Herring Networks, which owns and operates One America News Network, as well as the channel's chief executive Robert Herring, president Charles Herring, and reporter Chanel Rion.

Giuliani, Trump's former personal lawyer, was also named as a defendant. Giuliani has frequently appeared on OAN's programs and has been one of the biggest promoters of Trump's false claims that voter fraud cost him the 2020 election.

The complaint alleges that OAN broadcast stories in which Moss and Freeman were falsely accused of conspiring to produce secret batches of illegal ballots and running them through voting machines to help then-candidate Joe Biden defeat Trump.

There is no evidence to support such claims, which have been repeatedly debunked by Georgia election officials.

In a brief interview, OAN chief executive Robert Herring Sr. told Reuters he was not concerned about the lawsuit and that his network had done nothing wrong.

"I know all about it and I'm laughing," he said of the lawsuit. "I'm laughing about the four or five others who are suing me. Eventually, it will turn on them and go the other way."

Charles Herring, Rion and Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The defamation lawsuit is the second filed this month by Moss and Freeman, who also sued the Gateway Pundit, alleging the far-right website's unfounded reports incited months of death threats and harassment against them.

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The Gateway Pundit did not immediately respond to an email sent through its website seeking comment.

In addition to removing the reports about Freeman and Moss from OAN's websites and other media channels, the lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

The OAN and Gateway Pundit lawsuits both revolve around false allegations first raised by a volunteer Trump campaign attorney at a Dec. 3 hearing of Georgia state legislators. Freeman and Moss worked in heavily Democratic Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, where a strong showing by Biden helped give the Democrat a narrow Georgia victory.

Trump, a Republican, and his surrogates used surveillance video of the vote count at State Farm Arena to falsely accuse Freeman and Moss of processing "suitcases" full of fake ballots for Biden late at night on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020, after most poll workers and election observers left.

According to the complaint, Giuliani then "amplified the video by posting about it on social media," while "OAN, its hosts, and its staff" took Giuliani's assertions and "published them to millions of its viewers and readers."

State officials including Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger quickly and forcefully denied the allegations, explaining that the "suitcases" were standard ballot containers and the votes were properly counted under the watch of an independent monitor and a state investigator.

Giuliani has falsely claimed that the video footage showed the two women engaging in "surreptitious illegal activity" and acting suspiciously, like drug dealers "passing out dope."

In early January, Trump himself singled out Freeman, by name, 18 times in a telephone call in which he pressed Georgia officials to alter the state's results. He described Freeman as a "known political operative" who "stuffed the ballot boxes."

(Reporting by Nathan Layne in Wilton, Connecticut; Additional reporting by John Shiffman in Washington; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
By Sara Cheng and Jessie Pang

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Two more Hong Kong universities removed on Friday public monuments to the 1989 Tiananmen protests in Beijing, following the dismantling of a sculpture commemorating victims of the crackdown at another university this week.

The removals at Chinese University and Lingnan University in the global financial hub came as authorities have been clamping down under a national security law imposed by China.

Human rights activists say the law is being used to suppress civil society, jail democracy campaigners and curb basic freedoms, but authorities say the security laws have restored stability after mass protests in 2019.

Just before dawn, a 6.4-metre (20-foot) -tall bronze statue representing the "Goddess of Democracy" holding a flame aloft was removed from a public piazza at Chinese University.

In a statement, the university said the "unauthorised statue" had been taken away following an "internal assessment".

The sculpture, which had stood on the campus for more than a decade, was modelled on a 10-metre (30-foot) white plaster and foam statue erected by students in Tiananmen Square to symbolise their resolve to pursue liberty and democracy in China under Communist party rule.

A group of about two dozen students gathered to denounce the move by their university, handing out June 4 flyers as well as missing person posters of the democracy goddess with the words: "Have you seen her?" Another read, "Bring her back".

Others placed crystanthemums, a traditional Chinese symbol of mourning, lit candles on the site where the statue once stood, and played the song "Bloodstained Glory" to remember the hundreds, perhaps thousands killed in 1989.

"I feel heartbroken and shocked," said Felix Chow, a former Chinese University student and district councillor.

"This statue represents the school environment is open. It's a symbol of academic freedom ... It makes people doubt whether the school can still ensure the space is free and people can speak freely," he told Reuters.

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Unlike mainland China, where authorities ban any memorials or public commemoration of June 4, Hong Kong had previously been the only place on Chinese soil where such remembrances were permissible.

For the past two years, however, police, citing COVID-19 risks, have banned an annual June 4 candlelight vigil that had regularly drawn tens of thousands of people.

Also before dawn on Christmas Eve, Hong Kong's Lingnan University took down a wall relief sculpture about the Tiananmen event that depicted the "Goddess of Democracy" and a row of tanks halting before a lone protester known as "tank man"; as well as victims shot by Chinese troops.

When asked by Reuters whether Hong Kong or Chinese authorities had instructed all three universities to remove these Tiananmen monuments, the office of Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, said it had no comment.

The sculptor of both works, Chen Weiming, told Reuters he would sue the universities if there was any damage to his works.

In the main hall of the student union at Lingnan University, a towering red drawing of the Goddess of Democracy had also been covered over in grey paint.

Students responded by pasting a sheet of paper with the word "shameful" on the effaced image, but it was quickly ripped off by security guards.

In an email to Reuters, Lingnan University said that items that may pose "legal and safety risks" had been "cleared, or removed and stored appropriately".

When Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, it was promised wide ranging autonomy and freedoms by China under a so-called "one country, two systems" arrangement.

Earlier this week, the University of Hong Kong dismantled and removed an eight-metre (26-ft) -tall "pillar of shame" statue to victims of the Tiananmen crackdown.

The disappearances of these symbolic monuments from three universities in quick succession mean that hardly any Tiananmen monuments remain to public view in Hong Kong.

"Since the Chinese communists implemented the national security law in Hong Kong, they have eradicated the freedom of press, of assembly and the freedom of expression," Chen, the artist, told Reuters.

"They want to remove the real history of the brutal crackdown ... they wouldn't allow any different viewpoints to continue to exist in Hong Kong."

(Additional reporting by Jessie Pang, Joyce Zhou, James Pomfret and Edmond Ng; Writing by James Pomfret; Editing by Michael Perry and Clarence Fernandez)
NY Daily News

Experts are keeping a wary eye on yet another COVID-19 variant, this one with 46 mutations. It was detected in France and showed up in a traveler who recently arrived from a three-day stay in Cameroon, French researchers said in a pre-print study published on medRxiv, which means it has not yet been peer-reviewed. While researchers were monitoring the strain to ascertain how infectious it is ...
The Daily Beast

Tyrone Siu via ReutersRemember back in 2020 at the start of the pandemic when the Diamond Princess taught the world everything they never wanted to know about contagion as the then-novel coronavirus tore through the massive cruise ship, infecting 712 out of the 3,711 passengers? Half of Infected Diamond Princess Passengers and Crew Had No SymptomsWell, fast forward two years, and another ocean linerRoyal Caribbeans Spectrum of the Seasis stuck in a similarly hellish limbo with 2,500 passenger
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam aims to vaccinate all of its adult population with a coronavirus booster shot by the end of the first quarter of next year, the health ministry said on Friday.

The Southeast Asian country has seen a surge in daily infections since it lifted most of its movement restrictions in October, but has not reported any cases of the Omicron variant.

"The COVID-19 situation has been evolving in a complicated manner recently, with a rising trend in new infections," the ministry said in a statement.

The country reported 16,377 infections on Thursday, raising its overall caseload to 1.6 million, with 30,500 deaths.

More than 62% of its population of 98 million have received at least two vaccine shots.

(Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, congratulates Russian President Vladimir Putin after presenting him with the Friendship Medal in Beijing in 2018. (Greg Baker/Pool/Reuters)

Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly demanded that the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization bar Ukraine from its military alliance, move troops, weapons and installations from its eastern flank and issue security guarantees about the future of the region.

The ball is in their court, Putin said at a news conference last week. They need to respond to us with something.

While Western officials responded with indignation, saying Putin would not tell NATO what to do, Chinese President Xi Jinping applauded Putins brinkmanship. At a video summit last week with Putin, Xi denounced the U.S. and NATO for interfering in the internal affairs of China and Russia, according to Chinas state-run news agency Xinhua.

The increasingly warm relations between China and Russia are raising eyebrows, as well as the potential stakes, across the Western world, but the tensions with Washington have been building for months.

When the U.S. became the first nation earlier this month to announce that its government officials would boycott Februarys Olympic Games in Beijing in response to Chinas treatment of Uyghur Muslims and its steamrolling of Hong Kongs democracy movement, Putin rose to Xis defense, calling the diplomatic protest pointless and saying he planned to attend.

In October, in between Chinese sorties in violation of Taiwans airspace, China played war games in the waters off the contested island and was joined in its impressive naval and aeronautical display of force by the Russian military.

Whether one calls it a marriage of convenience, a bromance or a strategic cooperation, the relationship between Putin and Xi is definitely intensifying, Roland Freudenstein, vice president and head of Globsec Brussels, a nonpartisan think tank, told Yahoo News. If Russia instigates a military invasion of Ukraine, he added, the temptation for the Chinese to do something about Taiwan increases exponentially  and vice versa.

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An alliance between Russia and China poses challenges for the Biden administration, analysts say. (Illustration: Yahoo News; images: Getty Images)

A two-front war would, in principle, be gravely challenging, Nigel Gould-Davies, senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, told Yahoo News, adding that he believes such an outcome is currently unlikely. However, [China and Russia] each watch the Wests responses to the other. So if the West is seen to lack resolve against one adversary, the other may be emboldened to act.

Answering a question posed by Yahoo News, Heather A. Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., told an Atlantic Council webinar that the double-theater scenario would put the Biden administration in a precarious position. What would stretch the U.S. military capabilities the most? she asked. Making a choice between having to respond to a challenge on NATOs eastern flank [while] making sure Taiwan is protected.

That scenario, said Markus Ziener, Helmut Schmidt fellow at the German Marshall Fund, is being debated quite a bit here in Washington. Whats going to happen if we have two theaters of war, two theaters of tension, at the same time? Can the United States handle that?

Having moved to the U.S. for a research project involving Russia, China and the U.S., Ziener sees growing concern about the Russia-China relationship ramp-up in recent weeks. Putin has amassed some 100,000 troops and military equipment near Ukraine's border, while China keeps sending warplanes into Taiwanese airspace and loudly objecting to Taiwans moves to be recognized as independent, including having its own seat at the United Nations.

A Russian armed forces sniper takes part in combat drills in Rostov, Russia, on Dec. 14. (Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters)

The mood in D.C. even two months ago was more like, Russia and China dont have friends, there are no other options for them but to cooperate, Ziener said. China needs the energy from Russia and Russia wants to sell them energy and weaponry, so it makes sense. But now, it seems like there are more overarching goals for both of them. And one of them is definitely to push back against the United States.

The cozying up between Russia and China, two nations targeted by the U.S. with sanctions, is about rearranging the global power board, Samir Puri, senior fellow in urban security and hybrid warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore, told Yahoo News.

Theyre big and theyre authoritarian  that in itself seems to be enough to disqualify you from favorable relations with the USA. And theyre both being hit with sanctions, Puri said. The Russia-China alignment is one of the defining factors of modern geopolitics. The two countries dominate Eurasia. They have two of the five permanent seats in the U.N. Security Council. Theyre two of the eight declared nuclear weapon states. And the fact theyve gotten closer has changed things.

Velina Tchakarova, director at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy in Vienna, refers to the partnership between China and Russia as Dragonbear and sees 2014 as the pivotal year for Putin and Xi. After seizing Crimea from Ukraine, Russia was absolutely isolated  internationally and regionally. It was struggling with sanctions, which were really harsh. And in 2014, the Russian currency hit rock bottom, she said. With the Russian economy teetering and the government on the brink of default, China came to the rescue.

Russia was facing a crisis of existential scale. Then China stepped in, introducing different measures, currency swaps, their central bank intervened, making declarations that it will do whatever needed to basically save the Russian currency and default was prevented, Tchakarova said. This is just one example of many, which opened my eyes that this is something much more systemic than just a sum of ad hoc events.

President Biden, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on June 16. (Patrick Semansky, File/AP)

Now, the two countries are linked on everything from energy to trade to technological and military hardware. Yet, despite their occasional exchanging of friendship necklaces and public shows of mutual support, fissures between the two nations havent been patched over. Neither leader is particularly trusting of the other, said Freudenstein, and the two countries, which share a 2,600-mile border, have experienced a shaky history, from a schism between the Soviet Union and Communist China in the 1950s to a brief border clash in 1969.

There are naked figures that indeed indicate that the relationship is not that hot. Foreign direct investment, for example, is dismally low in both directions, Freudenstein said. Russian direct investment in China only amounts to a couple of hundred million dollars a year, he added. This is nothing; this is not even peanuts, these are crumbs.

Trade is not exactly robust either. While China is Russias main trading partner, Russia is not Chinas. That distinction goes to the U.S. Nevertheless, there is some technology transfer, and Huawei is installing Russias 5G network.

The bigger worry for analysts is the threat posed by the potential for the two countries to coordinate militarily. China and Russia have not yet committed to come to each others aid in a time of war, Puri said. Were that to happen  if they did sign a mutual defense agreement  that would be a global game changer, he added. And if they did coordinate in planning separate military attacks simultaneously, he said, wed be in Tom Clancy territory of geopolitical situations that feel more like a film than real life.

Until this week, David Stulik, a Russia analyst for the European Values Center for Security Policy, a think tank in Prague, thought Putin was probably bluffing the U.S. and NATO over Ukraine. But when Russian state news services this week began reporting that the U.S. had deployed chemical weapons in Ukraine and had them pointed at Moscow, a claim Pentagon officials flatly deny, he had second thoughts.

Putin is taking it to the next level, increasing the temperature in the room, and portraying Russia as a victim of the aggressive behavior of NATO and the U.S., Stulik said. This is a deliberate step. But then I ask myself: Why? Whats Putins end objective? And that I just cant answer.

The good news, at least according to Tchakarova, is that even if Russia does militarily move on Ukraine, China is unlikely to strike Taiwan  at least for the next couple of months. And for that we can thank the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, which dont begin until Feb. 4.
Its Christmas Eve, and children across the country are waiting for Santa Claus to make his way down the chimney and deliver presents.

But where is Santa now, and when will he arrive in the United States  or more importantly, in their state? High-tech trackers by the North American Aerospace Defense Command and Google are monitoring the big guy and his reindeer and offering minute-by-minute updates on his location as he flies around the world.

And kids shouldnt be worried about the coronavirus pandemic affecting Santas travel plans. He got his COVID-19 booster shot and is good to go for Christmas this year, Dr. Anthony Fauci confirmed to USA TODAY.

Here are some of the most popular Santa trackers you can use on Christmas Eve 2021.

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NORAD Tracks Santa

NORAD will again be tracking Santa this Christmas using satellites, radar and even jet fighters. The agency's predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command, started tracking Santa's flight in 1955, and NORAD took over in 1958.

NORAD makes a point of checking the radar closely for indications of Santa Claus leaving the North Pole every holiday season, according to its website.

The agency operates a phone line where callers can speak to a NORAD volunteer, a website and more to ensure children can track Santas path.

NORAD confirmed to USA TODAY that, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, approximately 500 volunteers will be taking calls at its NORAD Tracks Santa operations center at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, and another 150 volunteers will be taking calls remotely. In years before the coronavirus pandemic, approximately 1,500 volunteers helped track Santa's path.

If you want to put out milk and cookies in time for Santas arrival, you can also send an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com on Friday, and a NORAD staff member will send you Santas last known location, according to its website.

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Amazon Alexa customers can also enable the NORAD Tracks Santa skill to follow Santa and his reindeer on Christmas Eve.

Alexa can also offer to call Santa himself, and kids can leave a voice message for him with the toys they hope to receive on Christmas.

Google Santa Tracker

On Christmas Eve, Google is releasing "a tracking experience where you can follow Santa and his reindeer as they deliver presents to kids around the world," according to its website.

You can also use Google Assistant to keep up with Santa's location on Dec. 24.

Google has tracked Santas worldwide journey on Christmas Eve since 2004. They've calculated Santas first stop is just after 10 p.m. local time in far eastern Russia" and his total journey lasts 25 hours.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where is Santa now? NORAD, Google tracker up for Christmas Eve
Wisconsin Icy Crash

fox 6 news Wisconsin icy crash

Icy conditions caused by freezing rain caused several multi-vehicle crashes impacting drivers on both sides of I-94 in Wisconsin's Jackson County Wednesday morning, the state patrol announced.

The first crash took place at about 5:45 a.m. Wednesday, impacting drivers on the east and westbound lanes of the highway. From there, a number of other accidents occurred along the same highway that were also caused by the icy conditions.

In a statement, Wisconsin State Patrol said there were no fatalities.

Wisconsin Icy Crash

fox 6 news Wisconsin icy crash

At 5:45 a.m., a multi-vehicle crash occurred on the east and westbound lanes of I-94 at mile marker 96 in Jackson County near Northfield.

"Thankfully, there were no fatalities and all other reported injuries appear to be non-life threatening," the statement read. "Several dozen vehicles were involved, including semi-tractor trailers."

RELATED: Woman Dies, Several Others Injured in 48-Car Pileup in Wisconsin: 'It All happened So Fast'

The Hixton Fire department said in a statement roughly 50 cars were involved in multiple crashes. "There were approximately another 70 vehicles that did not receive any damage and were intermixed within the accident scene," the statement said.

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.

Onlookers described the scene to NBC affiliate WEAU, with one driver, Egor Morozov, saying his car began sliding toward a guard rail when it finally stopped. That's when he quickly got out of the car, to avoid being injured when another vehicle crashed into his.

Wisconsin Icy Crash

fox 6 news Wisconsin accident

"When I saw the semis rolling and rolling, I knew I had to get out of the car as soon as possible. So when I got out of the car, I hopped out through a window," Morozov told WEAU. "Minutes later, I saw an explosion. What I saw I remember forever. That's for sure."

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WEAU reported that about 20 people were hurt in the accidents, but none of the injuries were serious.

The Hixton Fire Department said in its statement that two semis caught fire, along with two cars, but that only one person "needed to be extricated from their vehicle."

The accidents prompted closures on both sides of the interstate that lasted 13 hours, WEAU reported.

Wisconsin State Patrol said all vehicles had been cleared from the scene of the accident as of 4:20 a.m. on Friday morning.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A Yemeni rebel attack on Saudi Arabia's southern border town of Jizan killed two people and wounded seven more late Friday, Saudi state-run media reported.

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a projectile that killed a Saudi citizen and Yemeni resident in the southwestern Saudi province of Jizan, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. Six of the wounded are Saudis and one is a Bangladeshi national, Saudi media said.

Shrapnel also smashed into nearby cars and shops.

The fatal cross-border attack marks an escalation in Yemen's long-running civil war. Saudi-led military coalition airstrikes struck Sanaa earlier on Friday, hitting a military camp near the city center, Saudi media reported. Houthi media said the strikes had hit a populated neighborhood, damaging homes.

On Saturday, Yemeni Brig. Gen. Yehia Sarie, a Houthi spokesman, said the rebels fired three ballistic missiles on Jizan, targeting what he described as vital and sensitive sites there. He provided no further details.

Yemen's war erupted in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country's north. Months later, the U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition intervened to oust the Houthis and restore the internationally recognized government. The war has settled into a stalemate and spawned the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

Throughout the conflict, the Houthis have increasingly staged drone attacks and fired missiles across the border at airports, oil facilities and military installations within the kingdom.

Those assaults have rarely caused substantial damage, but over the years have wounded dozens and rattled global oil markets. Within Yemen, the Saudi-led bombing campaign has drawn international criticism for hitting non-military targets such as hospitals and wedding parties in the Arab worlds most impoverished nation.

Yemen's civil war has killed some 130,000 people, including thousands of civilians.

Earlier this week the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, reported that attacks by the Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia have more than doubled this year from last year. Based on an analysis of thousands of Houthi attacks between 2016 and 2021, it said Houthi attacks on the kingdom averaged 78 a month this year, compared to 38 a month last year.

The cross-border assaults provide a broader view of the regional proxy war between Tehran and Riyadh. Although the regional powerhouses recently have engaged in Bagdad-brokered talks to cool down tensions, a political settlement in Yemen remains elusive.
Japan's health ministry has authorized the use of an oral COVID-19 drug developed by US pharmaceutical firm Merck.

The decision came on Friday. The ministry plans to deliver molnupiravir to medical institutions, drugstores and other facilities nationwide so that patients can start taking it as early as next week.

The drug is the first oral medicine in Japan for preventing coronavirus patients from developing severe symptoms.

Patients who can receive molnupiravir must be at least 18 years old, have mild or moderate symptoms and be at risk of becoming seriously ill. It will not be prescribed for pregnant women.

The drug will be administered within five days of the onset of symptoms. It will come in the form of pills, to be taken twice a day for five days.

The ministry says the drug will be provided for free.

Merck says a clinical trial shows that molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by about 30 percent.

The medicine is expected to help reduce the burden on patients and medical institutions because it can be taken at home.

The ministry has secured supplies for 1.6 million patients. Sufficient doses for 200,000 people will be provided this year.
Alexa Ferreyra Peterson of Bellevue is one of 10 finalists for Greater Good Charities annual Feline Foster Heroes Contest, which is supported by Royal Canin.

The contest honors and rewards people that selflessly open their homes and hearts to homeless cats and kittens.

Peterson was nominated for the award in recognition of her efforts to support vulnerable felines on their journey toward a forever loving home.

A feline advocate since the age of 12, Peterson has volunteered nearly 1,500 hours a year to Foster Kitten Project rescue organization, as well as supports 15 to 20 feline fosters annually.

Only 16, Peterson is the youngest volunteer member of the Foster Kitten Project team and even manages application checks.

Peterson was selected as one of 10 finalists by a panel of judges.

My family has been rescuing cats basically off the street since I was a little girl. So, its really been instilled in me to rescue animals and we have like physically rescued our cats off the street, Peterson said.

A lot of the work Peterson does with foster cats is getting feral kittens socialized and ready for adoption.

We just got a group of five kittens and they were completely feral and theyre very young. So, when theyre young and kind of thorough like that, its kind of easier to socialize them than a cat thats fully grown. So, I have to work with them every single day to get them to be able to trust me in order to do things like pet them and pick them up, Peterson said.

Peterson specifically works with the Foster Kitten project, an organization that is the only in Nebraska that takes in feral kittens who have to be bottle-fed.

Petersons said she is glad her mom nominated her for the contest.

I dont even realize how much work I really do because its just part of my everyday life and its not usual of other people my age, but its something that Ive always lived with. So, its pretty normal to me to work with animals every day, Peterson said.

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New Horizon Presbyterian Church

New Horizon Presbyterian Church, 30 Valley View Drive, will have one service at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday and Jan 2. The Christmas Eve service will be today at 5 p.m. On Jan. 9 we will return to our regular schedule of traditional services at 8 and 11 a.m. and the praise service at 9 a.m. Sunday school is 10 to 10:45 a.m. On Wednesdays the Dulcimer Group practices from 4:30-5:30 p.m., the Praise Team from 5:45-6:30 p.m., the Chancel Bell Choir from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and the Chancel Choir from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The CDC advises everyone, vaccinated or not, to wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of high transmission such as Pottawattamie County. Please consider wearing a mask (regardless of your vaccination status), remember to use hand sanitizer frequently and maintain your social distance. Food and coffee will remain unavailable. Children are welcome to attend but the nursery will not be available. If you are ill, please worship from home by watching our Facebook page: facebook.com/NewHorizonPC.

Underwood Lutheran Church

Underwood Lutheran Church, at 10 Third Ave., will hold Sunday services. In-person worship begins at 10:15 a.m. with the online video available later in the day. Christmas Eve worship will be today beginning at 5 and 10 p.m. Holy Communion will be celebrated at both services. There will be no services held on Saturday.

Hazel Dell United Methodist Church

Hazel Dell United Methodist Church, 23109 205th St., will open for worship at 9 a.m. on Sunday and will maintain social distancing. Masks are not required but are available for those who need or want one, and we have plenty of hand sanitizer. We will meet in the church sanctuary. If you are sick, please do not join us. If you decide not to attend at this time, you can join us in worship at home through Facebook Live. We are in prayer for all those affected by this virus. Christmas Eve service will be today at 5 p.m.

Carter Lake United Methodist Church

Carter Lake United Methodist Church, 3025 Mabrey Lane in Carter Lake, invites the public to join in live Sunday worship service at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Face masks are optional. Sunday school for Children is at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. The Sunday worship can also be viewed live on our Facebook page: Carter Lake, Iowa United Methodist Church. Also this week is AA meeting on Monday at 7 p.m.; NA meeting on Monday at 7 p.m.; Bible study on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.; and craft idea exchange on Thursday at 1 p.m. in the fellowship hall. The Christmas Eve Service will be today at 6:45 p.m.

Gethsemane Presbyterian Church

Gethsemane Presbyterian Church, 224 Wallace Ave., invites you to worship with us. Our service runs from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Children are invited to participate in Sunday school. Rev. Dr. Edwin G. Steinmetz will be delivering the sermon The Eyes of Prayer! Refreshments will be served following service. Adult Bible study meets on Monday and Thursday from 9-10 a.m. We will have a candlelit Christmas Eve Service today at 6 p.m. and Holy Communion will be served. Our food pantry is open on Monday and Thursday until 10:30 a.m. For more information contact the church office at 712-366-2513 or visit us on Facebook at gethsemanepresbyterianchurch.org.

St. Pauls Evangelical Country Church

St. Pauls Evangelical Country Church, 11055 Dumfries Ave., rings the church bell at 10:30 a.m. to welcome people to worship each Sunday morning. There are directional signs from Wabash Avenue and Pioneer Trail leading to the church. You are invited to join us for our beautiful candlelight Christmas Eve service today at 6 p.m. We are a friendly, growing Bible teaching church led by Rev. Jason Kinney. Sunday school for all ages including adults begins at 9:15 a.m. This Sundays scripture is Romans 12:1 with the sermon title An Acceptable Offering to God. Visit our website stpaulsecc.org for more information. We are handicapped accessible.

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church, 1800 Fifth Ave., invites the public to participate in our live worship service at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Face masks are optional. The Sunday worship service will continue to be recorded live and can be viewed on our Facebook page: Fifth Avenue UMC, Council Bluffs. The church office can be reached Monday or Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for prayer or other requests at 712-323-7374 or through our email fifthaveumchurch@gmail.com. Upcoming events include Christmas Eve Service at 6 and 11 p.m. today. On Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. there will be a Soup and Game night, on Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. and Jan 28 at 6p.m. there will be Meal & Message.

Bethany Presbyterian Church

Bethany Presbyterian Church, 1900 S. Seventh St., will have its Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m. today. Rev. Nancy Ross-Hullingers message at this service will be Welcome Home and the scripture is Isaiah 9:2-7 and Luke 2:1-20. On Sunday, there will be service at 10:30 a.m. Rev. Ross-Hullingers message this day will be Living Differently and the scripture is Colossians 3:12-17. Liturgist on Sunday will be Earl Hallberg and the greeter will be Linda Cody. We are still collecting hats, gloves and mittens. Annual committee reports are due. Masks are recommended and we are a handicap accessible facility.

Compass Christian Church

Compass Christian Church, 2007 S. Seventh St., welcomes you to worship on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. A cry room and childrens classes are available. You may also worship with us online at compasscb.online.church. Weekly schedules include mens Bible study Mondays at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday nights from 6:30-7:30 p.m. includes groups for kids kindergarten through fifth grades, students in grades sixth through 12th and the prayer group meets. Mens and Womens groups are held at various times throughout the year. There will be a Gingerbread Eve, Fun for the Whole Family event on Dec. 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. There will be building and decorating nativity gingerbread houses, a family photo booth, hot chocolate bar and at 5:30 pm there will be a short family video along with Christmas carols. The public is invited. Complete information can be found on Facebook at Compass Christian Church CB, compasscb.org or the church office at 712-366-9112.

Epworth United Methodist Church

Epworth United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B, holds worship on Sundays at 9:25 a.m. The people are friendly, the worship is meaningful and the building is handicap accessible. Masks are not required but are available for those who need or want one. We invite you to our Bible study on Thursdays at 9 a.m. There will be a Christmas Candlelight Service today at 7 p.m. We are in prayer for all those affected by this virus. If you want us to pray for you, let us know your prayer requests by phone at 712-323-3124 or online at epworthumccb.org/about-us/our-values/. Our office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Community of Christ Church

Community of Christ Church, 140 W. Kanesville Blvd., will have service this week at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday and Amber Newcom will be speaking the message. The theme this week is Listen to the Child with scriptures Luke 2:41-52; 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Psalm 148; Colossians 3:12-17. There are some virtual ministries out on our World Church Website just access ongoing ministries at cofchrist.org. Please call our office at 712-323-4498 for any updates.

Broadway Christian Church

Broadway Christian Church, 2658 Ave. A, invites the public to Sunday service at 9 a.m. with Rev. Carol Hall. We have weekly communion, a hearing loop is installed for those who need it and the church is handicap accessible. Bible study is held Wednesdays at 10 a.m. We have weekly Overeaters Anonymous and AA meetings. For more information, call the church office at 712-323-7741, visit us at bcccb.org or on Facebook.
DES MOINES  While Iowans are gathering with loved ones and friends for the holidays, the state  like so many others in the nation  is experiencing yet another surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

The latest surge is fueled by the virus omicron variant  which early research suggests is far more transmissible  is once again putting severe stress on Iowas health care systems. Once again, hospitals are overflowing and health care professionals are over-worked.

COVID-related hospitalizations in Iowa are higher than they have been since December, when the state was just beginning to come back down from the worst surge of the pandemic, according to state data.

Those hospitalizations are being driven by unvaccinated individuals. Those who are not fully vaccinated account for nearly 9 out of every 10 COVID patients in intensive care, and more than 4 out of every 5 COVID patients overall, according to state figures.

In Iowa, 62.5% of people eligible to get the COVID vaccines  those who are 5 years and older  are fully vaccinated, which is the 26th-highest rate in the country, according to federal data. And 44.8% of Iowa adults who are fully vaccinated have also received a booster shot; thats the fourth-best rate in the nation, according to federal data.

With COVID once again surging during the holiday season, the Des Moines Bureau asked medical experts from across the state to answer questions about how Iowans can be safe in the coming weeks.

SHOULD UNVACCINATED IOWANS TRAVEL OR GATHER WITH FAMILY DURING THE HOLIDAYS?Dr. Jeremy Granger, medical director at UnityPoint Clinic in Sioux City:

In order to keep our families and communities safe, it is not recommended that unvaccinated Iowans travel or attend in-person gatherings during the holidays. However, if folks who are unvaccinated decide to do these things, they should wear a mask around others and in public places and practice good hand hygiene.

Dr. Timothy Horrigan, MercyOne Waverly Family Medicine:

Unvaccinated adults place themselves at very high risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus (both the delta and omicron variants) anyplace they travel without a mask or by gathering in a crowd.  Unvaccinated adults are particularly vulnerable to exposure of the COVID-19 virus when gathering indoors without a mask and participating in high-exposure activities, such as eating meals.

IS IT SAFE FOR VACCINATED IOWANS TO TRAVEL AND GATHER WITH FAMILIES?

Dr. Dustin Arnold, chief medical officer, UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids:

The vaccine does protect against acquiring COVD-19 (by) reducing the risk of hospitalization and death. I would recommend masking and social distancing when possible while traveling.

Dr. Russel Adams, UnityPoint Health Allen Hospital in Waterloo:

Travel during these times is not 100% safe, but Iowans who are fully vaccinated coupled with having the booster injection if appropriate have less risk with air travel. Masking and social distancing when possible coupled with hand hygiene remain important, however.

IS IT SAFE FOR VACCINATED IOWANS TO GATHER WITH UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUALS?

Dr. Jeremy Granger, medical director at UnityPoint Clinic in Sioux City:

Those who have been fully vaccinated, and received the booster if appropriate, definitely have an added layer of protection against COVID-19 this holiday season. The safest possible scenario would be that every person attending the family gathering is also vaccinated, and we should still consider keeping the gatherings on the smaller side this year. If members of the family are still unvaccinated, you may want to consider a virtual gathering.

Dr. Timothy Horrigan, MercyOne Waverly Family Medicine:

Breakthrough infections are always a possibility for vaccinated adults. These infections can include all the usual symptoms of fever, cough and body aches, which can result in time off work or time away from family.

SHOULD IOWANS GET A COVID TEST BEFORE ATTENDING A GATHERING?

Dr. Dustin Arnold, chief medical officer, UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids:

Testing provides some reassurance. However, there are false negatives, so social distancing and masking and having good air movement is probably more efficacious in reducing transmission.

Dr. Jeff Brock, MercyOne Infection Prevention in Des Moines:

Those who are vaccinated do not need to test before gathering with family members unless they have had a recent close exposure to someone diagnosed with COVID-19, have any symptoms of infection, or just want to test to reduce the risk of exposing someone at high risk who has a weakened immune system. Testing is advisable for unvaccinated individuals before gatherings.

WHAT OTHER MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR IOWANS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?

Dr. Russel Adams, UnityPoint Health Allen Hospital in Waterloo:

Fully vaccinated with booster individuals still have risk of travel  however the risk is less, but it remains important to wear a mask, social distance and hand wash frequently. Avoidance of exposure to individuals that are not vaccinated is very important. The safest plan is to not travel, but of course this option is difficult, especially during holidays and for the emotional and spiritual well-being.

Dr. Jeff Brock, MercyOne Infection Prevention in Des Moines:

The omicron variant is now the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S. and it is spreading rapidly. While we still have a lot to learn about this new variant, we can help reduce transmission and slow this virus down through vaccination. Getting fully vaccinated, including the COVID-19 booster dose for those who are eligible, can help reduce the risk of becoming seriously ill.

Dr. Jeremy Granger, medical director at UnityPoint Clinic in Sioux City:

We recognize that its been a long 20 months and people are anxious to gather in person with their friends and families. Its extremely important at this time to remind the public that COVID-19 is still present in our communities, and that being fully vaccinated is your safest and most effective line of defense against this virus.

Sarah Ekstrand, spokeswoman, Iowa Department of Public Health:

Getting vaccinated is the best thing Iowans can do to protect themselves and their families from the risk of severe illness, hospitalization or death from a COVID-19 infection. Any Iowan who has questions about the vaccine should discuss them with their health care provider. Iowans should stay home if they are sick and seek testing if they have symptoms or are exposed to a COVID positive individual.
GRAND ISLAND  The annual Toys for Tots event last week at Fonner Park, via Heartland United Way, provided some holiday joy for less-fortunate children in the Grand Island area.

Among the store-bought toys and games were handmade wood cradles provided by teacher Dave Wamburg.

Wamburg has been industrial arts teacher at Central Citys Nebraska Christian since 1999, and was a teacher for 28 years in Fullerton.

I didnt get out of teaching, I just keep going, he said. I retired for 45 minutes, is what I did.

The cradles are made as part of a production class. Every year, Wamburg and his students craft about 30 cradles to donate for the yearly event.

Wamburg has been making these cradles for nearly 20 years.

The first two years I didnt do cradles, but then I started doing them, and I kind of got away from it, but the cradles were such a big hit and they were high-demand and everybody wanted them again, he said. Weve been doing cradles exclusively for the last 15 or 16 years.

Wamburg donates the money himself to buy the pine used for the cradles, about $300 every year for materials.

Dolls are provided by Terry Holcomb, Grand Island Walmart general manager, and small blankets are made by various local crafters.

Each cradle has the bedtime prayer printed on the side: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

On the other side is an image of a praying baby angel.

We have a laser-engraved, so we design it on the computer, press print and it lasers out the nice designs and words on there to make them really professionally done, he said.

Wamburgs students learn about manufacturing from the class.

Were actually mass producing them, he said. Ive got some kids who are cutting them out, some kids sanding, some doing laser, some kids putting them together. We just kind of have a little factory going on.

There are two classes who work on the cradles, two days each week per Wamburgs part-time schedule.

It is also an opportunity for the students to learn about charity and community.

Im trying to get the kids aware of their surroundings and that people just need a helping hand sometimes, he said.

Those students become a part of a legacy.

I put together a PowerPoint, and every year to get them into it I show them all pictures of the past, and it gives them a good idea, he said. Later on, Ill have pictures of this year added to my PowerPoint. We just keep it growing.

Wamburg brought six students from Nebraska Christian to Fonner Park to help set up for the yearly event.

Wamburg has been working with Heartland United Way and President Karen Rathke since 2000 to provide cradles for Toys for Tots, he said.

He enjoys contributing to the day and brightening the holidays for others.

It gets in your blood, he said. Even if I wasnt at the school Id be building all of these in my garage. Id still end up doing it as long as I could. Ill be in the nursing home cutting out cradles someday.

He added, Its very rewarding. With charity work, it just happens.

Rathke applauded Wamburg and Nebraska Christians students for their efforts.

We are very grateful that Dave has done these cradles, just made such a precious gift for little children to have a handmade cradle, she said. The really cool part is that these cradles are made by students for younger children to enjoy."
JOHNSTON  Once the process is completed, its likely more than 1,000 refugees from Afghanistan will have been resettled in Iowa, according to a state refugee services worker.

Iowa has been taking in refugees from Afghanistan since the U.S. ended its military involvement in the country in August.

Mak Suceska, bureau chief for the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services within the Iowa Department of Human Services, and Kerri True-Funk, director of the Des Moines field office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, discussed the process for an upcoming episode of Iowa Press on Iowa PBS.

Suceska said as of mid-December, roughly 700 Afghans had been resettled in Iowa, and while the number could fluctuate depending on myriad circumstances, he expected that figure to grow to more than 1,000 by the time the process is complete.

Suceska and True-Funk said the refugees are relocating in cities across the state, including Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, the Quad-Cities, and Sioux City.

Refugees come with a great sense of loss. So whatever opportunities they may have presented to them in a new home, there is going to be gratitude without a doubt, Suceska said. So a lot of the stories that we hear are paired with the challenges and hurdles families face, but also the successes, being grateful to be out of a dire situation and into a new place where it is safe, where there are supports and resources. We met with some families last week that are just very grateful to have the opportunity to start their new lives.

Suceska, a refugee himself who in 1993 came to Iowa as a child with his family as they fled war-torn Yugoslavia, said Iowa has a history of welcoming refugees, of which he said the state should be proud.

There has been an outpouring of support from top down, really across the state from our state leadership with Gov. (Kim) Reynolds office to our Department of Human Services leadership as well as our community as a whole, really wanting to support these vulnerable individuals, Suceska said. With that legacy that they are accustomed to from the 70s and 80s, many of those former faith-based organizations, volunteers and sponsors have stepped up once again to try to help support.

Suceska said overall, refugees tell him they have found welcoming communities in Iowa.

I think Iowa, overall, with its legacy and the work that we have done, has been a welcoming state for some time, he said. It is very important to hear from our leadership that Iowa remains to be that way and we continue to build on that legacy to ensure that everyone coming to our state, specifically refugees, have a welcoming home.

True-Funk said programs and resources are in place to help refugees resettle, especially during their first three months here.

So once a family gets here, in that first 90 days we help them do everything from get a Social Security number to get initial doctors visits, get medical assistance and (food assistance) benefits until they are able to get working and find housing, register their kids for school, True-Funk said. And we also have an initial employment program for people that dont have a lot of barriers to finding employment. So if they are willing and able to work  we can help them find jobs.

All of that, even with the employment program, takes place within the first eight months that they are here. So it is really time-crunched, a lot of services in a short period of time. And then were able to give them some longer-term support through some of our additional programming.

The world is experiencing a refugee crisis, according to the International Rescue Committee, with United Nations data showing that 82.4 million people were forcibly displaced in 2020, a figure that has doubled over the past decade.

Remember that refugees arent refugees at the beginning. They are individual citizens, people just like you and I who happen to become refugees. So from war to climate change or other issues that may have affected people, that is where we have seen an increase in refugee resettlement and refugees as a whole, Suceska said. For Iowa and what that means for our country and even our state is that we will continue to help support to the best of our ability and as well as we can with our leadership that we have at the state level and locally. I think Iowa is poised well to answer that call.

Iowa Press airs on Iowa PBS at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and noon on Sundays. It also can be viewed anytime at iowapbs.org.
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Tunisia has long been hailed as an Arab Spring success story in terms of democratic reform. But on the back of economic hurdles, Tunisias freely elected President is burning the ladder that brought him to power tightening his power grab, idling elected institutions and cracking down on dissent.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have rang the alarm bell regarding Tunisias slide to authoritarianism amid a surge in free speech prosecutions of people who criticize the Presidents coup detat.

The President has disbanded the Parliament and reshuffled the government while putting off legislative election to next July, triggering the wrath of pro-democracy forces in the country.

To publicly challenge the president and his seizure of special powers is to risk finding yourself in court, said Eric Goldstein, acting Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Silencing critics is doubly dangerous at a time when the president is busy concentrating so much power in his own hands, he said.

Criticism of the president risks prosecution as an offense under the military justice code because the president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces under the constitution.

The military justice code punishes with up to three years in prison any person, military or civilian, who denigrates the flag, defames the army, or incites military personnel to disobey or criticize military leaders.

Repressive laws, including those criminalizing criticism of state institutions, have remained in force despite the 2014 Tunisian Constitutions protection of freedom of speech, deplored Human Rights Watch.

The repression at home came at a context Tunisia brings itself closer to other military-dominated authoritarian regimes such as neighboring Algeria, which has no interest in having a democratic neighbor.

In the midst of this crackdown, Tunisia has given its former President Moncef Marzouki a four-year jail sentence for assaulting the security of the state.

Marzouki said the ruling was issued by an illegitimate president who overturned the constitution.
Morocco has prepared a propitious investment infrastructure in Dakhla in the Sahara region, which is now poised to serve as a gate for Africa, the Oxford Business Group said.

The region already enjoys a GDP per capita that is twice higher than the national average and boasts a diversified economy that comprises fisheries, tourism, renewable energies, agriculture, and construction, OBG said in a recent report.

Fisheries so far represents 27% of Dakhlas GDP in 2020 and employs 43,000 people, it said.

The report cites the infrastructure projects launched by Morocco to enhance the attractiveness of the region for foreign investors, highlighting in particular the highway that will connect the city to Moroccos national highway network and the 1 billion-port.

The new port will include 1000 hectares dedicated to industrial plants and logistics which will further bolster the competitiveness of Dakhla region for investors.

In the upcoming years, Dakhla will be a key African trade route, OBG quoted an economic pundit as saying.

The opening of dozen cosulates in Dakhla over the last two years shows the momentum in the region and points into prospects for trade, notably with African neighbors, it said.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the European Union, provides 25 million to Banque Marocaine pour le Commerce et lIndustrie (BMCI) to support Moroccos green transition.

The financing, of which a total of 23.75 million will be provided by the EBRD and 1.25 million by the GCF, will be extended as sub-loans by BMCI to local citizens, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporations for climate change mitigation and adaptation technologies.

The new EBRD financing comes under the Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) in Morocco, which is supported by the GCF. A comprehensive technical capacity package, funded by the EU, will support BMCI in the deployment of the program which will help companies to find and finance the solutions best suited to their transition to the green economy in Morocco.

This is the fourth collaboration between the EBRD and BMCI since 2018. The Moroccan bank, which operates in the country since 1943, offers its business clients green packs with advantageous conditions.

Morocco is a founding member of the EBRD. Since 2012, the European bank has invested more than 3.1 billion on 78 projects carried out across the Kingdom.
Moroccos acquisition of two combat-proven unmanned aerial systems, the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones and Israeli Harop loitering munitions, gives the North African Kingdom a decisive edge in any future conflict, says U.S. magazine Forbes.

The new press report is expected to exacerbate further the Algerian military juntas concerns to see their neighbor enhancing its military capacities and airpower superiority.

The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces ordered 13 TB2 drones from Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar back in April and began taking delivery of the first units on Sept. 17. The deal is worth $70 million and includes four pilot stations, adds the prestigious publication.

Two months after receiving its first TB2s, Morocco reportedly ordered another batch of six TB2s. The medium-altitude and long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles are cheaper than many other drones on the market. Also, they have a largely successful combat record in conflicts in Syria, Libya, and Nagorno-Karabakh.

The TB2 and its accompanying munitions combine technical abilities with an affordability that means their commanders can tolerate some attrition while presenting real challenges to the enemy, said British Defense Minister Ben Wallace last year.

In November, Morocco and Israel signed a cooperation agreement in defense industry during the visit Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz paid to Morocco after normalization of relations between the two countries in December 2020.

According to Frost & Sullivan group, a research and consulting firm, Morocco is set to become a weapons producing country in the few coming years as the country will host foreign factories specialized in arms manufacturing by 2025.
The Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, welcomed, Thursday in Rabat, the substantial progress made in the deployment of various projects under the cooperation program Compact II, concluded between Morocco and the United States, represented by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MMC).

Chairing the work of the 12th session of the Strategic Orientation Council (COS) of the Agency Millennium Challenge Account-Morocco (MCA-Morocco), Aziz Akhannouch stressed the need to accelerate the implementation of the various activities programmed under the Compact II, whose budget amounts to 450 million dollars and which is based on two main projects, namely Education and training for employability and Land productivity.

The objective is to complete them within the set timeframe, said the Head of Government, noting the very positive impacts of the program on the targeted sectors, especially in the field of human capital development, said Friday a statement from MCA-Morocco.

For her part, the Deputy Resident Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in Morocco, Ms. Carrie Monahan, praised the remarkable work done by the MCA-Morocco and MCC teams and stakeholders.

Their commitment has resulted in significant achievements whose positive impacts on beneficiaries were noted during multiple visits to Compact II project sites, Monahan said.

Malika Laasri, Director General of the MCA-Morocco Agency, then gave a detailed presentation to the Board members on the progress of Compact II execution since the last Board session and the prospects for its implementation, underlining the Agencys honorable financial achievements, as evidenced by the recording of a commitment rate of almost 87% and a disbursement rate of 50%.

She hailed the notable achievements accomplished under the deployment of various projects, including the completion of infrastructure works, with the completion of the rehabilitation of 33 secondary schools in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region, as well as the sustained progress of rehabilitation works of 55 other high schools and colleges in the Regions of Fez-Meknes and Marrakech-Safi the construction or rehabilitation of 14 out of the 15 vocational training establishments (EFP) benefiting from the support of the Charaka Fund, the off-site works at the level of the three pilot industrial zones in the Casablanca-Settat Region and the development works initiated in eight projects supported by the Fund for Sustainable Industrial Zones (FONZID).
Nebraskans having heart attacks, strokes or other life-and-death emergencies still get immediately into Bryan, Isaacs noted.

But many patients fall into a gray area. They have internal bleeding. Or, like William Kieler, they are having serious trouble breathing. Those patients go onto The List.

It is one thing to hear that hospitals are full because of COVID-19. Its quite another to know that your loved one is bearing the brunt of that No Vacancy sign.

Kim Kieler, Williams daughter, stayed close to him at the Nemaha County Hospital as he waited for a transfer on Dec. 7, Dec. 8, then Dec. 9. To her, hes more than a number on a list.

Hes the man who worked a month on and a month off during her childhood. He steered ships down the Missouri River, the Ohio and the Mississippi, then returned to the house in Peru where he and wife, Beverly, raised four children.

William Kieler still lives in that house. He stayed even after his wife of 59 years died in 2017. Hes long been a healthy horse of a man who, despite two knee replacements, would still captain the occasional tugboat past age 80.

To Kim Kieler, hes Dad.
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP)  Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santas coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 wont stop him.

Thats the word from the joint U.S.-Canadian military operation that for 66 years has been tracking Jolly Old St. Nicholas on his global mission and has assured us all  first by land line and more recently by iPhone, Android, OnStar, Facebook, YouTube and more  that hes on his way with a sleigh stuffed with toys and a welcome dose of joy.

In whats become its own wildly popular tradition, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command provides real-time updates on Santas progress Dec. 24, from 4 a.m. to midnight MST. NORADs Santa Tracker lets families watch Father Christmas in 3D as he transits the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

From deep inside NORAD headquarters, dozens of volunteers field an unrelenting wave of phone calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They and other volunteers working off-site because of coronavirus distancing protocols will answer such questions as When will he come to my house? What kind of cookies does he like? said program manager and NORAD spokesman Preston Schlachter.
From those five troop trains of Christmas three years ago, the workers now tend upwards of 25 and 30 trains daily. They are able to accommodate several hundred visitors in a matter of ten minutes. No day passes without incident, and the Canteen has made it possible for an average of 15 boys to have a birthday cake for their birthday.

That these touches of home are appreciated is shown by the huge amount of expressions received daily from the boys themselves. Nation-wide publicity has resulted, and visitors pause in wonder at the tremendous undertaking.

The center is maintained entirely by voluntary contribution, and approximately 40 North Platte ladies are giving their time a day or two each week as officers to regulate the business. An auditing committee composed of Mayor S.P. McFarland, A.W. Tramp and Ira L. Bare take care of the financial end, with Dave Frederick as treasurer.

On Monday, Gibbon will send their supplies and the Ladies Society to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen and the Home Helpers club of North Platte will be serving. ...

Already, more than 3,000 (Christmas) gifts are on hand and the distribution will begin on Christmas Eve and continue until the supply runs out.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday he will pardon his chief conservative rival and predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who is serving a lengthy prison term for bribery and other crimes.

Moons liberal government said the pardon is meant to promote national unity in the face of difficulties brought by the pandemic. Some observers say Moon may want to ease conservative criticism stemming from Parks health problems, or even use her to split the opposition ahead of a presidential election in March.

We should move into a new era by getting over the pains of the past. Its time to boldly pull together all our strengths for the future rather than fighting against each other while being preoccupied with the past, Moon said in remarks released by his office.

In the case of former President Park, we considered the fact that her health condition has deteriorated a lot after serving nearly five years in prison, he said.

The Justice Ministry said the 69-year-old Park is among 3,094 people who are to be pardoned on Dec. 31. South Korea often grants special pardons to mark New Year's Day or national holidays.
KEARNEY  A Kearney man is in jail accused of kidnapping, robbing and assaulting a Nebraska probation officer early Saturday morning in Kearney.

Shawn W. Smith, 35, of Kearney, was charged in Buffalo County Court with felony kidnapping, robbery, terroristic threats, flight to avoid arrest, misdemeanor third-degree assault and driving under the influence of alcohol-first offense in the incident.

Records indicate Smith went to a residence where the female probation officer was, hitting her numerous times, taking her to an ATM to force her to withdraw money, and then allegedly threatening her if she told anyone.

At 1:31 a.m. Saturday a man called the Kearney Police Department asking officers to check on the welfare of a woman at a residence in the 1000 block of 15th Street.

When officers arrived at the residence a neighbor told them a man and woman left in a silver sport utility vehicle. As police rang the doorbell to the residence a silver SUV pulled into the driveway, then backed out and took off at a high rate of speed without its headlights on.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  A crew cutting down a dying oak at the University of Nebraska made a surprising find  flying squirrels.

A video shot by a member of the crew made its way to Larkin Powell, a conservation biology professor. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that he was surprised by what he saw  the only remaining Nebraska population of the nocturnal and tiny animals was 90 miles away in Nebraska's southeast corner, near Indian Cave State Park.

It turns out the flying squirrels had been living undetected  until now  in the treetops just above the animal experts at the universitys School of Natural Resources in Lincoln. The crew made the discovery earlier this month, the newspaper reported.

Powell was surprised by their presence, if not by their elusiveness.

Its among the species thats harder to document because theyre not out when people are around, he said. And theyre little dudes.
Governor Ralph Northam, center, watches as lead conservator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Kate Ridgway, left, and Sue Donovon, conservator for Special Collections for the University of Virginia, right, remove the contents of a time capsule. Photo: Steve Helber/AP/Shutterstock

Taking down a famous piece of racist propaganda is always its own reward. But the recent removal of Richmond, Virginias Robert E. Lee statue seemed to include an additional, much-anticipated perk for history buffs, as a time capsule was believed to be embedded in its pedestal. Upon further investigation, though, it seems we may have been trolled by the same folks who thought it was a good idea to erect a six-story monument to the Confederacy 25 years after the end of the Civil War and despite Lees own objections.

On December 17, workers dismantling the statues 40-foot stone plinth stumbled on an odd piece of rock that seemed like the right size to contain the capsule, which had reportedly been placed in the statues base in 1887.

An 1887 newspaper article and records from the Library of Virginia suggested that the capsule contained 60 items, including a good deal of Confederate paraphernalia and a picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin. As Richmond Magazine explained in 2017, that morbid and ethically questionable artifact would hold major historical significance:

While the appropriateness of placing a picture of a murdered U.S. president inside a monument dedicated to the glorification of Confederate Army leader Robert E. Lee is open to discussion, what makes the artifact so potentially extraordinary is that there is only one genuine photograph of Lincolns corpse  and it was supposed to have been destroyed, per the wishes of Mary Todd Lincoln, the presidents widow. And while the other items listed in the cornerstone are described in detail, the description of the Lincoln picture is maddeningly vague, which only increases the speculation about what exactly it is.

Conservators at the Virginia Department of Historic Resource excitedly set to work, and by Wednesday they were finally ready to open the box. But as the Washington Post reports, theyd already begun to suspect that something was amiss:

The dimensions of this box, carefully removed Tuesday from a 1,500-pound slab of granite, are smaller than the one documented in the historical record. It is also made of lead, instead of the expected copper. And theres no sign of a florid inscription that was supposedly carved into the boxs side.

Conservationists spent about five hours poking and prying at the boxs lid as cameras, historians, and local officials looked on. They then allowed Governor Ralph Northam to finally open the capsule:

BREAKING: The 134 year old time capsule is OPEN. pic.twitter.com/dMO9PMzkEa  Anthony Antoine (@AnthonyNBC12) December 22, 2021

Inside was found  zero dead president pics and an assortment of seemingly random items that didnt match descriptions of the time capsules contents. Per the Post:

The objects inside included American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac of 1875; a copy of The Huguenot Lovers: A Tale of the Old Dominion, which records indicate was published in 1889; and an unlabeled maroon-colored book that was too wet to open.

There was also a soggy envelope containing a photograph from a studio on Broad Street in Richmond, at least one pamphlet describing a waterworks project on the south side of Richmond dated 1888 and a Victorian-era British coin.

Dale Brumfield, a local historian who has researched the time capsule, theorized that it might be a kind of vanity project put together by people involved in constructing the Lee statue. The Huguenot book is a romance written by the engineer who designed the circle around the statue, and the photo depicts the mustachioed man who designed its pedestal.

Many questions remain. Was this a second, unauthorized time capsule? Why does it include a British coin? Were the contemporary reports on the contents of the official time capsule wrong? Was that box ever embedded in the pedestal? Was it secretly removed in the National Treasure crews least exciting heist ever?

Historians have their work cut out for them, but weve already (re)learned one important lesson: Confederate sympathizers are not to be trusted.
Seattle police officer Mike Solan, who leads his citys police union, said his department is down about 300 officers from its usual force of 1,350.

Its difficult for our community because theyre waiting for that call for help, he said. "And then were at risk because we dont have the proper safe numbers to have a safe working environment when we answer that call for help.

Michelle Gonzalez, a nurse at New Yorks Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, said she and her intensive care unit colleagues never truly had a break from COVID-19, and the arrival of omicron has only reawakened her post-traumatic stress.

Prior to work, I get really bad anxiety, she said. If Ive been off for two days, I will come back in a panic because I dont know what Im walking into.

Countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines to ease staffing shortages by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus.
People automatically assume when they see us, that we are one of them, she said in a phone interview. All day long, Im defending our service.

She said breeders began working with sites like hers during the pandemic because they didnt want strangers coming into their homes to see new puppies. To combat the potential buyers fears, Dean said, employees talk on the phone with every potential customer, will put them in touch with the breeders so they can see videos or pictures of the puppy, and provide a three-year health guarantee and 30 days of pet insurance free. Their advertised prices are also much higher than the scams, about $2,000 for a labradoodle, for example.

Alabama resident Alicia Trevino, 18, got taken in after she picked out an Australian shepherd pup, with gray, white and black fur and a little pink nose, she said in a phone interview. She put up $700 by Apple Pay to secure the pup, then another $1,000 for shipping to an airport near her home.
Bolt chose not to comment at this time.

We have some folks, unfortunately, living in housing that makes me want to cry, said Mayor Gary Fuller. To think that a human being could live in something like that, Im telling you I cant stand it. Folks need a safe place to live.

Fuller said he believes the ordinance is a step in the right direction to improve the housing situation in Opelika.

If you look at our checklist of what were asking, we just want a smoke detector in every bedroom. If the home is heated with gas, we want a carbon monoxide alarm, Fuller said. We dont want the floor falling in. We dont want the roof leaking. We want the plumbing to work properly.

We dont think thats asking too much. We think that most of our landlords are good landlords and most of them wont have to do a thing.

Fuller said the City of Opelika intends to enforce the ordinance in January.
While Scotland and Canada become pioneers in tidal energy technology, the rest of the world is sitting and waiting to see if these investments pay off.

Tidal power is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade as several countries boost investments in the renewable energy source. As Scotland secures funding for a huge new project, Canada expects to start operations in 2022. While financing is an issue, due to high set-up and operational costs, other countries could also start to establish tidal projects if early developments are seen to be a success. Scottish firm Nova Innovation has secured a $2.83 million investment from the European Innovation Council Accelerator Fund for its planned Upscaling Tidal Energy Manufacturing and Production Output project. Nova aims to construct a 200-kilowatt tidal turbine that is more compact, reducing both the weight and cost of the machinery.

The company was also granted planning permission for a 30-megawatt tidal development in the U.K.s Isle of White this month. Work on the Perpetuus Tidal Energy Centre (PTEC) will commence in 2023 to be completed by 2025. It is expected to be Englands first multi-megawatt tidal stream power generation project.

Nova hopes to carry out a third project in Wales - the Morlais tidal demonstration project. Natural Resources Wales stated, The project is for the installation and commercial demonstration of multiple tidal energy devices and will provide an area for the offshore development of renewable energy sources across 35km2 to the west of Anglesey [in Wales].

As part of the U.K. governments renewable energy strategy, it has earmarked almost $26.7 million a year in funding for tidal power. This brings the total annual national investment via its renewable energy auction scheme to $380 million. This funding will contribute towards Britains goal of cutting carbon emissions by 78 percent by 2035 and eventually achieving net-zero by 2050. The government hopes this will help develop the tidal industry as well as create new jobs across the country.

In Canada, Sustainable Marine hopes to have its new tidal project up and running by 2022. Having constructed an onshore electrical substation in Nova Scotia, it plans to use the PLAT-I tidal energy platform to harness the power of some of the worlds highest tides to provide energy to the grid next year. It will be the first floating tidal platform to connect directly into the power grid.

The company also made a multi-million-dollar investment in the Tidal Pioneer in the region, marine operations support vessel. Sustainable Marine plans to carry out an extensive monitoring and evaluation program to see what impact the new project has on marine life in the region. It hopes to use Nova Scotias natural resources to develop the provinces renewable energy sector.

Other countries have also shown interest in future tidal energy developments but are put off by the high setup and operational costs involved. India has the opportunity to become a major tidal energy generator, with an estimated 54 gigawatts (GW) of potential ocean energy, but has not yet carried out tests to explore the practically exploitable potential.

Related: Europes Gas Prices Plunge As Russia Signals More Supply Is Coming

India has long considered the potential of its tidal power. However, after starting two projects - a 3.75-megawatt project in West Bengal in 2007 and a 50-megawatt development in Gujarat in 2011  it decided costs were simply too high to continue. But now the government is suggesting that these costs need to be reevaluated due to innovations in technology and machinery, to be compared effectively to other renewable energy projects such as solar and wind power production.

So, is now the time to invest? Those working in the sector point out that tidal energy seems to have been generally overlooked when thinking about how to develop the renewable energy sector. At present, there are around 60 megawatts of wave and tidal energy installations worldwide, largely due to high prices and competitive alternatives. A scientific analysis of the current cost of tidal power operations suggests that costs need to be reduced from $320 per MWh to below $200 per MWh to make this a viable energy option.

Another U.K. company, Orbital Marine, hopes its 72-meter submarine-esque O2 tidal turbine will provide the learning stage needed to attract greater interest in the sector. The company hopes the use of innovative technology will help to reduce project costs, aiming to attract greater funding for future projects.

With the potential for tidal power to provide a tenth of the U.K.s energy, is it money worth spending? Dan McGrail, CEO of Renewable UK explains, we need a range of renewable technologies to get us to net zero as fast as possible. Further, as an island nation with superb tidal energy resources to harness, it is clear that tidal stream should have a key role to play in our shift to clean energy.

While Scotland and Canada become pioneers in tidal energy technology, the rest of the world is sitting and waiting to see if these investments pay off. Harnessing the power of a greater range of natural resources, without contributing to environmental degradation, will help countries achieve carbon reduction targets. But the high cost involved in something largely unknown has, so far, put many governments off.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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Market regulator Ofgem announced it will provide 1.83bn to suppliers that took on customers from collapsed rivals through the supplier of last resort process.

Trade Association Energy UK has criticized chancellor Rishi Sunak for the lack of a clear plan to protect the industry.

Trade Association Energy UK  which represents over 100 members  has described record wholesale gas and power prices as a market-wide crisis and has criticized chancellor Rishi Sunak for the lack of a clear plan to protect the industry. Speaking to The Financial Times, chief executive Emma Pinchbeck said: Other treasuries in Europe have already responded to the crisis, but in the UK, the energy sector is still asking if the chancellor knows that energy bills going up by over 50 percent in the new year is a problem for ordinary people, businesses, and the economy.

Pinchbeck was not alone in her criticism this week, with EDF Energy  the fourth-biggest supplier in the UK  warning the situation was now critical as it urged the government to act now to support energy customers.

Meanwhile, Good Energys shares dropped four percent amid profit warnings, with the supplier downgrading its expected earnings by 3m due to soaring wholesale prices and sustained market volatility.

In a trading update to the London Stock Exchange, Nigel Pocklington, chief executive of the energy supplier described the situation as a national crisis and warned that no one in the industry is immune.

He said: We urge the UK government to support the industry at large in navigating these short-term challenges to protect bill-payers and those that serve them

Pocklington attributed the unparalleled price hikes to post-lockdown demand, supply and storage shortages, cold winter weather, and escalating geopolitical tensions between Russia and Europe, with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline still waiting to be certified.

The energy firm outlined that power and gas prices on a day-ahead basis for December compared to November have been on average 36 percent and 35 percent more expensive respectively, at 256 per megawatt-hour and 2.71 per therm.

This is in line with Bulb Energys statements following its de-facto nationalization through the special administration process, which revealed it was costing them 4 per therm to supply energy to their 1.7m customers, while the current consumer price cap prevented them from charging customers more than 70p per therm.

So far, 25 UK energy firms have ceased trading in the past three months, affecting four million domestic consumers.

Ofgem announces new funds for suppliers as regulator seeks to reform energy industry

Market regulator Ofgem announced yesterday it will provide 1.83bn to suppliers that took on customers from collapsed rivals through the supplier of last resort process.

The funds will compensate suppliers hit by escalating onboarding costs, and to ensure households are not left in the lurch this winter if further suppliers collapse.

However, these costs will eventually be felt by consumers  and support Investecs recent analysis that UK households will suffer a 3.2bn collective bill this winter when combining the onboarding costs with the sums required to prop up Bulb through the winter until a new buyer can be found.

When asked for comment, the market regulator said: Ofgems safety net has protected more than four million customers through the unprecedented global gas prices this year, making sure they have an energy supplier and household credit balances are honored. This comes at a cost, which we always seek to minimize. As we announced last week, were also stabilizing the retail market with robust stress tests for all suppliers.

Ofgem has also announced proposals for stringent financial stress tests to ensure energy firms hedge against market shocks in the future.

It is also currently engaged in an industry consultation on the consumer price cap after industry bosses including Scottish Power CEO Keith Anderson have called for the mechanism to be reformed  with findings expected early next year.

Chief executive Jonathan Brearley told BBCs Today Programme that consumers should expect the price cap to rise again next April, following the 12 percent hike in October.

He argued it was reasonable for the cap to reflect current market conditions with surging gas prices.

Brearley said: The price cap has done a good job for consumersbut where you have legitimate price increases, those costs have to be passed on to consumers.

Pantheon forecasts the price cap could increase by as much as 40 percent next Spring, while Investec predicts prices could rise by over 50 percent and reach 2,000 per year for average use.

According to The Times, UK ministers are considering a number of potential options targeted at households to mitigate the impact of the huge jump in bills.

Related: Cities Around The World Are Trying To Cut Out Natural Gas

This includes finding ways of spreading the price rises over a longer period, possible cut in the five percent value-added tax rate on energy bills; and an expansion of the Warm Homes Discount scheme, which supports 2.7m vulnerable households.

Meanwhile, Ofgem has not escaped criticism with Citizens Advice earlier this month accusing them of a catalogue of errors and for failing to proactively manage the industry, allowing unfit suppliers to stay in the market.

In response to the criticism, Ofgem told City A.M. it accepted the energy market needs reform and quickly as the current system was not designed for this sort of extreme market event.

The market regulator explained its top priority is protecting consumers and that it understands the challenges households and businesses are facing in light of the unprecedented increase in global gas prices.

By City AM

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With Brazilian oil demand set to continue, Petrobras is making big plans for oil and gas as well as testing the water with greener fuels, although it is not yet investing in other renewables such as solar or wind power.

As several countries move away from fossil fuel production towards renewable alternatives, many will have to import oil and gas to bridge the gap during the transition period. Meanwhile, the Energy Information Administration predicts that Brazils consumption of crude will rise 34 percent over the next three decades. Petrobras exported around 27 percent of its crude last year, demonstrating the high national demand and the potential to expand.

This month, Petrobras signed a $5 million revolving credit facility, that ends in 2026 with the potential a further two-year extension. It signed the agreement with 16 banks, replacing the $4.35 billion revolving credit facility it contracted in 2018. This borrowing power will allow the company to use the cash more effectively, maintaining access to its liquidity without additional costs.

Petrobras is going ahead with several projects in oil and gas while demand remains high. Quick to repair the Manati field export pipelines subsea valve, the gas production is back up and running after around 10 days of pause. Manati provides a high gas output, which totaled 120.7 million cubic feet per day of production in November, of which Petrobras took a 35 percent share.

Just days ago, TBG, the Brazilian pipeline company, sold its 2022 natural gas transport capacity to Petrobras for its Bolivia-Sao Paolo route. The company requested injection volumes of 19.7 million m per day and withdrawal volumes of 17.7 million m per day from TBG.

International companies are also noting the value of Brazils oil potential. In November this year. Petrobras awarded two $549-million contracts to drilling contractor Seadrill Limited for a fixed three-year term. This is part of plans for the West Carina and West Tellus rigs to start working for Petrobras in the third quarter of 2022. And this month, Seadrill acquired a third contract to work with Petrobras in the Buzios oilfield offshore Brazil, at an estimated cost of $264 million. The West Jupiter drillship will commence operations by the end of 2022.

Stuart Jackson, CEO at Seadrill, stated of the contracts, Brazil is a strategically important market for the offshore sector and I am pleased that Seadrill will continue to play an increasingly significant role in the coming years.

But oil and gas are not the companys only interests, as it looks to expand its energy portfolio by developing renewable projects across the country. Petrobras hopes to start testing renewable diesel, made from co-processed soybean oils, with customers from as early as January. The second round of testing will take place over around six months. It already completed a successful first round of tests on the diesel at its Repar refinery in mid-2020, a facility that can produce around 114,000 tonnes of the fuel annually.

Pending regulatory approval, the energy firm hopes to invest $600 million in new production units between 2022 and 2026. This includes the conversion of the Paulinia and Cubatao refineries to produce a total of 505,000 tonnes of renewable diesel each year. The majority of these funds would contribute towards the construction of a renewable biorefinery with a 500,000 to 800,000-tonne annual capacity, to commence operations in 2027.

Related: Are Oil Markets Already Oversupplied?

In addition to renewable diesel, the company says it is developing bio aviation fuels as part of its carbon reduction strategy. CEO of the firm, Roberto Castello Branco, believes decarbonizing transportation is a key component of any net-zero target. It has also hinted at its interest in the hydrogen market in the future. At present, Petrobras is one of the regions principal exporters of low-sulfur marine fuel, with competitors in Venezuela and Mexico lagging. Petrobras has stated its aims to capture 25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide through 2025 as well as cutting its carbon emissions by 25 percent b 2030.

Although, beyond greener fuels, Petrobras has shown little interest in developing traditional renewable energy projects due to its lack of core competence in the field. Castello Branco stated, We are not going to do things where we do not have competence, in sectors like wind or big solar projects." Rather, "if my big potential wealth creator is under the sea bed and that is something I know how to do, then my investments will reflect that.

Petrobras continues to focus heavily on oil and gas, responding to national needs and its potential international position during the energy transition. With several new projects planned for the next decade, Brazil is not likely to give up on fossil fuels any time soon. And while it hasnt shown much interest in renewables such as solar and wind power, Petrobras could expand to offer greener diesel and biofuels, supporting the decarbonization of transportation with an aim to cut emissions.



By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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Europe's energy crisis worsened this week when Kosovo introduced rolling blackouts to most of its two million citizens, according to Bloomberg.

On Thursday, the Kosovo Energy Distribution Services (KEDS) announced rolling two-hour power blackouts for 2 million people due to an "overload" of its electrical grid.

KEDS asked customers to reduce power given "insufficient internal generation to cover consumption and the global energy crisis."

The Balkan country, Europe's poorest nation, experienced a technical issue at its largest coal-fired power plant that had to shut down last month, which forced the government to import electricity at high prices.

Simultaneously, Serbia was forced to cut electricity to customers, Britain's network operator issued a power supply warning, and France's nuclear plant outage, all culminated into a perfect storm of straining the continent's grid, resulting in reduced power supplies and exorbitantly high prices.

No surprises in the announcement today by Kosovo of rolling two-hours blackouts for most consumers. It was very clear, three months ago, that the real crisis was in Eastern Europe, and particularly in the Balkans. The EU was sleeping. Or didnt care. | #EuropeanEnergyCrisis https://t.co/xFMVE4zxwc  Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) December 23, 2021

Last week, Kosovo's economy minister, Artane Rizvanolli, said the shuttering of the nation's main coal-fired power plant had worsened the energy crisis. He said power imports were "extremely costly."

Grid data from Entso-E shows electricity imports from Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia plunged from 750 megawatts on Wednesday to about 469 megawatts on Thursday.



Related: Will The Commodity Price Rally Last Into 2022?

Jeremy Weir, CEO of commodities trader Trafigura Group, warned that more European countries could face rolling blackouts in the event of a severe winter.

Eleven European associations (from steel to fertilizers to cement to paper mills) published a memo Thursday indicating energy-intensive companies are paying "unbearably high energy prices" that may force them to shutter operations.

However, there is good news for the continent as benchmark Dutch front-month gas plunged as much as 43% from a peak of 180 euros per megawatt-hour to around 102 euros in the last several days as a flotilla of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers is headed to the fuel-starved continent.

More good news is that weather forecasts for Germany will turn milder. This will help keep a lid on gas prices.

Europe remains caught in its worst energy crisis ever as some relief is on the way, but the worst may not be over as the Northern Hemisphere winter has just begun.

By Zerohedge.com

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Oil prices could see lower average levels next year, with a surplus expected on the market early into 2022.

Global economic recovery and supply chain disruptions have made commodities one of the top-performing asset classes this year.

The global economic rebound, accommodative monetary policies, bad weather, and supply chain disruptions have propelled commodity prices higher to make the complex the top-performing asset class in markets this year.

The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (INDEXSP: SPGSCI) was up by 36 percent year to date to December 22, compared to 27-percent year-to-date increase in the S&P 500 index (INDEXSP: .INX).

Another strong year is in the cards in 2022, although key downside risks remain, analysts say. These risks include the biggest wild card: how governments will continue to manage COVID and whether the pandemic will lead to more severe restrictions and/or lockdowns. The other major driver of commodities next year will be Chinas government policies in containing the virus, procuring commodities, and managing the property crisis following the fallout from the indebted property giant Evergrande.

The property crisis has weighed on the Chinese steel sector in recent months, with global iron ore prices slumping from an all-time high reached in May this year. However, China signaled support for the property sector this month, which lifted iron ore prices that rebounded by 50 percent from an 18-month low hit just six weeks ago, with Chinese steel production expected to increase in December.

At the end of 2021, a number of fine-tuning measures targeting the sector combined with credit easing sparked optimism about China's policy becoming more supportive, Wenyu Yao, Senior Commodities Strategist at ING, said in early December, expecting China to continue playing a key role in the global iron ore market.

On average, we expect prices to slide to US$100/t over 2022, with the main upside risks still being potential supply chain disruptions in light of the Omicron variant, INGs Yao said.

Prices of metals critical to green energy rollouts  including aluminum, copper, nickel, lithium, and cobalt  could edge lower with supply improving next year, but they are likely to remain at levels higher than the long-term averages, according to ING. Tighter monetary policy and an expected stronger U.S. dollar, combined with improved supply for most metals, are set to provide headwinds to prices. Aluminum, however, is headed to a structural deficit and could see a tighter market and higher prices in 2022, the bank noted.

Inventories are low amongst several metals, whilst sentiment around the outlook for demand in the medium term is constructive due to growing investments in green projects, which happen to be metal intensive, said Warren Patterson, Head of Commodities Strategy at ING.

In the medium to long term, the energy transition makes a supercycle almost inevitable, Julian Kettle, Senior Vice President, Vice Chair Metals and Mining at Wood Mackenzie, wrote in a report last month.

In energy commodities, COVID developments and Chinese policies will continue to be the key drivers of prices in 2022, alongside OPEC+ supply-management policies.

Natural gas and LNG prices are set to remain at elevated levels even after the winter season in the northern hemisphere ends. The current energy crisis in Europe and a colder winter could leave natural gas stockpiles at historically low levels in the spring, which would keep gas prices higher for most of 2022.

Oil prices could see lower average levels next year, with a surplus expected on the market early into 2022. The extent of the new restrictions due to the Omicron variant and the OPEC+ supply policies will determine how tight (or not) the oil market will be next year. Chinese crude stockpiling policies will also play a prominent role on the oil market, especially if the worlds top oil importer continues to slow down its estimated commercial and strategic stockpiling compared to the massive building of crude reserves in recent years.

In the first quarter of 2022, China could see slowing crude imports. A combination of Chinas policies to curb pollution in time for the Winter Olympics, its crackdown on illegal practices at independent refiners, and its zero-COVID policy with intermittent lockdowns are set to slow crude oil imports early next year, industry consultants have told Bloomberg.

Finally, coal prices will likely be supported by what could be a record year of coal demand globally, driven by China and India, despite the numerous net-zero emissions pledges.

The economic rebound from the pandemic is taking coal power generation to a new record high this year, with global coal demand likely hitting another new high next year, undermining net-zero efforts, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its annual Coal 2021 report last week.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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They touched their heads together as she sat on his bed, and now that he is strong enough to stand, he got up to give her a farewell hug, as a medical worker put final decorations on the ICU Christmas tree.

Parisians lined up at chocolate shops, farmers markets and testing centers. France has posted record numbers of daily COVID-19 infections, and hospitalizations have been rising, but the government has held off on imposing curfews or closings during the holidays.

It does affect our enthusiasm to celebrate Christmas. It does makes us a bit sad. But at least we are sure not to contaminate or get contaminated. We will all do the test in our family, said Fabienne Maksimovic, 55, as she waited in line at a pharmacy in Paris to get tested.

In Antwerp, Belgium, Christmas trees hung upside down from windows in a protest against the closing of cultural venues.

In Bethlehem, the scene was much more festive than it was a year ago, when musicians marched through empty streets. This year, hundreds of people gathered in Manger Square as bagpipe-and-drum units streamed through.
PARIS (AP)  Protesters angry over virus and vaccine rules occupied Guadeloupe's regional legislature because of stalled negotiations over their grievances about management of the French Caribbean island.

Regional Council President Ary Chalus agreed to a meeting with some of the protesters' representatives, the council tweeted after Thursday's incursion. Officials in Guadeloupe and Paris denounced the protest action as unacceptable and a threat to the democratically elected body.

Inside the council building, the protesters strung a banner reading No to Obligatory Vaccination, No to the Health Pass, according to images posted online by local officials. A Christmas tree was shown knocked over.

Labor unions and the Collective Against Exploitation want the French government to abandon a measure ordering health workers to be suspended without pay unless they are vaccinated against COVID-19.

The protesters in Guadeloupe are also seeking better access to clean water, pension and wage increases, and mass employment.
Five years ago: President-elect Donald Trump said he would dissolve his charitable foundation before taking office to avoid conflicts of interest; the Democratic Party said that wasnt enough and called for the businessman to put his assets in a blind trust. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Barack Obama of a shameful ambush at the United Nations and said he was looking forward to working with his friend Donald Trump; Netanyahus comments came a day after the U.S. broke with past practice and allowed the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

One year ago: California became the first state to record 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases. Bethlehem ushered in Christmas Eve with a stream of joyous marching bands and the triumphant arrival of the top Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land, but few people were there to greet them as the pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened celebrations. Just a week before the deadline, Britain and the European Union struck a free-trade deal that would avert economic chaos on New Years and bring a measure of certainty for businesses after years of Brexit turmoil. President Donald Trump completed a round of pardons for more than two dozen people, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, in the latest wave of clemency to benefit longtime associates and supporters.
Gov. Pete Ricketts on Thursday announced his appointment of Republican Kirk Penner, a businessman from Aurora, to a vacant seat on the Nebraska State Board of Education.

Penner will complete the remainder of the term of Patricia Timm, who resigned from the District 5 seat in October, citing personal health reasons.

The term runs through Jan. 4, 2023.

Penner has 16 years experience on the Aurora Public Schools board, the Governors Office said in a press release.

He holds a bachelors degree in business administration from Nebraska Wesleyan University, the release said.

Penner is president of Penner Patient Care, which distributes bathing systems to long-term care facilities. Hes also president of Penner Manufacturing, which makes and assembles bathing systems in its Aurora facility for use in the health care industry and residential settings.
Every spring, the Petermann kids knew theyd barely see their dad.

Marlin Petermann, assistant general manager for the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, would head out to eastern Nebraska rivers for the near round-the-clock monitoring of ice breakup and related flooding. Doing so was a critical part of the NRDs mission in terms of saving lives and property.

We knew when the thaw came, we wouldnt see him much, son Jeff said. He was so dedicated.

Petermann, 72, died Wednesday from fungal pneumonia, a complication of COVID-19. He had been vaccinated, his family said. Petermann battled COVID for a month and had rebounded and was planning his return to the office when he took a turn for the worse, his family said.

The son of a farmer, Petermann had degrees in civil and agricultural engineering, and his work at the NRD allowed him to combine his love of the land with his eye for solving problems.

As children, we did not visit lakes, we visited dams, Jeff said. We didnt visit Lake McConaughy, we visited Kingsley Dam. We didnt go to Las Vegas, we went to Hoover Dam.
He was a big part of starting that and getting that finalized, which is a very proud moment in his life, Bradfield said.

Bradfield worked with Miller to surprise the rest of his family by having the motorcycle at his dads service.

That really, really pulled at our heartstrings when I was able to get it to the celebration of life, he said.

The story of the patriotic trike goes back to its original owner, Tom Dasenbrock of Venice, who purchased it from Dillon Brothers Harley-Davidson in Omaha in 2005.

Then, it was just a white motorcycle. Dasenbrock, a Vietnam veteran, decided to convert it into a trike and add a patriotic paint job.

I have a great love for the flag, he said. Theres a lot of motorcycles that are patriotic and I wanted to make it over the top and turn the whole thing into a flag.

Dasenbrock said he enjoyed riding the bike until he traded it in in 2012.

Wherever we went, it was a showstopper because it was so unusual, he said.

The bike was then bought by Mahler, who owned it until 2016.
Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes testified for seven days in November at her fraud and conspiracy trial in California. Her jury is still deliberating.

Potter testified last week, sobbing as she described her horror at realizing she had shot Wright during a traffic stop.

ARE THERE STUDIES ON DEFENDANT TESTIMONY?

There's no recent data on percentages of defendants nationwide who have chosen to testify. That'll take years to compile. And studies on defendant testimony are few and far between.

One study of over 300 criminal trials published in the Cornell Law Review in 2009 found that some 77% of defendants who testified were found guilty. Among the defendants who chose not to testify, around 72% were convicted.

A 1950s study by Harry Kalven and Hans Zeisel found that defendants without criminal records testified over 90% of the time and those with criminal histories testified around 70% of the time.
By rejecting the names offered by the Republican members, and selecting the only person publicly advocated for by the Democratic members, this Court risks deviating from its goal of ensuring that its role in the redistricting process does not have any appearance of partisanship, the GOP members wrote in their motion.

The court has not yet responded to the Republicans' motion. A message was left seeking comment with a Judicial Branch spokesperson.

The GOP lawmakers noted in their motion that Republicans in North Carolina were upset with a redistricting plan submitted by Persily in 2017 and how Persily was one of the special masters proposed by Democrats in Virginia this year. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Virginia chose two special masters, one from the list offered by Republicans and one from the Democrats  the scenario the Connecticut GOP is now seeking.

Connecticut Republicans also argued in their motion that since Persily was the special master in 2011, he will be partial to abiding by his prior work and that would be substantially unfair to the Republicans on the Reapportionment Commission "who believe that the maps should avoid partisan gerrymandering and be drawn in accord with traditional redistricting principles.
Petersen, a bow-tied lawyer from Fairfax, has been in the General Assembly for the better part of 20 years. He knocked off a Republican incumbent in the House of Delegates in 2001, and served two terms before a failed run for lieutenant governor. He then ran for state Senate in 2007, knocking off another GOP incumbent.

Over those 20 years, Fairfax County has become far more liberal, but Petersen's moderate outlook has found a home in the state Senate, which has avoided huge ideological shifts even when party control of the chamber flips.

I may have been a Joe Manchin type, but I was one of a few Joe Manchins in the Senate. I mean, the Senate defeated a number of House bills that we thought were overreaching, but thats kind of our role," he said. The House of Delegates tends to swing between extremes, and then the Senate tends to be the more moderate body.

At the same time, he said he was proud to support significant legislation advanced by Democratic majorities the last two years, including voting rights bills, and criminal justice reform, including abolition of the death penalty.

I dont think of myself as a centrist, he said. I just try and think of myself as somebody who thinks independently.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
I am sickened by the dehumanizing treatment and abuse that occurred at boarding schools for Native American and Indigenous children, including the revelations at the Genoa Indian School described in the recent guest opinion, The importance of learning about penal colonies for Native children.

Such abuse must be condemned and never forgotten. It must deepen our resolve to ensure racial equity and justice for all children. The discriminatory practices that destroyed the lives of so many Native children and families also destroyed generations of kids who lived on Americas streets in the early 1900s.

A century ago, there were two systems used to care for homeless and abandoned street kids: Christian orphanages and county-run reform schools. Both failed.

These institutions often farmed out pre-teen and teenage girls to wealthy families where they worked as unpaid servants. Many were subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Young boys didnt fare any better. They were held captive, forced to do menial labor. There was little education but much punishment.
BLOOMINGTON  As the curtain begins to close on 2021, city leaders are looking forward to a new year full of opportunities to create innovative programs and projects.

While the year had its fair share of difficulties amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is plenty to keep an eye out for in 2022.

"My council is very, very interested in maximizing the opportunities that are coming our way, and our way being the region: McLean County, the town and the city," said Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason. "It's exciting about the possibilities that are just occurring."

In addition to upcoming sewer improvements and a long-awaited public library expansion, in early 2022 Bloomington will allocate the remaining funds of its $13.3 million slice of federal American Rescue Plan dollars, which are intended to help municipalities across the country boost COVID-19 recovery.

City staff are also refreshing a four-year-old document to guide improvements to downtown Bloomington with planned community input.

Here's a look at five major projects getting underway in Bloomington next year.

Bloomington Public Library expansion

A $22.8 million expansion and upgrade to the Bloomington Public Library is expected to break ground in the spring.

The project has been pushed off for nearly two decades and has been scaled back from a previously estimated $37 million project.

"I want to remind the community that while this has been a conversation for some time, the library staff has worked in a location that has been in a dire need of a remodel for several years," said Gleason.

Though it's been in the works for several years, the project is finally taking off after the library secured $5.8 million from the state Public Library Construction Act Grant for the project.

The library is also expected to receive up to $15 million in general obligation bonds through the city for the project, which it intends to pay off through a recently passed property tax rate increase.

It is exciting," said Gleason. "They took a four-year-old project and presentation that was in the $37 million  probably would be in the $45 million range  and have scaled it down to a more modest approach and were at $22 million.

The project includes a permanent drive-up window, three large meeting spaces, two large rooms for children's programming, a computer lab, a hands-on STEAM "maker" lab, two recording/podcast studios, and additional study spaces.

American Rescue Plan funding

Early on in 2022 the Bloomington City Council will begin finalizing its plans for allocating $13.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan dollars.

A total $350 billion in funding was given to local governments across the nation under the plan, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March. Around $5.5 billion of that went to Illinois local governments.

The funding is meant to help boost COVID-19 recovery efforts.

What youll see here pretty quickly in the new year is that the council will start obligating the remaining funds by resolution and it will be in categories," said Gleason. "The specific detail is yet to be determined.

Bloomington must allocate the money by 2024 and spend it by 2026. A public discussion for how to use the funds is expected to be held at a city council work session in February before finalizing the plan, Gleason said.

How to spend the money is up to local governments, and there are a variety of uses. City leaders presented on a few ways to use the funds in November, including water, sewer and road improvements and even workforce development programs.

Locust/Colton combined sewer overflow

Extreme flooding and sewage backups in late June placed added pressure on Bloomington to speed up strengthening its sanitary sewer system.

One project known as the Locust Street and Colton Avenue combined sewer overflow elimination has gained quite a bit of attention following the rain event.

Combined sewer overflow occurs when storm water runoff enters the sanitary flow and enters an open body of water, creek or stream. It mostly occurs during heavy rainfall.

The nine-phased, $22 million project has been in the works for nearly a decade, with phases 1, 6 and 7 being completed in 2013. It includes the installation of 1,750 feet of new separate sanitary sewer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires cities to eliminate CSOs by separating the storm water and sanitary systems.

Bloomington next year plans to allocate a portion of federal American Rescue Plan dollars to combine phases 4 and 5 of the Locust/Colton project to expedite construction, cutting its completion date from 2030 to 2027.

I think the original plan for Locust/Colton was a sound plan," said Gleason. "I have no problems combining phases 4 and 5, its an opportunity were seizing, I think the increased cost by doing that can be justified and hopefully we can shrink the completion date from 2029 to 2027 or 2026.

Economic growth

Though not a specific project, a major area to watch out for in Bloomington next year is economic growth.

At the same time, the McLean County region as a whole is seeing a boom as other major companies, such as electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian, continue investing millions into the area.

Now, Bloomington in exploring how to capitalize on the economic development and continue making the city a great place for businesses and families.

Some early projects that haven't taken form include potential workforce development programs and creating incentive packages for home improvement, Gleason said.

If you could get them gainfully employed, potentially home ownership, these are Bloomington residents that are likely going to be here throughout their entire life, said Gleason. Its a great opportunity to plug a gap on the workforce challenges that we currently have.

Downtown master plan

A new plan for downtown revitalization could be going before the Bloomington City Council as early as March.

In 2020 the city began refreshing a four-year-old document created to guide improvements to the downtown. The city has since put out a request for proposals and is in the process of entering a contract with a firm to update it.

The document includes projects to improve the historic downtown area, such as parking updates, traffic flow, accessibility and beautification. It also includes plans to fill vacancies and add potential incentives for building upkeep.

Weve taken care of low-cost, no-cost type of low-hanging fruit, but the downtown opportunities are much larger than that, said Gleason. "There's going to be tremendous amount of public input."

Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry.

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The Pantagraph is counting down the Top 10 stories of 2021. This is No. 7. What do you think are the top stories of the year? Join our conversation here.

BLOOMINGTON  Homicide cases in the Twin Cities spiked this year, following a trend of rising gun violence seen elsewhere in Illinois and the United States.

Since Jan. 1, police have investigated eight homicide deaths in Bloomington-Normal, according to The Pantagraph archives.

Half of those were logged late this summer. Three shocked the Town of Normal in a single mass-shooting event Aug. 30 at Landings Estates.

It was a chaotic scene described as a war zone by one witness calling dispatchers. Investigative documents said officers went into the mobile home park as gunfire erupted from an active shooter, and eventually found five injured. Two lives assaulted by gunfire were lost.

Left deceased by the attack were Julie Davis, 59, and Sharon Reiner, 64. Her husband, Ronald Reiner, was named as their attacker. He was fatally shot by responding officers after refusing their demands to disarm, according to an investigation by Illinois State Police.

Within two weeks, the McLean County states attorney said in his ruling that the Normal Police Department officers were justified in shooting Ronald Reiner. States Attorney Don Knapp said responding police acted heroically and saved several lives.

Further information on what caused Reiner to fire a gun at his wife and neighbors has not been released.

The Pantagraph heard from a church leader down the street from the scene, who described that days events as heartbreaking.

More recently, Normals fourth homicide case of the year arrived after the death of Peorias Roy Ward Jr., 20. He succumbed to gunshot wounds three days after a Sept. 19 shooting in the first block of Traders Circle.

NPD designated the case as murder in a Nov. 24 Facebook post. The department said its continuing to comb through all leads in the investigation.

The last homicide case in Bloomington was early last month, following the shooting of 30-year-old Geoffrey Rowry. Authorities pronounced the Bloomington man dead around 10:15 p.m. Nov. 4, after police found him lying in the courtyard of an apartment building in the 800 block of East Washington Street.

Detectives with the Bloomington Police Department are still investigating the homicide.

Also in November was the sentencing of a Normal man who stabbed 59-year-old Dale Baughman to death April 8 in Bloomington.

Larry E. Knell, 45, pleaded guilty in early August to one count of first-degree murder. Siding with the assistant states attorneys recommendations, Judge William Yoder sentenced the man to 50 years in prison.

Baughman was found stabbed in the 600 block of West Seminary Avenue; his autopsy report documented at least 72 lacerations to his head, neck, chest, arms, back and upper abdomen.

Charging documents said Baughman was robbed of $500 in gambling machine winnings from a Bloomington bar after Knells friend drove the victim and Knell to Seminary and Oak streets. Baughman's body was located just after 1:30 a.m. April 9. Police arrested Knell later that day.

Another homicide involving a Bloomington bar marked the first case of 2020 in late January. Two women were shot, one fatally, outside of Daddios, 527 N. Main St.

The time of death for Bloomingtons Mariah Petracca, 22, was recorded at 1:35 a.m. Jan 30. The other victim needed surgery at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.

Forty-two-year-old Michael Bakana, of Normal, is charged with three counts of murder. BPD reports said when they got to the scene, civilians were detaining him.

Security camera footage showed Bakana arguing with the victims on the sidewalk before one of them shoved him away, prosecutors said. Bakana then pulled a gun from his waistband and fired eight times, The Pantagraph reported, and he later admitted to the shooting.

Bakana is expected back in court next month. He has pleaded not guilty to murder.

Also charged with murder in Bloomington this year is Kentrell D. Brown. Prosecutors accused him of shooting 26-year-old Natwan Nash on March 7 in the 2400 block of Clearwater Avenue in Bloomington.

Brown was served his arrest warrant while jailed on an unrelated offense in Rochester, Minnesota, where he resides.

BPD said Nash was found dead on a Sunday evening with gunshot wounds in an apartment. Dispatchers received no shots fired reports at the time.

The Pantagraph's Top 10 stories of 2021 The Pantagraph is counting down the Top 10 stories of 2021. What do you think are the top stories of the year?

Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

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CAIRO (AP)  Hundreds took to the streets in several Libyan cities to protest the cancellation of Friday's long-awaited presidential election, a blow to hopes of ending a decade of chaos in the oil-rich North African country.

Several parliamentary candidates and political groups have called for the protests, which underline risks to a fragile stability in the oil-rich nation that's a haven for militias and still riven by an east-west divide.

Libyas election commission has proposed Jan. 24 as a new date for the presidential poll, which was to be followed by parliamentary elections on Feb. 15. But no dates have been officially set or agreed upon by the country's rival factions.

At a Benghazi rally, protesters raised banners reading yes for elections, no for postponement."

All of Libya must have elections on time. We reject any postponement or manipulation of the Libyan will," Mohamed Alorfy, an activist told the crowd.

Earlier, many parliamentary hopefuls have circulated a poster calling for rallies on what they dubbed Salvation Friday. The poster listed the demands of protesters, namely to set Jan. 24 as a final deadline for the poll.

Do not be passive. Take to the streets and express your opinion. Force them to respect your will, AlSalhen AlNihoom, a parliamentary candidate from the eastern city of Benghazi, wrote on his Facebook page.

Protesters have also rallied for the same purpose in other cities and towns of eastern Libya including Tobruk and Derna. Small groups also took to the streets in the western city of Misrata, the southern village of Gatroun and the town of Hun in central Libya.

Earlier this week, some 50 parliamentary hopefuls denounced the cancellation of the vote, insisting in a joint statement that the commission should set another final date for holding it. The statement called on Libyans to take to the streets to defend their right to a safe, stable and sovereign country.

For nearly a year, the planned election was the lynchpin of international efforts to bring peace to Libya. But with several well-known figures  including the son of ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi  declaring candidacy despite officials bans, the election commission never published a list of accepted candidates.

Many observers had warned that either scenario  holding the vote on time or postponing it  would be a destabilizing setback.

The U.S, U.K., France, Germany and Italy on Friday jointly called on Libyan authorities to swiftly determine a date for the polling and to issue the final list of presidential candidates.

We recall that free, fair and credible elections will allow the Libyan people to elect a representative and unified government, and reinforce the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya, the Western nations said in their statement.

They also warned that that local or foreign individuals or entities who obstruct or undermine the electoral process in Libya might face UN-imposed sanctions.

On Thursday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that elections should be held in the appropriate conditions, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. The U.N. top diplomat vowed that his organization will continue to support Libyan efforts to overcome challenges and hold both presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

Libya plunged into turmoil after the 2011 uprising that culminated in the overthrow and killing of longtime strongman Gadhafi. Eventually, the country split between rival governments  one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and another U.N.-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli, in the west. Each side is supported by a variety of militias and foreign powers.

In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli. His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the Tripoli government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.

Mediated by the United Nations, an October 2020 cease-fire led to the formation of a transitional government with elections scheduled for Dec. 24. But with the vote now cancelled, the fate of that government is now unclear. The parliamentary committee said the governments mandate ends on Friday.

On Friday, the interim president of the east-based parliament called on members to convene in a general session on Monday in the city of Tobruk. The call came two days after the parliament's presidency announced that it had tasked a 10-lawmaker committee to propose within a week a new roadmap. It said then that lawmakers would discuss the proposal in the next general session.

The poll cancellation coincided with the 70th anniversary of the independence of Libya. In Tripoli, the mood was festive but more subdued than previous years, with folk music and people waving flags in Martyrs Square.

Libya was occupied for decades by various nations, and it was not until 1947 that both Italy and France relinquished claims to parts of the country. The United Libyan Kingdom was announced with U.N. backing in late 1951 under King Idris. In 1969, Gadhafi led a military coup that deposed King Idris and subsequently forced him into exile until he died in Cairo in 1983.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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The St. Clair County Coroner's office has released the identity of the man found dead of apparent gunshot wounds in his pickup truck on Interstate 64 Wednesday night.

Calvin L. Miller, 61, of East St. Louis was pronounced dead at the scene near the Baugh Avenue interchange at 12:10 a.m., Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. confirmed Thursday.

Illinois State Police were alerted to a "reported expressway shooting" at about 9:52 p.m., according to a release. Troopers there found a black Ford pickup truck with "numerous apparent bullet holes." A person, later identified as Miller, was dead in the driver's seat, the release stated.

Westbound I-64 was closed until 3:32 a.m. The investigation remains ongoing, the release stated, and no other information will be released. The St. Clair County coroner's office has not released the identity of the victim.

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Oak Brook police said Oakbrook Center will open as planned Christmas Eve, one day after the last-minute shopping rush was disrupted by a gunfight that injured three bystanders and one of the gunmen.

Ive talked with mall management and it is their desire to open (Friday), Oak Brook police chief James Kruger said Thursday night. The mall hours are normally 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, so obviously well have a significant police presence at the mall to ensure that any shoppers and visitors are safe.

Kruger said it appeared another gunman sought by police had fled the mall property, though officers were still searching for him.

Gunfire erupted at the mall, one of the Chicago areas most popular, about 5:45 p.m. Thursday, and the mall was put on lockdown.

Police search for gunman in Chicago-area mall shootout "This is just a very unfortunate incident that is completely out of character for our area," Oak Brook police Chief James Kruger said.

Kruger said two men apparently got into a gunfight in an outdoor corridor near the Ann Taylor and Nordstrom stores. One of the men was wounded and taken into custody and transported to a hospital, he said. The other gunman was still being sought Friday morning.

Three women who were bystanders were also hit and taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. After the shooting, 100 police officers were at the mall, he said, including SWAT teams, going store to store to look for the other shooter. Shoppers and employees took shelter in backrooms of stores as the search for suspects continued.

Kruger called the shooting a very unfortunate incident that is just completely out of character for our area. A lot of people fled.

The outdoor mall is located at 100 Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook.

The wounded man, in his 30s, was shot four times in his legs and lower back, Kruger said. He underwent surgery at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, police said. Also in custody was a companion of the gunman who police are still seeking.

The women who were shot, two in their 40s and one in her 20s, were also being treated at Good Samaritan. A woman in her 20s fractured her ankle trying to run away and was being treated at Elmhurst Hospital.

Police said they recovered two pistols. They hadnt made a final determination as to how many shots were fired, but witnesses told them they heard as many as 15.

Kruger said police already had increased their presence at the shopping center after a well-publicized looting incident in recent weeks, and that an officer on duty, who heard multiple shots, was able to respond immediately.

The police department has been taking this very seriously to make sure the mall and our community are being kept safe, he said. This is just a very unfortunate incident that is completely out of character for our area.

Tonights isolated incident is extremely upsetting for our shopping center community, Lindsay Kahn, a spokeswoman for mall owner Brookfield Properties, said in a statement. We are grateful to our partners at the Oak Brook Police Department for their diligence in leading this developing investigation.

Brookfield Properties, part of Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management, also manages and operates Water Tower Place and Northbrook Court. The company acquired Chicago-based retail giant General Growth Properties in 2018.

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This time last year, there was a cruel joke in circulation: The most spiteful year in recent memory would reset itself at midnight on Dec. 31, and we'd be forced to relive 2020 from the beginning.

Funny, right? Not really. But we could tell the joke then because we finally had some hope. The worst 12 months ever were behind us, with their burnt offerings of deadly pandemic, political race-baiting, violent uprisings, QAnon absurdity and toilet paper hoarders. We had a new president-elect, access to life-saving vaccines, a peaceful election and a rebounding Charmin supply.

Little did we know that 2021 would be hellbent on stealing the apocalyptic crown from 2020. Its opening number? A deadly attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol building and the rise of the delta variant. Its closing salvo? Omicron and congressional hearings that have revealed that the calls to overturn the election results were indeed coming from inside the House.

The long-haul chaos culminated in 2021, exhausting traditional newsgathering organizations while energizing the far-right media. Fox News, social media juggernaut Facebook and a constellation of hard-right outlets reveled in the fear of uncertain times, sowing doubt among their followers about the election outcome, vaccinations and the alarming wokeness of "Sesame Street."

The comparatively traditional news media  Beltway reporters, network nightly news, morning shows, Sunday programs  showed up to this poison-tipped knife fight with plastic sporks.

To be fair, the D.C. press was already depleted, thanks to covering a new fresh hell every hour since 2016. Disproving disinformation (i.e., doing their job) made them targets of a president and a press arm that advocated violence. Who can blame them for breathing a sigh of relief when Joe Biden's presidential win promised them a respite of politics as usual.

Now, we no longer have to wonder what happens when one player of a two-party system devolves into extremism and takes a significant chunk of the media with it.

The problem is that "both-sides journalism," as it's come to be called, has outlived the "fairness doctrine" that created it, which was abolished in 1987 under then-President Reagan. The careful, equitable reporting of "PBS NewsHour" and NPR remains a valuable public service, but in this age of extremes, the point-counterpoint structure is sorely out of step with the bombast of politicians like U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and the fact-bending screeds of hangers-on like Rudy Giuliani.

Getting to the bottom of anything requires it having an actual bottom, and that's an issue in a parallel news universe where lifesaver Dr. Anthony Fauci is a demon, climate change is a hoax and ingesting horse dewormer is safer than a Pfizer shot in the arm.

How does one logically debate the politicization of COVID-19 in a traditional talk-show forum without giving a platform to the very folks who've spun these deadly lies?

The asymmetrical nature of the media is both a byproduct of and a fuel for the asymmetrical nature of modern partisanship: While Todd is interviewing Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about practical ways of surviving the pandemic, Fox Nation host Lara Logan is comparing Biden's chief medical adviser to Nazi war criminal Dr. Josef Mengele.

In these circumstances, even newsrooms not in thrall to the hard-right cabal would be hard-pressed to strike the right tone, to see the big picture, to earn the consumer's trust. But as social media's dominance deepens and right-wing platforms grow, mainstream media are in crisis: CNN's Chris Cuomo was fired after advising brother Andrew Cuomo on his sexual-assault-scandal damage control  exactly the kind of ethical breach that diminishes trust in journalism  and local newspapers are in a fight for survival against venture capitalists.

After an overwhelming year, in a challenging-in-the-best-of-times business, it might seem harsh to blame the old-school press for not assembling the pieces of the puzzle into a warning siren for our system of government. But it isn't enough to hope that 2022 will magically offer solutions to either our media crisis or our democratic one. It will require swift and forceful change. Otherwise, the joke's on us.

Lorraine Ali is television critic of the Los Angeles Times.

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100 years ago

Dec. 24, 1921: The Town of Normal issued 20-cent meal tickets to 48 men who were down on their luck and spent the night at City Hall. A few refused, saying they had some money of their own. Mayor Foulk started the move as an experiment and will keep it going for a few days.

75 years ago

Dec. 24, 1946: Normals Christmas tree, at Broadway and Beaufort, was lit for the ninth consecutive year. And there was a Christmas party for kids at the Normal Theater. Also, the grand prize for outdoor home decorating goes to Mrs. E. D. Lakin, 1302 Elmwood Road in Bloomington.

50 years ago

Dec. 24, 1971: A thief apparently had second thoughts about his crime and returned a stolen belt to the editor of this paper. The editor turned it over to police along with the thiefs note expressing the remorse. But the store never missed the belt; it had no record of the alleged theft.

25 years ago

Dec. 24, 1996: For weeks, a debate has raged over whether the local cable company should keep WGN, the Chicago superstation. Today it was decided: TCI will keep WGN. But Odyssey, a religious channel, will be dropped.

Compiled by Jack Keefe; jkeefe@coldwellhomes.com.
Hollard Ghana with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance has partnered with Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) to launch Asomdwee, a tailored insurance product for Micro, Small, Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Ghana aimed at providing security for their business.



The comprehensive product which loosely translates as peace of mind covers property, public liability, and life insurance for growing businesses. Asomdwee offers three tailor-made insurance packs namely, bronze, silver and gold depending on the size and nature of business with premiums as low as GHC 360, GHC 910 and GHS 2,310 for coverage as high as GHS300,000.



Speaking at the launch ceremony at Hollard Ghanas head office, the Group CEO Patience Akyianu described the partnership as an industry first that serves MSMEs exclusively. In our quest to enable more people to create and secure a better future, we have partnered with Ghana Enterprises Agency to offer an off-the-shelf MSME insurance product that will protect business owners, employees welfare, and their business assets from unexpected

incidents. The beauty of Asomdwee is that regardless of the package the MSME opts for, they enjoy coverage for; permanent total disability, critical illness, death, burglary, public liability and fire & allied perils at flexible premiums.



Achieving a financially inclusive society requires a system that supports varying business sizes. Were doing what we can towards this goal. Our collaboration with GEA is made to suit their unique risks. Through Asomdwee, business owners can bounce back to their feet, she added On her part, the CEO of Ghana Enterprises Agency, Mrs. Kosi Yankey-Ayeh said the launch of Asomdwee is very timely and relevant as it emphasizes the importance of insurance and risk mitigation strategies.



The world is changing and transforming at a rapid pace and COVID-19 has emerged to accelerate this transformation. The new dynamics necessitates the development of new strategies. Yes indeed, sustainable ones. Hence, partnering with an insurance institution such as Hollard will help in the development of the world-class MSMEs we aspire to see, those capable of standing on their own two feet in times of any eventualities and throughout their

business cycles.



GEA and Hollard Insurance are stepping out to break down business sustainability with insurance products that allow all businesses irrespective of the size of your wallet, to save and invest in insurance products that will help them prepare for the future. She added Asomdwee is a simple product crafted in an easy-to-understand language with a seamless claims process with no waiting period. It is currently available to all registered business owners in Ghana who are between the ages of 18 to 65 years. Interested persons can contact the following GEA representatives: Vanessa Asomea-Takyi- Ahafo, Bono & Bono East Regions; 0244977163; Greater Accra Regional Secretariat, Anthea Ohene, 0266419444; Eastern Regional Secretariat, Isaac Nimako, 0243178475; Central Regional Secretariat, Nora Fleischer- Djoleto, 0555253884.



About Hollard Ghana

The countrys favourite insurance group is Hollard Ghana, with subsidiaries Hollard Insurance and Hollard Life Assurance. The group combines its deep local knowledge of the market having previously operated in Ghana for 25 years as Metropolitan Insurance with the world-class expertise of an international insurance brand in 18 countries across the world. With feet firmly planted on Ghanaian soil but headquartered in South Africa, Hollard delivers innovative insurance solutions customized to the unique risks Ghanaians face. Hollard offers various life

and general insurance products including funeral, personal accident, motor, business, travel, home, and more; and can be reached via the following means: 0501603967 (Hollard Insurance) and 0501533698 (Hollard Life). Beyond various nationwide office branches and Hollard 2U franchise shops, Ghanaians can find Hollard at Shell Fuel Station Welcome Shops, Melcom stores and online at www.hollard.com.gh and www.jumia.com.gh for all their insurance needs.



About Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA)

GEA is the main governmental body under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, mandated to strengthen, grow, and develop micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Ghana. GEA has the largest footprint of any agency or organization in Ghana in its work with entrepreneurs and women led MSME development. It has a presence in the 16 regions and operates in 185 districts in Ghana. For more information about GEA, please visit our website and other media pages https://gea.gov.gh/. Follow the Board on Twitter at @GEA_Ghana, Facebook, and Instagram GEA Ghana.

Source: peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Daily Covid cases in South Africa have fallen again by 22 percent compared to last week's figures, fuelling hopes that the country's Omicron wave is over.



South Africa, whose scientists detected the variant, recorded 21,099 new cases in the last 24 hours, down by nearly a quarter on the 26,976 infections confirmed last Wednesday.



A fifth fewer people were tested for the virus in the last 24 hours compared to the same period last week, but test positivity  the proportion of those tested who are infected  has been trending downwards for nine days.



Hospitalizations have also seen a slight decline, with more than 590 people admitted to hospitals across the country, down by four percent in a week, data from the National Institute For Communicable Diseases (NICD), revealed.



But deaths  which lag two to three weeks behind the pattern seen in case numbers due to the delay in an infected person becoming seriously unwell  have risen.



A further 99 Covid-related deaths were recorded on Wednesday, compared to 54 recorded a week ago.



The falling case numbers come despite only 25 percent of South Africans being double-jabbed and boosters not being dished out in the country.



It raises hopes that the UK's Omicron wave will also be short-lived, with Britain also having a layer of protection in its booster programme.



It comes as UK scientists wait for data on how deadly the Omicron surge will be, with uncertainties about how severe it is and how well vaccines protect against serious outcomes.



But promisingly, cases already appear to be plateauing in the UK, with around 90,000 daily infections recorded for the last six days.



That's despite gloomy Government modelling warning that 1million Britons could be catching the virus daily by the end of the year.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk









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Featured Video
About 150 desperate and frustrated road contractors yesterday morning storm the Fidelity Bank Head Office to demand payment for their certificates or job done over 4 years ago.



The President for the Progressive Road Contractors Association, Madam Juana Adjei speaking to Michael Akrofi expressed absolute displeasure on the way its members are been treated as if they are poppers.



She therefore on their Association's behalf appealing to the government to intervene for its members to be free.



"All documentations from Roads and Finance Ministries are done and the contractors were assured payment by Fidelity Bank in three weeks time but never happened. I kept receiving calls from my members that their accounts are yet to be credited which is a great worry especially on this festive occasion that everyone is supposed to buy items for their families and loved ones. I plead with Government to come to our aide to expedite the situation." sobbed Madam Juana Agyei.



Mr. Cherry Emmanuel, CEO for the Ghana Chambers of construction industries, also expressed great worry about how Fidelity Bank is treating them concerning their payment.



"I can't understand why after contractors, borrowing money from banks, family, and friends to execute Government's contracts but Fidelity Bank has refused to pay us after Government's directives. I plead with the President Nana Akufo-Addo to intervene before Fidelity Bank disgraces him. We have few days to Christmas and contractors have nothing to tell our families, why do they treat us as beggars?". He questioned.



These are part of the road contractors who were directed to the bank for payment by the government through the roads and highways over two months ago. Still, the contractors haven't received anything yet.



The situation had compelled the frustrated contractors to again storm the head office to agitate for their payment.



Some of the aggrieved contractors who spoke to news men said, they've been made to sign several documents since two months at the same bank but have received nothing making them desperate as we are in the juditide. Which they have to raise money to pay their creditors and works as well. But no show.



They are humbly calling on the government and president of the Republic to intervain for them to be paid. If not they will be miserable in this festive season.



All efforts to meet the cooperate affairs officer of the Bank to speak on the issue never worked as the time we are filling this report.

Source: Michael Akrofi









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MALAWI: court in Mangochi, Malawi on Thursday, sentenced a 27-year-old man to eight years in prison for having sex with fellow men.



The man identified Jonathan Gomani and commonly known as Yvonne was found guilty of having sexual intercourse against the order of nature contrary to Section 153(c) of the Penal Code.



Mangochi Senior Resident Magistrates Court through State Prosecutor, lnspector Amos Mwase heard that the convict who was born male but used to disguise himself as a woman, came to Mangochi early October and was trading as a commercial sex worker.



He manipulated fellow men with his feminine dressing and was being hooked as a prostitute. He then permitted them to have sexual intercourse against the order of the nature.



He was arrested by Mangochi Police detectives for robbing a 28-year old man of K120,000 cash and Samsung J2 in the room after the customer refused to pay because he discovered that Gomani was not a woman.



Mwase added that when the detectives went to search where Gonani was lodging, they rescued a 17-year-old Form 4 student who was found locked inside the room for 24 hours for refusing to pay Gonani since the child felt cheated.



The convict also confiscated the students Huwaei P8 phone as payment for the services.



Appearing in court, Gonani pleaded not guilty to charges of theft and sex against the order of nature and the state paraded five witnesses who proved the case beyond reasonable doubt.



In mitigation, the convict asked for leniency saying that he was taking care of his old mother and also acting as a youth member who supplied condoms to sex workers as his responsibilities but Prosecutor Mwase reminded the court that the convicts behaviour was against morals and law hence prayed for stiffer sentence.



Passing judgement, Senior Resident Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe concurred with the state.



He therefore sentenced Gonani to 8 years for the count of unnatural sex, 3 year sentence for the count of theft and 3 years for another count of theft. The sentences will run concurrently.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
An American lady has expressed shock after her phone which she lost in Washington DC, was put up for sale at a phone shop in Ghana.



The lady said after she decided to track her phone with the help of an Apple Support System Find My Phone after it got missing in Washington DC in October, she got a mail from Apple telling her that the phone had made a sound.



When she tracked the location of the iPhone, she found out it was in Ghana. She made further checks and realized it was on sale at a shop in Circle Accra.



She expressed shock that her phone got to Africa so fast. Watch the video below....











Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Renowned economist and senior member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kwame Pianim has taken a dig at the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, over the oft-quoted economic fundamentals attributed to him.



Dr Bawumia while in opposition and commenting on the exchange rate then said the managers of the economy would be exposed by the rates if the fundamentals were weak.



He defended this as well while in government.



You will recall that I stated in 2014 that if the fundamentals are weak, the exchange rate will expose you, the Vice President stated after two years in government.



That was true then and it is true now. It is 100% correct. So if the fundamentals are weak the exchange rate will expose you.



He, however, warned: But its warped logic to jump from that to a conclusion that the fundamentals are weak. That defies logic.



In an interview on TV3s New Day on Wednesday, December 22, Mr Pianim was not happy with the way the economy is being managed.



He lashed out at the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, saying he has not done a good job with the management of the countrys economy.



The former board chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) said Mr Ofori-Atta as a finance minister has no business meddling in the exchange rates to the extent of constituting a committee to, inter alia, monitor the performance of the local currency.



Asked by host Berla Mundi whether the exchange rates have exposed a weak fundamental, he said: You have to ask the Vice President that.



He added that he agrees with that assertion by Dr Bawumia.



The Vice President has been exposed by his own exposure, he concluded.

Source: 3news









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Featured Video
The Ranking Member on Parliaments Finance Committee, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, is demanding that government focuses on capturing the perpetrators who caused financial loss to the state instead of hunting innocent people.



Addressing the press on Friday, he claimed that the Attorney Generals recent action against him shows that government is on a witch hunt.



Clearly, this is witch hunting. Let me tell the government I am not a witch that they should hunt. They should look for the witch. The witch is the person who allowed the ambulances that came in to rot.



He is the witch that should be hunted, Dr Forson said.



According to the former Deputy Finance Minister, all indications show that governments attack is purposely to silence him over his strong opposition to the electronic transaction levy (E-levy).



The timing speaks volume. After four years, government never felt the need to ask me for another statement until when I started raising issues on the 2022 budget. My job as a fiscal economist is to look into government policy and advise same. I may oppose or support it and you have worked with me in this House and know how I do my work.



It clearly shows government thought it wise that this is the time for them to take me on to keep me quiet but I wont be quiet. I cant be quiet.



The Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam MP added that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana guarantees freedom of speech, hence he should be able to speak his mind as the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee.



His comments come as a response to criminal charges filed against him by the Attorney General for causing financial loss to the state in relation to the procurement of 200 ambulances by the Prof. John Evans Atta Mills and John Mahama led government.



The charges also named Sylvestre Anemana, Chief Director at the Ministry of Health at the time of the contract and a businessman, Richard Jakpa, as persons of interest.



Documents filed by the AGs office traced the events culminating into the alleged crimes to an announcement made in the 2009 State of the National Address regarding plans to procure ambulances for the country.



The AG said following this address, the Ministry of Health (MOH) initiated action to acquire more ambulances. The 3rd accused person, Richard Jakpa is said to have used his company, Jakpa at Business, to present a proposal and Term Loan to the Ministry of Health which he claimed to have arranged from Stanbic Bank to finance the supply of the 200 ambulances to the government.



Cabinet, according to the AG, gave an Executive Approval for the project. However, it emerged later that the ambulances had some defects which render them not fit for purpose.



But Dr Cassiel Ato Forson says he played no role in the state losing monies.



Dr Forson told the press he was not a part of the procurement since he was not a Minister of State in 2012.



I was a backbencher in this House. I wasnt part of the administration at the time, he stressed.



He revealed that his involvement was when a letter was written on the authority of the Finance Minister requesting the Controller and Accountant General to work with the Minister responsible for Health in establishing letters of credit.



Even when the letter of credit was established, they did not write to me. I had no knowledge and have never been part of it only until I left office before they called me. I have no knowledge about the matter. I dont even know the other people they have charged.



Let me say that, yes, it is not about me absolving myself, but to let the people of Ghana be aware the role I have played.



According to the Ranking Member on Parliaments Finance Committee, the government could have intervened to ensure the said ambulances were not left to rot. Thus, might consider dragging the government to court for causing financial loss to the state following consultation with his lawyers.



There is something known as mitigation of losses. If the ambulances had come to the state, the government could have spent probably some small amount to fix it other than allowing it to rot.



So if Im in a position, I could also file charges against the person who allowed it to rot but Ill have to check with my lawyers if a private citizen can sue someone for causing financial loss to the state.









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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Popular Ghanaian Rapper Michael Owusu-Addo popularly known as Sarkodie has said his songs are not targeted at politicians as being speculated in some quarters.



The rapper has in recently come under critisms over his seeming silence over recent development in the country especially on the 2022 Budget statement.



Speaking on Asaase FM Friday(24 December) Sarkodie said his song relates to governance but not personalities.



The questions you are asking me Iam inspired , I feel like I want to do something, it is not because it is targeted at somebody When I said Aban (government) , in my head wether you believe or not , I know the political ears dont hear it like that, If I say Aban, it is anybody who is in governance, so at that point if it happens to be you my boss then it is going to be directed to you.



That some song relates today, .but then they want to play politics and go like Sarkodie you have to to speak about this person , I wasnt speaking about anybody , I was speaking about governance , I dont do music for clout, I play music because I feel like it.



I will not wake up because I want to trend, I dont do that , I dont need to do that, so a song like Happy Day, if you listen to what I was saying of course I wont rule out the fact that it was going to be controversial because it was election year, he said.

Source: asaaseradio.com









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Decorated Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie has nonchalantly fired back at his critics on social media. The popular Ghanaian rapper has recently come under intense criticism as Ghanaians feel disappointed by his behaviour as a sympathizer of the Akufo-Addo led government.



Musician Sarkodie is one of the celebrities who campaigned or endorsed President Akufo-Addo during the 2020 elections.



The musician featuring Kuami Eugene composed a campaign song for the NPP government to continue their supposed good governance.



However, things have gone sour following the 2020 elections. The government has failed Ghanaians woefully as theyre imposing heavy taxes on them amid the economic hardship.



Many social media users have hence called on Sarkodie to use his influence to advise the government that things have gone from bad to worse over the years under Akufo-Addos rule but King Sark has gone mute.



He cannot call a spade a spade. Recently he caused outrage as he noted that things have been hard always but the government should rather make things easy for people to hustle.



Ghanaians called him a hypocrite for failing to speak the truth and to call out Akufo-Addo to be sensitive to the plight of the people.



Reacting to all that backlashes, Sarkodie has said not all social media users are correct.



According to him, no one checks peoples mental fitness before they sign up on social media so there are a lot of mentally unstable people on the internet.





Sarkodie revealed during an interview on Asaase FM that he wont be sensible to pay heed to what is said about him on social media. He noted he doesnt care and he will continue to be himself and post whatever he wants.















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Source: ghanacelebrities.com/instagram









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" " HowStuffWorks According to Merriam-Webster , the word "semantics" means: "The historical and psychological study and the classification of changes in the signification of words or forms viewed as factors in linguistic development." Got that? No wonder it's so misunderstood....

Sometime in the late 19th century, people began using the word "semantics" to allude to "semiotics," a philosophical theory covering the relationship between signs and the things they reference  most notably, words and their intended meanings. Sometime after that, people began arguing over what "semantics" itself actually means (ironic, don't you think?).

These days, you're likely to hear someone accuse a debate partner of "just arguing semantics," which, if you think about it, means their debate partner is "just arguing about meaning," which you would think is, like, the point of arguing in the first place? But in our modern vernacular, the phrase has somehow become shorthand to insinuate the speaker has argued something trivial or unimportant. At its core, that's not what "semantics" is meant to represent at all. Or is it? We asked an array of language experts to help us get to the bottom of the word's origin, its current adaptation, and whether saying someone's argument is "just semantics" is a legit criticism or just a major cop-out.

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What Experts Say About Semantics

Jenny Lederer, assistant professor and linguistics advisor in the Department of English Language and Literature at San Francisco State University: "Semantics is the study of meaning in context; it's the investigation of how words, phrases and sentences evoke concepts and ideas in our minds. As we learn language, we attach meanings to words by learning what objects and concepts each word refers to.

"'It's just semantics' is a common retort people use when arguing their point. What they mean is that their argument or opinion is more valid than the other person's. It's a way to be dismissive of language itself as carrier for ideas. It implies that ideas and arguments can be separated from the words and phrases used to encode those ideas. The irony, of course, is that the words and phrases we use are the ideas. There is no way to communicate a complex argument or message without language. Language and thought are completely interconnected. In fact, words shape concepts and can lead to drastically different understandings of the same thing. For example, inheritance taxes can be called 'death taxes' or 'estate taxes.' These two political phrases frame the same tax law in drastically different ways. Semantics really matters."

Robert Henderson, Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Arizona: "Semantics is the study of meaning very broadly. We have semantics for human languages, but also for logics, or computer languages. In the case of human languages, to have a semantics for a language is to be able to assign a meaning to every word in that language, and then to compute the meanings of sentences based on the meanings of those words and how they are put together.

"The phrase, 'that's just semantics,' is thus a little confusing. People seem to use it when they want to say that the disagreement they're currently having is due to word choice and not due to a substantive disagreement. But that is not semantics at all. That would be, like, lexicography. The reason this phrase has nothing to do with actual semantics is that if we were having an argument that boiled down to 'just semantics,' then we would be having an argument about what words mean. But that is not insubstantial at all! In fact, it is incredibly important for us to figure out what the various parties to an argument actually mean if we hope to resolve it. So, what is going on here? I think that it seems that in popular parlance, people use 'semantics' to mean something like 'nitpicky distinctions.' That is, in the popular use, when I dive into the semantics of what you're saying, I'm closely parsing every little thing. Thus, if we are having an argument and it's 'just semantics,' then what you're saying is that we're having an argument over fine, nitpicky details that don't matter. I don't like this use because I'm a semanticist, and that is not what I do at all. I do logic, actually. But, what can you do? People will speak the way people speak."

Dylan Bumford, assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics at UCLA: "There are various technical notions that go by the name 'semantics.' Mostly, they are trying to characterize the ways that linguistic forms (like logical formulas, or computer programs or sentences in English) are, or ought to be, associated with the things they describe. In logic, this often takes the form of rules that match formulas with mathematical structures. In computer science, programs may be associated with procedures for transforming machine states. In philosophy and linguistics, you might find English expressions matched up with specific objects and scenes, or at least representations of these. Outside of these research fields, my sense is that people use the word 'semantics' to describe very fine distinctions between different categories, especially if those distinctions are so subtle as to be irrelevant. In this sense, 'semantics' would be something like the art of making annoyingly precise or pedantic linguistic choices.

"I take it when most people describe an argument as a 'matter of semantics,' they mean that the two sides are effectively saying the same thing, or that the difference between them is negligible; the positions differ only in the words that are used (to some, this would make it a matter of syntax, not semantics; but of course, to others, that very difference might be a matter of semantics). Sometimes, though, discussions really are about the meanings of words. If two people agree on all the facts  they know who did what to who, and what happened when, etc.  but they still disagree on whether a certain sentence is true, they may be having a genuine debate about semantics, about what objects or situations should be associated with various expressions. For instance, if we disagree about whether Donald Trump withheld military aid in an effort to persuade the Ukrainian prime minister to launch an investigation into Trump's political opponents, we are having a substantive disagreement about what actually happened, about what the world is like. But if we agree that he did this, yet nevertheless disagree about whether such an action constituted a 'quid pro quo' or 'high crime,' we might instead be having a debate about semantics. As should be clear though, in this sense, semantic disputes can indeed be very big deals!"

Shane Steinert-Threlkeld, assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Washington: "Semantics is the scientific study of meaning as expressed in language. Usually, this means doing things like explaining formally under what conditions sentences in natural languages are true or false, or when one sentence implies or presupposes another. The methods can also be applied to formal languages like programming languages, where one would explain, for example, how a computer program will behave.

"Indeed, a difference in a debate that came down to 'just semantics' would be a pretty big deal, since it means that we're using expressions in different ways. There seems to be a use of the phrase that means something more like 'this dispute is merely verbal: we actually agree, but we appear to disagree because we are using certain terms in slightly different ways.' I'm not sure that 'just semantics' is a particularly apt way of expressing that thought, but it's one that some people seem to use."

Toshiyuki Ogihara, professor and graduate program coordinator in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Washington: "In most cases, when people say that it is just semantics, they mean that two expressions refer to the 'same situation' or 'same thing' but their connotations are different."

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So, In the End ...

In the end, it seems that when something is "just a matter of semantics," it's usually wording that potentially matters a lot, despite the somewhat casual connotation of the phrase. Words carry meaning, and thankfully, we're living in a time in which our society is starting to take that notion seriously (case in point: preferred gender pronouns are finally becoming the norm). And while people have always and will always disagree over perspectives and world views, simply writing off semantics as a somehow nit-picky or superficial concept isn's really a constructive way to move the conversation forward. Instead, acknowledging that the things we say and the things we mean are undeniably interwoven and powerful might be a better jumping off point for deep (and not so deep) discussions.

Now That's Interesting Speaking of semantics, did you know "Janus words" (named for the two-faced Roman god of transitions) are words that can have opposing meanings, depending on how they're used? For example, "buckle" can mean "to fasten" or "to bend and then break," and "sanction" can mean "to allow" or "to prohibit."

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Originally Published: Oct 30, 2019
Lory Ofamen hangs a traditional parol Christmas ornament in what used to be the bedroom of her flattened home in Calape town, Bohol province on December 22, 2021, days after Super Typhoon Rai devastated the province. (Photo: CHERYL BALDICANTOS/AFP via Getty Images)

According to my Philippine map tracker app, I have already gone to 51 out of 81 Philippine provinces. While I loved each of these places, no province has become so special to me the way Bohol has. During my two separate trips to Bohol in the past couple of months alone, I realized just how different they are from the other provinces.

I say this because the fact that there are no major commercial malls like SM or Robinsons or Ayala Malls there, that there is not even a single Starbucks branch on the island, or that there are no major factories in Bohol says a lot about their traits: modest, meek, and self-effacing.

I say this because I discovered so many beautiful natural spots that I thought might make popular tourist destinations, but I could tell that Bohol chose not to develop or promote them too much. In Anda, for example, there is this hidden lagoon that has clear-blue natural water; you could see it glimmering when the sun rays hit the water. I could also tell that not a lot of people go there because there were no directions that would guide tourists like us (my friends and I needed a local tricycle drivers company), Waze could not locate it, and the road going there was not even paved yet. If Bohol was hungry for more development, it would have improved and promoted these less-popular natural wonders more.

Locals ride the tiny rickety bus going from Panglao to Tagbilaran City, Bohol. This photo was taken just a month before Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit the province, killing more than 90 as of December 23, 2021.

I say this out of my memories of the locals whom I have met particularly during my month-long stay in the quiet barangay of Bil-isan in Panglao. When I first arrived, I went to the nearby sari-sari store to buy essentials like bath soap, rice, and canned goods. I called the woman who owned the store Nanay and the other woman who was selling barbecue and isaw beside Nanays store Ate. They knew right away that I was a tourist; they kept asking why I chose to stay in Bil-isan when it was far from the more popular beach towns like Tawala, Doljo, and Bolod. A month later, when I was preparing to head back to Manila, I realized that I was calling them differently already; Nanay became Tita Tessie and Ate became Ate Mariebel. They became more than just store owners but, really, good neighbors and friends who never failed to ask me how I was adjusting to their town, to welcome me and treat me like a neighbor and not as a tourist that they should not mind about.

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When tourism halted in the tourism-reliant Loboc, Bohol, more locals relied even more on agriculture. This photo was taken just a month before Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit the province, killing more than 90 as of December 23, 2021.

I say this because of what I learned during my interactions with the village people in the town of Valladolid in Loboc. One Saturday, I met their chieftain, Kap Jun, who showed me around; I saw local women weaving nipa palm leaves and coconut fronds to make roof thatchings in nipa huts. I watched strong local men climb up coconut trees to collect various sap that they would make as Tuba or coconut wine (yes, of course, they made me drink!). They taught me the basics of cockfighting (I lost 200 or $4 to a bet, but it was the only time I was happy I lost), too, and showed me the entire process of harvesting their rice.

Cockfighting is one of the many favorite pastimes (and sometimes income sources) of the local men of Loboc, Bohol. This photo was taken just a month before Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit the province, killing more than 90 as of December 23, 2021.

A boy rides a calf in a ricefield in the quiet town of Valladolid in Loboc, Bohol. This photo was taken just a month before Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit the province, killing more than 90 as of December 23, 2021.

On that day, they mentioned that the last natural calamity to have damaged their town was in 2013 and that they had a hard time bouncing back. We already lost our biggest income source  tourism  because of the pandemic. So now, we rely more on agriculture, they told me in Filipino. If another strong typhoon comes, our farms would be destroyed and we would lose our last few income sources already. We would be left with nothing.

Little did we know that just less than a month after that conversation, a super typhoon would strike their quiet town and the rest of the island with hard blows again.

When Super Typhoon Odette (Rai) hit several provinces on December 16, Bohol was one of the most severely affected (they reported the most deaths with 96 fatalities as of this writing). Seeing photos of the damaged man-made forest in Bilar, the broken trees or the residences of the tarsiers in Bohol Tarsier Conservation Area (reports say that of the 150 tarsiers that lived there, only two have been found so far), the overflowing Loboc River, and the toppled electric posts and broken houses was such a painful experience for me  how much more for the locals and travelers who were there during the live nightmare?

A floating restaurant lays on its side in Loboc town, Bohol province on December 21, 2021 after it was swept away at the height of super Typhoon Rai that devastated the province. (Photo: CHERYL BALDICANTOS/AFP via Getty Images)

A resident tries to salvage belongings near his house after it was submerged by floodings brought about by super Typhoon Rai in Loboc town, Bohol province on December 21, 2021. (Photo: CHERYL BALDICANTOS/AFP via Getty Images)

A resident stands inside their destroyed house next to mudded clothes in Loboc town, Bohol province on December 21, 2021, days after super Typhoon Rai devastated the province. (Photo: CHERYL BALDICANTOS/AFP via Getty Images)

I feel grateful to have missed the typhoon; I was supposed to head back to Manila on December 18 (two days after the typhoon hit) but thankfully I left on December 11, not knowing yet that a super typhoon would come. But also, I feel sorry that I left the people who became my neighbors and friends there to brave the strong rains and winds. One of my neighbors in Bil-isan (who once made me leche flan) has a 6-month-old baby and I cannot imagine how they survived the hard blows. Many of them told me through text that they no longer have electric, water, and food supplies, so any form of aid would be very helpful.

It is so amazing that, in the Philippines, relief operations are quick to happen just right after a typhoon. The Philippine Gift of Life Foundation, for instance, has already raised 262,600 ($5,200) as of December 22. They pack relief bags that contain rice, canned goods, noodles, and hygiene kits that have already been distributed to approximately 500 families from badly-hit towns like Loon, Calape, Getafe, and Inabanga. Interested donors may send their cash donations to the bank account provided in the poster below as they plan to reach more towns in the coming weeks.

The Philippine Gift of Life Foundation has recently launched Bohol Relief Ops to provide relief packs to affected families from the severely-hit towns of Bohol. (Photo courtesy of Philippine Gift of Life Foundation)

As I said earlier, Bohol is modest, meek, and self-effacing. Perhaps they always thought that what they had was enough already, that they did not want or need anything more. They always relied on one another, on what they already had. Maybe they were independent in that sense, and to them that was okay.

But while those are wonderful traits, Bohol, like other severely-hit provinces, needs others attention and help, too, especially in a very unfortunate time as now.

It should not take extra effort to think what Christmas wishes are being made under Bol-anons roofless houses right now  all while they are being blanketed by the cold, sad holiday breeze.

Though I am now in the comforts of my home far away from Bohol, I am with the Bol-anons in making those Christmas wishes, too.

Juju Z. Baluyot is a Manila-based writer who has written in-depth special reports, news features, and opinion-editorial pieces for a wide range of publications. He covers cultures, media, and gender. The views expressed are his own.

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An archaeological dig in Sicily has uncovered traces of a lost World War II American heavy bomber shot down in 1943, and possible human remains that could lead to identification of five airmen whose bodies were never recovered.

The six-week dig that ended this week was carried out by a team from the Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which locates and identifies missing U.S. military personnel around the world.

The site near Sciacca was identified in 2017 by investigators using historical records and metal detectors.

This year's dig uncovered wreckage "consistent only to a B-25 aircraft,'' said archaeologist Clive Vella, the scientific director of the expedition, contributing to hopes that any confirmed remains would be linked to the missing crew.

"We owe (their) families accurate answers,'' Vella told the Associated Press Thursday.

The North American B-25 Mitchell heavy bomber with a crew of six was one of 52 air losses with missing personnel in the area during WWII, mostly during 1943 as the Allies pushed into southeastern Sicily.

It was shot down as it targeted a camouflaged German airstrip amid olive groves and pastureland on July 10, 1943. A German military report documented the crash of a U.S. aircraft about two kilometers (just over a mile) from the Sciacca airport, Vella said.

One crew member was located immediately and buried in the town's cemetery. The body was claimed in 1944 by U.S. military officials, but the other five airmen remained missing.

In the intervening decades, the crash site "like most others in the Mediterranean region, was scavenged for metal, the land restored to its original use,'' Vella said. "The scars of a crash were mostly gone."

The evidence, which includes possible human bones as well as potential remnants of the aircraft, has been transported to a laboratory in the U.S. for examination.

Worldwide, there are more than 81,600 missing U.S. military personnel, including 72,350 from World War II, 7,550 from the Korean War and 1,584 from the Vietnam War. Over 41,000 of the total are presumed lost at sea.

Explore further WWII researcher: Sea wreck must be plane of US MIA pilot

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
In this photo provided by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a 22 Wing member is seen showing how they track Santa on his sleigh on Christmas evening during a media preview at the Canadian Forces Base in North Bay on Dec. 9, 2021. In a Christmas Eve tradition going on its 66th year, a wildly popular program run by the U.S. and Canadian militaries is providing real-time updates on Santa's progress around the globeand fielding calls from children who want to know St. Nick's exact whereabouts. Credit: Sable Brown/NORAD via AP

Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santa's coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 won't stop him.

That's the word from the joint U.S.-Canadian military operation that for 66 years has been tracking Jolly Old St. Nicholas on his global mission and has assured us allfirst by land line and more recently by iPhone, Android, OnStar, Facebook, YouTube and morethat he's on his way with a sleigh stuffed with toys and a welcome dose of joy.

In what's become its own wildly popular tradition, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command provides real-time updates on Santa's progress Dec. 24, from 4 a.m. to midnight MST. NORAD's Santa Tracker lets families watch Father Christmas in 3D as he transits the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

From deep inside NORAD headquarters, dozens of volunteers field an unrelenting wave of phone calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They and other volunteers working off-site because of coronavirus distancing protocols will answer such questions as "When will he come to my house? What kind of cookies does he like?" said program manager and NORAD spokesman Preston Schlachter.

In this photo provided by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, 22 Wing members are seen showing how they track Santa on his sleigh on Christmas eve during a media preview at the Canadian Forces Base in North Bay on Dec. 9, 2021. In a Christmas Eve tradition going on its 66th year, a wildly popular program run by the U.S. and Canadian militaries is providing real-time updates on Santa's progress around the globeand fielding calls from children who want to know St. Nick's exact whereabouts. Credit: Sable Brown/NORAD via AP

Want to watch? Visit https://www.noradsanta.org, check out #NORADTracksSanta and @NoradSanta on Twitter, or use the associated apps. You can also email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com for the latest.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden also participated in tradition, answering calls to the Santa tracking service. It is a longstanding tradition for first ladies, but the president joined this year as well.

Even before Friday's takeoff, the NORAD webpage had been visited more than 3 million times, Schlachter said.

"Every household, every country is having to deal with the impact of this pandemic. Santa Claus is an icon, and he is a source of joy for a lot of people," Schlachter said.

For those worried about Santa's safetyor their ownthe bearded man likely will be wearing a mask at each stop, and of course he's wearing gloves, Schlachter noted. For the technically inclined, NORAD's website offers more data on the voyage (Weight of gifts at takeoff: 60,000 tons, or 54,600 metric tons; sleigh propulsion: nine RP, or reindeer power).

In this photo provided by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a 22 Wing member is seen showing how they track Santa on his sleigh on Christmas evening during a media preview at the Canadian Forces Base in North Bay on Dec. 9, 2021. In a Christmas Eve tradition going on its 66th year, a wildly popular program run by the U.S. and Canadian militaries is providing real-time updates on Santa's progress around the globeand fielding calls from children who want to know St. Nick's exact whereabouts. Credit: Sable Brown/NORAD via AP

Like any good Christmas tale, the program's origin has been told for generations.

In 1955, Air Force Col. Harry Shoupthe on-duty commander one night at NORAD's predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Commandanswered a call from a child who dialed a number that was misprinted in an ad in a newspaper, thinking she was calling Santa.

Shoup "answered the call, thought it was a prank at first, but then realized what had happened and assured the child that he was Santa, and thus started the tradition that we are celebrating now 66 years later," Schlachter said.

NORAD's mission is to watch the skies above North America for any potential threats. Come early Christmas Eve, the Santa operation begins when a cluster of radar stations in northern Canada and Alaska pick up an infrared signature emanating from Rudolph's nose. NORAD's array of geostationary satellites above the Earth monitor the journey.

Containers of hand sanitizer stand at the ready outside one of the conference rooms that have banks of telephones set up for volunteers to field calls in the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The tracking operation will be open for 20 hours on Christmas Eve day to help keep an eye on the whereabouts of Santa Claus. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Preston Schlachter, public affair officer for NORAD, works on a laptop computer in one of the conference rooms that have banks of telephones set up for volunteers to field calls in the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The tracking operation will be open for 20 hours on Christmas Eve day to help keep an eye on the whereabouts of Santa Claus. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

An instructional sign hangs in one of the conference rooms that have banks of telephones set up for volunteers to field calls in the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The tracking operation will be open for 20 hours on Christmas Eve day to help keep an eye on the whereabouts of Santa Claus. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Preston Schlachter, public affairs officer for NORAD, is shown in one of the conference rooms that have banks of telephones set up for volunteers to field calls in the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The tracking operation will be open for 20 hours on Christmas Eve day to help keep an eye on the whereabouts of Santa Claus. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Preston Schlachter, public affairs officer for NORAD, is silhouetted against screens in one of the conference rooms that have banks of telephones set up for volunteers to field calls in the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The tracking operation will be open for 20 hours on Christmas Eve day to help keep an eye on the whereabouts of Santa Claus. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Preston Schlachter, public affairs officer with NORAD, is shown in one of the conference rooms that have banks of telephones set up for volunteers to field calls in the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The tracking operation will be open for 20 hours on Christmas Eve day to help keep an eye on the whereabouts of Santa Claus. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski

It's all shown on large, "unclassified" display screens in a festively decorated command post at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. Masked volunteers sit at tables equipped with telephones, garland, miniature Christmas trees, plenty of caffeine-laden candy and coffeeand hand sanitizer.

"We Have the Watch," is NORAD's military-mission motto.

And when it comes to Santa, NORAD adds:

"Santa calls the shots. We just track him."

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BOLTON  The Lake George Land Conservancy has hired Michael Horn as its executive director, effective Jan. 1.

Horn succeeds Jamie Brown, who served as LGLCs executive director from 2015 to October of this year.

Jamie did a fabulous job protecting the land that protects the lake, said Horn in a news release, while building a very strong financial foundation to support the LGLCs ongoing efforts. I am honored and excited to be the LGLCs new executive director and continue this positive momentum.

For the past four years, Horn has been conservation director of Saratoga PLAN, an accredited land trust in Saratoga Springs. Prior to pursuing his passion for land conservation, he had a very successful management career in the renewable energy field at General Electric Co.

LGLC board President Michael OReilly said, Mikes land acquisition experience, passion for conservation, love of the outdoors and business acumen will ensure LGLCs continued success in protecting the land that protects the lake.

Horn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and business from Lafayette College and two masters degrees from the University of Michigan: Master of Science in natural resource and environmental policy from the School of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Master of Business Administration from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

He and his family live in Saratoga Springs.

This is a critical and exciting period for land protection in the Lake George basin. Mike will be joining us at a time when there are several land protection projects underway, including Clark Hollow Bay, the largest fundraising effort in our organizations history, Jeff Brozyna, LGLC interim executive director and board vice president of development, said in the news release.

The Lake George Land Conservancy is an accredited nonprofit land trust based in Bolton Landing.

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MOREAU  The Town Board voted to opt out of retail cannabis sales in a special board meeting on Wednesday.

The board previously introduced Local Law 8, which prohibits retail cannabis locations as well as any on-site consumption sites within the town.

At a Town Board meeting earlier in December, town Supervisor Todd Kusnierz expressed the boards concern regarding the states lack of cannabis regulations.

My concern is the agency assigned to oversee cannabis sales has not been established in New York, nor have rules or regulations been adopted, Kusnierz said in a previous meeting on the law.

Before the vote on Wednesday, a public hearing was held to allow residents and businesses in the town the opportunity to sway the board in either direction.

Two town residents came before the board to voice their reasons to opt in. It was also noted that an email was sent to the board for consideration from Brigid Martin, who addressed the board during the first discussion on the law.

Reece Rudolph owns commercial property on Route 9 in Moreau. He explained that the town would be missing out on revenue that would, in turn, go to nearby municipalities and prevent individuals and businesses from investing in a new source of income.

I do think it would be a mistake to opt out. The money will go elsewhere. I think a lot of good would come from it and it could be another source of town growth that should be considered by the board, Rudolph said.

Rudolph also address the boards concern about the lack of regulations put in place by the state, stating the businesses would have to await state regulations as well.

Moreau resident Colin Signor agreed with Rudolphs points, but also brought up the issue of safety, when deciding whether to allow cannabis to be sold in the town.

It does make it safer for people to get their products instead of just going up the street, Signor stated.

Kusnierz cited the Dec. 31 deadline being enforced by the state for municipalities to opt in or out. Those choosing to opt out now will have the opportunity to opt in at a later date. If the municipality decides to opt in, the choice cannot be changed.

After attempting to discern what the regulations put in place by the state are, the board is recognizing we do not have a lot of information at this time. We thought it was prudent to preserve our municipalitys right to regulate sales in our community, once we know exactly what those regulations entail, Kusnierz said. There is interest on the board in allowing sales, but that interest is dependent on the regulations from New York state, he added.

Town Board member Alan Van Tassel agreed with the supervisor that it wasnt in the best interest of the town to opt in with little information.

The board unanimously voted in favor of the law, 4-0, with Town Board member John Donohue absent from the meeting.

Moreau joins the village of Lake George, the village of Fort Edward, the town of Saratoga, and Wilton in choosing to opt out of cannabis sales.

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The Washington County Public Health Department on Thursday reported the death of a 36-year-old resident infected with COVID.

According to the Public Health Department, the individual was recently hospitalized and had not received a COVID vaccination.

Washington County officials offered thoughts and prayers to the family, friends and the caregivers of the deceased, in a news release.

Due to network issues, Washington County reported the COVID cases from Tuesday and Wednesday on Thursday morning.

The Public Health Department reported 266 new cases and 252 recoveries on Thursday.

Of the new cases, 22 involved fully vaccinated individuals.

The Public Health Department is now monitoring 301 active cases, with 1,432 persons under monitoring, according to the news release.

The county has 11 residents in the hospital.

According to the #nysvaccinetracker, Washington County has recorded 1,117 breakthrough cases out of the 37,264 fully vaccinated individuals. The report stated 65.2% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate was at 8.9% Thursday.

Washington County officials reminded residents to consider vaccination, wear a mask in public settings or when spending time around others, stay home and get tested if youre not feeling well. Many of the recent cases continue to originate inside workplaces, household/family spread, and events held indoors in close quarters.

Warren County

Warren County Health Services reported 79 new COVID cases and 29 recoveries on Thursday.

Health Services is now monitoring 506 active cases, with 488 experiencing mild illness.

Of the new cases reported, 33 involved fully vaccinated individuals.

The county reported 11 residents are in the hospital, with one critically ill vaccinated patient and the remaining individuals experiencing moderate illness. Eight of the 11 patients are unvaccinated.

Glens Falls Hospital spokesman Ray Agnew reported a total of 29 COVID patients, with five in the ICU and four patients off isolation.

In accordance with New York state guidelines, the hospital will resume scheduling elective surgeries on Dec. 30, Agnew also stated.

As of Thursday, the county has recorded 1,912 breakthrough cases out of the 46,429 fully vaccinated residents. Health Services stated 78.1% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and 72.2% have completed the vaccination series.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate rose to 8.4%.

Warren County officials issued a correction regarding the report of the death of a resident in their late teens on Dec. 16. The individual did have comorbidities that impacted their health. The previous statement from the county indicated none.

Saratoga County

The Saratoga County Department of Public Health Services reported a total of 1,315 active COVID cases on Wednesday.

Of the current cases, 657 involve fully vaccinated residents with the remaining 658 involving unvaccinated residents.

The county website stated 45 individuals are currently hospitalized.

According to the Saratoga County COVID data dashboard, 75.5% of the population has been fully vaccinated and 83.5% have received at least one dose.

The Health Department has recorded a total of 5,771 breakthrough cases to date.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate was at 7.1% on Wednesday afternoon.

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Be sure to pack tissues before seeing A Journal for Jordan  and we dont just mean to keep the omicron variant at bay.

No, this Denzel Washington-directed love story may leave you sobbing as it explores duty, sacrifice, death and parenthood.

Washington earns his audiences tears with an unrushed, unshowy style, letting an adult and very human relationship evolve on camera, skipping back and forth through years as it goes from love, birth, death and acceptance.

Its the story of the real-life romance between Army 1st Sgt. Charles Monroe King and journalist Dana Canedy, two apparent opposites whose lives together were tragically cut short.

Shes a Type-A city girl who likes pop music and is likely to honk at cars ahead at a traffic light when the light is green; hes a patient country boy who likes oldies on the radio and expressionistic art. He eats salad and hits the gym; she does neither.

Shes focused on her career at The New York Times when we meet her, uninterested in a long-term commitment. Men are luxuries, not necessities, she is fond of saying. Until, that is, she meets him.
ATLANTIC CITY  City Council voted this week to give $3,500 bonuses to 47 Special Improvement Division workers, who are Casino Reinvestment Development Authority employees, to thank them for working directly with the public through the COVID-19 pandemic.

They are mostly Atlantic City residents of color, Council Vice President Kaleem Shabazz said of SID workers, in explaining his reasoning for sponsoring the resolution to award the funds to a group that does not work directly for the city. Second, CRDA has been more than a partner for us.

The CRDA is a state authority.

The state Department of Community Affairs, which has oversight of the citys finances, must approve the plan if it is to move forward.

As always, we let it play out as to councils will, and then we will decide whether it will move forward or not, DCA representative Phil Gonzalez said at the meeting.

Only Councilman Moisse Mo Delgado voted against it, saying it is choosing to reward one group of non-municipal workers over many others who also deserve bonuses.

1:11 Atlantic County workers ask for help getting COVID hazard pay Atlantic County has received $52 million in American Rescue Plan funding, some of which can 
Two local school districts are among those statewide being considered for funding to enhance their security measures.

The Lower Cape May Regional School District in Cape May County would get about $73,700, and the Hopewell Township School District in Cumberland County would get about $25,900 under the second round of Securing Our Childrens Future Bond Act school security project recommendations.

Gov. Phil Murphy and acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan submitted a formal proposal for the projects to the state Legislature for consideration, the Governors Office said Wednesday. If approved by the Legislature and enacted by Murphy, $5.15 million of $500 million in bonds, which were approved by voters in 2018, would be disbursed for various security improvements, including silent panic alarms. The devices are designed to alert law enforcement during an emergency and are required under Alyssas Law.

The 2019 law  named after 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, a New Jersey native from Woodcliff Lake, Bergen County, who died in the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting  requires the states roughly 2,500 public schools to install silent alarms that communicate life-threatening or emergency situations to law enforcement.
New Jersey will pay about $53 million to settle claims that the states negligence contributed to the deaths of more than 100 veterans at state-run homes during the coronavirus pandemic, attorneys representing the bulk of the claimants said Thursday.

The settlement reached this week involved the families of 119 residents of veterans homes in Paramus and Menlo Park, according to attorney Paul da Costa. Da Costas firm represented 72 of the claimants, who will receive about $32 million in total. The families had filed notices of intent to sue but hadnt yet formally filed lawsuits, da Costa said.

This settlement of course does not replace their lost loved ones who served their countries honorably, but it certainly represents a good measure of civil justice, da Costa said. My clients do take satisfaction in the fact that there has been a resolution that they believe gives a voice to their lost loved ones.

More than 200 residents of the homes have died during the pandemic. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphys administration came under criticism in April 2020 when it directed veterans homes not to turn away patients who had tested positive, an order that was later rescinded.

1:30 Veteran who attempted suicide in Atlantic City remains hospitalized A 24-year-old Army veteran remains hospitalized after setting himself on fire last month dur

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New Jersey is seeing strong health insurance enrollment increases on its Affordable Care Act marketplace, as consumers take advantage of a second year of increased subsidies under a federal law designed to help the American economy through the coronavirus pandemic.

Enrollment for 2022 plans in the state was up 27% through Dec. 5, compared with the same period last year. The states total enrollment was 286,955, up from 226,727 last year, during the current open enrollment period starting Nov. 1.

Residents have until Dec. 31 to buy coverage that starts Jan. 1, and until the end of January for coverage starting in February. Consumers can sign up at GetCoveredNJ. Nine out of ten will receive a subsidy, state officials said.

We are thrilled that residents are taking advantage of the significant financial help that is now available in New Jersey because of federal and state actions taken to lower the cost of quality, affordable health insurance, Marlene Caride, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, said in a statement.

The subsidies were increased by the American Rescue Plan Act in April.

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NJ Department of Human Services announces $700 million child care plan The New Jersey Department of Human Services announced Wednesday a $700 million plan to help 
SF: A lot depends on how much the virus changes going forward, and to be honest thats anyones guess. The original expectation that SARS-CoV-2 would not mutate so fast has turned out to be not quite right. Then we have to recognise the fact that the virus is establishing a kind of equilibrium with its hosts (humans and also some animals), and its very possible that the ancestral virus, which started the pandemic, was nowhere near its peak fitness. And then we have the hosts immune response evolving, putting new pressure on the virus to change. Until this comes to a natural equilibrium  as we have with other coronaviruses, where most infections are mild  we may need vaccine updates.

TR: Are there any dangers we should be aware of in administering the same vaccines repeatedly  either to those receiving them or how the virus might change in response?
Cure for misinformation is verification rigor

I am 75 years old. When I was in grade school, I would enjoy watching Superman on TV. I was always impressed by the opening introduction to the show which depicted a full-screen image of Superman with these words, Truth, justice and the American way. These are words that I internalized and this is what most Americans stand for, or at least, used to.

Truth is more than just a word; it is something that you should live by. It is based on and supported by facts, not opinions, misinformation or misstatements repeatedly made. If you spread and embellish lies often enough, then at some point the lie itself is believed and is accepted as true. If you do this to influence people, then you may have created a lie that is perceived as a fact, even though there is not any evidence to support it.
When precipitation comes down, it will be wet, not white, this Christmas and Kwanzaa weekend. It will be a mostly dry weekend. However, we do need the rain, as most of South Jersey has entered pre-drought caution stage.

For your holiday weekend, expect rain showers before 9 a.m. Friday. Showers can occur at nearly any point Saturday. However, it will be a low risk throughout the day, particularly in Cape May County.

Rain will be fairly light when it does fall. Rainfall totals over the weekend should be under a quarter of an inch. Thats good news for traveling around and through the area. However, its bad news for our soil. All places south of the White Horse Pike are in abnormally dry conditions, according to the United States Drought Monitor. This is a pre-drought stage that began last week and tripled in size in New Jersey this week. We dont need to worry yet, but there is cause for concern.

Temperatures this weekend will be mild. Morning lows will be in the upper 30s to low 40s for Smithville and the inland area (temperatures will actually rise Friday night). For Cape May and the coast, well be in the upper 30s Friday morning, with mid-40s the other two weekend mornings. Daytime highs will generally be 50 to 55 degrees.

Enter Meteorologist Joe Martucci's South Jersey winter photo contest As the thermometer goes down, Meteorologist Joe Martucci is looking for your best New Jersey

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Im definitely gonna take it easy. But Im definitely gonna be able to enjoy more. And get into regular life again, she said.

Burys medical journey started when she was born with five congenital heart defects and two congenital lung defects. Less than a day old, she underwent her first open-heart surgery. According to Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery at Northwestern Medicine, Burys TAPVR is extremely rare.

In her case, the blood going from the lungs back to the heart was being directed to an abnormal location, he said. Pressures inside the lungs was building up because the heart continues to pump blood into the lungs, but the lungs, although theyre putting the oxygen in, they cannot return it back. As a result, the pressure inside the lungs is building up and that is causing ongoing damage and then because the blood cannot go back to the heart, the rest of the body is devoid of oxygen, and slowly all the organs are failing because of that vicious cycle.
Since 1997, Soter Vineyards has made a name for their world-class wines from the famed Willamette Valley. However, wine is just part of their story, as the vines take up less than 20% of their Mineral Springs Ranch property. The rest of their rolling acreage is a biodynamic, organic farm dedicated to environmental stewardship and producing wholesome foods.

Soters head chef Clayton Allen says he has fun in the kitchen discovering seasonal combinations and is especially enjoying the opportunity to explore pairing with Soters sparkling wines.

I feel like, within the last couple of years, there has been this big revelation on how flexible sparkling wine is, he says. Its not a wine that needs to be used strictly for special occasions or with lighter hors doeuvres. Its got muscle! It can really stand up to big flavors that you tend to see in entrees, especially Soters brut rose, which is akin to a vintage Champagne. These wines kind of have it all: incredible texture from the bubbles, fantastic acid and layer of complex flavors, thanks to high-quality grapes and extended time aging on the lees.

Here, Allen offers a contemporary take on the classic Peking duck dinner, detailing how the dishes work together.

This whole menu could be everything you need for an intimate festive gathering during the holidays, he says, starting with fried oysters and fermented jojos and a more modern take on fondue with the cheese sauce sitting in a roasted acorn squash. Then the entree, which is a fun French-inspired riff on Peking duck  a crispy-skin whole roasted duck  and a classic chopped salad, all wrapped together with a lacy crepe. Pair it all with a few bottles of brut rose, and it really doesnt get much better.

An unexpected tip from Allen? Acid and bubbles act as a palate cleaner with creamy, rich dishes.

This is one of the reasons fried foods go so well with sparkling wine, he notes. We highly recommend chicken-fried oysters as a great, simple way to step up your at-home cooking. Theyre approachable and extremely satisfying.

+4 Chicken-Fried Oysters and Fermented Jojos Whats better than the classic duo of sparkling wine and oysters? Sparkling wine and fried oysters, of course.

+2 Squash Fondue This elevated take on a party favorite delivers much more delicious flavor than what you can make with an outdated fondue set.

+3 Chicory Salad with White French Dressing Every great meal must feature a dynamic salad worth talking about, and this is your next go-to recipe.

+2 Whole Roasted Duck For a wow-factor main course, look no further than this impressive duck dish.

Buckwheat Crepes Who doesnt love crepes? Soter Vineyards head chef Clayton Allen has make-at-home recipe for fresh crepes that you whip up for a party or Sunday brunch with the fam.

Olive Caramel This fruity, briny condiment is reminiscent of Hoisin sauce and a perfect pairing with crispy-skinned roasted duck.

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Anyone who's completed the climb out of their early 20s hopefully has the wits to remember when life was as vivid as Kodachrome and the experience to recognize that perhaps all those new colors were duller than they seemed. Perspective, after all, is one of the great pleasures of getting older. But at the date of her death Thursday at the age of 87, Joan Didion's 1967 essay "Goodbye to All That" remains the permanent sunspot obscuring the center-vision of many maturing writers even contemplating leaving a place like New York and telling other people about it. Only a great artist creates and ruins a genre at the same time. For millennial writers who grew into the body of essays, novels and literary journalism Didion already had waiting for them, it was like sitting down to grainy footage of a party that ended long before they would ever arrive.

Rereading "Goodbye to All That" today  in the era of online, shortform oversharing  it's striking to a contemporary reader how those 1967 sentences trail on and curl over themselves, like smoke lifting off a cigarette in a breezeless room. "When I first saw New York I was twenty, and it was summertime, and I got off a DC-7 at the old Idlewild temporary terminal in a new dress which had seemed very smart in Sacramento but seemed less smart already, even in the old Idlewild temporary terminal, and the warm air smelled of mildew and some instinct, programmed by all the movies I had ever seen and all the songs I had ever sung and all the stories I had ever read about New York, informed me that it would never quite be the same again," Didion writes in an opening sentence of the piece. "In fact it never was." That first sentence has six commas and six ands. It then lands with the kind of five-word Didionism that marked her career's dehumidified approach to writing and evaluating her own experiences.

A certain degree of ruthlessness with yourself conveys honesty, and it's true that some naivete comes with being young. But not everybody might be so hard on themselves when it comes time to take stock of getting older. "Was anyone ever so young?" Didion wonders, recalling how she was afraid to call a hotel front desk to turn down the air conditioning when she was frigid, feverish and alone. "I am here to tell you that someone was. All I could do during those three days was talk long-distance to the boy I already knew I would never marry in the spring." A husband shows up, along with some furniture, after Didion film-dissolves through a couple pages of life in minimally furnished apartments and all-night parties with strange piano salesmen and various failed writers and self-promoters of her acquaintance.

The essay is so classically a New York story, a journal entry about an outlander's temporary harmonic alignment with a place that most Americans only recognize from their televisions. But the most universal appeal of "Goodbye to All That" is less about New York than its depiction of youth itself, the only city we've all lived in. "I had a friend who could not sleep, and he knew a few other people who had the same trouble, and we would watch the sky lighten and have a last drink with no ice and then go home in the early morning light, when the streets were clean and wet (had it rained in the night? we never knew) and the few cruising taxis still had their headlights on and the only color was the red and green of traffic signals." Think about the last time you really admired the violence of how a stoplight red looks against wet pavement on an empty street. After a while, you realize that's just how the world looks when you're alone.

Looking back, Didion seems frustrated that she couldn't see herself clearly, couldn't more sharply perceive at the time that being wowed has a natural expiration date that was rapidly approaching. "You see I was in a curious position in New York: it never occurred to me that I was living a real life there," she writes. "In my imagination I was always there for just another few months, just until Christmas or Easter or the first warm day in May." She stayed eight years.

Eventually she got tired. Many do. Finally, Didion left for Los Angeles, where the essay wraps up so suddenly that the white space arrives with the stopping power you'd meet in an electric fence. "The golden rhythm was broken," she shrugs. After her essay appeared in the Saturday Evening Post and her book "Slouching Towards Bethlehem," Didion went on to have a distinguished career, which included a lot of formidable books, including 2005's classic "The Year of Magical Thinking," a painful memoir about grieving the sudden death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne. "It was in fact the ordinary nature of everything preceding the event that prevented me from truly believing it had happened, absorbing it, incorporating it, getting past it," she writes of his death. Almost 40 years later, there she was, still struggling to perceive herself clearly, while offering herself to readers to be seen.

It takes time to see clearly after a departure. She knew that.



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The last energy developer still seeking to drill on the Badger-Two Medicine area south of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation has asked a federal court to reinstate its canceled leases.

Louisiana-based Solenex LLC saw its leases voided in 2016 after the Department of Interior reached settlement agreements with other companies to cease exploring for oil and gas in a region considered sacred by the Blackfeet Indian Tribe. A federal appeals court upheld the decision in 2020.

Solenex founder Sidney Longwell, who died last year, bought the 6,247-acre lease in 1982 but never drilled on the site. He was one of roughly 45 developers who took leases on U.S. Forest Service land that were later found improper because they weren't made with necessary environmental reviews or in consultation with the Blackfeet.

The tribe and several local conservation groups challenged the leases, and the Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation declared the 130,000-acre region a Traditional Cultural District in 2015.

In its declaration, the advisory council noted that drilling there would be so damaging to the (Traditional Cultural District) that the Blackfeet Tribes ability to practice their religious and cultural traditions in this area as a living part of their community life and development would be lost.

Solenex attorneys, including former acting head of the Bureau of Land Management William Perry Pendlay, claimed that then-Interior Secretary Sally Jewell overstepped her authority in canceling the leases. They also argued that Longwell faced unreasonable bureaucratic delays in seeking approval to exercise his drilling claims.

Interior Department spokesperson Tyler Cherry declined comment on the case.

Solenex's lawsuit is being waged by the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a Colorado-based firm that pursues cases involving property rights, gun rights and other conservative causes.

Pendley led the foundation before joining the Trump administration as a deputy director of policy and programs. However, he was forced to leave the leadership of BLM after Trump failed to officially nominate him to the post.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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The last return-to-work bonuses for Montanans who reentered the workforce earlier this year will be processed by the end of December, according to the state labor department.

It marks the end of the policy that has delivered $1,200 checks to about 3,000 workers while drawing controversy for the early termination of expanded federal unemployment benefits.

Department of Labor and Industry Administrator of Workforce Services Scott Eychner, who oversaw the incentive program, said in an interview Tuesday that about 300 pending applications for the bonuses will be processed by the end of next week. In all, 2,900 bonuses had been approved out of more than 6,300 applications submitted between the start of the program in May and its Oct. 31 deadline, according to numbers released Monday by the state.

Workers were eligible if they were unemployed due to the pandemic as of May 1 and subsequently held a job for at least four weeks. The commission responsible for approving how money awarded to the state under the federal American Relief Plan Act (ARPA) is spent allocated $15 million to the program, of which about $3.5 million has been distributed to workers.

Not knowing what success would look like, because weve never done anything like this before, out of the gate we were very happy with the results we had, Eychner said.

Around two-thirds of recipients of the return-to-work bonuses went to workers making $20 per hour or less, according to the departments report. The benefits were distributed fairly evenly between more urban and rural counties: The counties containing the states seven largest cities, which account for 64% of Montanas population, received about 70% of the bonuses.

But the program has drawn fire from Democrats on the economic stabilization ARPA commission. At the time it was announced, House Minority Leader Kim Abbott criticized Republican Gov. Greg Gianfortes administration for neglecting to disclose that the return-to-work program was tied to his first-in-the-nation decision to stop accepting federal unemployment benefits tied to the pandemics economic outfall.

Gianforte announced later in the day that he was ending the benefits, after the commission  of which Abbott is a member  had voted unanimously to approve the bonus program.

Ending those additional benefits three months before their sunset amounted to forfeiting tens of millions of dollars that would have potentially flowed into the state. Abbott said she previously requested an estimate of that total from the Department of Labor and Industry, which pegged that amount at about $50 million.

Gianforte and some business owners in the state have argued that the increased unemployment benefits amounted to paying people not to work.

That was appropriate when we had a significant health crisis, the governor said in an interview over the summer. Were coming out of it and  instead of just taking the benefits away, we created an incentive to getting back into the workforce.

In an interview Wednesday, Abbott argued the incentive program should have been more specifically tailored to addressing child care, housing and other issues that have sidelined workers during the pandemic, and noted that it left about $11 million sitting in the states bank account when it could have been put to other uses.

The vast majority of folks, I think they want a job they can count on to take care of themselves and their families and contribute to their local communities, she added, and we didnt address the major barriers, from our view, to folks going back to work.

The bonus program was advertised by the Gianforte administration as an effort to push out-of-work Montanans back into the workforce, as employers faced a historically tight labor market. In the months since it began, Montana added more than 12,600 jobs as of November, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistic  a 2.5% increase.

That tracks with a 2.5% increase seen nationwide during that time frame, and a number of studies published earlier this year indicated little difference in employment gains between states that ended unemployment benefits early and those that didnt.

Eychner acknowledged theres no way to be sure whether those workers would have gone back to work anyway, but said the department heard anecdotally that the bonuses enabled some recipients to address barriers to returning to the workforce, like affording child care and housing.

Economists and business owners in Montana have cited both of those factors as slowing the flow of workers back into the labor force. Some workers, particularly older ones and those with chronic medical conditions, have also been reticent to return to public-facing jobs amid a pandemic that continues to kill more than 1,000 Americans daily, nearly two years after it began.

The states Republican-controlled ARPA commissions have separately approved $31 million in ARPA money for child-care providers, as well as $15 million for affordable housing projects, but Democrats have argued that the state has been slow to actually spend that money.

Eychner said the department plans to produce a report on the return-to-work bonus program by the end of January, to include more details data on the demographics of the bonus recipients and what types of jobs they took. A more comprehensive report, to be published about a year later, will analyze more specific information the department collected from applicants, he said.

That report will attempt to find answers to the questions many economists and policymakers have been asking since the pandemic upended workers and businesses across the economy. It will include data on how long people were out of work, and what industries they worked in before and after.

One of the things were curious about (is) did people change jobs, did they change industries, did they completely upend their life and get into something else? Eychner said. Because weve heard narratives about that, but its just anecdotal data at this point.

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Five recent gifts totaling $525,000 are helping the Montana Historical Society reach its private fundraising goal for construction of the Montana Heritage Center and updates to its existing building, museum officials said.

The family of Bob and Genevieve Morgan contributed $115,000 in their honor. Bob Morgan, a noted artist from Helena, was an MHS museum curator and acting director, and served on the board. His wife, Gen, also was a longtime supporter of MHS.

The entire Morgan family is thrilled to honor our parents and grandparents memory and legacy with this gift, Bob and Gens son, Bob, said in a news release from the Montana Historical Society. The preservation and presentation of Montanas history and culture was paramount to them. They would be delighted to see this endeavor moving forward.

Construction on the $63.7 million expansion project is underway at 225 N. Roberts St. The Montana Historical Society wants to raise $15 million for the Heritage Center construction and updates to its current historic building. A grand re-opening is planned for December 2024 or early 2025.

So far, MHS has raised close to $7 million. The states lodging facility use tax will provide an additional $41 million, and a $7 million bond from 2005 also is contributing to paying for the project.

Bruce Ennis and Maggie Davis of Kalispell made a $250,000 donation, after meeting with MHS Director Molly Kruckenberg and Development Officer Ginny Sullivan, officials said.

They noted that Ennis and Davis are well-versed in historical society activities and challenges; Ennis formerly sat on the MHS board of trustees for nine years, and Davis previously volunteered as a docent at MHS.

In about 400 years the human experience in what is now Montana changed dramatically, Davis said. From the introduction of the horse to todays Legislature, the society has preserved artifacts, documents, cultural hallmarks, and more. MHS is a fantastic resource for us all.

A $100,000 donation came from Stockman Bank, which is Montanas largest family owned community bank, with 36 full-service locations across the Treasure State.

Its important that we help honor and preserve our great states history, not only for us but for future generations, Bill Coffee, chief executive officer of Stockman Bank, said in a news release.

Two additional gifts totaling $60,000 also were received.

We cant thank everyone enough for their dedication in making the Montana Heritage Center a reality, Kruckenberg said. I look out my window at the work and see progress every day, due in large part to our supporters.

More information on the project is at MontanasMuseum.org.

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Brian Solan hopes the Deer Lodge man who poached a bighorn ram last month in the Highland Mountains will join ongoing efforts to sustain the Highlands' toehold herd of wild sheep.

Solan, executive director of the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation, said Thursday that he believes poacher Harold Horine, 45, got off easy when he was penalized for offenses that included hunting without a valid license, unlawful possession of a game animal, failure to obtain landowner permission when hunting and waste of a game animal.

Horine pleaded guilty to the charges in Madison County Justice Court on Dec. 7. He was ordered to pay $5,245 in fines and restitution. His hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were suspended for two years and his ability to apply for special permits was suspended for 12 years.

The offenses galled sportsmen like Solan, Chris Marchion of the Anaconda Sportsmans Club and Justin Mandic, president of the Skyline Sportsmens Association. They were especially troubled by Horines abandonment of the bighorn rams carcass.

Horine reportedly told game wardens that he mistook the bighorn sheep for an elk.

Accidents and mistakes happen in the field, Solan said. It was more concerning to leave the sheep to waste.

Marchion was skeptical of Horines story about mistaking the two animals.

Theyre not similar at all, he said.

The Facebook page for the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation noted Wednesday that illegally killing a trophy bighorn ram could require restitution of up to $30,000. State law requires the court to determine that the killing of a trophy animal was committed knowingly or purposely before imposing such restitution.

Both Marchion and the Skyline Sportsmens Association felt the two-year suspension of Horines hunting, fishing and trapping privileges wasnt sufficient punishment.

A case in 2020 involving a 27-year-old Belgrade man who poached a bighorn in the Missouri River Breaks resulted in the suspension of his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges for 10 years. He was fined $4,000.

Dave Loewen, chief of law enforcement for FWP, said game wardens occasionally make recommendations to judges about sentencing. That typically happens when circumstances might mitigate imposition of a larger fine, such as an offender turning themselves in.

However, the tendency is to allow the judicial system to function independently, Loewen said.

He said it is also challenging to compare penalties for similar cases when there are so many judges and courts across the state and often mitigating circumstances involved.

Mandic, Solan and Marchion observed that Montana hunters seeking a permit to hunt a bighorn sheep can wait years and years without success.

Solan said the campaign to sustain the bighorn sheep herd in the Highlands has been expensive, with helicopter transport costs, radio collaring costs, personnel expenses and more. The fines for Horine should have reflected those costs, he said.

Mandic, speaking for himself and not the Skyline Sportsmens Association, said Horines decision to leave the carcass to rot should have been enough to merit a stiffer fine.

Earlier this month, volunteers helped FWP conduct a count of bighorns in the Highlands. The official tally wasnt available Thursday and FWP wildlife biologist Vanna Boccadori was out of the office for the holidays.

Solan suggested Horine could atone for his offenses.

Wed encourage him to get involved in the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation. Wed be happy to have his help.

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LOS ANGELES  When Matthew Specktor decided to start writing in earnest as a college sophomore, Joan Didion was on his mind.

Specktor, who grew up a few blocks from Didions Santa Monica home in the early 1980s, wanted to write about Los Angeles too, and he understood that Didion not only offered historical context  she was historical context.

She set me back 10 years, because I had to write about this place in ways that she hadnt, he said.

Its a bit like what some writers have with William Faulkner, where when a writer comes along and describes a place so forcefully, you have to figure out what on earth you have to add to this conversation that hasnt already been said.

Didion died on Thursday due to complications from Parkinsons disease at age 87 in her New York home. But she still belonged to California.
The Blackfeet have intervened in the case on the side of the government. Blackfeet Nation historic preservation officer John Murray said tribal officials were confident in the case against drilling.

We knew they still wanted to try to do drilling, Murray said. "We've got some good attorneys. I think we're going to prevail."

Solenex attorneys said the government unlawfully outsourced its decisions by deferring to the tribe's wishes to block drilling. They said officials should have considered ways drilling impacts could be lessened or offset if it were to proceed.

Solenexs lawsuit is being waged by the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a Colorado-based firm that pursues cases involving property rights, guns and other conservative causes.

Solenex is listed as a corporation not in good standing with the Louisiana secretary of state for failure to file an annual report. Mountain States Legal Foundation said it is working with the family of company founder Longwell to carry on the litigation.
I know who I am and I know what I believe in. In February of 2019, I knew I could resign or I could try to learn from everything that was going on, do better and help people, Northam said. It was certainly difficult for Virginia, and for me at the time, but thats what I chose.

I always think that things work out for the best.

***

Whatever Northam knew about himself or the origins of the photo on his page in the 1984 Eastern Virginia Medical School yearbook, the night that it surfaced on social media, Feb. 1, 2019, the image of a person in a KKK robe next to one in blackface raised doubts even among those closest to him.

It never occurred to me that that would be something that would be in his past, said state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, one of the Black legislators who agreed to meet with Northam in the days after the photo surfaced. Is this man a racist? And if he was, how did I miss that?

After we met, I remember thinking, Youre not a racist, youre just race ignorant. I think I can work with that.
Saltville citizens are planning to create a memorial to those who died in the Muck Dam disaster nearly a century ago  one of the most substantial tragedies in Southwest Virginia history.

On Christmas Eve 1924, after days of heavy rain, the dam on the North Fork of the Holston River broke, sending tons of water and muck through the community killing 19 people, including 12 children. The tragedy happened around 10 p.m. after many people had already gone to bed.

Without even a moments notice, houses were torn apart and cars swept away by the flood of sticky muck. Those caught in the deluge were carried downstream in their houses, and many were lucky to make a narrow escape from the raging torrent.

Those who died that night included Charles Emory Clear, age 5; Opal Jane Pauley, age 10; James C. Scott, age 72; Christena Walk, age 8 months; Lora B. Walk, age 7; Lonnie M. Walk, age 10; Ida Lee Stout, age 24; Mary Louella Stout, age 4; Roy Lee Stout, age 1; Hazel Jackson, age 2; Maxie Jackson, age 18; Nannie Jackson, age 45; Bessie G. Prater, age 10 months; Hiawatha Prater, age 25; J.D. Prater, age 49; Junior Prater, age 1; Leota Prater, age 19; Leslie Prater, age 3; and Mamie Prater, age 36.

There are many stories from that terrible night in Saltvilles history. Those who lived carried it with them and not a Christmas Eve could go by without them recalling the horrors they endured that night.

Stories and photos from the disaster are part of a small exhibit at the Museum of the Middle Appalachians in downtown Saltville.

Janice Orr, who serves as coordinator of the museum, came before the Saltville Town Council recently to talk about the proposed memorial project.

A committee has been formed to discuss the memorial and decided that the best place to put it would be in the town square. Orr said there is no good place near the disaster site where the public could visit. Establishing a memorial there would involve property easements and costly construction. Placing it at the town square would allow for the best visibility and most efficient cost.

Orr said the committee has talked to representatives of a monument company who suggested granite with the names of those killed engraved on the stone. Many still have family in the area, she said.

The 100th anniversary of the disaster will be recognized in December 2024, Orr said, so there are three years to get the project done in time for that remembrance.

Orr said the committee does not yet have a cost estimate for the memorial but expects it to be significant for the engraving of the names and a brief description of the disaster. She asked the council to consider budgeting a certain amount over the next two fiscal years to help with the cost. A fundraising campaign will also be conducted.

Council members asked for an estimate of the cost before an amount could be included in the budget. They also agreed to allow donations for the project to be sent to a separate part of the towns mailing address.

Information included in this story comes from Pieces of the Past in the Jan. 11, 2019, Bristol Herald Courier written by Robert Sorrell and Dalena Adams.
A stovetop fire in the kitchen of an apartment in the Edinburgh Square complex off Hershberger Road in north Roanoke County on Thursday afternoon triggered the buildings sprinkler system, which contained the small fire, according to the Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department.

But the sprinkler system caused water damage estimated at $75,000.

That water damage has displaced tenants of multiple units, according to a fire department news release.

The number of tenants displaced for Christmas was not disclosed, but they are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
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CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers.
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DETROIT (AP)  Under pressure from U.S. auto safety regulators, Tesla has agreed to stop allowing video games to be played on center touch screens while its vehicles are moving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the company will send out a software update over the Internet so the function called Passenger Play will be locked and won't work while vehicles are in motion.

The move comes one day after the agency announced it would open a formal investigation into distracted driving concerns about Tesla's video games, some of which could be played while cars are being driven.

An agency spokeswoman says in a statement Thursday that the change came after regulators discussed concerns about the system with Tesla. The first update went out Wednesday as part of Tesla's holiday software release, and the rest of the vehicles should get it today.

The statement says NHTSA regularly talks about infotainment screens with all automakers. A message was left Thursday seeking comment from Tesla, which has disbanded its media relations department.

The agency says its investigation of Tesla's feature will continue even with the update. It was not clear whether NHTSA would require Tesla to do a formal recall with the update. In the past the agency has asked Tesla why it should not be required to do recalls with safety-related software updates.

The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with defects posing unreasonable risks to safety, including technologies that distract drivers from driving safely, NHTSAs statement said. The agency said it assesses how manufacturers identify and guard against distraction hazards due to misuse or intended use of screens and other convenience technology.

The agency announced Wednesday that it would formally investigate Teslas screens after an owner from the Portland, Oregon, area filed a complaint when he discovered that a driver could play games while the cars are moving.

The agency said that the Passenger Play feature could distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash.

The probe covers about 580,000 Tesla Models S, X, Y and 3 from the 2017 through 2022 model years.

In documents detailing the investigation, NHTSA said Passenger Play has been available since December 2020. Before that, enabling gameplay was only possible when its vehicles were in park.

The NHTSA documents do not list any crashes or injuries caused by the problem.

Tesla owner Vince Patton, 59, filed the complaint last month after discovering the gaming feature could be played by drivers. Patton, who loves his car and says he has nothing against Tesla, worries that drivers will play games and become dangerously distracted. Somebodys going to get killed, he said. Its absolutely insane.

NHTSA already is investigating why Teslas Autopilot partially automated driving system keeps crashing into stopped emergency vehicles. Its also looking into the performance of Teslas Full Self-Driving software after getting a complaint that it nearly caused a crash.

Tesla says neither system can drive vehicles and that drivers must pay attention and be ready to intervene at all times.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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As William Kieler struggled to breathe, as he grew woozy and unresponsive, as they hooked him up to machines to shove air into his lungs, the worried staff at the small-town hospital in Auburn kept calling the big-city hospitals.

They called every hospital in Omaha. No room. They called Fremont. No chance. They called nearby out-of-state hospitals. No dice.

They called Bryan Health in Lincoln, where a nurse put Kieler on The List. Its a blinking list of names on a computer screen, a digital documentation of ages and illnesses and notes. The List did not exist, in its current form, until last year. Its grown longer as the latest waves of COVID-19 sicken and send mostly unvaccinated people to the Lincoln hospital.

William Kieler does not have COVID-19. Hes a retired tugboat captain from Peru, Nebraska, a man proud of a career spent piloting ships down the mighty Mississippi. Hes an 83-year-old with congestive heart failure. Hes the sort of patient who has always been quickly transferred from a small-town hospital to a big-city one. But not on Dec. 7.

Kieler was 20th on The List. The next day, 9th. Then 7th. Back to 9th, because too many people were coming into Bryans ER. Then 4th.

For a day, two days, three, the staff of the Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn, the people caring for Kieler, called and waited. The Bryan nurses  the keepers of The List  answered and waited. Kielers loved ones waited, and worried.

The horror of The List is simple. Its proof that one of the biggest, best hospitals in Nebraska is currently being forced to ration medical care  isnt able to admit very sick patients it would normally admit  because its emergency rooms, regular rooms, intensive-care rooms, makeshift overflow rooms, waiting rooms and even hallways are packed with patients.

Of course you are rationing health care when you cant get in all the people who need it, Dawn Isaacs, the hospitals nursing director, told the Flatwater Free Press. When were making decisions based on capability and capacity, on what we can provide and cant  Yes, we are in a health care system that is rationing care.

For years, that call from the Nemaha County Hospital to Bryan would have been routine.

Isaacs said the Lincoln hospital rarely turned down a transfer before COVID-19, and never delayed admitting a critically ill patient.

Now, every time a small-town hospital phones, theres a short conference call with a doctor and the employee running bed control. The key question: Do you have a bed?

The current answer, almost always: Not yet.

On a recent day, 29 Nebraskans  almost all of them awaiting transfers from rural hospitals  sat on the waiting list, said Bob Ravenscroft, a Bryan vice president, at a mid-December briefing. He showed a chart with a gray line denoting a normal busy time at Bryan, and a red line illustrating the hospital at its surge capacity. Since August, Bryan has crossed that red line almost as many days as it hasnt.

Every time we pop above that red line thats where theres not a realistic place to put them, he said of patients awaiting transfer to Bryan. Theres a house supervisor on the receiving end of those calls, and they are going one-by-one, on who gets that next bed. So, obviously, this is heartbreaking for (the staff).

Bryan staff has converted the gastrointestinal lab into a space to put hospital patients at night. They have placed patients in rooms meant for observing people who have undergone surgery. They have parked a dozen beds in the hallways of the emergency room.

The ER looks like a war zone, said Isaacs, the nursing director in charge of the ER.

They discharge people speedily. They send people to urgent care offices for broken bones. They plead with smaller hospitals to do comfort care for their patients near death.

Bryan doesnt have beds for patients destined to die within the next 24 hours, they said. Bryan doesnt have beds, period.

Literally all our beds are used, Isaacs said. This is not a staffing problem. The staff are stressed, dont get me wrong. But we have every area open.

Nebraskans having heart attacks, strokes or other life-and-death emergencies still get immediately into Bryan, Isaacs noted.

But many patients fall into a gray area. They have internal bleeding. Or, like William Kieler, they are having serious trouble breathing. Those patients go onto The List.

It is one thing to hear that hospitals are full because of COVID-19. Its quite another to know that your loved one is bearing the brunt of that No Vacancy sign.

Kim Kieler, Williams daughter, stayed close to him at the Nemaha County Hospital as he waited for a transfer on Dec. 7, Dec. 8, then Dec. 9. To her, hes more than a number on a list.

Hes the man who worked a month on and a month off during her childhood. He steered ships down the Missouri River, the Ohio and the Mississippi, then returned to the house in Peru where he and wife, Beverly, raised four children.

William Kieler still lives in that house. He stayed even after his wife of 59 years died in 2017. Hes long been a healthy horse of a man who, despite two knee replacements, would still captain the occasional tugboat past age 80.

To Kim Kieler, hes Dad.

She tried to stay patient with the Nemaha County staff, knowing they were trying to get him transferred. She tried to stay patient with the phone calls  she knew Bryan wanted to help her father, too. But she felt fear in her temples, her muscles, her bones.

He needed to be in a place that could do more for him, Kim Kieler said. Is he gonna get there? Is he gonna get the help he needs? Is this delay gonna  is it going to make things worse?

Finally, on Dec. 10, a Bryan employee called Nemaha County back. We have a bed, they said.

Then, another delay: The ambulance meant to speed Kieler to Lincoln was occupied by another, severely ill patient. Finally, around midnight, Kieler was rushed to Lincoln and admitted to Bryan with acute respiratory failure.

He had waited roughly 80 hours for a spot.

He stayed for nearly a week. He was released  probably too early, Kim Kieler said. He ended up being life-flighted back to Bryan last weekend after the carbon dioxide in his blood spiked. Hes now recovering at the hospital, as others wait their turn on The List.

Some people simply dont realize what this is until youre in this position and you see how hard it is to get a family member into a hospital, Kim Kieler said. To get the care they need.

Isaacs realizes the position that Nebraska is in. Bryans nursing director has had to tell anguished co-workers that their loved one cant be admitted  they must go on The List like everyone else.

When she sees friends, she tells them to drive safe, because theres no room for them at Bryan. Its a joke, ha ha, but its really not, she said.

Bryan leaders have been sounding the alarm for months. They did so again at the December briefing.

The middling vaccination rates in Nebraska are crippling the health care system, Ravenscroft said. The unvaccinated population, as we can see from the statistics, is continuing to occupy beds at an unsustainable rate.

The List isnt going anywhere. Hospital leaders are bracing for it to lengthen, thanks to a resurgent flu season and a potential COVID-19 surge tied to the omicron variant.

The List was 10 names long when Isaacs began answering questions during a Monday morning phone interview. An hour later, it had jumped to 13.

It will grow this afternoon, she said before hanging up.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. Learn more at flatwaterfreepress.org.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.  California health officials say the omicron variant is evident in 50% to 70% of new coronavirus cases in parts of the most populous state heading into the holidays, with the state nearing a total of 5 million virus infections for the pandemic.

The U.S. recorded its first confirmed omicron infection just three weeks ago in a San Francisco resident who had recently traveled to South Africa.

On Friday, the state had 4,990,016 confirmed coronavirus cases to date and more than 75,000 deaths from COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the virus.

Case reporting is expected to lag because of the holidays.

HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

 Hospitals, police departments struggle to stay staffed as omicron infects workforces

 Fear of infection takes back seat to food insecurity as pandemic pummels African economies

 Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in biblical Bethlehem

Go to https://APNews.com/coronavirus-pandemic for updates throughout the day.

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.  Health officials in Missouri say the omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread across much of Missouri, according to wastewater testing data.

The variant has now been detected at low levels in 15 of the 63 test locations, including in St Louis, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Columbia, Branson, St. Joseph, Union, Clinton, Warrensburg and Fulton.

Jeff Wenzel at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says the data released Friday is based on samples collected last week. He says that tests a week earlier detected the omicron variant in just St. Joseph and in the Kansas City area.

Wenzel says that for now, though, the delta variant remains the dominant strain in Missouri.

Federal health officials said Monday that nationally, omicron accounts for 73% of new infections.

MADRID  Spains King Felipe VI has warned citizens to remain cautious as the coronavirus can still inflict widespread damage. His annual Christmas Eve speech came amid a record number of infections in the country Friday.

Spanish health authorities have reported three days in a row of record-breaking caseloads and have reinstituted mandatory mask-wearing in open spaces with few exceptions.

We all have to do everything possible not to take steps backwards in this health crisis that has caused so much suffering, Felipe said.

ROME  Pope Francis has celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peters Basilica, going ahead with the service despite the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees.

A maskless Francis processed down the central aisle of the basilica Friday as the Sistine Chapel choir sang Noel, kicking off the Vaticans Christmas holiday.

For the second day in a row, Italy on Friday set a new pandemic daily record with 50,599 new cases. Another 141 people died, bringing the official death toll to 136,386.

The Vatican secretary of state on Thursday imposed a new vaccine mandate on all Vatican staff, except those who have recovered from the coronavirus. The faithful attending Mass are required to wear masks.

Francis, who is missing part of one lung and had intestinal surgery in July, has largely eschewed masks. He is believed to have received the third booster shot.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has defended her response to the coronavirus, insisting that the state acted early and did all it could against the omicron variants rapid spread.

Hochul also told a news conference Friday that the state is shortening the amount of time essential workers must stay home after testing positive.

Fully vaccinated people in health care and other frontline fields can return to work after five days instead of 10 if theyre not showing symptoms or if their symptoms are resolving. They must also wear masks on the job. Some Republican officials have called the mask mandate an overreach.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A spokesperson for Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says a small number of attendees at a recent holiday party hosted by the Democrat and his wife at their Greenwich home have tested positive for COVID-19.

Both Lamont and wife Annie have regularly tested negative for the coronavirus since the Dec. 11 private event. Lamont spokesperson Max Reiss says guests were required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated and present a negative test.

Hearst Connecticut Media reported Thursday that Reiss says the couple get tested regularly and have tested negative in each instance since the party. He did not say how many guests were at the event.

MIAMI  A COVID-19 outbreak has been recorded on a South Florida-based cruise ship, as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida has hit its second-highest level since the start of the pandemic.

An undisclosed number of passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Freedom caught the virus and the ship was denied entry to Bonaire and Aruba, Carnival said in a statement.

The ship has 2,497 passengers and 1,112 crew members and was scheduled to return to Miami on Sunday following an 8-day cruise. Passengers were required to be vaccinated and they were tested before leaving last Saturday, according to Carnival.

Carnival Freedom is following all protocols and has a small number on board who are in isolation due to a positive COVID test, the statement said. Our protocols anticipate this possibility and we implement them as necessary.

It was the third outbreak this week affecting cruise ships operated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean departing Miami and Fort Lauderdale ports.

ISTANBUL  Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the worlds Orthodox Christians, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is displaying mild symptoms.

The Istanbul-based Patriarchate said Friday that Bartholomew, who is 81 and recently had heart surgery, is fully vaccinated. It added that his general condition is good.

The Patriarch has urged people to get their shots and follow the recommendations of doctors.

Bartholomew was hospitalized overnight in the United States in late October and later had a stent installed to open up a clogged coronary artery.

He is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope.

NEW DELHI  Indias Health Ministry says an analysis of 183 omicron variant infections showed that 87 were in fully vaccinated people and three involved individuals who had booster doses.

India has confirmed a total of 358 cases of the omicron variant and 114 of the infected individuals already have recovered, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told reporters Friday.

He said Asian countries are seeing COVID-19 cases decline overall, unlike in North America and Europe.

India was overwhelmed by two massive outbreaks in September 2020 and in May of this year. It recorded more than 400,000 new cases in 24 hours at the peak of its second surge in May. In the past two weeks, the country has averaged around 7,000 new cases a day.

Bhushan said 61% of Indias over-18 population has received two vaccine doses. Despite being home to some of the worlds largest vaccine makers, India has relied largely on two jabs: the Astra Zeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute and Bharat Biotechs domestically developed vaccine.

BERLIN  Germanys health minister says the country's proportion of coronavirus infections with the new omicron variant will increase sharply in the days ahead.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach acknowledged there would be delays in local health offices reporting figures over the holidays, but he appealed on Twitter for people to take steps to avoid infection during Christmas festivities.

According to the national disease control center, Germany had 3,198 COVID-19 cases attributed to omicron as of Wednesday, a 25% increase from the previous day. The disease control center said Thursday that of those cases, 48 people were hospitalized and one person had died.

So far, the delta variant remains the dominant form of the coronavirus in Germany.

Authorities are introducing new contact restrictions, while most regions are shutting nightclubs and putting other measures in place. In most cases, the curbs are set to take effect just after Christmas, though a few will go into force starting Friday.

TOKYO  Japan has approved the COVID-19 pill developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. for use beginning next week, the Japanese health minister said Friday.

Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters that a ministry drug panel authorized Mercks molnupiravir under a fast-track process and the drug will be shipped to hospitals and pharmacies beginning next week.

Its one of two medications for treating COVID-19 that Japan has secured. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country is procuring 1.6 million doses from Merck.

Japan has also arranged for a shipment of 2 million doses of a COVID-19 pill made by Pfizer that hasnt yet received approval for use in the country.

Until recently, Japan largely kept out coronavirus infections involving the new omicron variant by enforcing stringent border controls. The first known locally transmitted cases were reported in Osaka on Wednesday.

BETHLEHEM, West Bank  The biblical town of Bethlehem is marking its second straight Christmas Eve under the shadow of the coronavirus.

Small crowds and gray, gloomy weather dampened celebrations on Friday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. A ban on nearly all incoming air traffic by Israel -- the main entry point for foreign visitors heading to the occupied West Bank -- kept international tourists away for a second consecutive year.

Instead, local authorities are counting on the Holy Lands small Christian community to lift spirits. It is a theme seen around the world as revelers, weary from nearly two years of lockdowns and safety restrictions, search for ways to celebrate safely.

Before the pandemic, Bethlehem would host thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world, bringing a strong dose of holiday spirit to the town and a huge jolt to the local economy.

PARIS  Protesters angry over virus and vaccine rules have occupied Guadeloupes regional legislature because of stalled negotiations over their grievances about management of the French Caribbean island.

Officials in Guadeloupe and Paris denounced Thursdays incursion as unacceptable and a threat to the democratically elected Regional Council.

Officials posted images online that showed a Christmas tree knocked over and a banner reading No to Obligatory Vaccination, No to the Health Pass.

Vaccinations are mandatory for all French health workers and a health pass is required to enter many venues. The measures have met the stiffest opposition in Guadeloupe and Martinique, reflecting long-running frustrations over inequality between the islands and the French mainland.

SYDNEY  Australias New South Wales state is reporting more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours for the second straight day as the state and federal governments roll out measures meant to curb the spread of the virus.

The Federal health minister also said experts have recommended the gap between second vaccine doses and boosters be shortened from five months to four starting Jan. 4 and down to three beginning Jan. 31.

State Premier Dominic Perrottet had resisted mandating mask-wearing indoors until Thursdays record caseload led him to reconsider.

Testing centers have been swamped by people seeking tests before traveling for family Christmas gatherings. People are now being advised to seek tests only if they are symptomatic or are close contacts of existing cases.

QUITO, Ecuador  Ecuador is making vaccination against the coronavirus mandatory.

The government said Thursday that only Ecuadorians with a medical condition that could be complicated by vaccination will be exempt. Those people must provide documentation.

Officials say the order comes because of an increase in coronavirus infections and the circulation of new variants such as omicron.

Ecuador says it has enough vaccine to immunize the entire population. As of Tuesday, about 77% of Ecuadors 17.3 million people had been vaccinated. About 33,600 people in Ecuador have died from COVID-19.

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Chile plans to offer a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to its citizens.

President Sebastian Pinera said Thursday that the fourth dose is expected to start in February.

Health Secretary Enrique Paris says the shot will be different than the one people got previously.

Chile has reported almost 86% of its population fully vaccinated. It has the highest level of immunization against the coronavirus in Latin America, and among the best levels in the world, according to online research website Our World in Data.

Pinera says 10,2 million out of Chiles 19 million people have received a third dose.

Chile has recorded almost 39,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
New Jersey will pay about $53 million to settle claims that the states negligence contributed to the deaths of more than 100 veterans at state-run homes during the coronavirus pandemic, attorneys representing the bulk of the claimants said Thursday.

The settlement reached this week involved the families of 119 residents of veterans homes in Paramus and Menlo Park, according to attorney Paul da Costa. Da Costa's firm represented 72 of the claimants, who will receive about $32 million in total. The families had filed notices of intent to sue but hadn't yet formally filed lawsuits, da Costa said.

"This settlement of course does not replace their lost loved ones who served their countries honorably, but it certainly represents a good measure of civil justice," da Costa said. My clients do take satisfaction in the fact that there has been a resolution that they believe gives a voice to their lost loved ones.

More than 200 residents of the homes have died during the pandemic. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphys administration came under criticism in April 2020 when it directed veterans homes not to turn away patients who had tested positive, an order that was later rescinded.

In October 2020, the Justice Department sent a letter to Murphy questioning its nursing home death count and announced it was launching a formal investigation of the states veterans homes after receiving what it described as incomplete answers to an earlier request for data.

During the first months of the pandemic, New Jersey also took steps to protect long-term care facilities like veteran's homes from liability for basic negligence if they were considered to be acting in good faith during the public health emergency.

That raised the bar for potential lawsuits, said attorney Scott Piekarsky, whose firm represented 14 families of veterans who had lived at the Paramus facility and whose claims accused the facility of gross negligence.

These werent easy, slam dunk cases, but we felt we had enough and we were going to stay the course, Piekarsky said. The state did the right thing in not putting these families through years and years of litigation.

Messages seeking comment on the settlement were left Thursday with Murphys office and with the state attorney generals office. The settlement was first reported by NJ.com.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BOSTON (AP)  Staff absences for COVID-19 tripled this month in Londons hospitals, and nearly 10% of the citys firefighters called out sick.

In New York, about 2,700 police officers were absent earlier this week  twice the number who are ill on an average day. And on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, grocery worker Judy Snarsky says shes stretched to her limit, working 50 hours a week and doing extra tasks because her supermarket has around 100 workers when it should have closer to 150.

We dont have enough hands. Everybody is working as much as they physically and mentally can, the 59-year-old in Mashpee said. Some of us have been going like a freight train.

The worldwide surge in coronavirus cases driven by the new omicron variant is the latest blow to hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers as the pandemic enters its third year.

Governments have taken steps to stem the bleeding across a range of jobs considered essential for society, from truckers and janitors to child care providers and train conductors. But nurses and other workers worry that continued staffing woes will put the public at greater risk and increase burnout and fatigue among their ranks.

Seattle police officer Mike Solan, who leads his citys police union, said his department is down about 300 officers from its usual force of 1,350.

Its difficult for our community because theyre waiting for that call for help, he said. "And then were at risk because we dont have the proper safe numbers to have a safe working environment when we answer that call for help.

Michelle Gonzalez, a nurse at New Yorks Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, said she and her intensive care unit colleagues never truly had a break from COVID-19, and the arrival of omicron has only reawakened her post-traumatic stress.

Prior to work, I get really bad anxiety, she said. If Ive been off for two days, I will come back in a panic because I dont know what Im walking into.

Countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines to ease staffing shortages by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus.

Meanwhile in the U.S., states such as Massachusetts have called in hundreds of National Guard members to help fill the gaps in hospitals and nursing homes, where they serve meals, transport patients and do other nonclinical work.

In Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan has promised to veto legislation repealing a $4 an hour hazard pay raise for grocery workers, which has been in place for nearly a year in some major West Coast cities, including Los Angeles and Berkeley and Long Beach, California.

Now is not the time to roll back the pay for these critical front-line workers, the Democratic mayor said earlier this week.

Unions representing health care workers gripe that far too many hospitals failed to fill staff vacancies or to retain pandemic-weary staff.

For example, there are 1,500 nursing vacancies in New York's three largest hospitals alone, or about double the number at the onset of the pandemic, said Carl Ginsberg, a spokesman for the 42,000-member New York State Nurses Association.

There are not enough nurses to do the job right, and so there are situations where the units have dangerous conditions, where patients are in jeopardy, he said.

In London, the U.K.s omicron epicenter, a wave of staff absences is hitting hospitals just as COVID-19 admissions have doubled in three weeks. The latest surge will probably persist until mid-January, officials said.

It wouldnt take much to cause a crisis, said David Oliver, a consultant physician at a hospital in southeast England.

The operators of U.S. nursing homes, which were crippled by some of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks early in the pandemic, are among those pleading for officials to do more.

While cases in long-term care facilities have not risen sharply yet, the industry is bracing for omicron with 15% fewer workers today than when the pandemic began, said Rachel Reeves, a spokesperson for the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, an industry trade group.

Nursing homes historically struggle to compete with other health care operators because their pay rates are effectively fixed by the government, she said, so providers hope President Joe Bidens administration can boost Medicaid funding and create staff recruitment and retention programs.

Caregivers are burned out, Reeves said. Not only have many experienced tremendous loss, it has been exhausting  physically and emotionally  battling this virus day in and day out.

Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan provides $350 billion for state and local governments to provide premium pay to essential workers. States are also using other buckets of pandemic funds to bolster their workforce.

In West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice said Tuesday that his administration will use $48 million of the state's remaining CARES Act money on recruiting and training nurses to meet a goal of adding more than 2,000 new nurses over the next four years.

But its not just health care systems warning of dire consequences and seeking more support.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, was among those who have called on the Biden administration to cut recommended COVID-19 quarantine times down to five days, or risk further disruptions in air travel.

Train operators also warn of sudden cancellations and other service issues as subways and commuter lines endure COVID-19-related staff shortages.

In the U.K., train company LNER said this week that its canceling 16 trains a day until Christmas Eve. Transport for London, which operates the subway and employs about 28,000 people, also warned of slowdowns because 500 front-line staff are off work because of COVID-19-related illness.

Even small businesses such as restaurants and nail salons, which are not necessarily considered essential, are preparing to further curtail hours, or briefly shut down if worker shortages worsen.

Manhattan restaurateur Bret Csencsitz said the labor shortage prompted him to reduce seating and eliminate staples such as burgers and oysters from the menu at Gotham, which reopened last month.

Trophy Brewing in Raleigh, North Carolina, cut operating hours and decided to close three of the business four locations early on New Years Eve, said David Lockwood, the companys co-owner.

In Washington, D.C., DogMa Daycare & Boarding For Dogs said this week that it was canceling all day care until Jan. 3 because several staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

Daniel Schneider, a Harvard professor focused on low-income workers, said the public should keep in mind that essential workers simply dont have the luxury of working from home, as some Americans do.

White-collar workers need to appreciate the real risks that these folks take, he said. You cant ring up groceries from home. You cant stock shelves from home.

DInnocenzio reported from Sandwich, Massachusetts, and Calvan reported from New York. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Kelvin Chan in London; Josh Boak in Washington; Mike Sisak in New York; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; and Bryan Anderson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

Follow AP's coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (AP)  Erland Suppah Jr. doesnt trust what comes out of his faucet.

Each week, Suppah and his girlfriend haul a half-dozen large jugs of water from a distribution center run by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to their apartment for everything from drinking to cooking to brushing their teeth for their family of five. Its the only way they feel safe after countless boil-water notices and weekslong shutoffs on a reservation struggling with bursting pipes, failing pressure valves and a geriatric water treatment plant.

About the only thing this water is good for is cleaning my floor and flushing down the toilet, Suppah said of the tap water in the community 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Portland. Thats it.

In other, more remote tribal communities across the country, running water and indoor plumbing have never been a reality.

Now, theres a glimmer of hope in the form of a massive infrastructure bill signed last month that White House officials say represents the largest single infusion of money into Indian Country. It includes $3.5 billion for the federal Indian Health Service, which provides health care to more than 2 million Native Americans and Alaska Natives, plus pots of money through other federal agencies for water projects.

Tribal leaders say the funding, while welcome, wont make up for decades of neglect from the U.S. government, which has a responsibility to tribes under treaties and other acts to ensure access to clean water. A list of sanitation deficiencies kept by the Indian Health Service has more than 1,500 projects, including wells, septic systems, water storage tanks and pipelines. Some projects would address water contamination from uranium or arsenic.

About 3,300 homes in more than 30 rural Alaska communities lack indoor plumbing, according to a 2020 report. On the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation, about one-third of the 175,000 residents are without running water.

Residents in these places haul water for basic tasks such as washing and cooking, sometimes driving long distances to reach communal water stations. Instead of indoor bathrooms, many use outhouses or lined pails called honey buckets that they drag outside to empty. Some shower or do laundry at community sites known as washeterias, but the equipment can be unreliable and the fees expensive.

You look at two billionaires competing to fly into outer space, yet were trying to get basic necessities in villages of interior Alaska, said PJ Simon, a former chairman of an Alaska Native nonprofit corporation called the Tanana Chiefs Conference.

Many more tribal communities have indoor plumbing but woefully inadequate facilities and delivery systems riddled with aging pipes.

The coronavirus pandemic, which disproportionately hit Indian Country, further underscored the stark disparities in access to running water and sewage systems.

In Warm Springs, the water crisis has overlapped with COVID-19.

During a worldwide pandemic, weve had a boil-water notice. How are we supposed to wash our hands? How are we supposed to sanitize our homes to disinfect, to keep our community members safe? How can we do that ... when our water isnt even clean? said Dorothea Thurby, who oversees the distribution of free water to tribal members and food boxes to those who are quarantined.

A 2019 report by a pair of nonprofit groups, U.S. Water Alliance and Dig Deep, found Native American homes are 19 times more likely than white households to lack full plumbing. And federal officials note tribal members without indoor toilets or running water are at increased risk of respiratory tract, skin and gastrointestinal infections.

On the Navajo Nation, Eloise Sullivan uses an outhouse and often drives before dawn to beat the crowd at a water-filling station near the Arizona-Utah border to get water for the five people in her household. They use about 850 gallons (3,200 liters) a week, she estimated.

Sullivan, 56, doesnt mind hauling water, but for the younger generation, its like, Do we have to do that?

Its kind of like a big issue for them, she said.

She once asked local officials what it would cost to run a water line from the closest source about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away. She said she was told $25,000 and never pursued it.

Libby Washburn, special assistant to President Joe Biden on Native American affairs, recently told tribes the infrastructure bill included enough money to complete all the projects on the Indian Health Service list. The agency said its consulting with tribes and wont make allocation decisions before that process is over.

Until now, tribes and outside organizations have worked to address needs with their own funding, donations or federal money, including pandemic relief.

If you live without running water, you understand the importance and the connection you have with it, deep down as a person, as a human being, said Burrell Jones, who sets up water systems and delivers water around Dilkon, Arizona, with Dig Deeps Navajo Water Project. You cant exist without water.

Andrew Marks recently moved back to Tanana, a community of about 190 people in Alaskas interior. He initially relied on a washeteria but found the equipment unreliable. He now has running water and plumbing where he lives but hauls water for family members who dont.

I believe if we had more people with water, more people connected to the grid, it would drastically improve their life, he said.

In Oregon, tribal officials have handed out about 3 million gallons (11 million liters) of water  almost all of it donated  from a decommissioned elementary school on the reservation. A steady stream of residents pick up a combined 600 gallons (2,270 liters) of water a day from the building. Former classrooms overflow with 5-gallon (19-liter) containers and cases of bottled water.

The infrastructure bill brought joy to my heart because now it gives me hope  hope that its going to be repaired, said Dan Martinez, the tribes emergency manager, who expects to receive federal funds to replace underground pipes and address the 40-year-old treatment plant.

If you came to work one day and someone said, Hey, you need to go and find water for a community of 6,000 people. ... I mean, where do you start?

The money wont provide immediate relief. Funding to the Indian Health Service is supposed to be distributed over five years. There is no deadline for its use, and projects will take time to complete once started. The money wont cover operation and maintenance of the systems, a point tribes have criticized.

In Warm Springs, tribal members dont pay for their water, and proposals to charge for it are deeply unpopular. That provides little incentive for tribal members to conserve water and raises questions about how new infrastructure will be maintained.

There are some Natives who say  and I believe this myself  How do you sell something you never owned? The Creator has given it to us, said Martinez, a tribal member.

Building out infrastructure in remote areas can be onerous, too. Most roads on the Navajo Nation are unpaved and become muddy and deeply rutted after big storms.

In Alaska, winter temperatures can fall well below zero, and construction seasons are short. Having enough people in a small community who are trained on the specifics of a water system so they can maintain it also can be a challenge, said Kaitlin Mattos, an assistant professor at Fort Lewis College in Colorado who worked on a 2020 report on water infrastructure in Alaska.

Every bit of funding that is allocated is going to help some family, some household, which is wonderful, she said. Whether its enough to help every single household, I think, remains to be seen.

Fonseca reported from Flagstaff, Arizona. Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP)  A woman who returned from a flight to Europe with more than $3,000 worth of gifts in her luggage found the contents gone  and replaced with dog food.

Gina Sheldon, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, also found an old T-shirt and a shaving cream bottle in her bag, WMUR-TV reported Friday.

There was a leather jacket I had purchased for my 16-year-old, Sheldon said. I had bought these really cute leather wristlet band purses that I had bought to give to various family and friends.

Sheldon said she spent 11 days in Italy and stopped in Paris for a few days for business on her way home recently.

When it goes through the scan and it continued on its journey, it looks like a real luggage product," she said about the objects that ended up in her bag.

Sheldon booked her flight through Delta Air Lines, but it was operated by Air France.

We apologize for this customers experience following Air France flight 334," Delta told the station in a statement. We have affirmatively connected with our partners at Air France and the customer to find a resolution.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, WMUR-TV.

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A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

NY lawmakers arent voting on bill to detain the unvaccinated

CLAIM: New York lawmakers will vote Jan. 5 on a bill that would allow for the indefinite detention of the unvaccinated.

THE FACTS: The claim is misrepresenting a bill, first introduced in the New York state legislature in 2015, that would allow for the temporary detention of individuals infected, or suspected of being infected, with a contagious disease during a public health emergency. The state Assemblys health committee has no plans to take action on the bill, and its sponsor, Assemblyman N. Nick Perry, now says he will withdraw it. While the proposal failed to find support among lawmakers, it is still causing a stir online. In recent days, social media users have pushed a claim that lawmakers are planning to vote on the bill as soon as Jan. 5  and that it would allow for the indefinite detention of people who arent vaccinated against COVID-19. But no such vote on the bill in question was slated for that day, which is actually just the start of the legislative session. Citing concocted stories online about the bill, Perry, its sponsor, tweeted Monday that he would take legislative action to strike the bill, remove it from the calendar, thus ending all consideration, and actions that could lead to passage into law. The bill proposed allowing the state to temporarily detain someone carrying or suspected to be carrying a contagious disease  or someone they came into contact with  in a medical facility or other appropriate facility. The bill also said such a person shall not continue to be detained after they are determined to be no longer contagious. It also included a provision to require the state to seek a court order if a person was to be held for more than three days. Frank Shea, a spokesman for Perry, told The Associated Press that the bill was first proposed in 2015 after a nurse defied quarantine after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. Shea said that while Perry reintroduced the bill year after year, he had not actively pushed for the legislation and said it would be withdrawn because it had become a distraction. The most recent introduction came in January 2021, when it was referred to the Assemblys Committee on Health. There was no other action on it. Before Perry announced Monday that he would withdraw the bill, the office of Assemblyman Richard Gottfried  the chair of the Committee on Health  also said in a statement to the AP that there were no plans to vote on it. This bill has been introduced every year since 2015, has never been taken up by the Committee, has not been cosponsored by other legislators, and has not had a companion bill in the Senate, the statement said. The Committee does not plan to put the bill on an agenda.

 Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in Philadelphia contributed this report.

Posts misrepresent Washington University study on COVID-19 immunity

CLAIM: Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis released data showing that if you have had COVID-19, even a mild case, you are likely protected from the virus for life.

THE FACTS: The researchers found that people who have recovered from COVID-19 have bone marrow cells that can create antibodies for decades, but that doesnt mean those individuals will be immune to new variants of the virus. As the highly contagious omicron variant quickly became the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., a misleading article and several social media posts falsely claimed that people who have had COVID-19 before are immune for the rest of their lives. If youve had COVID-19, even a mild case, major congratulations to you as youve more than likely got long-term immunity, read an article published Tuesday on the news site The Epoch Times. In fact, youre likely to be immune for life, as is the case with recovery from many infectious agents  once youve had the disease and recovered, youre immune, most likely for life. However, the posts misrepresent the research they cite  a study published in May in the journal Nature  according to study co-author Dr. Ali Ellebedy, who teaches pathology and immunology at Washington Universitys medical school. The study examined the blood and bone marrow of people who had experienced mild COVID-19 infections and found long-lived antibody-producing cells, evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 would likely create antibodies against it for a long time. Still, the study "does NOT show nor claim that people recovering from mild SARS-CoV-2 infection are protected for life, Ellebedy said in an email. Epidemiological data clearly show that people recovered from earlier infection can be infected especially with emerging variants of concerns like Delta and Omicron. Ellebedy explained that having detectable antibody response for a lifetime doesnt necessarily mean being protected from the virus for a lifetime. Not all antibodies are protective especially if the virus they are raised against is constantly changing, Ellebedy said. A prior infection doesnt seem to offer much protection against an omicron infection although, like with vaccination, it may reduce the chances of severe illness. Scientists in South Africa and Britain have found that reinfections among people who have battled COVID-19 appear more likely with omicron than with earlier mutants of the virus, including delta. The Epoch Times did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

 Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed this report.

Scientists identify COVID variants through sequencing, not symptoms

CLAIM: The illness that scientists are labeling the omicron variant of COVID-19 may actually just be the common cold or the respiratory syncytial virus, both of which appear more often in the winter months.

THE FACTS: Despite posts claiming scientists are just calling the common cold or an RSV infection the omicron variant, no one is just putting a new scientific name on a cold. Scientists have identified the omicron variant through precise genetic sequencing, not simply by noticing cold-like symptoms. By sequencing the genome of the coronavirus in a respiratory sample from someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, scientists can pinpoint the ways in which the virus has mutated. Thats how they know when a new coronavirus variant is spreading in the population, as opposed to a previous strain. Every bacteria and virus has specific genetic markers, said Dr. Anita Gupta, a professor and anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Scientists, she added, look for those genetic markers when they sequence the viral genome, and thats how theyre able to identify which type of variant they have. The post also ignores that COVID-19 diagnostic tests do more than just confirm you are sick: They are designed specifically to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Whether you use a PCR test, which looks for genetic material from the virus, or a rapid test, which looks for proteins on the surface of the virus, a COVID-19 test identifies that the virus that causes COVID-19 was found inside your body. COVID-19 tests are designed to register as positive only in the presence of SARS-CoV-2, not other viruses, Gupta explained.

 Ali Swenson

Faucis sister did not publish book about the omicron variant

CLAIM: Faucis sister Angelique Fauci published a book on the omicron variant of the coronavirus the same week it was discovered.

THE FACTS: The self-published e-book, which Amazon removed from the website, was not written by Dr. Anthony Faucis sister. Fauci, head of the National Institute of Health and Infectious Diseases, only has one sibling. Her name is Denise Scorce. Social media users shared a screenshot of the e-book titled Omicron and the Other COVID-19 Variants: All You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines & Variants by Dr. Angelique Fauci with false claims about its author. How did Faucis sister publish a book on Omicron in the same week Omicron was supposedly discovered?! #Plandemic #Omicron, one Twitter user wrote. A National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases spokesperson confirmed in an email to The Associated Press that Dr. Faucis sister did not write a book about the omicron variant. His sister was mentioned in a 2007 tribute to Fauci. The 17-page Kindle edition was published on Nov. 26  the same day the World Health Organization designated omicron a variant of concern  can no longer be purchased on Amazon. An Amazon spokesperson said the book was removed for violating content guidelines but provided no further details. The books synopsis contained multiple punctuation, capitalization and word choice errors. Multiple self-published books about the omicron variant appeared on Amazon in recent weeks. Books can be published on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing in minutes. According to the website, Publishing takes less than 5 minutes and your book appears on Kindle stores worldwide within 24-48 hours and changes can be made to the books at any time. Amazons content guidelines note that self-published books can be pulled for being incomplete, including content that disappoints our customers, is poorly translated or is already freely available online.

 Associated Press writer Arijeta Lajka in New York contributed this report.

No COVID-19 vaccines stored in building that caught fire in Italy

CLAIM: A video shows a fire at a military warehouse in Italy that was storing COVID-19 vaccines. The fire occurred on the date members of law enforcement had to be vaccinated.

THE FACTS: A fire did break out at an Italian paramilitary police barracks on Dec. 15, the vaccination deadline, but there were no COVID-19 vaccines on site as some online posts falsely claimed. Social media users shared a video showing a fire consuming a building in Italy along with the false claim that the building is a military warehouse that stores COVID-19 vaccines. While a fire did occur on Dec. 15 at the Salvo DAcquisto barracks, which houses Carabinieri, Italian paramilitary police, the site did not contain a store of COVID shots, a spokesperson for the Carabinieri confirmed to The Associated Press. Carabinieri are posted in every town and city in Italy. The spokesperson said the fire affected an area used as housing, and that vaccinations are not performed at the location. There is an infirmary at the barrack, but it is used for everyday medical calls, officials said. Some Italian newsoutlets reported on the fire at the time, including iNews24. The outlet shared a video of one angle of the fire on Facebook. Their video, which contained a watermark, was among those misappropriated on social media. But iNews24s coverage did not mention vaccines or the vaccine mandate, nor did other local reports. The video caption just said the footage showed the carabinieri barracks are on fire. The cause of the fire remains unknown. One person was injured.

 Associated Press writer Karena Phan in Sacramento, California, contributed this report with additional reporting from Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan.

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
SIOUX CITY -- Sioux Gateway Airport will receive more than $1 million in federal infrastructure grant funding next year through the Airport Infrastructure Grants program.

The city-owned airport can invest the $1,030,552 in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport-transit connections and roadway projects.

"We have a capital plan that we put out five years with the FAA region at any given time, so we would intend to use that money toward those projects," Assistant City Manager Mike Collett told The Journal Thursday. "The next one that comes up on the list would be any taxiway projects."

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed earlier this year by President Biden, provides $15 billion for airport-related projects as defined under the existing Airport Improvement Grant and Passenger Facility Charge criteria. In total, Iowa airports of all sizes will receive $24,547,901 each year for the next five years.

"There has been a backlog of projects nationwide at airports. This will go a long way to bring those up to current needs," Collett said.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who supported the legislation said in a statement that aviation plays a "crucial role" in keeping Iowans connected with each other and the rest of the country.

"We depend on sound airport infrastructure for everything from keeping our crops healthy and abundant to moving people and products about our state. This series of investments into Iowa airports represents one of many real infrastructure projects that will help Iowa stay connected and competitive for years to come," Grassley said.

Other Siouxland airports receiving funding in Fiscal Year 2022 are:

-- Arthur N. Neu, Carroll, $159,000

-- Cherokee County Regional, Cherokee, $159,000

-- Denison Municipal Airport, $110,000

-- Le Mars Municipal Airport, $159,000

-- Sheldon Regional, $159,000

-- Spencer Municipal, $295,000

-- Storm Lake Municipal, $159,000

-- Emmetsburg Municipal, $110,00

-- Estherville Municipal, $159,000

-- Osceola Municipal, $159,000

-- Sac City Municipal, $110,000

-- Norfolk Regional/Karl Stefan Memorial Field, $295,000

-- Pender Municipal, $159,000

-- Harold Davidson Field, Vermillion, $159,000

-- Chan Gurney Municipal Yankton, $159,000.

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  A suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for a Taser was led away in handcuffs Thursday after a jury found her guilty of manslaughter in the death of Black motorist Daunte Wright.

The mostly white jury deliberated for about 27 hours over four days before finding former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. Potter, 49, who is white, faces about seven years in prison under the states sentencing guidelines, but prosecutors said they would seek a longer term.

It has been rare to charge police with crimes in civilian deaths, and rarer still for them to be convicted. Heres a look at other high-profile killings by police and the outcome of the cases:

Eric Garner, 43, died in July 2014 in New York City after a white officer placed him in a chokehold when Garner, who was Black, refused to be handcuffed for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes. A Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in December of that year. The Justice Department said in 2019 that it wouldn't file civil rights charges after a yearslong investigation.

Michael Brown, 18, was fatally shot by a white officer, Darren Wilson, in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, touching off weeks of sometimes violent protests. A St. Louis County grand jury declined later that year to indict Wilson in the unarmed Black teen's death, and the U.S. Department of Justice later also declined to charge him. Wesley Bell, the current St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, conducted a five-month review of witness statements, forensic reports and other evidence and announced in July that he would not charge Wilson.

Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke shot 16 times at Laquan McDonald, killing the Black 17-year-old as he walked away from officers in October 2014. Van Dyke was charged with first-degree murder the same day the city released the shocking dashcam video of the shooting. Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder in 2018 and sentenced to nearly seven years in prison.

Tamir Rice, 12, was fatally shot by a white Cleveland police officer in November 2014 after officers responded to a 911 call from a man drinking beer and waiting for a bus who said a guy was pointing a gun at people. Tamir, who was Black, had a pellet gun tucked in his waistband and was shot after the officers cruiser skidded to a stop just feet away. A grand jury in December 2015 declined to indict patrolman Timothy Loehmann, who fired the fatal shot, and training officer Frank Garmback. The U.S. Justice Department announced last year that it would not bring federal criminal charges, saying the quality of video of the shooting was too poor for prosecutors to establish what had happened.

Michael Slager, a white South Carolina police officer, shot Walter Scott in the back as the unarmed 50-year-old Black man fled following a 2015 traffic stop. In 2016, a mistrial was declared after the jury deadlocked over a verdict in Slager's murder trial. The next year, Slager pleaded guilty in federal court to violating Scotts civil rights and prosecutors dropped state murder charges. Slager was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old Black man, died in 2015 after he suffered a spinal injury while handcuffed and shackled in a Baltimore police van, sparking weeks of unrest across the city. Six officers were charged in Gray's death and arrest. Three were acquitted and Baltimores state attorney dropped the other cases. The U.S. Department of Justice announced in 2017 that it wouldn't bring federal charges against the six officers involved in the arrest, saying it did not find enough evidence to prove the officers willfully violated Gray's civil rights.

Philando Castile, a 32-year-old school cafeteria worker, was shot five times by a St. Anthony, Minnesota police officer during a 2016 traffic stop after Castile informed the officer he was armed. The shooting gained widespread attention after Castiles girlfriend, who was in the car with her then-4-year-old daughter, livestreamed its gruesome aftermath on Facebook. Officer Jeronimo Yanez testified that Castile was pulling his gun out of his pocket. Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter.

Justine Ruszczyk Damond, an unarmed white dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia, was fatally shot in 2017 by Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor when she approached his squad car in the alley behind her home minutes after calling 911 to report a possible rape. Noor testified at trial that a loud bang on the squad car startled him and his partner and that he fired to protect his partners life. He was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and sentenced in 2019 to 12 1/2 years in prison. The murder conviction was later overturned and Noor was resentenced on the manslaughter count to nearly five years in prison.

Roy Oliver, a white Texas police officer, fired at a car full of teenagers as it drove away from a large house party in April 2017, fatally shooting 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, who was sitting in the front passenger seat. Police initially said the vehicle backed up toward officers in an aggressive manner, but later admitted that bodycam video showed the vehicle was moving forward as officers approached. Oliver was convicted of murder in the Black teen's death in 2018 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died March 3, 2020 after he pleaded for breath under an officers knee in Tacoma, Washington. Ellis was Tasered, handcuffed and hogtied, with his face covered by a spit hood. A medical examiner said he died from lack of oxygen caused by restraint, with an enlarged heart and methamphetamine intoxication as contributing factors. Tacoma police officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder after witnesses reported they started beating Ellis without provocation. The officers say he attacked them. A third officer, Timothy Rankine, is charged with first-degree manslaughter for allegedly kneeling on Ellis back and shoulder as he repeatedly said he couldnt breathe. Rankine has pleaded not guilty.

Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Louisville emergency medical worker studying to become a nurse, was shot several times in her hallway after three plainclothes narcotics detectives busted down the door of her apartment in the middle of the night in March 2020. A grand jury brought no charges against officers in her death, although one was indicted for shooting into a neighboring home that had people inside. Prosecutors said two officers who fired at Taylor, who was Black, were justified in using force to protect themselves after they faced gunfire from her boyfriend.

The dying gasps of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations. White former Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old man gasped that he couldnt breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.

Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, fell asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane of a Wendys restaurant in Atlanta in June 2020. Police body camera video showed him struggling with two white officers who told him hed had too much to drink to drive and tried to arrest him. Brooks grabbed a Taser from one of the officers and fled, firing it at Officer Garrett Rolfe as he ran. Rolfe fired his gun, hitting Brooks twice in the back. Rolfe is charged with murder and was fired after the shooting, though that dismissal was reversed on the grounds the city hadnt followed its procedures. The other officer, Devin Brosnan, was charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath. Lawyers for both officers have said their clients acted appropriately.

The Ohio sheriff's deputy who shot Casey Goodson Jr. in the back five times pleaded not guilty to murder and reckless homicide charges in the Dec. 4, 2020 killing. Attorneys for defendant Jason Meade argue that, as a member of a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force, Meade was acting as a federal agent at the time of the shooting. The shooting of the 23-year-old Goodson, who was Black, by Meade, a longtime deputy  now retired  who is white, led to protests in Columbus and many lingering questions, in part because the killing was not recorded on body or dash camera footage.

Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was visiting a family friend when he was fatally shot by a white police officer in Columbus, Ohio, in December as he emerged from a garage holding a cellphone. Officer Adam Coy was fired and has pleaded not guilty to murder and reckless homicide charges. The police chief was forced out and the city agreed to pay a $10 million settlement to Hills family.

Find the APs full coverage of the Daunte Wright case: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-daunte-wright

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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COVID puts a damper on Christmas Eve again around the world

From Bethlehem and Frankfurt to London and Boston, the surging coronavirus put a damper on Christmas Eve for a second year, forcing churches to cancel or scale back services and disrupting travel plans and family gatherings.

Drummers and bagpipers marched through Bethlehem to smaller than usual crowds after new Israeli travel restrictions meant to slow the highly contagious omicron variant kept international tourists away from the town where Jesus is said to have been born.

In Germany, a line wound halfway around Colognes massive cathedral, not for midnight Mass but for vaccinations. The offer of shots was an expression of care for ones neighbor that was consistent with the message of Christmas, cathedral provost Guido Assmann told the DPA news agency.

Around the world, people weary from nearly two years of lockdowns and other restrictions searched for ways to safely enjoy holiday rituals.

We can't let the virus take our lives from us when we're healthy, said Rosalia Lopes, a retired Portuguese government worker who was doing some last-minute shopping in the coastal town of Cascais.

Airlines cancel flights due to COVID staffing shortages

NEW YORK (AP)  Airlines canceled hundreds of flights as the omicron variant jumbled schedules and drew down staffing levels at some carriers during the busy holiday travel season.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines together canceled more than 600 flights on Friday and Saturday. As of early evening Friday, Delta canceled had 149 flights on Friday and 188 for Christmas Day, according to FlightAware. (Other factors, such as weather, are also causing cancellations.) United called off 189 flights on Friday, about 10% of its schedule, and 140 on Saturday. Planned cancellations continued into Sunday.

Not all airlines said COVID was disrupting their travel schedules. American Airlines said it had nothing to report, while Southwest Airlines said things are running smoothly. JetBlue, which FlightAware said had canceled nearly 150 flights over Friday and Saturday, did not respond to a request for comment.

Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been a regular problem for the U.S. airline industry this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and were caught short-staffed this year as travel recovered.

The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation, United said in a statement. As a result, weve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport.

Many US churches canceling in-person Christmas services

NEW YORK (AP)  Amid the surge of coronavirus cases across the U.S., numerous churches have canceled in-person Christmas services, disappointing pastors and churchgoers who consider them an annual highlight.

Other churches planned outdoor services or proposed a hybrid of online and in-person worship, often imposing tight restrictions for those in attendance. These included requirements to wear masks and show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Among the prominent churches canceling some or all of their in-person Christmas services were Washington National Cathedral in the nations capital; St. John the Divine, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York; and the historic Old South Church in Boston.

The Rev. Nancy Taylor, senior minister of Old South, said the church  affiliated with the United Church of Christ  still hoped to hold in-person Christmas Day services on Saturday, but was shifting its popular Christmas Eve service to online-only.

The Christmas Eve congregation tends to be larger with a lot of visitors, some of whom have come from parties, and many of whom are not used to Bostons mask mandate, she explained in her announcement.

COVID-19 makes Biden's 1st White House Christmas less merry

WASHINGTON (AP)  So long eggnog, shrimp cocktail and pet-shaped sugar cookies.

It's been a less merry holiday scene at the White House this year under COVID-19's shadow. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have replaced the packed parties and overflowing buffet tables of the past with food-free open houses, face masks and testing for the unvaccinated.

Beyond the impact on Biden's first Christmas in office, the virus and its variants largely put the kibosh on the entire White House social scene for 2021, starting with an inauguration that positioned flags in place of people on the National Mall.

I think its been really tough on them," said Philip Dufour, who was Vice President Al Gore's social secretary. He noted that many events were not held while the president and first lady did others over Zoom.

Major social events scrubbed from the calendar included the White House ball for the nation's governors and the Easter Egg Roll, the second straight year that springtime ritual has been canceled.

Omicron is latest blow to pandemic-weary front-line workers

BOSTON (AP)  Staff absences for COVID-19 tripled this month in Londons hospitals, and nearly 10% of the citys firefighters called out sick.

In New York, about 2,700 police officers were absent earlier this week  twice the number who are ill on an average day. And on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, grocery worker Judy Snarsky says shes stretched to her limit, working 50 hours a week and doing extra tasks because her supermarket has around 100 workers when it should have closer to 150.

We dont have enough hands. Everybody is working as much as they physically and mentally can, the 59-year-old in Mashpee said. Some of us have been going like a freight train.

The worldwide surge in coronavirus cases driven by the new omicron variant is the latest blow to hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers as the pandemic enters its third year.

Governments have taken steps to stem the bleeding across a range of jobs considered essential for society, from truckers and janitors to child care providers and train conductors. But nurses and other workers worry that continued staffing woes will put the public at greater risk and increase burnout and fatigue among their ranks.

Judge upholds ruling against NYT over Project Veritas memos

NEW YORK (AP)  A New York judge has upheld an order preventing The New York Times from publishing documents between conservative group Project Veritas and its lawyer and ruled that the newspaper must immediately relinquish confidential legal memos it obtained.

The decision Thursday by State Supreme Court Justice Charles D. Wood in Westchester County, released Friday, comes in a defamation lawsuit Project Veritas filed against the Times in 2020.

Months after the lawsuit was filed, the newspaper reported that the U.S. Justice Department was investigating Project Veritas in connection with the theft of a diary belonging to Ashley Biden, the president's daughter. In that story, the Times quoted the memos, leading Project Veritas to accuse the newspaper of violating attorney-client privilege.

Wood upheld his earlier order preventing the Times from further publishing the memos, and also ruled that the newspaper must turn over physical copies of the documents and destroy electronic versions.

The newspaper reported it would appeal the ruling and seek a stay in the meantime. Publisher A.G. Sulzberger decried the ruling as an attack of press freedoms and alarming for anyone concerned about the dangers of government overreach into what the public can and cannot know. He also said it risked exposing sources.

EXPLAINER: Are more defendants testifying at trial?

CHICAGO (AP)  Defendants spoke directly to jurors in a series of recent high-profile trials, defying conventional wisdom that the risks of taking the stand usually outweigh the benefits.

Among those who chose to testify was Kim Potter, convicted Thursday of manslaughter for killing Daunte Wright during a traffic stop when the Minnesota police officer mistook her gun for a Taser.

Another was Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of murder last month for shooting three protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two and wounding a third.

The run of testifying defendants raises the question of whether a shift in thinking is occurring among lawyers, many of whom have long regarded putting clients on the stand as a desperate, last-resort option.

ARE MORE DEFENDANTS TESTIFYING?

EXPLAINER: How will Biden's COVID-19 test giveaway work?

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden says the federal government will buy half a billion COVID-19 rapid test kits and distribute them free of charge to people to use at home. But despite the high public demand for tests, it will still be several more weeks before these kits are available to be shipped. The administration is still working on details for how the program will work.

DOES THE GOVERNMENT HAVE THE TESTS?

Not yet. As of this week, the departments of Defense and Health and Human Services were executing on what's called an accelerated emergency contract,'" the White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, said. The contract is expected to be signed soon.

WHEN WILL THE TEST KITS BE DELIVERED?

The first delivery is expected in early January. All 500 million kits will not arrive at the same time but instead will be delivered in batches.

Sweet repeat: Brothers regift same hard candy for decades

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP)  Two New Hampshire brothers have gotten their holiday regifting skills down to an art  they've been passing the same hard candy back and forth for over 30 years.

It started in 1987, when Ryan Wasson gave a 10-roll Frankford Santa's Candy Book" with assorted fruit flavors to his brother, Eric Wasson, as a joke for Christmas, knowing that Eric wouldn't like it.

I didn't eat them," Eric Wasson told WMUR-TV. And so the next year I thought, Hey, I think I'm going to give it back to him. He'll never remember.'"

But Ryan immediately recognized it. They've been taking turns ever since, keeping a log of their exchanges. They've gotten creative about it.

Ryan Wasson told the station the candy has been frozen in a block of ice and put in Jell-O, adding, He one time sewed it into a teddy bear."

Yes, there is a Santa Claus. And no, COVID-19 won't stop him

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP)  Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santas coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 wont stop him.

Thats the word from the joint U.S.-Canadian military operation that for 66 years has been tracking Jolly Old St. Nicholas on his global mission and has assured us all  first by land line and more recently by iPhone, Android, OnStar, Facebook, YouTube and more  that hes on his way with a sleigh stuffed with toys and a welcome dose of joy.

In whats become its own wildly popular tradition, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command provides real-time updates on Santas progress Dec. 24, from 4 a.m. to midnight MST. NORADs Santa Tracker lets families watch Father Christmas in 3D as he transits the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

From deep inside NORAD headquarters, dozens of volunteers field an unrelenting wave of phone calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They and other volunteers working off-site because of coronavirus distancing protocols will answer such questions as When will he come to my house? What kind of cookies does he like? said program manager and NORAD spokesman Preston Schlachter.

Want to watch? Visit https://www.noradsanta.org, check out #NORADTracksSanta and @NoradSanta on Twitter, or use the associated apps. You can also email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com for the latest.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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LOS ANGELES (AP)  Los Angeles police fatally shot a 14-year-old girl who was inside a clothing store dressing room Thursday as they fired at a suspect who had assaulted a woman earlier, authorities said.

Police also killed the male suspect, authorities said. He and the girl have not been named. The woman who had been assaulted was taken to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries.

The shots were fired around 11:45 a.m. at a Burlington store  part of a chain formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory  in the North Hollywood area of the San Fernando Valley.

Police initially responded to reports of a person being assaulted with a deadly weapon as well as reports of shots being fired, said Los Angeles police Capt. Stacy Spell at a news conference. Spell said officers opened fire when they saw the suspect assaulting another person.

The suspect was struck by the officers' bullets and killed, Spell said.

One of the bullets went through a dressing room wall and struck the 14-year-old girl, according to LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi. Officers later found her inside.

You cant see into the dressing rooms and it just looks like a straight wall of drywall, Choi said at a second news conference.

Investigators do not yet know whether the teenager was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.

The California Department of Justice was investigating the shooting, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

Choi said authorities do not yet know the man's motive or whether he knew the woman he initially assaulted in the store.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said that woman had moderate to serious injuries and was transported to a hospital. It wasn't immediately known if she'd been shot but Choi said she had injuries to her head, arms and face.

Police found a heavy metal cable lock near the suspect that they say may have been used in that assault.

Spell said the injured woman was the victim in the first assault report. It was not immediately clear what weapon was involved in that assault.

He added that police had received calls about the suspect acting erratically before the incident.

Imelda Garcia said her sister works in the store and was on break when she heard gunshots and everyone started running. Garcia said she spoke to her sister on the phone and that she's OK but sounded really nervous.

Police escorted people out of the store nearly two hours after the shooting.

The shooting recalled a July 21, 2018, confrontation in which LAPD officers accidentally shot and killed a woman at a Trader Joe's market. Officers got into a gunfight with a man who authorities say shot his grandmother and girlfriend before leading police on a chase that ended when he crashed his car outside the market.

A police bullet killed Melyda Corado, 27, the assistant store manager, as she ran toward the stores entrance after hearing the car crash.

The suspect, Gene Evin Atkins, took employees and shoppers hostage for three hours before surrendering, authorities said.

Atkins has pleaded not guilty to the killing.

Prosecutors found two police officers acted lawfully when they returned Atkins gunfire.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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TOKYO (AP)  Japan's Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other game-changing weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to Chinas growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.

The 1.1% budget increase for the year beginning in April is the 10th consecutive defense spending increase and is in line with Japans pledge to the United States to strengthen its own defense capabilities to tackle increasingly challenging security issues in the region.

The budget, which still needs to be approved by parliament, includes a record 291 billion yen ($2.55 billion) for defense research and development, up 38% from the current year.

Of that, 100 billion yen ($870 million) is for development of the F-X fighter jet to replace Japans aging fleet of F-2 aircraft around 2035. It would be Japan's first domestically developed fighter jet in 40 years.

Japan and Britain recently announced joint development of a future demonstration fighter jet engine and agreed to explore further combat air technologies and subsystems. The project includes Mitsubishi and IHI in Japan and Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems in the U.K.

As Chinas military buildup extends to cyberspace and outer space, Japan's Defense Ministry is also pushing for research into artificial intelligence-operated autonomous vehicles for aerial and undersea use, supersonic flight, and other game-changing technologies.

The budget allocates 128 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for purchase of a dozen F-35 stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin Corp., including four with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities for use on two helicopter carriers being converted into aircraft carriers, key to Japan's joint operations with the United States in the defense of the Indo-Pacific region.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, formerly known as a dove, has quickly adopted more hawkish policies and said Japan should consider acquiring a pre-emptive strike capability in response to Chinas military buildup and North Koreas growing missile and nuclear capabilities.

The Japanese and U.S. militaries have compiled a draft joint contingency preparedness plan for a possible Taiwan emergency, such as fighting between Chinese and Taiwanese forces, Kyodo news agency reported Thursday, citing unidentified Japanese government sources, amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China.

China claims self-governing Taiwan is its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. It has increased its military threats by holding exercises near the island and frequently sending warplanes into its air defense identification zone.

Under the reported plan, the U.S. Marine Corps will set up temporary bases on islands in Japans Nansei chain between Kyushu and Taiwan for the deployment of troops in the early stages of a Taiwan emergency, while Japans military will provide logistical support as well as ammunition and fuel supplies, Kyodo said.

Japan and the United States are likely to agree to start drawing up an official preparedness plan at a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers expected in January, Kyodo said.

The plan, which also includes islands near Okinawa, the site of the bloodiest battle in World War II, is certain to face protests from local residents.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi refused to comment Friday on the report, saying only that Japan and the United Sates have action plans in case of emergencies and plan to update them, but that the details could not be disclosed. Kishi added that a decision by the Japan-U.S. committee in charge of negotiating the status of forces agreement between the nations would allow the U.S. military to open a new base on Japanese soil.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, recently cautioned Chinese President Xi Jinping against triggering a Taiwan emergency, saying that China should be aware of the serious consequences.

Japans defense spending now ranks among the top 10 in the world, according to international defense research organizations.

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  A House panel on Thursday agreed on two tentative plans for redrawing Missouris state legislative districts, while the Senate panel remained deadlocked and failed to act.

House and Senate commissions, divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats, faced a Thursday deadline to tentatively redraw districts based on new census data.

The Senate panel struggled to agree to continue negotiating and eventually gave up entirely, adjourning without taking action.

Plus, the House panel's decision to double up with two maps could mean a court battle.

Senate commissioner Susan Montee, the former Democratic state auditor, proposed following the House's lead and submitting two Senate district maps. She questioned whether Senate commissioners could reach an agreement by the deadline without submitting separate Republican and Democratic maps, which proved true.

I just don't know that we would ever be able to get to that point tonight, she said.

Several Republicans, including the Senate commission chairman, questioned the constitutionality of sending in two maps when the Constitution calls for a tentative redistricting plan and map of the proposed districts" by December.

What the Constitution says is plain and clear: one map, Ellinger said.

Former Missouri Solicitor General Jim Layton, who was involved in Missouri's past two redistricting efforts, said he's never heard of a commission proposing two tentative plans before.

Still, he said the courts might accept the method if the House commission is able to agree on a final plan before the January deadline.

They met their constitutional obligation to provide a plan, Layton said. And now the real question is in the next 30 days, can they come up with one that gets a (successful) vote?

If the commissions fail to vote on a final plan by Jan. 23, the Missouri Supreme Court is responsible for picking a panel of six judges to take up the task.

Judges had to draw Missouris House maps in 2011 and 2001 after commissioners failed to agree on a plan. Judges also had to draw Senate maps every decade since the 1980s, though their 2011 map got overturned by the state Supreme Court. After the court ruling, a second bipartisan commission was formed and completed the Senate redistricting in 2012.

Commissioners face different guidelines for redrawing districts this year.

A constitutional amendment approved by voters last year diminished the potential to carve up sparsely populated counties. It places a priority on keeping counties and municipalities intact in districts, relegating partisan fairness and competitiveness to a lower priority than had originally been approved in a separate 2018 constitutional amendment.

The Republican and Democratic House redistricting plans differ on how to divide Boone County, home of Columbia, and Greene County, home of Springfield. In both cases, the urban cores of those cities include more Democratic voters while the rest of those counties include more Republican voters. Most of the Senate disagreements centered on those areas as well.

The commissions are not responsible for redistricting Missouris eight U.S. House seats. That job is to be done by state lawmakers when they convene their annual session in January.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Republican members of the state's bipartisan redistricting commission want the Connecticut Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to tap a Stanford University law professor to help redraw congressional districts after the group couldnt reach a bipartisan agreement and missed its deadline this week.

The four commission members, all state legislators, filed a motion that requests Nathaniel Persily not serve as the court-appointed expert or special master and that two special masters instead be appointed to preserve the publics confidence in the fairness of the redistricting process.

A copy of the motion to reconsider was released Thursday evening by the court.

The motion came hours after the state's highest court issued a notice announcing it had appointed Persily, who previously served as special master in 2011 during the last reapportionment process when Connecticut lawmakers also couldnt reach a bipartisan agreement on congressional district boundaries.

The Republicans noted that Persily's name was not on the list of three possible special masters they had submitted for the court to consider. However, he was mentioned publicly by Democratic Senate President Martin Looney as someone the Democrats would recommend to the court. Ultimately, the Democrats did not submit any names.

By rejecting the names offered by the Republican members, and selecting the only person publicly advocated for by the Democratic members, this Court risks deviating from its goal of ensuring that its role in the redistricting process does not have any appearance of partisanship, the GOP members wrote in their motion.

The court has not yet responded to the Republicans' motion. A message was left seeking comment with a Judicial Branch spokesperson.

The GOP lawmakers noted in their motion that Republicans in North Carolina were upset with a redistricting plan submitted by Persily in 2017 and how Persily was one of the special masters proposed by Democrats in Virginia this year. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Virginia chose two special masters, one from the list offered by Republicans and one from the Democrats  the scenario the Connecticut GOP is now seeking.

Connecticut Republicans also argued in their motion that since Persily was the special master in 2011, he will be partial to abiding by his prior work and that would be substantially unfair to the Republicans on the Reapportionment Commission "who believe that the maps should avoid partisan gerrymandering and be drawn in accord with traditional redistricting principles.

A message was left seeking comment with Persily, an election law expert who formerly taught at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions. Besides Connecticut and North Carolina, he previously served as a court-appointed expert to craft congressional or legislative redistricting plans in Maryland, Georgia, New York and Pennsylvania, according to his Stanford Law School biography.

On Tuesday, the commission's deadline, House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said that both Democratic and Republican state lawmakers had faced external pressures from people in Washington during their deliberations to redraw the congressional lines in a certain way, despite reaching agreement on how to redraw legislative districts.

But Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, blamed the states all-Democratic congressional delegation for the process falling apart, accusing the five U.S. House members of wanting to retain safe districts.

According to a notice issued Thursday by the State Supreme Court, Persily is ultimately required to submit his plan to the justices on or before Jan. 18. The court will then accept submissions up until Jan. 24 and a hearing before the court is planned for Jan. 27. The court is expected to file its redistricting plan with the Office of the Secretary of the State by Feb. 15.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP)  Russia has doubled the purchases of natural gas from Turkmenistan this year amid rising global demand, the Russian ambassador in Ashgabat said Friday.

Ambassador Alexander Blokhin said Russia this year stands to import about 10 billion cubic meters (353 billion cubic feet) of gas from Turkmenistan, nearly twice the amount imported in 2020.

This year's volumes were on par with the period before 2016, when Russia halted gas imports from the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation amid pricing disputes and a slump in global prices.

Moscow resumed the purchases of Turkmen gas in 2019 when it signed a five-year contract envisaging annual deliveries of 5.5 billion cubic meters (194 billion cubic feet).

Turkmenistan is overwhelmingly dependent on exports of its vast natural gas reserves, and Russia's 2016 move to halt supplies dealt a heavy blow to the Turkmen economy.

China has replaced Russia as the top export destination for the Turkmen gas. Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said the country annually supplies 40 billion cubic meters (1.4 trillion cubic feet) of gas to China.

Earlier this year, Chinas state-owned CNPC started work to set up new wells at Turkmenistans giant natural gas fields in exchange for future gas supplies. Under the deal with CNPC, Turkmenistan will pay for its services by supplying 17 billion cubic meters (600 billion cubic feet) of gas a year for the period of three years to a total of 51 billion cubic meters (1.8 trillion cubic feet) of gas.

Turkmenistan also has been working to build a pipeline that would pump gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

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ROME (AP)  Lawyers for defendants in a big Vatican financial trial asked the Holy See newspaper on Friday to correct the record after it ran a front-page editorial this week largely defending the investigation and insisting that the rights of the defense were being respected.

The letter to LOsservatore Romano editor Andrea Monda was signed by eight defense attorneys and follows a Dec. 20 editorial penned by the Holy Sees editorial director, Andrea Tornielli.

The trial concerns the Holy Sees 350 million euro (nearly $400 million) investment in a London property deal but has expanded to include other alleged financial crimes. Vatican prosecutors accuse Italian brokers, Vatican officials and a self-styled security analyst of bilking the Vatican coffers of millions of euros, largely donations from the faithful.

Ever since the indictments were handed down in July, attorneys for the 10 defendants have objected to a series of actions and omissions by the prosecution that they say have irreparably harmed their ability to mount a defense. They have cited the prosecutions refusal to turn over all the evidence and to interrogate the suspects on all charges during the investigative phase of the case.

In preliminary decisions, the tribunal president has largely agreed with the defense, ordering prosecutors to deposit all the evidence, nullifying the indictments against four of the suspects and ordering the prosecution to essentially start over.

In the editorial, Tornielli stressed that the two-year investigation amounted to the biggest, most complicated case ever brought before the tribunal. The fact that it was sparked by internal controls is evidence that the trial represents a real stress test for the Vatican City States judicial system, he wrote.

Tornielli acknowledged that the 1913 procedural code in use created objective problems and that Vatican prosecutors often had to confront notably complicated questions without precedent for the tiny city state. But he insisted that the right to a fair trial, enshrined in a Vatican law in 2013, was being guaranteed.

Lawyers for the defense disagreed and asked Monda to print their side.

In the letter sent Friday, they said the editorial didnt correspond to the reality of the trial and appeared to be an effort to normalize the multiple procedural violations by the prosecution that the court has already sanctioned.

The lawyers argued that even the large dimensions of the case and the use of computerized evidence is in fact fairly normal in the legal profession and do not affect the respect of defensive guarantees.

The court reconvenes Jan. 25, when prosecutors are expected to announce whether they will seek new indictments against the four suspects whose cases were in limbo, or will shelve some of the charges.

The uncertain fate of the trial has concerned Cardinal George Pell, who as Pope Francis money czar had flagged problems with the London investment years ago but was unable to get to the bottom of it. In a recent interview with the National Catholic Register, Pell said he wasnt sure if the case could go ahead.

Im not confident of anything with the Vatican trial. I dont know whats going on, Pell was quoted as saying. Im not even entirely sure that it will go ahead. It might fail for legal reasons.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP)  Two New Hampshire brothers have gotten their holiday regifting skills down to an art  they've been passing the same hard candy back and forth for over 30 years.

It started in 1987, when Ryan Wasson gave a 10-roll Frankford Santa's Candy Book" with assorted fruit flavors to his brother, Eric Wasson, as a joke for Christmas, knowing that Eric wouldn't like it.

I didn't eat them," Eric Wasson told WMUR-TV. And so the next year I thought, Hey, I think I'm going to give it back to him. He'll never remember.'"

But Ryan immediately recognized it. They've been taking turns ever since, keeping a log of their exchanges. They've gotten creative about it.

Ryan Wasson told the station the candy has been frozen in a block of ice and put in Jell-O, adding, He one time sewed it into a teddy bear."

The tradition has also involved family members, co-workers and even a sheriff's department. Last year, it was presented to Ryan Wasson on a silver platter at a restaurant.

This year, Ryan Wasson turned to a group on social media for ideas. Suggestions included having it arrive via a pizza delivery or Christmas carolers, hiding it in a book or cake, or holding a scavenger hunt with clues.

If you ask which one has ever done the best as far as giving these, we're both going to say it's ourself, right?" Ryan Wasson said. We're never going to give in."

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Justyn Wagner and Elijah Robinson were casing a well-known gang member hangout on Oct. 18, an Omaha police detective said Wednesday.

Then the teens drove around a nearby North Omaha neighborhood, looking for ops and Crips to shoot, Detective Matei Jackson testified.

Ops meant opposites, or anyone connected with a rival gang.

Crips was the opposing gang. And the teens also used a derogatory term for that gang.

They came upon 18-year-old KorVanta Hill walking with his stepfather. Wagner got out of the car and fired 10 times, striking Hill in the chest once.

But Jackson said Hill wasnt associated with any gangs.

Its a case of mistaken identity, Jackson testified, saying that Hill was just walking in a known Crips neighborhood and was a target of opportunity at the time.

Wagner, 19, will stand trial on first-degree murder and two other firearm charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Robinson, 18, who police say was the driver, waived his preliminary hearing and will also face first-degree murder and firearm charges.

A key witness for authorities is a teen girl who owned the 2012 red Chevy Cruze that Robinson was driving and was present during the shooting, Jackson said.

Detectives believe her car was involved because it was caught on surveillance video outside the J-N-J Grocery Store near 42nd Street and Bedford Avenue before the shooting, and matched a rough description of the shooters vehicle given by Hills stepfather.

According to the stores surveillance video, the red Cruze circled the business with its lights on and then drove through again with its lights off, which was suspicious behavior, Jackson said.

In an interview, the girl told police that she was sitting in the front passenger seat while Robinson was driving and Wagner was in the backseat. She said Robinson and Wagner directed her to turn off her cellphone before the shooting, about a block away from where Hill was later found shot. When she asked why, the teens responded, Thats what you do before things like this, Jackson testified.

Hills stepfather told police that the two were walking from Hills aunts house when he heard what he thought were fireworks, but realized they were gunshots when he saw Hill on the ground in front of a home near 39th and Pratt streets, bleeding from his torso. ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system used by police, recognized 10 rounds fired about 8:10 p.m.

Hill was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center, where he died. An autopsy determined that one .40-caliber bullet entered his back and struck his spleen, liver and heart, killing him, Jackson said.

Casings found at the scene were tested for DNA and had a low-level match to Wagner, Jackson testified.

The girl told police that after the shooting, the teens went to Cabelas to get ammunition, because Wagner had used most of it. Video surveillance shows the Cruze and Wagner at the store about 8:45 p.m. The girl said Wagner shoplifted the bullets and had to return the next day to get more because he grabbed the wrong type.

Authorities arrested Wagner at his mothers apartment, where they also found a 9mm gun and a .40-caliber gun.

In jail phone calls with family members, Wagner talked about the evidence that was found in the apartment and said the worst thing police can pin on him is that he has two guns, Jackson testified.

Wagner also said he should have just gotten out of town. He also told his sister that it was me and thats the hardest part about it, Jackson testified.

Upon hearing that, Wagner turned back to look at his parents, separated by a clear wall within the courtroom, and shook his head, mouthing some words.

Tragically, this victim was not a gang member, said prosecutor Amy Jacobsen.

After the hearing, one of Wagners family members tearfully spoke to Hills mother. The two hugged and continued to talk outside the courtroom for several minutes.

Wagner is the son of Robert Wagner, who is the founder of the organization Project KNOSE, or Keeping North Omaha Safe for Everyone, an organization that works to deter violence. Wagner has said he wants Hills family to be supported with financial donations.

Hills mother declined to comment.

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Omaha police shot a man Thursday after he charged at his mother and officers with a knife, according to police. The man had also cut himself with the knife.

Police provided this account in a statement late Thursday evening:

About 2:30 p.m., a man called 911 to report that he was possessed and that his mother was controlling his mind. The 911 dispatcher could hear a disturbance in the background.

When two police officers arrived at the home in the 4300 block of South 41st Avenue, they found the mother outside screaming for help, saying her son was cutting his throat.

Officers followed the 66-year-old mother into the home and found the 37-year-old son in a blood-soaked shirt, seated, screaming and cutting near his throat.

The mother struggled with her son, and an officer ordered him to drop his knife. The son refused and began to stand up and move toward the officer, screaming "shoot me."

The officer then used his Taser, but it didn't stop the man. Instead, he charged, and the officer used the Taser a second time. That dropped the man to the floor, but he remained combative and moved toward officers.

Officers backed out the door of the house, and as the glass door closed, they saw the screaming son rush toward his mother with the knife. Both officers commanded him to drop the knife, but he grabbed his mother and raised his knife. One of the officers fired a shot through the door that hit the man in his left cheek. The mother and son fell to the floor, and police separated them, taking the mother outside.

As officers called for medical assistance, the son got up, ran out the door and tackled one of the officers in the yard, yelling that he would kill them. Additional officers arrived, and they were able to subdue the man.

He was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in serious condition with the wound to the cheek and several self-inflicted lacerations. His wounds are not considered life-threatening.

The altercation was captured by officers' body-worn cameras. A special unit of the Omaha Police Department will investigate the case with the help of the Nebraska State Patrol and the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office.

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EAGLE GROVE, Iowa (AP)  Authorities have identified the body of a woman found dead inside a wrecked car in northern Iowa.

The Globe Gazette in Mason City reports that 42-year-old Tonya Collins had been missing since last week. The Wright County sheriff's office said she was found inside her 2019 Nissan Rogue, which was wrecked in a creek bed on the western edge of Eagle Grove.

Collins was pronounced dead at the scene from injuries she sustained in the crash.

Wright County authorities were assisted by the Humboldt County sheriff's department, Eagle Grove police and fire and emergency medical services, Wright County Search and Rescue, emergency managers and the medical examiner's office.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Globe Gazette.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Des Moines city officials will begin negotiating with a local infrastructure group for an unpaid $1.6 million in unpaid costs for the construction of an underpass connecting two parks.

The Des Moines Register reports that the city council approved a request to begin negotiating with the Des Moines Water Works Foundation.

At issue is an underpass known as the Ruan Connector, which provides a path under Fleur Drive that connects Gray's Lake Park and Water Works Park. It was completed in September 2020 with money from a public-private partnership in which the city fronted $3.1 million.

The foundation has paid back $1.4 million so far but recently notified the city that it didn't have enough money to pay back its remaining balance of $1.6 million. Sam Carrell, the foundation's former executive director, says the nonprofit intended to pay back the money but fell on hard times during the pandemic.

City council members praise the underpass as something widely enjoyed by residents, but question whether or not the city should forgive a portion of what's owed.

The city has not yet committed to an amount it would be willing to forgive, but city documents show that it could be as much as $540,000.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Des Moines Register.

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OMAHA -- Derek McMains couldnt shake a feeling of dread.

In the 14 years he and his family had lived on their rural homestead outside Plattsmouth, theyd never left to escape a storm  even though their living quarters lack a basement.

But last Wednesday afternoon felt different.

Ill never be able to explain it, he said. It was still a nice day. Wed been outside doing chores, but I felt funny, like something weird was going on. ... I said, We just have to get out of here.

About a half hour after the family  McMains, his wife, his daughter, his niece and their two dogs  took shelter in a neighbors basement, a tornado bearing 125 mph winds barreled through their property.

It was one of dozens of tornadoes on a record-setting Dec. 15. The tornado demolished most of the large farm building where the McMains lived, knocked down trees and fences, fatally injured a horse and pet sheep and left several other horses hurt.

Rated at an EF2 intensity, which is strong, it was one of at least 90 tornadoes to touch down in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin that day.

Record-setting tornadoes, along with record-setting straight-line winds, left a trail of damage across the central U.S. and five people dead: three in Kansas, one in eastern Iowa and a fifth in Minnesota.

In Nebraska, the states largest farm insurer said Dec. 15 will go down as the companys biggest December storm loss in 130 years of keeping records.

With at least 42 tornadoes occurring in Iowa, the outbreak ranks as the most on any day of any year in Iowa, including peak tornado season, said Justin Glisan, state climatologist. Records date to 1950.

Its astounding to have an outbreak like that any time of year, but for it to occur in December is unheard of, Glisan said.

In Nebraska, at least 27 tornadoes occurred, all within a three-hour time span. To understand how unusual it is to have that many December tornadoes in Nebraska, consider that only five tornadoes  in total  are known to have occurred in the state in all Decembers combined since 1950, said Taylor Nicolaisen, meteorologist with the weather service.

The line of twisters continued to astonish as it moved northeast. Wisconsin tied its record for most ever December tornadoes. Minnesota recorded its first ever December tornado and then experienced at least 17 more.

Meteorologists are still analyzing damage tracks to determine how many tornadoes actually occurred.

Likewise, a record number of hurricane-strength straight-line wind gusts was reported as the storm system traveled more than 650 miles across the country, generating the first ever December derecho. (Hurricane strength is anything of 75 mph or greater, and a derecho is a powerful, long-lived wind storm.)

On Dec. 15, there were 63 such hurricane-strength gusts recorded at sites across the central U.S., including a 93 mph gust at the Lincoln Airport.

The damage could have been much worse. For the most part, the tornadoes traveled through rural areas, including multiple strong tornadoes that each cut damage paths of 15 to 30 miles.

For Farmers Mutual of Nebraska, it will be the companys largest December storm loss in its 130-year history, said Mark T. Walz, chairman, president and CEO. Farmers Mutual is the largest insurer of farm property in Nebraska.

In total, the company believes its losses may hit $30 million on almost 4,000 reported claims, Walz said.

Much of the damage was to center pivot irrigation systems that were overturned and twisted in the high winds, though wind damage to other farm property is expected to be significant. Several homes, especially in the Hastings area, sustained severe hail damage.

State Farm Insurance received 1,420 claims from homeowners in Iowa and 540 in Nebraska, according to spokesman Benjamin Palmer.

Its hard to say what ended up causing more of the damage, the tornadoes or the straight-line winds, said Jeremy Wesely, meteorologist with the Hastings office of the weather service. It was a December day to remember.

Across the tornado-stricken states, families, friends, neighbors and strangers have been gathering to clean up.

At McMains Log Barn Stables, more than a dozen students from Papillion-La Vista South Highs choir classes pitched in Monday to clear away debris.

Grayson Truax, a junior and one of the volunteers, described the damage as seemingly insurmountable.

To think that something you had spent many years to create could be taken down and completely destroyed, it was wild to witness, he said.

In addition to the normal chainsaws to cut up trees, the teens rolled a powerful magnet across the fields to pull up any nails or metal that might injure horses, Truax said. Click, click, click could be heard as nails snapped up to the magnet.

Despite the widespread storms, only a handful of injuries were reported in Nebraska, all believed to be minor. Emergency officials attributed the lack of serious injuries to people heeding warnings.

We gave residents as much heads up as we could, and everybody got to shelter, which definitely helped," said Chad Korte, chief deputy director for emergency management in Cass County, where two strong tornadoes touched down. "There would have been some significant injuries if people had stayed outside and not hunkered down.

Cody Thomas, a spokesman for the Nebraska State Patrol, said traffic was down for a weekday, and it appeared as if travelers heeded the warnings.

Troopers responded to about 40 motorist assists and 10 crashes last Wednesday. Several high-profile vehicles, such as semis, tipped over, he said. (In Iowa, authorities believe the semi driver who was killed was not wearing a seatbelt  the driver had been ejected from the cab.)

The storms sped along at an average speed of 60 to 65 mph, and some storms were estimated to be moving in excess of 80 mph, according to the weather service.

The speed of the system was a blessing and a curse, said Brian Barjenbruch, science and operations officer at the National Weather Service office in Valley.

Yes, the speed of the storm caught some people unaware.

But while winds and tornadoes were widespread, the overall speed of the system lessened damage, he said. Any tornadoes would have battered a property for only two to five seconds, he said. In contrast, some tornadoes are stationary.

And while the speed of the storms fueled the strength of the straight-line winds, they were in and out before they could cause even more significant damage, he said.

That helps explain why last weeks storm caused less damage than the historic windstorm on July 10 that toppled trees, blocked roads and left a record number of homes and businesses in Southeast Nebraska without power.

The strongest of the July winds lasted 15 to 20 minutes, according to the weather service. In contrast, the strongest gusts with the Dec. 15 storm lasted less than a minute, Barjenbruch said.

Another likely reason that the damage was less severe this month is that trees had fewer leaves, so they were less likely to be buffeted by the wind.

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HASTINGS, Neb. (AP)  City officials in Hastings have postponed a hearing on a proposed casino racetrack, saying the issue wasn't ready for a vote.

The Hastings Planning Commission pulled the proposal from its agenda on Tuesday on the advice of the city attorney, according to the Hastings Tribune.

Commission Chairman Marshall Gaines said city officials sometimes aren't able to fully vet the necessary details of a proposal in time to meet public notice requirements. State law requires public notice 10 days prior to a meeting.

Gaines said the commission hopes to consider the proposal at another meeting in the near future after it's fully reviewed.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Hastings Tribune.

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OMAHA -- Nebraska Army National Guard soldiers returned home Thursday just in time for the holidays.

The 45 soldiers landed in Texas last week after a 10-month deployment with the 192nd Military Police Detachment in Jordan, according to a news release from the Nebraska National Guard.

At Fort Bliss, Texas, they completed medical screenings and numerous administrative requirements before their return to their home state.

While overseas, the unit provided internal law and order operations and other support functions to the Joint Training Center in Jordan.

"Everyone involved in the process worked very hard to bring them home ahead of schedule and in time for the holidays," the news release stated.

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FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP)  A small-town South Dakota bakery is shutting its doors after 91 years in business.

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reported that the owners of Flandreau Bakery will close up shop for the last time on Friday.

Mel Duncan opened the bakery in 1930 and worked there until he turned 90. His sons, Ed and Don, took over the business in 1981. Don is 71; Ed is 69. The brothers say they want to retire and relax.

They had planned to close the bakery on New Years Eve but stepped up their time table after Ed slipped on ice and broke his wrist following a Dec. 15 storm.

Sixty-nine-year-old Jeannie Manzer of Brookings went to school with the Duncans and always got her birthday cakes at the bakery. Mel Duncan also baked wedding cakes for her and her sisters. She had her husband stop by the bakery a few weeks ago to pick up what she describes as the world's best peanut brittle.

The bakery's mocha cake was so popular it was featured on the Food Network.

Flandreau lies on the South Dakota-Minnesota border. It's home to about 2,340 people.

For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Argus Leader.

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Merry Christmas!

There will be no print edition of the Journal on Saturday, Christmas Day, so our employees can spend the holiday with their families.

Features youd regularly find in Saturday's paper are in todays print product.

Meanwhile, there will be an e-edition you can access Saturday at siouxcityjournal.com. And, as you know, you can always get the latest news on our website, 24 hours a day.

Sunday morning, look for a new print edition on your doorstep, in your mailbox or at stores throughout Siouxland.

From all of us at Sioux City Journal Communications, thank you for making us a part of your daily routine. Stay safe and have a happy, happy holiday.

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KODIAK ISLAND, Alaska  Forces profound and alarming are reshaping the upper reaches of the North Pacific and Arctic oceans, breaking the food chain that supports billions of creatures and one of the worlds most important fisheries.

In the last five years, scientists have observed animal die-offs of unprecedented size, scope and duration in the waters of the Beaufort, Chukchi and northern Bering seas, while recording the displacement and disappearance of entire species of fish and ocean-dwelling invertebrates. The ecosystem is critical for resident seals, walruses and bears, as well as migratory gray whales, birds, sea lions and numerous other animals.

Historically long stretches of record-breaking ocean heat and loss of sea ice have fundamentally changed this ecosystem from bottom to top and top to bottom, say researchers who study its inhabitants. Not only are algae and zooplankton affected, but now apex predators such as killer whales are moving into areas once locked away by ice  gaining unfettered access to a spoil of riches.

Scientists describe whats going on as less an ecosystem collapse than a brutal regime shift  an event in which many species may disappear, but others will replace them.

You can think of it in terms of winners and losers, said Janet Duffy-Anderson, a Seattle-based marine scientist who leads annual surveys of the Bering Sea for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Alaska Fisheries Science Center. Something is going to emerge and become the more dominant species, and something is going to decline because it cant adapt to that changing food web.

A team from the Los Angeles Times traveled to Alaska and spoke with dozens of scientists conducting field research in the Bering Sea and high Arctic to better understand these dramatic changes. Their findings suggest that this vast, near-polar ecosystem  stable for thousands for years and resilient to brief but dramatic swings in temperature  is undergoing an irreversible transition.

Its like the gates of hell have been opened, said Lorenzo Ciannelli, a fisheries oceanographer at Oregon State University, referring to a once ice-covered portion of the Bering Sea that has largely disappeared.

Since 2019, federal investigators have declared unexplained mortality events for a variety of animals, including gray whales that migrate past California and several species of Arctic seals. They are also examining large die-offs  or wrecks, as avian biologists call them  in dozens of seabird species including horned puffins, black-legged kittiwakes and shearwaters.

At the same time, they are documenting the disappearance of the cold pool  a region of the northern Bering Sea that for thousands of years has served as a barrier that protects cold-water species, such as Arctic cod and snow crab, from subarctic species, such as walleye pollock and Pacific cod. In the last five years, many of these Arctic species have almost entirely disappeared from the northern Bering, while populations of warmer-dwelling fish have proliferated.

In 2010, a federal survey estimated there were 319,000 metric tons of snow crab in the northern Bering Sea. As of this year, that number had dropped by more than 75%. Meanwhile, a subarctic fish, the Pacific cod, has skyrocketed  going from 29,124 metric tons in 2010 to 227,577 in 2021.

Whether the warming has diminished these super-cold-water species or forced them to migrate elsewhere  farther north or west, across the U.S.-Russia border, where American scientists can no longer observe them  remains unclear. But scientists say animals seem to be suffering in these more distant polar regions too, according to sporadic reports from the area.

Which gets to the basic challenge of studying this ecosystem: For so long, its remoteness, freezing temperatures and lack of winter sunlight have made the region largely inaccessible. Unlike in temperate and tropical climates, where scientists can obtain reasonably accurate population counts of many species, the Arctic doesnt yield its secrets easily. That makes it hard to establish baseline data for scores of species  especially those with little commercial value.

That part is really frustrating, said Peter Boveng, who studies Arctic seals for NOAAs Alaska Fisheries Science Center. He said he and his colleagues wonder if the information they are now gathering is truly baseline data, or has already been shifted by years of warming.

Only recently have he and other scientists had the technology to conduct these kinds of counts  using cameras instead of observers in airplanes, for instance, or installing sound buoys across the ice and sea to capture the movement of whales, seals and bears.

Were only just beginning to understand what is happening up there, said Deborah Giles, a killer whale researcher at the University of Washingtons Center for Conservation Biology. We just couldnt be there or see things in the way a drone can.

The dramatic shifts that Giles, Boveng and others are observing have ramifications that stretch far beyond the Arctic. The Bering Sea is one of the planets major fishing grounds  the eastern Bering Sea, for instance, supplies more than 40% of the annual U.S. catch of fish and shellfish  and is a crucial food source for thousands of Russians and Indigenous Alaskans who rely on fish, birds eggs, walrus and seal for protein.

Globally, cold-water ecosystems support the worlds fisheries. Halibut, all of the cod, all of the benthic crabs, lobsters. This is the majority of the food source for the world, said NOAAs Duffy-Anderson.

The potential ripple effect could shut down fisheries and leave migrating animals starving for food. These include gray whales and short-tailed shearwaters  a bird that travels more than 9,000 miles every year from Australia and New Zealand to feed in the Arctic smorgasbord before flying home.

Alaska is a bellwether for what other systems can expect, she added. Its really just a beginning.

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The explosion of omicron cases in the U.S. smack in the middle of the holiday season is forcing Americans to rely more heavily on rapid tests prior to congregating with friends and family. In some select cases for people who are vaccinated, however, test results might not be as straightforward as they seem.

There have been anecdotes of breakthrough cases in which people experience symptoms before they get a positive result on a rapid test. In other words, you could develop a dry cough, muscle pain, and nasal congestion but still initially test negative. If you were to test days, or even hours, later, that result could eventually turn positive. A study by former Harvard epidemiology professor Michael Mina, who also posted a Twitter thread on the matter, explains how this could happen:

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IMPORTANT:



RAPID TESTS DO WORK WITH OMICRON



"But why are some people staying negative in the first days they have symptoms??"



This is expected. Symptoms don't = contagious virus

This is literally a reflection of the fact that vaccines are doing their job!



PLEASE READ pic.twitter.com/YBJvNovQXL  Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) December 18, 2021

Rapid Tests work w Omicron



Omicron is mutated mostly in Spike

Rapid Tests don't detect Spike



They detect nucleocapsid (N)



Omicron has 4 mutations in N



2 were in alpha/delta and were fine



2 are in NTD - a non-immunogenic site - unlikely to impact rapid tests



2/  Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) December 18, 2021

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We can use this new relationship between symptom onset and infectiousness to our advantage!



Its a feature, not a bug. Now that the world has pre-existing immunity, we have to adjust our thinking.



Newly Symptomatic and Ag neg?

Probably not infectious now test again tmrw



3/  Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) December 18, 2021

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Basically, the vaccines enable the immune system to detect the virus more quickly. Symptoms may therefore appear earlier, when levels of the virus are still too low to be detected by a rapid test. The discordance between symptoms and test results may seem scary, but its a promising sign that the vaccine has effectively fortified the immune response. In some vaccinated individuals, the virus may elicit an immune response that prompts the onset of symptoms before enough virus is present to be detected by an antigen test, said Amesh Adalja, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. So, the symptoms may be present but not enough viral protein to detect. At that point, however, the person is not yet contagious and possibly could be detected by PCR test. In fact, the U.K. is currently advising that people with symptoms use PCR tests rather than rapid tests.

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This lag between symptoms and positive results is partly due to the relative imprecision of rapid tests, also known as lateral flow tests. Rapid tests are designed to detect the viral proteins that appear when youre infectious, and you typically need higher levels of the virus present in the nostrils to get a positive result. You need quite a lot of virus. The fact is that lateral flow tests are only as good as detecting virus when its present on something like a swab, said Al Edwards, a biomedical technology professor at the University of Reading. If you swab yourself, if theres plenty of virus, the lateral flow test will be positive. PCR tests, on the other hand, detect the presence of genetic material from the virus. Theyre considerably more accurate because the processing of the test involves a procedure in which the genetic material is multiplied, which means that it can detect even a small amount of the virus. Yet, because most PCR tests have to go to a lab for processing, it usually takes three to five days to get a result, so its fairly impractical to use them for regular screenings. You can take a rapid test at home and get a result within 10 to 15 minutes, so theyre more useful for asymptomatic people who are trying to incorporate testing into their day-to-day routines. Rapid tests are also generally reliable when it comes to figuring out if youre contagious, so they can be helpful right before you meet up with other people indoors.

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Ultimately, if a rapid test returns a positive result, you should take that seriously. But if its negative, you might take that with a grain of salt, particularly if youre showing symptoms. Definitively determining that you dont have the virus is a difficult task. At the moment, theres no test that exists that can guarantee that youre not infected, said Edwards. If you have symptoms and get a negative result, though, it may be worth trying a different brand of rapid test or a PCR. (The FDA has found that certain tests from the diagnostics companies Meridian Bioscience, Tide Laboratories, and Applied DNA Sciences may be unable to detect the omicron variant.) Adalja advised, If its negative, you still need to figure out what youre sick with. It may be COVID and might need a different type of test, or it could be some other infection.
Correos post office workers in Spain call strike action for 3 days in January



There will be a general strike on January 5 and 7, and partial stoppages on January 12

The trade unions CCOO and UGT have called a general strike for Correos postal workers in Spain on January 5 and 7 and partial stoppages on January 12 to protest against the dismantling of Correos delivery services, precariousness and staff cuts.

They claim that the new model of Spains state postal company entails a reduction of spaces and people to make way for the commercial and profitable parcels of the subsidiary Correos Express, which they intend to subcontract to precarious workers, as was already done in the middle of the pandemic.

Whats more, unions argue that postmen will now have to cover greater distances by having to take on more sections because the workforce has been cut drastically. In fact, 7,000 jobs have been lost in the last two years.

A full 75% of the union representation at Correos rejected the companys new direction on December 16, which means it lacks democratic legitimacy to be applied.

This is only the beginning of an aggression that the company wants to culminate on January 15 with the total change of the delivery and distribution service of Correos, which cannot be left without a comprehensive mobilising response at the state level, said the CCOO and UGT in a joint statement.

For its part, Correos announced last week the companys largest public offer of employment in recent decades, allowing 5,377 people to be employed at the what is the largest public company in the country to work with permanent contracts in the delivery, sorting and customer service departments.

These positions are expected to be opened up to the public in the first half of 2022, with the interviews and tests scheduled to take place next November.

Image: Wikimedia commons
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/30th-anniversary-of-the-ussrs-collapse-ukraine-ruined-chances-for-a-viable-cis-archives-reveal-1091766435.html

30th Anniversary of the USSR's Collapse: Ukraine Ruined Chances for a Viable CIS, Archives Reveal

30th Anniversary of the USSR's Collapse: Ukraine Ruined Chances for a Viable CIS, Archives Reveal

As the world watched with baited breath the death throes of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, Western governments were pondering whether to quickly recognise the new states emerging from the bosom of the USSR, or wait until they prove themselves as responsible international actors.

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There was never any question in Western minds of whether or not to recognise Russia.The European Community, the precursor to the European Union, issued a statement on 23 December 1991, noting that, "the international rights and obligations of the former USSR, including those under the UN Charter, will continue to be exercised by Russia. They welcome the Russian government's acceptance of these commitments and responsibilities and in this capacity will continue their dealings with Russia, taking account of the modification of her constitutional status".Privately British politicians were careful to point out that legally it was not "recognition" of a new state. As Percy Craddock, foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister John Major explained: "We have not 'recognised' Russia: we do not need to do so, since we regard it as the continuation of the former Soviet Union under international law".Regarding the recognition of the other ex-USSR states, both Britons and Europeans had a "number of continuing concerns about the policies of the republics". The twelve member states of the EC attached "the highest importance to single and secure control of nuclear weapons, to the early accession of all republics [that remained in the USSR by that time], to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as Non-Nuclear Weapons State, to acceptance by [the] republics of the commitments of the CFE Treaty and other Arms Control Agreements".And, of course, they expected the republics to honour their share of Soviet foreign debt. The recognition was contingent upon acceptance by the republics of the conditions in the statement of the twelve issued by the Dutch presidency of the EC.The portends were not good. The British Embassy telegraphed on the squabbles at the Minsk summit among the leaders of the newly-proclaimed Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): "after 8-10 hours of difficult and at times contentious negotiation the commonwealth leaders in Minskevidently failed to agree on the most important military and economic issues".Ukrainian IntransigenceAt the Minsk summit on 30 December, the leaders did not sign an overarching charter, apparently ready in draft, because of objections by President Kravchuk of Ukraine. British Ambassador to the USSR Sir Rodric Braithwaite reported back to London:John Major's foreign policy adviser Sir Percy Craddock briefed the prime minister:The behaviour of the republican leaders at a later press conference told its own story, reported British Ambassador in Moscow Rodric Braithwaite.Negotiation with Belarus and Kazakhstan was relatively easy, said British diplomats, who observed the talks, but Ukraine was a different matter and the British foresaw political problems, by far the most serious of which would be over the military. While other Republics were content to leave the umbrella command of their armed forces to Russia, at least temporarily,Yet, in spite of "Ukraine's intransigence", the British had decided to recognise it, even while their hero Gorbachev was still presiding over the Soviet Union. A briefing note from the Foreign Office informed 10 Downing Street on 23 December 1991 that "plans already existed to open a separate British Embassy in Kiev".In fact, an embryonic British Embassy in Kiev sprang up in June 1990, when an "advance party" of three British diplomats set up shop at the historic Hotel Kiev, now the Premier Palace Hotel in the city centre, officially to prepare for a visit by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It was immediately christened by the locals as "the British Embassy". At the same time, Thatcher assured Gorbachev she did not want to undermine Moscow in its relations with the republics. British foreign policy threw up quite a few ambiguities.Confusion Over the End of the USSRSince the EC [EU] statement on recognition of the republics referred to "the moment the dissolution of the Soviet Union enters into force", British Ambassador Sir Rodric Brathwaite asked then-Russian Foreign Minister Andrey Kozyrev when the dissolution would be formally announced. Kozyrev replied that this was unclear.Rodric Braithwaite suggested that "perhaps we should simply take the hauling down of the red flag over the Kremlin as marking the moment of dissolution. He [Kozyrev] agreed, but was not even clear whether this would happen on the 30th (as we had expected) or earlier", Rodric Brathwaite said.The British were worried there would be precious little time for the Dutch presidency of the EC to obtain assurances from the various republics referred to in the statement of the twelve.They needn't have worried, as Big Brother stepped in:The British did not want to be outdone. Recognition messages to the leaders of the ex-Soviet republics were quickly drafted for prime ministerial approval on 30 December. The Foreign Office was relieved that "agreement has been reached that nuclear weapons should remain under [the] single control [of Russia], and that Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus will become non-nuclear weapon states". But there were still "some profoundly worrying aspects" regarding nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons held by the republics. As senior British diplomat, Sir Len Appleyard, sent by Prime Minister Major on a fact-finding mission to Moscow, Minsk, and Kiev in mid-December 1991, reported:"The wilder fringe of the Ukrainian political spectrum could present problems in all these areas".Independent, But Not Sovereign?The recognition letters sent out to the emergent countries contained a curious edit: the formula "sovereign state", initially put in the draft, was deleted from the approved letter."The United Kingdom has separately recognised as independent sovereign states, Ukraine, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the Azerbaijan Republic".The prime minister's letter to President Yeltsin was different from the rest:John Major also explained that Britain regarded all treaties and agreements in force to which the United Kingdom and the USSR were party as remaining intact upon the "renaming of your country as Russia. Relations between our states continue taking account of constitutional changes and the change in your name".The British were still hopeful that the replacement of the USSR with the CIS could work, and told the republics:Prime Minister Major even expressed an interest in making reference to the possibility of Russia representing the CIS in the UN Security Council, just like Britain and France agreed in effect to further the views of the European Community/Union in the Security Council.There was an important caveat in recognising the borders of the new states: the republics must resolve their territorial disputes among themselves, and not drag London into them.The British had a reason for such a caveat. As top British diplomats observed:"The durability of agreements reached so rapidly by states with so many conflicting aims and interests must be in doubt".As a result, Sir Len Appleyard warned: "We have a prospect of a new band of basically pro-Western, politically assertive, and quarrelsome independent states running from the Baltic down to Central Europe".The British assumed that the definitive version of the agreement on the creation of the CIS was that agreed upon in Minsk. However, in his Alma Ata [then the capital of Kazakhstan] press conference, the Ukrainian president implied that he regarded as valid both the original version and the watered down document ratified by his own parliament.Kiev's ambiguity has been haunting the CIS and Ukraine's relations with Russia over these past 30 years.

https://sputniknews.com/20211220/us-advises-citizens-to-avoid-travel-to-ukraine-due-to-increased-threats-from-russia-1091676472.html

https://sputniknews.com/20191017/cis-countries-concerned-over-nato-activities-near-blocs-borders-1077074919.html

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Nikolai Gorshkov

cis, world, ussr
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/afghan-embassy-in-dushanbe-refuses-to-return-taliban-800000-sent-by-former-government-1091773689.html

Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe Refuses to Return Taliban $800,000 Sent by Former Government

Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe Refuses to Return Taliban $800,000 Sent by Former Government

The Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe has denied the Taliban* the return of $800,000 that were sent from Kabul in the last days of the presidency of Ashraf Ghani

2021-12-24T11:13+0000

2021-12-24T11:13+0000

2021-12-24T11:13+0000

afghanistan

taliban

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According to Pajhwok Afghan News, after Ghani fled the country to take refuge in the United Arab Emirates, then Afghan government transferred $786,000 to the embassy in Dushanbe. The Taliban sent a letter demanding that the money be returned to Kabul.He also recalled that the embassy did not recognize the Taliban.The Taliban entered Kabul on 15 August. On 7 September, the movement announced the composition of the interim government of Afghanistan. It is headed by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who served as a foreign minister during the first Taliban rule. Akhund has been under UN sanctions since 2001.*Organization is under UN sanctions over terrorist activities

vot tak This is criminal theft by israeloamerican quislings. That "embassy" should be considered a non entity and treated as a "crackhouse". 1

1

afghanistan

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afghanistan, taliban
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/british-mercs-have-infested-ukraine-former-security-service-officer-claims-1091780086.html

British Mercs Have Infested Ukraine, Former Security Service Officer Claims

British Mercs Have Infested Ukraine, Former Security Service Officer Claims

Officials from the self-proclaimed Donbass republic have repeatedly accused Kiev of using foreign mercenaries and neo-Nazi volunteer battalions to compensate... 24.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-24T15:05+0000

2021-12-24T15:05+0000

2021-12-24T16:05+0000

ukraine

britain

mercenaries

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A British private military company is operating in Ukraine, and providing security to engineers and logistics specialists engaged in the construction of a new naval base in Ochakiv, southern Ukraine, Vasily Prozorov, a former officer in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), has alleged.According to Prozorovs information, the private military company is providing protection to engineers, aircraft and cargo, and is based at the Alexandrovskaya, a Nikolayev hotel.Prozorov served in the SBU between 1999 and 2018, and paid several trips to the Donbass between 2014 and 2015. In March 2019, he held a press conference in Moscow, revealing the existence of SBU secret prisons in the Donbass, and accusing the agency of carrying out acts of terrorism and sabotage in the region. The SBU confirmed that Prozorov had worked for the agency, but claimed he was fired for excessive consumption of alcohol on the job, and threatened to punish him over the revelations. The former officer has gone on to found UkrLeaks  which publishes information about the Ukrainian security services activities. In late 2020, he accused the United States of using Ukrainian territory as a testing ground for biological weapons.Authorities in the self-proclaimed Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk have repeatedly accused Kiev of using foreign mercenaries and far-right nationalist volunteers to carry out war crimes in eastern Ukraine.Russia, which serves a guarantor of the Minsk Agreements on east Ukraine peace, estimates that there are about 10,000 military personnel from NATO countries stationed at military bases and naval facilities across Ukraine, 4,000 of them from the US. On Friday, Russian diplomat Alexei Polishchuk told Sputnik that Western powers and Kiev violated the Minsk deal by failing to withdraw all foreign armed formations, military equipment and mercenaries from the country.Britain and Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at building up Kievs naval capabilities in June 2021, with the deal promising the Eastern European nation new ships and weapons systems, training support, the construction of new bases and two Sandown-class minehunting vessels. London has agreed to provide Kiev with a $2.2 billion loan to finance the weapons contracts.

https://sputniknews.com/20190717/sputnik-finds-new-proofs-of-ukraines-secret-jail-existence-in-mariupol-1076272212.html

Rokenbok My understanding is that the Jewish Cabal have targeted Ukraine as their new homeland and as usual everything they touch turns to shit. 7

CountTo5Manual British play with fire, do they really want war with Russia ? Do they not really realise Britain could be sunk in minutes after the war start ? 7

7

ukraine

britain

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Ilya Tsukanov

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Ilya Tsukanov

ukraine, britain, mercenaries
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/cnn-correspondent-says-biden-seemed-confused-throughout-interview-with-abc-news-1091784032.html

CNN Correspondent Says Biden Seemed Confused Throughout Interview With ABC News

CNN Correspondent Says Biden Seemed Confused Throughout Interview With ABC News

Joe Biden has faced concerns about his mental fitness from day one in office, with his 2020 rival Donald Trump repeatedly demanding cognitive testing for the... 24.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-24T19:02+0000

2021-12-24T19:02+0000

2021-12-24T19:12+0000

joe biden

testing

covid-19

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CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny has criticized President Biden for what he said was his confused performance during his Thursday interview with ABC News, including when talking about Covid test kits.Of course pills were in the news today, with the Pfizer approval of the anti-viral. He corrected himself, but that was one thing that struck out to me. But then simply this administration and the president leading the charge here, really not accepting any responsibility at all for this lack of testing, Zeleny added.Biden also faced media criticism on the lack of Covid testing capacity Tuesday while describing the governments plans to buy and distribute about half a billion tests amid reports of shortages across the country. Biden said he didnt consider the lack of tests a failure on the part of his administration, since the Omicron strain just happened almost overnight just in the last month.All of a sudden, it was like everybody rushed to the counter. There was a big, big rush, and I knew that was coming. So what I tried to do was meet with the companies and use the Defense Production Act to get a half a billion more tests and figure out how to get them to their homes, get them on the shelves in stores. Thats what its all about, Biden said.The strain has nevertheless caused governments around the world to sound the alarm, urging an acceleration in vaccinations and in some cases, implementing tough new restrictions. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for calm and said the Omicron variant appeared to be not as harmful as it seems, and pointed to the conclusions of health experts that it may even be a kind of live vaccine against Covid.

https://sputniknews.com/20211223/nobody-saw-it-coming-biden-says-us-lacks-covid-test-kits-as-omicron-on-the-rise-across-nation-1091742801.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211109/superyacht-sales-surged-in-2021-as-billionaires-added-trillions-in-wealth-amid-pandemic---report-1090578304.html

Nonyank My 93 year old mother with final stage Dementia passed the test....that should tell you something about the test. 2

vot tak So now a cnn propagandist is saying biden is senile, cnn has become a respectable source, dittoheads? You israelis are pathological. 2

4

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Ilya Tsukanov

joe biden, testing, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/george-floyds-name-removed-from-list-of-those-recommended-for-pardon-1091776146.html

George Floyd's Name Removed From List of Those Recommended for Pardon

George Floyd's Name Removed From List of Those Recommended for Pardon

The name of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in police custody in May 2020, was removed from a list of those recommended for pardon by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

2021-12-24T14:02+0000

2021-12-24T14:02+0000

2021-12-24T14:02+0000

pardon

george floyd

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The name of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in police custody in May 2020, was removed from a list of those recommended for pardon by Texas Governor, Greg Abbott. On Thursday, Abbot granted eight full pardons but Floyd was not on the list after the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole withdrew his name - as well as 24 other names - citing "procedural errors and lack of compliance with board rules".According to an annual tradition, Texas gives out pardons ahead of the holiday season, with the governor granting clemency to people previously charged with minor offences. Earlier, the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole unanimously recommended a posthumous pardon for a 2004 drug conviction for George Floyd.Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered by white police officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 25 May 2020 after a store clerk suspected Floyd could have used a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd's death sparked mass protests across the US and abroad, with people demanding a crackdown on police brutality and racial hatred. Chauvin was convicted on three charges, including one count of second-degree unintentional murder, and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

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Sofia Chegodaeva

Sofia Chegodaeva

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Sofia Chegodaeva

pardon, george floyd
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/gorbachev-supporting-russian-us-discussions-of-security-issues-hopes-for-outcome-1091765096.html

Gorbachev Supporting Russian-US Discussions of Security Issues, Hopes for Outcome

Gorbachev Supporting Russian-US Discussions of Security Issues, Hopes for Outcome

Former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev is supporting the Russian-US discussions of security issues and hopes that as the result of the negotiations all European countries will feel safe

2021-12-24T04:28+0000

2021-12-24T04:28+0000

2021-12-24T04:28+0000

world

us

russia

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According to the former USSR leader, the United States felt arrogant and too self-confident following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, declared itself a winner of the Cold War and decided to expand NATO.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 eastward and prohibit the United States and Russia from deploying intermediate and shorter-range missiles within striking distance of each other's territory, among other terms.The Biden administration official said Russia's security proposals include items that the United States will never agree to but there are other areas the two countries may be able to explore about a possible agreement. However, at present, the United States will not respond in public to all of Russia's security proposals, which Moscow understands, the official added.

Hess Gorbachev should be ashamed of himself. His incompetent was the cause of the current threat against Russia. 1

Sputnik User Russians should have castrated Gorbaciov and hang him from a light pole for what he did to their country 1

2

russia

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world, us, russia
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/iran-accuses-uk-of-meddling-after-statement-on-ballistic-missile-test-1091784699.html

Iran Accuses UK of Meddling After Statement on Ballistic Missile Test

Iran Accuses UK of Meddling After Statement on Ballistic Missile Test

The latest ballistic missile test by Iran did not violate the UN Security Council on the 2015 nuclear deal, and the UK's claims to the contrary represent an attempt to meddle in the Iran's internal affairs, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

2021-12-24T21:01+0000

2021-12-24T21:01+0000

2021-12-25T07:32+0000

iran

test

ballistic missiles

uk

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The missile test, which saw over a dozen surface-to-surface ballistic missiles fired during drills in southern Iran, was carried out amid a break in nuclear deal talks in Vienna. The negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal and lift US sanctions are set to resume on 27 December.Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesperson for the ministry, stressed in a statement issued via Telegram that Tehran's launches were in full compliance with international laws shortly after the UK blasted the missile tests.Khatibzadeh further dismissed the allegation of Tehran breaching UNSC Resolution 2231 on the Iran nuclear issue.Earlier, the IRNA news agency reported Iran had fired 16 surface-to-surface ballistic missiles during a drill in the country's south, a development that subsequently prompted the UK Foreign Office to denounce the actions as "a clear breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2231".The resolution, which was adopted in July 2015, endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and stipulated that Tehran scrap is nuclear programme in favour of lifting sanctions against Iran. The UK has asserted that the test launching of ballistic missiles is in violation of the resolution. The UK's statement underscored that Iran's missile tests threaten both regional and international security, and urged Tehran to cease these activities.

https://sputniknews.com/20211224/watch-simultaneous-launch-of-over-a-dozen-ballistic-missiles-by-iran-in-drills-aimed-at-israel-1091781957.html

Hess Britain is a Zionist propaganda outpost masquerading as a "country", which is not. If one analyses Britain's internal politics one will finds wealthy Jews own all British politicians and treat them worse than cheap servants. 7

Jihad Against the Jews Iran should build hydrogen bombs and ICBMs just for the purpose of roasting and cooking British children to death. Brits are nothing but cockroaches to be exterminated. 4

9

iran

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iran, test, ballistic missiles, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/israel-concerned-with-growing-antisemitism-in-europe-foreign-minister-lapid-says-1091773150.html

Israel Concerned With Growing Antisemitism in Europe, Foreign Minister Lapid Says

Israel Concerned With Growing Antisemitism in Europe, Foreign Minister Lapid Says

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Friday that his country was concerned with a wave of antisemitism in Europe and prioritized the safety of Jewish communities

2021-12-24T10:56+0000

2021-12-24T10:56+0000

2021-12-24T10:56+0000

world

israel

germany

antisemitism

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"Israel is deeply concerned with the dangerous wave of antisemitism we experiencing today all across Europe, including Germany. Safety of Jewish communities is the priority for Israel," the minister told the German media Welt during an interview.Lapid thanked Germany for decisive steps on tackling antisemitism writ large and expressed hopes for cooperation on the matter with the newly elected government. The minister eluded answering a question whether he was afraid to wear a kippah in Germany after antisemitic attacks similar to the one on a synagogue in the city of Halle.In October 2019, a man opened fire near a synagogue and a kebab shop in the city of Halle killing two men. He was reportedly planning to break into the synagogue with 51 people inside to carry out a skirmish.

Holger H. Maybe he should reflect on his country's atrocities toward its neighbors 6

vot tak The israelis are the main creators of antisemitism. Gotta keep that israeli "we are a victim, not an oppressor" psywar going. Thumbs down. 6

7

israel

germany

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world, israel, germany, antisemitism
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/israeli-foreign-minister-suggests-contingency-plan-if-vienna-talks-fail-1091774999.html

Israeli Foreign Minister Suggests Contingency Plan If Vienna Talks Fail

Israeli Foreign Minister Suggests Contingency Plan If Vienna Talks Fail

A contingency plan to deal with the failure of negotiations to re-establish the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

2021-12-24T11:41+0000

2021-12-24T11:41+0000

2021-12-24T11:41+0000

israel

iran

joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa)

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Vienna talks on the Iranian nuclear deal will resume on 27 December.According to Lapid, the plan should entail tougher economic sanctions, as well as political and diplomatic isolation of Iran. According to the minister, Iran must recognize that a new alliance has formed in the region, which opposes alleged terrorism of Iran and is interested in the well-being of all peoples.The seventh round of Vienna talks on bringing Iran back to the nuclear deal and cancelling US sanctions ended on 17 December. The parties agreed on two drafts of the deal, which included Iranian interests.The JCPOA was concluded by P5 (the United Kingdom, Russia, France, China and the United States) plus Germany and Iran in 2015 in an attempt to slow the development of the Iranian nuclear program. The deal proposed lifting sanctions from Iran in exchange for nuclear development restrictions. In 2018, former US President Donald Trump made the decision to unilaterally withdraw from the deal and impose stricter sanctions on Iran. Iran responded with a gradual withdrawal from obligations imposed by the JCPOA and continued its nuclear program.

tomgreg Here's a contingency plan: return Palestine to the Palestinians... 6

Holger H. An Attack on Iran will be the end of Zionistan... 5

8

israel

iran

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israel, iran, joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa)
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/librarian-involved-in-holocaust-reenactment-scandal-shared-nation-of-islam-leaders-speech-online-1091783009.html

Librarian Involved in 'Holocaust Reenactment' Scandal Shared Nation of Islam Leaders Speech Online

Librarian Involved in 'Holocaust Reenactment' Scandal Shared Nation of Islam Leaders Speech Online

The reenactment in question allegedly involved students being asked to portray participants from the Holocaust such as Adolf Hitler, digging ditches to serve... 24.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-24T18:06+0000

2021-12-24T18:06+0000

2021-12-24T18:26+0000

us

school

social media

washington dc

nation of islam

holocaust

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Kimberlynn Jurkowski, a librarian at the Watkins Elementary School in Washington DC who allegedly told students to reenact Holocaust-related scenes last week, had also shared social media posts that were deemed troubling by Liora Rez, executive director of non-profit watchdog StopAntisemitism, Fox news reports.According to the broadcasting outlet, the social media posts in question include a Facebook post from 2020 in which Jurkowski promotes a petition demanding the US Congress to stop funding Israeli apartheid, and another Facebook post (also that year) featuring a link to a Fourth of July speech by Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.She also said, referring to Jurkowski, she thinks the DC public school system needs to be held accountable for how in the world they allowed a monster such as her to be around young children creating the type of traumatic environment that she did."The aforementioned reenactment, according to a letter from the schools principal to parents that was obtained by Fox 5 DC, involved "students being asked to portray participants from the Holocaust such as Adolf Hitler, digging ditches to serve as mass graves, and simulated shootings."A spokesman for DC Public Schools has already announced that they launched an investigation into the matter, Fox News added.

https://sputniknews.com/20211015/texas-official-caught-instructing-teachers-to-balance-holocaust-books-with-opposing-views-1089937542.html

neutral hooper SO? and again I say SO ? 0

Thomas Turk The Murikan Juice should have congratulated her on perpetuating the BIG LIE. Published is that Auschwitz had 3 orchestras, one a woman's, a band that played at official ceremonies, 2 swimming pools, a brothel, special privileges for pregnant inmates, (over 1000 births), and Jewish docs treated the guards. Vents on the alleged chamber's roof were added AFTER the war during Soviet occupation according to aerial photos! In any case, the vents would have vented onto the German sick bay, on the adjoining building's 1st Fl. A brick from the wall of the alleged gas chamber that was analyzed by Max Plancke Inst. scientist Germar Rudolf showed sufficient Zyclone B gas to DELOUSE. The German Govt imprisoned him for a few years for stating facts. Also it was calculated that it would have taken 57 years to cremate 6M with the available facilities. In 2010, Swiss led International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) opened ts archives that sow 1/4M died of mainly typhus and malnutrition! 0

10

washington dc

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Andrei Dergalin

Andrei Dergalin

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Andrei Dergalin

us, school, social media, washington dc, nation of islam, holocaust
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/moscow-summons-japanese-embassys-representative-to-protest-over-south-kurils-exhibition-1091783506.html

Moscow Summons Japanese Embassy's Representative to Protest Over South Kurils Exhibition

Moscow Summons Japanese Embassy's Representative to Protest Over South Kurils Exhibition

The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned a representative of the Japanese Embassy in Moscow over an exhibition in Tokyo dedicated to the southern Kuril Islands.

2021-12-24T18:44+0000

2021-12-24T18:44+0000

2021-12-24T18:44+0000

russia

japan

kuril islands

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"On 17 December, a representative of the Japanese Embassy in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry. During the conversation, the ministry expressed its strong protest against an exhibition in Tokyo which opened earlier this month dedicated to the southern Kuril Islands in the context of Japan's illegal territorial claims to them," the statement says. Despite the official warning of the Russian Foreign Ministry about a similar event in 2020, the Japanese organisers repeatedly took this provocative step, once again failing to find a place among the exhibits for such documents as the 1945 Surrender Act, according to which Japan pledged "to honestly fulfil the terms of the Potsdam Declaration," the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty with Tokyo, renouncing all claims to the Kuril Islands, as well as the UN Charter, which irrevocably secured Russia's sovereignty over the islands.The ministry added that Moscow views joint exercises between Japan and the United States near Russia's borders as a threat to the country's security in the Far East and a potential challenge."In addition, the Japanese diplomat was told that Moscow is concerned about the Japanese-US naval exercises that began on 6 December in the area of Hokkaido," the statement says.It noted that the Russian side would continue to monitor closely such actions that demonstrate Tokyo's stubborn reluctance to take into account Russian security concerns, which may include the refusal to provide Japanese territory for destabilising military activity jointly with the United States.

wtfud The Japanese have been brain-dead and interned since 1945. Poor saps. 2

1

japan

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russia, japan, kuril islands
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/nato-warship-reportedly-enters-ukraines-port-of-odessa-1091778659.html

NATO Warship Reportedly Enters Ukraine's Port of Odessa

NATO Warship Reportedly Enters Ukraine's Port of Odessa

The Auvergne multipurpose frigate of the French Navy entered waters of the Ukrainian port city of Odessa early Friday, the city Dumskaya online news outlet reported.

2021-12-24T14:09+0000

2021-12-24T14:09+0000

2021-12-24T14:09+0000

world

ukraine

warship

nato

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The frigate entered the Black Sea on December 14 and will stay in Odessa until Tuesday, the media reported. The warship is the tenth NATO ship which has visited Odessa this year.Auvergne is the most cutting-edge ship of the French fleet, which it joined in February 2018, Dumskaya reported. The vessel is 142 meters long (465.9 feet) and 20 meters broad with a draft of 5 meters. The ship is reportedly equipped with the most advanced radio-electronic device.In November, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the alliance is pursuing an aggressive policy towards Russia, including the recent military buildup in the Black Sea. The Russian Defense Ministry also reported on the increased military activities of the United States and its NATO allies in the sea.In 2016, Ukraine made amendments to its legislation, which opens the possibility for the country to join NATO. The former Soviet country will have to reach a number of accession standards, which will take a long time, according to former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

https://sputniknews.com/20211214/russias-black-sea-fleet-forces-monitoring-french-frigate-auvergne-1091504502.html

ukraine

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world, ukraine, warship, nato
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/pashinyan-says-meeting-with-erdogan-possible-if-envoys-talks-successful-1091782908.html

Pashinyan Says Meeting With Erdogan Possible If Envoys' Talks Successful

Pashinyan Says Meeting With Erdogan Possible If Envoys' Talks Successful

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be possible if the talks between the special representatives of the two countries are successful.

2021-12-24T18:05+0000

2021-12-24T18:05+0000

2021-12-24T18:05+0000

armenia

recep tayyip erdogan

turkey

nikol pashinyan

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Earlier in December, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that in order to normalise relations with Armenia, the parties would soon mutually appoint special envoys, and charter flights with Yerevan would also be opened. The minister noted that Ankara was considering the applications of Turkish and Armenian airlines for flights Istanbul  Yerevan  Istanbul."There is no such idea, no agreement. But if the negotiation process with the participation of Mr. [Deputy Chairman of the Armenian parliament, Armenian Special Representative Ruben] Rubinyan successfully advances and the process matures to this point, then this should be followed by a meeting at a high and the highest level," Pashinyan said during an online press conference.

armenia

turkey

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armenia, recep tayyip erdogan, turkey, nikol pashinyan
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/romania-seeks-to-buy-32-old-norwegian-f-16-fighter-jets-replaced-by-f-35s-1091765347.html

Romania Seeks to Buy 32 Old Norwegian F-16 Fighter Jets Replaced by F-35s

Romania Seeks to Buy 32 Old Norwegian F-16 Fighter Jets Replaced by F-35s

Romania wants to purchase 32 F-16 fighter jets from Norway. The estimated total budget amounts to EUR 454 million ($514 million), the Norwegian government has said.

2021-12-24T05:18+0000

2021-12-24T05:18+0000

2021-12-24T05:18+0000

romania

news

military & intelligence

europe

norway

scandinavia

f-16

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Romania wants to purchase 32 F-16 fighter jets from Norway. The estimated total budget amounts to EUR 454 million ($514 million), the Norwegian government has said.Despite being several decades old, the F-16s were described as a formidable capacity expected to give the Romanian air force a significant and rapid boost in their combat power.In 2019, the Defence Ministry commissioned the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency to dispose of the F-16 system within the current regulations. A resale of the F-16 requires third-party approval from the US authorities and for export, as in this case, an export license from Norway's own Foreign Ministry is also required.Kongsberg Aviation Maintenance Services was chosen as a strategic partner of the deal in order to provide support, maintenance and training to Romanian technical personnel.The Defence Materiel Agency will now begin to explicate the details and finalise the contract between the nations. Before the warplanes are handed over to Romania, they are scheduled to undergo maintenance. According to the plan, the first aircraft will be delivered in 2023 and the last in 2024.The Norwegian Armed Forces have a total of 57 F-16 aircraft that can potentially be sold, but some of these will be too expensive to put up for sale and will be decommissioned.Norway's F-16 will be replaced by the F-35, in whose development, production and support the country has played an important part. Since the programmes inception, 18 Norwegian companies have served as Tier 1 F-35 suppliers. Consequently, Norway decided to procure 52 F-35s in a deal billed as the largest for the country's armed forces.In 2020, the Royal Norwegian Air Force conducted its first international deployment with the F-35 during NATO Air Policing missions in Iceland.

https://sputniknews.com/20211208/arrival-of-f-35s-at-civil-airport-sparks-noise-concerns-in-norway-1091338471.html

mandrake And what the friggin hell was nato doing air policing operations over Iceland for. 2

vot tak Incredibly stupid move by norway to buy the f-35. 2

3

romania

norway

scandinavia

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Igor Kuznetsov

Igor Kuznetsov

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Igor Kuznetsov

romania, news, military & intelligence, europe, norway, scandinavia, f-16
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/russian-lawyer-sues-father-frost-for-not-receiving-gifts-for-23-years-1091781083.html

Russian Lawyer Sues Father Frost for Not Receiving Gifts for 23 Years, Seeks 10Mln Rubles in Damages

Russian Lawyer Sues Father Frost for Not Receiving Gifts for 23 Years, Seeks 10Mln Rubles in Damages

St. Petersburg lawyer Igor Mirzoev has filed a lawsuit against Father Frost, or the Russian Santa Claus, demanding that he be given gifts for the past 23 years and paid 10 million rubles ($135,800) in moral damages.

2021-12-24T16:14+0000

2021-12-24T16:14+0000

2021-12-24T16:15+0000

ded moroz (father frost)

russia

lawsuit

gifts

father frost

santa claus

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"Veliky Ustyug's regional court has registered Mirzoev's lawsuit against the Ded Moroz JSC. The envelop lacked lists of gifts and wishes as well as fee payment confirmation," the court said.Ded Moroz, also known as Morozko and Father Frost, is the Russian fictional character similar to Santa Claus. Veliky Ustyug, a town in the Vologda region, is home to the official residence of the Russian Santa Claus.Mirzoev claimed that since its establishment on November 16, 1998, the Ded Moroz JSC has not been fulfilling publicly assumed obligations, has not been giving him gifts and has not been granting his wishes. The plaintiff asks the court to oblige the defendant to give him 23 gifts, fulfill his wishes and pay him 10 million rubles in moral damages.During an end-of-year press conference on Thursday, a Vologda Region journalist told Russian President Vladimir Putin about Mirzoev's lawsuit. Putin, himself a lawyer by occupation born in St. Petersburg, said that he is ready to defend Father Frost in court. He added that Father Frost grants wishes and gives gifts only to good girls and boys.

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ded moroz (father frost), russia, lawsuit, gifts, father frost, santa claus
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/russian-soldier-arrested-on-suspicion-of-treason-and-working-for-ukraine-1091776573.html

Russian Soldier Arrested on Suspicion of Treason and Working for Ukraine

Russian Soldier Arrested on Suspicion of Treason and Working for Ukraine

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces was arrested in Russia's southwestern region of Voronezh on suspicion of treason and working for... 24.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-24T12:39+0000

2021-12-24T12:39+0000

2021-12-24T12:39+0000

russia

ukraine

treason

defence

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"FSB officers arrested a serviceman of the Western Military District in the Voronezh region on suspicion of committing a crime under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code (High treason)," the FSB said in a statement.The soldier was arrested on the order of the Voronezh garrison military court.According to the statement, the man was recruited by the Ukrainian military intelligence. He collected information about the activities of the Russian Armed Forces, and this leakage could have damaged the country's defence capability.

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russia, ukraine, treason, defence
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/santa-claus-departs-for-world-tour-to-give-presents-to-children---norad-1091777214.html

Santa Claus Departs for World Tour to Give Presents to Children - NORAD

Santa Claus Departs for World Tour to Give Presents to Children - NORAD

Santa Claus began a world tour on Friday to congratulate everybody on the Christmas holiday

2021-12-24T13:16+0000

2021-12-24T13:16+0000

2021-12-24T13:16+0000

world

santa claus

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/0c/18/1091777189_0:0:3073:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_ae1426ff9146db5d2558178c21fa17df.jpg

"The reindeer finished their preflight check and are ready for takeoff! Santa's journey is about to begin!" NORAD said on Twitter.The command also said that Santa had made one of his first stops of the night in Provideniya, Russia. After stopping over Provideniya, Santa flew into the Chukchi village of Lorino and continued his journey over Russian territory.The length of the Santa's sleigh is 75 sugar sticks or 150 candies, the width is 40 sticks or 80 candies. The height of the sleigh is also measured in candies, it is equivalent to 55 sugar sticks or 110 candies, the weight of the sleigh at the moment of the takeoff is 75,000 jelly candies. The maximum speed of the sleigh exceeds the speed of starlight.The NORAD tracks Santa project was launched in 1955, when one of the major department stores in Colorado placed an advertisement asking children to call Santa Claus. However, the phone number was written wrong in the ad, and instead of Santa, the hotline operator of the Continental Air Defense Command (CORAD) had to answer the calls. Since then, the Air Force Base in Colorado annually tracks Santa Claus' Christmas journey.

Rokenbok Watch out for the Talmudic jewbags. Theyve set up traps 1

1

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world, santa claus
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/the-senior-rumble-1091784504.html

The Senior Rumble

The Senior Rumble

US President Joe Biden reiterated during an exclusive interview with ABC News that the chances of him running in the 2024 presidential election would be heightened in the event that his predecessor chose to run in the race.

2021-12-24T20:16+0000

2021-12-24T20:16+0000

2021-12-24T20:11+0000

joe biden

donald trump

2024 us presidential elections

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US President Joe Biden reiterated during an exclusive interview with ABC News' David Muir that the chances of him running in the 2024 presidential election would be heightened in the event that former US President Donald Trump officially chose to run in the race."Youre trying to tempt me now," Biden joked when asked whether he would run in 2024 with Trump as his contender. "Sure. Why would I not run against Donald Trump for the nominee? Thatll increase the prospect of running."The US commander-in-chief further noted that he would seek reelection so long as his health remains adequate to execute the duties required of the highest US political office. "I'm a great respecter of fate. Fate has intervened in my life many many times. If I'm in the health I'm in now -- from a good health. And, in fact, I would run again," he stated.Trump has yet to give a yes or no on whether he will run again for office. In fact, he has mostly tip-toed around the subject, solely telling voters that they will be happy with his final decision when the time comes. As Trump only served one term in office, he still has the opportunity to run for a second and final four-year term.

Notta Snowflake The 2024 elections would calm everyone down and compel Americans to believe that it is worthwhile to get back to work if the Dem's would de-stupid themselves and run Manchin for Prez and Sinema for VP against either Hawley or Cotton and preferably a female military veteran as Veep. Greentardism, CRT, BLM and Antifa have already cost the Dems their House majority and their Senate majority with the forthcoming mid-terms. 0

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joe biden, donald trump, 2024 us presidential elections
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/they-did-that-tousurp-the-queen-tv-host-reflects-on-harry-and-meghans-christmas-family-photo-1091778002.html

'They Did That to...Usurp the Queen?' TV Host Reflects on Harry and Meghan's Christmas Family Photo

'They Did That to...Usurp the Queen?' TV Host Reflects on Harry and Meghan's Christmas Family Photo

Good Morning Britain's host Kate Garraway has questioned if a Christmas card showing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex alongside their kids was released to "usurp" the Queen.

2021-12-24T18:00+0000

2021-12-24T18:00+0000

2021-12-24T18:00+0000

queen elizabeth ii

prince harry

meghan markle

uk

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

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Good Morning Britain's host Kate Garraway has questioned whether a Christmas card showing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children was released to "usurp" the Queen. Garraway made the suggestion during a Friday show as she discussed with co-host Richard Bacon the Christmas card and the message shared by the Sussexes earlier this week. Garraway pointed to the fact that Harry and Meghan released the image just moments before Buckingham Palace's official photograph of the Queen, whose annual Christmas speech will be broadcast on Saturday. She wondered if there was a reason for these two images to be published almost simultaneously.Bacon responded: "It sounds ridiculous to me but that is obviously the suggestion. I think when you live on the west coast [in America], youre just the tiny bit not sure what time it is over here."Garraway then asked ITV News royal affairs editor Chris Ship for his opinion and he did not support her suggestion either: "I dont agree that it was done to usurp the Queen, no."Political commentator Iain Dale also refused to take Garraway's side: "I think its a lovely picture, why do people have to over-analyse these things?"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex unveiled the image of their six-month-old daughter Lilibet for the first time on Thursday as they shared a Christmas message and a picture taken by their wedding photographer Alexi Lubomirski.Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal duties last year and moved to the US to become financially independent. The move came as a shock to many in the British public and prompted numerous speculations about the reasons the Sussexes had decided to do so. The couple continued to make headlines for quite a long time after they conducted a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey during which Meghan revealed some details about her life in the royal family after her marriage to Harry.

https://sputniknews.com/20211224/queen-to-deliver-particularly-personal-tribute-to-prince-philip-in-christmas-day-message--1091769608.html

Hampar Tokatlian Fuck you and Ahmed! 2

Gone It bears further consideration: under which articles does Dr. Ahmed put his ads? He seems to be everywhere, but it's not quite so. 0

3

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Sofia Chegodaeva

Sofia Chegodaeva

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Sofia Chegodaeva

queen elizabeth ii, prince harry, meghan markle, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/uk-constructing-naval-base-for-ukraine-in-ochakiv---former-officer-of-security-service-1091764319.html

UK Constructing Naval Base for Ukraine in Ochakiv - Former Officer of Security Service

UK Constructing Naval Base for Ukraine in Ochakiv - Former Officer of Security Service

UK experts are constructing a naval base for Ukraine in the southern port city of Ochakiv, while their safety is ensured by officers of a private military company, a former lieutenant colonel of the Security Service of Ukraine, told Sputnik.

2021-12-24T02:46+0000

2021-12-24T02:46+0000

2021-12-24T02:40+0000

security service of ukraine

ukraine

naval base

experts

uk

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"The UK is actively operating in southern Ukraine, particularly in Mykolaiv, with UK aircraft regularly arriving at the Kulbakino airbase [in the city]," Prozorov said.He also noted that the UK experts, who arrive in Mykolaiv, are constructing the naval base in Ochakiv. The UK private military company is responsible for the expert's safety, according to Prozorov.The former SBU officer could not say the number of UK experts and officers of the private military company deployed in Ukraine.The latest development comes after UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss matters brewing along Ukraine's border with Russia, which has been repeatedly accused of building up its forces in the region.In fact, tensions between Russia and western powers have largely plummeted over the last months as a result of continued troop build-up reports. Russian President Vladimir Putin more recently weighed in on the reports during his year-end conference, blasting accusations as baseless.The annual news conference also saw the Russian leader discuss the European energy crisis, Russian relations with China and the recognition of the Taliban government, among other pressing topics.

https://sputniknews.com/20211223/nato-expansion-to-the-east-is-unacceptable-for-russia-putin-says-1091745630.html

vot tak A naval base for a colony which doesn't have a functioning navy. The base is for israeloamerican/nato ships. 7

mandrake The brits never forgot the loss of crimea in 1854 or so and neither did the froggies and the morons that never forget or forgive wont accept that Putin took back all of that which jeltsin had given the morons - unforgivable and unforgetable. 4

4

ukraine

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security service of ukraine, ukraine, naval base, experts, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211224/under-wraps-lockheeds-x-59-supersonic-jet-testbed-spotted-en-route-to-texas-1091776989.html

Under Wraps: Lockheeds X-59 Supersonic Jet Testbed Spotted En Route to Texas

Under Wraps: Lockheeds X-59 Supersonic Jet Testbed Spotted En Route to Texas

The Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSTT is an experimental supersonic aircraft being developed by the aerospace and defence giants Skunk Works division for NASA. Test... 24.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-24T13:02+0000

2021-12-24T13:02+0000

2021-12-24T13:22+0000

supersonic

supersonic passenger plane

x-59

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A photographer has snapped some photos of a X-59 testbed aircraft on its way to Lockheed Skunk Works Fort Worth, Texas factory.The photos, snapped by Aldo Boccaccio and published by The Drive, show the silhouette of the supersonic jet wrapped in blue plastic and fitted, tail first, aboard an oversize trailer bed in Marana, Arizona.Skunk Works has been building the X-59 at its Palmdale, California plant since 2018, with Lockheed touting the supersonic transport demonstrator for its quiet speed of sound flight  one of the key impediments to the use of supersonic aircraft commercially. Lockheed expects to carry out structural testing of the aircraft in Texas before sending it back to California for flight-testing.The X-59 testbed is built from a grab bag of components used in other US aircraft designs, incorporating an engine, propulsion system parts, the canopy and landing gear from previously produced planes, with only about 10 percent of the design completely new, according to Skunk Works. The jet is powered by a General Electric F414 engine, also used by Boeings F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jet. The test bed does not feature any forward visibility systems, instead relying on an artificial, remote camera system  a novel but potentially risky design choice.Lockheed expects test flights of the X-59 to start next year, and continue into the year 2023, with NASA  the aircrafts primary customer, hoping to begin its own flights after that at the Edwards Air Force Base in California if all goes to plan. The US space agency wants to begin flying the X-59 over select cities between 2024 and 2026 to garner public feedback on noise levels.Lockheed had a separate contract with Aerion Corp to develop a supersonic business jet which was to take flight in 2023. That project was cancelled after Aerion went bankrupt this past spring. In addition, the aerospace and defence giant has proposed the SR-72 Son of Blackbird, a hypersonic UAV concept for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance operations. That project, being developed independently by Lockheed, is expected to take off by the year 2025. The SR-72 may be fitted with hypersonic weapons capability, according to developers.Lockheed isnt the only company with ambitions to refill the gap in the supersonic jetliner market left by the death of the Concorde, the British-French turbojet-powered supersonic aircraft operated between 1976 and the early 2000s, but pulled from service following a deadly crash on a Paris to New York trip in July 2000 which killed all 109 passengers and crew onboard. The Concorde and the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144 (introduced in 1975 and retired in 1999) remain the only two major mass-produced commercial supersonic airliners in aviation history.Along with Lockheed, a host of US aerospace startups, Chinese aerospace engineers, and Russias Tupolev have presented their own takes on future jets for the supersonic aircraft market, with Russian President Vladimir Putin proposing a civilian business jet variant of the Tupolev Tu-160 bomber in 2018.

https://sputniknews.com/20210403/new-jet-for-kamala-harris-renderings-emerge-of-supersonic-jet-that-might-become-new-air-force-two-1082529270.html

https://sputniknews.com/20190212/putin-supersonic-civilian-aviation-1072357978.html

USSuxRuskyNuts No one cares that the POSX-59 is headed to Texas! It's just another POS by a country filled with POS'! 3

Notta Snowflake It looks as if that aircraft was designed by the special effects folks for an American TV show of the 1950's called "Captain Video." I remember watching it as a little boy and wondering "Why is this interesting?" even then. All episodes are on YouTube if you wish an education in just how primitive the American countryside was until President Eisenhower ordered the creation of today's interstate highway system. Interstate highways then were two lane MacAdam concrete while county roads were for the most part gravel. 1

2

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https://sputniknews.com/20211224/us--japan-reportedly-designed-new-joint-military-strategy-for-potential-taiwan-emergency-1091761945.html

US & Japan Reportedly Designed New Joint Military Strategy for Potential 'Taiwan Emergency'

US & Japan Reportedly Designed New Joint Military Strategy for Potential 'Taiwan Emergency'

The United States military and Japans Self-Defense forces have devised a joint draft operation to use Japans Nansei Island chain in the event of an emergency... 24.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-24T01:24+0000

2021-12-24T01:24+0000

2021-12-24T01:18+0000

taiwan

us-china relations

us military

japan self-defence forces

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Citing sources from within the Japanese government, Kyodo News reported that the proposed contingency plan would see an undisclosed number of US Marine deployed to set up a temporary attack base on the Nansei Islands. At present, Okinawa, a Japanese island in the chain, currently hosts the majority of all US military installations in Japan. The plan, which is expected to provoke serious blowback from Beijing, would also see US military forces deploy a high-mobility artillery rocket system to a temporary base location, with Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) offering logistical support where US Marines would relocate to minimize their chances of facing a direct attack.Sources indicated to the outlet that the contingency plan would only be executed if the Japanese government determined that a conflict between Beijing and Taiwan would threaten the peace and security of Japan.It is believed that the plan will be formalized in January 2022, when foreign and defense chiefs from the US and Japan meet. However, the decision to use the island chain as a base of operation would make it a target of attack. The risk to those who live on the islands would require legal changes in Tokyo.In recent years, the US military and Japans SDF have taken steps to strengthen defense cooperation. The two allies reportedly view the regions military power dynamic as 'shifting rapidly', citing China's increased military and naval power, and North Koreas advancing nuclear and missile program as the main 'threat.'Beijing has long stood by its "One-China" policy that views Taiwan as a rogue province in need of being brought back into the fold. Earlier in November, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen revealed that US troops have helped train the Taiwanese military. In an exclusive with CNN, the Taiwanese official stated that it saw a growing threat from China "every day."Beijing have stressed its steadfast opposition to any official and military contact between the United States and Taiwan, earlier urging foreign powers to steer clear of its internal territorial disputes. Regional tensions have seen a spike over the past decade as a result of disputes regarding the South China Sea. Uninhabited islands such as the Spratly, Paracel and Senkaku islands are among territories heavily disputed by regional powers including Japan, Bejing and Taiwan. In 2012, the Japanese government purchased three islands from a private owner which prompted protests in mainland China. The contested region is directly adjacent to the Nansei Island chain. Shinzo Abe, Japan's former prime minister, more recently created diplomatic controversy with comments he made at a Taiwanese think tank on November 30th. The comments prompted Beijing to lash out against Abe, saying he "talked nonsense." The Chinese government also responded by summoning Japan's ambassador to China for an emergency meeting.

Sorvad Kelad Looks like the US is an Axis power for the next WW. 9

Zeke Aln Does this appear to be a coordinated effort to build a future worrld war coalition? 8

9

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https://sputniknews.com/20211224/watch-simultaneous-launch-of-over-a-dozen-ballistic-missiles-by-iran-in-drills-aimed-at-israel-1091781957.html

Watch Simultaneous Launch of Over a Dozen Ballistic Missiles by Iran in Drills Aimed at Israel

Watch Simultaneous Launch of Over a Dozen Ballistic Missiles by Iran in Drills Aimed at Israel

Over the past three decades, Iran has developed and fielded a broad array of short, medium and long-range ballistic and cruise missiles. Tehran sees these... 24.12.2021, Sputnik International

2021-12-24T17:23+0000

2021-12-24T17:23+0000

2021-12-24T17:51+0000

iran

missile

drills

israel

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The Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force simultaneously launched 16 ballistic missiles of various classes on Friday during the final day of the Great Prophet 17 exercises, with footage of the launch captured by local media.Among the missiles launched were the Emad, Ghadr and Sejjil medium-range ballistic missiles, which have a range of between 1,700 and 2,500km, the Zelzal  a massive unguided artillery rocket, which has an estimated range of 200km - and the Zolfaghar, a missile with a 700km range and an estimated accuracy of within a metre of its target. Iranian media says all 16 missiles hit their intended targets with 100 percent accuracy.The final day of the drills also saw the simultaneous deployment of 10 drones, with footage showing Mohajer-6 UAVs taking on two naval targets using Ghaem-5 guided bombs.The Great Prophet 17 drills kicked off across the southern Iranian provinces of Bushehr, Hormozgan and Khuzestan on 20 December, with portions of the waters in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz also cordoned off for the exercises. The drills included mobile firing of anti-ship missiles by fleets of fast-moving missile boats, and the first time cruise missiles were fired from the Shahid Roudaki, a 150-metre multi-purpose oceangoing warship built out of a converted cargo vessel.The exercises also saw Revolutionary Guard cyber units suppressing mock enemy air defences using electronic warfare tools to poke holes in enemy missile defences.Response to Empty ThreatsIranian Armed Forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri stated Friday that the Great Prophet 17 drills were carried out when they were for a specific reason: threats coming from Israel.This exercise was planned in advance, but the numerous empty threats of the Zionist regimes officials in recent days caused this exercise to take place at this time, Bagheri said. The commander warned that if the officials of this regime do a damn thing [against Iran], we will cut off their hands.Bagheri did not elaborate on what threats from Israel he was referring to. However, earlier this week, incoming Israeli Air Force commander, Tomer Bar, warned that Tel Aviv could attack the Islamic Republics nuclear facilities as soon as tomorrow if ordered to do so. The 52-year-old says that he expects an Israeli attack on Iran to happen within his lifetime.Earlier this year, Israel set aside $1.5 billion in its defence budget to prepare for possible strikes on Iran, either independently or in coordination with Washington. That amount accounts for less than half of the $3.8 billion in military aid sent to Israel by the United States in 2021.On Monday, Gholam Ali Rashid, the chief of the Iranian Armed Forces Central Command HQ, suggested that Israel wouldnt dare try to strike Iran without first receiving a green light from the US. The commander warned that any strike would spark a crushing attack [by Iran] on all bases, centres, paths, and space used to carry out the aggression without delay.Israeli officials have spent decades accusing Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, with pressure by Mossad and former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu proving instrumental in lobbying the Trump administration into pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal in 2018. Israel subscribes to the so-called Begin Doctrine, named after former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, under which it gives itself the unilateral authority to target any country in the Middle East it suspects may be building nuclear weapons. Tel Aviv has already implemented the doctrine twice, first against Iraq in 1981, and then against Syria in 2007.Iran denies that it is pursuing nuclear weaponry or weapons of mass destruction of any kind, saying its nuclear programme is restricted to peaceful purposes. The Islamic Republic has repeatedly criticised the international community over its alleged double standard in the way it treats Tehran nuclear programme compared with that of Israel, which is widely suspected already to possess dozens or even hundreds of nuclear weapons, and the capability to deliver them using ground-based missiles, aircraft and submarines. Tel Aviv has neither confirmed nor denied its status as a nuclear weapons power.

https://sputniknews.com/20211222/israel-could-attack-irans-nuclear-programme-tomorrow-if-needed-says-air-force-future-head-1091726758.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211210/f-him-bitter-trump-bashes-netanyahu-over-bibis-efforts-to-cozy-up-to-biden-1091415003.html

The_Man Iran would be doing the whole world a favour by annihilating this nasty bastard state of zionist israhell and sending every filthy jew scum to hell... as they say... 'the best kind of jew is a dead jew!!!" 20

mandrake There can never be too many deadly missiles aimed at the jews in palestine whose occupation is illegal and must come to an end either by the jews fleeing like rats from a sinking vessel (israel) or terminated down to zero. The jews have no right to be in palestine and the worst decision in the 20th century was when lloyd-george gave in to parasite theodore herzl and agreed the jews could settle in palestine - the decision was ultra vires (without legal base) and guven the misery the jews have sowed in the middle east, the number of people they have killed and the land theyve stolen and operating deathcamp Gaza, the 11

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https://sputniknews.com/20211224/why-is-nato-in-denial-of-wests-non-expansion-vows--importance-of-russias-sphere-of-influence-1091782538.html

Why is NATO in Denial of West's Non-Expansion Vows & Importance of Russia's 'Sphere of Influence'?

Why is NATO in Denial of West's Non-Expansion Vows & Importance of Russia's 'Sphere of Influence'?

NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg says that NATO and its member states never promised that the alliance would not expand eastward, adding that "the age of spheres of influence is over."

2021-12-24T18:25+0000

2021-12-24T18:25+0000

2022-01-05T15:31+0000

mikhail gorbachev

world

europe

us

russia

opinion

jens stoltenberg

nato expansion

ussr

nato

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on 23 December with NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the alliance's "dual-track approach to Russia" over Ukraine's security, according to the US State Department.Earlier, on 21 December, the NATO chief said that "the age of spheres of influence is over", and that Ukraine could choose "its own path" in a reference to Moscow's notion that Ukraine's NATO membership constitutes a "red line" for Russia. Stoltenberg echoed Blinken who stated in May 2021 that the United States no longer recognises "spheres of influence" seeing it as an idea "that should have been retired after the Second World War".Dangerous Security DilemmaIt is hardly surprising that Blinken and Stoltenberg unanimously dismissed Russia's concerns with regard to its sphere of influence, since NATO's agenda is largely dictated by Washington, according to Tiberio Graziani, chairman of Vision & Global Trends at the International Institute for Global Analyses.This is a case where two different versions of world order collide and may result in a potential confrontation, warns Jo Jakobsen, political science and international relations professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.The problem, however, is that Moscow "would interpret these signals and moves by NATO as offensive ones, which act to decrease further Russias security," Jakobsen underscores. "The price we all pay is an increase in tensions  and an increase in the likelihood of military conflict," the academic says.'There's Room for Compromises on Key Issues for Russia & NATO'Graziani suggests that a potential way to make NATO less threatening for European balance and international peace is "to find among NATO members those countries who are more sensitive to their own national interests than to Washington's expansionist aims."In addition to this, major European governments, including Italy, France and Germany, have no appetite for any military action in Ukraine, notes Paolo Raffone, a strategic analyst and director of the CIPI Foundation in Brussels.Raffone cites in particular Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who earlier this month suggested that "with Putin we must maintain an engagement; that is, we must keep him engaged in a dialogue with the United States." During his 23 December press conference, Vladimir Putin noted that Italy might help to normalise relations between Russia and the European Union and between Russia and NATO during the forthcoming security talks in the beginning of 2022.Stoltenberg said on 21 December that he intends to call a new meeting of the NATO-Russia Council "as soon as possible" in 2022. The Biden administration also signalled on Thursday that it is ready for security talks with Russia in early January 2022.However, neither NATO nor the White House has given a substantive answer to the security proposals submitted by Russia last week. Still, this should not be interpreted as if the actual talks would unquestionably fail, highlights Jo Jakobsen. Washington and NATO's recent truculent statements are "a classic negotiation strategy or mechanism," according to him.Stoltenberg's Vision & Historic FactsJens Stoltenberg insisted on 23 December that neither the alliance, nor its member states, made any promises to the Soviet leadership concerning NATO's non-expansion. "Former President [of the USSR Mikhail] Gorbachev said the topic of NATO enlargement had not been raised until German reunification," Stoltenberg claimed.National Security Archive, a US non-profit research institution, on 12 December 2017 published documents which indicated that throughout the process of Germany's unification in 1990-1991, US Secretary of State James Baker and leaders of the UK, France, and Germany indeed assured Gorbachev and other Soviet officials that NATO would not expand eastward.When it comes to Ukraine, initially, the state's Declaration of state Sovereignty, passed on 16 July 1990, specified that Ukraine has the "intention of becoming a permanently neutral state that does not participate in military blocs and adheres to three nuclear free principles: to accept, to produce and to purchase no nuclear weapons" (Art IX).Speaking to Sputnik on Thursday, the former President of the USSR Gorbachev noted that the United States grew arrogant after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, declaring itself the winner of the Cold War as it decided to expand NATO. On 17 December, Moscow published draft agreements between Russia, the United States and NATO which envisage banning the alliance from expanding eastward and prohibiting the US and Russia from deploying intermediate and shorter-range missiles within striking distance of each other's territory, among other things.

https://sputniknews.com/20211224/drawing-ukraine-into-nato-missiles-placing-near-russia-creates-military-risks-lavrov-says-1091766908.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211223/russia-is-back-moscow-wont-back-down-ending-era-of-nato-expansion-is-possible-observers-say-1091758619.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211223/us-ready-for-security-talks-with-russia-in-early-january-senior-administration-official-says-1091756858.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210530/how-story-of-broken-nato-non-enlargement-pledge-upends-wests-effort-to-depict-russia-as-aggressor-1083035472.html

https://sputniknews.com/20211224/gorbachev-supporting-russian-us-discussions-of-security-issues-hopes-for-outcome-1091765096.html

4Justice US/NATO leaders are evil savages in suits and ties, living in luxury as their decisions have killed and destroyed millions of lives. These people belong in hell and the sooner the better. 10

Tyke How can the Russians ever trust NATO and the Americans with any new treaty or contract when they just change their minds so easily 10

22

ussr

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Ekaterina Blinova

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mikhail gorbachev, world, europe, us, russia, opinion, jens stoltenberg, nato expansion, ussr, nato
After harness racing returned to Marquis Downs in 2021 for what was slated to be the final horse racing meet conducted at the Saskatoon area oval, Trot Insider has learned that Marquis Downs will host another Standardbred meet in 2022.

"We kind of briefly discussed it at the last meet that it might be a possibility," Trevor Williams, president of the Manitoba Standardbred Racing Industry Inc. (MSRI), told Trot Insider on Wednesday (Dec. 22). "Their board had met, and with the scheduling of whatever they have to do with the racetrack....to build whatever they're building there isn't gonna happen until later anyway. So, to fit us in earlier in the year was a possibility. They just made it happen and announced the dates."

According to Williams, Marquis Downs will conduct 10 days of harness racing in Spring 2022. The first date will be Saturday, April 30, with card slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons with a 1:00 p.m. first race post time.

The additional race dates are welcome news for the horsepeople in Canada's central provinces, with the good news not ending there. Once racing concludes in Saskatchewan, the racetrack at the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg, Man. should be ready for its inaugural meet once summer rolls around.

"We are basically as far along as you'd expect, said Williams of the new racetrack's construction progress. "The track is up, the surface is on. There's a little bit more surface work to do in the spring when the snow melts, but  talking to Garth, we just had a meeting [Tuesday] and he doesn't see any issues with the track.

"The barns are ready, the paddock's up...everything's good to go. They plan to hold qualifiers around June 4, and then start two weeks later, June 18, which would be the first day of the Red River Ex Fair in Winnipeg. And then, between Winnipeg and Miami still getting a couple of days as well, we're going to be going 16 days, or 16 weeks, one day a week."

That influx and expansion of opportunity for the participants provides a palpable sense of optimism.

"Everybody's pumped. We went from having just 10 days in Manitoba two years ago to doubling it, essentially, with 10 days added in Saskatoon. And now, with more days in Winnipeg, we're basically tripling our meets. Everyone's just excited to just race more. We're not picky people, but we're thrilled with any extra days we can get."

The ability to race at a stable and singular location like the to-be-completed track in Winnipeg will unfortunately limit the opportunities for some of the province's rural fair tracks to host race dates in the traditional format of the Manitoba Great Western Harness Racing Circuit.

"There's just too much invested and too much at stake right now that we kind of all decided it's better to be in a big market right now. We're gonna go back to Miami for a couple days. That might grow to four days or four weeks or something like that. We don't know exactly how those days look right now, but definitely the majority of racing is going to be in the big-market area.

"It's a bit bittersweet. I mean, we love our fairs and we know that that's been the backbone of us for all these years, but, we haven't seen that growth, and we need to do something."
The countdown is on. No, it is not for Christmas or New Year's but for the first foal by Flameproof Hanover to arrive.

To help mark the occasion, the connections have created a unique contest.

Ella Christina p.3,1:50.2 ($338,783) is due to foal January 19, 2022 based on the average gestation of 330 days. It is her first foal and she has no past foaling time to depend on so the typical range is 320-345 days.

What shall this special foal be named and when will it arrive? That is for fans to suggest.

Pick the closest day and time and to win a free 2022 breeding to Flameproof Hanover worth $1,500 to use or to transfer. Suggest names and dates here. If your name suggestion is accepted you win dinner for four at the Top Of The Park restaurant at Red Shores on the final day of the 2021-2022 season on Saturday, January 29. That day will also feature the Flameproof Hanover Pace and a special Pedigree Matching breeders seminar after the races to assist breeders with their stallion choices for 2022.

Also planned for that day is a tribute to Leslie E. MacLeod, the first PEI member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inducted for his contribution to the establishment of the Wallace Trotting Year Book in 1885 recording the race results in North America. This comes on the 150th anniversary of the Wallace Trotting Register published in 1871. Descendants of the same MacLeod family are still active today in harness racing on PEI.

(Flameproof Hanover Syndicate)
Her working strategy is to maintain an all black, cross bred cow herd that essentially all carry similar genetic traits and then terminally AI that cow group to Charolais-Angus composite bulls, Wagyu or Angus bulls. The purpose of terminal crossbreeding programs where all calves are finished for slaughter is to take advantage of specific breed traits, AIing to bulls that excel in growth and carcass traits for example. The goal is to maintain the integrity of the established cow herd while using those genetics to produce processed beef that will consistently meet Livingstons standards. This strategy involves time developing a cow herd with strong maternal genetics that will compliment bull genetics to produce top quality feedlot cattle.

Her drive to achieve well-marbled beef cuts led her to the Wagyu breed in search of the ideal crossbred market animal. While there are many cattle breeds out there that produce excellent quality beef, Livingston was drawn to the Wagyu cattle breed, a Japanese beef breed simply because of all the attention it was getting.

Wagyu was getting hype on flavor and then Cattlemens Ball 2014 had a taster of Wagyu products. It was at that point I thought it was getting all this hype so it must be something consumers wanted, Livingston said.
Students from Northfield Elementary traveled the globe on Thursday, Dec. 16, all without leaving their school.

It was part of the schools new "Christmas Around the World" event, in which mixed-grade groups of students visited different classrooms to learn about Christmas customs in other countries.

This is the first time the school has put on an event like this, and the teachers organized it all in about a month.

It started with a first-grade teacher just asking if anybody would be interested teaching culture and celebrations of different countries, Northfield principal John Wiedeman said. Another teacher took the planning side of it, made the passports ... lots of people were excited about that.

Paper visas and folder suitcases added a level of immersion to the afternoons events. At each stop, students received stamps to glue onto their passports and informational pamphlets to add to their suitcases.

You know what the biggest question was? Where was I born? Not many kids knew where they were born to fill out the passport, Wiedeman said, jokingly.
Hergert also lauded the schools community interactions. One such event is the Clean City Scramble, which took place in October this year. It had children from all grade levels picking up trash throughout the Scottsbluff-Gering area.

This year, our son was one of the people who went with his daughters first grade class, and he just couldnt believe how much they picked up, Hergert said. They got so excited ... they wanted to get their sack filled in a hurry, and then it was so much fun to go to the dumpster and see this little area was cleaned up from what they did. It made them very cognizant of not being a litterbug.

The Scramble is far from the only charitable event CCS students participate in. Theres also the Change for Change event, where each class competes to gather the most change to donate to a Christian charity.

The school also hosts fundraisers, like its annual Enchilada Factory. This event, Goranson said, often pulls in students, parents and even alumni as they work to make up to 36,000 enchiladas in the CCS gym to raise money for the school.

We like to offer events that the community, not just our own CCS family, can take part in, she said.
University of Nebraska programs and Nebraska nonprofit organizations may now submit funding ideas to Women Investing in Nebraska for grant awards in 2022.

Grant seekers must submit an online letter of inquiry form by Feb. 16, 2022, at womeninvestinginnebraska.org.

Based on submissions, WIN will invite 12 to 16 grant seekers to provide formal grant proposals. Grant seekers must be a part of the University of Nebraska system or be a Nebraska nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity.

WIN seeks out groups with innovative and bold solutions to the important issues Nebraskans face, said Vanessa Denney of Omaha, chair of the WIN grants committee. We just completed our 10th year of partnering with creative and committed organizations and people in Nebraska working to improve their communities.

The grant amounts will be based on the total amount of gifts received this year from the members of WIN. WIN will announce its grant awards this fall.

WIN Chair Susan Fritz of Crete said the grants enable the university and nonprofits to address new ideas and programs.
The second-degree manslaughter charge required prosecutors to prove Potter caused his death by her culpable negligence, meaning that Potter caused an unreasonable risk and consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm to Wright.

WHAT SENTENCE IS POSSIBLE?

Under Minnesota statutes, Potter, who is white, will be sentenced only on the most serious charge of first-degree manslaughter. Thats because both of the charges against her stem from one act, with one victim.

The max for that charge is 15 years. But state sentencing guidelines call for much less. For someone with no criminal history, like Potter, the guidelines range from just more than six years to about 8 1/2 years, with the presumptive sentence being slightly over seven years.

Prosecutors have said they'd seek a sentence above the guideline range, while the defense said they would seek no prison time. In order for Judge Regina Chu to issue a sentence that's outside the guideline range, she would first have to find either mitigating or aggravating factors. Both sides are expected to file written arguments.

POSSIBLE AGGRAVATING FACTORS
On cue, wise men came down the aisle to lay their gifts at the manager. There were three of them, as per the song, but the Scriptures dont give a tally. After the wise men came shepherds, who mostly stood around where they could find a space, whispered to each other and pointed at the baby.

The program was topped by the arrival of the angels. One was Lydia, James and Amandas daughter, a toddler so cherubic she takes your breath away. Lydias halo kept slipping down over her eyes, and during the play, she talked to herself, but none of this mattered.

We stood and sang another carol and the play ended. Pastor Bill said a prayer and a benediction, and we were dismissed to go to our homes and to go out into the world and witness what we had seen on the makeshift sanctuary stage and to witness what we had felt in our hearts.

A true miracle had taken place there in our church in Cool Spring in the year 2021. We, in our minds, had briefly been transported to a star-swept pasture in Palestine 2,000 years ago. We heard angels sing, and we trooped into the village of Bethlehem to a lowly stable. We saw kings, potentates from the East, bestow precious gifts to a peasant baby boy.
The Statesville Police Department filled the trailer. Now its unloading it.

The Fill the Trailer Toy Drive got to the fun part this week as officers began handing out the toys they collected to children in the area, including those at Fifth Street Ministries in Statesville on Thursday.

It is our pleasure to participate in the toy drive; for the officers, its been amazing, police Chief David Addison said. All the weekends out at Walmart, all the community members that have given, to make this special for the kids who normally wouldnt have anything, this is very important to us.

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Out of its Special Response Team van came a jolly Santa Claus, with officers serving as his elves as they handed out gifts to children.

In all, around 300 children received some of the more than 2,200 gifts through the toy drive, Pamela Navey, community resource coordinator, said. The Cove Church and Salvation Army of Iredell County gave them some of their leftover toys as well. Navey said that Iredell-Statesville Schools also helped in targeting those families that needed it most.

The goal is serve those that we know that are in need. Its a great part of our job, she said.
Investigators do not yet know whether the teenager was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.

The California Department of Justice was investigating the shooting, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

Choi said authorities do not yet know the man's motive or whether he knew the woman he initially assaulted in the store.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said that woman had moderate to serious injuries and was transported to a hospital. It wasn't immediately known if she'd been shot but Choi said she had injuries to her head, arms and face.

Police found a heavy metal cable lock near the suspect that they say may have been used in that assault.

Spell said the injured woman was the victim in the first assault report. It was not immediately clear what weapon was involved in that assault.

He added that police had received calls about the suspect acting erratically before the incident.
The juror said no one felt Potter was a racist or meant to kill Wright, but that doesn't mean she was above the law.
A man serving a life sentence for murder in Oregon could soon face trial in Cowlitz County for a 2012 murder in Kelso.

Erik Meiser, 47, was transferred into the Cowlitz County Jail on Tuesday night and made a preliminary court appearance Wednesday afternoon. Meiser is being charged by Cowlitz County prosecutors in the death of Nicholaus Fickett, a homeless man who was found stabbed in his tent along the Cowlitz River banks in the summer of 2012.

Meiser was extradited from the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, where he was serving a life sentence for the 2012 killing of Fritz Hayes in the driveway outside his Lake Oswego home. Meisers sentence was split between the Oregon State Hospital and state prison due to his history of delusions and schizophrenia.

Cowlitz County prosecutors first charged Meiser with the Kelso killing in 2016, while his other case was going through the Oregon court system.

According to the warrant for Meisers arrest, Meiser allegedly talked about Ficketts death to another inmate while he was being held in Clackamas County jail for Hayes murder. The arrest warrant said Meisers DNA was later found on two items left in Ficketts tent.

Mesier was found capable to stand trial for the Lake Oswego killing and he was convicted in 2017.

A spokesman for the Eastern Oregon Correctional Facility said Meiser was transferred there in September from the Oregon State Penitentiary. The extradition agreement with Cowlitz County was reached in October.

Questions remain about why Meisers case was moving ahead now, nearly five years after he was first charged, or how the case will proceed through the courts. County prosecutor Ryan Jurvakainen and Meisers court-appointed defense attorney, Ian Maher, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

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A Longview man police say deliberately set six summer brush fires in Kelso, including one that required wildfire firefighters to extinguish, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Cowlitz County Superior Court.

Kevin Paul Reid, 44, pleaded not guilty to six counts of second-degree arson for six fires between July 7 and Aug. 30, between the 3400 and 3800 blocks of Allen Street in Kelso. A countywide burn ban was in place during this time due to dry conditions.

Officials investigate at least four July, August Allen Street brush fires as arson in Kelso Officials are investigating whether at least four small brush fires that occurred within a month and less than a mile of each other were delib

Arson charges

Investigators traced an ignited wooden shingle found at the July 14 fire to a nearby business that uses the product, states a probable cause statement that led to Reids arrest. Deputies report all the fires were reported during Reids 15-minute work breaks, according to his time cards. They say he also was a suspect in a 2016 prison arson.

The probable cause report says a large Aug. 30 fire off Allen Street was ruled as arson by a state investigation, and was extinguished by Washington State Department of Natural Resources wildland firefighters and a helicopter releasing water.

Five of the fires occurred on one persons forested property, which borders Weyerhaeuser timberland, and one occurred on a Cowlitz Public Utility District power pole, according to deputies. Investigators say a plastic container, located near the damaged pole after the Aug. 4 fire, contained gasoline.

Arrest

Court documents show a Cowlitz deputy arrested Reid Dec. 11 after he admitted to driving recklessly to avoid being pulled over. On Dec. 15, he was charged with attempting to elude a police vehicle and making a false statement to a public servant for that case, and the six counts of second-degree arson in the separate case. He pleaded not guilty to all charges Thursday.

His trial for eluding police and making a false statement is scheduled for March 15, 2022.

Reid was released from the Cowlitz County Jail on a $15,000 bond Dec. 18, according to jail staff.

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The highly transmissible omicron variant was detected in one Cowlitz County COVID-19 case as of Thursday morning, according to the health department.

Since not all specimens are sequenced, the number of omicron cases in the county is higher, and the variant is expected to soon become the dominant strain, Cowlitz County Health and Human Services wrote in a Facebook post.

Washington hospital officials voiced concern Thursday about the strain an omicron-driven surge in cases would put on already full facilities.

PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center reported fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations than last week, but staff have a higher level of awareness of risk from the new variant, said Randy Querin, spokesperson.

Staff returned to using N95 masks in certain parts of the hospital, a step up in standards from less than two weeks ago, Querin said.

In light of the omicron surge forecast for mid-January, PeaceHealth is reminding caregivers to not gather in large groups for the holidays, Querin said.

Its critical for us to stay as healthy as we can for what we anticipate is another surge next month, he said. Its not just square footage in the hospital that can be a shortage in surge, its people.

St. John has adequate staffing if everyone remains healthy, but if too many caregivers call out sick on the same day, it becomes a real problem, Querin said.

Statewide, an average of 92% of acute care beds and 90% of ICU beds are full, said Taya Briley, Washington State Hospital Association executive vice president. Some hospitals are at 120% capacity, with patients receiving care in the hallways and surgeries canceled, she said.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have fallen over the last couple months and dont appear to be increasing in most of Washington. The biggest problem is facilities cant discharge a large number of patients who no longer need acute care, Briley said.

Unless we can move these long length of stay patients to non-hospital settings immediately we are not sure if we can take care of everyone who needs it if we get a big spike of COVID hospitalizations, she said.

The hospital association is working with the state to speed patient assessments, increase payments to long-term care facilities, as well as encouraging legislative changes to the sometimes lengthy and complex discharge process, Briley said.

Today were asking for the support of our community, she said. Our health-care system has been severely strained, but it is not broken. Your individual actions can make or break this response to the omicron surge.

People should layer their protections by wearing a really good mask, gathering in small groups, getting a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot, and getting tested if they have symptoms, Briley said.

Free, at-home COVID-19 tests are available to Cowlitz County residents for a limited time through the Say Yes! COVID Test program. Residents who havent yet participated can order the tests online at www.sayyescovidhometest.org. The program is expected to end this week once all the tests have been distributed.

Cowlitz County recorded 26 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total to 13,274 confirmed and 1,699 probable cases.

The county has recorded 279 COVID-19 deaths. Of the 219 deaths recorded between Jan. 18 and Dec. 13, 183, or 84%, were among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals, according to the county health department.

Longview, Castle Rock and Kelso schools all use COVID-19 dashboards to report cases in schools. Other local districts do not publicly report cases in schools, and Kelso only reports student-to-student cases confirmed to be transmitted in schools.

Kelso reported five new cases since Oct. 21, at Kelso High School and Huntington Middle School. The district has reported 27 in-school transmissions this year and five classroom closures.

Longview has reported 80 new cases since Nov. 23, two of them transmitted in school. Of the new cases, 12 were among staff. The district has reported 373 total cases among students and staff this year.

Castle Rock has reported 11 new cases since Nov. 8, three of them staff members and all unknown if they were transmitted in school. The district has reported 79 cases this year.

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It takes specific parameters and a long permitting process to cut down a tree with an active eagle nest in it, and thats what Finch Drive LLC did on Finch Drive in Longview. However, neighbors who have watched the pair of eagles nest there for at least a decade said they wish there had been another way.

Kristy Neubo, who owns the apartment buildings adjacent to the property where the eagles nest was, said shes an animal person and even if a permit was issued it doesnt make it right.

The worlds not ours, we share it with animals, she said, adding that now the neighborhood will no longer be able to watch the eagle eggs hatch each spring and its awful that somebody cut down their home.

Bryce Clary, owner of the Bud Clary Auto Group and Finch Drive LLC, said the company has worked with the City of Longview and USFWS, and has obtained the necessary permits to remove an unsafe tree from the property around Finch Drive in West Longview.

Our No. 1 priority was and is the safety of the environment on and around the property, he wrote in an email Wednesday. We worked with a professional consultant, and the USFWS, step by step, over the past 6+ months to follow the proper channels.

Longview Director of Community Development Ann Rivers clarified that while the city was not included in any part of the permitting process, when upset neighbors reached out about the eagle tree, she contacted the developer.

She said the permitting process seemed to be quite long and expensive and that a study of the eagle pair found about three years earlier, their original tree had fallen into the slough, so the eagles relocated to a different tree. Rivers said the eagles have relocated again to a new tree nearby.

The permitting process

There are only four situations where an active eagles nest can be removed, and removal requires mitigation, according to Matt Stuber, U.S. Fish and Wildlife regional eagle coordinator.

The first is a safety emergency to humans or eagles, which he said is rare. The next is a human health and safety issue that is not an emergency, but long-term could be a danger. A third reason is if the nest is interfering with the intended us of a manmade structure, typically if a nest is built on a cell tower. The final situation is if the activity that is being conducted or mitigated for brings a net benefit to eagles.

Those are the only four issues under which we can permit nest removal, Stuber said. Only a handful of permits are issued every year, and almost always for bald eagles. The most common situation permits are issued for is human health and safety issues, he said.

The service tries really hard to make sure that when people do mitigate for take we authorize, that we know its going to save the number of eagles we authorized take of, he said, so the number of eagles mitigation will help is the same or greater than the number affected by taking a nest down.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife doesnt view the nest permits as a regulatory process as much as one more tool of conservation, Stuber said. The permits are designed to be mutually beneficial: they allow people to do activities that would otherwise be prohibited, and the eagle species as a whole benefits from larger mitigation actions.

Eagles get more, they get some kind of conservation on the ground, he said, more than simply relocating a nest. Moving a nest would be more of rectification, Stuber said, not the broader mitigation and conversation the agency asks permittees to do.

For example, retrofitting power poles that are a high risk to eagles to reduce eagle death is a very common mitigation action, Stuber said.

He said he could not comment on specific permits or mitigation actions, but to get a permit anyone applying would need to meet the same strict situation guidelines.

Effect on eagles

When a nest is removed, eagles typically will move on and build another nest, Stuber said.

Its hard to say exactly when, but bald eagles are pretty resilient and will likely find another place to build a new nest and are able to be successful and productive at another location, Stuber said.

Any nest removal has to happen outside of the breeding season, which is legally Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, to ensure no eggs or eaglets are harmed.

The only exception is for the emergency situations, but Stuber said those are very rare and the department has specific protocols to follow to make sure no young are harmed if they are in the nest.

Community reaction

For the community members who enjoyed watching the eagles raise their young outside their windows, the loss is a hard one. Landlord Neubo said when crews arrived to cut down the tree, the entire neighborhood turned out in concern.

These eagles, everybody in the neighborhood had watched them and watched their babies, she said. They didnt need to destroy the trees. They could have developed around them.

Clary said the tree was unsafe, which was the basis for removal.

Neubo said she tried to buy the land when it first went up for sale years ago, to use it as a natural area, and that shes asked to see the permit for removal. She said shes worried the eagles will leave the area to make a new nest.

Its tough, a tough situation but whats done is done and I dont know what we can do, she said.

People can get very protective of eagles, U.S. Fish and Wildlifes Stuber said, and there are a lot of people out there that love having eagles around, that love being able to go and look at a nest and see young grow up.

For many people its a really important thing, he said. We know theres a lot of people watching eagles out there and excited about eagles out there. We like that. Thats a good thing. So its not surprising that theres some attention brought to these instances when theres a nest removed on occasion.

Stuber said the agency takes a big-picture view of eagle conservation, and the permits mean the removal can be done with minimal disruption to the birds and with a net positive for eagle conservation, even if a specific nest is removed or one eagle pair moves areas.

Thats a win-win, and even the service wins when we issue permits because we require monitoring with these permits, so we get to learn, he said.

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Samsung Galaxy A53 could launch with two chips across the world, including a new Exynos version.

The Samsung Galaxy A53 has long been in the news despite Samsung keeping mum about it. Leaks have so far painted a positive picture about Samsung's next-gen midrange phone for 2022. And, it was said that the Galaxy A53 will be based on Snapdragon chips, similar to the Galaxy A52 models. However, a new leak presents the possibility of the Galaxy A53 with an Exynos chip for several markets, including India.

It is now said that the Galaxy A53 could spawn in both 4G and 5G variants. This is likely to employ two different chips for the same, with one of them being Samsung's own Exynos. Some leaked data suggests that Samsung could be using an Exynos 1200 for certain variants of the Galaxy A53, which could most likely be powering 4G models. It could reach the US, Europe and some Asian markets, including India.

Galaxy A53 to get both 4G and 5G versions

The leaked info comes courtesy of a Dutch website GalaxyClub and Samsung is yet to verify any of this information. Hence, you should take this with a pinch of salt. Samsung has had a good run with both Exynos and Snapdragon versions of the Galaxy A series in India and it remains to be seen how this fares out for customers across the world.

The Galaxy A53 is expected to be a mild upgrade to the Galaxy A52 from 2021. Leaks have so far suggested an identical design with minor touch-ups, a 120Hz OLED display, IP67 water and dust resistance, and a 64MP triple rear camera setup.

The 5G variant of the Galaxy A53 is likely to rely on the Snapdragon 778G; a chip that is already in use with the Galaxy A52s 5G and Galaxy M52 5G. What remains to be seen is how the Exynos variant fares in comparison. Historically, Exynos based Samsung phones have struggled with performance but Samsung is expected to debut the Galaxy S22 series this year with a new Exynos chip relying on AMD GPU.
The recent solar storm on December 20 may lighten up northern lights before Christmas. Heres everything about it.

When the world is already in the mood for the Christmas celebration, it may be lit up more with the auroras at the poles. A solar storm unleashed from the Sun on December 20 may stimulate northern lights over the north pole, according to the UK Met Office space weather forecasting centre said in a statement.

The UK Met Office centre further wrote, "The auroral oval is likely to be slightly enhanced at high latitudes from December 22 to 24 due to coronal hole geomagnetic activity enhancement, and the chance of a weak coronal mass ejection arriving on December 23. Ahead of Christmas, the sun has been quite active, with multiple active areas forming on its blazing surface.

Why are we observing frequent solar storms?

The recent solar storm was the result of the coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which is a violent outburst of magnetically charged particles and plasma from the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona. CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms that affect satellite systems and hit the power grids if they are directed at Earth. Generally, the rise of auroras in the regions near the North and South Poles is one of the key consequences of this phenomenon.

According to the experts from NASA, the Sun has begun its 'Solar Cycle 25', which is expected to peak in 2025. Solar minimum occurred in December 2019, marking the start of a new solar cycle which changes every 11 years. During this transition of the solar cycle, the Sun transforms its nature from relatively calm to active and stormy and then again quiet, after which the Sun results in a new solar cycle. The recent solar storms are the consequences of this new Solar Cycle.

How are auroras formed?

The aurora is formed by streams of electrified particles trapped in the Earth's magnetic fields which are emitted by the sun. The geomagnetic storm caused by the recent CME is only predicted to be mild. When charged particles from the sun collide with the planet's magnetic field, geomagnetic storms occur. These particles converge above the poles by the Earth's magnetic field lines, which is why we observe auroras in these areas, the Met Office explained. Auroras appearing at the northern pole of the Earth are commonly known as Northern lights, similarly, the auroras on the south pole are called southern lights.
Travelers wait in line to check in for flights at Logan Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Boston. At least three major airlines say they have canceled dozens of flights, Friday, Dec. 24, because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Airlines canceled hundreds of flights as the omicron variant jumbled schedules and drew down staffing levels at some carriers during the busy holiday travel season.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said they canceled flights because of staff shortages tied to the omicron variant. Delta canceled 145 flights on Friday and 111 for Christmas Day, according to FlightAware. (Other factors, such as weather, are also causing cancellations.) United called off 175 flights on Friday and 69 on Saturday.

Not all airlines said COVID was disrupting their travel schedules. American Airlines said it had "nothing to report," while Southwest Airlines said "things are running smoothly." JetBlue did not respond to a request for comment.

Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been a regular problem for the U.S. airline industry this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and were caught short-staffed this year as travel recovered.

"The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," United said in a statement. "As a result, we've unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport."

Travelers trek through Terminal E at Logan Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Boston. At least three major airlines say they have canceled dozens of flights, Friday, Dec. 24, because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Delta said it canceled flights Friday because of the impact of omicron and possibility of bad weather after it had "exhausted all options and resourcesincluding rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying."

The airlines both said they were trying to rebook passengers.

While some travelers canceled holiday plans because of rising case numbers, many others kept to their vacations during some of the year's busiest travel days. The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen nearly 30 million people from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, compared with nearly 44 million during the last holiday season before the pandemic.

Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday that it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a "massive rise" in sick leave among pilots. The cancellations on flights to Houston, Boston and Washington come despite a "large buffer" of additional staff for the period. The airline says it couldn't speculate on whether COVID-19 infections or quarantines were responsible because it was not informed about the sort of illness. Passengers were booked on other flights.

Travelers pass a sign near a COVID-19 testing site in Terminal E at Logan Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Boston. At least three major airlines say they have canceled dozens of flights, Friday, Dec. 24, because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Travelers trek through Terminal E at Logan Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Boston. At least three major airlines say they have canceled dozens of flights, Friday, Dec. 24, because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Travelers wait in line to be tested for COVID-19 at Logan Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Boston. At least three major airlines say they have canceled dozens of flights, Friday, Dec. 24, because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa

According to FlightAware, there are nearly 3,400 canceled flights on Friday and Saturday, with at least half of the cancellations by Chinese airlines. About 20% of affected flights745were to, from or within the U.S. This is a small fraction of global flights. FlightAware says it has tracked more than 120,000 arrivals in the past 24 hours.

Coronavirus infections fueled by the new variant have also squeezed staffing at hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations that have struggled to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers.

To ease staffing shortages, countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian was among those who have called on the Biden administration to take similar steps or risk further disruptions in air travel. On Thursday, the U.S. shortened COVID-19 isolation rules for health care workers only.

Explore further Airlines face holiday test as demand surges

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
She said people know they can go to a bar or a pub to have conversations about sports and can find places where people will be discussing politics, but said there is not any given place to have spiritual conversations outside of church.

Of course, they can happen anywhere, but having a dedicated space where its safe and you know thats what can happen there, she said.

Middleway is not targeted to one specific demographic of the population, Phillips said, saying it can be for anyone trying to find a peaceful place, from people battling PTSD to those in recovery programs to overwhelmed parents.

Theres just such a variety of need that I think once people in the community realize they can just come here and get refueled a little bit, that would just get them revved up a little more to be involved in the community and feel a sense of worth in the community and who knows what they might do as a result, she said. If we burn ourselves out and never get refueled, we dont want to do anything that God may pitch out.

Middleway Urban Monastery is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and on the first and fourth Saturdays, except holidays. Weekly events are posted to the website, including times when spiritual directors will lead prayers. For more information and to see the event calendar, go to middlewayurbanmonastery.org.

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On Thursday, witnesses in North Hollywood told KCBS-TV that the man began acting erratically, threatening to throw items from the upper floor, and he attacked a woman with a bicycle lock shortly before noon as the store was crowded with holiday shoppers.

Officers answered a report of an assault and others of shots being fired, police said. Investigators have not found a gun at the scene.

The suspect was shot and died at the store but one of the bullets went through drywall behind the man and killed the girl, who was in a changing room with her mother, police said.

Officers found the teenager dead after seeing a hole in a solid wall that you can't see behind, LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said.

Investigators didn't immediately know whether she was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.
China's internet regulator, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), has temporarily suspended a partnership with Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing subsidiary of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, for six months on account of the fact that it failed to promptly inform the government about a critical security vulnerability affecting the broadly used Log4j logging library.

The development was disclosed by Reuters and South China Morning Post, citing a report from 21st Century Business Herald, a Chinese business-news daily newspaper.

"Alibaba Cloud did not immediately report vulnerabilities in the popular, open-source logging framework Apache Log4j2 to China's telecommunications regulator," Reuters said. "In response, MIIT suspended a cooperative partnership with the cloud unit regarding cybersecurity threats and information-sharing platforms."

Tracked as CVE-2021-44228 (CVSS score: 10.0) and codenamed Log4Shell or LogJam, the catastrophic security shortcoming allows malicious actors to remotely execute arbitrary code by getting a specially crafted string logged by the software.

Log4Shell came to light after Chen Zhaojun of Alibaba cloud security team sent an email alerting the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) on November 24 about the flaw, adding that it "has a major impact." But just as the fix was being put in place, details of the vulnerability were shared on a Chinese blogging platform by an unidentified actor on December 8, sending the Apache team scrambling to release a patch on December 10.

Post the bug's public disclosure, Log4Shell has been subjected to widespread exploitation by threat actors to take control of susceptible servers, thanks to the near-ubiquitous use of the library, which can be found in a variety of consumer and enterprise services, websites, and applications  as well as in operational technology products  that rely on it to log security and performance information.

In the ensuing days, further investigation into Log4j by the cybersecurity community has since uncovered three more weaknesses in the Java-based tool, prompting the project maintainers to ship a series of security updates to contain real-world attacks exploiting the flaws.

Israeli security firm Check Point noted that it has blocked over 4.3 million exploitation attempts so far, with 46% of those intrusions made by known malicious groups. "This vulnerability may cause the device to be remotely controlled, which will cause serious hazards such as theft of sensitive information and device service interruption," the MIIT had previously said in a public statement published on December 17, adding it was only made aware of the flaw on December 9, 15 days after the initial disclosure.

The pushback from MIIT arrives months after the Chinese government issued new stricter vulnerability disclosure regulations that mandate software and networking vendors affected with critical flaws, alongside entities or individuals engaged in network product security vulnerability discovery, to report them first-hand to the government authorities mandatorily within two days.

In September, the government also followed it up by launching "cyberspace security and vulnerability professional databases" for the reporting of security vulnerabilities in networks, mobile apps, industrial control systems, smart cars, IoT devices, and other internet products that could be targeted by threat actors.

Update: After China's internet security regulator dropped Alibaba Cloud from its cyber threat intelligence partnership for six months, the cloud computing company on Thursday said it would work towards improving its risk management and compliance, according to a new report from the South China Morning Post. Alibaba Cloud also said it did not fully comprehend the severity of the flaw and that it did not share the details with the government in a timely fashion.
Blame me, he told congregation members who might be disappointed. I am the one who will stand before God and give an account.

Just north of New York City, Westchester Countys Bedford Presbyterian Church was among many churches nationwide planning to proceed with in-person Christmas services despite the spread of the omicron variant.

The Rev. Carol Howard Merritt  the senior pastor  said the decision was made by a group that included parents, a school administrator and a physician.

It became clear that though the variant is highly contagious, the infections seem to result in milder cases, especially for those who are vaccinated and boosted, Merritt said via email. In response, we decided to hold in-person services while making sure that we require masks, stagger seating, limit attendance, and shorten services.

At All Saints Episcopal Church in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the Rev. Steven Paulikas made a similar decision  going ahead with in-person services while requiring masks for all those who attend. The Christmas Eve service was featuring music by the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, led by a congregation member, Arturo OFarrill.
Airports can submit the projects they wish to use the funds on for FAA review in the coming weeks.

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It has not been decided yet what projects CNRA will pursue with the funds.

We are going through a planning discussion next month to discuss how and when and where were going to utilize that money, Olson said. We havent fully decided yet, but weve got projects we can definitely use that money for.

Olson said the airport may consider a terminal expansion and an airfield lighting replacement project, among possibilities.

Theyre part of our ACIP (airport capital improvement plan) right now, and it may change the timing of when we get those done, he said. Itll probably move it up a year or two from when we were planning on doing them.

CNRA was notified about the award last week, after the Dec. 15 meeting of the Hall County Airport Authority.

HCAAs next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 19.

Whatever we spend that on, I need board approval, he said, and the good news is we dont have to make a decision on what were going to spend it on here in the next day or two.
"(Expletive)! I just shot him. ... I grabbed the wrong (expletive) gun," Potter said. A minute later, she said: "I'm going to go to prison."

In sometimes tearful testimony, Potter told jurors that she was "sorry it happened." She said the traffic stop "just went chaotic" and that she shouted her warning about the Taser after she saw a look of fear on the face of Sgt. Mychal Johnson, who was leaning into the passenger-side door of Wright's car. She also told jurors that she doesn't remember what she said or everything that happened after the shooting, as much of her memory of those moments "is missing."

Potter's lawyers argued that she made a mistake by drawing her gun instead of her Taser. But they also said she would have been justified in using deadly force if she had meant to because Johnson was at risk of being dragged.

Prosecutors sought to raise doubts about Potter's testimony that she decided to act after seeing fear on Johnson's face. Prosecutor Erin Eldridge, in cross-examination, pointed out that in an interview with a defense expert Potter said she didn't know why she decided to draw her Taser. During her closing argument, Eldridge also replayed Potter's body-camera video that she said never gave a clear view of Johnson's face during the key moments.
What a difference a year makes.

2020 college graduates entered one of the most chaotic job markets in recent memory. Companies struggled to onboard new employees as they balanced remote and hybrid curveballs hurled at them by the pandemic.

Young workers faced numerous challenges in taking on their first jobs, including finding ways to fit into a workplace culture void of in-person human interaction.

This semesters graduating class is now entering the market in a time where hiring is red hot and technical skills are more in demand than ever before.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2022 report projects a 30% increase in college hiring over the next six months. The report also shows that employers plan to hire 26.6% more new grads from the class of May 2022 than they did the class of May 2021.

According to NACE, their data appears to be in line with job opening trends in general. With job openings exceeding 10 million and the unemployment rate now below 5%, new workers have their pick when it comes to job opportunities.

Rewind just a few months, and the story was much different. Nearly half of 2020 college graduates were still looking for work as of spring 2021, according to a Monster survey. Even as the economy recovered and companies figured out how to navigate remote workforces, last years college graduates averaged five-month job searches.

Industries on the rise

According to a recent study by the job search technology company, Adzuna, there are more than 63,000 job openings available for new graduates in the U.S., paying an average salary of $57,000 per year. For post-grads, the labor market is averaging an opening salary of $72,000.

Some industries are more ripe than others but the opportunities appear to stretch across multiple sectors.

These are the top 10 industries looking to hire college grads, according to a June 2021 CNBC report:

 Health care and nursing

 Logistics and warehouse

 IT

 Sales

 Engineering

 Accounting and finance

 Human resources and recruitment

 Manufacturing

 Customer services

 Scientific and quality assurance

Notice a trend at the top of the list? As the pandemic continues to put a squeeze on nurses and logistics professionals, new graduates may be entering a perfect storm when it comes to demand for their services.

Out of the previous 100 leaders I have helped position for new roles, about 30% have come from these two sectors. Many of these professionals are changing industries altogether due to burnout and stress. While this is a negative for organizations trying to retain their best workers, it leaves a big door open for new college graduates looking to make a mark.

These trends point to one common theme: Its still beneficial to obtain a college degree.

Are there stories of tech millionaires who never stepped foot onto a university campus? Sure.

Do companies still look at college as great training grounds at which young professionals learn how to create, execute, collaborate, lead, manage their time, and hit deadlines? Absolutely.

And while the overall college experience  much like corporate America  will continue to evolve with the times, the latest numbers on new-grad job opportunities prove that a degree is still as viable and valuable as ever.

Joe Szynkowski is the happy founder and owner of The UpWrite Group, a small local firm that has offered corporate communications, personal branding, public relations, and ghostwriting services since 2008. Email Joe@TheUpWriteGroup.com for more information.

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Illinois will implement a new contract tracing process, according to an email from Kevin L. Kator, administrator of Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department.

All positive COVID-19 cases and close contacts will be managed through the state's COVID-19 Surge Center starting Tuesday. The county health department will still be involved with cases in congregate settings.

Persons with positive COVID-19 cases will receive an automated text from the Surge Center that will say, "The Illinois Public Health Department has important information for you. Call 312-777-1999 or go to https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/data/contact-tracing.html."

Canned texts kicked off manually to unresponsive persons age 65 or older, reading: "IL COVID HELP: Please call 312-777-1999. More information for treatments can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/community guidance/monoclonal-antibody-treatment.html."

Persons who have a COVID-19 positive case or close contact to someone with COVID are asked to direct all calls to 312-777-1999 or go to https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/data/contact- tracing.html.

Starting Tuesday, bi-county health will no longer post the COVID-19 numbers. Go to https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/data.html for numbers and other COVID-19 information.

According to the release, some of the links will not work until they go live Tuesday.

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There is a vibrancy in the halls of the creative arts at SIU. It is the palpable presence of the new College of Arts and Media. The artistic practice and its attendant creative processes are what Id like to see our faculty and students exploring, says the inaugural interim dean, Segun Ojewuyi. The exhilaration of teaching, learning and making art is the colleges major contribution to the renewed vision of the university.

The new college, formed July 1, houses six academic units where scholarship blends with the arts. These are the Schools of Arts and Design, Architecture, Music, Media Arts, Journalism as well as Theater and Dance. The college was proposed by faculty from seven different departments and schools in three different colleges. This new college, according to Dean Ojewuyi, is the creative hub of the Carbondale campus, if not the entire SIU System. The vibrancy and innovation within the college, both in creative and scholarly work, come in the form of a curriculum re-visioning that encourages interdisciplinarity and prepares its graduates for the creative industry of their time.

Cross-disciplinary

In fact, the cross-pollination has already begun. For instance, this semester, art history students worked with media arts students to study and create performances. At the same time, interior design faculty are discussing crossover courses with the art and design faculty, with the purpose of creating a cross-disciplinary design degree. Bridging colleges is the development of the creative writing programs Digital Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Arts and Media. This unique partnership includes students and faculty from the two colleges, working to provide a 21st century education. The School of Theater and Dance is getting ready for the first ever livestream of its production Lucky Stiff in the Spring, even as it continues to build on its collaboration with the School of Music and Carbondale Community Arts for a revival of the McLeod Summer Playhouse. The Daily Egyptian in the School of Journalism continues to expand its circulation by more than 200% this semester.

The new College of Arts and Media (called CAM, for short) is the most holistic arts and media college of all the Illinois state universities. We are a gem in the state as a whole, but especially in the region  which includes Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana, posits CAM Associate Dean H.D. Motyl, What we offer in the classroom combined with the hands-on, practical experience outside the classroom, makes an education in our new college a singular experience.

Getting the word out

Now, we are keen to get the word out to prospective students  tomorrows artists, writers, producers and actors  about the valuable education that is offered by CAM. We are reaching out to the world of friends, alumni and generous collaborators for help with sustaining our vision. These efforts are beginning to bear fruit as evidenced by a major gift to the School of Art and Design by a generous donor.

The faculty and students are preparing for the first ever CAM Festival of Arts and Ideas, which will showcase the talent of our faculty, students and staff to the regional community and the world.

We strive to provide our CAM students a more holistic arts and media education through the synergy of interrelated programs that have come together in the new college. We will prepare them to not only face the challenges of the 21st century but to conquer them, creatively and innovatively.

Meera Komarraju is provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

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OAK BROOK  Authorities on Friday were investigating what led to a shooting at a crowded Chicago-area mall that left four wounded.

The shootout at the Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook was between two men who apparently knew each other, Oak Brook police Chief James Kruger said. It happened at around 5:45 p.m. Thursday in a outdoor corridor of the mall near an Ann Taylor and Nordstrom store.

The suspected gunman who was in custody underwent surgery for gunshot wounds to his legs and back and was expected to survive, police said. Three women who were bystanders suffered non-life-threatening wounds to their legs or feet and a fourth woman broke her ankle while fleeing, said police.

This is just a very unfortunate incident that is completely out of character for our area, Kruger said.

About 100 police officers responded to the mall about 15 minutes west of Chicago. Shoppers and employees took shelter in backrooms of stores as the search for suspects continued.

Police said they recovered two pistols. They hadnt made a final determination as to how many shots were fired, but witnesses told them they heard as many as 15.

Alex Gay, 23, said she was walking in the mall when she suddenly saw people running. She didnt hear any gunshots.

Im shook up, Gay said. It was scary. Everyone was sprinting out of the mall as sirens went over intercom saying, Emergency. Evacuate. Seek shelter. I almost got trampled.

Kruger said police already had increased their presence at the shopping center after a well-publicized looting incident in recent weeks, and that an officer on duty, who heard multiple shots, was able to respond immediately.

The police department has been taking this very seriously to make sure the mall and our community are being kept safe, he said.

Tonights isolated incident is extremely upsetting for our shopping center community, Lindsay Kahn, a spokeswoman for mall owner Brookfield Properties, said in a statement. We are grateful to our partners at the Oak Brook Police Department for their diligence in leading this developing investigation.

The mall was open for business on Friday.

The Associated Press and Chicago Tribune contributed to this report.

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I will get up on Christmas morning with no expectations.

There is nothing Santa could carry on his sleigh that can surpass the wondrous things nature has bestowed upon me in the last 12 months. Thats why I have never published a Christmas want list. This is the time for thanks:

I am eternally grateful for the song of the white-throated sparrow. This tiny little bird has a song that cuts through the cacophony of natures early morning serenade. The notes are crisp, clear, light-hearted.

Its impossible to ascribe a meaning or motive to the song, but it seems to tell me This is going to be a beautiful day.

2021 was an irruptive year for evening grosbeaks. Hundreds of these spectacular black and yellow birds spent the winter months in Southern Illinois last year.

I had seen one evening grosbeak years ago while on vacation in Minnesota. This year, thanks to friends like Cathy DeNeal and Lennie Kaylor, who had them in their yards most of the winter, I was able to see them up close and personal on a number of occasions.

We really take too much of natures beauty for granted.

Im thankful that some normalcy has returned to our lives. COVID-19 remains a danger to us all, but the availability of vaccines made it safe to enjoy nature with friends once again. If there is anything better than marveling at natures beauty, it is experiencing that awe with someone else.

There is a purple mountains majesty moment I experienced while visiting Great Smoky Mountain National Park this year that is indelibly etched into my psyche.

We were driving through the Smokies at sunset, enroute to Cherokee, North Carolina. After we topped one of the highest parts of the park and began the descent into Cherokee, the sun popped through the cloud cover and illuminated the lower slopes.

Just a sliver of the sun remained above the horizon, illuminating the hills and mountains from below. The angle of the sun and the cloud cover combined to paint the mountains with a purplish cast.

In that moment America the Beautiful came alive for me as it never had before in my 60+ years on this earth.

One of my favorite moments of the year occurred late this spring as I pulled into Sahara Woods State Fish and Wildlife Area. I had spotted a couple does while turning into the park, and pulled off the road to get a better look.

While parking the car I noticed another animal on the ground right in front of me. Originally, it appeared to be a fawn, but when it stood up I found myself gazing at the biggest bobcat Id ever seen. Of course, the camera was in the back seat.

The bobcat stood there for a few fleeting moments before disappearing into a clump of trees. Then, the critter did the unthinkable  it provided an encore. It emerged from the far side of the trees and stood in the road for several moments before disappearing for good.

Sahara Woods was the sight of another amazing wildlife encounter.

While kayaking the small lake with my wife, we spotted a mink on the bank. We watched it enter the water, swim across our path before taking refuge in a stand of phragmites.

We returned with friends several nights later. After regaling our friends about the mink encounter, we proceeded to the same location. Alas, there was no mink. However, a beaver soon made his presence known.

The beaver swam with us for the next 45 minutes. At one point he got so close to one of the kayaks my friend had to lift his paddle out of the water to let the beaver swim past.

These were some of the most special moments of the last 12 months, but every opportunity to visit nature is to be treasured. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a 2022 full of natural adventures.

LES WINKELER is the outdoors writer for The Southern Illinoisan. Contact him at les@winkelerswingsandwildlife.com, on Twitter @LesWinkeler.

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Coming in at No. 8 of the top 10 stories for 2021 in The T&D region: An Orangeburg County jury awarded a former Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities lineman $63 million.

On Nov. 12, following a two-week trial, the jury deliberated four hours and awarded $63 million to James Westly Garvin, a lineman who was electrocuted on June 27, 2016. Garvins injury resulted in the amputations of both of his arms.

The jurys verdict was against Dominion South Carolina, formerly known as S.C. Electric & Gas.

Orangeburg attorney David Williams said the verdict against Dominion will lead to a safer utility industry.

The jury wont hear about it. They wont hear about the lives they saved, but I want them to know they can rest assured they just saved lives. They saved lives because anyone in the utility industry who hears about this verdict should take the time to learn from it, said Williams, of Williams & Williams Attorneys at Law.

Garvin came in contact with a 14,000-volt powerline for a short while as he and three other linemen were working on Fanfare Drive, just off of Belleville Road in Orangeburg.

Garvin received his training from S.C. Electric & Gas, which trained linemen in municipalities across the state, including Orangeburg. Dominion Energy bought SCE&G, and its parent company SCANA, in 2019.

Williams argued that SCE&G didnt properly train Garvin about the use of rubber sleeves covering the arms and shoulders down to the elbows, in addition to protective gloves.

Steven Pugh, who represented Dominion in the case, said in closing arguments, (Orangeburg) DPU had to ensure that Mr. Garvin was trained on DPUs safety practices and DPUs decision with regard to PPE and insulating protective equipment and ensure that its being used.

Pugh said that Garvins training by then-S.C. Electric & Gas was exactly what SCAMPS wanted taught and exactly what SCAMPS approved to be taught. SCAMPS is an acronym for the S.C. Association of Municipal Power Systems.

Pugh further argued that Garvins training complied with Occupational Safety and Health Association and National Electric Safety Code standards.

Williams asked the jury to consider awarding Garvin $50 million.

The jury awarded a total of $90 million, but reduced the award to 70% of the total, which is $63 million. The jury said Garvin was 30% negligent but Dominion South Carolina was 70% negligent.

Ten days after the jury rendered its verdict, Dominion filed paperwork at the Orangeburg County Courthouse calling for a new trial or for a judge to set aside the jurys verdict and rule in favor of Dominion.

In court filings, Dominions attorneys Steven J. Pugh and I.S. Leevy Johnson argued, in part, that Williams' claim Dominion was negligent is actually one for educational malpractice, which is non-viable in South Carolina.

Pugh and Leevy also claim the court should grant a new trial because the verdict was so excessive as to shock the conscience of the court and was unjustified.

They argued the trial judge didnt give proper instructions to the jury prior to their deliberations.

Dominions attorneys also allege the court erred in qualifying several expert witnesses called by Williams during the trial.

A judge will decide at a later date whether to grant Dominions requests.

As for any safety changes made at DPU after Garvins electrocution and case filing, DPU Manager Warren Harley said, The DPU certainly wishes Mr. Garvin all the best in the future. Regarding the decision of the jury, we respect their decision and the legal process. As for the DPU and our safety programs, we routinely review our policies and procedures to ensure we are providing the safest working environment for our team members as possible.

Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD

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The decline in The T&D Regions population has changed its political landscape.

Lawmakers have re-drawn S.C. House maps to place two local lawmakers in the same district: Reps. Jerry Govan and Russell Ott.

Also, Senate District 39 has lost portions of Orangeburg County and has gained population in Berkeley County. The district is represented by Sen. Vernon Stephens. D-Bowman.

Some local lawmakers speculate it will be difficult for an Orangeburg County resident to retain the Senate seat because of the new, heavy Berkeley County Republican constituency.

The new S.C. House and Senate maps have been signed into law and are already facing lawsuits from the NAACP and ACLU. They claim the public has not had enough time to review the maps.

The redistricting process and its impact on The T&D Region is number 7 on The T&D's list of the top 10 stories of 2021.

The numbers

The new districts are based on 2020 U.S. Census numbers.

South Carolina grew by 10.7% over the last decade to more than 5.1 million people. But that growth was lopsided, with many more of the 500,000 new people moving to areas along the coast, around Greenville or in the South Carolina suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina.

If S.C. House districts were redrawn to have equal populations, the ideal population would be about 41,278. State redistricting guidelines called for the new districts to deviate less than 5% from that number.

S.C. House District 93

The most significant impact of the redistricting process has been the placement of Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunters House District 66 in York County, just south of Charlotte.

House District 95 was redrawn to include Cobb Hunter, D- Orangeburg.

But Govan, D-Orangeburg, is no longer included in his House District 95. Instead, hes been placed in House District 93, represented by Ott, D-St. Matthews.

The redrawn District 93 includes all of Calhoun County, the northeast part of the city of Orangeburg including the Brookdale area, North and Woodford. The district also includes portions of Lexington County such as eastern Gaston and the Swansea area.

Govan and Ott could face each other in the Democratic primary in 2022. Filing for the 2022 elections are held in March.

Govan says he has not made a decision about his plans for 2022.

I think it is too early to get into that, he said. I have not given any serious thought about this from the standpoint of politics, but more or less my concern is being about the people in Orangeburg County that I have had the privilege of representing for such a time and really trying to do what is best to keep the community of Orangeburg protected as opposed how it might affect me personally.

We will make some hard and difficult decisions, but whatever decision we make it will put God first, family and the people we proudly represented, many of them who will lose in terms of the way the lines are drawn, Govan continued.

Win or lose, run or not, Govan says he will continue to serve.

I will not stop, he said. I have never shied away from helping people regardless of whether they are in my district or not. I feel like I have a spiritual call to serve. That is the way I have lived my life and I will continue to do so.

Ott says he plans on running for re-election next year. He has represented the district for the past eight years.

I have served as the assistant minority (Democratic) leader in the House for the last five years and Im proud of what our caucus represents and the many accomplishments that we have been a part of, Ott said. I do consider myself an issues first representative.

The new District 93 map has 41,160 individuals, with 32,233 from the old District 93 and 7,320 from the old District 95. Another 1,607 individuals are from the former Districts 96, 88 and 91.

Looking more closely at the new District 93, Govan that as Lexington County continues to grow, it could mean a challenge for a Democrat to get re-elected in 2030.

But Govan says he believes Orangeburg County will also grow, noting there have been economic development announcements in the current District 95 and the lower end of the county will see growth creep up from Dorchester County.

Ott says he will not change his approach, no matter how the maps have changed.

I am proud to have called this diverse part of our state home for my entire life, he said. Im acutely aware of both our advantages and our challenges.

My commitment has always been to give a voice to everyone I represent regardless of where they live, the color of their skin, or what party they choose to affiliate with. Im confident that the folks that live in District 93 will continue to elect someone that understands the importance of that pledge.

Govan questions remap

Govan has been on the forefront of challenging the new district maps, saying the maps crack Orangeburgs community of interest and gerrymanders those communities into counties such as Bamberg, Barnwell and Allendale that have nothing in common with Orangeburg.

Govan has said District 95 historically has been an urban and suburban Orangeburg district, but those areas have been lumped in with District 90, which is represented by Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg.

Under the remapping, Bamberg would represent a large majority of Orangeburg's 13,000 residents, while Cobb-Hunter would represent the southeastern portion of the city.

District 95 has always been a suburban and urban area.  It is a community of interest surrounding about a three-mile radius of the city of Orangeburg, which consists of about 60% of the population. They destroyed a community of interest, Govan said.

According to the redrawn maps, the new District 90 has 40,268 people. About 21,103 are from the former House District 95, 13,311 are from the former District 90 and 5,854 are from the former District 66.

Under the new maps, House District 90 retains all of Bamberg County. In addition to picking up a good portion of the city of Orangeburg, it will also include the Edisto area, Cordova and Cope.

The district lost all representation in Barnwell and Colleton counties.

Govan specifically pointed out that while the new District 90 will include about 13,311 individuals from Bamberg County, it will include about 26,957 from Orangeburg County.

Bamberg sat on the House redistricting ad hoc committee and the House Judiciary Committee, which were responsible for much of the redistricting process.

Govan proposed combining Bamberg, Allendale and Barnwell counties into one district in order to maintain a community of interest for those counties. His proposals to have the maps redrawn all failed to pass.

Govan said the new maps violate the traditional redistricting criteria, such as the splitting of counties into a number House districts.

He said Orangeburg County is split among four House districts.

We have had four, but they destroyed a community of interest in terms of an entire House district to do it, Govan said. They didn't have to do that.

Govan also said one of the redistricting criteria is not to split precincts. He said in Orangeburg County alone, there are eight split precincts and all of them are in the former House District 95.

They cannibalized House District 95 and created more splits, Govan said. They ignored the input from the public because obviously the decision was already made despite the city, the county and concerned citizens who signed petitions.

The committee ignored every last one of those concerns and did what they wanted to do. It was already in motion.

Cobb-Hunter said, I can and do appreciate the historic significance and the concern of those who still have the decades-long view that 95 is a city-based district.

However, the facts are that the city has always been included in District 94 and later, District 66, and I have worked with city officials and administrators from the onset of my legislative service and dont see that changing.

Cobb-Hunter noted when she was elected in January 1992, the district number had been changed to 66 and expanded to include Dorchester and Colleton counties.

In 2000, based on the census count, Cobb-Hunter dropped Dorchester and Colleton counties. The loss of population in 2020 made it clear that changes had to be made to the district, she said.

In order to maintain two resident Orangeburg legislators, I made the decision to go back into Dorchester County to preserve two resident Orangeburg legislators, Cobb-Hunter said. Subsequently, Rep. Ott and I drew maps that would move me back into Dorchester County and split Orangeburg County between Rep. Ott and Rep. Govan, she said.

Cobb-Hunter said the maps were drawn based on the understanding that District 91 Rep. Lonnie Hosey, D-Barnwell, would not be seeking re-election. That would have allowed Rep. Bamberg to draw Allendale and a part of Barnwell County into his district.

All of that changed when Rep. Hosey decided to seek re-election after all, Cobb-Hunter said. Im looking forward to representing the residents of the new district and hopefully gain their support in my efforts to continue to serve in the House.

Cobb-Hunter said the maps could have been drawn to protect incumbents and keep communities of interest together. Working with the South Carolina Democratic Party, maps were drawn that did just that.

The reality is that redistricting is a political process and politics have prevailed in each of the redistricting efforts that I have participated in, she said. Unfortunately, South Carolina is the only state that does not have laws governing its redistricting process.

Cobb-Hunter and Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Fairfield, had pushed for an independent commission to draw district lines rather than legislators. The idea did not have any traction in the General Assembly.

Ott voted against the House redistricting plan.

It was very apparent, from my perspective, that the plan was partisan motivated, Ott said. There was example after example, from across the state, that showed the Republican majority packing districts to ensure their numbers would grow moving forward.

This is not good for South Carolina, Ott said. I believe the citizens of our state are best served when there are checks and balances in place, and competing ideas are able to be truly debated. This has not been the case in South Carolina for some time and these maps will make it very hard for that to happen moving forward.

To make matters somewhat more complicated, the House district maps were online for several weeks before an 11th hour change occurred during the third and final reading of the maps.

Each district changed slightly, but the District 90 map no longer included Norway, Neeses, Livingston and Rowesville.

These are subtle changes that somehow mysteriously took place, Govan said. He added, this has been going on throughout the entire process. It is almost like there has been some manipulation behind the scenes. It is pretty obvious. There are some questionable activities that have occurred.

Bamberg defended the new maps as a solid plan for the region and explained the late mapping change.

It was a change as part of a larger amendment, Bamberg said. The change was related to other districts and not directed at 90.

But a change anywhere has a trickle effect on the mapping, he said.

Bamberg downplayed his influence in the process, noting "I am one of 124 House members, 25 on the Judiciary and then on the ad hoc committee. If I was that powerful to do it all by myself, I should be getting 100% of the vote every election.

This map was not drawn for me or any other member of the House  it was drawn for the long-term benefits of the people here, based on the population distribution in our state according to the census, he said.

Bamberg said the reason Colleton and Barnwell counties are no longer in District 90 is the need to make Barnwell County whole, in the wake of population loss and the substantial impact of population shifts along the coast on Colleton County.

The district had no presence in Orangeburg County for the past ten years, although it has included portions of Orangeburg County in the past.

Based on our population distribution, it made sense for House District 90 to move back into Orangeburg County, just as it did prior to the last redistricting cycle, Bamberg said. Personally, I feel right at home representing the people of Orangeburg.

I have spent my entire life back and forth between Bamberg and Orangeburg, my mother worked for the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office for over 20 years and today I run a business in the City of Orangeburg.

I love Orangeburg and I look forward to fighting for the people here, just as I have been fighting for my constituents since I was first elected, Bamberg continued.

In some ways, the new District 90 will make it more possible he and others could face a strong Democratic challenger, he said.

Does that increase the likelihood that my colleagues and I will face primary challengers? Bamberg said. Sure, but that is ultimately a good thing. Its not about making seats redder or bluer, it is about making sure that people can elect representatives who know and love their community.

Bamberg called redistricting, one of the most difficult things Ive ever done.

In addition to the hundreds of hours of work put into the process, it was also emotionally draining, in that I knew that it was impossible to satisfy everyone, he said.

It is difficult knowing that people you consider friends feel like you turned your back on them, just for doing the best you could with what you had to work with, Bamberg said. However, the committee owed a duty to the people  not other politicians  and I believe I fulfilled my duty. Unfortunately, there is no perfect way to do redistricting, but we should not let the perfect be the enemy of good.

Impact on region

Govan believes the redistricting plan will negatively impact the entire region.

This is not the time for us to have weakened our political representation in terms of Columbia and from a seniority standpoint and experience standpoint, Govan said. We are one of the few areas that can stand to lose the most in this cycle of redistricting.

Orangeburg County has been blessed with one of the most senior delegations in the South Carolina House, he said.

If Orangeburg County were to lose a resident representative and a resident senator, it would be a tremendous hit.

Bamberg said while some may not agree, he believes the redistricting process has actually strengthened the position of the region in Columbia.

Despite its declining population in a state that is growing overall while simultaneously becoming more conservative, our area has improved its position as a Democratic stronghold in the state. Each House district is a majority-minority district, thereby amplifying the minority voice at the state House, and each seat will remain that way for the next decade, he said. The new districts better tie local communities of interest together in a way that will benefit our area.

Govan says while the minority voice locally may improve, thats not the case statewide. He says theres little doubt in his mind that there will be a decrease in minority presence in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

The packing of districts to create a super majority-minority districts and the population drops will mean there could be net loss of four to six Democratic House seats, he said.

Some of those might be majority-minority areas represented by white Democrats or black Democrats, he said. There will be a widening gap. It will become a much more partisan body.

Cobb-Hunter said the Orangeburg area lost population, so it was going to be affected by redistricting

I hope energy will be put, starting now, on preparing for the 2030 Census so we are not in the position of seeing further regression in the county, she said.

Bamberg said the true impact of the redistricting process on The T&D Region will be driven by the strength of the voices in the Statehouse and how respected those voices are in Columbia.

As Democrats in South Carolina, our ability to get things done in state government is linked directly to our ability to work across the aisle with Republicans (and vice versa), as that party controls two-thirds of the General Assembly, Bamberg said. Length of service for sitting elected officials does not, in and of itself, equate to a more effective voice.

What matters most is whether a representative has the right ideas and a strong track record as someone who can work well with others on the challenges we face.

Bamberg said under the new maps, the T&D Region area could be served by three ranking members of the two most powerful committees in the House: Ways & Means, which handles the states budget, and Judiciary, which handles 60% of all legislation filed. Hosey and Cobb-Hunter are on Ways and Means, while Bamberg is on Judiciary.

He also noted Otts role as assistant House minority leader, and Govans role as a ranking member on the Education and Public Works Committee.

Cobb-Hunter echoed Bamberg's assessment, noting she too is not concerned about losing a voice in Columbia.

As for rural interests, Bamberg said redistricting will have a positive impact.

Many of the challenges with redistricting stem from the fact that our rural populations are shrinking, compared to urban populations that are growing in other parts of the state, Bamberg said. After this process, there is sure to be more bipartisan efforts to strengthen rural communities in South Carolina and I will work hard to make sure that our area gets its fair share of support from our state government.

Ott says he is pleased that, Calhoun County was kept whole in the redistricting process.

That was one of my priorities going into this process, and that was accomplished. This will ensure that the collaboration between Calhoun and Orangeburg counties will continue to flourish through our technical college and the Regional Medical Center, he said.

He is also confident the T&D Region will still have a voice in Columbia.

Our region as a whole is too important to be ignored, Ott said.

House districts

The newly redrawn District 95 has 40,416 residents, with 27,401 from District 66; 9,427 from the former District 97 (in Colleton and Dorchester counties); 2,651 from the former House District 95 and 937 from the former House District 102 in Dorchester County.

It covers the Suburban 3 precinct and includes Rowesville, Branchville, Bowman, Holly Hill, Eutawville, Vance, Santee and Elloree. In Dorchester County, the new district includes Reevesville, St. George and Grover.

Cobb-Hunter says voices of color have been strengthened in Dorchester County specifically.

Cobb-Hunter says it has perhaps gotten a little more challenging to elect a Democrat in the district.

The changes reduce the Black voting age population from 63% to 56% and the addition of a couple of the Dorchester County precincts makes it a bit redder, Cobb-Hunter said. Based on population trends and growth patterns, the likelihood of the district changing even more is possible.

I will work hard to earn the support of the new voters but, at the end of the day, the decision on my continuing to serve will be up to the voters, she said.

According to the new maps, the new District 91 has a total of 40,353 people, with 32,299 from the former District 91; 3,018 from the former House District 95; 3,008 from the former District 90 and 2,028 from the former District 93.

The new 91 district includes Livingston, Neeses, Norway and Springfield, as well as all of Barnwell and Allendale counties.

I am pleased and I am satisfied with the district, Hosey said.

Hosey said the initial proposals had the district going into Aiken and Lexington counties, which was not going to be real good for me.

He said he was able to have the maps redrawn to make Barnwell County whole again.

I do know from the previous ten years, the people are the same in my district, he said. I have also extended services in Orangeburg County. I am happy with the map of District 91.

Senate districts

On the Senate side, the remap adds some Berkeley County voters into Stephens District 39. Berkeley County has historically voted Republican.

The new maps changed the district's Black voting age population to about 39%. The white voting age population increased to about 50%.

Stephens noted District 39 was historically created as a minority district with a heavy Orangeburg County population.

You talk about regression, but I didn't want to go back to where the district came from some years ago, Stephens said. His concern is that Berkeley County has gained more power in the district and that communities of interest in Orangeburg County have been broken up.

The district, as redrawn, has lost portions of Orangeburg County including Eutawville, Santee, Vance and Elloree and the eastern portion of Calhoun County. District 36s Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Manning, gained those areas.

The redrawn District 39 in Orangeburg County lost about 13,267 individuals to District 36 in areas such as Elloree, Santee and Eutawville.

District 39 also lost about 5,000 individuals in Calhoun County.

District 36 also has about 56,422 people in Sumter County, and about 31,144 people in Clarendon County.

The new District 39 now has about 27,943 individuals in Orangeburg County, 12,832 in Dorchester County and 65,208 in Berkeley County.

Stephens was one of only two senators opposed to the Senate's maps. The Senate voted 41-2 to approve the maps.

One other significant change is that a Columbia district was moved to Charleston, placing Lexington Democrat Nikki Setzler and Columbia Democrat Dick Harpootlian in the same District 26.

Setzler has represented the upper portion of Calhoun County between St. Matthews and Sandy Run.

Senate District 40 remained relatively unchanged in The T&D Region. District 40 is represented by Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg.

The newly drawn Senate District 40 now includes the western suburbs of the city of Orangeburg, including Pecan Way Terrace, Orangeburg Country Club and Rivelon.

The district stretches to include Cordova, Norway, Neeses, North, Wolfton, Woodford and Springfield. The district continues to include all of Bamberg County.

The district stretches to include all of Allendale County and all of Barnwell County.

The new district has gained the northern portions of Aiken County from Salley down to Mount Beulah all the way to Monetta.

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(TBTCO) - Blue-chips tiep tuc chao ao trong phien hom nay nhung van con tru neo giu iem cho VN-Index tang. Tuy vay su soi ong, tham chi la rat nong, van chi tap trung trong nhom au co vua va nho. ay cung la nhung ma hut tien nhat.
In March, more than 2 feet of snow covered Casper, the citys third-largest snowstorm in recorded history.

Areas of southeastern Wyoming, including Cheyenne, saw anywhere from 2 to 3 feet of snowfall.

The two largest snowstorms recorded in Casper came in April 1973, when the city saw around 28 inches of snow, and December 1982 with 31 inches.

This year, the wet, heavy snow started falling on Mar. 13, a Saturday evening, and continued through the following Monday.

Every highway in and out of the city was closed for multiple days.

Schools in Natrona County closed for two days with a delayed start on the third day following the storm, as crews worked around the clock to clear roadways. A multiple-day snow closure is a rarity in Casper, even with its snowy winters.

In addition to local schools, the storm also closed a number of businesses, public offices, the city bus, Casper College, Hogadon Ski Area and city facilities.

The wet snow, which compacted more than usual, made shoveling and removal difficult.

Private contractors came to the citys aid to help remove the snow. When all was said and done, Casper spent just over half a million dollars on cleanup from the storm  roughly half the citys budget for snow removal. Most of that came from leasing equipment and hiring contractors, City Manager Carter Napier said.

The storm was caused by a low pressure system bringing moisture into the high plains from the southwest. That, plus high wind gusts, kept blizzard conditions up for multiple days.

It really was a lot of moisture, because were not used to getting so much moisture in the high plains, National Weather Service meteorologist Ayesha Wilkinson told the Star-Tribune at the time.

After a year of drought, experts were hopeful the snowfall would bring some much-needed snowmelt to the region. While it helped a bit, increasing snowpack in the Laramie Range, lower North Platte and Powder River watersheds by 20% to 30%, drought conditions returned within a month of the storm.

Exceptionally dry summer and fall conditions caused the soil profile to remain dry despite the snow, Jim Fahey, a hydrologist with the Wyoming Natural Resources Conservation Service said.

In response to the whiteout, Casperites took to Facebook to offer help with shoveling, delivering meals or providing rides for those whose work wasnt cancelled, including Wyoming Medical Center employees. One nurse said she had to snowshoe down from her Casper Mountain home to meet up with a ride to work.

Some made some extra cash from shoveling driveways and sidewalks, a blessing for those who werent able to work their normal jobs, while others insisted on doing it for free. Volunteers with plows, trucks and other four-wheel drive vehicles offered to bring groceries to those snowed in their homes.

At Meals on Wheels, which closed for more than one day for the first time in the Casper organizations history, director Jamie Loveall said 50 people showed up volunteering to deliver meals on the day the organization reopened.

Even after the city reopened, large piles of snow remained for days, slowly melting in places such as the Eastridge Mall parking lot.

Follow city and crime reporter Ellen Gerst on Twitter at @ellengerst.

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Its been nearly a year since President Joe Biden announced 30x30, a conservation mission that aimed to protect 30% of American lands and waters by 2030, and directed his administration to achieve it. Over the last 11 months, that vision has slowly crystallized.

In May, the U.S. departments of the interior, agriculture and commerce and the White House Council on Environmental Quality issued a report launching the 10-year America the Beautiful initiative. The response in Wyoming was mixed. State leaders applauded the reports commitment to supporting voluntary and locally led conservation work, but worried it could lead to infringement of private property rights.

If 30x30 provides for long-due recognition of the excellent stewardship our ranchers and farmers provide in the West, especially in Wyoming, this is a great step forward, Gov. Mark Gordon said at the time, the Sheridan Press reported. If this initiative is not implemented in a way that focuses on the local level, it is surely doomed.

Some Wyomingites, including ranchers, were still concerned about how 30x30 might affect their livelihoods. And in August, in response to those lingering fears about the reports relatively vague goals, Rep. Liz Cheney introduced a bill intended to keep government officials from stepping on landowners  and local governments  toes.

The legislation Ive introduced will protect the private property rights of individuals across our state who need access to these lands to provide for themselves and their families, while also ensuring that the current Administrations political agenda will not undermine the interests of farmers and ranchers in Wyoming, Cheney said in an August statement.

While the bill was backed locally by Gordon, Wyoming County Commissioners Association President Jim Willox and Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna, the legislation has not advanced in Congress.

Still, Cheney has remained outspoken about her misgivings, and has promised to continue pushing back against the administrations sweeping efforts to take control of our lands through 30x30.

The Biden Administrations 30x30 initiative is a dangerous policy that expands the reach of the federal government and attempts to allow Washington to have more control over decisions that should be made at the state and local level, Cheney said in a statement emailed Wednesday to the Star-Tribune. I am fighting on many fronts to stop this bad policy, including through legislation.

Not everyone is as reluctant to let the initiative progress. Gordon has remained cautiously optimistic that the federal government will leave 30x30 in the hands of locally based, cooperative, and truly voluntary efforts, Michael Pearlman, Gordons communications director, wrote in an email to the Star-Tribune.

Last week, the Biden administrations first annual America the Beautiful progress report reiterated those community-centric aims.

The America the Beautiful initiative is rooted in the desire to better support and honor the people and communities who serve as stewards of our lands, waters, and wildlife  from Tribes and Indigenous peoples, to fishermen, farmers and ranchers, to local and State governments  and to ensure that all people of this nation benefit from Americas rich and vibrant lands and waters, the progress report reads.

Its a prospect supported by the vast majority of Americans, according to a 2019 poll commissioned by the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

Three of the initiatives eight conservation principles, which were also outlined in the May report, direct the federal government to pursue a collaborative and inclusive approach to conservation; support locally led and locally designed conservation efforts; and honor private property rights and support the voluntary stewardship efforts of private landowners and fishers.

During the first year of the initiative, the administration focused primarily on listening to stakeholders to learn what they were already doing and what support they needed, according to the report.

The laundry list of discussion includes the Western Governors Association; Members of Congress and congressional committees; elected officials at the county, city, and State levels as well as organizations like the National Association of Counties; State fish and wildlife agencies; equity and environmental justice leaders; organizations focused on environmental advocacy, hunting and fishing, farming and ranching, outdoor recreation, and youth opportunities; trade associations; forestry representatives; the seafood industry; scientists and academic institutions; advisory bodies such as regional fishery management councils and sanctuary advisory councils; and others.

The report emphasized, too, that the administration isnt finished learning from communities, and will continue to prioritize outreach in the coming years.

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A federal judge has sentenced a Riverton man to 71 years in prison for sexually abusing multiple children on the Wind River Reservation.

U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl sentenced Dalco Gabriel Whiteman on two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and four counts of abusive sexual contact, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for Wyoming. One charge in the case had earlier been dismissed.

The Dec. 20 sentencing came after a jury convicted Whiteman of sexually abusing multiple children on the reservation over a 25-year period, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a press release. Given Whitemans age, 54, his punishment amounts to a life sentence.

Every little girl and young woman deserves a home and community where she feels safe and secure. Not a place of fear and abuse, U.S. Attorney for Wyoming Bob Murray said in a statement. 

We are grateful for the conviction of someone who has been targeting our most vulnerable population, Murray added. Whiteman essentially received a life sentence, and he can no longer harm another child on the reservation.

During the September jury trial, six victims testified that Whiteman sexually abuse them, some on numerous occasions, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Several of the victims did not know one another.

A federal grand jury indicted Whiteman in July 2020. He was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs with help from the FBI.

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A three-year feud between neighbours in La Romaine is said to have led to the killing of a m
Above all else, it is your understanding of the science of the mind that determines your des
Olson said the federal vaccine mandate is 100% unconstitutional and the commission has clear authority to regulate the utilities workplaces.

We have that obligation, to make sure the policies (the utilities) put in place, are not harmful to employees, that they are not creating a situation where an employee has to make a choice between receiving a vaccine against his or her will, and losing his or her job, he said.

Kennedy said it was irresponsible for the commission to adopt the proposed policy without consulting health-care experts and while hospitals are being overwhelmed with resurgent COVID-19 cases and deaths.

This pandemic isnt partisan, but its been made a partisan issue, said Kennedy, noting that she has lost seven family members to COVID-19. It is my perspective that personal choice is absolutely to be respected, up until those choices hurt other people.

Tovar, a former mayor, said she has always respected employees personal choices but the proposed policy was premature given the pending and expected legal challenges to the mandate.
Revelers will still ring in the new year in New York's Times Square next week, there just won't be as many of them as usual under new restrictions announced Thursday as the city grapples with a spike in COVID-19 cases.
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Parts of Arizona had cold, wet and windy weather Friday, with rain falling on desert cities and snow in Flagstaff and nearby mountains.

The state Department of Transportation warned drivers that rain in metro Phoenix would produce wet and slick road conditions.

Light to moderate rain was falling across the Tucson area since early Friday.

A flash flood watch was issued for Kingman and other areas in Mohave County in northwestern Arizona through Friday afternoon due to rainfall over a wildfire burn scar in the Hualapai Mountains.

The National Weather Service said Flagstaff could get up to 5 inches of snow Friday, with higher totals expected at higher elevations in the region.

Arizona Snow Bowl, a ski resort in mountains overlooking Flagstaff, reported getting 11 inches of snow overnight.

Gusty winds up to 40 mph were forecast in southeastern Arizona and in east-central Arizona, where winter storm advisories were issued for the Mogollon Rim and White Mountains.
Airlines cancel flights due to COVID staffing shortages

NEW YORK (AP)  Airlines canceled hundreds of flights as the omicron variant jumbled schedules and drew down staffing levels at some carriers during the busy holiday travel season.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines together canceled more than 600 flights on Friday and Saturday. As of early evening Friday, Delta canceled had 149 flights on Friday and 188 for Christmas Day, according to FlightAware. (Other factors, such as weather, are also causing cancellations.) United called off 189 flights on Friday, about 10% of its schedule, and 140 on Saturday. Planned cancellations continued into Sunday.

Not all airlines said COVID was disrupting their travel schedules. American Airlines said it had nothing to report, while Southwest Airlines said things are running smoothly. JetBlue, which FlightAware said had canceled nearly 150 flights over Friday and Saturday, did not respond to a request for comment.

Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been a regular problem for the U.S. airline industry this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and were caught short-staffed this year as travel recovered.
ATLANTA (AP)  Two Georgia election workers filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing a right-wing cable news channel and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani of defaming them by falsely claiming they engaged in ballot fraud during the 2020 election.

It was the second defamation lawsuit by Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss this month over debunked claims they introduced suitcases of illegal ballots and committed other acts of election fraud to try to alter the outcome of the presidential election in Georgia. The pair, a mother and daughter, sued conservative website The Gateway Pundit on Dec. 2.

The lawsuit filed Thursday says One America News Network continued to accuse Freeman and Moss of wrongdoing even after Georgia election officials refuted the allegations against them. Giuliani, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump, appeared frequently on the network and along with OAN, continued to publish and amplify the lie, according to the suit filed in federal court in Washington.

An email to One America News Network and a member of the family that started it was not immediately returned. Messages at a phone number and email addresses associated with Giuliani were also not immediately returned.
In October, the board had unanimously recommended that Floyd become just the second person in Texas since 2010 to receive a posthumous pardon from the governor.

As a result of the Boards withdrawal of the recommendation concerning George Floyd, Governor Abbott did not have the opportunity to consider it, Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement.

Mathis called the last-minute reversal a ridiculous farce." She said the board  which is stocked with Abbott appointees  did not make her aware of any issues prior to the announcement from the governor's office.

It really strains credibility for them to say now that it's out of compliance, after the board has already voted on it, she said.

Floyd grew up and was laid to rest in Houston. In June, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for Floyd's murder, which led to a national reckoning in the U.S. over race and policing.
Photo editor

Rick Wiley is the photo editor of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. From 1995-2004, he was director of photography at the East Valley Tribune in Mesa. From 1988-94 he was a photographer at the Tucson Citizen. He is a graduate of ASU (yes, that ASU).
The dying gasps of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations. White former Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison after he was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for pressing his knee against Floyds neck for up to 9 1/2 minutes as the 46-year-old man gasped that he couldnt breathe and went limp on May 25, 2020.

Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man, fell asleep in his car in the drive-thru lane of a Wendys restaurant in Atlanta in June 2020. Police body camera video showed him struggling with two white officers who told him hed had too much to drink to drive and tried to arrest him. Brooks grabbed a Taser from one of the officers and fled, firing it at Officer Garrett Rolfe as he ran. Rolfe fired his gun, hitting Brooks twice in the back. Rolfe is charged with murder and was fired after the shooting, though that dismissal was reversed on the grounds the city hadnt followed its procedures. The other officer, Devin Brosnan, was charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath. Lawyers for both officers have said their clients acted appropriately.
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A Japanese professor has developed a prototype lickable TV screen that can imitate food flavours, another step towards creating a multi-sensory viewing experience.

The device, called Taste the TV (TTTV), uses a carousel of 10 flavour canisters that spray in combination to create the taste of a particular food. The flavour sample then rolls on hygienic film over a flat TV screen for the viewer to try.

In the COVID-19 era, this kind of technology can enhance the way people connect and interact with the outside world, said Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita.

"The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home," he said.

A demonstrator licks the screen of Taste the TV (TTTV), a prototype lickable TV screen that can imitate the flavours of various foods, during its demonstration at the university in Tokyo, Japan, December 22, 2021. Picture taken December 22, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Miyashita works with a team of about 30 students that has produced a variety of flavour-related devices, including a fork that makes food taste richer. He said he built the TTTV prototype himself over the past year and that a commercial version would cost about 100,000 yen ($875) to make.

Potential applications include distance learning for sommeliers and cooks, and tasting games and quizzes, he said.

Miyashita has also been in talks with companies about using his spray technology for applications like a device that can apply a pizza or chocolate taste to a slice of toasted bread.

A canister of Taste the TV (TTTV), a prototype lickable TV screen that can imitate the flavours of various foods, sprays flavour during its demonstration at Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan, December 22, 2021. Photo: Reuters

He also hopes to make a platform where tastes from around the world can be downloaded and enjoyed by users, much like music is now.

One Meiji student demonstrated TTTV for reporters, telling the screen she wanted to taste sweet chocolate. After a few tries, an automated voice repeated the order and flavour jets spritzed a sample onto a plastic sheet.

"It's kind of like milk chocolate," she said. "It's sweet like a chocolate sauce."

Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita fills flavour canisters as he demonstrates Taste the TV (TTTV), a prototype lickable TV screen that can imitate the flavours of various foods, at the university in Tokyo, Japan, December 22, 2021. Photo: Reuters
What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received the ambassadors of Mongolia, Nigeria, Timor-Leste, and Algeria who came to present their credentials in Hanoi on Thursday, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- A Vietnam court on Thursday sentenced two people to death for trafficking 6.6kg of drugs last year.

--Vietnam's government issued a fiat on Thursday, demanding that health workers finish administering the third doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the eligible adult popupation in the first quarter of next year.

-- Ho Chi Minh City will not hold fireworks displays to usher in New Year, Pham Duc Hai, deputy chief of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said at a press meeting on Thursday.

-- The Vietnam National Space Center has yet to find signals from its NanoDragon satellite launched into orbit from Japan on November 9, Dr. Le Xuan Huy, deputy director of center, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Thursday.

Business

-- Vietnams export of animal feed and materials generated revenue of US$1.049 billion from early this year to mid-December, exceeding the $1 billion mark for the first time, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Sports

-- Vietnamese acrobat duo the Giang Brothers broke a world record on Thursday by head-to-head climbing 100 steps in 53 seconds in Spain.

-- Vietnam lost 0-2 to Thailand in their first-leg semifinal at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 in Singapore on Thursday night. They will stage a rematch on December 26.

World News

-- "The U.S. on Thursday authorized Merck & Co's antiviral pill for COVID-19 for certain high-risk adult patients, a day after giving a broader go-ahead to a similar but more effective treatment from Pfizer Inc.," Reuters reported.

-- "Japan is likely to shelve plans to send government officials to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and will make an announcement as early as Friday," Reuters cited public broadcaster NHK as saying.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Peoples Court in Nghe An Province, Vietnam sentenced two men to death for trading 6.6kg of heroin on Thursday.

Tran Van Minh, 50, and Hoang Van The, 37, who hail from the northern province of Bac Giang, were both given capital punishment for dealing in narcotics.

In 2019, Minh met a man in Lang Son Province, who gave him the contact information of a drug dealer in Que Phong District, Nghe An Province, according to the indictment

In mid-2020, Minh discussed with The a plan to purchase and resell narcotics for profit.

In December the same year, The financed Minh, who then bought drugs from his contact in Nghe An for VND130 million (US$5,600) per brick.

In total, The gave Minh VND2.4 billion ($104,700) to purchase 19 bricks of heroin.

The transaction was carried out in Que Phong District, Nghe An.

Nghe An police caught Minh with the drugs as he was about to board a passenger bus back to northern Vietnam.

The combined weight of the bricks was 6.6 kilograms, according to officers.

Following Minhs arrest, The turned himself in to police on March 25.

Minh and The did not provide enough information about their contact for investigators to identify the man and make an arrest.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Vietnams Ministry of Health reported 16,157 additional COVID-19 cases across the country on Friday, along with 30,833 recoveries and 235 virus-related mortalities.

The latest infections, including 15 imported and 16,142 domestic transmissions, were reported in 62 provinces and cities, the ministry said, elucidating that 10,528 patients were infected in the community.

Hanoi documented 1,834 of the newest local cases, Ca Mau Province 1,334, Tay Ninh Province 948, Khanh Hoa Province 785, Can Tho City 785, Ho Chi Minh City 679, Thua Thien-Hue Province 399, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 359, Dong Nai Province 354, Lam Dong Province 229, Binh Thuan Province 185, Da Nang 140, Quang Nam Province 119, Quanh Ninh Province 98, Binh Duong Province 94, and Hai Phong City 19.

Vietnam had logged 16,367 locally-acquired infections on Thursday.

The country has detected 1,615,292 community transmissions in all its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave erupted on April 27. A combined 1,212,444 of them have recovered from COVID-19.

Ho Chi Minh City stays atop the list with 498,628 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 289,825, Dong Nai Province with 96,347, Tay Ninh Province with 68,720, Long An Province with 39,965, Dong Thap Province with 39,545, Can Tho City with 37,259, Hanoi with 32,837, Tien Giang Province with 32,279, An Giang Province with 30,786, Khanh Hoa Province with 27,488, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 25,322, Binh Thuan Province with 24,415, and Da Nang with 10,122.

Vietnam recorded a mere 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in total in the previous three waves.

The health ministry registered 30,833 recovered patients on Friday, lifting the total to 1,215,261.

The toll has jumped to 30,766 fatalities after the ministry announced 235 deaths on the same day, including 44 in Ho Chi Minh City, 20 in Dong Nai Province, 18 in An Giang Province, 15 in Tien Giang Province, 13 in Dong Thap Province, 13 in Can Tho City, and the remaining in 22 other provinces and cities.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,620,869 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the country early last year.

Health workers have given over 143.5 million vaccine doses, including 1,219,867 shots on Thursday, since vaccination was rolled out nationwide on March 8.

More than 76.6 million of the countrys 98 million people have received at least one dose while upwards of 64.8 million have been injected twice.

The number of third doses  including additional primary shots for immunocompromised people, boosters, and third jabs of Cubas Abdala vaccine  has increased to 2,033,226.

Vietnam aims 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 Belgian government has said all of the country's existing nuclear energy plants will close by 2025. However, Belgium will invest in future nuclear technology, Deutsche Welle writes. All of the country's nuclear power plants would be shut over the next three years. However, the country will continue to invest in future technologies that could see smaller plants opened up.

How was the decision made?

The seven-party coalition has wrangled for weeks over the issue. The Greens insisted the government adhere to a 2003 law on Belgium's exit from nuclear power. The country's francophone liberals wanted the two newest nuclear reactors kept open. A core group of ministers agreed on a deal after talks. The last existing nuclear power plants are to close in 2025 in accordance with a 2003 law. The ministers had agreed to invest in "renewable and carbon-neutral energies"  including next-generation nuclear power. That would include channeling funds towards new, smaller modular reactors, which generate less power and are easier to contain in the event of any emergency.

Energy security and innovation

Prime Minister de Croo said the first objective of the agreement would be to ensure security of energy supply. "Our people and our companies are entitled to that, we will invest in research into newer technologies, including the smaller reactors. Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten, from the Greens, said research would focus on sustainable, flexible and carbon-neutral energy sources: "We already have a lot of expertise in this area in our country. We must now use this expertise so as not to miss the boat."

Differing national positions

Belgium has two nuclear plants, with seven reactors in total, which are operated by French utility company Engie.In 2019, the European Court of Justice found that Belgium infringed European Union law by failing to carry out the required environmental assessments before prolonging the life of Doel 1 and 2 nuclear reactors near the northern port city of Antwerp. In the preceding years, reactors at both the Doel power station near Antwerp and the Tihange plant near Liege had to be shut down temporarily because inspectors found tiny cracks caused by hydrogen flakes.

Neighboring Germany is set to close all of its nuclear power plants by the end of 2022 after a deal agreed in 2011. That decision followed Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Meanwhile, France derives about 70% of its energy from nuclear power and plans to build more atomic plants.

Belgium's northern neighbor, the Netherlands, has just one nuclear reactor at Borselle in the country's southwest.

The Belgiam decision comes as the European Commission prepares a so-called EU taxonomy, in which it lists what the bloc considers as "environmentally sustainable economic activities." EU member states have been split on the issue, with France leading a bloc that pushes for the "green" label of nuclear energy, while Germany leads one that is opposed to the move.
Turkish companies have undertaken the lion's share of projects for rebuilding the Karabakh region in Azerbaijan, according to the CEO of Baku-based Pasha Bank, Cenk Eynehan. Citing Azerbaijan's Economy Ministry, Eynehan said 283 foreign companies bid for projects in the recently liberated border region, most of them are Turkish companies, Anadolu Agency reports (see also Cenk Eynehan: Turkish builders to play key role in reconstructing Nagorno-Karabakh ).

"Following Azerbaijans glorious victory, new geopolitical realities emerged in the region. Liberation of Karabakh and surrounding regions brought stability into the region ensuring an appropriate environment to utilize the economic potential and attract foreign investments", Eynehan said.He added that Turkey, Italy, the UK, Israel, Russia and other strategic partners of Azerbaijan have shown a keen interest to get involved in the ongoing projects. Eynehan said before reconstruction starts the area has to go through a de-mining process, which is underway. The Azerbaijani government earmarked $1.3 billion for reconstruction of the region in 2021, and the same amount is expected to be allocated in 2022.

Major projects

Some of the major infrastructure projects have been completed, such as the Fuzuli International Airport, he said. 650 kilometers (404 miles) of roads have been constructed in the region -- connecting liberated territories to the nearby cities. The Aghdam industrial park, smart villages in the Zangilan and Fuzuli districts, precious metals and construction materials production projects in Zangilan, Kalbajar and Aghdam districts, are in the planning and development phase and they are expected to be vital in the reintegration of the region to the overall economy.

Visa-free travel

Touching upon visa-free travel with Turkey, Eynehan said the decision's impact was seen immediately: "During the third quarter of 2021, Turkey was the top destination for Azerbaijani tourists constituting more than 60% of total travelers".He noted that remittances from Azerbaijan to Turkey increased 26% year-on-year in the January-September period. The figure increased 43% from Turkey to Azerbaijan. In the first three quarters of 2021, $530 million worth of Turkish capital was invested in the Azerbaijani economy.

Mentioning the preferential trade agreement, signed this February, Eynehan underlined that the deal supported the growth of trade volume between the countries. Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Turkey (excluding oil-gas sector product exports from Azerbaijan) rose by 26% year-on-year in the first nine-month period. The trade volume increased to $3.7 billion over the same period.

"The agreement had the strongest impact on non-oil exports from Azerbaijan to Turkey, which rose by 81% year-over-year". "Shusha declaration, preferential trade agreement, travel without visa regime, agreements between state agencies and companies of Azerbaijan and Turkey ensure accelerating growth of trade and investment relations," he underlined. He asserted that these deals will contribute to the goal of reaching an annual trade volume of $15 billion.

Investments

Turkish contractors were involved in 455 projects in Azerbaijan amounting to $15.4 billion. Azerbaijan invested nearly $19 billion in Turkey, while Turkish investments in Azerbaijan amounted to $12 billion. The agreements reached in 2021 and existing fraternal ties ensure further strengthening of trade and investment relations in 2022, Eynehan added.

Touching upon Pasha Bank in Turkey, he said 2021 was a year in which the bank adapted to the new normal and new ways of doing business. The bank raised its total assets by 26% to 2.74 billion Turkish liras ($309 million) as of the third quarter of this year versus the end of 2020. The bank's total loan size also enlarged by 32% over the same period. While the bank supported real and automotive sectors in 2021, it will continue its support to these sectors by increasing fund diversity, the CEO of the Pasha Bank's Istanbul branch underlined.
The media have long been called the "fourth branch of government" and have taken a dominant position in influencing the formation of public opinion. The significance of any rallies, the most authoritative round tables and powerful sermons depends on their coverage in the media. And at the beginning of the 21st century, traditional media are already giving way to new channels of communication: "new media" or media 2.0.

For example, a sociological survey in March 2020 showed that 39% of Russian citizens use social networks as their main source of news (almost a twofold increase in the share in 5 years). At the same time, the social media are increasingly being studied by older people (in the 40-54 age group, growth of 10 per cent and in the 55+ category, growth of 2 per cent).

As for the relationship between religion and the media, according to the American scholar Stuart Hoover, religion and media have been closely related at least since the Reformation, and if we take into account oral communication, the language of rituals and vestments, then communication is the basis for our understanding of religion and before the Reformation. Therefore, when we reflect on the fate of religion today, in the information age, we must begin with the realization that the system of senses and meanings of religion has been at all times inextricably linked with forms of communication".

After the religious renaissance of the late 1980s - early 1990s, at the beginning of the new century, a cooling of interest in spiritual and moral searches, mystical revelations is noticeable in society. With the stabilization of political and economic life, other topics took their place on the front pages of the media. At the same time, religious organizations themselves, communities of believers found new ways of communicating with their followers, new channels for the dissemination of their knowledge and teachings.

In the last decade, several studies and articles have been published on the mediatization of religion, the work of religious generals in the media, including the New Media. At the same time, there is a lack of research on the religious agenda in the socio-political media, especially in the recently appeared information channels, the most interesting of which today is the Telegram messenger. Today, Telegram channels not only publish relevant and latest news, but also form the media agenda as a whole. Insiders and amateur "reports" are often first published on telegram channels and only then reprinted by reputable portals that have media registration certificates.

In mid-December, at the international conference "Religion and Media: New Normality", held at the St. Philaret Institute, a topical study of the religious agenda was presented on Telegram (ten most read social and political channels were analyzed). According to the author of the study, in exactly half of the cases the coverage of "religious" fasting is higher than the average on the channel and in half - less than it. At the same time, the channel "Manual" stands out, whose posts on religious topics collect more than two times the number of views in comparison with the average post. Perhaps, it may be connected with the high proportion of original posts of their own authorship on the channel and the lower number of reprints.

Another important indicator measured in the study is the level of engagement, ERR (Engagement rate by reach). With its help, you can determine the real interests of the community, trends and the most relevant, burning topics. In fact, ERR is an indicator of readers' interest and activity: the more channel subscribers read its posts, the higher the ERR. The analysis showed that the audience's attention to posts on religious topics, in general, corresponds to the average engagement on the channel. This suggests that religious topics do not attract subscribers, but they are not scrolled through, but read along with other posts.

At the same time, the channels "Manual" and "Something like this" are knocked out of the general row, the high ERR of "religious" posts in which is provided by the anomalous involvement of only two publications: On the preservation of Armenian holy sites in Nagorno-Karabakh after the 2020 war on the channel "Something like this" and the discussion of Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) about culture on the channel "Manual".

Christianity, as expected, has become the religion that attracts the most attention from the Telegram community. Most often it is the Russian Orthodox Church and, occasionally, the Catholic Church. The most popular themes in 2021 were the split in the Ukrainian Church, the attitude of the Church and Hierarchs to epidemics and coronavirus restrictions, participation in political life (or the exploitation of religious symbols and themes by politicians). A large proportion of posts consist of reports of first-person visits to temples and commemorative services.

In posts concerning Islam, the most popular topics were the change of power in Afghanistan and the prospect of the country returning to Sharia law, attitudes towards the epidemic and coronavirus restrictions. At the political level, topics related to Islam are exploited by the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Occasionally, there are themes of a shortage of mosques in Moscow and corruption among the higher clergy.

A few posts about Judaism highlight Vladimir Putins congratulations and references to the ethnic and religious origins of individual public figures. The posts on Buddhism are also published only in a political and ceremonial context.

The tone of publications in relation to religious communities and religion in general is mostly neutral (about 60% of posts). In tonally colored publications, the negative prevails slightly over the positive: 25% by 15%. Negativity is mainly associated with corruption and enrichment of hierarchs, excessive (in the case of Western Christianity) or insufficient tolerance, flexibility (in the case of the Russian Orthodox Church), disregard for the safety of the flock from the coronavirus, "medieval" rituals and superstitions.

In general, it should be noted that there is little interest on religious issues on the part of the leading socio-political telegram channels. Popular publics pay attention to the life of the church, the position of the clergy only when dealing with topical topics affecting other spheres of society (epidemic, monument on Lubyanka, foreign policy). At the same time, the tone of posts regarding religious organizations and believers remains neutral-negative, with a rare insight into the essence of community life.
The World Banks Board of Executive Directors approved today additional grant financing of $65 million in support of the Second Phase of the Nurek Hydropower Rehabilitation Project, which will contribute towards more reliable electricity supply and expansion of renewable energy exports in Tajikistan, the World Bank's web-site writes.

The World Bank is committed to supporting Tajikistans energy sector, given the countrys considerable potential in hydropower generation and export of clean, renewable energy resources, said Ozan Sevimli, World Bank Country Manager in Tajikistan. Investments in the Nurek hydropower plant  the mainstay of the countrys energy system  are essential in ensuring stable and reliable electricity supply for households and businesses domestically, as well as increased revenues from export at the regional market.

The first phase of the Nurek Hydropower Rehabilitation Project, financed by the World Bank with $225.7 million; the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with $60 million; and the Eurasian Development Bank (EaDB) with $40 million, was launched in March 2019. It supports the rehabilitation of three of the nine generating units and the key infrastructural components of the power plant, replacement of six autotransformers that are used to evacuate the generated electricity, enhancement of dam safety to protect the facility from seismic hazards and floods and technical assistance to strengthen operational, technical, and financial management capacity of the utility company Barqi Tojik. The projects second phase, financed by the World Bank ($50 million approved in June 2020), supports the rehabilitation of the remaining six generating units, the Nurek bridge, the powerhouse, and other key buildings, while also strengthening the capacity of the hydropower plant (HPP) to effectively operate and maintain the plants operations.

The additional financing of $65 million approved today is intended to reduce the current financing gap of $164 million for the second phase of the project. The remaining gap is expected be covered by other potential co-financiers, including reallocation of savings from the EaDB and AIIB resources allocated for the first phase of the project. The total World Bank investments for this strategically important project amounts to $341 million.

The Nurek HPP generates about 50 percent of total annual energy demand in Tajikistan and supplies most of the energy for exports. Due to technical problems, the power plants initial installed capacity of 3000 megawatts has reduced to 2,320 megawatts over the past four decades. The facility is currently undergoing its first major rehabilitation since its commissioning in 1972-1979. Once completed, the rehabilitation will allow to increase the HPP capacity to 3,214 megawatts that will ensure improved electricity supply during the cold winter months and bringing much-needed revenues from expanded electricity exports during the summer months.

The rehabilitation will also ensure dam safety improvement measures, which will help lower operational and maintenance costs. Lastly, the project will generate global environmental and climate mitigation benefits in the form of net reduction of CO2 emissions, leading to 69 million tCO2e net reduction in emissions versus the baseline during the projects economic life.

The World Bank Groups active portfolio in Tajikistan includes 23 projects, totaling $1.2 billion that aim at helping Tajikistan to take advantage of emerging regional opportunities, transform its economy, and improve the livelihoods of its citizens. Since 1996, the World Bank has provided over $2 billion in grants, highly concessional IDA credits, and trust fund resources to the country.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a phone call to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev today, according to the presidential press service.

Erdogan congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on his birthday anniversary, and wished him new successes in his activities for the prosperity and development of Azerbaijan and the best of health.

President Aliyev thanked the Turkish President for the attention and congratulations.

Noting that friendly and brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey are steadily developing in all areas, the heads of state expressed confidence that the bilateral cooperation would continue to expand and strengthen.

During the phone conversation, the sides discussed prospects for development of the bilateral ties.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba focused on fears of Russias possible "invasion" of that country in a phone call, the EU External Action Service (EEAS) said in a press release on Thursday.

"On 23 December 2021, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell held a phone call with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmitry Kuleba to discuss the security situation in Eastern Europe in light of Russias military build-up around Ukraine," the press release says. "The military build-up has created new threats and fears of invasion."

Borrell "reaffirmed the European Unions firm and continued support to Ukraines sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity," the press release says.

"He stressed that any further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe costs. He underlined the need for Russia to de-escalate and fully implement the Minsk agreements," it reads.

Borrell told Kuleba that "the EU is closely coordinating with transatlantic and other like-minded partners, including in relation to the two draft treaties affecting the European security architecture presented by Russia."

"The EU remains committed to the right of every country to make its sovereign choices in foreign and security policy," the EEAS concluded.
France had around 88,000 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Thursday, health ministry data showed, the highest in the country since the pandemic began, and the number of deaths also climbed.

"Today's figures are not good," Health Minister Olivier Veran told reporters.

Data from the health ministry also showed that France registered a further 179 COVID deaths in hospitals over the last 24 hours, while the number of COVID patients in intensive care units reached 3,208, up by 61 from the previous day, Reuters reported.

President Emmanuel Macron is hoping France's COVID vaccine booster campaign will help to contain the fifth wave of the coronavirus to hit the country. He is aiming to avoid imposing tough, new restrictions, although the French government has said all options will be considered to tackle any rapid deterioration in France's COVID situation.
President of Kazakhstan Kassym Jomart Tokayev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on occasion of his 60th birthday.

Tokayev expressed confidence that following Aliyev's strategic course, Azerbaijan will confidently move forward on the path of sustainable growth and reach new heights in building a strong and prosperous country.

"You are celebrating this anniversary in the status of a recognized leader of your people, who made a historic contribution to strengthening Azerbaijan's statehood, achieving impressive results in socio-economic development and increasing the country's authority in the international arena," he wrote.

He added that Kazakhstan highly appreciates Aliyev's personal contribution to the deepening of Kazakh-Azerbaijani relations and attaches importance to further strengthening mutual support and strategic partnership between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli President Isaac Herzog have discussed a number of pressing issues related to bilateral cooperation in a phone call, the Kremlin press service said in a statement on Friday.

"The presidents wished each other a happy New Year and discussed a number of pressing issues related to bilateral cooperation, first and foremost, in the humanitarian field," the statement reads.

According to the Kremlin press service, special attention was paid "to the common goal of preserving the historical truth about World War II and countering attempts to revise its results. The two countries leaders agreed to maintain contact.
Preparations for Russian President Vladimir Putins state-of-the-nation address have begun. It will be delivered in early 2022, Putins press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"In conceptual terms, yes, but substantively, work on the text is yet to be done. And later, the president will finalize it, as usual," he said answering a corresponding question.

According to Peskov, the address will be delivered "at the beginning of the year."

This year, the president delivered his address to the national parliament on April 21. It was mainly dedicated to domestic problems, from overcoming the consequences of the pandemic to new measures of support for Russian regions.
The interim Taliban government (movement banned in Russia) assured minority communities in Afghanistan that the country is a "common home for all."

"Afghanistan is a common home of all Afghans. All ethnic groups and citizens of the country have the right to live in security and to contribute to the development of the country," deputy prime minister in the Taliban administration Abdul Kabir said in a meeting with representatives of the Hindu and Sikh communities.

Kabir assured them that the Taliban will protect every group in the country and "does not discriminate with any citizen of Afghanistan," Anadolu Agency reported.

"The Islamic Emirate has brought security for all and our policy is for everyone, including minorities, to live in prosperity and peace," the statement added.
The United States expects to begin negotiations with Russia on security guarantees in January, but they are not yet ready to specify the exact date, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper.

Sullivan stressed that he is not ready to tell a specific date or place of the negotiations). "I know that in Brussels and elsewhere, we are holding discussions on what our approach should be, whether it be within the framework of a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council either at the OSCE site, or within the framework of the ongoing Dialogue on Strategic Stability you mentioned," he said, answering a question about whether negotiations on security guarantees could be held in early January.

We have these mechanisms. Dialogue on strategic stability for bilateral discussions between the United States and Russia. The Russia-NATO Council. And an even wider forum  the OSCE, which includes Ukraine, which is important," the head of the American diplomatic mission in Russia said.

As Ambassador Sullivan noted, U.S. President Joe Biden had previously initiated a number of formats of dialogue with the Russian side at the bilateral level.

Thus, we have an architecture, formats for conducting these discussions. There are three of them: the Russia-NATO Council, the OSCE and our bilateral consultations with the Russian government. I hope and expect that  especially considering the situation in Donbass and on the Russian-Ukrainian border  there will be meetings in January. But today, December 23, I am not ready to tell you a date, or a place or places where they can take place concluded the U.S. ambassador to Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a phone call to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on December 24, according to the Kremlin press service.

The Russian leader congratulated Ilham Aliyev on his birthday anniversary, and wished him success in his activities and the best of health.

Hailing the successful development of Azerbaijan-Russia friendly relations based on strategic partnership in all areas, the heads of state expressed their confidence that bilateral ties would continue to strengthen.

During the phone conversation, the sides recalled with pleasure the Sochi meeting, and discussed the issues related to prospects for bilateral cooperation.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin send Ilham Aliyev the congratulatory telegram to congratulate him on his birthday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in the film "President. Unique Diplomacy" dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the President of Azerbaijan, that if something is agreed with Ilham Aliyev, then one can be sure that these agreements will be implemented.



"Ilham Aliyev has many merits, they always say something like this about those celebrating birthday anniversaries. But nevertheless, it can be difficult to agree with him on something, it is not an easy process sometimes, especially on key issues of interaction. But if you agree on something, then you can be sure that these agreements will be implemented, "he said.



The Russian leader stressed that "this is an extremely important fact and an extremely important trait for any person in general, but for a politician this is doubly important."



"I have known Aliyev for many years: the main goal of his life is doing what's good for his country, for his people, so that the Azerbaijani people feel good. First of all, I wish him to be successful in realizing his life goals, "Putin added.



In addition, the head of state stressed Ilham Aliyev's role in ending of hostilities in Karabakh in November 2020.



"Russia acted as a mediator, and I am glad that we were able to reach these Karabakh ceasefire agreements. President Aliyev's political wisdom contributed, among other things, to the cessation of hostilities," Putin specified.

He expressed confidence that the trade turnover between the countries, which fell by 10% last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will exceed $3 billion by the end of this year.



According to Putin, in the negotiations with Ilham Aliyev, special attention is paid to economic issues. The Russian leader recalled that this summer, Russian business representatives visited Azerbaijan and signed agreements in key areas.

The President stressed that he is actively cooperating with Aliyev on humanitarian issues, to overcome the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. In his opinion, Azerbaijan's Russia has more points of contact than areas for competition. "In general, I believe that we have achieved the level of strategic partnership not on paper, but in practice, and these are very good development prospects," Putin added.



The Russian President also spoke about his personal contacts with Ilham Aliyev. "I think that personal contacts between top officials always play an essential role, creating a certain atmosphere. That part of this atmosphere, which is called trust, is very important. If leaders,top officials of countries that interact with each other develop trust, then this usually leads to good, positive results at the state level," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on his birthday, the congratulatory telegram was published on the Kremlin website.



"Please accept my warmest congratulations on your 60th birthday," the message reads.



In his telegram, the Russian leader noted that Ilham Aliyev "enjoys a well-deserved reputation among his compatriots and worldwide as a wise and experienced statesman, capable of making balanced, far-sighted decisions even in the most difficult situations." "Under your leadership, Azerbaijan has achieved universally recognized successes in the economic, social and other fields," Putin said.



"I value our companionship. I will be glad to continue a constructive, meaningful dialogue with you and close joint work with a view to further develop the Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership, as well as strengthen regional stability and security," the President of Russia said in his congratulatory telegram.



Vladimir Putin wished Ilham Aliyev good health, prosperity, success, and conveyed his heartfelt greetings to his family.



Today the President of Azerbaijan is celebrating his 60th anniversary.
U.S. President Joe Biden has yet to agree to a time and place of fresh talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Thursday.

Psaki was asked if she can confirm President Putin's words that there has been an agreement to have a meeting in Geneva in January.

"There has not been a final agreement on the location or timing at this point in time," Psaki said.
The goal of industrialization and modernization of the country to 2020 was set at the 8th National Party Congress in 1996 and it has gone through to the 13th National Party Congress in 2021.

The Central Economic Commission recently held a series of events related to the country's industrialization program. On this occasion, VietNamNet introduces perspectives on the advantages and challenges for realizing Vietnams industrialization goals from now to 2045.

Talking numbers

According to the World Bank (WB), among enterprises in the manufacturing industry in Vietnam, 70% use machines controlled by humans, 20% work manually, 9% use machines controlled by computers and less than 1% use more advanced technology such as robots. More than 75% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and two thirds of large enterprises surveyed are skeptical about the economic benefits of investing in new technology.

A report published in November by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) of Australia and the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology shows that the percentage of Vietnamese with research and development activities in manufacturing industries is very low: electrical equipment manufacturing 17%, chemical manufacturing 15%, food processing 9%, rubber and plastic products 7%, leather and related products 6%, and textile and garment 5%.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien, Deputy Head of the Central Economic Commission, quoted these reports at the third Industry 4.0 Summit and commented: These facts show that development of smart production in the process of industrialization and modernization to 2030, with a vision to 2045, will face many difficulties and challenges.

The goal of industrialization and modernization of the country to 2020 was set at the 8th National Party Congress in 1996 and it has gone through to the 13th National Party Congress in 2021.

The structure of Vietnam's industry has changed positively.

Three-decade target

Through more than 25 years of implementing this goal, industry has obtained certain achievements. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the manufacturing industrys contribution to Vietnams GDP rose from 13% in 2010 to 16.7% in 2020.

The industrial structure has changed positively in the direction of industrialization and modernization, gradually reducing the proportion of resource-intensive industries and low-tech industries, and increasing the proportion of medium- and high-tech industries.

Industrial competitiveness has improved significantly. The Industrial Competition Report of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has brought Vietnam from the group of "developing economies" to the group of " emerging industrial economies.

However, the process of industrialization and modernization is still slow, the capacity and technological level of the economy is still poor, the creation of a foundation to basically become a modern industrialized country by 2020 "has not yet reached the goal".

"Moreover, we have not been able to narrow the development gap and catch up with other countries in the region," said Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien, Deputy Head of the Central Economic Commission.

Awareness of the process of industrialization and modernization is inadequate. Industrial development has not met the requirements of industrialization.

The growth model is not yet based on science, technology and innovation; the autonomy of the economy is still low; the economy is still heavily dependent on outsiders; Vietnam has not paid due attention to the value chain and domestic supply... in order to improve labor productivity and competitiveness of the economy.

The quality of human resources, especially high-quality human resources, has not yet met the requirements. Science, technology and innovation have not become the driving force for development.

Dr. Hiens comments are not new, but these are all thorny issues in the foundation of the economy.

Barriers to overcome

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said that the process of industrialization and modernization faces obstacles that need to be removed.

The internal strength of the industry is still weak, the competitiveness of domestic industrial enterprises is not high, the added value created in the country is still low, the local industry mainly depends on external resources such as foreign direct investment capital, imported spare parts and components, and imported raw materials.

In addition, industrial human resources are still weak, the percentage of trained workers is low, there is a lack of linkage between enterprises and training institutions, and managers of industrial enterprises are still inexperienced for competition in the global market. There is a lack of scientific theoretical background on production management, with no opportunity to access effective production management methods.

A survey by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the readiness of Vietnams industries before the 4th Industrial Revolution shows that the majority of Vietnamese enterprises are still standing outside this revolution, and industrial enterprises have low access to all the pillars of a smart manufacturing platform.

The new context poses requirement to implement industrialization and modernization with a new mindset and new approach. Photo: Le Anh Dung

He said that industrial production faces difficulties in accessing capital, and the nature of the manufacturing sector requires a large amount of long-term investment capital, while social resources invested in production are very limited due to slow capital recovery and profit margins that are less attractive compared to investment in other fields such as real estate and finance.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said the cause of these bottlenecks is first of all the lack of a complete and attractive legal framework and policies to support domestic industrial enterprises to improve their competitiveness, to perform technological innovation, and to grow to become an important driving force for the development of the country.

Moreover, the domestic sector lacks linkages with the FDI sector and the world market to be able to take advantage of technology transfer, and modern and effective production management methods. The lack of orientation in the allocation of social resources from the central to local levels and the private sector prevents investment flows from entering the production sector to create material wealth and prosperity for country.

Long-term goals

The Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress sets the goal that by 2025 the manufacturing industry will account for 25% of Vietnams GDP and the task of "Continuing to promote industrialization and modernization based on the foundation of science and technology, innovation and technological achievements of the fourth industrial revolution", and "Restructuring industry, raising technology levels, accelerating the transformation to digital technology, improving the self-control of the economy to be capable of deeply and effectively participating in global value chains.

Deputy Minister Hai said the target set for 2025 is quite challenging for Vietnam, which will require great effort and the participation of all stakeholders, as well as breakthroughs in policies to strongly promote the growth of the manufacturing industry, so that in 5 years, the contribution of the manufacturing industry to GDP will increase from 16.7% in 2020 to 25% in 2025.

In the next strategic period, Vietnams industrialization and modernization process will be placed in a new context. It is the rise of protectionism, shifting investment flows, restructuring of the global supply chain, and the 4th Industrial Revolution that have changed production methods around the world.

Domestically, there exists a changing population structure with a dynamic market of 100 million people, an expanding middle class, and a golden population structure that will remain for the next two decades. Meanwhile, Vietnams labor and land costs are increasingly less competitive compared to emerging countries, and competition at home is increasing as the Vietnamese economy deeply integrates with the world.

"This new context requires Vietnam to carry out industrialization and modernization with a new mindset and new approach," Hai said.

Lan Anh

Where is Vietnam in the technology industry and global supply chain? At the talks Why Vietnam held recently by the Ministry of Information and Communications, experts affirmed the significant role and position of Vietnam in the technology industry as well as global supply chains.
2021 has been a fruitful year for Vietnams agriculture as many farm specialties have entered choosy markets.

Litchis enter Japanese market

Despite Covid-19, 2021 witnessed a boom in Vietnamese litchis. The specialty was available in 300 supermarkets at the price of VND350,000-500,000 per kilogram. The first consignment of litchis sold out after half an hour.

Vietnamese growers in Bac Giang and Hai Duong had to spend five years making every effort to conquer the choosy Japanese market. The presence of Vietnams litchis at Japanese supermarkets lent credibility to their value. After Japan, Singapore, the EU and Australia opened their markets to Vietnams litchis.

At an auction in Perth (Australia) in mid-June 2021, a box of Vietnams litchis sold at 3,000 AUD, or VND52 million. In Europe, France, Germany and the Netherlands, the prices were up to VND500,000 per kilogram.

Green mango favored by Australians

2021 was a tough year for mango growers. Because of the pandemic, farmers had difficulties in selling mango. The product sold at just VND3,000-5,000 per kilogram.

However, mango exports to Australia were sold at VND300,000 per kilogram, a sky high price for farmers, which paved the way for Vietnams mango to enter the Australian market.

Green mango is not only available at supermarkets but also appears on the menus of some restaurants chains in Sydney. The restaurants are willing to help advertise, take orders, and distribute mangoes to clients.

Longan exported to European countries

Longan is sold in the domestic market and exported to China, but it also headed for Europe this year.

Longan, after harvesting, are preliminarily processed and packaged with a QR code for traceability, and then preserved at a standard temperature and humidity before leaving for the destination. The products in supermarkets are sold at 18 Euros, or VND490,000, which is 15-20 times higher than the domestic prices.

Vietnams longan also successfully entered the Singaporean market with the price of VND220,000 per kilogram, targeting the high-end market.

An exporter said his company exported longan to Europe, the US and some Asian markets in 2021 to explore the market situation. As sales were beyond expectations, he plans to join forces with farming areas to boost longan exports to choosy markets.

Ginger enters Australian market

Vietnams ginger is selling in Australia at 9-13 AUD per kilogram (VND155,000-220,000 per kilogram). This is a surprise to many Vietnamese, as ginger can be sold for thousands of dong per kilo in the domestic market.

According to the Vietnam commercial affair division in Australia, the fresh ginger price is increasing, reaching VND860,000 per kilo at times. Australia imports ginger in large quantities.

Vietnams ginger not only sells at supermarkets and shops but online as well. In the first four months of 2021, Vietnams ginger exports to Australia increased by 1,350 percent compared with the same period last year.

Dracontomelon goes abroad for first time

After litchis, mango and ginger, dracontomelon also arrived in Australia.

This is a familiar fruit for Hanoians. During peak harvesting days, the fruit is sold at VND25,000-30,000 only. However, at supermarkets in Australia, Vietnams dracontomelon is sold at VND300,000 per kilogram.

With the high price, the first consignment of 22 tons of frozen dracontomelon brought revenue of VND6.5 billion.

Analysts say it is a modest figure, but good news as it shows that Australia is a potential market for dracontomelon. If Vietnam can create a growing and production area for the fruit, it would be able to earn tens of millions of dollars.

If Vietnam has a strategic policy on developing dracontomelon production, it would earn a lot as Thai does with tamarind exports.

Star apple sells for VND2 million per box in US

Star apple, another farm specialty of Vietnam, sold for $80 per box of 4 kilograms, or VND500,000 per kilogram in the US. This was the highest price level since the the fruit entered the market five years ago.

An exporter told VietNamNet that his company had shipped 5-6 containers of star apple a week to the US. After one month, 20 tons were exported at high prices.

The good news about consumption in the world market has led experts to say that if Vietnam develops good strategies, it will be able to have very high profits from farm produce.

T. An

More fruit and vegetable export opportunities for Vietnamese produce next year Vietnam will have many more opportunities to export fruit and vegetables to potential markets in 2022, providing local producers meet international standards on quality and management of growing regions.
Vietnamese exports stuck at Vietnam-China border gates has been a common sight for years.

China has become one of the largest markets for Vietnamese agricultural products. However, most people are unaware that Vietnamese goods to China have been mainly exported in the form of border trade. Vietnamese agricultural products are mainly exported as raw materials or semi-processed products. This export form will become dangerous as China is no longer an easy market.

Data from the General Department of Customs of Vietnam shows that in January-November of 2021, of Vietnams total export value of 301.73 billion USD, the Chinese market accounted for 50.11 billion USD (the highest in Asia), ranking second after the US (86.03 billion USD).

That is why every time goods are stuck at the Vietnam-China border the Ministry of Industry and Trade urgently recommends that Vietnamese enterprises export through official channels.

According to experts, Vietnams agricultural and aquatic exports to China have not yet adapted to the requirements and conditions set by China, stemming from the incorrect perception of this huge market.

Firstly, Vietnamese exporters still think that China is an "easy" market, and they focus on volume, regardless of specific market needs. Some agricultural products of Vietnam such as rice and dragon fruit are produced in large quantities but with low or medium quality.

Secondly, they still perceive China as a border market. Therefore, they take every product they have to the border for sale.

"When they can't sell their goods, these products are sold at dirt cheap prices," an official from the Ministry of Industry and Trade says.

Thirdly, Vietnamese businesses still consider exports to China a form of border trade, so they pay no attention to the demand and standards of this market.

Many businesses also misunderstand that China's policies are constantly changing. In fact, many regulations have been applied for a long time. Chinas rules on traceability of goods, registration of exporters, etc. have been common since 2012, but many Vietnamese exporters have not paid attention to this.

Former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has said that the changes in the Chinese market show that it is time to change our thinking. We should not consider China an easy market nor keep the habit of exporting goods in the form of border trade anymore because their import control policy is different.

Hard to expand market

Another solution is to increase the diversification of export markets to reduce dependence on the Chinese market. But owing to these 'habits' and misconceptions, this transformation is still difficult. Vietnam's customers continue to be familiar names like China, the US, and the EU.

According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Asia is still the main export market of Vietnam, which accounted for 50.8% of Vietnams total export turnover of goods in 2016-2020. The proportion of the Americas increased sharply in this period (26.7% compared to 21.9% in 2011-2015), but mainly thanks to the increase of exports to the US. The part of the Europe, Africa and Oceania region in the 2016-2020 period was lower than in the 2011-2015 period.

The structure of 15 key export products of Vietnam in 2011-2020 had remarkable changes. In 2011, out of 15 key export products, accounting for 70.9% of Vietnam's total merchandise exports, there were four items in the group of minerals, namely crude oil, coal, precious stones, precious metals, and petroleum of all kinds. There were four agricultural, forestry and fishery products, including aquatic products, rice, coffee and rubber. The remaining seven items were processed and manufactured goods.

In 2020, the products of the mineral group were no longer on the list of 15 key export products of Vietnam. The group of agriculture, forestry and fishery products had three items, including aquatic products, vegetables and fruits, and cashew nuts (rice in 16th place). The number of products in the group of processing and manufacturing increased to 12 items.

In 2012 phones of all kinds and phone accessories became the second largest export item with export turnover of 12.7 billion USD, just behind textiles and garments with 15 billion USD. They were then the item with the largest export turnover of Vietnam in 2013-2020.

But the group of processed and manufactured goods is still mainly products processed for foreign partners, with low added value, and exported products with high technological and quality content are limited.

To put an end to the congestion of trucks carrying Vietnamese goods to China at the border gates, Vietnamese goods must be exported via official channels. The diversification of export markets and the improvement of processed goods should also be promoted.

Luong Bang

Vietnamese goods trucks still stuck at Northern border gates The General Department of Vietnam Customs has informed that many cargo trucks from Vietnam are still jammed in the China side of the Northern border gates and vice versa due to strict control of vehicle flow for Covid-19 prevention purposes.
In light of the spread of the Omicron variant in Southeast Asia and around the world, Vietnam should act as though the variant is already in the country, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has said.

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam at the national conference on COVID-19 prevention and control during Lunar New Year celebrations on Wednesday.  VNA/VNS Photo

Speaking at a national conference on COVID-19 prevention and control for the Lunar New Year celebration in late January, Dam said that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be unpredictable in light of the appearance of Omicron.

Some studies have shown that Omicron spreads three to seven times faster than the Delta strain.

People who are fully vaccinated have 12 times less risk of death, though there are no clear signs that the Omicron strain is less virulent than the Delta variant, he said. The risk of infection due to the Omicron strain among fully-vaccinated people is about three times higher than that of the Delta strain.

Those who were infected with the Delta strain have a higher risk of infection with the Omicron strain, he said.

While the Ministry of Health has not yet issued new guidelines on assessing the level of the pandemic, specific sectors and specific localities should discuss with the health authority to raise its pandemic level higher than determined by the current guidelines, Dam said.

He asked for vaccination administration to be sped up, particularly for those with underlying medical conditions and those aged over 50.

The Ministry of Health was asked to ensure sufficient antiretroviral drugs for localities so that patients can receive them as soon as possible.

The Ministry of Health shall coordinate with the People's Committee's of provinces and cities to direct, guide and train people home quarantine and self-treatment to avoid overloading at upper-level hospitals.

Grassroots health systems must manage all infected people, he said, noting that no COVID-19 patients have been left unable to access health services or professional health monitoring.

Supposing that the variant is less virulent, this does not mean that fully vaccinated people are fully immune from infection. And of those infected, some will become severely ill, he said.

If the infection number rises sharply at the same time, the health system will be vulnerable to being overloaded and the death rate will be very high, he said.

Therefore, we must not relax our vigilance," he said.

He added that during the upcoming Lunar New Year, COVID-19 prevention and control teams, as well as the police, militia, health care workers and general population, must follow the slogan "reaching every corner, knocking every door, calling on people to get vaccinated and offering support to those quarantining at home so everyone can still enjoy the Tet holiday.

Director of the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health Phan Trong Lan said that up to now, the COVID-19 pandemic has been basically controlled nationwide.

However, the number of community cases and deaths continued to increase rapidly in many localities. The implementation of Resolution 128/NQ-CP and Decision 4800/QD-BYT has allowed most activities to resume.

Among causes for the hike of new infections were the pathogens circulating in the community, the Delta variants ability to spread fast and peoples non-compliance with disease prevention measures.

Moreover, the immunity of vaccinated people decreases over time, while new people need time to develop immunity.

The ministry proposed strengthening COVID-19 prevention and control measures, especially early detection, treatment to reduce severe disease and mortality. Vaccination administration must also be sped up due to the approaching winter and spring weather, which is favourable for the spread of COVID-19, and the upcoming New Year and Tet holidays.

The ministry asked the People's Committees of provinces and cities to strictly follow the direction of the Prime Minister and continue to assess the level of the pandemic, taking appropriate responding measures.

Localities were also asked to ensure production recovery activities, improve grassroots health capacity, proactively make use of on-site resources such as medical equipment, human resources, therapeutic drugs and oxygen supply. By the end of this month, all people over 18 years old must be fully vaccinated.

The booster vaccine dose for adults, and second for children aged 12-18, are expected to be completed in January 2022, Lan said.

Source: Vietnam News
The World Health Organisation (WHO) will continue to work with the Government of Vietnam to plan for and transition towards endemic COVID-19.

Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will continue to work with the Government of Vietnam to plan for and transition towards endemic COVID-19 and learning to live safely with the virus over the long term, even when there are new surges in the future, Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam has affirmed.

This includes a focus on protecting the vulnerable and avoiding the red line, where health services get overwhelmed, Park told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Although we may not eradicate the virus and it would be difficult to predict future scenarios of virus mutation, we now know how to save lives and the adverse social and economic impacts, according to the WHO Representative.

As we transition safe and flexible adaptation to COVID-19, it is critical that we continue our strong public health response through vaccination together with calibrated public health and social measures, he continued.

Park said WHO commends the Vietnamese Government for the hard work and relentless efforts to suppress the COVID-19 outbreaks with the whole-of-society approach.

He highlighted that Vietnams pandemic response strategy is anchored on a very strong political commitment from the highest level of the Government. It has a robust surveillance and public health emergency response system; dedicated and highly skilled health care workers both at prevention and clinical management side, and the Vietnamese people cooperated with the implementation of the public and social measures.

WHO also expresses its admiration for the persistent commitment from localities through the excellent work of community COVID-19 teams; and Vietnamese people, for doing their share in fighting the virus with personal protection through consistent practice of 5K and getting themselves vaccinated when it was their turn.

Regarding WHOs assistance to Vietnam in the pandemic combat, Park said the organisation has been working closely with the Vietnamese Government even before the pandemic to prepare for any public health emergency.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has been providing technical, operational and logistical support to the response.

We will continue to do so and keep providing the most updated scientific evidence to support the Government in their response decision-making processes, he pledged.

WHOs support focuses on strengthening capacity across technical areas including surveillance, risk assessment, outbreak investigation and response, communication, laboratory (including provision of test kits and supplies).

WHO continues supporting the Vietnamese Ministry of Health to review and update the technical guidelines based on the latest evidence, such as diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19, infection prevention and control of COVID-19, how to ensure safety of health workers, and ICU care of COVID-19, among others.

We have also deployed medical equipment and supplies, especially for hotspot provinces, he said.

As a co-lead of the COVAX Facility, WHO, at the global level, provides technical recommendation on vaccination by convening the Strategic Advisory Group of Expert on Immunization (SAGE); assesses efficacy, safety and quality of vaccine products through WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure; and advocates for equitable access to vaccine based on science-based prioritization.

WHO recommends for Vietnam to prepare for Omicron, Park said, noting that the country should work to enhance surveillance including gene sequencing of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, achieve high COVID-19 vaccination coverage in all eligible populations in combination with 5K measures, continue to increase public health and medical capacities with well-coordinated patient referral system from primary care to intensive care services to manage an increase in cases, and continue to provide correct information in timely and transparent manner to the public so people make informed decisions to protect themselves and their family./.

Source: VNA
Vietnam, which is pursuing a policy on the development of digital technology, has set the goal of having 10 technology firms with annual revenue of over $1 billion by 2025.

2021 has been an eventful year for the ICT industry as Vietnam began building a legal framework to promote digital technology. The year witnessed Vietnamese technology firms developing many apps that have been useful in the Covid fight.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, (MIC), the ICT industry earned revenue of $136,153 million in 2021, higher than the $124,678 million in 2020.

The year also saw a sharp increase in number of ICT firms. Vietnam now has 64,000 digital technology firms, an increase of 5,600 over 2020, which have created about 1,000 Make-in-Vietnam ICT products and services.

The revenue of Vietnams firms was $18,779 million, which accounted for 13.8 percent of the revenue of the entire industry. Its estimated that the Vietnamese value accounted for 24.65 percent of the industrys revenue.

Though it has gained achievements, the ICT industry is still facing difficulties. The robust development of digital technology requires regular adjustment of the legal framework to create favorable conditions for digital technology firms to grow.

Over 90 percent of digital technology firms in Vietnam are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), so their budgets for R&D remain modest. The labor force in the industry is weak and still cannot satisfy the requirements in the new development period.

Many localities do not attach much importance to plans on digital technology development in 2021-2025 and 2026-2030. Also, there are difficulties in allotting budgets to support digital technology development.

Under the plan, MIC in 2022 will draft a Law on Digital Technology in order to institutionalize guidelines and policies of the Party and the State on digital technology development.

The other tasks for 2022 are building and protecting the growth space, and developing a digital economy based on research, creation, production, supply and use of Vietnams digital technology products and services.

Its expected that by 2025, the ICT industry, with the mission of shifting from outsourcing and assembling to Making in Vietnam, will master or invent technologies with local content of over 45 percent.

Vietnam plans to have 100,000 digital technology firms by 2025, and have at least 10 firms play a leading role with international competitiveness and with revenue of over $1 billion. It also wants to have 10 localities with revenue of over $1 billion from ICT, and 10-12 IT zones.

Duy Vu

Vietnamese still lack confidence in Vietnam-made technological products Vietnams technology firms are capable of creating technological solutions that solve Vietnamese problems, but they still cannot overcome users doubts about their products.
An increased statewide interest in COVID-19 testing comes after months of reduced demand following the second major surge in late summer. The Texas Tribune reported Thursday the Texas Department of State Health Services, which tracks COVID-19 cases, deaths, hospitalizations and vaccinations, would not be reporting those numbers on its website dashboard during the next two holiday weekends.

If you look at the level of testing that is occurring, just looking at the last week, we have gotten an average of 100,000 each day for the last seven days, he said. That is, by far, enough to give us a picture of whats happening with the pandemic in Texas. When you take a look at the cases, combined with the positivity rate, it gives us a real good indication of whats going on. Were seeing cases go up a lot. Were seeing the positivity rate go up a lot.
Central Freight Lines, after confirming last week it will close after 96 years in business, has begun layoffs in Waco and elsewhere, prompting a lawsuit by a former employee claiming Central violated labor laws.

Central informed the Texas Workforce Commission it will eliminate 153 jobs in McLennan County, 292 in Tarrant County, 162 in Harris County and 66 in Bexar County, according to a WARN Act submission the Workforce Commission released. Generally, the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires companies with more than 100 full-time employees to provide written notice at least 60 days before mass layoffs.

Callers to Centrals Waco offices hear a message the company is now closed. In a press release, company President Bruce Kalem said shuttering the 96-year-old freight hauler founded by Wacos W.W. Woody Callan became a necessity as debt mounted and efforts to secure financing for near-term operations proved futile.

Central lost $67 million this fiscal year and $250 million the last few years, The Wall Street Journal reported.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  George Keiser, a longtime Republican North Dakota lawmaker who announced just last week that he would not seek another term in the Legislature, has died. He was 75.

House Republican Caucus Chair Glenn Bosch said Keiser died Wednesday, the Bismarck Tribune reported. A cause of death was not disclosed. Keiser announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs disease, the common name for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a nervous system disease that weakens muscles.

Keiser's body has been taken to Eastgate and Parkway Funeral and Cremation Service in Bismarck, which is handling the funeral, an employee said.

Gov. Doug Burgum said in a statement that Keiser served the citizens of North Dakota with passion and dedication for nearly three decades.

U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer also issued statements. Hoven said Keiser worked to build up his community and secure a more prosperous future for North Dakotans.
The debate over the issue of Christian identity at Baylor University has played out over these pages in the past weeks, beginning with a guest column titled BUs stagnant Christian commitment by Perry L. Glanzer, a professor at Baylor. Some believe Baylor is not living up to its Christian mission while others assert that it has. I hope that today, at least, can be a moment of grace for all, and a day to acknowledge that creating the duality of Earth and heaven we see in Christ is a project that only God can achieve perfectly. And yet, it is worthwhile to try. The seat at the table for a Protestant university has at times been left vacant. Leaders from Christian universities talk among themselves too often and to the secular world too seldom. The example should be Christ, boldly going into the world and challenging its easy conventions and barriers. He went to Jerusalem, yes, but also to small villages and far-flung towns to teach and heal, often leaving the religious authorities baffled or angry.
WATERLOO  The city unanimously approved newly drawn ward and precinct maps, waiving the second and third readings to adopt the ordinance before the Jan. 3 deadline set by the state.

But the change didnt come without opposition from at least one resident worried about the population deviations between each of Waterloos five wards.

Once again, the Fourth Ward has the lowest number of voters through the census for a second time in a row, said resident Todd Obadal, noting there were over 1,000 fewer people in Ward 4 than in Ward 2, the citys most populous ward.

The two wards differ by 1,135 people, according to the citys precinct population maps, based on census information from 2020. Ward 4 has 12,969 people, while Ward 2 contains 14,104 people.

But theyre not far off from the other three: Ward 1 has 13,025 people, Ward 3 contains 13,425 and Ward 5 has 13,791.

Obadal acknowledged the city kept within requirements to not split state or federal legislative precincts and keep population deviation below 10%. But he contended Waterloo planning staff could have gotten closer.

I think, especially with all the advancements in computer technology and spreadsheets, that we can do better than this  at least under 5% if not under a 1% difference, Obadal said. Each person could be satisfied that their vote counts just as much.

Aric Schroeder, city planner, said the city faced a fairly complicated process and a very short timeline this year, noting delays with both census data and the Iowa Legislature, plus working through a holiday period.

Its not perfect, Schroeder acknowledged. We think weve got a pretty good one in place. He added that if the council didnt pass a version, the state takes over and can adopt whatever they want in terms of boundaries.

In other news, the council:

Held a hearing on the contract for Cedar River Marina and Recreational Enhancements, though no additional information was available. That left council members and residents with more questions than comments.

Where do we find the plans on this, and what amount of money is the city going to have involved in this? asked resident David Dreyer.

Noel Anderson, the citys planning director, noted the city was committed to building a marina on the river through a development agreement with the Tech Works district. He also noted it was in the citys long-term riverfront renaissance plans.

Preliminary designs for the marina in 2015 estimated its cost at the time to be $2.7 million. It would include a boat sales and storage building, 18 rental boat slips, a boat fueling station and pontoon rentals on the west bank of the Cedar River.

The Iowa Department of Transportation in 2019 agreed to cover 80% of the cost of both the marina and the Shaulis Road recreational trail extension. Before the pandemic upended plans, construction was slated to begin in late 2020.

The city is likely to pony up at least another $800,000 toward the project. Anderson said the city would be looking for different partners to work with on securing those funds.

The detailed plans and renderings were not available because the project was being bid out by the Iowa Department of Transportation, said City Engineer Jamie Knutson.

Eventually, you will have the contracts come back to council before we do anything else, Knutson said.

Approved a heated sidewalk to be constructed in front of the newly rebuilt Lowell Elementary School.

The Waterloo Community School District had to apply to the city for a waiver for the sidewalk, which Knutson said may be the only one of its kind in the city. In an email, he noted he only remembered two or three heated pavement waivers coming before council in the last two decades, both for driveways.

Knutson said such waivers are rare because heated concrete is expensive to install and repair.

Heated concrete is actually radiant heat flooring that can be installed both indoors and out. Heated water and antifreeze are pumped into tubing underneath the pavement with the flip of a switch, melting snow and ice on top, according to Home Advisor.

According to the waiver requested by the district, the heated sidewalk would be in front of the school at 1707 Williston Ave., east of the bus lane and the east entrance to the school.

A message to the school district regarding more details about the sidewalk was not returned.

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IOWA FALLS (AP)  Two Iowa State Patrol troopers were justified in an Iowa Falls shooting that left one man dead, according to a review of the death released Wednesday by the Iowa attorney generals office.

The review by Special Assistant Attorney General Scott Brown found that troopers Corey Smock and Jeremy Schaffer were entirely legally justified in their actions that ended in the death of Jared Risius, 35, on the morning of Dec. 8 in Iowa Falls.

The shooting happened after Iowa Falls officers attempted to help a woman who reported a man was trying to stop her vehicle. Officers saw the man, later identified as Risius, strike the womans sport utility vehicle with his car, and after the vehicles stopped they ordered Risius out of his vehicle. Officers said they believed he was armed and potentially dangerous to people nearby.

After police said Risius refused their orders, several troopers responded and also ordered Risius to leave his vehicle empty-handed. Concerned he might try to leave in the SUV, Smock fired a shot later found to have hit Risius in the right arm.

Later, when Risius appeared to be preparing to begin driving, Schaffer fired a shot that hit him in the head, killing him instantly.

Risius,of Eldora, was found to have a loaded, sawed-off shotgun.

The attorney generals office says it considers the investigation closed.

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Federal Court Proceedings Result

Sydney, Dec 23, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Federal Court has rejected an activist organisation's legal challenge to the Commonwealth Government's Beetaloo Basin exploration grants program but ruled initial contracts invalid for procedural reasons.Empire Energy Group Limited ( ASX:EEG ) ( OTCMKTS:EEGUF ) intends to work with the Commonwealth to negotiate replacement agreements.The Federal Court handed down its judgment on 23 December 2021 on claims made in proceedings by an activist organisation Environment Centre NT Inc (ENT) against the Government's Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program. Empire's wholly owned subsidiary, Imperial Oil & Gas Pty Limited (Imperial) was joined to the case because it is a party to grant agreements.ENT had challenged:a) the Minister's decision to prescribe the Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program by a statutory instrument made on 11 May 2021 (the Instrument);b) the Minister's decision dated 17 June 2021 to approve approximately $21 million in funding under the Program to be paid to Imperial (the Approval Decision); andc) the Commonwealth's decision to enter into three grant contracts with Imperial on 9 September 2021 (the Grant Contracts) which gave effect to the 17 June 2021 Approval Decision.The Federal Court dismissed the ENT claims for judicial review in respect of the decisions concerning the Instrument and the Approval Decision for funding under the Beetaloo Cooperative Drilling Program to Imperial.However, the Court found that the Commonwealth's decision to enter the Grant Contracts with Imperial was legally unreasonable, in that the Commonwealth's power was exercised after this litigation commenced, and the particular circumstances in place at the time the Commonwealth entered the Grant Contracts on 9 September 2021.As a result, the Court has:a) declared the Grant Contracts void, and set aside the Commonwealth's decision to enter into the Grant Contracts; andb) otherwise dismissed the claims brought by ENT.As no funds had been advanced by the Commonwealth to Imperial under the Grant Contracts, no funds are repayable to the Commonwealth.The Federal Minister for Resources and Water, Hon Keith Pitt MP, in a media release entitled "Court Gives Green Light to Beetaloo Basin Gas Development"1, welcomed the decision, stating:"The Instrument under which the grant program was written and the Approval Decision to award grants to Imperial Oil & Gas were both valid and we welcome that decision so that we can move forward with the program."Empire, through its subsidiary Imperial Oil & Gas, intends to work proactively with the Commonwealth to negotiate new grant agreements under the valid Approval Decision.Empire will update shareholders as those negotiations progress.Beetaloo Forward Work ProgramsEmpire is fully funded to carry out the fracture stimulation and flow testing of Carpentaria-2H which is scheduled for Q2 2022 with current cash at bank of $22.4 million.The Court decision has no impact on the environmental approvals in place with the Northern Territory Government and Empire presently intends to proceed with its work programs as planned.About Empire Energy Group Ltd

Empire Energy (ASX:EEG) (OTCMKTS:EEGUF) holds over 14.5 million acres of highly prospective exploration tenements in the McArthur and Beetaloo Basins, Northern Territory. Work undertaken by the Company since 2010 demonstrates that the Eastern depositional Trough of the McArthur Basin, of which the Company holds 80% has very considerable conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon potential. The Beetaloo sub-Basin, in which Empire holds a substantial position, has independently assessed world class hydrocarbon volumes in place with a major ramp up in industry activity underway to appraise substantial discoveries already made by major Australian oil and gas operators.

Empire Energy is an experienced conventional oil and gas producer with operations in the Appalachia region (New York and Pennsylvania). Empire has been successfully developing and producing oil and gas since 2006.


Enters the Metaverse with Digital Real Estate Purchase

Sydney, Dec 24, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - With public interest in digital worlds accelerated by the transition from Facebook to Meta and the upcoming launch of their Metaverse, artificial intelligence company Crowd Media Holdings Limited ( ASX:CM8 ) ( FRA:CM3 ) has given a glimpse into its plans within these digital worlds.Unlike others that are just coming to the party in the form of virtual reality tech, Crowd Media has been developing its digital avatar platform for the past three years, drawing on its artificial intelligence and deepfake technology. Utilising a series of still images, Crowd Media's platform is set to create life-like replicas of any person that will provide them with a digital avatar in the Metaverse or other online worlds being targeted by their digital avatar platform.Well before the world was aware of Mark Zuckerberg's plans for the Metaverse, digital worlds have been 'live' with two of the better known ones being Second Life and Decentraland.Decentraland in particular has been particularly popular within tech circles with the entire world built on the blockchain with assets traded via online marketplaces in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The world operates with its native MANA cryptocurrency which trades at a market cap of USD $6 billion. This week, Crowd Media released a screengrab of a billboard erected by the Company on a block of digital land acquired in Decentraland."This is a space that we expect to see mass adoption in over the coming years which is why it is a sphere that Crowd is actively targeting," said Crowd Media CEO, Idan Schmorak."As a big opportunity that Crowd can adapt its digital avatar technology to, users in these digital worlds will start seeing Crowd Media branding more."While the billboard is static at the moment, we are working on integrations that will enable users to interact with it. At the same time, we will also seek to acquire more digital assets, including within the Metaverse, as part of our commercialisation plans for the platform."In previous media appearances, Schmorak has voiced his intentions to utilise Crowd's digital avatar platform which not only rolls out digital avatars, but embed them with conversational intelligence. With this intelligence, digital avatar talking heads have the potential to interact with real users within a digital world with use cases including processing transactions, providing customer service or acting as an outlet for minting new NFTs."We are hoping to finalise one of our first deals over the next week that will position our talking heads in front of thousands of users. Debuting this beta technology will be a milestone on one hand, but on the other hand it will allow us to gather data that will help us to develop the final version for more scalable commercialisation," said Schmorak.With Crowd's digital avatar platform having been conceptualised as a platform that will enhance avatars with visual, audio and intelligence that mimic the original human, it should come as no surprise that Crowd is also exploring their ownership in the form of NFTs.Having been appointed CEO of Crowd Media in September 2021, Schmorak assumed the role vacated by co-founder Domenic Carosa, a well known early-stage investor in Bitcoin, and founder of cryptocurrency company Banxa ( CVE:BNXA ). Although stepping down to concentrate on Banxa and various other blockchain projects, Carosa retained a seat on the Board of Directors at Crowd Media and maintains his major shareholder status in Crowd.This article is sourced from thesentiment.com.au by permission.About Crowd Media Holdings Limited

Crowd Media Holdings Ltd (ASX:CM8) (FRA:CM3) is an Artificial Intelligence company that is leveraging its AI platform for applications in Conversational Commerce.


Mt Stirling Project Drill Update

Perth, Dec 24, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Torian Resources Limited ( ASX:TNR ) is pleased to announce the progress of its 17,500m drilling campaign (RC and AV combined) at the Mt Stirling Gold Project. Drilling includes a planned combined 12,500m RC to test:o High priority targets at Tyrannus (preliminary assays received);o Hydra (preliminary assays received);o Estera (high grade Au assays received);o Stirling Well extension;o Mt Stirling / Viserion extension, ando Skywing gold targets.RC drilling has advanced with rig drill testing high priority shallow portion of the Mt Stirling-Viserion gold deposit to be drill defined to achieve an increase in the resource JORC Indicated category (~880m strike x ~125m depth) from surface with 9 drill holes completed for 740mAn additional ~5,000m of AV drilling is planned to vector and expand the footprint of high-ranked regional Au; As; multi-element and structural targets across the project.In addition to proving up recent discoveries, a key priority of this campaign will be to upgrade the confidence level of an increased amount of the Mt Stirling-Viserion Resource to 'Indicated', and to potentially add additional ounces by extending the strike and selective depth of the gold system.Approximately 40% of the planned meters will target the shallow portion of the Mt Stirling-Viserion gold deposit to be drill defined to JORC Indicated category (~880m strike x ~125m depth) from surface 425m down to 300mRL. The Company anticipates that this is likely to increase the global Project Au grade, expand the Resource base and provide valuable data and confidence to a 2022 Q1 Optimisation Study.An updated global MRE for the Mt Stirling Gold Project is on track for the end of Q1 2022. (Subject to drilling efficiency and lab timelines). In addition to the results from this next round of drilling, the MRE will include previously announced results that were not included in the May 2021 MRE.In an effort to expedite the drilling programme the Company has secured the services of three drilling contractors who will be drilling throughout this coming January.The Company has also secured the services of Minecomp to conduct a pit optimisation study, as it takes another step towards assessing the economics and unlocking value from the Mt Stirling / Viserion gold system.Torian's Executive Director Mr Peretz Schapiro said "As we approach the end of the year, on behalf of the board I would like to thank our geological and field team for their hard work and tireless efforts over the last 12 months. Today, our Mt Stirling Gold Project is significantly more advanced than where it was 12 months ago. We have increased our resource, identified and proven numerous high priority gold targets and are well on the way to growing our global resource in 2022. We look forward to providing continuous updates over the coming weeks, as our drilling program continues to ramp up.Viserion High Grade Gold ExtensionFirst planned drillhole on Mt Stirling-Viserion 1800N extension intercepts significant shallow mineralisation:o 10m @ 3.59 g/t Au from 12m (MSRC142);incl 3m @ 7.90 g/t Au from 14m; and 1m @ 18.01 g/t Au from 15mNear-surface mineralisation extends gold system ~60m up-dip on 1800N section.In-fill drilling on 1480N section intercepts multiple mineralised zones:o 1m @ 1.62 g/t Au from 64m (MSRC148); ando 24m @ 1.03 g/t Au from 69m;incl 7m @ 1.56 g/t Au from 81m; and 1m @ 2.94 g/t Au from 82mo Anomalous comps* from 96m through to 112m (*assays pending)A further 6 Mt Stirling-Viserion drill holes (MSRC144-147; MSRC149-150) are pending assay results.Approximately 40 drill holes remain to be drilled to complete planned drill phase.Tyrannus Maiden ResultsTyrannus maiden results confirm multiple mineralised gold zones including:o 1m @ 1.72 g/t Au from 59m (MSRC135)o 1m @ 3.68 g/t Au from 29m (MSRC136)o 4m @ 1.22 g/t Au from 4m (MSRC137); incl 1m @ 3.26 g/t Au from 7mo 2m @ 3.21 g/t Au from 16m (MSRC138); incl 1m @ 3.84 g/t Au from 16mo 6m @ 1.05 g/t Au from 12m (MSRC139); incl 2m @ 2.39 g/t Au from 14mo 4m @ 2.02 g/t Au from 37m (MSRC139); incl 1m @ 2.62 g/t Au from 38mThese are encouraging zones of saprolitic gold mineralisation and significantly, sheared zones through fresh primary basement rocks, warranting follow up drilling.Tyrannus drilling has advanced with 11 drill holes completed for 890m drilled.Drilling will resume on the remainder of planned program in early January, to test the remaining interpreted target zones.Skywing DiscoveryThe re-interpretation of Mt Stirling Central Zone to flat easterly dipping lode(s) has resulted in 24 pierce points over ~450m strike defining the newly discovered "Skywing" lode(s). These pierce points have been obtained from existing drilling, which has brought into play most intercepts which were outside of the previous MS MRE of May 2021.Skywing lode(s) vary from 1-2m true width and provide an immediate prospective shallow open-pittable interpreted extents (~800m x 220m; from surface). This will be drill tested with 40x40m drill spacing towards the Wonambi Shear with ~3,550m of RC drilling planned; with the first phase of 1800m going towards testing the mineralised model in order to commit to a 2nd phase of drilling which will complete the program.Of significant interest at Skywing, is that Au grades increase in grade towards the east on every section. (Other than supergene enrichment close to surface on western extents of interpreted shallow easterly dipping flat lodes). It is highly unusual that the Skywing lode(s) exhibit such Au homogeneity and increasing grades towards the Wonambi Shear.Although modest ounces, modelled Au grade, increasing with depth and easterly appreciation could multiply scale potential. Any increase in width will also have this effect.Skywing also demonstrates potential for repeated flat lodes; alike to the Stirling Well stacked lode model, in addition to prospective spaced-out occurrences that further drilling will seek to unveil.Detailed logging will also confirm saprolitic v primary gold and provide sufficient data for interpreted modelling.Given shallow nature of the mineralisation and planned drilling, assay results from Skywing are anticipated to fast-track the prospect's inclusion into the optimisation study.Skywing lode(s) extension drilling is scheduled for 3rd January 2022.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Torian Resources Limited

Torian Resources Ltd (ASX:TNR) is a gold exploration and development company with an extensive and strategic land holding comprising eight projects and over 400km2 of tenure in the Goldfields Region of Western Australia.

Torian's flagship project, Zuleika, is located along the world-class Zuleika Shear. The Zuleika Shear is the fourth largest gold producing region in Australia and consistently produces some of the country's highest grade and lowest cost gold mines. Torian's Zuleika project lies north and partly along strike of several major gold deposits including Northern Star's (ASX:NST) 7.0Moz East Kundana Joint Venture and Evolutions (ASX:EVN) 1.8Moz Frogs Legs and White Foil deposits.

Torian's other projects include the strategically located Mt Stirling and Malcolm Projects in the Leonora region (near Red 5's King of the Hills Project), where it recently completed updated Mineral Resource Estimates and preliminary scoping studies, and a suite of other projects in the Kalgoorlie region including Credo Well JV Zuleika JV, Bonnie Vale, Gibraltar and Mount Monger/Wombola.
A person was fatally shot Thursday afternoon at an apartment complex in Northwest Albuquerque.

Rebecca Atkins, an Albuquerque police spokeswoman, said officers responded around 2:30 p.m. to a shooting at Bluewater Village, just north of Central and Coors NW.

She said they found a person dead.

This is an active investigation and more information will be released as it is available, Atkins said.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The president of a propane gas company that is the target of a state lawsuit said Thursday that staffing shortages have hindered his ability to deliver the heating fuel to residential customers in northern New Mexico.

Robert Sivers, president of Bobs LP Gas Inc., acknowledged he is having trouble making propane deliveries to customers as asserted in a lawsuit filed this week by the New Mexico Attorney Generals Office.

Sivers said he has supplies of propane that he cant deliver because he cant hire the required drivers and other personnel.

Ive got propane and trucks sitting there, Sivers said in a phone interview. I have no drivers. We dont have the staff to do it.

Sivers said he could hire four drivers, a bookkeeper and other personnel immediately. Sivers also said he did not know how many customers he has in Rio Arriba County.

Attorney General Hector Balderas filed a lawsuit Wednesday in 1st Judicial District Court alleging that Sivers and Bobs LP Gas have failed to honor contracts to deliver propane to vulnerable Northern New Mexicans as the winter weather sets in.

The suit alleges that Bobs Gas is refusing to refill propane tanks that consumers lease from the company, despite its obligation to do so.

Bobs Gas is a Colorado-based corporation but its principal place of business is Rio Arriba County, according to the suit.

Bobs Gas is leaving hundreds of New Mexicans without propane gas for safe heat during freezing temperatures, Balderas office said in a written statement issued Thursday.

Jerri Mares, Balderas spokeswoman, said she didnt know specifically how many customers are affected.

The lawsuit was filed as the state Department of Homeland Security issued a storm warning Thursday, telling people in northern New Mexico to prepare for low temperatures and heavy winds that are expected to continue through Friday night.

Without propane in colder temperatures, these New Mexicans are forced to resort to burning wood for heat, using dangerous gas grills or electric space heaters for warmth, the Attorney Generals Office said in its statement.

The suit asks a judge to require Bobs Gas either to deliver propane to customers or to allow another company to fill the companys propane tanks. No hearings were scheduled Thursday.

Sivers said that he had given permission for another propane supplier, Ferrellgas Propane, to fill tanks owned by his company. Ferrellgas is the only other propane provider in Rio Arriba County, he said.

I dont want to make it hard on the customers, Sivers said.

Complaints about propane delivery problems have been building since November, state officials said.

The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission has said it has received numerous complaints about propane deliveries for about a month.

Failure to deliver propane is a violation of law, the PRC said.

District 3 Commissioner Joseph Maestas asked the Attorney Generals Office to investigate the complaints in mid-December.

The PRC did not identify Bobs Gas, but said a company based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, claimed delays were due to a shortage of specialty propane delivery drivers.

When customers rent their propane tanks, part of the rental agreement is that only that company may be used to fill the propane tanks, the PRC said in its statement.

The AGs Office asked people with complaints about propane delivery to contact staff at 1-844-255-9210 or to file a complaint on its website at www.nmag.gov/file-a-complaint.aspx.
SAN JOSE, Calif.  Jurors in the fraud trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes returned to the courtroom Thursday to listen again to audio recordings that captured Holmes brash promises about vaunted blood-testing technology that propelled her meteoric rise and scandalous downfall.

In those recordings from a December 2013 presentation to prospective investors, Holmes bragged about partnerships with established drug companies that hadnt panned out and potential U.S. military contracts that never materialized because of problems with Theranos technology. She was unaware she was being recorded at the time.

The jurors previously heard the recordings in late October and a few excerpts in closing arguments last week. They sent a note before noon asking to review them, prompting U.S. District Judge Edward Davila to bring the eight men and four women of the jury back to the courtroom for the first time since they were ushered out at the end of last week to begin deliberations.

Holmes, 37, returned to the courtroom too, and intently watched the jurors and their reactions to the recordings from her usual seat in the courtroom. She seemed to try to make eye contacts with the jurors when as they walked out of the courtroom following the audio replay, but none appeared to return her gaze.

In the recordings, Holmes boasts about how Theranos would change the reality of lab testing and bring down health costs so dramatically that it would save Medicaid and Medicare about $150 billion over a decade. But she didnt say how long that would take to happen.

Holmes also promised that a deal that Theranos had to deploy its blood-testing technology in Walgreens pharmacies was poised to quickly ramp up.

The question now is how fast do we scale? Holmes told the group of investors on the conference call.. The fact that we will scale is a given.

Walgreens only ended up using Theranos technology in about 40 of its stores, mostly in Arizona, before bailing out of the deal because of concerns that the blood tests were wildly unreliable.

The recordings could prove pivotal to the jurors decision because many of the accusations against her revolve around alleged lies she told to raise more money for Theranos.

By the time the recordings were made, a decade after she founded Theranos, Holmes estimated that the company was worth about $7 billion. By mid-2014, Theranos was valued at $9 billion, with half of that that paper wealth owned by Holmes, the companys controlling shareholder.

But it all began to unravel in 2015 and 2016 after a series of articles in The Wall Street Journal and regulatory audits exposed serious flaws in the Theranos technology, which Holmes repeatedly promised would quickly scan for hundreds of health problems using just a few drops of blood. That would have been a dramatic change from the traditional method of relying on vials of blood drawn through a needle stuck in a vein.

Holmes will face up to 20 years in prison if the jury finds her guilty. The jury left Thursday without reaching a verdict and are scheduled to resume deliberations Monday.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  A court challenge aimed at New Mexico COVID-19 vaccine requirements imposed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration is struggling for traction, as a federal appeals court and a U.S. Supreme Court justice have both dismissed attempts to block the mandate.

In a ruling last week, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a motion seeking an order to halt enforcement of the vaccine mandate, saying the plaintiffs had not provided evidence to back up their claims it violated their constitutional rights.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch then denied a subsequent attempt for an emergency ruling from the nations highest court.

The rulings come after a federal judge in September rejected the court challenge, saying a state public health order requiring COVID-19 vaccine shots for certain occupations did not lack a rational relationship to a legitimate government purpose.

While a full appeal could still be pursued, Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett on Thursday lauded the court rulings.

Vaccination policies save lives and protect New Mexicans, Sackett told the Journal. Were gratified that their function as a public health tool has been upheld.

New Mexicos vaccine-related public health order was issued in August and later revised. It requires a COVID-19 vaccination for people working in such high-risk settings as hospitals, nursing homes, hospice facilities and prisons.

The mandate applies to doctors, nurses and others, but allows for exemptions on medical and religious grounds. Employees who refuse to be vaccinated face the possibility of losing their jobs, and roughly two dozen state corrections officers left their jobs or were fired for failing to comply.

Since being imposed, the vaccine requirements have prompted protests in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Roswell, but have also drawn support from several health care organizations.

One of the two plaintiffs in the New Mexico lawsuit is Jennifer Blackford, who is currently on leave without pay from her job as a nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services, which runs the hospital and eight others around the state, announced shortly after the states vaccine mandate was unveiled that it would require COVID-19 vaccinations for its entire workforce of more than 13,000 people.

Albuquerque attorney Blair Dunn, who is representing the plaintiffs in the case, said he realized the motion for an injunction from the U.S. Supreme Court was a longshot.

Were still very, very early in the case, Dunn told the Journal.

He also said hes hopeful the legal wrangling over the vaccine mandate ultimately focuses on bodily integrity issues and the right to ones chosen profession.

Since New Mexico imposed its vaccine mandates, President Joe Biden has also announced a similar requirement for federal workers, health care providers that get federal funding and workers at businesses with more than 100 employees.

Court challenges have also been filed against the federal vaccine mandate.

As of Thursday, a total of 88.3% of New Mexicans age 18 and older had received at least one vaccine dose, with 75.6% of adults having gotten all shots necessary to be fully vaccinated, according to state Department of Health data.

Among all state residents, about 65% were fully vaccinated, though some young children are still not eligible to get vaccine doses.

Meanwhile, the unsuccessful challenge to the states vaccine requirement also marks the latest legal victory for Lujan Grisham.

Other pandemic-related lawsuits filed against the Democratic governor targeted a temporary ban on indoor restaurant dining, the states refusal to release a large number of inmates from prison and financial losses caused by mandatory business closures and capacity restrictions.

However, the state Supreme Court did side with legislators in a court challenge over whether the Governors Office had sole spending authority for roughly $1.7 billion in federal pandemic relief funds.




CIUDAD JUAREZ  Manuel Pinto is spending his third consecutive Christmas at a church shelter, surrounded by strangers, concrete walls and barbed wire.

Its a telling contradiction of the plight of many immigrants who abandon the protections, however meager, of their home countries to expose their vulnerabilities while en route to the United States, where they seek asylum, security and a better future.

Pinto, a 38-year-old Honduran immigrant who arrived in Juarez more than two years ago seeking asylum, sat in a corner of one of the larger rooms of the immigrant church shelter. With arms folded, he stared at a Christmas tree decorated with chipped ornaments hung by the hands of fellow immigrants, most with traumatic stories similar to his, and all in the same state of despair.

Right now, I dont know whats going to happen with me, he said with more resignation than anger. If officials in Mexico wont help, and the United States wont help, then I dont know what to do.

He is one of 74 immigrants living at El Buen Samaritano  the Good Samaritan  a compound located on a dirt road in a colonia at the southern end of Ciudad Juarez. Its a shelter painted pastel green in years past, with concrete walls standing 12 feet high and topped with hoops of barbed wire that line every perimeter.

Government data shows record immigration encounters at the Southwest border  338,373 in October and November, up from 144,042 during the same time last year.

The U.S. efforts to mitigate the number of immigrants entering the country remain in place as the flood of individuals and families seeking asylum continues to swamp legal and border security resources.

The Migrant Protection Protocol, which requires immigrants to remain in Mexico while awaiting their asylum hearings, remains active, as does Title 42, the public health policy that allows nearly any immigrant to be promptly returned to Mexico as a COVID-19 health precaution.

Honestly, this is hard

The immigrants at the Good Samaritan spend most of their day within its walls. A courtyard with a worn concrete floor separates the cafeteria, sleeping areas and restroom spaces, and industrial tarps hang along the edge to provide some outdoor shade.

Juan Fierro Garcia sits in the small administrative office abutting the courtyard. As the church pastor, hes worked to expand the immigrant shelter since it began four years ago. Initially, he said, the shelter was opened only to men, who at that time were the most numerous immigrants.

But, as immigration numbers began to escalate, the demographics changed, he said.

When everything changed with immigration, we saw that women were coming with children, men with children, he said. I saw that there were families out there, that there were kids and I saw that we needed to receive them, too. We needed space for them.

Now, the majority of its guests are children.

Ellen, a Central American woman in her 20s, was scrubbing a black T-shirt on a washboard in the corner of the courtyard. Her 5-year-old son ran up to her while she was washing, and she leaned over to hug him.

Honestly, this is hard  hard as a mother of small children, she said as her son ran to his father on the other side of the courtyard. It is very difficult for children to get used to the changes.

I really dont have (hope) now

Heladio Romero, a 58-year-old fisherman from Michoacan, was sweeping the concrete under the overhanging tarp. He said his family fled their neighborhood  disputed turf between two cartels  shortly before incoming and outgoing roads were blocked by the battling factions. Romero, his wife, his son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, one only 5 months old, found different routes out of the area and made their way to Juarez.

We hope to stay here for as long as the good pastor allows it, Romero said. Our hope is to cross to the other side, into the United States.

With Christmas coming, he said his thoughts are on his parents, still trapped in the cartel war.

I spoke with them this morning and they asked me how are you son?  Romero said. They told me not to come back, that things are terrible. Ive seen on the television and on the cellphone how bad things are, all the killings, he said, then he stopped speaking for a long moment.

Thank God, I still have them, but they are still over there. My father is 86 and my mom is 82, he said, his voice breaking with emotion.

Romero repeated a concern that many of the immigrants at this shelter expressed.

The police in central (Juarez) will harass you, he said. We were mailed a little bit of money for medicine for one of the children, and when we went to pick it up, the police detained us; they were trying to get money from us. So, we dont like going where the police are. We dont feel comfortable doing that, Romero said.

Selvin Antonio Valle Banegas, a 23-year-old from Honduras, expressed the same apprehension about Juarez municipal police.

The other day, I went to central (Juarez) and the police harassed me, they stole my money, said Banegas. He said he was walking with a few others at about noon when police stopped the group.

They were going to arrest me, to take me in, Im not sure why, he said. It was the Municipal Police, they took everything that I had  I thought that, as a migrant, they would protect you. But thats not how it is.

Multiple phone calls to the Municipal Police Headquarters in Juarez seeking comment were not returned.

For Pinto, these holidays represent a turning point in his nearly three-year attempt to avoid the violence and instability of Honduras. His asylum case, he said, was closed.

My hope for the new year, well, I really dont have one now, he said.

Instead of hope, all that remained was a decision to be made during these holidays.

What am I going to do with my life, and where am I going to go?
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Elisa Montoya was fast asleep at home last week when at about 6:30 a.m. disaster struck in the Des Montes area north of Taos.

All of a sudden we heard the windows shaking, the house actually started shaking, you could hear little hail or something hitting our windows and then the wind got so severe that it sucked my stove pipe from my gas stove inside out, Montoya said.

She said her son wrapped his arms around her and they took shelter in a hallway as the storm battered their home for about 10 terrifying minutes.

When the storm ended my son opened the door and our roof was (blown) over a (nearby) power line. , she said. It was a mess.

Hers was one of a number of Taos-area homes damaged Dec. 15 when the violent wind storm hit northern New Mexico, causing widespread power outages, downing hundreds of trees and destroying planes at Santa Fe Regional Airport.

Montoya, 47, and sons ages 15 and 16, and her daughter 20, are now all sleeping at her parents home nearby while she tries to find them a place with beds.

My house is not livable, Montoya said Wednesday in a telephone interview. There are three places inside my house where you look up and see the sky.

On Wednesday, Montoya was searching for a local, inexpensive place to live while stressing about the cost of repairs to her home. One contractor told her fixing her roof would cost $30,000. She said she has no homeowners insurance because she cant afford it.

My kids and I are sleeping on the floor at my moms because she doesnt have room for all of us, she said. Im hoping that I can find something for us, even a little kitchenette or something so we can have a bed because right now we are on the floor.

Im not even sure who to reach out to.

Bobby Lucero, director of the Taos County Office of Emergency Management, said he was waiting to see if the Governors Office would approve the countys disaster declaration and if federal funding might be available to assist Montoya and others whose homes were damaged.

Lucero was unclear whether federal funds could be used for private homes.

The Governors Office had not yet received the paperwork for a disaster declaration, though the state stands ready to be of service in any way we can and has been in frequent communication with responders on the ground since the outset of the storm, Nora Meyers Sackett, the governors spokeswoman, said in a Wednesday email.

At least 10 homes suffered severe damage around Taos County, officials said, and damage is still being assessed.

The American Red Cross has mobilized to help and is working with Emergency Management and the Taos Volunteer Fire Department.

Lucas Brooks, disaster program specialist with the Red Cross in Santa Fe, said Wednesday the organization has provided financial assistance to a handful of households, but in order to qualifythey have to have suffered major and destroyed damage.

On Thursday, he said Montoya would be getting financial assistance from the Red Cross.

Its definitely in the major and destroyed category, Brooks said.

Montoya is fearful that another storm predicted this week will cause more destruction.

Her father, uncle and others have covered her roof with plastic. Others have stepped up to provide what help they can.

Im grateful to the people that have reached out to us, Montoya said. We have had several people come by  Its been nice to have that comfort knowing that people care. Ive had people drop cards off with donations and they are offering their help.

A family member has provided funds so she and her children can spend a couple of nights at a Taos motel.

Asked what Christmas was going to look like, Montoya responded, Not good at all. Im very thankful that we were not hurt, of course.

But her energy right now is focused on finding shelter.
Globalisation has meant that businesses now increasingly open their doors to new locations, often setting themselves up in countries with sharply contrasting business and legal practises. While this expansion is fantastic for business growth, it also brings with it its own type of risk that the business may be exposed to in a country. From levels of perceived corruption to the likelihood of natural disasters the risks are as varied as the variables to measure them are numerous. The risk that stems from a businesss presence in a particular country or jurisdiction is commonly referred to as geographic or country risk.

As some global organisations have found out the hard way, it is no longer possible for a businesss subsidiary in London to isolate itself from the businesss operations in Mexico. It is therefore important to understand the geographic risk that stems from a particular location and to have that risk documented and applied across the businesss global operations in a consistent manner.

Additionally, the nature of geographic risk will also vary depending on the industry and sector type. For example, a global payment service providers greatest risk in Country X may be the risk of money laundering. However, for a hospitality chain the most concerning risk factors for that same Country X may be direct exposure to the risk of human trafficking. Therefore, careful consideration must be given to the risk posed to each business according to its industry and sector type.

The most common technique to understand geographic risk is through a risk index that can allocate comparative scores to countires across the world. While off the shelf indices are available, increasingly businesses have looked to create their own bespoke geographic risk index.

In this article, we focus on some of the factors that businesses will need to consider when creating such a geographic risk index.

Making your own Composite Geographic Risk Index

The starting point is to identify the nature of risk your business faces and whether there are any unique risk criteria that need to be measured. Having a clear risk appetite statement or risk tolerance level endorsed by senior executives is also important.

In our experience, businesses within the financial services sector will often have sets of risk criteria defined by regulation that will form the core of their approach to measuring geographic risk. Some of these risk criteria in the financial services are factors such money laundering, high levels of corruption within local government, presence of international sanctions, offshore financing and tax efficiency, high levels of secrecy and lack of transparency. However, businesses outside of the financial services sector may have to think of other factors such as high levels of narcotic and human trafficking, poor public administration and governance, high incidences of natural disasters, poor access to health and medical provisions among others, so that these are aligned to their business operation and reflects the unique risks within the industry or sector.

Secondly, identify your businesses non-negotiables. These are essentially strategic boundary conditions often derived from regulatory expectations and political tensions between countires. For example, businesses that trade in dual use goods and technology will have to comply with international sanctions regulations in relation dual use goods, that either comprehensively prohibit or partially restrict trading activity with sanctioned jurisdictions. Violations of international sanctions can invite severe regulatory censure, media scrutiny and reputational damage. As a result, businesses are expected to have certain auto-prohibit or auto-restrict criteria applied to certain territories. In the language of a risk index they are your overrides. Any presence in these territories should automatically override the risk scoring to prohibited or restricted.

The next step is to identify all publicly available sources of information that can be utilised to measure these risks. There are several off the shelf risk indexes such as the Basel AML index, that can be used for this purpose. Additionally, international NGOs, foundations and research organisations also produce unbiased and objective data in relation to most countries across the world, examples of these would be country scores published by the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Heritage Foundation and Transparency International (TI) etc.

While off the shelf indices allow easy cross comparison from one country to another, they are not be-spoke to the needs of specific business operations or industry type. A more refined approach might require creating a tailored table of relevant geography risk factors drawn from multiple sources. There is a plethora of independent, public source information that can be utilised for this purpose. In very high-risk industries, it is also not unheard of for businesses to utilise private intelligence firms to inform their geographic risk assessments.

Finally, businesses must also think about whether a single approach will be uniformly sufficient for all of its business operations or whether the variety of products and services being offered under a single business brand may require the adoption of multiple, differing approaches for each underlying business activity.

Getting a bit technical

Once the data sources for the purposes of creating a bespoke index have been identified, the development of the index needs to be carefully thought through. So, let us have a look at some of the common data related hurdles that can create problems and how to navigate them.

Standardisation: when comparing data sets from multiple sources you may find that different scoring methodologies are applied for measuring the same factors. For instance, you may have an index with a scoring system of 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest risk and 1 denotes the lowest risk. However, you may find another index where the scoring model is the exact opposite. It is important to standardise these scoring models before you can start aggregating and utilising the underlying data for your index.

Classification: it is important that indices that measure the same risk factor are classified and grouped together. So, for example, there are several indices dedicated to the measurement of tax transparency. When building your bespoke risk index, these should all be put together and classified as a single group indicating the scores for tax transparency. Other groupings could be risk of bribery and corruption, environment, health and safety etc. This is to the help ensure that the overall risk of a country does not get skewed by a countrys score in relation to one group. This classification will also help you to decide how much weight you want to allocate to each grouping in accordance with its relevance to your business.

Absent data: Often a country may not have data available to measure particular risk factors. This could be due to lack of transparency or lack of information to measure particular risk factors in that country. Resolving this issue is somewhat trickier and requires a documented risk-based approach to be agreed within the business. It is important to note here that lack of transparency of information in and of itself could be an indication of high risk. However, there are several ways to overcome the challenge of missing data, these include but are not limited to:

only using data sources where all countries, or only the countries the business operates in, are represented. In some instances, this may have the impact of significantly reducing the footprint of your country risk index

removing the data field with the missing data from the entire index. In some instances, this may have an impact on the actual utility of the index

replacing missing data with average scores taken from other data points in relation to that same country

replacing missing data with information from relevant countries e.g. using the score from UK where data is missing in relation to a British crown dependency.

No matter what method is used, it is very important to document this in your methodology and to be transparent about the data imputations and their underlying assumptions to be able to show the rationale to any regulatory or third party reviewer.

Weighting: once data sets have been standardised and missing data has been imputed, weighting has to be given to each risk classification or bucket, so that the total aggregated score is weighed to reflect risks that are unique to your business. For instance, a global construction company on a public procurement contract in Country X may be more interested in the risk of bribery and corruption in the public procurement sector than in the risk of lack of access to education and health services. By contrast, a company seeking to relocate staff to Country X may very well realise that lack of access to education and health provisions are a big hurdle to staff relocation and attrition. The weighting given of these two risk factors will be significantly different in the above two businesses.

Scoring: ultimately the aim of a risk index is to generate a scoring model for each country so that the score can be utilised to make a strategic decision. This could inform decisions such as where to expand the businesses operations to, whether to build relationships with clients or partners from certain countries or jurisdictions, as well as whether more robust controls should be placed on existing operations around the globe. It is important that your scoring model is aligned to your overall business risk appetite and is neither too prohibitive nor too permissive in allowing key business decisions to be made.

Finally, regular review and updating of the geographic risk index will help you to stay current and ensure that business decisions can be revised and reflect the reality on ground.

At Protiviti we help clients build bespoke risk indices that are tailored to their businesses and will be happy to discuss this topic with you in more detail.

Tas Zaki is a Senior Manager at Protiviti (tasnoova.zaki@protiviti.co.uk)

Harry Henson is a Consultant at Protiviti (harry.henson@protiviti.co.uk)

About Protiviti

Protiviti is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and our independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit through our network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries.
SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. - Two Caltrans District 2 Maintenance employees are being called heroes after helping save the lives of two people Sunday night.

Jason Lofton and Brian Rubalcava were on rock patrol along State Route 263. While on their drive they noticed snow and gravel in the roadway and what looked like tire tracks leading off the road and down an embankment.

Lofton and Rubalcava found a safe place to stop and began checking the area, Caltrans said. As the men searched, Lofton said he saw a light down the embankment and heard someone calling for help. Lofton made his way down the embankment as Rubalcava called for help.

As Lofton made his way down, he found two people who appeared to be suffering from major injuries and exposure due to sub-freezing temperatures, according to Caltrans.

Lofton says he provided his jacket to one of the victims and as Rubalcava came down the embankment he also brought extra clothing.

The California Highway Patrol arrived shortly after to assist until an ambulance and other help arrived, according to Caltrans.
CHICO, Calif. - Christmas is less than 48 hours away, but many people were still out shopping Thursday to hunt down last-minute gifts.

Morgan and Taylor Seidenstricker were out looking for a sweater for their dog, Bentley, Thursday. They had no luck at the first two stores but did find two perfect sweaters for their pet at Target.

"They don't really have many sweaters, Morgan said.

They are all larges and extra larges. And they are all very picked over this season, especially for cute ones, Taylor said.

They planned to give their dog the gift early because he just got shaved.

Karina Vanzandg and Jeramie Sabelman were out at Target Thursday and had no trouble loading up their cart.

They will be donating all of the toys they bought today to the local Aurora shelter.

"We got the gender and then the age. So we got to go in there and kind of use our imaginations and try to get something active and cuddly, Vanzandg said.

And of course, we brought the expert as well, Sabelman said.

Quinten Miskimen knocked out all his Christmas shopping Wednesday and Thursday since he has been out in Napa working as a firefighter the past few weeks.

He was on a mission to find Airpod Pros and had no luck at Target, so he tried Best Buy Thursday morning.

"I wasn't nervous I'd seen a lot of the demand shortage not just in America, but worldwide, Miskimen said. But I figured there's a lot of stores in Chico somewhere is bound to have it."

Headphones seemed to be a hot item this season as other shoppers also had the same idea. Jessica Fine-Garrett was out picking up multiple types of headphones for her family Thursday.

"This ones listening to Youtube, this one's listening to Tik Kok, this one's listening to something else," Fine-Garrett said. "So headphones is a really good thing you know."

Local businesses in Downtown Chico were also seeing a big boost in sales compared to the holiday season last year.

Tom Foolery is one of these shops that prides itself in so-called unusually fine gifts and gags. From leather bags to Bozo the Clown, they had many shoppers this season.

We have people coming in every day saying they want to shop local and we are thankful and grateful to the Chicoans, Tom Foolery owner Terry Strausser.

Even with battling supply shortages, most stores are stocked with plenty of potential presents. Tom Foolery had a lot of novelty items and stocking stuffers.

A constant flow of people were in and out of Bird in Hand in downtown Thursday.

"In the grand scheme of things, this year has been wonderful, Bird in Hand owner Thad Winzenz said. It's been great to see people in our community coming back out, supporting their local businesses, and really enjoying their experiences this year.

The hot item at his shop has been board games. Winzenz finds that families are looking to go back to the classics.

The businesses downtown told Action News Now they all have a great camaraderie. If one shop is out of an item, they will direct you to another business in downtown where you may find what you're looking for.
PLUMAS COUNTY, Calif. - Update at 11:46 a.m.: The Plumas County Sheriff's Office says David Lubliner has been safely located.

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The Plumas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) is asking for the public's assistance in locating David Lubliner, 76, of Beckwourth.

A missing persons report was filed for Lubliner on Nov. 18, according to the PCSO. Lubliner left his Beckwourth residence on Oct. 6 and said he was going to visit a train musuem in Roseville, according to a neighbor.

PCSO says Lubliner suffers from cognitive decline and is believed to be at risk. He was last seen driving his white, Chevy Blazer with California plate number 660NTS.

If you have seen Lubliner or have any information about his location, please call Sergeant Klundby at 530-283-6300.
The Cable Operators United Front (COUF), located in Delhi, has requested the government to halt the implementation of the New Tariff Order (NTO) 2.0, which will have a negative impact on the cable TV industry, which employs millions of people in India.

The COUF claimed in a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur that the introduction of NTO 2.0 will result in the loss of one million jobs because the cable sector would become unviable as a result of broadcaster rate hikes.

According to the COUF, the rate increase will make TV subscriptions unsustainable for a wide segment of the population, resulting in a decrease in the overall pay-TV subscriber base. The cable TV business has lost up to 15-20 million customers, according to the report, and the higher price will exacerbate the problem. Cable TV has been losing subscribers to OTT services like DD Free Dish, according to the report.

In light of the publication of the Reference Interconnect Offer (RIO) by a few broadcasters, the cable operators' body has asked the minister to stop implementation of NTO 2.0 in its current form and relook into the provisions of the NTO 2.0 in relation to the practicality of implementing this framework.

It has also requested the government to impose a price ceiling on channel charges, claiming that the growth in the pricing of driver channels has rendered the regulation ineffective. "As a result, we respectfully request that your kind office take immediate steps to regulate OTT platforms, including price capping similar to cable TV and issuing instructions to broadcasters to stop providing pay channels to DD Free Dish and to maintain parity and level playing field by pricing channels at the same price for all platforms," the letter continued.
CupShup, a full-service agency has promoted Sourav Kumar to the position of Co-founder. Prior to this, Sourav served as the Growth Head for 3.5 years.

Sourav Kumar joined CupShup in 2018 and was CupShups 7th employee then. Joining as City Manager for Delhi NCR region, Sourav rose through the ranks strengthening operations, client servicing and account management.

In his new role, Sourav will be accountable for the overall growth of CupShup. Right from strategizing sales, profitability, partnership, client relationship, retention programming, planning expansion strategy, and process building.

Talking on the new role, Sourav Kumar, said, I am excited and proud to take on the mandate of a co-founder at CupShup. I am thankful for Sidharths trust in my abilities and vision. CupShup has played a key role in my career graph, and I look forward to adding more to their growth as a company.

Commenting on the new appointment, Sidharth Singh, Co-Founder, Cupshup said, We are delighted to have Sourav in this new role. He has earned every bit of it. The energy and passion was palpable even at the first meeting and Sourav has not just maintained but at times bettered it with time. His vast experience of working across different ecosystems and his agency acumen will bring in better efficiency and add to the creative talent we have in the team.

CupShup provides end-to-end services to their clients venturing into all realms of creative communication and adding value to brands effectively.
Liquid detergent brand Godrej Ezee and actress & entrepreneur Gul Panag join hands to raise awareness of winter-related hardships faced by underprivileged kids as part of Ezee Hugs. Currently in its 12th edition, Ezee Hugs is a social campaign that aims to provide warmth to underprivileged children during harsh winters by distributing free sweaters. To flag off the initiative, Gul Panag met the kids in New Delhi and distributed new sweaters amongst them.

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the human death in India due to cold waves is much higher than due to heat waves between 1980-2018. There has been a 506% increase of cold waves in India during 2010 to 2018. Thousands of underprivileged, school-going children across the Northern belt, bear the harsh winters without the warmth of woolens. Due to lack of woolen wear, the kids are also more prone to suffer from viral fever and cold. Godrej Ezee wanted to build awareness about this winter-related hardships and alleviating them. Thus, it started Ezee Hugs campaign. Over the years, Ezee Hugs has spread warmth by urging people to donate their woolens for children through this social good campaign.

Given the need to bring attention of more people on winter-hardships of children, Gul Panag has collaborated with Godrej Ezee this year. Known as an actress, entrepreneur, pilot, Gul is also a true humanitarian, and has always stood for causes close to heart. She runs an NGO  the Colonel Shamsher Singh Foundation, named after a grandfather, which works in the area of education, and gender equality. Gul will use her platform to support the cause and spread awareness amongst public. While Ezee Hugs urges people to donate sweaters themselves amongst underprivileged kids, Ezee and Gul will jointly distribute more than 4000 sweaters across North India.

Speaking on this initiative, Sunil Kataria, CEO - India & SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), Godrej Ezee has always stood for warmth, comfort and care. Ezee Hugs, a noble initiative by Ezee that began in 2011, has grown over the years with the support of multiple stakeholders. This year, we are pleased to partner with Gul Panag who is known to take up causes that matter. Her social and political activism has had her being recognized as one of the most influential voices on social media and a youth icon. Our intent is to not just donate sweaters but also bring attention of more people on this issue. We want to ensure that no underprivileged child suffers due to lack of appropriate means to keep themselves warm.

While speaking about her association with Ezee Hugs, Gul Panag, said, For someone who has lived in North India, winter-related hardships faced by underprivileged kids is something not many talk about or even acknowledge. From health impact to school attendance, the impact of cold weather on kids with no proper woolen wear is significant. Yet, there are fewer initiatives or people talking about it. Ezee Hugs is one such initiative that has stood strong and made people aware of this issue for over 10 years now. This is why I chose to partner with Godrej Ezee so that we can reach out to more people and ensure no underprivileged kid has to be without woolens.

I have fond memories of winter, cozying up and enjoying the cold with my friends and family. I myself wear up to three layers of sweaters during this time of the year. At the same time, I realize that this is a privilege that not many of us have. Im honored to associate with Godrej Ezee for such a thoughtful initiative. I would like to encourage people to donate as much as they can and help the children
With the year drawing to a close, it is time to recap the major developments across the industry. As in the previous years, Adgully reviews the year 2021 for M&E, Advertising, Digital, Marketing, PR & Communications along with leading names in the industry as part of the REWIND 2021 series.

In this special article, Josy Paul, Chairman and CCO, BBDO India, looks back at the year 2021 through the lens of six pieces of work  work that changed the narrative.

In these uncertain times, it feels good to be a trainee in the business of hope. I found inspiration everywhere. I witnessed beautiful things. This review is a sharing of the work of 2021 that brought back the power and joy of advertising. A year when the emerging social context was as exciting as the changing media content.

It was a year of diversity and inclusion and this ad from Bhima Jewellery captured it with pure love. Bhima Jewellery  pure as love  the untold story.

https://www.facebook.com/invictusmediaofficial/videos/bhima-jewellery-pure-as-love-campaign-is-trending-and-for-all-the-right-reasonsa/137598621715427/

The Olympics was the other dominant thing of the year. And Thums Up found a way of turning things on its head to make a powerful point (not a PowerPoint!) Thums up| #PalatDe campaign for Olympics.

https://www.adgully.com/thums-up-olympics-2020-campaign-to-break-the-new-brand-positioning-105430.html

2021 was also the year of one billion vaccinations. This content from Facebook moved the needle. Facebook  More Together  Rizwan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMorHr3LjOE

Big fat weddings were back in action and the country exploded with drums and baraats. Heres a thoughtful reframing of the whole jingbang! This wedding season, lets talk about the marriage  Tanishq.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnZduCnSMpk

Of course, theres always another side to everything. Like where society is coming from and where we are going. Dove  Stop The Beauty Test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEpTa2cMl_I

The year of the great resignation was also the year of rising mental health concerns and break-ups! Empathy, understanding and acceptance were the need of the hour, to help ease the pain. WhatsApp  Introducing View Once  Moving On.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzjDtbQXSEs&t=5s

Its time to move on! Next years brand work will continue to look at the worlds bigger challenges. Sustainability and responsibility will rule the narrative. Creativity will express itself with even greater confidence. And, as we continue to battle the dance of the virus variants, I remind myself every day that the best way to fight the COVID blues is with your inner rock n roll!
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued a consultation paper on promoting local manufacturing in the TV broadcasting sector, from broadcast equipment like head end to set-top boxes. This is in line with the governments Make in India and Digital India campaigns.

The digitalisation of the Indian broadcasting sector began in 2012 and was completed across the country by March, 2017. The government has accorded the highest priority to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub. However, the share of locally manufactured equipment/devices in the broadcasting distribution networks remains quite low, said TRAI.

Keeping this in view, TRAI has issued a suo-moto consultation paper on Promoting Local Manufacturing in the Television Broadcasting Sector. The paper aims to identify underlying challenges as well as enabling measures that can facilitate the transition from an import-driven industry to a sustained Atmanirbhar ecosystem.

TRAI, for example, in its consultation paper, points out the case of the dependence on foreign Conditional Access System (CAS). CAS is a proprietary component, whose manufacturing has been historically dominated by large foreign vendors from the US, Europe, and China. For STB manufacturing, there are contract manufacturers developing the core chipsets and components and software applications. However, there was limited expertise in India to develop CAS boxes till some time back. The development of Indian CAS was expected to break this dependence and enable the adoption of local STBs. However, due to techno-commercial reasons, the availability of local CAS has so far not been able to boost the demand for Indian STBs as anticipated.

The prominent issues for consultation include:

There is a need to have a standard understanding of the scope of local manufacturing amongst all the stakeholders to bring uniformity in the consultation. What should be the scope and definition of local manufacturing in the lines of manufacturing vis-a-vis assemblage of the television broadcasting equipment and their core components? Will a stronger R&D ecosystem enable the growth of the local broadcast manufacturing sector? If yes, suggest steps to promote and incentivize R&D undertaken in India to build domestic capability in television broadcast equipment manufacturing. In view of the concerns raised about Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) affecting the cost competitiveness of the local products, what policy measures do you suggest to address this issue?

TRAI has invited written comments on the consultation paper from the stakeholders by 19 January, 2022. Counter comments, if any, may be submitted by 2 February, 2022. The comments and counter-comments may be sent to jtadvbcs-3@trai.gov.in.
As the countdown to 2022 begins, the stars who have been a part of some of the most memorable Zee Theatre projects this year,teleplays share how they will ring out the old and welcome the new year. Smita Bansal, Mayuri Deshmukh, Ratan Rajput and Mita Vashisht discuss personal resolutions and the dreams that they hope will come true in the year to come.



Smita Bansal who stars in the teleplay, Chanda Hai Tu says, This special time is dedicated to my familyfamily, and I always make sure that my two daughters and my husband are with me to welcome the new year. This year, we havent planned anything yet but most probably, we will have a quiet new year at home or spend time with the extended family. As the pandemic has made us all realise the importance of health and fitness, my resolution is to ensure that my family and I continue to work towards improving our immunity by eating healthy and staying active. I want these early habits to build a strong foundation for my daughters and to work out and stay as fit as possible in 2022.



Actor Mayuri Deshmukh who made her debut as a writer with Dear Aajo shares, For me, the new years eveNew Years Eve will be a quiet one. There will be a nice dinner with family at home and just a happy, cosy time with loved ones. I have no plans to go anywhere as of nownow, but I dont know if last moment plans come up. But usually, Im at home on the 31st because its too crowded outside and I dont really like the noise and the chaos. As for a resolution for 2020, it will be to focus more on the inner journey and live life to its fullest potential.



Television and theatre actor Ratan Rajput who stars in the teleplay Panchi Aise Aate Hai adds, I would like to welcome the new year by doing something that Ive never done. Id like to celebrate it with new people, in a new place and break out of familiar, old patterns. I also love travelling, so Id like to do more of that in 2022. I dont believe in making resolutions but in breaking them! I will hence try to break all the resolutions Ive made over the past many years and would like to do everything that I havent done till now in the year to come. SoSo, lets see what shows up on this list.



Veteran actor Mita Vashisht who stars in the teleplay Agnipankh plans to celebrate new year eve with her mother in the Delhi winter. She says,  I can see myself with a lovely, little bonfire on our terrace, soaking in the golden warmth of the flames under an open sky.

As for her resolutions, she says, they remain unchanged from 2021 and adds,  I want to work towards remaining healthy in every way and taking good care of the people around me. I hope to extend love and do whatever I can to be of help to people. The third is of course to stay committed to my path and continue to treat acting as a sacred calling. So, I will continue to ensure that I only say yes to roles that I totally believe in and totally love. Im also making a much stronger commitment to only choose roles that are nothing less than the best, in terms of both content and visibility.
In the movie Aliens Newt, who has witnessed her familys grisly end and survived being hunted by their monstrous killers, asks Ripley why adults tell little kids there are no monsters. Events since 2016 make that question more resonant now than at the movies release. Evidence suggests there are powerful actors among us whose intentions, capabilities, and disregard for anyone else effectively render them implacable enemies of humanity. No one sane wants to reach that conclusion; no one rational can avoid it anymore in light of the facts.

Prior to 2020 Joe Biden barely rose to also ran status in U.S. presidential elections. During his decades in public office his reputation became fixed as slow-witted, unprincipled, self-promoting, gaff-prone, and vindictive. While such characteristics may extend ones term in a corrupt edifice, they do not otherwise enhance ones appeal. Nonetheless, amid mountains of evidence of electoral fraud and skullduggery, were told to believe that more Americans than ever voted for Biden. This despite his hiding out in a basement rather than campaigning while garnering meager crowds on those rare occasions where he was present. We are assured by the dubious vote-counters that his opponent lost. An opponent who precipitated tens of thousands of enthusiastic supporters on the mere rumor of his appearing achieved economic and political results that had for decades been called impossible by the political establishment, all in the face of unparalleled invective and resistance from the mainstream media and our federal bureaucracy. Bigfoot riding a unicorn was more credible. Various polls suggest a big Republican majority, most independents, and as much as a third of Democrats believe the 2020 election was fraudulent.

On January 6, none of the protestors was armed, nobody burned down a building, and the only violence was against the protestors, committed by the D.C. police. The sole fatality was an unarmed protestor at the hands of a capitol security officer. Instigators and provocateurs abounded in the crowd, but none was subsequently charged. In fact, their names were thereafter purged from public records. Elected officials blocks away from the event stated they were in fear of their lives. The anti-gun Speaker of the Houses request of the military to set up crew-served machine guns was declined. Biden called it the most serious threat to American democracy since the Civil War, a characterization repeated daily by the Left. Over 400 protestors were arrested, and most remain detained without bail in deplorable conditions. Those few who have been charged were not charged with insurrection or anything like it. Another protest occurred in D.C. since then, in which a protestor attacked a U.S. senators door with an ax. The Antifa protestor was out on bail without delay despite committing worse violations than the January 6 protestors, ultimately received probation, and his ax was returned to him.

Evidence accumulates that the so-called CCP-virus vaccines are neither effective nor safe. Vaccines confer long-lasting immunity upon their recipients; these do not. The mRNA gene-therapy shots do not qualify as vaccines in any conventional sense. In their brief time on stage, they have caused more adverse reactions and deaths than all previous vaccines combined since the federal government began keeping such records. They are implicated in heretofore unseen side-effects, some of which are life-altering. They offer no appreciable protection to anyone under age 30, the worldwide CCP-virus death rate of whom is effectively zero. Yet our federal government, other national governments, and the WHO are all insisting on vaccinating everyone including newborns. Most outrageous among many outrages is the governments refusal to acknowledge natural immunity. These recommendations contravene available evidence, and whatever their proponents motivations, public health, and well-being are conspicuously absent from them.

Despite unambiguous evidence of their ineffectiveness in altering the trajectory of the CCP virus, measures such as masking, social distancing, and lockdowns are still being recommended and imposed from on high. There is abundant evidence that these measures have caused inestimable social and economic damage. The federal government lacks any clear-cut authority to put such restrictions in place, and despite judicial decisions reinforcing that perspective, it persists in attempting to impose them. That is textbook tyranny.

Tech company oligarchs, media conglomerates, and pharmaceutical companies have collaborated with the federal government to encapsulate Americans in a fantasy of incomplete, misleading, false, and contrived information. Unlike the federal government, the predominant social media are not constrained in disregarding the First Amendment and routinely engage in outright censorship and speech suppression. As long as it serves the governments purposes, curtailing its opponents free speech is fine. All U.S. mainstream media are owned and controlled by six corporations. Those corporations call the shots on what does and does not get news coverage, how that coverage is fashioned, and its content. To believe the U.S. mainstream media represent a free press is more an act of faith than believing in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. Acts of outrageous media hypocrisy occur on a daily basis, always favoring the Left/governments preferences. News censorship and content control are hallmarks of totalitarian government, and the U.S. checks both boxes today.

Big Pharma has enjoyed unprecedented freedom of action and immunity from consequences since the CCP virus appeared on the scene. Those companies, not the U.S. government, have dictated to entire countries what vaccine allocation they will receive. Pharmaceutical companies are harvesting lifetimes worth of incomes every few hours and will continue to do so as long as government follows their edicts regarding viral variants and our necessary responses to them. Their stockholders include many if not most federal elected officials. Evidence has come to light that these companies have for decades been complicit in simulating coordinated responses to a worldwide pandemic and advocating the same responses that we see being proposed today.

The apparent end is to alter the worlds social and economic fabric to favor those currently in power, with the intention of consolidating the new configuration indefinitely. Paring the excess population to a more controllable, and in the power word of the decade, sustainable level is simply something that needs to be done. When you consider your judgment unassailable, truly believe that you are incapable of being wrong, and are not only the best suited to manage the worlds affairs but entitled to it, quaint moral concerns fade into insignificance. You are the worlds hope and must make the hard decisions that are beyond lesser beings.

Specious accusations of systemic racism and unsupported climate change are tools by which pig-ignorant but well-indoctrinated people can be controlled to abide by Their Betters judgment. When necessary, they will also do their bidding without the Parasite Class having to sully its own hands. The Anointed, after all, cannot be expected to stoop to the proles level.

The foregoing are monstrous accusations, justified by monstrous acts, committed by people whose amorality and disregard for any but their own interests places them comfortably in the category of monsters. People in ancient Rome, Weimar Germany, the Soviet Union, North Korea, anywhere that totalitarianism has raised its flag, were familiar with the beast. Now it has arrived in the U.S. and western democracies. Like it or not, we shall see how it fares there.

Image: Yves

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The events of the past five or six years have demonstrated to America that the FBI is no longer the unbiased law enforcement agency it once was. Between the Hillary Clinton investigation-in-name-only, the Crossfire Hurricane hoax, the targeting of Americans as domestic terrorists, and playing three blind mice with the Biden graft machine, the bureaus issues cant be ignored any longer. If we dont take corrective action soon, the FBI will finish its transition from law enforcement to being a political functionary advancing the interests of one party.

There are only two options: rehabilitate the FBI, or eliminate it. The current state is unacceptable in a functioning constitutional republic. We need a credible and competent federal law enforcement capability. Sadly, the FBI has lost its claim on both those things.

A company I once worked for ran afoul of equal opportunity employment regulations. It was essentially placed on probation for a period of five years. That probation came in the form of a consent decree -- an agreement between the parties to resolve the problems, overseen by a court, and often verified by a court-appointed administrator. Its time for a consent decree between the FBI and the American people.

An FBI consent decree is definitely going to need oversight, and not by the Department of Justice. The current problems have festered under DoJ oversight for years. The DoJ has not only failed to provide course correction to the FBI, but it has also arguably contributed to the problems. The rebuilding of the FBI should be overseen by a board chartered with the mission of rehabilitation, and staffed with people who care about integrity and understand what a well-functioning police organization should look like.

The oversight board should include retired FBI agents. Most retired agents left the bureau before it made its mad dash to be a political player. They are proud of what it was and ashamed of what it has become. Nobody wants to see it rehabilitated more than they do.

The board should also include the membership of an assortment of police chiefs/commissioners from around the country. They will bring an outside perspective and have no bureaucratic loyalties within the FBI. They know what policing should look like and can represent U.S. citizens on the board.

The board should be vested with broad powers. It should have the authority to terminate anyone at the FBI for malfeasance -- including the director. Presidents retain the authority to appoint directors. But unfortunately, terminating bad directors has become political. Give the board the ability to terminate directors for cause, outside of the political sphere.

The board should have oversight of all training, employee terminations, and employee promotions. By training agents to behave ethically, and ensuring that those who embrace those lessons advance professionally, the board will gradually rebuild a culture of integrity.

Give the board oversight of charging decisions where bureau criminal violations are involved. As we have seen, DoJ prosecutors have a history of declining prosecution of criminal behavior in other government agencies. Even though Deputy Director Andrew McCabe violated numerous laws and was referred for prosecution by the Inspector General, the DoJ declined prosecution. Recently we have learned that over the past 14 years, nearly a dozen CIA employees committed sex crimes against children -- one as young as two years old! The issue was referred to the DoJ, which decided that job termination rather than criminal prosecution was just fine. Thats the DoJ, taking a pass on multiple instances of child rape because the offenders were fellow federal employees. The FBI cannot be rehabilitated unless its employees are held to at least the same standard as the general public. The board needs to be consulted for all FBI employee charging decisions.

The board should have the authority to initiate investigations within the FBI. It should be authorized to draw on the resources of the inspector general to conduct those investigations, and the IG should be answerable to the board for any FBI-related investigations.

Finally, the board should be in an advice and consent role in the appointment of FBI directors. The President should still hold the authority to appoint, but the board should be involved in identifying and vetting candidates.

For the probation period to work, some structural changes will also be necessary. Victor Davis Hanson recently proposed that the FBI headquarters be moved out of the Washington, D.C. area, and into the heartland of America. Get the bureau leadership out of the Washington echo chamber. Special functions such as training and technical labs can remain in their current locations. But make the FBI leadership reside with the people they are sworn to serve.

Civil servant protections need to be addressed. There needs to be an efficient means to dismiss corrupt or incompetent employees, without facing years of appeals for doing so. Andrew McCabe was terminated for both policy and criminal violations. He protested the termination. Years later, the termination was overturned by the attorney general. That is no way to send a message of accountability to agents of the FBI.

The IG needs to have enhanced powers -- at least as it pertains to the FBI. Currently, the IG only has the power to interview current employees to investigate departmental malfeasance. The IG can only refer criminal matters to the DoJ, which as we have noted above, is not inclined to take action when politics are involved. The IG needs to have the authority to impanel a grand jury, issue subpoenas to fully investigate any criminal behavior within the FBI, and hire prosecutors from outside the DoJ when criminal conduct is found.

The thing about a consent decree is that it relies on consent. We know the FBI is not going to like being put on probation. If the current staff doesnt want rehabilitation, no amount of oversight will be successful. An alcoholic cant be rehabilitated against his will. If the people of the FBI refuse the opportunity to correct themselves, they will resist every step, and the rehabilitation will fail.

But the current state is unacceptable. The bureau cannot be allowed to continue working counter to the Constitution, as the enforcers for one political party. America will not tolerate the FBI becoming the secret police, pursuing ideological rather than criminal investigations.

The bureau must be made to understand that if they will not embrace option 1 -- rehabilitation -- America will be left with only option 2 -- elimination. If the bureau cant be rehabilitated, then the only alternative is to:

Transfer its functions to other agencies.

Defund it.

Shut it down.

Lay everyone off. I hear Chicago and Minneapolis are looking for cops.

No doubt, many good people will get hurt if were forced to go this route. But government employees need to understand that when a private company loses a big customer, good employees lose their jobs. Its just the way it is. And the FBI is losing its biggest customer -- the American people.

So, what does the FBI want? One last chance? Or an opportunity to explore job openings in mall security?

Quentin Smith is a military veteran and retired FBI Special Agent who served in the bureau for nearly 29 years and now lives in Idaho.

John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He currently writes at the American Free News Network (afnn.us). He can be followed on Facebook or reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.

Image: FBI

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Rasmussen Reports was curious to see what Americans thought about the hundreds of millions of dollars Mark Zuckerberg poured into the 2020 presidential election to ensure a Democrat victory. The results were surprising, showing that Americans are paying attention and care a great deal about this behavior. Joe Biden might want to make note of this as he pushes to end the filibuster in an effort to achieve total Democrat dominance over America.

I don't have access to the full Rasmussen survey, which is behind a paywall, so I'm indebted to John Hinderaker for publishing the key details. He included the four questions in the survey:

1. How closely have you followed news stories about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's efforts to influence U.S. elections? 2. It has been reported that Mark Zuckerberg spent hundreds of millions of dollars to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Is this a good thing or a bad thing for American democracy? Or does it not make much difference? 3. Which is more important: Making it easier for everybody to vote, or making sure there is no cheating in elections? 4. How likely is it that cheating affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election?

The results are quite surprising. Rasmussen contacted 1,000 people, which is a decent sample size, although I don't know the breakdown of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. The survey revealed that 62% of respondents were aware that Zuckerberg had funded targeted Democrat enclaves, pouring private dollars into public entities, to affect the 2020 election's outcome.

Out of all the respondents, whether they knew about Zuckerberg independently or through the second question, 70% believe that what Zuckerberg did was bad for American democracy. Only 8% said approvingly that what he did was good for democracy. Thus, notwithstanding 60 years of leftist influence in American education and through the media, Americans still disapprove of cheating in elections.

Additionally, despite hearing for over a year that the election was perfectly legitimate, indeed, more legitimate than any election ever held in American history, ever 59% of voters "think it's likely that cheating affected the outcome of last year's presidential election," with 40% thinking that this effect was "Very Likely." Perhaps even more unexpected is the fact that 41% of Democrats think it was at least somewhat likely that cheating led to the November 2020 election results.

And here's an extremely heartening finding from the survey:

By more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters believe it is more important to make sure there is no cheating in elections (65%) than to make it easier for everybody to vote (32%). Majorities of all races  67% of whites, 59% of black voters and 60% of other minorities  place more importance on preventing cheating than on making it easier to vote.



Image: Vote by Piqsels.

This concern arises against a backdrop of nonstop Democrat party campaigning for decreasing controls that protect against election fraud. Recently, the biggest push to destroy election integrity comes from the For the People Act, which passed the House with no Republican support but stalled in the Senate because of the filibuster. The bill will circumvent the Constitution, allowing the federal government to take over elections. Ted Cruz explains much of what's wrong with it:

FOR THE PEOPLE ACT: In the dead of night, Sen. @tedcruz successfully blocked Democrats' For the People Act from passing in the Senate. pic.twitter.com/XeWRux2YXf  Forbes (@Forbes) August 11, 2021

Currently, the only thing between America and the For the People Act is the filibuster. And the only thing between the filibuster and unfettered Democrat control of government is Kyrsten Sinema's and Joe Manchin's promise not to vote for its abolition. So far, both have been holding strong, which is a tremendous relief. Sinema reiterated her position just a few days ago. Joe Biden used to support the filibuster, too, and he actually made sense when speaking in its defense.

Now, though, Biden is desperate to end the filibuster to get the Act passed:

President Biden says he supports creating an exception to the legislative filibuster in the Senate in order to pass voting rights legislation over Republican opposition. Biden told ABC News's David Muir in a portion of an interview that aired Thursday that he would support fundamental changes to Senate rules in order to pass election reform legislation. "That means whatever it takes. Change the Senate rules to accommodate major pieces of legislation without requiring 60 votes," Biden said.

Given the American people's hostility to destroying election integrity, it's possible that, if the Democrats destroy the filibuster and pass the "For the People Act," the Democrat wipeout in November 2022 will be even bigger than most currently expect. After all, Americans will understand that, unless they can elect a Congress that will immediately reverse the Act, November 2022 will be the last even semi-honest election in America.

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Enough of your kvetching about Donald Trump's "obsession"  your buzzword, not his  with 2020. If Mr. Trump is nominated to run for a second term as president, will you vote for him? That really is the issue for us conservative populists, I think.

Indications, thus far, with an eye toward 2024, are that the NeverTrump cabal will join forces to thwart a third Trump presidential bid: the Democrats shrieking in hysterics that democracy will come to an end with a second Trump presidential term, and the NeverTrump crowd chiming in, as you ended your Wall Street Journal column, December 23: "If the GOP can't learn to shake the Trump obsession with alleged election fraud, the former president could even hand Democrats the White House  again."

That "again" is bewildering. It suggests you are asserting that Donald Trump previously handed the presidency to the Democrat.

When was the first time that Mr. Trump handed Democrats the White House as a result of his "obsession" with a presidential election?

Rove should be thankful Mr. Trump has not  and he would have good cause, I believe, to make the allegation  blamed the NeverTrump conspiracy for a) undermining his first term and b) working with the media and, of course, their Deep State Democrat allies, to badmouth the Trump campaign 24/7 with baseless intimations, innuendo, and direct statements. The NeverTrump "fifth column" in the Republican Party arguably gave the presidency to Benighted Biden with nary a thought how their betrayal would damage national security, foreign policy, economic stability, civil liberties, and immigration issues  not to mention undoing the good efforts of the Trump administration in starting from scratch to corral the harmful effects of the pandemic, exacerbated by political scoundrels like the former governor of the State of New York.

It seems to me that voters, certainly Republican voters and independents, should be told, now, where pundits like Karl Rove stand with respect to 2024. And it further seems logical to inquire of Karl Rove, so close, as he is, to the Bush faction in the Republican Party: will you vote for Donald Trump (or any other conservative populist) in 2024, or will you work  by omission or commission  for the election of another Democrat who will vitiate national security with wokeness, align our foreign policy with totalitarian governments, put an end to the idea of a prosperous economy, equate dissent and free expression with sedition, weaponize the Intelligence Community, and break the backs of taxpayers on funding an open borders policy?

The test for Rove is simple enough. Let his next column in The Wall Street Journal declare, without fear or reservation: "The Democrats Be Damned; If Trump Is the Candidate, He Gets My Vote."

Photo credit: Jay Godwin, LBJ Library, public domain.

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Less than a year into her term, Kamala Harris has become one of the most unpopular vice presidents in American history, and her status as the Democrat party's presumptive 2024 presidential nominee is in peril for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest reasons Harris is in trouble is her gross neglect of the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Harris was assigned the role of border czar for the Biden administration earlier this year but has appeared apathetic and dismissive toward that role. The latest example of her lackadaisical attitude toward the border came earlier this month, when President Alejandro Giammattei, of Guatemala, said that he had not spoken with Harris since her visit to Guatemala City in June.

"We had many conversations with your ambassador, but [between] my presidency and the White House, no," Giammattei said. "I spoke once to Joe Biden because I introduced myself. Then we had the visit of Vice President Harris. On matters of state and migration, we had [Homeland Security secretary] Mr. Alejandro Mayorkas [in July]. Aside from that direct communication, no, we have not had it."

Giammattei's comments appear to undercut Harris's promise to work with leaders across Central and South America to discover and confront the "root causes" of illegal immigration. I've written before about how unserious and unrealistic the Biden-Harris immigration plan is, but this administration appears incapable of keeping even its most basic promises.

The only action to date this administration has taken to address the "root causes" of illegal immigration is to raise money from private groups to give to governments in countries that aliens are fleeing. Harris recently announced that she had raised $1.2 trillion from corporations across the globe to invest in Central American countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, and others.

Harris said earlier this year that she was courting private corporations to invest in these countries, and she successfully secured investments from companies including Microsoft, Nestle, MasterCard, and PepsiCo, among others. While Harris and the White House will probably tout these investments as evidence that they are addressing the border crisis, it is unlikely these investments will make a significant difference in the lives of the people living in these countries. Even if these investments help a little bit in the long term, they certainly won't do anything to stop the carnage happening now at our border.

These are poor countries, and most of the people fleeing these countries are not fleeing persecution, but fleeing poor economic circumstances. These investments will not provide any immediate economic relief to these migrants, and therefore will provide no immediate relief to Americans who are suffering from the consequences of the border crisis. The vast majority of illegal aliens coming into the U.S. are economic migrants, who are abusing the asylum process in order to access opportunities available only in the United States.

While anti-borders advocates often suggest that illegal aliens are fleeing persecution, the fact that Harris and the White House are prioritizing economic relief suggests that they understand most asylum claims are bogus even if they will never admit it publicly.

One of the reasons these countries are so poor is that they have a history of corruption and mismanaging their nations' money. In fact, Giammattei is currently under investigation for allegedly accepting bribes and he's far from the craziest or most crooked leader in the region. If Harris wants her strategy to actually have a chance of succeeding, she needs to be coordinating with leaders in these countries to make sure the money being invested is not squandered or used to enrich the ruling classes in these countries. But Harris reportedly has not spoken with Giammattei in six months, which suggests that she has no interest in actually making her "root causes" strategy work. So what does Kamala Harris do, exactly?

It appears that Harris's role is to make it look as if the Biden administration is taking the illegal immigration crisis seriously, without actually taking the steps necessary to stop it. Biden, Harris, and other figures inside the administration want to eliminate our borders, but they understand that the vast majority of Americans do not. So they have to look as though they are taking the crisis seriously while they are actually making it worse. The Biden administration's goal is to import future Democratic voters. Harris's role as border czar appears to be to divert as much attention away from this reality as possible.

Dale L. Wilcox is executive director and general counsel for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.

Image: Screen shot from CNBC video via YouTube.

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It's pretty amazing when leftists have to live with the results of their own decisions.

Deep-blue San Francisco's descent into violent crime and chaos following its voters' choices to elect officials on platforms to "defund the police" is Exhibit A.

But for the political perpetrators of these imposed anti-police agendas, it doesn't usually happen. They are, after all, a nomenklatura of sorts, and membership has its privileges.

But for two leftist politicos who unleashed "defund the police" on the public, the result was so big that they couldn't escape it. They got what they voted for, "good and hard," as H.L. Mencken put it.

Here's a pair of Democrats who found themselves helpless victims of violent crimes brought on by defunding the police, according to Fox News:

Two Democrats who supported police reform in Philadelphia and Chicago were both carjacked at gunpoint within 24 hours of each other. Illinois state Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) was targeted in suburban Chicago on Tuesday night, while Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) was carjacked Wednesday afternoon after an event in South Philadelphia. Lightford was driving with her husband, Eric McKennie, in Broadview at about 9:45 p.m. when three masked suspects in a Durango SUV hijacked the couples black Mercedes. Police said multiple gunshots were fired during the incident but Lightford and her husband werent physically hurt. The suspects fled in the Mercedes and Durango, according to police.

Now, it's probably harsh to say that this is what these people voted for, but unfortunately, it's true. Here's the Fox News reporting on Scanlon's record:

"We have seen too many lives taken and communities devastated by police brutality and racial profiling," Scanlon tweeted shortly after [George] Floyd's death. "Action is long overdue. @HouseDemocrats are fighting for REAL reform in our countrys police departments. #JusticeInPolicing." Scanlon is one of 125 co-sponsors of the Mental Health Justice Act, which aimed to place some police officers as first responders with mental health specialists. All of the bill's sponsors are Democrats. The bill's text says its purpose is "To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States and political subdivisions of States to hire, employ, train, and dispatch mental health professionals to respond in lieu of law enforcement officers in emergencies involving one or more persons with a mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability, and for other purposes." At the time the Mental Health Justice Act was introduced in February 2021, with Scanlon on board as one of its original co-sponsors, The Hill reported, "Congress wants to make it easier for state and local governments to defund the police by instead funding mental health services and empowering them to respond to emergency calls instead of armed officers."

More social workers, fewer police? That most certainly amounts to defunding the police. We didn't see her call a social worker in the wake of her own violent carjacking, robbery, and terrorization. She called a cop, and good for her that the cops helped her and scooped up the perpetrators. While the carjacking is drawing outrage and a federal investigation because it was done to a public official, the reality is, it could have been any of us who got it as a result of police defunding. What we do know is, she wanted that defunding for us, and too bad about the victims of the crime that always follow. No cop available to come to our aid when violent thugs come carjacking. We are just supposed to take it while useless social workers take care of the crime problem for us instead.

As a result (and combined with leftist district attorneys elected by voters), now crime is so widespread in Philly that on a random night of carjackings, one of the victims was she. It's sad, but it's not surprising, given her ditzy, diminutive, thin, white-woman appearance, with "Karen" written all over her face. Criminals always look for the easiest victims on a physical basis, and being a powerful congresswoman did absolutely nothing to make her a less attractive prospect to a violent criminal. Unfortunately, that's a nasty reality  that those who appear weak are going to be targeted by violent criminals in crimes involving brute force more than others. Those who do look small and frail to criminals should actually be more aware of this issue and more interested in police protection than most, but she wasn't.

So much for her "lived experience," as the lefties say. She was all in for calling the social workers and getting rid of the beefy, well-armed, well-trained cops out there to protect the public, and it came back to bite her.

A similar situation exists with Lightford, an Illinois state senator who sponsored police defunding in an official capacity in Chicago.

In 2020, Lightford proposed slashing Chicago PD's budget by $80 million but ultimately settled for $59 million. However, things appear to have dramatically changed in just a few short days.

She got the sharp end of that legislative act up close this week. In her case, the criminals were unusually violent, firing guns as they stole her car from her and threw her into the street. Unlike ditzy, white Scanlon, she's a young black woman, yet that didn't exempt her; it in fact made her just as attractive as a target to violent criminals. Was she not aware that criminals are particularly vile and life-devaluing towards the lives of black victims, who are disproportionately hit by violent crime? That's who suffers under these "defund the police" schemes. Did she ever think of that, in terms of her own self? Maybe she should legislate based on her "lived experience"? No, she went with the conventional leftist rhetoric and voted for and got the defunding of the police she wanted, never once imagining that that stupidity could have personal consequences for her.

Will either of these characters renounce their defund the police stance and explain that their new experiences with the crime surge that has come of it have changed their positions? That they've gotten religion on the importance of supporting the police over the criminals? Lefties rarely learn, so I will believe it when I see it.

It's one of two positions they could take in the wake of these incidents, and it would be the honorable one.

Maybe then the police will be properly funded and the demonization will stop, and things may just get better for everyone.

But if the other scenario happens, and it's the more likely one, that they demand extra security, as well as that special federal investigation that others don't get based on their elected political offices, then it won't be good. In accepting special protections and services, they still leave the rest of us out to continue to endure the crime brought on by their defund the police votes, so to heck with them. They should get no extra security until they give all of us extra security, which means admitting they were wrong about defunding the police, scrapping this "defund the police" crap, and demanding extra policing for all of us. Either we all get safety, or every left-wing pol out there is going to have to recognize that they aren't exempt from the scourge of violent crime brought on by their demonization of the police. Any such call must be halted as a privileged carve-out.

Let them lie in the bed they made for all of us.

Image: Screen shot from FOX29 video via YouTube.

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Compare the takes on omicron from two different financial news sources.

First, CNBC's Morning Squawk daily email, December 23, 2021:

'Hospitals across the nation are preparing for another wave of Covid that could rival the early days of the pandemic as the highly mutated and contagious omicron variant rages. In fact, the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation told USA Today that new modeling shows the U.S. could see about 140 million new cases from January to March. Peak new daily infections are projected to reach about 2.8 million late next month, according to the IHME, with less than 15% expected to be captured by testing. The U.S. has a total of 51.5 million reported Covid cases since the virus arrived in America. Reported cases topped 300,000 in early January of this year.

Oooh, scary!

Now the Wall Street Journal:

New data from Scotland and South Africa suggest people infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus are at markedly lower risk of hospitalization than those who contracted earlier versions of the virus, promising signs that immunity as a result of vaccination or prior infection remains effective at warding off severe illness with the fast-spreading strain. (snip) The University of Edinburgh study, drawing on the health records of 5.4 million people in Scotland, found the risk of hospitalization with Covid-19 was two-thirds lower with Omicron than with Delta. The new variant became dominant in Scotland last week. A separate study published online by researchers at South Africas National Institute for Communicable Diseases similarly found people infected with Omicron were 70% to 80% less likely to need hospital treatment than people infected with earlier variants, including Delta.

Still scared?

Hat tip: Richard Baehr.

Photo credit: Victor Bezrukov, CC BY 2.0 license.

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Francis Collins, the first appointed National Institutes of Health director to serve more than one president, stepped down on December 19, leaving behind a record open to question. For example, in an October 8, 2020 email, Collins told Dr. Anthony Fauci, "There needs to be a quick and devastating public takedown of its premises. I don't see that online yet. Is it underway?"

Collins' target was the Great Barrington Declaration, signed by more than 900,000 people, of whom roughly 60,000 were epidemiologists and public health scientists, with the remainder being supportive citizens, to show concern about the damaging physical and mental health impact of government COVID policies. Those policies, the signers contend, should focus on the most vulnerable while letting others continue normal lives.

The Barrington signatories included biophysicist Mike Leavitt, professor of structural biology at Stanford and the 2013 winner of the Nobel Prize for chemistry. Stanford Medical School professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya also signed on, joined by Dr. Martin Kulldorf, professor of medicine at Harvard.

These experts are every bit as qualified, or more so, than Collins. Even so, the NIH boss called them "fringe epidemiologists" and wanted Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), to deliver a hit piece.

On October 19, 2020, MedPage Today posted a piece headlined "Who Are the Scientists Behind the Great Barrington Declaration?" As the article noted, "[a]ll three have advocated against lockdown measures since the start of the pandemic." This assumed that lockdowns were an unalloyed benefit for the people.

On November 2, theconversation.com posted "5 failings of the Great Barrington Declaration's dangerous plan for COVID-19 natural herd immunity." In reality, their plan had not been tried and found wanting. Government health bosses declared it defective and left it untried.

On November 6, U.S. News ran, "The Great Barrington Declaration: When Arrogance Leads to Recklessness," by Brooks Gump, who earned a Ph.D. in psychology and a Master's degree in public health. This was a more ad hominem approach, with a backstory.

Gump's bio reveals no Nobel Prizes, but "Gump's work has been supported by numerous NIH grants." In effect, Gump was on Collins's payroll.

On November 12, 2020, the techilive site posted "New institute has ties to the Great Barrington Declaration." The newfound Brownstone Institute for Social and Economic Research was "promoting some old, controversial ideas about COVID-19  and has strong ties to the parties involved in the Great Barrington Declaration." This was guilt by association, both ways.

Dr. Collins got the hit pieces he wanted. He leaned on Dr. Fauci, a government bureaucrat since 1968. Fauci earned a medical degree in 1966, but his bio shows no advanced degrees in molecular biology or biochemistry, both vital for the study of virology.

Fauci has reversed himself many times but now claims, "I represent science." He doesn't, but as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. explains in The Real Anthony Fauci, the NIAID boss has clout with journalists.

Collins and Fauci both lied about funding dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Americans also know that the lockdowns Fauci and Collins recommended inflicted untold suffering and loss.

Great Barrington signer Dr. Jay Bhattacharya contends that history "will judge those in charge of Covid policy, and it will not judge kindly." In the meantime, some realities should be clear.

Fauci wields executive-level power without ever facing the voters. The NIAID director should work under a non-renewable five-year contract, and the NIH boss should be shown the door after four years. All actions in office should be investigated for any attempt to quash free speech, free association, and sound science.

These long-overdue reforms would help to scale back white coat supremacy, a major threat to freedom and democracy in America.

CORRECTION: This post originally said that 900,000 epidemiologists and public health scientists signed the Great Barrington Declaration. We have corrected it to reflect that 60,000 epidemiologists and public health scientists signed the Declaration, with the remaining signatures coming from concerned citizens.

Lloyd Billingsley is a policy fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, California.

Image: Pixabay.

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Just three months ago, I wrote that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America had appointed its first transgender bishop  in this case, Megan Rohrer, a woman who sliced off her breasts, kept her female name, and claimed to be a man. Now Rohrer has been suspended for being a racist. Live by woke political correctness; die by woke political correctness.

It was a big deal when Megan Rohrer, a woman who claims to be a man and insists on being referred to by the pronouns "they" and "them," was installed as the bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. This was one of those "firsts" that simply thrill leftists. Suddenly, the left had achieved the first transgender bishop.

My feeling about Rohrer is that the woman is a monster. She has a child and had this to say about that poor, innocent thing:

"I have a trans child, for whom, if 'they' isn't used, will be in tears for days," Rohrer says. "That has given me the permission to be really public about it: 'Nope, you're going to use "they," because if you screw up with me, I'm going to have grace about it.' Letting people know my pronouns and my name is great."

For the Church, snatching biological reality from a child is not a problem, even though the Bible is very clear that God created men and women, not men, women, and it. Nevertheless, while getting a pass for what amounts to blasphemy, Rohrer still managed to run afoul of the Lutherans for being inadequately woke about minorities:

A group promoting LGBTQ clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has suspended its first transgender bishop over allegations of "racist words and actions" involving the bishop's church area and the "Latinx community" in Stockton, California. Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries said its board decided Dec. 16 "to suspend" Bishop Megan Rohrer's membership "in the ELM Proclaim community and events." The Proclaim program is, ELM says, "the professional community for Lutheran ministers and candidates, who publicly identify as queer." [snip] ELM said Bishop Rohrer exhibited "an existing pattern of behavior" that doesn't fit with its goal of "being an anti-racist organization." The group said the bishop's membership suspension "is not only a response to recent harm done  to the Latinx community in Stockton, CA," noting it came after Bishop Rohrer rebuffed an "invitation" to repair relationships ruptured by "the bishop's racist words and actions [that] have harmed members of the ELM staff, board, and community."

Read the rest here.

What's extremely frustrating is that the Lutherans are refusing to provide details about Rohrer's fall from grace. (Considering that Rohrer was installed in San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, "fall from grace" seems like an extremely apropos phrase.)

In the absence of any specific details, your imagination can run wild. My best guess is that the Latin Americans with whom Rohrer acted were a bit more conservative than White leftists when it came to Rohrer's announcement that she knew better than God and had abandoned entirely the whole notion of biological sex.



Image: Megan Rohrer. YouTube screen grab.

Or perhaps Rohrer insisted on calling her parishioners "Latinx," even though only 4% of Hispanics like that bastardization of Spanish's gendered words.

Or maybe Rohrer had to speak strongly when those same parishioners discovered that she was sexualizing a child in her care by encouraging that child to be an it, just like Mommy.

For decades, the Democrats have cultivated an obsession with people's race, sexual orientation, and "gender identity." People aren't Americans; they're hyphenated Americans (African-American, Chinese-American, etc.). People aren't their names and unique attributes; they're defined first and foremost by their sexual orientation (gay, lesbian, straight, bi) or their "gender identity" (transgender, cisgender, and all the other nonsense terms they've invented).

When you define people solely by external attributes, you're going to run into two specific problems: first, people will inevitably misuse terms, a simple mistake that leftists nevertheless characterize as actual violence. Hurt feelings follow.

Second, because leftists are so obsessed with those attributes, if they want to insult someone, their first choice of words for doing so will almost invariably focus on those external attributes, as will the response to their racist, homophobic, or "transphobic" insults. Thus, if "Jose" offends a so-called transgender person, the slight won't be Jose's. It will be universalized to his whole racial group. These things become ugly very quickly.

I shouldn't gloat about Rohrer's downfall. She's obviously a very troubled woman. Still, to the extent she wanted to make her mental illness a norm in America and is doing bad things to her child...well, I'm going to gloat.

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Defence chiefs in North America insist that Santa calls all the shots as they continued the tradition of following his journey around the world.

Norad, the joint US-Canadian military operation that for 66 years has been tracking St Nicholas on his global mission, has confirmed the munificent courier and his reindeer-powered sleigh laden with presents of all shapes and sizes has begun the annual circumnavigation to bring a welcome dose of joy to deserving children for the second time in the pandemic era.

The Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) provides real-time updates on Santas progress on December 24, with the Santa Tracker letting families watch Father Christmas in 3D as he transits the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

From deep inside Norad headquarters, dozens of volunteers field an unrelenting wave of phone calls while it can be watched by visiting https://www.noradsanta.org, check out #NORADTracksSanta and @NoradSanta on Twitter, or use the associated apps.

Even before Fridays takeoff, the Norad webpage had been visited more than three million times, Norad spokesman Preston Schlachter said.

Every household, every country is having to deal with the impact of this pandemic.

Santa Claus is an icon, and he is a source of joy for a lot of people, Mr Schlachter said.

For those worried about Santas safety, or their own, the bearded man will likely be wearing a mask at each stop, and of course he is wearing gloves, Mr Schlachter noted.

For the technically inclined, Norads website offers more data on the voyage  weight of gifts at takeoff: 60,000 tons, or 54,600 metric tons; sleigh propulsion: nine RP, or reindeer power.

A mince pie, glass of sherry and a carrot for a reindeer is left by a fireplace (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Like any good Christmas tale, the programmes origin has been told for generations.

In 1955, Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, the on-duty commander one night at Norads predecessor, the Continental Air Defence Command, answered a call from a child who dialled a number that was misprinted in an ad in a newspaper, thinking she was calling Santa.

Col Shoup answered the call, thought it was a prank at first, but then realised what had happened and assured the child that he was Santa, and thus started the tradition that we are celebrating now 66 years later, Mr Schlachter said.

Norads mission is to watch the skies above North America for any potential threats.

Come early Christmas Eve, the Santa operation begins when a cluster of radar stations in northern Canada and Alaska pick up an infrared signature emanating from Rudolphs nose.

Norads array of geostationary satellites above the Earth monitor the journey.

Chimney pots all over the world are braced for a high-profile visitor (Dave Thompson/PA)

It is all shown on large, unclassified display screens in a festively decorated command post at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs.

Masked volunteers sit at tables equipped with telephones, garland, miniature Christmas trees, plenty of caffeine-laden candy and coffee  and hand sanitiser.

We Have the Watch, is Norads military-mission motto.

And when it comes to Santa, Norad adds: Santa calls the shots.

We just track him.
Sex And The City (SATC) actor Chris Noth has been accused of sexual assault by another woman.

The US actor, 67, best known for his role as Mr Big in the hit TV series and current spin-off And Just Like That, was previously accused of assaulting two women more than 10 years apart.

Noth has vehemently denied the earlier allegations, saying they were categorically false and that the encounters were consensual.

On Thursday he was accused of a further alleged incident in early 2002 by musician Lisa Gentile.

Ms Gentile said in a statement she had first met Noth when frequenting the DaMarino Restaurant in New York City in 1998.

On Thursday the Sex And The City actor was accused of a further alleged incident in early 2002 by musician Lisa Gentile (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

She claimed that in early 2002 Noth had given her a ride home and asked to come up to her apartment where he kissed her and forcibly pulled her against him.

He was slobbering all over me, she said.

I quickly became uncomfortable. Then he became more aggressive and put both hands on my breasts and began squeezing them very hard over my shirt.

I grabbed his hands with my hands and tried to stop him. I kept pushing his hands down while he was pushing mine up. I was trying to get him to stop.

Ms Gentile claimed she had pushed Noth off her and shouted no, I dont want this, at which point he became extremely angry and called me a tease and a bitch.

He stormed out of my apartment, she said.

She also claimed that Noth had called her the next day and warned that he would ruin her career and have her blacklisted in the business.

I was afraid to come forward because of Mr Noths power and his threats to ruin my career, she said.

I am speaking out now in support of the other four women who have courageously come forward before me.

Ms Gentile is being represented by womens rights lawyer Gloria Allred, of US firm Allred, Maroko & Goldberg.

Representatives for Noth have been contacted for response.

Lisa Gentile alleges that Noth gave her a ride home, asked to come up to her apartment and then kissed her and forcibly pulled her against him (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The previous claims were made by two women following Noths appearance in the SATC spinoff show And Just Like That which had stirred up painful memories.

One woman, who is given the pseudonym Zoe, said she was 22 and working in an entry-level job for a high-profile firm where Noth and other celebrities regularly had business when he allegedly assaulted her in his apartment in Los Angeles in 2004.

Another woman, given the pseudonym Lily, was 25 and working as a waitress in the VIP section of a New York nightclub when she met Noth in 2015.

She claims he assaulted her in his New York apartment.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said there is currently no investigation into the incidents.

Noth said in a statement: The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false.

These stories couldve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago  no always means no  that is a line I did not cross.

The encounters were consensual.

Its difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I dont know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.

His SATC co-stars said they were deeply saddened by the allegations but praised the women for speaking out.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, who play Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte in the hit US show, acknowledged the difficulty of sharing the painful experiences.

We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth, the trio posted on social media.

We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences.

We know it must be a very difficult thing for them to do and we commend them for it.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Home Alone actor Devin Ratray surrendered to authorities in Oklahoma on Wednesday after he was accused of assaulting his girlfriend, police said.

Ratray, who played older brother Buzz McAllister in the 1990 Christmas movie, was released from jail shortly after his booking on two domestic assault and battery complaints, police said.

Ratray, 44, was in Oklahoma City earlier this month for an event called Buzzed with Buzz, which was promoted as a screening of the film along with a question-and-answer session with Ratray.

An affidavit says Ratray choked his girlfriend and said This is how you die, but Ratray denies those allegations, Oklahoma City TV station KFOR reported.

Mr. Ratray denies he ever laid a hand on her or did anything in regards to anything like that, his attorney Scott Adams said.
James Franco addresses some of the specific sexual misconduct accusations against him  and admits he used "fame like a lure" in his first interview in nearly four years.

Following Wednesday's preview of Franco on the Jess Cagle Podcast, the full episode is out and in it the actor talks about being accused by five women, four of whom were his acting students and another whom he mentored, of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior in 2018. In June, his shuttered acting school, Studio 4 in Los Angeles and New York, settled a fraud and sexual exploitation lawsuit over some of the allegations, paying out $2.2 million.

"I can't say too much," Franco replied when asked why he settled the lawsuit when he proclaimed his innocence from the allegations in 2018. "Look, some people felt that they had been mistreated and the insurance company and we all felt that easiest thing would to be to settle this."

Franco  who said in the interview that he's quietly been in sex addiction recovery since 2016  said one of the "misconceptions" he could talk about was why he started the acting school. He explained that he had been teaching at four different schools, which hard to get into and cost a lot of money, so his intention was to help aspiring actors who couldn't afford one of the prestigious programs.

James Franco addresses allegations of sexually exploitative behavior, admits that he should have "known better." (Photo: REUTERS/Mike Blake)

"I thought: It's good for me when I help other people," Franco said. "And there was a high demand. That's what it was about. The stupidest thing I did  well, one of the stupidest things I did at the school  I called one of my classes, a master class, 'Sex Scenes.' It was not about sex scenes. It was not teaching people how to do sex scenes  It was a provocative title  It should have been called 'contemporary romance.'  It was not sex scenes."

Former students Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal alleged in their lawsuit that Franco, through the school, tried to "create a pipeline of young women who were subjected to his personal and professional sexual exploitation in the name of education."

Asked why they had that perception, Franco admitted he slept with students, which he admitted "was wrong." He said, "I suppose at the time, my thinking was: If it's consensual, it's OK." But having a pipeline of women at his whim, said, "was not why I started that school."

Franco insisted he didn't select the students for the class. It was noted that the students claimed they were required to audition  in the nude  to be in the "Sex Scenes" class. Further, they were allegedly recorded.

"Look, if they were, I'm sorry," he said, "and it's partly on me because it was my school. That's another thing I'll take ownership for. I had no business starting my own school. Yes, I had good intentions. But when I was teaching at universities, there's this whole infrastructure and support and guidance how to run a class. I didn't have any of that when I started my own school. So if something like that happened, it is on me. I started the school. I shouldn't have had a place where anything like that might happen. But I wasn't in the auditions. They might have been videoed, I didn't see them and I didn't make the selections for that particular class."

The complaint said students were told the nude auditions were filmed because Franco was going to view them to select students for the master class.

Franco sighed as he searched for words. "I am so sorry that that was ever believed by anyone," he said. "I truly am. That is the last thing that I ever did or would have ever wanted. Truly, I never saw any of those auditions."

He also addressed the claim that while filming a nude orgy scene for an indie film Franco was directing outside of the school, he removed protective plastic guards covering other actresses' vaginas while simulating oral sex on them.

"It just didn't happen," he said. "I never took a guard off of anyone ever in my life. It just didn't happen. That's all I can say about that. We have footage that shows that never happened on that particular project  and it didn't happen."

It was also alleged that the actresses faced demands for nudity on some of his indie film sets which they previously hadn't been told they would have to perform. One was in a brothel scene.

"There were a couple times when on set it wasn't in the scene and we had inspiration and we said: Let's add [nudity] to this scene." However, he suggested it was optional, despite the power imbalance. "What we did was said: Who wants to be in this scene? And then there would be volunteers and we'd go shoot it. In hindsight, if we had an intimacy coordinator"  something used more in the post-#MeToo era  "there would be a [more formal] process."

Asked if Franco "got angry" if an actor refused to comply with his request for unscripted nudity, he said he could think of one person who may have felt like that, but said they have since spoken about it and have no hard feelings.

"If the people were all uncomfortable, they weren't saying it to me," he said. "Again, I take ownership. I wasn't creating a safe environment where they could go and talk to me, but nobody said anything to me." In fact, he said people he worked with praised him in social media posts, including one that called him a "great director."

He said, "I should have known better. I wish I had known better. I can't go back and change it. I can only change my behavior on set going forward. But it was also a little confusing to me at the time because I'm being told, 'This man is a god' by the people I'm working with."

Franco said it was a full year before he was called out for sexual misconduct at the 2018 Golden Globes that he suffered a personal burnout. He was overworked, describing himself a workaholic unable to sit with himself, so tried to keep busy. His agent had an intervention, saying he should slow down professionally because they couldn't fund his many projects, as he had so many. His producing partner also had a meeting with him to discuss scaling back. Even prior to that, he entered recovery for sex addiction in 2016. His sister-in-law had given him a book about sex and love addiction and, as someone in recovery for alcohol since age 17, it resonated that he had problem. During that period, he took a seven month break from acting and dating to examine his personal behavior and his addictive behaviors.

Franco said an even earlier red flag that his addictive behavior needed to be examined was in 2014 when he texted a 17 year old girl he met at the stage door after performing in Broadway's Of Mice and Men. He ultimately didn't meet up with the teen, once she revealed her age, but she shared his texts with friends  in which he tried to meet her in her hotel room  and they ended up online. That incident has been pointed to as part of a pattern of Franco's inappropriate interactions with young women.

"I shouldn't have texted with that person," he said. "I would go outside after every show and sign autographs and take selfies and I'd meet people. I started talking to her through social media. We talked about meeting up and I learned she was a couple weeks short of 18 so we sort of called that off."

Of that being made public: "It was very embarrassing. Again, I shouldn't have been texting with her  I never saw that person again. If I was healthy, that would have been a warning: James, something is off here. Instead, I just saw  be careful about people you meet [because they could share private exchanges publicly]. Not: You have this underlying issue. You're burning yourself down cause you can't be alone because you're trying to fill this hole in your soul through these outside means  work and other people. There's something deeper than needs to be dealt with. I just couldn't see it at the time."

When he finally did "hit a wall"  the year before the allegations surfaced  and took seven months off from work and dating to look at himself, he said it was sparked by a conversation with his producing partner about him being a workaholic. His brother, Dave Franco, was there.

"I started crying," he recalled. "He showed my whole history of the last five years. This portrait of this guy who could not be alone with himself. I couldn't even go to sleep because I didn't want to alone with myself. For years I slept on my couch because I fought sleep."

During those seven months, "It was: Oh my god, I have to get to know James? It felt like I was 13 again  I've got the social skills of a 13 year old because frankly once I had success [at age 20]  I didn't even know I was doing this really  but I would use my fame like a lure. Because I was scared to get to know anyone... I hid behind the facade of my fame."

When he had to stop doing that and face his actions, "It was like: Oh my god this scared little kid [is] underneath." He said he's, "Glad I went through it. If anything positive has come out this, it's like: I've changed. It's given me the incentive to do the work to change. I'll keep working at it for the rest of my life. At least it got me off that path that was never going to end and would probably kill me. I truly believe if I kept going with my work addiction I would have relapsed with alcohol."

In the interview Franco spoke at length about his childhood alcohol addiction and being a ward of the state. He said he was on probation when he was in a drunken driving car accident. He became sober at 17 and three years later, he became a star on Freaks and Geeks. But he started to fill the void inside by becoming addicted to the attention and success he got from stardom. That morphed into sex addiction.

He admitted he was never faithful to a partner  "I cheated on everyone"  and slept with the students at his acting school. He's been dating current girlfriend Isabel Pakzad since 2016.

There's mixed reactions to Franco breaking his silence. Charlyne Yi, who worked with Franco in The Disaster Artist, and previously called him a "sexual predator," made her opinion clear.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Los Angeles police fatally shot a 14-year-old girl who was inside a clothing store dressing room Thursday as they fired at a suspect who had assaulted a woman earlier, authorities said.

The male suspect was also killed in the police shooting, authorities said. The woman who had been assaulted was taken to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries.

The shots were fired around 11:45 a.m. at a Burlington store  part of a chain formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory  in the North Hollywood area of the San Fernando Valley.

Police initially responded to reports of a person being assaulted with a deadly weapon as well as reports of shots being fired, said Los Angeles police Capt. Stacy Spell at a news conference. Spell said officers opened fire when they saw the suspect assaulting another person.

The suspect was struck by the officers' bullets and killed, Spell said.

One of the bullets went through a dressing room wall and struck the 14-year-old girl, according to LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi. Officers later found her inside.

You cant see into the dressing rooms and it just looks like a straight wall of drywall, Choi said at a second news conference.

Investigators do not yet know whether the teenager was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.

Choi said authorities do not yet know the man's motive or whether he knew the woman he initially assaulted in the store.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said that woman had moderate to serious injuries and was transported to a hospital. It wasn't immediately known if she'd been shot but Choi said she had injuries to her head, arms and face.

Police found a heavy metal cable lock near the suspect that they say may have been used in that assault.

Spell said the injured woman was the victim in the first assault report. It was not immediately clear what weapon was involved in that assault.

He added that police had received calls about the suspect acting erratically before the incident.

Imelda Garcia said her sister works in the store and was on break when she heard gunshots and everyone started running. Garcia said she spoke to her sister on the phone and that she's OK but sounded really nervous.

Police escorted people out of the store nearly two hours after the shooting.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the shooting occurred at a Burlington store in North Hollywood that is part of a chain formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory.
When Zachary Principe wants to introduce people to one of his favorite vistas, he takes them to the top of Bear Mountain, a sky island in the Tehachapi Mountains north of Los Angeles where California condors roost in the boughs of sugar pines.

The mountaintop 6,805 feet above sea level is a refuge for mountain lions, mule deer and bobcats and is only about a two-hour drive from 18 million people in Southern California. But its off-limits to development, said Principe, project manager for the nonprofit Nature Conservancy, because we bought the place.

Bear Mountain is among the latest additions to the conservancys new Frank and Joan Randall Tehachapi Preserve, which consists of nine working livestock ranches acquired, in bits and pieces, over the past decade as a last line of defense against sprawl, the mounting pressures of climate change and wind farms spreading across the regions ridgelines.

On a recent tour of the summit, Principe and Cara Lacey, the latter of whom is the conservancy's director of wildlife corridors, gazed out from a promontory offering a window into a bygone era of Southern California, a nexus of overlapping ecosystems and working ranches where cattle graze on verdant pastures.

Zachary Principe, project manager for the Nature Conservancy, and Cara Lacey, the conservancy's director of wildlife corridors, walk along a ridgeline overlooking a nexus of overlapping ecosystems in the Tehachapi mountains. (Louis Sahagun/Los Angeles Times)

The preserve is a Grand Central Station of wildlife corridors sustaining gene flows of native wildlife, Lacey said, by connecting them to swaths of undeveloped habitat that run from the Sierra Nevada to the Baja Peninsula.

They include the Mojave Desert to the east, the southern Sierra Nevadas snow-capped granite peaks to the north, San Joaquin Valley grasslands and coastal ranges to the west and the vast oak savannahs of Tejon Ranch to the south.

The ranchlands were secured with roughly $65 million in grants and financial agreements arranged by the Nature Conservancy in collaboration with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Board, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Department of the Navy.

They include a $50-million donation from Frank and Joan Randall, a pair of Western iconoclasts who wanted to help transform the ranchlands into a home on the eco-range for wildlife as well as a healthy place to raise cattle.

In my lifetime, I have witnessed massive changes in the state of nature and have seen open spaces disappear across Southern California, said Frank Randall. Time is not on our side. We need to act now.

Thats why Joan and I are so excited to see this Preserve come to fruition, he added, and to know we made every effort to ensure this special place will be here and in good hands now and into the future.

Some conservationists view the preserve as a critical component of a future network of protected lands extending from Canada to Mexico that would be rewilded with reintroduced species to mimic the biodiversity of pre-Columbian America.

Its current protected neighbors include the 93,000-acre Wind Wolves Preserve, the 246,812-acre Carrizo Plain National Monument and Tejon Ranchs 240,000 acres of conservation easements.

Weve done an amazing job of protecting a lot of the land between Los Angeles County and the Sierra Nevada range, said Michael Sweeney, the conservancys executive director of the California region. As beautiful as these lands are, however, they are shadows of their former selves.

Thats because they are missing a lot of once common native species important to their ecological health  pronghorn, bighorn sheep, Tule elk, grizzly bears, wolves and jaguars, Sweeney said. Weve always had grand ambitions of rewilding these lands.

For the time being, however, we intend to maintain ranch operations as a nature-building management tool because, among other things, livestock keep the invasive weeds down, Sweeney said.

Scientists say encroaching development threatens to fragment pasturelands and cut off wildlife corridors with roads and suburbs, diverted stream flows, and weekend crowds.

Even loose dogs and cats would take a toll on the areas federally endangered plants and animals, including Bakersfield cactus, arroyo toads and the rarely seen brick-red Tehachapi slender salamander, which lives most of its life underground, and, having no lungs, absorbs oxygen through its skin.

A scientific investigation by Robert Stebbins, the now deceased preeminent expert on western North American reptiles and amphibians, into the yellow-blotched ensatina salamander, became a classic of biological research.

The nocturnal salamander is one of seven species of ensatina, each of which is found in a limited range in the mountains and foothills encircling Californias Central Valley, including the Tehachapi Mountains.

Stebbins work aimed to resolve a biological puzzle: Why are two species of a creature in California virtually identical, except in color?

The differences are striking among salamanders found in the mountains around the Central Valley. On the western ranges they are mostly reddish brown, with orange bellies. On the eastern range, however, they are dark with bright yellow splotches  and the colors become brighter at the southern end of the range.

He came to believe that the salamanders evolved independently and adapted to their environments  as though on separate islands  from common ancestors in the north. The theory is highlighted by renowned biologist Richard Dawkins in his 2004 book, The Ancestors Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution.

There is so much more just waiting to be discovered in this preserve, Sweeney said. Future projects include a full-scale biological survey.

To balance the needs of cattle and wildlife above and below ground, selected slopes are grazed to keep grasses and shrubs low enough for hawks and golden eagles to spot gophers and other prey more easily. In other areas, grazing is controlled to prevent erosion and allow native plants and flowers to flourish. Fences are going up along waterways.

Moderate levels of cattle grazing around ephemeral ponds that form seasonally, under certain conditions, lead to a greater number and greater variety of native plants, according to a recent study led by researchers at UC Davis and UC Agricultural and Natural Resources.

Livestock grazing can be used as a conservation tool, provided you have a plan, said Ken Tate, co-author of the study. Its on the shoulders of the land managers to set goals and objectives and then meet them.

From its southern boundary at the Tejon Ranch, the Randall Preserve steps up to the snowy heights of Bear Mountain, an isolated mountain offering creature comforts including a perennial spring flowing through stands of sugar, Ponderosa and Jeffrey pines, black oaks, and elderberry bushes that are seldom visited by hikers and mountain bikers.

Down the mountain, the conservancy is collaborating with the California Department of Transportation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to transform a bridge built for agricultural purposes that spans a busy stretch of Highway 58 through Tehachapi Pass into a modified wildlife crossing for black bears, cougars, bobcats and mule deer.

Weve only just begun to understand the ever-changing complexity of the ecological rhythms of life in this vast preserve, Principe said.

The good news," he added, "is that we can now watch them change in their own time, and not because of the pressures of development.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WASHINGTON  House Democrats are facing an onslaught of departures with less than a year to go before the midterm elections.

So far, 23 Democratic representatives have said they won't seek re-election, including five in December alone. Three of them  Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, and Albio Sires of New Jersey  made their announcements just in the last week.

Some retiring members said they are bowing out because their districts have become more competitive under this year's redistricting, while others cited dysfunction on Capitol Hill or satisfaction with their legislative accomplishments in this Congress. Several more are seeking other political offices.

The decisions come as the party faces significant headwinds leading into November.

President Joe Biden's job approval rating has hit new lows over the last several weeksamid concerns about his handling of the economy and the coronavirus response  potentially a bad omen given that a president's party typically loses seats in midterm elections. And the Democrats' concerns about holding their razor-thin majorities in Congress next year have been heightened by the GOP's sweep of last month's elections in Virginia and the unexpectedly close governor's race in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the party's hopes of passing the centerpiece of Bidens agenda, a $1.7 trillion package of social and climate change programs, faded when Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., unexpectedly announced Sunday that he wouldn't support the legislation, which Democrats have been negotiating for months  further highlighting the party's internal disarray. That's in addition to key Democratic initiatives like voting and immigration overhauls already having foundered.

Image: Lucille Roybal-Allard (Andrew Harnik / AP file)

Against that backdrop, 15 of the nearly 23 Democrats who are not running for re-election have chosen to retire completely from public life, including senior members.

Murphy, the co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition and a member of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, is the chief deputy House whip. Roybal-Allard is a House "cardinal," leading the subcommittee responsible for homeland security spending, and has served in Congress since 1993. Sires, a member since 2006, chairs a Foreign Affairs subcommittee and sits on the budget and infrastructure committees.

Other prominent members who have announced their retirements in recent months include Peter DeFazio of Oregon, chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee; John Yarmuth of Kentucky, who heads the powerful Budget Committee; and Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, the chair of the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

DeFazio, who has held his seat for more than 30 years, played a key role in negotiating the major infrastructure package passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in November, while Yarmuth, a member for 15 years, helped spearhead the Democrats' massive social spending package.

Reps. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, the former head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, are also retiring.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, brushed off concerns about the flood of departures, saying they were to be expected because its a redistricting year.

I dont believe it has anything to do with our prospects in 2022, he told reporters last month. Were going to hold the House, and were going to grow a majority. Were going to do it because of extraordinary leadership.

Image: Peter DeFazio (Caroline Brehman / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file)

Across the aisle, a dozen House Republicans have announced plans to retire from Congress or run for another office, not counting members who have already left. Those leaving include Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of the two GOP members of the Jan. 6 committee; Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee; Rep. Tom Reed of New York, former co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus; and Devin Nunes, of California, a loyal defender of former President Donald Trump who's leaving to become CEO of Trump's new media company.

So far, only one Senate Democrat, Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, has announced he won't seek re-election. On the other side of the aisle, five Senate Republicans have announced plans to retire, including Richard Burr of North Carolina; Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania; Rob Portman of Ohio; Richard Shelby of Alabama; and Roy Blunt of Missouri.

Spurred by the upcoming Senate vacancies, four House Democrats are running for Senate in their home states: Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania, Tim Ryan in Ohio, Peter Welch in Vermont and Val Demings in Florida. Several of their colleagues, meanwhile, are running for other elected offices, including Charlie Crist, for governor of Florida, a seat hes held before; Karen Bass, also a former Congressional Black Caucus chair, for mayor of Los Angeles; Anthony Brown for attorney general in Maryland; and Tom Suozzi for governor of New York.

State of the races

Democrats hold a 222-213 edge in the House, meaning Republicans would need to pick up five seats to retake control of the chamber. They last held the majority in 2018, before Democrats gained a number of seats in that years election.

According to the Cook Political Report, five House seats are considered Democratic toss-ups in the upcoming election and seven districts lean Democratic, while two GOP races are viewed as toss-ups and four lean Republican  numbers that could change as redistricting continues.

Democrats also have a chance of losing control of the evenly split Senate, where they hold a majority only because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast tie-breaking votes.

The Cook Political Report rates three incumbent Democrats' Senate seats as toss-ups: Mark Kelly of Arizona; Rafael Warnock of Georgia; and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. It also rates the seat of Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., as leaning Democratic.

The election newsletter rates three Republican seats as equally competitive, including the open seats in North Carolina and Pennsylvania and Ron Johnson's seat in Wisconsin.

When asked on Monday about the implications the upcoming retirements would have for Democrats, White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment, saying only that Biden will be out there campaigning for the candidates.

Bustos, who represents a toss-up district, said in an interview Monday on MSNBC that Democrats need to focus on the big middle of the country rather than infighting between progressives and moderates.

That's what we've got to focus on if we want to get the legislation completed and if we want to make sure that we're successful in the 2022 election, she said. Retirements are a part of the natural cycle, I think that's worth noting. But we've got to get a lot of things right between now and next November.
Ahmad Abdul Qader, a soldier, walks along the slow-flowing Sirwan River on the border with Iran near Halabja, Iraq. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Ask Taha Yassin about Iraqi pomegranates and watch his gaze turn dreamy.

They grow big. Their juice is sweet. Theyre incomparable. I dont say this as a nationalist, as someone who loves their country. Its just fact, he said, speaking about them like you would a long-lost love.

In a sense, he was. This corner of Diyala province, which stretches from the center of Iraq to the countrys east, was once famous for its pomegranates. Everywhere you drove, youd encounter acres of trees laden with blood-red baubles. Yassin had three fields and a vineyard.

Not these days. Standing in one of his plots, Yassin pointed out a few desiccated-looking trees and the churned brown of recently tilled fields. Like other farmers in Diyala, he had given up. Over the last few months he cut down most of his pomegranate trees; he just finished plowing over his vineyard.

Dried-out pomegranates are all that is left of the failed crop on a farm cultivated by Taha Yassin near Miqdadiya, Iraq. He had started to cut down his failed pomegranate trees because of water scarcity at his farm. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

If you saw this area 10 years before, I swear you would think you're in Eden, he said.

But theres just no water. We couldnt do it any more.

Diyala is perhaps the starkest example of Iraqs impending Great Thirst. The country  fed not by one but two mighty rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates  is thought to be where humans first started cultivation: Mesopotamia, the land of plenty.

But another year of crippling drought and of competition with equally parched neighbors means there isnt enough water to go around. Both Turkey and Iran have activated dams and tunnels to divert water from tributaries of the Tigris and Euphrates, leaving downstream Iraq  which relies on the two rivers' largesse for 60% of its freshwater resources  with an acute shortage.

A ring is visible where the water line has receded at the Darbandikhan Dam in northeastern Iraq. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

This year, inflows from Turkey fell by almost two-thirds; from Iran theyre about one-tenth of what they were, Mahdi Rashid Hamdani, Iraq's minister of water resources, said in an interview.

In desperation, Baghdad has appealed to its neighbors to help mitigate the crisis. In October, the Water Ministry invoked an agreement with Ankara that's supposed to ensure Turkey's fair and equitable contributions to the Tigris and Euphrates. In Tehran, the appeal has been met with silence, Iraqi officials say.

Iran hasnt cooperated with us at all. It diverted rivers to areas inside the country and doesnt work with us to share the damage from the drought, Hamdani said, adding that his ministry has completed procedures for a lawsuit against Iran and asked the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to contact the International Court of Justice. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry did not respond to questions on the matter.

The water scarcity is compounded by wider shifts in the environment. This year, temperatures in Iraq reached 125 degrees, and the country is experiencing 118-degree days more frequently and earlier in the year. Berkeley Earth, a California-based climate science organization, found that temperatures in Iraq have increased at double the world average.

Last year, Iraq ranked No. 5 on the United Nations' list of countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. By 2050, the World Bank said in a report last month, a temperature increase of 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and a precipitation decrease of 10% could cause Iraq to lose fully one-fifth of its available fresh water.

A worker pauses while unloading produce for sale at the Dora market in Baghdad's Abu Disheer neighborhood. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Under those circumstances, nearly one-third of Iraq's irrigated land won't have water.

Thats already the reality in Diyala. Almost all of the province was dropped from the governments agricultural plan for summer crops, excluding farmers there from water appropriations in favor of irrigating strategic crops such as barley and wheat. The same thing happened in October. Instead, Diyala's farmers have had to rely on roughly 200 wells to slake their orchards' thirst as well as their own.

For many here, the changes mean the end of a way of life.

In 2010, Yassin, having saved enough money from his engineering work in the northeastern city of Sulaymaniya, decided to take up farming on his familys land near Miqdadiya, a city in Diyala about 50 miles northeast of Baghdad. His father, a farmer, discouraged him, warning that he would lose his investment. Yassin went ahead anyway.

Farming is an addiction, he said, recalling how, as a child, he would accompany his father to the fields, and how the roads were choked with people coming from all over Iraq to buy Diyalas pomegranates, apricots and oranges.

Taha Yassin walks through the land where he cultivated grapes. The crop failed because of water issues. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Yassin poured tens of thousands of dollars into the effort, installing drip irrigation to create a modern, profitable farm.

But he soon found out his father was right: The margins didn't make sense. The government cut support for fertilizer, seeds and the gas he needed to run pumps. And though the state had banned importing certain types of produce to protect Iraqi farmers, the right bribe at the right checkpoint meant that truckloads of fruit from Iran, Turkey, Syria and Yemen still showed up at local markets, undercutting local growers.

The water shortage delivered the killing blow.

The last three years were especially hard, Yassin said, forcing farmers to dig deeper wells to hit groundwater, which in turn turned increasingly brackish from overpumping. Stepping through his neighbors orchard, he grabbed a plump-looking pomegranate from one of the trees.

From outside it looks good," he said. "But inside He cracked open the fruit in his hands to reveal dull yellow innards and the translucent red of the seeds; there wasnt a drop of juice.

His neighbor had tried everything. He has money. He dug wells, put pipes, installed pumps. Nothing worked, Yassin said, adding that now the neighbor grew produce only for personal consumption.

Downstream in Balad Ruz, about 20 miles southeast of Yassins farm, Ghadban Tamimi had for decades planted his 300-acre property with pomegranates, wheat and rice. ("Balad Ruz" means "rice field.")

This year? Not a single acre. The last time the canal he relied on for irrigation had proper flow was seven months ago. Now it had only sewage. Digging a well was no use.

We went down 140 feet  nothing but saltwater, he said.

Convinced that theirs is now literally a fruitless pursuit, many farmers have abandoned their plots, Tamimi said. From here to 10 miles on, youll find villages with no one in them. We were nine families. Now it's three.

Sheep forage amid the parched ground at Lake Hamrin in Iraq. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

You can see the crisis in Lake Hamrin, an artificial 130-square-mile reservoir. Its fed by the Halwan River, another tributary of the Tigris that begins in Irans portion of the Zagros Mountains.

On Google Maps, the reservoir shows up as a blue dagger stabbing the heart of Diyala. The Diyala-Kirkuk highway threads through the daggers tip. Years ago, authorities had to shore up the highways sides because the water lapped its edge. But now the basin is bone-dry.

Trudging along the basins exposed floor, Wissam Wadi, a 29-year-old shepherd, watched his flock kick up swirls of dust as it foraged on shrubs growing out of the cracked earth. It took Wadi an hour and a half to find this patch. In the past, he would've found plenty of suitable areas within a half-hour's walk of his home.

He and his colleagues lost 300 sheep from heat and lack of water in July, when temperatures in parts of Iraq soared above 110 degrees. The survivors, he said, are a stunted 60 pounds each compared with the nearly 100-pound sheep he raised in the past.

What are they supposed to eat? Dirt? he said. The land that we had, it was our gold. Now look at us: No salaries, nothing. We were living off this lake. And it's gone.

The outflow at the Darbandikhan Dam in Iraq. Iran controls 70% of the dam's 7,000-square-mile catchment area and recently activated a 29-mile diversionary tunnel that siphoned away most of the Sirwan River, reducing the dam's inflows. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

From the window of his office overlooking the Darbandikhan Dam 80 miles northeast of Diyala, along the Sirwan River, Rahman Khani has a front-row view of the water crisis. As the dams director, it falls to him to regulate river flows to farmers as far as Basra, in Iraqs deep south.

By November, he should have been releasing water at a rate of about 6,600 gallons per second. He was supposed to get double that amount from Iran, which controls 70% of the dams 7,000-square-mile catchment area and which recently activated a 29-mile diversionary tunnel siphoning away most of the Sirwan River.

That and the lack of rain have dried up the dam's inflows to one-fifth of what Khani was expecting.

Just look out the window and you'll see it, he said, pointing to a discolored line on one of the dams towers where the water once reached. It was more than 23 feet above the current level.

Youre telling me the view from here is nice. But for me, it's a source of worry.

Iran's exports of produce to Iraq, Khani said, amounted to an indirect purchase of water.

Rahman Khani has a front-row view of Iraq's water crisis. It falls to Khani, the director of the Darbandikhan Dam, to regulate river flows to farmers as far as Basra, in Iraq's deep south. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

If we're not planting in Iraq, then we're essentially buying water from Iran through their fruits and vegetables, he said, adding that he had received no communication from authorities on the Iranian side  not even basic information on expected inflows.

That tension over water persists all the way beyond the mountains near Halabja, where the Sirwan forms the border between Iran and Iraq. One recent afternoon, Iraqi Kurdish forces Cmdr. Ahmad Abdul Qader walked down to the river. Though Sirwan means shouting river, its sound was reduced to an indifferent burble.

The Iranians only allow the water to come a few hours a day, Abdul Qader said.

In 1988, during the closing days of the Iran-Iraq war, when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein bombed Halabja's Kurds with chemical weapons, many residents fled to the river, running across a narrow footbridge, Abdul Qader said. The bridges discarded skeleton now pokes out of the riverbed.

In the past, the water submerged the bridge. These days it barely covers whats left of it, he said.

Iranian officials say Iraq should be more worried about the impact of massive public works in Turkey such as the Ilisu Dam, which could take away much of the Tigris' flow into Iraq, rather than Iran's comparatively smaller irrigation projects.

A fruit seller organizes his produce along a highway outside Miqdadiya, Iraq. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

"I don't believe Iraqi complaints and calls for suing Iran are justifiable," said Fadaei Fard, who works on water resources and flood management at the Iranian Ministry of Energy. "They have no legal standing in international courts because almost all projects carried out in Iran foresaw enough water inflows into Iraqi territory."

Iranian state media have quoted officials dismissing Iraqi concerns as anti-Iran propaganda. The blame for Iraqs problems, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said in one report, lies with Baghdad's mismanagement and corruption, as well as low investment in Iraq's infrastructure, which has been damaged by decades of war and neglect. Besides, with a population half that of Iran or Turkey, Iraq is relatively still better off than both of its neighbors.

Hamdani, the Iraqi water resources minister, acknowledged problems with water distribution but insisted that Tehran was evading its responsibility.

Azzam Wash, an environmental expert who was a member of Iraqs delegation to the U.N. climate change conference in Scotland in November and a founder of the environmental group Nature Iraq, said that suing Iran will not resolve the problem.

A man smokes while picnicking with friends along the Diyala River near Miqdadiya, Iraq. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Assume for the sake of argument Iran accepts adjudication, and further assume Iraq wins, then what? Will Iran release water? he said, adding that successive Iraqi governments had done little to reduce water waste.

Yassin, the pomegranate farmer, isnt expecting any improvement in the situation either. He now has a state job as a maintenance engineer, joining others in Diyala abandoning their farms.

For 80% of the people here, if someone came and gave them money, they would sell their land, he said.

They say, Let me do something in the city. Farming is over.

(This is the third in a series of occasional articles about how climate change and water scarcity are affecting the politics and landscape of the Middle East.)





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday blamed the West for heightened tensions on the Ukrainian border and claimed the Kremlin has not threatened "anyone" despite its military buildup there.

Tensions between Washington and the Kremlin have reached a boiling point not seen since the Cold War as over 100,000 Russian soldiers have amassed along the border over the last several months.

PUTIN URGES WEST TO ACT QUICKLY TO OFFER SECURITY GUARANTEES

NATO member nations have repeatedly warned the Kremlin that should it invade its neighbor to the west, there would be serious repercussions, including severe economic sanctions.

In contrast to his language earlier in the week, Putin on Thursday alleged he does not want confrontation with Ukraine but said he needs security guarantees from the West that the former Soviet nation will not be permitted to join NATO.

"You must give us a guarantee. And immediately  now," Putin said during a four-hour-long press conference.

Putin claimed that should Kyiv be able to join NATO, "bases and strike weapons systems" could be placed in Ukraine and would pose an additional threat to the Kremlin.

"It presents an ultimate threat to Russia because the flight time of missile strikes will be reduced to seven to 10 minutes, and it's simply not enough time to react," former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) intelligence officer for Russian doctrine and strategy, Rebekah Koffler, told Fox News.

But Koffler argued Putin has another motive for threatening to invade Ukraine.

RUSSIA WILL ENGAGE IN US SECURITY TALKS AS TENSIONS ESCALATE OVER UKRAINE

"He softened the language a little bit," the former DIA officer said comparing the Thursday presser to unfounded accusations made earlier in the week.

"They want to create a tactical prize, they want to keep us guessing, they want to keep us on edge," Koffler, who authored "Putin's Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America," said. She added that Putin is assessing the Biden administration to see if there is "a change in force posture."

Koffler warned that Putins recent language echoes comments made in the lead up to the 2014 invasion of Ukraine and said she believes there could be an invasion as soon as Christmas Eve.

Participants of the war with Russia backed separatists on the east of Ukraine, activists of Right Sector SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images

"He understands that we, our intelligence agencies, and national security apparatus are going to operate on a skeleton crew  he is more likely to achieve tactical surprise," she warned.

Koffler said she believes the threat of invasion remains the highest through mid-January, explaining that security agencies in Ukraine could be operating at reduced capacities as the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7, according to the old Julian calendar.

But another defense expert pointed documents obtained by intelligence officials earlier this month that suggested the threat may actually be highest from late January to February, explained American Enterprise Institute senior fellow and director of the Critical Threats Project, Fred Kagan.

"Putin is clearly setting conditions to be able to invade, to conduct a full-scale invasion of Ukraine this winter," Kagan said.

The foreign policy expert said that Russia views the expansion of NATO as a "pressure campaign" and is using the threat of a Ukraine invasion as a bargaining chip to deny the former Soviet state access to the Western alliance.

"Hes making this a crisis," former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman told Fox News in reference to Putin. "Hes portraying Ukraine as the aggressor. Hes saying that the Russian motherland is under threat  its all typical Soviet propaganda."

Both Hoffman and Kagan said they did not believe a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent but warned it remained a possibility as long as Putin continues to mass troops on the border.

"Putin is doing all of this for leverage," Hoffman said. "And he knows if we do agree not to allow Ukraine to join NATO or to give Russia some veto power over it  we have wrecked Ukraines democracy."

Washington and Moscow are set to hold talks in the New Year to negotiate Russia's security demands.
Travelers arrive at John Wayne Airport on Dec. 21. With the spread of the Omicron variant, some people have been rethinking their holiday travel plans. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

As the Omicron variant surged, Tira Palmquist agonized about her trip to Ohio.

The Irvine resident is vaccinated and boosted. But she has a preexisting condition that increases her risk of severe COVID-19. She couldn't shake a nagging feeling that perhaps she shouldn't go.

Ultimately, the desire to see her daughter won out.

This week, Palmquist, 58, boarded a plane with her husband, both of them wearing N95 masks.

"This feels like March 2020 all over again," Palmquist, a playwright, said. "It feels more uncertain and more frightening than it did before."

Just as life seemed almost back to normal, with children in classrooms, case counts down and dinners with friends resuming, along came Omicron, with its wicked combination of extreme transmissibility and ability to break through some vaccinated people's defenses.

After sacrificing family get-togethers last Christmas, many Americans had booked plane tickets, hopeful about celebrating safely once again.

Now, they are weighing risks and benefits, in a circular dialogue with no clear answers. What if I give the virus to a vulnerable relative? Can I go another year without seeing my kids? What if we're still in this situation next year?

Some, like Palmquist, are forging ahead despite their misgivings, sometimes with extra precautions such as testing before and after arrival.

Others are canceling their plans and staying home.

Brian Rosenbaum, 37, planned to fly with his family to the Austrian Alps to spend Christmas with relatives they haven't seen since the pandemic started.

He was excited about his 3-year-old son and 9-month-old daughter playing in the snow for the first time.

But the children are too young to be vaccinated.

He and his wife consulted their pediatrician, whom Rosenbaum described as straightforward and not super risk-averse.

We know that if he were to say something, we should take it really seriously, Rosenbaum said. He said, 'No, dont go.

Stefano Agosto meets his sister, Caterina Agosto of Italy, as she exits customs and baggage claim at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX on Dec. 22. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)

They immediately canceled their flights. Instead, Rosenbaum's relatives made plans to fly to Los Angeles.

But COVID-19 again reared its head.

On Sunday, Rosenbaums brother-in-law said he had tested positive. They wouldn't be able to travel after all.

Still, Rosenbaum is optimistic that future Christmases won't be so fraught with uncertainty.

Well get back to it, said Rosenbaum, a Los Angeles resident and community engagement director for the anti-poverty nonprofit Imagine LA.

The Omicron surge will probably continue through December and into January, potentially peaking later next month or in early February, according to a projection by the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Because many people are now vaccinated, and because Omicron appears to generally cause less severe disease, there will be fewer daily deaths than during last winters devastating peak, according to the projection.

Still, Omicron's high transmissibility has raised concerns about whether it's safe to travel.

More than two-thirds of respondents in an Axios/Ipsos poll published last week said they believed air travel would pose a large or moderate health risk  a 10% increase from early November.

Still, nearly 72% of respondents said they plan to see family or friends over the holidays. More than 10 million travelers have passed through airports since Saturday, nearly double compared with the same time last year, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

As the pandemic continues, new variants will emerge, forcing people to balance the need for in-person contact with the risk of infection, said Bernadette Boden-Albala, the founding dean of the Program in Public Health at UC Irvine.

"We're hoping the variants are going to come in milder and milder forms, but we're not fully convinced of that yet, so in a sense, we have to live with that risk," she said. "We have to balance out family and friends and mental health. We're all just going to have to be more careful engaging in those activities."

In assessing their risk, travelers should consider factors including their health status, their mode of transportation and whether the people they're visiting have preexisting conditions, Boden-Albala said.

The last time Laura Clatterbuck saw her parents was two Christmases ago.

They are in their 70s, and Clatterbuck was afraid of flying to their home in Richmond, Va., and infecting them.

This month, with everyone vaccinated, Clatterbuck and her husband were planning to brave the trip. Then, Omicron hit.

Clatterbuck, who is pregnant with twin girls, has held off getting a booster shot over concerns about possible side effects for her unborn daughters.

She decided not to fly and risk getting herself or anyone else sick.

"We definitely have FOMO not going back and seeing our family," she said, using an acronym for "fear of missing out." "We have some family out here, so we're going to see them for the holiday instead, so we're not completely alone."

Carrie Scott-James, 29, came to a different decision. She flew with her 11-month-old son, Shaunne, to Orange County from San Francisco last week to visit family.

It was Shaunne's first time on a plane. He's too young to wear a mask or get the vaccine. But Scott-James, a nurse, is confident that he has some immunity from breastfeeding, because she's fully vaccinated.

"It made me feel a little bit better about it," she said. "I was still anxious, but I haven't seen my family in so long."

Palmquist, the Irvine woman with a daughter in Ohio, concluded after long discussions with her husband that flying masked and fully vaccinated wasn't significantly riskier than shopping at a busy grocery store or pharmacy.

The family members she is seeing are also vaccinated and have vowed to isolate and test before gathering indoors. Palmquist and her husband tested negative for the coronavirus before their trip and would test again when they reached their daughter's home.

"I know I'm being selfish to a certain degree, but I just really want to be able to see my daughter," she said. "Being here on the West Coast and being so far from family gets harder and harder. There's an emotional need to be with family  especially this time of year."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(Reuters) - United Airlines and Delta Air Lines on Thursday said they had each canceled dozens of Christmas Eve flights, as the spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant takes a toll on its flight crews and other workers.

Chicago-based United canceled 120 flights for Friday, while Atlanta-based Delta said it has canceled about 90. Both said they were working to contact passengers so they would not be stranded at airports.

"The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation. As a result, weve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport," United said.

Delta said it has "exhausted all options and resources  including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying  before canceling around 90 flights for Friday."

Delta cited potential inclement weather and the impact of the Omicron variant for the cancellations.

On Tuesday, Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian asked the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to shrink quarantine guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals who experience breakthrough COVID-19 infections, citing the impact on the carrier's workforce. Bastian asked that the isolation period be cut to five days from the current 10.

That request was echoed both by Airlines for America, a trade group representing major cargo and passenger carriers, which wrote to the CDC on Thursday, and by JetBlue on Wednesday.

The CDC released updated quarantine guidance for healthcare workers on Thursday, cutting the isolation time to seven days for workers who test positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic, providing they test negative.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Mideast Arms Seizure In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, a stateless fishing vessel, right, is interdicted by USS vessels while transiting international waters in the North Arabian Sea on Dec. 20, 2021. The U.S. Navy seized a large cache of assault rifles and ammunition being smuggled by a fishing ship from Iran likely bound for war-ravaged Yemen, it said late Wednesday, Dec. 22. (U.S. Navy via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The U.S. Navy said it seized a large cache of assault rifles and ammunition being smuggled by a fishing ship from Iran likely bound for war-ravaged Yemen.

U.S. Navy patrol ships discovered the weapons aboard what the Navy described as a stateless fishing vessel in an operation that began on Monday in the northern reaches of the Arabian Sea off Oman and Pakistan. Sailors boarded the vessel and found 1,400 Kalashnikov-style rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition, as well five Yemeni crew members.

It's just the latest interdiction amid the grinding war in Yemen that pits Iran-backed Houthi rebels against a Saudi-led military coalition. Western nations and U.N. experts repeatedly have accused Iran of smuggling illicit weapons and technology into Yemen over the years, fueling the civil war and enabling the Houthis to fire missiles and drones into neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Iran denies arming the Houthis despite evidence to the contrary.

In an unusually pointed move, the statement late Wednesday from the Navys Bahrain-based 5th Fleet blamed Iran for sending the weapons, saying the boat was sailing along a route historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully to the Houthis in Yemen.

The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis violates U.N. Security Council Resolutions and U.S. sanctions, the statement added.

Irans mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the interception.

U.S. Navy patrol ships transferred the confiscated weapons to the guided-missile destroyer USS OKane before sinking the fishing vessel because of the hazard it posed to commercial shipping. It said the Yemeni crew would be repatriated.

American seizures of arms bound for Yemen's war, typically Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, began in 2016 and have continued intermittently. Yemen is awash with small arms that have been smuggled into poorly controlled ports over years of conflict.

The Navy's 5th fleet said it has confiscated some 8,700 illicit weapons so far this year across the 2.5 million-square-mile area it patrols, including the strategically important Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Yemens war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa and much of the country's north. Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates and other countries, launched a bombing campaign months later to restore the internationally recognized government and oust the rebels.

The war has killed some 130,000 people and spawned the world's worst humanitarian disaster.
BOSTON (AP)  A former Boston College student who prosecutors say drove her boyfriend to take his own life with thousands of text messages pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter.

Under terms of a plea deal, Inyoung You, 23, received a 2 1/2 year suspended jail sentence and 10 years of probation and was barred by a judge in Suffolk Superior Court from profiting from her case in any way. The sentence means You can avoid time behind bars if she adheres to all the terms of her probation, which includes continued mental health treatment and community service.

Prosecutors said You sent Alexander Urtula, 22, of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, tens of thousands of messages in the last two months of their relationship, including many urging him to go kill yourself. Urtula died in Boston in May 2019, the day of his Boston College graduation.

The investigation described You and Urtula's 18-month-long relationship as tumultuous, dysfunctional, and unhealthy, and found You, "engaged in deeply disturbing and at times relentless verbally, physically and psychologically abusive behavior toward Mr. Urtula," according to a statement from the office of Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins released after Thursday's hearing.

Those actions intensified in the days and hours before Urtula's death, the office said.

You, who was born in South Korea and is a naturalized U.S. citizen, sent Urtula more than 47,000 text messages from late March 2019 until his death in which she repeatedly told the victim that he should kill himself or die and waged a campaign of abuse that stripped the victim of his free will," the office said.

Words matter," Rollins said in the statement. Demeaning language, ridicule and verbal abuse can deeply impact people."

The plea deal was reached in consultation with the Urtula family, Rollins said.

The family in a statement read in court described driving to Boston for a day of celebration and instead finding themselves planning a funeral.

We bear no feelings of anger or reprisal. We believe that time will take us through in the moments we mourn and celebrate his life, the family said.

Before her arraignment in November 2019 when she originally pleaded not guilty, You, through a public relations firm, released some of the text messages suggesting she tried to stop Urtula and alerted Urtulas brother in the moments before his death.

You was given the opportunity to speak in court, but declined. Her lawyer said she was very distraught.

Attorney Steven Kim said You is a wonderful young woman who has deep, deep remorse.

The case was compared to that of Michelle Carter, who garnered national headlines and an HBO film. The young Massachusetts woman was sentenced to 15 months in jail after she was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter for using text messages and phone calls to encourage her boyfriend, Conrad Roy, to kill himself in 2014. Her attorney argued that her messages were protected free speech.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Economy is working on a development strategy for 5 priority sectors  diamond production and jewelry industry (goldsmithing), light and heavy industries and pharmaceuticals.

The Deputy Minister of Economy Narek Teryan told ARMENPRESS that they will provide support programs in various directions to encourage the sectors.

The development concepts are under preparation. The support programs will include leasing subsidization, among others.

Teryan believes that the development of these sectors will solve social issues, jobs will be created in these industries and new technologies will be applied, focusing on automation.

The Deputy Minister noted that Armenia has always had potential in diamond production.

Prior to 2003 weve always had growth in diamond processing and exports, but after that the figures started to drop due to poor conditions for imports of raw materials. Last week the government approved the creation of the Hay Almast State Company. The company will have contracts will the Russian Alrusa and Gokhran companies, who will supply the raw materials and then the company will transfer it to Armenian companies. Individual private companies, for example, have difficulties in acquiring long-term contracts with Alrusa. 37 companies have contracts with Alrusa, and it is planned that one of them will be Hay Almast. Thus, we will solve the raw material issues in this sector. I think we will record growth very quickly, Teryan said.

The government seeks to achieve at least 15% of the processed industry role in GDP by 2026.

Speaking about pharmaceuticals, Teryan reminded that an Armenian company already launched the production of the Sputnik Light vaccine this year. He said this is only the first step, and the production and exports in this sector will develop.
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The EU-mediated meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Brussels further develops the November 26 Sochi trilateral agreements, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press conference.

She said that substantial discussions of these agreements continue in the trilateral task force co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan.

The entire complex of issues relating to the unblocking of transport and economic connections in South Caucasus, including the restoration of both railway and road connection is being discussed within the framework of this mechanism, Zakharova said.

She added that work is underway to create the commission for the delimitation and demarcation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with consultative support from Russia.

Moscow welcomes international efforts aimed at the normalization of bilateral relations. But in this case it is very important to take into account regional realities, and consent of Yerevan and Baku, Zakharova said.
Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the mountainous sector

According to last month's data from China's General Administration of Customs (GAC), the India-China bilateral trade totalled USD 114.263 billion, up 46.4 per cent year-on-year from January to November 2021. (PTI Photo)

Beijing: India and China achieved a major milestone this year when their bilateral trade crossed the landmark figure of USD 100 billion but it did not generate any fanfare in both capitals as the two Asian giants are going through a "particularly bad patch" in their relations due to a set of actions by Beijing in violation of agreements that led to the military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Starting with a modest USD 1.83 billion in 2001, the bilateral trade crossed USD 100 billion-mark in the first 11 months this year, a significant milestone for which the two countries carried out campaigns to boost trade and build it as a major stakeholder to improve the relations between two nations, whose ties otherwise remained frosty over the festering boundary dispute and strategic rivalry.

According to last month's data from China's General Administration of Customs (GAC), the India-China bilateral trade totalled USD 114.263 billion, up 46.4 per cent year-on-year from January to November 2021.

India's exports to China reached USD 26.358 billion, up 38.5 per cent year-on-year and India's imports from China amounted to USD 87.905 billion, up 49.00 per cent.

However, while the bilateral trade crossed the USD 100 billion mark, the trade deficit for the 11 months, which is of India's major concern all along, stood at USD 61.547 billion, up 53.49 per cent year on year.

India's concerns over the trade deficit notwithstanding, the landmark record virtually went without any fanfare as the bilateral relations remained frosty over the lingering military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

The border standoff between the armies of India and China erupted on May 5 last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in the Gogra area in August and in the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in February.

The two sides held the 12th round of talks on July 31. Days later, the two armies completed the disengagement process in Gogra, which was seen as a significant forward movement towards the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the region.

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the mountainous sector.

What was stated to be a silver lining in this conflict, both sides remained engaged at the Foreign Ministers level to the top military commanders besides through the WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination) to keep the tensions under control.

The Ladakh standoff completely stalled the relations on all fronts except trade.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a panel discussion in Singapore in November said that India and China are going through a "particularly bad patch" in their ties because Beijing has taken a set of actions in violation of agreements for which it still doesn't have a "credible explanation".

"We are going through a particularly bad patch in our relationship because they have taken a set of actions in violation of agreements for which they still don't have a credible explanation and that indicates some rethink about where they want to take our relationship, but that's for them to answer," he said, in an apparent reference to the eastern Ladakh border standoff.

Also, former Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri, who in his virtual farewell call on Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on December 6 said challenges had overpowered vast opportunities in Sino-India ties.

"Our relations comprised both opportunities and challenges, and even though certain challenges since last year had overpowered the vast opportunities in the relationship, Misri told Wang, apparently referring to the Ladakh standoff which posed a major obstacle for the ties.

For Misri, who took charge as India's envoy to Beijing in January in 2019, the posting turned out to be the toughest diplomatic challenge as the two countries came out of the Doklam standoff in 2017 with first informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan in 2018 followed by the second one in Chennai in 2019 with a wide development agenda. However, bilateral ties suffered with the eastern Ladakh standoff.

In his informal chat with the media before he left for New Delhi, Misri recalled how the Chennai summit held high hopes and highlighted two significant initiatives Modi and Xi had agreed to implement.

The two countries had decided to establish a High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue (HETD) mechanism which was to be headed by the Vice Premier of China and Finance Minister of India.

It was expected to look into all issues related to bilateral trade and business cooperation including India's concerns related to the trade deficit.

China had set up such a high-level mechanism only with the US to improve trade ties.

Also, the two leaders decided to designate 2020 as the Year of India-China Cultural and People to People Exchanges and the two countries chalked out an elaborate schedule of 70 events to deepen exchanges at all levels including between their legislatures, political parties, cultural and youth organisations and militaries.

Sadly, due to the chill in bilateral ties following the eastern Ladakh standoff, both the initiatives failed to take off. While the HETD has not met so far, the two countries have not held a single programme of the 70 events planned.

Highlighting China's stand on the current state of ties, Wang in his meeting with Misri said that without mutual trust, it is difficult to bring the two sides together, even if there are no mountains in the way.

"China and India should become partners and friends and should not be a threat to each other, he said.

Observers say the Doklam and Ladakh standoffs warrant a fundamental reset of the India-China relations with a new paradigm and strategic framework to rebuild the ties.

On the domestic front, the high-profile conclave of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) in November adopted a landmark resolution of the party's major achievements in the last 100 years besides clearing the decks for a record third term for President Xi next year and perhaps beyond.

The "landmark resolution" - the only third of its kind in the party's 100-year history after one issued under party founder Mao Zedong and his successor Deng Xiaoping - was reviewed and adopted at the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.
Nalini Sriharan and six other people were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. (PTI Photo)

Chennai: Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, will be released on one-month parole on Friday after completing surety formalities, said Nalini's advocate Radhakrishnan.

Speaking to ANI, Radhakrishnan said, "Nalini, who was granted by the state government on Thursday, will be released on Friday after completing surety formalities."

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday had informed the Madras High Court that Nalini was granted a month's parole by the government after repeated requests from her ailing mother Padma.

Nalini and six other people were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. In May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. The attack also left 14 other people dead.
In his Christmas message to the faithful, the cardinal underlines a charged climate full of ethnic and confessional "tensions and conflicts". These are compounded by pollution, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. The birth of Christ renews hope and enthusiasm, a "special" time for reconciliation and fraternal relations.

Baghdad (AsiaNews) - In a political and social climate charged with "tensions and conflicts" linked to the last parliamentary elections, problems such as "environmental pollution, climate change and Covid-19", the birth of Christ is "a message of hope, peace, brotherhood, love and solidarity, " writes the Chaldean Patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, in his Christmas letter to the faithful.

The spiritual leader describes the feast as a "special occasion" to "recharge" faith and "renew" hope and enthusiasm, as well as being an appeal "for peace and security". A special period, the cardinal observed, to promote "reconciliation" and the "strengthening of fraternal relations".

The birth of Christ, explains the Chaldean primate, represents "the presence of God in our midst" and "the love of the Lord for people of all nationalities, cultures and ages", united with his "closeness and concern for them". It represents a "return to the sources" of life, in order to "address and correct the most important issues of our lives" and "promote with more maturity and awareness brotherhood, tolerance, peace and love".

Patriarch Sako's words come in a climate of great concern for the future of the nation, so much so that on 21 December the Chaldean Church observed a day of fasting and prayer for an Iraq in search of "a new balance" and a future of "development and security". With this initiative, the Cardinal addressed not only the Christian community, but all those who have the good of the Arab country at heart, including Muslims.

Card. Sako, writes that the Nativity is the "founding event" of Christianity, the centre of its theology and the starting point. That is why it is important that Jesus "is born in our hearts" and "lives through our prayer, our commitment to his teaching" and "our service to our brothers and sisters", especially "the poorest and most fragile". Every year, remembering his birth, he warned, becomes "a celebration of faith" and "a return to the sources" to "face and correct the important issues in our lives and to promote brotherhood, tolerance, peace and love with more maturity and awareness".

The Chaldean Patriarch continues the Church is entrusted with the mission of translating Christ's message into a "contemporary and comprehensible language", bringing people "closer to his teachings". Christmas is "hope" when politics becomes a service "to the aspirations" of citizens through a "sincere national vision" and a space "of dialogue" in the face of the crises that have accumulated in recent years. Iraqis have the task of "rejecting differences, breaking sectarian ties, consolidating national belonging and seeking to build a civil state" that is founded on "justice and law". "On this feast day," the cardinal concluded, "let us pray for peace and stability" in Iraq and the world, and that each believer be a bearer of the values.
In Hong Kong, two more universities remove statues in memory of Tiananmen; Hun Sen prepares ground for his son's succession to power in Cambodia; Moon Jae-in grants a pardon to former president Park Geun-hye; at least 30 dead and 100 injured in Bangladesh after a fire on board a ferry.

INDIA

Two days before Christmas, the Karnataka assembly passed an anti-conversion bill without opposition resistance. Enacted in Orissa in 1967, the laws - contested by the Catholic leadership - are now in force in six other Indian states. The law casts new shadows on religious freedom in India, in a context of growing attacks that also affect Churches.

HONG KONG

After the University of Hong Kong, two other universities have torn down monuments in memory of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Cuhk) removed a statue of the Goddess of Democracy and Lingnan University removed a sculpture. The removals confirm the harsh repression of political dissent imposed by Beijing.

BANGLADESH

At least 30 people were killed and about 100 injured in a fire that broke out on board a ferry boat in Bangladesh. The boat, which left from Dhaka for Barguna, caught fire near Jhalakathi. Some of the victims drowned after jumping into the water. The number is likely to rise due to the severe burns suffered by several of the injured.

SOUTH KOREA

Moon Jae-in has pardoned former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who is serving a 22-year sentence for corruption and abuse of power. She is the first democratically elected leader to leave office, after being impeached in 2017. She has been hospitalised three times this year for health reasons, among the reasons that prompted Moon to pardon her.

CAMBODIA

Cambodia's ruling party voted to approve the succession the eldest son of current PM Hun Sen as the country's "future prime minister" after 36 years of his father's leadership. The timing of the generation change is currently unknown. The central committee of the Cambodian People's Party unanimously named 44-year-old Hun Munet as the future leader.

SAUDI ARABIA- CHINA

Riyadh has begun importing sensitive military missile technology from China for the domestic production of ballistic launchers. The renewed arms race by the Saudis is a source of great concern throughout the Middle East. Satellite imagery also suggests that the kingdom's top leadership is currently manufacturing the weapons in at least one known location.

RUSSIA

In his end-of-year press address, Russian President Vladimir Putin complained that "foreign states have not presented any evidence of the poisoning of that person". The reference is to opposition leader Aleksej Naval'nyj, whom he never wanted to name. In response to a question from the BBC, Putin said to "turn the page on this issue, once and for all".

TURKMENISTAN

In a letter to President Ursula Von Der Leyen, the international Cotton Campaign called on the European Commission to ban the import of cotton from Turkmenistan. Local cotton production, the note explains, "is tainted by the forced labour of tens of thousands of people, the confiscation of land and the forced taking of money from citizens for expenses".
by Mario Ghezzi

AsiaNews' editor's season's greetings: "Let us remain with wonder in our hearts before Christmas and speak about it to those who are distracted by too many things in life. Man and the Church need nothing more".

When I think of Bethlehem "in those days" I imagine a busy town, caught up in the ongoing census, with the movement of people and the exchange of goods. A frenetic movement that did not allow anyone, except for a handful of shepherds, to realise what was happening: God was being born right there. Such a decisive event for the life of men went unnoticed. They were all distracted and busy with other things. Yet God was born all the same and continues to live and work today despite our distractions.

Humanity seems increasingly disinterested in God. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said this in a radio address on 25 December 1969; commenting on the crisis in the Church that began in those years, he prophesied what we see clearly today: the Church is losing ground, it is losing its political and economic value, what it proposes no longer interests the masses, the people are attracted by other things.

Ratzinger said: "What will remain will be the Church of Jesus Christ, the Church that believes in the God who became man and promises us life after death". What will remain will be the event of Christmas that makes us look forward to the resurrection. Nothing more will remain because nothing more is needed for man and the Church.

I come from a Church that has suffered a great deal, the church in Cambodia, which has survived thanks to tenacity, concealment, prayers said in Latin in the rice fields so that the Khmer Rouge would not understand, the Eucharist "smuggled" into the woods on the border with Thailand so that the few Christians who could be reached could receive Communion. I have met many Vietnamese who live a closed faith, controlled by a strict government, yet they continue to attend liturgies and fill seminaries and convents. In Italy we are beginning to sell churches, monasteries and oratories, just as Ratzinger prophesied, and we are only at the beginning. We will become more and more of a minority, less and less significant socially and politically, but more and more a community of people aware of being the Body of Christ, therefore a sign of hope and resurrection for those who do not yet believe.

And this is the reason that drives us every day to bring you our AsiaNews. We do so by recounting the many wounds of this continent, so often in the news. But - with the local Churches - we also give voice to the hope that is born in the peripheries of Asia today, far from the eyes of the world, just like the Child Jesus in Bethlehem. And if we can continue to do so, it is only thanks to your friendship and your support, which we ask for again this Christmas as a gift.

The handful of shepherds told of seeing a child who would become a great promise. There were only 12 apostles, but they began to evangelise the whole world. While society may be distracted this Christmas, we do not lose heart. On the contrary, we stop even more to contemplate the beauty of Jesus being born and, like the shepherds, we become the heralds of this miracle.

A few evenings ago, 22-year-old Thomas told me: "We are living in a wonderful time, full of opportunities for us Christians and for the Church". Let us remain with this wonder in our hearts before Christmas and let us also tell it to those who are distracted by too many things in life.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. The picture that accompanies these reflections comes from Thailand: it was taken in these days and depicts the Christmas novena in the parish of Mae Suai, among the mountain tribes, where the PIME missionaries carry out their ministry.
The Corvette, however, continued to be a very attractive model, with all engine choices now upgraded to the 327 (5.3-liter) small-block V8. The 283 (4.7-liter) V8 was, therefore, last used on the model year 1961, with Chevrolet still offering it on other models in its portfolio, including the Impala.The 1962 Corvette that we have here isnt fitted with a 327 but with a 350 (5.7-liter) V8 received from a 1969 model. The Craigslist seller didnt reveal the reason for the engine swap, but as you can see, the car comes in a rather impressive condition, so most likely, the new unit was just part of a restomod received after the Corvette was pulled from storage.Thats right, this Vette has recently come out of hiding, with the owner explaining it spent no more, no less than 41 years in storage. The last registration was in 1980, and now the car is receiving lots of fixes to turn it into the perfect daily driver such a Corvette deserves to be in the first place.The vehicle, therefore, comes with a rebuilt carburetor, a new radiator and hoses, new brake and fuel lines, and a new water pump. Were not being told if the body has already been repainted, but judging from the photos, this Corvette looks pretty good anyway. On the other hand, someone who wants to continue this restoration will almost certainly want a repaint to make it shine like a diamond.Unsurprisingly, this Corvette wont sell for pocket money, as the owner is only willing to let it go for $38,500. Keep in mind the original engine is no longer there, so if you want the car to be restored to factory specs, you need to find a correct unit as well.
True connoisseurs will easily understand why the owner of the old school ride chose the Torino nameplate. Fords intermediate for the North American market between 1968 and 1976 has a successful racing heritage, both with NASCAR and other forms of motorsport.The Blue Oval was smart enough to give Torino customers access to muscle car power among the many variants. For 1971 alone, there were 14 versions, including the 429ci Cobra Jets or the sporty high-end trim Torino GTs. An example of the latter is also the focus of an interesting video (embedded below) from the Drag Racing and Car Stuff channel on YouTube.Traditionally, the videographer is not in the habit of showcasing classic vehicles in starring roles. But when he does, it is clearly a treat. A big one, quite literally, when thinking about the size of this white 1971 Ford Torino GT. By the way, its owner seems to understand that it also needs a modern trick up the sleeve to properly compete with newer drag foes.As such, the Torino GT gets a healthy dose of nitrous for each race. And its almost incredible how much the times improve once the driver gets better control of the monster. For starters, the initial run against a turbocharged Chevy Silverado isnt that impressive. It does win, but its not something to write home about (10.52s vs 12.45s ETs).From the 0:44 mark onwards, though, each battle represents another step up the chain of command ladder. The second skirmish entangles the Blue Oval with a crimson and black Pontiac G8, and after putting on a sideways show during the burnout stage... the Torino GT gets down to business with a narrow 9.62s versus 9.7s victory.Things only get better from now on, with the Torino GT also eating up a GT500 for dinner. It was another close call, though, as the ETs showed a minuscule advantage for the old-school racer: 9.29s versus 9.32s. Last but not least, another feisty GM representative came to the late-night party. Still, the CTS-V had no chance (9.33s vs. 9.87s), and the Torino sent everyone back to racing school that day. Satisfying, to say the least.
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The Bavarian manufacturer offers two specifications at launch, namely the rear-wheel-drive eDrive40 and all-wheel-drive M50. When equipped with the standard 18-inch wheels, the base variant achieves up to 301 miles (484 kilometers) on a single charge, whereas the 19s boast 282 mi (454 km).By comparison, the rear-driven Tesla Model 3 Standard Range achieves 272 miles (438 kilometers) while the dual-motor Long Range flaunts 358 miles (576 kilometers). While on the subject of competitors, the Model 3 costs $44,990 and $50,990, while the i4 eDrive40 starts at $55,400 sans tax.Level up to the M50, and youre looking at 270 miles (435 kilometers) for the princely sum of $65,900 before destination charge, optional extras, and the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. By most accounts, great value isnt the right way to describe the German sedan.Featuring 4.9 inches (12.5 centimeters) of ground clearance and 112.4 inches (285.5 centimeters) of wheelbase, the i4 tips the scales at 4,680 and 5,018 pounds (2,123 and 2,276 kilograms). In other words, the X5 sDrive40i slots right between them with 4,828 pounds (2,189 kilos).I can guess whats on your mind right now, and no, the i4 doesnt cut the mustard in terms of performance either. The eDrive40 and M50 are officially rated at 335 and 536 horsepower plus 317 and 586 pound-feet (430 and 795 Nm), meaning 5.5 and 3.7 seconds to 60 mph (97 kph). The $58,990 Model 3 Performance, by comparison, needs 3.1 seconds.Both variants of the i4 come with an 83.9-battery featuring a net capacity of 81.5 kWh. And yes, both can charge at 200from a DC station, while single-phase charging is rated at 11 kW.
Austrian-born actor Arnold Schwarzenegger , who also had two terms as the governor of California, doesnt think twice when it comes to helping people. And he made Christmas more enjoyable for people without shelter, because he personally invested to build 25 tiny homes, which amounted to $250,000. After they were completed, he donated them to homeless people and their animals.He shared a video on Instagram showing him wearing a signature leather jacket with an American flag patch, as he visited the tiny homes. Inside, theres a single bed, and enough space to walk around and put your belongings. They also come with electricity, heating, and air conditioning.About his donation, the 74-year-old wrote on his social media: Today, I celebrated Christmas early. The 25 homes I donated for homeless veterans were installed here in LA. It was fantastic to spend some time with our heroes and welcome them into their new homes. I want to thank @villageforvets for arranging the homes and being a fantastic partner, @secvetaffairs, @amvetshq and everyone who worked with us and made this possible. We proved that when we all work together, we can solve any problem.His son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, also joined him and donated MOSH protein bars to veterans, which is the company he co-founded. In a short video where he gave a tour of the tiny homes , he also added that he is really proud of his dad.Arnold Schwarzenegger is himself a veteran, as when he turned 18, he served in his native Austria's armed forces. He added: "It makes me feel good I can give something back to this country that has given everything to me." Talk about Christmas magic.
But strafing ground targets in fast jet aircraft is a practice that dates back over 70 years. Before the A-10, and even before the close air support doctrine had been formalized, the German Luftwaffe was hard at work developing an absolutely colossal cannon into what was to become the very first operational jet fighter.The Messerschmitt Me-262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was a watershed moment in the history of aviation. It was the product of German science and engineering that was at least five to ten years ahead of Allied technology at points throughout the war.The brutally fast, agile jet fighter originated from a design first devised in 1938, before the formal beginning of the Second World War. The engines that powered it also had their origins before the war, the venerable Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet. The combined thrust of twin 004 units propelled the jet to speeds 100 mph (160 kph) faster than any British, Soviet, or American piston-engined fighter.As tank battalions on the eastern and western fronts squeezed in from both sides, the decision was made to mount a gun on the Me-262 that could deal with the ground threat from the Allied nations. What was needed was a weapon powerful enough to penetrate the hull armor of even the most hearty Allied medium tanks. We're talking about the Soviet T-34 and the American M4 Sherman. Such a gun would almost assuredly shred an Allied bomber to pieces in one shot as well.Messerschmitt engineers must have thought there's no better way to take out a tank than with a gun designed to be mounted in a tank. Enter the positively colossal 50mm Rheinmetall BK-5 cannon. A brute of a weapon that weighed a scale destroying 1,200 pounds (540 kg) and fired 50419mm custom tooled cartridges at 45 rounds per minute.Not that the BK-5 could ever achieve that rate of fire, as the magazine drum only held 21 rounds at any given time. Its original purpose was mounted in the Panzer III tank as the KwK 39 tank gun as featured in famous tank battles like Operation Barbarossa and The Battle of Kursk.Let's compare these figures to that of the more familiar A-10 Thunderbolt. Unlike the 262, the A-10 was designed from the ground up as a close air support and ground attack aircraft. Its GAU-8 Avenger cannon may not be as enormous as the German Me-262, but it makes up for it is far superior ammunition capacity of over 1,000 high explosive rounds.Lessons learned in aircraft like the BK-5 equipped Me-262 taught engineers that the recoil of such a heavy cannon is enough to throw the pilot's aim off balance. The A-10 compensates by having its gun mounted laterally offset from the centerline of the airframe.In either case, one hit from either of these aircraft's main guns is enough to shred just about anything out of the sky or on the ground. BK-5 cannons were also trialed on the Messerschmitt 410 twin engine attack plane. Its thought that well over 100 American bombers towards the end of the war were shot down at its hands.This came at the cost of pathetic ammo reserves and a muzzle flash bright enough to blind its pilots at night. The gun protruded at least one meter beyond the aircraft's nose, a dead giveaway to enemy pilots that it was the slower, less agile ground attack variant. The gun was also tested on the Junkers Ju-88 as an alternative testbed aircraft during the war.Ultimately, no more than 300 MK-5 Cannons were produced between 1944 and May 1945. Failing to make an impactful dent in the armored invasion force that ultimately battered the German military into unconditional surrender. While ahead of their time, the BK-5 and the Me-262 were two machines that didn't entirely exist in harmony at all times. Just listen to what Reich Marshal of the Luftwaffe Hermann Goering said of the project upon his capture by the American Army."You might find around Germany some jet airplanes equipped with anti-tank guns. Don't blame me for such monstrosities. This was done on the explicit orders of the Fuehrer. Hitler knew nothing about the air. He may have known about the Army or Navy, but absolutely nothing about the air. He even considered the Me-262 to be a bomber, and he insisted it should be called a bomber."Such oversights like that eventually led to the downfall of the Third Reich. Meanwhile, the idea of attaching a monstrous cannon to a jet attacker took a few decades more to mature. The end result is the phenomenal A-10 we all know and adore today.
History has proven that the outrageous Russian winter can be one of the countrys strategic assets when it comes to defense but is always a challenge that requires extra effort and attention. Built to withstand this lands extreme temperatures and vast length, the Russian military aircraft are legendary for a good reason.

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Don't believe us? Let us introduce you to Lady Be Good, a U.S. Army Air Force B-24 Liberator strategic bomber that performed a vanishing act that a professional magician would applaud. On one fateful routine bombing mission over the Mediterranean sea to Naples, Italy, via a base in Libya, the Lady Be Good vanished without a trace.The story of the bomber and its crew baffled search and rescue parties for years after the fateful flight. By the time the wreckage was found, the war had long since ceased. Happened upon by chance by a British Petroleum expedition. The story of how this state-of-the-art American strategic bomber vanished along with its crew is now one of the countless unbelievable tales to come from mankind's most bloody conflict.The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was one of the most effective strategic bombers of the war. Performing admirably alongside some legendary company in the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortresses. But no one, including the flight crew of the Lady Be Good, could have anticipated that their B-24D variant was never going to make it back home, let alone tell quite such a fascinating story when it was, in fact, found.It was supposed to be just an ordinary bombing mission. The Lady Be Good took off from a Benghazi, Libya airfield at 2:15 pm on April the 4th, 1943. The plan was to bomb the Italian port of Naples in a two-wave assault, of which Lady Be Good was part of the second wave. The bomber was one of the last aircraft of this second wave to depart the bombing target and head back to base at Soluch airfield in Benghazi.Bad weather conditions and poor visibility hampered the crew of Lady Be Good upon their arrival in Naples at around 7:50 pm. The crew of the B-24 decided to attack an alternative target before returning in the general direction of Soluch field. One popular theory is that the confusion of the pitch-black midnight sky obscured Soluch field's home airbase's red landing flare lights. Causing it to venture well off course into the Sahara Desert.The crew continued flying for two hours before the lack of fuel forced them to bail out. Amazingly, the plane continued to fly abandoned for a further 26 kilometers (16 miles) before crashing into a section of the Libyan desert known as the Calancsio Sand Sea. Rescue crews searched frantically for the missing bomber. But the assumption that the Lady Be Good had crashed at sea caused search and rescue teams to look in the exact opposite direction of the eventual crash site location.Fifteen long years came and passed. Meanwhile, the loved ones of the crew of the stricken bomber only had a few corresponding letters from the U.S Army Air Corps informing them of their MIA status as an indicator of their eventual fate. On November the 9th, 1953, the wreckage of the Lady Be Good was found quite accidentally by a British Petroleum expedition staking out the local area for oil drilling facility viability in the region.No attempt was made at an investigation after the first sighting, as there were no records of any significant loss of crew incidents in the area at that time. Only on February the 27th 1959 did British oil surveyor Gordon Bowerman and British geologists Donald Sheridan and John Martin spotted the wreckage 440 miles southeast of Soluch Airbase.All evidence pointed to the crew had bailed out several miles behind where the aircraft came to rest. It would take a further year to find what was identified as the remains of five of the crewmembers. The pilot, Lt. William Hatton, 2nd Lt. Robert F. Toner, Hays, T/S Robert E. LaMotte, and S/Sgt Robert E. Adams.The Remains of S/Sgt Guy E. Shelley were found on May the 12th, 1960, 34 miles northwest of the five original bodies. The decomposed remains of T/Sgt Harold J. Ripslinger were discovered on May the 17th, 1960, located 42 km (26 mi) northwest of Shelley's body. Finally, the remains he remains of 2nd Lt John S. Woravka turned up in August 1960. The body of S/Sgt Vernon L. Moore has never been found.Today, bits and pieces of the plane are in museums across America. Including the largest Military Aerospace Museum in the world, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. But also at smaller venues like the American Airpower Museum , on the site of the former Republic Aviation factory in Long Island, New York. Bits and pieces included at Airpower include fabrics from the aircraft's control surfaces, small pieces of parachutes, and pieces of engine debris from one of the four radial engines.Most touching is a series of letters and telegrams from the Western Union and the U.S Army meant for members of the crew's loved ones. Dating from the first news of their disappearance until their eventual discovery a decade and a half later. Of all the wonderful exhibits at the Airpower Museum, the Lady Be Good's has to be the most emotionally evoking.It's a story of a crew of men sent to their dooms who, even after crashing into the Sahara Desert, managed to hike their way for miles with only a little food and water. They may have met their deaths in those sands, but their bravery will last for ages longer, thanks to museum pieces like this one.
The WRX is one of the most lauded Japanese sedans in history. It's always punched above its weight, been reliable (so long as you don't tune it too hard), and maintained its value well. The new one could end up falling into the family, but that has yet to be seen.For now, it's not exactly the best-received addition to the badge in history. Nevertheless, the STI version of the car tends to win folks over pretty quickly. So we're all eager to see whatever Subaru has cooked up.They might have already shown it to us, though. The photo above is of the Subaru WRX S4 STI Performance Concept.Now it could just remain a concept but consider this... last year at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Subaru unveiled the Levorg STI Concept . That turned into a production car not long after and looked identical.Sure, it's possible that somehow the S4 STI ends up being a Japan-only sedan. But that's not likely considering how close this car looks to production-ready.Interestingly enough, Subaru is bringing three other cars that seem less likely to see the light of a dealer showroom. They include the STI E-RA concept , another Levorg STI Concept, and the BRZ STI Concept.Frankly, I think any of us here in the USA would be happy to get just one of these four vehicles. It's been too long since there's been a WRX wagon, and the whole world has been asking for a BRZ STI since the day it came out. We can't wait to see what's what at Tokyo Auto Salon in 2022.
Its nowhere close to the food replicator in Star Trek or the Foodarackacycle in The Jetsons, but it does mark the next step in technology , according to Homei Miyashita, the professor at the Meiji University in Tokyo who invented it. The idea for the TTTV came about with the international health crisis in 2020 and the initial wave of lockdowns and restrictions it led to, The Guardian reports.Technology has been an important aide during the past couple of years, helping us connect to people and experiences remotely and thus stay safe indoors. The one thing technology hasnt been able to do, Miyashita says, is help us sample the foods of our favorite restaurants that shuttered during the lockdown.So, he created this smart TV that contains a 10-canister carousel holding flavors. As one of Miyashitas students demonstrates in the video below, you ask the TTTV for the food youd like to taste, and it creates a sprayable sample on a hygienic film that rolls over the screen. Naturally, no one would want to lick the same screen as others, so the film is removed after each use.The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home, the professor explains. He hopes for the commercialization of the TTTV and estimates it would cost about $875 to bring it to series production.As for how it might be used, aside from private sampling, he says potential applications would be distance learning for sommeliers, cooks, or tasting games and quizzes. As per the aforementioned media outlet, Miyashita is also considering expanding the use of the spraying technology he developed for the TTTV to devices that would apply pizza or chocolate flavor to slices of bread. At least, in this case, youd be eating something.
Consider that the first shots fired in the war in July 1914 came only 11 years after the genesis of powered aviation by the Wright Brothers in December 1903. A period where crewed aviation was so primitive, flight mechanics were only partially understood. The best way to visualize what the earliest air-to-air combat looked like is to see the planes themselves in the flesh. Luckily, the National Museum of the United States Air Force has got you covered.Their First World War vintage military aircraft collection is one of the most extensive in North America. Only a handful of other collections in the world are comparable in scale. It's great for continuity's sake that the museum tour begins at this massive hangar filling exhibit space.Iconic aircraft like the British Sopwith Camel, the French Spad XIII, and the German Halberstadt CL IV were constructed with materials that wouldn't pass for a serviceable tool shed in the modern day. We're talking paper thin canvas, forest fresh timber, and an absolute minimum of metal to account for the lack of horsepower under the hood.Every kilo, every pound, and every ounce of weight mattered in these early fighters. Internal combustion wasn't the most well-understood power source on top of pioneering aviation. Underpowered behemoths like the French Le Rhone C-9 radial engine jetted a paltry 80 horsepower.A modern three-cylinder economy car will easily match those numbers at a fraction of the weight. The Allied powers dropped their jaws in amazement when the 443 horsepower 12-cylinder Liberty engine showed up on the scene late in the war. The airplane engine was America's major technological contribution to the conflict.Many of these early aero engines featured another groundbreaking feature of the day. An interrupter gear mechanism that allowed for machine-gun fire to pass through the propeller's blades without shooting it clean off the airplane. Guns like the Model 1918 M1 37mm cannon, these cannons were manufactured at the Watervliet Arsenal near Albany, New York. They were distributed throughout French and British fighting forces during the war.Aerodynamic forces were little understood 100 years ago. In those days, it was perfectly acceptable to assume the best way to add more lift was to add more sets of wings. To these early engineers' credit, they weren't entirely wrong. The iconic German ace, Manfred Von Richthofen, so emphatically proved this in his Fokker Dr. 1 tri-plane It's thought as many as 19 of his air-to-air victories came in the maneuverable tri-plane. The one-to-one replica on display at the museum looked just as it did when the type served with the Jagdstaffel during the war. With the nicknamed Red Barron as their most famous member.People like Richtoffen who were brave enough to climb into these canvas and wooden death traps are often fabled to have an expected survival time of as little as two-and-a-half weeks at the worst of times. Whether that figure is statistically accurate or not is really irrelevant. Seeing how flimsy and fragile these early warbirds are in the flesh makes that figure all the more believable.That's assuming you were able to make it out of flight school in one piece. Training in aircraft like the Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout, one of the first American purpose-built military trainers, also displayed in the hangar alongside the fighters its pilots would spend one day graduating into.Think cruise missiles are a modern invention? The museum's Kettering Bug exhibit proves you wrong. The buzzy little drone's tiny gasoline engine was meant to fly over enemy positions and detonate a payload over enemy lines at a speed of 50 miles per hour (80.46 kph). This weapon ultimately never got past the testing phase, but what a groundbreaking concept it was.Bi-planes shared the skies with massive hydrogen airships called Zeppelins. These enormous craft could remain aloft for hours and rain hellfire down on enemy cities. All while pilots of Zepplin and bi-planes alike flew in raggy leather helmets, long leather coats, and a pair of goggles as their only barrier between themselves and the harsh altitude elements. Not to mention a constant stream of oil leaking from the primitive engines at all times during routine flights.So maybe next time you're thinking about iconic air battles of history, don't forget to include the First World War in your conjecture. Any of us modern folks would probably crisp up into a burnt human biscuit before even being able to get off the ground in some of these planes. People 100 or so years ago must have been made of tougher stuff.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the possibility of Indonesia normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel in meetings with officials in Jakarta last week, Israeli officials say. The Israeli officials stressed that no such step is imminent.

Why it matters: Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority country in the world and a major market for Israeli companies, but it has no official diplomatic relations with Israel.

The Biden administration is trying to build on the Trump-era Abraham Accords, and in this case, looking beyond the Middle East to the largest of the countries that don't recognize Israel.

We are always exploring additional opportunities for normalization, but well leave those discussions behind closed doors until the right moment," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told Axios. A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

Flashback: Indonesia was one of the countries the Trump administration tried to bring into the Abraham Accords, but the negotiations hadn't matured by the time Trumps term ended.

At that time, the Indonesians requested an upgraded trade deal with the U.S. in return for taking steps toward normalization, like opening direct flights and issuing visas to Israelis, according to former Trump administration officials.

The big picture: Despite the lack of diplomatic recognition, senior Indonesian and Israeli officials have met quietly several times in the past two decades, mainly on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Behind the scenes: U.S. and Israeli officials have been discussing ways to expand the Abraham Accords in recent months, and Indonesia has come up in that context, according to the Israeli officials.

A senior U.S. official said the Biden administration was working quietly but quite assiduously to expand the accords, though it may take time.

The Indonesian embassy in Washington did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Worth noting: Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata met Indonesian Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto at a conference in Bahrain last November. They sat together during the opening dinner of the conference and later exchanged business cards.
Health Minister Anahit Avanesian imposed the requirement on October 1 in an effort to speed up the slow pace of vaccinations in Armenia.

Her initial directive obligated virtually all public and private sector employees to get inoculated against COVID-19 or tested twice a month at their own expense. Such mandatory testing now has to be done once a week.

The requirement has been denounced by Armenians reluctant to get vaccinated as well as some opposition groups. A group of opposition parliamentarians challenged its legality in the Constitutional Court.

In a ruling publicized late on Thursday, the court party said the measure is partly unconstitutional. Citizens cannot be forced to pay for their tests, it said.

Aram Vartevanian, a lawmaker from the opposition Hayastan alliance who led the appeal, welcomed the ruling. He said it means that the government must exempt ordinary workers from what he regards as exorbitant testing fees.

The Armenian Ministry of Health offered a different interpretation of the courts decision, however.

The Constitutional Courts decision did not create any obligation for the state or the employer to pay for an employees PCR tests, Anna Mkrtumian, the head of the ministrys legal department, told reporters on Friday. Nor did the court scrap the testing requirement for anti-vaxxers, she said.

In a separate statement on the ruling, the Ministry of Health likewise insisted that unvaccinated workers will have to undergo tests in any case.

The governments vaccination campaign accelerated significantly after the testing requirement took effect on October 1. Officials say this is one of the reasons why coronavirus infections in Armenia have fallen dramatically in recent weeks after reaching record levels this fall.

Even so, the countrys vaccination rate remains low by international standards. Ministry of Health data shows that only some 643,000 people in the country of about 3 million were fully vaccinated as of December 19. More than 260,000 others received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Health Minister Avanesian said on Thursday that Armenian health authorities have not yet detected any cases of the new Omicron variant of the virus.
Mamikon Aslanian, who ran Vanadzor until October, was arrested on December 15 ten days after a bloc led by him all but won a local election with about 39 percent of the vote. Aslanian is facing corruption charges rejected by him as politically motivated.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians Civil Contract party finished second with 25 percent, the most serious of setbacks suffered by it in the local polls held in 36 communities across Armenia on December 5.

Three other parties fared much worse but still won seats in the local council empowered to appoint the next head of the municipality comprising Vanadzor and nearby villages. Another party, Bright Armenia (LHK), got 3.97 percent, narrowly failing to clear the 4 percent threshold to enter the council.

The LHK challenged the official election results in court, saying that irregularities and inaccuracies artificially reduced the number of votes garnered by it.

Armenias Administrative Court rejected the appeal earlier this week, paving the way for the Vanadzor councils inaugural session scheduled for Friday.

The LHK asked the Court of Appeals to overturn the ruling. An Administrative Court judge responded by issuing an injunction that bans the council from meeting and electing the mayor pending a Court of Appeals verdict on the lawsuit.

The injunction was made public just minutes before the start of the councils session. It was condemned by members of Aslanians bloc and the opposition Hayrenik party allied to it.

Hayreniks local leader, Vahe Dokhoyan, accused the ruling party and the LHK of trying to steal their victory.

Bright Armenia is assisting in the theft of our votes, Dokholian told journalists. This is the opinion of the vast majority of Vanadzor residents.

The LHK, which was represented in Armenias former parliament but fared poorly in the June snap elections, denied cutting secret deals with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians party.

Aslanians bloc and Hayrenik will hold 15 and 2 seats respectively in the 33-member council, putting them in a position to install the head of a large community comprising Vanadzor and nearby villages in Armenias northern Lori province. However, the ex-mayors continuing detention deprives them of their razor-thin majority.

It was not clear whether Civil Contract, which will control 9 council seats, hopes to strike a deal with the two other parties to be represented in the council. Lori Governor Aram Khachatrian, who led the ruling partys list of local election candidates, insisted on Friday that it has not yet nominated or endorsed any mayoral candidate.

Meanwhile, Aslanian urged Vanadzor factions to avoid trampling electoral processes underfoot. In a written appeal issued from jail, the ex-mayor said they must make a choice stemming from the will of the people.

Artur Sakunts, a human rights activist based in Vanadzor, last week described the criminal proceedings launched against the ex-mayor as political persecution. He said the Armenian authorities are trying to distort local election outcomes in these and other communities.

Armenias human rights ombudsman, Arman Tatoyan, likewise accused the authorities of resorting to arrests and intimidation to gain control of communities where the ruling party failed to win outright.

Pashinians political allies deny the accusations.
Pashinian confirmed that they failed to reach an agreement on the issue at their two meetings held in Brussels last week.

One of those meetings was hosted by European Council President Charles Michel and lasted for more than four hours. Michel said afterwards that the two leaders pledged to de-escalate tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and restore rail links between their countries. But he admitted that they still disagree on the Nakhichevan road link sought by Baku.

Speaking just hours before the December 14 meeting, Aliyev said people and cargo passing through that Zangezur corridor must be exempt from Armenian border controls. Pashinian swiftly rejected the demand.

Pashinian said on Friday that Yerevans red line on the matter has not changed as a result of the Brussels talks.

Our fundamental position with regard to the highways remains the same, he told a virtual news conference. In Brussels, I and Azerbaijans president tried to go into details and understand the reason why we express such [different] positions because positions taken publicly are just the visible tip of the iceberg.

When we went into details  I saw an opportunity to find some solutions whereby both our positions and the purely practical issues raised by Azerbaijan could be resolved, he said. But we have no agreement on this score.

Its just that after that meeting I saw some opportunities and we should try to use those opportunities so what we find a real compromise solution to this issue, which would not cross the red line regarding the highways which I have already mentioned, added Pashinian. He said nothing about possible parameters of that compromise.

Aliyev described the December 14 meeting as productive before meeting with Pashinian again on December 15.

Aliyev, Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin reported major progress towards opening Armenian-Azerbaijani transport links after holding talks in the Russian city of Sochi on November 26. Putin said a Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani task force will formalize their understandings in the coming days.

However, the task force announced no agreements after meeting in Moscow on December 1. On December 6, Aliyev renewed his threats to forcibly open a land corridor to Nakhichevan. Yerevan condemned the threats and said they run counter to what they agreed on at Sochi.

Both Aliyev and Pashinian have confirmed their participation in a summit of ex-Soviet states that will take place in Saint-Petersburg on December 28. The Armenian premier said he expects to talk to Aliyev on the sidelines of the summit.
This piece is part of a collaboration that includes the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), California Health Report, Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism, Circle of Blue, Colorado Public Radio, Columbia Insight, The Counter, High Country News, New Mexico In Depth and SJV Water. The project was made possible by a grant from the Water Foundation with additional support from INN. For earlier stories in the Tapped Out series, visit inn.org/inn-collaborations/tapped-out/.
As other states are mobilizing to respond to the rapidly spreading omicron variant, Gov. Greg Abbott is not budging on his hands-off approach to the coronavirus pandemic that was cemented months ago.

In March, Abbott ended the statewide mask mandate, marking the beginning of a sharp shift toward preaching personal responsibility and an outright rejection of any government mandate  whether state or local  to curb the pandemic. That philosophy carried the state through the delta variant this fall, even as hospitals were overrun and deaths climbed. Now as the state stares down the latest variant, Abbott remains unmoved, continuing to rule out any mask or vaccine mandates and business shutdowns.

Were moving forward with life as we know it, Abbott said Tuesday in a radio interview when asked about omicron.

Abbotts insistence on the status quo comes as the state begins to see a rise in some key pandemic metrics, including daily new cases and the positivity rate, or the ratio of cases to tests. That rate hit 14.6% on Tuesday, part of a swift trajectory upward and above 10%, the threshold that Abbott has previously identified as worrisome. Hospitals have not yet seen a notable increase in cases, however, medical officials say theyre bracing for a possible post-holiday surge.

Asked Tuesday what the state is doing to address omicron, Abbotts spokesperson Renae Eze said in a statement that the governor recently got a briefing on the state response to the variant by John Hellerstedt, the commissioner of the Department of State Health Services, and Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Eze otherwise gave no indication the state was doing anything differently, saying it was continuing to respond to the pandemic by setting up therapeutic infusion centers, ramping up COVID vaccination efforts, and providing surge staffing and medical equipment to hospitals and nursing homes.

Eze ended by calling vaccination the best defense against COVID-19 and encouraging Texans to get immunized.

Even as Abbotts office says its prioritizing vaccines as the best defense against COVID-19, the states vaccination rate lags nationally. As of Monday, 56% of Texans were fully vaccinated, placing Texas in the back half of the 50 states when ranked by vaccination rates.

Abbott got vaccinated on camera late last year and has encouraged Texans to get the shot. But he does not go out of his way to promote vaccinations and he has expended much more energy in recent months fighting vaccine requirements by local and federal officials.

Abbott has been virtually silent on the booster, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month every qualifying adult should receive. The word booster has never appeared on Abbotts personal Twitter account, and a spokesperson did not respond when asked whether the governor has received a booster.

As of Monday, 14.4% of Texans had gotten boosters.

State Rep. Chris Turner, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, acknowledged Abbott has encouraged vaccines on some occasions but said he needs to do so more often and more loudly.

If Gov. Abbott spent half the time promoting vaccines and boosters as he spends fighting local governments and businesses when theyre trying to protect their constituents or employees or students, Turner said, I think wed be in a much better place.

The Department of State Health Services has been more active in encouraging vaccination, as well as boosters. On social media, it has shared video testimonials from people who were initially reluctant to get the vaccine but ultimately received it.

With the holidays around the corner and Omicron spreading, DSHS recommends getting fully vaccinated and a booster shot, the agency said in a tweet last week.

Meanwhile, the federal government and some other states have sprung into action as the new variant has cropped up. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the federal government would buy a half a billion at-home rapid tests to distribute for free to Americans. A number of states have extended or declared a state of emergency. And several major cities have announced plans to require vaccination proof to enter indoor spaces.

There has been no comparable mobilization by Abbott, who has not held a news conference on COVID-19 since March and has been prioritizing other issues in the public recently, like border security. On Saturday, Abbott traveled to Rio Grande City to debut the beginning of a state-built border wall.

Texas COVID cases are trending upward after the state reported an average of more than 6,000 confirmed cases every day in the last week.

The case data suggests that we have entered another COVID surge much like were seeing around the world with the emergence of omicron, said Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium. Were not yet seeing hospitalizations coming up, but that could follow shortly behind.

Meyers said there is still a lot of uncertainty about how omicron will play out in Texas, particularly when it comes to how severe cases will be. But given the rising case numbers, she added, if ever there was a time to err on the side of caution, now is the time.

As the cases rise in Texas, a familiar tension is reemerging between local officials and Abbott, who has restricted them from doing things like requiring masks, mandating vaccines and scaling back business openings.

I think the answer is very simple, said KP George, the judge in Fort Bend County in suburban Houston, where cases have increased by more than 300% in the last two weeks. As the governor and his party have said in the past, let the local government do their job. Texas is a large state and something important in Fort Bend County may not be important in the Panhandle or some other place.

Speaking Wednesday afternoon, George said there was not a specific virus-fighting tool that he wanted the state to allow local officials to use again because we are still analyzing numbers and learning more about omicron. He said it is not at all a priority for him to shut down business or issue mandates generally, but moving forward, I will do anything possible I need to save life.

Hours after George spoke to a reporter, George announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. He said he is fully vaccinated and was not experiencing any symptoms.

There is at least one preliminary sign that omicron poses a unique challenge to the pandemic playbook that Abbott has clung to. While Abbott has championed monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 patients, some hospitals in Houston have temporarily suspended them because they believe they are ineffective against the latest variant.

One health system, Memorial Hermann, said it expected to receive doses of a different monoclonal antibody therapy this week and hoped to start administering it as soon as possible.

This MCA treatment has been shown to be more effective against the omicron variant, which is now the dominant strain in our region and across the country, accounting for more than 80 percent of cases locally, the health system said in a statement.

Pandemic politics



Politically, Abbott is in a somewhat different situation than the last time Texas dealt with a rise in cases. He now has a serious Democratic challenger in Beto ORourke, who announced his campaign in November and has focused on the pandemic in his first stops  meeting with the Hidalgo County health authority in his first weeks as a candidate.

ORourke has offered a black-and-white contrast with Abbott: He has said he would allow schools and businesses to require masks and vaccines. At the same time, he has suggested taking an understanding approach to those resistant to the vaccine, saying they should not be judged because it pushes them into a corner.

Still, ORourke sees a lack of leadership from Abbott when it comes to the pandemic.

First Abbott flip-flopped on public health guidelines and then he stopped schools, local governments and businesses from protecting our fellow Texans, ORourke said in a statement for this story, alluding to Abbotts reversal on letting private employers require vaccines for their workers. The least he can do is get out of the way and allow those who are focused on preventing more Covid hospitalizations and deaths to do their jobs.

On his right, Abbott continues to face pressure to not bow to demands to be more aggressive in fighting the pandemic. In fact, when it comes to vaccine requirements, dozens of Republican state lawmakers believe he has not done enough to outlaw them and want him to call a special session to codify his executive order.

Of course Im considering it, but people need to go through the legal analysis here, Abbott told a radio interviewer Tuesday. He explained that the issue of federal vaccine mandates is headed to the U.S. Supreme Court and if the court upholds them, a state law passed during a special session would be unable to overrule the court. If the court strikes down the mandates, he said, then his executive order is the law of the land and no special session is necessary.

Abbotts primary challengers agree that government should stay out of Texans lives with regard to the pandemic. One of them, Don Huffines, is openly against the vaccine, repeatedly boasting on Twitter that he has never had the vaccine and is not taking the vaccine.

Allen West, the former Texas GOP chair who is running against Abbott, became infected with COVID-19 in the fall while unvaccinated, and he recovered with the aid of monoclonal antibody therapy.

Texans have options and should not be relegated to politicized mandates and dictated remedies for their own bodies, West said in a statement.

The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
WASHINGTON - While the country grapples with the latest coronavirus explosion due to the fast-spreading omicron variant, Anthony Fauci on Tuesday reassured those Americans who are vaccinated and boosted that they would have considerable protection from serious illness. But the nation's top infectious-disease expert joined other public health officials nationwide in reiterating to the millions who remain unvaccinated that they are "very vulnerable" to infection from the country's new dominant variant.

Fauci went one step further in predicting that omicron, which is even faster-spreading than the delta variant that sent infections spiking earlier in the year, "is going to find" those who are unvaccinated.

"That's why I worry about the people who refuse to get vaccinated. When you're dealing with any SARS-CoV-2 or covid-19 virus, it's a problem," he said to MSNBC's Alicia Menendez. "When you're dealing with one that spreads so rapidly and you are unvaccinated, the virus is going to find you."

His comments come as many Americans are flooding pharmacies and test centers for shots and at-home test kits ahead of the Christmas holiday. Similar warnings have been issued by President Biden and health experts in states such as Alabama and Arizona who fear what the latest surge in cases could mean for the unvaccinated.

"If you are not vaccinated, you are out of luck," Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told AL.com.

Biden insisted Tuesday that the United States would not lock down or close schools, and he announced plans to distribute a half-billion free at-home tests. But he also told unvaccinated Americans that they have a "patriotic duty" to get vaccinated.

"You have an obligation to yourselves, to your family and frankly, I know I'll get criticized for this, to your country," he said in the White House State Dining Room. "Get vaccinated now. It's free, it's convenient. I promise you, it saves lives."

Although early reports suggest that many people infected by omicron experience only mild symptoms - and that those who are boosted appear to be protected against severe illness - the White House is bracing for a new surge of hospital patients in the coming weeks. That surge is likely to be driven by unvaccinated Americans, as well as those with limited immune protection.

More than 189,000 new covid infections were reported Tuesday in the United States, bringing the country's seven-day average to 155,467, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. The country's cases have increased by about 27 percent in the last seven days; states such as New York, Illinois and Ohio are reporting the most new daily infections.

While more than 69,000 people are currently hospitalized, the rate of hospitalizations remains about the same compared to last week, data showed as of early Wednesday. Deaths, however, are increasing, as about 1,330 people are now dying each day of the virus. In Texas, Harris County Public Health reported this week that an unvaccinated Houston-area man in his 50s may be the first U.S. fatality publicly attributed to omicron.

Sixty-two percent of the country is fully vaccinated. Twenty-seven states have a vaccination rate that trails the national figure. Less than a third of the fully vaccinated population has received an additional vaccine dose.

In Alabama, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country at 47%, the omicron onslaught is raising concern after the state's health-care system was pushed to the brink during the delta-driven surge in September. Marrazzo emphasized to local media that monoclonal antibody treatments that showed success in limiting hospitalizations months ago are not effective this time around against omicron.

"The best thing you can do is make sure you are as boosted as possible," Marrazzo told AL.com. "I think if we can get enough people to embrace the tools we have, we can as a society hopefully avoid anything looking like a total lockdown."

In Arizona, which has a vaccination rate of 57%, health experts are warning of a potential increase in cases and hospitalizations, even as both remain lower than they were last week. Will Humble, executive director of the nonprofit Arizona Public Health Association, told KTVK that he feared hospitals would be overrun from the omicron surge next month.

"January of 2022, I think, is going to be the worst of the entire pandemic," Humble said. When asked about omicron, Humble added: "I liken it to those 'outbreak' movies that you see, where everyone is walking around in ignorant bliss for a period of time, before it really hits. I think that's where we are right now."

But even as omicron spreads across the United States, some Republicans and conservative pundits have pushed back on the repeated warnings from Biden, Fauci and other public health experts. Florida's state-sponsored commercials promoting vaccination have been pulled from the air and replaced with new ads that make no mention of vaccines, according to WPLG.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., accused the president Tuesday of vilifying unvaccinated Americans.

"To me, it is immoral, it's disgusting, and it is absolutely sickening to me that the president of the United States would try to vilify people who are trying merely to exercise a health-care choice," Biggs told Fox News.

When Ben Carson was asked on Fox about whether testing should not apply to those not showing any coronavirus symptoms, the former housing secretary during the Trump administration said officials should consider altering current recommendations for who gets tested.

"I personally think we should seriously give thought to not testing people who are asymptomatic," said Carson, a former neurosurgeon. "We're going to end up with a real problem. We're going to have massive numbers of people who test positive. What are we going to do? Are we going to shut everything down? It doesn't make any sense."

On MSNBC, Fauci said he foresees an abundance of "breakthrough infections" among the vaccinated population. He then directed attention back toward the unvaccinated population, which may suffer only "minimal symptomatology" and brush off the seriousness of omicron.

"But there are a lot of people that are going to get seriously ill if you are unvaccinated," he said, "and that's the reason, why despite the recalcitrance on the part of so many people to get vaccinated, we continue to encourage them, particularly in the context of this new variant, to please get vaccinated."
With the omicron variant spreading rapidly, the United States is all but certain to see a sharp rise in breakthrough coronavirus infections among vaccinated people. These cases were relatively rare in the pre-omicron days, but the new variant has shown an ability to slip past the body's first line of immune defenses. That means many Americans who have gotten the shots will at some point test positive.

Coronavirus vaccines act like a shield against disease, not an impenetrable barrier, and they offer protection against the omicron variant. Health authorities say booster shots of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are the best defense against serious illness, providing robust protection against severe disease. Your likelihood of developing a breakthrough infection is lowest if you have gotten the additional shot. The initial two-shot vaccine regimen still offers protection, but it's not as effective against the omicron variant without boosters.

If you do get a breakthrough infection, here's some advice on how to navigate it.

- What should I do if I test positive for the coronavirus?

While some breakthrough cases are asymptomatic, experts say most tend to bring mild to moderate symptoms. A cough, a sore throat, muscle aches and a low fever are common, but keep in mind that breakthrough symptoms do not always resemble the version of covid-19 seen in unvaccinated people. Some patients report headaches, nasal congestion and sneezing - signs of illness more typically associated with colds or allergies.

When you are feeling sick, or when you think you have been exposed to the coronavirus, the most important thing you can do from the get-go is to get tested. Laboratory-based polymerase chain reaction tests, or PCR tests, are most accurate, but at-home tests do a good job detecting symptomatic cases, too.

"Even if you think it's just allergies, it would be best for you to go ahead and get a covid test and make sure you don't have it before you go to work or school or church, because those symptoms can be very mild," said S. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist hospital.

A positive test, whether done at home, in a doctor's office or at a testing center, should be taken seriously, said Rob Murphy, an infectious-disease expert at Northwestern University.

Whether you have symptoms or not, you should first contact your health-care provider to determine the next steps. If you tested positive with a rapid test at home, a doctor may order a lab-based test for confirmation. Depending on your medical history, the doctor may recommend at-home care or clinical treatment.

You should also contact family members, friends, colleagues and anyone else you've had close contact with and tell them you have the coronavirus.

From there, follow the isolation recommendations from health officials (more on that below).

- How long should I isolate or quarantine with a breakthrough infection?

If you do not have any symptoms but have tested positive for the coronavirus, you should isolate from others for 10 full days, beginning the day after you took the test. If you develop symptoms during that time, you must start the clock over, according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you are symptomatic, start the 10-day period after first developing symptoms, the CDC said.

There is no doubt it can be tough for some people to isolate, particularly when there are multiple people under one roof. Murphy recommended using a separate bedroom and bathroom if possible and sanitizing high-touch surfaces if you have to share. He also advised wearing a mask and encouraging others in the house to do the same, staying at least six feet from other people and pets and, when weather permits, opening windows for ventilation.

The CDC also recommends avoiding sharing personal items such as dishes, utensils and towels.

While isolation is for people who have been infected, quarantine is for those who have been only exposed and possibly infected. People who have come into close contact with an infected person may need to quarantine. The CDC defines close contact as being within six feet for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.

Those who have not been fully vaccinated should quarantine for a full 14 days after their last exposure to the person with the coronavirus, according to the CDC. Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine unless they develop symptoms, but they should get tested five to seven days after exposure and wear a mask indoors in public places for two weeks after exposure or until receiving a negative test result, the CDC said.

- If others in my household are sick, too, can we be together?

Yes, assuming everyone in the household has contracted the virus, there is no longer a need to separate from them, experts said.

- How can I treat breakthrough covid-19 at home? What supplies should I have on hand?

Many people with breakthrough infections may not need any special care. There is a good chance your symptoms will clear in a few days. But if you are uncomfortable, some at-home and over-the-counter remedies might help take the edge off.

Sterling N. Ransone, a family physician in Deltaville, Va., and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, recommends getting a thermometer and a pulse oximeter, the fingertip device that measures oxygen in your blood. These can help you send valuable information to your doctor if your symptoms worsen. "If they can get me those kinds of numbers, I can give them much better advice on what we can do," Ransone said.

Acetaminophen can help relieve aches and pains, and cold medications with expectorant can loosen up chest congestion. But it is important to note that these will alleviate symptoms only temporarily - they will not get rid of the virus faster. Consult with your doctor before taking them, follow the dosage recommendations on the label, and make sure they do not interfere with any other medications you might be taking.

Electrolyte fluids such as Gatorade and Pedialyte can ease symptoms and prevent you from becoming dehydrated. It is good to have a few of these in your fridge.

It is also worth keeping extra masks handy. N95s, KN95s and surgical masks are now easy to order online.

Putting together a kit with these items can save you a trip to the store if you do end up getting sick. "We have everything ready, so if we were to start feeling ill we could go home and we've already preplanned," Ransone said. "We don't risk exposing our friends and neighbors."

- How long will I be contagious?

You are considered contagious during the entire 10-day isolation period. Although it's unlikely, if symptoms such as a cough or fever persist past that point you may still be contagious, said Murphy, executive director of Northwestern's Robert J. Havey MD Institute for Global Health.

"With these breakthroughs, the whole clinical course is so mild that many of them pretty much recover in a day or two and they're just waiting to get out of isolation," he said.

Murphy said it may take a while for a loss of taste and smell to return, but that does not mean you can still spread the virus.

- Do I need to test negative before rejoining the community?

No. Once you hit the 10-day mark, you should be fine to commingle again, as long as your symptoms are improving and you have gone 24 hours without a fever without using fever-reducing medication. You may still test positive after this point, but health officials say you are not contagious.

- Should I ask my doctor about coronavirus therapies?

Yes. If you are vaccinated, you are probably going to bounce back from a case of covid-19 without medical intervention. But it can't hurt to ask, especially if you have any conditions that put you at higher risk for severe illness.

That said, our armory of tools for combating covid-19 is changing. The omicron variant has hobbled the use of monoclonal antibodies, laboratory-made molecules that excelled against the other variants. Only one monoclonal antibody treatment, sotrovimab, is expected to work against the omicron variant, and it's not easy to get.

Other new treatments will become available soon. Federal regulators Wednesday authorized an antiviral drug from Pfizer that appears to reduce the risk of severe illness in high-risk patients when it is administered in the first few days of symptoms. Merck has developed a similar drug that has not yet been authorized.

Overall, experts emphasize that vaccines and booster shots are still the best defense. "If you're counting on monoclonals instead of getting vaccinated," said Long, of Houston Methodist, "it's time to get vaccinated so your body can go and make its own, more effective antibodies."

- What should I do if my symptoms become more serious?

If your symptoms get noticeably worse after a few days, call your doctor. You may need clinical treatment.

Trouble breathing is an immediate cause for concern, said Ransone, the family physician. "If they cough so much they can't catch their breath, or they're so short-winded they can't get a whole sentence out, that's something that needs to be evaluated in person," he said.

Other signs of an infection becoming more severe include a temperature moving above 102 degrees, confusion and blue coloration in the face.

If you feel seriously ill and you can't reach your doctor quickly, head to the nearest emergency room, experts said. Ask a friend or family member to drive you if possible, but note that everyone in the vehicle should be wearing a mask. If nobody is available, don't take public transportation, which could expose more people - just call 911.

"If you need medical care, you shouldn't delay, said Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "Call an ambulance."
Brittney Rodriguez was a regular The Donut Hole across from the Port Arthur TOTAL plant where she worked as an insulator.

I thought I was gonna work in a refinery my whole life. I was just a 24-year-old trying to survive, she said.

She was later laid off from that job. But she found a way to make it back to The Donut Hole, this time as a production assistant on the crew of the critically acclaimed and multi-film festival winning film Red Rocket, which premiered Dec. 10 in Los Angeles at the New Beverly  a theater owned by renowned filmmaker Quentin Tarrantino.

The week prior to production work, she was on camera in the role of June as muscle for a drug dealer.

Rodriguez was joined on screen by Ethan Darbone, a Beaumont native and Nederland resident who also was discovered by the films co-writer and director Sean Baker.

Baker and crew were traversing the Gulf Coast, searching for the perfect location for Red Rocket, a movie based in a Texas refinery town.

Its a film that never would have gotten underway had it not been for COVID-19, Darbone said.

Baker was in Vancouver, set to film a different project when the pandemic hit, closing borders and sounding the death knell on his planned film.

A friend suggested he try making Red Rocket instead.

It was a promising screenplay co-written by Baker and Chris Bergoch that had been put on the back burner but found new life mid-pandemic.

Baker called his friend Simon Rex to offer the lead role of Mikey, an aging porn star returning to his small Texas hometown  a place none-too-receptive to his return.

Rex agreed to the role, sending Baker in search of locations and supporting cast.

He drove across the Gulf Coast, refinery town after refinery town, and then he found us, Darbone said.

What he found was a tiny donut shop  Rodriguezs daily haunt.

This is it. This is the shot, Darbone recalled Baker telling him.

Baker then set out in search of supporting locations. What he found included two locals who would become part of the cast.

First came Darbone, a waiter at Touch of Cajun Cafe on Boston Avenue in Nederland.

Baker stopped at the restaurant mid-hunt, saw Darbone and asked the manager if he could talk to him.

Darbone was in the alley on a smoke break when Baker approached, asking, Hey man, you want to be in a movie?

Months later, Darbone was back in that same alleyway filming a scene where Rex ran naked through town.

I guess he was intrigued by my look, Darbone said of his happenstance casting in the role of Lonnie, an old aquaintance of Mikeys who becomes his friend and chauffeur around town.

Initially, Darbone wasnt sure if the offer was for real, but he heard back from Baker shortly after, who requested a simple 2-page audition.

Ethan recorded it and shortly after got the part, despite it having already been promised to an actor in Florida.

Darbone then told his family he was going to be in a movie.

Its not porn? he recalls his mother asking.

He said no, then got the script.

It wasnt exactly porn, but it was about a porn star.

When he was offered the part, Sean was like, Can you do this? Youre gonna miss a lot of work.

They were cool with it. But I was like,  you can either fire me or give me the time off, because Darbone wasnt about to miss the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that literally fell in his lap.

Im a movie person.. like Im obsessed with it, he explained.

He was already familiar with Bakers movies and Rexs stardom as well.

Darbone told Baker, Im in.

My first day on set, I got to hang with Simon Rex, who was part of the culture I grew up with  one of the guys I love most, Darbone said.

As soon as Sean told me I got the part and Simon was the lead, I was like, I get to hang out with one of the people I grew up watching? Its something you wouldnt really expect from this area, he continued.

Its something Rodriguez didnt expect either.

She was walking her dog when Baker pulled over to talk.

He just pulled up and started telling me about his movies and gave me his card. It wasnt weird he pulled up on me, she said. I just got my dog and lots of people would pull over and stop to ask where I got it, so it didnt seem strange.

But most of those encounters didnt include a movie offer.

Rodriguez said, I guess it was something about my character and the way I carried myself that made him stop.

She was never asked to submit an audition tape for the role, and though it was 6 months before she started filming, Rodriguez said, I had no doubts about it being real or falling though. I knew I had it.

Once she and Darbone had it, they had to do it.

Neither had prior acting experience, but that wasnt what Baker was seeking.

He found the people he wanted, Darbone said, adding, I think thats what made the movie so good. Its amazing. We were first-time actors, but they worked with us so well, you cant tell. He cast us well so we could be our own.

And whatever I couldnt do on my own, they helped me, Darbone recalled, remembering, The first day of filming, I had to yell at Simon, and I liked him, so it was awkward, but they made it a whole lot easier. It was a miracle, really.

When a written line didnt fit, they were free to improvise, Darbone said, and make it more realistic to local character.

And when they felt out of their element, Baker brought them back in line.

That came day one on set for Darbone.

That very first day was the most stressful scene. I never filmed anything in my life, and I was supposed to be freaking out in the scene; I was like, Im already freaked out, he said.

Everyday was an adventure. You never knew what was going to happen, he recalled, particularly mid-pandemic when tests were required daily and schedules changed on the fly depending on results.

Darbone recalled Baker begging him and others to be careful during filming to avoid contracting the virus.

Not only would it affect the timeline of shooting, but Baker was using film, not digital technology, to make the movie.

Any significant loss of cast would entail a potential catastrophic cost.

The film cost about only a million to make, but half of that went to film costs, according to Darbone.

But the process flowed smoothly.

We all worked so well together, Darbone recalled.

It was a routine Rodriguez fell into easily, as well.

I play a drug dealer muscle, but its more like an embodiment of power. I could sense he wanted the younger me that was rougher. Im glad I was able to bring it up to the screen, she said.

Everything about my process, from the way I was found to the different roles I played - acting, production, I made a t-shirt used in the film, so I was able to bring in my art skills - for me, it was so many different Easter eggs, she said.

Rodriguez describes herself as shy and says, for how well I did on camera, I really surprised myself. And it made me feel more confident. It didnt feel like work  just natural, regardless what side of the camera I was on.

Rodriguez wasnt the only one who sensed the films success.

Darbone said, Simon Baker told me, Ive been at this 25 years, and this is the movie. This is gonna make my career. And it has - its made his career.

By critical acclaim, its the tipping point for Simon Rexs acting career.

I see more more movies in my future, Rodriguez said.

Darbone added, Were just two people from Southeast Texas who got to go to Telluride, Los Angeles, New York; and we got to meet so many people and do so many things.

The pair met Maggie Gyllenhall, one of the Cannes Film Fest judges, at a film opening, who expressed how much she loved their movie.

The pair were flabbergasted to be congratulated by one of their own on-screen favorites.

I couldnt have asked for anything to happen any differently. In a small town, no one ever expects this to happen, Darbone said.

For me, its just a dream come true, Rodriguez added.

Were just regular people, and whats meant to come to you will come to you if you just be yourself. I appreciate this opportunity, because Im always just myself, she said.

But for Rodriguez, the experience went beyond herself, but others whose talents easily get dismissed in small towns.

Theres so much talent in this area. I grew up on Avenue B and went to Central High School, she said.

I graduated with PJ Locke and Michael Jacquet. They had so much talent, and Im just so glad that (Baker) came here and recognized that talent exists in even the least expected places.

Id love to bring more attention to my city and the talent here. Im impressed with my city. Beaumont is on its way way up, she said.

She and Darbone are going up with it.

Darbone already has recorded 30 hours of a podcast  The Donut Shop Murders, a project upon which he plans to expand.

For Rodriguez, a mural artist, So many doors are opening, and the film hasnt even really come out yet, she said.

Through the movie and short film, Im able to relive old experiences but better and different than when I was a kid. I always wanted to be famous as a kid, but didnt believe it would happen. I thought maybe it would magically fall into my lap, and then it did. Its serendipity, Rodriguez said, adding, My shows definitely just beginning.

kbrent@beaumontenterprise.com
Metro Video

BAYTOWN, Texas (AP)  Crews were working to extinguish a large fire at a Houston-area refinery that broke out early Thursday, injuring four people.

The fire started at about 1 a.m. at ExxonMobil's refinery in Baytown, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Houston. Four people were injured but everyone else on site has been accounted for, said Rohan Davis, the refinery's manager.
Does world's wealthiest man Elon Musk actually live in a modest, sub-$100,000 Texas home like he claims? It's not so simple, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

In a piece published Wednesday, WSJ Austin reporter Rob Copeland reports that the billionaire has spent the last year staying at the Austin-area mansion of fellow billionaire friend Ken Howery as Musk evaluates property for sale outside the state's capital city. Located on the edge of the Colorado River in the private, gated community of Watersedge, the $12 million property Musk has stayed at features a waterside pool, gatehouses and a private boat slip.

"For roughly a year [Musk] has also been living in a waterfront estate in Austin owned by a rich friend nicknamed 'Kenny,' people familiar with the matter say" Copeland writes. "A home so extravagant that it was the most expensive listed in the Texas capital when it was sold just a few years ago."

A co-founder of PayPal, Howery is an old associate of Musk's and the living arrangement between the two billionaires has remained a closely guarded secret, according to Copeland, who cited a number of unnamed sources close to Musk with knowledge of the agreement. The Boca Chica, Texas home Musk rents near SpaceX's base of operations in the state allegedly costs $50,000, according to the billionaire.

"Mr. Musks stay is so secret that some friends of Mr. Howery said they were unaware of the arrangement," Copeland writes. "Mr. Musk has also engaged a series of real-estate agents to show him Austin-area mansions for purchaseand toured some houses personally, some of the people say."

The material possessions and living quarters of the world's richest man have become part of an ongoing narrative surrounding Musk, who this year was awarded "Person of the Year" by Time Magazine in a profile that proudly stated "The world's richest man does not own a home."

Musk's decision to rent a home in Boca Chica from SpaceX seemingly coincided with his previous stated desires to pare down the material possessions in his life. In May of 2020, Musk tweeted that he planned to "own no house" in the future and subsequently sold off four of his Los Angeles residences in 2021 for a total of $62 million. In November the billionaire reportedly found a buyer for his seventh and final California propertya $30 million estate south of San Franciscoleaving him, in a technical sense, homeless.

Contrary to his "no home" claim, however, Muskwho officially relocated Tesla headquarters to Austin in Decemberhas been evaluating large properties outside the capital city and has taken particular interest in a custom-built mansion owned by jewelry magnate Kendra Scott, according to Copeland.

"[Musk's] personal financial advisers have sent a slew of requirements to brokers, including a desire for a large expanse of land that is currently unavailable in properties on the market," Copeland writes. "Mr. Musk has toured several homes in person, two of the people say. Among the homes he expressed interest in, those people say, is a custom-built mansion owned by the noted jewelry designer Kendra Scott."

Wherever Musk lands, it seems that large estates are back on the menu for the world's richest "homeless" man.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Biden administration on Wednesday extended a student loan moratorium that has allowed millions of Americans to put off debt payments during the pandemic.

Under the action, payments on federal student loans will remain paused through May 1. Interest rates will remain at 0% during that period, and debt collection efforts will be suspended. Those measures have been in place since early in the pandemic, but were set to expire Jan. 31.

President Joe Biden said financial recovery from the pandemic will take longer than job recovery, especially for those with student loans.

We know that millions of student loan borrowers are still coping with the impacts of the pandemic and need some more time before resuming payments, he said in a statement.

The omicron variant of COVID-19 that has swept through the U.S. with a fury has lent a new urgency to the question over whether the moratorium would be extended. Administration officials had initially said they expected the January extension to be the last. But even as the economy improves, there are concerns that borrowers are not ready to start payments again. Once the moratorium ends, those who were already behind on payments could have wages and benefits taken away as part of debt collection efforts.

The policy applies to more than 36 million Americans who have student loans that are held by the federal government. Their collective debt totals more than $1.37 trillion, according to the latest Education Department data. About a third of borrowers are in default or delinquency and the average monthly payment is $400 a month.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement that the extension will allow for repayment plans responsive to the financial needs of the students, including an income-driven repayment plan.

The continued pause will provide critical relief to borrowers who continue to face financial hardships as a result of the pandemic, and will allow our administration to assess the impacts of omicron on student borrowers," Cardona said.

The Trump administration initially suspended federal student loan payments in March 2020 and later extended it through January 2021. Biden has now moved to continue it twice, and the Education Department raised concerns about the effects of suddenly restarting payments, both for students and administratively within the department.

The extension of the loan moratorium comes as decision whether to erase large swaths of student debt altogether is still on the table.

Some Democrats are pushing for mass forgiveness of debt. But Biden has questioned whether he has the authority for that kind of mass cancellation, and legal scholars differ on that. Earlier this year, Biden asked the Education and Justice departments to study the issue. Officials have said that work is still underway.

Biden has previously said he supports canceling up to $10,000 in student debt, but he has argued it should be done by Congress.

Meanwhile, in October, the administration relaxed the rules for the student loan forgiveness program it has in place already, ditching some of the toughest requirements around the program that was launched in 2007 to steer more college graduates into public service.

Biden said that he was also asking all student loan borrowers to do their part as well." He said they should take full advantage of Education Department resources as they prepare for payments to resume, look at options to lower payments through income-based repayment plans, explore public service loan forgiveness, and make sure you are vaccinated and boosted when eligible.
Former U.S. senator and Virginia governor Charles Robb and his wife, Lynda Robb, a daughter of the late President Lyndon Johnson, were injured when a large blaze broke out at their Virginia home late Tuesday night, their family said.

Charles Robb, 82, was treated for smoke inhalation and released from a hospital, while Lynda Robb, 77, remains hospitalized, having suffered second-degree burns from her wrist to her elbow and smoke inhalation, said Luci Baines Johnson, the sister of Lynda Robb.

Johnson said both are expected to survive.

"The facts are they are still with us," Johnson said. "They are both extraordinarily strong and accomplished people. They have spent 54 years together. My heart is shattered for them."

Firefighters were sent to the scene in McLean, Va., around 11:30 p.m. in response to multiple 911 calls, said Bill Delaney, a Fairfax County fire department spokesman. The massive blaze in the 600 block of Chain Bridge Road could be seen across the Potomac River in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Johnson said her sister was in the library of the home on the ground floor when the fire began, while Charles Robb was working in the basement. Johnson said it is unclear what sparked the blaze, but authorities are exploring whether the origin might have been electrical.

Johnson said her sister became aware of the fire first and made her way to her husband in the basement to warn him.

"It sounds to me like she was pretty heroic in finding him and getting out," Johnson said.

Photographs showed fire raging on what appeared to be both floors of at least part of the house. The photographs showed fire within the house, just behind an entrance portico that includes rectangular brick or stone columns supporting a hipped roof.

"It was a very large house, and a significant portion of the house was engulfed in flames," Delaney said.

When firefighters arrived, they found one occupant of the home outside, Delaney said. Firefighters went inside and helped a second occupant out of the home, before both were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

It took roughly 60 firefighters from three counties about 1 hours to control the fire. Crews remained on the scene Wednesday morning dousing hot spots.

On Wednesday morning, a neighbor, Pamela Wright, said firefighters were swarming the scene of the home.

"There's debris everywhere," Wright said. "In our driveway, there are big burned chunks of what look like insulation."

Fairfax County fire investigators were still trying to determine a cause of the fire. Their investigation could take weeks. Delaney said an estimate of the cost of the damage was still being prepared. It was unclear whether the home would be a total loss.

It was assessed at $3.4 million in 2021 and sits on a 2.1-acre lot, according to Fairfax County records.

Delaney said investigators had yet to uncover any indications of arson or foul play. The Fairfax County police said they were not part of the investigation of the fire.

Properties on that stretch of Chain Bridge Road have been highly valued. In 2013, a report in The Washington Post's Reliable Source column said property there, where the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., had lived on six acres, was on the market for $45 million.

The report called the site a "posh address" with millionaire neighbors.

- - -

The Washington Post's Dana Hedgpeth contributed to this report.
Courtesy of SAPD

Popular gossip blogger Perez Hilton is aiding in the search of Lina Sardar Khil, the 3-year-old who vanished from a San Antonio playground on Monday. Hilton, real name Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., published a blog on his popular website PerezHilton.com signal boosting the efforts to find the child.

Hilton cited information from the San Antonio Police Department which said the girl could be in "grave, immediate danger." As of this write, there have been no significant updates in the case, according to previous MySA reporting.
Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Cloudy with snow developing after midnight. Low around 25F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. About one inch of snow expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow developing after midnight. Low around 25F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. About one inch of snow expected.
NORTH ADAMS  When James A. Garner died in 2008, at age 81, he was in the middle of a project. By his own admission, he was usually in the middle of a project.

PHOTOS: Catamount statue added to North Adams mosaic wall More than a decade after this death, a North Adams family finishes the mosaic project their father started.

"I like long projects that I can really get into," Garner said in a September 1979 interview with the North Adams Transcript about the stone walls he'd been constructing around his Massachusetts Avenue home for the past decade. The self-taught stonemason spent decades building the stone walls around the house, where a mosaic of three deer and a large eagle still can be seen on the walls facing the road.

Before Garner died, he made a catamount (a mountain lion) that he planned to add to the wall, where it would stalk the deer. His family put the mountain lion on his headstone in the Southview Cemetery, but they have always felt the wall was not quite finished.

"We always knew we wanted to do something," granddaughter Betsy Garner-Parsley said. "We wanted to honor him in a way that would mean something to him."

That desire to complete the mosaic mural is how a large fiberglass catamount statue ended up atop the stone wall.

By change, Susan Watson, Garner's daughter, saw a catamount statue while she was driving through Vermont. "Thats when it hit me," she said. "I could put that up on the wall.

Watson bought a fiberglass catamount and recently, the family got together and put the statue on top of the wall. Great-grandson Alex Griffis painted the face of the mountain lion to match the one Garner created out of mosaic tiles. Family members painted sections of the statue's body in a similar style to leave their mark on the piece.

"To me it was what belongs up there," Watson said, "that's what he was going to do.

Garner worked as a draftsman at General Electric in Pittsfield. He started his stone masonry work by making a concrete staircase from the road to his house. He them built two walls along his 35-foot-long driveway. Next, he began reconstructing his front porch with cement, stones and marble slabs.

"He worked full time, but when he came home he would be out there working in the yard," Watson said. "That was his hobby."

She added, "He just did the stonework. I don't know how he learned."

Much of the stone came from his backyard, his family said.

"There's a whole mountain up there," he told The Transcript in 1979. "I think I'll rearrange it."

To create the mosaic eagle, it took six weeks just to cut the stone.

"There wasn't an eagle when I started," he said at the time. "But I found an eagle in the stones."

Garner was a quiet and gentle soul who liked to work hard, Garner-Parsley said. "He was always serious and hardworking and he was very meticulous on anything that he did."

He also loved North Adams and his home there.

"He never wanted to go on vacation," Garner-Parsley said, sitting on the house's porch which faces Mount Greylock. He would say, "I have the prettiest spot in the world," she said. "He did everything right here."

His family also feels attached to the space. "We want to keep the house," said Watson, who now lives in Missouri. "We always felt we didn't want to lose it because of the walls he built."

When it is warmer this spring, the family plans to do more painting. "It's still a work in progress," Garner-Parsley said.

"It looks like it fits," she said outside her grandfather's house, where she now lives. "When the catamount went up this fall, "I just started crying. It was such a long project in the making."
CHRISTMAS CARDS

Jim Walczak does not send store-bought Christmas cards. He's been printing his own for the last 50 years
Lawmakers representing the Berkshires agree that the county needs more access to free and affordable testing, and that exhausted health care workers need support, but they are split on the idea of a statewide mask mandate.

The latest spike in Massachusetts COVID-19 cases has led top lawmakers and public health leaders to call for a mask requirement in all indoor public spaces, calls that Gov. Charlie Baker has rejected.

Dr. Howard Koh, who served as assistant health secretary under President Barack Obama, told The Boston Globe on Sunday that fighting the coronavirus pandemic without a masking requirement is akin to fighting with one arm tied behind our backs.

Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, asked Baker on Tuesday to reinstitute an indoor public masking requirement, and other top Democrats joined that push Wednesday.

Baker has defended his approach of advising but not requiring masks, although he emphasized that he hopes individuals who have yet to do so seek vaccines and booster shots.

There are going to be a lot more cases because omicron is very contagious, Baker said in a Wednesday interview with GBH News Boston Public Radio. Its important for everybody to understand that vaccines and boosters are, in fact, doing exactly what they were supposed to do, and they are our best defense.

State Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, say they support requiring masks in indoor public spaces.

Hinds referenced increased transmission from the omicron variant, which contributed to Massachusetts highest single-day count of new cases. The state reported 9,042 new cases Thursday, up from the 7,817 new cases reported Wednesday and the old high of 7,635 new cases from Jan. 8.

A mask mandate takes the pressure off of municipalities, off of businesses that are deciding their own public health policies, and its the fastest way to get back to any sense of normalcy, he said.

Farley-Bouvier cited concerns for workers in high-contact settings.

You and me, were tired of COVID, and were tired of masks, she said. But, when youre working in an indoor setting with people coming in and out all day, youre at high risk of being exposed.

State Rep. John Barrett III, D-North Adams, said he believes decisions on masking requirements should be left to local officials. State Rep. William Smitty Pignatelli. D-Lenox, said that while he is not a mandate guy, he believes individuals need to be informed and educated and do the right thing. He said his family, for example, scaled back a planned Christmas gathering not because of government mandates, but because they made an educated decision.

Theres nothing to prevent a business from mandating masks or people to mandate it for [themselves], he said. But, after two years, if you dont know enough about COVID to wear a mask, what more can we do?

State Rep Paul Mark, D-Peru, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Testing

Barrett, Farley-Bouvier, Hinds and Pignatelli all said that rapid testing must be made more available and affordable.

The state has sent over 2 million free rapid tests to 102 cities and towns that it said it chose because they had the highest percentages of families living in poverty. Twelve Berkshire County communities received at-home testing kits: Adams, Clarksburg, Florida, Great Barrington, Hinsdale, Mount Washington, North Adams, Peru, Pittsfield, Savoy, West Stockbridge and Williamstown.

How Pittsfield and North Adams are distributing free rapid tests Pittsfield received about 11,000 kits. North Adams got 4,500. Both cities are trying to reach residents who really need the free tests.

Barrett said he believes the state should have provided more guidance to municipalities on how to distribute those tests.

All the local health boards were on their own, basically, Barrett said. A lot of them were slow to get going because they didnt know where to put [the testing kits].

The state spent about $10 million on the tests and might be reimbursed by the federal government.

Hinds said he would like the state to spend four times that amount on free testing so that all municipalities receive test kits, adding that the state still has more than $2 billion remaining in unspent federal aid.

Pignatelli said more free testing could come with federal action, and he identified testing for school-age children as particularly important.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a plan to set up federal testing sites and send 500 million rapid tests to U.S. residents in the mail. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Malden, has called on Biden to set up a federal site in Massachusetts.

In addition to free testing, Farley-Bouvier said she would like to see governors work with the federal government to lower the purchase price of rapid tests in stores.

People who can afford it and have the time and resources to run around from store to store to find a test, theyre going to come out of the holidays in much better shape than those who dont, she said.

Health care settings

All four lawmakers said that health care workers need support.

Low pay, they said, is a problem for retaining certified nursing assistants and nursing home workers. Pharmacies also have struggled with staffing, posing difficulties for customers with vaccination appointments, and a Walgreens in Pittsfield closed entirely because it could not hire and maintain enough staff.

One possible action, Pignatelli said, is to boost tax incentives for employers to pay for workers education.

Hinds referenced a $500 million provision in a recent spending bill that funded bonuses of $500 to $2,000 for relatively low-wage workers who worked in person through the pandemic.

I would imagine that well revisit that kind of hazard pay again when it comes to our second round of [federal aid spending] to see if we can be more pinpointed in the hospital settings, he said.

The Legislature is set to return from its traditional post-Thanksgiving break during the first week of January, and top lawmakers have not indicated any intention to return sooner.

The Senate in January will discuss if were satisfied with [Bakers] response [to the pandemic] or not and take it from there, Hinds said.
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The state Department of Public Health has ordered Berkshire Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center in Sandisfield to freeze admissions because of new COVID-19 cases.
SPRINGFIELD  In a rare move, the Supreme Judicial Court is inviting debate over questions arising from a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. How the states highest court rules will be pivotal to a former altar boys wish to be compensated for rapes he endured by a bishop who long led Catholic life in the Berkshires.

Quote This week, the Supreme Judicial Court opted to take a case in which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is a defendant. The court invited outside parties with interests in the underlying legal issues to file whats known as amicus briefs.

Francis V. Kenneally, the SJCs clerk, notified attorneys Wednesday that justices have decided to consider legal issues relating to whether the church is protected from a claim that the unnamed plaintiff suffered not only brutal sexual assaults by former Bishop Christopher J. Weldon and other priests, but that diocesan officials bungled his 2014 report of that abuse.

Though the lawsuit was filed in Hampden Superior Court, a judges ruling at that level this year was appealed by the dioceses legal team to the Massachusetts Appeals Court. The Superior Court case is continuing, though, after the plaintiffs attorney successfully argued that, because of his age, the case should not be delayed on appeal. The plaintiff is 70.

This week, the SJC opted to take the case itself. It invited outside parties with interests in the underlying legal issues to file whats known as amicus briefs.

So far this month, the SJC has invited friend of the court briefs in connection with four cases.

An attorney familiar with the process said it is rare for the high court both to pluck a case from the appellate level and to invite amicus briefs.

The Chicopee plaintiff, known only as John Doe, waited six years for his allegation of forcible rape by Weldon to be found unequivocally credible by an outside judge in June 2020.

That judges report depicted efforts within the diocese to conceal the late bishops history of abuse. Weldons name was added to the list of credibly accused clergy that month.

In the Superior Court case, attorneys for the diocese and eight named defendants moved unsuccessfully to have John Does lawsuit dismissed, on the grounds that the church is protected by common law charitable immunity in effect at the time of the alleged assaults in the 1960s. They also claimed that under the First Amendment, the court system does not have subject matter jurisdiction, as the SJC clerks memo put it, to consider internal church matters.

In the Superior Court, Judge Karen L. Goodwin denied the churchs move to dismiss the case on those grounds, writing: The case law interpreting the common law charitable immunity cannot fairly be construed to give charitable organizations carte blanche immunity from suit simply because their articles of incorporation evidence charitable purposes.

The SJCs call for briefs asks parties to address the questions of charitable immunity and First Amendment protection. The court has not set a deadline on the filings of the amicus briefs.

The complaint names as defendants former Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, John J. Egan, Patricia McManamy, Monsignor Christopher Connelly, Jeffrey Trant, John Hale, Kevin Murphy and Mark Dupont. It also names the legal entity known as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield, a Corporation Sole.
Health care workers with the Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association voted to form a new union  with 73 percent in favor.

VNA union organizers filed notice with the National Labor Relations Board in October, seeking an election to join the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

After three weeks of mail-in voting, the NLRB counted votes Wednesday, according to a news release from the MNA. The new union will represent about 60 nurses and physical, occupational and speech therapists.

Organizers told The Eagle that they want a voice in how the VNA runs, to improve their jobs and their patients' medical care.

VNA employees drive across the county to care for patients with serious health issues, organizers said, and the coronavirus pandemic made that job even harder.

Now that we have formed our union at BVNA, we look forward to working collaboratively with leadership to address some of the long-standing issues found in home healthcare, provide the best home healthcare experience to our patients, and a positive work environment for all of our coworkers, Sarah Roberts, a registered nurse and member of the organizing committee, said in the release.

Union organizers previously told The Eagle that they sometimes lacked the time and resources to properly care for patients. They said they often spend uncompensated time finishing their work and that their managers do not always understand their actual workload.

When nurses and health care professionals join together, patients are the biggest beneficiaries, Tamaryn Clowdus, a physical therapist and member of the organizing committee, said in the news release. At BVNA, we now have a legally protected seat at the table with management to improve our practice and address issues impacting patients under our care.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association already represents about 900 registered nurses at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. The hospital and the VNA are owned by Berkshire Health Systems.
NORTH ADAMS  For more than 100 years, Jeff Levanos family has been selling hot dogs downtown at Jack's Hot Dog Stand.

Levanos, the third generation of his family to run the shop, has seen a lot of changes in the more than four decades he has spent in the restaurant.

He remembers when crowds would leave Sprague Electric for lunch and when shops would stay open late on the evenings when Sprague employees would get their paychecks. There were so many people downtown, "It was like being in Manhattan, Levanos recalled while sitting on a bar stool at the restaurants counter on a recent morning, the grill sizzling in the background as his son and others served customers.

The crowds are long gone, but what has remained constant through the years is the turnover in storefronts.

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened in 1999, has helped spur development, but downtown is still hurting quite a bit, Levanos said.

An Eagle reporter recently took a stroll through Main, Eagle and Holden streets, speaking with business and property owners about the good, the bad and the empty.

On the single block of Eagle Street, for example, about one-third of the storefronts  at least seven  remain vacant. The Tower and Porter Block, which occupies a massive presence on the street, has been empty for years. The building is a black hole, said Glenn Maloney, a property developer and president of the North Adams Chamber of Commerce. Recently, a developer announced plans to redevelop the building into apartments.

Around the corner, on Main Street, a number of large properties also sit vacant, from the long-empty Mohawk Theater to a building that, until this year, housed TD Bank. "For sale" or "for lease" signs sit in the windows of some properties, and the doors of the Dowlin Block, 101-107 Main St., are chained shut.

The problem is layered, those in the business community say, from the challenge of increasing foot traffic to the high cost of renovating old buildings.

Its sort of one of those big onions, business owner and City Councilor Jess Sweeney said. I think theres a lot of varying challenges that make downtown difficult.

At the same time, there is potential movement on some empty properties, like plans to develop a hotel along the Dowlin Block on Main Street and a proposal to renovate the Mohawk. And a number of new businesses have opened in the past year or so, including a secondhand store, plant shop and bookstore.

While there is a lot of progress to be made, many in the downtown business community, Levanos and Sweeney included, remain optimistic.

It doesnt look good now, but its not as gloom and doom as it looks, Levanos said. Right now, it still looks a little bleak, he said, But, I seriously believe its going to come back.

Ebbs and flows of downtown

How downtown is doing, It depends on what you remember, said Keith Bona, owner of Berkshire Emporium & Antiques and a longtime city councilor. He often talks with customers about the topic.

Ill get people who left in the '70s and they come back and say, What happened to the downtown? he said. He chats with people who left in the '90s who say, "Wow, things look great."

Business is going well for Bona. He said his sales this past November were twice as high as any November he has had in 18 years. But, he still sees issues downtown.

He has heard it is Swiss cheesed  meaning that retail businesses are too spread apart. Aside from two cellphone stores, the closest retail store to Bona is down Main Street and onto either Holden or Eagle streets. It's not necessarily a far walk, but if visitors in his store don't know the area and wander along Main, he thinks that because of the lack of retail, most will lose interest before they make it around the corner and down Eagle to a shop like The Plant Connector.

Bona has been trying to increase the concentration of retail on Main Street  he said he has multiple leases with his landlord, David Carver, and subleases spaces to shops like Savvy Hive, Passage Concept Store and Bailey's Bakery. It leaves Bona with liability, but he likes the control. He wanted to avoid "something boring," he said, standing in front of a shelf in his shop with a giant Oscar Mayer Wienermobile on top of it and next to a wall where a Coca-Cola sign hangs.

"I didnt want them to get filled with an insurance company or real estate company," he said. "I wanted them to be more attractive for downtown shopping.

Sweeney rents from Bona for her thrift store, Savvy Hive.

It really helps sort of allow me to start somewhere without having to make a large investment, she said. Sweeney also is co-director of the Common Folk Artist Collective, which rents from Carver on Holden Street and is fundraising to buy its storefront.

Common Folk Artist Collective launches fundraising campaign to buy its current space in North Adams After moving a number of times in North Adams, the Common Folk Artist Collective launched a campaign to buy its current space and solidify its home on Holden Street.

Compared with other communities, Sweeney feels that downtown rents are affordable, but she worries that that could change. I do fear prices rising as North Adams becomes more developed. I think that could be more challenging, which is why Common Folk is particularly aggressive in finding a way to purchase our space downtown.

Sweeney sees the citys challenges as part of a larger trend.

This is a problem every rural city faces, she said. I really, firmly believe the overarching problem is things like Amazon.  I think thats really hurt small, independent businesses.

What makes North Adams different from other rural cities, she said, is that it has a cultural focus and places value on uniqueness, a quality that Mass MoCA has been a large part of spurring.

'Silver bullet'

When Mass MoCA was being developed in the 1990s, some saw it as the silver bullet to save downtown, Maloney said. He disagrees  it's not the museums responsibility to rejuvenate downtown, he said. It's our responsibility to have a reason for those people to come to the community  Our job is to give them a reason to want to stay beyond their walls at MoCA.

Sweeney agreed.

"People from Mass MoCA arent going to come downtown unless theres a reason to come downtown," she said. "If they are walking around and half the storefronts are closed, we can't blame them for not staying downtown."

She knows that Common Folk sees an uptick in traffic when the museum has an event  the collective tracks its visitors, and Sweeney said she has three years' worth of data.

When the museum became a destination, It really helped out downtown," Levanos said.

There are some numbers behind that: In 2017, the museum spurred an estimated $50.8 million in economic activity in the region, according to an estimate from Stephen Sheppard, a Williams College professor of economics.

Mark Moulton, an owner of Moultons Spectacle Shoppe on Main Street, wants to entice more museumgoers downtown. When people leave the museum, They dont have a reason to come up here, he said. We need restaurants, we need the small shops.

For him, a redeveloped Mohawk is the answer, and it could be the centerpiece of downtown.

Not everyone agrees. As someone who grew up in the city, Maloney said its "sacrilegious" to say, but the Mohawk Theater being open is not the fix for our downtown, he said. If it were a viable driver, it would have already happened.

To him, housing is an answer. The challenge  and this is a 40-year challenge for North Adams  has been critical mass; not enough traffic to create the things we'd all like to envision in this vibrant New England town.

Property owners

So, who owns some of those empty properties?

David Carver, owner of the property management company CT Management Group, and property owner and investment company Scarafoni Associates, is a major downtown landlord. He owns spaces on Holden Street, like the ones that house Common Folk and Christos Famous Pizza. He developed condos on the upper floors of Holden Street and sold them to mostly out-of-town folks, he said, and the lower retail spaces are being sold off over time, he said.

The former Berkshire Juvenile Court on Holden Street, also owned by Carver, sits empty. Its large  more than 10,000 square feet  and most likely will be subdivided into smaller spaces, Carver said.

Carver also owns spaces on Main Street, like the Berkshire Emporiums space, and some spaces that are empty, like 77 Main St., former home to Sheer Madness and recently the site of Lynette Bonds mayoral campaign headquarters.

Were talking to some folks about that, Carver said of 77 Main St. He wants to make sure he finds someone with talent, and capital. I have made mistakes in the past by not making sure people are super-duper qualified, he said.

Carver also owns the currently empty 53 Main St.  it most recently was occupied with incoming mayor Jennifer Mackseys campaign headquarters  and he is not sure what will be there next.

The top floors of 85 Main St. are empty. They have been cleared, and Carver said this month that he long has had designs done for market-rate housing there and he was looking for a creative way to finance it. Then, the property sold for $1.65 million in mid-December to PKC Capital LLC, according to records from the Berkshire North Registry of Deeds. Drawings for housing were provided to the new owner, Carver said.

Carver thinks housing can help develop downtown.

I think we need densely populated downtowns, he said.

But, he is not interested in developing low-income housing.

I think we need to balance our housing stock better, he said. And rather than conventional retail or office space, he is more interested in food services. You cant buy it on the internet  you can, but you cant.

Around the corner from Carver's Main Street properties, the building at 19 Eagle St. has been vacant for more than a decade. A yellow and red "for sale" sign recently was put in the window, and it instructs those interested to call Paul.

That Paul is Paul Grimshaw, who, in the early 2000s, was looking for a building in New England to renovate.

I envisioned loft apartments and tall ceilings and live workspace and the freedom to create and develop, he said.

Grimshaw, who lives in Maine, loves North Adams.

Oh, it's so quaint, he said. It's like a little Dickens village there.

But, about 15 years and more than $200,000 of work on the building later, it still is vacant. The problem with old buildings, Grimshaw said, is that they need a lot of work.

"$368,000 later, my family is having a mutiny," he said, referring to the purchase price and renovation costs.

Now, he hopes he can sell the space so someone else can finish the job.

Down the street, at Main and Eagle streets, there are large "for sale" signs in the corner spaces windows. Moulton co-owns that corner property. The second floor of the building is empty and gutted, he said. Earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, the spaces tenant left and a sale of the space was under contract, Moulton said this month, before the property sold for $200,000.

New businesses

Not all of the vacant spaces have been sitting empty. In the past year or so, several new businesses have opened downtown. When Birdsong Gallery closed on Eagle Street, an art and wellness business, Solace, recently took its place, and when Man's World Styling Salon closed this year, Pop's Variety moved in.

The city gained a bookstore this summer when The Bear and Bee Bookshop opened on Holden Street.

So far, business is going well  it has one staff member and it thinks it will be close to breaking even in its first year, said Jen Stevens, The Bear and Bees co-owner. The owners have not yet taken a salary from their work, but they expected that in the first year, Stevens said. She said she feels lucky on Holden Street, where most buildings are full and there is foot traffic.

There is work to be done to inform visitors that there are shops on Eagle Street, she added.

I feel bad about saying this, but it's so empty, Stevens said. When people come to visit, it looks like this cute, interesting town, and then you start walking and youre, like, 'Everything is empty.'

Stevens and her partner and bookstore co-owner, Rye Howard, moved to the city in 2020, drawn to the area for its natural beauty and cultural appeal.

This is a really quirky and unusual, fun, funky town, she said.

Near the bookstore, Duncan Russell bought Christo's Famous Pizza after working in the shop, and he took over in November. Russell, also new to the city, felt similarly to Stevens.

Eagle [Street] concerns me. It looks like dead space, unfortunately, he said.

At the same time, Russell signed a five-year lease to avoid getting priced out of his space, and he is interested in one day buying the space from Carver.

I see the potential in this area, he said. I think North Adams is going through this identity crisis.  Where do we go from here?"

There are vacant spaces on Eagle Street, The Plant Connector co-owner Emilee Yawn acknowledged. But, she has seen more stores open downtown in the past year, and when the nearby Tower and Porter building is renovated into apartments, Thats going to be a game changer, she said.

She opened the Eagle Street business last fall and has sold thousands of plants, mostly to people in Berkshire County.

I feel like for our town, to evolve, we need stuff here for the community, she said.

Previously, she lived in San Francisco, where running a local shop would have been totally different. I think thats the cool thing about North Adams  theres room to explore.

She opens up part of her shop to artists, for example. Currently, WallaSauce, a locally made clothing brand, has a backpack, jacket and other pieces made from recycled soil bags displayed on the walls.

We can do that, being in a small downtown with reasonable rent, Yawn said.

Collaborations like that between businesses seem to be on the rise downtown. Businesses have stayed open late for First Fridays, and a number of businesses and local artists sold gifts at a holiday market in an empty Main Street storefront this month. A group of small businesses regularly gets together to talk and collaborate, Stevens said, and several businesses are hosting a gingerbread competition.

At Pops Variety, the shop sells some art from Common Folk and hot dogs from Jacks.

From his perch at Jack's, Levanos felt that downtown was on an upswing before the pandemic hit in March 2020.

The shutdowns and uncertainty that followed changed all that, forcing some Berkshire businesses to close. But, Jack's, which has survived other difficult periods, such as the Great Depression and World War II, still is standing.

The pandemic, he said, "has been my thing to deal with."
Matt Kinnaman, an occasional contributor, writes an annual Christmas Eve column for The Eagle. He can be reached at matt@leadershipconversations.net.
A view of the southwest side of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church on Hoosac Street in Adams. The parish bulletin initially called for this week's midnight Mass for Christmas to support the conversion of Jews to Christianity. The Springfield Diocese stepped in and now calls that intention "incompatible" with church teachings.
State Rep. John Barrett III, D-North Adams, said he hopes his bill to split the Executive Office of Health and Human Services into two smaller, more manageable agencies will move forward in the new year.
Alan and Christy Manda, also now known as Mr. and Mrs. Claus to hundreds of children who have come to their home in recent days to take pictures with them, found a new way to channel their festive energy this holiday season.

The couple bought costumes and dressed up as Santa and Mrs. Claus. Hundreds of children have descended on their driveway, where they dance and wave to passersby, since they announced it on Facebook last week.

Every year, thousands of children line at up inside shopping malls to take an overpriced picture with Santa. Alan, who turned his home into a winter wonderland of lights, thought he could offer it at a better price  free.

"We just love seeing the reaction from the kids, 'Oh. It's Santa!'" Alan said.

The couple has lived at their home on Satterfield Drive for 16 years. While they usually put on a light display, this is their first year dressing up and inviting the community to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus there.

Alan uses the skills and knowledge he gained from working in the technology industry to orchestrate extravagant light decorations that sync with the music that plays as they stand outside handing out candy canes and meeting kids.

"Some thought went into how you want the lights to look when you hear the song, what do you want people to think about, what do you want people to feel when they see the lights," Alan said. "But when people look at them, we just hope they like it. That's why we do this. It's fun."

The first day the Mandas invited people to take pictures with them as the North Pole's most famous duo last weekend, they handed out over 300 candy canes to families who came by their home. They had another string of people show up over the rest of the weekend and then again on Wednesday night.

Alan joked that people call Christy "Miss Christmas" because she's so passionate about celebrating the holiday.

"If you think this is a scene, you should see the inside of our house," he said. "She has like 100-plus Santas inside the house. It's insane. But she's always been Mrs. Claus and I've always been the Grinch. So, I thought, you know, Christmas is going to happen anyhow on the inside of our house, so I either could fight it or I could embrace it and say, 'Well, let's do the outside, too.'"

The couple's children Jason and Camille Millett said they think Alan and Christy will continue doing this for years to come after a successful first year.

"Watching them get ready was pretty amazing," Camille said. "They have so much fun. They love it. It blows me away."

The Mandas are hosting one more meet-and-greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus on Christmas Eve from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 2075 Satterfield Dr.
For the second year in a row, a wave of COVID-19 has cast a shadow over holiday gatherings.

In the past three months, Mecosta County has seen the numbers of new COVID-19 cases, and COVID-19 related deaths, climb from 173 new cases and no deaths in August to 826 new cases and 16 deaths in November.

With the omicron variant and boosters dominating the national news, Dr. Darryl Elmouchi, president of Spectrum Health West Michigan, recently joined Spectrum Health communications lead Leon Hendrix to discuss concerns about the omicron variant, the efficacy of vaccines and boosters and tips for a safe holiday.

Hendrix: Let's talk about where things stand with our status in the hospitals. We've seen those numbers come down, but they're still alarmingly high. We're still in red status. Can you talk about where things stand with our operations right now?

Elmouchi: The good news is we're no longer on that rapid upslope and I'm hoping we're seeing persistent downturn now. We peaked at about 500 inpatients just a week ago, and now we're about 400, a little over, depending on the day, inpatients with COVID-19 in our hospitals.

With that said, that's a very high number. We have a lot of people in our ICUs with COVID -19, and I should comment that the absolute majority of those people are unvaccinated and they are very sick. And so, if you add that up with all the other sick patients were caring for now, we still are incredibly busy.

Hendrix: The other thing we've been hearing a lot about the news is, of course, the omicron variant.

Elmouchi: I think a healthy amount of concern is how I describe how I feel and how we feel here at Spectrum Health. I'm sure by now, everybody has seen that the CDC came out earlier this week, saying that 73% of all variants across country in the last week were omicron, so it has overtaken delta.

Here in the state of Michigan, we don't have that up-to-date data, and still we only have a scattering of reported cases. But, if it's not here in huge numbers now, it will be in the coming days, and between the doubling time which is only two days for it to really take off and the fact that it is so transmissible really has us concerned.

And I would say very specifically  the two scenarios that I keep on envisioning in my mind are: No. 1, the best scenario, and that would be that omicron, we know is very transmissible and we know that it can evade a prior immunity and some vaccine coverage, but let's just say it's much, much milder than delta in most people. With that, well still see hospitalizations because there still will be people that get really ill with it, but hopefully on a smaller scale. And with the huge number of omicron patients, well still see a lot of hospitalizations, but we're hoping not to the level we've seen in this most recent delta surge. So still a problem, but not awful.

On the worst case scenario, omicron is close to being a severe as delta or maybe a little milder. And if we think of the number of people that will almost surely catch omicron in the next few weeks to a few months, the numbers coming into our hospital could be truly overwhelming. That is not a situation that any of us want to see. And so, obviously, fingers crossed, prayers made, and we hope it's the former.

Hendrix: Now, in the media, we often only hear of one variant talked about. Does one move it in the other disappears, or do we deal with multiple variants at the same time?

Elmouchi: Any way you slice it, you're going to deal with multiple for some period of time because you have a dominant variant and then you might have a new variant that overtakes it. Based on what we're seeing in other parts of the U.S. and other parts of the country, omicron is so efficient and effective at transmitting amongst people, that it very quickly overtakes delta to be the dominant variant.

So we are still in a delta surge, and the people in our hospitals are almost entirely delta, but I'm sure if you and I speak after the first of the year, well be talking about omicron being dominant here in West Michigan and delta probably being very minimal to non-existent.

Hendrix: Let's talk about boosters. Theres somewhat confusion out there about that. What difference do they make?

Elmouchi: Particularly with omicron, the data is very clear in the lab, and that is that after you've been fully vaccinated, which remember is two mRNA vaccines or one J&J dose, that you have very little antibody protection against omicron, meaning that you almost surely, if you're exposed to it, will get sick, hopefully not severely ill, but even severe illness and hospitalization, the protection from the standard vaccination wains a bit.

With boosting, so with a third dose, there is substantial increase in antibodies, which would hopefully mean less chance of getting sick and most importantly, less chance of ending up in the hospital or dying. I will tell you that I believe it is only a matter of days or weeks before evidence will show that a full series of vaccinations likely will be three doses, not two, but right now, we're still in the two doses plus booster.

I would implore everyone who is eligible, that means your six months from your second dose of the MRNA vaccine or two months from your J&J vaccine, to get a booster. And everyone, 16 and older in the U.S. is now eligible for a booster if they meet that criteria. And I absolutely would tell you, get it. We offer them, as do many others. Doesn't matter where you get it, just get it.

Hendrix: Let's talk a little bit about J&J. That's been in the headlines again a lot as well. Some folks who've gotten the J&J are not wanting that for their booster. What are the options for someone who's got the J&J for getting a booster?

Elmouchi: The recommendations for boosting after J&J, and again for everyone who received it two months later, is to get one of the MRNA vaccines, so either Pfizer or Moderna. And the CDC just had a panel that ruled and recommended that we preferentially in the U.S. give Pfizer or Moderna over J&J as the initial shots, as well.

So, if you've not been vaccinated, J&J is still a decent vaccine, but the other vaccines are just better. They have better efficacy and less chance for a very rare but serious complication that was seen with J&J. So, I would tell you, get Pfizer, get Moderna, and get boosted.

Hendrix: What's your level concerned as we go into the Christmas holiday season and family gatherings?

Elmouchi: Yeah, you know, this is tough. If you're fully vaccinated and if everyone who's eligible for boosting gets boosted, I would say in small, family gatherings, enjoy yourself. We've been through this for too long. We can't all lockdown forever.

Quite honestly, I think there has to be some level of concern amongst people if you're gathering in large groups, if people are unvaccinated and particularly if you have older or sicker people that are with you because omicron is so contagious.

And I want to give an example because I think examples worth a thousand words. There was a large gathering in Norway reported about three weeks ago. There were about 110 people at the gathering. Everybody was fully vaccinated, and about 20% of the people were boosted. And after the gathering, within a week, it was discovered that of the 111 or so people 80-plus developed COVID, and this was all Omicron. It is incredibly contagious.

Remember, if you're vaccinated, your likelihood of serious harm from omicron is very low. If you're not vaccinated, watch out, we don't know what's going to happen. And I would tell you gathering in huge groups, is not a good idea, but small gathering should be fine.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, the truth about the January 6th capitol riot.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fedhasa has extended its support to South Africa's Tourism Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, as she represents and elevates the interests of tourism in South Africa at all levels. The association met with Minister Sisulu virtually as she prepared to return from Expo 2020 Dubai during which her delegation showcased South Africa to the rest of the world and met with representatives from key source markets for inbound tourism.

Removing industry obstacles

"We have been working closely with Minister Sisulu and her team as we try to restore our destinations reputation, navigate the ongoing restrictive business environment and deal proactively with legacy issues which for years have hampered the tourism and hospitality industrys ability to contribute to South Africas economy," says Rosemary Anderson, national chair Fedhasa.The industry engagement with Minister Sisulu was part of a series of meetings shaping her war room bringing together key role players in the private sector to deal tactically with crises such as the recent red listing of and bans against travel to and from South Africa."Minister Sisulu has challenged us to identify those critical success factors for tourism to flourish. Beyond this, it is her intention to form committees that practically tackle and remove obstacles so that the tourism industry can deliver on its potential as South Africas new gold," explains Anderson."We are heartened by Minister Sisulus feedback from Expo 2020 Dubai and her message of support. Her meetings with key source market representatives during her visit have yielded hope that we will soon be able to start rebuilding what has been lost, with several countries already announcing their removal of travel bans to and from South Africa."As 2022 looms bright on the horizon, for the tourism and hospitality sector there is a great deal of rebuilding that will need to happen. However, with the partnership between private sector and government Fedhasa believes strong foundations are being forged."We want to thank Minister Sisulu for her commitment to our industry. It is only through collectively directing our energy with intention behind one vision that we will succeed in the swift recovery of tourism and reposition South Africa as one of the worlds the leading tourism destination in the hearts and minds of global travellers," concludes Anderson.
A new entry in the Associated Press' series chronicling the purported heroism of Joseph Moore, a 10 year FBI informant who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, was published yesterday with an accompanying video.

Starting last July, the AP has published segments on Moore featuring FBI surveillance footage captured by informer during his time inside a Florida chapter of the KKK.

The FBI and AP hold that Moore's actions thwarted a plot by a group of former racist prison guards to murder a black inmate. Moore served as the star witness in the case, leading to all three of the Klansmen being convicted. They are currently serving lengthy prison sentences.

During interviews, Moore -- who has a history of mental illness -- expresses that his life has been engulfed by paranoia over the prospect of the Klan taking revenge on him. Though currently living in the FBI's witness protection program under a pseudonym, Moore alleges that KKK members have visited his home but does not provide any evidence for this despite the numerous cameras on his property.

Research conducted by National Justice reveals that a number of pertinent details regarding the 2014-15 murder plot centered in these stories have been omitted as a means to shading perception of Moore and the FBI in the most politically favorable light possible while simultaneously framing local police officers and court officers in Florida as murderous bigots.

The Hero

According to the AP's first article, Moore's first interaction with law enforcement happened after being discharged from the US Army in 2002, where he was trained as a sniper but never deployed in battle. During this incident, he entered a hospital heavily inebriated and dressed up in tactical gear while suffering from a psychotic episode. Moore was then put in a mental hospital for four months.

In 2008, Moore entered the FBI field office in Gainesville demanding that they investigate a Sheriff's office for arresting his brother-in-law. Moore spun up an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory claiming that the police had planted drugs on his brother-in-law for unknown reasons.

During this engagement, federal agents -- knowing full well that Moore was both unreliable and psychologically unstable -- recruited him to work for them as an informant inside.

The informant was then sent out to join various Klan groups to spy on them. Moore's behavior was erratic and he revealed his work to his wife, which caused the feds eventually to cut ties with him.

Years later, the FBI reached out to him again asking him to join a Klan group in Northern Florida. Members of the Ku Klux Klan have not been accused in acts of terrorism or murder for decades, yet the FBI in Florida repeatedly opened unpredicated investigations in order to spy on the group.

By 2013, Moore was able to quickly rise to the position of Grand Hawk in the chapter, where he was tasked with group security. Moore wore a fake Purple Heart and told members that he had served in the Special Forces, which won their trust.

Moore appears to have stayed in character even when he was not putting in work with the FBI, telling reporters that he lost personal friends during these years for going around claiming to be a war hero when everyone knew he was not.

As Grand Hawk, Moore would tell other Klansmen stories about all of the murders he had committed and his abilities as a hitman. A number of Klansmen were afraid of him.

The Villains

The supposed murder plot, as Moore and the FBI tell it, began in 2014, after the infiltrator had entered the group that previously was not suspected of criminal activity.

At one meeting, Moore pulled David Elliot Moran and Charles Thomas Newcomb to discuss a situation facing a young Klan member named Thomas Jordan Driver.

Moran and Newcomb were upset about the anguish Driver and his family were going through. Driver, a prison guard at a Florida prison, was jumped by a black inmate named Warren Williams, a repeat violent felon.

During the fight, Driver was bitten by Williams, and following a medical examination, was told he had contracted Hepatitis C, a serious illness that leads to liver failure.

Driver later learned that he had received a false positive. The Associated Press reported that he learned this weeks later, likely to obfuscate the vulnerability him and his friends may have been feeling when they responded positively to Moore's tough talk.

Court documents obtained by National Justice reveal that Driver only found out he was not infected months after the FBI started pressuring the men to go along with Moore's plot.

During the off hand chat, Moore asked Newcomb and Moran if they wanted to see the man who victimized Driver "6 feet under." The men at first looked at each other, but ultimately responded affirmatively but did not do much else other than, at another date, take a drive with him to the area where Williams lives.

In other words, the FBI's confidential informant suggested the idea, drove the plot forward, and planned to act alone.

Lacking sufficient evidence to connect the other Klansmen to their Hollywood-style murder plot, the feds got creative.

In March 2015, the FBI got the supposed target of the murder, Williams, to pose as dead for photos. Moore then met with Moran in a parking lot to show him.

Video from the wire Moore was wearing show Moran expressing surprise and delight at seeing the fake image of Williams dead.

Aside from footage like this, obtained through over-the-top deception, the FBI's evidence during the trial of Newcomb and Moran relied on the honest testimony of a mentally ill snitch they paid specifically to set people up and score convictions.

Moran and Newcomb were convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2017, while Driver ended up pleading guilty and getting four years.

The Victim

According to research conducted by National Justice, the Warren Antonio Williams -- the man the Associated Press portrays of a victim of white supremacist violence -- is a repeat violent felon who has been arrested numerous times in the last 10 years in the St. Augustine and Jacksonville areas.

In 2012, 36-year-old Williams was charged with assaulting a police officer, Aggravated Assault with a weapon, and numerous weapon's offenses. His attack on Driver during incarceration came after he was given a lax plea deal by prosecutors, despite his history as a fugitive.

Williams has been arrested a number of times since "surviving" the 2014-15 FBI Klan plot, including for a felony in 2016.

Williams and his mother hold that they live in fear of the Klan coming for them. The AP journalist even remarked that their town, Palatka, has a long history of Klan violence.

In what can only be called an ironic indictment of both the media's narrative and the FBI's investigative priorities, the only violence Williams has been subjected to has been at the hands of a black man, Izell Gadson, who in 2018 shot Williams in an attempt to rob him at a Palatka bus stop.

No FBI, No "White Supremacist" Violence

Moran and Newcomb both appealed their convictions to higher courts in Florida.

They argued that the confidential informant was the sole actor in the murder plot and that they only expressed approval his actions out of group loyalty and fear of trying to stop him.

The murder conspiracy, in other words, would have never existed without the FBI going through great lengths to insert a paid provocateur with the intent of tricking people into the conspiracy.

In a 2019 ruling, the court's rejected their appeals. They expressed deference to state's evidence, most of which relied on the unreliable Moore recounting and contextualizing what transpired.

Ultimately, a fair observer can ascertain that the Florida Klan case was based on FBI agents wasting their bloated $10 billion dollar counter-terrorism budget to try and will fictional portrayals of white "racists" in television and movies into reality.
THE RECENTLY RETIRED DIRECTOR of Israels military intelligence agency has claimed in an interview that Israel had a role in the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, who led Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Soleimani was arguably Irans most revered military official. He was killed by an American targeted drone strike on January 3, 2020, in Baghdad, Iraq. The same missile strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who commanded the Popular Mobilization Committee, an umbrella organization composed of around 40 pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. The then-American president, Donald Trump, claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the months that followed Soleimanis assassination, Iranian state media claimed that the operation that targeted the IRGC had been aided with intelligence and logistical support by the governments of several countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Qatar, Kuwait and Lebanon. Meanwhile, reports by Western media alleged that [i]ntelligence from Israel helped confirm the details of Soleimanis whereabouts shortly before he was assassinated. There has been no independent confirmation of these claims.

Now, however, it appears that a recently retired Israeli general, who headed the countrys military intelligence agency during Soleimanis assassination, has claimed partial responsibility for his killing. According to the Associated Press, Major General Tamir Heyman, who until October of this year headed the Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence Directorate, has become the first official to confirm Israels involvement in the controversial assassination.
Bill Gates has an obsession with funding abortion, contraception and population control projects in developing nations. However, not many are aware that it was his father who inspired him to carry out the depopulation agenda.

In 2003, Bill Moyers, an American journalist, asked Bill Gates a question. Moyers wanted to know why he was so interested in reproductive issues? Gates considered. But did you come to reproductive issues as an intellectual, philosophical pursuit? Moyers insisted. Or was there something that happened? Was there a revelation?

When I was growing up, my parents were always involved in various volunteer things, Gates responded. My dad was head of Planned Parenthood. And it was very controversial to be involved with that. And so its fascinating.

Excellent. If youve lived under a rock for the past few decades, Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion providers in the world. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation preserves the legacy of Bill Gates father.

It is kept by going through the funding of abortion pill distribution organizations and International Planned Parenthood. As Obianuju Ekeocha, a Nigerian human rights activist, points out, the Gates Foundation responds to the demands for contraceptives and healthcare  and worse.

There exists quite a few people who do not get why the mass of pro-lifers do not put their faith in philanthropists of the likes of Bill Gates, George Soros, and several others. How can people stand up against those who attempt to use their hard earned money to create a better world?

Of course, there are answers. We refuse the idea that birth control pills, abortion and Planned Parenthood sex education are in fact creating a better world. These people have more money than some smaller nations and have the same levels of ambition as the ideological colonizers.

To further forward his agenda, Gates is moving from financing abortions to paying people to support and promote abortion, writes European media:

According to Right to Life UK , the foundation announced that it will fund the Innovation in Development Reporting Grant  a media-funding initiative operated by the European Journalism Centre. One of the projects funded by the grant is Abortion Access in Crisis and Conflict Zones, which is staffed by Jill Filipovic and Nichole Sobecki  both known for their pro-abortion writing. This project is focused on Bangladesh, Colombia, and Nigeria, and has a budget of 20,000 or $22,540.

The goal of the grant program is to raise awareness for certain issues by enabling the production of stories that have a strong impact on media audiences. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has a history of funding population control efforts, and Gates has stated that funding reproductive health efforts has been the main thing on the Gates Foundations list of priorities  especially in the very poorest places. The strong impact it hopes to have on audiences is to convince them that abortion must be legalized in poor nations.

Live Action noted that the purpose of this projects is most likely to be heavily skewed to support a so-called need for abortion in Bangladesh, Colombia, and Nigeria  pro-life nations that do not want abortion but are ripe for the picking by international abortion groups already working overtime to legalize abortion throughout South America and Africa.

According to a peer reviewed study published in a respected journal by the worlds most authoritative vaccine scientists, Bill Gates DTP vaccine killed 10 times more African girls than the disease itself.

The vaccine apparently compromised their immune systems. Although, such study was never performed before 2017, Bill Gates and the Vaccine Alliance GAVI and WHO pushed the vaccines on unsuspecting African babies.

Based on an intercepted human intelligence report, a controversy erupted in Nigeria whereby it was revealed that Bill Gates offered $10 million bribe for a forced vaccination program for Coronavirus to the Nigerian House of Representatives.

Similarly, Bill Gates funded NGO PATH even killed tribal girls in India in unauthorised clinical trials and got away with it.

Bill Gates agenda in India and his obsession with vaccines was exposed last year in a lengthy piece by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of former American President John F. Kennedy.

Bill Gates also wants to release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes called Flying Syringes to inject you with vaccines.

As local economies worldwide continue to be crushed as a result of the governments response towards the pandemic, global philanthropists and investors in ideological projects seize the opportunity to push abortion towards the non-consenting nations.

Think about it for a moment: in times of fear and despair, some of the richest people in the world tell poor men and women that what they need in the current scenario is the right and opportunity to kill their children before they are born.

From the entire array of the issues that humanity currently faces, Bill Gates and his peers are more than content to believe that it is in fact our children that is the problem. This doesnt qualify as philanthropy. This is a wicked justification for killing our weakest citizens, funded by the strongest.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been in the news recently for earmarking billions to fight COVID-19 and getting their accounts hacked and sensitive information leaked  the foundation was in charge of assets worth a little under $48 billion as of the end of 2018.

But little is known of how its money and its consultant friends exert tremendous influence in the space of public health and international governance and how Bill Gates infiltrated Global Health.

A whistleblower from the WHO, Dr. Astrid Stuckelberger in a stunning confession exposed the suspicious activities of Bill Gates and GAVI.

In the 41st session of the Corona Investigative Committee she said the rules under which countries work with WHO virtually put WHO in charge of all rules and formal edicts and announcements  with Gates being right there as part of the executive board like an unofficial member state, making decisions that affect the entire world.

In Italy, Sara Cunial, the Member of Parliament for Rome demanded the arrest of Bill Gates as a vaccine criminal and urged the Italian President to hand him over to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, activists are charging UK officials and the worlds most powerful health figures like Bill Gates and Dr Fauci with crimes against humanity and genocide, citing a range of statistics on the effects of COVID vaccines and policies.
Brandon University announced Thursday the winter semester for students will be delayed by a week to accommodate the move to online learning.

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Brandon University announced Thursday the winter semester for students will be delayed by a week to accommodate the move to online learning.

The decision to delay the start of the winter term in 2022 was supported by an overwhelming majority of BUs Senate. The campus begins its holiday break today as planned, and the university will reopen for staff and students on Jan. 4. The first day of classes will now begin Jan. 12.

Marketing and communications director Grant Hamilton said the move to delay classes was prompted by two factors: the rapid spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant and working to ensure the university offers the safest possible experience for students and staff.

As part of these changes, it was decided the best course of action would be to go online as much as possible in January, he said. A later start to the semester will provide faculty an extra week to adapt over the winter break.

"We knew that was going to cause problems for faculty who are preparing their courses for students. We wanted to give people as much time as possible to make this adjustment."

A silver lining is the university has learned a lot over the past two years on how to effectively conduct classes online. Hamilton said BU remains hopeful these changes will only be necessary for the first two weeks of the semester as the province navigates the worst of the fourth wave of COVID-19.

"There are so many things that just work much, much better or really only in-person and hands-on. We do so much of that with our small classes and hands-on teaching and learning at Brandon University, that its important for us to get that as much as we can," Hamilton said.

He added BU remains cautious when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19. Physical distancing, masks and vaccinations are required on campus.

Brandon Universitys goal remains to support the entire community during the pandemic, Hamilton said, and to ensure students have a safe place to learn.

Assiniboine Community College students were informed Wednesday some programs and classes would be fully or partially moved online for the first two weeks of the winter semester, said communications specialist Anya McNabb.

The temporary shift to virtual learning will vary by program and will affect both continuing and new ACC students.

"Theres not really a one-size-fits-all approach. Basically, were making those temporary changes on a program-by-program basis. Some programs that need access to campus facilities for the learning by doing aspects of the program will still have on-campus parts. Some programs are transitioning to be fully remote, and some programs are transitioning to be partially remote," McNabb said.

Programs fall into three categories during the move to online at ACC; 11 programs will have no changes, 18 programs will be online full-time and 14 programs will move partially online. ACC could not confirm how many students would be effected by these changes.

ACC will assess the situation during the first two weeks on campus in January to decide how classes will move forward.

The final push for online learning was brought on by the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba.

"This was a preventive measure to ensure we are keeping campuses as safe as possible while also still providing those learning by doing opportunities that people expect," McNabb said.

She added that to her knowledge, there have been no discussions regarding the delay of the winter semester.

Conversations at the school have focused on ensuring programs are able to start on time and to change them when necessary and possible.

"This for right now is a temporary change for some programs. [They will] certainly be assessed in the new year [to see] what happens beyond Jan. 14," McNabb said.

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
What began as a small campaign to fill a dozen Christmas stockings for newborn babies in the hospital over the holidays has turned into an outpouring of support from the community.

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TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN Neonatal intensive care unit nurses Ashley Rees and Brittany Murkin help Adrienne McNish, nurse and owner of Baby Bump, and Ariane Lumgair, nurse and owner of Wild Daisy, and her daughter Alice, 6, load all the donations collected by Lumgair and McNish from individuals and local businesses to be given to families with babies in Brandons NICU.

What began as a small campaign to fill a dozen Christmas stockings for newborn babies in the hospital over the holidays has turned into an outpouring of support from the community.

The Love for Littles Holiday Project received so many donations from individuals and local businesses that it is now expected to provide gifts for families with babies in Brandons neonatal intensive care unit well into 2022.

SUBMITTED Some of the items found in the care packages.

"It just kind of blew up," said Adrienne McNish, who spearheaded the project, along with Ariane Lumgair.

"This community is amazing. Ive always known this, but the love thats just flowing in ... is overwhelming."

McNish is the owner of Baby Bump in Brandon, a childrens store that also provides prenatal support and education. Lumgair owns Wild Daisy, a handmade apparel shop for babies and children based in Boissevain. They are both mothers and maternal child nurses.

"We know firsthand how challenging it is just having a baby on a regular day, and then when you throw in a NICU, oftentimes its unexpected. Theres many ups and downs," McNish said.

"And then were throwing in a pandemic, and were throwing in the holidays. It can make things a lot harder for those families in there, especially over the holiday season."

In addition to filling up the stockings with locally purchased gifts, the Love for Littles project has also been a platform for parents to share their experiences "as a way of helping themselves heal or to help others pull strength from their story."

TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN Ariane Lumgair, her daughter Alice, Adrienne McNish, Ashley Rees and Brittany Murkin.

McNish said they were flooded with messages from people sharing their personal experiences from the NICU  notes about their amazing nurses and staff, and offering encouragement to other families. Many show photos of the children thriving years later. The stories have been shared on the social media accounts of Baby Bump and Wild Daisy. McNish said this aspect of the project has pulled at her heartstrings.

"I dont even know what word to use. It brings tears to my eyes when I talk about it."

One of the mothers who shared her personal story is Michelle Schram of Cartwright. Her two sons, Sydney and Sasha, now four and one, both spent the first 10 days of their lives in the NICU.

Schram stayed in the nurses residence during this time.

"One of the hardest parts for the NICU parents is not being able to hold your baby," she said. "Its obviously very scary to see them in a compromised position. Theres a lot of unknowns ... Theres already a lot of unknowns even when you have a healthy baby ... so its really hard."

Due to pandemic restrictions, a mask had to be worn at all times when Sasha was born in 2020.

Only one parent could be in the maternity ward, let alone the NICU, Schram explained, so there was no opportunity to be together as a family.

"It can feel very lonely," she said. "I was separated from my family, living there on my own and not able to take my baby home with me at the end of the day."

Schram is very supportive of the Love for Littles project and thinks those families with babies in the NICU will appreciate it at this difficult time.

"I liked that they were giving NICU parents an opportunity to tell their story because Im not sure its one thats told very often," Schram said. "It happens quite often, and its not something thats maybe very well understood."

Sydney and Sasha are doing well now, but the challenges at the start of their lives are not forgotten.

"When I hear of parents with a baby in the NICU, I feel a sense of empathy and solidarity that I think can only really come from being there yourself," Schrams story post states.

If friends or relatives are looking to help a family in this situation, Schram suggests offering support in the form of prepared meals, assisting with siblings or tasks at home.

"I think we all feel very thankful once were on the other side, but the experience can take a long time to work through and hopefully, those that need it can access professional psychological services."

Lumgair said she hopes those who receive the gifts "feel seen and heard" and know people are thinking of them.

"There is empathy from a lot of the community; theyre not alone going through this," Lumgair said. "Theres lots of hope, as so many of our stories show the kids later on and thriving ... [Love for Littles] is a gift but really, its more than that, its just a way to highlight that they are supported."

Donations include clothing, bibs, babys first Christmas ornaments, toques, books, massage gift certificates, restaurant gift cards, among others. Monetary donations were used to purchase local goods. They plan to provide gift bags at holidays like Valentines Day and Easter, and possibly beyond.

Since January, there have been approximately 260 NICU admissions at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, which can last a few days, but the average stay is more than two weeks. The NICU in Brandon has space for 11 babies, but capacity has sometimes been stretched to fit up to 18.

"This experience can happen to literally anybody, so a lot of people can relate to it," Lumgair said. "Even if its two days in the NICU or its five months, its still very traumatic for parents, and we just want them to know that we know that."

Love for Littles is a project that has evolved from what the NICU nurses have been doing for years, McNish added.

"Nurses, out of their own pockets, pay for items and buy little stockings, and Santa comes on Christmas Eve for these babies in the NICU," she said. "Last year, Ari kind of did a smaller version of what were doing this year."

In 2021, they decided to take the whole project over to help the busy nurses and involve the community.

"We just wanted to do something above and beyond this year, just to bring some extra joy and happiness to these families in the NICU."

The last few years have been tough for everyone, and McNish said this project has brought out the best in the community.

"Its truly amazing, the support our community has for one another."

 Jillian Austin is a Local Journalism Initiative freelance writer and a real estate agent with Century 21 Westman Realty.

 jillianaustin.news@gmail.com

 Twitter: @jillianaustin
Manitoba Ag Days will make a triumphant return to the Keystone Centre in January, after the Brandon staple was cancelled last year due to COVID-19.

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TIM SMITH/THE BRANDON SUN (FILE) Cody Dueck from Morris peers at a farming diorama during Manitoba Ag Days at the Keystone Centre in 2016. The farming show is expected to return to Brandon in January.

Manitoba Ag Days will make a triumphant return to the Keystone Centre in January, after the Brandon staple was cancelled last year due to COVID-19.

Ag Days is a predominant player in the agriculture industry, said general manager Kristen Phillips. Organizers are looking forward to the return of a modified in-person version of Canadas biggest indoor farm show at the Brandon facility from Jan. 18-20.

"It is so exciting. We are just thrilled to be back in person and be back to business," Phillips said.

The last 22 months have been a roller-coaster ride for so many organizations, she said, but the organizers of Ag Days remain committed to carefully planning a safe and secure environment that will allow people to gather, socialize, network and learn from each other.

She described agriculture as a business of handshakes and face-to-face meetings. These opportunities have been sorely missed, and there is a strong desire to see their return through events like Ag Days.

One of the biggest changes to this years Ag Days is the event will charge admission for the first time in its 45-year history.

"It was an extremely tough decision," Phillips said. "It wasnt fair to pass all of the COVID costs on to the exhibitors. We feel like the ag industry wants to see there be an Ag Days, and they will support us."

The decision to charge admission evolved out of the need for contact tracing during the pandemic. Every single ticket will feature a scannable code, which then traces back to an individual.

Under the current provincial public health regulations, the event will be limited to 50 per cent capacity, about 22,000 people. Double vaccinations will be required to enter the event and masks are needed at all times unless eating or drinking while seated.

Phillips added organizers are ready to pivot and adapt to any changes brought on by COVID-19. Multiple plans are in place to ensure the event finds success.

Ag Days ability to weather the uncertainty of the global health crisis speaks to the resilience of the board, she said, and how members continue to adapt to constant curveballs being thrown their way.

Ag Days will provide a platform for producers to connect after a series of challenging years of extreme weather. Phillips said this adversity makes it all the more important to show how innovative the industry can be in the face of great adversity.

One of the major components of the event is the Innovation Showcase, which has been a cornerstone of Ag Days for many years. The Innovation Showcase will have seven categories and a total of 33 entries in 2022. The categories include agronomics, animal and livestock, agriculture equipment, agribusiness services, ag tech, farm safety farmer and problems solved.

"Everybody wants to know whats new and exciting at a farm show. The showcase allows us to do that," Phillips said.

Another important aspect of Ag Days is introducing the agriculture sector to audiences who may not always have the opportunity to interact with the industry.

"Our board is very passionate about educating the future generation," Phillips said.

The organization has an established relationship with Agriculture in the Classroom Manitoba as well as with Assiniboine Community College and the University of Manitoba. During the pandemic, they have continued to give back to Ag in the Classroom, creating the Manitoba Ag Days Amazing Adventure.

The Amazing Adventure will roll out at the 2022 show, allowing Ag Days to reach more students across the province.

The Ag Days Speaker program will feature 33 speakers presenting on a variety of topics impacting agriculture  including mental health. Speaker highlights include Farmery Estate Brewery, Josh Linville and Ryan Boyd, Mady Adamson and "Amazing Race Canada" host Jon Montgomery.

Exhibitors from the Prairie provinces, Ontario and Quebec, will be on hand, along with others from North Dakota and South Dakota.

Phillips said she is especially looking forward to once again connecting with visitors and exhibitors in person.

"I have been managing for seven years, and so we created quite a bit [of] friendships and relationships with our exhibitors  I also farm. Those relationships and partnerships are somethings that just dont end when COVID hits," Phillips said.

Tickets for Ag Days can be purchased at agdays.com/tickets for $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

An online 50/50 raffle in support of the Ag Days Give Back Initiative is available at agdays.com/buy5050.

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp
Confronting Christmas and her death brings up all sorts of issues. I think back to this time in my childhood and I get a flash of a Christmas tree with blue and green lights, although its not a comforting image  its one that even now makes me feel scared and anxious and recoil as if bracing myself. There were problems at home then. Years later she remarried and her new partner cut her off from her daughters and others from her family. I hadnt seen her for years before she died, and although we would speak on the phone occasionally, I couldnt visit. Any trips were repeatedly cancelled at the last minute, and it got to the point where I stopped trying because I couldnt put myself through it any more. And then when she got ill, she told me it would be stressful for her if I visited and would make her sicker, which is a cruel sentiment to be telling your daughter when youre dying, but I suspect not a voluntary one.

That particular Christmas, I still bought the pyjamas. She was being treated on the outskirts of London and at that time I was working in the city, too. Word was trickling through via an aunty that it was increasingly obvious that she wasnt going to survive. I knew this was it, so f--k it, I thought, Ill stage a last-minute strike at the hospital.

Then, a strange confluence of events happened. A few days earlier, the temp agency I was working for told me theyd had me on the wrong tax rate and reclaimed the money, leaving me with a totally empty bank account just days before Christmas. Fortunately, I had also been doing a cash-in-hand job in a bar and had some funds in a drawer at home. Id worked out the train route and the taxi fares Id need between the station and hospital, brought some cash out and bought the train ticket from a newsagent, with the intention of heading out there after work. It was only a short time later on the tube to work, I realised the shop had short-changed me by 10 pounds, and I wouldnt have the money for taxis, or any other means of accessing cash. So I couldnt go. Not today.

She died that night, of course.

So here we are now. Being in the danger zone is forcing me to confront the ghosts of the past, but the zone has less power because I already made it here. This year I feel like embracing Christmas. Ive put decorations up. The old Christmas songs on the radio make me smile, not flinch. Those pyjamas should, Ive decided, remain as they were intended, as a gift of love and comfort, not a source of pain. The Not Today boxes are becoming the Definitely This Week Or Maybe Next boxes.
NSW recorded 5612 new cases on Friday, with more than 2000 infections in the Sydney and south-east Sydney local health districts, which stretch from Sutherland to Woollahra. Loading NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on Thursday announced the reintroduction of some restrictions, including compulsory mask-wearing indoors and density limits for pubs. Under the expanded vaccine rollout, more than 2.6 million people in NSW will be eligible for a booster shot in early January. But pharmacists and general practitioners say exhaustion coupled with the Christmas and holiday rush is putting immense pressure on a workforce struggling to keep up with demand. Pharmacists are doing their best and bending over backwards because theyre responding to the public, but for community pharmacies this is probably his busiest time of year, said David Heffernan, the NSW branch president of the Pharmacy Guild.

Almost 2 million Australians have now had their booster shot (1,984,415), including 148,783 boosters administered on Thursday. Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said that while protection does not completely disappear from the first two doses of the vaccine, it does wane over time. But I will stress that just because you get to three months or four months or five months or six months, it doesnt mean that you immediately just that day lose your protection, Professor Kelly said. [But] it does decrease over time. It remains in place for severe infection, but it is diminished for Omicron compared with Delta.

The federal government this week announced a $10 increase to booster payments for GPs and pharmacists, while also asking states to accelerate their contribution to the booster program by reinstating closed hubs to get to a target of up to 360,000 daily doses administered across the country. COVID-19 hospitalisations in NSW increased to 382 on Friday, up from 215 compared with the same time last week. Fifty-three patients are being treated in the states intensive care units, an increase from 24 last Friday. But hospital admissions in NSW remain well below the 1266 peak during the height of the states Delta wave. NSW Health reported one death on Friday, a fully vaccinated woman in her 90s from south-western Sydney, who died at St George Hospital. She was a resident of the St Basils Aged Care facility in Lakemba, where she acquired her infection. Data released by Londons Imperial College earlier this week showed patients with the Omicron variant are 40 to 45 per cent less likely to be hospitalised than patients with the Delta variant, and data from South Africa released on Wednesday found people infected with the new strain are 80 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital.

Omicron accounts for about 80 per cent of all cases in NSW, Dr Chant said on Thursday, and roughly one third of COVID-19 infections recorded in the past three weeks have been in people aged in their 20s. Loading Dr Chant said Omicron is likely to be milder than previous strains, with the risk of hospitalisation being around 60 per cent to 80 per cent lower than Delta. NSW recorded 164,144 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, the second-highest tally of daily swabs collected during the pandemic. After pre-travel testing swamped Sydneys testing clinics this week, NSW Health is asking people to only get swabbed if they have symptoms or are close contacts. Professor Tony Cunningham, an infectious diseases physician at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, said it was critical boosters be prioritised for the elderly, people who are immunocompromised and those with underlying health conditions.
Dozens of flights into Brisbane Airport have been cancelled, as staff isolating due to COVID-19 put strain on airline resources across the country.

An airport spokeswoman said about 45 flights in and out of Brisbane had been cancelled out of 400 flights on Friday.

On Friday afternoon, almost 20 flights coming into Brisbane were cancelled across multiple airlines, including Jetstar and Virgin, while 12 departures were also cancelled.

There have been dozens of flight cancellations at Brisbane Airport. Credit:Dan Peled

There were also several cancelled flights on Christmas Day, including to Sydney, Canberra and Townsville.
Five people in their early 20s who attended Perth Mess Hall in Northbridge on Sunday have tested positive to COVID-19 in connection with a French backpacker who was active in the West Australian community with the virus.

A new restriction will also come into place from 6pm on Friday which mandates only seated service will be permitted at licensed hospitality venues.

All 400 people who attended the Perth Mess Hall from 4pm to 9.30pm must get tested immediately and remain isolated for 14 days until January 3.

Of the five new cases, one was close contact known to the 25-year-old male backpacker referred to by health authorities as Case 1133 while three others were casual contacts he did not know and the last one only recently identified. Two were vaccinated, two unvaccinated while the last is unknown.
Jerusalem: Israel is considering whether to approve a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose for vulnerable people to contain the fast-spreading omicron variant, despite debate among scientists and a lack evidence either for or against another booster.

The panel of experts advising the Israeli government on the pandemic recognised that uncertainty, but on Tuesday it recommended giving a fourth dose, concluding that the potential benefits outweighed the risks. It pointed to signs of waning immunity a few months after the third shot and said that any delay in additional doses might prove too late to protect those most at risk.

But some scientists warned that the plan could backfire, because too many shots might cause a sort of immune system fatigue, compromising the bodys ability to fight the coronavirus. A few members of the governments advisory panel raised that concern with respect to the elderly, according to a written summary of the discussion obtained by The New York Times.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has made clear he supports a fourth shot, and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz has suggested that a new round of boosters could get underway by Sunday. But by Thursday evening, the Health Ministry had not acted on the advice, and a senior ministry official said it was waiting for more data from other countries.
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Realty firm Axis Ecorp will invest Rs 100 crore to develop a 25-acre luxury in

The company will develop 150 serviced studio apartments, 70 luxury serviced villas and 100 build-to-suit plotted developments in this project, which is located at Shindhudurg district in and is near to the Goa border, Axis Ecorp said in a statement.

Aditya Kushwaha, CEO and Director, Axis Ecorp, said, "MOPA airport is being seen as a big game-changer for this region and it is expected to spell a boom for Goa and its peripheral areas".

The new project in Shindhudurg is aligned to infrastructure development in the area, he added.

Axis Ecorp's has three existing projects -- Axis Blues, Axis Yog Villas and Axis Lake City -- in Dodamarg, Shindhudurg.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Friday issued notice on a plea filed by Ltd (TML) challenging the rejection of manual submission of its bids for operation of 450 buses under the Delhi government's cluster scheme.

The manual submission was done at 3.54 p.m. on December 22, the TML said, praying for an urgent listing in this regard.

The TML's writ petition, filed through Karanjawala & Co, was listed before a division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh.

The matter was argued by senior advocate Gopal Jain assisted by the Karanjawala & Co team comprising of advocates Nandini Gore, Aditi Bhatt, Neha Khandelwal, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, and Karanveer Singh.

The bench observed that it is inclined to hear the issue if a delay in manual submission of documents would result in disqualification of TML from the bidding process if a valid online bid has been duly submitted on time.

Issued notice, the court granted interim relief to TML, recording the undertaking of the government that the contract will not be awarded to any bidder before the next date of hearing, January 18, 2022.

--IANS

jw/vd

(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.)
NirogStreet, an online platform for Ayurveda doctor consultancy, has raised $4 million in funding from UAE-based CE Ventures and Japan's ICMG Partners. The company said it has made Robin Jha its co-founder for its operations in India and abroad.

The series-B funding round also saw participation from Gokul Rajaram, board member at Coinbase and Pinterest; Wavemaker partners, Samir Kumar; Anuj Srivastava, Founder at Livspace; Rajeev Kannan, Management Executive officer at Sumitomo, Singapore; Suresh Vasudevan, CEO of Sysdig USA; Ramakant Sharma, Co-founder of Livspace, Andy Hwang, Ex Google Executive, Ashutosh Sinha, former CEO at Morgan Stanley , Dr. Kyohei Takano, a Tokyo based Gynecologist, Arup Dutta, VP of Global Quantitative Equity at Mackenzine Investments and Lalit Mittal, Head, Livspace Interior Business.

The funds will be used for service and product offerings and to strengthen operations.

We are confident that our continuous efforts in mainstreaming Ayurveda have started mainstream conversations, rebuilt perceptions and reassured on the fact that this most effective and ancient medicine science is a gift from India for the world, said Ram N Kumar, Founder & CEO of

Tushar Singhvi, Deputy CEO and Head of Investments, Crescent Enterprises commented, "We are excited to embark on this journey with The company has demonstrated the immense value and opportunity within the Ayurveda market, which is projected to reach $9.5 billion by 2024, as well as the limitless possibilities that tech-enabled solutions can offer.

"

Gen Funahashi, CEO at Japan Based Venture Capital, ICMG Partners, said,  is not just a simple Ayurveda E-commerce platform, it brings much more value to the industry than that. I believe that NirogStreet directly addresses many shortcomings of the current Ayurveda industry.
has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of to develop the ecosystem in the state, a official said on Friday.

As per the MoU a project management unit (PMU) of will work with the state government.

The PMU will support the government in making necessary interventions for focused engagement of SIDBI with the objective of facilitating development of the ecosystem, the official said.

We are working towards strengthening the ecosystem in the states. SIDBI will be placing an expert agency with the state MSME department," SIDBI deputy managing director Sudatta Mandal said.

The key functions of the PMU will be to study the existing framework and guide stakeholders for cluster, sector specific products, interventions for MSMEs and handholding them for onboarding on digit platforms for funding, marketing and listing, besides evaluating scope of infrastructure projects for MSME clusters among others.

(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.)
Andhra Pradesh reported two new Omicron cases on Friday, increasing the state's tally to four.

The variant was detected in two international travellers who arrived last week, according to health officials said.

After landing at Vijayawada, a 41-year-old woman, who arrived from Kuwait on December 19, left for Nedunuru Pedapalem village in East Godavari district.

A health official said the woman had tested positive for Covid and her sample was sent to Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) Hyderabad for genome sequencing, after which she was confirmed to be infected with Omicron.

In the second case, a 33-year-old man, who arrived in Visakhapatnam from the UAE on December 15, was admitted to a hospital with mild fever and was found to be infected with Covid. His sample was also sent to the CCMB where genome sequencing, where it was confirmed it to be a case of Omicron.

Health officials said both the patients were placed in institutional quarantine and were under close observation and Director of public health Dr G. Hymavathi said they were both doing well.

On Wednesday, a 39-year-old female foreign traveller, who came from Kenya on December 10, was found positive for Omicron.

The state had reported the first Omicron case on December 12. A 34-year-old man, who returned from Ireland late last month, had tested positive for the new variant, health officials said.

So far, a total of 45 foreign travellers and nine contacts have been found Covid positive and all the samples were sent to CCMB for genome sequencing.

--IANS

ms/sks/ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Assembly on Thursday passed the Anti-conversion Bill amid uproar by the Opposition during the ongoing Winter Session of the Asembly. The day was reserved for discussion on the Bill.

"The Anti-conversion Bill is Constitutional and pro-people," Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said while speaking to mediapersons at the Suvarna Soudha here.

"Instead of presenting their views on the Bill, the Opposition leaders chose to make political speeches. In fact, the preparations for bringing the Bill was made during the earlier Congress regime itself. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself had agreed to present the Bill before the state cabinet after it was scrutinised by the law department. Doesn't it amount to his consent to the Bill," Bommai asked.

"The Bill is especially pro-SC, ST and poor segments of the society. It would help in the protection of all the communities and uphold their dignity. The state government is very clear in implementing the Bill. The government is opposed to conversion by exploiting poverty and offering allurements like employment and education," Bommai said.

The Congress leaders are opposing the same Bill now in the Assembly, which shows the dual policy of the party, Bommai said.

"The draft Bill was not prepared by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. He had just referred a request in this regard to the Law Commission. It was the Congress government which prepared the draft Bill after getting a report from the Law Commission. Congress leaders who supported the draft Bill then are now opposing it only because of vote bank politics," Bommai said.

However, the Congress party said that it would rollback the Bill when it comes to power.

The Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, popularly known as Anti-conversion Bill proposes protection of right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means and for the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

"No person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any other person from one religion to another by use or practice of force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by any other means or promise of marriage, nor shall any person abet or conspire such conversion," the Bill says.

According to new law, any converted person, his parents, brother, sister or any other person who is related to him by blood, marriage or adoption or in any form associated or colleague may lodge a complaint of such conversion which contravenes the provisions, the offence is made to be non-bailable and cognizable.

The bill proposes declaration before conversion of religion and also pre-report about conversion. The declaration of post conversion of religion is also proposed. If any institution violates the Act, imprisonment of up to three to five years with a fine of Rs 25,000 is proposed. If the victim is a minor, the imprisonment is extended up to 10 years.

--IANS

mka/arm

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On Friday reported two more cases of variant of COVID-19, taking the tally to four.

The cases were reported from East Godavari and Visakhapatnam district, an official release said.

A 41-year-old woman in East Godavari district came from Kuwait to Vijayawada on December 19 and her samples collected at the airport declared COVID-19 positive on December 20.

The sample was sent to CCMB Hyderabad for genome sequencing and the result declared as positive on December 23. She is healthy and in quarantine under the close observation of the health



department, the release said.

In the second case, a 33-year-old man from Vishakhapatnam visited UAE and returned on December 15. He was treated in a private hospital as he was suffering from fever. He tested COVID-19 positive on



December 16.

His samples were to CCMB Hyderabad for genome sequencing and declared as positive on December 23.

"He is stable now and he is in quarantine..," the release said.

As many as 62 samples from AP have been sent to the CCMB for genome sequencing



Meanwhile, AP reported 94 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the cumulative infections to 20,76,306, while the toll rose to 14,488 with two more fatalities.

Active cases stood at 1,279, a health department bulletin said, providing details of the last 24 hours ending 9 AM today.

As many as 139 people recovered from the disease leaving the total number of recoveries at 20,60,539, the bulletin said.

Krishna and West Godavari districts reported one death each.

Over 29,000 samples were tested during the last 24 hours. The total number of samples tested so far is over 3.11 crore.

Chittoor District topped the chart with highest number of active cases with 266 followed by East Godavari (171).

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government threw much of its weight behind reinvigorating infrastructure and envisioning climate-resilient development in 2021, a year in which the frontier state also made headlines for alleged Chinese intrusion into its territory.

The state government has taken up a comprehensive project to build infrastructure in villages in borderlands to put a check on migration from the remote ice-clad areas.

It has already submitted a Rs 4,000-crore proposal to the Union Home Ministry as part of the plan.

The proposal has been already cleared by the ministry and it will now be placed before the Union Cabinet. Once cleared, border areas can be developed with all amenities so that migration can be stopped, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said in a recent interview to PTI.

The project aims at building roads, health centres and educational institutions, besides electrifying villages, improving mobile connectivity and water supply.

Arunachal Pradesh's endeavour to establish all-weather connectivity got a shot in the arm in February, with the Centre approving road construction projects of 598 km at an estimated cost of Rs 1,100 crore.

During the year, the ministry, as part of its Indo-China Border Roads (ICBR) project, also awarded six road stretches in to the Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation on a nomination basis, entailing an expenditure of around Rs 5,000 crore.

The state government signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) for setting up a 90-MW project in Tawang and another 120-MW plant in West Kameng.

The northeastern state was in the news for the wrong reasons, too, as Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a brief face-off near Yangtse in the Tawang sector in October.

The incident had taken place after a Chinese patrol reportedly tried to enter Indian territory but the troops of the People's Liberation Army were forced back.

The issue was eventually resolved following a dialogue between local commanders of the two sides in accordance with established protocols.

Talk of alleged Chinese encroachment also gained momentum with media reports of China constructing a second village (cluster of at least 60 buildings) in the state, approximately six km within India.

The new enclave could be seen in images accessed by a television channel, from two major satellite imagery providers: Maxar Technologies and Planet Labs, and its exact location was indicated on Bharatmaps, a Government of India online map service.

However, Khandu denied such reports, and said the constructions were within the Chinese territory.

There is no such development as reported by the Army, paramilitary forces and local residents. Whatever construction has happened is within the Tibet-China territory, the CM added.

In a significant initiative on climate change, the state cabinet in November adopted the Pakke Declaration' aimed at climate-resilient development in

The declaration envisages a multi-sectoral approach towards low emission through five broad themes, or the Panch Dharas' environment, forest and climate change, health and well being of all, sustainable and adaptive living, livelihoods and opportunities, and evidence generation and collaborative action.

The state government also designated 2021 as the 'Year of Education' with a planned investment of Rs 1,000 crore for the sector.

In terms of governance, it batted for the growth of digital infrastructure, with Khandu launching the centrally-funded Statewide Area Network (SWAN), which would provide secure digital connectivity to all the district headquarters and local administrative centres.

In March, another unique initiative - The Air Gun Surrender Abhiyan - was launched with the objective of encouraging people towards conservation instead of hunting.

Over 2,000 weapons have been voluntarily surrendered till now, officials said.

The second wave of COVID-19 reared its ugly head in Arunachal Pradesh, too, in 2021, but was less severe than the first.

Upgradation of district hospitals, setting up of new health facilities and prompt availability of life savers like oxygen ensured that fewer people were affected by the deadly pathogen, the officials said.

The state has reported 55,328 coronavirus cases till date, and 55,030 people have recovered from the disease. The death toll stood at 280.

During the year, security forces also intensified operations against underground groups active in three eastern districts Tirap, Changlang and Longding.

A total of 187 insurgency-related incidents were reported in the state in 2021, and 11 militants of various factions of rebel groups were killed.

(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.)
Chief Minister on Friday said his government has sought Centre's support to crack the bomb explosion case that rocked the Ludhiana court premises.

Channi said he had spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah hours after the explosion and that the Centre has dispensed teams to to investigate the case.

A bomb went off in the district court complex in Ludhiana on Thursday, killing one person and injuring six others, prompting the government to declare a high alert in the state.

Police suspect that the man killed in the blast on the second-floor toilet was trying to assemble or plant the explosive device.

The chief minister denied intelligence failure saying, There is no such thing. We are alert.

On Thursday, the chief minister had expressed his apprehension saying the explosion might have been an attempt to create anarchy in the poll-bound state.

Later at a public meeting in Ludhiana's Mullanpura Dakha, he sought to draw a parallel between the registration of an FIR against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia, the blast and the alleged sacrilege bids in the last few days.

On the desecration row, he said the government was mulling over registering a murder case after a man, charged with sacrilege attempt at a gurdwara in Ludhiana, was lynched.

"We did not find any sacrilege attempt or any evidence to back it. One person ran the gurdwara. This thing has moved to murder and inquiry is on, Channi said.

The FIR (already registered in the case) will be amended, he said.

About 30 injuries, mostly sharp cuts likely to have been inflicted by swords, were found on the man's body, according to the postmortem report.

The lynching took place on Sunday, a day after a similar incident occurred at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where a man was killed over an alleged desecration bid.

A case under Section 295 A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings) had been registered on the complaint of the gurdwara manager, who claimed that he saw the man trying to disrespect the 'Nishan Sahib' (religious flag).

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress-ruled government in Chhattisgarh tackled coronavirus pandemic and during the year, and also speculation over leadership change amid talk of a "power-sharing formula" between Chief Minister and health minister T S Singh Deo.

The death of 22 security personnel in a Naxal ambush along the Sukma-Bijapur border in April, protest by tribals in Silgar and anti-mining agitation in Hasdeo Aranya forest area dominated headlines during the year.

Residents of over 20 villages gathered in Silgar in May to protest against the setting up of a CRPF camp. Three people were killed in firing after protesters clashed with security forces.

A biodiversity report suggested that the Hasdeo Aranya coal field be declared a no-go-area'. Activists claimed the state government was keenly pushing for permissions for the coal blocks, two of which have Adani Enterprise as mine developer and operator.

The ruling party projected Chhattisgarh as a model of development and good governance in the country, while trying to keep its house in order in the state. There was speculation that Singh Deo would replace Baghel in June as per the reported two-and-a-half-year power-sharing formula.

Baghel apparently had the upper hand in the power tussle, and was also appointed by Congress as senior observer for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled next year.

In July, a Congress MLA alleged that his convoy was allegedly attacked in Surguja district at the behest of Singh Deo. The legislator, Brihaspat Singh, claimed that the reason behind the attack was that he had praised Baghel, which was not liked by Singh Deo.

Brihaspat, who hails from Singh Deo's home region Sarguja, withdrew the statement after the development came under the party leadership's scanner.

Congress leadership summoned Baghel and Singh Deo to Delhi. Resolving the internal tussle in Chhattisgarh became another headache for the leadership after tackling rifts in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Covid scare continued as the year began, with cases surging in March. Chhattisgarh was among the worst-hit states during the second wave with 5,89,615 infections and 7,693 deaths. As the year ended, the state case count stood at 10,07,517 as of December 23, while the death toll reached 13,596.

The opposition BJP targeted the state government over handling of the pandemic. The images of bodies left lying at hospitals and crematoriums in Raipur and Durg indicated the way the administration was grappling with the situation.

The BJP also blamed the state government over the alleged rising incidents of religious conversion. The issue snowballed into a major controversy following Sukma SP's assertion in July that Christian missionaries were involved in encouraging the practice.

The BJP claimed that considerable religious conversions are being carried out under the shelter of the Congress-led state government.

There was violence in Kawardha during a rally organised by right-wing outfits in protest against a clash between the people belonging to two communities over the removal of religious flags from a thoroughfare in the town on October 3, causing destruction of properties. A curfew was imposed following the violence.

The arrest of the chief minister's father Nand Kumar Baghel for allegedly making derogatory remarks against a community also gained media attention. The CM said he was pained, but asserted that nobody was above law and police will take appropriate action in the matter.

The state government also announced that former Chhattisgarh High Court judge Satish K Agnihotri will head a judicial commission reconstituted to probe the Jhiram valley massacre of 2013, in which 29 people, including top state Congress leaders, were killed by Maoists.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian government should protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms in India, Chinese analysts urged, as New Delhi launched probe into multiple Chinese companies on tax and income issues, Global Times reported.

The operations of Chinese firms remain normal at the moment, but relevant companies are looking to reassure their Indian employees as the investigation has caused some concerns, the report said.

The investigation has not been concluded yet, but some Chinese experts reiterated on Thursday that the business environment in India is harsh, not only for Chinese firms, but all foreign companies, the report said.

They pointed out that "non-market factors" in India will have large and unpredictable effects on them and cause many problems, and many Western companies have already pulled out from the country for this reason, the report added.

They urged Chinese firms to be cautious in investing and doing business in India, and strictly follow the local laws and leave no excuse for the authorities to take actions against them if those companies choose to stay there.

More than 20 premises in the Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai, Rajkot and Karnataka linked to Oppo and Xiaomi were searched by the tax department on Thursday. Searches were also conducted at the offices of OnePlus, the Chinese company that has merged into Oppo but operates as a separate brand.

"India's tax laws are very complicated, and in recent years, many Indian companies and some joint venture enterprises have also been investigated over tax issues," said Qian Feng, director of the research department at the Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Although the latest investigation seems likely to have been mainly driven by economic reasons, the possibility of a political impact still exists, because there are extreme anti- forces in the government, and they will look at matters related to Chinese firms in India with a discriminatory attitude, Qian said, as per the report.

Lin Minwang, a professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times that "the investigation is not a surprise at all, because the Indian authorities, especially those in some local governments, don't care about how Chinese firms feel because they are pushing for 'decoupling with China' and they see Chinese firms as perfect targets, and they don't care how Chinese investors will look at the business environment in the country".

In a statement sent to the Global Times on Thursday, a Xiaomi spokesperson said: "As a responsible company, we give paramount importance to ensuring that we are compliant with all Indian laws. As an invested partner in India, we are fully cooperating with the authorities to ensure they have all the required information."

Along with Chinese vendors, their contract manufacturers were also subject to searches. Foxconn said that it is looking into the matter.

(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 sweeping restrictions, on Wednesday locked down the entire 13 million residents of Xi'an city after the COVID-19 cluster was found in the area.

Officials believe the cluster is linked to an inbound flight from Pakistan on December 4, where at least six passengers were found to have the Delta variant. So far, there have been no reported cases of the Omicron variant in Xi'an, reported CNN.

Authorities moved swiftly, suspending schools and conducting mass testing for the entire city. Cases have continued to climb, however.

On Tuesday, Xi'an recorded 52 new COVID-19 cases. The move will prevent people from leaving their homes, come as the country braces for the Lunar New Year travel rush, followed by the 2022 Winter Olympics, due to begin in the capital Beijing on February 4, reported CNN.

Since December 9, the city has recorded a total of 206 cases. On Wednesday, authorities recorded 63 new locally transmitted cases, Xi'an's highest daily figure this month.

By noon on Wednesday, more than 30,000 people who were believed to have come into contact with a confirmed case were placed in government quarantine, according to state-run newspaper Daily. That same day, the city imposed a strict lockdown until further notice for all residents.

Xi'an detected its first case connected to the latest outbreak at a quarantined hotel on December 9. The virus is believed to have then spread into the community via an infected hotel worker.

After the new restrictions were announced, families rushed to supermarkets to stock up on supplies before the lockdown went into effect at midnight, according to state-run tabloid the Global Times.

Schools, public facilities and transport systems are also closed except for essential service providers like hospitals and supermarkets, according to the local government's announcement, reported CNN.

Xi'an is one level away from the highest lockdown category of "sealed area," in which residents are completely banned from leaving their homes, and groceries are delivered to their door.

This is only the fourth time a major Chinese city has been placed under the "controlled area" lockdown. Though previous outbreaks have seen similar restrictions, they are typically only applied to specific areas where infections are most prevalent -- not an entire city.

In the past week alone, in addition to Xi'an, cases have also been recorded in Henan province, Zhejiang province, Guangdong province, Guangxi autonomous region, and the cities of Beijing and Tianjin, reported CNN.

The emergence of yet another outbreak has raised questions over the long-term viability of China's ambitious "zero-Covid" policy, which aims to eliminate the virus completely within the country's borders.

Despite administering more than 2.7 billion doses of its homegrown vaccines, authorities have struggled with a number of fast-spreading outbreaks, reported CNN.

The outbreak in Xi'an follows a Delta-driven outbreak in the summer; a September outbreak in Fujian province; an October outbreak that spread to more than half the country; then several clusters in Inner Mongolia in November, which have spread to Zhejiang province in recent weeks.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
on Thursday recorded 118 fresh Covid cases, and one death, while the positivity rate stood at 0.13 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

On Wednesday, the national capital had logged 125 cases, the highest since June 22, with a positivity rate of 0.20 per cent while no death due to the infection was recorded, as per official figures.

The death toll due to the infection in has risen to 25,103, as per the latest health bulletin. Five deaths have been reported in December, so far.

The average rise in fresh cases in the span of last few days here is being recorded amid a jump in cases of new variant of Covid in

The number of cumulative cases on Thursday stood at 14,42,633. Over 14.16 lakh patients have recovered from the infection.

On Tuesday, the daily cases count stood at 101 with a positivity rate of 0.20 per cent, while one death was reported.

Seven COVID-19 deaths were reported here in November this year, the highest count of fatalities due to infection in the last three months in the national capital, according to official data.

Delhi had recorded four Covid deaths in October and five in September



A total of 61,322 ests -- 56,054 RT-PCR tests and 5,268 rapid antigen tests -- were conducted a day ago, the bulletin said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday held a review meeting in view of the rising cases of variant of Covid in Delhi.

During the meeting, the chief minister took stock of the preparations and asserted that system of home isolation was being strengthened.

"From hospitals to medicines, Delhi government's preparations are solid. The system of home isolation was being strengthened. It is an appeal to you be careful and don't allow this new variant to spread," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi after the meet.

Amid a jump in cases of the latest variant in Delhi, doctors here on Friday had said people should avoid all gatherings and follow Covid-appropriate behaviours, else the pandemic situation may worsen given the highly transmissible nature of this variant of coronavirus.

Health experts and doctors treating Covid patients at leading government and private facilities in the city have said that a "sense of complacency" has again crept in among a large section of citizens despite witnessing the "horrors of the second wave" of Covid infections earlier this year.

Delhi Health Minister Jain had recently said that medical infrastructure was being ramped up and 37,000 beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients were being set up to tackle the anticipated third wave of the pandemic in the national capital.

The number of active cases stood at 684 on Thursday, up from 624 on Wednesday, according to the bulletin.

The number of people under home isolation stood at 336 on Thursday while it was 289 a day before, and the number of containment zones in the city stood at 204, up from 184 on Wednesday, the bulletin said.

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The Jordanian government announced that it will tighten health measures as of 2022, starting with the New Year's Eve celebrations amid the rapid global spread of the new Covid-19 variant.

People will be required to provide a proof of being fully vaccinated, as well as a negative PCR result valid for 48 hours to attend the celebrations, State Minister for Media Affairs Faisal Shboul was quoted by the state-run Petra news agency as saying.

As many as 14 cases were recorded in the country on Thursday, he said.

reported 2,239 new cases in the last 24 hours, increasing the caseload to 1,047,953, reports Xinhua news agency.

The pandemic also claimed 43 lives in the same period, taking the overall death toll to 12,372, according to the Health Ministry.

The Ministry also added that the total number of people who received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine has reached 4,301,730, and 3,891,366 have been fully vaccinated.

--IANS

ksk/

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Several states imposed tougher restrictions on Friday as the tally touched 358.

Maharashtra banned the assembly of more than five people in public places between 9 pm and 6 am, while poll-bound Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Haryana both imposed a night  11 pm to 5 am  from Saturday.

This comes a day after the Madhya Pradesh government imposed similar mobility curbs.

The Odisha government also imposed fresh restrictions on Friday on celebration of Christmas and New Years Day, while Gujarat extended the duration of night in eight cities by two hours. New timings are 11 pm to 5 am, instead of 1 am to 5 am, according to a notification issued by the state home department.

In Maharashtra, restaurants, cinema halls, theatres, and gyms will continue to operate at 50 per cent capacity, while not more than 100 guests will be allowed at weddings in enclosed spaces like banquet/marriage halls and 250 guests in open spaces.

Similarly for social, political or religious functions, the total number of attendees should not exceed 100 if held in enclosed space and 250 if held in open spaces. Haryana restricted the maximum number of people at indoor and outdoor events to 200 and 300 people, respectively.

In the face of rising cases, the Union health ministry spelled out its readiness to handle a potential third wave, saying the country has 1.8 million isolation beds now and a capacity of over 18,000 tonnes of medical oxygen per day.

Maharashtra now leads the pack with 88 cases, with Delhi (67) close on its heels. Telangana (38) and Tamil Nadu (34) follow.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath presided over a review meeting on Friday, and the state decided to put curbs on social events like weddings (restricted to 200 people), intensify police patrolling to ensure compliance with Covid-appropriate behaviour, and upgrade vigilance at air, bus and railway terminals for passengers arriving in the state.

Responding to media queries on whether the health ministry would ask for a ban on public rallies ahead of elections, or recommend pushing back of election dates, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said all states have been advised to implement Covid-appropriate behaviour and a template has been shared with states on December 21.





The Centre, however, asked the private health care sector to be ready and do audits to review the availability of essential drugs, beds, medical oxygen etc.

After Tamil Nadu reported 33 new cases in a single day, Chief Minister M K Stalin called for an urgent meeting of top officials and the state is likely to soon come out with stringent restrictions to tackle the spread of Omicron further. The state is also considering testing all the international travellers landing in its airports.



Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan said around 26 of the newly detected cases are in Chennai, making the capital city the most vulnerable. Cases are expected to rise in the state as 82 suspect samples have been sent for genome sequencing.

The Delhi government is focusing on ramping up health infra  institutional bed capacity to handle 100,000 patients and test 300,000 samples a day.

The Union Health Ministry on Friday said that nationally 1.8 million isolation beds are available. Bhushan said 494,314 beds are oxygen-supported, while 139,300 ICU beds are available across the country. About 5 per cent of the ICU beds are paediatric beds (24,057) and 4 per cent of non-ICU beds are available for children.

Bhushan said, About 50 per cent funds of the Emergency Covid Response Package-2  announced by the Centre in August (of Rs 23,123 crore)  have been released to the states already. States are readying another 96,913 oxygen-supported beds and 20,475 ICU beds using these funds. Another 9,574 paediatric ICU beds will be added using the funds.

He added that during the first wave (September 2020), the peak demand for medical oxygen in a day was 1000 tonnes, which went up to 10,000 tonnes a day during the second wave in May 2021. This demand was met by the Centre and states working together, he said. Today we have created a capacity of 18,836 tonnes of medical oxygen per day. Thats the kind of ramp-up we have done since the second wave.

As for beds, experts have indicated that an Omicron-led third wave is unlikely to see active daily cases as high as the second wave when the population was vaccine-naive. In May, active cases had touched 3.75 million.

There are 20 districts in the country where case positivity rate is above 5 per cent but less than 10 per cent, the health ministry said. Only 2 districts (in Mizoram) have more than 10 per cent case positivity in India.

Interestingly, of the 183 Omicron cases analysed, 61 per cent were male, and 91 per cent people were fully vaccinated. About 73 per cent of Omicron cases in India have foreign travel history.
Indias government faces a growing clamor from business leaders and public health experts to launch a Covid-19 booster drive and begin vaccinating children as the nation braces for a surge of omicron-fueled infections.

With ample vaccine supplies, India could begin inoculating those under 18 as well as administer third doses to front-line health care workers, the elderly and those at high risk since they got their first shots in early 2021, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the founder and chair of Biocon Ltd. -- one of Indias largest drugmakers -- told Bloomberg on Thursday.

We need a booster policy for sure, she said. I really dont know whats holding it up -- its got nothing to do with vaccine availability.

The heavily mutated and highly transmissible variant, which was discovered within Indias borders earlier this month, has already led to 358 infections. Now many, including Shaw, are asking that the country follow others lead by offering third doses to its population of almost 1.4 billion, as well as include children in the immunization program as schools reopen.

Elsewhere, Japan has announced plans to accelerate the rollout of boosters and the U.K. has set a year-end deadline to offer all adults a third dose. Israel is even experimenting with a fourth Covid shot.

Recent studies show a third dose of AstraZeneca Plcs vaccine -- which accounts for nearly 90% of doses administered in India -- significantly boosted neutralizing antibodies against while immunity from two shots started waning after three months. The Indian Medical Association, which represents physicians, has urged the government to provide additional doses to front-line workers and individuals with compromised immune systems.





Based on the data,I am worried about my parents who are in their eighties, who were vaccinated in June and who do not have access to a booster.



I am sure millions of other Indians are worried about their loved ones.



Please consider booster for high risk groups in India.  Bhramar Mukherjee (@BhramarBioStat) December 21, 2021

While India has deployed more than 1.4 billion shots, only 41% of its population has been fully inoculated, according to Bloombergs Vaccine Tracker. That shortfall has been partly pinned on some remaining hesitancy, along with the fact that India has yet to start vaccinating people under 18.

As some cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai, begin to register a rising numbers of infections, many Indian states are also moving to reimpose restrictions on Christmas and New Years Eve celebrations and gatherings.

Anil Rajput, the head of corporate affairs at Kolkata-based conglomerate ITC Ltd., said on a panel in early December that there were growing concerns on the need for a booster dose especially in the light of the new variant. It was also crucial to limit vaccine wastage with many doses close to expiry, Rajput said.

Danger Reduced

Indias network of government-funded Covid genome sequencing labs said in late November that boosters should be considered for over-40s and those at high risk, as the danger of severe disease will likely be reduced.

Indias drug regulator has so far been reluctant to authorize third doses or childhood vaccinations until local trial data has been produced. Government officials have been reiterating targets to fully inoculating the countrys adult population first.

Indias health ministry didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

While the head of the Serum Institute of India Ltd. -- which is locally producing the AstraZeneca shots -- warned of a production drop two weeks ago due to lack of orders, Shaw expects demand to remain robust into 2022, especially if booster shots are deployed every six months or whatever.

Biocon inked a deal earlier this year with Serum for access to 100 million vaccine doses annually.

Shaw knows from personal experience that protection offered by vaccines averts worst outcomes. Three weeks ago, 12 people in her household -- including her husband and domestic staff -- tested positive for Covid. But, being fully inoculated, they all had only mild symptoms and no one needed to go to a hospital.

The vaccine did protect them against severe diseases, she said. But as time goes by, you will have waning antibodies -- I do believe you need boosters.
The government is developing a strategy to buyback plastic products and to be set up Reverse Vending machines in association with FMCG companies.

Chief Minister on Thursday inaugurated a campaign to make plastic-free and to promote cloth bags in large volumes. The government is also in talks with a major corporate company for construction of 1,000 toilets in the state made of non-recyclable

To reduce the stress caused by the overuse of plastic in the environment, the government is planning a strategy to improve Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) for the manufacturers.

The Chief Minister's office has already directed all the district administrations to have a discussion with the companies in their respective districts to evolve strategies regarding buy-back plans of and for use of this material in the construction industry.

Sources in the environment department told IANS that the Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages (HCCB) is in talks with the Tiruvallur district administration for use of construction materials from

The company under its CSR initiative has already adopted eight villages in and around Nemam where the factory of HCCB is located and has already got approval for building a model toilet at Nemam in the district of Tiruvallur.

The HCCB has entered into an association with Ricron Panels, a company that has specialised in the business of converting into eco-friendly construction material.

The state environment department in a study found that on an average a person in the state is using and discarding a plastic bottle a day. This would lead to installing 5,000 to 6,000 Reverse vending machines in the state for safe deposit of plastic material.

--IANS

aal/dpb

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Noting the world is witnessing a fourth surge in Covid cases, the government on Friday cautioned people against lowering the guard, particularly during year-end festivities, even as it underlined that infection due to Omicron does not necessarily lead to severe symptomatic disease.

Addressing a joint press conference, ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said Delta continues to be the predominant strain in India, including in the recently identified clusters.

"Therefore, we need to continue with the same strategy of following Covid-appropriate behaviour and ramping up vaccination," he said.

Asserting the Omicron variant of does not necessarily lead to severe symptomatic clinical disease, Bhargava said in India, about a third of all the detected cases were mildly symptomatic, and the rest were asymptomatic.

"I want to emphasize that the treatment for Omicron-infected symptomatic individuals remains the same. It does not change from that for Delta, Alpha or the Beta variant," the ICMR DG said.

At the press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had a word of caution. "The world is witnessing the fourth surge of COVID-19 cases and the overall positivity is 6.1 per cent. Therefore, we have to be on guard and we can't afford to slacken," he said.

Explaining the Covid trend, including that of all its variants in different continents, Bhushan said that while Europe, North America and Africa were seeing an increase in infection week-on-week since November 26, Asia is still witnessing a decline in cases.

In India, the number of daily cases has been below 10,000 for the last four weeks. "While these numbers are low, we must be vigilant and keep up the guard," the Union health secretary said.

He said India has seen two surges in cases -- one in September 2020 and another one in May this year. Even as the country's overall cases and deaths are on the decline currently, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka and Mizoram are still reporting a very high number of infections, Bhushan said.

The very high case positivity in Kerala (6.1 per cent) and Mizoram (8.2 per cent) is a cause of concern, he observed.

In 20 districts, including nine in Kerala and eight in Mizoram, the weekly case positivity rate is between five and 10 per cent, and in two districts it is over 10 per cent.

"So, these 22 districts are a cause of concern for us. We are constantly in consultation with the states while central teams are visiting there to give technical support," Bhushan said.

Of the 358 cases of the Omicron variant of reported in India so far, 183 were analysed and it was found that 87 of them were fully vaccinated with three having received booster doses and 70 per cent were asymptomatic, the government said.

Two were partially vaccinated, seven people were unvaccinated while 16 were ineligible to receive vaccine doses in the country's national vaccination programme. The vaccination status of 73 is still unknown, Bhushan said.

He said, 121 cases had foreign travel history, while in 44 cases the infected had come in contact with foreign travellers and information about 18 people were still not available.

About the country's Covid preparedness, the health secretary said 18,10,083 isolation beds, 4,94,314 oxygen-supported beds, 1,39,300 ICU beds, 24,057 paediatric ICU beds, 64,796 paediatric non-ICU beds have been readied.

Also, 50 per cent of the amount under the Emergency Covid Response package (ECRP-II) have been released to states and Union Territories. Using the fund they are reading additional 96,913 oxygen-supported beds, 20,475 ICU beds and 9,574 paediatric non-ICU beds, he said.

On medical oxygen supply, Bhushan said, "Based on global and South Africa's experience, Omicron patients so far did not have additional requirement of oxygen. But we need to be proactive."



During the first wave of Covid infections in the country, the highest requirement of oxygen in a day was 1,000 MT which shot up to 10,000 MT during the second wave.

"There was a ten-fold increase in demand for medical oxygen. We were able to address that because of the collective efforts of Central and state governments and managed to supply 10,000 MT of medical oxygen. Today, we have created a capacity of 18,800 MT of medical oxygen daily," Bhushan said.

Quoting WHO's December 17 guidance, he said that Omicron has a significant growth advantage over Delta, spreading fast through communities, with a doubling time of between 1.5 and three days. Higher risk of transmission compared to Delta has been confirmed by household and contact studies in the United Kingdom, he said.

About vaccination coverage, the health secretary said 89 per cent of India's adult population have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine while 61 per cent have been fully vaccinated.

More than 140 crore doses have been administered so far.

In 19 states and Union Territories, first dose coverage was over 90 per cent while in Odisha, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Manipur, Punjab and Nagaland the coverage of first and second shots of vaccine was below the national average, he said, adding that it was a cause of concern.

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In view of Omicron variant of COVID-19, the Centre on Friday urged the private health sector to be ready as it has to play an important role in managing the pandemic.

Addressing a press conference, NITI Aayog member (Health) V K Paul said the private sector has been part and parcel of the national infrastructure.

"I would now like to request the private health sector also to prepare to include them in the entire health system level preparedness. The private sector has played and continues to play a very important role in managing the pandemic at the national level," he said.

Paul said the government would also like to specifically request the private sector teams to get ready in terms of how they will repurpose, should the need arise.

"We will request them to do the audits and the oversight of their drugs availability, oxygen availability and really go back on their own facility specific SOPs so that we are truly ready," he said.

"And the same way in particular, also, we will remind all of us that human resources are very important and here again, a huge effort has been mounted by the government to create teams and to train them. And the same thing also applies in the private sector that the team should know what and how they will be deployed and therefore, an overarching preparedness in the wake of the Omicron threat be launched that is our first message," he said.

Paul said the second message the government wants to emphasise is the need for care.

"Festivals and new year are there so at municipality, district and state level, guidelines have been provided so that gatherings do not take place," he said.

About 358 cases of Omicron variant of detected in India so far in the country.

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In wake of the possibility of increasing Omicron cases of the COVID-19 variant in the state, imposed a night curfew from 11 pm till 5 am from Friday.

According to Chief Minister's Office, the gatherings of more than 200 persons in public places and events have been barred.

In order to tackle the transmission of the infection, the state government has also barred people, who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, from public places in the state after January 1.

At least 2.61 lakh people in got vaccinated on December 23, a day after the government made it mandatory for everybody to be fully vaccinated to enter shopping malls, offices, banks, fuel stations etc.

Health Minister Anil Vij said, "2.61 lakhs people got vaccination on 23rd Dec. it is one lakh more than average vaccination of about 1.5 lakhs daily. This is after the announcement of Haryana Govt that after 1st Jan nobody will be allowed entry into any congested place unless he has taken two doses of vaccination."

To further boost the vaccination across the State, Vij said, "All corona vaccination facilities in Haryana will remain open on Holidays too."

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday held a COVID-19 review meeting and considered imposing a night curfew in the state from 11 pm to 5 am.

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and Health Minister Anil Vij were also present in the meeting.

So far, India has reported 358 cases of the Omicron variant.

On November 26, the WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa, as 'Omicron'.

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The pipes are laid, the taps installed and the village tank is under construction  all promising signs that, come spring, Girja Ahriwar will get water at her doorstep and finally shed a lifelong burden.

I go out and put the jerrycans in the queue at around 5 a.m. and wait there with the children, Ms. Ahriwar, a mother of three who lives in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, said about her routine of fetching from the village hand pump. Sometimes it could take five or six hours. I have to stay there because if I leave, someone else moves ahead.

India, one of the worlds most water-stressed countries, is halfway through an ambitious drive to provide clean tap water by 2024 to all the roughly 192 million households across its 600,000 villages. About 18,000 government engineers are overseeing the $50 billion undertaking, which includes hundreds of thousands of contractors and laborers who are laying more than 2.5 million miles of pipe.

The project has a powerful champion in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has slashed through Indias notorious red tape and pushed aside thorny political divisions to see it through. His success thus far helps explain his dominance over the countrys political landscape.

Mr. Modi has remained popular despite a weak economy and a bungled initial response to the coronavirus that left hundreds of thousands dead. He has increasingly relied on communal politics, continuing to consolidate a Hindu nationalist base he has worked for decades to rally.

But the mission to deliver water to every household combines two of Mr. Modis political strengths: his grasp of the day-to-day problems of hundreds of millions of Indias poor and his penchant for ambitious solutions. Mr. Modi, who grew up in a poor village, has spoken emotionally about his own mothers hardship in fetching water.

About one-sixth of Indias households had a clean water tap when the program, called Jal Jeevan Mission, began in 2019. Now, almost half have one.

You rarely have this drive from the government, the head of state, and it is well funded. Behind the concept, there is budget, said Nicolas Osbert, who leads the UNICEF water and sanitation unit in India. All social sectors were impacted by Covid. Not this one. This one was preserved.

The countrys water problem speaks to the mismatch between its global economic ambitions and the dire conditions of much of its 1.4 billion population, two-thirds of whom still live in rural areas. Nearly 40 million Indians are affected by waterborne diseases every year, leading to about $600 million annually in medical costs and labor loss. About 100,000 children under 5 years old die of diarrhea every year. The growth of millions more is stunted.

The paucity of water should not become a limiting factor in our quest for socioeconomic development, the quest for high economic growth, said Bharat Lal, the top official Mr. Modi has named to lead the mission.

From his office in New Delhi, Mr. Lal checks the progress on a detailed computerized dashboard. About 100,000 connections are added every day, according to official figures, and Mr. Lals phone pings constantly with videos and photos showing successes.

The mission judges progress by the satisfaction of village councils to avoid slowdowns from Indias layered bureaucracy. Districts and states are teamed up with technical universities for comment on best practices. Local organizations handhold village councils as they take on the role of public utility managers.

The village bodies are expected to collect a small monthly fee  about $1 per household  to have funds for maintenance and to encourage a culture of participation and ownership.

In areas where groundwater is overexploited, the program pipes and pumps treated water over tens of miles from sources like dams. Villagers are trained to test the quality of water and upload the data to the dashboard. They are also taught how to recycle and reuse waste water. Pilot projects are underway to install automated pressure and quality sensors.

The project has its critics. Rajendra Singh, an environmentalist, said that it had not factored in water conservation enough, with Indias groundwater sources plummeting fast. The country draws more groundwater than China and the United States combined, as drought-plagued farmers pump and pump.

Your sources are drying up, Mr. Singh said. In a country where 72 percent of water aquifers are overdrawn, in that country how can you provide water through pipelines?

In visits to five villages in Madhya Pradesh, one of Indias most water-stressed states, the size of the challenge was clear  in the sinking levels of groundwater, in the shortage of proper electricity to pump and in the refusal of even well-off villagers to pay the small monthly fee.

In some villages, progress was far behind what Mr. Lals dashboard showed. There was also skepticism because older projects from years past had failed  the pipes were there, but just why the water was not arriving was a matter of finger pointing.

In others, work was proceeding, with obstacles.

The government has earmarked additional billions of dollars for maintenance but hopes to build a long-term culture of ownership through the local fee. That process has been slow.

In the village of Sihora, all households had water, but only half were paying. Members of the village council cited a political culture of freebies and subsidies.

If ration is free, house is free, child delivery is free, wedding is free, said Jyoti Abadiya, a council member, they say the water should also be free.

In Panari, a prosperous village that has a sugar mill and grows three crops, weak electricity meant households get only a couple of hours of running water daily. The women, who traditionally fetch household water, said they now saved time retrieving water but still filled buckets at home to stock up.

The line cuts every few days, said Hemant Kumar Sharma, the pump operator. Then I have to look for the electricity man for two hours.

Only about one-fifth of households were paying. The poor people are paying, said Naryan Prasad Faujdar, the lanky and bespectacled village plumber. The rich are not.

Rajendar Kaurav, his jaw full with chewing tobacco, responded that he could easily pay but he disagreed in principle: Water is the governments responsibility. If I pay, others dont pay, he said.

Another villager countered, If you dont pay, the water will be cut  and the hospital bill from drinking from the canal would be much higher.

The hopes of villagers like Ms. Ahriwar rest with government engineers like Devendra Kumar Jain.

Mr. Jain, a mild-mannered engineer with three decades of service, had a front-row seat to the water crisis. Vulnerability has shot up with sinking groundwater levels. The old solutions of installing hand pumps and digging tube wells were not good enough.

He is in charge of bringing water connections to about 300,000 households across 3,000 villages in Madhya Pradesh. In the areas where the groundwater is overexploited, such as Ms. Ahriwars village of Imlidol, his team draws from a dam about 50 miles away. The work there is three-quarters complete, Mr. Jain said.

in Imlidol means people grow only one crop a year. Most of the men seek labor elsewhere. Ms. Ahriwars husband, Rakesh Ahriwar, a mason, said he was going to Delhi soon to look for work, leaving his wife and their three children.

Once the water arrives, Ms. Ahriwar said, I will be saved of the trouble and the distance.

For Mr. Jain, 58, the completion of the mission will closely coincide with his retirement. From a modest beginning delivering hand pumps and tube wells, he could leave a legacy of tap water for 300,000 homes, a prospect that left him emotional.

I will be the happiest man, he said.

Hari Kumar is a reporter in the New Delhi bureau. He joined The Times in 1997. @HariNYT
As 2021 draws to a close, the Narendra Modi governments efforts to extradite Indian businessmen from Britain for alleged fraud against Indian banks are yet to materialise.

The failed deportation of Lieutenant (Retd) Ravi Shankaran, who was accused of stealing and selling classified information from the Indian Navy's war room, was not appealed against.

Vijay Mallya, chairman of the now closed Kingfisher Airlines, who was ordered to be extradited by the British judiciary in 2019, is yet to be sent to India. Similarly, diamantaire continues to fight a legal battle to avoid deportation. Unlike Mallya, though, he has been held in custody at south London's Wandworth prison since his arrest in 2019.

India and the UK had signed an extradition treaty in 1992. This was ratified the following year and has been in force since. Yet, only two individuals - one of them voluntarily - have been returned to India.

British solicitors Gherson's comment is: "Chief among these bars to extradition has been the (UK) Court's obligation to ensure that extradition would be incompatible with the rights of an individual under the European Convention on Human Rights, codified in English law with the passing of the Human Rights Act, 1998."

London's Westminster Magistrates' Court had ordered Mallya's extradition and this was upheld by the High Court of England. Gherson observes: "It has been widely reported that Mallya has, however, lodged an asylum claim, which has resulted in the extradition request being put on hold for the time being."

The High Court of England, which earlier this year declared Mallya bankrupt at the instance of creditor Indian banks, will hear an appeal from him on the matter in the New Year.

Legal circles in the British capital believe he is bound to bring to the notice of the court that assets seized from him by Indian investigators have been sold and money owed to the banks have been received by them.

On July 26 last, Mallya had tweeted: "ED attached my assets worth (Rs) 14K crore at behest of Govt Banks against debt of (Rs) 6.2K crore. They restore assets to Banks who recover (Rs) 9K crore in cash and retain security over (Rs) 5K crore more. Banks ask Court to make me Bankrupt as they may have to return money to the ED. Incredible."

Three days later, he posted on Twitter an Indian newspaper clipping which reported: "IDBI Bank said that it has recovered the entire dues pertaining to Kingfisher Airlines, which helped the lender report a 318 per cent jump in net profit for the quarter ended June 2021."

In effect, the same court, which in a ruling prior to the bankruptcy order had expressed confidence that Mallya would be able to settle his debt, may now need to take into account the fact that the banks have actually recovered their lending. In other words, if it reverses its judgement, this could potentially have an impact on the extradition verdict as well.

Gherson points out the conclusion of the judge at the Westminster Court was based on the Indian government contending that loans from Indian banks "were premised on a conspiracy to commit fraud by way of fraudulent misrepresentation".

The fact is, Indian investigators have failed to establish a case in this respect against the then chairman and senior executives of IDBI Bank, who were named as being co-conspirators with Mallya.

Nirav Modi, who too was ordered to be extradited, appealed against this on the grounds that his mental health is such that he is a suicide risk. This was heard on December 14 last. "He is at high risk of suicide already and his condition is likely to deteriorate further in Mumbai," Modi's barrister Edward Fitzgerald argued.

If loses his appeal, he could still seek reviews at either the UK's Supreme Court, or the European Court of Human Rights. Mallya did not exercise these options.

Significantly, the cases against them were registered when Britain was still a member state of the European Union (EU) and came under EU laws.

In chasing high-profile, headline-making alleged fugitives for justice, the may have neglected the serious issue of pilferage of sensitive documents from the Indian Navy's war room by Shankaran.

The extradition request in this connection was rejected by the High Court of England in 2014. If there was no scope of an appeal, this does not appear to have been adequately explained. One newspaper claimed Shankaran earned a whopping sum from selling the stolen papers to armaments firms and dealers. The accused, said to be residing in London, could not be reached for a comment.

--IANS

ashis/arm

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The Police on Friday arrested the caretaker of a Kapurthala gurdwara for the of a man and he has been charged with murder, a senior official said on Friday.

The incident had taken place at Nizampur village in Kapurthala on Sunday, a day after a similar case at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where a man was lynched over an alleged sacrilege bid.

Gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh had earlier claimed that he saw the victim "disrespecting" a Sikh religious flag.

Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi told reporters in Chandigarh that the government was mulling over registering a murder case as no evidence was found backing the desecration charge.

Jalandhar Range Inspector General of Police Gurinder Singh Dhillon told PTI over the phone that Amarjit Singh has been arrested for murder.

"There is no visible sign of sacrilege till now," said Dhillon.

"We have modified the already registered FIR in the incident and added offences of Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), and arrested main accused Amarjit Singh for murder," he said.

Police have registered a case against around 100 people, of which 25 to 30 were armed, he said.

"There is videography and there are photographs (of the day of the incident). Since an SHO was present (police had reached the gurdwara when the victim was being beaten up), he will be able to identify them during investigation and due course of law will follow," said Dhillon.

Asked if there was any update on the victim's identity, he said a medical board has taken samples for DNA testing.

As far as physical identification is concerned, based on videography and photography, so far it has not been possible, the police officer added.

Earlier in the day when asked on the desecration row, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi had told reporters that the government was mulling over registering a murder case.

"We did not find any sacrilege attempt or any evidence to back it. One person ran the gurdwara. This thing has moved to murder and inquiry is on," Channi had said, adding that the FIR will be amended.

About 30 injuries, mostly sharp cuts likely to have been inflicted by swords, were found on the man's body, according to the post-mortem report.

A case under Section 295 A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings) had been registered on the complaint of the gurdwara manager, who had claimed that he saw the man trying to disrespect the 'Nishan Sahib' (religious flag).

(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 terrorist, involved in a spate of killings including of a police inspector and three BJP workers and other attacks, was shot dead in an encounter at and Kashmir's Anantnag on Friday, after he refused to surrender and instead opened fire at the security forces, police officials said.

Based on a specific input regarding the presence of a terrorist in Mominhall Aarwani village of Bijbehara area in Anantnag, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the police, the army's 1st Rashtriya Rifles and Central Reserve Police, the police said.

"During the search operation, as the presence of the trapped terrorist got ascertained, he was given ample opportunities to surrender. However, he refused to surrender and instead fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which retaliated, leading to an encounter," police added.

In the ensuing encounter, the terrorist identified as Shahzad Ahmad Seh, a resident of Sehpora in Kulgam, and active since September last year, was killed and his body was retrieved from the site.

"As per police records, the killed terrorist was a categorised terrorist linked with proscribed outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and was part of groups involved in several cases.

He was involved in the killing of J&K Police Inspector, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat of Chandpora, Kanelwan, in Anantnag at his residence on October 19, 2020, three BJP workers at YK-Pora in Kulgam on October 29, 2020, as well as a BJP Sarpanch and his wife at Lal Chowk in Anantnag on August 9 this year.

"Besides, the terrorist was involved in an attack on District Development Council candidate Anees-ul-Islam Ganie at Sagam Kokernag on December 4, 2020, and snatching a weapon from a police constable at Shamispora crossing in Khudwani area of Kulgam on July 25, 2021. Moreover, he was involved in various grenade lobbing incidents and attacks on security establishments in Anantnag and Kulgam areas," police said.

Incriminating material, arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 rifle, two AK magazines, 40 AK rounds and a grenade were recovered from his possession. All the recovered material has been taken into case records for further investigation.

--IANS

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The demand by striking MSRTC staffers for merger of the undertaking with the state government was not acceptable, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister told the Assembly on Friday.

A dominant section of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation employees have been on strike since October 28 demanding that the undertaking be merged with the state government, which would give them better salaries and greater job security.

"No matter who is in power, this demand is not acceptable. The state government has already increased the basic pay of the employees by Rs 5,000. The MSRTC employees shouldn't take any extreme step like the mill workers strike which destroyed textile mills in Mumbai," he said in the House.

Pawar, however, added that the MVA government will not let the situation come to that stage.

The deputy CM also said the demand for decrease in VAT on petrol and diesel cannot be accepted because of revenue loss.

Pawar added a resolution will be tabled in the Assembly on Monday about not holding panchayat samiti elections till the OBC quota is restored.

Giving an update on the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) paper leak case, Pawar said eight people have been arrested by Pune police so far.

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can evade the immune protection conferred by COVID-19 vaccines and natural infection, according to a peer-reviewed study which also suggests that the new variant of is completely resistant to antibody therapies in use today.

The study, published in the journal Nature on Thursday, also highlights the need for new vaccines and treatments that anticipate how the SARS-CoV-2 virus may soon evolve.

The researchers from Columbia University in the US and the University of Hong Kong noted that a striking feature of is the alarming number of changes in the variant's spike protein that could pose a threat to the effectiveness of current vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.

The study tested the ability of antibodies generated by vaccination to neutralise in laboratory tests that pitted antibodies against live viruses and against pseudoviruses constructed in the lab to mimic the variant.

The researchers found that the antibodies from people double-vaccinated with Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines were significantly less effective at neutralising Omicron compared to the original virus.

Antibodies from previously infected individuals were even less likely to neutralise Omicron, they said.

People who received a booster shot of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are likely to be better protected, although even their antibodies exhibited diminished neutralising activity against Omicron, the study shows.

"The new results suggest that previously infected individuals and fully vaccinated individuals are at risk for infection with the Omicron variant," said David Ho, a professor at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

"Even a third booster shot may not adequately protect against Omicron infection, but of course it is advisable to get one, as you will still benefit from some immunity," Ho added.

The researchers noted that the findings are consistent with other neutralisation studies, as well as early epidemiological data from South Africa and the UK, which show efficacy of two doses of the vaccines against symptomatic disease is significantly reduced against Omicron.

The study also suggests that all of the monoclonal antibody therapies currently in use and most in development are much less effective against Omicron.

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses.

In neutralisation studies with monoclonal antibodies, only one -- Brii198 approved in China -- maintained notable activity against Omicron, according to the researchers.

A minor form of Omicron is completely resistant to all antibodies in clinical use today, they said.

The study authors note that Omicron is now the most complete "escapee" from neutralisation that scientists have seen.

They also identified four new mutations in the spike protein of Omicron that help the virus evade antibodies, a finding that could inform the design of new approaches to combat the variant.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus uses the spike protein to enter and infect the human cells.

The researchers suggest that new vaccines and treatments need to be developed that can better anticipate how the virus is evolving.

"It is not too far-fetched to think that SARS-CoV-2 is now only a mutation or two away from being completely resistant to current antibodies, either the monoclonal antibodies used as therapies or the antibodies generated by vaccination or infection with previous variants," Ho added.

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The state of affairs, be it Covid or non-Covid, is "frightening" as people are "flowing like a river" which could lead to stampede and death of hundreds, the said on Friday while taking note of overcrowding in Sarojini Nagar market which had witnessed a bomb blast in the past.

The court said whether there is Covid or not, people have to remain alert and made it clear that if there is any death because of COVID-19 infection or stampede in the Sarojini Nagar market, then the officials of the authorities concerned, NDMC and Delhi Police, will be personally held liable for it.

The court also issued contempt notice against officials of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) for not complying with its earlier orders on removal of encroachment from the market, including illegal vendors and their goods.

It also asked the Delhi Police and Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) to work out a movement plan for the public in the market and asked the NDMC and other authorities to ensure there is no overcrowding.

It further directed the DDMA to make a visit to the market forthwith and assess the situation in view of the prevailing situation of the pandemic.

"These pictures show that at night time all goods are lying there and covered with blue sheets. The state of affairs is such that, Covid or non-Covid, we see is frightening. There could be a stampede; there could be hundreds of deaths. If there is a bomb blast in that area, even if there is a single bomber just think how many people are going to die because of the blast and stampede," a bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said.

It said Sarojini Nagar market has already witnessed bomb blast in the past and God forbid if any such incident occurs, what will happen.

After seeing various photos and videos of the crowded market, the bench said if the authorities are not allowing then how these encroachments are taking place and added, "don't tell us that this is stage managed. Hundreds of people are pushing each other and hundreds of people are flowing like a river."



When the counsel for NDMC said due to Christmas festival, there are 70,000 to 80,000 people in the market daily and they need to control the head count and urged the court to pass an order for removal of encroachment, the bench said it had already directed the authorities not to allow anybody to encroach upon, be it shopkeepers or others.

"If some shopkeeper is encroaching upon public land, do you need our order to remove him? You will not remove him on your own? That is the mandate of the law. Do we have to give direction that if somebody is encroaching upon public land, the authorities should remove him... we fail to understand what is happening," an annoyed Justice Singh said and added, "you are saying that to perform your functions you need an order from the court."



To this, the NDMC counsel said they have been regularly removing encroachment and also illegal vendors but they again return and that they are also issuing challans and performing their duties.

The bench said it cannot shut eyes by seeing the situation and asked the authorities to daily take steps for removing encroachments.

"We are not saying they (shopkeepers) are holy cows and are not encroaching upon. You have to take action against everyone encroaching upon. If you think you can brazenly violate the high court's orders, we will show you what will happen... we are not going to allow violation of our orders," it said.

The bench said the authorities have ample power under the statute to take action against the violators and they also have backing of court orders, still there is no improvement in the situation on the ground.

It also said directed that whatever goods are seized from vendors and shopkeepers, who are found vending and selling goods illegally, should not be released to them without court's orders.

Additional standing counsel Naushad Ahmad Khan, representing the Delhi Police, contended that the market's boundary wall height is very low, which poses security risk as people jump and enter the market and there are many entries and exits to the market which should be regulated.

The court asked the NDMC to do proper fencing of the market's wall so that people do not jump and cross it to enter the area.

The high court was hearing a plea relating to illegal encroachments in Sarojini Nagar market and presence of unauthorised vendors and squatters there.

(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.)
Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in the assassination case, will be released on one-month parole on Friday after completing surety formalities, said Nalini's advocate Radhakrishnan.

Speaking to ANI, Radhakrishnan said, "Nalini, who was granted by the state government on Thursday, will be released on Friday after completing surety formalities."

The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday had informed the Madras High Court that Nalini was granted a month's parole by the government after repeated requests from her ailing mother Padma.

Nalini and six other people were sentenced to life imprisonment in the assassination case. In May 1991, was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. The attack also left 14 other people dead.

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in have so far refunded Rs 36 crore to COVID-19 patients after being found to have overcharged, health minister Rajesh Tope told the Legislative Council on Thursday.

He was responding to a question by the BJP's Sadabhau Khot on whether were found to have overcharged COVID-19 patients and what action was taken by the government in such cases. "The state government has received 63,398 complaints against which were not empaneled by the state government for COVID-19 treatment. Out of it, 56,994 cases have been resolved and refund of Rs 35,18,39,061 has been given to the patients or their kin, the reply said. The state also received another 2,081 complaints against hospitals which were empaneled by the government for treating COVID-19 patients under various health schemes. Out of it, 774 cases have been resolved and refund Rs 1,20,66,168 was given," Tope said. To another question, the health minister said, The government has recovered fine of Rs 61.34 lakh from 234 blood banks for not keeping their data updated. There are 350 blood banks in the state. The fine was collected between January and October this year.

"There is a standing instruction to every blood bank to keep its blood availability data updated on its portal. If the data is not updated, Rs 1,000 per day is the fine," Tope said. At the national level, average blood wastage is 5 per cent but it is 1.2 per cent in which is satisfactory, he added.

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Passengers arriving from will have to take up seven-day home quarantine in Mumbai, said an order by the western citys municipality on Friday.

While passengers from twelve countries at risk are required to undergo home quarantine as per central government directions, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) extended the home quarantine for returnees to contain the spread of Omicron variant of Covid-19.

is a hub for international travel and passengers take connecting flights from there to Mumbai, said BMC I S Chahal in his order.

As many as 88 people had tested positive for Omicron in Maharashtra until Thursday, including 35 in The cases in include passengers from other districts who were screened on arrival at the airport.

All the travellers arriving from Dubai and who are residents of will be in home quarantine. On the seventh day RT PCR test will be done. If the test is negative the traveler will self monitor for further seven days. If the test is positive, they will be shifted to institutional quarantine as per the current guidelines for international travellers, the order said.

The order has also laid down instructions for passengers transiting via Mumbai.
The Indian space industry is eagerly looking forward to 2022 hoping that it could be an active year as compared to 2021 that is largely a forgettable one.

Speeding up the space sector reforms with final policies and activating the regulator for the private players, finalising the foreign direct investment (FDI) norms and passing of the Space Activities Bill and others are the expectations of the industry players for 2022.

The global space market is about $360 billion and is expected to grow to $1 trillion by 2040.

However, India's share in the global pie is about two per cent, offering good potential for the new players.

Till now, the Indian space sector was a monopoly of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)- the country's space agency - and private participation was in the form of component supplies to the former.

"The realisation of the uncrewed rocket flight -- part of India's human space mission Gaganyaan -- will be a major boost, a source of inspiration in the hearts of the people. There will be a lot of excitement with two uncrewed rocket launches," Dr Chaitanya Giri, Founder, DAWON Advisory & Intelligence told IANS.

He added that the Rs 9,023 crore Gaganyaan has a lot of strategic importance for the country apart from being a scientific achievement mission.

"The year 2022 will also see some progress in the Aditya-L1 mission to study the Sun. There are also two moon mission projects -- the country's own Chandrayaan-3 and the Indo-Japan moon mission (Lunar Polar Exploration Mission-LUPEX) and the Indo-US collaborative NASA- Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) Mission," Giri said.

The Chandrayaan-3 is in an advanced stage of realisation with all the systems in both Propulsion Module and Rover Module having been realised, integrated and tested.

In the Lander Module, most of the systems have been realised and tests are underway. Integrated Sensors and Navigation performance tests on the Lander have been completed and other tests are in progress.

"Chandrayaan-3 is targeted to be launched in the second quarter of financial year 2022 -2023," Union Minister of Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha.

As regards the NISAR, it was earlier said it will be put into orbit in 2022 by Indian rocket PSLV.

"The global interest in the Venus planet is increasing and India may join the bandwagon. There is a growing community of planetary scientists in India," Giri remarked.

The is also expected to launch a couple of earth observation and other satellites next year.

While the above is about various satellite missions, at the ground level and part of the space sector reforms, the NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) in 2022 should decide on the industry player(s) to make the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) or the PSLV rockets.

The NSIL had called for an Expression of Interest for production of PSLV rockets by an industry consortium.

On the rocket side, the has to realise next year its small rocket with a long winding name Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) with a capacity to carry 500 kg satellites.

The ISRO should also make progress in the construction of its second rocket port at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu.

With the ISRO shifting focus to research and development (R&D), as part of the reform process, the committee that has been set up to recommend the methodology for right-sizing and optimal utilisation of the existing science and technology (S&T) manpower is expected to submit its report.

For the private sector start-ups making rockets and satellites too, next year is going to be crucial.

Small rocket makers Skyroot Aerospace Private Ltd and Agnikul Cosmos are hoping to fly their vehicles by the end of 2022 while the satellite maker Syzygy Space Technologies Pvt Ltd, commonly known as Pixxel is expected to fly its satellite sometime next year.

"The year 2022 is an important year as we bring everything together for a launch of Vikram-1 rocket and join the elite of the world in providing launch solutions," Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO and Chief Technology Officer, Skyroot Aerospace, told IANS.

As a part of opening up the space sector, the Indian government has constituted the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) as the sectoral regulator for the private players.

The IN-SPACe will also enable usage of ISRO's facilities for them.

There are over 30 requests from private companies for support from IN-SPACe for their space activities which are expected to be decided next year.

Industry officials expect the IN-SPACe and the sectoral regulations to be as agile as the startups.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)

--IANS

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Be Alert & Safe: PM Narendra Modi To States On Variant Threat

PM Narendra Modi in a high-level review meeting on Thursday on status of (Covid-19), Omicron, and preparedness of health systems said the country needs to be satark and savdhan in light of the new variant. The PM directed the officials to ensure that the health systems in the states, beginning from the district level, are strengthened to meet any challenge posed by the new variant. Read more



RBI Extends Card Tokenisation Rule By 6 Months After Industry Request

The (RBI) on Thursday extended the deadline for wiping off card data on merchant sites and applying tokenisation by another six months as merchants and payments companies expressed their inability to meet the December 31 deadline. In a statement on its website, the central bank said at the request of industry stakeholders, the timeline is being extended until June 30, 2022. Read more



Centre not likely to go for any off-Budget borrowing this year

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in this years Budget speech, had said that she would discontinue extra-budgetary resources (EBR) funding for the Food Corporation of India, in a continued bid to clean up the central governments balance sheet and end below-the-line accounting. As a result, the EBR provision for 2021-22 was just Rs 30,000 crore against Rs 1.26 trillion in 2020-21.

But Business Standard has now learnt that even that Rs 30,000-crore provision remains unutilised and as a result off-budget financing this year can be negligible or even zero. Read more



How after a dream run, stock markets could see moderation in 2022

The equity markets had a dream 2021. Stock prices climbed to record highs. Initial public offerings (IPOs) saw their highest ever mop-up. New trading accounts opened at a pace never seen before. However, next year could be different because the buoyancy in the market  the underpinning factor  turns shaky owing to the unwinding of post-pandemic stimulus measures taken by central banks, the lingering threat of new Covid-19 variants, and rising concern over Indias expensive valuations. Read more



Few takers for Subramanian's theory that GDP collapsed before Covid

Criticism of the current official gross domestic product (GDP) series is not new. Many commentaries have put a question mark on the latest series since it was announced in 2015. The current series has a different methodology to calculate GDP and its various segments when compared with the old one. The current base year is 2011-12, while it was 2004-05 in the previous calculations. Read more



Ministry proposes fixed timeline for NCLT, extended look-back period in IBC

In a move to plug gaps in the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) has proposed robust norms against avoidance transactions, wrongful trading, and inordinate delays via changes to look-back period and fixed timelines for the tribunals to reject or approve plans, among other measures. The MCA has proposed that the IBC should provide the adjudicating authority with 30 days for approving or rejecting a resolution plan under Section 31. Read more
In 2021, India committed to achieving net zero by 2070, but the dichotomy between the ambitious target and the steps taken on the ground is hard to miss. The government has not only diluted environmental laws that regulate erring units but also devised plans to divert forest land to non-forest users.

During this period, India announced other policy measures such as the National Hydrogen Mission for clean energy and the global solar Green Grids initiative to transition away from coal. However, amid the renewed stress on ramping up climate action, the Indian government also amended the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 to allow non-forest use of the land for "strategic" projects, stripped away the ecological protection of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and pushed cultivation in north east India and the

This happened in the backdrop of two major climate events: The Intergovernmental Panel on (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)--the first after 2013--which presented a grim forecast on how global warming has impacted and will impact us in the near future; and countries across the world met for the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in November, where they adopted the Glasgow Climate Pact to control global temperature rise.

As the year comes to a close, we take a look at India's major energy, climate and policies and actions this year.

Renewed push to renewable energy

has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in India in recent years as successive governments have prioritised it, we reported in August 2021. Primary among the reasons is the quest for energy security because most of the conventional energy sources in India are either imported or of poor quality.

India had set a target of 175 gigawatt (GW) of renewable capacity by year 2022 and 450 GW by 2030, under the Paris Agreement in 2015. By October 2021, India had already surpassed 100 GW capacity, according to the Ministry of New and (MNRE). By October 2021, 39% of India's installed power capacity came from non-fossil sources as against a target of 40% by 2022.

In India, solar tariffs have also fallen dramatically; this is because the government has been awarding large projects through reverse auctions (where buyers request for goods and services and sellers bid for the prices at which they are willing to sell), which has resulted in global investors setting up very large projects at very low tariffs. Many industrial and commercial establishments in India also find RE power, especially solar, cheaper than the cost of sourcing power from a distribution company (DISCOM), as we reported in August 2021.

While India is aggressively pushing large-scale clean energy projects--mainly wind and solar--these are leading to conflicts as rights of communities are not recognised over common lands used for renewable projects. Experts suggest that conflicts could grow as India pushes more clean energy projects such as large solar parks.

Such conflicts could be reduced if India pushes for rooftop solar energy. But the high cost of rooftop solar systems and the patchy implementation of its subsidy schemes are holding the sector back, we reported in July 2021.

Further, at the COP26, India raised the targets to 500 GW by 2030 from the earlier target for 450 GW. India, along with the United Kingdom, launched an ambitious renewables venture called Green Grids Initiative--One Sun One World One Grid, a global solar grid linking 140 countries. While energy experts agree with the initiative's premise and appreciate its scale, they question its feasibility, because of geopolitics and the cost of undersea cables, we reported in October 2021.

In August 2021, the prime minister also announced the National Hydrogen Mission to support India's energy transition goals. Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The use of green hydrogen will help India decarbonise sectors such as shipping and transportation where it can be used as a fuel, as well as in manufacturing industries such as steel and chemicals where it can be used as a raw material. It could also replace fossil fuels in power generation and be used to store renewable energy but only if it is commercially viable and as economically competitive as traditionally used fossil-based grey hydrogen, we reported in September 2021.

Transition from coal

About 70% of India's energy demand is met by two fossil fuels--coal (44%) and oil (25%). However, at the COP26, India committed to achieving a net zero target by 2070, which means India will have to significantly reduce its coal and oil reliance over the next decades.

But, at the same time, India also issued a series of notifications that give polluting units "a license to pollute", according to a briefing note by the Centre for Science and In April 2021, through a notification, the ministry extended the timelines to comply with emission norms for a majority of coal-based power plants in India from 2022 to 2025. This means that 72% of coal-based power plants will continue to pollute for another two-three years.

Further, in June 2021, the Central Electricity Authority called for extending the deadline for plants to 2035 to adopt emission norms set in 2015. "Given the 2070 net zero target, India will have to phase out coal by 2035; so, if they plan to give concessions to thermal plants until 2035, when will they phase out," said Shripad Dharmadhikary, analyst at the research organisation Manthan Adhyayan Kendra.

In April 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and (MoEFCC) issued a notification on 100% utilisation of ash generated by coal and lignite-based thermal power plants in an eco-friendly manner and introduced a fine for non-compliance. Over the last two decades, the environment ministry has been issuing similar notifications on the disposal and utilisation of fly ash, but over 50% of industries remain non-compliant, mostly dumping the ash in the open, in water bodies and in unlined and uncovered pits, we reported in August 2021.

Environment laws diluted

In October, the environment ministry proposed an amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, permitting non-forest activities--cultivation, construction, mining--in private forest land and state or Union government-notified forest land, where the owner can be any private or public sector entity. The proposed amendment deviates from the mandate to preserve forest by making exemptions to several developmental projects, environmentalists say.

are one of the critical elements in the fight against Apart from sustaining terrestrial biodiversity and livelihoods, significantly absorb the carbon dioxide released into the air. The Forest Act is the apex law in India to prevent deforestation, by prohibiting tree felling and other non-forestry activities on forest land without the permission of the Union or state governments.

In March 2021, the central government issued an amendment diluting the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) framework of 2006, by exempting all projects from public hearing whose environmental clearance had expired and therefore had to apply afresh. According to the notification, the prior environmental clearance for a project was granted for a maximum period of 10 years, and in some cases five years. The projects which failed to complete within the granted time period had to undergo all the processes afresh, including conducting public hearing. However, as per the new amendment, the earlier compulsion of conducting public hearing was done away with if minimum 50% of the project had been implemented. The 2006 notification has undergone a total of 15 alterations until February 2020.

In July 2021, the environment ministry further issued new standard operating procedures (SOPs) for dealing with cases of industrial projects that are operating without prior environmental clearance under the Environment Impact Notification (EIA), 2006. But these provisions will not act as a deterrent against violations of environment norms, defeating the purpose of prior environmental clearances mandated by the EIA 2006, an IndiaSpend investigation found in August.

On November 1, MoEF&CC issued a gazette notification seeking an amendment to India's Coastal Regulation (CRZ) Notification, 2019, to exempt oil and natural gas exploration and development activities from obtaining mandatory prior clearances.

Andaman denotified, push to palm oil

The government is planning to set up big commercial, tourism and shipping projects in the that would strip the protection that the ecologically and ethnically significant archipelago enjoys, we reported in April 2021.

Earlier, in January, the MoEFCC amended the Island Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2019, to move Great Nicobar from Group I of islands with a 200-metre buffer from the high-tide line to Group II with 100 metres' buffer.

comprise 836 islands with a total geographical area of about 8,249 square kilometres, 0.25% of the total geographical area of India. Of the 8,249 sq km, over 80% of the land (6,751 sq km) is recorded as forest land, which includes nine national parks, 96 wildlife sanctuaries and one biosphere reserve.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands have seen a marginal rise in forest cover of 0.28% between 2011 and 2019, but have lost their moderately dense forests by 71%, or 1,732 sq km, a November 2021 Factchecker study found.

In August 2021, the Union cabinet approved an outlay of Rs 11,040 crore for a proposal to expand production in India, towards its ultimate goal to have 1 million hectare of land under palm cultivation and becoming atmanirbhar, or 'self-sufficient', in oil. The scheme has identified India's northeast region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as focus areas, which has raised concerns among environmentalists. bears a significant threat to the water table of specific areas it is cultivated in, as seen in the major palm oil cultivating countries in southeast Asia.

When it comes to air pollution, Northern India, again, saw a deterioration in air quality with the onset of winter. Our report shows that the number of air quality monitors in India per million people is much less compared to compatible countries.


officers on Friday searched residences of partners of UP-based Odochem Industries and unearthed over Rs 150 crore cash, along with factory premises of Shikhar brand Pan Masala manufacturer and a transporter on charges of under-invoicing and tax evasion.

The factory premises of Trimurti Fragrance Pvt Ltd, manufacturers of Shikhar brand Pan Masala and Tobacco products, and office/godowns of transporter Ganpati Road Carriers were searched and "tax dues" of over Rs 3 crore was recovered, the finance ministry said in a statement.

Residential premises of Kannauj-based Odochem Industries, who were supplying perfumery compound, mostly in cash, were also searched on suspicion that the sale proceeds in cash were secreted in the premises.

During the search proceedings at the residential premises, huge amount of cash, wrapped in paper, has been found. The process of counting of cash has been initiated with the help of officials of State Bank of India, Kanpur, which may continue till Friday evening. The total amount of cash is expected to be in excess of Rs 150 crore, the ministry said.

The agency proposes to seize the cash under the provisions of Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, pending further investigations, it added.

"On specific intelligence, officers of Directorate General of Intelligence (DGGI), Ahmedabad with the support of officers of local Central initiated search operations in Kanpur on 22.12.2021. The search operations covered the factory premises of M/s Trimurti Fragrance Pvt Ltd, Kanpur, manufacturers of Shikhar brand Pan Masala and Tobacco products, and the office/godowns of M/s Ganpati Road Carriers, Transport Nagar, Kanpur, involved in transportation of goods," an official statement said.

"An amount of Rs 3.09 crore has been recovered so far towards tax dues," it added.

As per intelligence received by GST officers, the manufacturer was involved in clandestine supply of goods without payment of applicable tax.

The transporter used to generate multiple invoices in the name of non-existent firms, all below Rs 50,000 for one full truck load, to avoid generation of e-way bills while moving the goods.

The transporter was also collecting the sale proceeds of such clandestine supply in cash and handing it over to the manufacturer, after deducting his commission.

The officers initially intercepted and seized 4 such trucks outside the factory premises, cleared from the factory without invoices and E-way Bills.

In the factory premises, during physical stock taking, shortage of raw materials and finished products was noticed as the finished products had been cleared clandestinely.

The authorised signatory of the company has admitted to have cleared the goods without GST, the statement added.

"In the premises of the transporter M/s Ganpati Road Carriers, more than 200 fake invoices used in the past for transportation of goods without payment of GST have been recovered. The transporter has also admitted that goods were being transported without e-way bills under the cover of fake invoices and also the sale proceeds was being collected in cash, to be handed over to the manufacturer. An amount of Rs 1.01 crore in cash has been seized from the possession of transporter," the statement said.

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India and Australia are discussing the way forward for an early conclusion of the interim trade deal between the two nations.

Both the countries wanted to conclude an interim trade deal by Christmas.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Dan Tehan MP, Australia's minister for trade, tourism and investment, held a video conference earlier this week to expedite the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

Officials from both nations have been asked to expedite negotiations towards finalisation of the CECA.

"Both the ministers appreciated that bilateral trade talks have been very progressive and both the ministers have decided to deepen the engagement and directed the officials to speed up the negotiations to pave the way for a comprehensive agreement," an official statement said.

In the past, both nations had said they were looking to finalise a comprehensive trade deal by the end of 2022 and sign an early harvest agreement by December 25. Early harvest deal aims to cover areas of immediate interest by both nations.

The CECA is expected to cover goods, services, investments, government procurement, logistics, standards, and rules of origin.

"The ministers look forward to a balanced trade agreement that encourages benefit to both the economies and their people, and that reflects their shared commitment to a rules-based international trading system," the statement added.
goods shipments to has more than doubled in November, 2021 to USD 434.6 million (Rs 32,60 crore approximately) as compared to USD 205.3 million (Rs 1540 crore) in the same month last year, sector export promotion body EEPC said on Friday.

The US, however, remained the top importer of Indian goods at USD 1196 million during this period, registering a growth of 36.6 per cent over USD 875 million in November, 2020.

The UAE was the third biggest market for Indian goods with a total shipment value of USD 404.4 million in the previous month.

India's engineering continued to grow in November 2021 but a decline was observed in the value of shipment, EEPC said.

However, total engineering goods slowed down to USD 7.7 billion (Rs 57,000 crore approx) in November from 9.03 billion (Rs 67,000 crore in October 2021).

However, the growth was still substantial at 37.12 per cent over the of November 2020 at USD 5.62 billion.

"The slowdown seems to be indicating the distress exporters are facing given volatility in world demand and the uncertainty regarding the pandemic which has been triggered by the new variant Omicron. Experts around the globe have already predicted that while the global trade growth is remarkable it is not even across the countries," EEPC India Chairman Mahesh Desai said.

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Four years and four defeats later, Jai Ram Thakurs report card may not appear to be great.

The pressure just mounted on the first-time Chief Minister of after the November bypolls saw a Congress clean sweep. The grand old party retained two Assembly seats and won the other, besides bagging the Lok Sabha seat in Mandi.

Thakur has another year to improve his performance, lest the stamp of failure prevents him from being promoted for the second time at the helm -- a phenomenon that never happened in the politics of the hills dominated only by the BJP and the Congress.

Firmly believing that with corruption-free governance as well as speedy and uniform development, he enjoys a free hand to lead the party till the next Assembly slated at the end of 2022.

The first-time Chief Minister says these four years have seen 'remarkable achievements', even though the Congress would want everyone to believe otherwise".

"As we enter the election year, we hope to work with renewed zeal to enable the party to return to power once again," Thakur, who believes development and no witch hunting is his success mantra, told IANS on returning to the state capital with an assurance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he will be visiting Mandi town on December 27, the day the government is completing four years of governance.

Five-time legislator Thakur (56) was elevated after the party's chief ministerial candidate, Prem Kumar Dhumal, suffered an abject defeat from Sujanpur in the 2017 Assembly polls. Several names were doing the rounds at that time, including that of now BJP President J.P. Nadda, whom the party did not relieve from national politics.

Quoting this week's Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report, political rivals say the main challenge for the government is the state's deteriorating fiscal health with overall liabilities at the end of 2019-20 at Rs 62,212 crore, having grown at 14.57 per cent over the previous year.

Also, they say, Thakur has not managed to establish his credentials in these years as a charismatic leader unlike his predecessor and two-time Chief Minister Dhumal.

They gun Thakur for lacking "acumen" and the administrative skills to run the government.

"Thakur is a good human being, but he lacks the administrative skills and shrewdness to run a government. He and his ministerial team, largely first-timers, cannot face and even tackle new challenges," a political rival, requesting anonymity, told IANS.

"The weak Cabinet is not capable of fulfilling the aspirations of the people. They largely bank on the Central leadership to remain at the helm," added the rival.

After the bypoll results, the opposition Congress has been demanding that the Chief Minister should accept responsibility for the defeat and resign.

But Thakur, who was a Cabinet minister under both the terms of Dhumal as CM, said it was simply a "Virbhadra wave" that did the trick for the Congress.

Thakur said the Congress won because of the sympathy with the late Virbhadra Singh, which would not happen in the Assembly

"People of Himachal are emotional and get swayed by appeals, but this will not happen every time," he said.

Six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh passed away in July this year.

Without mincing words, Thakur, who has brought a generational change in state politics, added that the defeat was a timely alert for the party which would help overcome the shortcomings.

To join the celebrations of the BJP government's four years in office, Modi, who has complemented the state for becoming the first in the country to administer at least one dose of the Covid vaccine to its entire eligible population, and for its efforts in natural farming, will be in Thakur's hometown Mandi on November 27

Besides addressing a gathering, Modi will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects and schemes worth Rs 11,279 crore, including the foundation for the Rs 6,700 crore Renukaji dam project.

"In the past four years, we have achieved milestones in hydropower generation, industrialisation, education, infrastructure development and giving monetary succour to government employees, despite the pandemic wreaking havoc for nearly two years now," Thakur said.

He said the Prime Minister has a special bond with the state and its people. "He will come here again in the next four months to inaugurate the AIIMS in Bilaspur," Thakur said.

This is the first time in the history of the state that development projects worth Rs 11,279 crore are being dedicated to the people by any Prime Minister, Thakur said.

The hill state, whose hydropower generation as well as horticulture and tourism are major contributors to its economic development, is facing one of its worst financial crises with liabilities increasing from Rs 41,197 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 62,212 crore in 2019-20, as per the CAG report.

The situation looks grimmer in the coming years in view of public debt growing at a faster rate, less funds available for the development and capital creation and higher volume of outstanding public debt.

"We inherited a loan burden of over Rs 46,500 crore from the previous government due to their financial mismanagement and unmindful expenditure. Therefore, the biggest challenge before us was to bring back the derailed economy back on track," said the Chief Minister.

The state, he said, has implemented several decisions and schemes which are bound to transform its economy and the people.

Thakur, who rose through the ranks, believes that establishing direct contact with the common masses will definitely help his party retain power after the Assembly

"The Jan Manch (public meeting in every district headquarters on first Sunday of a month) programme launched by the government has been appreciated even by our political opponents," he said.

is a special category state. Accordingly, it is entitled to financial assistance from the government of India in the ratio of 90 per cent grant and 10 per cent loan, unlike non-special category states, which get central aid in the ratio of 30 per cent grant and 70 per cent loan.

According to the CAG, the social indicators like literacy rate and rate of infant mortality at birth indicate that the state has better literacy rate and infant mortality rate than the all-India average.

The percentage of below poverty line (BPL) population in the state is also well below the all-India average.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

--IANS

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Ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Alok Singh on Thursday held a coordination meeting with police officers of adjoining states and districts, including Delhi and Haryana, to discuss important issues, officials said.

To ensure better coordination between officers of the states and the districts adjoining the Gautam Buddh Nagar border, Singh directed them to form a WhatsApp group so that any information could be shared immediately about elements involved in disrupting elections or other criminals and action taken promptly, the officials said.

"Senior police officers from the states and districts adjoining Gautam Buddh Nagar border were asked to maintain law and order during the upcoming assembly elections and take strict action against any persons involved in malpractice, including liquor smugglers or mafia, a police spokesperson here said.

The coordination meeting was held at the Gautam Buddh Nagar police commissioner's office in Noida's Sector 108, with senior officers including Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Love Kumar, among others, in attendance.

The officers who joined the meeting also included those from Delhi, Faridabad (Haryana), Hapur, Bulandshahr and Ghaziabad, the spokesperson said.

"Singh called on the officers to ensure coordination so that the upcoming elections are conducted smoothly. He said ensuring an atmosphere for conducting elections in a fair and peaceful manner has always been the priority of the police force, the official said.

The official announcement of dates for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections is yet to be made but the polls are expected early next year.

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A special CBI court here on Thursday granted bail to Rajiv Anand, a former business head of Yes Bank, in a cheating and corruption case involving the private sector lender

Anand's bail plea was allowed by special judge for CBI cases S U Wadgaonkar. The detailed order was not available yet. The bank's co-founder Rana Kapoor and his family are co-accused in the case. Rana Kapoor is in judicial custody in a related case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate. He was arrested in March 2020.

As per the CBI, invested Rs 3,700 crore in debentures of DHFL, which, in return, allegedly paid kickbacks of Rs 600 crore to DoIT Urban Ventures, a firm controlled by Kapoor's wife and daughters.

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US Secretary of State discussed with Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg concerns over Russia's military activity near Ukraine, but conveyed the United States' readiness to engage in dialogue to resolve the issue, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday.

"Secretary Blinken spoke with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today to discuss their shared concern about Russia's military build-up on the borders of Ukraine," Price said in a press release. "They discussed NATO's dual-track approach to Russia, noting the Alliance remains ready for meaningful dialogue with Russia, while standing united to defend and protect Allies.

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China's securities regulator proposed tightening rules governing listing abroad on Friday, which it said would improve oversight while allowing firms to continue to do so.

The Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said on its website that it proposed establishing a new framework for overseas listing of Chinese firms. Overseas IPOs have provided an alternative source of capital for in the past and a New York listing has been seen as a badge of honor for many.

Beijing has been examining ramping up supervision of overseas listings since the $4.4 billion initial public offering (IPO) of ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc and the proposals on Friday were not as stringent as some had expected.

Chinese firms have raised about $12.8 billion in US listings in 2021, according to Refinitiv data.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has called for a balanced deal in the negotiations between and other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal.

"The other sides should not doubt that if they want to give one point and ask for 10 points, the Islamic Republic of will never accept this method," Amir Abdollahian said at the joint press conference with his visiting Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein on Thursday.

The Iranian diplomat said "loudly declare that if you want to address your concerns about Iran's peaceful nuclear program, all sanctions should be lifted", Xinhua news agency reported.

Iran will continue the negotiations until a good agreement is reached, he said, adding that "when other parties show their seriousness, it is the day when we can talk about the return of all parties to their commitments" under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran will pursue negotiations in with good faith and seriousness with a view to reaching a "good" agreement, and it is expected that other parties will continue the talks with the same approach, he noted.

Following seven rounds of talks held since April this year, Iran and Western parties to the 2015 nuclear deal have yet found ways to break the impasse on salvaging the pact, which Washington unilaterally quitted in 2018.

--IANS

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Myanmar's military unleashed airstrikes and heavy artillery on a small town controlled by ethnic guerrillas, sending hundreds of people fleeing across a river into Thailand, local officials and residents said Friday.

Government forces targeted Lay Kay Kaw, a small town near the Thai border that is controlled by the Karen guerrillas who are seeking greater autonomy from the central government.

Fighting has intensified since February, when the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and guerrillas offered refuge to opponents of the army.

The most recent clashes were triggered by a raid last week by government soldiers on Lay Kay Kaw.

Independent media reported that government troops seized 30-60 people associated with the organised opposition to the military government, including at least one elected lawmaker from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.

The sounds of gunfire, bombing and fighter jets could be heard on the Thai side of the border, where houses shook from detonations.

Last week, some 2,500 villagers also fled the fighting into Thailand's Mae Sot district.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Aye Lwin, a member of the Lay Kay Kaw town administration, told The Associated Press that two military aircraft bombed a location near Lay Kay Kaw. The airstrikes were followed by artillery fire from army bases starting on Thursday evening, he said.

The airstrikes took place three days after the Karen guerrillas called on the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone over Lay Kay Kaw to protect civilians.

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The Korean government will invest 545.7 billion in the development of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines next year.

It includes a plan to pre-purchase up to 10 million doses of domestic COVID-19 vaccine developed by SK Bioscience within this year.

The government held the 12th meeting of the pan-government support group for developing COVID-19 treatment and vaccine on the 23rd, and announced this decision.

At the meeting, Minister of Science and ICT Lim Hye Sook, 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Ryu Geunhyuk, officials from related ministries, including Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korean Intellectual Property Office, and drug and vaccine experts attended.

The government will invest a total of 545.7 billion won in the development of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines next year. This is an increase of 283 billion won (107.7%) from the previous budget of 262.7 billion won this year.

In particular, it will invest 321 billion won in developing COVID-19 treatments and vaccines and supporting clinical trials. Among them, it will allocate 192 billion won to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for pre-purchase of domestic vaccines. Ministry of Welfare and Ministry of Science and ICT will also strengthen support for various clinical trials and non-clinical studies.

The government will also provide 119.3 billion won to establish facilities and equipment for development of treatments and vaccines.

It will also invest 36.4 billion won in development, localization, and advancement of infectious disease next generation diagnostic devices such as rapid test and intelligent machines.

It will also allocate 69 billion won to strengthen basic research such as development of core technologies related to infectious diseases.

The vaccine developed by SK Bioscience received approval for the phase 3 clinical trial plan in August and announced the interim results of phase 2 last month to meet the pre-purchase requirements set by the government.

The government decided to pre-purchase vaccines by comprehensively considering safety, immunogenicity, and availability based on the interim results of phase 2 clinical trials.

It is planning to specify contract conditions through the working-level meetings and sign a pre-purchase contract as soon as possible.

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has registered more than 150,000 tourist arrivals so far this year, as the number peaked after over 47,000 people landed in the island nation in the first 20 days of December, Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said.

According to official figures, recorded a total of 47,120 tourists in the first 20 days of December, surpassing November's number, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ranatunga said that in an effort to increase the month-on-month growth rate of tourist arrivals, promotions will be launched by the Ministry and the national carrier SriLankan Airlines, in cities across the globe.

The Minister said these promotions will be carried out through social media, and at conferences and exhibitions as well.

The island nation's government has said that it will declare 2022 as the Visit Year.

--IANS

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Sri Lankan Prime Minister and his wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa offered prayers at the famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirumala on Friday.

The couple, on a two-day visit to the Hindu pilgrimage centre, had arrived here on Thursday.

The hill-top shrine, renowned as the world's richest Hindu temple, is located in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

Earlier on his arrival at Mahadwaram or main portal of the temple, the Sri Lankan leader was accorded a warm welcome by TTD JEO Veerabrahmam and other functionaries, an official release by TTD stated on Friday.

After partaking darshan, was rendered Vedaseervachanam or ceremonial blessings by the pandits at Ranganayakula Mandapam.

The JEO offered Theertha Prasadams and a laminated photo of Srivaru to the foreign dignitary.

The deputy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Narayana Swamy was also present during the Sri Lankan Prime Minister's Tirumala temple visit.

--IANS

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After US President signed the Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law today, US House Speaker on Thursday (local time) said that it is a strong step to combat the exploitation of forced labor in China's Xinjiang province.

The bill received unanimous bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress.

"President Biden and the Congress, on a bipartisan and bicameral basis, have taken a strong step to combat the exploitation of forced labor in Xinjiang with the enactment of the Forced Labor Prevention Act," Pelosi said in a statement.

US President on Thursday signed the " Forced Labor Prevention Act" that bans importing of goods into the US made with forced labor in China's Xinjiang province.

"The ongoing genocide perpetrated by the Chinese government against the Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities is a challenge to the conscience of the entire world, which is why the House twice passed legislation to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its exploitation of forced labor and put an end to this horrific practice," the statement said.

It further added, "We salute Chairman Jim McGovern for his leadership and commitment to this action, which is a moral imperative for our values and an economic priority for our workers. We cannot accept a situation in which American workers and businesses are forced to compete with forced labor."

"Congress, on a bipartisan and bicameral basis, will continue to condemn and confront the CCP's human rights abuses in Xinjiang and many other abuses in the region, from Hong Kong to Tibet to the mainland. If America does not speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights any place in the world," the statement added.

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The have halted US-chartered Qatar Airways evacuation flights out of for the past two weeks.

The flights were halted over disagreements both about how the Kabul airport is managed and who is provided with seats on the evacuation flights, Sputnik reported citing NBC report on Thursday.

"We are hopeful that flights will resume shortly, though as usual, winter weather conditions and airport operations remain additional factors to be aware of," a State Department official told NBC.

The allegedly demanded several seats on the flights for their fighters and sympathizers so that they can work in other countries, the Russian News Agency reported.

According to the report, the argue that they are running the country and Qataris use their airspace, so the radical group should receive seats on the flights.

Prior to the flight suspension, the Taliban were using the seats to send migrant workers to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries to find work, the report noted. The Taliban were deciding who would get the seats, and it was not known who was leaving - Taliban fighters, sympathizers, civilians, or a combination of these groups, the report added.

The report further stated that when the Qatari government declined to continue providing seats, the Taliban halted evacuation flights.

The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis.

A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and sanctions on the Taliban, have plunged a country already suffering from high poverty levels into a full-blown economic crisis.

The community, from governments to non-governmental organizations, has been providing various assistance to the Afghan people.

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Two Pakistani soldiers were killed when terrorists attacked a check post in the country's restive province on Friday, according to an official statement.

The incident happened in Kech district of the province when the terrorists attacked the checkpost and killed the two soldiers, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the military's media affairs wing, said.

The security forces have launched a search operation in the area to locate the terrorists.

"Security forces are determined to defeat such acts of inimical elements, aimed at disrupting peace, stability and progress of Balochistan," the statement said.

This is the second such incident in the province in a month.

Earlier this month, a soldier was killed when militants attacked a check post close to a border area with Iran in the province. In November, two soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire with terrorists during an operation in Balochistan's Hoshab area.

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A board that had unanimously supported a posthumous pardon for George Floyd over a 2004 drug arrest in Houston backpedaled in an announcement Thursday, saying "procedural errors" were found in their recommendation months after leaving the decision to Republican Gov Greg Abbott.

The unusual reversal was announced by Abbott's office two days before Christmas, around the time he typically doles out his annual pardons.

The withdrawn endorsement was met with outrage from a public defender who submitted the pardon application for Floyd, who spent much of his life in Houston before his death in 2020 under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer. Allison Mathis, an attorney in Houston, accused the two-term governor of playing politics ahead of Texas' March GOP primary elections as he faces challengers from the far right.

Floyd's name was withdrawn along with two dozen other clemency recommendations that had been submitted by the Board of Pardon and Paroles. In a letter dated December 16 but not released publicly until now, the board told Abbott that it had identified "unexplained departures" from its process of issuing pardons and needed to reconsider more than a third of the 67 clemency recommendations it sent to Abbott this year, including the one for Floyd.

In October, the board had unanimously recommended that Floyd become just the second person in since 2010 to receive a posthumous pardon from the governor.

"As a result of the Board's withdrawal of the recommendation concerning George Floyd, Governor Abbott did not have the opportunity to consider it," Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement.

Mathis called the last-minute reversal a "ridiculous farce". She said the board which is stocked with Abbott appointees did not make her aware of any issues prior to the announcement from the governor's office.

"It really strains credibility for them to say now that it's out of compliance, after the board has already voted on it," she said.

Floyd grew up and was laid to rest in Houston. In June, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for Floyd's murder, which led to a national reckoning in the US over race and policing.

Pardons restore the rights of the convicted and forgive them in the eyes of the law. But in Floyd's case, his family and supporters said a posthumous pardon in Texas would show a commitment to accountability.

In February 2004, Floyd was arrested in Houston for selling USD 10 worth of crack in a police sting, and later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and served 10 months in prison. But the global spotlight on the death of Floyd in police custody 16 years later is not why prosecutors revisited his Houston case. Instead, it was prompted by a deadly Houston drug raid in 2019 that involved the same officer who arrested Floyd.

Prosecutors say that officer, Gerald Goines, lied to obtain the search warrant for the raid that killed a husband and wife. Goines, who is no longer on the Houston force and faces murder charges, has denied wrongdoing. More than 160 drug convictions tied to him over the years have since been dismissed by prosecutors due to concerns about his casework.

David Gutierrez, chairman of Texas' parole board, said in the letter to Abbott that he ordered a review after the board had recommended more clemency recommendations this year than at any point in two decades. He did not specify how Floyd's recommendation skirted the usual procedures, instead only broadly pointing to several sets of rules that Gutierrez said the board did not follow.

A number listed for Gutierrez was not answered Thursday.

For months, Abbott gave no indication whether he would grant the pardon in the months since the parole board put the recommendation on his desk. The prolonged silence raised questions by Mathis and over whether political calculations were at play in Abbott's decision. His office has not respond to those charges.

Abbott attended Floyd's memorial service last year in Houston, where he met with the family and floated the idea of a "George Floyd Act" that would take aim at police brutality. But when the Texas Legislature convened months later, Abbott was silent over policing reforms pushed by Democrats and made police funding a priority.

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Former President turned to the Supreme Court Thursday in a last-ditch effort to keep documents away from the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Trump's attorneys argued in their petition to the Supreme Court that both the Constitution and the Presidential Records Act give former Presidents a clear right to protect their confidential records from premature dissemination. This case presents a clear threat to that right."



A federal appeals court ruled against Trump two weeks ago, but prohibited documents held by the National Archives from being turned over before the Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in. Trump appointed three of the nine justices.

Trump sued the House Jan. 6 committee and the National Archives to stop the White House from allowing the release of documents related to the insurrection. Trump is claiming that as a former president he has right to assert executive privilege over the records, arguing that releasing them would damage the presidency in the future.

But President Joe Biden determined that the documents were in the public interest and that executive privilege should therefore not be invoked. The documents include presidential diaries, visitor logs, speech drafts, handwritten notes concerning the events of January 6 from the files of former chief of staff Mark Meadows, and a draft Executive Order on the topic of election integrity, the Archives has said.

The House committee has said the records are vital to its investigation into the run-up to the deadly riot that was aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.

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British Prime Minister on Friday used his annual message to push the get boosted now message for protection against COVID-19, amid an ongoing surge in cases of the Omicron variant in the country.

In his video message, Johnson said a coronavirus booster jab would be a "wonderful" gift and also linked it to the teachings of Jesus Christ. He also struck a note of caution that after two years of the pandemic "we are still not through it because Omicron is surging.

Though the time for buying presents is theoretically running out, there is still a wonderful thing you can give your family and the whole country and that is to get that jab, whether it is your first or second, or your booster. So that next year's festivities are even better than this year's, said Johnson.

And I hope I can be forgiven for taking pride in the immense spirit of neighbourliness that the people of this country have shown. Getting jabbed not just for themselves, for ourselves, but for friends and family and everyone we meet. And that, after all, is the teaching of Jesus Christ, whose birth is at the heart of this enormous festival that we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves, he said.

And so let's think of all those who are being good neighbours and thinking of All those in the NHS working over Christmas, our care workers, everyone involved in the incredible vaccination campaign, he said.

The National Health Service (NHS) has said that many of its vaccination sites will be functioning through the holiday period to keep up the booster drive. NHS England said its "jingle jab" campaign will see COVID vaccines administered at local sites such as town halls and pharmacies throughout the weekend.

Opposition Labour Leader Keir Starmer struck a similar note of thanks for the frontline workers in his Christmas message, as he reflected upon families who have faced "unimaginable loss" this year due to the pandemic.

For too many, there will be one less chair at the table for the Christmas meal. But, in the darkest of times, Christian values of kindness, of compassion and hope have shone through," he said.

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has announced tougher lockdown restrictions in the region post-Christmas, stressed that this year is much more normal than the last due to the vaccinations.

Queen Elizabeth II's pre-recorded annual broadcast to the nation and the Commonwealth will air on Christmas Day on Saturday, with an image released by Buckingham Palace on Friday.

She is seen wearing a red dress and a brooch that she wore on her honeymoon in 1947, indicating a very personal Christmas message this year which marked the death of her husband Prince Philip in April. The message was recorded last week at Windsor Castle, where the 95-year-old monarch will spend Christmas with Prince Charles and wife Camilla.

The recorded 119,789 daily COVID infections on Thursday.

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Officials of the United Nations have said that they are busy considering the resumption of the economy in for which the global body will allocate a package of $8 billion, Khaama Press reported.

The amount of money that is supposed to be given to in 2022 will be spent to deliver various services in the war-torn country.

The package is aimed at providing healthy food for children in schools, creating job opportunities, paying off electricity debts of to central Asian countries, and rebuilding governance beyond humanitarian aids in the country, the report said.

UN Secretary General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, said that they do not want to turn to an alternative government in Afghanistan, adding that Afghan people need dignity and hope.

He said that it is important for the community to support them so that the gains of the past two decades are preserved in Afghanistan, the report added.

The move comes after the UN had estimated that over half of the population of Afghanistan is starving as foreign aid is stalled and people are suffering from vast unemployment.

--IANS

san/arm

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The has donated 664,560 new doses of vaccine to to help it intensify its fight against the coronavirus, the US Embassy said here on Friday.

The new doses of vaccine given to free of cost is in addition to the doses the US had provided early this year when the cases of coronavirus were constantly on a rise.

"The US government has donated an additional 664,560 doses of vaccine to government to fight COVID-19. These highly effective life-saving vaccines for ages 12 and older add to the 100,620 doses of Pfizer vaccines and 1.535 million single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines the gifted to Nepal earlier this year," the US Embassy in Kathmandu said in a statement.

This support augments the more than USD 122 million in assistance provided (excluding including vaccine costs) to Nepal to-date in the form of life-saving medical supplies, training, and technical support, the statement added.

The US said it is donating vaccines free of cost and without preconditions, as part of the United States' ongoing support to Nepal during the pandemic.

"In addition, the Agency for Development (USAID) and UNICEF are partnering with Nepal to distribute these vaccines, including safely and equitably to regions where they are urgently needed and encouraging people to get vaccinated, the statement further stated.

"We are pleased that these vaccines, now authorised for children 12 to 17, will be primarily used to keep children safe and healthy, Sepideh Keyvanshad, the USAID Mission Director, said.

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US President signed into law a bill banning goods from Chinas region unless companies can prove they arent made with forced labor, a move that will add to tensions over Beijings treatment of the nations Uyghur minority.

The bill passed with unanimous backing in both the House and Senate earlier this month, showcasing how Republicans and Democrats are largely aligned on policy despite Washingtons deep partisan divisions on most major issues.

The new law could pose a significant challenge for American and other firms that source items from for products used in the US. Even before Biden signed the bill, Intel Corp found itself embroiled in controversy after the chipmaker asked suppliers not to use any labour or products sourced from and then apologised for the move.

The measure is motivated by concern about the oppression of Uyghur Muslims in a region that holds a major place in global supply chains. Xinjiang is a source for cotton used in clothing and is a key location for producing polysilicon used in solar panels.

Walmart blasted by consumers over missing Xinjiang items

Chinese social media platforms erupted on Friday over allegations that Walmart had stopped selling items from Xinjiang at its members-only grocery chain Sams Club in Posts of screenshots showing no search results for the word Xinjiang on Sams Clubs app went viral Friday on Weibo.
The stock of defence and aerospace electronics solutions provider made a strong debut on the bourses on Friday. It got listed at Rs 856, a 46 per cent premium to its issue price but gave up some gains and ended the session at Rs 750  28.2 per cent premium to its issue price.

After listing, the company commands a market capitalisation of Rs 3,894 crore.

Data Patterns' initial public offering (IPO) was subscribed 120 times. The qualified institutional buyer (QIB) portion was subscribed 186 times; the HNI portion was bought 260 times, and the retail portion was purchased 23.6 times.

The company had priced its IPO between Rs 555 and 585 a share. The Rs 588-crore IP0 comprised a fresh issue worth Rs 240 crore and OFS worth Rs 348 crore. Ahead of its public issue, the company raised Rs 176 crore from anchor investors.

HDFC MF, ICICI Pru MF, Axis MF, Kotak MF, Birla MF, HDFC Life, Tata AIA Life, Nomura Funds, White Oak Capital, and Enam were the investors allotted shares through the anchor book.





caters to the defence products industry. The company's core competencies include electronic hardware design and development, software design and development, firmware design and development, and engineering services. The firms manufacturing facility in Chennai has facilities for design, manufacturing, qualification, and life-cycle support of high-reliability electronic systems used in defence and aerospace applications.

The company is also planning to acquire 2.81 acre for further expansion. As of July 31, 2021, had 760 employees with more than 450 qualified engineers.

The company plans to utilise the proceeds of the issue for repayment of its debts, funding working capital requirements, and upgrading its facilities in Chennai.
The price of 10 gram of gold increased by Rs 300 on Friday, with 24-carat gold trading at Rs 48,300 and 22-carat at Rs 47,300.

The price of 1 kg of silver increased by Rs 400 and the precious metal is selling at Rs 62,300.

In Delhi, the price of 24-carat gold stands at Rs 51,800, while in Mumbai it is at Rs 48,300, according to the Goodreturns website.

The price of 10 gram of 22-carat gold in Delhi and Mumbai is at Rs 47,500 and Rs 47,300, respectively.

In Chennai, 10 gram of 24-carat gold is selling at Rs 49,700 on Friday, while 10 gram of 22-carat gold is selling at Rs 45,560.

In Kolkata, 24-carat gold is selling at Rs 50,200, while 22-carat gold's price is at Rs 47,500, according to the Goodreturns website.

The price of gold varies across the country due to excise duty, state taxes, and making charges.

In Chennai, the price of 1 kg of silver is at Rs 66,200, while in Delhi and Mumbai, the metal is selling at Rs 62,300.

Silver is selling at Rs 62,300 per kg in Kolkata and Bengaluru, while in Hyderabad, the metal is selling at Rs 66,200 a kg.
The asset management industry has witnessed several foreign entities exiting India over the past few years. But Asset Management India  which is ranked 23rd in terms of average asset under management (AAUM)  is not only defying this trend but also planning to move up the ladder, starting with the acquisition of Mutual Fund (MF).

Asset Management India ( MF/AMC) on Thursday announced taking over Indias 12th largest fund house, MF, for $425 million (around Rs 3,188 crore). According to market participants, this was one of the biggest deals in the Rs 38-trillion Indian MF industry.

Ravi Menon, CEO of HSBC AMC, said: This is validation of our groups view on India and on the asset management business in India. In the MF industry, size and scale matter and when the opportunity came, it was a perfect fit for us as MF had assets of around Rs 80,000 crore.

The Indian asset management industry is still dominated by large established players having a strong distribution network across the country. Even now, 82 per cent of total assets are controlled by the top 10 players.

Several foreign fund houses, such as Fidelity, Morgan Stanely, PineBridge, ING, and JPMorgan, have exited India over the past few years. According to industry players, several players that left India found it difficult to scale up their asset base. But Mirae MF and Franklin Templeton MF are among exceptions.

The HSBC group has been present in India for more than 150 years, and we know the country. The merged entity  after the regulatory approvals  will be a substantial player by coming near the top 10 players in the industry, said Menon.





The data from Value Research shows that L&T MF as of November-end had a pure equity asset of around Rs 33,500 crore with strong performance. HSBC MF with less assets on the equity side would get the benefit of scale from this deal, said industry executives.

According to Dhirendra Kumar, CEO at Value Research, said: I dont think its a costly deal from HSBC's point of view as building assets in the Indian MF industry is a tough ask. The merged entity will have AUM of around Rs 90,000 crore and will be a prominent and long-term player in the industry. With the brand of HSBC and the scale of L&T's funds, the AMC will have an impressive business for now.

The data from the Association of in India (Amfi) shows that L&T MF had AAUM of Rs 78,273.80 crore and HSBC MF had AAUM of Rs 11,314.32 crore as of July-September quarter. The merged entity would have AAUM of Rs 89,588 crore and rank below Mirae Asset, which is at the 11th position. The 10 ten players in the industry have AAUM of over Rs 1 trillion with SBI MF at leading position with AAUM of Rs 5.78 trillion, according to the data from Amfi.

Going forward, there can be intense competition in the Indian MF industry as many new age technology players are planning to set up the fund house. But as long as the fund gives consistent performance and investors' interests are well protected, fund houses will continue to succeed, industry executives said.
Ajanta Pharma advanced 3.18% to Rs 2123.90 after the company said that its board will meet on Tuesday, 28 December 2021, to consider a proposal for buy-back of equity shares of the company.

The announcement was made after trading hours yesterday, 23 December 20221.

Ajanta Pharma is a speciality pharmaceutical formulation company having branded generic business in India and emerging markets, generic business in US and institution business in Africa.

The company's consolidated net profit rose 15.11% to Rs 195.94 crore on a 23.59% increase in sales to Rs 884.80 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

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The Australian share market finished slight higher in holiday shortened session on Friday, 24 December 2021, extending gains to fourth straight day, on easing fears about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Market sentiments lifted up after reports indicated the new strain poses a lower risk of severe disease and hospitalization than the Delta variant. Also, separate report stated US drugmakers Merck and Pfizer's Covid-19 antiviral pills were effective against the variant.

Meanwhile, Australian authorities said on Friday they would further shorten the interval for a booster shot to control the record surge in cases stoked by Omicron.

At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 was up 32.73 points, or 0.44%, to 7,420.30. The broader All Ordinaries index added 37.213 points, or 0.48%, to 7,744.70. Australia market will be closed till Tuesday and will resume trading on Wednesday.

The top performing stocks in this index were AMP and PILBARA MINERALS, up 6.38% and 5.34% respectively.

The bottom performing stocks in this index were ST BARBARA and RELIANCE WORLDWIDE CORP, down 2.4% and 2.38% respectively.

Shares of financials climbed up, with the top four banks rising between 0.1% and 0.6%. AMP climbed 6.4% after announcing a sale of its infrastructure debt division to Ares Management for US$310 million

Shares of energy sector rose on following an overnight rally in oil prices. Santos added 2.2%, while oil refiner Viva Energy climbed 1.8%.

Shares of materials and resources advanced as iron ore prices perked up. BHP Group rose 0.2%, while Fortescue Metals Group added 0.4%.

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Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said that CRISIL Ratings has revised its outlook on the company's long-term bank facilities to 'Positive' from 'Stable' while reaffirming the rating at 'CRISIL AA-'.

The rating on the short-term bank facilities has been reaffirmed at 'CRISIL A1+', the credit ratings agency said.

CRISIL Ratings said that the outlook revision reflects the continued healthy performance of Glenmark in fiscal 2022, resulting in strong cash generation (over Rs. 1400 crore), which along with proceeds from the initial public offering (IPO) and offer for sale (OFS) of the company's subsidiary, Glenmark Life Sciences (GLS), will lead to faster-than-expected improvement in the company's key debt protection metrics.

Using these proceeds, Glenmark paid-off $145 million term loan in the first half of fiscal 2022 resulting in debt declining to Rs 3,588 crore as on 30 September 2021 from Rs 4,687 crore as on 31 March 2021; debt levels are expected to further reduce by end of fiscal 2022.

CRISIL Ratings anticipates Glenmarks' debt to EBITDA ratio to improve to approximately 1.5 times in fiscal 2022 from 2.2 times in fiscal 2021.

The ratings continue to reflect the expanding presence of Glenmark in the international generics market, its strong position in the fast-growing chronic therapeutic segments in India, and above-average and improving financial risk profile.

These strengths are partially offset by the large working capital cycle, high R&D expenditure primarily towards new molecules and differentiated generics, and exposure to regulatory risks and intensifying competition in the US generics market.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals is a global research-led pharmaceutical company with presence across generics, specialty and over-the-counter (OTC) business with operations in over 50 countries.

The drug company posted a 10.1% increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 257.66 crore on a 7.5% rise in net sales to Rs 3,125.43 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

The scrip shed 0.99% to currently trade at Rs 499.35 on the BSE.

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GMR Airports Netherlands B. V., a step down subsidiary of GMR Airports (GAL), on 23 December 2021, signed the Shareholders' Agreement (SHA) and Share Subscription Agreement (SSA) with Angkasa Pura II (AP II) for the development and operation of Kualanamu International Airport (Project) in Medan, Indonesia.

The letter of award for the project was received on 23 November 2021.

With the signing of the agreements, GMR enters into 49:51 partnership with APII, the state owned enterprise and the bidding authority for the Kualanamu International Airport. The consortium will transform Kualanamu International Airport into Western International hub of Indonesia.

The project scope includes operation, development and expansion of the airport over a period of 25 years. Kualanamu International Airport is an operating Airport with healthy cash flows.

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L&T Finance Holdings dropped 4.24% to Rs 79.10 after the board considered the sale of 100% stake of L&T Investment Management, a wholly owned subsidiary and asset manager of L&T Mutual Fund, to HSBC Asset Management (India).

L&T Finance Holdings (LTFH) and HSBC Asset Management (India) (HSBC AMC) entered into a definitive agreement whereby HSBC AMC acquired 100% equity shares of L&T Investment Management (LTIM), a wholly owned subsidiary of LTFH, which is the investment manager of L&T Mutual Fund, for an aggregate purchase consideration of $425 million (subject to adjustments as set out in the definitive agreements).

The transfer agreement has been executed on Thursday, 23 December 2021. Additionally, LTFH will also be entitled to excess cash in LTIM until the completion of the acquisition. The transaction is subject to the requisite regulatory approvals. Both LTIM and HSBC AMC will work to ensure that there will be continuity of services to their investors and counter-parties in the interim.

The divestment of Mutual Fund business is in line with the strategic objective of L&T Finance Holdings of unlocking value from its subsidiaries to strengthen its balance sheet. Further, the acquisition of LTIM is in line with the strategic growth plans of HSBC in India. HSBC stands to gain from an experienced team, diversified assets, strong retail customer base and the vast geographical reach that L&T Mutual Fund has built over the years, as per the official press statement.

HSBC AMC intends to merge the operations of LTIM with that of its existing asset management business in India, which had assets under management (AUM) of Rs 11,700 crore ($1.60 billion) as of September 2021. J.P. Morgan and Citi were the financial advisors to LTFH. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas acted as the legal advisors and PwC acted as due diligence and tax advisors to LTFH.

L&T Finance Holdings' consolidated net profit fell 10% to Rs 222.99 crore on a 10.7% decline in net sales to Rs 3,134.46 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

L&T Finance Holdings is a diversified non-banking financial company (NBFC).

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L&T Finance Holdings (LTFH) and HSBC Asset Management (India) (HSBC AMC) today entered into a definitive agreement whereby HSBC AMC shall acquire 100% equity shares of L&T Investment Management (LTIM), a wholly owned subsidiary of LTFH, which is the investment manager of L&T Mutual Fund, for an aggregate purchase consideration of USD 425 million (subject to adjustments as set out in the definitive agreements).

In addition, LTFH will also be entitled to excess cash in LTIM until the completion of the acquisition. The transaction is subject to the requisite regulatory approvals.

Both LTIM and HSBC AMC will work to ensure that there will be continuity of services to their investors and counter-parties in the interim.

The divestment of Mutual Fund business is in line with the strategic objective of L&T Finance Holdings of unlocking value from its subsidiaries to strengthen its balance sheet. Further, the acquisition of LTIM is in line with the strategic growth plans of HSBC in India. HSBC stands to gain from an experienced team, diversified assets, strong retail customer base and the vast geographical reach that L&T Mutual Fund has built over the years.

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Global pharma major Lupin intimated that it has secured a tentative approval from the US-based drug regulator, United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), Azilsartan Medoxomil tablets.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has given approval for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA), Azilsartan Medoxomil tablets (in the strengths of 40 mg and 80 mg) to market a generic equivalent of Edarbi tablets (in the strengths of 40 mg and 80 mg) of Arbor Pharmaceuticals, LW.

The product will be manufactured at Lupin's Nagpur facility (Maharashtra) in India. As per IQVIA MAT September 2021 data, Azilsartan Medoxomil tablets (RLD: Edarbi tablets) had estimated annual sales of $103.4 million in the U.S.

The company reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 2,094.87 crore in Q2 FY22 as against net profit of Rs 213.51 crore in Q2 FY21. On a consolidated basis, net sales rose 5.9% to Rs 4,003.42 crore in Q2 FY22 over Q2 FY21.

Shares of Lupin shed 0.35% to Rs 909.05 on BSE. Lupin is an innovation-led transnational pharmaceutical company. The company develops and commercializes a wide range of branded and generic formulations, biotechnology products and APIs in over 100 markets in the U.S., India, South Africa and across Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), Europe and Middle-East regions.

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Utilties stocks were trading with losses, with the S&P BSE Utilities index decreasing 53.38 points or 1.78% at 2951.14 at 13:51 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Utilities index, RattanIndia Enterprises Ltd (down 4.93%), Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (down 3.3%),Adani Transmission Ltd (down 2.62%),Adani Green Energy Ltd (down 2.33%),Reliance Power Ltd (down 2.3%), were the top losers. Among the other losers were NTPC Ltd (down 2.21%), GAIL (India) Ltd (down 1.96%), NHPC Ltd (down 1.62%), CESC Ltd (down 1.44%), and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (down 1.42%).

On the other hand, SJVN Ltd (up 1.06%), Nava Bharat Ventures Ltd (up 0.9%), and Rattanindia Power Ltd (up 0.85%) turned up.

At 13:51 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 236.73 or 0.41% at 57078.55.

The Nifty 50 index was down 77.95 points or 0.46% at 16994.65.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 125.65 points or 0.44% at 28412.87.

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 79.05 points or 0.91% at 8563.81.

On BSE,1461 shares were trading in green, 1785 were trading in red and 99 were unchanged.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun worrying about and other livestock (govardhan and pashudhan)



ahead of the assembly elections while UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath kept silent on their plight in cowsheds in the state, state chief Ajay Kumar Lalu alleged on Friday.

Lalu made the allegation a day after Prime Minister Modi observed in Varanasi that talking about today has been made a "sin" by some people but "it is the mother and sacred for us".

Reacting to PM's observation, Lalu said, "In the past four-and-half years, the Adityanath government and the Modi government have done nothing to stop the atrocities committed on in 'gaushalas' (cowsheds), nor did they take the name of the cow.

Now, as the assembly elections are nearing in Uttar Pradesh, the Modi government has begun thinking of 'govardhan' (cows) and 'pashudhan' (livestock), he said.

"Modi ji is telling people that the cows are revered. Who does not know it? Modi ji should tell us what the UP government has done to improve the plight of cows in cowsheds, he said.

The UP chief also said the party general secretary has raised the issue of the poor condition of cows but the Adityanath government did not heed to it.

While addressing a rally in Varanasi after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of 27 projects, including a dairy project, PM Modi on Thursday had said those making jokes on cows and buffaloes forget that the livelihood of eight crore families depends on "pashudhan" (livestock).

"Talking about cow, talking about 'govardhan' has been made a matter of 'gunah' (sin) by some people. A cow can be a sin for some people, for us it is our mother and sacred, Modi had said.

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Demands for relaxing the stringent law in for those coming to the state from outside were on Friday dismissed outright by Chief Minister

He also rubbished suggestions that an exception be made on medical grounds for certified alcoholics, asserting that people spoiled their health by drinking and not by being prevented from doing so.

The chief minister, who made the state dry in April 2016, made his views known at a gathering in this north district, which he visited as part of a statewide social reform campaign.

Although the main thrust of Kumar was on the virtues of abstinence and the necessity for a law, he also touched upon the need to eradicate illegalised, but prevalent nonetheless, social evils like child marriage and dowry.

"Many people are angry with me because I have brought in They say we should at least exempt those coming from other states. Do people come to to drink?" exclaimed Kumar who is the longest-serving chief minister of the state.

Notably, there have been fresh demands for exempting "outsiders" like in Gujarat, another dry state, in the aftermath of a police overkill to enforce the ban on liquor.

Around Deepawali, the state was rattled by hooch tragedies in a number of districts that claimed more than 40 lives. Gopalganj alone had accounted for more than 10 deaths.

The chief minister invoked Mahatma Gandhi to defend his strident stance on prohibition.

"Bapu had said he would have ensured that the country was left with not a single liquor shop were he to become a 'tanashah' (despot) for just an hour," said Kumar.

He also claimed that contrary to predictions of naysayers, the tourism industry had looked up in the state after the liquor ban until COVID-19 brought things to a standstill.

He also gave a stern warning to prohibition flouters, pointing out that courts have given death penalty to the accused in some cases of deaths caused by consumption of illicit liquor and even colluding women have got lifers.

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Seeking to put an end to speculation about possible leadership change in Karnataka, Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Friday said the would face the next election under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

There were rumours in some quarters in recent times that Bommai may go abroad for knee operation.

"We will face the next election under his (Bommai) leadership. There is no doubt about it. He is 100 per cent our leader," Ashoka told reporters here



The minister dismissed as "mischief" the rumours of Bommai going abroad for his knee operation.

He said doctors have advised him that he will be cured here in India without operation.

"Some mischievous news is being spread. Thousand per cent he (Bommai) is not going abroad for treatment," Ashoka added.

The Chief Minister turned emotional in his home town Shiggaon in Haveri district a few days ago and said he was aware of the fact that posts and positions were not forever, raising eyebrows.

"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," Bommai had said.

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Commerce and Industry Minister on Friday called for greater focus on nurturing in tier 1 and 2 cities while suggesting successful startups to engage with the youth to inculcate entrepreneurial spirit.

About 45 per cent startups in India are from tier 2 and 3 cities and 623 districts have at least one recognised startup.

According to the ministry, during 2018-21, almost 5.9 lakh jobs were created by startups, out of which 1.9 lakh are generated so far this year.

The minister was addressing the third meeting of the Startup Advisory Council, which was constituted by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to advise the government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country.

Goyal said the 'Startup India' movement has brought a 'change in mindset' from 'can do' to 'will do' and has helped move past traditional notions of

He assured that the government as an enabler is committed to developing a robust startup ecosystem by providing exceptional benefits such as 80 per cent rebate in patent filing and 50 per cent on trademark filing, and relaxation in public procurement norms.

Apart from mass jobs creation, our startups have the potential to catalyse India's integration in global value chains, he added.

He urged successful entrepreneurs, especially unicorns to share their experiences with students and the youth in order to inculcate startup culture and entrepreneurial spirit at grassroot level, especially in northeast regions.

He asked academia, government and industry to work hand in hand in promoting at the grassroot level.

"Indian Missions all over the world would also be sensitised about the need to promote entrepreneurship in India and this would open doors across the world to Indian startups," the minister said.

Further, he called upon startups to explore the unexplored areas like rural tourism in terms of agri-stays, hotels and homestays that would help create additional income for farmers.

To augment Seed Capital, Goyal said, "we must encourage the investment of domestic capital in our startups".

The key interventions discussed during the meeting were Capacity Building Programme for Incubators, providing thrust to the startups engaged in manufacturing, empowering the larger pool of family offices and high networth individuals to invest in startups.

Besides, accelerating deep-tech startups, establishing an international platform and a gateway for Indian startups to go global, propelling participation of women in startups and a holistic programme which aims at enabling global mentorship, market access, international opportunities, were also discussed.

Among others, the meeting was virtually attended by Prashanth Prakash from Accel, Debjani Ghosh from NASSCOM, Amitabha Bandyopadhyay from IIT Kanpur. Council members included SoftBank India Country Head Manoj Kohli, Sequoia Capital MD Rajan Anandan, SIDBI CMD Sivasubramanian Ramann, and Aarin Capital Partners Chairman Mohandas Pai.

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First dose of Covid vaccine has been administered to all people eligible for inoculation, Delhi Chief Minister said on Friday while hailing the healthcare and frontline workers who have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic.

Taking to Twitter, he shared data on the vaccination drive underway in the city.

"Delhi completes first dose to 100 per cent eligible people -- 148.33 lakh. Salute to doctors, ANMs, teachers, ASHAs, CDVs and all other frontline workers. Congratulations to DMs, CDMOs, DIOs and all district functionaries," Kejriwal tweeted.

Delhi on Thursday had achieved the milestone of administering at least one dose of Covid vaccine to all above 18, government data showed.

According to the CoWIN dashboard, 1,48,27,546 people in Delhi have taken at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine by 8 pm on Thursday.

As per the draft roll published on November 1, 2021, the total number of electors in Delhi stands at 1,47,95,949.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 24 (ANI/NewsVoir): Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas acted as legal counsel to Marsh International Holdings, Inc. (Marsh International) on purchase of 43.01 per cent of the shareholding of Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited (Marsh India Insurance Brokers). As a result, Marsh International now holds approximately 92 per cent of the paid-up share capital of Marsh India Insurance Brokers.

The General Corporate team of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas advised on the transaction.

The Transaction team was led by Indranath Bishnu, Partner; with support from Niyati Dholakia, Consultant; and Ayushi Agrawal, Associate.

The CAM team (i) advised on insurance regulatory framework governing the foreign majority shareholding in the Indian insurance intermediaries including foreign exchange management regulations (ii) advised on various transaction documents and (iii) drafted the applications to be submitted to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India for approval of transfer of ownership and control.

In February 2020, the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade amended the foreign direct investment ("FDI") policy to allow 100 per cent FDI in insurance intermediaries. Pursuant to the said amendment, Marsh International Holdings, Inc. proposed to raise its shareholding in the Company from 49 per cent to 92.01 per cent. On the closing of this transaction, Marsh International Holdings, Inc. will hold 92.01 per cent shareholding in Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited.

Other party in the Transaction includes Talwar Thakore & Associates, which acted as legal counsel to Rampart Trust.

The Transaction was signed and closed on October 13, 2021.

India's Leading Law Firm, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas was founded on May 11, 2015 and takes forward the values going back 104 years, of the erstwhile Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A. Shroff & Co. Tracing its professional lineage to 1917, the Firm has 750 lawyers, including over 130 partners, and offices in India's key business centres at Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. The Firm advises a large, and varied client base that includes domestic and foreign commercial enterprises, financial institutions, private equity funds, venture capital funds, start-ups and governmental and regulatory bodies.

The firm was recently named in '25 Most Innovative Companies of the Year' by CII. Also, received "Law Firm of the Year" award at the Asian Legal Business (ALB) India Law Awards 2020 and "Law Firm of the Year, India" at the Asialaw Regional Awards 2020. The firm was recognised as the "Most Innovative National Law Firm of the Year - India for 2020" at the IFLR Asia Awards and voted as the "Employer of Choice for 2020" from India, by the Asian Legal Business.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The election commission officials kicked-off their visit to five poll-bound states from Wednesday, the day when the Parliaments winter session was adjourned sine die. The EC visit is usually a precursor to the announcement of the poll schedule, which experts believe may be out early January. Meanwhile, as the session was in progress, farmer unions had intensified their stir against the farm laws. Most protesters sitting at the Delhi borders came from Punjab or western Uttar Pradesh, the two poll bound states. And the bank unions were too up in arms against the proposed Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which sought to privatise two public sector banks. Fearing for their jobs, lakhs of government bank employees observed a two-day nationwide strike recently against the privatisation bid. So, did the government choose a populist path when it announced the scrapping of the pro-reform agriculture laws and didnt table the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Experts believe so. The government also took a U-turn on abolition of electricity subsidies. It has decided to withdraw the proposal from draft Electricity Bill, 2020, deviating from its plan to introduce Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in the electricity sector. The was dropped at the behest of farmers as the government agreed to first discuss the bill with them before it is tabled. Not just this, but also the bill to regulate cryptocurrencies was not taken up. A similar bill was earlier listed for the Budget session but could not be introduced. To be sure, there is still no clarity on whether the government wants to regulate the sector or ban it. Cryptocurrencies gained mainstream relevance in India in 2017 and four years later regulations are yet to come. Another year has gone by with the Indian crypto sector still living with uncertainty.

At the same time, The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which enables the linking of electoral roll data with Aadhaar, was pushed through the Parliament despite the bill not being listed in the initial business agenda. The actions raise questions on the governments immediate priorities despite stated intent on economic reforms.

The privatisation of two public sector banks (PSBs) is unlikely to happen in the current year. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in this years Budget that the government will take up this exercise.

The 18-day winter session of Parliament was also one of the least productive.

Chakshu Roy, Head of Outreach at PRS Legislative, also gave us his views.

Now, the fate of these key pro-reform bills is hanging in the balance. With the Budget session just over a month away, we can once again expect these bills to grab the headlines. With reform bills piling up, it's high time the government turned decisive and stopped dragging its feet for yet another year.

Watch video
The upcoming Assembly elections in five states seem to have derailed the governments plan to bring reforms through Parliament. Not only did it not table any key economic Bill during the just-concluded winter session, but it also chose to scrap the three agriculture laws. Of the 26 Bills that the government had planned to pass, just 10 were able to see the light of the day. The Bill to regulate cryptocurrencies in India and another one to privatise two public-sector banks were not among them. Lets look at the winter session from the point of view of legislative work done. Governments policies often impact the directly. From travel restrictions to ban of unvaccinated citizens from visiting public places  governments have been quick in their actions to contain the spread of Omicron. These measures have yet again hit the contact-intensive sectors, which are still recovering from the wounds of the first and second waves of the coronavirus pandemic.

On the bourses, the related shares have fallen like nine pins in one month. But theres something that investors in these stocks can cheer about. After the markets, let us see what else caught peoples imagination this year. 2021 will be remembered for the new terms that entered the common lexicon, such as like cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens or NFTs, metaverse and Web 3.0. While crypto became popular due to the returns it gave investors, Web 3.0 is still catching up. It seeks to decentralise the internet, taking it away from the hold of big tech companies. We try to understand what Web 3.0 is and how it may change the future of internet in the days to come. Apart from the terms like cryptocurrency, metaverse and Web 3.0, 2021 will also be known as the year of pandemic which made people cautious about their health and savings. Amid uncertainty in equity-linked savings instruments, governments offer safe and assured returns. What are these schemes? Let us understand in this episode of the podcast.
In the past decade, Chinese local governments fiscal expenditures were generally larger than their revenues, and the gap between revenue and expenditure has been expanding year by year. Faced with an aging population and the pandemic, the proportions of local expenditures on social security and public health both continue to rise, while the gap between local government revenues and expenditures continues to widen as the proportions of both tax revenue and land revenue shrink. Therefore, some local governments operate through deficit spending and borrowing.

As of October, Chinas local government debt balance  excluding local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) debts  had registered 29.65 trillion yuan ($4.7 trillion). The debt increase was mainly due to the expansion of local special-purpose bonds. In the past three years, both the outstanding balance and growth rate of local government bonds were significantly higher than those of LGFV debts.

Last year, only Shanghai, Guangdong, Beijing, Zhejiang and Jiangsu had government debt-to-fiscal revenue ratios below the risk threshold of 100%; Qinghai, Heilongjiang, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia had ratios of more than 300%, with Qinghai even exceeding 500%. If implicit debts such as LGFV debts are taken into account, only Shanghai and Guangdong had debt ratios below 100%.

Given their economic growth pattern and industrial structures, there is not much room for increasing revenue for Heilongjiang, Qinghai, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and other provincial-level regions with high debts. Cutting down on expenditures is the main way for these local governments to reduce debt pressures. Based on the structure of expenditure in these regions, the only way to alleviate debt risks is to reduce the general public service expenditures by reducing unnecessary infrastructure expansion, and to improve the efficiency of investment in infrastructure and public transport.

Expenditures exceed revenue

From 2011 to 2020, Chinas local fiscal expenditures exceeded revenues, and the gap between them widened year by year. Starting from 2015, the growth rate of local government expenditures exceeded that of revenue, resulting in a rising revenue-expenditure disparity. In 2020, the local general public budget expenditures were 21 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.4%; the increase of expenditures slightly slowed, but the actual deficit was still as high as 2.7 trillion yuan.

Chinas local public fiscal revenue comes mainly from tax revenue and funds allocated by the central government. In 2020, the local tax revenue was 7.5 trillion yuan, 3% lower than the previous year, accounting for 41% of the whole countrys public fiscal revenue. The decline was largely attributed to the tax base reduction triggered by the outbreak of Covid-19 and tax and fee reduction policies.

In local fiscal revenue, tax revenue accounted for 75%. After the comprehensive implementation of replacing business tax with value-added tax (VAT), the main sources of local governments tax revenue have been VAT and corporate income tax.

In addition, the local governments that could not make ends meet enjoyed additional funds  accounting for a large share of their revenues  from the central government. In 2020, local governments received 8.3 trillion yuan from the central government, up 11.9% from the previous year, accounting for 45% of the local fiscal revenue. Statistics show that, although the central governments fiscal revenue was in surplus after deducting its own expenditure, the surplus could not cover the funds allocated to local governments. Thus, the central government was also in the state of spending more than what it collects. In 2020, the Chinese central governments public fiscal revenue reached 8.3 trillion yuan, and fiscal expenditure registered 11.8 trillion yuan, with a revenue-expenditure gap of 3.6 trillion yuan. Of the central governments revenue, 96% came from tax revenue, of which VAT accounted for 35.6% and corporate income tax 29.1%, while in the expenditure, more than 70% was funds transferred to local governments.

As the main revenue source of government-managed funds, land sales revenues are an important source of revenue for local governments. In the last decade, the annual growth rate of land sales revenues fluctuated greatly from -23.8% to 46.6% due to regulatory changes. This has resulted in significant fluctuations in the revenue of government-managed funds.

From 2011 to 2020, the share of expenditure on social security and employment rose from 11% to 15%, and that on public health increased from 7% to 9%, but the share spent on general public service dropped to 9% from 11%. In 2020, the expenditure on education, and social security and employment reached 3.5 trillion yuan and 3.1 trillion yuan, respectively. While local governments continued to spend on infrastructure (energy conservation and environmental protection, urban and rural development, agriculture, forestry and fishery, and transportation), they focused more on improving peoples livelihood.

In addition, in the past decade, local government expenditure on debt interest payments grew the fastest, followed by the expenditures on social security and employment. Public health expenditure came in at third place.

Confronted with an aging population and the pandemic, the proportions of local expenditures on social security and public health both continue to rise, while the gap between local government revenues and expenditures continues to widen as the proportions of both tax revenue and land-related revenue shrink. Therefore, some local governments operate through deficit spending and borrowing.

Reducing expenditures to dissolve debt risks

As of October, the outstanding debt of the countrys local governments had reached 29.7 trillion yuan (excluding LGFV debts). The expansion of local special-purpose bonds was the main reason for the growth in local government debt. In the past three years, both the outstanding balance and growth rate of local government bonds were significantly higher than those of LGFV debts.

Last year, only five provincial-level regions had government debt-to-fiscal revenue ratios below the risk warning line of 100%, namely Shanghai (67%), Guangdong (71%), Beijing (78%), Zhejiang (79%) and Jiangsu (84%). On the other hand, the debt ratio of Qinghai province exceeded 500%, and those of Heilongjiang, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia were higher than 300%. If the LGFV debts are taken into account, only Shanghai and Guangdong had debt ratios lower than 100% in 2020 (85% and 90% respectively), while Qinghais debt ratio was as high as 540%.

The governments in Chinas underdeveloped areas are heavily indebted. This is because of slow economic development, a lack of resources to boost government revenue, as well as the low administrative efficiency and redundant government staffing.

In 2020, the proportions of expenditure on general public services in Qinghai, Heilongjiang, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia were higher than that in Shanghai. Taking Qinghai as an example, of the basic expenditures on the provincial governments own general public budget, 60.9% or 3.2 billion yuan was spent on goods and services consumed by the government, while the percentage in Shanghai was 21.9%. This shows that the government of Qinghai should save administrative expenditures to reduce its debt risk. Similarly, the absolute amount of expenditure on general services in Inner Mongolia was even higher than that of Shanghai, indicating that there is still much room for the government of Inner Mongolia to reduce expenditure on administrative operations.

Furthermore, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia made big investments in transportation (infrastructure), which represented 12.3%, 6.4%, and 6.1% of their public fiscal expenditures, respectively. These shares were all higher than the average share (4%) of eastern provinces with low debt ratios. In 2020, Qinghai invested 162.4 billion yuan in toll road construction. That same year, its income from and expenditure on tolls were 1.6 billion yuan and 5.1 billion yuan respectively, with a gap of 3.4 billion yuan. Thus, we suggest the expansion of local infrastructure projects should be based on practical benefits and returns.

Lin Caiyi is a deputy director of the research institute of the China Chief Economist Forum. Zhang Jing is a researcher at the institute.

This article has been edited for length and clarity.

Contact editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)

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Whats new: Ant Groups consumer finance unit will receive 22 billion yuan ($3.5 billion) fresh funding from a group of investors including one of Chinas state-owned asset managers.

China Cinda Asset Management Co. will join a group of investors led by Ant Group in the new funding round of Chongqing Ant Consumer Finance Co. Ltd. Other investors include Sunny Optics, Boguan Technology, Yufu Capital and Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment & Supply Co. Ltd., according to company filings.

China Cinda will hold a 20% stake in the unit with an investment of 6 billion yuan. Ant Group remains the largest shareholder with a 50% stake. Chongqing Ant Consumer Finance will boost its registered capital to 30 billion yuan from current 8 billion yuan after the fundraising.

The context: Chongqing Ant Consumer Finance started operations in June, taking over consumer credit businesses from Huabei and Jiebei  Ants biggest money-earners.

The units establishment is part of a government-ordered overhaul of Ant to comply with tightened regulatory requirements for fintech platforms. Regulators last year scuttled Ants $35 billion initial public offering, kicking off a yearlong crackdown to curb breakneck growth for the entire internet sector and the rapid expansion of private capital.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Anthony Mace (hello@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.

Get our weekly free Must-Read newsletter.
The line-up for Cartoon Movie, Europes premier pitching platform for animated features, has been unveiled.

Projects will be presented by high-profile filmmakers including Louis Clichy (Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion), Remi Chaye (Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary), Edmunds Jansons (Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs), Anca Damian (Maronas Fantastic Tale), and Claude Barras (My Life as a Zucchini). Films weve covered before will be featured, including Mars Express and Titina.

Here are key facts and highlights from the upcoming edition, which is due to be held in person in Bordeaux, France on March 810, 2022. Keep an eye on Cartoon Brew for deeper coverage of individual projects.
Sing 2 hasnt scored rave reviews, but nor has it been slated. Most critics find things to enjoy in the film, whose Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes stands at 67% at the time of writing. Yesterday, it was nominated for best feature at the Annie Awards.

Heres what the reviewers are saying:

Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times was entertained:

Theres plenty of eye-popping animation, nifty choreography, and dynamic action  both on stage and off  to keep viewers invested, even if a ten-minute trim wouldnt have been the worst thing. And if great narrative logic isnt the films strong suit, it includes a string of mini life lessons that add a bit of nourishment to this joyously over-the-top meal.

The Associated Presss Jake Coyle is more measured in his praise:

Its all amiable, shallow, and occasionally sweet. Though most of the wall-to-wall music is pulled right off the studios own bestselling shelves, theres a poignant, wordless moment of the gang rehearsing on the back of the bus set to the far less predictable Holes, by 1990s indie act Mercury Rev. If any narrative thread holds the movie together, its each character dealing with their own version of anxiety, fear, and stage fright as performers. While a laudable message for a kids movie, its drowned out by the movies commercialized blare.

Peter Debruge agrees that story is sidelined, writing in Variety:

Its all part of the Tiktok-ification of mainstream media, as the attention-deficit storytelling bombards audiences with a monster playlist of song snippets, some performed by characters, others lacquered over the action to keep kids engaged. While the characters go about the familiar enough work of writing and rehearsing a musical, Jennings constantly cuts away to embellish the experience with throwaway visual gags (mostly animals doing silly things) that play like two- to ten-second viral videos. That approach speaks to a key difference between Illumination and such competitors as Pixar and Dreamworks: Sing 2 isnt really about coherent storytelling so much as analyzing and anticipating what will make audiences feel good.

Awarding the film two stars out of four in The Washington Post, Kristen Page-Kirby comments on the visual production:

The film  shares the distinctive look of that studios animation: slick and bright, but without the depth or nuance of a Pixar film. The large-scale production numbers are fun to watch, if chaotic at times. The handful of scenes in which characters soar through the air on wires are actually kind of beautiful.

Indiewires Fiona Underhill has little good to say about the film, awarding it a D grade:
Photo: Contributed

Did you book travel over the holidays or in the new year?

If so, you are not alone.

Numerous Vancouverites started eagerly booking travel after the federal government quietly lifted the non-essential travel advisory in October. In fact, many people had started travelling before the advisory was lifted, as many of them had received a full course of a Health Canada-approved vaccine. Daily cases of COVID-19 were also dropping across B.C. and around the world and many people felt optimistic that the worst of the pandemic was over.

And then a recently-identified coronavirus strain with 37 spike protein mutations started making international headlines.

First identified in South Africa, the Omicron variant raised alarm as it rapidly spread in communities and across continents. Canada responded by introducing a sweeping travel ban on several African countries that were seeing a steep rise in cases of the newly-identified strain. And while the ban was recently lifted, the federal government isn't mincing words about Canadians travelling internationally right now.

The Government of Canada now advises against all non-essential travel outside of the country until further notice, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters in a press briefing Wednesday (Dec. 15) in Ottawa.

"To those who were planning to travel, I say very clearly: now is not the time to travel," he said. "The rapid spread of the Omicron variant on a global scale makes us fear the worst for Canadians that may think of travelling.

"Travelling Canadians could contract the virus or get stranded abroad."

The federal government underscores that countries around the world are updating their entry and exit requirements and advisories can change quickly.

Local authorities abroad may impose control measures suddenly, including movement restrictions such as lockdowns. In some countries, you may have limited access to timely and appropriate health care should you become ill. (Find out more information about Canada's new travel rules.)

But what does this mean if I booked an international flight?

Travellers who booked flights outside of Canada need to consider all of their options before making a decision. Unfortunately, customers may be out of luck if they purchased nonrefundable tickets or skipped purchasing travel insurance.

But you might be surprised what kind of financial losses you can recoup in a seemingly dire travel situation.

Dr. Gabor Lukacs is the founder and president of Air Passenger Rightsa group that gives airline customers information about their rights so they are capable of enforcing them against airlines. He told Vancouver Is Awesome in a phone interview that Canadians are frequently taken advantage of by airlines because they aren't aware of the rules.

While some people may not be able to get refunds on their flights, Lukacs said you shouldn't rush to cancel your ticket.

"Wait as close as possible to the date of the travel," he advised.

The airlines are under no obligation to refund customers their tickets, despite Canada's new advisory. However, many of them may make substantial changes to their flight schedules in the wake of soaring cancellations and ramped-up testing protocol related to the spread of Omicron.

Depending on the length of the schedule change, or even if the airline changes a flight number, you may be entitled to a refund.

But don't hold your breath waiting for the airline to provide you with refund options. Be proactive, advised Lukacs.

"Many passengers, if [they] go back to the original booking and compare to what [their] itinerary shows now, I bet 33 per cent of passengers will see something that may be suitable for demanding a refund," he explained.

If their option is foregoing the money they paid for a ticket or getting vouchers, passengers should wait until the day before the flight to make a decision.

"No reason to rush...for several reasons," he noted. "First, Omicron may be sweeping through Canada very quickly. It is something that seems to be rather rapid. And if that's the case, then a ticket for February or March...it's unclear to what extent it will be affected by it."

The further in the future their date of travel is, the more that the travel situation can change, added Lukacs. The airline may decide to cancel the flight down the line or present passengers with more options to cancel.

Do airlines point out to their passengers when they may be entitled to a refund?

"In theory, airlines are required to provide passengers with their rights. But in practice, it is not happening," Lukacs said.

Instead, the airline passenger advocate emphasized that travellers need to look for changes on the ticket and keep a log of communication they have with airline employees. He recommends recording phone calls.

"Remember, anything can change to your tickets...like a cancellation of a segment...if even the flight number changes...or a delay of one to three hours. That's a sufficient reason to say, 'You know what, I want back my money."

Canadian airlines on cancellations, changes, and refunds in the wake of the new advisory

Air Canada

Air Canada states that it will refund customers if it does not re-book them on another flight that "departs or arrives within three hours of their original departure or arrival time, or if we add a connection to your itinerary, you can request a refund."

Air Canada customers with non-refundable tickets have options to:

Make a change to another date without a change fee,

Cancel their travel and retain the value of their ticket in an Air Canada Travel Voucher that is fully transferable and does not expire,

Cancel their travel and convert the value of their ticket into Aeroplan points plus obtain a 65% bonus.

WestJet

WestJet spokesperson Madison Kruger told V.I.A. that the airline continues to offer its "flexible change/cancel policy book with confidence policy."

In the event that COVID-19 impacts travel plans, "all flights booked between March 3, 2020 and January 31, 2022 will be allowed a $0 one-time fee waiver for changes or cancellations." More details on this policy are available on WestJet's changes and cancellations page online.

"Travel insurance remains available for purchase in our booking flow, with options that provide COVID-19 coverage and offer benefits for emergency medical and quarantine expenses if you test positive for COVID-19 while on a trip," added Kruger.

Swoop

In an emailed statement, Swoop told V.I.A. that it is working in "real-time" to support travellers who wish to make changes in response to the advisory.

"As an ultra-low cost carrier (ULCC), our a la carte model allows our travellers to control their costs and customize their experience by purchasing only the extras they desire, including the option to purchase additional flexibility for their travel plans by adding ModiFly to their booking. ModiFly allows travellers to make a one-time change of date and/or time to their travel bookings."

Travellers looking for additional support for their travel plans are encouraged to visit Swoop online.

V.I.A. reached out to Flair Air and did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Photo: Flickr/Hospital Cl?nic/Francisco ?via

Reported cases of the coronvirus variant Omicron in B.C. are delayed by several days, as health officials only publish results of a lengthier sequencing process.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) reports new Omicron cases using whole-genome sequencing, a process that can take up to a week, according to its website. This form of variant tracking allows scientists to map out the more than 30,000 genetic parts of the virus.

However, there's also a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, or snip) test available for officials. This quicker test isolates only a small fraction of the genome, including the S-gene (spike protein which binds to human cells), known to contain a mutation of the variant that differs from the circulating strain.

While the snip tests take about 24 to 48 hours to identify a variant such as Omicron and could provide the public with a better overall picture of the variants spread, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said this week those results are not reported publicly. She indicated the snip is not as definitive.

So some parts of the country, they will report on the S-gene (spike protein) deletion, which is one sort of marker that it could be the Omicron variant and they report on that because that can be done very rapidly. We're not using that mostly here in B.C. We're using some snip testing, particularly the lab at St. Paul's, and then those go through confirmatory testing.

So we are reporting on the proportion that are confirmed Omicron through the whole-genome sequencing, and that happens about every two days to three days, added Henry. (The BCCDC says the process takes four to seven days.)

However, while Omicron data presented to the public comes with a greater delay than some other jurisdictions, Henry noted public health officials are nevertheless using snip results internally to get a better sense of the spread.

Yes, we have a good sense from the lab of which ones are likely to be [Omicron] and that's why I can tell you that we're probably up to about 50% based on the early snip testing and the S-gene deletion in some other places, said Henry Dec. 21 at a press conference.

Yet, reported Omicron cases are nowhere near that 50% level.

On Dec. 17, the Ministry of Health announced 167 new identified cases of Omicron (confirmed through whole-genome sequencing days after the fact). Thats more than double the total cases identified on Dec. 16: 135. On Dec. 21, the ministry reported 756 total identified Omicron cases.

And on Dec. 23, the ministry announced 975 confirmed Omicron cases  just 219 cases over two days when 3,530 total COVID-19 cases were reported.

But, if Henrys assertion from internal snip test data holds that about 50% of cases are Omicron, the two-day total (Dec. 22-23) of Omicron would be 1,715.

Omicron is showing significant resistance to the vaccines  particularly in terms of spreading the virus and presenting mild cold and flu symptoms. On Dec. 23, an analysis done by an independent modelling group showed that the Omicron variant will put "extreme" demand on B.C. hospitals in January.

A peer-reviewed study from the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium in February concluded about SNP testing that, the fast turnaround of this approach coupled with the ease with which it can be automated means that it has the potential to provide additional detail for epidemiological studies.

It is not, however a substitute for continued sequencing, as whole-genome sequencing provides a full map of each specimen.

Dr. Terry Snutch, professor at Michael Smith Laboratories of the University of B.C. and chair of the Canadian COVID-19 Genome Network virus project, says the delays in reporting Omicron cases ultimately may not be consequential.

At the end of the day, you know, it's not knowing necessarily exactly how many  I think people get hung up on numbers  its where are the trends of which variants and are those variants causing breakthrough infections in vaccinated or fully vaccinated or fully boostered people? said Snutch.

He said all snip sequencing data is shared among health authorities on a daily basis, but its not published.

And so, with regard to making public health policy decisions,I don't think that the information that Bonnie Henry is receiving is in any way, shape or form delayed, said Snutch.

Furthermore, whole-genome sequencing is better, noted the doctor.

Snip testing tells you positive, negative, and it gives you a strong indication as to which variant, but it doesn't give you exact information that you can use for tracking whether that particular strain or that particular sample, for example, was, you know, coming from an airplane arriving from Toronto or Montreal or came from South Africa. It's not accurate enough.

Snutch said the time has passed in determining the rate of Omicron spread as it will quickly account for nearly all COVID-19 cases. (The province is expected to give an update on the Omicron situation Friday morning.)

However, such testing processes will likely come into play in the future; when asked about her goals in 2022, Henry said being able to respond to the potential for new variants of concern will be key in the ongoing pandemic response.

And to that end, Henry said public health labs are speeding up genome sequencing to detect and monitor virus strains.
Photo: The Canadian Press Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, center, with her partner, Billy Evans, left, and mother, Noel Holmes, right, leaves federal court in San Jose, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021.

Jurors in the fraud trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes returned to the courtroom Thursday to listen again to audio recordings that captured Holmes' brash promises about vaunted blood-testing technology that propelled her meteoric rise and scandalous downfall.

In those recordings from a December 2013 presentation to prospective investors, Holmes bragged about partnerships with established drug companies that hadn't panned out and potential U.S. military contracts that never materialized because of problems with Theranos' technology. She was unaware she was being recorded at the time.

The jurors previously heard the recordings in late October and a few excerpts in closing arguments last week. They sent a note before noon asking to review them, prompting U.S. District Judge Edward Davila to bring the eight men and four women of the jury back to the courtroom for the first time since they were ushered out at the end of last week to begin deliberations.

Holmes, 37, returned to the courtroom too, and intently watched the jurors and their reactions to the recordings from her usual seat in the courtroom. She seemed to try to make eye contacts with the jurors when as they walked out of the courtroom following the audio replay, but none appeared to return her gaze.

In the recordings, Holmes boasts about how Theranos would change the reality of lab testing" and bring down health costs so dramatically that it would save Medicaid and Medicare about $150 billion over a decade. But she didn't say how long that would take to happen.

Holmes also promised that a deal that Theranos had to deploy its blood-testing technology in Walgreens pharmacies was poised to quickly ramp up.

The question now is how fast do we scale?" Holmes told the group of investors on the conference call.. The fact that we will scale is a given."

Walgreens only ended up using Theranos technology in about 40 of its stores, mostly in Arizona, before bailing out of the deal because of concerns that the blood tests were wildly unreliable.

The recordings could prove pivotal to the jurors' decision because many of the accusations against her revolve around alleged lies she told to raise more money for Theranos.

By the time the recordings were made, a decade after she founded Theranos, Holmes estimated that the company was worth about $7 billion. By mid-2014, Theranos was valued at $9 billion, with half of that that paper wealth owned by Holmes, the company's controlling shareholder.

But it all began to unravel in 2015 and 2016 after a series of articles in The Wall Street Journal and regulatory audits exposed serious flaws in the Theranos technology, which Holmes repeatedly promised would quickly scan for hundreds of health problems using just a few drops of blood. That would have been a dramatic change from the traditional method of relying on vials of blood drawn through a needle stuck in a vein.

Holmes will face up to 20 years in prison if the jury finds her guilty. The jury left Thursday without reaching a verdict and are scheduled to resume deliberations Monday.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Los Angeles police fatally shot a 14-year-old girl who was inside a clothing store dressing room Thursday as they fired at a suspect who had assaulted a woman earlier, authorities said.

Police also killed the male suspect, authorities said. He and the girl have not been named. The woman who had been assaulted was taken to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries.

The shots were fired around 11:45 a.m. at a Burlington store  part of a chain formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory  in the North Hollywood area of the San Fernando Valley.

Police initially responded to reports of a person being assaulted with a deadly weapon as well as reports of shots being fired, said Los Angeles police Capt. Stacy Spell at a news conference. Spell said officers opened fire when they saw the suspect assaulting another person.

The suspect was struck by the officers' bullets and killed, Spell said.

One of the bullets went through a dressing room wall and struck the 14-year-old girl, according to LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi. Officers later found her inside.

You cant see into the dressing rooms and it just looks like a straight wall of drywall, Choi said at a second news conference.

Investigators do not yet know whether the teenager was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.

The California Department of Justice was investigating the shooting, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

Choi said authorities do not yet know the man's motive or whether he knew the woman he initially assaulted in the store.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said that woman had moderate to serious injuries and was transported to a hospital. It wasn't immediately known if she'd been shot but Choi said she had injuries to her head, arms and face.

Police found a heavy metal cable lock near the suspect that they say may have been used in that assault.

Spell said the injured woman was the victim in the first assault report. It was not immediately clear what weapon was involved in that assault.

He added that police had received calls about the suspect acting erratically before the incident.

Imelda Garcia said her sister works in the store and was on break when she heard gunshots and everyone started running. Garcia said she spoke to her sister on the phone and that she's OK but sounded really nervous.

Police escorted people out of the store nearly two hours after the shooting.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The billionaire Weston family is selling its luxury British department store chain Selfridges to Thailand's Central Group and Austrian real estate group Signa.

The deal, confirmed Friday by Central Group, is reportedly worth 4 billion pounds, or about C$6.87 billion.

Central already owns up-market retailers including Rinascente in Italy, Illum in Denmark, Switzerlands Globus and The KaDeWe Group in Germany.

W. Galen Weston acquired Selfridges in 2003 and combined it with other luxury retailers into the Selfridges Group in 2010.

The company, which now owns 18 department stores, was offered for sale after Weston passed away in April.

His daughter, Alannah Weston, who is chair of Selfridges Group, said in a statement that the sale was the successful realization of my fathers vision for an iconic group of beautiful, truly experiential, department stores."
Photo: The Canadian Press

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there is still reason for Canadians to be hopeful despite the ongoing crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his annual Christmas message, Trudeau says that while 2021 was another tough year, Canadians got through it together.

He says in the past year Canadians helped neighbours, supported local businesses, skipped social gatherings, and wore masks to keep each other safe.

Trudeau says Canadians should reflect on how they can keep up efforts to mitigate the effects of the pandemic now and into the new year.

The prime minister is calling on Canadians to "keep showing up for one another" by following public health measures and encouraging friends and family to get vaccinated and boosted.

Despite cases of COVID-19 surging across the country, Trudeau says brighter days are ahead that Canadians will reach together.
Photo: Government of B.C. / Flickr Dr. Bonnie Henry urged British Columbians to not get a COVID-19 test if they do not have symptoms, as testing is at capacity.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says airborne transmission of the Omicron coronavirus variant is possible, but information gathered to date does not indicate it spreads as widely through the air as measles and chicken pox.

Henry began a Christmas Eve morning press conference by stating Omicron is transmitting so fast it has overwhelmed testing capacity in B.C. and people with symptoms will need to assume they have it, if they cannot access a test.

To that end, Glacier Media asked if Omicron is airborne, a characteristic of the virus she has previously been reluctant to prescribe to other virus (SARS-CoV-2) variants, and one that can result in different measures of transmission prevention.

Henry did not say the virus is now outright airborne but replied that aerosols become more important for the higher transmission variants like Omicron.

Aerosols are breathing particles that float in the air, whereas droplets are larger breathing particles that tend to drop to the ground within two metres, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. If the virus exists in aerosols, it can thus spread more easily in the air and is considered airborne.

Henry elaborated on her explanation: I think when, you know, you look at COVID, all of SARS-CoV-2, which in various different forms its been transmitted through the air, absolutely. Weve said that from the beginning. But the relative importance of the different size of droplets depends on the infectiousness of the different strains, so it becomes much more important to have protection against those aerosols, those smaller droplets and, really, its a combination of physics.

"So, if a smaller droplet, an aerosol, has less virus in it but if that virus is more infectious, you can get infected with the smaller droplets. When we saw [the virus] early on, you needed a larger dose of the virus, so it was much more important in protecting yourself from the larger droplets, she explained.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is also not saying COVID-19 spreads entirely through the air, but is transmitted by a combination of factors. On Dec. 23, the agency stated: Evidence on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus has advanced rapidly and continues to emerge. Respiratory fluids continue to be the primary mode of transmission for COVID-19 via large respiratory droplets and small aerosol particles.

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam was more clear on Nov. 12, before Omicron. "Importantly, weve learned how the virus can linger in fine aerosols and remain suspended in the air we breathe," said Tam on Twitter, when the Delta variant was spreading.

Tam said this week single-layer cloth masks, which typically act against large droplets, are ineffective against Omicron, CBC reported.

Henry said people are being infected with smaller amounts of the virus and more quickly. And transmission between people is down to as little as two days from initial exposure and infection.

It is more highly infectious than any of the strains we have seen, said Henry, adding there are more breakthrough infections among the fully vaccinated and more re-infections.

We still do not have a full picture of how severe Omicron can be across the board.

Henry has not updated guidelines on social distancing guidelines of two metres, although she stressed the need to do so. Nor has she changed any measures around workplace settings.

Henry said the new measures implemented in the past week will be monitored daily. This includes a 50% capacity limit on events with over 1,000 people. And so, for example, the Vancouver Canucks could host over 9,000 people in its stadium for Mondays scheduled game against the Seattle Kraken.

Meanwhile, gyms remain closed and household holiday gatherings are limited to 10 vaccinated people.

Henry stressed to people not to get tested without symptoms as the daily testing capacity of 20,000 tests in the province is now at capacity.

If you are seriously unwell, please do not hesitate to seek care immediately, said Henry.

Hospitalization numbers, so far, are remaining relatively stable in B.C. despite the dramatic rise of reported Omicron cases, but health officials are concerned the sheer volume of infections could overwhelm the system.
InterCement sees light at the end of the tunnel

ICR Newsroom By 24 December 2021

Following InterCement Participacoess financial and management adjustment measures of the last two years, the cement producer is set to return to the markets in a leaner, healthier way.



Between 2015-2018 the company, like other industry players, was hit in Brazil by falling cement demand and weighed down by high debts.



Many difficult decisions were made, but they made a lot of sense for the company, Flavio Mendes Aidar, CEO of InterCement Participacoes, told Brazil-based business newspaper Valor. Mr Mendes Aidar took the helm at InterCement in March 2019. At the time its financial leverage was more than five times net debt over EBITDA, despite European asset sales of EUR707m (US$801.6m) and a public offering of 49 per cent of Loma Negra shares on the New York Stock Exchange which saw more than US$1bn flow to InterCement.



Sharp-cutting measures were required and the companys hierarchy was streamlined, reducing to 40 people from over 200. In addition, decision-making was transferred to subsidiaries while the holding company focussed on strategy. Adjustments were made to improve capacity utilisation and lower high fuel costs, saving BRL50m (US$8.8m) in 2021 alone.



Today, EBITDA margins have improved, increasing from five to 30 per cent in Brazil and doubling to 30 per cent in the groups global businesses.

At the end of the third quarter of 2021, the groups net debt was US$1.36bn with leverage closing at 2.9 times. In Brazil leverage has fallen to 2.5 times. Revenues advanced 32.6 per cent to US$492m while EBITDA reached US$127m and net income US$28m. Sales volumes totalled 5.43Mt, of which 45 per cent is generated in Brazil, 30.5 per cent in Argentina and 24 per cent in Africa.

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Egypt sees exports up 180% in 10 months

ICR Newsroom By 24 December 2021

Cement exports from Egypt in the first 10 months of 2021 have increased 180 percent to US$397m when compared with US$142m in the 10M20, according to the Export Council for Building Materials, Refractories and Metal Industries.



The country exported cement to 79 countries, including 25 new destinations. Five countries accounted for 60 per cent of exports, led by Cote dIvoire, and followed by Libya, Ghana, Sudan and Kenya. Other countries included Cameroon, Togo, Spain, Guinea, Mauritania, Liberia, Gabon, Tanzania, Chad and Venezuela, reports Egypt Today.

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Josh Duggars trial ended with a guilty verdict in December 2021. Federal agents arrested him in April 2021 on suspicion of downloading and possessing child sexual abuse material, and the prosecution argued Josh downloaded images on a computer he possessed at Wholesale Motorcars. Prior to his arrest, he seemingly responded to a negative review of the car lot, too. Heres what he wrote.

What was Josh Duggars job prior to his arrest and trial?

Josh Duggar | Kris Connor/Getty Images

Many Duggar family members work under Jim Bob Duggar, and it seems Josh Duggar was no different. So, what was Joshs job before his arrest? He worked at Wholesale Motorcars, a Duggar family-owned car lot in Arkansas, and it seems he managed the business as well.

Was the job at the car lot enough to support his wife, Anna Duggar, and their six (now seven) children at the time? Anna and Josh reportedly lived in a warehouse on Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars property, keeping their rent cheap. Additionally, Anna once defended Joshs work on her Instagram.

Yes, my husband is a diligent worker and provides well for our family, she wrote to a follower.

Back in September 2020, The Sun reported Wholesale Motorcars permanently closed.

Josh Duggar responded to a bad review of Wholesale Motorcars prior to the business shutting down

Josh Duggar quits Family Research Council job amid child molestation claims: http://t.co/lKcfTMZxU5 pic.twitter.com/GQ9P7thH33  The Hill (@thehill) May 22, 2015

Wholesale Motorcars didnt receive the best reviews prior to the business shutting down. And it seems Josh Duggar responded to one of the negative reviews about his business.

A Reddit user posted the review. This place is a joke, the review states.   Big mistake going there. In hindsight, should have called. Would have thought a website with apply for loan would mean they financed. Guess not.

Were sorry you left a bad review, the owner, presumably Josh, responded to the review. We do offer financing and we are happy to help you arrange it, with approved credit . Josh then encouraged the customer to call, as the sales team didnt remember talking to the individual with the complaint. He also noted the lot has 50 vehicles in stock most of the time.

Finally, the review ended with, We dont think your review is fair, but youre entitled to your opinion.

How does Anna Duggar make money after the guilty verdict?

Who Is Anna Duggar? Josh Duggar's Wife Announced 7th Pregnancy Days Before His Child Porn Arrest https://t.co/qlxlquJ63h  People (@people) April 30, 2021

While Wholesale Motorcars might have received negative reviews, it was still Josh Duggars primary source of income. Now, after the trial and guilty verdict, how will Anna Duggar make money to care for their kids?

It seems likely the other Duggar family members will come to her aid and assist her financially. In Jim Bob and Michelle Duggars statement regarding Joshs trial, they noted their next goal was to help Anna. In the days ahead, we will do all we can to surround our daughter-in-law Anna and their children with love and support, they wrote on their family website. Though Joshs guilty verdict will come with hefty fines, so its unclear who will pay those debts.

How to get help: If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 for free and confidential support.

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RELATED: Josh Duggars Trial: Jed Duggars Work History With Josh Duggar May Be Why Hes Called as a Witness
Princess Dianas Christmases at Sandringham once involved a joke she didnt like. Turns out the late Princess of Wales, remembered by many for her laugh and wicked sense of humor, didnt find every joke amusing. During Dianas Christmas at Sandringham in 1991, a staff member poked fun at her future in the royal family that didnt leave her laughing.

Diana didnt like spending Christmas at Sandringham

Princess Diana | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Among the many royal family holiday traditions is that everyone goes to Sandringham for Christmas. According to many who knew Diana, she didnt particularly look forward to the celebration in Norfolk, England.

Dianas former chef, Darren McGrady, explained why in a 2019 interview with Yahoo Life UK. He said Dianas dislike of Sandringham at Christmas had a lot to do with sharing the property with the entire family.

Sandringham was so tight, so compact. There were so many people there, all the families, McGrady said. You just couldnt get away. You came out of the dining room and you couldnt go into the sitting room because there were three or four people in there playing charades or Scrabble or something.

Dianas solution? McGrady recalled how shed often go off for a walk on her own to get a break. So in between the busy schedule of Christmas Eve tea, opening presents, attending two church services, and watching the broadcast of Queen Elizabeth IIs annual Christmas speech Diana would find some time for herself.

Diana asked a staff member to never call her Queen Diana

(L-R) Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret | Martin Keene/PA Images via Getty Images

Speaking to the New York Post in November 2021, McGrady, who spent 11 years cooking for the royal family, remembered Dianas Christmas at Sandringham in 1991. Not depicted in the Kristen Stewart-led drama, Spencer, Dianas former chef recalled a joke a fellow staff member made.

McGrady, who now runs his own catering company, remembered a co-worker named Victor who typically joked with Diana. Theyd share a few laughs whenever Diana visited the kitchen. But during Dianas Christmas at Sandringham in 1991 Victor took it a step too far.

She came one day and walked into the silver pantry to grab a spoon for her pudding, McGrady recalled. Victor, who was always loud and over the top, [ostentatiously] said: Oooh! Its Queen Diana!

Normally, Diana wouldve laughed. Although on this occasion she told Victor to stop with the queen jokes. As McGrady recalled, she replied with: Please dont call me queen, Victor. Ill never be queen.

Diana joked about Christmas at Sandringham with her former chef

Princess Diana | Martin Keene  PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

Despite Victors joke that didnt quite hit the mark and her general dislike of Sandringham, that didnt stop Diana from joking around. As McGrady told the New York Post, he crossed paths with her during one of her walks. Diana had headphones in.

I asked her what she was listening to and she replied: Phil Collins, the former royal chef recalled. When I asked which song, she said: Another Day in Paradise. It was her little joke since we both knew Sandringham wasnt exactly her favorite place.

RELATED: Who Did Princess Diana Spend Christmas With After She and Prince Charles Separated?
Ana Navarro is a fan favorite on The View and viewers had been following her closely since revealing her mother was extremely ill. Sadly, Navarros mom died on Dec. 15 at the age of 81 in Nicaragua. Navarro had more bad news for her followers when she confirmed her father had tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Ana Navarro | ABC/Lou Rocco

What happened to Ana Navarros dad?

After Navarros mom died, her father was supposed to visit her in Miami to spend the holidays with her. The View co-host cant travel to Nicaragua due to the political climate and how dangerous it is to those that criticize the government. However, Navarros dad was not able to make the trip because he tested positive for COVID-19.

My dad was supposed to be flying in from Nicaragua today to spend Christmas and my birthday with me. I havent seen him in 10 months. He was by my moms bedside day and night. They were married 60 years. Her death has devastated him, Navarro posted on Instagram.

The political commentator continued, I desperately wanted to hug him and pamper him. Im down to one parent and all I want is to smother him with love and attention. Now, he has COVID! Obviously, he cant fly until he tests negative. Im so grateful hes vaxxed.

Ana Navarro | ABC/Lou Rocco

RELATED: The View Co-Host Ana Navarro Compares Sara Haines Dress to a Toilet Paper Cover

Ana Navarro cancels Christmas

Navarro said that her father is not experiencing severe symptoms and only feels like he has a cold. Due to the climbing numbers of people testing positive for the virus, the TV personality said she was pulling the plug on her Christmas Eve party.

Just too much sadness, sickness, and risk. Between family members, friends and colleagues, I know 12 people with Covid right now, and 10 more who are quarantining because theyve been exposed, she added.

Navarro added that her new plans are to stay home with her dog and husband and eat the Christmas dinner that was intended for 16 people.

And please people, please, get your loved ones vaccinated and boosted, even if you have to drag the stupid, selfish ones, (we all have some), there kicking and screaming. Take precautions and try to stay safe, she concluded.

RELATED: The View Star Ana Navarro Honors La Guadalupana and Shares Mexican-Themed Christmas Tree

Ana Navarro pays tribute to her mother Violeta

Navarro had kept fans up to date with her mothers health after first opening up about her illness on The View. Despite being very sad about her moms death, Navarro said that she felt privileged of having had her mom for the time that she did.

I know it is a privilege to be able to bury your parents, not the other way around, she said in an emotional Instagram post on Dec. 15. Wish my mom had been in good health a little longer, I 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, 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 was also grateful to everyone that prayed for her mothers health, adding that she told her mom that her followers were sending her good vibes.
The Cheshire Board of Education has been working on creating a revised policy that it hopes will expand support for students experiencing bullying at school, as well as a revised nondiscrimination policy.

The Policy Committee, chaired by BOE member Adam Grippo, first wanted to revise the current definition of bullying, considered repeated acts committed by one student against another. The proposed change would expand the definition to include an act even if it was only done once.

The new definition states that you could have one single act, if its significant enough, be considered bullying, Grippo explained back in November, when the change was discussed. The second part (of the definition revision) comes from whether or not administrators or any employee of the school, and potentially even parents could also be included as (bullies). 

Currently, the Cheshire School District does not identify administrators, faculty, or parents as perpetrators of bullying. According to Grippo, the Committee still is unclear as to whether or not that portion of the policy will be added.

The current CPS bullying policy states that bullying is considered any  repeated use by one or more students of a written, oral or electronic communication, such as cyberbullying, directed at or referring to another student attending school in the same school district or a physical act or gesture by one or more students repeatedly directed at another student attending school in the same school district.

These acts can include anything that causes physical or emotional harm to a student or their property, places a student in reasonable fear of harm to oneself or others or damaging property, that creates a hostile environment for the student, infringes on the rights of the student at school, or substantially disrupts the education process or orderly operation of school.

The changes being considered by the BOE are a reflection of the CABE (Connecticut Association of Boards of Education) recommendations on bullying, which defines it as being perpetrated by students and adults alike. However, the CABE policy is unclear as to how to enact punishments against adults.

We are hoping that, in the new year and legislative session, we can get some more clarification on this new policy, Grippo told The Herald last week. Its not clear what the penalties are and what adult can exhibit these acts. How do you interpret an aggressive incident and is this something that follows the student for their entire school career? These are questions we just dont have answers to yet.

Grippo also added that there is confusion over whether a parent or teacher can be accused of bullying a student, and how that would play out.

What if the bullying incident involves a teacher? We are not clear on what supercedes what in terms of employment policies versus the bullying policy, he said. One would think that something like (Human Resources) would take over in that instance, but we just arent sure.

The Policy Committee also reworked the nondiscrimination policy for CPS, which redefines what types of hairstyles can be worn.

The policy is now to include protective hairstyles such as afro puffs and Bantu knots under the nondiscrimination umbrella, in order to follow with the state statute, Grippo added.

The new policy states that, Race is to be inclusive of ethnic traits historically associated with race, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles. Protective hairstyles includes but is not limited to wigs, headwraps, and hairstyles such as individual braids, cornrows, locs, twists, Bantu knots, afros, and afro puffs.

The nondiscrimination policy passed unanimously, while the revised bullying policy needs one more round of review before it goes to a vote. View the CPS bullying policy online at https://z2policy.cabe.org/cabe/browse/cheshire/cheshire/z20000226/JD_5131.911
In any polarized situation, the overriding human tendency is to draw a line with oneself and ones allies on the good side and the opposing party on the wicked side, with very little attempt made by either side to understand the other. As these positions harden, it becomes almost impossible to achieve the insight necessary for a breakthrough.

For some years now I have kept a file that I call The Line Runs Through. This title is from Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic and one of those who resisted the Communists and was put in prison for his activities. When he came to power after the Velvet Revolution, Havel was conspicuously forgiving toward his former enemies and other collaborators. Some blamed him for this, but he maintained his position. In the central European regimes of the 70s and 80s, Havel said, The line [between good and evil] did not run clearly between them and us, but through each person.

The line between good and evil runs through each person. These words find an echo in Pauls letter to the Romans: I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand (7:1521, RSV throughout). Is there anyone who does not recognize this?

The human being is in the grip of impulses that are more powerful than our wish to do good. Our Lord wants us to know of the power of these forces. In the words of Jesus in the Gospels, in the writings of Paul, we are told over and over in various ways that the powers we face are untiring, malevolent, and extremely clever. These powers seek nothing less than our destruction. But we are not defenseless. The apostle counsels us:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph. 6:1112)

The forces that we face are overwhelming, and the suffering that they cause is incalculable. The Christian should not be deceived about this. Jesus wants us to know ahead of time that the Christian life is going to be a long struggle against evil, sin, and deathmost of all, the evil, sin, and death that threaten our own being.

It is important that we use the word we when we confess our sins during corporate worship. Human solidarity in bondage to the power of sin is one of the most important of all concepts for Christians to grasp. At the same time, though, saying words of confession communally in church does not always cause us to appropriate its truth deep in our being.

All of us need to say also (in the words of Thomas Cranmers General Confession), I have erred and strayed from Gods ways like a lost sheep. I have followed too much the devices and desires of my own heart. This is not so easy for us. All of us, to one degree or another, participate in that psychological phenomenon famously called denial. Denial, or avoidance, is a way of keeping consciousness of sin at bay. We think we can make sin go away by pretending it is not there; we are like the little girl who says, Ive got my eyes closed so nobody can see me.

The line between good and evil runs through each person. The truly tragic person is the one who causes harm and never repents of it, never admits it even internally. That person is blocked from receiving the promise of the gospel that Gods grace is retroactive. If it werent, the promise it holds out to us would be empty. Gods power is able to make right all that has happened in the past. Paul seldom uses the word forgiveness. His stronger word is justification. Justification means that we sinners will not only be forgiven, but also justified, which means that we will be set right by the power of God, and all who have suffered as a result of our faults will have perfect restitution.

How can this be?

The sacrifice of Jesus our Lord is this: He has gone into the day of judgment utterly alone, separated from the Father, taking the sentence of condemnation upon himself, bearing it away from us. This is the gospel. This is the good news of the Christian faith. Neutrality is no longer possible. Satan is slashing and burning, but he is in retreat. His time will come. There is no longer any room for self-deception, excuses, denial, or evasion, for, as C. S. Lewis puts it in Mere Christianity, Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement; he is a rebel who must lay down his arms. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who disarms us.

But listen: We are not disarmed in order to be disempowered. There is power in the blood of the Lamb. It is the power of the Word of God that spoke, and it was so. It is the power that overcame Satan in the wilderness. It is the power that lifted the paralyzed man to his feet. It is the power that spoke through the voice of the Son of God when he said, Peace! Be still! and the wind and waves obeyed their Creator. It is the power that sustains every Christian in the struggles of this life.

This power is able to do things that we can only dream about. For this is the might of the God in whom Abraham believed, the God whose power gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist (Rom. 4:17). The God who reckoned Abraham righteous is the God who justifies sinners. For the righteousness reckoned to Abraham was not for his sakealone but for ours also. The promise of God to sinners today is that it will be reckoned to us who believe in him that raised from the dead Jesus our Lord (Rom. 4:24).

Excerpted from Means of Grace: A Year of Weekly Devotions by Fleming Rutledge, edited by Laura Bardolph Hubers 2021 (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.). Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
John Stott believed strongly in mutuality and reciprocity within the global church. Though a son of the Western church, Stott, like the apostle Paul, was passionately committed to the worldwide body of Christ. He not only knew and loved so many church leaders in many denominations outside the West, but he also wanted to enable their voices to be heard, to affirm their leadership, and to facilitate the development of their giftings, academically and spiritually. We must be global Christians, he used to say, with a global vision, because our God is a global God.

I have sometimes said that John Stott was both apostolic and Abrahamic. There was something apostolic about his evangelistic commitment to the gospel and to the faithful teaching of biblical truth. And there was something Abrahamic about his all nations perspective. Not only was he himself a blessing to many nations; he also modeled and taught the obedience of faith (to quote Paul) that characterized Abrahams combination of faith demonstrated in works (Rom. 1:5, ESV; James 2:2026).

So for John Stott, to strengthen the leadership of the church outside the West would be to strengthen global church leadership, including the West. He prayed and longed for the greater health and maturity of the worldwide church, including the West. So whatever he could do to strengthen the Majority World church, the whole body of Christ would benefit.

Stott recognized an additional benefit that would adorn the truth of the gospel. As the leadership of the global church outside the West was strengthened, resourced, and recognized, then the truly international, multicultural nature of the church itself would be far more visible ...

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Jesus' birthplace closed to foreign Christians this Christmas due to omicron variant

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Christian pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land, including sites in Jesus birthplace of Bethlehem, will be inaccessible to foreign Christian travelers again this Christmas due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent surge in the omicron variant.

The Israeli government has been accused of discriminating against Christian tourists during the busy Christmas holiday season by shutting its border to foreigners but giving an exception to young Jews.

Israel has mostly restricted international tourists since March 2020, when many countries began implementing lockdown policies in response to the pandemic, and had only started admitting fully vaccinated foreign visitors in early November. With the emergence of the omicron variant, travel restrictions have been reimposed.

A ban on foreign travelers to Israel was again instituted at the end of last month for two weeks and was later extended. In addition to banning foreign travel, Israeli officials have also restricted residents from traveling to several foreign countries to curb the spread of omicron.

While Bethlehem lies in the Palestinian-controlled West Bank, the only way for most foreign pilgrims to access the town is by flying into Israel.

Bethlehem is a popular destination for tourists over the holiday as many Christian pilgrims visit the ancient site, notably Manger Square.

The now-crippled tourism industry in Bethlehem and other sites throughout the Holy Land have been devastated. This will mark the second consecutive year that foreigners will not be able to visit the region.

In mid-December, Israeli officials made an exception to the foreign travelers ban for young Jews worldwide who want to travel as part of an exception for birthright. But restrictions still remain in place for other foreigners, including Christian pilgrims who want to travel to historic towns roamed by Jesus during his earthly ministry. Those include Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth.

A spokesperson and adviser to churches in the Holy Land, Wadi Abunassar, took to social media to claim that various Christian denominations are not happy with what they view as discrimination against Christian pilgrims.

Racist discrimination should never be accepted in any way! he wrote in a Facebook post, 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.

An official with the Catholic Church told the AP that the church has requested Israels Tourism Ministry make an exception for Christian pilgrims during the Christmas season.

The U.S.-based persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern said local hotel owners and employees in Bethlehem had been preparing for an influx of visitors  expecting to be filled at 70% capacity.

In 2013, the last year data was made available by the Palestinian Authority, approximately 1.16 million foreign tourists visited the area, according to ICC. The nonprofit further noted that while Israeli hotels and the tourism sector have received stipends from the government, those located in the Palestinian territories only received a one-time stipend of $224.

Over 4.5 million foreigners visited Israel in 2019, with Christian pilgrims accounting for roughly 25% of that total.

In 2020, the number of foreign visitors to Israel dropped to fewer than 1 million when both Israel and the Palestinian territories saw high infection rates. Foreign visitors were mostly barred last Christmas.

According to The New York Times, there had been hopes this year that up to 15,000 pilgrims would visit the region for Christmas despite travel complications and other virus-related challenges.

For people in Bethlehem, that would have been important oxygen, Abunassr told the newspaper. The community is suffering.

The Church of the Nativity, one of the most famous sites in Bethlehem, has been undergoing significant repairs, renovations that are expected to continue.

Such restoration projects are being helped along with contributions from Americans. The restoration work on the church so far has cost at least $15 million, of which the American Friends of the Bethlehem Foundation and Bethlehem Development Foundation raised at least $2.6 million, split equally.

The ancient church was named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 2012. It was previously listed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger due to a poor state of conservation before its removal in 2019.
Staffers quit Venue Church after confronting pastor with allegations of affair, misconduct

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At least eight employees of Venue Church, a fast-growing congregation based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, have reportedly quit their jobs over alleged misconduct by Pastor Tavner Smith, who is allegedly shown kissing a woman who is not his wife in a video that recently surfaced online.

Last Friday afternoon, staff and volunteers confronted Smith about the video recorded in North Georgia, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.

Two former employees and four volunteers or members previously connected to the church told the newspaper that the eight employees quit after confronting the pastor about a rumored affair with a church employee.

Venue Church did not immediately respond when contacted by The Christian Post on Thursday morning. But a spokesperson for the church told the Times Free Press that no comment will be made until after the severance process for staff was finalized.

Court records show that the pastor and his wife, Danielle Smith, who have three kids, began divorce proceedings in May, according to The Times Free Press.

Before the report, several individuals who said they are former members or employees of the church publicly made significant allegations of pastoral abuse and misconduct against Smith and his leadership team, including what they suggest is a pattern of marital infidelity.

Former Venue Church employee Colt Chandler Helton wrote in a Facebook post Sunday that he has worked for over 12 churches throughout his career  from North Point to Hillsong  and was hired by Venue Church in its early days to set up its systems and structures and model anything an adult would experience on a Sunday morning.

In hind sight I taught the Iranians how to make nuclear weapons, Helton, who worked for the church for nearly a year beginning in 2014, contends. I gave a man who had very very bad intentions the ability to make a mega church.

He shared a lengthy list of reasons why he left Venue Church, including what he claims to be financial abuse and witnessing domestic abuse in an atmosphere where there are zero elders or accountability.

The lead pastor had 100 percent absolutely control and his decision was Devine (sic), Helton wrote.

Money issue - we were always told there was no money. But the lead pastor always had a new car every few weeks. And the shopping trips would blow your mind. From exotic dogs to shoe and jersey collections, Helton alleged.

He recalled once watching the churchs worship pastor slam his wife against a wall in the green room prior to going on stage. Helton insisted that the pastor would talk to her like a dog and scream submit to me, women.

I witnessed on many times if someone saw or said anything about the money, accountability or abuse they were ran off and everyone at the church was made to triangulate against the said person and attack them by calling their jobs friends etc. making false statements in person and or on social media, Helton alleges.

Helton also suggested that Smith may have been intimately involved with females in the church other than his wife.

I witnessed on many times the lead pastor have alone time with females on the worship team and congregation, he wrote, while pointing out how the churchs theology devolved into something resembling the prosperity gospel.

When I went to report the physical abuse, I was told I was not allowed to speak to the lead pastor unless I was spoken to. Because he was so close to God and his closeness couldnt be put in jeopardy by speaking to commoners, Helton claimed.

According to cached data from Smiths website, the Smiths met in 2003 while attending North Greenville University in South Carolina. They got married the following year.

At the time, Smith worked as a student pastor at a church in Greenville, South Carolina. He continued working around the country until 2008 when he became the executive student pastor at the Ron and Hope Carpenter-led Redemption Church in Greenville.

We had no intention of being anything but members, Pastor Tavner recalled.

Four years later, in 2012, the Smiths moved to Chattanooga and started Venue Church, one of the fastest-growing churches across the country.

I never wanted to be a pastor of a church, Pastor Smith said on his website. This was not my plan. Actually, right in the middle of what I thought was our perfect plan  God spoke. He called me to start a church here in Chattanooga He said Shift. Danielle and I were scared to change our plan, but God continued to solidify in us that this Shift  to live here in Chattanooga and start a move of God through Venue Church  was what He has called us to do.

Helton contends that there could not be a more dangerous man and or organization than Pastor Tavner and Venue Church.

He currently has cheated on his wife with his assistant and lead worship leader, he claims. His staff have almost all quit and he refused to step down. This is in part due to no elder system or any leadership to force him out. This isnt how the church is or should run.
Earlier this week we reported on a frightening accident on Mount Baldy in the Cucamonga Wilderness that resulted in a hiker being airlifted out after sliding 900 feet down a frozen "ice chute."

That hiker, Jeaffreson Guevara, is happily recovering without life-threatening injuries, but it's now been revealed that three other men met a similar fate in just one week.

In a fortuitous turn of events, one hiker who fell from the notorious Icehouse Saddle trail this week was able to call for help when he found a cell phone belonging to another hiker who fell 5 days earlier.

Matthew Jaurequi and a friend were hiking the trail on Tuesday when they encountered a thick patch of ice, the sheriff's department said in a statement: "Jaurequi lost his footing and began to slide. Jaurequi's friend attempted to grab Jaurequi and they both slid approximately 150 feet down the mountain." After a "precipitous descent" stopped by holding onto a tree, the hikers realized they had lost their phones. They had no way to call for help until they found a phone in the snow nearby that was at 1% battery life, reports the LA Times.

After making a 911 call, Jaurequi was airlifted to safety while his friend hiked out, the statement says.

The phone belonged to Nicholas Ardoin, a hiker who was airlifted from the mountain by the busy Fontana Station rescue crew on Dec. 16.

"The ground was icy, hard packed and the rescuer had to set up anchors to proceed with the rescue operation," the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department Aviation said in a statement on the Ardoin incident. "Once secured, the rescuer and hoist operator worked together to get Nicholas out from underneath the trees and hoisted him to the helicopter, all while the pilot kept the helicopter in a hover for an extended amount of time."

Footage of that rescue (soundtracked with Greta Van Fleet's "Safari Song,") was shared on Instagram by the department.

The fourth hiker to need rescuing from Mount Baldy over the seven-day period was identified as Patrick Murphy by the sheriff's department. Murphy slid 100 feet down the icy mountainside on Dec. 18 and was hoisted out from a height of 145 feet by air medic Tom Gallant.

"The trail turns into a little ice chute, Doug Brimmer, a deputy pilot with the sheriffs department who helped with the rescues, told the LA Times. So youre walking on the trail one minute. Next minute, youre sliding down the mountain.

"The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department would like to remind the public about the dangers of hiking in hazardous conditions such as steep, rugged, mountainous terrain covered with snow and ice," the department said in a statement. "Without crampons (a specific type of traction device for ice climbing) and an ice axe, along with the proper training to use this equipment, this type of activity can lead to serious injury or death."
When I moved to Europe, I learned the Swiss charge for wine by the deciliter, making indulging in American-sized portions financially impractical. Becoming a beer drinker felt like the biggest challenge Id face  that is, until I arrived in Spain and learned that doing errands in the afternoon is against the law (well, not quite, but it feels that way). I remember asking my friend Elisabeth Biershenk where to buy Marlboro Lights and her trying to explain I couldnt just then: "Siesta!" she told me, having moved to Barcelona from New York three years ago. "It's a thing here."

I understood siesta from my Colombian upbringing to mean napping, so it wasn't apparent why sleep prevented a tobacco shop from selling me cigarettes. Elisabeth explained that most stores and businesses aside from cafes and restaurants close between 2 to 4 or 5 p.m. Large retailers and grocery chains are exceptions; I noticed a supermarket nearby still open, but the clerk informed me cigarettes were only sold at tobacco shops or bars via vending machines.

Courtesy of Jamie Valentino

Initially, I found the practice of siesta inconvenient, and I complained to Elisabeth that this system could never work back home  U.S. workers were still rallying for a universal livable minimum wage.

"We're relaxed here; life is not all about work," Elisabeth told me (as if her passport had filed for her divorce from American culture). The only other people I had known to practice this lifestyle of sufficient rest in between work were kindergarteners. My frustration with siesta escalated as I tried to cope with the mild inconvenience of waiting to get deodorant or a haircut. Despite being born in Colombias capital, Bogota, my mind was molded in the land of consumerism.

My friend Camila Salazar, a freelance podcast producer for HBO, also used working remotely as an opportunity to live abroad, and so we coordinated our travels to intertwine in Barcelona. At the beach, she experienced the universal crisis of phone damage by water. When a ziplock bag filled with rice proved insufficient, I accompanied her to purchase a temporary new phone.

Courtesy of Jamie Valentino

"Can we come back in 10 minutes?" Camila asked the clerk so she could compare pricing with another store. "Of course," he said. We returned to encounter a metal shutter.

We looked around and at 2 p.m. on a Saturday, la Rambla, one of Barcelona's most popular tourist streets, exuded the same energy as the empty street scenes before violence commences in The Purge. Except, instead of crime and murder, people stepped out for long lunches. And so Camila and I decided to eat and drink nearby for three hours until the store reopened. "Very dolce far niente of us," she joked of our sweet idleness.

Barcelona turned out to be many wonderful things, including affordable. I returned to enjoying Pinot Noir, often during siesta hours. However, it wasn't until I finally gave in and napped during this time that I decided only an insomniac or vampire could sleep this much during the day.

"I understand that siesta happens in other parts of the world, says Amber Simpson, a licensed clinical social worker in Houston specializing in insomnia treatment. "However, the literature is to actually not nap during the day. It interrupts our sleep patterns at night. Now, that doesn't mean we can't rest during the day as there is a difference between napping and resting. Taking time out to do a breathing exercise or mindfulness exercise has good mental health benefits during the day. It also helps our sleep."

Courtesy of Jamie Valentino

Elisabeth, who works in tech sales, clarified that many individuals in the corporate sector of Spain don't practice siesta hours, but the standard 9 to 5 schedule with an hour lunch break. In fact, the BBC reported that 60% of Spaniards never have a siesta, while only 18% will sometimes have a midday nap. But if daily napping isn't practiced among the population, nor is it medically advisable, why are these hours ingrained in Spanish culture?

After all, siesta might sound authentic to Spain, but it's of Roman origin. The term comes from the Latin "sexta hora," which means sixth hour. Noon occurs roughly six hours after dawn, making it the sixth hour of the daytime.

Historically, the practice of siesta became famous worldwide as a way to escape the afternoon heat, especially since most work used to be done outside. "This is the reason why it's so famous in Mediterranean countries," says Celina Lipinska, co-founder of Nappuccino Corner, a company specializing in removable and foldable napping pods. Siestas are commonly associated with Spanish-speaking countries in the Mediterranean or Latin America, but they're also popular in Greece, Israel and Nigeria. "I wouldn't say Barcelona practices siesta; rather, siesta is done worldwide. But, of course, in Spain, it is a part of the tradition and culture.

Courtesy of Napuccino

But the reputation of leisure the country carries doesnt align with the Spaniards 11-hour workdays as a result of the siesta. Due to the break in the day, they work until 8 p.m. In fact, Spaniards clock more hours at work than many of their other European counterparts. The BBC reported Spaniards to rack up 1,691 hours at work each year while British workers average 1,674 annually, and Germans work on average just 1,371 hours a year. In 2016, the Spanish government even brought legislation to shorten the workday by reducing lunch hours, but the siesta remains.

And while it's true napping daily can negatively affect your sleep cycle, this doesn't mean a nap can't be helpful to catch up on rest. Lipinska notes a good midday nap increases alertness, boosts creativity and memory, improves perception and reduces stress.

"However, it's true that napping too long leaves you more fatigued or groggy, and you will find trouble falling asleep at night. So have a 15-30 minutes nap rather than a 4-hours long nap to feel better. You can level up your nap by having a coffee just before your nap. In this way, while you nap, the level of adenosine (an organic compound that makes you sleepy) decreases, and the level of caffeine rises while you sleep, so when you wake up, it makes you feel even more energized."

Lipinska shares the expression "Ores kinis isihias" in Greek, which means "quiet time," and takes place in the late afternoon hours in Greece. "What's interesting is that there is a law that officially forbids any noise and loud music between 3 to 5 p.m. One of our interns from Greece was astonished that it is not like that everywhere outside of Greece. Our Japanese clients tell us how normal it is to sleep literally anywhere in Japan because they work so much and sleep so little. You can catch them napping while standing in the metro. In China, they also have an ability to sleep wherever, whenever and you can find them sleeping in IKEA!"

Courtesy of Napuccino

So if siesta is practiced all over the globe, why does the idea seem so distant from America? When I asked whether this phenomenon could ever be brought to a metropolitan city on the Houston official Reddit page, hundreds of comments came in defending current business hours.

T.C. Whitley, a civil servant, emphasizes that siesta was not built for a work culture centralized around commuting. "Houston has next-to-no public transit, so you're looking at an incredible extra and sudden load on our highway system and global warming for a siesta. I work 40 miles away from my home, and three hours fall into the valley of too long to wait out at the office but too short to drive an extra 80 miles a day to be worth it."

This was a point many of Houstons Redditors agreed with, such as user u/Creation88 who says siesta is only possible in cities like Spain because they are much older and therefore denser and access excellent public transportation, which makes commutes to and from home easy. Most American cities, besides New York, don't have anything near that density to make this lifestyle work. So it would become a burden to have this unpaid time off of work."

Godofredo A Vasquez/Associated Press

While some already employ a siesta within their own schedules, there were few who believed siesta would be well received by American culture or geography. Not to mention, the widespread practice of remote work already allows for a nap if necessary. User u/hunterhaus, a general contractor, encourages his subcontractors to enjoy a siesta after their one-hour lunch break. "It never bothers me! But I could see how it would interfere with many people trying to run errands, only to find stores closed during their breaks. It would only further drive online businesses."

Ultimately, Houstons Reddit workforce shrugs off the idea as impossible to mandate and therefore unlikely to ever be adopted in a metropolitan city. A noticeable number of users commented with support towards remote working and flexible hours, even specifying this system as the only way Americans would even consider siesta.

In Spain, during these hours when commercial streets empty, public squares and parks fill with people practicing what it means to be Spanish: BYOB and a widespread sense of community.

Or, as Lipinska jokes to me on the phone, "Life goes slow here in Barcelona. Maybe that's why it only took a year and a half to build the Empire State Building, but La Sagrada Familia is still under construction over 100 years later!"
In the crisscrossed, Q-addled conspiracy world where Donald Trump is held up as Americas great savior, and covid-19 vaccines are denounced as part of a poisonous plot to control the world, the former presidents own vaccination status  Trump privately got jabbed before departing the White House  has been an inconvenient truth.

This contradiction shot to the surface again this week when the disgraced ex-president, in the midst of an arena tour with disgraced ex-Fox News personality Bill OReilly, told the crowd hed gotten his booster shot.

When some audience members booed, Trump chastised his critics. He touted the covid shots as a key part of his administrations legacy: We did something that was historic, he said. We got a vaccine done. The twice-impeached Trump then touted the millions of lives saved around the world by the jabs. Take credit for it, he told his followers. Dont let them take it away, dont take it away from ourselves. Youre playing right into their hands.

In fairness to the boo birds, the pro-booster message was an about-face for Trump, for whom consistency has never been a virtue. Over the summer he dismissed the notion of a third jab as a money-making operation for Pfizer. This message vibed with the anti-vax fever swamps, which have long decried Big Pharma for raking in profits by pushing vaccines that (they believe against all evidence) poison patients, instead of protecting them.

As the presidents new, unabashed booster endorsement rippled out across right-wing social media, it was met with an combustible mix of anger, confusion, contorted excuses, and denial so pure its as if the former president had never uttered a word.

For a sign of just how severely Trump wrong-footed himself with his base by endorsing boosters, look no further than the editorial cartoonist Ben Garrison. The doodlers devotion to the 45th president has been slavish, but Garrisons opposition to the vaccine has also been stalwart. His latest cartoon opus shows Trump riding aboard on the Big Pharma Vaccine Bandwagon as hes booed by the MAGA-hatted masses.

never thought i would see the day ben garrison turned on trump pic.twitter.com/6S89RL9UXz  kim possible facts (@kimpossiblefact) December 23, 2021

On the social media app Telegram, Ron Watkins  whom many believe role-played Q in the QAnon conspiracy that held up Trump as Americas heaven-sent savior in the battle against satanic Democrats  sent out a message on the day of Trumps comments. Watkins blasted the insidious global campaign to use poisonous injections to save every living man woman, woman [and] child. Watkins didnt respond to Trump directly, but later urged the VF (or Vaccine Free community) to stand strong, never fear, and never comply. Two days later, Watkins was back to unvarnished anti-vax hysteria blasting jabs and boosters as Subscription Suicide Shots.

Lin Wood, the high-profile, right-wing attorney who was a central player in the farcical legal campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 election, also took to Telegram after Trump spoke. Wood, who has touted the QAnon worldview and calls himself a public advocate against covid jabs, told his followers to hold their fire on Trump for recommending the vaccine. Wood called covid a planned bioweapon and cautioned patience: I believe We The People should wait until ALL the facts are known before passing judgment on the Presidents wartime strategy and the tactics designed to achieve victory. (Woods appeal for patience fits a pattern. Anons have long overlooked facts that didnt fit their worldview with calls to trust a long term plan, whose logic cannot always be discerned in the moment.) Later Wood took to Telegram, decrying his trolls: Looks like I stirred up a hornets nest Hornets must not like the TRUTH!!! He again defended Trump: You dont have to agree with every statement President Trump makes or position he takes. Judge the entire body of President Trumps world as president He loves America, freedom, and We the People.

General Michael Flynn, the Trumps pardoned former national security adviser, was on Telegram on the day before the former presidents remarks opining that: The vaccine doesnt appear to work to prevent this covid madness, it appears to be causing it. Flynn seemed to ignore Trumps booster endorsement entirely. By the next day hed posted a link to news item alleging Bill Gates and Tony Fauci had been charged with genocide in a filing before the International Criminal Court.

Larry Cook  a top anti-vaxxer who once rivaled Robert Kennedy Jr. in his online reach before getting kicked off Facebook  runs the Stop Mandatory Vaccination online community. (Rolling Stone profiled Cook as part of this examination of the crossover between the anti-vax and Q Communities). A QAnon adherent and longtime Trump booster, Cook describes the vaccines as experimental poisons. He rails on his Covid-19 Refusers site that the Deep State seeks to destroy our children through vaccination as part of an effort to usher in a one world government and police state for total Luciferian domination of every Child of God. He took no notice of Trumps vaccine endorsement  and instead used Telegram to promote a powerful zeolite detox spray thats sold through his website.

While MAGA and anti-vax leaders tried to excuse, dismiss or ignore the former presidents booster boosting, some in the rank-and-file of the far-right movement werent ready to forgive and forget, instead training their fire directly at the 45th president.

A message posted to a popular Telegram channel dedicated to controversial media and uncensored views read: How quickly Trumpers and liberal-conservatives forget that this entire COVID debacle, including vaccines and mass vaccination, was initiated and promoted under Donald Trump and the Republican Partys watch.

The post continued by arguing that Trump and the GOP dont occupy the moral high ground on Covid and should not be trusted anymore than Biden and the Democrats: Democrats are corrupt. Republicans are corrupt, the post reads. If youre still on that merry-go-round then time to wake up and join us over here where TRUTH and FREEDOM is prioritised[sic] over party politics.

This sentiment was echoed by InfoWars host Alex Jones who used his platform to blast Trump for abandoning the fight of the anti-vaxxers. Hell, were out here fighting Bill Gates and Fauci and Biden, Jones said with disbelief: And now weve got Trump on their team!
NEW YORK (AP)  Under pressure to improve worker rights, Amazon has reached a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board to allow its employees to freely organize  and without retaliation.

According to the settlement, the online behemoth Amazon said it would reach out to its warehouse workers  former and current  via email who were on the job anytime from March 22 to now to notify them of their organizing rights. The settlement outlines that Amazon workers, which number 750,000 in the U.S., have more room to organize within the buildings. For example, Amazon pledged it will not threaten workers with discipline or call the police when they are engaging in union activity in exterior non-work areas during non-work time.

According to the terms of the settlement, the labor board will be able to more easily sue Amazon without going through a laborious process of administrative hearings  if it found that the online company reneged on its agreement.

Whether a company has 10 employees or a million employees, it must abide by the National Labor Relations Act," said NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, in a statement. This settlement agreement provides a crucial commitment from Amazon to millions of its workers across the United States that it will not interfere with their right to act collectively to improve their workplace by forming a union or taking other collective action.

She added that "working people should know that the National Labor Relations Board will vigorously seek to ensure Amazons compliance with the settlement and continue to defend the labor rights of all workers.

Amazon.com Inc., based in Seattle, couldn't be reached immediately for comment.

Kent Wong, the director of the UCLA Labor Center, called the settlement unprecedented" and said it represents a sea change in attitude at Amazon, which is known to deploy fierce measures against union activity at its warehouses.

Amazon has been very consistent in holding a strong anti-union position,  Wong said. This opens up a new opportunities for unionization there as well as at other companies."

Wong noted that the settlement comes as Amazon, the nation's second-largest private employer after Walmart, is on a hiring binge while facing organizing efforts at warehouses in Alabama and New York.

In November, the labor board ordered a new union election for Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama, based on objections to the first vote that took place in April. The move was a blow to Amazon, which spent about a year aggressively campaigning for the Bessemer warehouse workers to reject the union, which they ultimately did by a wide margin. The board had not yet determined the date for the second election, and it hasnt determined whether it will be conducted in person or by mail.

The campaign is being spearheaded by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Amazon Labor Union, an independent group representing workers in New York's Staten Island borough, refiled its petition for a union election. The group of workers withdrew its first petition in mid-November to hold a vote to unionize after falling behind the adequate number of workers pledging support. Former Amazon employee Christian Smalls is organizing the effort in Staten Island without the help of a national sponsor.

The organizing drive is also happening during a moment of reckoning across Corporate America as the pandemic and ensuing labor shortage has given employees more leverage to fight for better working conditions and pay. Workers have staged strikes at Kelloggs U.S. cereal plants as well as at Deere & Co., and at Starbucks, to name a few.

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Follow Anne DInnocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio
If youre already dealing with the irritation and inconvenience of a delayed flight, theres nothing worse than seeing the anticipated departure time climb up and up and up while you angrily stare out the window, willing your plane to appear at the gate.

But there is a way to anticipate when your plane will actually depart  and you can do it before you even leave for the airport.

On a recent trip to Southern California, flights were heavily delayed by foggy conditions along the coast. My departure from Oakland made it out OK, but I was worried about delays on the way home. So the morning of my trip, I pulled up FlightAware.

The first step is to type in your airline and flight number in the search bar. You can find that on your boarding pass (an example would be: Alaska Airlines 3428, from San Francisco to Boise). That will pull up your flight scheduled later in the day.

Youll notice under the expected departure time, theres a link for where is my plane now? If you click that, FlightAware takes you to the planes earlier flight. In the case of Alaska Airlines 3428 to Boise, the previous flight is a route from LAX to SFO. Now, you can track that flight and monitor whether it leaves on time or experiences delays. If the flight goes off without a hitch, youre likely good to go for your departure time out of SFO. If its delayed, at least you can now track that plane and see exactly when it touches down at your airport.

Depending on the length of the flight and size of the plane, turnaround times for cleaning up and switching crews, if needed, are usually pretty quick. If youre flying domestically, once your plane is at the gate and off-loaded of the prior passengers, it usually takes between 15 to 20 minutes to get boarding.

It may seem like a simple trick, but its one thats saved me a lot of sanity over the years. One of the worst parts of modern air travel is the uncertainty; so much of the experience feels completely beyond your control. With this, at least, you get a little more information in your hands  and enough intel to decide whether you have time for one more preflight drink to take the edge off.
BAYTOWN, Texas (AP)  Crews extinguished a large fire at a Houston-area refinery that broke out early Thursday, injuring four people.

The fire started at about 1 a.m. at ExxonMobil's refinery in Baytown, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Houston. Four people were injured but everyone else on site has been accounted for, said Rohan Davis, the refinery's manager.

Three of the injured were taken to hospitals by helicopter while the fourth was taken by ambulance, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. ExxonMobil said air quality monitoring has not revealed any issues. No evacuations or shelter-in-place orders have been issued.

The refinery, located along the Houston Ship Channel, has the capacity to process up to 584,000 barrels of crude oil each day. It employs about 7,000 people, according to the company's website.
OAKBORO, N.C. (AP)  A police chief in a small North Carolina town has been placed on unpaid leave because he reportedly told officers about a clinic where they could get COVID-19 vaccination cards without actually being vaccinated.

WBTV in Charlotte reports that Oakboro Police Chief TJ Smith was put on leave for a two-week period that started Tuesday. The town is west of Charlotte in Stanly County
From Bethlehem and Frankfurt to London and Boston, the surging coronavirus put a damper on Christmas Eve for a second year, forcing churches to cancel or scale back services and disrupting travel plans and family gatherings.

Drummers and bagpipers marched through Bethlehem to smaller than usual crowds after new Israeli travel restrictions meant to slow the highly contagious omicron variant kept international tourists away from the town where Jesus is said to have been born.

In Germany, a line wound halfway around Colognes massive cathedral, not for midnight Mass but for vaccinations. The offer of shots was an expression of care for ones neighbor that was consistent with the message of Christmas, cathedral provost Guido Assmann told the DPA news agency.

Around the world, people weary from nearly two years of lockdowns and other restrictions searched for ways to safely enjoy holiday rituals.

We can't let the virus take our lives from us when we're healthy, said Rosalia Lopes, a retired Portuguese government worker who was doing some last-minute shopping in the coastal town of Cascais.

She said she and her family were exhausted by the pandemic and determined to go ahead with their celebrations with the help of vaccines and booster shots, rapid home tests and mask-wearing in public. She planned a traditional Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner of baked cod.

In New York City, where omicron has spread widely, people waited in long lines to get tested, many doing so as a precaution before traveling to reunite with family.

Brianna Sultan and her daughter Ava, 8, spent Friday in one of those long lines waiting for a test after they got word of another infection at school.

Its a terrible way to be spending Christmas Eve, Sultan said after more than two hours in line and as the chill deepened into the evening in New York Citys Harlem neighborhood. Its terrible that we cant see our families because this COVID strain is coming back up again.

Holiday travel was dealt a blow when major airlines canceled hundreds of flights amid staffing shortages largely tied to omicron.

Sadia Reins arrived in New York City from Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday to be with with her 75-year-old mother. Reins said the two havent spent Christmas together in two years, and despite the risks in traveling during the outbreak, she couldn't bear to be apart from her mother again this year.

Were going to cry, she said, adding: We talk on the phone all the time, but its not the same as looking at someone.

In Britain, where the coronavirus variant is ripping through the population, some houses of worship hoped to press on.

At St. Pauls Old Ford, an Anglican church in East London, priests planned to hold services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But to protect parishioners, the church called off its Nativity play.

You might have to cancel the service, but you cant cancel Christmas, said the Rev. April Keech, an associate priest. You cant stop love. Love still stands.

Numerous churches in the U.S. canceled in-person services, including Washington National Cathedral in the nations capital and historic Old South Church in Boston. Others planned outdoor celebrations or a mix of online and in-person worship.

In Rome, a maskless Pope Francis celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peters Basilica, where admission was limited and worshippers had to wear masks.

While the number of faithful was far more than the 200 allowed in last year, it was a fraction of the 20,000 the basilica can seat. Before the pandemic, St. Peter's was routinely packed for midnight Mass.

In Germany, churchgoers faced a thicket of health restrictions and limits on attendance. Some had to show proof of vaccination or testing.

Frankfurts cathedral, which can hold 1,200 people, offered only 137 socially distanced spaces, all of which were booked days in advance. Singing was allowed only through masks.

People in the Netherlands tried to make the best of the holiday, despite living under one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe. All nonessential shops were closed, including bars and restaurants, and home visits were limited to two people per day, four on Christmas.

We are just meeting with some small groups of family for the next few days, Marloes Jansen, who was waiting in line to buy the traditional Dutch kerststol, a Christmas bread with fruits and nuts.

A glitch in a computerized appointment system prevented scores of people from scheduling COVID-19 tests and undermined the governments efforts to administer booster shots in a country already lagging far behind its neighbors.

In France, some visited loved ones in the hospital. In the Mediterranean city of Marseille, the intensive care unit at La Timone Hospital has been taking in more and more COVID-19 patients in recent days.

Amelie Khayat has been paying daily visits to her husband, Ludo, 41, who is recovering from spending 24 days in a coma and on a breathing machine.

They touched their heads together as she sat on his bed, and now that he is strong enough to stand, he got up to give her a farewell hug, as a medical worker put final decorations on the ICU Christmas tree.

Parisians lined up at chocolate shops, farmers markets and testing centers. France has posted record numbers of daily COVID-19 infections, and hospitalizations have been rising, but the government has held off on imposing curfews or closings during the holidays.

It does affect our enthusiasm to celebrate Christmas. It does makes us a bit sad. But at least we are sure not to contaminate or get contaminated. We will all do the test in our family, said Fabienne Maksimovic, 55, as she waited in line at a pharmacy in Paris to get tested.

In Antwerp, Belgium, Christmas trees hung upside down from windows in a protest against the closing of cultural venues.

In Bethlehem, the scene was much more festive than it was a year ago, when musicians marched through empty streets. This year, hundreds of people gathered in Manger Square as bagpipe-and-drum units streamed through.

Before the pandemic, Bethlehem would host thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world. The lack of visitors has hit the city's hotels, restaurants and gift shops especially hard.

___

Associated Press journalists Nicole Winfield in Rome; Danica Kirka in London; Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal; Aritz Parra in Madrid; Daniel Cole in Marseille, France; Molly Quell in the Netherlands; and David Crary in New York contributed to this report.
WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP)  The family of a 19-year-old fatally shot by police in January 2020 following a car chase has sued the city of West Haven, city police officers and state troopers involved in the case.

Attorney Mark Arons filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Superior Court in New Haven, the New Haven Register reported Friday. He said the suit was needed to preserve the two-year statute of limitations for negligence claims against the police.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP)  A hit-and-run crash in eastern Iowa on Friday briefly knocked out power for neary 500 people.

Davenport police said a car hit a power line pole Friday morning, and the driver fled the vehicle, according to KWQC-TV in Davenport. The crash left 492 people without electricity, but power has since been restored, according to MidAmerican Energy.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Iowa anticipates spending $9.2 million to shore up health care staffing at strained hospitals amid the latest COVID-19 surge.

The Des Moines Register reports that 100 out-of-state nurses and respiratory therapists began arriving in Iowa earlier this month. They are being placed in 17 facilities in Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City, Mason City, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waterloo, Council Bluffs, Ames and Sioux City.

The state will spend about $15,000 per nurse for each of the next six weeks. The amount is high because the state will pay $220 per regular hour to a Kansas staffing company for each supplemental nurse, and $330 for each of the overtime hours that the nurses are expected to work each week.

Sarah Ekstrand, an Iowa Department of Public Health spokesperson, said federal funding will cover the cost.

The same staffing agency also provided 100 nurses for most of December 2020 and January 2021, Ekstrand said, and 68 of those nurses also worked the first week of February. The total bill for the supplemental nurses during that period was about $6.9 million, Ekstrand said.

Jennifer Nutt, of the Iowa Hospital Association, has said hospitals are in a staffing crisis. That has driven up the cost of finding temporary help.
The U.S. Border Patrol announced on Thursday that a man was arrested with a previous sexual battery conviction.

Border Patrol stated that a man, Salome Espinoza-Gonzalez, was arrested. He had a sexual battery by force conviction by the Newayro Police Department in Michigan.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Hennepin County officials have adopted a new policy prohibiting the director of Minneapolis libraries from running the facilities from Los Angeles.

Chad Helton was hired in 2020 and moved to Los Angeles this summer, saying he could run the libraries through video conferencing. His stance has rankled library staff, their unions and taxpayers.
Chiraunth Rungjamratratsami

BANGKOK (AP)  Myanmars military unleashed airstrikes and heavy artillery on a small town controlled by ethnic guerrillas, sending hundreds of people fleeing across a river into Thailand, local officials and residents said Friday.

Government forces targeted Lay Kay Kaw, a small town near the Thai border that is controlled by the Karen guerrillas who are seeking greater autonomy from the central government. Fighting has intensified since February, when the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, and guerrillas offered refuge to opponents of the army.
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Joseph A. Edwards, 37, of 118 E. Chambers St. was arrested at 10:42 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of violating an order of protection. He also was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing a peace officer, according to a police report.

 Robert A. Lakamp, 37, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of prohibited open burning after police were called about 10:25 p.m. Wednesday to the 900 block of Goltra Avenue.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A bicycle was stolen about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday from in front of Bill's Tavern at 315 W. State St.

ACCIDENTS

 Walter E. Ballard, 51, of Jacksonville was taken to Jacksonville Memorial Hospital for treatment of serious injuries suffered when the car he was driving and one being driven by Adam S. West, 33, of Jacksonville collided at 3:34 p.m. Wednesday at Lincoln and West Morton avenues. Ballard was cited on a charge of disobeying a traffic control device, according to police.

OTHER REPORTS

 A Jacksonville man was treated at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital after he fell while unloading a semitrailer about 9:33 p.m. Wednesday in the 1100 block of West Walnut Street and severely lacerated his leg.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
MIAMI (AP)  Police in South Florida announced Thursday that they have arrested a real estate agent suspected of hunting homeless people.

Willy Suarez Maceo, 25, was initially jailed early Thursday morning on a trespassing charge, and Interim Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said during a news conference that they were planning to charge him with a count of murder and a count of attempted murder.

Maceo is suspected in two shootings that occurred Tuesday night about two hours apart, police said. One victim survived, but the other didn't. Detectives said video surveillance footage placed Maceos car at one of the attacks, and then ballistics testing showed the same gun was used in both attacks.

Investigators were also working to connect Maceo to a shooting from October, officials said.

Jail and court records didn't list an attorney for Maceo.
DEER PARK, N.Y. (AP)  A woman stabbed her ex-boyfriends mother to death during an altercation Thursday at a Long Island home, police said. The ex-boyfriend was also wounded, but his injuries were not considered life threatening, police said.

Shaquela Titley, 30, was held overnight at a Suffolk County police station and was scheduled to be arraigned Friday on a murder charge. Online court records didnt list a lawyer who could speak on her behalf.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  A Topeka area prosecutor has found that police were justified in fatally shooting a homicide suspect.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said this week that no charges would be filed in the death of 33-year-old Jesse Buck Lees. Kagay also found that Lees acted alone in the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, 25-year-old Jennifer Morris.

Witnesses said Morris and Lees had gotten into an argument on Sept. 8 before he dragged her into a bathroom and shot her, Kagay said.

Police tried to stop Lees the next day, but he eluded them. Police spotted Lees again on Sept. 10 pulling out of a convenience store parking lot and a chase ensued. After crashing, Lees took off running, pulling a handgun from his waistband and raising it in the direction of police.

Three officers fired, striking Lees multiple times. An autopsy showed Lees was under the influence of methamphetamine and the opioid tramadol, Kagay said.

Kagay noted that Lee's was a former inmate and said he would not go back to prison and was ready for a shootout with law enforcement.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP)  Russia has doubled the purchases of natural gas from Turkmenistan this year amid rising global demand, the Russian ambassador in Ashgabat said Friday.

Ambassador Alexander Blokhin said Russia this year stands to import about 10 billion cubic meters (353 billion cubic feet) of gas from Turkmenistan, nearly twice the amount imported in 2020.
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP)  Three Republican North Dakota lawmakers representing the southwestern part of the state have announced their reelection campaigns.

Reps. Jim Schmidt, R-Huff; Karen Rohr, R-Mandan; and Sen. David Schaible, R-Mott will all run for a fourth time to return to the Capitol, the Bismarck Tribune reported Thursday. The lawmakers' districts include part of Morton County and the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. All three were first elected in 2010.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  A West Virginia businessman has filed pre-candidacy paperwork for the governor's race in 2024.

The filing this week means Chris Miller, the son of U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, can begin raising funds for the gubernatorial race, The Gazette-Mail reported.

Miller is known for his appearances in the family company's auto sales commercials. He is part of the management team of Dutch Miller Auto Group, along with his father and brother. The company operates seven car dealerships in West Virginia and North Carolina.

Gov. Jim Justice appointed Chris Miller to Marshall Universitys Board of Governors in 2019.

One other potential candidate, Terri Bradshaw, of Gandeeville, also filed papers to raise money for a campaign.
Courtesy of SAPD

The St. Francis Episcopal Church of San Antonio is hosting a prayer vigil for the San Antonio 3-year-old girl who's been missing since Monday, December 20. The vigil will be from 10 to 11 a.m. at the St. Francis Pavilion at 4242 Bluemel Road, according to a Facebook post from the church.

Lina Sardar Khil was last seen at a playground at her family's apartment complex on the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road. Khil's family are refugees from Afghanistan who arrived in San Antonio in 2019, Lina's father Riaz Sardar Khil said Tuesday night. He said that he and his wife believe she was abducted.
In the weeks before the 2020 election, as Fox News executives and luminaries came to terms with its possible outcome, some began to see in it a long-awaited opportunity - a chance to break up with Donald Trump.

Even the president sensed a growing distance from the network that was once so closely aligned with him. "What's the biggest difference between this and four years ago?" he asked rhetorically during an Election Day appearance on "Fox & Friends," skipping over obvious choices such as U.S. foreign relations, immigration policy or the makeup of the federal courts. "I say Fox," he answered. "It's much different now."

The sentiment was held most fervently on Fox's news side and in its Washington bureau, according to current and former Fox News personalities familiar with the dynamic who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations. Many felt the network's identity had become too tightly bound up with its opinion hosts - some of whom had become not just on-air cheerleaders but behind-the-scenes advisers for a president adored by their viewers - at the expense of its old self-forged image as a "fair and balanced" news operation.

Yet the post-Trump era opened for Fox with a ratings drop that quickly prompted a recalibration of those 2021 visions.

Now, one year later, the dream some harbored of distancing from Trump is long over. The biggest threat Fox now faces is a pair of looming lawsuits from two voting technology companies that claim the network, far from turning away from him, allowed Trump-allied personalities - including on-air hosts as well as guests - to falsely malign them with bogus conspiracy theories about widespread election fraud.

Over the course of the year, Fox managed to reassert itself as the No. 1-ranked cable programmer - and full-heartedly realigned itself with the former president and his supporters.

It's a hard-fought triumph that has allowed Fox executives to shrug off two other recent developments that, at least to outsiders, further undermined its credentials as a news broker - the departure of veteran anchor Chris Wallace and the revelation of panicked texts three of its hosts sent to Trump's chief of staff, urging him to calm the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

And it highlights a dynamic affecting the entire cable-news industry at a time when the era's polarized politics increasingly steer viewers' decisions about what to watch.

"The universe of cable news viewers is declining, so you need to get more out of the existing viewers," said Chris Stirewalt, a former politics editor for Fox News, who compares cable news to "the tobacco industry circa 1988, where you have addiction as your path to profit" - and a strong motivation for channels to give their most loyal audiences the worldviews they desire. "A lot of Fox's decisions (suggest) that they are following that route."

Irena Briganti, a Fox News spokesperson, attributed the network's ratings dominance to its staff - "not just our news and opinion talent, but the many enterprising members of the team who work behind the scenes to put a top-notch product on the air," she said. "It's because of our great people that we consistently have more Americans watching Fox News each day than our competitors combined."

Stirewalt's own career at Fox reflects some of the network's pivots in its fight to stay on top. He was once part of a team that had won respect throughout the media business - Fox's nonpartisan "decision desk," known for its sharp and clearheaded analysis of election returns.

But the decision desk's performance on election night 2020 set in motion some of the drama Fox would confront in early 2021. The network was the first media outlet to project that Joe Biden would win the traditional red state of Arizona, an announcement that enraged the Trump camp and prompted an angry phone call from the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner to Rupert Murdoch, whose family controls Fox News's parent company.

Murdoch declined to overrule the decision desk, whose projection proved to be accurate. But when Trump lost, he declared war on Fox, railing against the network for its Arizona call and avidly promoting two far smaller news channels, Newsmax and One America News, that were beginning to carve out a niche among the Trump faithful.

Weeks later, Stirewalt says, he was fired, while another executive involved with the Arizona call abruptly retired. Fox says that Stirewalt's job was simply eliminated in a larger staff restructuring and notes that the network recently renewed the contract of Arnon Mishkin, the consultant who has run its decision desk for years.

The next test for Fox - and those on-air personalities who had publicly championed Trump for so long - came on Jan. 6. Some of the network's opinion hosts spent the subsequent weeks and months downplaying the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by hoards of Trump supporters or implying it had been started by left-wing agitators. In the moment, though, texts would later show Fox hosts Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity and Brian Kilmeade beseeching the president to calm the mobs and enforce the peace.

"This is hurting all of us," Ingraham wrote to Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows, in a text message revealed last week by the House select committee investigating the attack, echoing some concerns she shared on air that night. "He is destroying his legacy."

In January 2021, for the first time in 20 years, Fox reported monthly ratings that fell behind both of its main cable news competitors, CNN and MSNBC.

Now Fox is back on top, announcing that it was on track to complete its sixth year as the highest-ranking channel in all of cable, not just cable news. But it comes after a year of high-profile defections, criticism and lawsuits challenging the claims it allowed on the air.

And Fox's resurgence tracks with the growing influence within the company of Tucker Carlson, prime-time host of the network's most-watched show.

In November, Carlson produced a documentary series - released on the network's streaming service, Fox Nation, but promoted on Fox News - that floated unfounded theories that the Jan. 6 attack was an inside job by the government to target Trump supporters. ("They've begun to fight a new enemy in a new war on terror," Carlson intoned in the first episode. " ... an actual war, soldiers and paramilitary agencies hunting down American citizens.")

The Carlson series drew howls of condemnation not just from critics outside Fox but some whispers of dissent within the network as well, including from anchors Bret Baier and Chris Wallace. In November, two longtime Fox News contributors, Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes, cited Carlson's special - "a collection of incoherent conspiracy-mongering, riddled with factual inaccuracies, half-truths, deceptive imagery, and damning omissions" - as their primary rationale for resigning from the network.

Even Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of the network's parent company Fox Corp., was troubled by the incendiary trailer for the series, according to people who spoke with him. Yet the series continued to air on Fox Nation, which further lent Carlson an air of untouchability inside Fox. (Asked for comment, Brian Nick, a spokesperson for Lachlan Murdoch, said, "When Lachlan has a concern, he addresses it internally with the team, not through the media.")

A larger concern for Fox executives appears to be a pair of billion-dollar lawsuits filed by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic Corp. alleging defamation by the network for allowing Trump allies such as Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell to air false claims of election fraud, including on shows hosted by Carlson, Hannity and Jeanine Pirro.

Last week, a judge rejected Fox's motion to dismiss the Dominion case, allowing it to move forward. Fox has called the suit "baseless" and an "all-out assault on the First Amendment," arguing that the network "vigorously covered the breaking news surrounding the unprecedented 2020 election, providing full context of every story with in-depth reporting and clear-cut analysis."

The departure of Wallace drew far more attention, as the veteran anchor announced last week he is leaving Fox to host a show for rival CNN's forthcoming streaming service. Over his 18 years at the network, executives had repeatedly hailed Wallace's nonpartisan credentials as a tough, skeptical questioner as proof of Fox's commitment to news.

But Fox insiders were quick to downplay his move, arguing that it will mean little to a core Fox audience that gravitates to its highly-charged opinion hours. And they crowed over the coup achieved one week later by Baier, who scored the must-see interview of the day while temporarily holding down Wallace's old "Fox News Sunday" seat, when Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., announced on the show that he would vote against President Joe Biden's domestic spending plan.

It was proof, in Fox's view, that the show's powers lay not in who sat in the interviewer's chair - but the substantial number of loyal viewers guaranteed to tune into Fox at any hour.

"Fox's programming decisions are a reflection of their audience," said Rob Horowitz, a communications consultant who teaches a course on politics and media at the University of Rhode Island. "That's where the audience is, but the audience is there in part because that's where Fox leads them."
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The gas industry in Pennsylvania has succeeded the coal and railroad industries in making the state Legislature a nearly wholly owned subsidiary, but you'd never know it by hearing one of the industry's top executives assess the industry's treatment by the state government.
Charities feel they have been treated shabbily by the government. Funding intended to support the sector through the pandemic was unattainable for many, and it came too late for those it did reach, in some cases so late that funding may actually have to be returned.

Moreover, the sector fears that the long-term consequences of the pandemic are poorly understood by a government that has put little effort into really listening to what charities have to say.

Charities are not alone in their concerns. Earlier this month, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) strongly criticised the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for a lack of transparency about decision-making, deviation from formal processes and inadequate attention to impact.

However, MPs on the committee were largely concerned with whether proper processes had been followed, with much of the oral session devoted to questions about the involvement of special advisers. The written evidence submitted by charities raises some more fundamental questions about the governments attitude to the sector.

Funding was not enough

The first point raised by charities is that the 750m support package, announced by the chancellor in spring 2020, was simply not enough to go around.

A joint submission by a coalition of infrastructure organisations (ACEVO, Charity Finance Group, Children England, Clinks, Directory of Social Change, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Locality, and NCVO) says this would be a significant sum under any other circumstance, but that it fell substantially below the funding needed to meet growing needs in communities.

This is echoed by others such as Womens Aid, which says the domestic abuse and sexual violence sector got 37m from the emergency package, against an estimated need valued at 65m.

GMCVO, an umbrella body for charities in Greater Manchester, adds: The total amount of funding that trickled down to small local charities was not nearly enough to fill the gap left by lost income.

Excluding parts of the sector

Meanwhile, despite the package being billed as support for charities, in reality funding was only available to a narrow portion of the sector on the frontline.

Some sectors fell between the gaps. In its submission, the Association for Medical Research Charities (AMRC) says: The overwhelming majority of medical research charities (97%) have not been able to access the governments 750m support package or support for research-focused businesses.

The British Heart Foundation adds that there were no clear-cut mechanisms for medical research charities.

Animal charities were in a similarly frustrating position. Blue Crosss submission points out a contradiction between how different government departments classified its activity.

According to DCMS guidance, Blue Cross did not provide a frontline service supporting vulnerable people, so it could not benefit from the 750m. But key worker guidance stipulated that veterinarians, and its other staff, could continue to send their children to school.

The charity argues that it would have been more consistent, and equitable, for DCMS to apply the same criteria as the rest of government.

Opaqueness about departmental allocations is another complaint.

CLIC Sargent, now called Young People vs Cancer, says the Department for Health and Social Care announced which charities it was supporting without having any public application process. As a result the charity says it is incredibly concerned at the lack of transparency.

Another issue raised by Cancer52 is that the National Lottery Community Fund focuses on geographic communities, which was difficult for its members given that they are mainly small cancer charities which operate nationally.

Future funding streams need to recognise that some charities support communities of people bound together by a common issue, it says.

Distributing at pace

A consistent criticism from charities has been that this funding was distributed too slowly. But they also highlight that the windows to get applications in were tight and that once funds were received, they needed to be spent by 31 March.

The infrastructure coalition warns that some funding risks being returned to HM Treasury because charities are not able to spend the money before the deadline.

In some cases, charities say they have been given just six weeks to spend funds. ACEVO submitted an anonymous case study about a new charity that supports breastfeeding mothers, which had received a 2,000 grant on 12 February with a requirement to spend it by 31 March.

As a small charity with no paid staff, this deadline created significant additional pressure, as the organisation had to replan projects and make quick decisions around insurance to ensure the funds could be spent in time, it explains.



Meanwhile, large charities operating across the UK told MPs that the UK government was slower than its counterparts in Wales and Scotland.

BHF says: The UK government took, on average, around four times as long to accept our application and administer the funds.

Running out of steam

Ultimately, the consequence of limited funding and delays to distributing what was there is that the charity sector is smaller and weaker than it was.

CLIC Sargent says it was unable to secure extra funding and that this contributed to two rounds of redundancies, reducing its workforce by 15%.

Meanwhile, Cats Protection reveals that it permanently closed 28 of its charity shops. It now has 104 shops and says the closures during 2020 and 2021 have had a deep impact on our financial position.

Many submissions tell MPs that charities are reducing services, or even closing altogether.

GMCVO warns: We are now losing our local charities just when we need them most. Their heroic efforts are well known and acknowledged by our local politicians and communities, but they are now running out of steam.

Others agree, and say that staff are working longer hours to try and plug the gaps.

Good Things Foundation, which works with a network of community hubs to build digital skills, writes in its submission: Some centres attempted to offset the reduction in staff capacity by bringing in volunteers, but those that did highlighted the unsustainability of this situation. It was more common, therefore, for non-furloughed staff to keep working longer, unpaid hours to make up for the lost capacity.

Problems with the furlough scheme are a recurrent theme throughout the submissions. While it has been a lifeline for some charities, others have been baffled by the governments refusal to consider introducing some flexibility for charities where, unlike businesses, demand has soared.

Poorly understood

Charities also told PAC that the sector was poorly understood by ministers, particularly Treasury ministers.

Whether or not this stems from a hostile attitude borne out of ideological dislike of the sector, or a genuine lack of understanding, it was also accompanied by a familiar pattern of over-promising and under-delivering: promises were made which allowed charities to get their hopes up, only for government to backtrack, meaning that ultimately time and energy was wasted across the sector.

For example, Marie Curie says that, having received funding in support of its hospices, it received an initial assurance that funding would not be offset against additional fundraising. This assurance subsequently changed, but only after Marie Curie had put significant effort into launching an emergency appeal.

This meant that the more generous the public was, the less access Marie Curie had to government support, in a move that displays how poorly government understood charities financial models.

Those who donated to Marie Curies emergency appeal, or who donated through other mechanisms, do not expect their donations to be used in the same month/quarter, however these donations were netted off against our expenses for that period in order to determine our need for grant funding, the submission explains.

BHF highlights another example. In early November, the prime minister stated that the government would be doing much more over the winter to support the voluntary sector. This implied that another tailored support package may be forthcoming.

No such fund materialised, and three months later the minister for civil society confirmed that nothing would be forthcoming.

The think tank Pro Bono Economics (PBE) asks in its submission why the government treated the charity sector differently from other parts of the economy, which received assistance more quickly and then saw adjustments to their support as the environment changed.

PBE also suggests that a paternalistic approach was taken by the government, which appears to have hand-picked certain kinds of charitable causes to receive ring-fenced funds.

Lessons for the future

Charities desperately hope that the government will acknowledge the long-term and lasting consequences of the pandemic, and finally listen to what the sector has been saying.

The Law Centres Network is one of the charities suggesting that its sector will face another financial crisis in the coming months. It urges the government to learn from this experience and address the systemic weaknesses.

The Directory of Social Change (DSC), meanwhile, identifies the relative weakness of the Office for Civil Society and its position as part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Over the year it has become more and more apparent that government decision-making is mainly driven by HM Treasury, Number 10, the Cabinet Office and, to a degree, the Department for Health and Social Care, its submission says.

DSC is also scathing about the Treasurys attitude, saying it does not understand the voluntary sector economy and generally appears not interested to learn.

Overall, government rhetoric throughout the pandemic has been more positive about charities, as a sector, than at any time in other time in the past few years. But as these submissions to the PAC inquiry show, this is yet to have led to real understanding and action.

Civil Society Voices is the place for informed opinion and debate about the big issues affecting charities today. Were always keen to hear from anyone, working or volunteering at a charity, who has something to say. Find out more about contributing and how to get in touch. is the place for informed opinion and debate about the big issues affecting charities today. Were always keen to hear from anyone, working or volunteering at a charity, who has something to say.




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Numind.in scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 9 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the numind homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the numind homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if numind has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the numind homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the numind homepage on Twitter + the total number of numind followers (if numind has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the numind homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button.

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE numind :: Consulting, L& D Services DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS



The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache/2.2.22 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.22 OpenSSL/1.0.0-fips mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Type of server and offered services. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. Operative System running on the server. The language of numind.in as detected by CoolSocial algorithms.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for numind.in by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

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The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. The type of Facebook page. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
60%

Website throwawaymail.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: Boostrap. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 55928 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 18986 bytes (18.54 kb uncompressed) and 5429 bytes (5.30 kb compressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-12-24, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
We all know a casualty of the War on Christmas. Maybe its a family member who thinks the president is forcing his staff to say happy holidays in front of the socialism tree, or a friend who spends their Christmas Eve joylessly tweeting inaccurate memes about how Christians stole the holiday from pagans. The war has been long, but it continues to reach dumb new heights.

As early as October 5, Tucker Carlson was complaining that Dr. Fauci was single-handedly trying to cancel Christmas with his grinch-y reminders that theres still a plague on. Reading the entire piece can cause brain damage, but supposedly Christianity is dying and being replaced by Cult of Coronavirus even as Christmas remains stubbornly popular thanks to everyday Americans who are ignoring attempts by elitist newsrooms to kill the holiday for vague, nefarious purposes.

Fox News "Like Christianity, Coronavirus is about the innocent dying for our sins."

If it sounds like Carlson is desperate to find fresh grist to feed into his perpetual outrage machine, thats because he is. But lets back up. It feels like, as civilians, weve been living under these Christmas bombing runs forever. How did we get here? What does the War on Christmas nativity scene look like, besides being full of asses?

There have been earlier skirmishes. Christmas in North America got off to a shaky start, getting banned in 1659 by Puritan settlers whose strict theology disapproved of both the holiday and of 17th-century Christmas parties that would put yours to shame. That's rightAmerica has had one official ban on Christmas, and it was created by the most devout of Christians. The ban faded after a generation, and it doesnt appear a fine was ever levied on anyone who kept their yuletide joy to themselves. In other words, Americas Puritan ancestors saw Christmas as a private affair that shouldnt be pushed on the public. Take a minute to appreciate the irony.
Its midnight Dec. 18, one day after the premiere of the Spider-Man: No Way Home. I found my emotional connection to this experience to be so moving that I had to get home immediately and write it down.

The film was entertaining, but that is irrelevant compared with what actually made the half hour internet quest for an open seat, the 15-mile trek each way on fogged-out rainy I-95 and the orbiting search for a rare parking spot so worth it.

For a few hours, the entire audience fled our divided, pained, stressed-to-the-max, bleak, new normal COVID Omicron existence, and felt the laughter, the togetherness, the lighthearted warmth, indeed the fun of what not that long ago we all called life.

Have you laughed a real laugh in the last two years? Have you sat on your couch in your robe or jammies with a beverage and not worried about what you read, saw, heard or were told was happening, will happen or just happened? Have you managed to go a day without hearing something you could not believe was happening in your family, your town, our country or our world? Have you gone a week without your eyes aching from rolling back so far in your head because of things you learned that week? Life after 2019 has been a spiral of divisive depressing and profoundly negative news pervading our world in a way none of us has ever known. No jaundiced pejorative, no pessimistic forecast of doom (whether true or false) is left untexted, untweeted, unreported, unsaid. We all feel it. We all know it. Despite how silly it seems, a quirky image-intense comic book story can transport you far from our tortured today to a unified, calm, wonderful, pre-COVID, pre-political, pre-divided world.

I was overwhelmed to the point of tears welling in my eyes twice. This movie touches that pit-of-your-stomach yearning for a better day. Theres a Crying Game moment in this movie. When this moment came, the reaction in the theater was overwhelming. People stood up and cheered. Real, honest-to- goodness happy-to-be-alive cheers. Happy shock, surprise of surprises and amazement. Suddenly, smiles, warmth, happiness and joy hidden for two years by COVID masks broke free!

Considering politics as well as COVID, its actually six long years our fraternity, our unity, our country, our families, our friends and coworkers have been on edge, ready to snap separated and divided like never before. But boom! All that was erased like a Marvel villain finger-snap, by a plot point in this comic book movie. When time is upended is two major scenes, the audience (like the plot) travels to the past. I could feel our modern dramas disappear. In those moments, everyone in the theater just gets so happy. We were all friends again, and with old friends again. Even wearing masks we could see smiles. Eyes wide, screams of joy, we were one country, one politic, one humanity again.

The movie was made by two competing studios, and the political metaphor of them putting their differences aside for the betterment of the greater endeavor was not lost on the audience. This movie is designed around the plot of finding a common ground, of working together, of unification not for the win, but for the philosophical sake. Brotherhood and oneness because its right, not just beneficial.

This film is the ultimate breaker of the fourth wall: It asks its characters to overcome the travesty of the moment by banding together and remembering there is a greater good that will bring everyone a better life, then it did exactly that to us, the audience. Who would imagine that a film could do what no politician, no news company, no radio talk show host, no news outlet, basically no one could? Spider-Man: No Way Home erased, for two hours, the horrors we keep hearing and fears we keep facing and dread that fills our days and made all of us in that theater feel really, really good.

Jakob Satir is a Greenwich Realtor.
NEWPORT, N.H. (AP)  A man has been sentenced to three to six years in state prison after pleading guilty to setting fire to a New Hampshire diner in July.

Police had said the man kicked out the bottom window of the Daddypops Tumble Diner in Claremont the night of July 29, poured gasoline on or around the building and caused a fire or explosion. The diner was not open at the time.
Three months after the operator of a Westport day care fired a teacher for allegedly abusing infants, the business Fairfield location terminated an employee for pulling a childs hair and being rough with others, according to a Hearst Connecticut Media review of state inspection reports.

The business Norwalk location was also cited by the state for failing to provide first aid or notify a childs parents of a head injury until they were called because the child began vomiting, according to an inspection report. In another instance, an employee was fired after an inspector observed three infants sleeping in unsafe equipment, the records show.

The owner of Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Program and three employees were arrested recently after Westport police said an investigation in June determined a lead teacher there moved the children in an aggressive manner, kicked a ball at the babies and left some of them crying for extended periods of time.

The state Department of Children and Families investigator said the employee, Suzette Virgo, admitted to flicking the children, who were between 5 and 12 months old, on the side of their head with her fingers as a form of punishment and to scare them, the warrant stated. Virgo later told police that she never hit the children and made the flicking sound as a way of alerting them, the warrant stated.

The DCF investigator also learned Virgo called the children demeaning names like chunky monkey and fat f, according to the arrest warrant.

Other employees at Bright Beginnings said they saw Virgo force-feed bottles to some of the children. A mother told investigators her childrens clothing was soiled two to three times a week, the warrant stated.

The investigation was prompted by a complaint from a former employee to DCF. The business has four locations  in Westport, Fairfield, Stamford and Norwalk, according to its website.

The owner, Ridhita Gupta, was charged with failure to report child abuse in connection with the Westport investigation.

No one answered the door at Guptas Darien home on Wednesday. A message left with her lawyer was not returned.

The day cares were founded in Stamford in 2011, according to the business website.

The business Westport location rents space from the United Methodist Church of Westport and Weston.

A post on the churchs website from June 2020 announced the brand new, ultra-modern facility.

The pastor, Rev. Heather Sinclair, said she learned of the investigation Tuesday via media reports and described the churchs relationship with the business as commercial.

Were certainly saddened to hear of the allegations, Sinclair said in an interview on Wednesday. Above all, our prayers are just that the matter will be addressed thoroughly and there will be a resolution for the healing and care of all of the families.

She said the church has not yet decided whether to reevaluate its relationship with the business.

I think well be seeing what any investigation brings, she said. We certainly dont have any concrete thoughts on that at this time.

In addition to the alleged abuse investigated after the June incident, an inspection at the Westport facility last December found that a child was left alone unsupervised in a classroom, which prompted disciplinary action and retraining.

The employee in that incident was not named in the report. However, Virgo was suspended for three days last December for lack of supervision of a child, according to the arrest warrant related to the June incident.

According to state records, the Fairfield hair-pulling incident prompted a Sept. 22 inspection from the state Office of Early Childhood, which licenses child care centers.

Operator failed to use appropriate child behavior management techniques when teacher was observed to pull hair of one child and be rough with other children in her classroom, the inspection report, which is available online, reads.

A corrective action plan from the same date indicates the employee was fired and other staff retrained.

A follow-up inspection in October found zero violations at the Fairfield location.

At the Norwalk location, an employee was fired after an unannounced inspection in July 2020 found the business in violation of rules calling for infants under 12 months of age to sleep in free-standing cribs  two were in bouncers and one was in a swing, according to the report.

The Norwalk location also self-reported an incident in May where staff failed to seek first aid for a child who fell and struck her head, did not have the injury evaluated, and did not inform parents of the head injury until the child began vomiting and parents were called to pick her up, according to an inspection report.

The report also said, there was only one staff in the room with seven toddlers when a toddler fell. Staff were not actively supervising at the time of the incident. The document did not say whether the head injury and the fall were the result of the same incident.

That investigation was closed, according to documents available online, after the business filed a corrective action plan indicating staff were retrained.

Its unclear whether the business other locations were investigated by DCF or police.

A DCF spokesperson declined to comment on Bright Beginnings specifically Wednesday, citing confidentiality laws, but said if the agency receives notice of allegations it believes are of a criminal nature, it will work with police and the Office of Early Childhood to investigate.

This is a reminder to family members, friends, co-workers, and concerned citizens that if they are of the belief that a child has been harmed or are concerned about the manner a child is being treated, contact the child abuse and neglect care line at 1-800-842-2288, Ken Mysogland, the agencys bureau chief for external affairs, said.

Staff writer Raga Justin contributed to this report.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Thursday announced allocations for the state's remaining balance from federal pandemic relief.

West Virginia had until a Dec. 31 deadline to allocate the remaining $123 million in CARES Act funding.

On Tuesday, Justice announced a $48 million program to expand nursing education and recruitment.

In a news release Thursday, the Republican governor said $22 million will be spent for a back-to-work initiative and $10 million will go to the Department of Health and Human Resources to help first responders. Details on both programs have yet to be announced.

The governor is giving $15.2 million to state agencies to recover costs for frontline employees during the pandemic. In addition, $7.25 million will support food pantries and homeless shelters, and $6 million to be given to the Salvation Army's Beckley-based division.

Among other allocations, the governor said $3 million will help West Virginia University expend remote work facilities across West Virginia, and $1.5 million will be used to upgrade the state fairgrounds in Greenbrier County.
And then there were six. As I write, Mrs U is off to our local butcher to pick up the massive and murderously expensive turkey she ordered many weeks ago, when we didn't know how many to expect for lunch tomorrow.

We reckoned we'd be catering for an absolute minimum of a dozen, as in the past  and perhaps many more, once we'd totted up our four sons, their WAGs, the grandchildren, the odd in-law and one or two of my siblings and their young.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can see we would have been wise to delay ordering the bird until we had a better idea of numbers.

But all those weeks ago, if you remember, the BBC was putting out reports of an acute shortage of turkeys this Christmas (and blaming it mostly on Brexit, natch).

As I write, Mrs U is off to our local butcher to pick up the massive and murderously expensive turkey she ordered many weeks ago, when we didn't know how many to expect for lunch tomorrow

As everyone now knows, those rumours have proved as baseless as all the earlier scare stories about nationwide shortages of loo paper, petrol and bottled water. But how were we to know this at the time?

Better safe than sorry, we thought (which seems, incidentally, to have been the Government's dismal motto throughout most of this pandemic).

After all, it would be awkward if the entire tribe turned up on the big day and we had nothing to offer them but baked beans and takeaway pizzas.

Blame

But no sooner had we paid the deposit on that gigantic bird than, name by name, our guest list began to grow shorter.

Before we knew it, our family gathering of as many as 20 was down to ten. Then Omicron struck  and this Tuesday, our married son rang to say that he, his wife and both our grandchildren had just tested positive for the bug, and they'd all have to self-isolate until next week.

So now we are six. With 24 hours to go, who will be next? At any moment, another phone call could bring news of another cancellation.

Indeed, the next to test positive could be any one of our remaining half dozen, living as we all do in the London borough of Lambeth, which emerged this week as the national capital of Covid, with the highest infection rate in the land.

We reckoned we'd be catering for an absolute minimum of a dozen, as in the past  and perhaps many more, once we'd totted up our four sons, their WAGs, the grandchildren, the odd in-law and one or two of my siblings and their young

If the worst comes to the worst, it could be just the three of us  my wife and I and our one remaining resident son  sitting down to a turkey big enough to feed a battalion.

Like so many other families, trapped in this lockdown-in-all-but-name, I see January and February stretching ahead, with nothing to eat for every meal but turkey sandwiches, turkey risotto, turkey curry and turkey stir-fry. We'll have turkey coming out of our ears.

You don't have to look far for those who deserve the lion's share of the blame for ruining so many family Christmases this year.

For it's surely no coincidence that my borough, with that record infection rate, is also the local authority area with the highest proportion of anti-vaxxers in the country.

Indeed, an astonishing 32.4 per cent of Lambeth residents have so far refused to have the jab, for whatever reason or none, while the unvaccinated fill our local hospital beds.

Leave aside the baffling question of why the whole country should suffer because of the abnormally rapid spread of Covid in parts of the capital.

Forget, too, that for the overwhelming majority of the vaccinated  every adult in my family included  the new Covid variant seems no more serious than a nasty cold.

(Speaking for myself, triple-jabbed as I am, I wouldn't worry a bit if my infected son and his family were to join us for Christmas; but then they've always been less irresponsible than me.)

For once in my life, I find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with Tony Blair, when he said on Wednesday that anyone who is eligible for a vaccine, but hasn't had one, is an 'idiot'.

Gloomy

At first, I even had some sympathy with the Government of the Australian state of New South Wales, which has been toying with the idea of charging the unvaccinated for their Covid treatment.

That was before I reflected that I had no right to be smug and should be very careful indeed what I wished for.

Once politicians start charging unvaccinated Covid victims for having made the wrong lifestyle choice, after all, how long before they extend the principle to the overweight  or, God forbid, to heavy smokers and drinkers like me?

Best, perhaps, to let the increased severity of the disease the refuseniks suffer be punishment enough for their antisocial stupidity.

But of the course anti-vaxxers are by no means the only villains of this pandemic.

I'm thinking particularly of the relentlessly gloomy BBC  though other broadcasters are almost as bad  which has done so much to put the wind up the public.

Even on Wednesday, the day when no fewer than five studies reached the happy conclusion that the Omicron variant isn't nearly as dangerous as everyone had feared  the Corporation led its bulletins with the almost meaningless news that daily Covid 'cases' had topped 100,000 for the first time.

Nobody told us, of course, how many of the very few who are said to have died with the Omicron variant were unvaccinated. Nor have we been told how old they were, or what other illnesses they may have been suffering.

The official line remains: 'We don't comment on individual cases.'

Oh, give us a break. We're not asking for names, or anything else that might identify the people who have died with Covid. But is it really too much to ask if they might have died of something else  old age, for example, like my adored 99-year-old mother-in-law  so that we can make up our own minds about the severity of the risk we face?

Jeopardy

But no. When it comes to reporting the pandemic, the policy of broadcasters, officials and Ministers alike is to turn the old song on its head: 'Accentuate the negative/ Eliminate the positive.'

Now, I won't pretend it breaks my heart that, once again this Christmas, I'll be denied the joys of a house jam-packed with screaming, over-excited children and fractious aunts and in-laws who may have drunk more than is strictly good for domestic harmony.

Believe me, I know countless people are suffering far worse than the Utleys from the current scare  not least those who will be alone this Christmas and workers in industries such as hospitality whose livelihoods are in jeopardy once again.

But I want to make one special plea. Next week, politicians permitting, I'll be at my mother-in-law's funeral in Oxfordshire. You mustn't take this the wrong way, when I say that I've been much looking forward to it.

Of course it will be a very sad occasion  that should go without saying. But a well-attended funeral, in a church packed with people united in love and grief for the dead, can also be hugely uplifting  a celebration of a life well lived, as much as an occasion for mourning.

Please, please, my old friend Boris, don't lose your nerve. Don't give in to the doom-mongers who urge you to repeat the cruel policy of the earlier lockdowns, when so many mourners were forced to witness the funerals of their loved ones via Zoom. It's not the same thing at all.

Let us give my mother-in-law, and so many like her, the send-off they deserve.

With that, I wish my long-suffering readers as merry a Christmas as the Government permits  and a prosperous, happy and healthy New Year.

Oh, and if any of my friends or family fancy a bit of leftover turkey, well, they know where to come.
Outrage over apparent parties at Number 10 during the Covid lockdown, sleaze allegations and Tory revolts have sent Boris Johnsons popularity ratings tumbling. Daily Mail assistant editor Simon Walters has spoken to many of those who know the Prime Minister best to find out how, or perhaps if, they think he can recover politically in the New Year.

Tory MPs calling on Boris Johnson to get a grip of a Downing Street machine that has looked chaotic in recent weeks should be aware of a telling incident.

Mr Johnson had caused a furore by performing one of his trademark political stunts: departing from a pre-prepared speech and ad libbing.

The audience lapped it up.

But, while he may have received a standing ovation, Mr Johnson made a hash of the policy he was supposed to be announcing.

The media proclaimed it another Boris gaffe and an aide had to clear up the mess.

Later, Im told, when that aide cast him an accusing look, Mr Johnson said: Theres no point saying anything, Im not going to change.

But, in the last few days I have spoken to more than 20 Tory MPs, ministers, officials and aides, many of whom have known or worked closely with Mr Johnson going back two decades, and virtually all agree on one thing: if he does not move to sort out his dysfunctional administration he has little chance of fighting the next election, which could be just two years away.

Rows over No10 parties, the first serious signs of Cabinet dissent over potential Covid restrictions, plus a mass Tory backbench revolt and a series of sleaze allegations have all led to speculation that would have seemed unthinkable less than three months ago: a possible leadership challenge.

Outrage over parties at Number 10 during the Covid lockdown, sleaze allegations and Tory revolts have sent Boris Johnsons popularity ratings tumbling, SIMON WALTERS writes

Strains with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and newly appointed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss were clearly visible at this weeks Cabinet crisis meeting on Covid

And most of these problems can be traced back to Johnson and his team at No10.

Of course, part of Johnsons complex political character thrives on chaos because he knows hes at his best when he seizes victory from the jaws of defeat at the last moment, with one simple wisecrack or a Churchillian performance.

Indeed, he weathered a similarly disastrous initial spell as London Mayor in 2008, with mistakes, sleaze allegations and resignations. But he turned it round.

And he did so by bringing in some trusted big hitters to do the political heavy-lifting behind the scenes, leaving him to do what he does best, spreading his Boris boosterism around the capital.

However, now that hes Prime Minister, eccentric performances like his recent address to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) - in which he started talking about a recent trip to Peppa Pig World - run the risk of giving the impression that he sees the crowd-pleasing antics that made him popular as mayor will do the same in a much more serious role.

And in truth, they wont.

One of his team was said to be taken aback when, after scanning a copy of the CBI speech prepared for him, unimpressed Mr Johnson gave a three word reply: Wheres the jokes?

Certainly, Boris without the humour wouldnt be Boris. But in the words of one of his former campaign chiefs: Becoming a laughing stock PM is no joke.

Certainly, Boris without the humour wouldnt be Boris. But in the words of one of his former campaign chiefs: Becoming a laughing stock PM is no joke

According to some sources, the recent resignation of Brexit negotiator Lord Frost was connected, in part, to concerns about Mrs Johnsons eco-campaigning influence on policies, such as a drive to net-zero carbon emmissions

Paradoxically, while refusing to appoint the kind of strong figures who would make No10 work more efficiently, Mr Johnson, who, unlike some of his predecessors like notoriously moody Gordon Brown or thin-skinned John Major, rarely displays real anger - rather hes said to stage mock temper tantrums to vent his frustration.

He stomps round shouting I am king here! or I am the fuhrer here! Why cant I get this done? an aide said. He is clowning around, but the frustration is real.

And the root of this frustration?

Some say he is suffering because, unlike in his triumphant mayoral days when he had a close-knit team of advisers, he has no comparable personal bond with any of his much bigger No10 staff, most of whom are closer in age to his wife Carrie, 24 years his junior.

One MP said: They dont know him well enough to give him what he needs. He doesnt mind in the slightest if you shout at him to tuck his shirt him or pull his trousers up. But no one in Downing Street does that and it shows.

Some members of his inner circle are considering trying to persuade him to order a shake up of No10 in the New Year.

Their ideas include replacing his ineffectual chief of staff Dan Rosenfield and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case with individuals who wield greater authority.

When Dan and Simon walk into a room barely anyone notices, let alone pays attention, on Downing Street insider said.

And if it were not for the fact that Mr Johnson carried out a recent Cabinet reshuffle in September, one or two of his top team would likely face the risk of the axe, too.

A Johnson loyalist said he is spitting blood at the way he believes Chief Whip Mark Spencer and Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg talked him into the doomed attempt to get former minister Owen Paterson off the hook over the lobbying scandal in early November.

A Johnson loyalist said he is spitting blood at the way he believes Chief Whip Mark Spencer and Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured) talked him into the doomed attempt to get former minister Owen Paterson off the hook over the lobbying scandal in early November

Those close to the Prime Minister say Rees-Mogg is the anonymous Cabinet Minister widely referred to as being on the brink of quitting over potential new Covid restrictions.

Mr Johnsons relations with fellow Brexit cheerleader Mr Rees-Mogg are said to have reached such a low point that one person who works with Mr Johnson observed cryptically: The question is: will Jacob walk before he is pushed?

Strains with Chancellor Rishi Sunak and newly appointed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss were clearly visible at this weeks Cabinet crisis meeting on Covid.

One Cabinet Minister said: Rishi was furious at plans for new curbs and tried to stay quiet but was forced to say a few words by the PM. Liz said she had another call and disappeared. They dont want to upset [Tory] MPs in case there is a leadership contest. Shame on them.

A senior aide said: The Cabinet meeting was a watershed. It is the first time the Cabinet stood up to Boris - and he blinked first.

Some say structural changes are also needed to make government policies more coherent and for links to be restored with wayward Tory MPs, who complain they never see Mr Johnson in the Commons tea room any more.

He is in his Downing Street bunker, surrounded by teenagers who have more power than backbench MPs with 40 years experience, complained one grandee.

Mr Johnsons allies are also keenly aware of the need to tread gently around Carrie, who recently became a mother for the second time, and is a political force in her own right with links to government aides and ministers.

According to some sources, the recent resignation of Brexit negotiator Lord Frost was connected, in part, to concerns about Mrs Johnsons eco-campaigning influence on policies, such as a drive to net-zero carbon emmissions.

Tory traditionalists are also uneasy about her strong support of controversial gender and trans issues.

One of Mr Johnsons best known advisers told me: Boris needs a functioning Downing Street operation and a clear Conservative agenda instead of whimsical ideas and erratic pronouncements.

And, the adviser added, the Covid crisis has made it all the more vital: In government, competence breeds competence  even more so at times of national uncertainty.
Many Brits may be finding it difficult to feel festive this year, amid rising Covid-19 cases and fears over restrictions over the Christmas and New Year period.

However trying out the cosy Nordic tradition Jolabokaflod could be a great way to feel a little holiday spirit this Christmas Eve.

The word was highlighted by the British Library earlier this month on Instagram, with the organisation declaring it is a 'weird and wonderful' tradition originating in Iceland.

The concept, which translates roughly into English as 'the Christmas book flood', sees people gift new books to their loved ones on Christmas Eve and spend the evening reading.

Social media users went wild for the idea, with some suggesting the Nordic cultural staple could even bypass the art of hygge, the art of cosy living, in popularity.

Jolabokaflod translates roughly into English as 'the Christmas book flood' and sees people gift new books to their loved ones on Christmas Eve and spend the evening reading. Stock image

One commented: 'Ive introduced this tradition to my family for the last five Christmases.

'Its genuinely wonderful and I think I look forward to it more than christmas itself.'

Another wrote: 'A gorgeous tradition. Read and sip.'

Sometimes books can be wrapped up with a sweet treat and often are read immediately while drinking hot chocolate or alcohol-free Christmas ale called jolabland.

The British Library shared the definition of the word on it's Instagram page earlier this month, sending social media users wild

The ritual dates back to the Second World War, after Iceland formally became an independent republic on June 17, 1944, because paper was one of the few commodities not rationed.

Every year since 1944, the Icelandic book trade has published a catalogue of the year's best books, the Bokatiindi, which is sent to every household in the country in mid-November.

Iceland are a nation of bookworms, and a study conducted by Bifrost University in 2013 found that around half the countrys population read at least eight books a year.

Recommended books in the Bokatiindi are split into children and adult categories and include both Icelandic and translated fiction and non-fiction.

Many Brits confessed they were wowed by the 'wonderful' tradition and said they hoped to adopt it in the future

The top recommended work of translated fiction globally went to 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, a book about a sex worker in Istanbul by Turkish writer Elif Shafak.

The list also included Swedish bestseller 1794: The City Between the Bridges by Niklas Natt och Dag and Eat the Buddha by American journalist and author Barbara Demick.

Meanwhile, the top recommendations for Icelandic fiction this year included comedy book 107 reykjavik by Auur Jonsdottir and Anna Haforsdottir's acclaimed novel To Count to a Million.

The trend may remind some of the popular Danish term hygge, pronounced 'hoo-ga'.

The Nordic word describes a feeling of cosiness and content, and enjoying the good things in life with good people around you.

It boomed in popularity in 2016 and was defined as the art of cosy living, the savouring of lifes simplest pleasures.

At the time, 132 titles relating to hygge are being sold by Amazon, with Meik Wikings The Little Book Of Hygge reaching No 14 in the bestsellers list  ahead of J. K. Rowlings Fantastic Beasts screenplay.
It can be nerve-wracking to introduce your significant other to family members, and doing it with all the pressures of Christmas thrown into the mix can make it even more stressful.

People from around the world have taken to the anonymous sharing app Whisper to reveal the awkward exchanges that took place after introducing their partner to family during the festive season.

Among the shocking confessions was a woman, from America, who says she was left feeling uncomfortable when her boyfriend's uncle shamelessly stared at her chest during their introduction at Thanksgiving.

Another woman, who lives in the States, told how her boyfriend told her they couldn't get intimate under his family's roof - and the solution was to leave her at his parents' house while he went out to have sex with someone else.

Here, Femail shares gatherings that were more festive cringe than cheer...

People from around the world have taken to anonymous sharing app Whisper to share what happened when they introduced their partner to family members during holiday season - including a woman, from the U.S, who claims her boyfriend's uncle stared at her chest

One anonymous woman was left speechless after her family compared her boyfriend to her abusive father

Another woman, who lives in America, told how her boyfriend left her at his parents' house while he went out to have sex with someone else

A woman, from Maryland, confessed she felt embarrassed after introducing her boyfriend to her extended family who mocked him to his face

One woman, who lives in Washington, admits she's unsure how her family will react to meeting her boyfriend this Christmas as he's half her age

Another woman, believed to be from the U.S, shared the embarrassment of opening a Christmas present from her boyfriend to find lingerie from Victoria Secret

An anonymous woman, who is in a relationship with one of her mother's employees, chose Thanksgiving to introduce him to the rest of her family

Another individual revealed their father got drunk the first time he met their boyfriend

One person, who lives in America, revealed they were kicked out by their mother after introducing their girlfriend but luckily was taken in by their partner's family for Christmas

A woman, who brought her boyfriend home to meet her family, confessed her older brothers threatened him
A group of Rhode Island teens came together to build a shelter for a handicapped five-year-old boy - after they noticed that he would often get wet while waiting for the school bus.

Ryder Killam, from Bradford, Rhode Island, went to the bus stop early every day because he feared he might miss the school bus due to his disabilities.

He often waited more than 15 minutes for the bus to arrive, and sometimes he was hit with inclimate weather.

But when a few local students heard about his problem, they teamed up and constructed a shack at the bottom of his driveway - and he can now wait for the bus with shelter over his head on days when it was raining or snowing.

Giving: A group of Rhode Island teens came together to build a shelter for a handicapped five-year-old boy after they noticed that he would often get wet while waiting for the school bus

Ryder Killam, from Bradford, was born with spina bifida and can't walk. He often waited 15 minutes for the bus to arrive - and sometimes he was hit with inclimate weather

Ryder was born with spina bifida myelomeningocele, which occurs when a developing baby's spinal cord fails to develop or close properly while in the womb - so he was never able to walk and he began using a wheelchair at age two.

Before the teens built him a shelter, Ryder would wait under a patio umbrella that his father set up in an attempt to provide some relief from the elements.

But the flimsy umbrella didn't do much, and Ryder was left wet and cold on many mornings.

'The problem is, with the wind and fall weather here in New England, it really didnt accomplish much unless it was just a rainy day with no wind, otherwise he still would get wet and not stay warm,' his dad, Tim, told Good News Network.

Desperate to help his son, he posted about the problem on Facebook.

'I placed a post on Facebook looking to see if one of my friends or one of their connections might have an old bus hut,' he continued.

'I see them here and there on peoples property and figured maybe someone had one and had grown children that might not need it anymore.

Before they built the shelter, the young boy would wait under a flimsy patio umbrella. But it didn't do much, and little Ryder was left wet and cold on many mornings

His dad Tim posted about the problem on Facebook and got in touch with local high school teacher Dan McKena - who rounded up a group of students and together, they made the hut

In the end, the students built a five by eight foot shed, which was big enough for Ryder and an adult to stand under. Ryder was ecstatic, and his dad said he 'hangs out in it all the time'

What is spina bifida? Spina bifida is a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don't form properly

There are three different types: spina bifida occulta, myelomeningocele, and meningocele

Ryder has myelomeningocele, which is the most severe type

In myelomeningocele, a baby is born with a sac on its back, which exposes tissues and nerves and makes the baby prone to life-threatening infections. It can also cause paralysis and bladder and bowel dysfunction

Doctors aren't certain what causes spina bifida. It's thought to result from a combination of genetic, nutritional and environmental risk factors, such as a family history of neural tube defects and folate (vitamin B-9) deficiency

Source: MayoClinic Advertisement

'After the post, a [local high school] member suggested I reach out to the construction class at Westerly High and see if they would want to take on the project of building Ryder a bus stop hut.'

So he emailed Dan McKena, who has taught construction technology at Westerly High School for 27 years.

Tim explained: 'He responded with an "absolutely" and then he worked with his students to design and build the hut.'

He had students from three of his classes work on the project, and they spent hours upon hours building it.

About $300 worth of wood was donated by Home Depot for the project. The Kilmans also put in $600 of their own money to cover the rest of the materials.

In the end, the students built a five-by-eight-foot hut, which was big enough for Ryder and an adult to stand under - and he is now able to stay warm and dry.

They even added a personalized sign on the top that said 'Ryder's bus stop.'

It took six weeks in total to build and was delivered to the family on November 2, just in time for winter.

'We were shocked, it was much bigger than we expected and allows such great access for Ryder and an adult to be with him comfortably,' Tim gushed.

'Ryder's first reaction was, "Holy Cow!" He loved it and wants to hang out it in all the time.

'Ryder uses it every day before school and his nurses wait inside it every day while they await his return home.

'He does like to go hang out in it from time to time as his fort as well. This project brought out community together a bit, it showed that there is still so much good in this world and town.'
A Melbourne-based design studio has opened it's doors to Australians who wish to create customisable Converse in an environmentally conscious manner.

Renew Labs Fitzroy encourages people to take their old sneakers in for a clean, repair, upgrade or complete customisation, rather than binning them.

Your favourite pair of chucks can be completely up cycled in a Renew Lab workshop where one can add patches, eco-friendly dye and embroidery.

A new Melbourne-based design studio has opened it's doors and allows people to create customisable Converse in an environmentally conscious manner, Renew Labs Fitzroy encourages people to take their old sneakers in for a clean, repair, upgrade or complete customisation, rather than binning them

The creative workshops are led by industry natives, such as designers and members of fashion labels to teach design with a difference.

The first workshop was run by Tamara Leacock from Remuse designs, who taught participants how to dye a pair of Chucks using natural indigo pigment.

Designer Tamara, who often 'works with plant based, low impact dyes' believes that the Melbourne design studio is forward thinking about fashion and the environment.

The Lab also runs creative workshops that are led by industry natives, such as creatives and members of fashion labels to teach design with a difference, The first workshop was run by Tamara Leacock from Remuse designs , who taught participants how to dye a pair of Chucks using natural indigo pigment

'Converse have been a fashion essential so Renew Labs is truly leading the way in pushing the fashion industry towards a more sustainable future,' she told News.com.

The studio is passionate about creating a waste-free future as the fashion industry is indeed responsible for 10 percent of human carbon emissions.

The Renew Labs team are dedicated when it comes to reviving your favourite pair of Converse while creating a unique shoe that goes toward a good act.

Your favourite pair of chucks can be completely up cycled in a Renew Lab workshop where one can add patches, dye and embroidery, the team is dedicated to revive and refresh your favourite pair of Converse while creating a unique shoe that goes toward a good act

The studio is passionate about creating a waste-free future as the fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of human carbon emissions, thus can revamp, recycle and reuse your sneakers to create products like gym mats, flooring and playgrounds

Although, not all shoes last forever the Lab encourages people to bring in their Converse to have them sustainably disposed of with TreadLightly.

Together the partnership collects unwanted sneakers and uses the rubber, leather and fibres of shoe to create gym mats, flooring and playgrounds.

When in Melbourne next, take yourself and your beloved pair of Chucks to Renew Labs Fitzroy for a creative and purposeful experience like no other.
The Duchess of Cambridge is set to give her first ever public piano performance during her Christmas carol concert, which is to be broadcast tonight.

Kate Middleton, 39, who is set to spend the festive weekend at her Norfolk home of Anmer Hall, is preparing for the Royal Carols: Together At Christmas one-hour television special which will be broadcast on ITV on tonight at 7.30pm.

In a new clip released on Instagram this morning, the mother-of-three walks up to a piano at Westminster Abbey before taking a seat and beginning to play.

While the video was uploaded to the app without any sound, the caption hinted that Brits could be treated to a performance by the mother-of-three during the broadcast tonight.

Many royal fans were left wowed by the short clip, with one writing: 'Honestly, what can't she do? Love her.'

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, is set to give her first ever public piano performance during her Christmas carol concert, which is to be broadcast tonight

Meanwhile another commented: 'Just when you think you can't love our Duchess more! Kate has incredible talents and I'm so proud of her. Can not wait to watch Together at Christmas.'

A third wrote: 'Is there anything this woman can't do?'

Alongside the piano and musical note emoji, the caption read: 'Tonight. @ITV. 7:30pm. #TogetherAtChristmas.'

The Duchess played the instrument as a child, achieving Grade 3 in the instrument, but has never performed in public.

In the short clip, Kate Middleton walks up to a piano at Westminster Abbey before taking a seat and beginning to play

While the video was uploaded to the app without any sound, the caption hinted that royal fans could be treated to a performance by the mother-of-three during the broadcast tonight

Ahead of the royal wedding in 2011, her piano teacher previously revealed how she was a 'good' player.

Daniel Nicholls taught the Duchess to play the piano, along with her mother Carole, sister Pippa, and brother James.

At the time, he said: 'Kate came for lessons when she was about 10 or 11, until she was 13, about 1993 to 95.

'She was absolutely lovely, a really delightful person to teach the piano. I actually taught the whole family except Mike - Carole, Pippa and James, and again they were just absolutely lovely people, normal piano pupils.'

Royal fans flooded the post with praise for the mother-of-three, with many hailing her 'incredible' talents

At the time, he said: 'I don't think anyone would say she was going to be a concert pianist, but she was good at it, she always did everything she was told.'

After learning piano, Kate also turned to flute, which she played until the age of 18 in the school's orchestra.

She was also in a senior flute group called Tootie-Flooties with her sister Pippa.

Kate devised the carol service - which proved to be a family affair with several members of the royal family attending - to thank those who have gone above and beyond to support people during the pandemic and celebrate the small but never insignificant acts of kindness that have been witness across the nation over the last two years.

Kate devised the carol service - which proved to be a family affair with several members of the royal family attending - to thank those who have gone above and beyond to support people during the pandemic

It has been developed with BBC Studios Events Productions but will be broadcast on ITV.

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.

In her recorded introduction message the Duchess reveals she chose Westminster Abbey for the service because its a place thats really special to William and me. The couple married there in 2011.

Kate and Prince William were joined at the service by a host of royal family members, including the Countess of Wessex, 55, Princess Beatrice, 33, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie, 31, and Zara and Mike Tindall.

The royals (pictured) appeared to be in deep concentration as they sang along to the festive tunes in photographs taken during the one-hour festive special, Royal Carols: Together at Christmas, which will be broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve

They were joined by a host of royal family members, including the Countess of Wessex, 55, Princess Beatrice, 33, and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (pictured), Princess Eugenie, 31, and Zara and Mike Tindall

The Duchess' parents Carole and Michael Middleton, as well as her siblings James and Pippa, were also in attendance at the event.

The Together At Christmas carol service was attended by unsung heroes from across the UK in recognition of their inspirational efforts to protect and care for those around them.

Nominations were drawn from local Lieutenancies, community networks, charitable organisations and patronages of Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Individuals who The Duke and Duchess met and spent time with during their recent engagements and project work were also present, alongside armed forces personnel who were involved in Operation Pitting - airlifting families out of Kabul - young carers and faith leaders.

The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured centre) cut an elegant figure as she stepped out for the carol service in London

We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for all theyve done in bringing people together and supporting their communities, Kate added.

Introducing star performers including Ellie Goulding, Leona Lewis, Tom Walker and the Westminster Abbey choir, Kate added that music had been so important to me during the pandemic as I think it was to so many people too.

But above all its about celebrating the goodwill, the acts of kindness, love, empathy, and compassion to help people come through these difficult times, she added.

The service also incorporates readings delivered by The Duke of Cambridge, British Paralympian and junior doctor Kim Daybell, actor Tom Felton, and presenter Kate Garraway, in addition to a performance of To The Day, a poignant composition written for the service by poet and writer Lemn Sissay.

The Together At Christmas carol service was developed and delivered in partnership with Westminster Abbey and BBC Studios Events Productions and will be broadcast on Christmas Eve on ITV at 7.30pm
A renowned chain of British steak restaurant which recently opened a branch in New York has proved a surprise hit after it was met with rave reviews.

Prestigious eatery Hawksmoor, which has nine steakhouses based in London, has received a rapturous reception since it opened in September, with some critics hailing it as 'elegant' and the food as 'exemplary.'

Prices range from the $16 potted beef to the $65 rib-eye charcoal grilled steak, while east coast halibut costs $40.

While the New York Post said it had 'a lively bar scene and decadent menu', food critic for The New York Times Pete Wells also gave the restaurant a raving review.

Meanwhile writing in Forbes, Brad Japhe described it as one of the top places to eat in New York this winter, calling it a 'mecca for meatlovers.'

Prestigious eatery Hawksmoor, which has nine steakhouses based in London, has received a rapturous reception since it opened in September, with some critics hailing it as 'elegant' and the food as 'exemplary'

While the New York Post said it had 'a lively bar scene and decadent menu', food critic for The New York Times Pete Wells also gave the restaurant a raving review

The first Hawksmoor steakhouse opened in east London in 2006, and quickly became a favourite in the capital.

According to the website, co-founders Will Beckett and Huw Gott had a 'simple three-fold goal: find the best possible beef; master the simple-seeming art of cooking the perfect steak; and create an environment where everyone, guests and staff, could relax and enjoy themselves.'

The chain has since expanded into nine restaurants, including branches in Manchester and Edinburgh.

The first stateside restaurant was originally set to open in spring 2020 but the pandemic pushed back the opening date to September 2021.

Meanwhile writing in Forbes , Brad Japhe described it as one of the top places to eat in New York this winter, calling it a 'mecca for meatlovers'

It's located in the Assembly Room of the United Charities Building, which has 26-foot-high ceilings, stained glass windows and magnificent archways.

Co-founder Will said the pandemic brought 'tears and incredulity' from the opening team.

He described how he and childhood friend turned business partner Huw how he hopes the restaurant industry will recover.

He told Eater: 'Our passion for the industry, our restaurants, and for the cities we operate in is undiminished, but those things have suffered greatly.

'It can all be built back better, and we want to play a part in that.'

The first Hawksmoor steakhouse opened in east London in 2006 by Huw Gott and Will Beckett, and quickly became a favourite in the capital

Meanwhile he also explained how the restaurant focuses on on ethical farming, saying: 'We believe in farming methods that honor natural systems, increase biodiversity, and regenerate the land.'

And speaking to Big Hospitality, he said opening a restaurant in New York was 'a dream' and 'a genuine privilege.'

Writing in the New York Times Wells commented: 'The rump steak delivered all the things you want from that cut, which is to say densely packed flavor in exchange for a modest amount of chewing and a relatively small sum of money.'

Meanwhile he also described the sirloin as 'nearly as tender as the filet, and in flavor approached the hard-edge minerality of the rump steak.'

Yet he said the British restaurant was like 'no other New York steakhouse.'

Meanwhile the eatery was described as among Forbes' 'The 15 Best Places To Eat, Drink And Stay In New York City This Winter'.

The chain has since expanded into nine restaurants, including branches in Manchester and Edinburgh (pictured, a branch in London)

The article described it as 'the latest jewel in the crown of a rapidly-expanding Flatiron dining scene'.'

It's not just the critics who have been left raving over the restaurant, with diners also sharing positive reviews online.

Posting on TripAdvisor, one commented it was 'every bit as good as London', writing: 'We frequented the London Hawksmoors more than we should, and after moving to New York have been missing it awfully.

'This place has the same spirit, atmosphere and, most importantly, damn good steak. The staff are lovely, the venue is gorgeous and very fitting of the brand. Fellow Londoners, come here for a reminder of home.

It's not just the critics who have been left raving over the restaurant, with diners also sharing positive reviews on TripAdvisor

'They are missing mushrooms on the menu, but we'll return every now and then to see if that changes.'

Another wrote: 'We were excited to try the NYC location as we have visited the Seven Dials and Spitalfields restaurants during our travels.

'The interior of Hawksmoor is stunning and has a very old world clubby feel. It is located in the former United Charities Building.

'We enjoyed the steak tartare, ash-baked beets, ribeye,10oz. filet and the East coast halibut. Sides- spinach,lemon and garlic and macaroni &cheese and mash and gravy. Good meal.

'Cocktails were excellent but it took awhile for them to arrive at the table. Highly recommend the Sour Cherry Negroni. For dessert, we ordered the Grand Rocker- decadent.'
A woman found out her boyfriend was cheating on her after one of her avid TikTok fans matched with him on a dating app.

Meghan Wainwright, 27, from Toronto, Canada, went viral in October, when her TikTok explaining how she met her boyfriend Seth got 1.5million views.

Since then, she has accumulated a following on the platform of 138,000 people. who have kept an eye on their relationship, when she was next visiting him, and any romantic gestures she would share online.

However she was left horrified when a fan emailed her to explain she had matched with Seth on Hinge, before sharing screenshots of the messages exchanged between them.

She went on to upload five TikTok videos explaining the situation to her followers, which have accumulated over 1.4million views.

Meghan Wainwright, 27, from Toronto, found out her boyfriend was cheating on her after one of her avid TikTok fans matched with him on a dating app

Meghan was in bed with her boyfriend during a visit to his hometown of Chicago when she received an email from a stranger.

The email read: 'Hi... I tried messaging you on Instagram earlier, but I don't know if you would ever come across it given your following.

'I've been following you on TikTok for quite a while, and I can't say I wasn't invested in your relationship. I looked him up, and I remember seeing him on dating sites a while back.

'When I saw his profile tonight, I thought it was just a mistake. I liked his picture to see if there was any response to it, and there was.

Meghan was sent this screenshot by a fan of her TikTok, after recognizing her boyfriend Seth on the dating app Hinge

'I'm really hoping my investigative skills are completely wrong and this isn't your boyfriend or if it is, I'm hoping this is a mistake somehow.'

The woman also attached a screenshot of his Hinge dating profile and their private chat, as well as a screen recording to ensure her that the picture was not tampered with.

In the screenshot, the anonymous woman asked Meghan's boyfriend: 'Aren't you dating Meghan Wainwright?'

In her first TikTok video explaining the story, Meghan said: 'I'm like surely this is a mistake, I'm positive that there's an explanation.

'I say to him, I'm going to read this email out loud to you, and have you look at the screenshot, I just want you to react to it.

Along with the attached screenshot and a screen recording of his profile, the anonymous woman titled the email: 'Matching with your boyfriend on Hinge tonight'

After making a 825km journey from Toronto to Chicago, Meghan was heartbroken to find out her boyfriend had been on dating apps while they were in a relationship

'I read it out loud and I am waiting for the explanation but his reaction makes my heart immediately sink because I'm like, oh no, he's lying.'

In response, he repeatedly said 'I'm not on dating apps', and then said 'Baby you're scaring me' when Meghan told him she was looking at another direct message from a girl who found him on Hinge.

Meghan locked herself in the bathroom where she searched up how Hinge conversations work, to find out if the screenshots proved her boyfriend was active on the app that day - and sadly she found it to be true.

In a second part video, she said she wanted to see his phone - so she downloaded Hinge and another app Raya to see for herself.

'I told him to unlock his phone and slide it under the door, which he does,' Meghan said.

Meghan was in bed with her boyfriend when she first read the email, and said she had initially been convinced there had to be some kind of mistake

'I went on the app store and check Hinge, it's in the cloud, I redownload it, open up the app and it says "You have permanently banned from Hinge".

'I download Raya to find dozens and dozens and dozens of messages, at least once a day, from multiple girls, the entire time we were together.'

'And messages as early as the night before I left to make this trip to visit him for the holidays.

'At this point I start taking videos to document, but also to record all of the s**t he is saying on the other side of the door.

'Like at this point, I've caught him in the lie, I'm holding the evidence in my hands and he continues to just say, "I'm not on dating apps, I've deleted the dating apps, I'm in love with you, I'm all in on you, I would never cheat on you".

'There is literally a message from December 7 from a girl asking when are you coming to New York and you asked if there is a couch you could sleep on her couch, this is the night before I came into town.

Part three saw Meghan explain that the revelations happened on a Friday night, but her flight home was on Wednesday the following week.

She locked herself in the bathroom to get some space and demanded to see the dating apps for herself, only to find 'dozens and dozens' of messages to girls

She said she called her sister to pack up her things while she organizes a hotel for her.

In the next video, Meghan said her now ex-boyfriend tried to get her to stay by telling her he had bought a diamond ring.

She said: 'He's like, "How could I be cheating on you, I stayed in on a Friday night doing your laundry' and 'I was hoping that tomorrow when we open our Christmas, presents my gift was really gonna show you how much I love you because I got you a diamond ring'"... How did I manage to attract this type of crazy?'

Fans invested in the relationship commented on her posts baffled by the entire situation, with one commenting: 'I dont get people who think they can sneakily have dating profiles as if women wont go above and beyond to let another woman know.'

Another said: 'So sorry for you but I love the other girl looking out for you and straight up calling him out- women looking out for each other is the best.'

A third wrote: 'Isnt it hilarious when you literally have a screen recording of the profile and they still swear its not them??'
Princess Charlene of Monaco is still some 'months away' from a full recovery, the Palais Princier has announced.

Last month, the mother-of-two was admitted to a treatment facility in an undisclosed location within days of her return to Monaco following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa.

Her husband Prince Albert, 63, spoke out to say she is suffering from 'exhaustion, both emotional and physical', while friends recently told Page Six that the mother-of-two 'almost died' while she was in South Africa.

A palace statement released yesterday revealed Albert and the couple's children were planning to visit Charlene during the Christmas holidays, as well as asking for the family's privacy to be respected.

Princess Charlene of Monaco, 44, is still some 'months away' from a full recovery, the palace have announced (pictured with her husband Prince Albert and their twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriela)

Last month, the mother-of-two was admitted to a treatment facility in an undisclosed location within days of her return to Monaco following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa

Meanwhile it said the princess 'is recuperating in a satisfactory and reassuring manner, although it may take a few more months before her health has reached a full recovery.'

Days ago, the mother-of-two shared a sketched Christmas portrait of her family and 'wished everyone a beautiful and safe festive season'.

The former Olympian took to Instagram to share her festive greeting with her followers, posting a colourful piece of artwork depicting herself in a golden gown when standing next to Prince Albert.

Her husband appears equally charming in the drawing, sporting a navy suit with a light blue tie, while seven-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella don all their finery for the image.

Princess Charlene shared a sketched Christmas portrait (pictured) of her family and 'wished everyone a beautiful and safe festive season' as she remains in a treatment facility

With the family posing next to an elaborately-decorated Christmas tree in the artwork, Charlene captioned the design: 'Wishing everyone a beautiful and safe festive season, all my love.'

The royal missed the seventh birthday of her twins Gabriella and Jacques earlier this month, but shared photos of the celebration on Instagram, writing: 'Happy birthday my babies.

'Thank you God for blessing me with such wonderful children. I'm truly blessed. Love mom.'

Speaking to Page Six, a source described as the royal's friend said: 'It is unfair that she is being portrayed as having some kind of mental or emotional issue.

'We don't know why the palace is downplaying that she almost died in South Africa.'

The source explained the royal had a severe ear, nose and throat infection, which resulted in 'severe sinus and swallowing issues stemming from an earlier surgery'.

The royal missed the seventh birthday of her twins Gabriella and Jacques earlier this month, but shared photos of the celebration on Instagram, writing: 'Happy birthday my babies'

The friend added: 'She has not been able to eat solid food in over six months because of all the surgeries she has since gone through. She has only been able to take in liquids through a straw, so she lost nearly half her body weight.'

Elsewhere friends of Princess Charlene gave Tatler a rare insight into what the royal is really like, insisting that the former swimmer is a force to be reckoned with.

One source rubbished any public perception that Charlene is 'naive' and trapped in an unhappy marriage with Albert, saying: 'I don't for one second think she did not know what she was doing when she married him.'

But one warned the mother of Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, seven, is not the type to be blindly controlled by the Monaco royal household.

'Charlene is no Princess Di.' one said. 'She may come across as being extremely naive, but nothing could be further from the truth. She is very good at keeping her smarts under wraps.'

Meanwhile Prince Albert has continued to make public appearances with their twins, Jacques and Gabriella. The trio attended a tree planting event in Monaco and the Monaco National Day celebrations, where the children held up heartrending signs saying, 'Miss you Mommy' and 'Love you Mommy'.

Missing their mother: Meanwhile Prince Albert has continued to make public appearances with their twins, Jacques and Gabriella, who held up these signs to Charlene during the Monaco National Day celebrations on November 19

In interviews, Albert explained he had stepped up to play a bigger role in his children's lives as the family copes with Charlene's ongoing health issues.

Timeline: Prince Albert and Princess Charlene's 10 months' apart January 27 - Charlene is pictured with Albert for the Sainte Devote Ceremony in Monaco. March 18 - Charlene is pictured at the memorial for the late Zulu monarch, King Goodwill Zwelithini at the KwaKhethomthandayo Royal Palace in Nongoma, South Africa April 2 - Charlene posts an Instagram picture of herself, Albert and their twins Jacques and Gabriella for Easter. It is unknown where the image was taken. May 8 - Albert, Jacques and Gabriella attend a Grand Prix event in Monaco without Charlene May 10 - Albert attends Monaco Gala Awards in Monaco without Charlene May 18 - Charlene shares her first picture from her conservation trip in South Africa June 1 - Prince Albert II, Jacques and Gabriella attend event at Oceanic Museum in Monaco June 3 - New photos emerge of Charlene on her conservation trip June 5- Charlene puts on a united front as she shares a photo with her family to mark her niece's fifth birthday with her brother's family and Albert and the twins in South Africa June 7 - Albert and the twins attend the World Rugby Sevens without Charlene June 17 - Prince Albert attends Red Cross Summer concert in Monte Carlo with his sister Princess Caroline of Hanover June 18 - Prince Albert appears alone Monte Carlo TV Festival June 24 - Charlene's foundation releases a statement saying the royal is unable to travel and is undergoing procedures for an ear, nose and throat infection July 2 - Charlene and Albert mark their 10th anniversary separately. 'This year will be the first time that I'm not with my husband on our anniversary in July, which is difficult, and it saddens me,' Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene said in a statement. July 3 - Albert appears with glamorous niece Charlotte Casiraghi at the 15th international Monte-Carlo Jumping event, which is part of the Longines Global Champions Tour of Monaco, July 27 - Prince Albert attends Olympics alone in Tokyo August 13 - Charlene undergoes a four-hour operation. The reason is not announced August 25 - Charlene shares photos of Prince Albert, Gabriella and Jacques visiting her in South Africa September 1 - Charlene is admitted under an alias to the Netcare Alberlito Hospital after suddenly 'collapsing' September 2 - She is discharged, with a statement from the Palais Princier reading: 'Her Highness is closely monitored by Her medical team who said that Her condition was not worrying' September 23 - Prince Albert attends the 2021 Monte Carlo Gala for Planetary Health September 29 - Prince Albert is joined on the red carpet by actress Sharon Stone for a first look at the eagerly anticipated James Bond release September 30 - Charlene releases a stylish video promoting her anti-poaching campaign from her South African bolthole October 3 - Princess Charlene shares a photograph of herself smiling in front of a bible in her first snap since being discharged from hospital following her health scare October 5 - Prince Albert attends Sportel Awards Ceremony in Monte Carlo with nephew Louis Ducruet October 6 - Albert tells RMC radio Charlene is 'ready to come home' October 8 - Princess undergoes surgery in South Africa November 8 - Charlene arrives back in Monaco. Prince Albert said within hours it became clear she was 'unwell' November 13 - Prince Albert attends Expo 2020 in Dubai without Princess Charlene Following his return from the trip, Prince Albert holds an intervention with Charlene's brothers and a sister-in-law in which Charlene 'confirmed' she would seek 'real medically framed treatment' outside of Monaco November 16 - Royal household confirms Princess Charlene will not attend National Day celebrations on November 19 - Prince Albert attends a Monaco Red Cross event without Princess Charlene November 17 - Prince Albert reveals Princess Charlene has left Monaco and is recovering in a secret location November 19 - Prince Albert reveals Charlene is in a treatment facility 'elsewhere in Europe' after a family intervention Advertisement

Jacques and Gabriella are homeschooled at the palace after being taken out of the classroom due to Covid.

'For me, it's pretty simple  my priority is my family,' he said in an interview this month. 'Of course, without neglecting state affairs... I hope everyone understands that. When I can be with my kids, I do it without hesitation.

'This is an extremely important time in their life  the way they grow up helps them see the world.

'And if one of the parents is away for medical reasons, the other parent has to be there. I have heard too many friends and acquaintances telling me that they wish they had been there for their children, at a certain age, taken up by their work or their professional life. I don't want to have these regrets.'

Charlene returned to her husband and twins Jacques and Gabriella in Monaco earlier this month following a 10-month absence, while she recovered from surgery following a sinus infection she contracted during a solo charity trip to her native South Africa earlier this year.

In the days after her arrival, Charlene's sister-in-law Chantell Wittstock, told MailOnline the princess may not be returning to the palace and did not plan to immediately return to public engagements, although she later retracted the remark.

Charlene's time away followed fresh allegations last December that Albert had fathered a love-child (which would be his third, if proven) with an unnamed Brazilian woman during the time when he and Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer for South Africa, were already in a relationship.

Photographs of their reunion earlier this month were greeted with a hefty dose of scepticism by the French media.

Albert was waiting for her at the Monte Carlo helipad, along with their twins, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques. The family were joined by a hand-picked photographer inside the Palace walls for the 'reunion' photos.

Albert said the family reunion in Monaco last week after she spent six months in her native South Africa initially went 'pretty well' in the first few hours, but it then became 'pretty evident' that Charlene was 'unwell.'

He said the former Olympian 'realised she needed help', adding: 'She was overwhelmed and couldn't face official duties, life in general or even family life.'

Albert explained: 'I'm probably going to say this several times, but this has nothing to do with our relationship. I want to make that very clear. These are not problems within our relationship; not with the relationship between a husband and wife. It's of a different nature.'

He went on to tell the magazine her current state was a result of 'several factors which are private'.

Albert continued: 'She hadn't slept well in a number of days and she wasn't eating at all well. She has lost a lot of weight, which made her vulnerable to other potential ailments. A cold or the flu or God help us, COVID.'

He said it is 'not cancer-related or personal relationship issue.'

He later confirmed Charlene has been admitted to a treatment facility for undisclosed medical issues, as she works through a period of ill health. The location of the facility was not confirmed, though several sources claim it is in Switzerland.

The prince also said rumours around the state of his marriage 'don't bother him too much'.

Doubts about the central relationship of Monaco's royal family are not new.

Several residents living in the narrow medieval alleys of Monaco Ville confirmed to MailOnline that before she left for South Africa Charlene was spending most of her time outside the Palace, living in a modest two-bedroom apartment above an old chocolate factory about 300m away, rather than in the 12th Century Palace itself.

'We often saw her outside the Palace and she would usually be alone or with a bodyguard,' said one source, 'but she was never with Albert - it was obvious she chose to spend most of her time in the apartment rather than the palace.'

Princess Charlene met Prince Albert in 2000 during a swimming competition in Monaco and the pair married in 2011, before welcoming twins Gabriella and Jacques in 2014.

Born in Rhodesia- a previously unrecongised state in Southern Africa colonised by the British, she relocated to South Africa aged 11.

She had a successful swimming career and went on to win three gold medals and a silver medal at the 1999 All Africa Games in Johannesburg, as well as representing South Africa at the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games and winning a silver medal in the 4  100 m medley relay in the latter competition.

However the pair's marriage has made numerous headlines over the years, with a third paternity suit emerging last year.

Soon afterwards Charlene infamously shaved half her head in the style of a punk rocker last December.

This was seen as the first public sign of a worsening crisis that could end in a multi-million pound divorce.

Charlene's exile in South Africa began a month after it emerged last December that Albert was facing yet another paternity suit.

Prince Albert revealed last month his wife had been admitted to a European treatment facility within days of her return to Monaco following a 10-month absence in her native South Africa. The royal looked frail in this Instagram post shared from South Africa in October

A Brazilian woman who cannot be named for legal reasons said her 15-year-old daughter was the result of an affair with Albert in 2004.

Albert and Charlene were not yet engaged at this time, but they had known each over for four years after meeting at a swimming gala in Monaco in 2000.

Lawyers for the claimant were scheduled to demand a DNA test from Albert at a court in Milan earlier this year, while his own counsel branded the action 'a hoax'.

Neither party is now commenting, suggesting some kind of generous settlement may have been reached, as happened with Albert's earlier love children.

They are Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, who is now 29 and the result of Albert's affair with an American estate agent, and Alexandre Coste, 17, whose mother is a former Togolese air hostess.

Both children were struck off Monaco's line of succession in return for vast financial settlements.
Whether you have trimmings of pigs in blankets, honey parsnips or even a Yorkshire pudding, no roast dinner is complete without a piping-hot pile of roasties.

But a delicious crispy potato can be tricky to perfect, so its no wonder many cooks buy them premade.

So do you need to pay a premium for perfect potatoes this Christmas?

Consumer giants Which? blind taste-tested 11 frozen tatties from leading supermarkets and big brands to see which was the tastiest treat to go with your turkey.

In first place was Aunt Bessie's - at 2.38 per kg - which were praised for their delicious flavour, golden colour and crispy texture while Aldi's Four Seasons Roasting Potatoes at just 75p per kilo came in second and were named the best budget option

Meanwhile, Morrisons Roast Potatoes, at 99p per kg, were a miss with judges noting they had a soggy texture and weak flavour.

Revealed: The best pre-made supermarket roast potatoes according to Which? taste testers 1. Aunt Bessie's 72% 2. Aldi 67% 3. Sainsbury's 64% 4. Asda 60% JOINT 5. Bannisters Farm 59% JOINT 5. M&S 59% 7. Co-op 58% 8. Tesco 57% 9. Iceland 55% 10. Lidl 53% 11. Morrisons 51% Advertisement

1. Aunt Bessie's

2.38 per kg

Big-brand Aunt Bessie's produced the top-scoring roast potatoes this year, after rating well for flavour, texture, aroma and appearance.

Their golden colour and tasty flavour impressed the Which? panel, as did their crispy exterior and soft fluffy potato centre.

Aunt Bessie's are sold at most big supermarkets so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a pack, but at 2.38 per kg they are also one of the most expensive roast potatoes on test.

Big-brand Aunt Bessie's produced the top-scoring roast potatoes this year, after rating well for flavour, texture, aroma and appearance (left) Meanwhile, Aldi's ultra-cheap roasties scored slightly lower but their delicious flavour and crispy texture was still a hit with our tasters (right)

Which? tasters liked the enticing golden colour of Sainsbury's roast potatoes, but the flavour didn't impress as much as that of the highest scorers

2. Aldi

75p per kg

Meanwhile, Aldi's ultra-cheap roasties scored slightly lower but their delicious flavour and crispy texture was still a hit with our tasters.

The best roast potatoes BEST BUY: Aunt Bessie's Roasties are available to buy from Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose. GREAT VALUE: Aldi's Four Seasons Roasting Potatoes are available to buy from Aldi Advertisement

Plus, they only cost 75p per kg which is great news if you're catering for a crowd this Christmas.

3. Sainsbury's

1.39 per kg

Which? tasters liked the enticing golden colour of Sainsbury's roast potatoes, but the flavour didn't impress as much as that of the highest scorers.

More than half of the panel felt the flavour was too weak. The tasters also felt they could be a little crispier, but the inside texture was nice and soft. Overall they're still a tasty option.

4. Asda

1 per kg

The texture on the inside of Asda's roast potatoes drew plenty of fans, and they cost less than half the price of a pack of Aunt Bessie's.

However, they didn't score as highly as some of the other spuds because 58 per cent of the panel thought the flavour was too weak and 45 per cent thought they weren't crisp enough.

JOINT 5th. Bannister's Farm Farmer's Roasting Potatoes and M&S Jersey Royal

1.88 per kg & 4.17 per kg

Bannister's and M&S were pushed down the rankings by their average flavour, appearance and texture, which is particularly disappointing from M&S as they are the most expensive on test.

However, if you like a fluffy roastie you might still enjoy these, as both impressed with their soft potato centre. Bannister's are also one of only two gluten-free roast potatoes on test.

Bannister's Farm Farmer's Roasting Potatoes are available from Ocado or Tesco. M&S Jersey Royal Roasties are available from M&S (in-store) or Ocado.

The texture on the inside of Asda's roast potatoes drew plenty of fans, and they cost less than half the price of a pack of Aunt Bessie's

Bannister's (left) and M&S (right) were pushed down the rankings by their average flavour, appearance and texture, which is particularly disappointing from M&S as they are the most expensive on test

7. Co-op Crispy Roast Potatoes

1.33 per kg

Most of the Which? tasters thought the soft centre of Co-op's roast potatoes was just right.

However, they were let down by their average aroma and soggy exterior.

Some of the panel also felt Co-op's spuds looked pasty. If you shop at Co-op, and don't mind spending a bit more, you're best off picking up a bag of Best Buy Aunt Bessie's instead.

8. Tesco Roast Potatoes

75p per kg

Tesco's roast potatoes impressed with their lovely texture on the inside, but half of our tasters felt they were too dry and 61 per cent thought they weren't crisp enough.

They are joint-cheapest on test though, so if you shop in Tesco and you're trying to cut costs, they could still be worth a try.

Most of the Which? tasters thought the soft centre of Co-op's roast potatoes was just right (left) Tesco's roast potatoes impressed with their lovely texture on the inside, but half of our tasters felt they were too dry and 61 per cent thought they weren't crisp enough (right)

Iceland may be known for its frozen food, but its frozen roast potatoes proved fairly underwhelming in the Which? taste test

9. Iceland Roast Potatoes

1.10 per kg

celand may be known for its frozen food, but its frozen roast potatoes proved fairly underwhelming in the Which? taste test.

They were let down by a bland flavour and some found the outside lacked crispiness, although the texture of the centre was pleasant.

10. Lidl Harvest Basket Roast Potatoes

75p per kg

Lidl offers some of the cheapest roast potatoes around, but don't let that tempt you.

Their weak flavour, pasty colour and soggy texture meant these potatoes were rated as one of worst of the bunch.

Lidl offers some of the cheapest roast potatoes around, but don't let that tempt you (right) Which? tasters found little to admire in Morrisons' roast potatoes. The soggy texture was rated worse than the other roasties we tested (along with Lidl's) and around half of our panel felt the taste was too weak.

11. Morrisons Roast Potatoes

99p per kg

Which? tasters found little to admire in Morrisons' roast potatoes.

The soggy texture was rated worse than the other roasties we tested (along with Lidl's) and around half of our panel felt the taste was too weak.

You'll probably want to pile on the gravy to cover up these miserable spuds.

Lisa Barber, Home Products and Services Editor at Which? Magazine, told FEMAIL: 'No roast dinner is complete without a piping-hot pile of roasties doused in gravy, but cooking a festive feast for guests can be a lot of unwanted stress on what should be a joyous occasion.

'If you want to take some of the faff out of cooking Christmas dinner, having a bag of spare spuds in the freezer might be the key to making sure you spend more of the day with the family instead of in the kitchen.'
Kate Garraway has questioned if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released their Christmas card featuring the first public photo of their daughter Lilibet to 'usurp the Queen'.

The TV host, 54, who will tonight be appearing in Royal Carols: Together At Christmas, organised by Kate Middleton, discussed the card on Good Morning Britain today, where she questioned why it was released on the same day as Her Majesty's.

The family image shows Meghan, 40, holding up their giggling daughter, while smiling Harry, 37, looks on with his arm around their two-year-old son Archie in the portrait by Alexi Lubomirski, who shot the couple's engagement photos and the official family portraits on their wedding day.

Archie, who looks just like his dad with a shock of red hair, is casually dressed in jeans like the rest of the family, and his face is on show. After his first birthday, Harry and Meghan stopped sharing photos with his face, and only released pictures of the youngster from behind.

Discussing the timing of the card release as the Queen released images and photos from her Christmas speech, co-host Richard Bacon said: 'They released their card half an hour before Buckingham Palace and the Queen did.

Kate then asked: 'So is there a suggestion, Richard, that they kind of did that to in some way usurp the Queen?'

Kate Garraway has questioned if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released their Christmas card featuring the first public photo of their daughter Lilibet to 'usurp the Queen'. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally shown the first photo of their daughter Lilibet Diana, six months after she was born, in their family Christmas card (pictured)

The Sussexes, who are currently residing in a $14.7million mansion in Montecito, released the card (pictured) to announce they've made a donation to several charities, including an organisation that supports Afghan families left behind after the US withdrawal and Paid Leave For All

The Sussexes, who are currently residing in a $14.7million mansion in Montecito, released the card to announce they've made a donation to several charities, including an organisation that supports Afghan families left behind after the US withdrawal and Paid Leave For All, in line with the Duchess' recent campaigning for a paid family leave law for all Americans.

'It sounds ridiculous to me but that is obviously the suggestion,' Richard replied.

'I think when you live on the west coast over there [in America], you're just the tiny bit not sure what time it is over here.'

Kate then asked ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship for his take on the card, saying: 'Is that what you think?'

'It had to be released at some point, The Queen's picture was released at 10:30pm and that Harry and Meghan photo dropped into my inbox at around 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon.

'I don't agree that it was done to usurp the Queen, no.'

Political commentator Iain Dale, who was appearing on the show, added: 'I think it's a lovely picture, why do people have to over analyse these things?

Kate Garraway has questioned if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released their Christmas card featuring the first public photo of their daughter Lilibet to 'usurp the Queen'

'I doubt they would know when Buckingham Palace would release the other one.'

In the photograph, Harry, Meghan and Archie all opt for a low-key look in denim jeans, with the Duchess teaming hers with a navy jumper, while the Duke wears a blue shirt and his son a white one. The couple's daughter giggles while wearing a white ensemble.

The look was decidedly casual for the Duchess, who is known for her love of designer clothes and expensive personalised jewellery.

Today's card marks a change for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have hidden their children's faces in recent photographs.

Archie has rarely been seen since the couple stepped back as senior royals in March last year, with the most recent picture of him released to mark his second birthday this May showing him with his back to the camera.

The Queen will pay a moving tribute to her 'beloved' Prince Philip in tomorrow's Christmas Day message, sat beside a framed picture of the royal couple (pictured). On her jacket is the sapphire chrysanthemum brooch which she wore in a photograph to mark her 73rd wedding anniversary with Philip in November last year

The family image shows Meghan, 40, holding up their giggling daughter, while smiling Harry, 37, looks on with his arm around their two-year-old son Archie in the portrait by Alexi Lubomirski, who shot the couple's engagement photos and the official family portraits on their wedding day.

During the Oprah Winfrey interview and Prince Harry's mental health documentary, he made an appearance but royal fans were only be able to get a glimpse of the youngster's face.

The Queen's Christmas speech revealed The Queen will pay a moving tribute to her 'beloved' Prince Philip in tomorrow's Christmas Day message while wearing the sapphire brooch she donned on her honeymoon in 1947 and again for her diamond wedding anniversary. Facing her first festive season without her husband of 73 years, she has recorded a 'particularly personal' address to the nation. Buckingham Palace has also announced that a service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh will take place at Westminster Abbey in the spring. Sources said they 'fully expected' Harry and Meghan to be invited to the service, alongside the rest of the Royal Family. Many see it as a good way to 'break the ice' between the couple and their estranged relatives following their acrimonious departure from the UK and royal life. It came as the Sussexes released the first image of their baby daughter Lilibet yesterday. And Buckingham Palace also issued a moving photograph of the Queen sitting at her desk as she prepared for her Christmas address, which she recorded last week. On her jacket is the sapphire chrysanthemum brooch which she wore in a photograph to mark her 73rd wedding anniversary with Philip in November last year The Queen has had a lifelong passion for sapphires, thanks to her 'beloved Papa', who noticed the cornflower blue gemstones - said to signify love, purity and wisdom - matched the colour of his daughter's eyes. Advertisement

It also marks the first time royal fans have been able to see Lilibet's face. Meghan is thought to have revealed a grainy first photograph of her second child after a framed picture of Prince Harry kissing a newborn baby took pride of place on her desk in a video for her 40th birthday.

Three further black and white photos could be seen in a connected frame in front of this, with the central one seeming to show Harry kissing a baby and one on the right potentially showing Meghan holding a young child.

Alexi Lubomirski, the photographer behind the Sussexes' Christmas card, took to Instagram today to share his work.

He wrote in the caption: 'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archie and Lilibet. This is one of those rare and special projects, that one is fortunate enough to be a part of.

'To be able to continue the story of this family whom I first photographed as an engaged couple, then on the day of their wedding, as a married couple and now seeing their love manifest into two beautiful children, has been a delightful honour.

'Anyone who has seen my #allloveseries, will know that one of the greatest joys I receive from photography, is when I am able to photograph "love" in some form or another.

'To be trusted by your subjects enough, to open themselves up and have their connection documented and translated into an image, is one of the greatest gifts a photographer can have.

'This day with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was one such joyous experience, and one that I feel extremely privileged to have been invited to capture. X'

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child, was born on June 4 in Santa Barbara, California, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and is eighth in line to the throne.

She was named after the Queen's childhood nickname, while her middle name Diana was in tribute to Harry's late mother. The baby weighed 7lbs 11oz.

No photographs of Lilibet were released following her birth, unlike her brother Archie, who had a photocall at Windsor Castle in 2019.

The charities Harry and Meghan have donated to 'on your behalf' include Paid Leave for All, a national US campaign fighting to bring paid family and medical leave for all working people.

Meghan, who has largely been on parental leave since the birth of her daughter in June, has been lobbying for US Congress to consider making paid family leave law for all Americans, citing her own experience as a new working mother.

In October Meghan wrote a letter to US congressmen Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer asking for paid parental leave, which said: 'I'm not an elected official, and I'm not a politician. I'm writing to you at this deeply important time - as a mom - to advocate for paid leave.'

The 1,030-word letter asked the two Democratic leaders to consider her plea 'on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry'.
Jessa Duggar clapped back at a commenter on one of her YouTube videos who accused her of trying to 'distract' the public in the wake of Josh's child porn conviction.

Jessa, 29, has been quite active on social media in the past couple of weeks, after her older brother Josh, 33, was found guilty of downloading child pornography.

On Wednesday, she uploaded a YouTube video of her family having a pre-Christmas celebration, prompting a viewer to comment that Jessa's father, Jim Bob, 'got you out here distracting us.'

Rather than ignore the comment, Jessa fired back, calling the accusation 'ridiculous' and chastising the commenter for her 'rudeness.'

Jessa Duggar clapped back at a commenter on one of her YouTube videos who accused her of trying to 'distract' the public in the wake of Josh's child porn conviction

She uploaded a YouTube video of her family having a pre-Christmas celebration, prompting a viewer to comment that Jessa's father, Jim Bob, 'got you out here distracting us'

Jessa fired back: 'That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. But thanks for softening your rudeness with a compliment'

On December 9, Josh was found guilty of federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography, after one agent described the content on his computer as being among the 'worst of the worst' that he'd seen.

He was immediately taken into custody and now awaits sentencing, which could land him up to 20 years behind bars.

Several members of the Duggar family attended Josh's trial on various days, but most had gone quiet on social media during that week.

However, posting has picked right back up again, with many members of the Duggar family sharing Christmas content on Instagram and YouTube.

That led one viewer to speculate that they were trying to do damage control and get people's minds off Josh's crimes.

'We know Jim Bob got you out here distracting us sis,' a commenter wrote on Jessa's YouTube video. 'but it's okay we love you Jessa, you so pretty.'

Jessa, 29, has been quite active on social media in the past couple of weeks, after her older brother Josh, 33, was found guilty of downloading child pornography

The Duggars - including Joy Anna, pictured - certainly have been posting a lot lately, uploading photos and videos that project that things are business-as-usual for the family

Jana Duggar (left) posted some content from a group outing

Even John David and his wife Abbie, who post infrequently, have shared a photo on Instagram

Jinger and her husband Jeremy Vuolo have been posting photos of themselves in Los Angeles, while James and Jason have also shared their own Christmas content

Jessa soon replied, writing: 'That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. [crying laughing emoji] But thanks for softening your rudeness with a compliment.'

The Duggars certainly have been posting a lot lately, uploading photos and videos that project that things are business-as-usual for the family.

Jinger and her husband Jeremy Vuolo have been posting photos of themselves in Los Angeles, while Jana, James, Jason, John David, and Joy Anna have also shared their own Christmas content.

The family certainly does seem to be making an effort to show that their lives are happily continuing on even as the eldest brother of the bunch is behind bars for a heinous crime.

Earlier this month, Josh was slapped with a guilty verdict after jurors deliberated for six hours on charges of possessing child pornography and receipt of child pornography, both punishable by 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

Josh Duggar, 33, was convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography and is in jail awaiting sentencing

The jurors had heard herd how he used his self-taught tech skills to scour the dark web for sick videos of little girls being tortured, humiliated, and abused.

Graphic titles such as 'pedo mom,' 'play tot sweetie,' 'Daisy's destruction,' and 'ultra hard pedo pedofilia' left little to the imagination.

The warped cache was so disturbing that a seasoned FBI child exploitation investigator said it was 'in the top five of the worst of the worst that I've ever had to examine.'

Judge Timothy Brooks remanded Duggar in custody under a mandatory rule based on the seriousness of his crimes and said he will have to wait around four months to be sentenced.

After the sentencing, several members of the Duggar family released statements.

Certainly the strongest condemnation came from Jill and her husband Derick Dillard, who wrote: 'Today was difficult for our family.

'Our hearts go out to the victims of child abuse or any kind of exploitation. We are thankful for the hard work of law enforcement, including investigators, forensic analysts, prosecutors, and all others involved who save kids and hold accountable those responsible for their abuse.

Jill Duggar and her husband Derick Dillard released a strong public statement after the conviction

They wrote that no one is above the law, and used a bible verse to call out hypocrisy

'Nobody is above the law,' they continued. 'It applies equally to everybody, no matter your wealth, status, associations, gender, race, or any other factor. Today, the people of the Western District of Arkansas made that clear in their verdict.

'As a Christian [family], we believe we are all equal at the foot of the cross, and, likewise, we are all equal under the law. Jesus warned his disciples, [b]eware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12:1-3).'

While they did not name names, their statement also condemned those who have excused and enabled Josh  which appears to be a dig at Jill's father Jim Bob.

While Jill and her father have a strained relationship wherein Jill is not allowed to visit the family home without his permission, Josh has lived in a property on the family estate and has unfettered access to the house.

'Moreover,' Jill and Derick wrote, '[h]e who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord. (Proverbs 17:15).

'We have been lied to so much that we wanted to hear the evidence for ourselves in court,' they said. 'After seeing all the evidence as it was presented, we believe that the jury reached a just verdict today, consistent with the truth beyond a reasonable doubt.'

Parents Jim Bob and Michell wrote: 'As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children. In each of lifes circumstances, we place our trust in God'

Jim Bob had only been present for the last few days of the trial and was pictured smiling on each occasion

They concluded by pointing out just how many people have been hurt by Josh's crimes.

'Joshs actions have rippled far beyond the epicenter of the offense itself. Children have scars, but his family is also suffering the fallout of his actions,' they said.

'Our hearts are sensitive to the pains Joshs wife, Anna, and their seven children have already endured and will continue to process in the future. This trial has felt more like a funeral than anything else.

'Joshs family has a long road ahead. We stand with them, we are praying for them, and we will seek to support them however we can during this dark time,' they concluded.

Meanwhile, parents Jim Bob and Michelle also released a brief statement on their website.

Jim Bob had only been present for the last few days as his son was on trial for downloading photos and videos of children being sexually abused.

He was pictured smiling for cameras as he entered the court on several days. Michelle was not in court at all.

'This entire ordeal has been very grievous,' they wrote. 'Today, Gods grace, through the love and prayers of so many, has sustained us. Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through CSAM.

Meanwhile, Jinger Duggar and her husband Jeremy Vuolo said: 'We are saddened for the victims of horrific child abuse'

'We are also saddened for Joshs family, his wife and precious children,' they added, noting: 'For Josh, we fear for his soul'

'In the days ahead, we will do all we can to surround our daughter-in-law Anna and their children with love and support.

'As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children. In each of lifes circumstances, we place our trust in God. He is our source of strength and refuge. Thank you for your prayers.'

A statement from Joy-Anna Duggar, another of Josh's victims, and her husband Austyn Forsyth read: 'Over this last year, as you can imagine, there have been a lot of unanswered questions in our minds regarding Josh. We were able to sit through the trial to hear the evidence for ourselves.

'We agree with judicial system's verdict and we are thankful for the men and women who work tirelessly to protect children and help prevent sexual abuse material. Our hearts break for all CSAM victims.

'We are praying for Anna and her children.'

Meanwhile, Jinger Duggar and her husband Jeremy Vuolo said: 'We are saddened for the victims of horrific child abuse. We are also saddened for Joshs family, his wife and precious children.'

essa and her husband Ben Seewald released a short statement after several days

Ben wrote on Instagram: 'Our hearts break for Josh's family, and we ask your continued prayers for them in the unfathomable grief and pain they are enduring'

'When a professing follower of Jesus is exposed as a hypocrite, the response of many will be to challenge the integrity of Jesus himself,' they said. 'Theyll question the legitimacy of a Savior whose so-called followers privately delight in the sins they publicly denounce. This is why the Apostle Paul told religious hypocrites that "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you (Romans 2:24)."

'For Josh, we fear for his soul.'

The statement went on: 'We are thankful to God for exposing Joshs actions and to a legal system committed to protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty in this case. We are grateful for justice. We are praying for further justice, vindication, protection, and healing for all those who have been wronged.'

Finally, Jessa and her husband Ben Seewald released a short statement after several days.

'From the moment we learned about this case against Josh we have prayed that God would cause the truth to be known, no matter what it was, and that the facts would be followed no matter where they led,' read the statement, shared on Ben's Twitter account.

'We are grieved beyond words over the children exploited and abused in child sexual abuse material, and we are thankful for our justice system in its punishment of such evils. Our hearts break for Josh's family, and we ask your continued prayers for them in the unfathomable grief and pain they are enduring.'
The Santa rally that saw the FTSE 100 hit its highest level since the market crash in March 2020 has fizzled out, leaving the index more or less flat as markets close early before Christmas.

The FTSE 100 dropped back from the pandemic high it hit this morning to close down just 1.24 points, or 0.02 per cent, at 7,372.1.

The more UK-focused FTSE 250, despite being boosted by airlines EasyJet and Tui and coach operator National Express, ended the day up just 3.68 points, or 0.02 per cent, at 23,270.43.

London stocks are nonetheless higher for the week as sentiment took an uptick and remain near to their highest point since before the pandemic.

Unsurprisingly, only a couple of company news today. The iconic E45 skincare brand is set to be sold to Swedish pharmaceutical firm Karo Pharma for 200million, its owner Reckitt Benckiser Group said.

Meanwhile, Babcock International Group has completed the sale of its Power business to M Group Services for a gross cash consideration of 50million.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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They are among Britain's most majestic architectural monuments having been in place for nearly two centuries in some cases, but most people rushing to catch a train would never think to pause and study their grandeur.

And now a stunning set of photographs taken for a book over the past couple of years when the stations across London were very quiet due to lockdowns has revealed just what commuters are missing if they fail to look up.

From William Barlow's magnificent roof over St Pancras built in the 1860s to the 550million modernist King's Cross redesign finished in 2012, 'London's Great Railway Stations' covers a wide breadth of different styles.

The earliest London terminals opened in the 1830s amid the first railway boom, with London Bridge becoming the capital's first passenger terminus in December 1836, six months before Queen Victoria came to the throne.

The last main line to London, the Great Central to Marylebone, was opened in 1899, two years before Victoria died - and the most recent development, the much-delayed Crossrail, is due to open in full by the end of 2022.

The stations featured in the book are Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Euston, Fenchurch Street, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Marylebone, Paddington, St Pancras, Victoria and Waterloo.

The photos were taken by Benjamin Graham, who is a club-circuit lecturer, international photo-tour leader and residential course photography tutor, and the book was written by public transport history expert Oliver Green.

Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy, who wrote a forward, said: 'Benjamin's newly commissioned photographs will remind you of just how fabulous many of these stations are, and how much we should treasure them.'

He added: 'The architecture of the great railway era has for the most part aged extraordinarily well, and the country, and particularly London, is all the richer for our great stations.'

London's Great Railway Stations by Oliver Green and Benjamin Graham is published by Frances Lincoln, an imprint of The Quarto Group . The book was released on December 7 and is available for 35 in hardback

PADDINGTON -- The glorious interior of London Paddington in West London, with Great Western Railway's newly introduced bi-mode Intercity Express Trains, built by Hitachi. Isambard Kingdom Brunel's triple-span iron-and-glass roof built when the station was opened in 1854 remains among the most magnificent architectural structures in the world for any transport hub

ST PANCRAS -- Eurostar trains prepare for departure under William Henry Barlow's roof at St Pancras - the world's tallest and widest single span structure at the time. It has been in place since the station opened in 1868. The cast-iron trainshed was designed to be 700ft long and reach 100ft above the first floor level of the tracks, tied into the brick piers of the side walls

WATERLOO -- The former Waterloo International terminal for Eurostar trains, which opened in 1994 but closed in 2007 when High Speed 1 opened to St Pancras. It lay unused for 12 years until the platforms could be converted back for domestic rail, re-opening in 2019. The book's authors say the 'brilliant design was a shocking waste of public money through poor planning'

VICTORIA -- Railway lines exit from London Victoria, up the bank to Grosvenor Bridge and over the River Thames then past the shell of Battersea Power Station, now being restored to offices and apartments. Train sheds are pictured on the left, with the main line seen on the right. The station was built in 1860 as two separate stations next to each other, later combined into one

LIVERPOOL STREET -- A nearly-empty main concourse at London Liverpool Street station which was expanded, opened up and part-reconstructed in the 1980s, with decorative features such as the Great Eastern Railway Company war memorial (top right, above the Underground sign) repositioned. The station, which is located in the City of London, opened in 1874

LONDON BRIDGE -- A wet winter's night at the new London Bridge station, which stands on the site of the first passenger railway terminus in London, which opened on December 14, 1836. The station was comprehensively redeveloped by Network Rail between 2009 and 2017 with the rebuilding of all 15 platforms and the addition of two major new street-level entrances

CHARING CROSS -- The bulk of post-modern Charing Cross, seen looking west over Waterloo Bridge. The rear of the station is seen on the right. Charing Cross is the only main-line terminus conveniently serving the West End of London, and opened in 1864 as a result of the South Eastern Railway's determination to compete with its London, Chatham and Dover Railway rival

ST PANCRAS The original vehicle entrance to St Pancras at ground level, fully restored in 2012 but now pedestrianised. The ground-floor vaults below the first floor platforms were built with cast-iron pillars and girders to support the station floor deck above. They were divided into a grid based on the dimensions of the brewery warehouses in Burton-upon-Trent

KING'S CROSS -- King's Cross station, which first opened in 1852, was redeveloped by Network Rail in a project completed in 2012 which restored and reglazed the original arched roof and removed the 1970s extension at the front. This meant the area between the station facade and Euston Road could be cleared to create an open air plaza named King's Cross Square

PADDINGTON -- One of architect Matthew Digby Wyatt's Moorish window designs in 1854 for the original Great Western Railway offices, overlooking platform one at Paddington station. Less than a decade later, the world's first urban underground railway opened in January 1863 between Paddington and Farringdon Street, giving GWR a direct onward link to the City

WATERLOO -- A beautiful-decorated window over the former cab entrance at Waterloo station, which is now visible close up for the first time from the balcony around the concourse that opened in 2012. Today, Waterloo is the busiest railway station in Britain, used by more than 80 million passengers in a normal year and linking the capital with much of the South West

LONDON BRIDGE -- A wider pedestrian route at London Bridge station was created below the platforms through the Western Arcade to Joiner Street and the Underground station during the major 1billion redevelopment between 2009 and 2017. This change meant relocating the existing shops into renovated barrel vaults set back from the arcade on either side

LIVERPOOL STREET The west side of Liverpool Street railway station, which was restored and reconstructed in the 1980s. As part of the six-year redevelopment, four new brick towers in Victorian style - which were inspired by the design of the famed Great Eastern Hotel - were installed in pairs to mark the station entrances on Liverpool Street and Bishopsgate

VICTORIA -- The listed roof of the former London, Chatham and Dover Railway part of London Victoria station was designed by John Fowler, engineer of the Metropolitan Railway. This side of the station was once run entirely separately from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and there was no physical connection between them, to the confusion of travellers

KING'S CROSS -- The new departures concourse building on the west side of King's Cross station, with its spectacular roof support structure, opened in 2012. The area around King's Cross and St Pancras, which are a short walk away from each other, is known as London's most complex transport hub because three surface and six Underground lines meet in the same area
One in four NHS workers on Covid wards developed PTSD during the pandemic as a direct result of working with patients who had the virus.

If a person worked on a Covid ward during the pandemic they had a 24 per cent chance of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), a study by the University of Oxford found.

Almost half of NHS staff working with Covid patients had PTSD, with 44 per cent having the condition, while the rate of depression was equally high at 39 per cent.

Healthcare assistant Shane Longton, 37, from Preston, Lancashire, said he quit his 'dream job' in the NHS at the start of this year when he started developing signs of PTSD.

Shane Longton (pictured), from Preston, Lancashire, said he was prepared to work for the NHS for life but reluctantly admitted he 'didn't sign up for this' amid the ongoing pandemic

The healthcare worker of four years said the first wave of the pandemic left him with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

He said: 'My anxiety got a lot worse and I'm showing symptoms of PTSD from the first wave.

'People say we knew what we were signing up for, but none of us signed up for this.

'I thought I'd work for the NHS for the rest of my life, but I just can't do it anymore.

'This past year has really taken its toll on my mental health and I have to put that first.'

A study by the University of Oxford found that close to 25 per cent of healthcare staff in Covid wards developed PTSD as a direct result of working with patients who had the virus. Pictured: Nurses care for a patient in an Intensive Care ward treating victims of the coronavirus in Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey

Depression and PTSD has been a common theme in Covid healthcare workers across the world. An American study found one in ten public health workers got suicidal thoughts during the pandemic

Pictured: Nurses changing their PPE on a Covid ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, west Scotland

The study by the University of Oxford focused on healthcare workers who had worked directly with Covid patients and had experienced a number of deaths as a result of the virus.

Whereas previous research just used data from questionnaires completed by healthcare workers, this Oxford study conducted 'structured clinical interviews' to better assess the situation.

Even with staff who had PTSD that was unrelated to working with Covid patients, the study's authors said the 'stressful nature' of the pandemic likely intensified pre-exisiting symptoms.

Jennifer Wild (left) is an associate professor of experimental psychology and led the study. Dr Aimee McKinnon (right) is a clinical research psychologist who assessed many of the healthcare workers that took part. She said the pandemic had drawn attention to the issue of high trauma rates and depression in healthcare worker

Jennifer Wild is an associate professor of experimental psychology and led the study.

She said: 'This research helps to clarify the PTSD picture among healthcare workers.

'In the 76 per cent of staff who had PTSD that was unrelated to the pandemic, it is likely that the stressful nature of working during the pandemic exacerbated symptoms or made it harder to recover from them.

'There was a significant minority, 24 per cent, who did develop PTSD due to COVID-19 trauma.'

PTSD was more likely to have predated the pandemic, MDD was more likely to develop during the pandemic.

Dr Aimee McKinnon, a clinical research psychologist who assessed many of the healthcare workers that took part in the study, added the pandemic had 'drawn attention to high rates of trauma and depression in healthcare workers' in general.
A couple who quit their stressful jobs, sold all of their possessions and fled to Bali have opened up about their journey from escaping the 9-5 rat race to living their dream on the island paradise.

Australian-raised Alika Barnsley, 32, and her Canadian husband Kieran Parkinson, 28, haven't looked back since making the 12,972km move from Vancouver to Bali in September.

'During Covid we started thinking about our futures and what we really wanted our lives to be like,' Ms Barnsley told Daily Mail Australia.

'We both were tired of the 9-5 jobs that we weren't passionate about and talked about what we really wanted to do to make money.

'Kieran wanted to become a Forex trader and I wanted to pursue my dreams of being a travel blogger and influencer - and finding a job online in the meantime.

Alika Barnsley and her Canadian husband (pictured) made the move from Vancouver to Bali

'We knew that we could not pursue our dreams while we were both still working full time jobs so we thought "how about we save up for the next couple of years, live somewhere cheap and beautiful so that we have the time to work on what we really want to do in life".'

Ms Barnsley, who details the couple's adventures on her travel blog Alika in Wonderlust, previously worked as a legal assistant for a government department while her husband was a pipe insulator.

Cheaper living costs was a big drawcard in the couple's decision to move to Bali.

They spend one third of what they previously did in Canada on rent, groceries and dining out - but finding work is proving a challenge.

Alika and her husband are now living their dream of travelling around Bali and enjoying unforgettable experiences such as breakfast in a rooftop pool

'We saved hard for two years during Covid. Money goes a long way in Bali so we will be able to live here for a while without having to work but hopefully we find a way to make money online soon,' Ms Barnsley said.

It cost $2,800 for the pair move to Bali, including flights, visas, Covid tests, airport transfers and quarantine accommodation for seven nights.

A B211A Visa to stay in Bali for six months costs $350 per person, $200 for Covid tests and $800 for quarantine accommodation.

The couple spend about $140-a-month on groceries and are currently renting a in Ubud - which costs $600-a-month including all utilities and cleaning once a week.

'In Canada we were paying $1,450 a month, not including utilities or cleaning,' Ms Barnsley said.

'Our money goes a long way here and the locals love tourists.

'I really hope that I can continue travelling and living the world and sustaining that life by working online no matter what it ends up being.'

Alika Barnsley, 32, and husband Kieran Parkinson, 28, were desperate to get out of Canada

It cost the couple $2,800 to move to Bali, which included flights, visas, Covid tests, airport transfers and quarantine accommodation for seven nights (pictured is Alika)

It's still early days but the couple have no regrets about the life-changing move.

'Life in Bali has been absolutely amazing,' Ms Barnsley told Daily Mail Australia.

'The first month we arrived we travelled around Bali because it was our second year anniversary and what was meant to be our honeymoon.

'The second month we lived in a gorgeous villa with a private pool in Jimbaran Bay and now we are in our third month where we are living in a cute wooden hut in the middle of the jungle in Ubud. Its so peaceful here.

'I cant believe how lucky we are to experience this. We have really enjoyed having this time to invest in ourselves not just in our futures but also eating healthy, working out, enjoying living and being better emotionally, mentally and physically as we didnt have the time to do this before with our full-time jobs.

Kieran and Alika (pictured together) are currently staying at a bamboo villa surrounded by rice field

'Our money goes a long way here and the locals love tourists!' Alika Barnsley (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia

Alika and her husband (pictured) recently relocated to Bali to be closer to her family

'The food is amazing here not just Indonesian but all types of food, the weather is always warm, the cost of living is low and the island is so beautiful with its tropical beaches, waterfalls, rice terraces and jungle,' she added.

Born in England and raised on the NSW Central Coast, Ms Barnsley quit her nine-to-five job working for the government in 2017 and left Australia to travel the world for six months.

She moved to Vancouver on a two year International Experience Canada work permit, where she met her husband within four months.

While she's been in Bali before, this is her husband's first time.

'Kieran desperately wanted to get out of the routine of waking up at six in the morning to go to a construction job and he also wanted to escape the cold weather in Canada,' Ms Barnsley said.

'He has an adventurous spirit and that is one of the reasons why I married him. On our first date I told him If you want to live in Canada your whole life I am not the girl for you because I view Canada as just a temporary home. His answer was that he wanted to travel the world and live in different countries which is exactly what I wanted.'

She urged others pondering a Bali sea change to pursue their plans, even if the decision doesn't work out.

Pictured is Alika in Alas Harum, Ubud

'You only have one life so let there be no regrets and dont let the fear hold you back from living your best life,' Ms Barnsley said.

'Even if it fails it will be an experience that will change you forever.

'That job, that house, that car will always be there but time and health will not always be there. You can always go back to that life if you decide to.

'Balinese locals will welcome you with open arms I know this because every single local I have spoken to miss foreigners and want them to come back to Bali.
The Bishop of Noto in the Italian island of Sicily dropped a bombshell this month - he told schoolchildren Santa isn't real.

'No, Santa Claus does not exist. In fact, I would add that the red of the suit he wears was chosen by Coca-Cola exclusively for advertising purposes,' Bishop Antonio Stagliano told the children, according to local media.

After the comments went viral, the Diocese of Noto posted an apology on its Facebook page, written by the bishop's press secretary Father Alessandro Paolini.

'First of all, on behalf of the Bishop, I express regret for this statement that has disappointed the children, and want to clarify that this was not at all Mr Stagliano's intention,' the statement said.

The bishop wading into the muddy waters of Santa-denialism reminded me of how a few years ago I asked an acquaintance what Santa was bringing her kids for Christmas.

Bishop Antonio Stagliano has apologised for telling Italian children that Santa isn't real

'Oh, we've told our kids Santa isn't real,' she said, in a tone of grave seriousness.

'We told them it's a nice story, but it's not true. We don't lie to our children.'

I just about managed to stop my jaw from dropping open in horror, but the fire in my eyes told a different story.

First of all, we lie to our children all the time. Or at least we do if we're good parents.

If your child asks, 'why are you sad, Daddy?' are you really going to say it's because someone at work is making your life miserable and you fear you're going to lose your job?

No, of course not. You tell your child you're just a bit tired, you give them a smile and you say: 'Do you want to kick the ball around?'

But research over the years has often given encouragement to the Santa truthers and their joyless, heartless ways.

A Christmas Santa in a shopping mall. He's not the real Santa. The real Santa lives in the North Pole with Mrs Claus and a lot of industrious elves

According to one study, believing in Santa could 'undermine their trust in their parents and leave them open to abject disappointment when they eventually discover that magic is not real'.

What is wrong with these people? Why is good money being wasted on finding reasons for the humourless to justify their Santa denial?

It seems the kind of modern parents who spend a fortune on drama classes to encourage their children's imagination are also sometimes oblivious to the phenomenal imagination driver that is Santa Claus.

Do they tell their kids bedtime stories, then add, just as the child is about to fall asleep, 'They were just lies, darling, they're not true.

Humourless Grinch types who probably enjoy telling Children there in no Santa Claus

'The wicked witch is just an anti-woman stereotype, Snow White wasn't real, and if she was, she was very cruel to little people, and while big bad wolves do exist, they're not going to blow our house down.

'In fact, I'm sorry I told you any stories at all. Sleep tight, drama class tomorrow!'

Thankfully, there are more experts who understand the power of Santa than those who seem to think every lie is morally equivalent.

'I don't think it's a bad thing for kids to believe in the myth of someone trying to make people happy if they're behaving,' said Dr Matthew Lorber, a child psychiatrist at Lenox Hill hospital in New York.

'Imagination is a normal part of development, and helps develop creative minds.'

The original 'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus' letter from New York's Sun newspaper in 1897

Australian author Robert Macklin said when he discovered Santa was not real, he felt betrayed by the knowledge that the adults he trusted most had lied to him for years.

But he also said this is what led to his success as a journalist and writer.

'Along with a fierce sense of disillusion, there arrived unbidden a counterforce  an overwhelming, insatiable curiosity, a desperate desire to discover the truth behind every aspect of our world and its wonders.'

That sounds to me like a very good reason to be absolutely pro-Santa, but Macklin implores parents not to let their children believe in the man from the North Pole.

Thankfully, there is a much older tradition of journalists realising the rapture of believing in Santa.

In 1897, eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun newspaper, asking 'Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?'

The Sun printed an editorial, written by Francis Church, which has since become legendary.

'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,' he wrote. 'He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.'

The editorial ended by saying: 'A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, Santa will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.'

I'm a middle-aged man and I still 100 per cent believe in the power of Santa Claus.

Those who don't should find something more important to worry about, rather than trying to spoil the fun for billions of children and adults.
A data scientist who was the only expert to correctly predict the last federal election believes Scott Morrison is on track to hold power.

Bela Stantic of Griffith University on the Gold Coast believes if the election was held now the Prime Minister would win a narrow victory similar to last time around.

Professor Stantic made headlines in 2019 when he went against all of the polls that predicted Labor's Bill Shorten would beat Mr Morrison in the race for the Lodge.

A leading data scientist believes Scott Morrison (pictured with his family) is on track to hold power

The last eight Newspolls have put Labor ahead of the Coalition, with a six point lead recorded in mid November.

But unlike traditional polls which survey about 1,000 people, Professor Stantic uses computing power and artificial intelligence to analyse millions of tweets.

His method also predicted the UK's decision to leave the European Union in 2016 and Donald Trump's shock US election victory that same year.

Professor Stantic told Daily Mail Australia he recently conducted a 'small' analysis of 60,000 Twitter comments to survey the political mood.

'Based on that I see the Coalition is ahead of the Opposition,' he said.

The Big Data expert said many voters don't trust Mr Morrison, who was accused of lying by French President Emmanuel Macron after Australia bailed on a $90billion submarine contract with France.

'The issues against the Prime Minister are known topics. When he was in Europe there was lots of discussion that he can't be trusted,' Professor Stantic said.

But on balance he is preferred because Labor's Anthony Albanese is not seen as an inspiring leader.

'Still people see him (Mr Morrison) as a better leader,' Professor Stantic explained.

Griffith University Professor Bela Stantic (pictured) correctly predicted the Coalition would hold power after compiling data from social media in 2019

Professor Stantic said voters do not see Anthony Albanese (pictured with partner Jodie Haydon) as an inspiring leader

'Comments about the Opposition are along the lines that they don't have effective leadership ability,' he added.

'And if there were a better person to lead the Opposition they would probably have a landslide victory.

'The general impression is that there is no alternative and that is why people will still keep him (Mr Morrison).'

Professor Stantic said he used the same type of Twitter analysis for the small study in early December as the method he used to correctly predict all 77 seats for the Coalition in 2019.

He said Mr Morrison's victory margin would be 'pretty much the same' as three years ago.

Professor Stantic said he will conduct a deeper analysis to reveal which policy areas are favourable for each leader about three months before the election which is due in May.

The director of Big Data and Smart Analytics at Griffith University's Institute for Integrated and Intelligent Systems previously explained why his analysis was more accurate than traditional polls.

'My methods survey more people. I used the opinions of around half-a-million people, while polls, I believe, only survey in range of 1,000,' he said after the 2019 election.

'Also, it appears people are more honest when talking to friends and social media than answering polls.

'Important aspects were also preferences and sentiment toward Greens, Clive Palmer as well as ON (One Nation), which I also took into account.

'When everything was added up it told me that the ALP has no support to win the election.'

Prof Stantic said his correct prediction of the 2016 US election showed the validity of his method.

'It is scary how accurately prediction can be done by analysing social media,' he said.

'Such analytics can provide much more accurate information than telephone polling, especially in a day and age where people have caller ID and don't have landlines.

'The amount of data that all of us generate is truly staggering, and it is continuing to grow. This publicly available data is a secret treasure of information if we know how to discover it.'
A grieving father whose wife died of meningitis three days after giving birth to their daughter is on a mission to help ensure other families in regional Australia won't experience a similar tragedy.

Torie Finnane tragically died in Orange Base Hospital on December 1, 2020 - the same hospital where she was employed as a midwife.

She'd given birth just days earlier to little Maisie and had two older children, five-year-old Ollie and three-year-old Elke at home with her husband, Liam.

The 34-year-old contracted bacterial meningitis and developed symptoms the day after giving birth. Her condition rapidly deteriorated and she died in the intensive care unit within 24 hours of first complaining of a headache.

While Mr Finnane has highlighted the outstanding care his wife and newborn received in Orange, he said there's always room for improvement.

Torie Finnane (pictured with her husband and two oldest children) tragically died in Orange Base Hospital on December 1, 2020 - the same hospital where she was employed as a midwife. She'd given birth just three days earlier to little Maisie

Ms Finnane has been remembered as an 'amazing mother and wife' and her husband has now created a foundation to help train up other nurses in her honour

He has launched the Torie Finnane Foundation which will sponsor nurses from local communities to do month-long exchanges with busy Sydney hospitals.

The hope is midwives will 'then bring that knowledge back to these wards and experience situations they just don't get out here'.

'At the moment, as soon as there is a high risk case, mum and baby get sent off to Sydney,' Mr Finnane said.

As was the case with Maisie. Both she and Ms Finnane contracted a bacterial infection, and Maisie spent two weeks in the neonatal ward in Sydney after her mother's death.

Ms Finnane has been remembered as an 'amazing mother and wife' who also went out of her way to be the best midwife she could be for her community.

She took young staff under her wing, had experience in Sydney hospitals and birthed countless babies.

'She will always be my soulmate and I will always love her,' Mr Finnane said after his wife's sudden and tragic death

Mr Finnane has launched the Torie Finnane Foundation which will sponsor nurses from local communities to do month-long exchanges with busy Sydney hospitals

'The most upsetting thing for me personally is that Torie isnt here to enjoy the amazing life she had, watch the kids grow up, grow old with me and see through all of the plans we had talked about for our future,' Mr Finnane said after her death.

'I am just shattered and find it hard to reconcile how this could happen to such a good, fun loving, compassionate person who loved life so much.'

Mr Finnane said despite the best efforts of the local medical professionals, there is still a real appetite for improving services in regional and rural communities.

He described her death as 'one of those one in a million things that unfortunately just happened... a freak thing' that could not have been anticipated or prevented.

'There's no-one to blame in this... everyone did the best they could with what they had.'

Mr Finnane said despite the best efforts of the local medical professionals, there is still a real need for improving services for regional and rural communities

Mr Finnane is now juggling running the charity with being a single dad to three (pictured together). More than $375,000 was raised by the community to support he and the kids after his wife's sudden death

Mr Finnane is now juggling running the charity with being a single dad to three. More than $375,000 has been raised by the community to help support the family.

Their oldest son, Ollie, and two of his cousins have raised a further $6,000 for the Torie Finnane Foundation after vowing to walk 13km across the top of Mt Kosciuszko on Australia Day.

They hope to raise $10,000 in total before the hike.

Mr Finnane has urged friends and family not to stop talking about his late wife and to keep her at the forefront of their minds.

'It is incredibly important to me and our family so please do not feel like you cant talk about her in front of us,' he said.

'We were devastated and still are... Torie will continue to live on through the many stories and memories that we all have and it is so important for our young kids that they grow up knowing and cherishing these stories of their gorgeous Mum.

'She will always be my soulmate and I will always love her.'

To find out more about Torie Finnane Foundation or to donate, click here.
An overnight stay at the luxurious hotel can set guests back as much as $3000

alazzo Versace has 200 five-star hotel rooms and more than 70 condominiums

A six-star resort has been forced to shut down its restaurant and renowned buffets after a mass walkout of anti-vaxxer staff in the lead up to Christmas.

The Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast, Queensland's highest-rated resort when it opened in 2000, has been a magnet for controversy in recent years.

In recent weeks the situation has escalated, with staff quitting, the famous Christmas buffet falling over, and guests complaining about poor service.

Some staff were also accused of refusing to wear face masks when on the clock, while others offered unwanted Covid conspiracy rants to stunned guests.

A Versace insider said the resort is on its knees, with many workers refusing to be vaccinated.

The Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast, initially touted as Queensland's first six-star resort, has been forced to shut down its restaurant and renowned buffets following a mass walkout of anti-vaxxer staff leading into Christmas

Staff are leaving in droves, and others are offering unwanted Covid conspiracy rants to stunned guests (pictured, the famed buffet)

Many visitors and guests in recent years have criticised the Gold Coast hotel for a not being as glamorous as it projects

A former employee claimed morale was at an all-time low at the high-end hotel where some rooms can cost more than $3,000 a night.

'Its been getting more and more run down and the staff that are there are getting asked to do more for less,' the ex-staffer told The Courier Mail.

'It's such a shame because everyone had worked so hard to get everything back up to high standards after the lockdowns and they've just destroyed the hotel in a matter of months.'

The famed Vanitas restaurant will not reopen until early 2022, and Versace has job openings for a chef, banquet staff, and other catering roles.

The traditional Christmas Day banquet in the grand ballroom, which was completely booked out, was also recently cancelled.

Palazzo Versace in response claimed some staff departures were overdue.

'Many hotels are actively hiring, and our recruitment is focused on attracting new talent,' it said.

'We remain committed to providing world class service to our guests, and look forward to sharing the many exciting changes on the horizon in the new year.'

Previous celebrity guests at the ritzy hotel include American rapper Snoop Dogg, actor Johnny Depp, and model Tammy Hembrow.

In May, Jane Kingston was the latest general manager to resign, following four others who quit the job dating back to 2014.

'Never in my life have I experienced such venomous and vociferous attacks from other human beings, where you just stop and think, "Is this for real?''' Ms Kingston previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'Anybody else who wasn't strong would have gone and committed suicide, that's how bad the attacks [on me] were. It's disgraceful.'

The famed Vanitas restaurant Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast will not reopen until early 2022, and the hotel (pictured) have current openings for a chef, banquet and other catering roles.

The traditional Christmas Day banquet, which was completely booked out, was also recently cancelled by Palazzo Versace

The property doubles as a hotel-resort and a home for condominium owners on the Gold Coast

Palazzo Versace has 200 five-star hotel rooms but also more than 70 condominiums.

Issues between residents and the owner have plagued the hotel-resort since it was bought by China's Zou family through its Dong Run Group from local developers Sunland Group in 2012.

Earlier this year, a series of damning TripAdvisor reviews of the establishment were highlighted by Daily Mail Australia, echoing a regular complaint by visitors, guests and travel industry specialists.

Many felt Palazzo Versace's original 'six-star' status was no longer justified because upkeep, maintenance and renovation of its facilities had fallen behind.

'Whilst we were trying to enjoy our food, a bird excreted faeces above us which went straight through the top of our cabana and all over ourselves and our food,' one reviewer wrote.

Another reviewer said using the hotel pool was 'like swimming in the Parramatta River', partly because a family of ducks had taken over and left droppings.

The resort's expensive-looking grounds are favoured by influencers such as Tammy Hembrow
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Fresh Covid restrictions could be imposed in time for New Years Eve as Londons hospital admissions surge by more than 90 per cent.

Boris Johnson will decide on Monday whether to introduce new curbs including a return to the Rule of Six and a ban on households mixing following a review of the latest data on the Omicron variant.

In a blow to the new year hopes of millions, Government scientists have indicated that these shutdown measures could remain in place until late March.

In London, now regarded as the UKs Omicron ground zero, there were 386 new Covid hospital admissions on December 22, according to the latest NHS data. Though they are still a far cry from the 850 admissions achieved at the peak of the second wave in January, they mark a 92 per cent rise on the figure last week, and are within touching distance of the Governments threshold of 400 for further lockdown curbs.

The Times newspaper reported that the Prime Minister may have to make a call on whether to impose economy-crippling restrictions by Tuesday at the latest.

However, MPs and Cabinet ministers sceptical of the use of restrictions to limit the spread of Covid are likely to raise questions about whether the data justifies further curbs.

MailOnline this week brought attention to concerns about a lack of transparency in NHS data on Covid hospital patients.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith emphasised that the issue of whether people are being hospitalised with or for Covid-19 was really important for working out how much pressure the NHS really faces.

Concerns are mounting that the figures are being inflated by routine testing. Sir Iain added: The Government has dragged its feet over showing those figures, I suspect because they know what will happen  it will reduce the numbers that they have going into hospital with Covid  in other words who are ill and have to go to hospital because of Covid.

MailOnline analysis of NHS England figures suggests two-thirds of new coronavirus admissions in the last fortnight arrived at hospital for a different ailment.

With Omicron spreading rapidly, experts say the number of so-called 'incidental' Covid admissions will rise.

Tory MP Craig Mackinlay also called for urgent clarity, telling MailOnline: This is the question we have been asking right the way back from day one in March (last year)  what are these numbers?

Are these people going in with coronavirus and that's the reason for their admission, or have they gone in with a broken leg, had a test and Oh God, you've got a positive test. Those are very different numbers aren't they. Entirely different numbers.

Even SAGE has now appeared to admit that even patients on mental health wards who test positive in hospital are added to the daily admissions tally.

In minutes from the groups most recent meeting yesterday, they said: The number of people in hospital with Omicron infection continues to increase with a doubling time of around 4-5 days. Some of this increase is due to nosocomial transmission including in mental health hospitals.

Paramedics unload a patient from an ambulance outside the Royal London Hospital in London on Friday as the UK records 114,625 new coronavirus cases

Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions on December 7, 2021

Reports have claimed ministers are watching hospitalisation numbers in the capital, with a two-week 'circuit breaker' lockdown set to be imposed if daily numbers surpass 400

Covid hospital admissions in London  Britain's Omicron ground zero  are within touching distance of the Government's threshold of 400 for introducing lockdown restrictions across the country

Covid hospitalisations are now doubling roughly every 10 days - though they are still a far cry from the 850 at the peak last January

A graph showing the daily count of Covid patients in mechanical ventilation beds. Johnson may have to make a call on more restrictions by Tuesday at the latest so they can be implemented in time for New Year's Eve

An age breakdown of the number of covid patients admitted to hospital since the start of the pandemic (left) and as the rate per 100,000 people since the start of the pandemic (right)

Record 1.7MILLION Brits had Covid last week as it's revealed 10 postcodes with highest rates in England are within three square miles of south London and one in 20 people in capital was infected - as daily cases hit new record of 122,000 A record 1.7million people had Covid last week and the ten worst-hit by Covid areas in England are all within a three square mile radius in south London, official figures showed today as UK cases rose to another new high of 122,000. London is being battered hardest by the supermutant Omicron variant after quickly becoming a hotbed for the strain earlier this month, with one in 20 infected in the capital according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. The ten postcodes  all in Wandsworth and Lambeth  have an average infection rate of 3,819 cases per 100,000 people, more than quadruple the 838 per 100,000 in the rest of the country. Government dashboard data shows there were 122,186 positive tests across the country in the last 24 hours, which was up about 30 per cent on the week before and more than double the figure a fortnight ago. Today's new infections mean nearly 900,000 Britons who've tested positive in the last 10 days face spending Christmas Day in self-isolation  although people who tested positive a week ago in England can be let out early if they come back negative on lateral flows. Meanwhile separate ONS figures revealed nationally there were 1.69million infections per day in the week up to December 19  last Sunday  rising 55 per cent compared to the previous week. The survey  based on swabs of more than 555,000 people  is regarded as the most reliable indicator of Britain's Covid pandemic because it uses random sampling rather than relying on people coming forward for tests. Despite there being a record number of infections last week, the ONS' findings are out of step with gloomy Government modelling that has suggested Omicron was doubling nationally every two days. Testing positivity also suggests infection aren't increasing quite as quickly as expected, rising to 16 per cent on December 19 up from nine per cent at the start of the month. Advertisement

The modelling, made by experts from Warwick University looked at a package of measures, including some in line with the Step 2 restrictions in place in April in England.

The Warwick research looked at imposing Step 2 restrictions on either December 28 or New Year's Day and keeping them in place until January 15, 28 or March 28.

The modelling has not yet been seen by ministers, who are expected to make a decision early next week, potentially as soon as Monday, on extra restrictions.

The work was completed before the latest data suggesting the Omicron variant may produce less severe illness than the Delta strain of coronavirus.

A consensus paper by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (Spi-M-O) published today said 'rapidly enacted Step 2 measures reduce the peak of hospital pressure to about half its level under Plan B only'.

It also included a model examining the impact 'non-mandated behaviour change' would have if it reduced mixing by half the amount that Step 2 would achieve.

The Spi-M-O summary of the Warwick modelling said: 'A reduction in mixing equivalent to half that of Step 2 results in only a very small reduction in severe outcomes compared to Plan B alone.

'Step 2 has a much larger effect, reducing the number of deaths up to 31st May by 39% (24-54%) if kept in place from December 28 until March 28, and 18% (12-27%) if kept in place until January 15.'

Minutes from a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies on December 23 noted 'the peak in (hospital) admissions is highly uncertain but, even with a reduction in severity, may be comparable to or higher than previous peaks in the absence of significant behaviour change or further interventions'.

The minutes said 'the earlier interventions happen, and the more stringent they are, the more likely they are to be effective'.

Ministers are said to be watching admission rates in the capital before pulling the trigger on more national curbs because London is a few weeks ahead in its Omicron outbreak.

Any move to return to the kind of lockdown restrictions in Step 2 would be likely to meet with fierce resistance from Tory backbenchers.

The Prime Minister suffered a revolt by around 100 MPs just to get England's current Plan B measures approved.

The risk of another rebellion could encourage him to rely on guidance to reduce socialising rather than new laws, if ministers believe extra measures are required.

A national two-week 'circuit breaker' lockdown has been mooted after Christmas if London's daily admissions breach 400 this week  which would signal 'unsustainable' pressure on the NHS.

London became the epicentre of the UK's Omicron outbreak two weeks before the super mutant variant became dominant across the country and experts are treating trends in the city as a sign of what could come for England.

But NHS data recording lags mean it will be after Christmas before it is known whether admissions surpassed 400 in the last two days.

MPs and experts have now demanded the Government distinguishes between people who are being hospitalised 'with' or 'for' Covid before deciding on social restrictions.

Shoppers on Oxford Street on Christmas Eve. Further Covid restrictions could be imposed just in time for New Year's Eve as Boris Johnson is set to review the latest figures on Monday

People shopping on Oxford Street earlier this Friday. A national two-week 'circuit breaker' lockdown has been mooted after Christmas if London's daily admissions breach 400 this week

Up to a MILLION Brits will spend Christmas in self-isolation Nearly 900,000 people could be forced to spend Christmas Day in self-isolation after catching Covid in the past 10 days, MailOnline analysis shows. A total of 766,000 people across the UK have tested positive for the virus since December 16  the cut-off date for coming out of quarantine in time. And current trends suggest 125,000 more Britons will be diagnosed today as the ultra-infectious Omicron variant pushes cases to record numbers, with more than 100,000 people testing positive daily for the last two days. It suggests around 891,000 people could be barred from visiting loved ones, attending Midnight Mass or going on a Christmas Day walk this year. Thousands more people in Scotland who don't have the virus but are close contacts of a positive case also face compulsory quarantine tomorrow. But social media users reported suffering no or mild symptoms such as a runny nose and questioned why their festive celebrations should be ruined again - with some saying they would see family despite a positive test result. New rules designed to limit the damage to the economy and vital services mean infected people in England can come out of isolation after seven days so long as they test negative on lateral flows. This potentially allows the 243,000 people who tested positive for Covid between December 16 and 18 in England to release from quarantine in time for the festivities. The isolation period remains 10 days for the rest of the UK. Advertisement

MailOnline's analysis of London Covid admissions show that a third (127) of the 386 new patients only tested positive after arriving at hospital for a different illness.

The proportion of so-called 'incidental admissions' was around 12 per cent in the last two weeks of the Delta variant at the end of November, for comparison.

Official figures today also showed that a record 1.7million people had Covid last week and the ten worst-hit by Covid areas in England are all within a three square mile radius in south London.

UK cases rose to another new high of 122,000 and London is being battered hardest by the Omicron variant after quickly becoming a hotbed for the strain earlier this month, with one in 20 infected in the capital according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

The ten postcodes  all in Wandsworth and Lambeth  have an average infection rate of 3,819 cases per 100,000 people, more than quadruple the 838 per 100,000 in the rest of the country.

In a drive to get the country boosted, millions will also be receiving texts encouraging them to get a third jab on Boxing Day, as more than 32 million booster and third doses have already been administered.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: 'We are texting this Boxing Day for all eligible adults to get boosted now.

'It has never been as important to get protected with the booster, so whether it is in between turkey sandwiches or before the Boxing Day fixtures, whatever your traditions make the booster a part of them this year.

'Millions of vaccine slots are available through the festive calendar so if you're not boosted and you get this text, take up the offer and get vaccinated.'

Omicron's surge has also lead to international travel chaos as more than 3,000 flights were cancelled worldwide on the first Christmas getaway since 2019.

The variant's spread meant airline companies have been unable to staff their flights, forcing a surge in cancellations.

More than 2,300 flights were grounded today, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware, while a further 1,556 have already been cancelled ahead of tomorrow.

The new strain also cancelled Christmas getaways for thousands of Britons following coronavirus restrictions imposed by destinations.

Winter sports operator Crystal Ski has axed its trips to Austria departing on December 27 after the country introduced tougher entry requirements due to the new variant.

Austria announced on Wednesday that arrivals from the UK will be required to quarantine for 10 days from Saturday unless they are fully vaccinated including a booster dose, and have evidence of a recent negative PCR test.

The Netherlands has been put into lockdown until at least mid-January, while Germany has joined France in prohibiting UK tourists.

London became the epicentre of the UK's Omicron outbreak two weeks before the super mutant variant became dominant across the country and experts are treating trends in the city as a sign of what could come for England. Pictured, shoppers walking along Regent Street on December 24

People walking around in the capital earlier this Friday. MailOnline's analysis of London Covid admissions show that a third (127) of the 386 new patients only tested positive after arriving at hospital for a different illness

Meanwhile, Ryanair has reduced its planned January capacity by a third.

Omicron's spread also saw Christmas Eve shopping plunge by 21% compared to 2019 as Britons preferred to shop online.

Footfall levels in central London dropped by nearly a third (30.3%) compared with last Friday and city centres outside the capital saw a 10% fall in visits, data from Springboard showed.

The day proved to be 21% worse for retailers across the country than in 2019, but it was more than 30% better than a year ago when there were more pandemic restrictions in place.

But retail parks across the UK fared better than the high streets as they pushed footfall across the country up by nearly 14%.

Springboard data also showed that footfall rose by 19.6% at shopping centres, while coastal towns saw a 26.3% rise and market towns a 14.3% increase.
Mississippi authorities have identified the remains of a woman murdered in 2007 after her brother-in-law - who was on death row for killing her sister - fessed up to the whereabouts by providing a hand-drawn map before he was executed last month.

The remains found in a field near Pontotoc on Dec. 12 were confirmed to be that of Felicia Cox after officials matched the DNA with that of her daughter, Amber Miskelly, who was 18 when her mother went missing, said John Weddle, a district attorney for several northern Mississippi counties, on Wednesday.

Cox was 40 years old when she disappeared in 2007 and her brother-in-law David Neal Cox, 50, was always suspected in her murder.

He would end up killing her sister, Kim Kirk Cox, three years later and pleaded guilty in 2012 to capital murder for the May 2010 shooting.

During his arrest Cox raped his stepdaughter in front of her dying mother - even as police surrounded the home and tried to get David to release the then-12-year-old girl, along with her two brothers.

The killer became the first inmate executed in Mississippi in nine years when he was put to death on November 17, but not before coughing up a detailed map of where he buried Felicia's body .

Felicia Cox's body was identified on Wednesday. Felicia (pictured) has been missing since 2007 and her murderer, brother-in-law David Neal Cox, 50, admitted to the murder before he was executed on November 17 for killing his wife Kim Kirk Cox, 40

Her body was found in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, after Cox hand drew a map of its location

Her DNA was tested against her daughters Amber Miskelly, 23, (pictured center in jeans). A member of the Pontotoc County Sheriff's Department hugged Miskelly after informing her the remains found were her mother's

Cox hand drew a map to lead police directly to her body

Cox admitted to the murder because he reportedly 'felt deep remorse and wanted to bring closure' to Felicia Cox's family. He was executed in November, the first in nine years in the state

Cox had dropped his appeals, filing court papers calling himself 'worthy of death' before the state Supreme Court set his execution date.

Questions had remained about whether David Neal Cox was responsible for the July 2007 disappearance of Felicia. Miskelly recently told WTVA-TV that David Cox was the last person to see her mother alive.

Before his execution, David Neal Cox told his attorneys he killed Felicia Cox in 2007, providing detailed instructions on where investigators could find her remains and waiving his attorney-client privilege after death, Weddle said this month.

The information was presented to Weddle's office two days after Cox's execution, the district attorney said. David Neal Cox had been a longtime suspect in his sister-in-law's disappearance, he said.

'There is no indication that anyone other than Cox is responsible for Felicia Coxs death,' Weddle told a news conference earlier this month.

The state's Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel said David 'felt deep remorse and wanted to bring closure' to Felicia Cox's family.

After the discovery of her remains on her family's land west of Pontotoc, located about 200 miles north of Jackson, her relatives told police they were 'thankful' to move on.

'We are thankful the family can now begin the process of giving Felicia Cox a burial,' he said.

Among the people who witnessed the execution was David's stepdaughter, 23-year-old Lindsey Kirk. She was 12 on May 14, 2010, and staying at an aunt's house with her two brothers and mother after getting a restraining order against David.

Her mother was in the back of the house filling the bathtub for her little brother.

'A gunshot came through the screen door, and he ran in and told me not to move,' Lindsey said of her stepfather, who chased her aunt, Kristie Salmon, out of the house.

Cox was also in jail for sexually assaulting Lindsey Kirk when she was 12 three times in front of her dying mother, who Cox's shot in the stomach. She later claimed that he assaulted her multiple times when he mother wasn't home

Lindsey was not in the room when her stepfather shot her mother in the arm and abdomen, but he soon took her back there.

'Mama was laying on the floor. She was bleeding,' Lindsey said. Her brother 'was balled up in a closet.'

Her stepfather then sexually assaulted her three times in front of her dying mother - even as police surrounded the home and tried to get David to release Lindsey, along with her two brothers.

The ordeal lasted more than eight hours before officers got the three children out, recovered Kim's body and arrested David.

Recently, Lindsey revealed that David used methamphetamine in front of Kirk, who said that her stepfather sexually assaulted her 'for a few years' when the family was still living under the same roof when her mother would leave.

She said she was afraid to tell anyone because 'he always told me that he'd kill us' if she told on him.

However, while staying with her grandparents in the summer of 2009, Lindsey texted her mother and told her of the assaults.

Soon after that, Cox was arrested and charged with statutory rape, sexual battery, child abuse and possession of methamphetamine. He was released in April 2010, but then-wife Kim Cox already had a restraining order against him and had moved to her sister's home with her children.

But, one day, Kim Cox saw him at an intersection from afar. She told relatives that he held his hand up like a gun and pointed it at her three times. Within a couple of days, he had killed her.

Kim Cox's father and stepmother describe her as a caring mother who was generous toward others. They said they didn't know David had been abusive or her children until Lindsey spoke up.

The boys are now 18 and 19 years old. The couple said the younger son does not like to talk about his mother's death or his father's impending execution, and the older son is still fearful his father might come back and hurt him.

'I've told him,' Melody Kirk said, 'a dead person can't hurt anybody.'
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved an emergency order Friday to tackle the opioid epidemic in the city's crime-ridden Tenderloin neighborhood, despite multiple woke city leaders attacking the crackdown because it would flood the area with cops.

Mayor London Breed's order was passed by a vote held shortly after midnight Friday, with eight voting in favor of the plan and two voting against it, following a marathon 10 hours of debate and public comment.

The public health emergency declaration also authorizes the Department of Emergency Management to set up a new temporary center where people can access expanded drug treatment and counseling. Anyone caught abusing drugs who refuses help faces being arrested and locked up, sparking howls of protest from some of the violent city's progressive leaders.

Several supervisors raised objections, although only Board President Shamann Walton and Dean Preston voted no. They decried the lack of details and dearth of available treatment beds, and said that over-policing would victimize African Americans and the homeless.

'I know that this is an incredibly painful, traumatic and emotional conversation,' said Matt Haney, the supervisor who represents the neighborhood, before the vote. He said he hopes the city will bring all of its 'innovation, unyielding compassion and relentless determination' to confront the crisis.

San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen and the city's infamous woke DA Chesa Boudin were among those moaning about Breed's new plan before it was passed.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved Mayor London Breed's, pictured, emergency order Friday to tackle the opioid epidemic in the city's crime-ridden Tenderloin neighborhood

Pictured: the city's notoriously crime-ridden Tenderloin neighborhood, which will now see an influx of law enforcement after the Board of Supervisors voted in favor of the measure Friday

The Tenderloin District has been hit particularly hard by the opioid epidemic, with hypodermic needles and open-drug use running rampant in the neighborhood

'I believe that we should all be marshaling every resource we have in this city to address that crisis,' said Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

'But because of the way that this has been described in the media, I don't have faith that we're talking about the same thing.'

Meanwhile, Boudin - facing a recall over an embarrassing spike in crimes in the city blamed on his soft-touch on crime - has also condemned Breed's plan.

He said: 'We can't arrest and prosecute our way out of problems that are afflicting the Tenderloin,' Boudin said during a press conference on Monday.

'Arresting people who are addicted to drugs, jailing people who have mental health struggles, putting folks who are vending hot dogs or other food on the streets in cages will not solve these problems, and they are certainly not the only tools available.'

Breed's public health emergency declaration allows the Department of Emergency Management to re-allocate city staff and bypass contracting and permitting regulations to set up a new temporary center where people can access expanded drug treatment and counseling.

But advocates for the homeless and substance users are urging a no vote because Mayor London Breed has also pledged to flood the district with police officers to halt crime.

Public health officials encourage treatment for drug addicts, not punishment, but Breed has said that people consuming drugs in public may wind up in jail unless they accept services. Many locals have said that while they are sympathetic to the plight of addicts, many of whom are also homeless, they're fed up with the crime associated with the drug problem, as well as the filth and needles that now litter the famously-liberal city's streets.

The city's DA Chesa Boudin, left, has been accused of being too soft on crime, while City Supervisor Hillary Ronenm right, said 'I believe that we should all be marshaling every resource we have in this city to address that crisis'

Pictured: hypodermic needles scattered around San Francisco's Tenderloin District

Homelessness and open drug use has been an ongoing issue in the city's Tenderloin District

Pictured: people sleep near discarded clothing and used needles on a street in the Tenderloin neighborhood in San Francisco

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, pictured, talks during a briefing outside City Hall in San Francisco on December 1

The Tenderloin includes museums, the main public library and government offices, including City Hall.

But it's also teeming with people who are homeless or marginally housed, a high concentration of drug dealers and people consuming drugs in broad view.

Breed said last week that it was time to be 'less tolerant of all the bull***t that has destroyed our city.' She said it's not fair that residents can't use their parks or leave home.

Pictured: the Tenderloin District in San Francisco, which has been recently plagued by homelessness, crime and drug use

'When someone is openly using drugs on the street, we're going to give them the option of going to the services and treatment we're providing.'

'But if they refuse, we're not going to allow them to continue using on the street,' she said on social media this week.

'The families in the neighborhood deserve better.'

Breed has committed to opening a supervised drug consumption site as well as a drug sobering center, and said the Department of Emergency Management will lead the response much like it coordinated efforts to address the pandemic.

The department will, in part, streamline emergency medical calls, disrupt drug dealing and use, and make sure streets stay clean.

Deaths attributable to overdoses have increased more than 200 percent in San Francisco since 2018, and last year, more than 700 people died from drug overdoses in the city, more than the number who died from COVID-19, according to the proclamation.

Nearly 600 people have died of a drug overdose this year, through November, with nearly half of the deaths occurring in the Tenderloin and in the neighboring South of Market district, says the proclamation. These areas make up 7 percent of San Francisco's population.

Politically liberal cities across the US are grappling with crime in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd, when their elected leaders pledged ways to reduce friction between police and vulnerable communities of color, particularly African Americans such as Floyd.

San Francisco and the Bay Area in particular has been hit hard by a spate of what officials are calling organized smash-and-grab burglaries and car break-ins. Between May 2020 and May 2021, there was a 753 percent increase in the car break-ins in the city's Central District, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Two unidentified individuals wearing hooded jackets were caught on amateur video during a brazen smash-and-grab spree in the San Francisco Bay Area

Video posted to social media on Wednesday shows the two thieves driving along streets in residential areas of San Francisco and Oakland

Walgreens closed a location at 790 Van Ness Avenue in October 2020 after losing up to $1,000 in stolen merchandise numerous days in a row, according to the San Francisco Chronicle

Shoplifting incidents occurred at irregular levels across the five locations that are closing, according to data compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle and obtained from the San Francisco Police Department

Officers have already made a string of arrests in relation to the late-November attacks, which police previously posited were related.

Three arrests have been made in connection with the coordinated attack on a Nordstrom Inc. store in the wealthy Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, California, on November 20.

An estimated 90 people overran the posh boutique and made off with more than $100,000 of merchandise before escaping in 25 separate cars that had their license plates removed or covered, prosecutors said.

The city's reputation has taken a hit amid embarrassing videos of shoplifting mobs targeting drug stores and high-end department stores, including Neiman Marcus. Earlier this week, Walgreens announced it was closing five of its stores in the city because of rampant shoplifting.

The city's woke DA Chesa Boudin has been accused of being too soft on crime, and faces a recall effort from locals who say say the ultra-rich area has become too dangerous to live in.

'The criminals are committing these acts in broad daylight in this city,' Breed told KGO-TV of the smash and grab Audi gang back in October.

They want her to use the money on adding more treatment beds, shelters, job training and other social services.

'What we currently see in the Tenderloin didn't happen overnight and stems from years of massive disinvestment and displacement,' said Jeannette Zanipatin, California director at the Drug Policy Alliance.

If approved, the emergency order would last 90 days unless Breed seeks renewal.
Jared Kushner's global investment firm, Affinity Partners, has raised more than $3 billion in committed funding from international investors, according to a report.

Kushner, 40, a former top aide to then-President Donald Trump who is married to Ivanka Trump, formed the Miami-based firm last summer after deciding to step away from politics and began raising money in the fall.

Kushner plans to invest in American and Israeli companies that are looking for international expansion opportunities in India, Africa, the Middle East and other parts of Asia.

The move raised eyebrows among ethics experts, given his rapid transition from advising the White House and liaising with world leaders to seeking investments from them for his own firm.

Jared Kushner, 40, is seen in December 2020 speaking during a visit to Rabat, Morocco. He has now transitioned from being a White House senior advisor to being an investment fund manager

Kushner is seen on December 21, 2020 with Benjamin Netanyahu - a family friend, and the then-prime minister of Israel

Kushner is pictured with his wife Ivanka at the launch of the Trump 2020 campaign in June 2019

The New Jersey-born scion of a wealthy real estate developing family, Kushner worked for the family firm, with his best-known acquisition being 666 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, which he bought for $1.8 billion in 2007.

The building became a financial millstone when the recession hit soon after. After multiple attempts to sell the building, Brookfield Properties acquired their 99-year lease for $1.3 billion in 2018.

He was also the owner and publisher of The New York Observer for a decade, until his father-in-law became president.

Kushner's firm has received commitments of more than $3 billion, a source told Reuters, adding that he expects to continue fund-raising efforts for the next few months to close these and add potential additional commitments.

Information on specific investors was not disclosed, but Affinity was targeting American institutions and foreign investment institutions, including sovereign wealth funds and high net worth individuals.

Kushner is seen in the White House among officials from Saudi Arabia in March 2018

Kushner and Trump are seen with Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh in May 2017

Affinity is hoping to close its first deal in the first quarter of 2022, the source said.

The firm has hired about 20 people, including private equity veterans Bret Perlman and Asad Naqvi, and plans to focus on U.S. based investments as well as those in the Middle East.

At the Trump White House, Kushner helped broker deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco in a six-month flurry last year.

He also helped negotiate a new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

He played a prominent role in Trump's failed 2020 reelection campaign, but has steered clear of Trump's false claims of voter fraud.

Kushner reportedly tried to distance his father-in-law from fringe, far-right social media platforms after Trump was kicked off Twitter following the deadly riot on January 6.

Kushner hopes to create 'an investment corridor' between Israel and Saudi Arabia, by working with Israeli and Gulf companies and investors, the person said.

He has also written a book about his White House experience that is expected to be published by HarperCollins in 2022.

Kushner is not the only former member of the Trump White House to be seeking deals in the Middle East.

Steve Mnuchin, the former treasury secretary, is now running a private equity fund that in September was reported to have raised $2.5 billion.

Most of the money is from sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Bloomberg reported.
A young hoon was banned from driving after unwittingly overtaking a police car while driving his BMW 53 kilometres an hour over the legal speed limit.

The 21-year-old driver was speeding in a black BMW 335i sedan when he flew past an unmarked ACT road policing car in the 80 km/h zone in Aranda, Canberra on Thursday.

Police clocked him travelling at 133km/h along Belconnen Way.

A 21-year-old driver from Harrison, Canberra, was speeding in this black BMW 335i sedan when he flew past an unmarked ACT Road Policing car in the 80 km/h zone in Aranda, Canberra on Thursday

The man was given a ticket for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45 km/h, which carries a fine of $1,841 and six demerit points. He banned for three months

The man, from Harrison in Canberra, was given a ticket for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45 km/h, which carries a fine of $1,841 and six demerit points.

He was banned from driving for three months and his provisional licence was suspended.

The man avoided a massive hit to his driving record by a few hours as double demerit points came in at midnight in the ACT.

ACT Police reminded drivers that double demerit points are now in effect in Canberra, but they are also in effect across the country.

Both NSW and the ACT are punishing traffic offences - such as speeding or using a mobile phone while driving - with double demerit points from 12.01am on December 24 to 11.59pm on January 3.

A driver breaking the speed limit by more than 45km/h in NSW during that period would therefore receive 12 demerit points - one less than the state's demerit point limit.

Western Australia's rules are even tougher as motorists will have double points added to their licence for certain road violations committed from Friday until January 9.

Both NSW and the ACT are punishing traffic offences with double demerit points from 12.01am on December 24 to 11.59pm on January 3 (file image of a traffic stop on Moore Park Road in Sydney)

In Queensland, there is no specific Christmas double demerit scheme.

But as part of a year-round system, drivers will still be given double points if they commit an offence they have already been fined for in the past 12 months.

Victoria, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and South Australia do not have double demerit systems.
A breakfast television interview with the deputy premier of New South Wales turned awkward when he refused to directly answer a question about the state's latest mask mandate.

Premier Dominic Perrottet's second-in-charge, Paul Toole, was grilled on the Today Show about how long the government had been advised to reintroduce a mask mandate by Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant in the wake of the Omicron variant.

'Look, I have to say that Kerry Chant has been an amazing woman. She has provided a lot of advice,' Mr Toole responded.

'There is a lot of different advice that comes through the year and as part of the cabinet, as part of the committee that meets regularly with Kerry Chant, we have adopted some of those settings and that is why you can see the mandating of masks have come back in today.'

Mr Toole's non-answer was interrupted by stand-in host Clint Stanaway asking again how long before yesterday's decision Dr Chant had advised the government to take the step.

'Look, the advice was from Kerry Chant, obviously about bringing the masks back and that is exactly how we have responded in relation to bringing masks back in relation to indoor settings,' he replied.

'Had she been advising you to do that a few days before you actually did it?' fellow host Jayne Azzopardi asked once more.

Mr O'Toole replied; 'I know there is different advice that is given and I have to say, a lot of people were taking personal responsibility.

'They were wearing masks already but what we have done is made sure that it is common across the community now so that anybody that is in an indoor setting is going to be wearing a mask.'

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (right) speaks with Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant at Thursday's press conference reintroducing masks, QR code check-ins and density limits

Masks are on again mandated in indoor settings in NSW, except at private homes, until January 27. Pictured: Pedestrians move through Pitt Street Mall while Christmas shopping

Mr Perrottet's government was forced to backflip yesterday, reintroducing masks in indoor settings, density limits and and QR code check-ins, in the face of a surge in Covid cases to 5,715 yesterday in the state.

Hospitality venues will have a one person per two square metres rule imposed from December 27 until January 27.

Masks indoors except at private homes will also be mandated until January 27.

Just days earlier Mr Perrottet had said he would not be reintroducing such measures as a mask mandate, having lifted most Covid restrictions in the lead-up to Christmas.

Dr Chant had been urging the government to reimpose a mask mandate indoors for a number of weeks as the Omicron variant caused a spike in new cases.

At a press conference on December 15 where Mr Perrottet announced the requirement to wear masks was being dropped in most settings, Dr Chant appeared to openly disagree with the decision.

'That's a matter for government in setting those mandates and all I'm saying is from a public health position, I am strongly recommending we keep masks and I'm asking the community to do so,' she said.

'It's a very tiny act and you're actually protecting yourself but more importantly you're protecting others.'

Masked customers seen at Sydney Fish Markets, Pyrmont on Christmas Eve

Dr Chant said yesterday that 80 per cent of cases in NSW were of the more infectious Omicron strain. Pictured: People queue at the St Vincent's Bondi Beach Covid-19 drive-through testing clinic

Mr Perrottet had defended his decision to drop the widespread mandate as an act of 'balance'.

'As we're heading into this Christmas period ... there's no doubt shopping centres will be busier so we just say please take personal responsibility,' the premier said at the December 15 press conference.

'We recommend masks, we've taken the advice into account, it's always a balance in terms of the approach the government takes and that's the decision we've made.'

Australia is in the midst of a new wave of Covid cases as Omicron spreads, with Dr Kerry Chant saying yesterday that 80 per cent of cases in NSW were of the more infectious Omicron strain.

Apart from the more than 5000 cases in NSW, Australia recorded a record 8,210 cases yesterday, with 2,005 in Victoria, 369 in Queensland, 85 in the ACT, 26 in and 10 in the Northern Territory.
A Texas board on Thursday withdrew its recommendation to pardon George Floyd over a 2004 drug conviction, days before Governor Greg Abbott was expected to announce his list of annual holiday pardons.

In February 2004, Floyd was arrested in Houston by officer Gerald Goines for selling $10 worth of crack in a police sting, and later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and served 10 months in prison.

The Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles had unanimously supported a posthumous pardon for Floyd but is now saying 'procedural errors' were found in its recommendation.

The unusual reversal was announced by Abbott's office two days before Christmas, around the time he typically doles out his annual pardons.

He is known to pardon a handful of citizens - typically for minor offenses committed years ago - every Christmas as part of a holiday tradition. However, he has yet to announce his decision.

Floyd's name was withdrawn along with two dozen other clemency recommendations that had been submitted by the board.

In a letter dated December 16 but not released publicly until now, the board told Abbott that it had identified 'unexplained departures' from its process of issuing pardons and needed to reconsider more than a third of the 67 clemency recommendations it sent to Abbott this year, including the one for Floyd.

The Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles has withdrawn their unanimous recommendation to posthumously pardon George Floyd for a 2004 drug arrest made by a now-discredited officer

The recommendation was awaiting Governor Greg Abbott's approval. He has since been accused of removing the pardon from consideration as a political ploy ahead of the upcomin GOP primary elections

Floyd would have become the second person in Texas to receive a posthumous pardon from the governor since 2010. He was one of two dozen names whose pardon recommendations were retracted

The withdrawn endorsement was met with outrage from a public defender who submitted the pardon application for Floyd, who spent much of his life in Houston before his death in 2020 under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer.

Allison Mathis, an attorney in Houston, worked to get the posthumous recommendation, insisting that Floyd never conducted the crime to begin with.

'It doesn't matter who you think George Floyd was, or what you think he stood for or didn't stand for. What matters is he didn't do this. It's important for the governor to correct the record to show he didn't do this.'

Since Floyd's pardon recommendation has been withdrawn, she has accused the two-term Republican governor of using the pardon to gain favor with voters ahead of Texas' March GOP primary elections as he faces challengers from the far right.

In October, the board had unanimously recommended that Floyd become just the second person in Texas since 2010 to receive a posthumous pardon from the governor.

'As a result of the Board's withdrawal of the recommendation concerning George Floyd, Governor Abbott did not have the opportunity to consider it,' Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement.

Mathis called the last-minute reversal a 'ridiculous farce.' She said the board - which is stocked with Abbott appointees - did not make her aware of any issues prior to the announcement from the governor's office.

'It really strains credibility for them to say now that it's out of compliance, after the board has already voted on it,' she said.

Floyd grew up and was laid to rest in Houston. In June, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison for Floyd's murder, which had led to a national reckoning in the U.S. over race and policing.

Pardons restore the rights of the convicted and forgive them in the eyes of the law. But in Floyd's case, his family and supporters said a posthumous pardon in Texas would show a commitment to accountability.

But the global spotlight on the death of Floyd in police custody 16 years later is not why prosecutors revisited his Houston case. Instead, it was prompted by a deadly Houston drug raid in 2019 that involved the same officer who arrested Floyd.

Prosecutors say that former Officer Goines, lied to obtain the search warrant for the raid that killed a husband and wife. Goines, who is no longer on the Houston force and faces murder charges, has denied wrongdoing.

Since Goines was discredited, the office of Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg has since dismissed more than 160 drug convictions tied to Goines.

The police killing of George Floyd sparked a national reckoning with race and policing

George Floyd (pictured left), who grew up in Houston, was arrested in February 2004 by Officer Gerald Goines (pictured right) and accused of selling $10 worth of crack in a police sting. Floyd later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and was sentenced to 10 months in a state jail

Goines has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys accuse Ogg of launching the review for political gain.

David Gutierrez, chairman of Texas' parole board, said in the letter to Abbott that he ordered a review after the board had recommended more clemency recommendations this year than at any point in two decades.

He did not specify how Floyd's recommendation skirted the usual procedures, instead only broadly pointing to several sets of rules that Gutierrez said the board did not follow.

For months, Abbott gave no indication whether he would grant the pardon in the months since the parole board put the recommendation on his desk.

The prolonged silence raised questions by Mathis and others over whether political calculations were at play in Abbott's decision. His office has not responded to those charges.

Abbott attended Floyd's memorial service last year in Houston, where he met with the family and floated the idea of a 'George Floyd Act' that would take aim at police brutality.

However, when the Texas Legislature convened months later, Abbott was silent over policing reforms pushed by Democrats and made police funding a priority.

State Senator Royce West, a Democrat who carried the 'George Floyd Act' in the Senate, said he understands the politics if Abbott was waiting until after the GOP primary elections in March. But he said the governor should act on the recommendation.

'As he's always said, he is a law and order governor,' West said. 'This would be following the law.'
Heavy overnight rains in Northern California left two people dead in a submerged car as authorities on Thursday ordered evacuations for a fire-scarred Southern California canyon area because of possible mud and debris flows.

Firefighters in Millbrae, just south of San Francisco, rescued two people who had climbed atop a vehicle at a flooded underpass, but they weren't able to reach others in a fully submerged car, San Mateo County Sheriff's Detective Javier Acosta said.

'The water was rising rapidly,' he said, adding that the rain was coming down heavily at that hour of the morning. Firefighters didn't originally see the pair submerged in the water.

'After they rescued the first person, they tried to gain access to the vehicle in the water. However, the conditions changed rapidly and it became too dangerous for the responders. The water was rising very rapidly and they had to retreat,' Acosta told KTVU

It was only after firefighters rescued one person and drained the underpass that they realized two other people in another car had drowned.

Acosta was not able to explain exactly what happened but said there was a 'heavy downpour that time of the morning' and 'overwhelming rain.'

'If you see standing water and if you're not sure of the depth, don't attempt to cross it. It's not worth it,' Acosta warned. 'Even a few inches of rain can change your vehicle's dynamics.'

Two people were found dead inside a submerged vehicle Thursday morning at a flooded underpass in Millbrae

Firefighters responded around 5:45am on Thursday to a call for help due to flooding at Hemlock Avenue and East Hillcrest Boulevard in Millbrae south of San Francisco

Officials arrived to find two people standing on the roof of their car, and another vehicle that was completely submerged in water

It took several hours to drain the flooded area, authorities said

In the Sierra Nevada, an evacuation warning was issued for about 150 homes downstream of Twain Harte Lake Dam after cracks were found in granite that adjoins the manmade part of the 36-foot-high structure.

Authorities began releasing some water, but the dam didn't seem in any immediate danger, Tuolomne County sheriff's Sgt. Nicco Sandelin said.

The precautions for Southern California came as precipitation that had mostly been falling in Northern California this week spread throughout the state. Heavy rain was falling Thursday night in the southern part of the state.

Earlier, firefighters used a litter basket to rescue a man stranded on a bridge pillar above the flowing Los Angeles River.

The National Weather Service issued an advisory for minor flooding of roadways and low-lying areas in counties around San Francisco Bay and an avalanche warning was posted for eastern Sierra Nevada backcountry areas in Mono and Inyo counties.

Tire chains were required on several major routes through the Sierra, and flooding closed a stretch of coastal Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo County and a section of U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara County.

The two vehicles were next to each other in the underpass where Hillcrest goes beneath the Caltrain tracks

Two people were found dead in the vehicle. Their identities were not immediately released

Flowers were left at the scene where two people lost their lives after becoming trapped in floodwaters while still in their car

This will be the beginning of an extended stretch of wet weather for the Southwest of the U.S.

Northern California looks set to be badly affected by a winter storm on Saturday

The storm is expected to linger in the region throughout Sunday

Another round of wet weather looks set to hit the Golden State on Monday

Forecasters issued a flood watch for areas east and southeast of Los Angeles starting Thursday evening because of possible heavy overnight rain fed by an atmospheric river, a long plume of moisture from the Pacific Ocean.

An evacuation order was issued by Orange County authorities for three canyons near a wildfire burn scar where rain last week unleashed muddy torrents.

Warnings urging voluntary evacuation were issued by San Bernardino County authorities for a half-dozen mountain areas.

Periods of rain and snow were predicted for California through Christmas and into next week. Snow levels in the north could drop to 1,000 feet or lower by Sunday, forecasters said, warning holiday travelers to be ready.

'Foothill locations that do not normally receive snow should prepare for winter conditions, especially from Sunday morning through Tuesday morning,' the Sacramento weather office said.

A large eucalyptus tree blocks the northbound lanes of Highway 13 just past Redwood Road in Oakland, California on Thursday as heavy rain falls across the region

A woman with an umbrella rides her electric scooter through downtown LA on Thursday

In Southern California, evacuation orders were issued Thursday night in Orange County because of possible mudslides and debris flows in three canyons where a wildfire last December burned the ground bare. The Orange County Fire Authority reported a mudslide Thursday night in one canyon that affected some roads but no injuries were reported.

The area saw flooding in a storm last week and several homes were red-tagged.

Steve Learned left the area Thursday morning after doing what he could to protect his home.

'The last storm just killed us, buried our road,' he told KABC-TV. 'My street turned into a creek bed about 2-and-a-half feet deep with rocks and mud. I hope it doesnt do it again.'

Cars drive through a rain flooded intersection at Chastsworth St and Haskell Ave in Granada Hills, California near LA

In this image taken from video from a Caltrans remote video traffic camera, traffic is stopped along a snow covered Interstate 80 at Donner Summit, California, northeast of Sacramento

Storm clouds are seen over San Francisco on Thursday

The Pacific Northwest was facing frigid temperatures and measurable snow was possible in both Seattle and Portland, forecasters said.

Seattle planned to open two severe weather shelters in the evenings starting Saturday. Daytime temperatures could struggle to reach freezing and overnight lows could drop to single digits into next week, National Weather Service meteorologist Reid Wolcott said.

'This is a rare event,' Wolcott said Thursday. 'Its been years since those of us at the weather service in Seattle have seen forecast data like this.'

Portland and Multnomah County planned to open severe weather shelters on Saturday.

A tree blocks the northbound lanes of Highway 13 as a vehicle drives through a flooded section of the on ramp at Redwood Road on Thursda in Oakland

NFirefighters clear a downed tree which briefly blocked Parkridge Road near Three Bar Lane in Norco as a winter rain storm moved through the area

Workers clear a mudslide from a double lot in the 6300 block of Westover Drive in Oakland. More rain is expected through the holiday weekend

More rain is expected through the holiday weekend according to the National Weather Service

'If you don't have to go out, don't go out,' Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said. She urged people to check on neighbors and pets and help to keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a state of emergency declaration Thursday evening to remain in effect through January 3, saying expected snow and sustained temperatures below freezing could result in critical transportation failures and disruptions to power and communications infrastructure.

Portland and Multnomah County earlier declared states of emergency.

The storms do have a bright side by increasing mountain snowpacks that provide a substantial amount of water when they melt.

Long-term drought conditions continue to blanket nearly 94% of the West, according to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center.
Rising tensions with China have fast-tracked the delivery of the first Australian nuclear submarine under the $90billion deal with the USA and the UK.

Australia now looks set to launch its first nuclear-powered submarine five years ahead of schedule as the West braces for confrontation with China.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has revealed the UK and US are 'pulling out all the stops' to speed up the massive project.

The controversial deal - which saw Australia abandon its contract with France for a fleet of diesel submarines - could now see the new subs coming into operation in the first half of the 2030s.

Rising tensions with China have fast-tracked the delivery for the first Australian nuclear submarine under the $90billion deal with the USA and the UK (pictured, Australian submarine crews at work)

They were originally not expected to join the Australian naval fleet until 2040 at the earliest, but the US Defense Department is pushing to bring the timeline forward.

It comes as fears grow of a stand-off between the West and China over Taiwan, with Australian pledging to support any US response if the situation escalates.

'I think we are advancing at a quicker pace than what we could have imagined even at the time of the announcement,' Mr Dutton told The Australian.

'There has been no game-playing, no roadblocks, they are pulling out all stops to make this work. Its a capability that we want to acquire quickly and we are in those discussions right now.'

Defence Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) has revealed the UK and US are 'pulling out all the stops' to speed up the massive project

He added: ' I think its the Americans desire to see us with capability much sooner than 2040 and obviously options are being explored at the moment.

'I believe very much we can realise the capability in the first half of the 2030s and we are absolutely working towards that and I am only encouraged, not discouraged, out of the conversations we have had.'

Mr Dutton also hinted the submarines could even be built in Australia, despite the current lack of suitable shipyard facilities or nuclear power knowledge.

Australia has yet to decide if they will be using the US Virginia Class nuclear submarine design or the UK's similar Astute Class.

They were originally not expected to join the Australian naval fleet until 2040 at the earliest, but the US Defense Department is pushing to bring the timeline forward (pictured, the US Virginia Class submarine which Australia is considering)

Australia has yet to decide if they will be using the US Virginia Class nuclear submarine design or the UK's similar Astute Class (pictured)

But any move to manufacture them in Australia will require training shipyard workers, new equipment and specialist nuclear experts.

Some experts have predicted that may not be possible within the new shortened timeframe to rush the submarines into service.

However moving production to Australia may be inevitable as Mr Dutton said the UK and US had limited spare production capacity to build the Australian submarines.

And he said work was already underway with the international partners on designing local shipyards.

Australia's current Collins Class submarines (pictured) would need major overhauls to extend their service life beyond 2038

The new timeframe now matches the original plan for the introduction of the axed French submarines which were due to come into service in 2035.

Australia's current Collins Class submarines would need major overhauls to extend their service life beyond 2038, making it vital to get the nuclear subs in the water as soon as possible.

The deal with the US and UK is for eight nuclear submarines, and they are likely to be built in Adelaide if the plan to manufacture them locally goes ahead.

China branded the AUKUS deal as 'extremely irresponsible" and has now pushed its backing for a nuclear-free treaty for south-east Asia.

China's President Xi Jinping (pictured) branded the AUKUS deal as 'extremely irresponsible" and has now pushed its backing for a nuclear-free treaty for south-east Asia

A Chinese government official Lijian Zhao said the deal will 'intensify regional tensions, provoke a military arms race and threaten regional peace and stability.'

Mr Dutton said the rhetoric against Australia should be seen as just part of China's attacks on all the other nations which oppose it and speak up against them.

He added: 'We want a productive and fruitful friendship with China.

'But we have values that we adhere to and we will not deviate from those values and adherence to international law.'
Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar said that he's done trying to work with Vice President Kamala Harris on border issues.

'I say this very respectfully to her: I moved on,' Cuellar told The New York Times. 'She was tasked with that job, it doesn't look like she's very interested in this, so we are going to move on to other folks that work on this issue.'

Cuellar's gripes originated when Harris said she'd be visiting the border in June and a phone call from his office to hers went unreturned.

Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar (left) said that he's done trying to work with Vice President Kamala Harris (right) on border issues

On immigration, Harris had been charged by President Joe Biden to deal with the root causes of migration

The Times was out with a profile of Harris on Thursday, which featured both fans and critics of the embattled vice president, who has seen her poll numbers slipping.

Some interviewed believe she's been handed a nearly impossible portfolio.

'I think it's no secret that the different things she has been asked to take on our incredibly demanding, not always well understood publicly and take a lot of work as well as a lot of skill,' Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told The Times. 'You have to do everything except one thing, which is take credit.'

There's been some chatter among D.C.'s political class that Buttigieg, instead of Harris, should be the next Democratic nominee. Both ran for the White House in 2020.

On immigration, Harris had been charged by President Joe Biden to deal with the root causes of migration, which meant dealing with diplomatic ties to the so-called northern triangle nations - Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras - where most of the current migrants are coming from.

But that assignment quickly turned her into a punching bag for all border-related problems.

In the spring, Harris was facing pressure to go to the border from Republicans and right-wing media outlets.

She scheduled her trip to the El Paso section of the U.S.-Mexico border after Trump announced he would be paying his border wall a visit.

Cuellar, whose district is in southern Texas and along the U.S.-Mexico border, had instructed his aides to call the vice president's office to give them some help.

He said his experience with her team has been disappointing.

The moderate Democrat told The Times that in the future he would go straight to the West Wing for any immigration problems.

'At least they talk to you,' he said.
The foreboding 'don't do it' text the mother of suspected Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley sent her son the day of the shooting was urging him not to kill himself, and not in reference to the deadly shooting that unfolded, her lawyers allege.

In a court filing seeking lower bond for parents Jennifer and James Crumbley, their attorneys claim the text Jennifer sent Ethan, 15, was a plea not to commit suicide following the shooting that had already taken place and is not an indication the couple knew of their son's plans.

'When Mrs. Crumbley texted Ethan, 'don't do it,' ... the shootings had already happened, Mr. Crumbley had determined the gun was missing and had notified authorities, and Mrs. Crumbley was texting her son to tell him not to kill himself,' defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman wrote Wednesday in the filing, which was obtained by the Detroit Free Press.

'They did not know Ethan was a threat to anyone; and they certainly did not anticipate or cause the tragedy that unfolded at Oxford High School.'

Ethan is charged as an adult with murder, terrorism and aggravated assault for the deadly shooting at Oxford High School on November 30 that killed four students and injured several others.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald charged James and Jennifer Crumbley in a rare move to hold the parents of an accused school shooter accountable.

James, 45, and Jennifer, 43, have each been jailed on $500,000 bond since their arrest on December 4. In Wednesday's filing, Smith asked that their bond be lowered to $100,000 each and said the couple would wear electronic monitors if released from jail.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald has charged James and Jennifer Crumbley in a rare move to hold the parents of an accused school shooter accountable (Pictured: Jennifer Crumbley being escorted out of the courtroom on December 14)

Ethan, 15, (center) is charged as an adult with murder, terrorism and aggravated assault for the deadly shooting at Oxford High School on November 30 that killed four students and injured several others. James, 45, (left) and Jennifer, 43, (right) have each been jailed on $500,000 bond since their arrest on December 4

The Crumbleys' lawyers allege the parents were unaware that Ethan, 15 (pictured in court on December 13), was a danger to other students and are 'devastated by the school shooting'

James and Jennifer are accused of making a gun accessible to Ethan and for failing to pull him out of school when summoned about his cryptic writings before the shooting on November 30.

Their lawyers allege that the Crumbleys were unaware Ethan was a danger to other students and are 'devastated by the school shooting.'

In Wednesday's filing, the defense argued that the prosecution will be unable to prove Jennifer and James knew Ethan would take the gun they bought him as an early Christmas to his high school and fire at other members of the community.

'The prosecution will not be able to prove that the Crumbleys ... knew their son was a danger to other students, or that they knew there was a situation that required them to take care to avoid injuring another,' the lawyers wrote.

'The last thing they expected was that a school shooting would take place, or that their son would be responsible.'

Also, for the first time, the defense shared how James and Jennifer felt following the shooting.

'The Crumbleys, like every parent and community member, are devastated by the school shooting,' the court filing alleges. 'This situation is entirely devastating.'

The defense also noted there are community members who would 'vouch for the Crumbleys' but who wish to remain anonymous due to the 'overwhelming media attention' surrounding the case.

The legal team offered to provide the names of those individuals privately to the judge and prosecution.

Their attorneys argued the charges against the parents are 'inappropriate' and the case will raise 'unprecedented legal issues.'

'It is clear from the media appearances by Ms. McDonald that this case is one she takes very personally, was filed out of anger and filed in an effort to send a message to gun owners,' the defense stated in court documents.

In Wednesday's filing, the defense argued the prosecution will be unable to prove Jennifer and James knew Ethan would take the gun they bought him as an early Christmas to his high school (pictured) and fire at other members of the academic community

In an effort to stress their point, the attorneys cited statements McDonald made about the case in a Dec. 18 interview with NPR:

'I absolutely acknowledge that it hasn't been done before, though I didn't know that at the time,' McDonald said, according to the filing.

'I did receive pushback, but prosecutors don't like to do things for the first time, and they also don't like to do things that might result in a 'not guilty.''

The Crumbleys, like their son, are being held at the Oakland County Jail.

They were arrested on Dec. 4 after the U.S. Marshals offered a $10,000 bounty for information leading to their capture. Their absence prompted a manhunt involving several agencies, including the Marshals' Fugitive Task Force, state police and the FBI.

Law enforcement sources say the couple withdrew $4,000 from an ATM and were last seen around 2-3 pm shortly before the 4pm deadline to turn themselves in.

Smith said they had planned to appear the next day at a different court handling Saturday arraignments and were not trying to flee.

'It should be noted that the Crumbleys would not have retained (us) if their plans were to flee,' Smith and Lehman wrote in the filing.

A bond hearing for the parents has been set for Jan. 7.

McDonald has said she would oppose a lower bond. The Crumbleys were arrested at a Detroit art studio less than a mile from the Canadian border, hours after their charges were announced and they failed to appear in court on December 3.

Meantime, Jennifer's text message to Ethan only added fuel to the narrative surrounding the parents' alleged knowledge of the shooting.

Before the shooting, Jennifer bragged on social media about going out with her son to test his Christmas present - a 9mm handgun - just three days before the shooting and just one day after her husband, James, had purchased the gun for Ethan

According to authorities, Ethan was seen in class browsing for ammunition on his cellphone a day before the massacre.

When Jennifer was made aware of her son's 'inappropriate' web search researching firearm ammunition while at school, she texted him: 'LOL I'm not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.' She never responded to the school's message about the 'inappropriate internet search.'

Hours before the school shooting begun, the Crumbleys were called to the school to discuss Ethan's disturbing behavior including drawings depicting a gun, a bullet, blood everywhere, a shooting victim and a laughing emoji.

The note included the words: 'Thoughts won't stop, help me'; 'my life is useless' and 'the world is dead,' McDonald said. After the meeting, the Crumbleys left their son to finish the day at school when he opened fire on his classmates and teachers.

Both Crumbleys have pled not guilty to all four charges of involuntary manslaughter - one for each Oxford High School student who was killed. Each count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison along with a $7,500 fine and mandatory DNA testing.

Their 15-year-old son is accused of killing Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17, and injuring several others after opening fire in the school. Ethan was charged as an adult with two dozen crimes, including murder, attempted murder and terrorism, and is being held at the same jail as his parents.

Madisyn Baldwin, 17, (left) and Hana St Juliana, 14, (right) died in a shooting rampage at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit

Justin Shilling, 17, (left) died in the hospital the morning after the shooting and Tate Myre (right) died in the school on November 30

'These two individuals could have stopped it and had every reason to know he was dangerous,' McDonald told the judge during the Crumbleys' arraignment. She claimed that not one person in the community would vouch in favor of either Crumbley.

But Smith denied that James and Jennifer had any responsibility for their son's alleged crimes. She adamantly declared that it is 'absolutely not true' that they gave their child 'free access' to the weapon he used to kill several students at his Michigan high school.

The Crumbleys appeared in court on December 14 for a 20 minute hearing and asked to reschedule the preliminary exam which was scheduled for Wednesday. The court was adjourned until next month.

The hearing concluded with Judge Julie Nicholson granting a request by prosecutors and defense lawyers to postpone until February 8 a key preliminary hearing that will determine whether the Crumbleys will face a trial.

McDonald said she needs more time to collect a 'staggering' amount of evidence from investigators and share it with the defense.

The Crumbleys appeared in court on December 14 for a 20 minute hearing and asked to reschedule the preliminary exam which was scheduled for Wednesday. The court was adjourned until next month

The Crumbleys will all spend the holidays in jail pending a bond hearing for the parents in January (Pictured: James Crumbley being escort out of the courtroom on December 14)

'We have police narratives, we have digital evidence, we have video evidence,' McDonald later told reporters. 'We have viewed a lot of it, certainly enough to establish charges here. But there's also more investigation that needs to be done.'

In explaining her decision to seek the delay, the district attorney said she wants to give witnesses 'time to heal' through the holiday season before subjecting them to interviews as part of the ongoing investigation, the Detroit Free Press reported.

McDonald added that she and her prosecutors 'owe it to the victims' to go through every single piece of evidence and 'do this right.' She says that the hearing will involve 15-20 witnesses and last 3-5 days.

The couple did not speak, beyond acknowledging, when asked, that they understood and were waiving their right to a speedy preliminary exam, and confirmed that they wished to continue being represented together by their two attorneys.
Boston's Emerson College has instructed students living in residence halls on campus to stay in their rooms apart from eating, collecting mail or to get tested for COVID-19.

The new rules come into force on January 3 and applies to all students even if they have been fully vaccinated, including receiving their booster shots.

The college hopes that the 'stay in room directive' will help curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

'The campus will operate in a 'stay in room directive' through January 18. This means students are asked to only leave their residence halls or place of residence for testing, meals, medical appointments, necessary employment, or to get mail.

'Students should avoid any large gatherings and not leave campus or their residence except for those situations listed above,' the announcement states.

Emerson College in Boston has issued a 'stay in room directive' for returning students next month

Students will only be allowed out to eat, collect mail, get tested or attend medical appointments

Campus dining facilities will offer take-out to students between January 6 and 17 before in-person dining resumes on January 18.

Before allowing students to attend in-person classes, they will be required to have had two negative tests as well as the COVID vaccine booster shot.

Emerson College Interim President William Gilligan also announced that all classes, both undergraduate and graduate, will be held remotely through 'at least' the second week of January with many campus buildings closed until January 18, including the gym.

A number of colleges have announced a delayed return to campus for the start of the spring 2022 semester due to the rapidly rising number of cases of the Omicron variant.

As of September 2, 96 percent of the Emerson College campus community had been vaccinated.

The spring term will begin January 10 will remote instruction for all undergraduate and graduate students until at least January 18. Students will need to remain in their dorm (file pic)

Emerson College students must also wear masks while indoors on campus

George Washington University, Columbia University, Duke University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Temple University, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at San Diego, University of Washington and Illinois State University have all said they will start their spring semesters remotely.

George Washington University President Thomas LeBlanc announced that the spring semester will begin with remote learning in January with 'full in-person operations' starting on January 18.

'At this time, we plan to begin the spring semester virtually to allow for a gradual and careful in-person return to campus. We anticipate that this will be a temporary adjustment, and we are projecting that full in-person operations will resume on January 18, following the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday,' the announcement said.

Harvard University has also stipulated for students to study remotely for the first three weeks of January with faculty, staff and researchers encouraged to work remotely, too.
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Residents at an apartment complex in Ohio have been evacuated from their apartments the day before Christmas Eve after a two-story underground parking garage collapsed.

Structural engineers and fire officials are investigating the collapse of the complex at Marine Towers West that took place Thursday morning in Lakeland, Ohio, ABC 5 reported.

It is believed that no one was in the garage at the time of the collapse and no injuries have been reported, according to Lakewood Fire Chief Tim Dunphy.

Residents have been instructed to evacuate the building for at least 24 hours while the cause of the collapse and the safety of the residence is being determined.

The building, which consists of 171 apartments, was built in the early 1960s and is inspected annually, county records show.

A two-story underground parking garage at an apartment complex in Lakeland, Ohio, collapsed Thursday morning

'Fairly sizable collapse of what we call a pancake collapse. The upper deck collapsed onto the first-floor deck and subsequently, sections of the first floor came down,' Dunphy explained.

The exact number of residents being displaced is unclear, authorities said. The number of vehicles that were parked in the garage at the time of the collapse is also yet to be determined.

Witnesses said they heard a loud boom and then felt a gust of wind and the ground shake.

Miguel Barrios, who lives in the Marine Towers West apartments, evacuated the building this morning after he saw the collapsed garage.

'I heard what seemed like an explosion, the entire building trembled, followed by strong wind. I thought it was an earthquake, until I heard the sirens approaching.

'That's when I approached the windows and saw the collapsed garage. We had to evacuate,' Barrios said according to TMX.

Other residents also evacuated the building after hearing sirens.

Residents of the Marine Towers West building were evacuated for at least 24 hours Thursday morning as authorities investigate the cause of the collapse

'I looked out the window and saw everyone running around and hearing people saying 911 so I ran,' a woman said.

But some residents weren't aware of the collapse until after it happened.

'It felt kinda like an earthquake. I didn't think anything of it because it gets pretty windy. I actually found out from a buddy who texted me a story online and a picture of it. So I thought I better go and investigate it,' another resident of the Marine West Tower said.

The collapse and evacuation of the structure in Ohio comes six months after the deadly collapse of Miami's Champlain Towers South that killed 98 people.

That apartment building had structural issues that had been reported to the city prior to the collapse.

The Champlain Towers South collapse became one of the deadliest building collapses in U.S. history and sparked structural reviews of building and regulations throughout South Florida.
Embattled billionaire Hamish Douglass has revealed his high-profile marriage split was not a 'nasty divorce' after a hellish year that included his company Magellan Financial's $23 billion loss, his CEO walking out and his mother dying.

In an online video, Mr Douglass said he and Alex Douglass, who were married almost 30 years and have four children, would be spending the festive season in one another's company.

''People have tried to create an image that my wife and I [are going through] some nasty divorce  nothing could be further from the truth,' Mr Douglass told Magellan's head of institutional sales, Matthew Webb.

'My wife and I remain incredibly close. Actually, we spend a lot of time sharing a house together. We're spending the whole Christmas holidays together.'

He said the idea that the estranged couple would liquidate their shareholdings was 'absurd'.

Mr Douglass holds about 22.2 million Magellan shares. The price plummeted by 33 per cent on Monday down to a five year low of $19.70, its worst day on record.

Billionaire Hamish Douglass (centre) has revealed after a hellish year that included Magellan's $23 billion loss, his marriage split from estranged wife Alex (left) is not 'a nasty divorce'

Mr Douglass said that 'far from' being a nasty split, he and estranged wife Alex (above) were still 'incredibly close' and would be 'spending the whole Christmas holidays together'

The plunge came after UK fund manager St James's Place (SJP) - Magellan's biggest investment mandate - made a sudden exit, taking $23.3 billion off the company's worth.

Monday's record-breaking 33 per cent fall in Magellan's share price following the loss of its biggest investment mandate.

Valued at $116b just a few weeks ago, Magellan Financial is now down to $93b.

The loss came less than two weeks after Magellan Financial CEO Brett Cairns walked out on the company.

A day later, Hamish and Alex Douglass announced in a joint statement that their marriage had ended.

Brett Cairns' departure from Magellan Financial needed to be explained to shareholders with three dramatic events in a fortnight spooking investors, commentators said

There is no suggestion that Mr Cairn's departure has anything to do with the end of the Douglass' marriage.

A joint statement said the end of the marriage did not mean there would be a carve-up after the split of the Douglass' stake in Magellan.

'We can confirm that we have no intention to sell any of our shares in Magellan Financial Group,' the former spouses said.

Lawyers agree investors do not need 'a blow-by-blow' account of the intimate details of the Douglass marriage breakdown.

A wealth adviser has told the Australian Financial Review the Magellan board 'made a big mistake not explaining Brett's departure' and describe that failure as 'a botch job'.

One legal commentator, Damian Scattini, criticised the company for not having 'better informed' shareholders over all three developments.

An unnamed wealth adviser who described the board's handling of Mr Cairns' departure as 'a big mistake' and 'a botch job' told the AFR he'd had nine phone calls from investors worried about the three developments sparking 'a liquidity event'.

It has also been revealed that Mr Douglass' horror year included a further personal loss, the death of his mother.

Hamish Douglass has had hellish year, with his mother sadly dying, his marriage ending, his CEO walking out and his company losing $23B this week when its major client walked away

It has been confirmed, according to The Australian, Brett Cairns had been 'considering his position for some time', although he cited 'personal reasons' on leaving this month and has signed a non-disclosure agreement..

Magellan board directors had 'concerns ... about Mr Cairns' management style, despite the absence of formal complaints from staff'.

Mr Cairns and Mr Douglass had worked closely together for 14 years acquiring Magellan's stakes in elite brands including Microsoft, Amazon, Alibaba, Yum, Nestle, Facebook Alphabet, Starbucks, PepsiCo and the luxury goods brand, LVMH.

The Australian reported that respected Morningstar equity analyst Shaun Ler believed Magellan's recent rocky times were 'bumps' in the road and not fatal.

'Its investing calibre and upside from growing distribution remain intact,' Mr Ler said.

'Over the medium term, we see greater prospects for Magellan to outperform, and see fresh stream of net inflows, especially into Core Series, FuturePay or Airlie  as group performance normalises.'
The Prime Minister will encourage people across the UK to get their booster jabs in his Christmas message this year, describing it as a 'wonderful' gift to their families.

Boris Johnson will also say that the pandemic is far from over, as 'Omicron is surging', and will pay tribute to the work of NHS staff.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer thanked key workers who have 'saved countless lives' this year and paid tribute to the armed forces both home and abroad.

In his Christmas message released on Friday, Mr Johnson will say: 'Though the time for buying presents is theoretically running out, there is still a wonderful thing you can give your family and the whole country, and that is to get that jab, whether it is your first or second, or your booster.

'So that next year's festivities are even better than this year's.'

He will also describe a Covid vaccine as 'an invisible and invaluable present'.

The Prime Minister will add: 'We have been getting that vaccination that protects us and stops us infecting others.

'And I hope I can be forgiven for taking pride in the immense spirit of neighbourliness that the people of this country have shown.

'Getting jabbed not just for themselves, for ourselves, but for friends and family and everyone we meet.

Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson will encourage people across the UK to get their booster jabs in his Christmas message this year, describing it as a 'wonderful' gift to families

'And that, after all, is the teaching of Jesus Christ, whose birth is at the heart of this enormous festival, that we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves.

'And so let's think of all those who are being good neighbours and thinking of others.

'All those in the NHS working over Christmas, our care workers, everyone involved in the incredible vaccination campaign.'

Earlier this week the Prime Minister confirmed no further Covid-19 restrictions will be put in place before Christmas.

However, the Government has said situation is finely balanced and remains difficult across the country, with the Omicron variant continuing to surge and cases at an all-time high.

The Government will continue to monitor the data closely and will not hesitate to act after Christmas if necessary.

As he opens his message, the Prime Minister will refer to the spread of Omicron, saying: 'After two years of this pandemic, I can't say that we are through it.

'How can I?

'When Omicron is surging, when we all know, we must together try to stop the spread of this new variant, we must test ourselves and take extra care when meeting elderly or vulnerable relatives.

'We know that things remain difficult.'

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer thanked key workers who have 'saved countless lives' this year in his Christmas message to the nation.

The Labour leader used his Christmas message to thank NHS staff for the vaccine rollout and also paid tribute to the work of the armed forces at home and abroad.

Sir Keir's statement came as daily Covid cases spiked again on Thursday, with hospitalisations rising by a fifth in a week, amid scientists' warnings that the UK is still in the 'danger zone'.

In his message, released last night, Sir Keir said: 'In the darkest of times, Christian values of kindness, of compassion and hope have shone through.

'Communities have come together to help one another. Key workers have saved countless lives.

'Armed service men and women both here and abroad have, as ever, played a huge part in protecting us all.

Sir Keir Starmer has thanked key workers who have 'saved countless lives' this year in his Christmas message to the nation

'Our brilliant NHS, which has done so much good since Labour founded it almost 75 years ago now, has vaccinated the country. You keep our country safe. On behalf of all of us, I want to say a heartfelt thank you.'

In the message Sir Keir also reflected on the 'unimaginable loss' experienced by many families this year, and that 'for too many, there will be one less chair at the table for the Christmas meal'.

But looking ahead to next year, he added: 'I believe that if we stick together, support each other and work together, we can find a path through.

'I know a better future is possible.'

In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has said the vaccination campaign had been 'a source of brightness during a really difficult month' as she used her Christmas message to urge Scots to get the jab.

In the First Minister's address on Christmas Eve she thanked all those who were working over the festive period, and paid special tribute to the thousands of people who had been involved in the race to vaccinate people ahead of the highly infection Omicron coronavirus variant.

'The vaccination programme has been a source of brightness during a really difficult month,' she said.

'Getting vaccinated is the most important way, although certainly not the only way, in which we can all protect each other, as we get through this next phase of the pandemic.

Nicola Sturgeon (pictured) has said the vaccination campaign had been 'a source of brightness during a really difficult month' as she used her Christmas message to urge Scots to get the jab

'Vaccination is above all else a demonstration of compassion for, and solidarity with, each other.

'By continuing to show compassion and solidarity, I hope we can all enjoy the best and the safest festive period possible.'

Wishing Scots a merry Christmas, Ms Sturgeon said for many December 25 would not be a holiday at all.

'That of course includes our armed forces, our emergency services, and so many other vital services,' said the First Minister.

'And of course for many people working in care homes, and in our National Health Service, Christmas will be another working day, at the end of another incredibly hard year. So thank you.

'I also want to say a special thank you to the thousands of people, who have been involved in the remarkable vaccination effort in recent weeks.

'I know that many of you are working right up until Christmas Eve, and will start up again straight after Boxing Day for the run up to new year.

'I know that, even three or four weeks ago, all of us were looking forward to a fairly normal Christmas. I am so sorry that this year's won't be quite like that.

'But for many of us, because of vaccination, it will still be more much normal than last year.'

Party leaders across the political spectrum have also wished fellow Scots a merry Christmas.
A Covid-19 positive woman fears she could be trapped in endless isolation after spending five days in quarantine without receiving a call from NSW Health.

Tahl Scheff is fearful that she will miss out on spending Christmas Day with her family as she has yet to be given the green light to leave isolation.

The distraught resident has spent almost a week cooped up at home after testing positive to the virus and has documented her ordeal on TikTok.

She has made repeated attempts to contact NSW Health to clarify when she will be allowed to leave isolation, but claims she has received no clear answer.

Ms Scheff claims that she has also come across a handy alternative that allows self-isolating people to leave quarantine sooner rather than wait longer for clearance from NSW Health.

A Covid-19 positive woman fears she could be trapped in endless isolation after spending five days in quarantine without receiving a call from NSW Health

Ms Scheff claimed the isolation rules were confusing as she heard some people were being released after seven days and others after two weeks

'I have been positive for five days,' Ms Scheff said. 'I haven't heard from NSW Health at all.'

'I called them because I wanted to know when I'm getting out because I could potentially be getting out on Christmas.

'I called them yesterday and he said all our protocols have been changed. They keep changing, we have no idea what we're meant to be telling you.'

NSW Health says on its website that a Covid-19 positive person must isolate until they are 'medically cleared'.

A person is only allowed to leave self-isolation 10 days after testing positive - and they must have been symptom-free for at least three days.

Ms Scheff claimed the isolation rules were confusing as she heard some people were being released after seven days and others after two weeks.

'Apparently they have a de-isolation queue,' Ms Scheff said. 'If on day 10 you haven't been called, they will then add you onto that queue. And it's prioritised based on who has been isolation the longest.'

Ms Scheff has resorted to researching self-isolation rules and claimed she came across an alternative for waiting to receive clearance from NSW Health.

'You are able to get clearance from your GP,' she said. 'So this is a new thing. A lot of GPs don't know about it, and I don't know how many of them are willing to do it.'

'The government hasn't told anyone about this. I haven't seen it on the news, haven't seen it in articles. It's not even a part of the Covid positive plan.'

Ms Scheff claims Covid-19 positive cases can download a form from the 'Factsheets and Guidelines' section on the NSW Health website.

'You can get a GP to de-isolate you based on when you started isolating and making sure that you're asymptomatic and everything,' she said.

Daily Mail Australia contacted NSW Health for comment.

Ms Scheff's advice comes as cases continue to skyrocket in NSW and the state makes changes to its contact tracing system to help its healthcare system cope with the surge.

Ms Scheff claims that she has also come across a handy alternative that allows self-isolating people to leave quarantine sooner rather than wait longer for clearance from NSW Health

The distraught resident has spent almost a week copped up at home after testing positive to the virus and has documented her ordeal on TikTok

People who test positive will get a text message asking them to fill out an online questionnaire.

About four in five people fill it out, said NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant on Thursday.

Those who are only contacted by text are asked to let their contacts know about their diagnosis, a task which used to be performed by bureaucrats.

Only those who work at or have visited a high-risk setting like a disability group home, Aboriginal community or jail will get a phone call from NSW Health.

NSW recorded 5,612 new Covid-19 cases and one death while Victoria reported 2,095 cases and eight deaths.

The number of patients in NSW hospitals has jumped to 382 - up from 347 reported on Thursday. ICU figures have also spiked to 53 patients - an increase from 45.

In Victoria, hospitalisations have remained steady with 397 patients - down from 398 - and ICU cases have slightly risen to 75 - up from 72.

The new cases announced on Friday comes as state premiers reintroduce a raft of restrictions and seriously consider cutting down the wait time for booster shots from five to four months.

Health Minister Greg Hunt and the nation's Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly have scheduled a news conference for 9.30am, where it's expected they will outline the new plan for boosters.

Drivers face a long wait in queue at a drive-thru clinic at Bondi, in Sydney, on Friday

Long queues formed outside a testing clinic at Redfern, in Sydney, on Friday as Covid-19 cases exploded

Massive queues have formed outside testing clinics as Christmas approaches and Covid-19 cases skyrocket

Hundreds of Sydneysiders turned out to get tested at a clinic in Redfern on Christmas Eve

Compulsory mask wearing is now in place across almost every state and territory after NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet backflipped on his anti-mandate position on Thursday.

The state will also reintroduce QR codes for hospitality and retail as well as some lower risk settings, while density limits will return after Christmas.

Healthcare workers conducted 164,144 Covid-19 tests in the last 24 hours.

It comes after the state hit a new record of 5,715 daily infections and one death on Thursday, which is up almost 2000 cases from the day before.

Victoria also reintroduced a mask mandate, with the state recording more than 2,000 new infections and 10 deaths on Thursday.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan followed the lead of the two biggest states after a backpacker tested positive on Thursday and was infectious in the community for a number of days.

High risk, large public events will be cancelled and dancing has been banned except for at weddings.

Compulsory mask wearing is now in place across almost every state and territory after NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet backflipped on his anti-mandate position on Thursday

States and territories are slowly reintroducing restrictions and updating how they trace and isolate positive cases as infections soar across the country

'I know this is not the news we wanted to hear two days before Christmas, but unfortunately this is the reality of COVID-19,' he said.

Queensland reported 369 new daily infections, South Australia 484, Tasmania 26 and the Northern Territory 10.

The ACT also recorded a new daily case record with 85 new infections, prompting the territory to update its definition of a close contact in light of the spike.

Close contacts will now only be defined as a household contact of a positive case, or someone who has spent an extended period of time with a positive case.

Casual contacts will no longer need to fill out a declaration form for ACT health authorities, but will still need to get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.

There are also growing calls for the federal government to make rapid antigen tests available for free as concerns rise over a Christmas spike.

Close contacts will now only be defined as a household contact of a positive case, or someone who has spent an extended period of time with a positive case

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (right) speaks with Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant during a press conference in Sydney on Thursday

NSW new rules Masks mandated indoors, except private homes, from Friday until 27 January Hospitality venues will have a one person per two square metres rule imposed from December 27 until January 27 Working from home recommended Only get a PCR test if you are ill or directed to by NSW health Advertisement

The NSW government announced on Thursday it's intention to make rapid antigen tests free to ease congestion at overwhelmed PCR testing sites.

Mr Perrottet said people lining up for a test who don't have symptoms or aren't close contacts should take a rapid test instead.

'If you don't feel unwell and you are not required to get tested by NSW Health, please don't because you're taking (someone's) place in the queue and slowing down people who are required to get tested,' he said.

The NSW government estimates about one in five tests are for the purposes of travel, and this number jumps to around 50 per cent in the ACT, according to the territory's health minister.

The blown out lines at testing clinics around the country have prompted calls for a rethink of entry requirements in states like Queensland which demand a negative PCR test prior to arrival.

Queensland will move to allow rapid antigen tests ahead of travelling but not ahead of the new year.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese wants the federal government to do more on the rapid testing front.

'I don't think anyone should be excluded from getting a rapid antigen test because of their income,' he said.

The federal government has put in free rapid testing measures at residential aged care facilities but resisted calls by medical professionals to make the tests free universally.
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

The family of courageous asbestos victim and campaigner Gillian North has released a confronting video of her struggling to breathe hours before her tragic death to help warn others.

Ms North, who died at home in Thirroul surrounded by her twin sister Jocelyn Johnson and her husband Martin North, threw herself into research about the dangers of asbestos to home renovators and to warning others before her death at age 61.

Mr North farewelled his loving and 'amazing' wife in a YouTube video on Thursday, with the words 'the end is just the beginning'.

He paid tribute to his wife, who developed mesothelioma after doing home her own home renovations - and showed heart-breaking video footage of her laying unconscious trying to breathe seven hours before she passed away.

Martin North paid tribute to his wife Gillian (pictured), who developed mesothelioma after doing home her own home renovations and died on Thursday. He released video showing her trying to breathe seven hours before she passed away

'Having heard Gill over the last two days fighting for breath, every breath, and losing that battle, I wish that no other person would ever die from mesothelioma,' Mr North said.

'I want to pay my respects to Gill, she was an amazing woman, an amazing wife, very driven, very focused.'

Mr North said the couple had their final conversation on Tuesday. They reminisced about living in Sydney, working on their home together - ironically one of the homes where she was exposed to asbestos - and how they would walk hand-in-hand from Cremorne Point up to Military Road to buy fish and chips.

'It was a very loving conversation,' Mr North said.

Her tearful sister Ms Johnson told Daily Mail Australia 'half of my heart has gone with her', adding that her twin was 'incredibly positive' to the end and felt 'a calling' to try and save others from her fate.

The family of courageous asbestos victim and campaigner Gillian North has released a confronting video of her struggling to breathe hours before her tragic death to help warn others

Gillian North and Martin North at her Hampstead, London, home in 1994. It was one of the home renovation projects she fears may have exposed her to asbestos

Why did Gillian North get sick and not Martin? Gillian North developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos while doing home renovations in the United Kingdom 32 years ago and in Australia 25 years ago. She restored two floors of at Hampstead terrace, in London, for five years from 1990, often without a mask or protective equipment. Her second major reno was a freestanding home for six years at Cremorne Point in Sydney from 1998. 'I didn't get sick because I wore a mask renovating,' Mr North told Daily Mail Australia. 'She'd say "you worry too much, I'll be fine". 'She thought she was invincible, she had fantastic willpower and energy and felt she was young and fit and would be ok - and she was, until 2018.' Ms North was incredibly fit and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania her 20s. In the months before dying she amazed palliative care workers by walking up to an hour a day. Eventually the disease confined her to bed, then to oxygen to help her breathe. She died at 5.30am on Thursday. While asbestos exposure is the only known cause of mesothelioma, not everyone who exposed to it develops the cancer. Is it estimated over 4,000 Australians die every year from asbestos-related diseases. Contrary to popular opinion that number that is increasing, not decreasing. Advertisement

The family decided to released the full video footage to Daily Mail Australia to show the horrors of what mesothelioma does to healthy people.

'I thought long and hard about the footage, should I or shouldnt I, but my judgement is that this is what Gill would want,' Mr North said.

'She wants people to know the reality of asbestos. She never focused on herself, she wanted to get a message out to others.

'People need to hear this and understand this is what asbestos exposure can do to you.'

He said her final few hours were 'distressing' and her breathing got far worse than the video shows.

As well as writing a remarkable 18 research research papers on asbestos, Prof. North surveyed 40,000 Australian households and founded a charity called Asbestos Awareness Australia.

'If I can save one life by raising awareness about this deadly material and how easy it is to die from contact with it then all my work is worth it,' she told Daily Mail Australia last week in a final interview.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer with a very poor survival rate, whose only known cause is exposure to asbestos.

The material which remains in up to a third of all Australian homes and also remains schools and buildings.

The deadly cancer, which kills 95 per cent of sufferers within five years of diagnosis, grows slowly in the tissue surrounding major organs and eventually compresses the lungs.

In the final stages its victims hallucinate, lose sight and hearing and experience multiple organ failure.

Australians die at a far higher rate than most other nationalities.

Last year 766 Australians died from mesothelioma and as estimated 4,000 died from all asbestos related illnesses.

By comparison approximately 2,500 Americans die each year from mesothelioma - per capita a dramatically lower rate than Australia.

Ms North's research has shown that figure is increasing each year - not decreasing, contrary to popular opinion.

Gillian North died age 61 on Thursday from absestos-related mesothelioma

Asbestos is high dangerous and according to one asbestos removal specialist is in 80 per cent of old homes in Sydney

In Ms North's final days she did several media appearances, spend time with family and spoke by video with Werfel. She is pictured top left, with twin sister Jocelyn, while Mr Werfel is below

There are fears that trend will continue with asbestos in one-third of all homes and eager DIY renovators tearing apart properties by hand to save money.

Mr North said he had received 'thousands' of messages from around the world, many from people with family members who have died from or are suffering with asbestos-related illnesses.

These illnesses are almost always fatal and are widely accepted to develop after exposure to asbestos, sometimes years after.

The asbestos reforms Gill North wants to see National public health campaigns to warn about the dangers of exposure to 'legacy' asbestos.

Compulsory residential property asbestos assessments prior to sale, renovation, or lease.

Legal requirements for residential property owners to have all asbestos removed by licensed professionals.

The introduction of interest free loans (means tested) for residential property owners to support the removal of asbestos by licensed professionals.

Urgent and firm commitments to eradicate asbestos from public, commercial and residential properties across Australia. Advertisement

A leading academic who had a career in law, accounting and at Deakin University, Prof. North wrote an incredible 18 research papers about asbestos dangers and proposing reforms since being diagnosed four years ago.

Her work focused on the fact that, although officially banned in new buildings, it poses a huge danger to the hundreds of thousands of Australians obsessed with renovating old houses.

She wanted it banned in existing homes and a scheme set up for mandatory removal.

The manufacturers of building products across the world have faced hundreds of court faces.

In 2019 South Australian man Matthew Werfel, 42, received $3.1million  the largest amount ever awarded to an Australian asbestos victim  after James Hardie was found to have failed to warn the public about risks posed by their cement products.

He inadvertently sanded asbestos sheets at his home in the mid-2000s.

In Prof. North's final days she did several media appearances, spend time with family and spoke by video with Werfel.

CSR was another Australian producer.

'I also want to just celebrate the thousands of messages I've received from all around the world through various social media channels who send their condolences, thank you for that,' Mr North said.

A diagram showing how widespread asbestos can be inside an Australian home

'It really is appreciated. [The messages] also recognise the power of Gill's message.'

Jack Zoric, whose company removes asbestos from old homes in Sydney, confirmed Ms North's claim that homes didn't have to be ripped apart for asbestos fibres to be released.

'Asbestos definitely deteriorates over time, it cracks and breaks and the fibres contaminate porous surfaces, like carpets and furnishings,' he said.

Mr Zoric, who runs Asbestos No More, estimates '80 per cent' of old homes are contaminated with asbestos inside.

Asbestos was a popular building material in Australia because it reduced the inside temperature of homes during hot conditions. It's also a fire retardant, so it was considered important in bushfire-prone areas
Democratic Socialist Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has jumped on a tweet sent by former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton that went viral earlier this week.

In the tweet, Bratton - who worked under outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio - shared a photo of several homeless people sleeping on a New York City subway train.

'You know why NY's 'recovery' isn't happening? This photo today on the E Train at 6:45am at 42nd & 8th says it all,' he wrote on Wednesday.

'Why should working people & tourists be subjected to this? How's it fair to those who need services? Imagine the cops' frustration with no support to deal with it!'

Ocasio-Cortez joined many others on the left in slamming the tweet for showing insensitivity to homeless people and pointing out how much of the city's budget the police takes up, effectively continuing her call to defund the NYPD.

'Of course they're frustrated,' she tweeted in response.

'It's not policing's job or purpose to address housing, provide healthcare or counseling, or solve the reasons people sleep on the subway. Maybe if we shifted some of that $11B/year spent on robo dogs to housing services we could get somewhere.'

Democratic Socialist Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has jumped on a tweet sent by former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton that went viral earlier this week

Ocasio-Cortez, who supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 primary and has been quoted as saying that in 'any other country, Joe Biden and I would not be in the same party,' has been a staunch backer of defunding the police.

She has previously said in the wake of Democrats losing elections in 2021 that the so-called 'woke problem' was 'made up' to try and push the left away from fighting for racial injustice and election reform, which she claims could help them win.

'One dangerous aspect of thinking there's a 'woke problem' is that Dem chances for re-election or majorities in House, Senate, & WH [White House] rely on the racial justice issue of voting rights,' the New York representative has tweeted.

'Dems distancing from racial justice makes protection of voting rights less likely, ensuring losses.'

Ocasio-Cortez is also behind the Green New Deal, which former President Donald Trump called 'completely crazy' and would 'completely shut down American energy.'

It called for ensuring that future infrastructure bills in Congress address climate change and meet 100 percent of the United States' power demands with 'clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources.'

The second-term Congresswoman has vigorously fought for the 'defund' movement.

Ocasio-Cortez said in June 2020 she's 'actively engaged in advocacy' for a 'reduction of our NYPD budget and defunding a $6billion NYPD budget that costs us books in the hands of our children and costs us very badly needed investment in NYCHA [New York City Housing Authority] and public housing'.

AOC has also supported several other policy solutions for police reform, including an end to qualified immunity that shields officers from legal accountability and to the transfer of military equipment to police departments

The NYPD's budget is set to rise again from $5.22 billion to $5.43 billion in 2022.

That's an increase of over $200,000, but still down from the $6 billion 2020 budget for the police.

The police budget represents about 5.5 percent of the city's total spending on programs for 2022.

The city's Department of Homeless Services (DHS) has a budget of $2.15 billion, up about $100,000 from last year's $2.05 billion.

The budget for homeless services has decreased from $2.18 billion in 2019 under the outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration.

The city's DHS budget makes up about 2 percent of New York's social services budget.

NYCHA's budget is set to go up from about $2.6billion to $2.8billion in 2022.

Bratton's tweet went viral and drew various reactions.

Actor Ethan Embry went after Bratton's record in multiple cities, writing: 'Good time to talk about how Bill is responsible for the horrid practice of rounding up the poor of NYC at night and forcefully bussing them to Connecticut. He also used the same illegal practice when transferred to Los Angeles, bussing LA's poor to Bakersfield and Barstow.'

Former SportsCenter anchor Kenny Mayne said Bratton's words would make him consider charity gifts over the holiday season, writing: 'Thanks boss. We give year round to orgs doing the hard work regarding homelessness and food insecurity issues. Always recommend @UpliftNorthwest and @NWHarvest. But this is a timely reminder we should think of & support other places including the great NYCand we will.'

Comedian Paul F. Tompkins tweeted: 'That's weird, I never thought other people not having their own place to live was something that I was being 'subjected to' but then I also don't think the answer to this situation is 'cops'.'

Some, however, were on Bratton's side of the discussion.

Fox News' Charles Gasparino piggybacked on Bratton's statement, tweeting: 'Well said.'

Journalist Judith Miller gave a warning: 'Hope the incoming mayor is reading this!'

The incoming mayor, Eric Adams, has hired Keechant Sewell as the new police commissioner, who is set to become the first black woman to hold the post after being tapped for Bratton's old position on Wednesday.

She will be charged with the daunting task of reversing the violent crime that has plagued the city.

Adams takes office on New Year's Day.

Sewell is joining the department during a time when murders, rapes, felony assaults, and grand larcenies are on the upswing.

During the week ending December 19, there were 11 murders in the city, a 37 percent year-over-year increase. Rapes increased 32 percent after 37 people were victimized during the same period.

Overall, murders are up 2.7 percent, rape is up 3 percent, and overall crime is up 5.7 percent in the city over last year.

Already this year, 464 people have been murdered in the Big Apple, and 1,450 others have been raped, according to NYPD data. Another 13,308 New Yorkers have been robbed and 22,104 have been the victims of felony assault.

Keechant Sewell speaks to the media at the Queensbridge houses in Long Island City after being named the next police chief of New York

Through December 12, crime remains on the rise across the board in New York City, up 5.7 percent overall

Shooting incidents and victims are already up by a fair amount from 2020 with a week still remaining in 2021

The Bowery Mission, a charity that helps the unhoused in the city, claims that one in every six people in New York City is homeless, a total of nearly 80,000, adding that among adults, homelessness is at an all-time high.

They also claim that at least 2,400 people sleep on the New York City streets every night.

That extends to the youngest New Yorkers, as nearly one in every three children in the city live below the poverty line.
An average of 80 police officers were assaulted each day this year, shocking figures suggest.

Over a three-month period there were at least 7,357 assaults against officers, constables and volunteers in Britain  indicating there could have been more than 29,000 attacks during 2021.

There was a 21 per cent rise in assaults last year compared with the year before, and the levels were sustained this year.

Over a three-month period there were at least 7,357 assaults against officers, constables and volunteers in Britain  indicating there could have been more than 29,000 attacks during 2021 (stock image)

There were 7,294 assaults from March 23 to June 23 last year, compared with 6,036 over the same period in 2019.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary reported an increase of 121 per cent, with 128 attacks between March 23 and June 23 this year, up from 58 last year.

This is a 212 per cent rise on 2019, when the force recorded 41 assaults.

Cambridgeshire chief constable Nick Dean said his force suffered roughly one assault a day and there had been a rise in spitting on officers to use Covid as a weapon.

He added: The nature of assault can really range from very serious to what we can class as lower-tier assaults such as being pushed or kicked, or what is very prevalent  being spat at. None of that, at any level, is acceptable within policing.

One officer was assaulted so violently in February that he suffered a bleed to the brain and required major surgery, Mr Dean said.

The officer was struck over the head by a man who had attacked his own father.

It [the violence] has an impact on the officer, it has an impact on their family and friends, and I have to say it has an impact upon the organisation, he added.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary reported an increase of 121 per cent, with 128 attacks between March 23 and June 23 this year, up from 58 last year (stock image)

Mr Dean said he believes the rise is due to increased mental health problems exacerbated by the pandemic, and politically charged protests over issues such as climate change and Black Lives Matter.

People are suffering much more from mental health and wellbeing issues, which have clearly increased during the lockdown, and the restrictive periods and in society in general, the chief constable said.

The other largest rises in attacks were seen by Dorset Police (80 per cent), Merseyside (41 per cent) and Avon and Somerset (40 per cent).

Just 31 of 43 police forces in England and Wales responded to a Freedom of Information request, meaning the total is likely to be much higher.
Queensland Covid cases have spiked again to 589 as the state's residents are urged to get used to living with Covid.

The announcement by Health Minister Yvette D'Ath followed on from 369 new cases recorded yesterday.

She said more than 30,000 border passes had been issued in the past 24 hours, with 322,000 border passes applied for since the state opened its border on December 13.

Queensland's long cherished Covid-free status has been demolished since it reopened its border to interstate visitors from 'hotspots' on December 13.

A daily doubling of cases since late last week caused the state's Chief health Officer, Dr John Gerrard to yesterday declare spread of the virus in Queensland was 'necessary'.

'In order for us to go from a pandemic phase, to an endemic phase, the virus has to be widespread.

'You all have to develop immunity and there's two ways you can do that, by being vaccinated or getting infected.

'Once we've done that, once we all have a degree of immunity, the virus becomes endemic, and that is what is going to happen.'

Queensland Covid cases have spiked again to 589 as the state's residents are urged to get used to living with Covid

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath announced 589 new Covid cases in the state on Friday

Dr Gerrard said on Friday the state could expect 'thousands of cases' in the coming weeks.

'Even though the proportion of people getting severely ill is going to be very small, when you have a large number of cases, that can translate to a significant number of people that has the potential to put a strain on our hospitals,' Dr Gerrard said.

He said masks and other Covid restrictions were essential to enable Queensland's hospitals to cope with the rise in cases and allow people to get their booster jab in coming weeks.

Dr Gerrard revealed that 1365 cases had been diagnosed in the state since the borders reopened on December 13.

He said there were only three people in hospital in Queensland with mild to moderate symptoms.

'We have seen no patients in Queensland with severe Covid-19,' he said.

He said current modelling showed the state's hospitals would have the capacity to deal with cases as they rose in number.

He advised Queenslanders to avoid unnecessary contact at Christmas and not to attend functions if they were unvaccinated.

'Stay away from everybody if you're unvaccinated,' he advised.

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said masks and other Covid restrictions in place were essential to enable Queensland's hospitals to cope with the rise in cases and allow people to get their booster jab in coming weeks

Ms D'Ath said 32 of Queensland's 77 local government areas now had positive Covid cases since the border reopened on December 13.

'That reiterates what we said all along, which is that the virus will come to every single community in Queensland,' she said.

'How prepared we are will be dependent on the compliancy with the rules put in place, and of course the vaccination rates.

'As great as the vaccination rates are, they are not consistent across the state, and we still expect and require people to get vaccinated as quickly as possible to get that protection.'

A family reunites at Brisbane Airport when Queensland reopened its border on December 13. Since that date, 1365 Covid-19 cases had been diagnosed in the state

Ms DAth said more than half of the 11,000 vaccines administered in the past 24 hours were booster jabs.

She announced a new toolkit available to Queenslanders, COVID Care Pathways, was designed to guide residents if they receive a positive test result.

The resource is designed to help people manage their infection through home care.

'Everyone after they get a positive test will be contacted by a health professional over the coming days,' she said.

'They'll be assessed as to their illness, their symptoms and whether they should be managing themselves at home.

'Of course if they are in any way worried, call Triple 0 or go to the hospital.

Ms D'Ath said 268 patients with Covid were currently in home care in Queensland.

'This toolkit we're releasing I hope gives people comfort in how to manage their illness at home like you would a cold or other illness where you don't have severe symptoms and don't need to be hospitalised.'

The kit will be available on the Queensland government's Covid website.

New contact racing locations were announced by Queensland Health in Cairns, Townsville, Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Darling Downs and Brisbane as the Omicron variant continues to spread on the state.

Despite the rise in cases, which both the premier and chief health officer have said was 'expected', there has been no indication the state will reimpose strict border controls.

'Nothing has changed. Our roadmap is clear, we're moving forward not backward,' Dr Gerrard said yesterday.

More than 322,000 border passes to enter Queensland had been applied for since the state opened its border on December 13

Ms D'Ath welcomed Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt's announcement on Friday morning that booster jabs would be brought forward from five weeks to four on January 4 for those who had received two doses of a Covid vaccine.

'Now that weve got this notice in advance, this time, hopefully all of us are going to be able to bring forward our orders and make sure weve got the deliveries ready to go,' she said.

'We want boosters to become part of our normal immunisation program.'

Ms Palaszczuk said yesterday more than 30,000 people a day were trying to enter Queensland during the holiday period, and more than a quarter of a million border passes had been applied for.

A further easing of border restrictions, including dropping the requirement for the controversial PCR test within 72 hours of arrival into the state and on day five, is planned for when 90 per cent of Queenslanders are fully vaccinated under the current definition of two doses.

That mark is expected to be passed in the first half of January.

Currently over 90 per cent of Queenslanders 16 years and over had received a first dose of a Covid vaccine, while just over 85 per cent were double dosed.

There are now 1389 active cases of Covid in the state.
Ex-cop Kim Potter, 49, (pictured) - who was convicted in the shooting death of Daunte Wright - will serve out her sentence in a Minnesota prison that touts itself as a place that gives inmate a 'chance to bloom'

The former Brooklyn Center cop who was convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead 20-year-old Daunte Wright is serving time in a Minnesota prison that touts itself as a place that gives inmates a 'chance to bloom.'

Kim Potter, 49, was led away in handcuffs and ordered to be held without bail ahead of her sentencing in February after being found guilty on all counts at Hennepin County Court on Thursday.

She was then transferred to Minnesota Correctional Facility - Shakopee, a five-level security prison located about 25 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis.

The facility cares for about 650 female prisoners and offers a variety of in-prison programs designed to help in rehabilitation, according to Prison Fellowship. The inmates are invited to participate in a 5K runs, further their education and grow their relationship with God.

Promotional materials show inmates studying, sewing and planting produce that is then donated to community members in need. One inmate is even trying to pursue a law degree while behind bars.

The facility is also the first prison to offer a pipeline program that allows inmates to pursue a law degree while behind bars

Potter will serve her sentence at Minnesota Correctional Facility  Shakopee, a facility that cares for about 650 female prisoners and offers a variety of in-prison programs designed to help with rehabilitation. Pictured: Shakopee inmates in a classroom

The Shakopee prisoners are said to 'see things differently and find the light at the end of the tunnel' after their time at the facility, according to Warden Tracy Beltz.

'We've come here [to prison] because we have done something wrong,' inmate Angelina said in the promotional materials. 'To be able to have that second chance means everything.'

Shakopee welcomed Potter, who was seen smiling in her booking photo, on December 23.

Potter, a 26-year veteran of the force, claimed she accidentally shot Wright when she reached for her gun instead of her Taser during a traffic stop over his expired plates in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 11.

She was convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter on Thursday and now faces a maximum of 15 years in prison on the first charge and 10 years on the second, with the sentencing expected to take place in February.

The convicted ex-cop will remain in the facility until at least her sentencing. While likely, it is unclear if she will be serving her entire sentence at Shakopee.

The Shakopee prisoners are said to 'see things differently and find the light at the end of the tunnel' after their time at the facility. They are invited to learn new skills, participate in 5Ks, seek education and strengthen their relationship with God. Pictured: Shakopee inmate

Kim Potter (left), 49, a 26-year veteran of the force, claimed she accidentally shot Daunte Wright (right) when she reached for her gun instead of her Taser during a traffic stop over his expired plates in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 11

The prison, which is advertised as a place for growth and second chances, touts inmate success stories online.

Meredith, a former drug dealer only listed by her first name who has served at least two sentences at the facility, claims the prison's programs helped her do a 'complete 180 from her previous life.'

She was first sentenced at Shakopee when she was 22 and reportedly did not have respect for her punishment.

'I didn't change my behaviors - I just wanted an easy way out,' Meredith, now 30, explained.

'I was 22, and I knew what I was going to do. I knew what I was going back to.'

She said participating in the Prison Fellowship Academy, a program offered at Shakopee, during her second sentence 'influenced her greatly' and made her realize that people cared about her.

'People just take you where you're at, and the grace - the astronomical grace! People that actually want to care about you and want to help you succeed. It doesn't feel superficial like so many of my other relationships,' she said.

'It's a humble confidence - knowing who you are deeply rooted in Christ, you don't need anybody externally to tell you about yourself.'

The prison (pictured), which is advertised as a place for growth and second chances, touts inmate success stories online

Pictured: An inmate participating in the facility's Harvest Now program where prisoners work to give back to the community by donating food to those in need

The charges and penalties in the Kim Potter trial FIRST-DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER PREDICATED ON RECKLESS USE/HANDLING OF FIREARM AND SECOND-DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER: Potter was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter meaning she caused Wright's death while committing a misdemeanor - the 'reckless handling or use of a firearm so as to endanger the safety of another with such force and violence that death or great bodily harm to any person was reasonably foreseeable.'

She was also found guilty of second-degree manslaughter after she caused his death 'by her culpable negligence,' meaning that Potter 'caused an unreasonable risk and consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm' to Wright, while using or possessing a firearm. POTENTIAL PENALTIES: The maximum for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years; for second-degree, it's 10 years. But Minnesota judges follow sentencing guidelines that normally call for less - just over seven years for first-degree, and four years for second-degree.

Prosecutors have said they will seek a longer sentence due to aggravating factors, which is what they did in former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial for killing George Floyd.

The longest sentences that could conceivably stick on appeal are double the top of the guidelines range. But that's more than the statutory maximum of 15 years for first-degree manslaughter, so 15 years would be the cap for Potter if she's convicted. The realistic maximum on the lesser charge would be 9 1/2 years.

Presuming good behavior, Minnesota offenders typically serve two-thirds of their time in prison and one-third on supervised release. Source: AP Advertisement

Now, instead of focusing on herself, Meredith has reportedly has a 'steadfast heart' and a calling to serve others.

The facility also provides inmates with opportunities to further their education and pursue their professional dreams.

Earlier this year Maureen Onyelobi - who is seven years into her life-without-parole prison sentence after being charged in 2014 with aiding and abetting first-degree premeditated murder - became the first known incarcerated woman to take a law school admittance test.

Through a new program called the Prison to Law Pipeline, Onyelobi was able to sit for her LSAT at Shakopee and - assuming she passed - can then attend Hamline Law School to pursue her law degree.

The pipeline program, which is in its early stages, has not yet been approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) as students cannot receive a completely remote law degree.

The ABA agreed to make an exception for Onyelobi to take the LSAT at the prison, Southwest News Media reported.

'This place is what you make it,' Onyelobi said of Shakopee, noting during her sentencing she has learned a lot about law and used that knowledge to help fellow inmates.

'I've helped several women with their appeals,' she said. 'It's rewarding to help other people. I care about others and I feel more worth now than I did before.'

The pipeline program appears to be unique to Shakopee, unlike the facility's fellowship programs.

'This is a legal revolution,' Onyelobi argued. 'The statistics don't lie. I'm living it. You can't learn this experience in a classroom.'

Beltz says she prides herself in the non-traditional way she runs Shakopee. She claims her approach prepares inmates for re-entry into the world.

'This is not a soft-on-crime approach [to corrections],' Beltz told Prison Fellowship.

'This is the stuff we know works to keep people out of prison. Prisoners need those community connections. They need people to support them in their reentry. They need people that are going to hold them accountable to do the right thing, while encouraging them.'

She added: 'When you promote that [life] can be bigger than just a prisondo your time and get outit does something to the psyche and to the population,' Warden Beltz says. The women 'start seeing things [differently]. They start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.'

It is unclear if Potter will utilize any of the prison's unique offerings during her time behind bars.

Pictured: Inmates participating in Shakopee's in-prison Second Chance 5K race

Pictured: Incarcerated women at MCF-Shakopee are sewing barrier masks for distribution to staff and inmates amid the pandemic

Pictured: Shakopee inmates are seen smiling

The former Minnesota police officer was taken to the facility after she was found guilty on Thursday.

Potter shot Wright dead during a traffic stop, claiming she mistook her gun for her taser.

The policewoman was patrolling with a colleague who decided to look up the driver of a Buick that had committed a minor traffic violation.

After realizing that the driver - identified as Wright - was the subject of an arrest warrant, the police officers decided to arrest him.

Wright, who was unarmed, resisted being handcuffed and restarted his car to try to flee. Potter then drew her gun, allegedly believing in was her Taser.

In footage recorded on police body cameras, Potter can be heard shouting 'Taser' several times, before firing with her gun and fatally wounding Wright.

Since Potter has no criminal history, Minnesota guidelines recommend a sentence of six to eight and a half years in prison for the first-degree manslaughter charge. Guidelines recommend between three and a half and five years for the second charge.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has said the state would seek a 'fair' sentence for Potter.
Christmas Eve travel plans are in chaos for thousands of Australians with some 80 flights cancelled due to close contact rules and airline staff Covid exposures.

Hundreds of passengers suddenly found their holiday plans in dire straits as they were notified late on Thursday night of the mass cancellations, with at least 23 flights cancelled between Sydney and Melbourne.

Jetstar sent out text messages alerting passengers as late as 9pm on Thursday, when many were already in bed before early departures, with the airline's customer service line closing at 10pm.

In a statement, a Jetstar representative said a large number of frontline workers had been forced to isolate as close contact and 'as a result we've had to make some late adjustments to our schedule.

Jetstar and Virgin Airlines have caused commuter chaos after cancelling dozens flights on Christmas Eve

The canned flights include peak hour morning and evening fares, throwing many Australians' Christmas plans into severe doubt

'We appreciate the frustration this causes, especially as customers are travelling for Christmas, and sincerely apologise for the impact these changes are having on travel plans.

'We are working to minimise any delays and reaccommodating passengers on flights as close as possible to their original departure times across both Jetstar and Qantas services.'

Virgin has yet to respond to a request for comment. The Sydney and Melbourne route was the most heavily-affected.

With all direct morning and afternoon flights either sold out or cancelled, passengers were mostly offered replacements that first flew the wrong direction to other cities and landed up to eight hours later than they had booked to arrive.

As many as 13 flights were suddenly cancelled by Jetstar on Thursday, including routes between Sydney and Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide and Sydney and Melbourne

Shocked passengers shared their distress over the last minute cancellations online, with many saying their festive periods had been ruined.

'I feel like screaming. Daughter in Sydney did all the right things. Double vacc, boostered, PCR test, Qld border pass. Jetstar just cancelled her flight to Bris. No explanation,' a devastated father wrote.

'With <24hrs notice, they cancelled my flights to my family on Christmas Eve and offered no usable alternatives. Never again,' another man tweeted.

A third said: 'We got up at 4 am to get our 8 am flight, only to be told it was cancelled and were lucky to get on an 8:20 pm flight with two young children. Fingers crossed we are getting on this one. Ive never fly right now but Im obligated'.

In a tepid response to the dozens of people angrily complaining via Twitter, Jetstar offered apologies and asked people to direct message their account.

'Sorry to hear that your flight was cancelled, we know how inconvenient cancelled flights can be  and we try to avoid them as much as possible,' they said in a series of replies.

Virgin Australia have also cancelled a number of flights on the eve of Christmas with 12 flights grounded between the NSW and Victorian capital

The common denominator appears to be Sydney, with skyrocketing Covid cases potentially the reason for the major airlines ruining Aussies' Christmas plans

Virgin Australia also cancelled flights on the eve of Christmas with 12 flights grounded between the NSW and Victorian capital.

There were a further nine flights cancelled between Sydney and Brisbane, and another 11 stopped between Sydney and the Gold Coast.

The common denominator appears to be Sydney, with skyrocketing Covid cases potentially the reason for the major airlines ruining Aussies' Christmas plans.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jetstar and Virgin Australia to explain why so many flights have been cancelled, but received no response.
Stella McCartney's salary from her fashion company rose to 2.7m last year, despite the firm claiming more than 850,000 in support from the government's furlough scheme.

The designer pocketed more than 220,000 more for herself in the year to December 31, 2020 compared to the previous 12 months, even though the business suffered a 26% fall in sales over the same period.

The figures have been published in accounts on Companies House, which reveal sales in the UK more than halved, contributing to a pre-tax loss of 31.4million.

It also shows how Stella McCartney Limited received a six-figure sum from the government at the height of the pandemic to help pay staff while shops were shut.

Stella McCartney's salary from her fashion company rose to 2.7m last year, despite the firm claiming more than 850,000 in support from the government's furlough scheme

Stella's stores around the world Stella McCartney operates 51 freestanding stores (with 1,400 employees) in locations including: Manhattan's Soho

London's Mayfair and Brompton Cross

LA's West Hollywood

Paris' Palais Royal

Milan

Tokyo

Shanghai

Beijing Her collections are distributed in 77 countries through 863 doors including speciality shops, and department stores, as well as shipping to 100 countries online. Source: stellamccartney.com Advertisement

MailOnline told last year how the entrepreneur had furloughed hundreds of her staff and asked those who remained working to take a pay cut in the midst of the crisis.

Under Chancellor Rishi Sunak's rescue package, firms can claim up to 80 per cent of wages to a maximum of 2,500.

Unlike Victoria Beckham, who backtracked on furloughing 30 staff at her fashion company following criticism, Stella McCartney Limited did not change its decision.

At the time, one employee said staff were 'extremely hurt' by the decision.

The accounts read: 'During the year, the Company received cash payments in relation to the Government Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme amounting to 849,392. This payment received is included within salaries and wages.'

Stella's fashion brand is popular with a number of celebrities with Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon seen sporting one of her outfits in recent years.

In April MailOnline told how the designer had furloughed hundreds of her staff and asked those who remained working to take a pay cut during the coronavirus crisis.

Under Chancellor Rishi Sunak's rescue package, firms can claim up to 80 per cent of wages to a maximum of 2,500.

Unlike Victoria Beckham who backtracked on furloughing 30 staff at her fashion company following criticism, Stella McCartney did not change its decision.

McCartney's shop in Mayfair, one of 51 stores selling her clothes around the world

Mrs Beckham also planned on topping up the on furlough's salaries an extra 20 per cent on top of the 80 per cent paid by the Government scheme, unlike Ms McCartney.

At the time, one employee said staff were 'extremely hurt' by the decision taken by McCartney.

A spokesperson for Stella McCartney Limited told the Guardian: 'During the lockdown senior management including Stella took a salary reduction. The 2020 accounts relate to a year of transition and the effects of the pandemic on the retail sector, yet given these challenges the brands sales have remained strong.

'In common with all companies within our sector, we are currently dealing with one of the most challenging periods faced by a generation, and are conducting a review in order to adapt our business to the changing economics of our industry.'
His presence means Christmas is just around the corner as he takes messages back to Santa at the North Pole, but the American Civil Liberties Union is concerned about the Elf on a Shelf's purported nefarious activity, particularly when it comes to surveillance.

The toy, which is based on a 2005 children's book, is supposed to be a fun and novel idea that families incorporate into their Christmas traditions.

Parents tell their children how the elf magically comes to life each night between Thanksgiving and Christmas in order to report back to Santa about the child's behavior. It then returns to the home to a different spot than the night before - but the child must not touch it, or it will lose its magic.

But the ACLU together with a number of other privacy and civil rights organizations believe the elf to be invasive, creepy and even dangerous, and they're telling parents the toy should perhaps 'be left on store shelves.'

'I don't want to sound like a Grinch, but we shouldn't be celebrating seasonal surveillance,' Albert Fox Cahn from the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a civil rights and privacy group, told The New York Times.

'It's really a terrible message for kids.'

Elf on a Shelf is a Christmas tradition for millions of families across the country

The concern is that the elf teaches children the wrong lessons when it comes to privacy and makes children acclimatized to be being monitored and passively accept constantly being watched by an unseen authority figure.

'No one should be looking at you in your bedroom without consent,' Cahn added. 'There is a cost to normalizing surveillance, even in the most adorable ways.

'I don't want to be the first one to take Santa Claus to court for invasion of privacy, but consent matters, and having privacy matters.'

The premise is based upon the elf constantly monitoring children's behavior in the run up to Christmas Day with the information being relayed to Santa

Some psychologists have warned that Elf on the Shelf also encourages lying to children, questions the trustworthiness of parents and encourages gullibility in children instead of critical thinking.

Such unintended consequences are entirely disputed by the Lumistella Company, which owns the Elf on the Shelf.

'Santa's Scout Elves don't just help to keep up with the Nice List; they also share with Santa how families are spreading the spirit of Christmas,' the company said in a statement.

'Many children note that their favorite moments throughout each season include waking up to see where the family's Scout Elf has landed and the humorous scenes they sometimes set up.

'Our hope is that the Elf on the Shelf will create cheerful holiday moments and precious family memories that will last a lifetime.'

American Civil Liberties Union along with surveillance and privacy watchdogs say it teaches children the wrong lessons and is invasive and creepy

Despite the innocent image portrayed by the company about its toy, some civil rights group see something sinister about it.

'I know a lot of families just see this as a fun thing, but it's worth thinking about the messages it's giving to children about surveillance by authorities,' Jay Stanley, of the ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology Project, told The Times.

'Personally, I consider success as a parent to be teaching my kids to do the right thing even when nobody is watching, whether they be from the North Pole or anywhere else. Maybe these are elves that should be left on store shelves.'

It is a view echoed by another group, the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

'If kids think they are always being watched, even when the watcher is a magical elf, that can have real effects on how they see themselves in the world,' Caitriona Fitzgerald said.

'Arguing children need to grow up knowing they have private spaces of their own where they can be independent.'
Lloyds Banking Group has apologised after scores of customers were left unable to log in to its online banking system just two days before Christmas.

Users took to social media on Thursday evening to complain that they could not access their accounts - adding that the timing could not have been worse.

One business owner said he was unable to pay his employees' salaries, while another branded the situation 'ridiculous.'

It came after a message popped up on customers' screens which read: 'We are sorry that our internet banking is currently unavailable. Please try again shortly.'

Others said they received a message that said the bank was having 'technical problems'.

The issue is said to have lasted for an hour and has since been resolved.

Lloyds told users it was working to have online banking back to normal as soon as possible (file photo)

Customer tweets a picture of the error message she and many other customers received while trying to access online banking

Customers began tweeting Lloyds to demand answers at just after 9pm.

One user said: 'Hi, is the app down? It won't let me log on to my internet banking.'

Another tweeted: 'Can't access the app or online to view accounts???

'Not really ideal 2 days before Xmas and you need to work out budgets etc.' [sic]

One added: 'The app and site are down! When will this be fixed?

'It's ridiculous! No one can access their money.'

Bank users complained they could not manage their accounts or pay their employees, while Lloyds advised them to close their app, log back in or try alternating between using their Wi-Fi and data

Another simply said: 'Web access down, trying to pay staff salaries????'

Customers reported having issues using both their mobile phones and computers.

A Lloyds Banking Group spokesperson told Mail Online: 'Our online banking is working normally again.

'We're sorry some of our customers had issues for a short time this evening.'
Australians are encouraged to check their loose change after a $2 coin with a little known symbol is selling for thousands of dollars online.

The tiny 'HH' symbol can be found stamped on $2 coins minted in 1988 and 1989 in the bottom left-hand corner on the tails side.

The 'HH' stands for Horst Hahne, who was the Royal Australian Mint chief engraver at the time the coins were produced.

The tiny 'HH' symbol can be found stamped on $2 coins minted in 1988 and 1989 (pictured)

An eBay auction listed the 1988 'HH' $2 coin, asking for bids starting at a whopping $10,000

Other auctions have the $2 pieces selling for $5 to $20 while another auction is selling the coin for $2,000

Coin experts have long maintained the coins featuring the symbol are not worth more than $2 after 200 million coins were minted with the stamp.

But that hasn't deterred some Australians from seeking top dollar off their loose change.

One eBay auction listed the 1988 'HH' $2 coin, asking for bids starting at a whopping $10,000.

Other auctions have the $2 pieces selling for $5 to $20 while another auction is selling the coin for $2,000.

However, in a video uploaded to TikTok on Wednesday, money expert Joel Kandiah has continued to remind people the coins are only worth $2.

'When people question you that the HH $2 coin is only worth $2 because they saw someone selling it online for $10,000,' he writes while shaking his head.

'190 million of these were minted. That's one in four $2 coins ever made! They will only ever be worth $2,' he added.

However a bidding war has erupted over last year's $2 commemorative coins honouring Australia's firefighters.

Australians are encouraged to keep their eye out coins featuring the orange flame design on the wrong side.

The coin features two firefighters standing back to back, with a vividly coloured flame superimposed on the centre of the design.

But a handful of the $2 coins have the fire design on the wrong side, obscuring the Queen's head.

'Very few of them exist...so depending on quality they can be worth about $6,000,' according to Sydney coin expert David Jobson from Town Hall Collectables.
Australians and small businesses are sick of face mask and QR code rules being reinstated despite high vaccination rates and the Omicron variant being less severe.

NSW on Christmas Eve made facial coverings compulsory again, following a record surge in new daily Covid cases - just nine days after a previous batch of rules was scrapped.

From Monday, QR codes for contact tracing are returning for all retailers in New South Wales. Victoria and Queensland are now also requiring face masks at all indoor venues.

This is occurring even though a record surge in Omicron cases has not significantly pushed up hospitalisation or death rates in a nation where 90.9 per cent of the population, aged 16 and over, is fully vaccinated.

Australians are fed up with new a revival of face mask and QR codes rules despite high vaccination rates and the Omicron variant being less severe (pictured is a shopper wearing a face mask as she stands in front of a 1969 image of mainly Holdens and Fords and a red rattler train on the Sydney Harbour Bridge)

In NSW, where new daily Covid cases on Friday surged by a record 5,612 new cases in a state with a 93.5 per cent double-vaccination rate.

Bill Lang, the executive director of Small Business Australia, said hospitality businesses were struggling as tougher state rules on face masks discouraged consumers from going out.

'When the states do it, there is never a simultaneous announcement of small business support,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Some people are afraid to go out.

'So again, small business families have their personal assets further reduced.'

Mr Lang said different public health orders in each state were frustrating.

'The pandemic responses of the states lack underlying medical and public health consistency,' he said.

'Who pays? Small business families and taxpayers.'

Bill Lang, the executive director of Small Business Australia, said hospitality businesses were struggling as tougher state rules on face masks discouraged consumers from going out (pictured is the Westfield mall in the centre of Sydney)

A Daily Mail Australia reader from Coffs Harbour, on the NSW mid-north coast, summed it up for many when he questioned the wisdom of seemingly never-ending restrictions.

'Do the guys running the show not understand that for most of us, it's a case of "enough is enough"?' he said, getting 34 thumbs up and three disapprovals.

The reader, going by the pseudonym Blinky Bill, was outraged this was occurring despite high vax rates.

'We now want and need to get on with our lives again,' he said.

'Please move out of the way and let us get back to some form of normality.'

Freedom-focused people have also flooded the NSW Health Facebook page.

'It's absolutely amazing how some people cannot manage minuscule risk without an actual mandate from the premier them what to do,' he said, garnering 12 likes.

In NSW, where new daily Covid cases on Friday surged by a record 5,612 new cases in a state with a 93.5 per cent double-vaccination rate. A Daily Mail Australia reader from Coffs Harbour, on the NSW mid-north coast, summed it up for many when he questioned the wisdom of seemingly never-ending restrictions

One man suggested the rules were more a reflection on the hospital system than the much less severe Omicron variant.

'So, in other words, Omicron is really mild,' he said.

'If our supposedly high quality hospitals and healthcare system can't handle a blip like this, Covid isn't the actual problem.'

Nonetheless, many of comments on the NSW Health Facebook page criticised Premier Dominic Perrottet for scrapping the face mask rules in the first place, with many suggesting, without evidence, he had ignored the advice of Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant.

'Most of us wanted the mask mandate and QR check in so let's be glad that the government have finally listened,' said one woman who described herself as a 'hermit'.

Nonetheless, many of comments on the NSW Health Facebook page criticised Premier Dominic Perrottet for scrapping the face mask rules in the first place, with many suggesting without evidence he had ignored the advice of Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant (pictured is a Covid testing clinic at Bondi in Sydney)

When it comes to travelling to see loved ones for Christmas, Queensland is still requiring visitors to get a PCR test showing a negative result, leading to long queues at Covid testing clinics, particularly in Sydney.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is yet to allow rapid antigen testing, despite South Australia on Friday announcing it would overturn the ban on them following a plea from Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week after a national cabinet meeting.

The Australian Industry Group is so fed up chief executive Innes Willox blasted Queensland for causing people with no Covid symptoms to brace for hours-long queues to get a PCR test.

'Testing queues have been unquestionably lengthened by multiple PCR test requirements for internal travellers and overly-cautious definitions of close contacts,' he said.

'Both risk discouraging people who should be tested from being tested at all; they impose extra anxiety and costs due to delays in reporting test results; and they delay preventative action being taken following positive results.'
Her only previous experience with turkeys was eating them for Christmas dinner.

But Debi Monk has vowed against any of that in the future after hatching a pair in her dining room.

The 57-year-old podiatrist believes Flower and Gobbledygook are the UK's cleverest turkeys, thanks to her reading them bedtime stories.

She claims the birds can tell different colours apart, respond to commands like a dog and create music.

The 57-year-old podiatrist believes Flower and Gobbledygook are the UK's cleverest turkeys

She claims the birds can tell different colours apart, respond to commands like a dog and create music

She said: 'Gobbledygook can play the keyboard, and they can both kick a ball on command, 'lie down' and 'give a foot' like when you ask your dog to 'give a paw'.

They can also recognise colours  if I say 'peck red' they peck red.' Mrs Monk, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said she was delighted when Flower and Gobbledygook hatched in July.

She later entered the birds into an all-animals agility competition, where they were awarded second and third place rosettes.

Mother-of-three Mrs Monk added: 'I definitely will not be having turkey at Christmas ever again

She said: 'They are intelligent, sensitive and love to have their armpits tickled. I believe you can train any animal to some extent if you just give it the time.'

Mother-of-three Mrs Monk added: 'I definitely will not be having turkey at Christmas ever again. It'll be a nut roast for us this year!'
High street pharmacies are still without lateral flow tests just hours before Christmas, with shops going more than a week without resupplies.

Boris Johnson has urged families across the country to test at home before visiting loved ones over the festive period, particularly the elderly and those who may be more vulnerable to Covid.

An 'unprecedented' level of demand followed and Britons were last week unable to order tests online for several days - an issue ministers have since blamed on distribution.

In the absence of those orders, many have instead rushed to pharmacies to pick up kits, but they too have since been running dry, despite the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) insisting it had sent more than 11 million rapid flow tests to stores last week.

Demand has surged even more this week after ministers announced those who contract the virus can be released from isolation three days earlier than before, providing they test negative on days six and seven.

But vendors have had to display posters warning that they don't have any stock, now say customers are wracked with 'panic', as they desperately try and get the all clear before Christmas.

A sign informing customers that lateral flow tests are out of stock is seen at a pharmacy in London

How can you get hold of lateral flow tests? The NHS has a searching tool which allows people to find their nearest pharmacies which have tests available to collect. It is: www.maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk. Alternatively, people can order a pack from Gov.uk to be delivered to their homes. One pack can be ordered per day. They can also be collected from community collection points or people can visit a testing point near to their homes. Advertisement

Anjala Sihota, a pharmacist in Bordon, Hampshire, told the Telegraph: 'Our last box was a week ago.

'It is quite difficult, especially with Christmas coming and people want to meet their families, they want to get tested before they meet people, which is what the Government guidelines are, and if they're unable to get a test, then obviously the panic sets in.'

Mike Hewitson, who has a store in Beaminster, Dorset, said his last delivery of 59 kits sold out in 90 minutes, adding: 'I've had more people shouting at me than at any time during the pandemic.'

The UKHSA says a 'supply chain issue' resulted in a delay in some shops receiving their test orders, but insists it's continuing to send out millions each day, with delivery capacity doubling to 900,000 daily kits since Saturday,

Lateral flow tests, or antigen tests, are the rapid tests which tell people whether or not they have coronavirus.

Lateral flow tests provide results and tell people in 30 minutes if they have coronavirus by detecting proteins from the virus in the nose and throat samples.

Scientists have mixed views on their accuracy. PCR tests are, however, extremely accurate but take up to three days for results to come through.

They detect the genetic material from a specific organism, specifically coronavirus, and are the best way to test if you have a current infection.

According to the Royal College of Pathologists, lateral flow tests should be taken by people who do not have symptoms.

A sign in the window of a north London pharmacy which has run out of NHS Lateral Flow Test kits

How accurate are lateral flow tests? A study by the Queen Mary University of London, the University of Oxford, the Institute for Advanced Studies based in Vienna, and the Medical University of Graz published in July found that lateral flow tests detected more than 95 per cent of the cases found by PCR and correctly identified 89 per cent of cases as negative. In March 2021, the Royal College of Pathologists said positive results by LFTs should be confirmed by PCR tests and people should self-isolate before they receive their PCR result. Last week, the Health Security Agency (HSA) said lateral flow tests are as likely to detect Omicron as other variants of coronavirus. PCR tests are still considered to be the most accurate tests when diagnosing coronavirus but should only be used by people who are showing symptoms. Advertisement

A factsheet on the RCP's website states: 'These tests are very different from PCR. They are not suitable for diagnosing individual patients who suspect they may be infected because they have symptoms.

'People with symptoms need a PCR test. Lateral flow tests are intended for picking up additional infected cases who would otherwise be missed because they don't have any symptoms.'

On the NHS website, it also says that people who have symptoms of coronavirus should also complete a lateral flow test rather than a PCR test.

Current advice states that if you test positive on a lateral flow you should follow up with a PCR test.

People are advised to do lateral flow tests before mixing with crowds in indoor places or visiting someone who is at high risk of getting Covid-19.

It's also advised that if you're vaccinated, but have been in contact with someone who then tests positive for coronavirus, you should do a lateral flow test.

On Sunday, Irene Petersen, a professor of epidemiology at University College London, said official advice should be updated to say that people should take the tests just before they are about to meet others due to the fast infection rate of Omicron.

She added that tests results 'expire quickly' as people 'may switch from being non-infectious to infectious within hours'.

Government guidance currently recommends taking a test 'if you will be in a high-risk situation that day'.
South Australia has reported a big jump to 688 new Covid-19 infections on Christmas Eve, and two children are now in hospital with the virus.

SA Premier Steven Marshall and the state's chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier announced the surge in cases, most of which are confirmed as the Omicron strain, on Christmas Eve.

The state's Covid case numbers have more than tripled since Wednesday as it was also announced eight people are in SA hospitals, though only one is seriously ill.

'I know this isn't the message people want to hear today,' the Premier said.

Ms Spurrier said the state has 'no intentions' of shutting its borders in response.

South Australia has reported an enormous 688 new Covid infections on Christmas Eve, and two children are now in hospital with the virus

He urged people to think carefully about plans to visit loved ones over Christmas and said the should be considering outdoor gatherings.

He also asked South Australians to stick to official limits of a maximum of 30 people gathering in one household.

The jump to 688 cases in SA came after the state recorded 198 new infections on Wednesday, then 484 on Thursday.

The Premier said an earlier plan to ease Covid restrictions for the state has had to be abandoned.

'The sheer volume of cases could overwhelm health systems right around the world if we don't take action,' Mr Marshall said.

'There's no way when we are very concerned about cases here, around the country and around the world that were going to easing restrictions.

'We'll be monitoring the numbers very very carefully.'

One person is in ICU in SA, a man in his 30s.

SA Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier advised people to get rapid antigen tests on the morning of visiting loved ones

A further seven are in hospitals, including two children.

Five of the eight people in SA hospitals with Covid are unvaccinated.

It comes as the state legalises rapid antigen tests for home use months after the rest of the country.

The tests are used in certain sectors including health and mining, but calls have been growing for local sales to be approved.

Mr Marshall called rapid antigen tests 'good surveillance' for those people who don't have symptoms 'but not a replacement for the PCR (test)'.

At times people in Adelaide waited up to seven hours to get PCR-tested at official sites on Thursday.

SA Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier advised people to get rapid antigen tests on the morning of visiting loved ones.

'Do it just before you're just about to visit dont do it the day before,' she said.

She said the way to halt the spread was to stop 'unnecessary travel' and slow 'the movement of people'.

'The virus doesnt have legs, it spreads by people moving around,' she said.

'Reducing unnecessary travel is something we should be thinking across Australia at present.'

SA Health announced 50 Covid exposure sites on Thursday.
Federal Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has ridiculed Health Minister Greg Hunt for announcing Covid booster jabs will be brought forward for Australians, a day after criticising the Labor leader for suggesting it.

On Friday morning Mr Hunt announced that the Covid-19 booster shot interval will be brought forward from five to four months from January 4, and shorten again to a three-month gap as of January 31.

The move comes as cases of the Omicron variant continue to explode across the country and states bring back Covid restrictions.

Mr Albanese called for the policy yesterday morning, saying wait times for booster jabs in Australia were longer than the UK despite its larger population.

Mr Hunt responded in a press conference yesterday that Mr Albanese's call was 'utterly irresponsible' and that he had inappropriately pressured the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

'Utterly inappropriate. Utterly unworthy of somebody who wants to be a PM,' he said of Mr Albanese's call.

In a press conference on Friday, Mr Albanese said Mr Hunt's comments were 'quite extraordinary.

'He said that this was utterly irresponsible, utterly inappropriate and said only a fool would call for [the change in policy],' the Labor leader said.

'Well, less than 25 hours later, here he is not only calling for it, he is announcing it.'

Mr Hunt had also took issue with Mr Albanese's claim the government was closing testing sites despite the need for third jabs to combat the spread of Omicron.

'He is flat, plain wrong on Commonwealth testing,' Mr Hunt said, claiming there was no change to Commonwealth testing capacity.

'The generous interpretation is that, to quote Mark Twain, Albo: it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt,' Mr Hunt said.

'The ungenerous, and I hope the incorrect interpretation is, he lied. Either way, he was wrong.'

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said Health Minister Greg Hunt's announcement of a shortening of the gap between a second dose of a Covid vaccine and a booster jab was an example of the government announcing his party's suggestion as if it were its own

The Covid-19 booster shot interval will be brought forward from five to four months from January 4 as cases of the Omicron variant continue to explode, Health Minster Greg Hunt announced on Friday

Mr Hunt announced the move to shorten the gap between a second vaccine dose and a booster jab was made on the basis of ATAGI advice.

'On the basis of advice of ATAGI, it's no surprise we will be bringing forward the eligibility for the booster dose to four months as of 4 January,' Mr Hunt said.

The move would make 7.5 million Australians eligible for a booster from January 4.

'It will be expanded again on the 31st of January to three months and that will take it out to 16 million Australians who will be eligible at that point in time.

'As we have said all along, eligibility is the beginning of access, it doesn't mean that somebody is overdue the very day they become eligible.'

'This announcement today, which is quite extraordinary given Greg Hunt's comments yesterday afternoon follows a very consistent pattern,' Mr Albanese said in response.

'That pattern was followed with regard to wage subsidies and JobKeeper. Labor says something constructive, the Government ridicules it and trashes it and a day or two later, they announced it as their own policy.'

At Friday morning's announcement, Professor Kelly said receiving one of the first two doses of a Covid vaccine was still the most important priority for the vaccination program.

'We have seen a rise in intensive care patients in New South Wales in recent days, almost all of those have been unvaccinated,' Prof Kelly said.

He said the reasons for bringing forward the booster dosing was to protect those most at risk of severe disease and because, base don international advice, protection from two doses of a Covid vaccine began to wane over time.

'I will stress, just because you get to three months or five months or six months, it doesn't mean that you immediately that day lose your protection. That is not the case,' Prof Kelly said.

'It does decrease over time. It remains in place for severe infection but it is diminished for Omicron compared with Delta.

'Again, with the booster, it [protection] goes back towards the same levels as Delta. It will be an important and is already becoming an important part of our control of the current Omicron wave in Australia.'

Professor Paul Kelly said one of the reasons for the change to the booster gap was the Covid vaccines waned over time, particularly against the Omicron variant

Professor Kelly urged vulnerable people - the elderly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those with chronic disease and those who are immunocompromised - to come forward first for booster jabs.

'And just a real shoutout to anyone who is pregnant or is planning to be pregnant - these vaccines are very safe in pregnancy,' Prof Kelly said.

'We know now very clearly that both the woman who is pregnant and their unborn child, they are both at risk from this virus and vaccine does protect and is safe.'

Prof Kelly said the delay in switching to three months for a booster after a second vaccine jab was an implementation issue.

Up to 7.5 million Australians will be eligible for a Covid booster from January 4 and 16 million people from January 31, as the gap between a second dose of the vaccine and the booster is cut to three weeks

'Throughout this vaccination schedule, there's a sense that everyone wants to be vaccinated on the first day an announcement is made, that is not necessary and indeed is not possible.'

The planned vaccination of 5-11-year-olds beginning on January 5 was not a factor in the delay of the announcement regarding boosters, Mr Hunt said.

Prof Kelly said there were now 10,000 places in Australia people could get the third jab.

'We have our GPs, our pharmacists, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, they're all available, they'll all do booster shots, they're already doing booster shots and that will roll out as we go,' he said.

Prof Kelly was asked to address the comments yesterday of Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard, who said it was 'necessary' that Omicron moved through the community to increase general immunity.

'They are his views but we do know that living with Covid, there are two ways [of] people gaining protection against future diseases, that is getting the disease or being vaccinated.

'I know which one I would choose, I have chosen. I have in my booster and so has the Minister.

'That does give that extra level of protection and does protect you against severe disease but it is inevitable in this way that there will be many people that also get infected.'

Mr Hunt claimed extra supplies ordered of Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax would accommodate a fourth or even fifth booster for the Australian population in 2022.
Fake text messages about bogus deliveries have more than trebled in a year and account for more than half of all suspect messages sent to mobile phones, it was claimed yesterday.

UK Finance, a banking trade body, said just over half (55.94 per cent) of all reported scam texts in the final three months of this year have claimed to be from parcel delivery firms.

Over the same period in 2020, 16.37 per cent of bogus texts were about parcels.

Fake text messages about bogus deliveries have more than trebled in a year and account for more than half of all suspect messages sent to mobile phones, it was claimed yesterday (stock image)

The group obtained the figures from cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, which operates the 7726 text system allowing customers to report suspect texts.

These reports are used by the National Cyber Security Centre to take down fraudulent sites.

Fake texts often claim the courier has been unable to make a delivery, with a link to a website asking for personal and financial information.

The trade body also warned of scams in which a customer pays for goods that are never received.

Katy Worobec, of UK Finance, said: Whether youre shopping online or waiting for deliveries over the festive period, its important to be on the lookout for scams.

She added: 'Scrooge-like criminals are using the festive season to try and trick people out of their cash.

UK Finance, a banking trade body, said just over half (55.94 per cent) of all reported scam texts in the final three months of this year have claimed to be from parcel delivery firms (stock image)

'Dont let fraudsters steal your Christmas - always follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign and stop and think before parting with your information or money.'

Jacinta Tobin, vice-president of Cloudmark Operations for Proofpoint, said: 'Consumers need to be very sceptical of mobile messages that come from unknown sources.

'Its important to never click on links in text messages, no matter how realistic they look. If you want to contact the purported vendor sending you a link, do so directly through their website and always manually enter the web address/URL.

'For offer codes, type them directly into the site as well. Its also vital that you dont respond to strange texts or texts from unknown sources. Doing so will often confirm youre a real person to future scammers.'
A fiery debate has erupted online over which Australian honeycomb chocolate bar is better: the Crunchie or the Violet Crumble.

Kathryn Skidmore ignited the discussion when she asked on Twitter what was prefered Crunchies or Violet Crumbles to resolve a debate with a friend.

Both the chocolate bars feature a crunchy honeycomb interior while the outside is covered in chocolate.

Twitter is in a fiery debate over which Australian honeycomb chocolate bar is better: the Crunchie or the Violet Crumble

Crunchie or Violet Crumble? I know its been done before but my friends and I are having an argument pic.twitter.com/crBuCis6vX  Kathryn Skidmore (@kathy_skidmore1) December 23, 2021

People were quick to defend the Violet Crumble as 'original' honeycomb bar.

'The hill I will die on is that Crunchie is an extremely poor imitation of the far superior Violet Crumble,' one person wrote.

'Long term honeycomb afficionado (sic) here. It's like asking if you prefer the foam on the cappuccino to the actual coffee. I prefer the coffee, with a hint of foam. Hence, the #VioletCrumble. Even my cat is named after it,' a dedicated fan added.

The hill I will die on is that Crunchie is an extremely poor imitation of the far superior Violet Crumble. https://t.co/uSRbAFizLq  Atuin Sneezed (@damethelog) December 23, 2021

Dedicated Twitter users were quick to defend the Violet Crumble as 'original' honeycomb bar

Long term honeycomb afficionado here. Its like asking if you prefer the foam on the cappuccino to the actual coffee. I prefer the coffee, with a hint of foam.

Hence, the #VioletCrumble.

Even my cat is named after it pic.twitter.com/z7vWQVVXS8  Basketful of Kisses  (@RhodaPFem) December 24, 2021

Other users thought Crunchie the winner of the debate.

'Crunchie. Bite and let it melt in your mouth,' one user wrote.

'Crunchie. Always,' another person commented.

Some users argued that Crunchie had the better chocolate while the Violet Crumble has the better honeycomb.

Other confident users announced Crunchie the superior honeycomb-filled chocolate bar

Crunchie. Always.  Amanda - ASU  disability support worker (@amandajanewd) December 23, 2021

The real answer is Crunchie chocolate but with Violet Crumble honeycomb. https://t.co/AEmgMji5oU  Nikki (@too_knowing) December 24, 2021

Others took a completely different approach and recommended other honeycomb chocolates to debaters.

'We will step outside the two party system and recommend an independent Australian owned challenger. Both Violet Crumble and Crunchie are influenced by overseas interests (sound familiar),' one person wrote.

'Take some balsa wood and put chocolate icing on it and make one yourself. I'm still waiting for the Streets Triple Treat comeback,' another said.
Police have arrested a man in Sydney as part of an investigation into suspected terrorism offences.

Earlier in December the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team began investigating the online activities of a man who was reportedly sharing pro-Islamic State material and expressing extremist views in conversations across multiple platforms.

Police arrested a 34-year-old man on Friday morning in Caringbah, in the city's south, and took him to Sutherland Police Station where he will be charged.

Officers then searched a nearby home.

There is no ongoing threat to the community relating to this investigation, police said.

Police are holding a police conference on Friday morning to provide an update.
Actor Alec Baldwin has posted a video on Instagram days before Christmas where he appears to wallow in self-pity over the 'really tough time' he has been having in recent weeks after accidentally shooting dead a cinematographer on the set of Rust.

Baldwin, 63, uploaded a video of himself speaking directly into the camera two months after the tragic shooting on his Western movie set in New Mexico, when the actor accidentally shot and killed Halyna Hutchins, 42.

In a three-minute long rambling video, Baldwin appears despondent and weary as he tells followers how the only thing he is living for right now is his wife and children.

The video, which was posted on Thursday afternoon, shows Baldwin looking drained and tired, hair unkempt and his face unshaven as he unloads in a stream of consciousness rant where he says he is looking to the future.

First, though, he took time to thank the 'support' he had received from family, friends and fans.

'I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of the people who sent me such kind words and best wishes and strength and hope and prayers and so forth and thoughts and lots of encouragement and lots of really really great sentiments from so many people,' Baldwin began while standing outside.

"I got hundreds and hundreds of emails from friends, family and colleagues and people I haven't heard from in quite a while to send me strength and good wishes and so forth. I'm really grateful to them. Many people commenting on Instagram seem very very supportive about this difficult situation.'

Actor Alec Baldwin has posted a video in which he appears to wallow in self-pity over the 'really tough time' he has been having in recent weeks after accidentally shooting dead a cinematographer on the set of Rust

'I'm looking forward to some aspects of this being behind me, of course,' he continued.

'For everyone who is involved in this, it'll never be behind us because someone died so tragically. I never lose sight of that. Not a day goes by I don't think about that.'

Baldwin is currently the focus of an investigation into the death of Hutchins, who was shot dead on the film set of Rust in October.

The cinematographer was killed after a prop gun that Baldwin was holding went off. The director of the film, Joel Souza, was also shot in the shoulder and survived.

'I'm home with my family, the only thing I care about,' Baldwin continued.

'It's true, the only thing I care about is my wife and my kids and just want forward with my life try to get through through a tough time, a really tough time,' Baldwin said in the emotional video message.

'I wanted to say thank you to all the people who sent me good wishes and send me support I'm very grateful for that. I feel very awkward going through this. It has been very difficult. I wanna say happy holidays happy Hanukkah and Christmas and a happy Kwanzaa. Whatever holiday you're celebrating,' he continued in clip, which appeared to have been filmed in the Hamptons where the family have a home.

The actor said he was going through 'a really tough time' since the Rust shooting but there were plenty of supportive messages in response to his video message

Halyna Hutchins, 42 (left), was fatally shot in October. Pictured: Her husband, Matthew, 48, top right, and their 9-year-old son Andros

The set of Rust, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch outside of Santa Fe where the shooting occurred

Alec Baldwin is seen on October 21, after speaking to investigators about the fatal shooting

Hutchins was shot just moments after the crew entered a church set to rehearse a scene (pictured)

'I hope that you're as lucky as I am in one department and that you're home with your family. I'm home with my family. It's all I've got. The only thing that matters.'

'I don't have anything smart or original to say, just thank you to the people who sent me these great wishes. Be safe, wear a mask, get the booster. Don't let Santa Claus down the chimney without a mask,' Baldwin said when signing off.

In the latest development in the Rust case, investigators issued a search warrant for Baldwin's phone as local authorities in New Mexico continue to investigate the tragic accident.

Baldwin has not been charged, though the investigation continues and lawsuits have been filed. Authorities still do not know how a live round ended up in the prop firearm, and Baldwin has said he did not pull the trigger.

Halyna Hutchins, 42, died on the set of Rust when a gun Baldwin was handling 'went off' and shot her
A CNN corresponded said Wednesday that Joe Biden 'seemed confused' in his ABC News interview earlier this week, when the president appeared to mix up COVID-19 at-home tests and antiviral pills.

Biden, 79, spoke to ABC's David Muir for 20 minutes in an interview that aired on Wednesday and defended his administration against criticism of its handling of the pandemic and readiness for the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, but also admitting that there were certain mistakes made.

When asked about complaints that the lines to get tested for COVID-19 were excessive, with waits of over five hours in New York City as one example, Biden said that 500 million at-home tests had been ordered.

But several times he referred to the tests as 'pills' - potentially thinking of the Pfizer antiviral pills, which were federally approved on the same day.

'Repeatedly throughout this interview - President Biden seems confused and was confusing the half a billion tests that they've ordered with a half a billion pills,' said Jeff Zeleny, CNN's chief national affairs correspondent.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny - pictured on a panel on Wednesday night alongside Gloria Borger and John Kasich, in a discussion with Wolf Blitzer (left) - said Biden 'seemed confused' in his Wednesday night interview

CNNs Jeff Zeleny says Joe Biden is not accepting any responsibility for this lack of testing.



There is no sense from this administration [tests] will be sent out early in January as the president suggested." pic.twitter.com/S9C0MpfjqN  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 23, 2021

President Joe Biden said in an interview that aired on ABC News Wednesday evening that his administration's response to the pandemic has not 'been good enough'

'Of course, pills were in the news today with the Pfizer approval of the anti-viral, so he corrected himself, but that was one thing that stuck out to me.'

Zeleny, appearing on Wolf Blitzer's show on Wednesday afternoon, accused Biden of 'really not accepting any responsibility' for the lack of testing.

Biden, asked whether the administration should not have seen Omicron coming and prepared accordingly, said 'nobody saw it coming'.

Defiant, the president said they were doing the best they could.

Zeleny said it was not enough.

'Simply, this administration, and the president leading the charge here, really not accepting any responsibility at all for this lack of testing,' Zeleny said.

'We've seen these images across the country, long lines, just the inability to get tests.

'And yes, Omicron came on very quickly here, but it has been almost a month since Thanksgiving where they knew this was coming.

'So he said he wishes he could have acted faster, and then explains why he didn't.'

Zeleny also pointed out that he has not received detailed information regarding the delivery of the 500 million tests that Biden promised.

'But the question also is: The at-home tests for January - there is no sense from the administration that they will be sent out in early January, as the president suggested in this interview,' Zeleny concluded.

In the interview on Wednesday, Biden was asked how the administration had failed to see Omicron coming, and laughed.

Lines of people wait for their COVID tests in Queens, New York City, on Thursday

Biden sat down with ABC's David Muir at the White House in an interview that aired three days before Christmas to discuss a range of issues  including the lack of testing kits around the country as COVID surges and American travel for the holidays

Massive lines have formed around the country for Americans to receive free at-home rapid COVID testing kits ahead of the holidays. Pictured: City residents wait in line in Philadelphia for their kits on Monday

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

'How did we get it wrong?' the president responded. 'Nobody saw it coming. Nobody in the whole world. Who saw it coming?'

Host David Muir replied: 'Did the administration not expect that there could be moments like this one where you'd have a highly transmissible variant around the corner?'

Biden said: 'It was possible, and it's possible there could be other variants that come along.

'That's possible.

'But what do you plan for? You plan for what you think is available.

'That is the most likely threat that exists at the time and you respond to it. And I think that that's exactly what we've done.

'And that's - for example, Omicron is spreading rapidly, but the death rates are much, much lower than they were.

'This is not March of 2020. This is a very different time that we're in now.'

Omicron first emerged in Botswana, and then spread quickly through South Africa before being found in Europe - particularly the U.K. and the Netherlands.

The new variant - the latest to be considered by the World Health Organization an official variant of concern - is scything its way through the United States, and is on track to overtake Delta.

Omicron has 30 mutations, and appears to be significantly more transmissible than Delta - which was already remarkably virulent. What is not known yet is whether Omicron is more deadly.

'Omicron only really came on the scene just before Thanksgiving. We weren't talking about Omicron six months ago,' said Biden.

'But it's just recent.

'And so we are chasing Omicron.

'But the fact of the matter is, you're chasing whatever comes on the scene that hadn't, wasn't there before, and this wasn't there this last summer for example.'

Muir pressed Biden on whether the administration had failed the American people.

'We're nearly two years into this pandemic, you're a year into the presidency. Empty shelves and no test kits in some places  three days before Christmas when it's so important. Is that good enough?' Muir asked the president, in an interview that aired on Wednesday evening.

'No, nothing's been good enough,' Biden replied.

'But look, look where we are,' he added of the progress.

'Last Christmas we were in a situation where we had significantly fewer people vaccinated, emergency rooms were filled, we had serious backups in hospitals that were causing great difficulties.

'We're in a situation now where we have 200 million people fully vaccinated. And we have more than that who have had at least one shot  and we're getting these booster shots, as well.'

Asked if it was a failure of his administration, Biden replied: 'I don't think it's a failure.'

Why is the new Omicron variant so scary? What is so concerning about the variant? Experts say it is the 'worst variant they have ever seen' and are alarmed by the number of mutations it carries. The variant  which the World Health Organization has named Omicron  has 32 mutations on the spike protein  the most ever recorded and twice as many as the currently dominant Delta strain. Experts fear the changes could make the vaccines 40 per cent less effective in a best-case scenario. This is because so many of the changes on B.1.1.529 are on the virus's spike protein. The current crop of vaccines trigger the body to recognise the version of the spike from older versions of the virus. The Botswana variant has around 50 mutations and more than 30 of them are on the spike protein. The current crop of vaccines trigger the body to recognize the version of the spike protein from older versions of the virus. But the mutations may make the spike protein look so different that the body's immune system struggles to recognize it and fight it off. And three of the spike mutations (H665Y, N679K, P681H) help it enter the body's cells more easily. Meanwhile, it is missing a membrane protein (NSP6) which was seen in earlier iterations of the virus, which experts think could make it more infectious. And it has two mutations (R203K and G204R) that have been present in all variants of concern so far and have been linked with infectiousness But because the spike protein looks so different on the new strain, the body's immune system may struggle to recognise it and fight it off. It also includes mutations found on the Delta variant that allow it to spread more easily. Experts warn they won't know how much more infectious the virus is for at least two weeks and may not know its impact on Covid hospitalizations and deaths for up to six weeks. What mutations does the variant have? The Botswana variant has more than 50 mutations and more than 30 of them are on the spike protein. It carries mutations P681H and N679K which are 'rarely seen together' and could make it yet more jab resistant. These two mutations, along with H655Y, may also make it easier for the virus to sneak into the body's cells. And the mutation N501Y may make the strain more transmissible and was previously seen on the Kent 'Alpha' variant and Beta among others. Two other mutations (R203K and G204R) could make the virus more infectious, while a mutation that is missing from this variant (NSP6) could increase its transmissibility. It also carries mutations K417N and E484A that are similar to those on the South African 'Beta' variant that made it better able to dodge vaccines. But it also has the N440K, found on Delta, and S477N, on the New York variant  which was linked with a surge of cases in the state in March  that has been linked to antibody escape. Other mutations it has include G446S, T478K, Q493K, G496S, Q498R and Y505H, although their significance is not yet clear. Is it a variant of concern? The World Health Organization has classified the virus as a variant of concern, the label given to the highest-risk strains. This means WHO experts have concluded its mutations allow it to spread faster, cause more severe illness or hamper the protection from vaccines. Where did B.1.1.529 first emerge? The first case was uploaded to international variant database GISAID by Hong Kong on November 23. The person carrying the new variant was traveling to the country from South Africa. The UK was the first country to identify that the virus could be a threat and alerted other nations. Experts believe the strain may have originated in Botswana, but continental Africa does not sequence many positive samples, so it may never be known where the variant first emerged. Professor Francois Balloux, a geneticist at University College London, told MailOnline the virus likely emerged in a lingering infection in an immunocompromised patient, possibly someone with undiagnosed AIDS. In patients with weakened immune systems infections can linger for months because the body is unable to fight it off. This gives the virus time to acquire mutations that allow it to get around the body's defenses. Will I be protected if I have a booster? Scientists have warned the new strain could make Covid vaccines 40 per cent less effective at preventing infection - however the impact on severe illness is still unknown. But they said emergence of the mutant variant makes it even more important to get a booster jab the minute people become eligible for one. The vaccines trigger neutralizing antibodies, which is the best protection available against the new variant. So the more of these antibodies a person has the better, experts said. Britain's Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: 'The booster jab was already important before we knew about this variant  but now, it could not be more important.' When will we know more about the variant? Data on how transmissible the new variant is and its effect on hospitalizations and deaths is still weeks away. The UK has offered help to South Africa, where most of the cases are concentrated, to gather this information and believe they will know more about transmissibility in two to three weeks. But it may be four to six weeks until they know more about hospitalizations and deaths. What is the variant called? The strain was scientifically named as B.1.1.529 on November 24, one day after it was spotted in Hong Kong. The variants given an official name so far include Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma. Experts at the World Health Organization on November 26 named the variant Omicron. Advertisement

The president has been confronted with angry scenes as people wait for up to six hours to get tested for COVID-19. Some test sites in New York City have reported having to stop testing for several hours, because they have run out of tests.

Others - such as branches of the City MD clinics - have been forced to close, because they do not have enough staff to keep up with the pace of demand.

Governors across the country appear to have been caught off guard, and are now scrambling to catch up and prevent further chaos.

Biden expressed regret about not ordering the rapid, at-home tests sooner.

'I wish I had thought about ordering' 500 million at-home tests 'two months ago,' he told Muir.

He defended, however, his upbeat message earlier in the year.

In July, Biden told the country that a corner had been turned in the fight against COVID.

He said he did not regret the comments, and stressed that it was an ongoing fight.

'How are we going to do this? Are we certainly going to be able to overcome the Delta - excuse me, the virus, COVID-19?

'The answer is: the expectation is yes, because we have the best scientists in the world.

'We move so rapidly compared to other countries.

'But we don't know, we don't know for certain, so that's why.'
Tasmania has recorded 27 new coronavirus infections, the island state's most on a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.

The cases, reported on Friday, lift the number of active infections in the state to 79.

It comes a day after Tasmania recorded 26 cases, surpassing its previous record.

All the active cases have come since December 15, when the state reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travellers.

Thirty-seven cases are being managed at home, 21 at a community facility and 19 are still being assessed or processed.

Tasmania has recorded 27 new COVID-19 infections - a new daily high for the island state.

One case is in hospital for a different medical condition.

Health authorities had warned there would soon be locally transmitted cases.

'Within the coming days, we will start to see occasional cases of people who have been infected in Tasmania,' Public Health Director Mark Veitch said on Thursday.

'That's a very important reason to be mindful of the community risk and to take steps to reduce the risk of getting infected.'

More than 91 per cent of Tasmanians aged over 12 are fully vaccinated.
A young boy has died after being mauled by a dog during a horrific backyard attack on Christmas Eve.

The five-year-old was with his grandmother inside a home in Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast when the dog, reportedly an English bull terrier-American bulldog cross, attacked him about 11.45am.

He was rushed to hospital but died on the operating table, The Courier-Mail reported.

A Queensland Ambulance spokesman said the boy suffered life-threatening bites to his neck before going into cardiac arrest.

A young boy has died in hospital after being savagely mauled by a dog on the Gold Coast. Pictured is the dog believed to be responsible for the attack

The boy was reportedly playing with the dog in the backyard of a home where his family were house-sitting at the time of the attack.

His grandmother was also treated by paramedics after she bravely tried to save the boy from the animal.

A spokesman told Daily Mail Australia the boy was treated at the scene by Queensland's best paramedics from the High Acuity team.

The critical care staff in this team use techniques and therapies tried and tested on war battlefields.

It's understood the boy received an emergency blood transfusion, while his grandmother was treated for shock and minor injuries.

Queensland Ambulance Service Medical Director, Professor Stephen Rashford previously said: 'The only good thing about wars is that they result in medical innovation.'

Often, the techniques make a world of difference to patients who are losing too much blood.

'HARU is a patient-centric initiative providing a seamless approach for people with the most severe traumatic injuries from the time of the injury to when they receive hospital care and beyond,' he previously said.

'These paramedics provide care at a level seen nowhere else in Australia, and this is supported by extensive training and very strong clinical oversight by senior trauma physicians.'

'Several therapies used by the HARU team were developed in conflict areas in Afghanistan and they have been shown to have great value for patients with traumatic injuries.'

Some of the techniques used by the High Acuity Response Team include administering general anaesthesia on the road and performing surgical procedures on the chest to relieve the buildup of blood or air pressure.
A family's Christmas has been ruined after a three-year-old boy was tragically found face down in a lagoon on the Gold Coast.

The boy was pulled from the water at Ian Dipple Lagoon, Labrador, in a critical condition just before 9am after going missing.

Eyewitnesses, swimmers, and people in kayaks helped in the search to find the boy who was later found lying face down in the contained swimming area.

A boy was pulled from the water at Ian Dipple Lagoon (above) in a critical condition just before 9am after going missing

One witness said she was jogging past the lagoon when she heard cries of distress and decided to take action.

'I took my shoes off and just dived in,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'The water police, fire brigade, critical care ambulance staff were all there  other passers-by were also helping. People in kayaks were looking. Everyone was amazing.'

The tragedy unfolded at Ian Dipple Lagoon in Labrador, Gold Coast, Queensland

Swift water rescue and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services personnel all attended the scene.

Paul Young, a senior operations supervisor with Queensland Ambulance Service said they were called to the 'post-immersion incident' slightly before 9am on Friday.

He said he believes the boy was submerge for roughly 15 minutes.

Eyewitnesses, swimmers, and people in kayaks helped in the search to find the boy at the lagoon (above)

'I'm led to believe (he was underwater for) 15 minutes at this stage, the bystanders have said that,' he told Nine News.

CPR was performed on the boy before he was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital where he later died.

The jogger said the heartbreaking incident should serve as a reminder to swimmers to be cautious.

'It's a real reminder that no matter type of water it is, it's still dangerous,' she said.

CPR was performed on the young boy at the lagoon (above) before he was rushed to Gold Coast University hospital where he was tragically announced dead by police at 10:45am

Police announced the young boy's passing at 10:45am.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.

More to come
Australia's top doctor Paul Kelly has spelt out the stark choice facing Australians in the new normal of how to live with Covid and relaxed restrictions.

'There are two ways that will happen,' he said on Friday. 'That's either getting the disease, or getting vaccinated.

'I know which one I would choose. I have chosen - I've had my booster.'

The previously relaxed restrictions across the country are now tightening again as Covid case numbers surge to record levels.

And the chief medical officer warned vaccines and booster shots were now the key weapon against the disease.

Australia's top doctor Paul Kelly (pictured) has spelt out the stark choice facing Australians in the new normal of how to live with Covid and relaxed restrictions

Professor Kelly spoke out as he and health minister Greg Hunt revealed the Covid booster shot program was being accelerated after Christmas.

From January 4, anyone who had their second vaccine dose within four months can access a booster, before the waiting period drops to just three months by February.

'That does give that extra level of protection and does protect you against at least severe disease,' said Prof Kelly on Friday.

'But it is inevitable in this wave that there will be many people who also get infected.

'The reason is because, unfortunately, past infection with other variants does not give great protection against Omicron.'

Restrictions across the country are now tightening again as Covid case numbers surge to record levels (pictured, a Xmas shopper wears a mask in Sydney on Christmas Eve)

He said three main ways to guard against becoming Covid data were to get tested if requested or feel ill, staying in isolation after a positive test and following personal protection measures, like mask-wearing, whether or not they are mandatory.

'Please follow that, not because it's compulsory, but because that's the right thing to do,' he insisted.

But the best protection, he said was to get vaccinated and get the booster shot.

'Do not hesitate,' he said. 'Make that vaccination appointment. There's plenty of vaccines in the system to do so.'

The more rapid rollout of the booster shots comes after approval by ATAGI, which had previously set the waiting time at six months before quickly dropping that to its current five months.

Mr Hunt denied the move to slash the waiting time again had been political after growing pressure to speed up the program, and insisted the decision was based on medical evidence from overseas.

He also refuted suggestions that a decision to speed up the program had been delayed by a lack of vaccine supply

Mr Hunt says Australia has ordered enough supplies of Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax to give the country a fourth or even fifth booster shot in 2022.

The latest move will make 7.5 million Australians eligible for a booster from January 4.

'It will be expanded again on January 31 to three months and that will take it out to 16 million Australians who will be eligible at that point in time,' said Mr Hunt.

'As we have said all along, eligibility is the beginning of access, it doesn't mean that somebody is overdue the very day they become eligible.'

Chief medical officer Paul Kelly has warned vaccines are the key weapon against the disease

Professor Kelly said receiving one of the first two doses of a Covid vaccine was still the most important priority for the vaccination program.

'We have seen a rise in intensive care patients in New South Wales in recent days, almost all of those have been unvaccinated,' Prof Kelly said.

He said the reasons for bringing forward the booster dosing was to protect those most at risk of severe disease and because, based on international advice, protection from two doses of a Covid vaccine began to wane over time.

'I will stress, just because you get to three months or five months or six months, it doesn't mean that you immediately that day lose your protection. That is not the case,' Prof Kelly said.

'It does decrease over time. It remains in place for severe infection but it is diminished for Omicron compared with Delta.

The latest move to cut the waiting time from second dose to booster from five months to four will make 7.5 million Australians eligible for a booster from January 4

'Again, with the booster, it [protection] goes back towards the same levels as Delta. It will be an important and is already becoming an important part of our control of the current Omicron wave in Australia.

Professor Kelly urged vulnerable people - the elderly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those with chronic disease and those who are immunocompromised - to come forward first for booster jabs.

'And just a real shoutout to anyone who is pregnant or is planning to be pregnant - these vaccines are very safe in pregnancy,' Prof Kelly said.

'We know now very clearly that both the woman who is pregnant and their unborn child, they are both at risk from this virus and vaccine does protect and is safe.'

Prof Kelly said the delay in switching to three months for a booster after a second vaccine jab was an implementation issue.

Health minister Greg Hunt says Australia has ordered enough supplies of Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax to give the country a fourth or even fifth booster shot in 2022

'Throughout this vaccination schedule, there's a sense that everyone wants to be vaccinated on the first day an announcement is made, that is not necessary and indeed is not possible.'

The planned vaccination of 5-11-year-olds beginning on January 5 was not a factor in the delay of the announcement regarding boosters, Mr Hunt said.

Prof Kelly said there were now 10,000 places in Australia people could get the third jab.

He added: 'We have our GPs, our pharmacists, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, they're all available, they'll all do booster shots, they're already doing booster shots and that will roll out as we go.'
The thought of an overweight bearded man from the Arctic squeezing down your chimney in the middle of the night is enough to frighten many Aussie kids - even if it is in the name of being jolly.

But Santa Claus has got nothing on the terrifying Christmas crow who visits young children in the remote Indigenous community of Warmun in Western Australia's Kimberley region.

A murder of 'Wangkarnal Crows' swoop into Ngalangangpum School every year donning dramatic black cloaks with the hopes of handing out presents and scaring the life out of the town's children.

The Christmas creature, who has its roots woven into the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, either arrives in 4WD packed to the brim with eucalypts, or in a Robinson 44 helicopter.

A murder of 'Wangkarnal Crows' (pictured) swoop into the Ngalangangpum School every year donning a dramatic black cloak and piercing white eyes with the hopes of handing out presents and scaring the life out of the town's children

The terrifying Christmas crow visits young children in the remote Indigenous community of Warmun in Western Australia's Kimberley region

'Wangkarnal is like a different way of us celebrating Christmas, with a crow instead of Santa Claus. It's good fun when he comes because when they call out the little kids' names for presents, they act all frightened,' 13-year-old Zarafina Juli told the ABC.

The story of how the Wangkarnal Crow came to be dates all the way back to the Dreamtime - way before the Christian Christmas custom of Santa.

The Gija people believe the crow once got into a feathered fight with an eagle during the Ngarranggarni, or creation time, about 65,000 years ago.

The birds lived together on a hillside alongside where Warmun's Ngalangangpum School is today, but didn't always get on.

On one occasion, the eagle hunted down a kangaroo, brought it back, and cooked it while the 'lazy crow' rested.

The eagle became furious when the crow sidled over and started pecking meat off the kangaroo.

So much so the eagle 'grabbed a coal from the fire and threw it at the crow, and that's how the crow got white eyes,' Gija woman Vanessa Thomas explained.

The Ngalangangpum School (pictured) opened up in the late 1970s, blending traditional Indigenous culture like the Dreamtime, with the Catholic doctrine missionaries had imported to the area

The Christmas creature who has its roots woven into the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, either arrives in four-wheel drive packed to the brim with eucalypts (pictured), or in a Robinson 44 helicopter

To mark the Wangkarnal Crow's arrival (pictured) families gather at the school for a barbecue feast, live music and a junba - the art of storytelling through dance

How the crow became linked to Christmas remains a mystery, but during the 19th Century, Christian missionaries travelled to the area to preach the holiday to the Gija people.

The Ngalangangpum School opened in the late 1970s, blending traditional Indigenous culture like the Dreamtime, with the Catholic doctrine missionaries imported to the outback region.

Somewhere along the line, the Wangkarnal Crow became a focal part of this new and unique tradition.

To mark the bird's arrival families gather at the school for a barbecue feast, live music and a junba - the art of storytelling through dance.

In the midst of the festivities, the Christmas crow takes the stage to the horror and excitement of youngsters.

The Ngalangangpum School (students pictured) opened up in the late 1970s, blending traditional Indigenous culture like the Dreamtime, with the Catholic doctrine missionaries had imported to the outback region

When every child has received a gift, Wangkarnal vanishes and won't be seen for another year. Pictured: The remote town of Warmun

'Wangkarnal likes to frighten the children, but he also brings presents. When I was younger I was a bit nervous and shy when I saw Wangkarnal, but now he just makes me laugh,' Vincent Ramsay, 12, said.

When every child has received a gift, Wangkarnal vanishes and won't be seen for another year.

The bird's departure triggers a traditional dance by the Gija peopel.

'I'm not sure exactly how Wangkarnal as our Santa came about, but I just feel very happy that culture is still strong, and being passed on to our children,' Ms Thomas said.
A topless man is wanted by police for questioning after he footage showed him using a rock and a stick to rob a petrol station in Queensland.

The man is believed to have gone to the petrol station on Redbank Plains Road in Bellbird Park on Thursday night armed with a rock and a stick.

CCTV footage released on Friday shows the shirtless and barefoot man hurl a rock at a set of glass sliding doors, smashing one side to pieces.

Queensland Police are searching for a man who is wanted for questioning after he allegedly robbed a petrol station using a rock and a stick

He is then seen repeatedly trying to kick what was is left of the door, before threatening staff and demanding cash.

Queensland police allege after obtaining the cash, the man then fled on foot along Redbank Plains Road in a northerly direction.

He is described as white with blue eyes, a shaved head, and a goatee.

The man also has a district scar on the left-hand side of his forehead.

Queensland Police are appealing for anyone who may recognise the man to contact them via Policelink.
Ethan Crumbley, the 15-year-old accused of going on a rampage and killing four of his fellow students at Oxford High School in Michigan, was 'intent on violence,' prosecutors revealed Thursday.

The most troubling piece of evidence revealed was a drawing of a gun on a math homework sheet with the messages: 'My life is useless,' 'Blood everywhere' and 'The thoughts won't stop, help me.'

It's part of Oakland County prosecutors' attempt to paint his parents, James and Jennifer, both 43, as neglectful and aware of Ethan's potential for violence. The prosecutors' filings include allegations that Ethan's mother was carrying on an affair while ignoring her son's spiral and had texted her boyfriend about the murder weapon.

School counselors showed Crumbley's parents messages and drawings just hours before he fatally shot four and injured seven others on November 30.

Their son had allegedly drawn the messages earlier that morning and a teacher had found them, took a screenshot and got in touch with a counselor.

It's part of a pattern of signs that prosecutors accuse the Crumbleys of ignoring over the past six months suggesting that their teenager needed help.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald revealed two versions of a screenshot of Ethan Crumbley's drawings in a filing Thursday. In the first drawing, pictured, Ethan writes several troubling messages, such as 'My life is useless,' 'Blood everywhere' and 'The thoughts won't stop, help me.'

Pictured: A second piece of homework that Ethan allegedly altered crosses out other disturbing messages and adds ones like 'video game this is,' 'we're all friends here,' 'harmless act,' 'I love my life so much!!!!' and 'OHS rocks!'

Ethan, 15, (center) is charged as an adult with murder, terrorism and aggravated assault for the deadly shooting at Oxford High School on November 30 that killed four students and injured several others. James, 45, (left) and Jennifer, 43, (right) have each been jailed on $500,000 bond since their arrest on December 4

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald has charged James and Jennifer Crumbley in a rare move to hold the parents of an accused school shooter accountable

The Crumbleys' lawyers allege the parents were unaware that Ethan, 15 (pictured in court on December 13), was a danger to other students and are 'devastated by the school shooting'

They say that Jennifer and James 'failed to take even the simplest actions that would have prevented the massacre' in court documents.

Prosecutors also point out that the parents had recently bought Ethan a gun.

The Crumbleys 'knew their son was depressed, that he was fascinated with guns... that he had been researching ammunition while at a school and that he was seen watching violent videos of shootings that morning,' prosecutors said, but they purchased the gun for Ethan as an early Christmas present anyway

'All they had to do was tell the school that they had recently purchased a gun for their son, asked him where the gun was, opened his backpack or just take him home,' the prosecution alleges. 'Defendants were in a better position than anyone else in the world to prevent this tragedy, but they failed to do so.'

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald revealed two versions of the photo in the filing. A second version that Ethan allegedly altered crosses out the disturbing messages and adds ones like 'video game this is,' 'we're all friends here,' 'harmless act,' 'I love my life so much!!!!' and 'OHS rocks!'

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has been leading the county's case against the Crumbleys

The Oakland County Prosecutors' Office submitted filings Thursday in an attempt to keep the Crumbleys' bond at $500,000

McDonald argued that instead of caring for their son, the Crumbleys spent time with their horses and Jennifer pursued an extramarital affair.

Prosecutors allege Jennifer Crumbley had told her boyfriend the day of the shooting that the alleged murder weapon had been in her car.

The filings are part of a response by McDonald to keep Ethan's parents in jail on $500,000 bond.

James, 45, and Jennifer, 43, have each been jailed on $500,000 bond since their arrest on December 4. In Wednesday's filing, defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman asked that their bond be lowered to $100,000 each and said the couple would wear electronic monitors if released from jail.

McDonald, however, counters that the Crumbleys are a flight risk. They're also behind on house payments to the tune of $11,000 and are trying to sell their assets, included horses and their home.

Ethan is charged as an adult with murder, terrorism and aggravated assault for the deadly shooting at Oxford High School on November 30 that killed four students and injured several others.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald charged James and Jennifer Crumbley in a rare move to hold the parents of an accused school shooter accountable.

James and Jennifer are accused of making a gun accessible to Ethan and for failing to pull him out of school when summoned about his cryptic writings before the shooting on November 30.

Their lawyers allege that the Crumbleys were unaware Ethan was a danger to other students and are 'devastated by the school shooting.'

Prosecutors have argued that a 'don't do it' text Jennifer sent Ethan the day of the shooting proves she knew what was going on.

Defense attorneys said Jennifer was urging him not to kill himself, and not in reference to the deadly shooting that unfolded, her lawyers allege.

In a court filing seeking lower bond for parents Jennifer and James Crumbley, their attorneys claim the text Jennifer sent Ethan, 15, was a plea not to commit suicide following the shooting that had already taken place and is not an indication the couple knew of their son's plans.

In Wednesday's filing, the defense argued that the prosecution will be unable to prove Jennifer and James knew Ethan would take the gun they bought him as an early Christmas to his high school and fire at other members of the community.

'The prosecution will not be able to prove that the Crumbleys ... knew their son was a danger to other students, or that they knew there was a situation that required them to take care to avoid injuring another,' the lawyers wrote.

'The last thing they expected was that a school shooting would take place, or that their son would be responsible

Also, for the first time, the defense shared how James and Jennifer felt following the shooting.

'The Crumbleys, like every parent and community member, are devastated by the school shooting,' the court filing alleges. 'This situation is entirely devastating.'

The defense also noted there are community members who would 'vouch for the Crumbleys' but who wish to remain anonymous due to the 'overwhelming media attention' surrounding the case.

The legal team offered to provide the names of those individuals privately to the judge and prosecution.

Their attorneys argued the charges against the parents are 'inappropriate' and the case will raise 'unprecedented legal issues.'

'It is clear from the media appearances by Ms. McDonald that this case is one she takes very personally, was filed out of anger and filed in an effort to send a message to gun owners,' the defense stated in court documents.

In Wednesday's filing, the defense argued the prosecution will be unable to prove Jennifer and James knew Ethan would take the gun they bought him as an early Christmas to his high school (pictured) and fire at other members of the academic community

In an effort to stress their point, the attorneys cited statements McDonald made about the case in a Dec. 18 interview with NPR:

'I absolutely acknowledge that it hasn't been done before, though I didn't know that at the time,' McDonald said, according to the filing.

'I did receive pushback, but prosecutors don't like to do things for the first time, and they also don't like to do things that might result in a 'not guilty.''

The Crumbleys, like their son, are being held at the Oakland County Jail.

They were arrested on Dec. 4 after the U.S. Marshals offered a $10,000 bounty for information leading to their capture. Their absence prompted a manhunt involving several agencies, including the Marshals' Fugitive Task Force, state police and the FBI.

Law enforcement sources say the couple withdrew $4,000 from an ATM and were last seen around 2-3 pm shortly before the 4pm deadline to turn themselves in.

Smith said they had planned to appear the next day at a different court handling Saturday arraignments and were not trying to flee.

'It should be noted that the Crumbleys would not have retained (us) if their plans were to flee,' Smith and Lehman wrote in the filing.

A bond hearing for the parents has been set for Jan. 7.

McDonald has said she would oppose a lower bond. The Crumbleys were arrested at a Detroit art studio less than a mile from the Canadian border, hours after their charges were announced and they failed to appear in court on December 3.

Meantime, Jennifer's text message to Ethan only added fuel to the narrative surrounding the parents' alleged knowledge of the shooting.

Before the shooting, Jennifer bragged on social media about going out with her son to test his Christmas present - a 9mm handgun - just three days before the shooting and just one day after her husband, James, had purchased the gun for Ethan

According to authorities, Ethan was seen in class browsing for ammunition on his cellphone a day before the massacre.

When Jennifer was made aware of her son's 'inappropriate' web search researching firearm ammunition while at school, she texted him: 'LOL I'm not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.' She never responded to the school's message about the 'inappropriate internet search.'

Hours before the school shooting begun, the Crumbleys were called to the school to discuss Ethan's disturbing behavior including drawings depicting a gun, a bullet, blood everywhere, a shooting victim and a laughing emoji.

The note included the words: 'Thoughts won't stop, help me'; 'my life is useless' and 'the world is dead,' McDonald said. After the meeting, the Crumbleys left their son to finish the day at school when he opened fire on his classmates and teachers.

Both Crumbleys have pled not guilty to all four charges of involuntary manslaughter - one for each Oxford High School student who was killed. Each count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison along with a $7,500 fine and mandatory DNA testing.

Their 15-year-old son is accused of killing Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17, and injuring several others after opening fire in the school. Ethan was charged as an adult with two dozen crimes, including murder, attempted murder and terrorism, and is being held at the same jail as his parents.

Madisyn Baldwin, 17, (left) and Hana St Juliana, 14, (right) died in a shooting rampage at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit

Justin Shilling, 17, (left) died in the hospital the morning after the shooting and Tate Myre (right) died in the school on November 30

'These two individuals could have stopped it and had every reason to know he was dangerous,' McDonald told the judge during the Crumbleys' arraignment. She claimed that not one person in the community would vouch in favor of either Crumbley.

But Smith denied that James and Jennifer had any responsibility for their son's alleged crimes. She adamantly declared that it is 'absolutely not true' that they gave their child 'free access' to the weapon he used to kill several students at his Michigan high school.

The Crumbleys appeared in court on December 14 for a 20 minute hearing and asked to reschedule the preliminary exam which was scheduled for Wednesday. The court was adjourned until next month.

The hearing concluded with Judge Julie Nicholson granting a request by prosecutors and defense lawyers to postpone until February 8 a key preliminary hearing that will determine whether the Crumbleys will face a trial.

McDonald said she needs more time to collect a 'staggering' amount of evidence from investigators and share it with the defense.

The Crumbleys appeared in court on December 14 for a 20 minute hearing and asked to reschedule the preliminary exam which was scheduled for Wednesday. The court was adjourned until next month

The Crumbleys will all spend the holidays in jail pending a bond hearing for the parents in January (Pictured: James Crumbley being escort out of the courtroom on December 14)

'We have police narratives, we have digital evidence, we have video evidence,' McDonald later told reporters. 'We have viewed a lot of it, certainly enough to establish charges here. But there's also more investigation that needs to be done.'

In explaining her decision to seek the delay, the district attorney said she wants to give witnesses 'time to heal' through the holiday season before subjecting them to interviews as part of the ongoing investigation, the Detroit Free Press reported.

McDonald added that she and her prosecutors 'owe it to the victims' to go through every single piece of evidence and 'do this right.' She says that the hearing will involve 15-20 witnesses and last 3-5 days.

The couple did not speak, beyond acknowledging, when asked, that they understood and were waiving their right to a speedy preliminary exam, and confirmed that they wished to continue being represented together by their two attorneys.
Drivers are being warned to be extra cautious as police crackdown on Australian motorists this holiday season.

The warning comes as both NSW and the ACT bring in double demerit points from Friday.

NSW drivers caught travelling with two or more unrestrained passengers in the car will cop 12 demerits points, and could even lose their licence.

Motorists caught using their mobile phone while driving will get hit with 10 points.

Australians risk receiving double the normal number of points on their licence if they break road rules over the Christmas period (file image)

Police will also be cracking down on the four D's - drink, drug, dangerous and distracted driving, as motorists drive interstate to see family over the holiday period.

Both NSW and the ACT are punishing traffic offences - such as speeding or using a mobile phone while driving.

A driver breaking the speed limit by more than 45km/h in NSW during that period would therefore receive 12 demerit points - one less than the state's demerit point limit.

DOUBLE DEMERIT POINTS: Exceed the speed limit by 10km/h and under (2 points) Exceed the speed limit by over 10km/h (6 points) Exceed the speed limit by over 20km/h (8 points) Exceed the speed limit by over 30km/h (10 points) Exceed the speed limit by over 45km/h (12 points) Driver not wearing his/her own seatbelt (6 points) Driver penalty for each passenger not wearing a seatbelt (6 points) Rider on a motorcycle not wearing his/her own helmet (6 points) Rider penalty for passenger on a motorcycle not wearing a helmet (6 points) Using a mobile phone while driving (8 points) * Source: NSW Police Advertisement

In NSW and the ACT, drivers lose their licence for three months once they've accumulated 13 demerit points, while it's 12 points in WA.

Western Australia's rules are even tougher as motorists will have double points added to their licence for certain road violations committed from Friday until January 9.

That means anyone caught using a scrambler device to block a speed camera will receive 14 demerit points.

The other offences covered under WA's double demerit rules include drink and drug driving, failing to wear a seatbelt, running a red light and illegal use of a mobile phone.

Metropolitan Field Operations Deputy Commissioner Malcolm Lanyon said road safety-enforcement operations are in place to ensure everyone makes it home safe.

'This is the time of year for celebrating and being with those we care about, and anyone who travels to visit their friends and family needs to take special care to reduce the risk of not arriving safely,' Dep Comm Lanyon said.

'With rain predicted across the state in coming days, we also urge motorists to drive to the conditions and implore every road user to be aware of their surroundings and be courteous to others.

'So far this year, 262 people have lost their lives on NSW roads and we do not want any more families to be without someone these holidays, especially due to recklessness or carelessness.'

In Queensland, there is no specific Christmas double demerit scheme.

But as part of a year-round system, drivers will still be given double points if they commit an offence they have already been fined for in the past 12 months.

Victoria, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and South Australia do not have double demerit systems.

Both NSW and the ACT are punishing traffic offences with double demerit points from 12.01am on December 24 to 11.59pm on January 3 (file image of a traffic stop on Moore Park Road in Sydney)

However, authorities in all those states and territories have urged motorists to drive safely.

Victoria Police has said it will have a strong presence on the state's roads over the Christmas period.

The force is also running a 'knocking on doors' television advertising campaign.

The campaign highlights one of the worst parts of a police officer's job - telling someone their loved one has been killed in a road accident.
Kim Potter's (pictured) defense is seeking no jail time for the ex-cop despite Minnesota's six-year minimum sentence for manslaughter

Attorneys for the former Minnesota police officer who was convicted of manslaughter are seeking no jail time despite the six-year minimum sentence.

After days of deliberation, a jury found Kim Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter on Thursday in the April 11 death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, when Potter confused her handgun for her Taser and fatally shot the young man.

The defense will likely cite her remorse and no prior criminal history as factors for a sentence below the state guidelines

Potter, 49, faces a maximum of 15 years in prison on the first charge and 10 years on the second, with the sentencing expected to take place in February.

Since she has no criminal history, Minnesota guidelines recommend a sentence of six to eight and a half years in prison for the first-degree manslaughter charge. Guidelines recommend between three and a half and five years for the second charge.

The defense has said they are seeking no prison time for the ex-cop, while the state is seeking a 'fair sentence' for Potter that is 'above the guideline range'.

Potter was led away in handcuffs and ordered to be held without bail ahead of her sentencing. She is currently at Minnesota Correctional Facility - Shakopee, a five-level security prison located about 25 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis.

The defense will likely argue mitigating factors, such has Potter (seen with her defense at her Dec. 23 sentencing) having no prior criminal record and being remorseful for her role in Wright's death, in their bid for parole

Potter, a 26-year veteran of the force, claimed she accidentally shot Wright when she reached for her gun instead of her Taser during a traffic stop over his expired plates in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 11.

The jury deliberated for about 27 hours over four days before finding her guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter.

For first-degree manslaughter, prosecutors had to prove Potter caused Wright's death while recklessly handling a firearm in a way that death or great bodily harm to any person was reasonably foreseeable.

The second-degree manslaughter charge required prosecutors to prove Potter caused his death 'by her culpable negligence,' meaning that Potter 'caused an unreasonable risk and consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm' to Wright.

Under Minnesota statutes, Potter, who is white, will be sentenced only on the most serious charge of first-degree manslaughter because both of the charges against her stem from one act, with one victim.

The max for that charge is 15 years, but state sentencing guidelines call for much less.

For someone with no criminal history, like Potter, the guidelines range from just more than six years to about eight and a half years, with the presumptive sentence being slightly over seven years.

Kim Potter (left), 49, a 26-year veteran of the force, claimed she accidentally shot Daunte Wright (right) when she reached for her gun instead of her Taser during a traffic stop over his expired plates in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 11

The jury deliberated for about 27 hours over four days before finding Potter (pictured at her sentencing on Dec. 23) guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter

Attorney Paul Engh said the defense would be seeking a 'dispositional departure' from sentencing guidelines.

Under state statues, a mitigated dispositional departure occurs when guidelines recommend a prison sentence, but a judge allows the sentence to be 'stayed' - meaning the defendant doesn't go to prison.

Instead, the defendant is put on probation, home monitoring, or possibly sent to the local jail, said Marsh Halberg, a Minneapolis attorney who is not connected to the case. A defendant would be sent to prison to if conditions set by the court are violated.

In arguing that Potter should remain free on bail until she is sentenced, Engh said: 'She is amenable to probation. Her remorse and regret for the incident is overwhelming. She's not a danger to the public whatsoever. She's made all her court appearances.'

Chu was unmoved, and Potter was arrested after the verdicts were read.

Potter was led away in handcuffs and ordered to be held without bail ahead of her sentencing. She is currently at Minnesota Correctional Facility - Shakopee, a five-level security prison located about 25 miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis (pictured)

Under Minnesota statutes, Potter, who is white, will be sentenced only on the most serious charge of first-degree manslaughter because both of the charges against her stem from one act, with one victim. The max for that charge is 15 years, but state sentencing guidelines call for much less (Pictured: Shakopee women's prison in Minnesota)

The charges and penalties in the Kim Potter trial FIRST-DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER PREDICATED ON RECKLESS USE/HANDLING OF FIREARM AND SECOND-DEGREE MANSLAUGHTER: Potter was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter meaning she caused Wright's death while committing a misdemeanor - the 'reckless handling or use of a firearm so as to endanger the safety of another with such force and violence that death or great bodily harm to any person was reasonably foreseeable.'

She was also found guilty of second-degree manslaughter after she caused his death 'by her culpable negligence,' meaning that Potter 'caused an unreasonable risk and consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm' to Wright, while using or possessing a firearm. POTENTIAL PENALTIES: The maximum for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years; for second-degree, it's 10 years. But Minnesota judges follow sentencing guidelines that normally call for less - just over seven years for first-degree, and four years for second-degree.

Prosecutors have said they will seek a longer sentence due to aggravating factors, which is what they did in former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin's murder trial for killing George Floyd.

The longest sentences that could conceivably stick on appeal are double the top of the guidelines range. But that's more than the statutory maximum of 15 years for first-degree manslaughter, so 15 years would be the cap for Potter if she's convicted. The realistic maximum on the lesser charge would be 9 1/2 years.

Presuming good behavior, Minnesota offenders typically serve two-thirds of their time in prison and one-third on supervised release. Source: AP Advertisement

However, prosecutors have said they'd seek a sentence above the guideline range, while the defense said they would seek no prison time.

In order for Judge Regina Chu to issue a sentence that's outside the guideline range, she would first have to find either mitigating or aggravating factors.

Both sides are expected to file written arguments.

The prosecution will likely argue what they allege to be aggravating factors in Potter's case such as how she caused a greater-than-normal danger to the safety of other people when she fired into the car, including danger her fellow officers, to Wright's passenger and to the couple whose car was struck by Wright's after the shooting.

The state also claims Potter abused her authority as a police officer.

Meanwhile, the defense has a lot to work with in arguing mitigating factors because Potter has no prior criminal record and is remorseful for her role in Wright's death.

The defense can also make the argument that as a police officer, Potter's confinement would likely be harsher than most because of the need to keep her safe. The former Minneapolis police officer convicted in George Floyd's death, Derek Chauvin, has been in solitary confinement for that reason.

In determining a final sentence, Chu will consider the arguments made by both sides, as well as victim impact statements.

She has also ordered a pre-sentence investigation of Potter.

Potter can make a statement at her sentencing hearing - a time when judges are typically looking to see if a person takes responsibility for the crime or shows remorse.

Halberg said it's unlikely Chu would sentence Potter below the guideline range, saying: 'We live in such a politicized climate now for decisions.'

He predicted Chu would go above what guidelines suggest, or sentence her to the top range.

'If you stay within the box as far as the sentences being reasonable, it's a pretty hard thing to argue on appeal,' he said.

No matter what sentence Potter gets, in Minnesota it's presumed a defendant with good behavior will serve two-thirds of their penalty in prison and the rest on supervised release, commonly known as parole.

That means if Potter is sentenced to the presumptive seven years, she would likely serve about four years and nine months behind bars, and the rest on supervised release.

Once on supervised release, she could be sent back to prison if she violates conditions of his parole. If she gets the maximum 15 years, she could be behind bars for 10 before being placed on parole.

The defense can also make the argument that as a police officer, Potter's confinement would likely be harsher than most because of the need to keep her safe. The former Minneapolis police officer convicted in George Floyd's death, Derek Chauvin, has been in solitary confinement for that reason

Potter was sent to the state women's prison in Shakopee after the jury returned its verdicts.

Nicholas Kimball, a spokesman with the state Department of Corrections, said that in some cases, particularly those that are higher profile, people are transferred directly to the state prison as they await sentencing.

The same occurred with Chauvin, who was taken directly to the state's maximum security prison as he awaited sentencing for murder.

He was ultimately sentenced to 22 and a half years - above the guideline range - after a judge found aggravating factors in Floyd's death.
A woman carrying a pickaxe in broad daylight casually walked into a Los Angeles Rite Aid, stole merchandise and threatened store employees and customers, shocking video shows.

The bizarre footage captured the moment the unknown woman dragged a basket full of merchandise across the floor of the Rite Aid, in Venice, California, on Thursday morning.

She seems to be headed for the door, with basket and pickaxe in hand, before stopping by the counter and telling an employee she'll come back.

'I'm not f*****g around,' she says as an employee tries to ask her to stop as she makes a grab for beauty products.

'I don't want to smell like sh** when I'm knocking these b****** out,' she adds as she drops a spray into the basket.

Before leaving, she tells everyone at the store, 'Don't say sh**. Shut the f*** up. Be quiet and follow suit.'

Scroll down for video:

A woman was spotted walking around at a Los Angeles Rite Aid on Thursday with a pickaxe

The woman stopped by the counter and told an employee she was coming back

The women threatened employees and cursed out shoppers witnessing the crime

Police said no was injured during the incident and that they are still searching for the pickaxe-wielding suspect.

Detectives said It is currently unknown how much she stole from the shop, Fox 11 reported.

The incident comes as LA continues to suffer from a series of brazen robberies plaguing California since November.

During the first week of December, LA police arrested 14 suspects alleged to have been involved in 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores last month, where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen in strikes on an LA Nordstrom, a Lululemon in Studio City, a Fairfax district store, and a CVS pharmacy in South LA.

Eric Siddall of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys slammed LA DA George Gascon Monday for his silence on the recent string of smash-and-grab robberies

However, due to city's zero-bail policies, the suspects were all released within hours of being handcuffed and are currently walking the streets while they wait for their cases to go to court.

'If you look at the 14 people arrested, they could have been charged, there could have been bail amounts set, but none of that was done because the district attorney refuses to take a leadership position on this issue,' said Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, during an appearance on Fox News on Monday.

Siddall blamed Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon office's do-nothing approach to the rampant crime wave currently afflicting cities all across the Golden State.

Although burglaries have ultimately dipped over the past few years, homicide rates in LA have skyrocketed over the past two years.

Homicide rates in LA have skyrocketed over the past two years. At this time in 2019, the Los Angeles Police Department recorded 251 homicides. Burglaries have dipped in recent years

A map shows the locations of some of the major smash-and-grab robberies that have recently taken place in Southern California

At this time in 2019, the Los Angeles Police Department recorded 251 homicides. As of December 18, there have been 382 slayings in the city, representing a 52 percent increase, according to LAPD data.

The robbery at the Rite Aid also took place about 30 minutes away from a fatal shooting at a Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood.

A 14-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet after a Los Angeles Police Officer opened fire on a man assaulting a woman in the clothing store on Thursday, police said.

LA Police Capt. Stacy Sell said police responded to reports of an assault and shots being fired at the store just before noon.

When an officer arrived, Sell said the cop opened fire on the suspect, killing him and a 14-year-old girl who was hiding in the store dressing room with her mother.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange said the suspect and the victim were pronounced dead at the scene.

'While conducting that search for the suspect, the officers encountered an individual who was in the process of assaulting another, and an officer-involved shooting occurred,' Spell told reporters outside the store.

Another woman with moderate-to-serious injuries caused by the suspect's assault was transported to a hospital, Prange said.

Store employees told Fox 11 that a man with a crowbar came to the store and began smashing display cases as they hid for safety.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is currently investigating the case along with the LAPD since it involves an officer opening fire.

Witnesses said a male suspect began breaking displays at the store before assaulting a woman. An officer responding to the incident opened fire inside the store
Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo lashed out at Attorney General Letitia James after Nassau County confirmed the disgraced lawmaker won't face criminal charges for inappropriately touching a state trooper in 2019.

Cuomo has avoided charges after an unnamed female state trooper said she felt 'completely violated' by his unwanted touching at an event at Belmont Park, on Long Island, in September 2019, a Long Island prosecutor said Thursday.

Acting Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said in a statement on Thursday that an investigation found the allegations against Cuomo, 64, 'credible, deeply troubling but not criminal under New York law.'

Following the announcement, Cuomo fired back at AG James, whose office has produced a 168-page report with 74,000 pieces of evidence and dozens of interviews claiming that the former governor sexually harassed at least 11 women during his time in office.

Andrew Cuomo lashed out at Attorney General Letitia James calling her 168-page report into his inappropriate behavior 'gross prosecutorial misconduct and an abuse of government power for political purposes'

Attorney General Letitia James' report found that Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women in violation of federal and state civil rights law but left the possibility of pursuing potential criminal penalties to prosecutors

'With each passing day it becomes more and more clear that the Attorney General's report was the intersection of gross prosecutorial misconduct and an abuse of government power for political purposes,' a spokesperson for Cuomo said Thursday.

DA Smith opened the investigation into Cuomo's behavior at the race track after details of the encounter appeared in the AG's August report on the sexual harassment allegations against the former governor.

The report chronicled accusations from 11 women and led to Cuomo's resignation from office in August, though he has attacked the findings as biased and inaccurate.

'Her press conference proclaimed "11 cases of violations of federal and state laws," ignited the cancel culture mentality and started a media and political stampede against Governor Cuomo,' Cuomo added in his statement.

'James never presented the evidence to support such claims, her report omitted important exculpatory facts, she admitted her personal interference in preparing the report and had still refused to answer any questions from the press.

'It was obviously a political springboard to remove Governor Cuomo so she could run for office, however it was so poorly done and obviously it backfired and James' run for governor lasted only 5 weeks,' Cuomo said.

James was a top contender to take Cuomo's former position but dropped out of the gubernatorial race earlier this month after falling behind sitting Gov. Kathy Hochul in polling and fundraising numbers.

Nassau County District Attorney Joyce Smith said the allegations of Cuomo inappropriately touching a female trooper at Belmont Racetrack (pictured) in 2019 were 'credible, deeply troubling but not criminal under New York law'

Cuomo will not face criminal charges for his alleged actions at the racetrack but is currently face a misdemeanor charge for groping a former aide

After James' report was concluded, she said pursuing potential criminal penalties would be up to prosecutors.

According to the report, the female trooper said Cuomo 'ran the palm of his left hand' across her abdomen, to her belly button 'and he pushed his hand back to her right hip where she kept her gun' while she held a door open for him as he left an event at Belmont Park on September 23, 2019.

Cuomo was at the state-owned racetrack, home to the last leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, to break ground on a new arena for the NHL's New York Islanders. The arena, adjacent to the track's main grandstand and paddock, opened last month.

The trooper, a member of Cuomo's security detail, told James' investigators that Cuomo's conduct at the event made her feel 'completely violated because to me, like that's between my chest and my privates, which, you know, if he was a little bit north or a little bit south, it's not good.'

James' report said that although the trooper was upset by Cuomo's unwanted touching, she did not feel she could do anything about it.

'I'm a trooper, newly assigned to the travel team. Do I want to make waves? No,' she said, according to the report. 'I've heard horror stories about people getting kicked off the detail or transferred over like little things. ... I had no plans to report it.'

Cuomo's spokesperson Rich Azzopardi, in a statement released Thursday afternoon, said Cuomo didn't recall touching the trooper.

Azzopardi said it was common for the former governor to acknowledge a trooper who would hold the door open for him. Azzopardi didn't respond to a question about whether Cuomo would acknowledge troopers by touching them.

'As he has said many times, Gov. Cuomo did not remember touching the trooper, but said that it was a common custom for him to acknowledge the presence of a trooper - male or female - holding a door as he walked past them,' Azzopardi said.

'This was only meant to be an acknowledgment of their presence and nothing more.'

The trooper told James investigators that what happened at Belmont Park was just one of many instances of Cuomo's 'flirtatious' and 'creepy' behavior toward her.

She told investigators that Cuomo began flirting as soon as they met and quickly promoted her to his security detail despite her lack of experience.

One time, in an elevator ride in 2018, he traced his finger from her neck to her back, she said. 'He then said: 'Hey, you.' So I turned around and said, 'Oh, hey, how are you, sir?' And that was basically it. I kind of was like freaked out.'

She also claims he suggested she go 'upstairs' with him for a private tour of his residence at the Executive Mansion in Albany. 'It came off as creepy,' the trooper said.

Another time, he asked to kiss her in the driveway outside his Mount Kisco home and proceeded to peck her cheek, she said.

'I remember just freezing, being - in the back of my head, I'm like, oh, how do I say no politely?' she told investigators. She was worried he was 'going to take it out on the detail' and place her 'on the bad list.'

When he asked for a kiss a second time the trooper said she was sick. 'He looked at me almost in disgust that I had denied him,' the trooper told investigators.

The Nassau County investigation was limited to the encounter at Belmont Park, which is on the county's border with New York City. Authorities in other parts of the state have been looking into other allegations in James' report.

'We thank the brave individuals who came forward and cooperated with our office during this investigation, and gratefully acknowledge our colleagues, Attorney General James and the New York State Assembly, for their diligence and collaboration,' Smith said.

Brittany Commisso claimed that Cuomo violated her by running his hand under her shirt and grabbing her blouse during a holiday party at the governor's Executive Mansion in Albany on December 7, 2020. He has always denied her claims

The complaint, which was signed by an investigator from the Albany County Sheriff's Office, alleges that the former governor 'intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim and onto her intimate body part'

Following the release of James' report, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil inquiry in August into sexual harassment claims made against Cuomo. The exact nature of the inquiry and its current status is unclear.

In October, the Albany County sheriff's office filed a misdemeanor groping complaint against Cuomo, but a week later the district attorney asked a judge for more time to evaluate the evidence.

The DA said that the sheriff's one-page criminal complaint, based on allegations from a woman who said Cuomo slid his hand up her blouse and grabbed her breast at the governor's mansion in late 2020, was 'potentially defective.'

The charges relate to the allegation of Brittany Commisso, a former aide who claimed Cuomo groped her breast in the office of the Executive Mansion in Albany in December 2020, when he was at the height of his pandemic popularity.

Cuomo has continued to deny that the inappropriate encounter took place.

Commisso's claim was the most serious of all of the allegations listed in James' report, which Cuomo has always maintained was a hit-job by James to get him out of her way. She is running for governor in November 2022.

If convicted, Cuomo could face up to one year in prison.

The complaint, which was signed by an investigator from the Albany County Sheriff's Office, alleges that the former governor 'intentionally, and for no legitimate purpose, forcibly place his hand under the blouse shirt of the victim and onto her intimate body part.'

Cuomo's attorney Rita Glavin has said that Commisso's 'story changed over time.'

The complaint filed by the sheriff's department investigator said evidence in the case included police BlackBerry messages, cell phone records, building security records and a text message from Cuomo's mobile phone.

District attorneys in Oswego, Manhattan, suburban Westchester and Nassau counties also had said they asked for investigative materials from the attorney general's inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges.

At the prosecutor's request, a court delayed Cuomo's scheduled arraignment until January 7.

The book, released in October 2020, centered on Cuomo's early handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state

In November, the state Assembly Judiciary Committee released the findings of a separate probe concluding that Cuomo engaged in sexual harassment on multiple occasions and misappropriated state resources and staff to help him write a memoir that landed him a million dollar book deal.

Cuomo has angrily denounced an ethics panel's decision to force him to return the $5.1 million paid for his 2020 book, describing it as 'political hypocrisy and duplicity at its worst'.

Earlier this month, Cuomo was ordered to turn over the proceeds to the AG's office within 30 days, following a probe by a state ethics panel.

The profits from Cuomo's 'American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic' came into question in October, when the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) announced that it was conducting an internal inquiry, reassessing its initial approval of Cuomo's 2020 book.

'Gov. Cuomo is not legally entitled to retain compensation for any form of outside activity related to the book,' said David McNamara, the commissioner, and a Senate Republican appointee.

Cuomo's spokesman Rich Azzopardi condemned the decision, describing it as vengeance orchestrated by Cuomo's political rivals.

'This is political hypocrisy and duplicity at its worst,' Azzopardi wrote in a statement.
The father of a six-year-old girl who got together with her older siblings to buy a home hopes the purchase will give his children a head start in Australia's tough property market.

Cam McLellan, 47, encouraged his kids Hannah, 14, Gus, 12, Lucy, 11 and Ruby, six, to save $2,000 each to go towards a deposit on a block of land in Clyde, a rural suburb about 48km southeast of the Melbourne CBD.

The siblings packed thousands of their father's property investment books in return for pocket money to save up and buy their very first home.

The plot of land cost $671,000, with Mr McLellan and his wife Felicity helping their children reach the $120,000 deposit, while also designing the house that will eventually be theirs.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the property investment expert said he wanted to help his children get a foothold in the market as early as he could.

'It's much harder now for people to enter the property market and in years to come it's just going to get harder,' he said.

Cam McLellan, 36, (pictured with wife Felicity and four kids) encouraged his children Hannah, 14, Gus, 12, Lucy, 11 and Ruby, six, to save $2,000 each to go towards a deposit on a block of land in Clyde, a rural suburb about 48km southeast of the Melbourne CBD

'That being the case, my wife and I knew we were always going to have to help our kids get into the market and so we thought, why not now?'

Mr McLellan set up a trust to help his children secure the mortgage with plans to list the home on the rental market once construction is complete at the end of next year.

He predicts the property will double in value to about $1,342,000 in 10 years.

The family will then sell the house with the kids splitting the profits.

But Mr McLellan insists it won't be a 'free ride', with his four children paying back the portion of the deposit he and his wife put down.

In order to save the $2,000 each, Mr McLellan put his children to work packing thousands of his bestselling book My Four Year Old, the Property Investor, which has sold more than 120,000 copies.

'They got 20c per book,' he said.

To save the $2,000 each, Mr McLellan (pictured with daughter Ruby) put his children to work packing thousands of his bestselling book My Four Year Old, the Property Investor, which has sold more than 120,000 copies

Mr McLellan is the director and co-founder of property company OpenCorp but says he and his wife don't work because they live off their extensive investment portfolio.

'Our kids have seen a very different lifestyle from us compared to some of their friends' parents and I wanted to teach them that skill to invest,' he said.

His older children already have their heads wrapped around what it takes to invest in properties, and concepts such as capital gains tax.

Ruby, Gus and Lucy McLellan (pictured) purchased the block of land with plans to eventually build on it and sell up in 10 years' time

Ruby (pictured) and her two siblings have officially become the proud owners of a brand new home in the latest indication of Australia's insane property market

Mr McLellan even took them through a detailed analysis on the investment of the property, outlining all the costs associated with their latest purchase.

But for six-year-old Ruby, the idea of owning a house wasn't as simple.

'The older kids haven't actually told their friends but Ruby keeps asking ''why can't I have a sleepover in my new house'',' he said.

As for investing, Mr McLellan says his kids now have the tools to set them up for life.

Cam McLellan (pictured with his partner) is the director and co-founder of property company OpenCorp and recently authored a step-by-step investment manual

'It's something they've grown up being a part of, investing and looking at house plans,' he said.

'The kids will be smart investors, I don't care professionally what they do, but they'll have the smarts to do it - investing isn't something you're taught at school.

'If people have got a better way of helping out their kids then good luck to them.'
A senior banker was yesterday named as the Governments preferred candidate to oversee NHS England as extra cash is poured into the health system.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid wants former TSB chairman Richard Meddings, 63, to take over as chair of NHS England, to hold health chiefs to account for how they spend public money.

The choice could prove controversial within the NHS as Mr Meddings has no known experience within healthcare, and led TSB when it was hit by an IT meltdown that left almost two million people locked out of their accounts for weeks - a fiasco that saw it nicknamed the Truly Shambolic Bank.

A senior Government source said ministers wanted to appoint someone from outside the health service to oversee the use of extra taxpayers cash to tackle record waiting lists caused by the pandemic.

Former TSB chairman Richard Meddings, 63, is the Governments preferred candidate to oversee NHS England, to hold health chiefs to account for how they spend public money

The source told the Daily Mail: He is a private sector heavyweight with masses of experience.

This is a critical time for the NHS and we need someone who can hold the organisation to account for the reforms needed and huge amount of taxpayers money going into the service.

NHS Englands current chair, Lord Prior of Brampton, a Conservative peer and former health minister who had previously chaired several NHS organisations, is to step down next year.

Ministers want his successor to drive through reforms, oversee spending and to improve the NHSs use of digital technology.

NHS England has a 150billion annual budget and employs 1.2million staff, and the chairmans role pays 63,000-a-year for three days a week.

Mr Meddings led TSB when it was hit by an IT meltdown that left almost 2million people locked out of their accounts for weeks - a fiasco that saw it nicknamed the Truly Shambolic Bank

Mr Meddings was chair of TSB until earlier this year and is also a non-executive director of the Treasury, and of Credit Suisse.

He chairs Teach First, a not-for-profit scheme which coordinates teacher training and aims to improve education standards in deprived areas.

The chartered accountant was previously the finance chief at the Standard Chartered bank during the financial crash and served on the board of Deutsche Bank when it paid more than 5billion to settle US allegations of mis-selling mortgages.

He became chairman of TSB just months before a botched computer upgrade in 2018 that left millions without access to their accounts and 1,300 losing money through fraud attacks.

NHS Englands current chair, Lord Prior of Brampton, a Conservative peer and former health minister who had previously chaired several NHS organisations, is to step down next year

Mr Meddings apologised to customers for the debacle, which left TSB with a 370million bill for customer compensation and expenses. He was also hauled before MPs to face questions.

His experience of handling crises then saw him appointed to the board of Credit Suisse shortly after the Swiss banking giant was accused of spying on some of its top executives.

MPs on the Health and Social Care Select Committee will now consider him for the NHS England job.

Their report will be considered by Mr Javid before any appointment is formally agreed.
A shootout at a Chicago-area mall has left four people shot - including a suspect who has been arrested by police.

Four people were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries following the incident, which took place around 6pm yesterday at the Oakbrook Center Mall, police have said.

Speaking about the shooting, Oak Brook police chief James Kruger said that the shootout, believed to have involved two people, began in a corridor inside a Nordstrom store at the mall, Fox News reports.

He told WFLD-TV: 'We believe that two individuals that were known to each other shot at each other, and potentially three would have been struck by gunfire either directly or by ricochet.'

Four people were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries following the incident, which took place around 6pm yesterday at the Oakbrook Center Mall, police have said

Pictured: A row of police cars outside the Oakbrook Centerl Mall are seen with their lights flashing last night

Pictured: Oak Brook police have released images of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the shooting

All four people who were shot in the incident were transported to hospital and their injuries are considered non-life threatening - one of these four is believed to be a suspect in the shooting.

And another person of interest was also arrested and remains in police custody - while police believe that a third suspect could still be on the run.

The identities of those who have been injured and of the suspect have not yet been made public.

One person also suffered an injury to their ankle while attempting to flee from the shooting.

Pictured: An ambulance seen outside the shopping mall last night. Four people were transported to hospital following the shooting

A police officer on duty in the mall alerted other officers to the incident yesterday, around 6pm, after hearing shooting

The incident was first reported when an Oak Brook police officer, on duty in the Nordstrom store, notified other officers after hearing gunshots.

The two men believed to have been involved in the shootout then ran into the store as they tried to escape the area.

Kruger added that SWAT teams were searching store-to-store to ensure that no other suspects remain inside the mall, which has been locked down as officers continue to investigate.

During initial searches of the mall, an unspecified weapon was recovered by officers.

The Oakbrook Center issued a statement following the incident in which it thanked the police for their work and said that the events were 'extremely upsetting for our shopping center community'.
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Dozens of Communist officials in China have been punished for failing to stop a Covid-19 outbreak in the city of Xi'an, which was locked down after just 250 cases.

The city's 13 million residents were ordered on Thursday into a draconian stay-at-home lockdown, meaning all households may only send one household member outside once every two days to shop for necessities.

All others have been ordered to remain indoors except for emergencies, while non-essential businesses and public transport links out of the city have been shut down.

Pictured: Police officers patrol the empty Xi'an North Railway Station after a citywide lockdown was imposed to halt the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus on December 23, 2021 in Xi an, Shaanxi Province of China

Pictured: A map showing Xi'an, a Chinese city of 13 million that has been locked down due to an outbreak of Covid-19, and its relative location to Beijing - where the 2022 Winter Olympics will be held in February - some 570 miles away

China's disciplinary body announced the punishments of the officials on Friday, the latest state reprimands under Beijing's strict zero-Covid approach.

China, where the Covid-19 was first detected in late 2019, is on high alert for new cases as it prepares to hold the Winter Olympics in February in the capital Beijing, and as the more infectious variant Omicron spreads rapidly around the globe.

The world's most populous nation claims to have reduced cases to a minimum thanks to its zero-Covid strategy of tight border restrictions, lengthy quarantines and rapidly implemented, targeted lockdowns.

But cases have been bubbling up in recent weeks - with Xi'an, home to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors, telling all 13 million residents to stay home from Thursday, shuttering businesses and launching several rounds of mass testing.

Residents 'should not leave the city unless necessary,' the government said, adding that those seeking to leave would have to provide evidence of 'special circumstances' and apply for approval.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Friday that 26 Communist Party officials had been punished for 'insufficient rigour in preventing and controlling the outbreak'.

Xi'an reported another 49 cases on Friday, bringing the total outbreak to more than 250 in recent weeks.

Chinese officials who are deemed to have failed at controlling the virus in their region are regularly sacked or reprimanded.

Pictured: People line up for COVID-19 tests in Xi'an in northwestern China's Shaanxi Province, Thursday, December 23, 2021

The statement said inspections had revealed there had been a lax approach to testing and an uncoordinated response that hindered contact tracing in Xi'an.

Authorities would clamp down on 'bureaucratic issues in disease control work such as shirking responsibility, not taking action, passing the buck and dealing with things in a negative way', a Party discipline official said.

A party secretary in Inner Mongolia was sacked after his area was hit by a cluster of cases in October, while the head of Zhengzhou city's health commission was sacked in August after cases this summer.

Cases from Xi'an have so far spread to five other cities including Beijing, according to state media - fuelling fears about how quickly the virus can spread geographically across the vast country.

Under lockdown rules, since Thursday all households in Xi'an have only been permitted to send one member outside every two days to purchase necessities.

Residents who want to leave the city must first apply for approval, while major venues including the museum housing the Terracotta Army - the mausoleum of China's first emperor - have been shut until further notice.

Police officers patrol the empty Xi'an Railway Station after a citywide lockdown was imposed to halt the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus on December 23, 2021 in Xi'an

Long-distance bus stations were closed and authorities have set up disease control checkpoints on highways out of Xi'an, government notices said.

More than 85 percent of flights to and from the city's main airport have been grounded, according to flight tracker VariFlight.

Inside the city, passenger capacity has been slashed on buses and trains, and schools closed.

All 'non-essential' businesses and public facilities aside from supermarkets, convenience stores and medical institutions have been ordered to close, while the local government has urged employers to allow people to work from home, CCTV reported.

Large-scale meetings including activities in outdoor parks have been suspended.

China is one of the world's last countries holding on to the zero-Covid strategy, introducing regional lockdowns at the first sign of infections. Authorities say they have contained more than 30 outbreaks in the last two years with this method.

Police officers patrol the empty Xi'an North Railway Station after a citywide lockdown was imposed to halt the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus on December 23, 2021 in Xi an, Shaanxi Province of China

However, there are fears that China is unprepared for the more infectious Omicron Covid-19 variant, which could lead to more lockdowns and more economic disruption.

Researchers from Hong Kong said in a statement that three doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine do not produce adequate levels of antibodies to fight the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Their analysis revealed Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was more effective, as a third dose of the shot administered after two doses of the same or China's Sinovac vaccine provided 'protective levels' of antibody against Omicron.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have said their three-shot course was able to neutralise the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test.

The latest study was conducted by researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund and the Government of Hong Kong.

The statement did not say how many samples were used in the analysis. Sinovac did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pictured: Cars drive down a nearly empty street in Xi'an in northwestern China's Shaanxi Province, December 23, 2021

Sinovac's CoronaVac and state-owned Sinopharm's BBIBP-CorV vaccine are the two most-used vaccines in China and the leading COVID-19 vaccines exported by the country. Sinopharm also has a second vaccine in use in China.

Hong Kong has been using the Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech shots. But people aged 12-17 are eligible only for the BioNTech vaccine.

Xi'an is not the only city to be forced into lockdown this week. The southern city of Dongxing on Tuesday ordered its 200,000 residents to isolate at home after an infection was detected.

The country has stepped up its already-strict zero-tolerance Covid policy as it braces for the arrival of thousands of international athletes at the Olympics just over a month away, with the capital Beijing demanding negative Covid tests from visitors and limiting flights from other cities.

Covid-19 is not the only scourge to hit Xi'an in recent weeks, with the city also logging several cases of potentially deadly haemorrhagic fever since the beginning of winter.

Local authorities have urged calm about the rodent-borne disease, saying it is common across northern China and easily preventable through vaccination.
Santa Claus has set off from Lapland and is speeding around the world as he delivers billions of presents with the help of his reindeer this Christmas Eve.

Booster-jabbed Father Christmas has donned a face mask for descending down chimneys into homes across the globe from Beijing to Boston.

Mr. Claus - last spotted soaring over the Indian Ocean - is being tracked by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) who are employing all their military expertise to keep us updated.

Santa is expected to enter UK airspace between 9pm and midnight (GMT), and around the same time (ET) in North America.

You can follow along with live video below showing the red-suited man being hauled across the planet in his sleigh by Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and red-nosed Rudolph leading from the front.

Dr Anthony Fauci confirmed earlier that St Nicholas was 'fully vaccinated and boosted' and that nothing - not even a pandemic - would stop his generous mission.

LIVE: Santa Tracker 2021

SYDNEY: Santa flies past the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia on Friday

SHANGHAI: Santa makes his way around the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, China

SYDNEY: Santa flying over the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia today

JAPAN: Santa flies over Mount Fuji on Christmas Eve as he makes his way through the Far East

Santa Claus, who is understood to have received his booster jab, is seen wearing a mask as he flies over the South Pacific earlier today with his reindeer

MALAYSIA: Santa flying by the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

'Santa already has great innate immunity,' Fauci told USA TODAY. 'This year he is even more protected because he has been fully vaccinated and boosted. Santa will be just fine and is good to go!'

Santa began his journey by soaring over the Russian Far East, heading south into the Pacific by late morning London time.

Rudolph cornered sharply over Christchurch, New Zealand, at around noon and led the pack on towards Australia before making for Japan.

The sleigh will continue northerly through Asia before charting a route across Africa.

From there, the sleigh will enter European airspace, arriving in Britain before heading out across the Atlantic to Canada, the United States, Mexico and South America.

Earlier, Santa was making a list and checking it twice as he worked alongside his elves to make final preparations, packing the last of the presents and feeding his reindeer ahead of the journey.

NORAD said earlier the conditions at the North Pole 'indicate good weather for flying.'

NORAD will be working alongside various international partners to keep an eye on Santa, including the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force, as well as the US Secret Service.

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) are employing all their military expertise to keep us updated.

NORAD operatives tracking Santa on Christmas Eve at the Canadian Forces Base in North Bay

KOREA: Santa crossing the border between North and South Korea on Friday afternoon

JAPAN: Santa was dashing across Japan this afternoon as he made the rounds ahead of moving west

NEW ZEALAND: Claus is spotted over Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday at around noon UK time

NEW ZEALAND: Santa flying over New Zealand on Christmas Eve

JAPAN: Mr Claus makes his way over Tokyo at around 2pm GMT

NEW ZEALAND: Santa traditionally begins his journey out in the Pacific, visiting New Zealand and Australia, before heading west to Japan and then up through Asia before charting a route across Africa.

RUSSIA: Santa heading over the Russian Far East this morning

The US Secret Service said had readied its team to help escort Santa as he makes his rounds across the country tonight.

'The Big Red Protective Detail is selected, assembled and stands ready to fulfill their seasonal mission. The American public can rest assured that Mr. S. Claus, here from the North Pole, will travel safely and securely throughout his U.S. tour,' the Secret Service tweeted.

Meanwhile the RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire said it was using its massive radar systems to help NORAD track Santa on his globe-trotting trip.

'It is a team effort to track #Santa. Cheers @RAFFylingdales!,' NORAD tweeted.

AUSTRALIA: Santa cruising over the west coast of Australia at around 2.30pm London time

JAPAN: Santa was flying over Tokyo at around 2pm London time

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will be using their military expertise to help track Father Christmas as he plots his course to billions of chimneys around the world.

NORAD tweeted this photo earlier from the North Pole, saying that conditions today looked good for flying

Santa earlier today packing up the last of the presents for his sleigh ride across the planet

NORAD has been tracking Santa's whereabouts on Christmas Eve since 1955.

For the rest of the year, NORAD is responsible for protecting America's planes and airspace but, every Christmas Eve for the last 65 years, it puts its important work on hold for another matter of global importance - that Santa safely delivers all his presents on time.

'The same assets we use in our aerospace warning and aerospace control missions 24/7/365 are used on Dec. 24 to track and escort [Santa],' the agency tweeted.


A six-year-old tube super fan is hoping to break the world record as the youngest person to visit all 272 London Underground stations, can recite the capital network map by heart and even has a tube-themed bedroom.

Lewis Wing, from East London, became a passionate fan from the age of three after growing up near a Jubilee Line depot.

He is now six and has just finished a tour of all 272 of London's stations and is hoping he has broken a World Record as the youngest person to complete the mission.

Lewis Wing is now six and has just finished a tour of all 272 of London's stations and is hoping he has broken a World Record as the youngest person to complete the mission. Pictured: Lewis in his tube-themed bedroom

The schoolboy began his project with the help of his parents Sheina Vasudevan, 46, and Peter Wing, 49, three years ago.

His mission finished on September 20 when he went to the last two stations on his list- Battersea Power station and Nine Elms.

The youngster is now waiting to hear from Guinness on whether he has broken the record.

His mother said: 'We live near the Jubilee line depot so we can only assume his love blossomed from there.

'We were taking him on the Tube as transport from three months, and as soon as he could speak he was asking to go on the Tube.'

The schoolboy (pictured left and right) began his project with the help of his parents Sheina Vasudevan, 46, and Peter Wing, 49, three years ago

Tube-mad Lewis added: 'I like all trains. They're awesome.'

The mission to visit all 272 stations in London started when he was three as he and his parents used the tube to travel around.

He became more and more interested and began requesting visits, as well as doing his own research, and even memorising the Tube map - which he can recite any route from by heart.

Lewis is obsessed with trains and has been travelling on them since he was very little

Lewis became more and more interested and began requesting visits, as well as doing his own research, and even memorising the Tube map - which he can recite any route from by heart

His mother began decorating his bedroom with a variety of London Underground-themed decorations - from bedsheets and cushions to a hand-decorated clock - and his love only grew from there.

They decided to take a snap of Lewis at every station they visited - and it soon spiralled into a challenge for him to visit every station in London.

Lewis ticked off the final two stations on the his - around three years after beginning his mission - on September 20.

His mother began decorating her son's bedroom with a variety of London Underground-themed decorations - from bedsheets and cushions to a hand-decorated clock - and his love only grew from there. Pictured: Lewis at Heathrow Terminal 5

Sheina said: 'We went to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station on the day they opened.

'We had to contact Transport for London to find out when they would actually be open to go and complete the set.'

Lewis said: 'We went straight from school - it was the most tiring Monday of my life.'

Reflecting on the past three years, he said his favourite stations were Sudbury Town 'because it looks nice on the outside' and Stratford 'because it looks nice on the inside'.

His parents decided to take a snap of Lewis at every station they visited - and it soon spiralled into a challenge for him to visit every station in London

Now he has completed his mission, the six-year-old is waiting to hear back from Guinness on whether he has become the youngest person ever to visit all 272 stations.

Sheina said: 'He knows everything about it - we don't even question his knowledge any more.

'Every morning he checks the Transport for London status report and it shows.

Now he has completed his mission, the six-year-old is waiting to hear back from Guinness on whether he has become the youngest person ever to visit all 272 stations

'Lots of six-year-olds sit around in front of the TV or a games console all day - so it's an interesting passion to have!

'Now Lewis has made it his mission to visit every national railway station - there are more than 2000.

'I think he can do that one for himself when he's a bit older!'
A man who raped and molested a sleeping woman at a New Year's Eve party was jailed for seven and a half years, almost a decade after the crime took place.

Haydn Bingham, 58, attacked a woman in her twenties during a house party on December 31, 2012, before offering to give her money for a taxi fare home.

Bingham was finally caught after the victim told her partner in 2018 what had happened to her.

The judge who sentenced Bingham said he had shown 'absolutely no remorse' for his actions.

Haydn Bingham, 58, undressed, molested and raped a woman in her twenties as she was sleeping after a New Year's Eve party in Coventry

Warwick Crown Court's Nightingale Court heard Bingham, from Bedworth, Warwickshire, pounced on the woman after she passed out during the house party in Coventry.

In the early hours of New Year's Day he went upstairs to a room where the young woman was sleeping and undressed her.

Gary Venturi, prosecuting, said: 'She woke and made it plain she wanted nothing to do with him, but he performed oral sex and raped her.

Bingham was arrested in 2018 after his victim told her partner about her ordeal five years after it happened

'Afterwards, as she left the house after putting her clothes back on, he offered her money for a taxi.'

He added 'much of her mental landscape is taken up with flashbacks to what happened'.

Andrew Tucker, defending, said: 'He is a man in very fragile health.

He added the rape was 'opportunistic' and 'not one he had planned or engineered in any way'.

After the woman came forward in 2018 police arrested Bingham but he denied rape, claiming the woman had consented to sex.

However, a jury at Warwick Crown Court's Nightingale Court, which is dealing with a backlog of cases due to the pandemic, found him guilty.

Bingham was jailed for seven and a half years by Judge Anthony Potter at Warwick Crown Court's Nightingale Court (pictured)

Judge Potter said Bingham, who pleaded not guilty, had shown 'absolutely no remorse' for his actions

Bingham was jailed for seven and a half years on Wednesday.

Judge Anthony Potter said he was 'quite satisfied' Bingham knew the woman was living on her own with little family support.

He said: 'New Year is a time of new starts but by your actions you brought nothing but misery to her at the start of 2013.

'That is misery that has continued for the eight years since then.

'You have shown absolutely no remorse.'

Bingham was put on the Sex Offender Register for life.
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Furious Tory MPs today demanded the NHS clarifies how many Covid patients are primarily being treated for the virus amid concerns that the figures are being inflated by routine testing.

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith told MailOnline the issue of whether people are being hospitalised 'with' or 'for' Covid was 'really important' for working out how much pressure the NHS faces.

Mr Duncan Smith added: 'The government has dragged its feet over showing those figures, I suspect because they know what will happen  it will reduce the numbers that they have going into hospital with Covid  in other words who are ill and have to go to hospital because of Covid.'

MailOnline analysis of NHS England figures suggests two-thirds of new coronavirus admissions in the last fortnight arrived at hospital for a different ailment.

With Omicron spreading rapidly  infecting 100,000 a day for the last two days  experts say the number of so-called 'incidental' Covid admissions will rise.

Tory MP Craig Mackinlay also called for urgent clarity, telling MailOnline: 'This is the question we have been asking right the way back from day one in March (last year) - what are these numbers?

'Are these people going in with coronavirus and that's the reason for their admission, or have they gone in with a broken leg, had a test and ''Oh God, you've got a positive test''. Those are very different numbers aren't they. Entirely different numbers.'

The deepening transparency row came as SAGE appeared to admit that even patients on mental health wards who test positive in hospital are added to the daily admissions tally.

In minutes from the group's most recent meeting yesterday, they said: 'The number of people in hospital with Omicron infection continues to increase with a doubling time of around 4-5 days. Some of this increase is due to nosocomial transmission including in mental health hospitals.'

In the two weeks to December 21, hospitals in England recorded 563 new coronavirus inpatients  the majority of which are believed to be Omicron now that the variant is the country's dominant stain.

But just 197 (35 per cent) were being primarily treated for Covid, with the remaining 366 (65 per cent) only testing positive after being admitted for something else.

Dr Zudin Puthucheary, a member of the Intensive Care Society and physician in Omicron hotspot London, admitted today that the number of patients coming into hospital who 'happen to be Covid positive' is skewing the statistics.

And he added the figures are further boosted by the number of people catching the virus on wards  with separate data showing 31 per cent of patients test positive seven days after treatment for other illnesses.

Ministers are said to be keeping a close eye on hospitalisation statistics in the capital, with lockdown restrictions expected to be brought down if admissions exceed 400 a day.

That is the threhold ministers believe will signal unsustainable NHS pressure  despite daily admissions reaching 977 in January during the height of the last winter wave of the pandemic.

MailOnline's analysis suggests just over four in 10 new Omicron hospital patients in London were admitted for a different reason.

A growing proportion of Covid patients in London's hospitals are actually being treated for a different ailment. Currently 25 per cent of 'Covid patients' originally went to hospital for a different reason, only later testing positive for the virus compared to 17 per cent a fortnight ago

The number of Covid patients in hospital being treated primarily for Covid is actually lower than before Omicron. So called 'incidental' Covid admissions, where someone tests positive after arriving in hospital for a different reason, have risen sharply in the past few weeks and now account for the majority of new hospital admissions

Separate data suggests 31 per cent of people included in NHS England's daily hospitalisation figures were in treatment for more than a week before testing positive for the virus

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith (left) told MailOnline the issue of whether people are being hospitalised 'with' or 'for' Covid was 'really important' for working out how much pressure the NHS faces. Tory MP Craig Mackinlay also called for urgent clarity, telling MailOnline: 'This is the question we have been asking right the way back from day one in March (last year) - what are these numbers?

Pictured: Dr Zudin Puthucheary, a member of the Intensive Care Society and physician in London, said the number of patients coming into hospital who 'happen to be Covid positive' is skewing the statistics (left). A member of staff wearing PPE walks through a ward for Covid patients at King's College Hospital, in south east London, on Tuesday

New Year celebrations could STILL be axed to stave off staff shortages and protect the vulnerable even if hospitalisations are low, UK health chief warns New Year celebrations could be axed to stave off staff shortages and protect the vulnerable even if hospitalisations stay low, a health chief warned today. Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency, said the 'impact on society' of Omicron will be crucial despite mounting evidence that it is generally milder than the Delta strain. Dr Harries pointed to the 'very high' levels of absence among workers, with an extraordinary one in 35 having contracted the variant in London. And she cautioned that it is still not clear whether the new version of the disease will be milder for older people, or how long people who do have to go to hospital will need to stay. Asked whether ministers will be able to make a decision on Monday about whether restrictions will be needed before December 31, Dr Harries told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Ministers will look at all of the data that we have available  and that isn't simply what the epidemiology is saying, it's how it's impacting society. 'So, for example, we have very high rates of individuals off sick  we know that particularly in London, around one in 35 have currently got Omicron. 'Now that's having an impact on the workforce. So these are not simply about hospitalisation rates.' The comments came as Boris Johnson released his Christmas message, warning that 'Omicron is surging' and the pandemic is far from over. The PM hailed the way that people have been flocking to get boosters, suggesting they are honouring Jesus by getting jabbed 'not just for themselves... but for friends and family and everyone we meet'. 'That, after all, is the teaching of Jesus Christ, whose birth is at the heart of this enormous festival, that we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves,' Mr Johnson said. Advertisement

In more dramatic twists and turns:

Britain failed to reach the Government's target of dishing out 1million booster shots again, with only 840,000 third doses received;

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data found 1.37million people were carrying the virus on any given day during the week up to December 16  an all-time record;

Omicron might need to be 90 per cent milder than Delta to avoid the NHS coming under unsustainable pressure, SAGE has warned despite studies showing the strain is 45 per cent weaker;

Vital services across London are suffering a staffing crisis due to the variant - with staff absences more than tripling this month, one in seven doctors off sick and 500 Transport for workers absent;

The Covid surge in South Africa appears to be fading after just a month, in a promising sign that Britain's wave could be short-lived.

Dr Puthucheary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'This is a major problem.

'Anecdotally we call it Covid bystander problems, where you come in with say a major car crash  people drink and drive a lot over Christmas  and they happen to be Covid positive but no one notices this until it comes back.

'This is a big problem because this is one of the things that slows down a lot of work in hospital.

'It slows down a lot of the urgent surgery that is happening because of the precautions that have to happen. And this really affects our efficiency and how we can help people.'

And asked if the number of patients testing positive after arriving was skewing hospitalisation statistics, he said they were also boosted because of the number of people catching the virus on wards.

He said: 'Yes and we saw a lot of this in the last two waves, where our so-called green and clean areas were rapidly infected with patients with Covid who brought it in but didnt manifest anything.

'Theres a worry about how transmissible this is  its far more transmissible than any variant than weve seen before, so the fact that were seeing milder disease isnt necessarily a good thing from the NHSs point of view.'

But he warned while ICU admissions are currently low for Covid patients, doctors are expecting numbers to pick up at the start of January once current high case numbers have had enough time to translate into severe disease.

Mr Mackinlay said he was not sure the NHS had 'learned' from the 'truly shocking' number of hospital-acquired infections earlier in the pandemic.

'It didn't work well last year, and I'm not entirely sure we've learned anything in the NHS,' he said. 'It doesn't seem to be an organisation that learns very quickly.'

And former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith told MailOnline: 'We need to know now from the government and the NHS, no messing around, how many people in their hospitals got Covid when they went into hospital.

'They didn't go in with Covid, they went in with some other ailment, maybe heart disease maybe hip replacement, and whilst there they tested positive for Covid.'

Sir Iain said that information was 'really important' in assessing the severity of the virus.

A UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) report became the fourth study to show the new strain causes less severe illness, suggesting the variant is between 50 and 70 per cent less likely to cause hospital admission and up to 45 per cent less likely to result in a person going to A&E

Millions set for early FOURTH jab after it emerges booster effect starts wearing off after just 10 weeks A fourth jab could now be rolled out early to millions of Britons after a new study showed protection against Omicron wanes within three months of a booster. People infected with the contagious variant are up to 70 per cent less likely to end up in hospital, an official analysis of real-world cases has confirmed. But the analysis from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also reveals that immunity from boosters fades more quickly against Omicron compared to Delta. Those who received two AstraZeneca doses, plus a Pfizer or Moderna booster, have 60 per cent protection against Omicron for two to weeks after the third jab. But after ten weeks, it drops to 35 per cent for Pfizer and 45 per cent for Moderna. The figures are further prompting officials to consider speeding up the rollout of the fourth jab to ward off a future surge in cases among those who have already received boosters. The Government report from the UKHSA revealed yesterday that Omicron is up to 70 per cent less likely to cause hospital admission than Delta - though SAGE warned it may need to be 90 per cent milder to avoid the NHS coming under unsustainable pressure. It also found that the new strain is 31 to 45 per cent less likely to result in A&E attendance. The UK Health Security Agency says its early findings are 'encouraging' but the variant could still lead to large numbers of people in hospital. The analysis is based on all cases of Omicron and Delta in the UK since the start of November, including 132 people admitted to hospital with the variant. There have also been 14 deaths in people within 28 days of catching Omicron. Advertisement

Covid-infected people put strain on hospitals because they need to be isolated, and, depending on a variety of risk factors, for example if the patient is elderly and/or frail, Covid can exacerbate health problems and later become the primary reason they remain in hospital.

And NHS officials have increasingly warned the health service is coming under increasing pressure due to Omicron, despite there being fewer Covid patients in hospital now than at the start of November.

According to NHS England data, there were 6,245 Covid patients needing hospital care on December 21. On November 1, almost four weeks before the first Omicron cases was found in the UK, this figure was 7,301.

Cambridge epidemiologist Dr Raghib Ali told MailOnline: 'If you've got very high prevalence of Omicron in the community then there is a higher chance anyone who comes to hospital for any reason, even people with broken legs, will have Covid.

'It's just feature of having so much Omicron in the community. It is essential to distinguish between admissions that are primarily for Covid and those that are not.

'It's not only helpful but in many ways essential to know the primary diagnosis and to know how many daily admissions there are for every condition  that would give us an indication of the true pressure on the NHS.'

And Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, an eminent statistician at Cambridge University, said: 'It looks like there is an increasing number of people being admitted to hospital who turn out to have Covid, presumably the Omicron variant.

'This is perhaps inevitable with a fast-spreading variant in which the majority do not experience symptoms. But it means there is an extra burden on the hospitals in caring for infected patients.'

Separate data suggests 31 per cent of people included in NHS England's daily hospitalisation figures were in treatment for more than a week before testing positive for the virus.

And other figures show 29 per cent of patients were being treated primarily for something other than Covid when they tested positive.

Professor Karol Sikora, a British cancer specialist and former adviser to the World Health Organization, said No10 should distinguish between actual Covid patients and those testing positive later when making decisions on further restrictions.

He told the Daily Telegraph: 'When making decisions on the data, the Government should look at the number of people catching Covid in hospital and they should also look at the number of people who would have been in hospital anyway.

'Those people should not be counted as Covid admissions. Having a hard and fast rule is obviously an easier way to do things, but it is not the right way.

'The biggest danger of any more lockdowns is that it frightens people from using the NHS for other things and you will end up with more deaths than you would have from Omicron.'
Sydney funds manager Charlie Aitken has taken a solo Christmas Eve stroll along Bondi Beach days after his estranged wife flew to a US ski resort for the holidays.

Sporting a blue collared shirt, light blue shorts and runners, Mr Aitken appeared locked in thought on Friday as he contemplated a Christmas away from his family.

His estranged wife Ellie Aitken has opted to spend the festive season on the ski fields of Aspen in Colorado with their two children.

The high society eastern suburbs couple's split after 19 years of marriage made headlines after Mr Aitken admitted he is now dating his ex-wife's former best friend, Hollie Nasser.

Sydney funds manager Charlie Aitken was spotted looking downcast as he went for a stroll on Bondi Beach on Christmas Eve

Sporting a blue collared shirt, light blue shorts and runners, Mr Aitken looked locked in thought as he contemplates a Christmas separated from his family

The end of the Aitken marriage - after Charlie left his wife Ellie to start a relationship with her best former friend Hollie Nasser - has set tongues wagging across Sydney's social circuit

Mr Aitken went for a stroll at Bondi Beach on Friday. He has admitted he is now dating his ex-wife's former best friend, Hollie Nasser

Mr Aitken looked out at the ocean at Bondi Beach on what appeared to be a contemplative walk

The love triangle: Left to right, former friends Christopher and Hollie Nasser with Ellie and Charlie Aitken

Ms Nasser was also married to Mr Aitken's business partner and longtime investor, Christopher Nasser.

In a city that loves gossip, the Aitken/Nasser entanglement meant their profiles were in the spotlight whether they wanted it or not.

Ms Aitkens flew out of Sydney on December 15 for a quiet break in the Rocky Mountains, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

She will be glad of the chance to avoid the limelight in a small town where nobody knows her - and any photographers there are far more interested in the Hollywood elite who also flock to Aspen.

Ms Aitken released an emotional statement before she flew out, admitting she was not coping with the public fallout of her relationship breakdown.

'The truth is that despite the support of friends and family I have not coped well with the deeply hurtful lies, gossip and innuendo that has surrounded the breakdown of my relationship,' she said.

She announced she would be 'taking a break from social media' and public view while she and her family adjust to the separation and her estranged husband's new relationship.

'I had attempted to put on a brave face and tried to manage my feelings and wellbeing despite the fact that I have not had any control over the reasons for my sorrow.'

Ellie Aitken (pictured left) and her now ex-husband Charlie Aitken (pictured right) in happier times

Ellie Aitken has fled from Sydney to the ski town of Aspen, Colorado, for Christmas after her marriage fell apart

Ellie and Charlie briefly put their differences aside and smiled for the camera with their son at his rugby team's recent awards day.

She posted the photographs on Instagram just hours after pictures confirmed her investment banker husband of 19 years had set up home with his new love and her former best friend, Hollie Nasser, 36.

Ms Aitken claimed she was 'pushed to [her] limit', resulting in a rogue Instagram post calling out Ms Nasser.

In a post before taking a break from social media, Ms Aitken accused her former friend of 'bullying' her and exposed a series of texts between the two women.

The glamorous lawyer, wealthy funds manager, investment banker and socialite: Inside the drama-filled lives of two high society couples as a scandalous love triangle tears them apart

Charlie Aitken (pictured left) and his estranged wife Ellie (pictured right) put on a brave face at their son's (pictured front) rugby awards day

Ms Aitken shared a private text message she had received from Ms Nasser to Instagram accusing her of 'playing the victim' and blaming her for 'ruining her marriage'.

'Ellie there's no point in us talking anymore,' Ms Nasser's message begins.

'I can't believe after... you are out there playing the victim and saying I ruined your perfect marriage.'

While Ellie is in Aspen, her former husband Charlie is said to have moved back into the family home in North Bondi - at least until his estranged wife and their children return.

In the last few weeks, he has been doing it tough in a serviced apartment above Bondi Junctions noisy bus interchange.

He will have Scout, the family labrador, for company though, now that he's back home for the time being.
Santa Claus is too white, too straight and too male for most young people in the UK today, according to a poll.

The modern depiction of Father Christmas as an old white man with a big bushy beard who wears a red and white suit was made globally famous by Coca Colas adverts of the 1930s.

A survey by YouGov has now found that 60 per cent of 1824-year-olds in the UK think it is acceptable for Santa to be gay.

But 41 per cent across all age groups said it was not OK, including 17 per cent of lesbian, gay and bisexual respondents.

The results were largely divided along age and gender, with just 36 per cent of men and 42 per cent of women believing it is fine to have a gay Santa. Nearly 60 per cent of over-65s thought it was not OK.

And around 50 per cent are happy for an ethnic minority Santa, with most favouring a Middle Eastern Santa  perhaps a nod to his origins as Saint Nicholas, a 4th Century monk who lived in Turkey.

A poll by YouGov has now found that 60 per cent of 1824-year-olds in the UK think it is acceptable for Santa to be gay. But 41 per cent across all age groups said it was not OK, including 17 per cent of lesbian, gay and bisexual respondents

The survey was commissioned in response to an advert which showed Santa kissing a man

Around 50 per cent are happy for an ethnic minority Santa, the YouGov poll found

The modern depiction of Father Christmas as an old white man with a big bushy beard who wears a red and white suit was made globally famous by Coca Colas adverts of the 1930s

The YouGov poll also found that respondents mostly agreed that Santa should not be a woman  despite divisions over race and sexuality.

Around 45 per cent of female respondents said they thought that Father Christmas should be a woman.

Respondents in the UK were less open to a non-white Santa than those in the US, where two-thirds of those surveyed in a similar poll said they were happy to see a black Santa, and 60 per cent were comfortable with him being Asian or Middle Eastern.

The poll was commissioned in response to a Norwegian advert which showed Father Christmas kissing a man.

Around 50 per cent said they were happy for an ethnic minority Santa, with a Middle Eastern Santa having the highest level of acceptability  perhaps a nod to his origins as Saint Nicholas, a 4th Century monk who lived in Turkey

The YouGov poll also found that respondents mostly agreed that Santa should not be a woman  despite divisions over race and sexuality. More than half (56 per cent) of female respondents also said they thought that Father Christmas should be a man

Critics have claimed the ad, released to mark 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Norway, had sexualised Santa

Critics have claimed the ad, released to mark 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Norway, had sexualised Santa.

Matthew Smith, YouGovs head of data journalism, said the results reflected a broader set of attitudes on making changes to firmly established pop culture figures, after similar questions were raised about James Bond.

He added: This suggests that opinion towards Father Christmas is not unique to the character himself.
The state of New Jersey is set to pay almost $53million to the families of 119 residents of state-run veterans homes who died from coronavirus during the earliest period of the pandemic.

The families will receive an average share of $445,000 from the $52,955,000 total settlement, which was confirmed to NJ.com, though the exact amount each family will receive is yet to be decided.

Of this figure, 60 per cent is set to be handed out within 90 days of the court's receipt of 'closing papers' from plaintiffs.

Almost 200 veterans died at two of New Jersey's state veterans homes in Paramus and Menlo Park following the outbreak of coronavirus last year.

New Jersey has agreed to pay almost $53million to the families of 119 residents of veterans care homes in the state who died in the early stages of the Covid pandemic. Pictured: The New Jersey Veterans Home at Paramus which was highlighted as having one of the highest numbers of deaths early on

This figure led to a federal civil rights investigation being launched by the Department of Justice - which is currently ongoing - with Governor Phil Murphy being notified in October 2020.

According to reports in The Record and NorthJersey.com, the homes in Paramus and Menlo Park are alleged to have resisted against face mask mandates during the early stages of the pandemic.

The resistance in early 2020 to face masks came just days before the state health commissioner ordered all care home staff must wear them.

The administrative official who confirmed the pay-out to NJ.com told them: 'The families of those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 have gone through so much.

Governor Phil Murphy (pictured) was notified in October 2020 that a federal civil rights investigation was being launched by the Department of Justice into the veterans homes

'This settlement will hopefully allow them to move forward without years of protracted and uncertain litigation.'

The two state veterans homes have also previously been accused of failing to implement appropriate infection prevention measures at the start of the outbreak.

Attorney Paul M. da Costa, who represented multiple families who filed law suits against the state of New Jersey, praised the settlement for saving years of legal battles.

Dr Lisa Hou stepped in as adjutant general and Commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs after Brigadier General Jemal J. Beale stepped down from the role after the veterans homes outbreaks came to light.

Pictured: The entrance to the New Jersey Veteran's Home on May 11, 2020

In addition, the state also brought in new legislation which mandated weekly reports to the state health commissioner on veterans homes on all public health emergencies.

And a requirement for greater staffing levels meant more had carers had to be hired at the veterans homes.
A pair of amateur metal detectorists who unearthed a world-record haul of Iron Age coins are finally set to pocket their reward nine years after their discovery.

Reg Mead, 79, and Richard Miles, 58, had shared stories about the local legend of lost Celtic coins on the eastern side of the island of Jersey for more than 30 years.

Although they didn't have an exact location, the pair spent hours together scouring various fields over the next three decades in desperate hope of finding anything to cement the legend as truth.

At the start of 2012, they finally secured permission to wander through a new field in Grouville with their metal detectors. On the second day of searching, Richard's device let out a recognisable zapping sound.

On that gloomy February day the pair uncovered 61 copper and silver coins in total, each adorned with an exotic 'Red Indian-style' head with tattoos, plaited hair and necklace on one side and a stylised horse on the other.

They contacted the head of Jersey Heritage, who later helped arrange for an excavation team, and a crane, to help dig one ton haul of around 70,000 coins over four days in the summer of 2012.

Now, after nine excruciating years of negotiations between the Jersey government and the British crown, Reg and Richard are finally set to see a reward after a 4.2million fee was agreed to keep the coins on the island.

In 2012, amateur metal detectorists discovered a 70,000 strong hoard of valuable Celtic coins that recently sold for 4.25m in Grouville, Jersey

Reg Mead, 79, and Richard Miles, 58, (left) had shared stories about the local legend of lost Celtic coins on the eastern side of the island of Jersey for more than 30 years

Reg Mead and Richard Miles initially received a tip-off in the 1980s from a woman who said she had spotted something in the fields that looked like silver buttons.

In the end, 69,347 coins hailing from Armorica, modern-day Brittany and Normandy, were found under a hedge in a mound of clay in Grouville.

Historians believe the 2000-year-old coins had been buried in a trench dug by a Celtic tribe that fled from Julius Caesar's rapidly-advancing legions in the first century BC.

69,347 coins each adorned with an exotic 'Red Indian-style' head with tattoos, plaited hair and necklace on one side and a stylised horse on the other hailing from Armorica, modern-day Brittany and Normandy, were found

In 55BC, Caesars army sliced and pillaged its way through Gaul, and Roman galleys popped up like death ships off the coast, a Celtic tribe called the Coriosolitae buried their treasure in a panic. Pictured: 60 silver coins initially discovered nearby by Reg and Richard

How archaeologists carefully uncovered Jersey's world-record haul of Celtic coins The experts who helped dig up the Le Catillon II hoard of 70,000 Celtic coins in Grouville, Jersey undertook a painstakingly slow process when the secret cache was discovered. In June 2012, lead conservator Neil Mahrer and his local team initially opened a 2m by 2m hole expecting to uncover a few hundred coins. Pictured: Lead conservator Neil Mahrer But the coins, which had fused together over the past 2,000 years, actually numbered in the tens of thousands and required the experts to excavate as a single block. Maher decided to leave a thin layer of soil around the chunk in order to keep the coins damp. Once the coins had been safely prepared, a mechanical crane was drafted in to lift the one ton structure. The top of the coins were encased in foam and plywood, while the remainder was wrapped in a protective metal structure, which would be lifted by the crane. Advertisement

In 55BC, Caesars army sliced and pillaged its way through Gaul, and Roman galleys popped up like death ships off the coast, a Celtic tribe called the Coriosolitae buried their treasure in a panic.

But because Jersey's legislature doesn't account for significant treasure finds, the haul was automatically transferred to the Queen's ownership once it was uncovered.

Since 2012, Jersey's receiver general Alan Blair, the British crown and finders Reg and Richard have wrangled over the price of the Le Catillon II hoard.

Despite a difference in valuation numbering in the millions, they agreed a 4.25m price on December 17, ensuring the historic collection with remain on the island.

Part of the financial settlement included a 250,000 payment to Jersey Heritage for their work towards dismantling the coins, and an additional 250,000 which will be used to establish a trust.

MailOnline understands that 4.2million will be split between finders Reg and Richard, Jersey Heritage for cleaning and displaying costs and the land owner.

The exact total that the pair will receive as a reward for their find has remained confidential.

But Reg told MailOnline they were happy with the final figure, and are especially delighted to see an end to the near 10-year saga.

'I am chuffed to bits, we can finally get it out of the way now,' he explained.

'It's got nothing to do with the money, it's about the effect this had had on our families every day over the last 10 years.

'My wife often said it was the elephant in the lounge, once you go in there, you always trip over the thing.

'The settlement is the best Christmas present us and our families could have had.'

Richard added: 'You could never imagine it could one day happen to you - the largest coin haul found on the British isles.

'The last 10 years been a fantastic journey.

'I've met some fascinating people, been able to discuss the hoard and be involved in the research, it has been absolutely wonderful.

'It's been a rollercoaster for sure, plenty of ups and downs, but the money is just the bonus because the coins will be staying in Jersey.

'We started this with the right intentions and have achieved something for everybody.'

Once the coins had been safely prepared, a mechanical crane was drafted in to lift the one ton structure

Because Jersey's legislature doesn't account for significant treasure finds, the haul was automatically transferred to the Queen's ownership once it was uncovered

Chief Minister of Jersey John Le Fondre (left) said the purchase had been made 'in the interest of the island'

Chief Minister John Le Fondre said the purchase had been made 'in the interest of the island'.

He said: 'This is an outcome which will ensure that this unique part of Jersey's history remains in the island for this and future generations.

'Since its discovery nine years ago, Jersey Heritage conservators, archaeologists and volunteers have unpicked and studied the hoard, but there is still much that it can reveal about Jersey and our place in the world at the time of Christ.'
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What are the new rules in South Africa? Contact tracing: People who have been in contact with a positive Covid-19 case can can continue with their normal duties but with heightened monitoring (daily temperature testing, symptom screening) of any early signs. If they develop symptoms, they should be tested. Quarantining for contacts of confirmed cases: Quarantine for both vaccinated and unvaccinated contacts of confirmed cases to be stopped with immediate effect. The contact is not required to test for Covid-19 unless they develop symptoms. Isolation: Asymptomatic cases are not required to isolate but must self-observe for symptoms in the five to seven days after contact with a positive case. They must follow enhanced precautions such as mask wearing and social distancing and avoid gatherings. Cases with mild symptoms must isolate for eight days. Severe cases - requiring hospitalisation - must isolate for 10 days after they have been stabilised by doctors. Health care workers who tested positive with mild or severe symptoms must wear a N95 mask when they return to work and avoid close contact with extremely high-risk patients where possible. For mild and severe cases, there is no need to take a covid test before returning work, provided the eight or ten day isolation has been observed. Advertisement

South Africa has announced it will stop contact tracing and end quarantine for asymptomatic cases because containment of the virus is 'no longer viable'.

Promising graphs today highlight how the country's Omicron outbreak has faded after just a month - cases appear to have peaked nationally at 26,976 on December 15, and have now fallen for the last five days in a row.

Health authorities in South Africa, where the Omicron strain first took off, said today that contact tracing would be halted with immediate effect, except for large gatherings or self-contained settings.

Isolation for asymptomatic cases was scrapped while mild and severe cases were told to isolate for eight and ten days respectively.

Close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases will no longer have to quarantine whether they are vaccinated or not and are not required to take a test unless they develop symptoms.

South Africa became ground zero for the new variant in late November and saw a meteoric rise in infections, from 670 to more than 20,000 in the space of just three weeks.

But cases appear to have peaked nationally at 26,976 on December 15, and have now fallen for the last five days in a row. On Wednesday they dipped 22 per cent in a week after 21,099 were recorded.

The huge surge in infections raised fears that a deadly wave of hospitalisations would follow, but almost immediately doctors on the frontlines said patients were coming in with milder illness.

The claims were dismissed by Britain's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, who claimed South Africa was benefitting from having a younger and sparser population.

But in another promising sign hospitalisations now appear to be levelling off nationally in South Africa, hovering just below 400 admissions a day  compared to a height of 2,000 when Delta took hold.

Admissions dropped yesterday by four per cent, after another 593 were recorded. Deaths are just a fraction of the levels when Delta took hold, with just 99 yesterday.

There are 50 deaths a day on average now, up only slightly on the 20 deaths a day when Omicron was first detected in the country. For comparison, at the peak of the Delta wave there were 600 deaths a day.

South African scientist Dr Michelle Groome said in a press briefing yesterday that infections are now levelling off in three of the country's nine provinces after peaking in Gauteng about a week ago.

Hospitalisations and deaths are expected to rise for another few weeks even as cases fall because of the lag between infection and severe illness.

Britain is four weeks into its Omicron outbreak, with cases now spiralling to more than 90,000 a day while hospitalisations are over 800 a day and deaths have risen above 100.

But three real-world studies published yesterday suggested that Omicron infections are milder than Delta, and are less likely to put people in hospital.

Scientists still don't know if Omicron is intrinsically milder than Delta and say built-up immunity from previous infection and prior infection is probably the more likely explanation for the reduced severity.

The above graphs show how Covid cases are falling in South Africa compared to when the Delta variant took hold. Both waves were set to begin the first time a case of the variant was reported, which was May 8 for Delta and November 25 for Omicron. It reveals that hospitalisations are also dropping earlier than they did when Delta took hold. Deaths are still rising, but this is a lagging indicator because of the time taken for someone infected with the virus to become seriously ill

Figures on South Africa's Covid cases, hospitalisation and deaths are compiled by the country's National Institute for Infectious Diseases.

Its figures show that the seven-day average for Covid cases across the country is now falling, dipping from a high of 20,791 a week ago to 17,440 yesterday.

The country is currently carrying out 58,000 swabs a day, comparable to the numbers done in early December when cases skyrocketed but down 14,000 on a week ago.

South African Covid cases fall AGAIN by 22 per cent on last week fuelling hopes that their Omicron wave is over Daily Covid cases in South Africa have fallen again by 22 per cent compared to last week's figures, fuelling hopes that the country's Omicron wave is over. South Africa, whose scientists detected the variant, recorded 21,099 new cases in the last 24 hours, down by nearly a quarter on the 26,976 infections confirmed last Wednesday. A fifth fewer people were tested for the virus in the last 24 hours compared to the same period last week, but test positivity  the proportion of those tested who are infected  has been trending downwards for nine days. Hospitalisations have also seen a slight decline, with more than 590 people admitted to hospitals across the country, down by four per cent in a week, data from the National Institute For Communicable Diseases (NICD), revealed. But deaths  which lag two to three weeks behind the pattern seen in case numbers due to the delay in an infected person becoming seriously unwell  have risen. A further 99 Covid-related deaths were recorded on Wednesday, compared to 54 recorded a week ago. The falling case numbers come despite only 25 per cent of South Africans being double-jabbed and boosters not being dished out in the country. It raises hopes that the UK's Omicron wave will also be short-lived, with Britain also having a layer of protection in its booster programme. Advertisement

But the positivity rate  the proportion of swabs that detect the virus  is down on a week ago at 30.6 per cent, suggesting the drop in cases is real and not due to fewer tests being carried out.

Broken down by province, the seven-day average for Covid cases is now ticking down in five of the country's nine provinces.

In epicentre Gauteng it is down 60 per cent week-on-week, from 9,956 to 4,088 cases a day.

In the North West they are falling by 31 per cent week-on-week, from 1,384 to 946 cases, in Limpopo it is down by 29 per cent, from 885 to 625, in Mpumalanga it is down by 28 per cent, from 1,180 to 848, and in Free State it is down by 10.5 per cent, from 1,192 to 1,066.

South Africa's latest breakdown of Covid testing per province only goes up to December 18, obscuring whether the drops in these provinces are real or due to falls in the number of tests carried out.

Nationally the positivity rate has risen in recent days but is still down on the same time a week ago.

Around half of all swabs are carried out in epicentre Gauteng, suggesting any fall in cases across the country could be mostly due to drops in this province.

In terms of hospitalisations admissions are now dipping across the country.

Broken down by province a drop is being recorded in epicentre Gauteng, where they fell a third in a week yesterday to 392 a day.

The number of Covid patients on the country's wards is still rising, however. There wre 9,300 recordedyesterday up from 7,300 a week ago.

More patients are also in ICU and on ventilators, figures show, with 613 now being in emergency units across the country and 239 needing the machines to help them breathe.

Dr Groome said yesterday: 'All indications are that we've seen the end of the  that we've surpassed the peak of infections in Gauteng. This is encouraging and quite optimistic in terms of the decreasing trends in case numbers.

'But I think we really do need to be cognizant that people are now traveling, and there may be changes in terms of the number of people that may be testing and so some of the lower numbers may be due to the holiday season.'

The figures could be a promising sign for Britain which is now being buffetted by a wave of the Omicron variant.

Yesterday marked the first time cases had surged over 100,000 ever during the pandemic, and a 35 per cent surge on the previous week.

In Omicron epicentre London cases hit their highest level ever recorded in a single 24 hour period, after 27,799 infections were detected. This was above the previous peak set five days ago of 26,608 cases, and marked a 44 per cent surge on a week ago.

But some scientists argue that the UK's Covid cases are likely plateauing. Professor Francois Balloux, a geneticist at University College London, told The Times yesterday that Omicron cases are likely peaking.

He dismissed suggestions that it was due to testing capacity, saying that infections would have to further increase before the UK's capacity is overwhelmed.

But experts seem divided on infection numbers, with some telling MailOnline cases have peaked due to high immunity among the population and people limiting their contacts ahead of Christmas, while others say stagnant test levels are masking case increases.

Covid infections were hovering around 90,000 for the last six days before rising exceeding 100,000 today, but cases have remained static for the last week at around 1.5million.

Professor Alan McNally, an expert in microbiology and infection at the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline that the UK appears to have 'maxed out PCR testing capacity and as a result positive cases look flat'.

He said: 'Number of tests conducted has been flat for days despite all data showing Omicron is still doubling. This means to my mind we can't do any more tests per day at the moment.'

But Professor Francois Balloux, a geneticist at University College London, told MailOnline Covid cases are peaking or 'may already have done so'.

He dismissed concerns that the UK's swabbing capacity was masking true infection levels,, noting that around 10 to 15 per cent of PCR tests are positive and 'infections would have to increase dramatically, before the UK covid testing infrastructure would be overwhelmed'.

Instead, he said high vaccine uptake among is suppressing infections.

Professor Balloux said: 'Omicron is more likely to re-infect people who are immunised, but three doses of vaccine still provide good protection against infection.

'This likely explains why Omicron still circulates preferentially among young people'.
Scott Morrison's call for Australians to 'push through' against the Omicron strain in his Christmas message has drawn a fierce reaction from anti-lockdown advocates - while others thanked him for his hard work during the pandemic.

The Prime Minister addressed the nation on Friday evening to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, while also encouraging Aussies to enjoy a 'good long laugh out loud' after a horror year of lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions.

'This pandemic continues to buffet us - the Omicron variant is just the latest challenge we have faced but together, always together and only together, do we keep pushing through,' he said.

He thanked the 'selfless' frontline workers slogging away over Christmas, adding 'may God especially bless you and your families'.

'May those of us who have faith find great encouragement as we reflect on God's great gift to us and his son Jesus Christ,' Mr Morrison said.

'And may all of us experience something of the joy and the wonder of Christmas.'

His message was celebrated by many, who in turn wished the Prime Minister a safe Christmas and thanked him for his service over the past year.

'A very Happy Christmas to you and your beautiful family Scott,' one commenter online wrote.

'Thank you ScoMo for all your hard work especially during these unprecedented times,' another said.

However others were offended about being told to enjoy their Christmas while many were struggling amid Covid lockdowns and travel restrictions.

'He wants us to have a Christmas chuckle! While staring down the throat of a rampant Omicron. Isn't that cute?' said one.

'Meaningless Christmas message Scott when as a Christian man you could have done so much more to prevent millions of Australians from losing their jobs,' another wrote.

'People are struggling because of stupid mandates,' another said.

Scott Morrison has urged Australians to keep 'pushing through' the Covid-19 pandemic in his annual Christmas message

One took issue with Mr Morrison's references to his religion, especially when Labor leader Anthony Albanese didn't mention anything of the sort in his own Christmas message.

'He can shove his religious sermon,' one tweeted.

At the beginning of the four-minute address, Mr Morrison offered his condolences to the families of the six victims from the Devonport jumping castle tragedy.

'Everything they cherished in life was taken from them in a terrible instant. It's unimaginable, and so our hearts break for them,' he said.

'And this Christmas we'll shed a tear and raise up prayers for them, I believe right across the country, for them that they might find some measure of comfort in this hour of their terrible grief.'

While many applauded the prime minister's Christmas address, others said they were offended they were told to have a joyful Christmas amid the threat of Covid-19

He also sent a heartfelt message to families who may be missing loved ones around the Christmas tables this year.

'Others will be missing a loved one for the first time, who is no longer around the Christmas table. We're thinking of you also,' he said.

'Christmas, you know, is a time of hope and we are an optimistic people.

'And whatever comes our way, we back ourselves to overcome and to push through, as we have during the course of this pandemic, saving lives and livelihoods like few other countries in the world.'

Mr Albanese said Aussies deserved to celebrate after a punishing two years during his Christmas message.

Mr Morrison said Australians deserved to have a 'good long laugh out loud' after a horrific two years amid Covid (pictured queue outside Covid testing clinic in Bondi)

The prime minister (pictured with wife Jenny) wished every Australian a Merry Christmas from him and his family

'Now, with our borders opening up again, we're getting back together,' he said.

'Off the Zoom and actually back in the room with family, friends and loved ones.'

The Labor leader also thanked Australians for standing together during the pandemic.

'Thanks to everyone for taking care of each other,' he said.

'May the festive season bring you joy and may it be a sign of better times to come.'
Three puppies rescued off the streets of London will spend their first ever Christmas with loving families after they were nursed back to health.

Abbie, Josie and Basil, all four months old, were found roaming the capital in appalling conditions by rescuers this winter.

The tiny dogs were taken to Battersea Dogs Home, covered in sores and dirt, without most of their fur, and with problems with their ears.

But vets thankfully gave them a new lease on life, and the pups have now been rehomed in time for December 25.

Abbie, Josie and Basil were discovered in appalling conditions by rescuers this winter

Josie was first to find a new home with Tony Hallet to start a new life in Surrey. The sensitive pup has since grown in confidence and loves going for long country walks with her new family

Two days later, Abbie and Basil (pictured) went off to new homes and are now much-loved members of their families

Josie was first to find a new home with Tony Hallet to start a new life in Surrey. The sensitive pup has since grown in confidence and loves going for long country walks with her new family.

Two days later, Abbie and Basil went off to new homes and are now much-loved members of their families.

Abbies owner Robin Quinnell, from West Sussex said: Abbie has settled in really well and has everyone wrapped around her paw.

She is very cheeky but incredibly sweet and very quickly decided that her favourite spot is on the sofa. She has also bonded well with our other dog, Buddy.

Basils new owner Lucy Farley, from Kent, said: Hes the best puppy. Weve found he loves watching telly, looking at his reflection and playing with other dogs. We are so thankful for him and feel so lucky.

Craig Perera, team leader at Battersea Dogs Homes Old Windsor Centre said: When you look at these pups now, its hard to believe that only a few weeks ago they were roaming the streets, unwell and unloved

The tiny dogs were covered in sores and dirty, had lost nearly all their fur and had problems with their ears

Craig Perera, team leader at Battersea Dogs Homes Old Windsor Centre said: When you look at these pups now, its hard to believe that only a few weeks ago they were roaming the streets, unwell and unloved.

From the moment they arrived, our staff worked around the clock to ensure Basil, Abbie and Josie had the best possible chance to grow in to healthy, happy young dogs, before finding them new homes where we knew theyd be loved.

Now aged four months and safe and warm, everyone hopes all three puppies will celebrate many Christmases to come with families who love them.

Well never know exactly what led to this little family being left to fend for themselves at such a young age, but we know theres a chance they were abandoned by an owner.

At Battersea we understand that people may have to face the incredibly difficult decision to give up a pet, and we would never judge anyone for doing so.

We would just urge anyone no longer able to care for a pet to reach out for support from places like Battersea, rather than put a pets wellbeing at risk by abandoning them.
Tributes have been paid to a Scottish kennel owner who was mauled to death by a bulldog, leaving his five sons orphaned.

This is the second tragedy to strike the family in less than a decade after Adam Watts, 55, from Dundee lost his wife to cancer in 2013.

Mr Watts was attacked at the Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee, on Wednesday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene after one of his sons is believed to have seen the bulldog dog attack.

Father-of-five Adam Watts was attacked at the Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee, on Wednesday

Juniper Kennels and Cattery in Kirkton of Auchterhouse, near Dundee, was a family business that Mr Watts ran with his sons

Tributes were paid to Mr Watts online after news of his death broke, with one dog charity praising his 'gentle, calm nature' in trying to gain the trust of abused animals in his care.

Save Our Seized Dogs - a group dedicated to assisting owners whose pets are seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 - said Mr Watts also helped police in Dundee by taking in animals.

'Adam would take any dog to give them the chance of life and was the kennels of choice for the police in Dundee,' the group said on Facebook.

'His gentle, calm nature soon gained the trust of some of the most abused dogs and they were able to go from him to find loving homes.

'Adam died doing what he loved. He leaves behind five boys who he was the sole parent to. He talked of them often and was so proud of the older boys helping him with the dogs.

All of Mr Watts' children are now orphans following his death as his wife Eileen Watts died in 2013 of cancer. He put his 'heart and soul' into saving dogs following that tragedy

'This is an unbearable tragedy at any time of year. It is even more so at Christmas.

'Rest in peace Adam, you were an amazing man, the world is a poorer place for losing you.'

The boys' mother Eileen Watts also passed away in 2013, aged 46, of cancer.

Edinburgh-based dog trainer SuperSmart Dog Training and Behaviour said: 'He was not just a kennel owner. He saved many dogs which he felt needed saved and would campaign for dogs welfare.

'All that met him found a caring, loving man who lived for his five boys and dogs.

The 55-year-old spent his life trying to save dogs

Mr Watts' wife Eileen died of stomach cancer in 2013 at the age of 46

'Since his wife died, this was his life who put his heart and soul into saving dogs.

'I'm gutted, as this is not what any dog-loving person would want to hear. Tragic death. He will be missed by all.

'Adam, there are many of us in the dog world heartbroken and you will never be forgotten.'

Wallace Vets paid tribute on Facebook to Mr Watts.

The independent Vets in Dundee and Angus said: 'It's with huge sadness that we learn of the passing of Adam Watts, of Juniper Kennels.

'Adam was the most caring man who went over and above in his passion for caring for animals, and worked tirelessly to help give some a loving future with a new family.

'Our heartfelt thoughts and deepest sympathies go to his family and friends at this difficult time.'

Police Scotland have said there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland told MailOnline: 'Officers received report of a man having been attacked by a dog in Kirkton of Auchterhouse around 1.10pm on Wednesday, December 22.

'Emergency services attended, however, the 55-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

'The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.'

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is responsible for the prosecution of crime in Scotland, the investigation of sudden or suspicious deaths and complaints of criminal conduct by police officers on duty.

Police have said there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.
A restaurant owner who has seen thousands of customers cancel their Christmas Eve bookings has said she has been left with a 'handful' of reservations on what should be her businesses' busiest week of the year.

Natalie Isaac runs restaurant chain Bar 44 with her two brothers in Bristol, and warned the current situation wreaking havoc throughout the hospitality industry 'can't continue'.

Up to last week they had seen 3,200 cancellations - a number which has now risen even further meaning they are set to lose out on thousands of pounds over the festive period.

It comes as businesses across the UK are warning they need further support from Government after watching their takings plummet due to Christmas festivities being scaled back amid fear over the spread of Omicron.

Restaurants across the country recorded their worst trading week since May with a 14 per cent fall in seated diners in the week up to December 20 according to the Office for National Statistics.

There are also warnings that Chancellor Rishi Sunak's 1billion hospitality package may not be enough to help bars, clubs and restaurants tide over until the New Year.

Natalie Isaac runs restaurant chain Bar 44 with her two brothers in Bristol, and warned the current situation wreaking havoc throughout the hospitality industry 'can't continue'

Wider figures from hospitality leaders suggest festive takings will fall by up to 40 per cent in December. Pictured: An empty Bar 44 in Bristol

Natalie, the Director of 44 Group, said cancellations due to Covid fears has left the family-run chain with just a 'handful' of bookings across their four restaurants.

Weeks ago their Christmas Eve diary had been fully booked, but now Bar 44 will be getting less than half the customers they had originally expected.

She added: 'In the hospitality industry, we're fighting battles on so many fronts we don't know which way to turn.

'Last week we had 3,200 bookings cancelled, and we have had loads more since then.

'It's really tough, we completely understand the situation with public health at the moment and that people are isolating or being careful.

'We've jumped through hoops to have been open at all since March 2020 - masks, QR codes, social distancing - this can't continue indefinitely.

'We're a family-run business and our staff rely on us - in this position, the worry never really leaves your head.

Chinatown in London's Soho was empty on Wednesday night as London resembled a ghost town just days before Christmas

Hopes remain high for a happy New Year! New Year's Eve celebrations are likely to be free from legally-binding coronavirus curbs, sources revealed last night - as Boris Johnson used his Christmas message to reiterate a plea for people to get booster jabs. Despite fears that England would follow in the footsteps of Scotland and Wales by announcing harsher restrictions for the end of the year, families now may be able to start planning ways to ring in 2022. Multiple sources said last night that time was running out to recall Parliament, with the Government vowing to give MPs a vote if more stringent measures are needed over the Christmas recess. Preliminary data has not yet been sufficient to justify further curbs, however. Ministers remain anxious that hospital admissions are rising and the transmissibility of Omicron could lead to the NHS being overwhelmed. But they have been buoyed by studies suggesting the variant is less severe than previous coronavirus strains. Last night a Cabinet source said that 'with every day that goes by, it becomes less likely' that Parliament will be recalled before New Year's Eve. They said that with the post-Christmas bank holidays and 48-hour delay to recalling Parliament, it was 'possible' but unlikely that MPs would be ordered back. 'Especially considering the amount of time needed for internal decisions to be made in Government before a recall is made,' they added. Another said: 'Colleagues would not vote in our favour if we cut short their Christmas break.' Advertisement

Industry experts feared the Government's increasingly alarmist messages surrounding the Omicron mutant strain are 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.

To the dismay of hundreds of business owners, Scotland's nightclubs were ordered to shut for three weeks from December 27 to curb the spread of Omicron.

Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that 'we must act to slow transmission while boosters completed. Otherwise higher transmissibility could outweigh lower severity and still overwhelm us.'

Murdo Fraser, shadow Covid recovery secretary with the Scottish Conservatives, denounced the move as a 'further setback' for the beleaguered hospitality industry.

Natalie told how her four restaurants in Bristol, Cardiff, Penarth and Cowbridge are normally fully booked on the run-up to Christmas.

In fact, a few weeks ago they were - but now just 'a handful of bookings' remain after many groups, including large corporate reservations, cancelled their tables.

She said their Cardiff branch would normally see more than 400 people booked to wine and dine on Christmas Eve - but this year, just 60 people are due to come.

Worried Natalie said: 'Weeks ago, we were fully booked for that date - now we're going to be virtually empty.'

She estimated their takings are more than 60% down on where they would expect to be at this time in the year.

But another big issue for the family-run chain is people 'assuming you know they've cancelled' without letting the restaurant know - meaning money goes down the drain when stock goes to waste.

She explained that the bumper takings in a regular December would cover the quiet spell over January and February - but says this year they won't have much to fall back on.

Jenny Harries (right), head of the UK Health Security Agency, said the 'impact on society' of Omicron will be crucial despite mounting evidence that it is generally milder than the Delta strain. The comments came as Boris Johnson (left) released his Christmas message, warning that 'Omicron is surging' and the pandemic is far from over

To the dismay of hundreds of business owners, Scotland's nightclubs were ordered to shut for three weeks from December 27 to curb the spread of Omicron

Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that 'we must act to slow transmission while boosters completed. Otherwise higher transmissibility could outweigh lower severity and still overwhelm us'

Meanwhile, new data shows more than 400 pubs left their communities across England and Wales during the pandemic.

Figures shared by real estate adviser Altus Group shows the number of boozers paying property taxes and business rates fell by 444 to 40,173 in December, compared to 40,617 at this time last year.

It comes as Greater Manchester's night time economy advisor Sacha Lord said it is critical the Government announces a decision for England as quickly as possible.

He praised the Prime Minister for recognising the importance of keeping the hospitality sector open but said it is 'in limbo' with the threat of restrictions hanging overhead.

Mr Lord said: 'Every operator wants to operate. But responsible operators say safety has to come first. So with how much planning goes into New Year's Eve the second they know what they're doing there can be no dithering around like the last few weeks, they must come out with absolute clarity, certainty and guidance.'

On Tuesday, businesses were told they could receive up to 6,000 per premise after the Omicron surge saw customer confidence plummet once again.

Economists have now estimated that restrictions in place across the UK have already cost the hospitality and retail sectors 2.7billion this month.

An analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research has found that bars and nightclubs would lose 450million in earnings on New Year's Eve alone if they are forced to close, while Government limits on family events on December 31 could take a further 100million out of the economy.

New Year celebrations could be axed to stave off staff shortages and protect the vulnerable even if hospitalisations stay low, Jenny Harries, head of the UK Health Security Agency, warned today.

Business owners are concerned that a lack of clarity from the Government on whether or not people should go ahead with the end of year festivities will ultimately impact their bottom line.

Natalie said: 'The worry genuinely never leaves your head - and now we're worried about whether we're heading into another lockdown.

'We have staff who rely on us and they're losing hours because we don't have the customers, it's really hard.

'We'd love to say we'll cover your full wage but we're not a big enough company to do that - our cash reserves are way down.

'At this point it's about trying not to go into a loss-making situation.'

But Natalie has hope that with the new year there will be new opportunities to claw back their losses and move forward as a business.

She said: 'The hospitality industry really is amazing.

'It's a very adaptive and creative industry and try to come up with innovative ways to bounce back.

'But at the moment, there are a lot of very worried people, including us.'
A man who stabbed his gamer girlfriend to death in a 'savage, ferocious and frenzied' rage after eavesdropping on her conversations, hacking her Facebook and locking her in her own flat has been jailed for life.

Klaudia Soltys was described as 'always cheerful' and 'very sociable' and someone who was 'loved by everyone' by her devastated mother.

The 30-year-old victim who 'loved life' and was 'always smiley' was repeatedly stabbed in the neck by her enraged boyfriend on March 27.

He had become jealous of her online chats with others, including one man in particular, during internet gaming sessions.

Amadeusz Sekula, 21, of Lambert Street, Hull, stabbed defenceless Miss Soltys in the neck repeatedly and left her in a pool of blood.

Sekula habitually monitored what his girlfriend was doing online, eavesdropped on her conversations and locked her in the flat before losing his tempter and stabbing her, Hull Crown Court heard.

He pleaded guilty to murder after already admitting the lesser charge of manslaughter earlier.

Jason Pitter QC, prosecuting, said that Sekula 'brutally murdered' Miss Soltys in a 'final controlling act in the embers of a dying relationship' with her.

'There was never any dispute as to whether he was responsible for the killing,' said Mr Pitter.

Klaudia Soltys, 30 (pictured), 'loved life' and was 'always smiley'. She was repeatedly stabbed in the neck by her enraged boyfriend Amadeusz Sekula on March 27

Sekula and Miss Soltys were both born in Poland. Miss Soltys moved to Britain in 2014 with a previous boyfriend and the relationship ended in 2019.

She formed a relationship with Sekula in Summer 2020 after meeting him through online gaming.

The couple lived together in a flat on Lambert Street and worked long hours at a business in Bridlington.

Mr Pitter said: 'Over a relatively short period, the relationship became strained,'

Sekula was jealous and controlling and checked up on Miss Soltys during work, becoming frustrated when he spoke to colleagues.

His girlfriend began to tell people she was unhappy in the relationship and that Sekula was controlling and locked her in the flat.

Their relationship soured and she told a mutual friend it was 'all over the place' and he had been eavesdropping on conversations she had with others.

Mr Pitter said: 'When she was gaming, he would come into the room and check on her.'

Her controlling boyfriend had checked particularly on another male gamer and started to go through her computer, tablet and phone.

On one occasion she was locked in the flat for three hours by Sekula, on the pretext he was worried she would come into harm's way.

He had been warned by the mutual friend about his behaviour.

Sekula (pictured) was jealous and controlling and checked up on Miss Soltys during work, becoming frustrated when he spoke to colleagues

Miss Soltys was crying a lot at work and the court heard his behaviour was 'manipulative.'

Sekula left his job on March 23 in a 'fit of pique' and on March 25 had hacked into his girlfriend's Facebook account in a bid to see her conversations with others.

He was unhappy about the breakdown of their relationship and it was agreed he would return to Poland.

Contacting the mutual friend on March 26, he was 'melancholic' and later Miss Soltys got in touch with them 'jittery' and 'crying.'

Mr Pitter said: 'She appeared distressed to people at work who had cause to speak to her.

'She told him that the defendant had threatened to kill himself if she left.

'Such was her state that she had to go to the bathroom to calm herself down.

'Miss Soltys told her mother in a telephone communication that her relationship with the defendant was over.

'She told her mother that she didn't feel safe.'

Her boyfriend had spent his time smoking cannabis and drinking.

Their mutual friend tried to contact Miss Soltys to check she was alright but did not receive a response.

Shortly before 6am on March 27, Sekula knocked on the door of a woman in Bransholme and asked that she call the police for him.

'He told her that he had killed his girlfriend,' said Mr Pitter.

The woman called 999 and she passed the phone to Sekula who said that he had just killed his girlfriend with a knife and that 'she was dying right now'.

Sekula left his job on March 23 in a 'fit of pique' and on March 25 had hacked into his girlfriend's Facebook account in a bid to see her conversations with others. Pictured: Miss Soltys

He claimed that it had happened three hours earlier.

Mr Pitter told the court that since the murder Sekula had been walking round and did not want to live after what happened. He eventually knocked on someone's door and when they called 999 he told the call handler his girlfriend had not wanted to return some money to him.

He told police: 'I have never done anything in my life like this before.'

The mother of Miss Soltys said in a statement: 'I received devastating news of Klaudia.

'I found out that my daughter Klaudia was murdered. Her death was a grave blow to me, my husband and Klaudia's brother.

'My family life fell to pieces.' Her daughter's grandparents had been devastated at the loss of their 'beloved granddaughter'.

Miss Soltys moved to England to look for a better life.

'Klaudia was always cheerful and always smiley,' said the mother.

'She loved life. I wish she could have told me that she felt trapped by Sekula.'

'When I look at Klaudia's belongings, I want to cry and sometimes think that life has lost its meaning. We still have a son.

'I visited Klaudia's grave with my husband and he found it very difficult. I don't think he will be able to visit Klaudia's grave for a while.

'There is a lot of sadness in our life since Klaudia's death.

'Whatever happened that night, no one has the right to take another person's life. There is always a way out of a situation.'

Sekula (pictured) had been walking round and did not want to live after the murder. He eventually knocked on someone's door and when they called 999 he told the call handler his girlfriend had not wanted to return some money to him

Judge John Thackray QC told Sekula: 'You repeatedly stabbed Klaudia to the neck in her own home, a place where she was entitled to feel safe and secure.

'Your attack on her was undoubtedly savage, ferocious and frenzied. There were a minimum of six deep wounds to the neck, one of which transected her voice box.

'It was without doubt a final controlling act by you, motivated by jealousy. You no doubt appreciated that the relationship was over and that Klaudia wanted to move on with her life.

'You committed the offence against a background of jealous, controlling and oppressive behaviour by you. I have no doubt that your behaviour had a profound effect upon Klaudia in the weeks leading to her death.

'In the hours leading up to her death, she was understandably scared of what you may do. 't was sufficiently serious that a mutual friend felt it necessary to warn you to alter your behaviour. You ignored that warning.

'When it became obvious to you that your partner was going to end the relationship, you manipulated her into feeling sorry for you.

'I have no doubt that you made the final few weeks of Klaudia's life very unpleasant indeed and, when you realised the relationship was finally over, you were not prepared to allow her to move on and you decided to kill her with a knife.'

'I understand that she and her family will never recover from their loss,' said Judge Thackray.

The family of Miss Soltys paid tribute to her in a statement, saying there had been a lot of sadness in their life since their death and she was always happy and smiling. Pictured: Miss Soltys

Peter Moulson QC, mitigating, said that the 'physical suffering' by the victim before death was 'limited' because the knife wounds to the neck would have been 'immediately life-threatening' for her.

'We hope that the suffering of Miss Soltys was at an absolute minimum,' said Mr Moulson.

'There was never any dispute as to whether he was responsible for the killing.

'The defendant did alert the authorities while there was no evidence whatsoever of this crime.'

Sekula made 'fulsome admissions' and 'confessed' during police interview.

'He wishes to express his sincere apologies to the friends and family of Miss Soltys following his commission of this crime,' said Mr Moulson.

Sekula had no previous convictions.

He had suffered a disturbing childhood and often intervened when his father attacked his mother. This had led to emotional difficulties, the court was told.

He will spend a minimum of 16 years and 277 days behind bars before he can even be considered for release.
Aviation chiefs have urged people to fly drones safely to protect low-flying air ambulances, which are expected to make around 1,000 lifesaving missions during the festive period.

Jonathan Nicholson, the assistant director of communications, at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), asked drone users to fly safely and remain alert for low-flying air ambulances.

With thousands of drones expected to be given as presents this Christmas, Mr Nicholson said: 'With more than 400,000 registered drone owners across the UK, and more expected to be added during the festive period as people receive new drones for Christmas, we're asking all drone users to fly safely and to especially be on the lookout for low-flying helicopters.

There have been close to 500 close calls between drones and aircraft in the past ten years, with up to 125 in a single year.

Air ambulances often fly below the 400ft maximum height for drone flying.

Aviation chiefs have urged drone users to take care when flying. Earlier this year an air ambulance in Leicestershire avoided a mid-air collision with a drone by just 30 feet. Pictured: A Cornwall air ambulance takes off

A spokeswoman for leading drone company Direct Drones told MailOnline they expected to sell 'thousands' of the popular present at Christmas (File image)

Only in October an air ambulance avoided a mid-air collision by just 30ft in Leicestershire.

Luckily the helicopter pilot spotted the drone but had to drop altitude sharply to avoid hitting it.

The white 'quadcopter' drone passed just 30ft above the air ambulance.

What does the law in the UK say about flying drones? There are a number of rules to avoid air collisions with drones. Drones have to stay below a height of 400ft and at least 164ft from any cars, buildings or members of the public. The Drone and Model Aircraft Code also says drones cant go near airports or crowds at public events without special permission. Some key elements of the UKs drone rules that users need to follow are: Never fly above 400ft (120 meters)

Always keep your drone in sight

Never fly near airfields or airports

Register with the CAA as a drone operator and take the Flyer ID test

Follow the Dronecode Source: CAA (www.caa.co.uk/drones) Advertisement

'In many cases when flying below 400ft drones and helicopters have equal access to airspace but in reality a drone user is much more likely to see and hear an approaching helicopter.

'So, we ask drone users in those situations to keep their drones well away and land if possible.

'They can then help to make sure that life-saving helicopters can operate safely.'

The CAA said air ambulance charities across the UK were expected to fly around 1,000 lifesaving missions during December with a total of about 180 crew members and 40 helicopters operational each day.

Some drones have the ability to hold cameras that can take incredible aerial shots of landscape and events

Air ambulance teams deliver pre-hospital emergency care to people with sudden critical injuries or illness.

Simmy Akhtar, the head of Air Ambulances UK, said: 'Air ambulance charities right across the UK have continued to provide their vital lifesaving services to those in desperate need of pre-hospital critical care throughout the pandemic and beyond.

'Now, during the festive period, drone users can do their bit to support our air ambulance charities too.

'All of us at home can play a part in keeping our sky safe this Christmas by being mindful of the CAA's drone regulations.'
President Joe Biden will spend his first Christmas as president at the White House with family and is giving up his New Year's tradition of sun and St. Croix for the chill of Delaware this year.

The decision to spend Christmas at the White House was unexpected from a president who heads home to Delaware for the weekend as often as possible.

Instead, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, he'll spend some time between Christmas and New Year's in Delaware.

President Joe Biden will spend his first Christmas as president at the White House with family and is giving up his New Year's tradition of sun and St. Croix for the chill of Delaware this year.

First Lady Jill Biden (right) is expected to visit Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Eve

The president will also eschew his family tradition of traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the New Year's holiday, a trip he's made with his family nearly every year since 2008.

His brother James owns property on Water Island, and Biden often has spent the week there or on St. Croix.

During his first year in office, he's spent more than 25 weekends at his Wilmington home or his Rehoboth Beach house, where it's easier for friends and family to stop by and for the Bidens to enjoy bike rides or outings to the beach.

Biden has suggested he's uncomfortable with the trappings of life in the White House, at one point saying living there was like being in a 'gilded cage.'

The president's decision to stay local comes as the newest wave of COVID cases, caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant, has caused long lines at COVID-19 testing centers and caused major airlines to cancel flights due to staffing shortages.

The White House has taken heat for the country being ill-prepared for the testing crush.

Both United and Delta canceled more than 100 flights on Christmas Eve, blaming omicron and bad weather.

The Bidens made a trip mid-morning to Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

It's a traditional holiday trip made by the first lady.

The president's presence was a surprise.

Earlier this week, the Bidens introduced a new member of the family - a German Shepherd puppy named Commander, which was given as a gift to the president by his brother.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff are spending the holiday in California.
An abusive boyfriend who was jailed then released on appeal for stalking the daughter of murdered ISIS hostage David Haines has admitted a campaign of cruelty against four other women.

Andrew Murray was imprisoned for 21 months in 2017 after a court heard how he taunted Perth woman Bethany Haines about her father's death at the hands of extremists.

It was part of a 'degrading and humiliating' campaign of abuse which lasted six months, Perth Sheriff Court heard.

Andrew Murray, 26, from Perth, pictured outside Perth Sheriff Court in 2017 will return to court on January 26, 2022 where he will be sentenced following his conviction for abusing four women

Murray had previously been jailed for stalking Bethany Haines, pictured, although that sentence was later declared as too harsh by an appellant court

In January 2018, appeal court judges agreed the sentence was too severe and Murray was re-sentenced to unpaid work.

On Tuesday, Murray, 26, returned to the same court and admitted further abusive behaviour against three then-girlfriends, including two after the period he was released.

Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney described a disturbing course of conduct that lasted six years involving four girlfriends.

Murray, of Geyfriars Hostel, Perth, pleaded guilty to a charge of, between November 2013 and July 2018, he engaged in a course of conduct which placed his then partner in a state of fear or alarm.

At locations in Coupar Angus and Alyth, he shouted and swore at her, called her derogatory names and monitored her phone conversations.

'When she turned 18, she felt that he became very controlling,' said Mr Sweeney.

'He started arguments with her, calling her friends junkies and alcoholics to try and drive a wedge between her and her friends.'

Bethany is the daughter of murdered British aid worker David Haines who was killed by ISIS extremist Jihadi John in September 2014

On various occasions between June 2014 and December 2015, he assaulted her by striking her on the face, seizing her by the clothing and pulling her towards him.

He repeatedly threw objects including a mobile phone at her.

Murray also admitted seizing her by the throat and slamming her on to a sofa bed and pinning her down.

He further admitted that between September 2016 and October 2016, at another address in Coupar Angus, he assaulted another then-partner and threw a glass at her.

Between August 2018 and March 2019, at addresses in Muirhead, he engaged in a course of conduct that placed a third woman, then his girlfriend, in a state of fear or alarm.

He monitored her social media and phone conversations, while accusing her of cheating and threatening to harm her.

In March 2019, he attacked her and threw her against a wall, to her injury.

'She was constantly intimidated by the accused,' said Mr Sweeney.

'He called her fat and ugly.

'He told her: No one would want to be with you. You won't be with anyone after me'.'

Murray further admitted a course of behaviour that was abusive towards another partner between April and October 2019.

The court heard he repeatedly accused her of lying and being unfaithful, and demanded to know her location.

He punched walls and called her names such as 'slut' and 'whore'.

Sheriff Euan Duthie deferred sentence until January 26 for background reports.

He released Murray on bail, telling him: 'I have to say that a custodial sentence is at the forefront of my mind.'

Bethany Haines, then 20, previously told of her terror after judges freed Murray in 2018.

She said: 'I cannot believe that someone who did such horrible things and is a danger to the public can be let off to do community payback.'

Bethany's father, charity worker David, 44, was killed by terrorists in September 2014.
The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions imposed last month on eight southern African countries over concerns about the fast-spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant, a senior administration official said Friday.

Foreign nationals who are barred from the United States because they have been in one of the eight countries within the last 14 days will again be allowed on U.S.-bound flights leaving after 12:01 a.m. ET on December 31, the official told Reutiers.

Late last month the Biden administration barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi in an 'abundance of caution' over the variant detected in South Africa.

The official said U.S. public health agencies recommended lifting the travel restrictions because retaining them would have not a significant impact on U.S. cases given the widespread current U.S. transmission.

They also expressed confidence that an Omicron-specific vaccine would not be necessary and that existing vaccines and booster shots are highly effective.

Omicron has been detected in all 50 states. It's expected to infect as many as 60 percent of Americans by March, although the majority of those cases will likely be asymptomatic.

Coronavirus cases surged 38 percent in a 24-hour period, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Thursday.

Foreign nationals who are barred from the United States because they have been in one of the eight countries within the last 14 days will again be allowed on U.S.-bound flights (pictured: Atlanta airport on December 20)

President Joe Biden on Friday banned travel from eight African countries - shaded red in the map. South Africa is the only one to have direct flights to the United States, with 13 a week. Now citizens of the eight countries, or anyone who has been there recently, are unable to enter the US

Less than four weeks after the Omicron variant was first detected in the US, coronavirus cases are again soaring

The number of new infections jumped 238,278 on December 22.

Hospitalizations have increased by 11 percent over two weeks, according to the New York Times, though the number remains less than half its winter 2020 peak.

According to the outlet's COVID data tracker, the number of new cases rose by an even higher margin of 265,032 on Thursday - two days before Christmas.

Airline staffing shortages driven by COVID would likely mean any travelers who now hope to get to the US will be up against massive delays.

'This travel pause has served its purpose. It bought time to understand the science, it gave time to analyze the variant,' the official, who did not want to be identified because the decision has not yet been made public, told Reuters.

'This was not meant to keep Omicron out. We knew we couldn't do that. The point was to reduce the number of cases coming in - in those early days and weeks.'

The restrictions have not prevented flights or Americans from returning from southern Africa.

Top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Monday that lifting the restrictions was likely 'because we have enough infection in our own country... We're letting in people from other countries that have as much or more infection than the southern African countries.'

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was considering reversing the restrictions.

'We put the travel ban on just to see how much time we had before it hit here so we can begin to decide what we needed by looking at what's happening in other countries,' the president said when addressing the nation on the state of the pandemic.

'But we're past that now. And so it's something that is being raised with me by the docs now, and I'll have an answer for that soon.'

The official emphasized the restrictions were meant to be temporary and lifting them after about a month 'sends a pretty clear signal that there's not going to be a significant penalty' for coming forward to disclose new variant information.

The United States had only lifted travel restrictions on South Africa on November 8 put in place since late January to address COVID-19 concerns.

In the wake of Omicron, the United States tightened testing rules for international travelers and extended a requirement to wear masks on airplanes and at airports through March 18.

On December 6, the CDC toughened testing rules for international air travelers arriving in the United States, requiring them to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within one day of travel.

Biden said on Tuesday that he'd consider lifting the travel bans

Under prior rules, vaccinated international air travelers could present a negative test result obtained within three days of their day of departure.

The CDC last week started distributing free COVID-19 home test kits to international travelers at several airports.

The CDC encourages - but does not mandate - international air travelers to get a new COVID-19 test three to five days after arriving in the United States.

Last month the agency ordered airlines to disclose passenger names and other information about those who have recently been in the eight southern African countries.

Meanwhile, the soaring number of coronavirus cases is further fueling holiday travel chaos as staffing shortages force major airlines to cancel hundreds of pre-Christmas flights.

United Airlines has canceled at least 169 flights scheduled for today, while Delta Airlines said it has canceled about 120. Alaska Airlines said it had canceled 10.

United and Delta said they were working to contact passengers so they would not be stranded at airports.

South Africa, where scientists first sounded the alarm to the global community about the Omicron strain, has announced it will end quarantine for asymptomatic cases because containment of the virus is 'no longer viable'.

New graphs show the country's COVID outbreak, once feared to be out-of-control, has faded after a month and less than 10 days after peaking at 26,976 on December 15.

South African health officials also said contact tracing would be stopped save for large gatherings and self-contained settings.

It became ground zero for the new variant in late November and saw a new wave of infections that surged from 670 to more than 20,000 within three weeks.
Hicks was on a tour of US military bases and stopped in Michigan, Colorado, Hawaii, California and Nebraska. She has tested negative since the end of the trip

Seven Pentagon staffers who were on a domestic tour of U.S. military bases with Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks have tested positive for COVID-19, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The Defense Department workers, both civilian and military employees, had been tested for COVID-19 before the trip and were vaccinated, Reuters first reported.

They were tested at the end of the trip out of an 'abundance of caution.' Hicks herself has tested negative.

They accompanied Hicks on her reviews of military bases where officials focused on how next year's budget dollars could expand capacity to take on increasingly aggressive counterparts in China and Russia.

The group traveled through Michigan, Colorado, Hawaii, California and Nebraska.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Hicks and her entire entourage followed CDC guidelines 'including the stringent wearing of masks and social distancing where and when possible.'

The COVID-positive staff members are now quarantining, and Kirby said the Defense Department was tracing their possible contacts across hotels, bases and any 'support personnel' they could have exposed.

'We continue to treat the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 with utmost seriousness and care,' he stated.

Just yesterday, Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons became the 10th member of Congress to test positive for COVID-19 this week as the omicron variant has let to a spike in cases in Washington, D.C. and across the country.

The Omicron variant is now the dominant coronavirus strain in the United States

Sen. Chris Coons became the 10th member of Congress to test positive for COVID-19 this week

Washington, D.C. is seeing a dramatic spike in COVID cases as the omicron variant spreads across the United States

'In recent weeks I have been tested for COVID-19 regularly, both with rapid tests and PCR tests, and last night I got bad news  I tested positive,' he tweeted Thursday. 'I have minimal symptoms so far and am optimistic I will recover well after isolating and following CDC guidelines.'

LAWMAKERS WHO'VE TESTED POSITIVE SINCE OMICRON OUTBREAK Sen. Elizabeth Warren Sen. Cory Booker Rep. Jason Crow Rep. Matt Cartwright Rep. Antonio Delgado Rep. Nicole Malliotakis Rep. Barbara Lee Rep. Jim Clyburn Rep. Jan Schakowsky Sen. Chris Coons Advertisement

Coons, who represents Delaware, is one of the president's top allies on Capitol Hill.

He follows Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Jim Clyburn in announcing a positive COVID-19 test.

Schakowsky tweeted Wednesday night that her husband tested positive on Friday and after several negative tests the congresswoman tested positive Tuesday night. The couple is vaccinated and boosted.

'We got tested when we felt something was off, and now we can prevent exposure to our family and loved ones. I implore you to do the same before holiday gatherings this week and next,' she wrote. 'Get tested if you feel sick or have been around someone who tests positive.'

Schakowsky's tweets came shortly after Clyburn, the No. 3 Democrat and chair of the coronavirus select committee, said he tested positive for COVID - forcing him to miss his granddaughter's wedding.

'Tonight, I received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. This is a breakthrough case, and I am asymptomatic,' the 81-year-old House Majority Whip said.

The South Carolina Democrat said it took more than 56 hours to receive his positive PCR result.

Clyburn said he took an at-home COVID test on Sunday in preparation for a family gathering.

'On Sunday, my entire family took at-home tests as a precaution prior to my granddaughter's wedding, which took place today,' he said.

The rapid test was inconclusive and, 'out of an abundance of caution,' Clyburn quarantined and took a PCR test on Monday.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (pictured in November 2021) has tested positive for COVID-19 despite having no symptoms and being fully vaccinated with a booster

Rep. Jan Schakowsky tweeted Wednesday night that she had tested positive for COVID-19 the night before, after her husband received a positive test on Friday

As he remains quarantined, Clyburn is issuing a warning to Americans as more citizens are reporting breakthrough cases amid the surge of the now-dominant Omicron variant

He claims it took more than two days to get his positive result.

Clyburn tested negative for COVID last week ahead of President Joe Biden's visit to his alma mater, South Carolina State University.

Both men attended the university's December commencement, where Biden addressed the graduates, commending their successes amid challenging pandemic times.

Biden was then potentially exposed to COVID on Air Force One traveling between South Carolina and Philadelphia, when an aide tested positive for the virus days later.

Biden received a negative PCR result Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, seven additional lawmakers said they had contracted COVID.

They include Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker, as well as Reps. Jason Crow, Matt Cartwright, Antonio Delgado, Barbara Lee and Nicole Malliotakis, the lone Republican.

Delgado, 44, announced Tuesday he tested positive for COVID. He's also fully vaccinated and boosted.

Clyburn (center) tested negative for COVID last week ahead of President Joe Biden's (left) visit to his alma mater, South Carolina State University

'Yesterday, I tested positive for COVID-19 and am currently experiencing mild symptoms,' he said in a statement. 'I'm grateful for the protection of a safe and effective vaccine and booster and encourage all who are able to get both.'

Prior to that, Lee and Malliotakis announced their positive COVID tests, as Washington, D.C. surpassed all other states in the nation in its coronavirus infection rate.

'This week, I received a breakthrough positive COVID-19 test result. Fortunately, I have only mild cold-like symptoms. I know it could have been much worse had I not been vaccinated and boosted,' Lee said in a statement.

'After experiencing mild symptoms and a slight fever, Congresswoman Malliotakis, who is vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. She is quarantining at home and is feeling well,' her office announced.

The announcements come as Washington D.C.'s COVID cases rose by 369 percent in the past week, the largest gain in the nation, as the Omicron variant spreads across the nation.

The number is based on a seven-day rolling average of daily new cases per 100,000 residents.

Democratic Rep. Antonio Delgado of New York announced a breakthrough COVID case on Tuesday

Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee of California (left) and Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (right) of New York also tested positive for COVID-19 this week

Elizabeth Warren revealed her positive diagnosis on Twitter Sunday afternoon

Warren urged others to get vaccinated amid the rise in COVID cases and the Omicron variant

Earlier Tuesday, Cartwright of Pennsylvania, announced that he, too, tested positive for COVID.

'He tested positive on Saturday,' his Communications Director Colleen Eagen Gerrity told Times News Online.

She said Cartwright, who represents an area that includes Scranton, had received two vaccine shots.

It was not known if he had received a booster shot.

He is quarantining at home after experiencing flu-like symptoms.

Crow of Colorado announced he tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday night, hours after Warren and Booker tweeted news of their own diagnoses.

The number of members of Congress who have tested positive for the virus since the start of the outbreak in 2020 has now surpassed 100, according to a list kept by PBS News Hour.

The Senate and House have each gone home for its holiday recess, avoiding the chance of more transmission between members, although many lawmakers hold events with constituents while away from Washington.

Meanwhile, Americans nationwide are seeing a surge in COVID infections fueled by the Omicron variant.

The swift rise in infections from Omicron, first detected last month and now accounting for at least 73 percent of US cases, has caused fresh concern ahead of the Christmas holiday.

In the last seven days, the average number of US cases has risen 26 percent and cases are up 83 percent since the start of the month.

Biden on Tuesday laid out measures - including activating new pop-up vaccination clinics run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and federal testing sites - aimed to combat the surge.

Sen. Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, announced on Sunday that he had tested positive for COVID-19

Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Pennsylvania Democrat, and Rep. Jason Crow (right), a Colorado Democrat both tested positive for COVID-19 as the omicron variant created a new surge

He pledged to assist states in battling the wave of cases by providing stockpiled resources and mobilizing 1,000 troops to aid with healthcare.

The president, at the same time, offered both a warning to the unvaccinated, who he said have 'good reason to be concerned,' and reassurance that those who are inoculated can gather for the holidays despite the new variant sweeping the country.

'No this is not March of 2020,' Biden told reporters at the White House. 'Two hundred million people are fully vaccinated, we're prepared, we know more.'

Biden's remarks came after health experts said earlier this week the country would likely see record numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the weeks and months ahead.

'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, which is one of the reasons why we continue to stress the importance of getting those unvaccinated people vaccinated,' Biden's chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, predicted Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.

On Wednesday, Fauci reiterated that Americans who have been vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 can be with family over the holidays, but noted that attending large gatherings of more than 30 people is not safe, even for those who received a booster dose.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however, called for greater caution and urged people to postpone their gatherings.
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Soldiers, sailors and aircrew serving home and abroad have released a stunning gallery of photographs taken on missions across the globe.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the images provide a unique look back at the work of the UK Armed Forces around the world in 2021.'

A spokesman said: 'The stunning images show the impressive scale and ambition of the UK Armed Forces on deployment around the world, from cold weather training in the Arctic Circle to counter-terrorism operations over the mountains of Mali. From the dust and dirt of a war zone to the gleaming uniforms of a parade, military photographers capture the images that show the reality of life for UK servicemen and women.

'Those who capture these images are all soldiers, sailors and aviators first and photographers second, deploying with their rifle as well as their camera.'

This sailor, pictured, was greeted by her family having come back from a high profile patrol on board HMS Defender in the Black Sea in June. Defender escorted HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment to the Pacific Rim and back

Big Lizzie, back met her sister ship HMS Prince of Wales, front, for the first time in May 2021. The 65,000 tonne carriers met at sea for the first time in operational service. In future, one vessel will be available for deployment at all times, ready to respond to global events at short notice

Here HMS Queen Elizabeth conducts a night Replenishment at Sea with RFA Tidespring refuelling the giant aircraft carrier

Big Lizzie's deployment saw her F-35B Lightning jets, pictured, deployed against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria during the aircraft carrier's maiden deployment

Elizabeth was joined by a multinational formation of ships, from left to right, HMS Defender, RFA Tidespring, RFA Fort Victoria, HNLMS Evertsen, JS Kirishima, HMNZS Te Kaha and USS Shiloh

On November 25, a formation flight featuring specially painted Chinook and Puma helicopters flew over southern England. The Puma, from RAF Benson, pictured front, had just completed 50 years in service, while the Chinook, pictured rear, completed 40 years service. The Chinook is based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire

This RAF C-130J is pictured performing a nose-up break into the flying circuit at RAF Akrotiri having returned from Jordan in support of Operation FORTIS

Here the RAF Red Arrows are practising their display routine flying in a diamond formation during pre-season training in Greece. The photograph was taken from the rear seat of Red 10, by Corporal Adam Fletcher. The aircraft was flown by Squadron Leader Adam Collins

Queen Elizabeth II, pictured centre at her arrival in Balmoral inspects an honour guard formed of 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland, as she arrived at her summer residence

Members of the military, including a Royal Marines Bearer Party received Prince Philips remains as they were brought to the West Steps of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. More than 730 members of the military participated in the funeral, including 42 Royal Navy, 96 Royal Marines, 507 personnel from the Army and 89 members of the Royal Air Force. The Duke of Edinburgh was carried to the chapel on a Land Rover hearse he had designed himself

The Queens Life Guard were photographed on parade at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday, November 14. More than 700 members of the military took part in the commemoration, which also marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal British Legion

Members of the military were involved in the mass evacuation of civilians from Kabul following its fall to the Taliban. Service personnel, including this Sergeant worked around the clock to assist the evacuation of British nationals and Afghans eligible for relocation

UK Troops were also involved in operations in Mali. This flight sergeant from RAF Odiham manned a machine gun at the rear of his Chinook which was flying through the Hombori mountains at sunset in the West African country

Paratroopers involved in this training mission engaged an advancing force of advancing vehicles, including tanks and armoured personnel carriers. The troops, from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Parachute Regiment, used Javelin and NLAW anti-tank missiles, 81mm mortars, Grenade machine guns, heavy machine guns and general purpose machine guns during the exercise on Salisbury Plain

Royal Marine Commandos went through their cold weather training with 45 Commando in the arctic undergoing their COld Weather Survival Course including the need to plunge into icy water

These soldiers are members of the British Army Pathfinders and were undergoing urban environment training. They form part of the British Army's Rapid Reaction Force, capable of deploying at short notice

This soldier is involved in a staged medivac from 84 Squadron at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Exercise Lion Star was a four-week training mission conducted in a challenging temperature environment

Members of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a 41 gun salute to mark the birthday of Prince Charles on November 15. The six guns fired all 41 rounds simultaneously. The tribute took place in Green Park, London

This RAF AH64 Apache practised dust landings while deployed at RAFO Musannah in Oman during some invaluable desert training
Miami police suspect a 25-year-old, Cuban-born real estate agent of being a 'serial killer' after he was arrested in the killings of two homeless men and for critically wounding a third in a series of drive-by shootings from his Dodge Charger.

Willy Suarez Maceo allegedly shot a homeless man in the head near downtown Miami at 400 SW 2nd Avenue around 8 pm on Tuesday then pulled up alongside Jerome Antonio Price, 56, two hours later and shot him dead as he slept on the sidewalk at Miami Avenue and 21st Street in Wynwood. The first victim survived.

He's also suspected in the unsolved murder of another homeless man, 59-year-old Manuel Perez, at 27 SE 1st Street on October 16.

A man pictured in surveillance footage at the scene closely resembles Maceo, and the vehicle seen driving away matches a black Dodge Charger caught in surveillance footage of the Tuesday shootings, police said.

Maceo was arrested Thursday after he refused to drive away from an area with visible 'no trespassing' signs at 445 Northwest 4th Street, according to police reports.

A rapid ballistics test of the firearm in his vehicle, which he had a permit to carry and conceal, linked him to Tuesday's shootings, police said.

Miami Police Interim Chief Manuel A. Morales called Maceo a 'ruthless killer' who 'brutally targeted' the homeless in a press conference and suspects that 'there may be other victims that suffered at the hands of this ruthless individual.'

Maceo was born in Cuba and attended Miami Sunset Senior High School. He is a licensed real estate broker, and sells properties in Miami, South Miami, Kendall and Palmetto Bay

Maceo is a real estate agent working with Century 21 in Miami, South Miami, Palmetto Bay and Kendall

Suspected serial killer Willy Suarez Maceo, 25, is pictured left in his headshot for Century 21 Real Estate and at right in his Thursday mugshot, taken after he was arrested for trespassing on private property. When he refused to leave the marked private property, he was arrested and his firearm underwent a rapid ballistics test, which linked it to the murder of a homeless man on Tuesday

In one Instagram story, Maceo can be seen firing a number of weapons at an indoor firing range. In another, he captions a table of weapons with the phrase 'one of those days'

A video on Maceo's social media, where the accused killer can be seen tucking a handgun into the waist of his suit pants before concealing it with his suit jacket, is captioned 'is your realtor a pistol instructor? Reach me today for your license'

Maceo displayed several weapons in a pinned post on his social media

On social media, Maceo can be seen sharing his fitness routines, gym selfies and real estate properties

'We're not sure how many instances he committed and we're not sure how many instances he would have committed had he not been stopped by the good work of the police department,' said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez at the conference.

'The fact that he chose to prey on people who are essentially defenseless, it's cold and callous.'

Maceo was born in Cuba and attended Miami Sunset Senior High School. He is a licensed real estate broker, and sells properties in Miami, South Miami, Kendall and Palmetto Bay.

Pictured are surveillance stills captured at the scene after 59-year-old Manuel Perez was shot dead on October 16 on 27 SE 1st Street. The image of the shooter, which closely resembles Maceo, was distributed after an unsuccessful search for the perpetrator - now, Miami police believe Maceo was also responsible for this murder, and possibly more

Now, Miami police believe that Maceo was responsible for the murder of a homeless man on December 23, critically wounding another homeless man that same night and murdering a third homeless man on October 16

Miami Police Interim Chief Manuel A. Morales (pictured left, beside Miami Mayor Francis Suarez at right) called Maceo a 'ruthless killer' who 'brutally targeted' the homeless in a press conference on Tuesday night

Two of Maceo's listings with Century 21, one on Edgewater Drive in Coral Gables and another in the West Little River neighborhood, were within 10 miles of the two-mile footprint of his suspected killings.

He has no previous arrests in the state of Florida.

On social media, Maceo can be seen sharing his fitness routines, gym selfies, real estate properties, cryptocurrency news, photos of his Porsche and women clad in micro-bikinis from his fledgling clothing brand, 'Nature Animal.'

In one Instagram story, Maceo can be seen firing a number of weapons at an indoor firing range. In another, he captions a table of weapons with the phrase 'one of those days.'

Another video, where Maceo can be seen tucking a handgun into the waist of his suit pants before concealing it with his suit jacket, is captioned 'is your realtor a pistol instructor? Reach me today for your license.'

On one of his social media profiles, Maceo (left) poses women in bikinis for his fledgling clothing brand 'Nature Animal'
A 14-year-old girl who was shot dead by a Los Angeles police officer's stray bullet during Thursday's confrontation with an assault suspect at a Burlington Coat Factory was in a dressing room trying on gowns for a quinceanera with her mother, it has been revealed.

The teen, identified by the coroner on Friday as Valentina Orellana Peralta, was shopping at the Burlington Coat Factory in North Hollywood before noon when an officer confronted a man who had assaulted a woman earlier.

The cop fired shots at the male suspect, but one of the bullets went through the wall of a dressing room, killing 14-year-old Peralta who was inside with her mother.

Police also killed the male suspect. The woman who had been assaulted was taken to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries. She was filmed lying on a gurney with blood on her face.

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A 14-year-old girl who was shot dead by a Los Angeles police officer's stray bullet during Thursday's confrontation with an assault suspect at a Burlington Coat Factory was in a dressing room trying on gowns for a quinceanera with her mother. Pictured: Shoppers are seen outside the store after the shooting

Valentina Orellana Peralta, 14, was shopping for a quinceanera gown with her mother at this Burlington store in North Hollywood on Thursday when she was struck by cop's stray bullet

Police were called to the scene after getting reports of a man acting erratically

Police say they came upon the male suspecting assaulting a woman and opened fire, killing the man. Pictured: a broken glass door is scene at the Burlington Coat Factory

People are seen sobbing after the deadly shooting that took the life of the 14-year-old

'Its just absolutely heartbreaking, and I cannot find words to try to comfort a mother and a family, but I will ensure them and the public and our people that we will conduct a complete and thorough investigation,' LAPD Chief Michel Moore.

The shots were fired around 11.45am on Thursday. Police initially responded to reports of a person being assaulted with a deadly weapon as well as reports of shots being fired, said Los Angeles police Capt Stacy Spell at a news conference.

Spell said officers opened fire when they saw the suspect assaulting another person.

The suspect was struck by the officers bullets and killed, Spell said.

One of the bullets went through a dressing room wall and struck Peralta as she was trying on quinceanera gowns, as Los Angeles Times first reported, citing law enforcement sources.

LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said officers later found the teen's lifeless body inside the changing room.

'You cant see into the dressing rooms and it just looks like a straight wall of drywall,' Choi said at a second news conference.

Investigators do not yet know whether the teenager was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.

The California Department of Justice was investigating the shooting, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

Police say the officer who fired the fatal shots did not know Valentine was inside the dressing room behind a wall

A woman wipes her eye as police officers investigate the scene where two people were struck by gunfire in a shooting at a Burlington store )

Shoppers are seen at the scene after the officer-involved shooting, which is now under investigation

No gun was found near the male assault suspect after his killing at the Burlington store

Moore said it did not appear that the officer who fired the fatal shots 'would have known that there was anyone behind there or that he was looking at anyone other than the suspect and a wall.'

The officer, who has not been named, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which could take weeks.

'Theres not a police officer in America who would ever want this type of circumstance to occur,' Moore added.

Choi said authorities do not yet know the suspect's motive or whether he knew the woman he initially assaulted in the store.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said the woman was transported to a hospital. It wasnt immediately known if shed been shot but Choi said she had injuries to her head, arms and face.

Police found a very heavy metal cable lock near the suspect that they say may have been used in that assault.

Spell said the injured woman was the victim in the first assault report. It was not immediately clear what weapon was involved in that assault, but no gun was found.

He added that police had received calls about the suspect acting erratically before the incident.

Imelda Garcia said her sister works in the store and was on break when she heard gunshots and everyone started running. Garcia said she spoke to her sister on the phone and that shes OK but sounded 'really nervous.'

Police escorted people out of the store nearly two hours after the shooting.

The shooting recalled a July 21, 2018, confrontation in which LAPD officers accidentally shot and killed a woman at a Trader Joes market. Officers got into a gunfight with a man who authorities say shot his grandmother and girlfriend before leading police on a chase that ended when he crashed his car outside the market.

A police bullet killed Melyda Corado, 27, the assistant store manager, as she ran toward the stores entrance after hearing the car crash.

The suspect, Gene Evin Atkins, took employees and shoppers hostage for three hours before surrendering, authorities said.

Atkins has pleaded not guilty to the killing.

Prosecutors found two police officers acted lawfully when they returned Atkins gunfire.

Thursday's shooting comes come as homicide rates have soared 52 percent in the past two years, and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon is under fire for his soft-on-crime policies.

Gascon continues to be called out for a zero-bail policy that some critics say is exacerbating the region's crime problems by freeing criminals to offend safe in the knowledge they'll be straight back on the streets after.

At this time in 2019, the Los Angeles Police Department recorded 251 homicides. As of December 18, there have been 382 slayings in the city, representing a 52 percent increase, according to LAPD data.

Homicide rates in LA have skyrocketed over the past two years. At this time in 2019, the Los Angeles Police Department recorded 251 homicides. Burglaries have dipped in recent years

A map shows the locations of some of the major smash-and-grab robberies that have recently taken place in Southern California

Burglaries have dipped over the past few years.

Property crimes are up in California as a whole as well, according to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

Year-over-year through October, violent crimes spiked five percent statewide, with Oakland up 17 percent and Los Angeles up about one percent, PPIC data shows.

Homicides during the same period rose 17 percent, from 523 last year to 613 as of October. In LA, homicides rose 17 percent, the institute said.

Gascon, one of many progressive DAs bankrolled by billionaire Democrat donor George Soros, has survived one recall effort and faces another that was launched December 6 after he was accused of being soft on crime amid an epidemic of brazen smash-and-grab robberies perpetrated by organized groups of thieves.

During the first week of December, LA police arrested 14 suspects alleged to have been involved in 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores last month, where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen in strikes on an LA Nordstrom, a Lululemon in Studio City, a Fairfax district store, and a CVS pharmacy in South LA.

However, due to city's zero-bail policies, the suspects were all released within hours of being handcuffed and are currently walking the streets while they wait for their cases to go to court.
An alleged female stalker has been banned from going near David Beckham and his family after harassing them by targeting one of the footballers children and claiming to be their mother.

Sharon Bell is prohibited from approaching or messaging the star, his popstar wife Victoria, and their children Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz or Harper under the terms of an interim stalking order.

The 58-year-old is also banned from being within 500m of Beckhams 6million Cotswolds mansion in Oxfordshire, the celebrity couples west London house, and daughter Harpers school.

Sharon Bell has been banned from contacting or going near David and Victoria Beckham

The 58-year-old is also banned from being within 500m of Beckhams 6million Cotswolds mansion in Oxfordshire (pictured)

The Metropolitan Police applied for the order at Westminster Magistratess Court earlier this month.

They claimed that Bell had carried out acts associated with stalking, calling the order necessary to protect the Beckhams.

It is understood that Scotland Yard applied for the order after the Beckhams were subjected to a campaign of harassment by Bell targeting one of their children.

She allegedly contacted the family in 2016 claiming to be the mother of one of the children.

Bell cannot approach or message Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz or Harper Beckham

Between July and November this year, Bell allegedly attended the familys private addresses, sent them letters, and was reported for waiting outside a school attended by one of the children.

An interim order was made for five months, and the court will decide at a hearing in May whether a permanent stalking protection order is necessary.

Bell could be jailed if she breaks any of the terms of the order.

MailOnline had contacted representatives for the Beckhams for comment.
Omicron continues to drive a surge of new COVID cases across the US, with Christmas Eve seeing total infections edge closer to the all-time record.

Figures from Johns Hopkins University published Friday show there were 261,339 new cases in the last 24 hours, up 10 per cent from 238,378 the day before.

The number of deaths caused by the virus have also skyrocketed to 3,354, a 52 per cent increase from 2,204 fatalities on Thursday. That is the highest single-day total since October 13, when 3,054 fatalities were recorded.

And on Friday morning, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the Empire State had once again broke its daily COVID infection record, with 44,000 new cases. That was up from 38,600 the day before, and almost 20,000 higher than cases were on Tuesday, with Hochul blaming Omicron for that surge.

Meanwhile, confirmed American Omicron infections rose 45 per cent in a day, from 2,625 to 3,286. Those represent a tiny fraction of the true total, because the US only sequences a very small proportion of positive PCR tests to identify which strain caused a person's infection.

The CDC estimates that at least 73 per cent of all new COVID infections are being caused by Omicron, with that figure as high as 92 per cent in five states including New York and New Jersey.

Over in the UK, COVID cases rocketed to a record 122,000 on Friday, as scientists say 1.7 million Britons suffered an infection last week.

Confirmed Omicron cases there jumped by 23,719 overnight, to 114,625. The UK's position as a world leader in genetic sequencing means it has a far fuller picture of the scale of its Omicron outbreak compared to the United States.

And cases of COVID are also spiking ahead of the Christmas holiday even in the nation's sunniest states. Hawaii saw a 805 per cent uptick in new cases and Florida reported a 711% increase in infections in a fortnight.

In the nation's capital Washington DC new infections rose 614 per cent.

Reports from the UK Health Security Agency on Thursday show that Omicron may be 70 per cent less fatal than the Delta variant or previous strains, but new hospitalizations are still flooding into the nation's hospitals.

There were 69,903 new patients admitted with the virus on Thursday, a 10 per cent increase from the previous day, according to The New York Times.

The United States logged a seven-day average coronavirus case count of 168,981 on Wednesday, surpassing a summer peak of over 165,000 infections, according to the Washington Post. While worrying, the figure still falls well short of the 249,000 average hit in January 2020.

That marks the second largest surge in cases since the pandemic began nearly two years ago as the highly contagious Omicron variant has been detected in all 50 states, as well Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

The US has recorded more than 51.8 million COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic

The US has recorded more than 815,423 since the start of the pandemic

At least 72.7% of Americans have received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine

Officials now warn that the virus could infect 140 million people between January and March - 60 percent of all Americans, although 90 per cent of those who catch COVID are predicted to have no symptoms. Three studies published in the last day have confirmed the strain is milder than Delta, and may result in up to 80 per cent fewer hospitalizations.

The third wave of the pandemic caused by Omicron has wreck havoc on Americans' Christmas plans.

Airlines scrapped more than 400 flights due to weather and the virus surge, with the Biden administration announcing it would lift the ban imposed on eight African countries in response to Omicron on New Year's Eve.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he will limit the number of revelers in Times Square for New Years Eve to 15,000, down from a planned 58,000, and attendees will need to wear masks and show proof of vaccination.

Harlem residents line up to to get their COVID-19 test on Christmas Eve as Gov. Kathy Hochul announces New York hit an all time high for infections with 44,000 new cases

Merck's antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 in high-risk patients "is not a substitute for vaccines," says Dr. Eliav Barr, SVP of global medical and scientific affairs.



"Vaccination prevents you from getting serious disease from the get-go. So you don't have to actually get sick." pic.twitter.com/3UG5YIRSbD  New Day (@NewDay) December 24, 2021

There is, however, some good news on the horizon. On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved a second anti-viral pill, this time from Merck, called molnupiravir.

The agency touted the new drug 'for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in adults with positive results...and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.'

The pill could be 30% effective in treating the infection for high-risk patients, less than previously expected because of the new strain, according to Merck executive Dr. Eliav Barr.

'The Omicron variant is primarily different from the other types of Covid at the spike protein,' Barr told CNN. 'Our drug works in completely different part of the virus. So we're very optimistic that the drug will continue to be effective against Omicron, and we're studying that right now.'

There have been other caveats to the medication. There have been warnings about its effect on pregnant women and their fetuses, which is still unknown.

FDA authorizes Merck's at-home antiviral COVID-19 pill - a day after giving Pfizer's oral drug the go-ahead The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized Merck's antiviral pill for COVID-19, after giving the go-ahead to a similar treatment from Pfizer Inc. a day earlier. Merck's drug, molnupiravir, developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, was shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths by around 30% in a clinical trial of high-risk individuals early in the course of the illness. The agency authorized the oral drug for the treatment of mild-to-moderate Covid in adults who are at risk for severe disease. It will also carry a warning against use during pregnancy, and women of childbearing age should use birth control during treatment. On Wednesday, US health regulators issued emergency authorization for Pfizer's Paxlovid, a pill that is available by prescription only and should be initiated as soon as possible after diagnosis of Covid and within five days of symptom onset. Advertisement

Some fear that molnupiravir, which causes the virus to mutate and attack itself, could create another strain that proves toxic to people.

'The fact is that most mutations are probably lethal to the organism, but a couple of them are going to end up being beneficial for the organism, and we've seen that with the successive different variants that have come out,' Defense Health Agency director Dr. Peter Weina told the Daily Caller.

Pfizer already has approval for its virus pill, but availability for the medication will depend on where you live, according to Bloomberg.

The federal government will parse out the dosages on a per capita basis with New York getting only 3,108 pills and Wyoming, which has a population of about half a million people, will receive just 100 courses.

'Product will be limited at first and ramp up significantly in the coming months,' the department said. 'An initial 65,000 courses of Paxlovid will be made available for shipment to states and territories and will begin arriving at dispensing sites by the end of December,' the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told the news service.

As the virus rages at home, President Biden plans to lift the travel ban on several African countries.

Now all non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi will soon be able to travel to the U.S.

The CDC recommend the change because of promising stats out of Africa.

Data from from South Africa, where the strain was first reported, looks promising.

There was a huge and sudden drop in cases, suggesting Omicron may have quickly run its course. But panic over the new strain continues to prevail across much of the world, with Italy and Spain now ordering people to wear masks outdoors.

Imperial College London on Wednesday found that Omicron is 40 per cent less likely to lead to serious illness than the Delta variant.

Another study by the University of Edinburgh suggested that the new variant could slash hospitalizations by as much as 65 percent, with a third South African study indicating the potential 80 per cent drop in hospitalizations.

Both British studies underlined, however, the importance of vaccines with the Imperial study stating the risk of hospitalization for an unvaccinated person was just 10 percent lower for Omicron than with Delta.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, just 72.8 percent of all eligible Americans had received their first COVID dose by Wednesday, and 61.7 percent are fully vaccinated.

And of those who are eligible for a booster shot, just 30 percent have received one.

He said medical professionals triage who most deserves an organ transplant and should do the same for COVID care

On Wednesday, MSNBC medical analyst Vin Gupta, left, suggested it is time to begin looking at the bioethics of placing a lower priority on the treatment of unvaccinated people during a panel discussion on The Reid Out

On Wednesday, MSNBC medical analyst Vin Gupta raised eyebrows after suggesting it was time to prioritize hospital treatment for vaccinated patients, because those who haven't had the shot are already taking up so many beds.

'This is where it's controversial, but we need to talk about this, the bioethics of it broadly because this is not the last respiratory pandemic we're going to face,' the doctor told host Joy Reid.

'What do we do with somebody who is unvaccinated who is taking advanced ICU therapies from someone who is vaccinated in the hospital? How do we rank that priority?

'We do it for organs, kidneys, livers, lungs. We say 'Did you smoke, did you drink recently?' If you did you're lower on the list, even if you need it.

'We need to start thinking of that model.'

His comments came after the Reid Out host said she has run out of patience with vaccine hesitant Americans.

'I'm sort of reaching my kind of peak fatigue, mental fatigue level and I'm not even dealing with what the doctor and what you guys are dealing with in real life,' Reid told her panel of medical experts.

'But it's like I know off the top of my head, at least half a dozen people who have gotten COVID, who are vaccinated, but who got it in settings where they were around mixed groups of people who were not necessarily vaccinated.'

'The unvaccinated are spreading this thing and it's mutating, let's be frank, because of the unvaccinated,' she said before asking Gupta what he thought should be done about the Omicron variant, which is leading to an increase in breakthrough cases in those who have already gotten both doses of the COVID vaccine.

It carries mutations that are believed to enable it to more easily evade human antibodies.

In response to Reid's question, Gupta said: 'We have to move away from the paradigm of even thinking about caseloads day over day because it's overwhelming. It's psychologically depressing, it's discouraging.'

Data from South Africa suggest Omicron cases are more likely to be mild, in part thanks to protection from vaccines and previous infections.

And the study by Imperial, one of Britain's leading universities, found that for someone who has been recently infected, the chance of hospitalization was slashed by 69 per cent in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

The data came just moments after a similar study conducted in Scotland found the risk of being hospitalized with Omicron was 65 percent lower than with Delta.

University of Edinburgh researchers said Omicron was as severe as Delta they would have seen around 47 people in hospital in Scotland, yet so far there are only 15.

Dr Jim McMenamin, the national Covid incident director for Public Health Scotland, labeled the findings a 'qualified good news story', but said that it was 'important we don't get ahead of ourselves'.

He said: 'The potentially serious impact of Omicron on a population cannot be underestimated.

'And a smaller proportion of a much greater number of cases that might ultimately require treatment can still mean a substantial number of people who may experience severe Covid infections that could lead to potential hospitalization.'

But Professor Mark Woolhouse, of the University of Edinburgh, said it was heavily caveated at the moment. The data is based on a small number of cases and didn't have much data on those most at risk, the over 65s.

As COVID cases soar across the U.S., health experts have predicted things will get worse in 2022 as the Omicron variant is expected to cause 140 million new infections from January to March, infecting 60 percent of all Americans, the majority of which will be asymptomatic cases.

Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington updated their COVID-19 model and expect the virus to hit the US hard come January, peaking at 2.8 million new cases a day by January 28.

'We are expecting an enormous surge in infections ... so, an enormous spread of Omicron,' IHME director Dr. Chris Murray said told USA Today.

'Total infections in the U.S. we forecast are going from about 40 percent of the U.S. having been infected so far, to having in the next two to three months, 60 percent of the U.S. getting infected with Omicron.'

Despite the surge, experts believe the new infections will ultimately lead to fewer deaths and hospitalizations than the deadly Delta variant, as Omicron is believed to be a more infectious but less severe variant.

Still, Dr. Anthony Fauci has now urged Americans to disinvite unvaccinated people from Christmas gatherings as the fast-spreading COVID-19 Omicron variant fuels a surge in infections nationwide.

'We're dealing with a serious enough situation now that if there's an unvaccinated person, I would say, 'I'm very sorry, but not this time. Maybe another time when this is all over,'' said Fauci in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday night.

President Joe Biden has also promised to deliver 500 million COVID tests to Americans - but has not yet signed a contract to buy them or set up a website so that people can place orders.

'That's not a plan - it's a hope,' Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told The New York Time .

'If those tests came in January and February, that could have an impact, but if they are spread out over 10 to 12 months, I'm not sure what kind of impact it is going to have.'

It is not even known how many tests will be immediately available or how quickly they can be shipped out to American homes, according to new projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Amazon, Walgreens and CVS have already imposed limits on how many tests each customer can buy because of the surging demand.

The president is now reportedly also considering changing the isolation recommendations for vaccinated individuals so that they can return to work quicker after they get a breakthrough case.

At her press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said quarantine guidance is under discussion, but Biden will defer to the government's medical experts.

'Given the spread of Omicron, given the transmissibility of Omicron, of course they're continuing to look at a range of steps,' she said.

Meanwhile in Europe, several countries announced on Thursday they are introducing new COVID restrictions , with Spain making it compulsory to wear a face mask outdoors again and Belgium banning shopping in groups of more than two.

Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium have also re-imposed partial or full lockdowns or other social distancing measures in recent days, and Germany's health minister said he had not ruled out a full lockdown closing all but non-essential businesses.

Italy and France are now also considering further lockdown measures.
Former President Donald Trump would beat President Joe Biden by six points if the 2024 presidential election were held today.

A new poll from Redfield & Wilton Strategies found that 44 percent of Americans would vote for Trump and 38 percent would vote for Biden, with a sizable 12 per cent saying they didn't know who they would vote for.

Trump gained two points from a previous Redfield & Wilton poll conducted earlier this month, while Biden's support remained the same.

Biden has struggled in the polls generally since his disastrous pull-out from Afghanistan this summer.

His approval rating has remained below 50 percent with Americans disapproving of his COVID response, his tackling of the economy, immigration and crime.

More recently he's faced resistance in Congress to pass the Build Back Better bill and had to deal with a COVID resurgence due to the omicron variant.

Former President Donald Trump (left) would beat President Joe Biden (right) by six points if the 2024 presidential election were held today

Since late November, former President Donald Trump has surpassed President Joe Biden in support in a hypothetical 2024 presidential race

Trump surpassed Biden in late November in polling for a 2024 hypothetical presidential race.

Large percentages of both candidates' supporters said they would stick with their guys.

Eighty-seven per cent of Trump supporters said they would cast a ballot for the Republican ex-president again, while 75 per cent of Biden supporters said they'd vote for the Democrat.

Since earlier this month, Trump gained 1 point among his 2020 voters, while Biden lost 4 per cent of his 2020 voter base.

In an interview this week, Biden suggested he'd run for re-election.

'I'm a great respecter of fate. Fate has intervened in my life many, many times. If I'm in the health I'm in now, if I'm in good health, then, in fact, I would run again,' the 79-year-old Biden told ABC News' David Muir.

He said if Trump entered the race that would be further motivation.

'Why would I not run against Donald Trump if he were the nominee? That would increase the prospect of running,' he told Muir.

Trump has said he would announce a decision after next year's midterm results.

The Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll found that his approval rating stands at 41 per cent - up 4 points from earlier this month - while 44 per cent disapprove of the job Biden is doing.

The coronavirus is the issue area where Biden received his highest net approval rating - at +6 points.

However, the poll was conducted on December 18, before omicron triggered testing delays and flight cancelations ahead of the Christmas holiday.
Steven Shaffer, 54, (pictured) walked into the home of the unnamed married couple in their 70s in Berwick Township around noon on Wednesday

An elderly Pennsylvania man has shot and killed a half-naked intruder who stormed into his home and violently assaulted his wife in their bedroom, police say.

Steven Shaffer, 54, walked into the home of the unnamed married couple in their 70s in Berwick Township around noon on Wednesday.

The intruder started attacking the husband who asked his wife to go into the bedroom to grab his gun.

Shaffer followed her into the room and 'violently assaulted' her on the bed.

State police said the husband then went and grabbed the gun and fired multiple rounds, killing Shaffer.

Both victims were rushed to hospital. The woman sustained serious injuries and remains in critical condition, the police said.

Neighbors said prior to the attack that Shaffer was wandering around in the street, banging on vehicles.

He eventually marauded into the unnamed couple's home through their unlocked front door.

'Obviously this is a very sad situation,' said Lt. Mark Magyar of Pennsylvania State Police.

'We all have an expectation to safety and privacy in our homes.'

It was unclear why Shaffer chose to enter the home. Authorities do not believe he knew the couple beforehand.

Both victims were rushed to hospital (pictured: an air ambulance at the scene on Wednesday). The woman sustained serious injuries and remains in critical condition, the police said.

The incident has shocked the local community, home to just over 2,000 people (pictured: emergency crews at the scene on Wednesday)

The incident has shocked the local community, home to just over 2,000 people.

'I actually live down the road like two, three minutes down the road. I was at work and I was just like, here we go again. The world isn't getting any better,' Brooke Forbes of York County told Fox 43.

'It's close to home and you're out with your kids doing things or even home with your kids,' said Amanda Collins of York County. 'Not everyone locks their doors when they're home. You're supposed to be safe in your house.'
A 911 caller in Detroit helped police track down the on-the-run parents of Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley when he spotted their Kia sitting in his work parking lot, telling the operator: 'The parents of the shooter are here!'

The unidentified male caller saw the car belonging to James and Jennifer Crumbley parked on Bellevue Street and said the mother was wearing a sweatshirt in the 911 call on December 3.

'The f**king parents of the shooter that are running away are here,' he yelled to a female 911 operator, in the call obtained by the Detroit Free Press.

The pair were supposed to turn themselves in to face involuntary manslaughter charges for their son's shooting in the Oakland County school district.

When asked for more clarification, he responded: 'The Oakland shooter, the kid has the two parents that are on the run right now. Oakland County said call if you see anything. And I just went to go park my car and switch it around at my office. I'm in my office. And there was a Kia that looked like their car.'

The man said he 'walked around and checked the license plate' and discovered Jennifer Crumbley 'sitting next to her car in the parking lot' wearing a hoodie.

'I walked around to check the license plate and it's their car and the woman is here, next to the car.

'I can't believe it, they're here,' he told the operator.

Soon after the call, cops found the pair hiding in the basement of an art building on Bellevue Street on Detroit's East Side.

An unidentified Detroit man called 911 on December 3 after finding James, 45, and 43-year-old Jennifer Crumbley's Kia in the parking lot at his job on Bellevue Street. He worriedly told the 911-operator that he saw Jennifer sitting near the car when he went to check the license plates

The unidentified man said he found their car (pictured) in his work parking lot

James, 45, and Jennifer Crumbley, 43, were reportedly 'on the run' after their charges were announced in relation to their son Ethan, 15, being arrested for the massacre at Oxford High School that killed four students and injured several others on November 30.

The US Marshals and Oakland County Sheriff's Department asked for the public's help in finding the parents after they disappeared from their home.

The Crumbleys' defense team still maintains that they were not 'on the run' and were planning to turn themselves in to police the next morning.

'It should be noted that the Crumbleys would not have retained (us) if their plans were to flee,' Smith and Lehman wrote in the filing.

A bond hearing for the parents has been set for January 7.

On Thursday, prosecutors revealed a troubling drawing of a gun on a math homework sheet with the messages: 'My life is useless,' 'Blood everywhere' and 'The thoughts won't stop, help me.'

Police found them in an art building on the same street as the car (pictured: police searching for them)

It's part of Oakland County prosecutors' attempt to paint his parents as neglectful and aware of Ethan's potential for violence. The prosecutors' filings include allegations that Ethan's mother was carrying on an affair while ignoring her son's spiral and had texted her boyfriend about the murder weapon.

School counselors showed Crumbley's parents messages and drawings just hours before he fatally shot four and injured seven others on November 30.

Their son had allegedly drawn the messages earlier that morning and a teacher had found them, took a picture and got in touch with a counselor.

It's part of a pattern of signs that prosecutors accuse the Crumbleys of ignoring over the past six months suggesting that their teenager needed help.

The couple went 'on the run' after their four charges of involuntary manslaughter were announced following their son Ethan, 15, being arrested for the school shooting at Oxford High School (pictured) on November 30, killing four. Their defense claimed they were not 'on the run' and planned to turn themselves in the following morning

They say that Jennifer and James 'failed to take even the simplest actions that would have prevented the massacre' in court documents.

Prosecutors also point out that the parents had recently bought Ethan a gun.

'The Crumbleys' knew their son was depressed, that he was fascinated with guns... that he had been researching ammunition while at a school and that he was seen watching violent videos of shootings that morning,' prosecutors said, but they purchased the gun for Ethan as an early Christmas present anyway

'All they had to do was tell the school that they had recently purchased a gun for their son, asked him where the gun was, opened his backpack or just take him home,' the prosecution alleged. 'Defendants were in a better position than anyone else in the world to prevent this tragedy, but they failed to do so.'

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald revealed two versions of the photo in the filing. A second version that Ethan allegedly altered crosses out the disturbing messages and adds ones like 'video game this is,' 'we're all friends here,' 'harmless act,' 'I love my life so much!!!!' and 'OHS rocks!'

McDonald argued that instead of caring for their son, the Crumbleys spent time with their horses and Jennifer pursued an extramarital affair.

Prosecutors alleged Jennifer Crumbley had told her boyfriend the day of the shooting that the alleged murder weapon had been in her car.

The filings are part of a response by McDonald to keep Ethan's parents in jail on $500,000 bonds.

The Crumbley's have each been jailed on $500,000 bond since their arrest on December 4. In Wednesday's filing, defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman asked that their bond be lowered to $100,000 each and said the couple would wear electronic monitors if released from jail.

McDonald, however, counters that the Crumbleys are a flight risk. They're also behind on house payments to the tune of $11,000 and are trying to sell their assets, included horses and their home.

Their 15-year-old son is accused of killing Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17, and injuring several others after opening fire in the school. Ethan was charged as an adult with two dozen crimes, including murder, attempted murder and terrorism, and is being held at the same jail as his parents.

Ethan has been charged with 24 counts, including four counts of first-degree murder and terrorism causing death.

Both Crumbleys have pled not guilty to all four charges of involuntary manslaughter - one for each Oxford High School student who was killed. Each count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison along with a $7,500 fine and mandatory DNA testing.

James and Jennifer are also accused of making a gun accessible to Ethan and for failing to pull him out of school when summoned about his cryptic writings before the shooting on November 30.

Ethan has been charged with 24 counts, including four counts of first-degree murder and terrorism causing death

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald revealed two versions of a screenshot of Ethan Crumbley's drawings in a filing Thursday. In the first drawing, pictured, Ethan writes several troubling messages, such as 'My life is useless,' 'Blood everywhere' and 'The thoughts won't stop, help me'

Pictured: A second piece of homework that Ethan allegedly altered crosses out other disturbing messages and adds ones like 'video game this is,' 'we're all friends here,' 'harmless act,' 'I love my life so much!!!!' and 'OHS rocks!'

Their lawyers allege that the Crumbleys were unaware Ethan was a danger to other students and are 'devastated by the school shooting.'

Prosecutors have argued that a 'don't do it' text Jennifer sent Ethan the day of the shooting proves she knew what was going on.

Defense attorneys said Jennifer was urging him not to kill himself, and not in reference to the deadly shooting that unfolded, her lawyers alleged.

In Wednesday's filing, the defense argued that the prosecution will be unable to prove Jennifer and James knew Ethan would take the gun they bought him as an early Christmas to his high school and fire at other members of the community.

'The prosecution will not be able to prove that the Crumbleys ... knew their son was a danger to other students, or that they knew there was a situation that required them to take care to avoid injuring another,' the lawyers wrote.

'The last thing they expected was that a school shooting would take place, or that their son would be responsible.'

Also, for the first time, the defense shared how James and Jennifer felt following the shooting.

'The Crumbleys, like every parent and community member, are devastated by the school shooting,' the court filing alleges. 'This situation is entirely devastating.'

Madisyn Baldwin, 17, (left) and Hana St Juliana, 14, (right) died in a shooting rampage at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit

Justin Shilling, 17, (left) died in the hospital the morning after the shooting and Tate Myre (right) died in the school on November 30

The defense also noted there are community members who would 'vouch for the Crumbleys' but who wish to remain anonymous due to the 'overwhelming media attention' surrounding the case.

The Crumbleys, like their son, are being held at the Oakland County Jail.

They were arrested on December 4 after the US Marshals offered a $10,000 bounty for information leading to their capture. Their absence prompted a manhunt involving several agencies, including the Marshals' Fugitive Task Force, state police and the FBI.

Law enforcement sources say the couple withdrew $4,000 from an ATM and were last seen around 2-3 pm shortly before the 4pm deadline to turn themselves in.

Smith said they had planned to appear the next day at a different court handling Saturday arraignments and were not trying to flee.
A North Carolina man charged in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol but free on bail reportedly asked police to 'kill him' after he was found drunk in a Denny's parking lot in a car filled with an assault rifle and ammunition, cops said.

James Grant, 29, of Garner, was parked outside a Denny's at 4380 Fayeteville Road, shortly after 5 pm on December 7, when police were called about a possible suicide attempt.

Grant told officers about his involvement in the Capital riot and proceeded to beg them to 'just kill or shoot me,' and said 'it's over' before attempting to flee, Garner police officials said.

Cops quickly caught up with Garner, who has a criminal history, and took him to the Wake Med Center in Raleigh for a mental evaluation.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated and being in possession of an assault rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and weapon accessories.

Capitol rioter James Grant, 29, from Garner, North Carolina, was accused of driving while intoxicated and being in possession of an assault rifle, ammunition, and weapon accessories. Above, Grant shown inside the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection

Garner Police officer said they responded to a suicide threat outside a Denny's diner on 4380 Fayeteville Road, and found Grant inside his car shortly after 5pm on December 17

According to a Garner Police report, a rifle and hundreds of ammunition were found inside Grant's car

Pictures of Grant inside the Capitol were also found in fellow defendant Gary Edwards (Next to Grant), 63, who was identified by the FBI thanks to his wife's Facebook posts

In 2018, Grant was convicted for tampering with a vehicle and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 12 months of probation, which ended in the summer of 2019, news website Raw Story reported.

Prosecutors are now attempting to revoke Grant's bail, arguing that his freedom is a danger to the community.

'While on pretrial release for these crimes, he was caught driving drunk with an assault rifle and over 60 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle, and initially attempted to flee from law enforcement,' a report by the Garner Police Department read.

'There are no conditions or combination of conditions that could ensure the safety of the community and Grant's presence in Court if he were to remain released, and the Government requests that he be detained pending trial in this case,' it added.

It is not clear when his next court date is scheduled or if he's been discharged from Wake Med.

He is not in police custody at the moment, court records show.

Grant was one of at least 720 people charged for their alleged participation in the insurrection on January 6, as throngs of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory.

He was arrested on September 29 after the DOJ filed charges against him in connection to the Capital riot.

Grant was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon or inflicting bodily injury, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, and several other charges.

Court documents filed by the Department of Justice show a man who seems to be Grant moments before he engaged in altercations with officers when trying to enter the Capitol.

Unlike the majority of Capital rioters, Grant had had prior encounters with the law and was on parole through the summer of 2019

Grant was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon or inflicting bodily injury, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, and several other charges

'Law enforcement reviewed several photos of Grant that were publicly available on the Internet that depict Grant participating in the events at the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, the complaint reads.

'Several of the photos provided law enforcement with a clearer image of Grant's hat, which contained the logo in the shape of the state of North Carolina with the writing 'Drink Local.'

The pictures reportedly show Grant inside several Senate offices.

It is not clear when Grant is supposed to have his next court date for the charges.

Pictures of him inside the Capitol were also found standing next to Gary Edwards, 68, who was identified by the FBI thanks to his wife's Facebook posts.

Edwards, from Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 14 days in jail after entering a plea agreement.
A doctor at a private Christian boarding school in Southwest Missouri already mired in abuse accusations from former students is wanted by police for allegedly sodomizing and sexually assaulting children under the age of 15.

David Earl Smock, 57, has been the longtime physician at Agape Boarding School, a program for about 150 boys with 'bad behavior or failing academics,' according to the institution's website.

On Thursday, he was charged with second-degree statutory sodomy, third-degree child molestation of a child less than 14 years of age and enticement or attempted enticement of a child less than 15 years of age, court records show

But as of 4:30 pm on Friday, Smock is not yet in police custody, according to Greene County Jail's inmate tracker.

Smock is considered 'a danger to the crime victim, the community or another person,' and Greene County Court wrote in online court documents that it 'finds reasonable grounds to believe [he] will not appear on summons.'

David Earl Smock, 57, a longtime physician at Agape Boarding School, was charged with second-degree statutory sodomy, third-degree child molestation of a child less than 14 years of age and enticement or attempted enticement of a child less than 15 years of age on Thursday

Agape Boarding School in MIssouri, where David Earl Smock served as a longtime resident physician, remains under scrutiny after five staffers were charged in September a collective 13 third-degree felony assault counts

The probable cause statement, which would detail the evidence that led to the doctor's conviction, was not immediately available Friday because the court was closed for the holiday.

The Greene County Court could not immediately be reached by DailyMail.com for comment.

Agape, which costs $48,000 per year to attend, remains under scrutiny after five staffers were charged in September a collective 13 third-degree felony assault counts. One of the defendants is Smocks son-in-law, Seth Duncan.

Oftentimes, the abuse would take place in a padded room where staff members would punch and kick students for perceived transgressions, according to the Kansas City Star.

The Star previously interviewed 16 men who had previously attended the school, who described harrowing years of physical abuse, berating, mind games and cruel punishments like withheld food and water.

Smock is a prominent physician in the Ozarks region, running the Stockton-Lee Walk-In clinic in Cedar County. He also holds medical licenses in Arizona and California

Dozens of former students at the school have begun to reveal their experiences, some anonymously through groups like Exposing Agape, and more then 1,200 have signed a change.org petition to close the school for good.

When The Star ran a piece detailing the 16 men's stories, many questioned whether the doctor and his staff knew about the abuse they underwent, or if they took the word of staff members who beat them and attributed their injuries to sports.

Smock is featured prominently on Agapes website, supporting the schools model and encouraging parents to send their troubled boys there.

On the site, he has said that he works with the school to wean boys off medications for behavioral issues.

Smock is a prominent physician in the Ozarks region, running the Stockton-Lee Walk-In clinic in Cedar County and volunteers at a Springfield ministry for the homeless.

Former students at Agape, interviewed about their physical abuse at the hands of staff members, questioned whether Doctor David Smock (left) and his staff were truly unaware that they were being assaulted

On the Facebook page for his practice, members of the community have praised his level of care.

'I have known Dr. Smock for nearly 20 years and from the moment I met him he makes you feel welcomed,' Jonathan Petrie, the clinics manager, wrote on Facebook this year on Smocks birthday.

'Love his heart to help the homeless and make sure they have someone to talk to, pray with and still get medical education.'

He has active medical licenses in California and Arizona in addition to Missouri, but neither of those states indicate that the doctor has had any disciplinary action.

Smock has a number of other ties to the school. One of his sons is married to the late Agape founders granddaughter. She is the daughter of Robert Graves, a Cedar County Sheriffs deputy who has been a key Agape staffer as well as a former student, according to The Star.

Smock also owns an 11-bedroom mansion that a former Agape staff leader uses to operate another Christian boarding school, called Legacy Academy Adventures.

Just last month, Smock was honored for his military service during a service at Agape Baptist Church. The physician wore his U.S. Navy uniform, and Agape students were in attendance.

On Twitter, users considered the doctor's charges another black mark against the already-scrutinized institution.

On Twitter, users considered the doctor's charges another black mark against the already-scrutinized institution

'It is outrageous that Agape Boarding School is allowed to remain open,' wrote one user. '@MOGov & @Eric_Schmitt should shut this program down IMMEDIATELY, prosecuting any and all staff engaged in illegal activity to the fullest extent of the law.'

Another user called the school 'incorrigible' and called for all abusers there to be charged.

'Missouri needs to pay attention to another #CodeOfTheHills problem,' wrote @wrap02. 'Close these inhumane, closely-held operations.'

Another user called the school 'incorrigible' and called for all abusers there to be charged

'The Code of the Hills' refers to a novel by Nancy Allen, in which an investigator struggles to expose a father sexually abusing his children amid the close-knit, tight-lipped nature of a Missouri Ozarks community.

roomNo attorney is listed for Smock in online court records, and he couldn't be reached at his clinic, which was closed on Friday.
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A parent told President Joe Biden 'Let's Go Brandon!' during the NORAD Santa Tracker event with First Lady Jill Biden at the White House complex on Friday.

The first couple hosted kids and their parents in the South Court Auditorium and talked to people virtually.

A dad named Jared beaming in from Oregon said 'Merry Christmas' and 'Let's Go Brandon' - code on the right for 'f**k Joe Biden' - after his kids told the president what they wanted from Santa Claus.

Reporters in the room said that Biden seemed unphased. 'Let's Go Brandon, I agree,' the president said in response.

The clip of the exchange got immediate reaction online, with conservative blogger Erick Erickson commenting: 'Confession: I find it in poor taste to tell the President of the United States "Lets go Brandon" when the man just wanted to wish you Merry Christmas. Good manners should still matter.'

The first lady's spokeman Michael LaRosa answered 'Yep.' to Erickson's tweet.

'I think the let's go Brandon stuff is harmless and funny, but if you tell someone to go f**k themselves when they are being nice to your kid, you're just a d**k. Merry Christmas!' said Tommy Vietor, a former aide to President Barack Obama.

Earlier, the president made a surprise visit to Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Friday, alongside First Lady Jill Biden - marking the first time a president has accompanied the first lady on the traditional holiday trip.

First ladies have been reading stories to the hospital's patients at Christmastime since First Lady Bess Truman held the position.

The first couple also stopped by a Christmas tree on 17th Street N.W. in D.C. in front of the restaurant Floriana, which was decorated with pictures of the Bidens, including a Jill Biden tree-topper.

Dr. Biden chose to read the book Olaf's Night Before Christmas, starring the popular Frozen character. Before the reading, the Bidens spoke to both patients and parents.

'You're bringing us some joy,' the president said.

A dad told President Joe Biden (right) 'Let's Go Brandon!' during the annual NORAD Santa-tracking call alongside First Lady Jill Biden (left). Biden reportedly didn't react to the right-wing smear

A dad named Jared beaming in from Oregon said 'Merry Christmas' and 'Let's Go Brandon' - code on the right for 'f**k Joe Biden' - after his kids told the president what they wanted from Santa Claus

The first lady's spokesman Michael LaRosa answered 'Yep.' after conservative blogger Erick Erickson said the 'Let's Go Brandon' utterance was in 'poor taste,' as the internet swifly reacted to the dad's dig

'I think the let's go Brandon stuff is harmless and funny, but if you tell someone to go f**k themselves when they are being nice to your kid, you're just a d**k. Merry Christmas!' said Tommy Vietor, a former aide to President Barack Obama

First Lady Jill Biden (left) and President Joe Biden (right) visited the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. to mark Christmas Eve

First Lady Jill Biden (left) and President Joe Biden (right) stand with Dito Sevilla (center), the bar manager at Floriana restaurant, which put up a Biden-themed Christmas tree on 17th Street N.W. in D.C.

First Lady Jill Biden (left) and President Joe Biden (right) arrive at the Children's National Hospital Friday in Washington, D.C.

The first lady reads the book Olaf's Night Before Christmas to patients at the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., bringing along President Joe Biden as a surprise guest

President Joe Biden (left) speaks with a young patient during Friday's surprise visit to the Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

First Lady Jill Biden read Olaf's Night Before Christmas , starring the popular Frozen character to the hospital's patients

President Joe Biden (left) shared a book with a child (right) at the Children's Naional Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Commander Biden was spotted on the South Lawn Friday morning, at the hospital the president showed the kids pictures of the new puppy and said he might visit the hospital come summer

He told one boy 'my grandson loves laser tag' and told a patient named Beau that he had a son and a grandson by that name as the children made lanterns.

'Thank you to all the nurses and docs who are here to make them feel better,' the first lady told the medical staff.

Earlier this week, the Bidens introduced a new member of the family - a German Shepherd puppy named Commander, which was given as a gift to the president by his brother.

The pup was spotted by reporters with a handler Friday morning on the South Lawn as they prepared to leave for the Bidens' hospital visit. Commander was seen getting a belly rub and playing fetch.

The president told the kids about Commander's debut during the visit, ratting out the dog for chewing on his slipper this morning.

'He's 15 weeks old,' the president said, showing one child a photo of the dog on his cell phone.

Biden said they'd maybe bring the dog to the hospital in the summer.

First Lady Jill Biden holds a child's hand as she arrives at the Children's National Hospital on Christmas Eve

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden greeted some people virtually during the Christmas Eve visit

President Joe Biden looks at a child's decorated bag during his surprise visit Friday to Children's National Hospital

The hospital tweeted that a 'surprise' was on the way. The president's visit marks the first of a sitting president during the holiday season, which is a tradition for the first lady

Olaf's Night Before Christmas and a set of reading glasses were set out in advance of the first lady's visit. President Joe Biden tagged along as a surprise

When the first lady got to reading, she had one of the patients join her to finish the end of the book.

The president remarked that the first couple spent a lot of time at the Philadelphia children's hospital when their granddaughter was admitted.

He then asked the kids how many of them wanted to be doctors when they grew up.

While two hands shot up, other children said they wanted to be a chef, a police officer, an aerospace engineer, an author and a biomedical engineer.

'We've never had a president come with the first lady on Christmas Eve,' the hospital administrator remarked.

Former President Barack Obama visited the D.C.-based institution over the holidays in December 2018, after he had left office.

The trip marks the third trip Dr. Biden has made to the hospital since becoming first lady in January, the White House said.

President Joe Biden (center) hangs the 2021 White House ornament on Floriana's tree as Dr. Jill Biden (right) shakes hands with the bar manager of Floriana, Dito Sevilla (left)

The tree in front of Floriana has a Jill Biden tree-topper and is decorated in apples, likely a nod to the first lady's career as a school teacher

President Joe Biden takes in the Biden-themed tree that was put up on Washington, D.C.'s 17th Street in front of the restaurant Floriana. In recent years, the restaurant has dedicted the tree to powerful female political figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Afterward, the Bidens took the presidential motorcade to 17th Street D.C. - the gay main street of the Dupont Circle neighborhood - where they briefly stopped to look at the Biden-themed tree in front of the Italian eatery Floriana.

Most of the ornaments were large pictures of Jill Biden, though there were also some ornaments featuring the president in his trademark aviators. The tree is also decorated in apples, likely a nod to the first lady's career as a school teacher.

In recent years, the restaurant has dedicted the tree to powerful female political figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Both Harris and Pelosi visited their respective trees.

The president hung the official White House ornament on the large outdoor tree.

'Keep the faith,' he told the pool of reporters following him when asked if he had a Christmas Eve message for Americans.

First Lady Melania Trump made the trip during her years as first lady. Here she reads a book during her 2020 appearance

President Joe Biden will spend his first Christmas as president at the White House with family and is giving up his New Year's tradition of sun and St. Croix for the chill of Delaware this year.

First Lady Jill Biden (right) is expected to visit Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Eve

Upon their return, the president commented to the pool about the spring-like weather.

'Its more like Easter than Christmas with the weather,' he said.

In D.C., it's 53 degrees.

The Bidens are spending Christmas at the White House and are giving up their New Year's tradition of sun and St. Croix for the chill of Delaware this year.

The president's decision to stay local comes as the newest wave of COVID cases, caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant, has caused long lines at COVID-19 testing centers and caused major airlines to cancel flights due to staffing shortages.

The White House has taken heat for the country being ill-prepared for the testing crush.

Both United and Delta canceled more than 100 flights on Christmas Eve, blaming omicron and bad weather.

The decision to spend Christmas at the White House was unexpected from a president who heads home to Delaware for the weekend as often as possible.

Instead, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, he'll spend some time between Christmas and New Year's in Delaware.

The president will also eschew his family tradition of traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the New Year's holiday, a trip he's made with his family nearly every year since 2008.

His brother James owns property on Water Island, and Biden often has spent the week there or on St. Croix.

During his first year in office, he's spent more than 25 weekends at his Wilmington home or his Rehoboth Beach house, where it's easier for friends and family to stop by and for the Bidens to enjoy bike rides or outings to the beach.

Biden has suggested he's uncomfortable with the trappings of life in the White House, at one point saying living there was like being in a 'gilded cage.'

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff are spending the holiday in California.
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Former Japanese princess Mako Komuro appears to be in the holiday spirit ahead of her first Christmas in New York, where she has been living since her dramatic departure from the Imperial Palace last month.

The ex-royal, 30, was spotted on the Upper East Side with festive gifts in hand on Thursday in exclusive DailyMail.com photos.

Mako, who now goes by her first and last name after marrying her commoner husband Kei Komuro, paid a visit to a Park Avenue apartment building whose residents include US diplomat Caroline Kennedy.

It is unclear if she stopped by to see Kennedy, who was appointed US ambassador to Japan in 2013 by Barack Obama, and resigned shortly before President Trump's inauguration in 2017.

Kennedy is currently awaiting Senate confirmation after President Biden nominated her to be Ambassador to Australia.

Japan's former Princess of Akishino, Mako Komuro was spotted out and about in New York's Upper East Side Thursday

The 30-year-old former Japanese royal appeared to be dropping off some festive gifts ahead of her first Christmas in the Big Apple

Mako Komuro, who now goes by a first and last name after marrying her new commoner husband and giving up her title, appeared bundled up as she hit the city streets by herself

She was seen stopping by an apartment building where Caroline Kennedy lives, although it is unclear if she visited the US diplomat

Mako, who was alone during the outing, entered the building around 1pm and stayed for about 3 hours.

She dressed warm for the frigid New York City weather, in a stylish longline black double breasted coat, cream turtleneck top, green patterned skirt, black tights, and ballet flats.

She matched her outfit with a blue handbag and covered up in a white face mask.

Mako has been adapting to her new life as a commoner in New York City where she recently moved with her new husband after sensationally giving up her royal title to marry him in October.

The festive season marks Mako's first in the US - half a world away from Japan where Christmas is not an official national holiday and is generally observed as a secular celebration.

Last month, the elder daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of reigning Emperor Naruhito was spotted wandering the streets of the city for the first time since trading Tokyo's Imperial Palace for the bright lights of the Big Apple.

She made a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond to pick up some home essentials for the couple's new marital home in Hell's Kitchen.

The princess walked into the building with Christmas gifts around at 1pm and stayed for a few hours

Mako is set to mark her first Christmas in New York City - half a world away from Tokyo's Imperial Palace, where it is not celebrated as an official national holiday

Caroline Kennedy was appointed US ambassador to Japan in 2013 by Barack Obama, and resigned in 2017. She is known to live in a $25M unit in the Park Ave building

Then U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy (3rd L) and estranged husband Edwin Schlossberg (3rd R) with Japanese female divers during their visit to Mikimoto Pearl farming island on April 16, 2014 in Toba, Japan

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Mako at the home furnishings store where she spent about an hour and a half shopping for bath towels, coat hangers, organizer baskets, some paper towels, and other items.

Mako was alone during the outing and pushed her own shopping cart around the store and had no security detail protecting her. She was dressed in a long forest green coat, black top, and blue jeans - a much more casual look than the modest, formal attire she regularly wore in public back home.

The princess has been a fish out of water since leaving behind a nation that has criticized her marriage to a commoner, and having to adapt to a new country half a world away from the confines of the Imperial House.

Mako's loss of royal status comes from the Imperial House Law, which allows only male succession. She is the daughter of the emperor's younger brother, and her 15-year-old brother Hisahito is expected to become emperor.

Mako dressed warm for the frigid New York City weather, in a stylish longline black double breasted coat that she matched with a blue handbag

She wore a cream turtleneck top, green patterned skirt, black tights, and black ballet flats

Mako has been adapting to her new life as a commoner in New York City where she recently moved with her new husband after sensationally giving up her royal title to marry him in October

Mako tied the knot with university sweetheart Kei Komuro in Tokyo in October after an eight-year engagement despite many in their native country openly opposing the nuptials - polls show up to 80% disapproval.

Before landing in the US on November 14, Mako declined the offer of 140million yen ($1.2million) payment to which she was entitled for leaving the imperial family, palace officials said. She is expected to find a job in New York.

Her husband failed the New York State Bar Association exam, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

Komuro took the exam this summer, and when the results were posted on the website of the New York State Board of Law Examiners his name was not among the successful candidates - another piece of news that Japanese media have used to attack him, although it is common to pass after multiple attempts.

According to the broadcaster, Komuro had said he plans to continue studying and will retake the exams in February.

Mako and her new husband Kei Komuro were spotted out in New York City days after leaving Tokyo for good last month

Mako was seen pickinhg up some home essentials this weekend as she settled into her new life in New York

Mako's casual get up was a far cry from the formal attire she was often seen wearing back home

Mako is the elder daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of reigning Emperor Naruhito. Her marriage to university sweetheart Kei Komuro, a commoner, in Tokyo in October (pictured) sharply divided public opinion in Japan

'I love Mako,' Komuro told reporters last month after registering their marriage in Tokyo.

They did so without a wedding banquet or any of the other usual celebratory rituals.

'I want to live the only life I have with the person I love,' he said.

Kei Komuro has lived in New York for three years, attending Fordham University in the Bronx before getting a job with the law firm Lowenstein Sandler. He won a $2,000 award in the New York State Bar Association's annual student writing competition for a piece on 'compliance problems in website accessibility and implications for entrepreneurs.'

Mako's loss of royal status has led to changes in her life. For the first time in her life she has a surname and she had to get her first passport to come to the United States.

Although Japan appears modern in many ways, values about family relations and the status of women often are seen as antiquated and rooted in feudal practices.

Such views were accentuated in the public's reaction to the marriage. Many Japanese feel they have a say in such matters because taxpayer money supports the imperial family system.

Other princesses have married commoners and left the palace. But Mako is the first to have drawn such a public outcry, including a frenzied reaction on social media and in the country's tabloids.

Meanwhile Mako has said she will continue to support her husband's studies.
A Haitian migrant who was photographed being yanked by the collar and dragged by a Border Patrol agent on horseback has sued the Biden administration earlier this week for his 'inhumane' treatment.

Mirard Joseph, the undocumented immigrant who said in the lawsuit he was bringing back food for his wife and child, called the widely-captured moment the 'most humiliating experience' of his life.

He's among 11 Haitian migrants being represented by attorneys of advocacy groups Justice Action Center, Haitian Bridge Alliance and Innovation Law Lab.

The widely published photos of him and other Haitian and South American refugees receiving brutal treatment at the hands of law enforcement sparked a humanitarian outcry.

Civil rights groups that had been aligned with President Joe Biden condemned him after officers whipped and forcibly restrained migrants crossing the Rio Grande.

Joseph and the 10 other migrants accused the Biden administration, including Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas of physical and verbal abuse and knowingly ignoring the rights of asylum-seekers.

Mirard Joseph (center) described being yanked and whipped by a mounted Border Patrol agent as the 'most embarrassing moment' of his life in a new lawsuit against the Biden administration

He and 10 other Haitian migrants are suing Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over inhumane treatment

Joseph said he had crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico to bring food and water back for his young family who were residing in a squalid encampment under the Del Rio bridge

Their lawsuit recounts in detail the squalid conditions that thousands of migrants were forced to reside in in an encampment under the Del Rio bridge in Texas.

At one point there were nearly 16,000 people packed in the tent city, overwhelming the Biden administration and prompting them to swiftly expel many of them under the COVID-19 pandemic-era health rule Title 42.

The lawsuit alleged Title 42 'has been brutally deployed against Haitians.'

Biden's continued use of the Trump administration rule has been criticized by left-wing and immigrants' rights groups.

Joseph said his family was subjected to hunger and extreme dehydration in the encampment when he decided to cross the Rio Grande to help them.

'After Mirard stepped out of the river, holding two bags of food for Madeleine and his daughter, he encountered a mounted officer,' the lawsuit states.

'As other officers looked on - some on foot, others on horseback or in official vehicles - the mounted officer shouted at Mirard, lashed at him with split reins, grabbed his neck, and held his collar.'

Another plaintiff said he saw the agents on horseback cutting a rope that migrants were using to cross the deep waters

It describes a confrontation lasting 'several minutes' during which Mirard's attorneys say the mounted agent was trying to drag the father back into the river, 'destroying' his shirt and causing him to lose his shoes.

'The officer released Mirard only when the horse was about to trample him,' the suit states.

Another plaintiff, identified as Esther, said she was attempting to cross the river with food for her baby when she was 'terrorized by officers on horseback' who were shouting 'go back to Mexico.'

Multiple accounts mentioned 'officers on horseback using reins as whips against people.'

Their union told the New York Times that they were simply doing what they were trained to do to deter people from getting too close to their horses and risking injuries.

Reports citing both public and private accounts indicate the Biden administration was caught flat-footed by the record surge of migrants at the border this year.

Migrants take shelter as they wait to be processed near the Del Rio International Bridge after crossing the Rio Grande into the U.S. from Ciudad Acuna in Del Rio, Texas, September 18

President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are named as defendants in the lawsuit filed in a Washington, DC court Monday

But the lawsuit, filed Monday in Washington, DC court, alleged that administration officials knew there were signs of an influx of migrants were coming around the time thousands of mostly-Haitian migrants were driven out of South and Central America by poverty and climate change.

Many of them had fled Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

The lawsuit claims the Biden administration knowing disregarded steps to prepare humanitarian aid for the incoming migrants in order to deter more from coming.

One person named in the suit as Paul said he saw agents cut a rope that migrants were using to cross the deep water safely.

DHS said in a statement in November that Customs and Border Protection would handle an investigation into the incident since the Office of Inspector General had declined to take action.

In September Biden slammed the images as 'outrageous' and vowed 'consequences' would be brought against those responsible.

'It's an embarrassment, but beyond an embarrassment, it is dangerous. Its wrong, it sends the wrong message around the world, it sends the wrong message at home. It's simply not who we are,' he said of the shocking footage.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who Biden tapped to solve the root causes of illegal migration, compared the officers' actions to the treatment of Native Americans and violence 'used against African Americans during times of slavery.'
A bruised Ghislaine Maxwell is seen in this photo of her alleged mistreatment in prison

Jurors in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial will resume deliberations on Monday after turning down the option to reconvene for one more day before Christmas break.

The jury broke for the holidays on Wednesday after failing to reach a verdict in the sex trafficking trial following two full days of deliberations.

When offered the chance to deliberate on Thursday, jurors replied with a note to the judge saying: 'No, thank you. Jurors have made plans for tomorrow.'

The decision means Maxwell will spend Christmas - and her 60th birthday - in limbo and behind bars.

Maxwell, who is facing 80 years in prison if convicted, has been in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which she's described as a 'hell hole', since her arrest in July 2020.

She appeared relaxed and was laughing with her lawyers and gave each a hug before being taken away Wednesday.

The court will break for the rest of the week and will come back on Monday.

Maxwell has maintained her innocence and her lawyers have bashed her accusers as having false memory and being motivated by money.

In legal filings earlier this year, Maxwell claimed her treatment in prison is so bad it would be 'fit for Hannibal Lecter'.

But they are not appropriate for a '59-year old woman who poses no threat to anyone', Maxwell's lawyers claimed.

At one point, Maxwell 'barricade' herself in the video conference room in prison with a cart of legal documents, prosecutors claimed and was deemed a 'security threat' by blocking the door and preventing guards from accessing the room.

The jury of six men and six women has gone home for the holidays after the third day of deliberation. The main jury is seen in a court sketch Tuesday

Empty seats are depicted by the court artist as the jury continued deliberations beofre deciding to quit for the Christmas break

Ghislaine Maxwell will spend Christmas Day in a 10x12ft prison cell in New York as she awaits a verdict in her high-profile sex trafficking case

Pictured: The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) where Ghislaine Maxwell is being held

Judge Alison Nathan told the jury to be 'safe' over the Christmas break due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

She said she wanted them back 'healthy' on Monday when everyone attending the court in New York will have to wear N95 or KN95 masks to enter the building.

Near the end of the day the jury asked for another copy of the transcript of the accuser Jane's testimony.

They also asked for the testimony of Kate, another accuser, and Epstein's former Palm Beach House manager Juan Alessi.

Maxwell, 59, denies six counts of recruiting and transporting underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein.

On Tuesday - the second day of deliberation - the jurors appeared to be zeroing on two accusers.

They deliberated for the whole day Tuesday and sent four notes to the judge including one which related to Annie Farmer.

They wanted to know if they could use her testimony for two counts of conspiracy to entice and transport an underage girl to engage in sex acts.

Isabel Maxwell leaves the federal courthouse where her sister, Ghislaine Maxwell, is on trial for sex trafficking

Laura Menninger and Jeffrey Pagliuca, attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell, leave Thurgood Marshall Federal Court on Wednesday

Judge Nathan said she would tell them that they could.

Earlier the jury asked to see notes of an FBI interview that Carolyn gave in 2007, the first time she spoke to law enforcement about being abused by Epstein.

Judge Nathan said that it had not been entered into evidence so they could not see it.

However the jury could refer to its mention in Carolyn's cross examination by the defense.

At 10.10am after just over an hour of deliberating on Tuesday the jury sent their first note.

Judge Alison Nathan said the jury were asking for the transcripts of testimony from Jane, Annie and Carolyn - but did not mention Kate.

Kate is the only accuser whose claims should not be considered crimes as charged in the indictment.

Prosecutor Maurene Comey said that both sides needed to agree to some redactions before giving the transcripts over.

Defense lawyer Bobbi Sternheim agreed.

The jury were not brought out and Judge Nathan said she would give them the transcripts in the deliberation room.

The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell Count One: Conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts Maximum sentence: Five years Accusers: Jane, Carolyn and Annie Count Two: Enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts Maximum sentence: Five years Accuser: Jane Count Three: Conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Maximum sentence: Five years in prison Accusers: Jane, Carolyn and Annie Farmer Count Four: transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Maximum sentence: 10 years in prison Accuser: Jane Count Five: Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Maximum: Five years in prison Accusers: Carolyn and Virginia Count Six: Sex trafficking of minors. Maximum sentence: 40 years in prison Accuser: Carolyn Advertisement

Maxwell walked into court wearing a black turtleneck sweat and black pants while holding a green folder.

She hugged her lawyers and waved at a young woman in the public gallery.

Maxwell's defense delivered closing arguments Monday afternoon, telling the jury that she is 'an innocent woman wrongfully accused of crimes she did not commit.'

In her closing remarks, Maxwell's lawyer Laura Menninger said: 'The government has failed to prove any charge beyond a reasonable doubt and the only correct verdict in this case is not guilty on each count.'

The defense again attempted to discredit the accounts of the four accusers, as Menninger stated, 'The evidence has established what we told you it would, that the stories relied on by the government are erroneous memories, manipulation and money. But in this case the order is reversed. The money brought the accusers to the FBI where their personal injury lawyers sat right there.'

As for how Maxwell was portrayed, Menninger said that she had been made to look like 'Cruella de Vil and the Devil Wears Prada all wrapped up into one'.

Such a portrait was 'as old as Hollywood', Menninger said.

Menninger said, 'The lawyers manipulated their stories and the government accepted their stories without ever corroborating them.'

Menninger said that 'suddenly' the accusers 'recovered memories years later.'

Isabel Maxwell stands in front of the press after leaving the Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday night

Members of the prosecution team at the Ghislaine Maxwell trial walk out of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse with boxes of papers as the jury deliberates

She said: 'The recovered memories that Ghislaine was involved, that Ghislaine was there, that Ghislaine was the culprit.'

The jury of six men and six women deliberated for the whole day and sent four notes to the judge including one which related to Annie Farmer (pictured in a school photo)

Menninger said that the prosecution spent a lot of time talking about Epstein's lifestyle, about his wealth and his property and his private planes 'just like a sensationalist tabloid would'.

Menninger said that Epstein was a 'master manipulator' who 'abused his money and his power'.

She said: 'We are not here to defend Jeffrey Epstein, he is not my client', but she added: 'Ghislaine Maxwell is not Jeffrey Epstein'.

Menninger claimed that when Epstein died the prosecution 'pivoted' to going after Maxwell.

The idea was that 'Ghislaine was there, she must have known.'

Menninger criticized prosecutors for showing the jury dozens of photos out of 38,000 seized from Epstein's New York home in 2019.

She said: Where are the other 31,960 photos? Who was in those photos? Was it other girlfriends? Other women?

Nor should the jury draw any inference from Epstein keeping photos of Maxwell. Menninger asked the jury that if an ex boyfriend or girlfriend had photos of them, would that make them a 'sex offender'?

Menninger condemned the use of such images as 'straight up sensationalism.'

The couple appear in one photo in what appears to be a European city. Ghislaine is seen kissing Jeffrey Epstein on the cheek

Turning to the accusers' memories, Menninger said that they 'inserted Ghislaine Maxwell into their narrative' after they 'lawyered up'.

Menninger said: 'You don't need a lawyer to talk to the FBI'.

Menninger said that it fell to the defense to ask the 'tough questions' of the accusers and cross examination had shown that the 'truth was manipulated and changed over time' for the purpose of the victims getting a payday.

Menninger went through inconsistencies in the statements by Jane and Carolyn and said that they had suffered from 'post event suggestion', as their 'false memory' expert Elizabeth Loftus had described it - adding new and false information after the event.

According to Menninger, the prosecution had 'broken promises' to produce numerous house staff, family members and other witnesses to back up the claims.

The idea put forward by prosecutors Maxwell became a 'facilitator of sexual abuse' for Epstein to maintain her wealthy 'lifestyle' was wrong.

Menninger said that Maxwell at the time was a 'beautiful woman in her 30s' who was just starting out on her career.

Epstein was 'manipulating everyone around him' and 'dating women behind her (Maxwell's) back'.

Menninger said that 'maybe it was Jeffrey who needed Ghislaine and her connections', rather than her needing him for his money.

Turning to each accuser, Menninger said that Jane was like an 'actress who forgot her lines' - Jane is an actress on a soap opera.
A retired New Jersey police lieutenant slammed the guilty verdict reached by jurors in the manslaughter trial of Minneapolis cop Kim Potter Thursday, saying it would have a 'chilling effect' on police officers across the nation.

'I've got to tell you just about everyone I've spoken to in and out of law enforcement agreed that this was an accident,' Steve Rodgers, a former lieutenant of the Nutley, New Jersey Police Department and agent of the FBI National Joint Terrorism Task Force for the US Navy, declared in an interview with conservative news outlet Newsmax Thursday following the verdict.

Potter, 49, a white suburban mom-of-two who served in her city's police department for more than two decades, was found guilty of first and second degree manslaughter for shooting 20-year-old black motorist Wright on April 11 during a traffic stop after allegedly mistaking her gun for a taser.

'She demonstrated that she had no intent on using her firearm. And I must tell you, that this verdict is going to leave a chilling effect on every cop across this country.' Roger said during the televised interview.

'You're going to have to wait until they used deadly force upon you and then do what you must do.'

Steve Rodgers, a former lieutenant of the Nutley, New Jersey Police Department and agent of the FBI National Joint Terrorism Task Force for the US Navy, slammed the verdict reached by jurors in the manslaughter trial of Kim Potter Thursday, saying it'd have a 'chilling effect' on cops across the US

Officer Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran in the force, claimed she accidentally shot Daunte Wright (right) when she reached for her gun instead of her taser during a traffic stop over his expired plates in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota on April 11

'But I've got to tell you,' Rogers, who boasts a 38-year career in law enforcement, added, 'My gut feeling says that there may have been a lot of politics involved with regard to what was on the mind of the jury. He said he believed the heavy publicity the verdict has received would lead to a similar 'chilling effect' across the US.

He also warned of how the Potter verdict would affect existing cop shortages, and the attitude of officers towards smaller crimes which affect Americans' quality of life.

'Well I could tell you a few things one,' Rogers said. 'You might not see a lot of willingness to sign up and serve. You'll see a lot of retirements.

'But even more profoundly, you could you could kiss proactive policing methodologies out the window.

'We were trained to go out and investigate quality of life issues, arrest those who were committing minor crimes so they would not be bigger crimes.

'This all started over a motor vehicle stop, and it ended up being an officer being found guilty of manslaughter. Is it worth it? Cops are thinking about that right now. Is it worth it to pull over a motor vehicle to stop someone for a low level crime? You can end up losing your job and, in fact, end up losing your life.'

Rogers also offered his perception on claims presented by the prosecution during court proceedings that Potter's actions, while not malicious, were reckless and dangerous, and offered his opinion on why the disgraced cop's legal team opted to put her on the stand to testify - a move that many saw as ill-advised.

'Yes it was a good idea,' Rogers said of the attorneys' decision to put Potter on the stand.

'They put her on the stand because they were able to humanize her as the prosecutor is trying to dehumanize her.

'We must keep in mind that the act of Kim Potter was in seconds, maybe two or three seconds. There was no intent. She demonstrated that she was remorseful. I've got to tell you, the prosecutor went a little bit too far on trying to make him potter looked like an evil evil person.

Potter was found guilty of both manslaughter count on Thursday for shooting 20-year-old black motorist Daunte Wright dead during a botched traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on April 11

Potter remained impassive between her attorneys and did not react throughout reading of the verdict or the news that she would be taken into custody

Rogers then spoke on how the outcome of case offers a grim future for those working in law enforcement.

'I'll tell you a lot of cases don't bother me. This bothers me because I can see what's going to happen with regard to the effect this is going to have on cops across the country.

'She has a clean police record. She was a fine officer - and it really bothers me.

'I mean, you take also into account the protests during 2020 the rhetoric against the police. The protests that we saw against social equality. I mean, there were historic resignations there. It's hard to do your job.' He was referring to the aftermath of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin in May 2020, which led calls to defund the police across the US, and a subsequent spike in violent crime.

The ex-cop then spoke on the repercussions that he says Potter's guilty verdict will inevitably incur, offering a grim outlook for those thinking of a career in law enforcement.

The former police officer, 49, reacts after being convicted of both manslaughter charges, which carry a 15 and 10 year maximum sentence, respectively

Others weighed in on the controversial conviction Thursday as well, including Fox News' Judge Jeanine Pirro, who said that she was similarly 'stunned' by the jury's conviction.

'I must tell you, I was stunned at the verdict,' Pirro said on Thursday's airing of The Story with Martha MacCallum.

'It is a kind of verdict that, you know, none of us really expected, especially the top count of manslaughter in the first degree,' the TV jurist continued.

'This woman clearly didn't intend to cause any harm to Daunte Wright. But we know what the law is, and the law talks about recklessness and culpable negligence. She was negligent. There's no question about it.'

The Law of Self Defense lawyer Andrew Branca, who says he has followed every moment of the trial, also criticized the conviction, said that 'every cop is sending out their resume right now' in a lawyer-laden livestream immediately after the verdict.

Also on the stream, Defense attorney Robert Barnes shook his head in disgust after the verdict was read, declaring it 'a ridiculous verdict.'

'Youre nuts if you stay a cop in the Twin Cities.'

Meanwhile, former NYPD officer and current civil rights attorney Peter Gleason offered a more subtle criticism of the decision.

'I think we're getting to a phase in our existence where this is an increased accountability for the actions of law enforcement.

'With this situation warrants is, it's an invitation to overhaul the way we do policing in America. It's getting to the point whether put in terms of sending a trucker for having an accident for 110 years or convicting a police officer who without any malice made a deadly mistake

'We need to reexamine both our criminal justice and legal departments.'
More than 1,000 American passengers will spend Christmas Day stuck aboard a cruise ship after authorities in the western Mexico state of Jalisco blocked them from disembarking because 21 crew members have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Holland America Line ship sailed off from San Diego on Sunday with stops in the Mexican resort cities of Los Cabos and Mazatlan before it arrived on the coast of Puerto Vallarta on Thursday at approximately 7.30am.

The Jalisco state health department considered allowing each of the 1,035 passengers off the MS Koningsdam, which has at least 873 crew, as long as they turned in proof of negative COVID-19 tests, Mexican news outlet Milenio reported.

But, officials soon did a u-turn over fears that the outbreak could have spread further than the 21 infected crew members.

'This option was discarded because the health protocols indicate that no one could disembark when positive cases were registered on the boat, so the decision was finally made not to disembark,' the health department said in a statement.

The decision has frustrated passengers, with one, Paulette Laussane York, snapping a photo of the port city's beach shoreline.

'Puerto Vallarta from our veranda,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Mexican authorities won't let anyone off our cruise ship, Koningsdam. Some crew members (fully vaccinated) tested positive for Covid. Ship is headed back out to sea.'

Beverly Carver-Percival (left) and Paulette Laussane York (right) share details of their experience aboard a cruise ship that was turned away from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Thursday when 21 crew members registered positive COVID-19 tests

Paulette Laussane York took to Facebook on Thursday to share a photo of the shore of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, after health officials there refused to allow 1,035 passengers aboard Holland America Line's MS Koningsdam to disembark because 21 crew members had tested positive for COVID-19. Puerto Vallarta was the third and last stop of the cruise trip that took vacationers from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan

It comes as the Omicron continues to drive a surge of new COVID cases across the US, with Christmas Eve seeing total infections edge closer to the all-time record.

Figures from Johns Hopkins University published Friday show there were 261,339 new cases in the last 24 hours, up 10 per cent from 238,378 the day before.

The number of deaths caused by the virus have also skyrocketed to 3,354, a 52 per cent increase from 2,204 fatalities on Thursday. That is the highest single-day total since October 13, when 3,054 fatalities were recorded.

American Omicron infections rose 45 per cent in a day, from 2,625 to 3,286. Those represent a tiny fraction of the true total, because the US only sequences a very small proportion of positive PCR tests to identify which strain caused a person's infection.

The CDC estimates that at least 73 per cent of all new COVID infections are being caused by Omicron, with that figure as high as 92 per cent in five states including New York and New Jersey

The United States logged a seven-day average coronavirus case count of 168,981 on Wednesday, surpassing a summer peak of over 165,000 infections, according to the Washington Post. While worrying, the figure still falls well short of the 249,000 average hit in January 2020.

That marks the second largest surge in cases since the pandemic began nearly two years ago as the highly contagious Omicron variant has been detected in all 50 states, as well Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Thousands of Americans have also been forced to spend Christmas alone after airlines across the US canceled more than 600 flights and delayed more nearly 2,500 on Christmas eve due to staffing shortages caused by surge in Omicron infections.

Onboard the Kongingsdam, all passengers were required to submit a negative coronavirus last Saturday, when one of the travelers returned a positive test for the virus. It's not clear how many passengers have been infected.

Beverly Carver-Percival was among the passengers on the MS Koningsdam who took to social media to express their displeasure of not being allowed off the ship by Mexican authorities.

'Well after a long trip we finally made it to Puerto Vallarta and due to Covid the Mexican Customs will not allow us to get off the ship,' she wrote on her Facebook page on Thursday. 'But what (a) beautiful trip we've had so far and maybe we will just make another trip out here without a cruise ship.'

Carver-Percival shared a screen shot of the trip's itinerary which indicated that the ship was scheduled to arrive in Cabo San Lucas on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. and passengers were due back aboard at 6:30 p.m. The ship had an arrival time of 8:00 a.m. in Mazatlan on Wednesday with travelers set to board at 4:30 a.m.

Beverly Carver-Percival and her husband are among more than 1,000 American passengers who will spend Christmas aboard a cruise ship with 21 crew members who have tested positive for COVID-19

Beverly Carver-Percival shared the itinerary of her three-city cruise before her ship was not allowed to dock in Puerto Vallarta after 21 crew members tested positive for the virus

The cruise ship was set to dock in Puerto Vallarta at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday before health officials turned it away. It appeared that the cruise is scheduled to return to San Diego on Sunday.

'I don't think swearing on Facebook is allowed,' Carver-Percival added. 'But the big F bomb is on the tip of my tongue. Merry Christmas to you all and Happy New Years. Much Love to my dear family and friends.'

DailyMail.com reached out to Holland America Line for comment.

Holland America Line's MS Koningsdam cruise ship was not allowed to dock in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Thursday after officials in the resort city learned that 21 crew members had tested positive for the coronavirus

The spike in COVID-19 cases across the region has impacted three other cruise ships based out of South Florida this week.

A Carnival Freedom cruise was blocked from entering Bonaire and Aruba after some of the passengers and crew aboard the ship tested positive for the coronavirus.

The cruise has 2,497 passengers and 1,112 crew members and was scheduled to return to Miami on Sunday following an 8-day cruise. Passengers were required to be vaccinated and they were tested before leaving last Saturday, according to Carnival.

'Carnival Freedom is following all protocols and has a small number on board who are in isolation due to a positive COVID test,' the statement said. 'Our protocols anticipate this possibility and we implement them as necessary to protect the health and safety of our guests and crew.'

Ashley Peterson, a passenger on the ship, tweeted a photo of a December 22 letter from the ship's captain apologizing for being unable to make the stops in Aruba and Bonaire.

All passengers will receive $100 per room in onboard credit and refunds for excursions planned at the two stops.

'We know these unexpected changes are disappointing and impact your cruise vacation, however we trust you understand this is outside our control,' said the letter from Capt. Mario Imbimbo.

It was the third outbreak this week affecting cruise ships operated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean departing Miami and Fort Lauderdale ports.
Parents in suburban Austin are outraged after a middle school teacher read a Dr. Seuss-inspired poem ridiculing 'evangelicals' and 'bigots' who want to ban books featuring sexual content they deemed pornographic.

Krista Tyler, an instructional technology specialist at Grisham Middle School in Austin read her derisive rhymes during a school board meeting in the neighboring city of Leander on December 16.

'Everyone in Leander liked reading a lot/but some evangelicals in Leander did not,' Tyler began in an exaggerated, mocking tone.

The poem went on to call the parents backing book bans 'kooks' and 'bigots' who hate reading, are fearful of critical thinking and do not have their heads 'screwed on just right.'

After parents spoke out against CRT & books containing pornographic content, this teacher demeaned them with a Dr. Seuss parody. Unhinged pic.twitter.com/OJ1knzYHdo  Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) December 20, 2021

Krista Tyler, an instructional technology specialist at an Austin middle school, sparked outrage last week by reading a derisive poem mocking book bans during a Leander school board meeting

Tyler's Dr. Seuss-style poem slammed 'evangelicals' and called parents who have supported banning books they have deemed pornographic 'kooks' and 'bigots' who hate reading

Tyler performed this poem during a December 16 school board meeting at Leander Independent School District

Tyler, 40, closed with an appeal to 'bring back our books' and 'maintain decorum' at school board meetings.

DailyMail.com on Friday reached out to the teacher, seeking comment on the strong reactions to her poem.

Earlier this month, the Leander Independent School District removed 11 books from local school libraries after finding them to be pornographic and obscene, including Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe.

Gender Queer, a graphic novel, contains explicit illustrations of oral sex and masturbation involving a child and an adult. Lawn Boy contains graphic descriptions of sexual activity.

The books have sparked similar complaints in other states, including Virginia, where earlier this year the Fairfax County Independent School District briefly removed the two titles from school libraries.

But the books were reinstated after a review by a committee and administrators who determined the books 'were valuable in their potential to reach marginalized youth who may struggle to find relatable literary characters that reflect their personal journeys.'

Earlier this month, the Leander Independent School District removed 11 books from local school libraries after finding them to be pornographic and obscene, including Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison (left) and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (right)

Tyler's public performance at the school broad meeting last week, which was caught on video and circulated on social media, has been condemned by some parents in the Leander school district, where the incident took place, and the Round Rock school district, where the teacher works.

Tyler, who has a Bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and a Master's degree in education from Lamar University, has worked at Round Rock ISD for more than 11 years

'I'm disgusted and disheartened that there are teachers in our school district who think it is OK to mock parents for their religious beliefs, and for demanding that children not have access to books in the library or classroom that have pornographic illustrations and graphic descriptions of sex acts,' Dustin Clark, a father of four students in the district, told Fox News.

Tyler, who has a Bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and a Master's degree in education from Lamar University, has worked at Round Rock ISD for more than 11 years, according to her LinkedIn page, where she describes herself as a 'banned book reader.'

Kieu Trang, a mother of four children in Round Rock ISD, argued that Tyler 'shouldn't be teaching.'

Tyler is a technology teacher at Grisham Middle School in Austin

'She is trying to lump all parents who oppose pornographic books into the "evangelicals-bigots-brainless" category that hates reading, but the fact of the matter is we are a group of very diverse, highly-concerned parents who do not want pornographic books in our schools,' Trang said. 'The fact that that statement came from a teacher who could be teaching my children at Round Rock ISD is very concerning.'

Andy Hogue, who has two children in Leander ISD, told the conservative news outlet that he finds it 'mind-bogging' that a teacher has 'such disdain for the very people who pay her salary.'

Officials in Leander and Round Rock have not commented on Tyler's poem.
The Government is to relax immigration rules on care-worker jobs in a bid to help tackle the ongoing staffing crisis rocking the UK's social care sector.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) revealed care workers will be added to the shortage occupation list - designed to help migrants get work visas to fill jobs where there are shortages.

The decision follows a recommendation from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) that the jobs be made eligible for the health and care visa.

This was called for 'immediately' to temper 'severe and increasing difficulties' the sector is facing with recruitment and retention, the MAC said in mid-December.

The recommendation was sparked by preliminary findings from an independent review by MAC on the effect ending freedom of movement after Brexit is having on the social care sector and its workers.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the measure would help to 'ensure short-term sustainability' as he also urged care workers to get vaccinated.

Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured) said the plan will 'alleviate some of the pressures' on the care sector

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) revealed care workers will be added to the shortage occupation list - designed to help migrants get work visas to fill jobs where there are shortages (file photo)

He said: 'I also urge all care staff yet to do so to come forward to get boosted now to protect themselves and those they care for.'

Care workers and carers from overseas will be able to move with dependents, including partners and children, and the visa offers a path to settlement in the UK, the DHSC said.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: 'The care sector is experiencing unprecedented challenges prompted by the pandemic and the changes we've made to the health and care visa will bolster the workforce and help alleviate some of the pressures currently being experienced.'

The announcement comes after campaigners last year accused the Government of excluding care workers from its new immigration system and ignoring the role they have played during the coronavirus pandemic.

Care providers are experiencing high vacancy rates and turnover, and pressure on staffing is being exacerbated by the recent spread of Omicron.

This week, the chief executive of MHA - the UK's largest charitable care provider - called for local councils to set out how they would support care if shortages worsened.

Frontline health and social care workers MUST be vaccinated against Covid-19 Since November 11, health and social care providers in England have been required to ensure workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they are exempt, under plans announced by the Health and Social Care Secretary. The regulations apply to health and social care workers who have direct, face-to-face contact with people while providing care  such as doctors, nurses, dentists and domiciliary care workers, unless they are exempt. They also apply to ancillary staff such as porters or receptionists who may have social contact with patients but are not directly involved in their care. This applies across the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated health and social care sector. To give all staff enough time to be fully vaccinated, the deadline is April 2022. While the policy did not apply to COVID-19 boosters or the flu vaccine at the time, the government said it would keep this under review, and if necessary, bring forward amendments to the regulations. Source: Gov.uk Advertisement

Sam Monaghan said: 'While we have contingencies in place and colleagues are great at covering shifts, we have to be assured that if the worst happens and we don't have enough people to care for our residents safely, that there are plans in place to support us.'

The provider, which employs around 7,500 staff, said it had twice as many vacancies as usual, and twice as many staff absent.

Around a fifth of its homes (17) are closed to new admissions because of the shortages.

It comes after the National Care Forum, which represents companies that provide home helps, warned in late October that firms had turned down nearly 5,000 requests for help over the previous six weeks.

It joined union Unison to demand the Health Secretary take urgent action to tackle the 'recruitment and retention emergency' in the care sector.

They co-signed a letter warning of a staffing crisis triggered by 'chronic underfunding leading to low wages, staff burnout, and mandatory vaccination'.

Shortages are at 'a magnitude that threaten to overwhelm the sector,' they said.

Both demanded a pay boost to improve recruitment and a retention bonus for those who have 'gone above and beyond in the delivery of care during the darkest of times'.

The letter says: 'Care providers are already having to hand back contracts, turn down new requests for care, at home and in care homes, as a direct result of the acute shortage of workers.

'The Government must act now because social care matters to us all. This country cannot afford to lose any more care staff.

'Each and every one of us has a loved one who may well need their skill, support and compassion, or require help themselves eventually. Please don't ignore this catastrophe a moment longer.'

The letter also urged the Government to scrap or delay mandatory jabs in care homes.

Since November 11, health and social care providers in England have been required to ensure workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they are exempt.

Researchers for NCF and the Outstanding Managers Network found that nearly a fifth of positions were vacant, with backroom staff having to fill in as frontline carers.

More than two-thirds said they were having to stop or limit services. These pressures mean having to turn away patients, including those being discharged from hospital.

One manager said it was 'heartbreaking turning down ten-plus packages of care that are needed a day'.

Another said: 'Sadly, we have not got enough staff to look after them safely', while another was 'seriously considering having to close'.
Progressive Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania is calling for 'common sense gun-safety' reform on Thursday after she was carjacked at gunpoint by five teens in Philadelphia earlier this week.

She said she hoped the teenagers learn from their mistakes and denounced politicization of her incident as 'pretty despicable' in comments to a local CBS affiliate.

'I wish they rather focus on the fact that we can prevent gun violence with common-sense gun safety measures,' Scanlon said.

The oldest teenager charged with the carjacking was out on bond at the time of the crime on Wednesday from stealing another car.

Josiah Brown, 19, is facing federal charges for the carjacking in Philadelphia. He already has a string of other arrests.

Along with Brown, four other teens were involved in the carjacking ranging from ages 13-16  all of whom were released back to their parents.

Recalling the incident on a CBS radio station, Scanlon said: 'A car pulled up, kind of behind and at first we didnt pay much attention to it.'

'Two people got out of the car and approached us with guns, and said "Give me the keys," so I did,' she said.

'They were young people and they had guns and, you know, I was scared that someone would do something even more stupid than steal a car.'

Scanlon was the victim of a carjacking in Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon just 16 hours after another Democratic lawmaker was carjacked

Brown admitted to pointing a gun at Scanlon's chest to investigators, according to the CBS affiliate. He reportedly wrote Scanlon a letter apologizing as well.

'I havent seen this letter, and I am too sorry that he pointed the gun,' Scanlon reacted.

The pro-police reform lawmaker had co-sponsored a bill in February 2021 that would divert some state and local law enforcement funding toward hiring mental health professionals to accompany officers on some 911 calls.

Brown's father told the outlet, 'He made a lot of bad decisions, but this right here, in my heart, I dont think my son committed this crime.'

He said he thought Brown was with his two sons instead.

President Joe Biden called Scanlon after she was carjacked, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday.

'Is the president taking crime in big cities more seriously now that a Democratic member of Congress, Mary Gay Scanlon, has been carjacked at gunpoint?' Fox News' Peter Doocy asked Psaki at Thursday's briefing.

'Let me first say that we're relieved that she was not injured,' Psaki replied. 'And the president called her and spoke with her this morning, as well.'

'It is absolutely unacceptable for any American, whether they're a member of Congress or not, to be victimized by crime like that,' she added.

Brown, from the president's home town of Wilmington, Delaware, is expected to face federal charges in Scanlon's carjacking, the Delaware State Police said Thursday.

Three of the other teen carjackers were boys ages 13 and 16 and a girl aged 14. They were all charged in Delaware with receiving stolen property and were each released to their guardians on $1,500 unsecured bond.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that President Joe Biden called Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon from Pennsylvania after she was carjacked at gunpoint Wednesday

The fifth was a 15-year-old boy charged with receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and two counts of criminal mischief, according to police. He was taken to the New Castle County Detention Center on $3,500 bond.

Brown is a suspect in several other incidents over the last few years.

Most recently, an arrest warrant was issued for Brown in March 2021 after his fingerprints matched up with those connected to a string of vehicle break-ins in Chester County, Pennsylvania in late 2020.

FDR Park, where the crime occurred, is within City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson's district, who claims carjackings are happening at all times of day and that anyone is falling victim.

'Right now in the City of Philadelphia, people feel like there's a sense of lawlessness,' he said. 'At the end of the day, you see carjackings taking place during the holiday season. We see people being robbed of their Rolexes, so at the end of the day, we have to figure out how do we get ahold of this senseless violence.'

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement: 'It's disheartening, and quite frankly infuriating, that criminals feel emboldened to commit such a reckless crime in the middle of the day in what should be a place of tranquility and peace-one of Philadelphia's beautiful parks.'

Scanlan and Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightfordand, both Democrats who supported police reforms in Philadelphia and Chicago respectively, were carjacked just 16 apart from each other.

Kimberly Lightford (pictured) and her husband Eric McKennie were carjacked by three masked individuals 20 minutes away from Chicago on Tuesday evening

Scanlon, 62, was robbed at gunpoint in Philadelphia's FDR Park on Wednesday afternoon after Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightford, 53, and her husband, Eric McKennie, were also carjacked Tuesday night in a suburb 20 minutes outside of Chicago.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that FBI agents and state police have arrested five people, four males and one female, Wednesday night in connection to the theft of Scanlon's car.

Both women supported police reform policies last year following ignition of the Black Lives Matter movement. Scanlon and Lightford also co-sponsored bills in their respective offices to allow mental health specialists to be dispatched as first responders instead of police officers.

Lightford, the Illinois Black Caucus chairwoman, had also previously supported cutting police budgets in the state, with Chicago proposing to slash $59 million from their police department's budget while violent crimes soar in the Windy City.

Scanlon's incident came after Philadelphia's woke District Attorney, Larry Krasner, claimed there is not a 'crisis of lawlessness' - despite robberies skyrocketing by 27 per cent since 2020 and murders breaking an all-time record this year.

And the attack against Lightford came just two days after Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot made a U-turn and asked for federal agents to help to get the city's crime under control amid the proposed slash to the local police department.

Scanlon was walking to her parked vehicle and was approached by two men driving a dark-colored SUV, WPVI reported.

They demanded her keys and then fled in her 2017 Acura MDX with license plate LKG-8893. She had her car, purse, wallet and phone stolen but was not injured, her office confirmed.

The car was located at the Christiana Mall, in Delaware, where all five suspects were taken in to custody. Police have not said if any charges have been filed.

Scanlon was robbed of her car at gunpoint in FDR Park (pictured) following a meeting there. She was walking to her parked vehicle when she two men driving a dark-colored SUV approached her, demanded her keys and fled in her 2017 Acura MDX  license plate LKG-8893

'I am relieved that Congresswoman Scanlon was not physically injured, and my thoughts are with her during this difficult time,' Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement.

'The PPD will continue to provide any support needed in this case and will work diligently alongside our federal partners to assist in bringing those responsible to justice.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department for additional comment.

In a statement about the robbery, Scanlon's spokesperson Lauren Cox said: 'Wednesday afternoon, at around 2:45 p.m., Congresswoman Scanlon was carjacked at gunpoint in FDR Park following a meeting at that location.'

She added: 'The Congresswoman was physically unharmed. She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her local police department for coordinating with Philly PD to ensure her continued safety.'

The crime against Congresswoman Scanlon comes at the end of a violent year in Philadelphia under 'progressive prosecutor' Krasner, who won re-election this year.

Scanlon's car was located later on Wednesday night at the Christiana Mall, in Delaware. Police arrested five suspects inside the car

Just 16 hours earlier, Illinois' Democratic State Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford was the victim of carjacking Tuesday night in a Chicago suburb, police confirmed.

Lightford and her husband, Eric McKennie, were not harmed by the three masked subjects who took off in her black Mercedes-Benz SUV, said Chief of Police Thomas Mills.

'This is still an ongoing investigation but I can confirm no shots were fired by the police,' Mills said. 'The victim did hear what they believed to be gunfire.'

Lightford said in a statement: 'First and foremost, I am thankful that my husband and I are alive and physically unharmed. I am trying to process the trauma of what happened. I want to thank everyone who has offered their love and support.'

The Illinois Black Caucus chairwoman worked with Barack Obama when he was a state senator representing and in the late 1990s the two worked together to pass a racial profiling reform law.

Her run-in with armed criminals comes two days after Lightfoot pleaded with Attorney General Merrick Garland to send Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents to the city for six months to combat rising crime.

Lightfoot announced on Monday that she made a formal request to Garland to send ATF agents to Chicago for six months, a well as more federal prosecutors and federal marshals to help get illegal guns off the streets.

Lightford's carjacking comes two days after Mayor Lori Lightfoot (pictured) pleaded with AG Merrick Garland to send ATF agents to Chicago for six months

As of December 6, Philadelphia had recorded 521 homicides for the year, surpassing New York's 443 and Los Angeles at 352

Her request comes after she proposed slashing $80 million from the Chicago Police Department budget in 2020 during 'defund the police' protests.

The proposal was later scaled back and 3.3% of the budget - or $59 million.

The incident took place about 12 miles west of Chicago, which is currently fighting a 25-year high murder rate, with 767 homicides occurring within the city so far this year.

Carjackings in the Windy City have jumped by about 32 percent through Sunday, with 1,781, up from 1,352 during the same time last year, Chicago Tribune reported

At least dozen large mid-tier cities across the country have already broken their annual homicide records

At least dozen large mid-tier cities across the country have already broken their annual homicide records this year

The latest crime comes after a December 10 video went viral of a groom being robbed at gunpoint outside his wedding reception in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. The criminals took off with his Rolex watch

Crime has run rampant in Philadelphia, where on December 10, a groom was robbed of his Rolex watch by armed bandits outside a wedding hall.

Cops who responded to the scene caught up with the criminals and they were officially arrested last Thursday after being linked to at least 10 other robberies since October.

Video surveillance of the incident shows the unnamed groom outside with other members of his wedding party in the Old City neighborhood when the three gun-toting criminals jumped out of a sedan and ran up to the group and demanded the newlywed turn over his pricey watch.

The city of brotherly love has shattered its 30-year-old record for annual murders, surpassing the much larger cities of New York and Los Angeles.

As of December 6, Philadelphia had recorded 521 homicides for the year, surpassing New York's 443 and Los Angeles at 352.

This is despite the fact that with a population of 1.5 million, Philly is less than half the size of Los Angeles and one-fifth of New York.

The grim trend follows national calls to defund police departments, and in some cities, reforms to bail rules that critics claim let dangerous offenders loose pending trial.
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Santa pointing an assault rifle in the snow is enough to terrify any child... but kids on the naughty list have nothing to fear.

These images actually show members of the Russian National Guard putting police cadet students through their paces on Christmas Eve in the wilds of Kemerovo, Siberia.

To keep things 'festive', Vladimir Putin's internal military force wore Grandfather Frost costumes.

Grandfather Frost - known in Russian as Ded Moroz - is a figure similar to Santa, and whose roots lie in Slavic mythology. He is usually dressed in red but is also sometimes seen in a blue costume.

The image of the Russian Santa was formed during Soviet times, when he became the main symbol of New Year celebrations instead of Christmas. The first Father Frost arrived in Moscow in 1937, during Joseph Stalin's rule.

During the cadet manoeuvres, troops wore both colour schemes, while their young charges raced around the snow in khaki uniforms.

Anyone got the slay bells? Russia's National Guard put police cadet students through their paces on Christmas Eve in the wilds of Kemerovo, Siberia

Santa Claus is gunning to town: To keep things 'festive', Vladimir Putin's internal military force wore Grandfather Frost costumes

Gung-ho ho ho! Grandfather Frost - known in Russian as Ded Moroz - is a figure similar to Santa, whose roots lie in Slavic mythology. He is usually dressed in red but is also sometimes seen in a blue costume

Someone's getting the (Santa) sack if they mess up: During the cadet manoeuvres, troops wore both blue and red outfits, while their young charges raced around the snow in khaki uniforms

'Twas the fight before Christmas: The National Guard is tasked with securing Russia's borders, taking charge of gun control and combating terrorism

Santa's gulag: The Russian troops and older students used genuine weapons while the younger ones wielded fake guns

The National Guard is tasked with securing Russia's borders, taking charge of gun control and combating terrorism.

During the training event, the troops and older students used genuine weapons while the younger ones practised with fake guns.

Kemerovo lies roughly 4,300km (2,670 miles) to the east of Ukraine, where tensions are mounting over Russia's build-up of soldiers near the border.

The Kremlin said today that it expects the United States to respond next month to Moscow's request for security guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine.

Putin urged the West on Thursday to 'immediately' meet Russia's demand, accusing the U.S. and its allies of maintaining a military presence 'on the threshold of our home'.

Last week, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance's military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

Tyred yet? The youngsters got into the festive spirit while dashing through the snow

Open fire? Kemerovo lies roughly 4,300km (2,670 miles) to the east of Ukraine, where tensions are mounting over Russia's build-up of soldiers near the border

Military exercises: The students watched on as Putin's forces put on their display of strength

All present and correct: A participant dressed as Grandfather Frost trudges through the snow during the holiday season event

What is the difference between Ded Moroz and Father Christmas? Grandfather Frost (above) - or Ded Moroz - often carries a magical staff and is usually accompanied by his snow maiden, Snegurochka. He may looks like Father Christmas, yet there are key differences By WILL STEWART for MailOnline Grandfather Frost - or Ded Moroz - often carries a magical staff and is usually accompanied by his snow maiden, Snegurochka. He may looks like Father Christmas, yet there are key differences. For example, his busiest night is New Year's Eve with presents arriving at midnight. He often visits excited children in their homes or at parties before New Year's Eve, and since the end of Soviet times, he also appears in some flats and houses to mark Orthodox Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on January 6 and 7. Usually he is in red, but he is sometimes seen in blue or very occasionally white. His traditional mode of transport is a sleigh pulled, not by reindeer, but white horses. Over the years, though, he has also resorted to the Metro and trams. Clambering down chimneys, though, is not for him. Traditionally, in deep history Ded Moroz wandered around the forest, controlling the frost, bringing presents to the good, and punishments to the bad. Unlike Santa, Grandfather Frost gives his gifts openly when he arrives with a big sack of presents. Typically, children need to show him how good they are, often reciting a poem or singing a song before he hands over the gifts, assisted by Snegurochka. He lives not at the North Pole but in the town of Veliky Ustyug, in northern Russia, well shy of the Arctic. It is here the Russian Post Office delivers his mail, but with this being such a large country, he has regional residences, for example at Royev Ruchey Zoo in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Grandfather Frost's birthday is November 18, the coldest day ever recorded in the town of Veliky Ustyug. The glamorous Snegurochka was originally a character from ancient fairy tales who became part of the Christmas ritual in the late 19th century. She remained when Stalin permitted Grandfather Frost to return two decades after the Russian Revolution. Advertisement

'To discuss de-escalation, we expect our opponents in Washington to provide specific answers to our proposals in January,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a Friday conference call with reporters.

Moscow presented its demand amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine that has stoked fears of a possible invasion.

U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin in a video call earlier this month that Russia will face 'severe consequences' if it attacks Ukraine.

Russia has denied plans to launch an attack but has described a NATO expansion and weapons deployment in Ukraine as a 'red line.'

U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin in a video call earlier this month that Russia will face 'severe consequences' if it attacks Ukraine

Moscow has for weeks been massing tens of thousands of troops, tanks and artillery pieces along its eastern flank, sparking fears of an invasion, though the Kremlin has insisted it is merely a defence force (pictured, Russian forces currently massed in border regions)
Lt. Col. Stuart Sheller, who was court martialed and imprisoned after publicly blasting the Biden Administration's disastrous pullout of American troops in Afghanistan, announced that he has been discharged from the Marine Corps. Thursday

Lt. Col. Stuart Sheller, who was court martialed and imprisoned after publicly blasting the Biden Administration's disastrous pullout of American troops in Afghanistan, has announced he has been discharged from the Marine Corps.

The beleaguered former officer took to Facebook to detail the ordeal he has suffered since his blistering criticisms of the botched Afghan exit went viral in August, which saw him thrown in a military pretrial confinement brig for days and fined $5,000.

'I was released from the Marine Corps today, Thursday, December 23rd, 2021,' Scheller wrote in the Thursday post. 'I am filled with mixed emotions. I would like to sincerely thank the Marine Corps for forging me into a man.

'I'd also like to thank the 40K Americans who donated to my foundation while I was in jail,' the former serviceman continued. 'Your support not only paid for my lawyers but will provide stability for my family as I move on to the next chapter in my life. I hope to meet every person who donated and thank them.'

The ex-lieutenant went on: 'Id also like to thank the thousands of people who called their congressional representative or military leadership on my behalf. Your support was instrumental in enabling my release from the institution.'

'I was released from the Marine Corps today, Thursday, December 23rd, 2021,' Scheller wrote in the Thursday post. The ex-officer went on to claim that he was relieved of his command and slandered as 'homicidal/suicidal' by the USMC's public affairs team

Since his dismissal in August, Scheller, 40, claimed he was relieved of his command and slandered as 'homicidal/suicidal' by the USMC's public affairs team, which leaked his medical records and details of the Corps' investigation into his case to the media.

He shockingly added he was forced to endure imprisonment for days because he was considered a flight risk.

What's more, the now former Marine revealed he received a general discharge, a form of administrative military dismissal that typically occurs when a service member's performance is satisfactory, but fails to meet all expectations of conduct for service members.

It is considered less meritorious than an honorable discharge.

Scheller arriving at his court martial with his legal team in October. He pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor-level violations of military law

Despite his trying experience, Scheller said that he remains grateful for his time in the service.

The US Marine gained notoriety in August when he released a public video ripping into the Afghanistan fiasco that allowed the country to fall to the Taliban.

Dressed in uniform, Scheller slammed military brass for the maneuver in the August 26 posting, alluding that the strategy was indirectly responsible for the the ISIS-K suicide bombing at Kabul airport earlier that day, which left 13 service members and at least 169 Afghan civilians dead.

'I'm not saying we've got to be in Afghanistan forever, but I am saying: Did any of you throw your rank on the table and say, "Hey, it's a bad idea to evacuate Bagram Airfield, a strategic airbase, before we evacuate everyone?" said Scheller. 'Did anyone do that? And when you didn't think to do that, did anyone raise their hand and say, "We completely messed this up?"'

Scheller was promptly relieved of command the next day, but continued to post more contentious content.

US Marine Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller, pictured with mother Catherine and father Stuart Sr.

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller was jailed in a North Carolina brig Monday for defying orders to stop publicly criticizing US's Afghanistan withdrawal. He has served in the Marines for 17 years

However, in September, Scheller was court-martialed and placed in pretrial confinement for nine days, before ultimately pleading guilty to six misdemeanor-level violations of military law in October.

He then chose to plead guilty to the following six charges: contempt toward officials, willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, failure to obey lawful general orders and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.

THE MILITARY'S CHARGES AGAINST LIEUTENANT COLONEL STUART SCHELLER Co ntempt towards officials

Disrespect toward the superior commissioned officers

Willfully disobeying superior commissioned officer

Dereliction in the performance of duties

Failure to obey order or regulation

Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman Advertisement

Scheller, who had said that he was seeking an honorable discharge or a discharge with honorable intent during his sudden court martial, was subsequently hit with a $5,000 and letter of reprimand.

Scheller earned $92,931 a year while employed by the service.

Scheller, who had been silenced by a gag order for the past four months due to the court martial, added in Thursday's post that he is now willing to tell his story, and seeks to embark on a media campaign to shine a light on atrocities he says is being committed by his former employer.

Despite the existence of the gag order, Scheller asserted in the verbose post that he had stayed silent out of respect for his former comrades-in-arms.

'Out of respect to my senior leaders, I havent done a single interview since this began,' the ex-officer wrote. But now its my turn.

'My television media blitz starts with Tucker Carlson on 4 January. Leading up to my TV interviews, I plan to make a post a day up to the date of my interviews starting with the 26th, the day of George Washingtons attack.

'2022 is the start of a new year. Its the start of a new generation. The lions are home from war. And we arent assimilating anymore.

'We Cant All Be Wrong. O-O. Mid-game starts now.

A spokesperson for the Marine Corp has confirmed Scheller's release Friday.

'Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller is no longer on active duty and was separated from the service on Dec. 24, 2021,' the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News. 'Out of respect for the privacy rights afforded uniformed service members, we have nothing further to add regarding his status or the characterization of his service in the Marine Corps.'
A Catholic priest and cable TV contributor has said that unvaccinated parishioners should not gather in church for Christmas Mass because 'we owe one another the gift of peace' as the nation copes with the new wave of COVID cases fueled by the Omicron variant.

Father Edward Beck, who is a religious commentator for CNN, said on Friday during a segment of the network's New Day, that he believes all churches should require proof of vaccination.

'There's no supply chain shortage of love and compassion. I think what we are trying to say to people is that ''you have a social responsibility if you do gather.'' You know Christian churches, many are gathering this evening, and some are still not requiring vaccination, which I disagree with,' he said.

Beck's controversial statements came as the Omicron variant has sent positive tests skyrocketing - but has shown to be less dangerous than previous strains, with fewer hospitalizations and almost no deaths.

When asked by host Jim Sciutto if he was concerned by fewer parishioners going to Mass amid a resurgence in COVID infections, Beck insisted that even those who had medical reasons not to get the vaccine should still not come to church.

Beck, who briefly co-hosted a religious segment with disgraced CNN anchor Chris Cuomo during their time at ABC News, penned an op-ed last year describing Donald Trump's decision to open churches in 2020 when there had yet to be vaccines developed as 'sinful and dangerous.'

When asked by host Jim Sciutto (right) if he was concerned by fewer parishioners going to mass amid a resurge in COVID infections as the country grapples with the Omicron variant, Father Beck (left) insisted that even those who had medical reasons not to get the vaccine should still not come to church

Father Edward Beck said on Friday during a segment of the CNN's New Day, that he believes all churches should require proof of vaccination. Above, People visit at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas Eve, as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread, in the Manhattan borough of New York City

Yep. I said it. I dont think unvaccinated people should be gathering in churches for Christmas Eve / Day Masses. Love thy neighbor, says the Savior. @EricaRHill @jimsciutto @NewDay @cnn pic.twitter.com/3iCghHpV4I  Father Edward Beck (@FrEdwardBeck) December 24, 2021

After voicing his stance during the show on Friday, Beck shared a clip of the segment on Twitter.

'Yep. I said it. I don't think unvaccinated people should be gathering in churches for Christmas Eve / Day Masses. ''Love thy neighbor,'' says the Savior,' he captioned the video.

Beck, a member of the Passionist community, added that following Jesus also meant complying with his lessons of love and compassion towards others.

'I think that part of caring for one another, you know, the dogma of Jesus, [whose birthday we celebrate] is love one another, show compassion, show mercy to each other,' he said.

'So I think the message is that if we want to act like Jesus in these kind of times, we take care of each other. And If we are going to gather in celebration, we have to do so safely, confidently. And we have to gift to one another that gift of peace, and part of that is health and feeling like we are gathering in a healthy environment,' he added.

Back in 2020, when Trump considered opening back churches just months after the onset of the pandemic, Beck wrote in an op-ed to the former president that parishioners didn't 'need churches to practice their faith'

A woman receives communion from a priest at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas Eve, as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread

Children light candles at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas Eve

Beck, who was ordained in 1985, does not work at specific churches, but leads workshops and retreats nationally and internationally, in addition to his contributions to CNN.

Beck, who was ordered in 1985, does not work at specific churches, but leads workshops and retreats nationally and internationally, in addition to his contributions to CNN

Last year, when Trump considered opening churches just months after the onset of the pandemic, Beck wrote in an op-ed to the then-president that parishioners didn't 'need churches to practice their faith.'

'During this pandemic, I have buried the dead at cemeteries  with limited family members present. I have prayed with people via FaceTime and Zoom. I even heard a confession in a supermarket parking lot,' he wrote.

'What most of us have not done is put ourselves and our parishioners in danger by gathering in large groups for Mass or other religious services 'as usual.' That would have been  and would continue to be, in this time of contagion  irresponsible and sinful,' Father Beck added.

On Friday, Beck seemed to support gathering in churches as long as those joining the celebration were fully inoculated.

He said: 'And so I really hope there's people who gather... to celebrate the birth of Christ, who is about mercy and compassion and love of one another.

'You got to keep that in mind, you know, it's not about us. I don't think there is a reason to say ''I'm not going to get vaccinated today.'' Maybe a health reason, but then you can't come to church...We have a responsibility to one another.'

Three major studies in England, Scotland and South Africa confirmed Omicron is milder than Delta and far less likely to put someone in hospital.

One paper by 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson found the mutant strain was up to 45 percent less likely to lead to hospitalization than Delta, based on 300,000 people in England.

Amid the surge of coronavirus cases across the US, numerous churches have canceled in-person Christmas services, disappointing pastors. On Friday, New York shattered its COVID cases record for the third day running, recording an enormous 44,431 new cases on Christmas Eve

A visitor lights a candle at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas Eve

Amid the surge of coronavirus cases across the US, numerous churches have canceled in-person Christmas services, disappointing pastors and churchgoers who consider them an annual highlight.

Other churches planned outdoor services or proposed a hybrid of online and in-person worship, often imposing tight restrictions for those in attendance. These included requirements to wear masks and show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.

On Friday, New York shattered its COVID cases record for the third day running, recording an enormous 44,431 new cases on Christmas Eve.





New Governor Kathy Hochul blamed the huge spike on the Omicron variant, estimated to be behind 92 percent of new infections in the Empire State.

Hochul also revealed that COVID hospitalizations rose by five percent from the previous day, and now sit at 4,744. But the governor highlighted that the figure is far fewer than the 7,000 who were hospitalized with the virus during Christmas 2020.

The scene at the Harlem testing giveaway was markedly calmer

Frantic locals reached out their hands in the hopes of getting one of the 2,000 tests being distributed at the Brooklyn location

Among the prominent churches canceling some or all of their in-person Christmas services were Washington National Cathedral in the nation's capital; St. John the Divine, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York; and the historic Old South Church in Boston.

Omicron cases now make up 73percent of the US COVID cases

The Rev. Nancy Taylor, senior minister of Old South, said the church - affiliated with the United Church of Christ - still hoped to hold in-person Christmas Day services on Saturday, but was shifting its popular Christmas Eve service to online-only.

'The Christmas Eve congregation tends to be larger with a lot of visitors, some of whom have come from parties, and many of whom are not used to Boston's mask mandate,' she explained in her announcement.

'While we cherish these guests under normal circumstances, these are not normal circumstances. We are prioritizing the health and safety of our volunteers and staff,' she said. 'We know how disappointing this is.'

There are currently more than 51 million COVID-19 infections in the US

The Washington National Cathedral is seen at dawn in Washington on Friday, November. Many churches have canceled their Christmas Day mass amid a surge in COVID cases in New York City

Leaders of Washington National Cathedral, which traditionally welcomes more than 15,000 people to its Christmas services, announced that all its services until January 9 would be offered only remotely, with no worshippers or visitors allowed in the cathedral.

Another major Washington church - National City Christian Church - also canceled its Christmas Eve service and will shift exclusively to online worship at least through January 16.

In New York City, which is experiencing record numbers of positive tests for COVID-19, leaders at St. John Divine said they were shifting all Christmas services to online-only, using its Facebook page and YouTube channel.

'The time has come once again to put the needs and concerns of our wider community first,' the cathedral said on its website.

Another historic New York City church, Middle Collegiate, was gutted by a fire in December 2020. After overseeing painstaking rebuilding efforts, the Rev. Jacqui Lewis was eagerly anticipating an in-person Christmas Eve service, but it has now been canceled.

Masked parishioners sing a hymn at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Christmas Eve

The US has reported more than 800,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started, more than any other nation in the world

The decision 'is one of the hardest choices I've had to make as a pastor,' Lewis told The Associated Press via email. 'This was going to be the magnificent Christmas worship we'd longed for. But I love my people too much to risk their lives.'

'My fabulous team pivoted on a dime, and we'll be hosting a gorgeous online celebration,' she added. 'We'll have stunning music and fiery preaching. But most importantly, we'll be safe. And we'll be together.'

Just north of New York City, Westchester County's Bedford Presbyterian Church was among many churches nationwide planning to proceed with in-person Christmas services despite the spread of the omicron variant.

The Rev. Carol Howard Merritt, said the decision was made by a group that included parents, a school administrator and a physician.

'It became clear that though the variant is highly contagious, the infections seem to result in milder cases, especially for those who are vaccinated and boosted,' Merritt said via email. 'In response, we decided to hold in-person services while making sure that we require masks, stagger seating, limit attendance, and shorten services.'

There are currently more than 51 million COVID-19 infections in the US.

The US has reported more than 800,000 COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic started, more than any other nation in the world.
A distinguished military couple who were shot dead outside their Virginia home six months ago were allegedly targeted over their son's suspected involvement in an earlier robbery, according to court records and witness testimony.

US Army Colonel Edward McDaniel Jr, 55, and his wife, 63-year-old Brenda McDaniel, a retired colonel and nurse, were found shot to death from a point-blank range in the driveway of their Springfield, Virginia, home on May 26.

A day later, police arrested two suspects, identified as Ronnie Marshall, 20, and D'Angelo Strand, 19, charging each with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

US Army Colonel Edward McDaniel Jr, 55, and his wife, 63-year-old Brenda McDaniel, a retired colonel and nurse, were shot dead in Virginia on May 26

Ronnie Marshall, 20 (left), and D'Angelo Strand, 19 (right), have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony

Police at the time did not disclose a motive, but during a preliminary hearing earlier this month, Strand, who has agreed to testify against Marshall in exchange for having his charges downgraded, told the court that the two of them had gone to the McDaniels' home to confront their son, Mike McDaniel, reported The Washington Post.

According to Strand, Marshall was looking for Mike because he had been part of a group that had robbed Marshall a few days prior. All three men knew each other from working together at a FedEx warehouse.

Mike McDaniel has denied robbing Marshall, and his lawyer stressed that his client has not been charged with any crime.

During the December 6 hearing, a Fairfax County judge found sufficient probable cause to send Marshall's case to a grand jury.

Strand testified in early December that he and Marshall had gone to the McDaniels' home in Springfield to confront their son about allegedly robbing Marshall two days earlier

Meanwhile, prosecutors have downgraded Strand's charges to a single count of accessory after a homicide, to which he is expected to plead guilty next month.

According to court filings from Marshall's former attorney, prosecutors claim that Mike McDaniel and two others attacked Marshall, stole money from him and called the police on him while he was at the McDaniel familys home on May 24.

Police had previously said they were called to the family's home on Flint Street that day for a report of a burglary.

An emergency dispatcher who answered the 911 call told police the caller and her husband  Brenda and Edward McDaniel - were upstairs with a shotgun while 'the suspect' was in the basement.

'Caller is advising the subject is after her son and that he [the son] is with them upstairs,' the dispatcher said.

The next day after the alleged robbery, co-workers at the FedEx warehouse where Mike McDaniel, Marshall and Strand worked learned about what had happened, and Marshall was said to have been angry and embarrassed.

On the morning of May 26 , Mike McDaniel was allegedly talking to someone on FaceTime when he told that person that Marshall was standing outside his familys brick house with a gun and that he needed to call the police.

Edward and Brenda McDaniel had just returned from walking their dogs when they were allegedly confronted by Marshall and Strand in their driveway.

Marshall allegedly told Strand that he shot the distinguished military couple because they recognized him and called him by his first name

Marshall was said to have asked the couple where their son was and whether he would get his stolen property back, according to Strand's court testimony.

The couple seemingly recognized their son's co-worker and called Marshall by his first name, Ronnie, at which point he allegedly pulled out a gun and shot each victim in the head.

As Marshall and Strand sped away from the scene in Strands 2018 light-colored Nissan Altima, Marshall allegedly told his accomplice that he had to shoot the McDaniels because 'they knew his name.'

Matt Leonard, an Army Spokesperson. told DailyMail.com after the arrests that Brenda McDaniel served as a Medical-Surgical Nurse in the Army from September 1983 to September 2009, when she retired - also at the rank of colonel.

He said Col. Brenda McDaniel's awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, five Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medal, and an Army Achievement Medal, among other awards.

'We've lost two brave, dedicated, life-long servants to our country,' Davis said on Thursday.

'Two full colonels were murdered in a residential neighborhood community.'
Riveting courtroom footage revealed Ghislaine Maxwells sister Christine collapsing in tears after the judge announced the alleged sex trafficker would spend her 60th birthday on Christmas Day behind bars as the jury broke from deliberations for the weekend.

Sobbing Christine can be seen being comforted by her twin sister Isabel who also appears wracked with apprehension. They were left distraught by the news Ghislaine would not discover her fate until after Christmas - with the socialite now forced to spend Christmas Day - which is also her 60th birthday - behind bars.

The sisters and their brothers, Ian and Kevin Maxwell, who can also be seen in the video anxiously awaiting a verdict Wednesday, will now have to wait at least 48 hours to learn their sister's fate for the unspeakable crimes she is accused of that see her facing up to 80 years in a cage.

Sobbing Christine, at left, can be seen being comforted by her twin sister Isabel in the backroom of a New York courthouse as they await a verdict in their sister's sex trial

Isabel, 71, also appeared wracked with apprehension as her twin sister buried her face in her hands after hearing that their younger sibling Ghislaine will spend Christmas - which happens to be the British socialite's 60th birthday as well

The siblings were accompanied by younger brothers Ian (second from left) and Kevin during the tense sit down, which was captured on video obtained by ITV's Good Morning Britain

Ian, 65, appeared to hang his head in defeat after hearing the news about his incarcerated younger sister

Kevin, 62, also appeared extremely anxious during the clip, which spanned less than a minute

The Maxwells, children of notorious former English publishing magnate Robert Maxwell who died after plunging from his yacht in 1991, have been a steady courtroom presence in support of their accused sibling who has been locked up in the notorious Brooklyn House of Detention since her July 2020 arrest.

The jury considering the charges against Jeffrey Epsteins alleged madam will resume deliberations on Monday.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to six counts of recruiting and transporting underage girls for Epstein, who allegedly hung himself while awaiting trial in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center on July 16, 2019. She is said to have joined in the abuse of Epstein's victims, who were aged as young as 14, but denies the allegations.

A bruised Ghislaine Maxwell is seen in this photo of her alleged mistreatment in prison

The jury had broke for the holidays on Wednesday after failing to reach a verdict in the highly publicized sex trafficking trial, following two full days of painstaking deliberations.

However, when offered the chance to deliberate on Thursday, jurors replied with a note to the judge saying: 'No, thank you. Jurors have made plans for tomorrow.'

And with court closed Friday for Christmas, the decision means Maxwell will spend the holiday - and her 60th birthday - behind bars, anxiously awaiting a verdict.

Maxwell, who is facing 80 years in prison if convicted, has been in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which she's described as a 'hell hole', since her arrest in July 2020.

She appeared relaxed and was laughing with her lawyers and gave each a hug before being taken away Wednesday.

The court will break for the rest of the week and will come back on Monday.

Maxwell has maintained her innocence and her lawyers have bashed her accusers as having false memory and being motivated by money.

In legal filings earlier this year, Maxwell claimed her treatment in prison is so bad it would be 'fit for Hannibal Lecter'.

But they are not appropriate for a '59-year old woman who poses no threat to anyone', Maxwell's lawyers claimed.

At one point, Maxwell 'barricade' herself in the video conference room in prison with a cart of legal documents, prosecutors claimed and was deemed a 'security threat' by blocking the door and preventing guards from accessing the room.

The jury of six men and six women has gone home for the holidays after the third day of deliberation. The main jury is seen in a court sketch Tuesday

Empty seats are depicted by the court artist as the jury continued deliberations beofre deciding to quit for the Christmas break

Ghislaine Maxwell will spend Christmas Day in a 10x12ft prison cell in New York as she awaits a verdict in her high-profile sex trafficking case

Pictured: The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) where Ghislaine Maxwell is being held

Judge Alison Nathan told the jury to be 'safe' over the Christmas break due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

She said she wanted them back 'healthy' on Monday when everyone attending the court in New York will have to wear N95 or KN95 masks to enter the building.

Near the end of the day the jury asked for another copy of the transcript of the accuser Jane's testimony.

They also asked for the testimony of Kate, another accuser, and Epstein's former Palm Beach House manager Juan Alessi.

Maxwell, 59, denies six counts of recruiting and transporting underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein.

On Tuesday - the second day of deliberation - the jurors appeared to be zeroing on two accusers.

They deliberated for the whole day Tuesday and sent four notes to the judge including one which related to Annie Farmer.

They wanted to know if they could use her testimony for two counts of conspiracy to entice and transport an underage girl to engage in sex acts.

Isabel Maxwell leaves the federal courthouse where her sister, Ghislaine Maxwell, is on trial for sex trafficking

Laura Menninger and Jeffrey Pagliuca, attorneys for Ghislaine Maxwell, leave Thurgood Marshall Federal Court on Wednesday

Judge Nathan said she would tell them that they could.

Earlier the jury asked to see notes of an FBI interview that Carolyn gave in 2007, the first time she spoke to law enforcement about being abused by Epstein.

Judge Nathan said that it had not been entered into evidence so they could not see it.

However the jury could refer to its mention in Carolyn's cross examination by the defense.

At 10.10am after just over an hour of deliberating on Tuesday the jury sent their first note.

Judge Alison Nathan said the jury were asking for the transcripts of testimony from Jane, Annie and Carolyn - but did not mention Kate.

Kate is the only accuser whose claims should not be considered crimes as charged in the indictment.

Prosecutor Maurene Comey said that both sides needed to agree to some redactions before giving the transcripts over.

Defense lawyer Bobbi Sternheim agreed.

The jury were not brought out and Judge Nathan said she would give them the transcripts in the deliberation room.

The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell Count One: Conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts Maximum sentence: Five years Accusers: Jane, Carolyn and Annie Count Two: Enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts Maximum sentence: Five years Accuser: Jane Count Three: Conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Maximum sentence: Five years in prison Accusers: Jane, Carolyn and Annie Farmer Count Four: transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Maximum sentence: 10 years in prison Accuser: Jane Count Five: Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Maximum: Five years in prison Accusers: Carolyn and Virginia Count Six: Sex trafficking of minors. Maximum sentence: 40 years in prison Accuser: Carolyn Advertisement

Maxwell walked into court wearing a black turtleneck sweat and black pants while holding a green folder.

She hugged her lawyers and waved at a young woman in the public gallery.

Maxwell's defense delivered closing arguments Monday afternoon, telling the jury that she is 'an innocent woman wrongfully accused of crimes she did not commit.'

In her closing remarks, Maxwell's lawyer Laura Menninger said: 'The government has failed to prove any charge beyond a reasonable doubt and the only correct verdict in this case is not guilty on each count.'

The defense again attempted to discredit the accounts of the four accusers, as Menninger stated, 'The evidence has established what we told you it would, that the stories relied on by the government are erroneous memories, manipulation and money. But in this case the order is reversed. The money brought the accusers to the FBI where their personal injury lawyers sat right there.'

As for how Maxwell was portrayed, Menninger said that she had been made to look like 'Cruella de Vil and the Devil Wears Prada all wrapped up into one'.

Such a portrait was 'as old as Hollywood', Menninger said.

Menninger said, 'The lawyers manipulated their stories and the government accepted their stories without ever corroborating them.'

Menninger said that 'suddenly' the accusers 'recovered memories years later.'

Isabel Maxwell stands in front of the press after leaving the Manhattan Federal Court on Tuesday night

Members of the prosecution team at the Ghislaine Maxwell trial walk out of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse with boxes of papers as the jury deliberates

She said: 'The recovered memories that Ghislaine was involved, that Ghislaine was there, that Ghislaine was the culprit.'

The jury of six men and six women deliberated for the whole day and sent four notes to the judge including one which related to Annie Farmer (pictured in a school photo)

Menninger said that the prosecution spent a lot of time talking about Epstein's lifestyle, about his wealth and his property and his private planes 'just like a sensationalist tabloid would'.

Menninger said that Epstein was a 'master manipulator' who 'abused his money and his power'.

She said: 'We are not here to defend Jeffrey Epstein, he is not my client', but she added: 'Ghislaine Maxwell is not Jeffrey Epstein'.

Menninger claimed that when Epstein died the prosecution 'pivoted' to going after Maxwell.

The idea was that 'Ghislaine was there, she must have known.'

Menninger criticized prosecutors for showing the jury dozens of photos out of 38,000 seized from Epstein's New York home in 2019.

She said: Where are the other 31,960 photos? Who was in those photos? Was it other girlfriends? Other women?

Nor should the jury draw any inference from Epstein keeping photos of Maxwell. Menninger asked the jury that if an ex boyfriend or girlfriend had photos of them, would that make them a 'sex offender'?

Menninger condemned the use of such images as 'straight up sensationalism.'

The couple appear in one photo in what appears to be a European city. Ghislaine is seen kissing Jeffrey Epstein on the cheek

Turning to the accusers' memories, Menninger said that they 'inserted Ghislaine Maxwell into their narrative' after they 'lawyered up'.

Menninger said: 'You don't need a lawyer to talk to the FBI'.

Menninger said that it fell to the defense to ask the 'tough questions' of the accusers and cross examination had shown that the 'truth was manipulated and changed over time' for the purpose of the victims getting a payday.

Menninger went through inconsistencies in the statements by Jane and Carolyn and said that they had suffered from 'post event suggestion', as their 'false memory' expert Elizabeth Loftus had described it - adding new and false information after the event.

According to Menninger, the prosecution had 'broken promises' to produce numerous house staff, family members and other witnesses to back up the claims.

The idea put forward by prosecutors Maxwell became a 'facilitator of sexual abuse' for Epstein to maintain her wealthy 'lifestyle' was wrong.

Menninger said that Maxwell at the time was a 'beautiful woman in her 30s' who was just starting out on her career.

Epstein was 'manipulating everyone around him' and 'dating women behind her (Maxwell's) back'.

Menninger said that 'maybe it was Jeffrey who needed Ghislaine and her connections', rather than her needing him for his money.

Turning to each accuser, Menninger said that Jane was like an 'actress who forgot her lines' - Jane is an actress on a soap opera.
NSW has reported a pandemic record 6,288 new Covid-19 cases while Victoria has seen 2,108 and six deaths and Queensland 765 new infections on Christmas Day.

Hospitalisation rates in NSW have increased to 388 - up from 382 reported on Friday. The number of ICU patients has dropped to 52 - down from 53.

In Victoria, hospitalisations have dipped to 361 - down from 397 - while ICU rates have followed the same trend with 71 patients being treated - a dip from 75.

The cases recorded in Queensland mark a sharp uptick on the 589 reported on Friday. Some 151 of the new cases have been linked to the Omicron variant.

The new cases announced on Saturday comes as Australians gather for another Covid-19 Christmas with restrictions reintroduced and flights cancelled at the last minute for travellers.

NSW has reported a pandemic record 6,288 new Covid-19 cases while Victoria has recorded 2,108 and six deaths on Christmas Day (pictured, Sydneysiders on Christmas Eve)

Hospitalisation rates in NSW have increased to 388 - up from 382 reported on Friday. The number of ICU patients has dropped to 52 - down from 53 (pictured, testing queue at drive-thru clinic at Beecroft, Sydney's upper north shore)

Australians are gathering for another COVID-19 Christmas as cases continue to soar around the country (pictured, shoppers at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne on Friday)

Compulsory mask-wearing is now in place across almost every state and territory as leaders try to limit the spread of the highly-infectious Omicron variant over Christmas.

Dozens of Jetstar and Qantas domestic flights out of Sydney were cancelled on Christmas Eve as frontline staff deemed close contacts are having to test and isolate as the virus spreads through the city.

Almost 30,000 people have been diagnosed with the virus in NSW in the past nine days.

There were 5,612 infections and one death reported in NSW on Friday. Meanwhile, Victoria recorded 2095 cases and eight deaths.

High-risk, large public events in Western Australia have been scrapped and dancing banned except at weddings after a backpacker tested positive on Thursday.

Five additional cases were recorded in WA on Friday, one close contact to the original case and four casual contacts who were exposed.

A hostel in Perth's south has been locked down to stop the spread.

Queensland reported 589 new daily infections, while South Australia had 688, Tasmania 27, the ACT 102 and the Northern Territory 10.

As infections continue to rise the federal government announced the wait for booster shots will be reduced twice in January.

Health Minister Greg Hunt on Friday said from January 4, boosters will be brought forward to four months after the second dose, down from five months currently, to help combat Omicron.

Compulsory mask-wearing is now in place across almost every state and territory as leaders try to limit the spread of the highly-infectious Omicron variant over Christmas (pictured, Queen Victoria Market on Christmas Eve)

Then from January 31, people can get boosters after three months.

About 7.5 million Australians will be eligible for their booster shot come January 4. This will jump to 16 million at the end of the month once the time frame is dropped to three months.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese used their Christmas messages to thank Australians for standing together and supporting each other during the pandemic.

'This pandemic continues to buffet us ... (but) Christmas is a time of hope and we are an optimistic people,' Mr Morrison said.

Mr Albanese said Australians deserved to have a happy Christmas after a challenging two years.

'With our borders opening up again, we're getting back together. Off the Zoom and actually back in the room with family, friends and loved ones,' he said.
Australian Christmas revellers hit the beach early across the nation to celebrate, undeterred by a few sore heads after staying up into the early hours.

From Queensland to New South Wales holidaymakers took advantage of fine weather and hit the sand on Christmas Eve, with some of them staying there all night and watching the sunrise over the ocean on Saturday.

The celebrations kicked off again on Christmas morning at beaches up and down the east coast, from Broadbeach to Nobbys in Newcastle, to Bondi - with the day starting out fine in most places.

The Christmas spirit was well and truly on show at Sydney's famous Bondi beach on Christmas morning

Australian Christmas revellers hit the beach early across the nation to celebrate, undeterred by a few sore heads after staying up into the early hours

Christmas at Bondi always means a swim and the Christmas spirit was obvious even in the water in 2022

Sydney's sea temperature was an unusually warm 25 degrees on Christmas morning and revellers took the chance to celebrate in water

A few revellers s were spotted still sleeping well after sunrise on Broadbeach on the Gold Coast

The celebrations kicked off again on Christmas morning at beaches up and down the east coast, from Broadbeach to Nobbys in Newcastle, to Bondi - with the day starting out fine in most places

Christmas at Bondi is all about sun, surf, sand and Santa and 2022 was no exception

The warmest sea temperatures in many months saw hundreds shaking off the cobwebs by heading into the ocean.

People hit the beach early up and down the east coast to hit the surf, to exercise, walk their dogs and for a few it was a chance to catch up on sleep lost the night before.

A few revellers s were spotted still sleeping well after sunrise on Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.

Everyone was getting into the festive spirit on the Gold Coast on Saturday

Swimmers and surfers mix it up on the Gold Coast on Christmas Day, where the water temperature reached a warm 25 degrees

Families and friends pose for a Christmas Day photo in a park at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast on Saturday

On Christmas morning groups were already staking out the best beach spots.

In Sydney and Newcastle, temperatures are forecast to hit 30 degrees while on the Gold Coast was predicted to reach 27.

Afternoon storms including rain were forecast for the Gold Coast.

At the Gold Coast's famous beaches, people lugged eskies down the sand early and setting up deck chairs as they enjoyed the sunshine and company.

In Sydney and at Newcastle, Santa hats were popular at Bondi, with a few surfers even wearing them into the water.

Santa hats were favoured by beachgoers on Christmas morning despite the already warm temperatures

The warmest sea temperatures in many months saw hundreds shaking off the cobwebs by heading into the ocean

Plenty of surfers took their Christmas cheer into the surf as they caught some waves

Revellers watched the sunrise at Bondi, some exercising, and few still up from the night before

Holidaymakers decided the best place to spend Christmas was on Bondi's famous beach

The water temperature at Bondi was an unusually warm 25 degrees by 9am, but swimmers and people still awake from the night before went in before the sun was even up.

Clubs at Surfer's Paradise were busy on Christmas Eve as partygoers were determined to make the most of their festive Friday night.

The clubs had long queues as revellers hit the dancefloors until the early hours, with not much obvious adherence to the state's Covid-19 recommendations.

Locals were making the most of the warm water at Bondi on Christmas morning

The deckchairs were out early on Bondi Beach as revellers were keen to stake out a good spot early on Christmas day

On the Gold Coast the party migrated from the tourist mecca's clubs to the sand

Gold Coast's famous beaches were popular early on Christmas Day

Santa hats are common even on a hot day at the beach in Australia as people look to spread Christmas cheer

Worryingly not many revellers appeared to be wearing facemasks in the club queues.

Queensland still has a mask mandate and local police are issuing fines for non-compliance.

Masks are not required to be worn in hospitality venues or outdoors.

Clubbers were keen to hit the dancefloors on the Gold Coast on Christmas Eve

Revellers on the Gold Coast were not obviously ready to don their facemasks and didn't appear to be social distancing on Christmas Eve

Gold Coast's clubs did busy trade on Christmas Eve

But 'it is strongly recommended that you wear a mask when entering, exiting or moving around these venues', according to Queensland Health.

Health officials in the state also strongly encourage social distancing, but that wasn't in evidence in club queues either - with revellers bunched together as they snaked into clubs at Surfers.
A primary school teacher and church leader has been banned from the classroom after she did not disclose her positive cocaine test.

Barbara Twumasi, 35, admitted to the Met Police that she 'tasted' the cocaine.

Officers found the London teacher sitting in her car outside her home in the early hours of the morning.

She had a small plastic bag of white powder in a metal container inside her jacket pocket.

The teacher at Jessop Primary School teacher was taken to the police station after being arrested at 4.11am on 9 February 2019 for possessing a Class A drug.

The 35-year-old tested positive for cocaine.

When Barbara Twumasi returned to the classroom, she told Jessop Primary School's headteacher in Lambeth, South London, that she had been arrested but not that she had tested positive for cocaine

She accepted a police caution for drug possession in the early hours of Saturday morning.

When she returned to the classroom on Monday, she told the head at Jessop Primary School that she had been arrested but not that she had tested positive.

The Outstanding Ofsted school asked police for more information about her arrest on 29 March 2019.

Met Police revealed the positive drug test on 2 April 2019.

Ms Twumasi was suspended on April 8 for a disciplinary investigation which led to her being fired on July 18.

A Teaching Regulation Agency virtual hearing on December 10 told the 35-year-old that her suspension might have happened much sooner if she had been honest with her employers.

Banning her from the profession, Alan Meyrick, for the education secretary, said the teacher 'acted without integrity in the information she had provided to the school'.

'Ms Twumasi had committed a serious criminal offence which had resulted in a police caution,' Mr Meyrick added.

Dr Zubair Hanslot, who chaired the virtual hearing, said Ms Twumasi acknowledged she did not tell the school the 'full extent' of her caution for drug possession.

Dr Hanslot said: 'She thought the police would send a report to the school, containing all the details of the incident including the positive drug test, and that it would come to light in due course.'

The panel also heard glowing references from the teacher's church that 'Barbara took her responsibilities very seriously.

'With a humble heart she supported the church during Sunday services by reading sermons to our congregation and assisted in community events.'

'Over the years, I have seen Barbara grow into a responsible, respected and a trustworthy member of our community.

'Barbara is also a committed member of our Young Adult Fellowship group and currently, volunteers as the group's treasurer.

'Furthermore, during the pandemic, Barbara helped deliver food parcels and often would ring members of the congregation to check on their wellbeing.'

'Barbara has supported youth events, church events and community events. She is helpful to the community such helping with food parcels and supporting young people in the youth cafe and helping young people with their homework.'

She may apply to be reinstated after two years.

A panel could meet to consider whether the prohibition order should be set aside but if Ms Twumasi is not successful she is banned indefinitely.
Only a few hundred monk seals are left in the world, but this is not stopping criminals from murdering the endangered animals.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sadly announced that the young female seal found dead on the island of Molokai in September was executed by a gunshot to the head.

This makes the third confirmed intentional killing of a monk seal on Molokai in 2021, with several other seal deaths investigated on the island this year, and the seventh seal found murdered in the past 10 years.

The examination of the carcass revealed a bullet fragment in its head, which NOAA says is 'in association with evidence of severe, lethal trauma.'

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sadly announced that the young female seal found dead on the island of Molokai in September was executed by a gunshot to the head

'These intentional killings of this endangered species are devastating to the recovery of this population,' the NOAA statement said.

Boki Chung, who reported the dead seal to federal authorities, said she was taking a walk down along the south shore near Kawela Stream  just as she had the previous day, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.

And when Chung spotted a figure in the sand, she took a closer look and was surprised to see the lifeless seal lying in the sand.

Todd Yamashita, operations manager for the Hawaii Marine Animal Response on Molokai, had been monitoring the one-year-old female, also known as L11, since she was born.

The examination of the carcass revealed a bullet fragment in its head, which NOAA says is 'in association with evidence of severe, lethal trauma'

Pictured is the location of Molokai island in the Hawaii island chain

When Yamashita learned of the seal's death, he 'cried on and off for a day.'

Unfortunately, two other monk seals were found murdered by 'blunt force trauma' on Molokai in April.

Both of the seals  a four-year-old male, RJ08, and three-year-old female, RK92  were found dead on April 27 on the west side of Molokai, according to officials.

Post-mortem exam results indicate that both seals died as a result of human-inflicted trauma.

'There is a strong, deep-rooted tradition of natural resources stewardship on Molokai, and we know that news of these deaths will be keenly felt by many on the island,' said NOAA Fisheries in a statement posted online.

'We are grateful to the community and our response network partners for assisting with recovery and transportation of the seals. We continue to be committed to supporting community-based conservation efforts on the island for these native monk seals

Unfortunately, two other monk seals were found murdered by 'blunt force trauma' on Molokai in April. Wildlife officials found RJ08, a four-year-old male, dead on the west side of Molokai on April 27

Both of the seals  a four-year-old male, RJ08, and three-year-old female, RK92 (pictured)  were found dead on April 27 on the west side of Molokai, according to officials. Post-mortem exam results indicate that both seals died as a result of human-inflicted trauma

There are only a few hundred monk seals left in the main Hawaiian Islands, and about 1,100 more live in the remote, uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The endangered seals are found nowhere else.

Under the Endangered Species Act, it is illegal to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct with any species listed, including Hawaiian monk seals.

At a news conference on Tuesday, state officials said they have no indication of who might be responsible for the 'egregious' killings.

'Make no mistake folks, these intentional killings are evil, despicable acts perpetrated against an endangered animal in its own natural habitat,' said Hawaii's Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement Chief Jason Redulla. 'Those responsible must be held accountable.'

The killings are felonies that carry a penalty of up to five years in prison, Redulla said.

Suzanne Case, the chair of Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources, noted local outrage at visitors who harassed monk seals earlier this year and called for a similar response to the killing of the seal that was shot in the head.

'It is past time for anyone who has information on the killing of this seal and the others to step forward,' Case said.

'Earlier this year many people were outraged when a visitor slapped a seal on the back, and we trust the level of indignation we saw associated with that incident will be exceeded by the despicable shooting of (this seal) and the others taken by human hands.'
In a search for lost heroes, a team of US military veterans and archaeologists have uncovered traces of a lost World War II US heavy bomber in Sicily that has been missing since 1943.

The North American B-25 Mitchell heavy bomber was manned by six airmen when it was shot down on July 10, 1943 as it targeted a camouflaged German airstrip amid olive groves and pastureland.

Possible human remains have also been found at the site that could lead to identification of airmen whose bodies were never recovered.

However, the Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which was involved in the dig, told DailyMail.com 'Many said we found remains of 5 pilots, but that's not true.

'We did find possible human remains as well as other material evidence, but we won't know for sure until our forensic scientists have the chance to thoroughly examine what was found.

The dig is near Sciacca on the southwestern coast of Sicily and was first identified in 2017 as a potentially crash site of the bomber.

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A team of US military veterans and archaeologists have uncovered traces of a lost World War II US heavy bomber in Sicily that has been missing since 1943. Members of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) conduct an honorable carry ceremony for remains recovered at the site

On the evening of July 9, 1943, the US and Great Britain, which were leading the Allied powers, launched the Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky.

Operation Husky, was a massive assault on the southern shores of Sicily that lasted for a total of 38 days until August 17, but July 10 was when the battle officially begun.

It was the second largest attack of Allied forces, the first being D-Day, against German and Italian troops.

The attacked involved more than 3,000 ships landing over 150,000 ground troops, covered by more than 4,000 aircraft.

In a search for lost heroes, a team of US military veterans and archaeologists have uncovered traces of a lost World War II US heavy bomber in Sicily that has been missing since 1943 (stock photo)

The dig was led by a team from the Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which locates and identifies missing US military personnel around the world

The team spent November and December at the site, clearing away clay and mud in near freezing temperatures with the hopes of finding the plane and its fallen airmen

They were opposed on the island by only two German divisions, as Nazi leadership continued to believe the main assault would come at Sardinia and Corsica.

On the night of August 11, the Germans began a well-executed withdrawal that saw 40,000 German and 60,000 Italian troops cross over to the mainland with minimal hindrance from the Allies.

However, the North American B-25 Mitchell heavy bomber was lost in the fight.

The dig was led by a team from the Pentagon's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which locates and identifies missing US military personnel around the world.

Pictured is the excavation site in Sciacca, Sicily, where US military veterans and archeologists are working to find lost American heroes

On the evening of July 9, 1943, Allied powers launched the Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky. Pictured is a view of Agrigento, near the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, July 10, 1943

This group is also made up of veterans who volunteer their time to not only find lost vessels and remains of those who died in battle with the hopes of giving their family peace once and for all.

The team spent November and December at the site, clearing away clay and mud in near freezing temperatures with the hopes of finding the plane and its fallen airmen.

Archaeologist Clive Vella, the scientific director of the expedition, told AP: 'We owe (their) families accurate answers.'

The North American B-25 Mitchell heavy bomber with a crew of six was one of 52 air losses with missing personnel in the area during WWII, mostly during 1943 as the Allies pushed into southeastern Sicily.

The remains were recently recovered from a site in Italy and will be transported and examined by forensic anthropologists and odontologists at DPAA's laboratory. Pictured is a member the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) conducting an honorable carry ceremony

One crew member was located immediately and buried in the town's cemetery.

The body was claimed in 1944 by US military officials, but the other five airmen remained missing.

In the intervening decades, the crash site 'like most others in the Mediterranean region, was scavenged for metal, the land restored to its original use,' Vella said. '

The scars of a crash were mostly gone.'

The evidence, which includes possible human bones as well as potential remnants of the aircraft, has been transported to a laboratory in the U.S. for examination.

Worldwide, there are more than 81,600 missing US military personnel, including 72,350 from World War II, 7,550 from the Korean War and 1,584 from the Vietnam War.

And over 41,000 of the total are presumed lost at sea.

The North American B-25 Mitchell is a twin-engine bomber that became standard equipment for the Allied air forces in World War II.

Operation Husky, was a massive assault on the southern shores of Sicily that lasted for a total of 38 days until August 17, but July 10 was when the battle officially begun. Pictured is a US reconnaissance unit searches for enemy snipers in Messina, Sicily in August 1943.

The North American B-25 Mitchell is a twin-engine bomber that became standard equipment for the Allied air forces in World War II

It became the most heavily armed airplane in the world, was used for high- and low-level bombing, strafing, photoreconnaissance, submarine patrol, and even as a fighter and was distinguished as the aircraft that completed the historic raid over Tokyo in 1942.

It required 8,500 original drawings and 195,000 engineering man-hours to produce the first one, but nearly 10,000 were produced from late 1939, when the contract was awarded to North American Aviation, through 1945.

Named for famed airpower pioneer Brigadier General William 'Billy' Mitchell, it was a twin-tail, mid-wing land monoplane powered by two 1,700-horsepower Wright Cyclone engines.
Dubbed a 'Christmas miracle' by anxious astronomers, the massive, next generation Jame Webb Space Telescope is finally on the launch pad, ready to go to space.

The telescope has been hit by months of launch delays, which followed years of delays to its construction, with its first launch date supposed to be in 2007.

The observatory is now set to take off on December 25, with a launch window between 07:20 ET (12:20 GMT) and 07:52 ET (12:52 GMT).

Ahead of launch, it was loaded into the fairing of an Ariane 5 rocket, and moved on to the launch pad at the Europeans Space Agency facility in French Guiana.

Live coverage of the launch will be shown on NASA's TV channel and website on Saturday, starting at 06:00 ET (11:00 GMT).

Officials confirmed that the Ariane 5 was in good shape, and the only problem facing the launch was the start of the rainy season in French Guiana.

Dubbed a 'Christmas miracle' by anxious astronomers, the massive, next generation Jame Webb Space Telescope is finally on the launch pad, ready to go to space

The telescope has been hit by months of launch delays, which followed years of delays to its construction, with its first launch date supposed to be in 2007

Instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam (Near InfraRed Camera) an infrared imager from the edge of the visible through the near infrared NIRSpec (Near InfraRed Spectrograph) will also perform spectroscopy over the same wavelength range. MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument) will measure the mid-to-long-infrared wavelength range from 5 to 27 micrometers. FGS/NIRISS (Fine Guidance Sensor and Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph), is used to stabilize the line-of-sight of the observatory during science observations. Advertisement

Work on the James Web Telescope, also known as JWST or Webb, first began in 1996 and at the time NASA had just a $500 million budget to complete it.

The agency was set to launch it in 2007, but cost overruns and technical issues forced a major redesign in 2005 that led to its first delay.

Construction of the telescope was completed in 2016, allowing testing to begin, but two years later the massive sunshield ripped during a practice run that led to another postponement.

And then the coronavirus pandemic that hit in 2020 caused even more delays.

In October 2021, James Webb finally arrived in French Guiana following a 16-day sea voyage onboard the MN Colibri, and was removed from the transport container prior to launch preparations.

Fuelling operations began on November 25, according to NASA, and took about 10 days.

The space telescope was then secured on top of the Ariane 5 rocket on Saturday, December 11, at the Guiana Space Center, as it geared up to launch on December 24.

But Mother Nature seems to have other plans and the mission is now a day later.

About 28 minutes after its eventual blast-off, the James Webb will detach from its launch vehicle and begin 'the most complex sequence of deployments ever attempted in a single space mission,' NASA said.

The observatory is now set to take off on December 25, with a launch window between 07:20 ET (12:20 GMT) and 07:52 ET (12:52 GMT)

Ahead of launch, it was loaded into the fairing of an Ariane 5 rocket, and moved on to the launch pad at the Europeans Space Agency facility in French Guiana

It is so large it was folded, origami-style, to fit in the rocket, according to NASA, and unfurl 'like a Transformer' in space, spreading its mirrors out to collect light from deep in the history of the universe.

Mark McCaughrean, ESA Webb Interdisciplinary Scientist, has been waiting more than 20 years for the chance to gather data using Webb.

He told MailOnline he wasn't really nervous about it launching, as it had been tested, simulated and prepared to within an inch of its life, and he had faith in the engineers.

'Launch is always a worry, you've sat an expensive piece of kit on a barely guided explosion, but it is what we do, and the Ariane 5 is a workhorse,' he said.

Officials confirmed that the Ariane 5 was in good shape, and the only problem facing the launch was the start of the rainy season in French Guiana

It is so large it was folded, origami-style, to fit in the rocket, according to NASA, and unfurl 'like a Transformer' in space, spreading its mirrors out to collect light from deep in the history of the universe

Already years late in leaving the Earth for space, Webb will look back to almost the beginning of time, to when the first stars and galaxies were forming

Primarily an infrared telescope, Webb will have a wider spectrum view than Hubble and operate further out from the Earth, in a solar orbit. It will launch on a European Space Agency Ariane 5 rocket from near Kourou in French Guiana

NASA BRUSHES OFF PETITION TO RENAME JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE In October, NASA announced that it will not rename the James Webb Telescope ahead of its launch in December, despite a petition against honoring a space pioneer who some have now claimed was homophobic. Webb, who died in 1992 aged 85, was the second administrator in NASA's history, taking over at the request of John F. Kennedy in 1961. He ran the agency until 1968 and was instrumental in the Apollo programs that would see, the year after his departure, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon. In 2002 the agency announced that its $10billion new telescope - due for launch in December 2021 - would be named after him. Yet in recent years the decision has stirred criticism, and a petition this year to rename it has received 1,200 signatures. Organizers accuse Webb of being homophobic, due to his role in the 1963 firing of a gay NASA employee. Questions were also asked about his participation in a 1950-52 'Lavender Scare', when he was at the State Department, and 91 gay people were 'purged'. But on September 30 Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, said they had decided against renaming the telescope. 'We have found no evidence at this time that warrants changing the name of the James Webb Space Telescope,' he told NPR. Advertisement

Even if the launch goes to plan, the 'scary part' for many astronomers will come weeks later, when the observatory reaches its solar orbit.

Webb will travel to an orbit about one million miles away from Earth and undergo six months of commissioning in space  including unfolding its mirrors and sunshield, cooling down, aligning and calibrating.

'Astronomers worldwide will then be able to conduct scientific observations to broaden our understanding of the universe,' NASA says.

The telescope is named after the late James E. Webb, an American government official who was the administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968 and played an integral role in the Apollo program.

NASA's decision to name the device after him was a controversial one  he has been accused of homophobia since his passing in 1992 due to his role in the 1963 firing of a gay NASA employee.

In October, NASA announced that it will not rename the James Webb Telescope ahead of its launch in December, despite a petition against honouring a space pioneer who some have now claimed was homophobic.

Webb, who died in 1992 aged 85, was the second administrator in NASA's history, taking over at the request of John F. Kennedy in 1961.

He ran the agency until 1968 and was instrumental in the Apollo programs that would see, the year after his departure, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon.

Primarily an infrared telescope, Webb will have a wider spectrum view than Hubble and operate further out from the Earth, in a solar orbit.

McCaughrean said JWST lowers the floor for the type of objects we can see, mainly because the telescope itself is cold - down to -230 Celsius - meaning it doesn't emit much light in infrared, so astronomers don't have to 'fight' against infrared given off on Earth.

Webb will take pictures ten times sharper than Hubble, but hundreds of times deeper.

Hubble is about 340 miles above the Earth surface, whereas Webb will be over a million miles away.

Work on the James Web Telescope, also known as JWST or Webb, first began in 1996 and at the time NASA had just a $500 million budget to complete it

The telescope will observe the Universe in the near-infrared and mid-infrared  at wavelengths longer than visible light. To do so, it carries a suite of state-of-the-art cameras, spectrographs and coronagraphs

Research by Ohio State University claims that within five years of it coming online, James Webb will have found signs of alien life on a distant world.

Graduate student Caprice Phillips calculated that it could detect ammonia created by living creatures around gas dwarf planets after just a few orbits.

The James Webb Space Telescope has been described as a 'time machine' that could help unravel the secrets of our universe, with distant objects emitting light from further back in time.

The telescope will be used to look back to the first galaxies born in the early universe more than 13.5 billion years ago.

Research by Ohio State University claims that within five years of it coming online, James Webb will have found signs of alien life on a distant world

About 28 minutes after its eventual blast-off, the James Webb will detach from its launch vehicle and begin 'the most complex sequence of deployments ever attempted in a single space mission'

It will also observe the sources of stars, exoplanets, and even the moons and planets of our solar system.

Thousands of astronomers around the world have built future careers based on the potential of the Webb telescope.

One group of researchers hope to use Webb to witness 'cosmic dawn' - the moment of first light for the first stars in the universe billions of years ago.

James Webb is designed to last for five years but NASA hopes it will operate for a decade or more - similar to the fact Hubble has outlasted its lifespan by decades - although unlike Hubble it cannot be easily repaired.

The telescope will observe the Universe in the near-infrared and mid-infrared  at wavelengths longer than visible light. To do so, it carries a suite of state-of-the-art cameras, spectrographs and coronagraphs.

Aside from procuring the Ariane 5 launcher and launch services, ESA is contributing the NIRSpec instrument and a share of the MIRI instrument.

The first images will be test shots, rather than of anything specific - it could copy Hubble and take an image of Jupiter as its first observation.

Up to 30 percent of the first year of observations will be aimed at exoplanets, to study their orbit, size and atmosphere, in search of alien life.
Keeping the magic of Santa alive is something parents around the world do for their children every Christmas, and NASA suggests looking up tonight to 'see him fly'.

It won't actually be the man in red, rather the International Space Station as it speeds around the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour, orbiting 250 miles above the surface.

The ISS is visible to the naked eye, so no need for binoculars or a telescope to witness it flying overhead, and to someone who believes, it could be Santa travelling the globe, delivering presents to all the good little girls and boys.

For those on the ISS, they create their own 'space family traditions' and could do so 16 times on December 25, as the station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes.

For most of the UK it should be visible at about 05:15 GMT on Christmas morning for about 2 minutes, travelling east to south east just above the horizon, or high in the sky an hour and a half later at 06:48 GMT, travelling west south west.

Keeping the magic of Santa alive is something parents around the world do for their children every Christmas, and NASA suggests looking up tonight to 'see him fly'

It won't actually be the man in red, rather the International Space Station as it speeds around the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour, orbiting 250 miles above the surface

For the best view of the ISS you'll need to find a dark sky area, with minimal to no light pollution, according to NASA, who said it is the 'third brightest object.'

'Visible to the naked eye, it looks like a fast-moving plane only much higher and travelling thousands of miles an hour faster!,' NASA said.

You'll also be able to distinguish the ISS from a plane by the fact it doesn't have blinking lights.

Astronauts on the station will be making video calls to their families living across the Earth, and celebrate with colleague on the station.

'Being in space, being with friends, doing a special job. It is a special Christmas,' the astronauts said in a NASA video.

The crew on the ISS also celebrate with a turkey dinner and presents, which were delivered by a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship on Wednesday.

The holiday haul also included science gear, such as a British experiment to see how muscles respond to stimulation while in low gravity conditions.

In total the ship contained 6,500lb of research experiments and supplies for the seven astronauts on the station. This will have included presents, as well as a full Christmas dinner, according to NASA.

WHEN TO SEE THE ISS IN THE COMING DAYS Date Visible Max Height* Appears Disappears Sat Dec 25, 5:15 AM 2 min 30 30 above ESE 10 above E Sat Dec 25, 6:48 AM 6 min 87 14 above W 10 above E Sun Dec 26, 4:29 AM < 1 min 10 10 above E 10 above E Sun Dec 26, 6:02 AM 4 min 75 55 above SW 10 above E Mon Dec 27, 5:16 AM 2 min 33 33 above E 10 above E Mon Dec 27, 6:49 AM 6 min 85 16 above W 10 above E Tue Dec 28, 4:30 AM < 1 min 10 10 above E 10 above E Tue Dec 28, 6:03 AM 4 min 87 56 above W 10 above E Wed Dec 29, 5:17 AM 2 min 31 31 above E 10 above E Wed Dec 29, 6:50 AM 6 min 83 18 above W 10 above ESE Thu Dec 30, 4:30 AM < 1 min 11 11 above E 10 above E Thu Dec 30, 6:04 AM 4 min 88 68 above W 10 above E Fri Dec 31, 5:17 AM 2 min 31 31 above E 10 above E Fri Dec 31, 6:50 AM 6 min 57 18 above W 10 above ESE Sat Jan 1, 4:31 AM < 1 min 11 11 above E 10 above E Sat Jan 1, 6:04 AM 4 min 72 54 above WSW 10 above ESE Sun Jan 2, 5:17 AM 2 min 31 31 above ESE 10 above ESE Sun Jan 2, 6:50 AM 5 min 32 15 above W 10 above SE Mon Jan 3, 4:31 AM < 1 min 9A 9 above E 10 above E Mon Jan 3, 6:04 AM 3 min 44 43 above SW 10 above SE Tue Jan 4, 5:18 AM 2 min 28 28 above SE 10 above ESE Tue Jan 4, 6:51 AM 4 min 17 12 above WSW 10 above S Wed Jan 5, 6:04 AM 3 min 24 24 above SW 10 above SSE Thu Jan 6, 5:18 AM 1 min 18 18 above SSE 10 above SE These are times and direction based on a viewer in London, but can vary by location. Full details of observation times and availability are on the NASA website.

For those on the ISS, they create their own 'space family traditions' and could do so 16 times on December 25, as the station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes

WHEN TO SEE THE ISS AROUND CHRISTMAS New York, US: 06:27 ET for 4 min travelling north to west. Sydney, Australia: 11:25 AEDT for 1 minute travelling south to south west. Toronto, Canada: 06:27 ET for 4 mins travelling from north to west. Lisbon, Portugal: 06:48 WEST for 2 min travelling north, north west. Madrid, Spain: 07:48 CET for 4 minutes travelling north to west. Reykjavik, Iceland: 06:15 CET for 4 min travelling south to south west. Moscow, Russia: 06:43 MST for 5 min travelling south to south west. Advertisement

'I won't get in front of Santa Claus and tell you what's going to be sent up, but we are going to have some gifts for the crew,' said NASA's space station program manager, Joel Montalbano.

'We're also going to fly some special foods for Christmas dinner.

'So you can imagine turkey, green beans, we have some fish and some seafood that's smoked.

'We also have everybody's favourite, fruitcake.'

NASA isn't the only government agency getting in on the Santa tracking task.

NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a bi-national agency run by Canada and the US, is also monitoring the path of the jolly gift giver.

For over 60 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa's flight on Christmas Eve.

They begin the tracking at midnight on December 23, and keep users up to date with where he would be expected to be at any given moment in time, during his mission to bring toys to the children of the world.

It is a public outreach programme that operates throughout December, with data available through apps, Google, the NORAD website and over the telephone.
When Busted sang about having been to the year 3000  where 'not much has changed, but they lived underwater'  who'd have suspected it might be prophetic?

In fact, sea levels may rise by as much as a whopping 17 feet by the millennium's end if the Antarctic ice sheet continues to melt under current global warming trends.

This is the warning of a team of researchers led from Hokkaido University, who modelled the fate of the Antarctic ice sheet beyond the 21st century.

While the 'business as usual' forecast is bad, this fate may be averted if greenhouse emissions are curbed, the team said, keeping sea level rise to under one foot.

Substantial sea level rise could render large areas of densely populated coastal land uninhabitable without extensive and expensive coastal modification to protect it.

Sea levels may rise by as much as a whopping 17 feet by the millennium's end if the Antarctic ice sheet continues to melt under current global warming trends. Pictured: Antarctica

ABOUT THE IPCC In their study, Dr Chambers and his colleagues built on models previously consulted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in their recent Sixth Assessment Report. This United Nations body exists to advance our understanding of human-driven climate change and provide objective and comprehensive scientific information on the subject. However, it does not conduct original research or monitor the progress of climate change  but rather conducts a periodic, systematic and thorough review of existing scientific literature in relevant fields. Advertisement

'This study demonstrates clearly that the impact of 21st-century climate change on the Antarctic ice sheet extends well beyond the 21st century itself,' said paper author and meteorologist Christopher Chambers of Japan's Hokkaido University.

'The most severe consequences  multi-meter contribution to sea-level rise  will likely only be seen later,' he added.

'Future work will include basing simulations on more realistic future climate scenarios, as well as using other ice-sheet models to model the outcomes.'

In their study, Dr Chambers and colleagues build upon existing research  the so-called 'Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6', or 'ISMIP6' for short.

This verbosely titled international project employed the latest generation of climate models to estimate the impact of global warming on both Antarctica and Greenland's ice sheets come the end of the current century.

The results  which informed the recent Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  found that, under unabated warming, the Antarctic will contribute some 312 inches (830 cm) to sea level rise.

This figure, however, could be curbed to just 01 inches (03 cm) in scenario where greenhouse gas emissions were significantly reduced.

The researchers extended ISMIP6's projections further into the future  considering both unabated warming and reduced emissions trajectories  using an ice sheet model known as 'Simulation Code for Polythermal Ice Sheets (SICOPOLIS).

Up until the year 2100, the simulation ran exactly the same as in the original ISMIP6 experiments  beyond which, the team assumed that the late 21st-century climatic conditions remained constant, so no further climate trend was applied.

From the models' outputs, the team focussed on the total mass change of the southern continent's ice sheets and regional changes in East and West Antarctica and on the Antarctic Peninsula  as well as the contributors to such.

The researchers extended ISMIP6's projections further into the future  considering both unabated warming and reduced emissions trajectories  using an ice sheet model known as 'Simulation Code for Polythermal Ice Sheets (SICOPOLIS). Pictured: simulated mass loss of the Antarctic ice sheet from 1990 until 3000 expressed as sea-level contribution

By the year 3000, sea levels could rise by as much as 4.917.7 feet (1.55.4 metres) under current warming trends  resulting in the largest part from the collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet.

Could emissions be curbed, however, the researchers' models suggest that sea level rise could be constrained to just 0.41 feet (0.130.32 metres).

The potential collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet would be made possible, the team noted, by the fact that it is grounded on a bed that is mostly below sea level.

The full findings of the study were published in the Journal of Glaciology.
The human body still ceases to amaze scientists who recently discovered an overlooked layer of muscle in the lower jaw.

Researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland found an additional muscle layer in the masseter muscle, which sits on the back of your cheeks and plays a major role in helping us chew.

The masseter muscle was previously described as having one superficial and one deep part, but an additional, even deeper layer was found after scientists dissected human heads donated to the lab.

The new layer, which scientists have named M. masseter pars coronoidea (coronoid part of the masseter), can be felt by pressing your hand against the back of your jaw while you chew.

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Researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland found an additional muscle layer (c) in the masseter muscle, which sits on the back of your cheeks and plays a major role in helping us chew

Dr Szilvia Mezey from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel, said in a statement: This deep section of the masseter muscle is clearly distinguishable from the two other layers in terms of its course and function.

The arrangement of the muscle fibers, she says, suggests that this layer is involved in the stabilization of the lower jaw.

It also appears to be the only part of the masseter that can pull the lower jaw backwards  that is, toward the ear.

Mezey and her team began this work with 12 human heads, which were preserved in formaldehyde after being donated to the lab.

The masseter muscle was previously described as having one superficial and one deep part, but an additional, even deeper layer (c) was found after scientists dissected human heads donated to the lab

Parts of the superficial masseter were cut away, exposing the deep masseter that was also removed.

At this point, the attachment of the temporal muscle onto the coronoid process also became clearly visible, marking the correct depth for locating the attachment of the third, deepest layer of the masseter, the pars coronoideus, reads the study published in the journal Annals of Anatomy.

The coronoid part of the masseter was identified by its diagonally-running fibers, which lie underneath the deep masseter, originate posteriorly from the temporal side of the zygomatic arch, and run diagonally-anteriorly towards the coronoid process of the mandible.

This deep section of the masseter muscle (c) is clearly distinguishable from the two other layers in terms of its course and function

Earlier studies have discussed the possibility of a third muscle later in the masseter, but scientists instead, divided the region into two layers because they could not agree on a standard.

Although studies have suggested a third layer, many of the works placed it in different regions of the jaw - deeming it 'extremely inconsistent.'

Professor Jens Christoph Turp from the University Center for Dental Medicine Basel, said in a statement: In view of these contradictory descriptions, we wanted to examine the structure of the masseter muscle again comprehensively.

Although its generally assumed that anatomical research in the last 100 years has left no stone unturned, our finding is a bit like zoologists discovering a new species of vertebrate.
NASA is looking to the heavens for help with assessing how humans will react if alien life is found on other planets and how the discovery could impact our ideas of gods and creation.

The agency hired 24 theologians to take part in its program at the Center for Theological Inquiry (CTI) at Princeton University in New Jersey, which NASA gave a $1.1 million grant to in 2014.

CTI is described as building 'bridges of under understanding by convening theologians, scientists, scholars, and policymakers to think together - and inform public thinking - on global concerns.'

The program, which started in 2016, aimed to answer questions that have baffled us since the begging of time such as what is life? What does it mean to be alive? Where do we draw the line between the human and the alien? What are the possibilities for sentient life in other places?

Now that NASA has two rovers on Mars, several probes orbiting Jupiter and Saturn and is set to launch the James Web Telescope tomorrow that study galaxy, star and planet formation in the universe, it seems that the agency is hopeful it is on the right path to discovering life outside of Earth.

And it needs a little help from above to help those of us living below to understand if that happens.

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The Rev Dr Andrew Davison, a priest and theologian at the University of Cambridge with a doctorate in biochemistry from Oxford, is among 24 theologians enlisted by NASA to assess how humans will react if alien life is found on other planets and how the discovery will impact our ideas of gods and creation

NASA held the program, titled Societal Implications of Astrobiology, which started in 2015 and ran to 2018.

The Rev Dr Andrew Davison, a priest and theologian at the University of Cambridge with a doctorate in biochemistry from Oxford, was among 24 theologians who participated in Societal Implications of Astrobiology from 2016 to 2017, The Times reports.

'Religious traditions would be an important feature in how humanity would work through any such confirmation of life elsewhere,' Davidson shared in a blog post on the University of Cambridge site.

'Because of that, it features as part of NASA's ongoing aim to support work on 'the societal implications of astrobiology', working with various partner organizations, including the Center of Theological Inquiry at Princeton.'

Davison is publishing a book next year, titled Astrobiology and Christian Doctrine, which notes he believes we are getting closer to finding life on other planets.

Davison wrote in his book: 'Non-religious people also seem to overestimate the challenges that religious people . . . would experience if faced with evidence of alien life'

Davison's book notes: 'The headline findings are that adherents of a range of religious traditions report that they can take the idea in their stride.

'Non-religious people also seem to overestimate the challenges that religious people . . . would experience if faced with evidence of alien life.'

Studies and surveys have shown that US Christians are less likely to believe life exists on other planets, but Davison is not the only 'believer' who does not think the idea of extraterrestrials is impossible.

Duilia de Mello, an astronomer and physics professor at Catholic University, said she has several seminarians in her classes who often bring up theoretical questions about intelligent life in the universe.

'If we are the products of creation, why couldn't we have life evolving in other planets as well? There's nothing that says otherwise,' de Mello told The Washington Post in August.

Now that NASA has two rovers on Mars (pictured is the Perseverance rover), several probes orbiting Jupiter and Saturn and is set to launch the James Web Telescope tomorrow it seems that the agency is hopeful it is on the right path to discovering life outside of Earth

Studies and surveys have shown that US Christians are less likely to believe life exists on other planets, but Davison is not the only 'believer' who does not think the idea of extraterrestrials is impossible. Pictured is an artist impression of NASA's Juno probe orbiting Jupiter

In 2008, the Vatican's chief astronomer says there is no conflict between believing in God and in the possibility of 'extraterrestrial brothers' perhaps more evolved than humans.

'In my opinion this possibility (of life on other planets) exists,' said Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, a 45-year-old Jesuit priest who is head of the Vatican Observatory and a scientific adviser to Pope Benedict.

'How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere,' he told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano in an interview in its Tuesday-Wednesday edition, explaining that the large number of galaxies with their own planets made this possible.

Asked if he was referring to beings similar to humans or even more evolved than humans, he said: 'Certainly, in a universe this big you can't exclude this hypothesis'.

The James Web Telescope (pictured), which is set to launch Christmas Day, could however change the way we look at the universe and maybe what is written in scriptures of all religions

However, not all theologians are on board with the idea of life on other planets.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said in a 2008 interview when asked if there are such thing as aliens: 'The answer is no; thats speculative.

'We have no reason to believe there is any other story out there. There is nothing in Scripture that says there cant be some form of life somewhere. But what we are told is that the cosmos was created in order that on this planet Jesus Christ, in space and time and history, would come to save sinful humanity.'

The James Web Telescope, which is set to launch Christmas Day, could however change the way we look at the universe and maybe what is written in scriptures of all religions.

It has been described as a 'time machine' that could help unravel the secrets of our universe, with distant objects emitting light from further back in time.

The telescope will be used to look back to the first galaxies born in the early universe more than 13.5 billion years ago.

The goal of this powerful device is to unravel the mysteries of supermassive black holes, distant alien worlds, stellar explosions, dark matter, and more.
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The doors of Sweden's Icehotel for 2022 are open - and these pictures show that it's as mesmerising as ever.

Each year since 1989, the Icehotel has been built and rebuilt using just snow and ice in the village of Jukkasjarvi, 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle next to the shores of the Torne River.

For this year's winter Icehotel  No.32  27 artists from all over the world spent six weeks creating 12 suites, as well as three new suites in Icehotel 365, the year-round version.

'Dickensian Street' by British father and daughter duo Jonathan and Marnie Green

The 'No Pressure' suite, pictured, depicts Earth in a press, with the bed placed in a gigantic vice. The room was created by two Swedes, sculptor Carl Wellander and neuroscience student Klara Wellander

Pictured here is the 'To Bed with the Chickens' suite, created by Edith Van de Wetering and Wilfred Stijger from the Netherlands

Ice chickens roosting in the 'To Bed with the Chickens' suite. The phrase 'go to bed with the chickens' means going to bed early

And there is a new design for the Icehotel ceremony hall for 'intimate celebrations', built by artists Marjolein Vonk and Maurizio Perron.

Helped by the hotel's construction team and Creative Director Luca Roncoroni, the artists whittled their creations using 600 tons of ice and 10 Olympic swimming pools of 'snice'  a mixture of snow and ice.

The temperature inside the building is around -5C, which keeps the sub-zero masterpieces in tip-top condition.

This suite is called 'UV' and was created by designers Nicolas Triboulot and Fernand Manzi, both from France

The 'Blue Tundra' suite, where reindeer 'gather for their migration to the coast'. This room was created by sculptor Elisabeth Kristensen from Norway

This mesmerising suite, called Ginnungagap, was created by Onomiau, a French architecture and design practice

The amazing 'Room Service' suite, created by Swedes Tjasa Gusfors and Ulrika Tallving

One highlight of the new hotel is a suite designed by British father and daughter duo Jonathan and Marnie Green called 'Dickensian Street'. Here guests are 'taken on a trip back in time to travel in a bygone era down the cobbles of a London street set in Dickensian times with shops, houses and even a pub intricately carved out of ice'.

Guests can also marvel at the hexagonal Art Deco interior of the 'Great Gatsby' suite, a band of monkeys and a prehistoric dinosaur crash the party in the 'Room Service' suite and reindeer from the frosty blue tundra gather for their migration to the coast in the 'Blue Tundra' suite.

There's also a suite filled with chickens in the 'To Bed with the Chickens' suite, created by Edith Van de Wetering and Wilfred Stijger from the Netherlands, with the phrase 'go to bed with the chickens' meaning going to bed early.

Sculptor Robert Harding and artist Timsam Harding created this room - 'Different Natures'

The other-worldly 'Ceremony Hall', created by Dutch stylist and art director Marjolein Vonk and Italian sculptor Maurizio Perron

Swedish artists and sculptors AnnaSofia Maag, Emilia Elisson, My Flink and Oscar Insulander banded together to create this room, called 'Sacred Giant'

This room is called Inom and was created by artist and sculptor 'Henkia', who's based in Stockholm and Berlin

A BLIZZARD OF FACTS ABOUT THE 2022 ICEHOTEL 27 artists created the new art suites in Icehotel 32, as well as in Icehotel 365.

600 tons of ice were used to build the Icehotel 32.

10 Olympic swimming pools (25,000 cubic metres) of snice, a mix of snow and ice, were used to create Icehotel 32.

200 handmade ice crystals were used to create the crystal chandeliers in Icehotel 32.

Icehotel 32 has a temperature of -5C inside the building.

It takes six weeks to build Icehotel 32, from start to finish.

Icehotel was named the world's leading ice hotel and winner of the World Travel Awards 2020. Advertisement

Extinct animals feature in the 'No Pressure' suite, meanwhile. This room depicts Earth in a press, with the bed placed in a gigantic vice.

Activities on offer at the hotel include snowmobiling and dogsledding under the Northern Lights, sipping cocktails out of frozen glasses and guests can challenge themselves to a spot of ice sculpting.

The winter hotel will be open until April 2022. To book a trip to the Icehotel for this year or to visit during the summer or next winter, contact Discover the World on 01737 214 291 or at www.discover-the-world.com/holidays/icehotel-break.

Each year since 1989, the Icehotel has been built and rebuilt using just snow and ice in the village of Jukkasjarvi, 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle next to the shores of the Torne River. Pictured here is a new deluxe suite located in Icehotel 365, the permanent hotel, called A Midsummer Nights Dream, from a design team that included Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte and his colleague Oscar Kylberg

The Art Deco 'Great Gatsby' suite, created by artist and designer Tomasz Czajkowski and architect Tomasz Jastrzebski, both from Poland
Last week it was reported that Kathy Hilton will be returning to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but it has not yet been confirmed.

And during an interview on Wednesday with EXTRA TV the star did not clarify or confirm her status on the Housewives.

When asked directly about her return by host Terri Seymour, the 62-year-old simply said 'stay tuned.'

The latest: Last week it was reported that Kathy Hilton will be returning to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but it has not been confirmed. And during an interview on Wednesday with EXTRA TV the star did not clarify or confirm her status on the Housewives

The star did clarify that is she did return, she wanted to return as a friend, and not as a full time housewife.

'I have a lot of things going on so as a friend but I love it. Its so much fun,' Kathy added.

When asked if daughter Paris loved her wedding to Carter Reum, Kathy recalled that after it happened, Paris said 'Mommy and Daddy, it was the most special day, it's more than I'd ever dreamed of.'

She revealed that her personal favorite moment from the three-day wedding festivities was seeing her walking down the aisle as a bride.

News: When asked directly about her return by host Terri Seymour, the 62-year-old simply said 'stay tuned'

Explaining: 'I would say the personal favorite would be Paris walking the aisle with my husband.'

'I was looking at a woman that had grown up that had some struggles and to see that she has matured and to see my husband, what he had gone through with her and how proud he was, it made me cry of joy but also thinking about where we were a long time ago - that she's a grown woman now.'

'She's powerful and empowered and that her father is is now going to hand her to her new husband,' she said.

Paris got married in November in a three day affair in LA the week before Thanksgiving.

Chat: The star did clarify that is she did return, she wanted to return as a friend, and not as a full time housewife

Interview: 'I have a lot of things going on so as a friend but I love it. Its so much fun,' Kathy added

Kathy appeared in 34 episodes of RHOBH from 2011 until 2020.

The interview comes as the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills stars Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne and Garcelle Beauvais are back to shooting scenes for the show.

The trio finished their quarantine after catching COVID-19, according to TMZ.

The women returned to filming earlier this week following a negative test result, after the show was shut down for several days.

They are set to break for holiday but production will return after.

Earlier this month, the production of season 12 of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills came to a grinding halt after Lisa, Garcelle and Erika all tested positive for COVID-19, according to multiple reports, including People.

The stars were all vaccinated and the symptoms were mild, TMZ reported at the time.
Actress Charley Webb is quitting Emmerdale following an alleged racism row involving her husband, it has been reported.

The 38-year-old, who has played Debbie Dingle for 19 years, is said to be quitting the popular ITV soap for good.

An insider claimed that husband Matthew Wolfendens involvement in an alleged racism bullying row on set fuelled her decision.

Webb's character Debbie, who is living in Scotland, has been absent from the show since the start of the year.

A spokeswoman for Emmerdale told MailOnline last night: There are no current plans for Debbie Dingle to return.

Goodbye! Charley Webb, 33, who plays Debbie Dingle on soap opera Emmerdale, is reportedly quitting the soap 'for good'

Argument: Matthew (pictured with Charley in 2017) became embroiled in a row after a complaint that an inappropriate comment was made to a mixed-race female cast member

Charley is closing the door on Emmerdale for good and wont be going back, they told The Sun.

The past few months have given her time to think about the future and it is one that doesnt involve Emmerdale. Matthew being caught up in the row on set fuelled her decision to step away.

In October, Wolfenden, 41, was accused of making an inappropriate comment to a mixed-race female cast member on set.

He and Isabel Hodgins, who plays Victoria Sugden, were also facing claims that the mixed-race actresss accent was mimicked. They have both denied the allegations.

It was later alleged that Wolfenden had also had a row with Aaron Anthony, who plays Ellis Chapman.

Anthony, 28, has reportedly told Emmerdale bosses that he will quit the show when his contract expires.

Long time: The actress, 33, has played Debbie Dingle on the soap opera for almost 20 years (pictured on the show in 2005)

Allegations: Matthew (pictured with Charley in 2014), 41, and Isabel Hodgins were faced with claims that the actress's accent had been mimicked. They denied all allegations

Some of Debbie's tense storylines included her having a fling with married man Andy Sugden and becoming a mother to Sarah when she was 15.

Debbie then falls in love with Jasmine Thomas, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman but was left heartbroken when her father Cain has an affair with her girlfriend, while she later had a relationship with killer Cameron Murray.

Cameron tried to kill Debbie in a drama-packed episode which saw them desperately trying to stay afloat after becoming trapped in the pub's flooded cellar.

A few years later, Debbie starts dating Pete Barton but she then has an affair with his brother Ross, with the pair planning to run away together just days before her wedding to Pete.

Nineteen years: Some of Debbie's tense storylines included her having a fling with married man Andy Sugden and becoming a mother to Sarah when she was 15

Their plan was discovered by Debbie's father Cain and the pair went ahead with the wedding, with Pete being unaware of the affair until it is revealed during their first dance.

Pete was furious with Debbie, but moments later a helicopter crashed into the venue and killed guests Val Pollard and Ruby Haswell. The couple later parted ways.

Meanwhile, Debbie's relationship with Ross takes a dark turn as she avoids jail for her part in organising an acid attack targeted at him.

She moves to Scotland to start a new life but later returns, as it is revealed that Al Chapman has been cheating on Priya with her.

MailOnline has contacted Webb's representatives for comment.
Former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh offered her services as a volunteer to the Covid vaccination programme on Wednesday, calling on members of the public to get jabbed in a bid to protect themselves from the virus.

The actress, 51, who played Hayley Cropper on the ITV soap from 1998 to 2014, took to Twitter to share a picture of herself at the Hattersley Gas Works in Tameside as she prepared to spend the day working as a vaccine runner.

Screen star Julie could be seen standing in front of a large white marquee as she called for people over 12 to get their first or second jab and others to get their boosters.

Helping hand: Former Corrie star Julie Hesmondhalgh, 51, has been praised by fans after she offered her services as a volunteer to the Covid vaccination programme on Wednesday

She wrote: 'Tameside residents! Last day for pre Xmas booster at Hattersley Gas Works. Im vaccine runner today.

'YOU CAN ALSO GET YOUR FIRST OR SECOND JAB! Anyone over 12 in the right time frame welcome. Loads of slots.'

Julie's followers were quick to compliment her for taking time out of her schedule to volunteer at the centre.

Screen star: The actress, who played Hayley Cropper on the ITV soap from 1998 to 2014, took to Twitter to announce she'd be at Hattersley Gas Works in Tameside

One fan wrote: 'Great opportunity to get a booster before Xmas & new year by the great team in Hyde PCN.'

Another shared: 'Awwww wish you were there when I had mine a few weeks ago would of made my day.'

While another posted: 'You are a radiant beauty and the most gorgeous human! All the love xxx.'

Praise: Julie's followers were quick to compliment her for taking time out of her schedule to volunteer at the centre

'Iconic behaviour, good on you Julie,' wrote another fan. While someone else posted: 'You're a good woman Julie Hesmondhalgh!'

Coronavirus cases hit a high for the second day running on Thursday, with 119,789 reported in 24 hours  up 35 per cent on the same day last week.

Latest hospitalisations were at 1,004, marking the first time they had reached four figures since early November.

Doing her bit: She wrote: 'Tameside residents! Last day for pre Xmas booster at Hattersley Gas Works, SK14 3QU Short walk from Tesco. Im vaccine runner today'

Another 147 Covid deaths were recorded which was barely a change from last week, but these are lagging indicators because of the time taken for someone who catches the virus to fall severely ill.

A total of 840,000 third doses of the vaccine were given yesterday, the day Julie was volunteering at the centre.

Meanwhile, fans of Julie's former soap Coronation Street can expect to see a happier Christmas in Weatherfield this year.

Residents of the fictitious Manchester neighbourhood are known to struggle through the festive period thanks to their drama-filled lives but they may get a relative rest for 2021.

Producer Iain MacLeod previously said this year's Corrie would be much lighter than years past, telling Metro: 'It's quite jolly actually,. There's a tradition of soaps going dark and gothic and we have dipped our toes in that previously, but this is a traditional Corrie Christmas.

'It's funny, silly, has a community vibe, heartwarming. It's got more of the closeness feeling  last Christmas was much stricter.'
Former Disney Channel stars Aly & AJ revealed their father Mark Michalka was hospitalized on Wednesday after coming down with COVID-19 and pneumonia.

'Reminder to check in on your loved ones this holiday season. Our dad wasn't feeling well and we became alarmed after hearing a voicemail from him,' the pop duo - which boasts 1.8M social media followers - tweeted.

'Immediately dropped everything and drove to his house. Long story short he has Covid and pneumonia. He's being treated at a hospital now.'

'Reminder to check in on your loved ones this holiday season': Former Disney Channel stars Aly & AJ revealed their father Mark Michalka was hospitalized on Wednesday after coming down with COVID-19 and pneumonia (pictured August 8)

The pop duo tweeted: 'Our dad wasn't feeling well and we became alarmed after hearing a voicemail from him. Immediately dropped everything and drove to his house. Long story short he has Covid and pneumonia. He's being treated at a hospital now'

Aly & AJ - born Amanda Joy Michalka and Alyson Michalka - admitted the contractor's sudden illness was hard to come to terms with at first.

'As we get older it's our turn to take care of our parents when they won't/can't take care of themselves,' the devout Christians tweeted.

'A lot of times they want to hide their suffering from us because they think it's a burden, when really it's our duty to step in.'

Aly & AJ - briefly renamed '78violet' - then posted a somber snap of a candle captioned: 'For Stevie, Maya & Dad.'

Happier times: Aly & AJ - born Amanda Joy Michalka (L) and Alyson Michalka (R) - admitted the contractor's (M) sudden illness was hard to come to terms with at first

The devout Christians tweeted: 'As we get older it's our turn to take care of our parents when they won't/can't take care of themselves. A lot of times they want to hide their suffering from us because they think it's a burden, when really it's our duty to step in'

Aly & AJ then posted a somber snap of a candle captioned: 'For Stevie, Maya & Dad'

The New York Times reported Thursday that the omicron variant is now dominant in the States and 'could reach 1M cases a day, even before the end of the year.'

An estimated 8.8M vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, yet there have been 5.3M deaths since 2020 - according to Johns Hopkins University.

30-year-old AJ will next portray the younger version of Abby opposite Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight in David Hollander's Ray Donovan: The Movie, which premieres January 14 on Showtime.

'I can't wait for this film to come out!' 30-year-old AJ (M, pictured October 9) will next portray the younger version of Abby opposite Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight in David Hollander's (R) Ray Donovan: The Movie, which premieres January 14 on Showtime

Hitting the road next year: Michalka (R, pictured November 30) and her 32-year-old sister Aly (L) are scheduled to kick off their 55-date A Touch of the Beat Tour on February 22 at Ireland's Academy in Dublin

Featuring four new songs! In early 2022, Aly & AJ told ELLE they'll release a deluxe edition of their first album in 14 years, A Touch of the Beat Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun

Michalka and her 32-year-old sister Aly are scheduled to kick off their 55-date A Touch of the Beat Tour on February 22 at Ireland's Academy in Dublin.

In early 2022, Aly & AJ told ELLE they'll release a deluxe edition of their first album in 14 years - A Touch of the Beat Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun - featuring four new songs.

The Torrance-born twosome first signed to Disney's Hollywood Records in 2004, releasing the 2007 hit Potential Breakup Song, and they acted in Disney Channel fare like the 2006 rom-com, Cow Belles.
Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg are a charming and funny pair as they team up for a treasure-hunting adventure in a second trailer for the upcoming film Uncharted.

The movie will be the first take on the hit Playstation video game series of the same name, originally released in 2007.

The latest trailer is packed with action, humorous one-liners, and suspense as the stars attempt to locate a fortune while narrowly escaping death.

Teaser: Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg are a charming and funny pair as they team up for a treasure-hunting adventure in a second trailer for the upcoming film Uncharted

The trailer, which was released on Thursday, opens with a bar scene as Tom's character Nathan Drake readies a drink.

In character as a tuxedo-clad Sully, Mark says to Tom, 'A little young for a bartender, aren't you?'

Nate doesn't miss a beat, replying, 'A little old for prom aren't you?'

After the two build a rapport Sully welcomes Nate into his home, where he takes interest in the older man's many maps.

Opener: The trailer, which was released on Thursday, opens with a bar scene as Tom's character Nathan Drake readies a drink

Build-up: In character as a tuxedo-clad Sully, Mark says to Tom, 'A little young for a bartender, aren't you?'

Background: After the two build a rapport Sully welcomes Nate into his home, where he takes interest in the older man's many maps

As Nate looks over the items he says, 'Biggest treasure that's never been found,' before his counterpart replies, 'Five billion easy.'

Incredulously Tom shakes his head and says, 'But it's just a story.'

And Mark then says, 'I beg to differ,' before the trailer picks up steam and flashes to an old shipwreck being pulled from the ocean.

Then the voice of Moncada, played by Antonio Banderas, is heard saying, '500 years ago my family found the world's biggest fortune. People have been searching for it all in vain.'

It turns out he has his eye on the treasure as well, believing he is the rightful heir.

Moving along: Later the trailer picks up steam and flashes to an old shipwreck being pulled from the ocean

High stakes: The scene turns to a high-brow soiree where both subjects are dressed in black tie attire as they stand in front of an encased golden cross heirloom

'The voyage wasn't just about gold,' he says to Nate. 'It was something much more valuable.'

The scene turns to a high-brow auction where both subjects are dressed in black tie attire as they stand in front of an encased golden cross heirloom.

'This cross has a very tragic history. So much blood,' Banderas explains.

Next, Holland is seen being followed by menacing security personnel before making his escape by jumping over a railing and swinging from a chandelier.

He later ends up in a car with his partner as he asks, 'You were just gonna leave me back there?'

Wahlberg then replies, 'Somebody had to get the cross,' as he pulls out the coveted gold memento.

Energetic! The trailer teases high-energy, action-packed entertainment ahead of the movie's upcoming release

Suspenseful: In the action-packed new trailer the two men try to hunt down a fortune while narrowly avoiding death

During the trailer the brief specter of Nate's brother, who is presumed dead, comes up but remains a mysterious subject.

Amid his adventures Nate is also seen boating out to a deserted ocean cave and swimming through the water to make his way inside.

As he surfaces in the cave he clambers up onto a rock, showing off his toned torso in a drenched white shirt, and stares mouth agape at an old shipwreck.

The adventurer Chloe Frazer, who is played by Sophia Taylor Ali and becomes a love interest for the leading man, makes her own memorable appearance.

Apparently Chloe's patience with either Nate or Sully runs out at some point as she is seen pointing a gun and warning: 'You have no idea who you partnered with.'

Costar: The adventurer Chloe Frazer, who is played by Sophia Taylor Ali and becomes a love interest for the leading man, makes her own memorable appearance

The official Sony Pictures description details, 'If Nate and Sully can decipher the clues and solve one of the worlds oldest mysteries, they stand to find $5 billion in treasure and perhaps even Nates long-lost brother...but only if they can learn to work together.'

The screenplay was written by Rafe Judkins, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway.

Directed by Ruben Fleischer of Zombieland fame, Uncharted is slated for a February 18, 2022 release.

Apparently Chloe's patience with either Nate or Sully runs out at some point as she is seen pointing a gun and warning: 'You have no idea who you partnered with'
Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin's widow Ellidy shared a moving post on Instagram on Thursday about her terminally ill father Pete, who has stage-four brain cancer.

The model, 28, posted images of her dad spending quality time with his baby granddaughter Minnie Alex Pullin, whose father is Ellidy's late partner.

Ellidy said it was incredibly difficult to watch her father 'deteriorate like this'.

'Can't stand to watch dad deteriorate like this': Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin's widow Ellidy shared a moving post on Instagram on Thursday about her terminally ill father Pete, who has stage-four brain cancer. Pete is pictured here with his baby granddaughter, Minnie Alex Pullin

'Opa... so thankful for these moments,' she began.

'Can't stand to watch dad deteriorate like this. He's our Tarzan. So strong and capable. The life of the party!'

Ellidy explained her father was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer 'just after Chump passed last year'.

Precious moments: 'Opa... so thankful for these moments,' she said

Family: Ellidy spent quality time with her father Pete, brother Dave Vlug, and stepmother Sue

Terminally ill: 'Can't stand to watch dad deteriorate like this. He's our Tarzan. So strong and capable. The life of the party!' she added

'We were told he'd be lucky to make it to last Christmas,' she said.

'Well, here's another one Dad! You're our hero, still cracking jokes and leaving us in stitches. Minnie is so lucky to spend these precious days with you!

'My heart goes out to all the families with loved ones suffering #f**kcancer.'

In the gallery of images, Ellidy spent quality time with her father Pete, brother Dave Vlug, and stepmother Sue.

Time frame: 'We were told he'd be lucky to make it to last Christmas,' she said

Ellidy announced Minnie's birth on Instagram in October, sharing a series of photos from the hospital shortly after her arrival.

'Our girl, born 25th October 2021 - Minnie Alex Pullin,' she simply captioned the post.

Ellidy announced she was pregnant with Chumpy's baby in June, almost a year after he drowned while spearfishing at a reef off Queensland's Palm Beach aged 32.

Speaking on her podcast Darling, Shine! in June, Ellidy spoke about her desperate rush to collect his sperm after his death.

Ellidy revealed they had to 'hustle' to retrieve Chumpy's sperm in the days after his death on July 8 last year.

Baby joy: Ellidy announced Minnie's birth on Instagram in October, sharing a series of photos from the hospital shortly after her arrival

Under Queensland legislation, sperm can be removed posthumously when a designated officer declares their belief the deceased wouldn't object.

The consent of the immediate family - including Chumpy's parents - is also required before any sperm can be retrieved.

An IVF specialist assists with the retrieval, with a recommended removal timeframe of between 24 and 36 hours after death.

Her man: Ellidy announced she was pregnant with Chumpy's baby in June, almost a year after he drowned while spearfishing at a reef off Queensland's Palm Beach aged 32

Ellidy admitted it was quite an undertaking, with everyone having to sign off on legal documents, while also dealing with coroners, lawyers and doctors.

She said her pregnancy was 'the most bittersweet thing in the world', but added that she was determined to have a child with Chumpy.

'I'm not saying it's going to be easy or a walk in the park. I have a lot ahead of me, I've got big shoes to fill,' she continued.

'I've got to be a dad and a mum in one, and not just any dad, I've got to be a Chumpy dad.

'I go through a lot every day and I will forever grieve, that never leaves you, but I was always so sure of one thing - that I was always going to have this bub.'
Daniel Craig has argued that the James Bond franchise should not be moved to streaming services, saying the franchise should remain in cinemas.

The 007 star, 53, hinted that Amazon's reported proposal to make spin-off Bond films could spell disaster for cinemas, saying franchises should remain on the big screen.

Daniel, who played Bond for the last time in No Time To Die, argued that as long as there are 'event' movies that get the whole family out, cinemas have a chance of surviving.

Big screen: Daniel Craig hinted that Amazon's proposal to make spin-off Bond films could spell disaster for cinemas, saying franchises should remain on the big screen

He told The Sun: 'One of the greatest things that's happened is we got this movie into the cinema, that's where Bond movies should be.

'They don't look so good on a phone. They look great on an Imax screen.'

Offering some words of wisdom to his Bond successor, who is yet to be cast, he urged them to make it their own and told them 'don't be s***'.

It is not the first time that Daniel has spoken about the importance of cinema, saying he hoped that the release of No Time To Die, which is the 25th film in the franchise, would boost the industry.

In September, he said: 'Cinema is here to stay as far as I'm concerned and if we can help in some way, I'll be very happy.'

Cinema: Daniel, who played Bond for the last time in No Time To Die, argued that as long as there are 'event' movies that get the whole family out, cinemas have a chance of surviving

His comments came after it was reported that studio MGM had held discussions with Netflix and Apple about releasing No Time To Die directly on to a streaming platform when its release was postponed.

At the time, MGM quashed rumours that it was thinking of offering the film to streaming services for a $600million one-year licensing deal.

When asked if it came close to the film bypassing a theatrical release, producer Barbara Broccoli told PA: 'Not for us. Fortunately, we have great partners with MGM and they stuck with us, and the pressure was tremendous on them, obviously.

'But I think we've learned many things during this 18-month period and certainly one of them is the sense of community, that we need people, we're social creatures, and we need each other.

'I think there's no better place to come together than the cinema. And we are hoping this is going to be a joyful return for people to come back with their friends and their families to see the film and to again celebrate, after a very long and difficult period.'

'Cinema is here to stay': It is not the first time that Daniel has spoken about the importance of cinema, saying he hoped that No Time To Die would boost the industry

Meanwhile, it was reported earlier this month that Bond bosses are reportedly clashing with Amazon bigwigs over plans for the action franchise.

The streaming giant, which announced its plans to acquire MGM Studios in May, is said to be hoping to make several spin-offs from the film franchise.

However Eon Productions, the British company that owns the rights to the James Bond films, is against the idea, according to The Sun.

The publication reported that Amazon hopes to turn James Bond into a media franchise similar to the Marvel films.

A source said: 'It's very early days but there are ideas being considered including looking at prequels based on Charlie Higson's book series Young Bond.

Spin-offs: His comments came after it was reported that studio MGM held discussions with Netflix and Apple about releasing No Time To Die directly on to a streaming platform

'These are set when the character is at Eton. There are even thoughts about whether other characters could appear elsewhere, but Eon are dead against it.

'They want to keep it purely as blockbuster cinema, which already makes huge amounts of money. Yet spin-offs could make it even more lucrative.'

The insider added that talks will pick up pace once Amazon's deal goes through but Eon bosses are not interested in the changes.

According to an Amazon spokesperson, the deal isn't closed and the two companies continue to operate separately.

MailOnline contacted Eon Productions for comment.
Just days after the final 2021 episode of Saturday Night Live, the show's head writer, Anna Drezen, has revealed she's leaving the show.

Her announcement comes just over a year after she was named one of the show's head writers in September 2020, after four years on the sketch comedy show.

The writer also revealed she's leaving to focus fully on her new Freeform animated series Praise Petey, which was given a series order in early December.

Leaving: Just days after the final 2021 episode of Saturday Night Live, the show's head writer, Anna Drezen, has revealed she's leaving the show

Drezen took to Instagram on Thursday to share several behind-the-scenes snaps from SNL and announce her departure.

'Bye SNL! I am leaving the show to focus on my show at Freeform. Was going to post a joke but I don't do those anymore,' Drezen began.

'I learned a lot. Got to meet a lot of animals and people. There is nowhere like it,' she continued.

Departure: Drezen took to Instagram on Thursday to share several behind-the-scenes snaps from SNL and announce her departure

She added there was a, 'Lotta pressure to pick the right pictures to represent 5.5 years and this is what I came up with, how'd I do?'

She shared a number of photos from her time at Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, including snaps from the main stage with fellow writer Alison Gates.

The writer also shared a number of snaps and videos from various sets on the show during her time there, which began in 2016 in the show's 42nd season.

Pressure: She added there was a, 'Lotta pressure to pick the right pictures to represent 5.5 years and this is what I came up with, how'd I do?'

She was promoted to supervising writer in Season 44 and 45 before being added as a head writer with Michael Che and Kent Sublette last year.

Freeform issued a series order for Praise Petey in early December, with Drezen executive producing with Mike Judge and Greg Daniels.

The show follows Petey (voiced by Annie Murphy), a New York City 'it' girl, 'who has it all until her life comes crashing down around her.'

Head writer: She was promoted to supervising writer in Season 44 and 45 before being added as a head writer with Michael Che and Kent Sublette last year

She catches a lucky break with a mysterious gift from her father, as she decides to 'lean into' making his small-town cult more modern.

The voice cast also includes John Cho, Christine Baranski, Kiersey Clemons, Amy Hill and Stephen Root.

SNL is coming off a bizarre mid-season finale where there was hardly any in-studio cast or audience, with host Paul Rudd and many others appearing virtually.

Bizarre: SNL is coming off a bizarre mid-season finale where there was hardly any in-studio cast or audience, with host Paul Rudd and many others appearing virtually

Despite a vastly different show than has been put on all year, the show performed almost identically to recent offerings with a traditional host and cast.

The show drew in 3.7 million viewers for the December 18 episode, the last of 2021, which was roughly the same as the Billie Eilish and Simu Liu episodes.

SNL has yet to announce who will be the first host and musical guest of 2022, and when the premiere date may be, after the holiday break.

Ratings: Despite a vastly different show than has been put on all year, the show performed almost identically to recent offerings with a traditional host and cast
They famously endured a bitter divorce in 1996 after nearly 10 years of marriage and three children together.

And Kelly LeBrock did not hold back as she spoke about her ex-husband Steven Seagal in a recent interview with Page Six.

'I feel sorry for the man,' said the 61-year-old Weird Science actress of the 69-year-old action star, whose sexual misconduct allegations and vocal support of Russian President Vladimir Putin have made him a controversial figure.

Kelly continued: 'I think that he's just a very sad person and he is what I would call a tragedy of Hollywood.'

True feelings: Kelly LeBrock did not hold back as she spoke about her ex-husband Steven Seagal in a recent interview with Page Six; Kelly pictured in June

She believes that alleged mistreatment from others during Seagal's childhood may have influenced his behaviors and actions as an adult.

'I believe he was very bullied as a child, very sickly, very weak and I guess people who are treated that way as children end up becoming lost as they age.

'I wish him all the best,' concluded LeBrock.

Back in 2013, the supermodel spoke candidly about her 'very ugly' split from Steven in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com.

Kelly and Steven married in 1987 and share daughters Annaliza, 34, Arissa, 28, and son Dominic, 31.

Bitter end: They famously endured a bitter divorce in 1996 after nearly 10 years of marriage; Steven and Kelly pictured in 1991

The former couple originally met during a 1987 trip to Japan, where she was introduced to Steven by her publicist Dick Gutman.

Seagal was there to visit his ex-wife Miyako Fujitani and their two children at the same time as Kelly was shooting a 24-page feature for American Vogue.

'I had spoken to Steven a number of times on the phone but I was going to blow him off,' explained Kelly, who would later agree to a date with Steven.

'I finally said I would have a drink with him and when he came to my room I opened the door he was just standing there, six feet four inches tall, nice looking, slim, he spoke fluent Japanese and he could do acupuncture, chiropractics, sang, played guitar and drums, and could draw.

Controversial: 'I feel sorry for the man,' said the 61-year-old Weird Science actress of the 69-year-old action star, whose sexual misconduct allegations and vocal support of Russian President Vladimir Putin have made him a controversial figure; Steven pictured in 2019

'There seemed to be nothing he couldn't do. He was an all-round Renaissance man and I was instantly attracted to him.

Despite their fairytale beginnings, Kelly's marriage to Steven would, eventually, take a dark, unexpected turn.

Kelly claimed to DailyMail.com that she suffered a relationship-altering incident at the hands of Seagal in 1988.

She detailed the alleged incident in a memoir she was working on at the time, which she admitted was both 'incredibly painful' and a relief because 'the truth will finally come out.'

Kelly and Steven divorced in 1996 and LeBrock said that the highly-publicized, tumultuous nature of their divorce made her want to hide from the world.

Family: Kelly and Steven married in 1987 and would go on to welcome daughters Annaliza, 34, Arissa, 28, and son Dominic, 31; Steven and Kelly pictured with their then baby daughter Annaliza in 1989

Haunted by the past: 'I believe he was very bullied as a child, very sickly, very weak and I guess people who are treated that way as children end up becoming lost as they age,' she told Page Six of Steven; Kelly and Steven pictured in 1991

'I admit, I became a hermit. When I split with Steven, the divorce was very ugly, and details of the case were on the evening news,' she recalled.

'I didn't want my kids seeing it, so I simply got rid of the TV. I moved my kids out of LA so they could grow up with real peoplethe kids of gas pump attendants, plumbers, and real family people.

'I had absolutely no self-esteem. I hated myself. I decided to swap my old life in Beverly Hills for a new one in the country, in Santa Barbara.'

She reiterated that the entire ordeal made her '[fear] everything' and she 'didnt want to leave the house.'
She recently urged Aussies to look at the Omicron outbreak in 'perspective' and said it could be the Covid-19 variant 'we're able to live with'.

And Rebecca Judd did just that on Thursday night as cases continued to surge in Victoria.

The mother-of-four and fellow WAG bestie Kylie Brown didn't appear to have a care in the world as they enjoyed an evening out at Melbourne's new hottest bar and restaurant, Bar Bambi.

WAGs gone wild! Rebecca Judd, best friend Kylie Brown and fellow pal Jessie Roberts (left to right) enjoyed a raucous pre-Christmas celebration at Melbourne's newest hottest bar on Thursday evening

The influencer, who is married to AFL star Chris Judd, showed off her incredible abs in a white one shoulder crop top while Kylie, who is married to Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown, wore a pale yellow suit.

The pair were joined by blonde bombshell model and influencer Jessie Roberts, who modelled an outfit from Nadia Bartel's clothing label Henne.

The group enjoyed dinner and drinks at a VIP table and as the night progressed they became more and more raucous.

Raucous! The group enjoyed dinner and drinks at a VIP table and as the night progressed they became more and more raucous

Having a ball: Jessie, who is one of Melbourne's most influential mums, was dancing at the table as the group enjoyed their cocktails

Jessie, who is one of Melbourne's most influential mums, was dancing at the table as the group enjoyed their cocktails.

On Friday, NSW recorded 5,612 new Covid-19 cases while Victoria reported 2,095.

Earlier this week, Rebecca once again spoken out about the growing Omicron fears in Australia.

She shared a screenshot on Instagram Stories from an article in The Australian by columnist Nick Cater, who is the executive director of the Menzies Research Centre.

Bec urged her followers to put the Omicron case numbers in 'perspective' - and seemed to agree that the new Covid-19 variant is one 'we may be able to live with'.

Having her say: Earlier this week, Rebecca urged Aussies to look at the Omicron outbreak in 'perspective', saying it could be the Covid-19 variant 'we're able to live with'

The article said those who are infected with the Omicron variant and fully vaccinated are less likely to be hospitalised.

'The arrival of Omicron will be a blessing, not a curse, if data from South Africa holds good,' the column stated.

'Many of those it has infected so far have not developed symptoms, and the evidence so far is that a far smaller proportion of them will need hospital treatment.

'Oh that our public health officials had the character to tell us that and calm our fears, rather than exacerbating them. We should not have to delve into the data on the internet to reassure ourselves that Omicron is the variant we may be able to live with.'

Doing some research: Bec shared a screenshot on Instagram from an article in The Australian by columnist Nick Cater, who is the executive director of the Menzies Research Centre

The article went on to discuss the findings in the Doherty Institute modelling, which said vaccinations can help prevent people from going into intensive care with Covid, which the government has used to enable a road out of lockdown and restrictions.

Bec last month said all signs point to the mutation being a blessing in disguise after almost two years of gruelling lockdowns.

She reposted an article by Sky News commentator Rita Panahi that contrasted the hysteria of 'Covid catastrophists' with the more measured views of scientists who believe Omicron will not spell disaster for Australia.

The article quoted experts as saying Omicron symptoms so far appear to be mild - certainly less severe than the Delta strain - with many patients being asymptomatic.

'Brilliant article, Rita Panahi,' the mother of four, 38, wrote on Instagram Stories.

'For anyone triggered by the arrival of Omicron (myself included) and the associated "fearmongering for clicks" media articles, please read this.

'The expert opinions offered from many professionals are pointing in the right direction.'

Ms Panahi's column for the Herald Sun quoted former deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth as saying Omicron could be the magic bullet that saves Australia from a more serious variant of Covid.

'If this is milder than Delta you actually want it to spread within your community,' Dr Coatsworth, the face of Australia's vaccine rollout, recently said on the Today show.

Findings: The article stated those who are infected with the Omicron variant and fully vaccinated are less likely to be hospitalised. It comes after Bec last month said all signs point to the mutation being a blessing in disguise after almost two years of gruelling lockdowns

'You want it to outcompete Delta and become the predominant circulating virus. So that shows you how much more we have learn about this

'It could be that we want Omicron to spread around the world as quickly as possible.'

The article also cited leading epidemiologist Professor Greg Dore, who said the best 'response to uncertainty is to accelerate evidence gathering' rather than 'pulling the panic levers'.

Ms Panahi went on to quote Dr Angelique Coetzee, the Chair of the South African Medical Association, as saying: 'For patients with mild disease we have easily treated them at home with no complications up until now; they're all healthy.

'It might be the same The same type of infectiousness as the Delta variant but the severity [of symptoms] that we are currently seeing is not so severe.'
Lord Alan Sugar has slammed youngsters for 'sitting around on bean bags all day' instead of working hard five days a week.

The Apprentice boss, 74, said young people no longer have a 'hunger' for hard work and said they spent their time 'flicking elastic bands' at each other.

He also hit out at IT companies, who he claimed have a 'come and go as you fancy' idea, rather than having a full five-day working week.

Criticism: The Apprentice boss, 74, said young people no longer have a 'hunger' for hard work and said they spent their time 'flicking elastic bands' at each other

Lord Sugar, who famously started his career by selling car aerials out of the back of a van, told The Sun: 'Young people these days tend to be IT literate and become programmers.

'And companies like Google, Facebook or Twitter have this "come and go as you fancy" idea and they let them sit on bean bags and flick elastic bands at each other, and this "turn up when you want to" idea.'

He insisted that, in comparison, he always worked five days and then enjoyed the weekend off, saying work-life balance is a 'touchy subject' for him.

The businessman added: 'The world has changed and everyone has got their iPhones now and Nike trainers, there is no hunger any more.'

Lazy: Lord Sugar, who famously started his career by selling car aerials out of the back of a van, hit out at IT companies, who he claimed have a 'come and go as you fancy' idea

Lord Sugar grew up on a housing estate in Hackney and is now worth more than 1.2billion, but said today's youth don't have the same drive and instead want a 'cushy job'.

He said he wants to keep away from 'cheeky' young people who he claimed come to work at his company and complain about having to do 'a day's work'.

The business magnate also argued that degrees don't show what people can do, saying it only becomes clear when they begin a profession they are 'passionate' about.

His comments come after it was announced that The Apprentice will return for its stellar 16th series in January.

The BBC's award-winning business show will kick off in its new Thursday night slot from January 6, promising plenty of fireworks in the highly anticipated comeback.

The mogul is joined by longtime ally and advisor Baroness Karren Brady and series one winner Tim Campbell, who is replacing an injured Claude Littner for the series.

Claude is recovering from multiple surgeries after a serious accident.

You're fired! Lord Sugar said he wants to keep away from 'cheeky' young people who he claimed come to work at his company and complain about having to do 'a day's work'

Filming for this series was planned to begin in Spring 2020 but the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic forced the BBC to postpone production to a later date.

In May, it was announced that filming would finally take place later in the year.

With 16 new candidates competing to win a life-changing 250,000 investment in their business, the series launches with a challenge that is anything but plain sailing.

Aboard a brand-new cruise ship laid on by Lord Sugar, the candidates are split into teams as they're tasked with designing an advertising campaign for a destination cruise.

It's back! It comes after it was announced that The Apprentice will return for its stellar 16th series in January (from L-R: Baroness Karren Brady, Lord Alan Sugar and Tim Campbell)

After being thrown in the deep end during the first task, those who do survive will face a host of equally daunting challenges ahead as relationships are tested and competitive drive is flared.

The tasks include being launched into the world of children's oral care, an adventurous brief to boost Welsh tourism with zip lines and steam trains - and the development of an original video game concept will also take things up another level.

The budding entrepreneurs will also find themselves in the spotlight as they sell live on TV, negotiate fishy waters in Cornwall and navigate a racing inspired corporate away day at Silverstone.

There will be no easing gently back into boardroom life this series as Lord Sugar makes no secret that the stakes are higher than ever.

Anticipated return: The BBC's award-winning business show will kick off in its new Thursday night slot, promising plenty of fireworks in the highly anticipated comeback

Each task will end with the candidates being summoned in to fight their corner in the boardroom, with one final opportunity to escape the firing line.

Speaking from the boardroom in the first episode, Lord Sugar said: 'I must say, we are glad to be back in the boardroom again. But don't for one minute think I've gone soft.

'Due to the pandemic, the world of business is tougher than ever before and the same goes for this process. In this boardroom you don't get furloughed, you get fired.'

Over the years, Lord Sugar has invested close to a staggering 3million into winning pitches and this year's ambitious entrepreneurs will be doing their utmost to prove they mean business as they fight it out for the life-changing investment opportunity.

Resting up: While Lord Alan Sugar, 74 will have trusted advisor Baroness Karren Brady back by his side, Claude Littner (pictured) will be taking a series break as he recovers from multiple surgeries after a serious accident

Comedian, writer and actor Tom Allen returns as host of The Apprentice: You're Fired, which will air each week on BBC Two straight after the main show.

Casting a wry eye over each week's events, Tom will be joined by a host of celebrity fans and business professionals to dissect and debate the candidates progress through each task.

Two special episodes, The Final Five and Why I Fired Them, will also return to reveal the stories behind the series before the finale.

The Final Five reflects on the journey of the candidates who make it through to the interviews, before they battle it out to secure their place in the final. Before the series finale, Lord Sugar will also reveal a further insight into his boardroom decisions in Why I Fired Them.

The Apprentice will air weekly on Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One from 6th January 2022, followed by Youre Fired on BBC Two.
Strictly's new professional Jowita Przystal has joked that she achieved a Christmas miracle by teaching her celebrity partner Adrian Chiles to dance.

The Polish ballroom dancer, 27, said she got the former One Host, 54, to lighten up and managed to convince him that he could perform, after he insisted he was 'terrible'.

Jowita, who makes her debut in the show's Christmas special, said it was a 'big challenge' to get the TV presenter to smile and added that even stern judge Craig Revel Horwood felt it was a Christmas miracle.

An achievement: Strictly's new professional Jowita Przystal has joked that she achieved a Christmas miracle by teaching her celebrity partner Adrian Chiles to dance

She told The Sun: 'I mean, to make him smile, that was a very big challenge.

'The first day I met him he was so stressed, he told me that he can't dance and he's terrible.

'But hour by hour, I found out that actually he can dance.'

She insisted that it was Adrian's confidence that was lacking, gushing that he did himself proud on the night and even managed to impress Craig, 56.

Jowita and Adrian will perform the American smooth on the festive show, and the dancer said they had rehearsed for eight hours a day without any break.

Festive: The Polish ballroom dancer, 27, said she got the former One Host, 54, to lighten up and managed to convince him that he could dance, after he insisted he was 'terrible'

Although he shone during the Christmas performance, Adrian struggled during rehearsals as he was forced to rush out on occasion due to feeling unwell.

Meanwhile, Adrian announced that he will not be watching himself dancing on Strictly, saying he will opt to go for a walk instead.

The radio presenter said he cannot stand watching himself on television and admitted he was terrified when he started rehearsals.

He said his friends and family were completely horrified after he told them he would be appearing on the Christmas special, but said they were won over after seeing him train with Jowita.

He told the Mirror: 'I'm 54, it might be too late to alter my mental state but this has been a wake-up call to actually just do that.'

Cheer up! Jowita, who makes her debut in the show's Christmas special, said it was a 'big challenge' to get the TV presenter to smile

Adrian previously joked: 'Discouragingly, every one of my family and friends with whom I've shared this news, has reacted with horror.

'They can't believe it I'm doing it, and neither can I. Thoughts and prayers with whichever poor dancer is lumbered with me.'

Elsewhere, Adrian admitted to accidentally breaking wind, while practising a lift with Jowita.

Writing in The Sun, Adrian described his dancing skills, claiming: 'Ive got nothing against dancing, I just cant do it. If I attempt to dance, at a party or something, I quickly become overwhelmed with shame. I find it nothing less than traumatic.'

Dance: Jowita and Adrian will perform the American smooth on the festive show, and the dancer said they had rehearsed for eight hours a day without any break

Speaking about the embarrassing moment, he explained that he had eaten his breakfast rather too fast, but that Jowita kindly pretended not to notice.

He confessed: 'Given my significant weight advantage, this was the one bit I was confident about. Such was my enthusiasm, the first time I executed the lift Im afraid I inadvertently broke wind very loudly.'

The star also discussed the famous 'Strictly curse' confessing that he felt it was 'overstated'.

He said: 'I for one was too terrified to feel any emotion other than, well, sheer terror. Intimacy? I gripped my partner Jowita Przystal like a drowning man might cling to driftwood. The poor woman may be marked for life, with my fingerprints.'

Contest: Adrian and Jowita will compete against the likes of Anne Marie (pictured with professional partner Graziano Di Prima, Moira Stuart and First Dates' Fred Sirieix

Adrian and Jowita will compete against the likes of Anne Marie, Moira Stuart, former Bake Off presenter Mel Giedroyc, First Dates' Fred Sirieix and The Repair Shop's Jay Blades.

Jowita has joined the popular BBC contest this year after impressing judges with her winning performance on The Greatest Dancer with Michael Danilczuk, her partner both on and off the stage.

They were gifted a performance on Strictly as part of the prize and although she missed out on this year's series, she was picked for the festive special.

The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special airs on Christmas Day at 5.10pm on BBC One.
Mickey Sumner, actress and the daughter of music legend Sting, has filed for divorce from her husband of four years, Chris Kantrowitz.

The 37-year-old actress tied the knot with gaming entrepreneur Kantrowitz in Tuscany in July 2017.

They also share one child together, Akira Rogue Kantrowitz, who was born on New Year's Eve in 2016.

Divorce: Mickey Sumner, actress and the daughter of music legend Sting, has filed for divorce from her husband of four years, Chris Kantrowitz

Once-couple: The 37-year-old actress tied the knot with gaming entrepreneur Kantrowitz in Tuscany in July 2017

Sumner filed for a dissolution of the marriage in Los Angeles County Court on Tuesday, according to legal documents obtained by The Blast.

The actress, the daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler, opened up back in April about raising her son Akira, who was born with developmental issues that doctors still can't quite diagnose.

Sumner wrote an essay about raising her boy in Romper.com, revealing her son was two weeks early when she gave birth.

Dissolution: Sumner filed for a dissolution of the marriage in Los Angeles County Court on Tuesday, according to legal documents obtained by The Blast

Parents: Sumner wrote an essay about raising her boy in Romper.com , revealing her son was two weeks early when she gave birth

'At this moment in time, Akira is nonverbal, he is not walking, he is hard of hearing in both ears, has hypotonia, and global delays,' Sumner stated.

'My experience of motherhood has been a rollercoaster of emotions and mental health challenges. Ive been diagnosed with postpartum anxiety and postpartum OCD,' she added.

She also revealed her first child was born at her father Sting's estate in Malibu, though he was rushed to the hospital after a 'difficult birth.'

Estate: She also revealed her first child was born at her father Sting's estate in Malibu, though he was rushed to the hospital after a 'difficult birth'

'I watched myself move toward the precipice of madness  I could see the edge of losing my mind, I thought, "Theyre gonna have to take me away. Theyre gonna have to strap me down, put me away and tranquilize me,"' Sumner said.

'I was so close, it looked so inviting, and then I heard a voice inside my head: "Youre a mother now. You cant go anywhere. You have to stay,"' she added in the essay.

'On days where my anxiety creeps up on me, when I worry about his future, this is what I always come back to  People feel good in his presence. He is like sunshine. My tiny mighty sun,' she said.

Madness: 'I watched myself move toward the precipice of madness  I could see the edge of losing my mind, I thought, "Theyre gonna have to take me away. Theyre gonna have to strap me down, put me away and tranquilize me,"' Sumner said

Sumner started her acting career in 2006 and landed small roles in Last Chance Harvey and Black Water Transit in 2008 and 2009.

She landed the role of Francesca in the Showtime series The Borgias in 2011, which lead to roles in films such as Frances Ha in 2012.

The actress can currently be seen on the TNT series Snowpiercer, where she plays Bess Till.
Ashley Benson didn't let Thursday's rain and chilly temperatures keep her from enjoying a day out and about in Los Angeles.

The 32-year-old Pretty Little Liars alum was stylish in a black coat with fur accents as she headed to do shopping and grab lunch.

She wore blue skinny jeans, a crop top, black chunky-heeled boots, and carried a black purse over her shoulder.

On the scene: Ashley Benson didn't let Thursday's rain and low temperatures keep her from enjoying a day out and about in Los Angeles

Despite the cloudy weather, Benson rocked a pair of black sunnies on top of her head for her Beverly Hills outing.

The actress wore her blonde hair in an imperfect ponytail and donned a green face mask that she pulled down under her chin at some moments.

Benson's fingers were decorated in multiple rings and she wore small earrings in her ears.

Her coat had varying panels of gloss-coated and matte leather features, and the collar and cuffs were made of fur.

Fashion-forward: The 32-year-old Pretty Little Liars alum was stylish in a black coat with fur accents as she headed to do shopping and grab lunch

Her look: She wore blue skinny jeans, black chunky-heeled boots, and carried a black purse over her shoulder

Family first: Ashley spent her day with her older sister Shaylene Benson, and her niece, Shaylene's daughter Hazel

Ashley spent her day with her older sister Shaylene Benson, and her niece, Shaylene's daughter Hazel.

The entertainer documented parts of her time with the little one, which included hanging out at home before stepping out.

Taking to Instagram, she shared clips of their quality family time in her Stories as Alvin and the Chipmunks played in the background.

Shaylene also posted on social media, showing a black and white video of her younger sibling feeding the months-old baby.

Lunch date: When the ladies left home they went to a restaurant where they enjoyed a meal with a childhood friend

When the ladies left home they went to a restaurant where they enjoyed a meal with a childhood friend.

Ashley panned the scene with her camera and wrote on the video, 'Friends since 3 years old.'

From her sister's perspective, plates of food were seen on the table as her child was to the left of her in a stroller.

The women sat in a red leather booth and the performer kept her coat on while indoors.

Staying warm: The women sat in a red leather booth and the performer kept her coat on while indoors

Also shared online was a precious video of the women in a Gucci store with the bundle of joy.

They both posted the same snippet to their social media accounts as they gushed over the baby in a tiny red plaid coat.

Ashley can be heard saying, 'Look at auntie, do you like your coat?'

In another clip Shaylene says her daughter's name before instructing her sister to, 'Hold her, Ash.'

They wrote over the recording, 'Hazel for @gucci.'
The Broadway production of Waitress has shut down after several of its company and crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

The news about the musical's shutdown was made known to the public through the show's official Twitter account with a trio of posts that were shared on Thursday.

In the first post, the show's representatives expressed that they were 'heartbroken to announce that Waitress on Broadway will be closing effective immediately.'

Over: The Broadway production of Waitress has shut down after several of its company and crew members tested positive for COVID-19

Waitress' representatives then described the change in schedule as safety-related, as several figures involved with the program had contracted the coronavirus.

'With only two weeks of performances remaining and due to positive cases of COVID detected in the company and crew at the Barrymore Theatre, the decision has been made to curtail the engagement which was scheduled to run through January 9.'

The representatives expressed their regret about the cancellation and their gratitude to the show's fans.

'This is not how we wanted to finish our run but are so grateful to every fan and theater-lover who visited the Diner these past few months,' they wrote.

Making it known: The news about the musical's shutdown was made known to the public through the show's official Twitter account with a trio of posts that were shared on Thursday; Katharine McPhee is seen performing in the show in 2019

Quick and fast: The show's representatives expressed that the musical would be shutting down 'effective immediately' in a Tweet

Safety first: Waitress' representatives then described the change in schedule as safety-related, as several figures involved with the program had contracted the coronavirus

Grateful: The representatives expressed their regret about the cancellation and their gratitude to the show's fans

They added that 'ticket holders will be contacted and refunded by their point of purchase.'

Waitress' representatives concluded their message by writing: 'Thanks for taking us to the moon!'

Sara Bareilles, who previously portrayed the show's protagonist, Jenna, also released a statement where she expressed her regret about not being able to finish out the show's intended run.

'This is a gut punch of the highest degree. Thank you for everything. This cast. This company. This community. May we all be so lucky. Forever I love you,' she wrote.

Speaking out: Sara Bareilles, who portrayed the show's protagonist, Jenna, also released a statement where she expressed her regret about not being able to finish out the show's intended run

Producer Barry Weissler released a statement, which also reflected the views of his wife and co-producer, Fran, where he expressed via People that they were initially excited to be able to take the show to the stage earlier this year.

'It has been such an honor to bring Waitress to Broadway. We feel so blessed to have been able to continue playing when Broadway returned in September of this year,' he said.

Weissler added that 'we are heartbroken that the COVID virus won't allow us to finish our glorious scheduled run.'

Expressing their views: Producer Barry Weissler released a statement, which also reflected the views of his wife and co-producer, Fran, where he expressed via People that they were initially excited to be able to take the show to the stage earlier this year; its cast is seen in 2019

The show was based on the 2007 comedy-drama feature of the same name, which starred Keri Russell.

Numerous other Broadway productions have closed their doors in the recent past, and major draws such as Hamilton and The Lion King have canceled performances through Christmas.

Other programs that have had to augment their schedules in response to the ongoing state of the pandemic include Mrs. Doubtfire and Ain't Too Proud To Beg.
Laura Byrne is the latest celebrity to reveal she has Covid as cases soar in Sydney.

The Bachelor star made the shock admission in a series of Instagram posts on Friday, explaining she found out she tested positive during a car trip to Queensland with her fiance Matty J Johnson and their two daughters, Marlie Mae and Lola.

Laura, 37, had driven the car six hours north from Sydney to see Matty J's family for Christmas before finding out about her diagnosis, and was subsequently forced to turn the car around and head home.

Poor luck: The Bachelor's Laura Byrne has revealed she has Covid after going on a twelve hour trip to Queensland and back upon realising that she had the disease

'Guess who drove six hours in a car with two kids, a dog and Cocomelon on repeat only to find out that they have Covid...and then had to drive another six hours home?!!' the podcaster asked her followers.

'WE DID!!!' she answered in a follow-up post with an unimpressed Matty J standing next to her. 'Merry Christmas to everyone, except Omicron you piece of s**t.'

Laura further explained details of the family's disastrous trip in a series of videos recorded with Matt in the couple's backyard, where she revealed that she is the only one who has contracted Covid so far.

'Merry Christmas to everyone, except Omicron you piece of s**t': The 37-year-old Bachelor star had driven the car six hours north to see Matty J's family for Christmas before finding out about her diagnosis and then forced to turn the car around and head home

'Alrighty, strap yourselves in guys... it's one hell of a tale,' she said to the camera.

'We were going to Brisbane to see Matt's family for Christmas. We got tested because you have to be tested to cross the Queensland border.'

The former reality TV star had called NSW Health to check if her family could proceed through Queensland towards their destination.

Laura recalled that the state health department allowed for the family to travel as none of them presented any Covid symptoms at the time and were only getting tested as a formality to pass through the border.

What happened: Laura further explained that details of the family's disastrous trip in a series of videos recorded with Matt in the couple's backyard, where she revealed that she is the only one who has contracted the disease so far

'So Matt, Marlie and Lola got their test results back - they were completely negative,' Laura continued.

'When we got to Coffs Harbour, we got my results and...' she added, before stopping mid-sentence and pulling a pose to signify that her result was positive.

The couple revealed that Laura was 'feeling fine' at the time of her diagnosis.

Laura added that she lost her sense of taste and smell on Friday and has to self-isolate with Matt for the next 10 days.
Martha Kalifatidis is back in her hometown of Melbourne after a whirlwind trip to the US with her fiance Michael Brunelli.

And on Friday, the newly-engaged couple headed straight to a Covid drive-through testing clinic in the parking lot of La Trobe University.

The 33-year-old documented the visit on her Instagram Story.

That's one (expensive) way to pass time! Martha Kalifatidis did some online shopping while waiting at a Covid testing site for three hours in Melbourne with fiance Michael Brunelli on Friday after arriving back from the US

Michael drove them to the clinic only to find out it would be an excruciating three hour wait.

And Martha decided to pass the time by indulging in some online shopping.

'Guess what I'm doing in the five hour Covid testing line?' she wrote in the caption.

Oh dear! Michael drove them to the clinic only to find out it would be an excruciating three hour wait

Shop til' you drop! Martha decided to pass the time by indulging in some online shopping

Martha and Michael have spent the past three weeks in the US, travelling in Los Angeles with friends.

While in LA, the couple announced their engagement on their respective Instagram accounts. '

They then flew to Mexico and New York, where they stayed at the famous Bowery Hotel and the fashionista tried on wedding dresses for inspiration.

Romantic holiday: Martha and Michael have spent the past three weeks in the US, travelling in Los Angeles, Mexico and New York

I do... again! While in Los Angeles the couple announced their engagement on their respective Instagram accounts. In the photo, Martha proudly flaunted the diamond as Michael proudly smiled behind her

The couple's relationship has gone from strength to strength after they found love on Married At First Sight in 2019.

In a recent unfiltered interview with Stellar, Michael professed his love for his girlfriend, adding: 'She's the person I go to whenever there's a problem. I can trust her opinion with every decision I make. Things couldn't be better.'

They are now influencers and film, edit and produce each other's content.
Kel Mitchell is opening up about a unique time in his life - when he went celibate for three years at the height of his career in his 20s.

The 43-year-old actor shot to fame starring in Nickelodeon's All That alongside Kenan Thompson, who he starred in the 1997 movie Good Burger with.

The comedian was promoting his new book Blessed Mode: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith, which was published earlier this month, when he opened up about his three years of celibacy in an interview with Page Six.

Celibate Kel: Kel Mitchell is opening up about a unique time in his life - when he went celibate for three years at the height of his career in his 20s

Good Burger: The 43-year-old actor shot to fame starring in Nickelodeon's All That alongside Kenan Thompson, who he starred in the 1997 movie Good Burger with

Mitchell was just 15 when he landed the role of Ed in the Nickelodeon series All That, which lead to the actor sleeping with a lot of women in his 20s.

He said that sleeping with many women plus 'mixing spirituality' was harmful to him, leading him to seek spiritual guidance.

He told his evangelist that he needed to 'free himself' of any relationship or sexual partner that was not 'connected to God.'

All that: Mitchell was just 15 when he landed the role of Ed in the Nickelodeon series All That, which lead to the actor sleeping with a lot of women in his 20s

'What I had to do was, I literally mentioned every woman that I had been having sex with  I forgave them and forgave myself,' the actor explained.

'After I said all their names they were released, I released my name from them, I released my spirit from them,' he added.

He added that one could ask the lord to, 'take their spirit out of yours' which in turn would make you 'free.'

Forgave: 'What I had to do was, I literally mentioned every woman that I had been having sex with  I forgave them and forgave myself,' the actor explained

The comedian said he was in his 20s at the time and described it as, 'a freeing experience,' which lead to his celibacy.

'Like, I literally felt new. And then thats when I decided Im going to be celibate. It made me realize, like a lot of the relationships it was all just sex,' Mitchell said.

Mitchell married Tyshia Hampton in 1999, before they split in 2005, sharing two children together, Lyric, 21, and Allure, 20.

Freeing: The comedian said he was in his 20s at the time and described it as, 'a freeing experience,' which lead to his celibacy

He later tied the knot with rapper Asia Lee, who he'll celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary with in February.

They share four-year-old daughter Wisdom and one-year-old son Honor, with Mitchell adding that he wrote this book to show what he went through.

'I had to literally crawl back to where I needed to be, but in those low times, I found a lot in myself  and thats why I wrote this book because of those low times,' Mitchell said.
Joey King cut a stylish figure in head-to-toe Valentino to promote her upcoming film The In Between in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 23.

The 22-year-old actress showcased her endless legs in a darling black skirt and a pair of patent leather platform heels.

The In Between, which is slated for an early 2022 release on Paramount+, follows a teen girl (King) who believes her deceased boyfriend is attempting to connect with her from the other side.

Promo mode: Joey King cut a stylish figure in head-to-toe Valentino to promote her upcoming film The In Between in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 23

She styled her skirt with a pink, black, and white striped top and carried her essentials in a chic hardshell Rodo purse.

Joey's flowing brunette hair was worn down and styled in loose waves. She amplified her pout with some peach lipstick and gave her eyes some added sparkle with an array of shimmery shadows.

As for accessories, King fastened a chunky gold choker chain around her neck and throwing on some Sara Weinstock earrings.

She took a moment to show off her Christmas-themed nails, as well as her pink Misho Designs ring, EF Collection thumb ring, and Melinda Maria middle finger ring.

Leggy: The 22-year-old actress showcased her endless legs in a darling black skirt and a pair of patent leather platform heels

Joey posed for an array of share-worthy shots in her adorable outfit before commencing her day of press for The In Between.

The supernatural romance sees Joey star opposite The Path's Kyle Allen with a script penned by Marc Klein.

The In Between follows King's character who 'after surviving a car accident that took the life of her boyfriend (Allen), believes he's attempting to reconnect with her from the after world.'

Pop of color: She styled her skirt with a pink, black, and white striped top and carried her essentials in a chic hardshell Rodo purse

Full glam: Joey's flowing brunette hair was worn down and styled in loose waves. She amplified her pout with some peach lipstick and gave her eyes some added sparkle with an array of shimmery shadows

Golden girl: As for accessories, King fastened a chunky gold choker chain around her neck and throwing on some Sara Weinstock earrings

King serves as producer alongside Robbie Brenner and Andrew Deane, while Klein and Jamie King will executive produce the forthcoming project.

Joey has experience in the producer realm, being that she is listed as an 'executive producer' on her Netflix hit The Kissing Booth 2, which is a sequel to 2018's The Kissing Booth.

She famously starred opposite her then-boyfriend Jacob Elordi, whom she split reportedly split from in early 2019.

King is currently dating Steven Piet, 30. They met on the set of The Act in 2019.

Decked out: She took a moment to show off her Christmas-themed nails, as well as her pink Misho Designs ring, EF Collection thumb ring, and Melinda Maria middle finger ring
Abbie Chatfield has revealed things are so serious with her boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephens, that he is expected to join her family for Christmas in Queensland.

'This year for Christmas I am heading to Queensland with my new beau, Konrad to spend it with my family, who I havent seen since the borders closed,' she told the Herald Sun on Friday.

The Love Island After Party host also spilled the beans on the festive traditions her loved ones always partake in.

H ome for Christmas: Abbie Chatfield has revealed things are so serious with her boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephens, that he is expected to join her family for Christmas in Queensland. Both pictured

'My favourite Christmas memory is repeated every year, when our family whips out the karaoke microphones and has a mini concert,' the 26-year-old added.

Ultimately though, Abbie, who has been a staunch promoter of the COVID-19 vaccine, said her wish for 2022, is 'to see everyone get their booster shot and for lockdowns to be a thing of the past.'

Abbie's comments come after the podcast host shared the sweet moment her beau first said, 'I love you'.

In a TikTok video posted on Tuesday, the former Bachelorette star revealed that Konrad had treated her to a drive-in movie, after hearing her complain on her podcast that no one had ever taken her to one on a date.

New Year's resolution: Ultimately though, Abbie, who has been a staunch promoter of the COVID-19 vaccine, said her wish for 2022, is 'to see everyone get their booster shot and for lockdowns to be a thing of the past.' Pictured, Abbie and Konrad in November

Aww: Earlier this week, Abbie shared the sweet moment her boyfriend Konrad first said, 'I love you'. Both pictured

At the time, Abbie was so touched by the effort her 31-year-old beau made that she broke down in tears.

'I started sobbing. It's just, this man treats me better than I thought anyone ever would and is just the most thoughtful, beautiful angel on the planet. I never thought I would find someone like him,' she said.

Abbie then revealed the moment Konrad professed his love, asking her, 'Do you know why I did this? Because I love you'.

Treat: In a TikTok video posted on Tuesday, the former Bachelorette star revealed that Konrad had treated her to a drive-in movie, after hearing her complain on her podcast that no one had ever taken her to one on a date

Snack stop: The couple loaded up on snacks before their date

Thoughtful: Abbie filmed her man putting a mattress in the back of his Ute, before he surprised her with a trip to a Melbourne drive-in

She added in her caption: 'Reminder to never settle. Gone from years of gaslighting to having the purest angel on the planet'.

It comes after Abbie apologised to Brooke Blurton for striking up a romance with Konrad while he was still on The Bachelorette vying for Brooke's heart.

Daily Mail Australia published a video of the new couple kissing at a bar in Byron Bay on November 5 - before Konrad's exit from the show aired.

She wrote in her caption: 'Reminder to never settle. Gone from years of gaslighting to having the purest angel on the planet'

Crying: The 26-year-old was so touched by the effort her 31-year-old beau made that she broke down in tears

'I started sobbing. It's just, this man treats me better than I thought anyone ever would and is just the most thoughtful, beautiful angel on the planet. I never thought I would find someone like him,' she said

'This is to address the post made by Brooke. A month ago, a video of Konrad and I kissing was secretly captured by a patron and made public,' she began in an Instagram post.

'Following this, Brooke and I had a conversation in which I apologised and expressed regret multiple times for our public affection as this was prior to Konrad's exit from the show. Konrad had a similar conversation with Brooke.

'We met as a result of him coming along to a catch up with a mutual friend, the public setting was an accident.

In love: Abbie then revealed the moment Konrad professed his love, asking her, 'Do you know why I did this? Because I love you'

Loved up: She added that it was 'so cute' and the pair then had a smooch

'We absolutely should have waited to be in private as we are public figures and these are things we need to consider, but we didn't. We also didn't consider the possible ramifications of our actions.'

Abbie, who previously vowed to never speak publicly about her dating life, went Instagram official with Konrad on November 24 - the day before Brooke's finale.

To make things even more awkward, she appeared in the last episode of The Bachelorette - which was filmed months ago - as one of Brooke's 'best friends'.
Pete Davidson is reportedly unfazed over about Kanye West's recent attempts to reconcile with his estranged wife Kim Kardashian.

The Saturday Night Live star, 28, has been dating Kim, 41, since meeting on the sketch show in October, while she filed for divorce from the rapper, 44 last year.

But Pete is not worried about the Donda hitmaker's declarations, with reports suggesting he's very 'understanding' of the situation.

Meanwhile, Kim has denied reports that Pete has already met her four children she shares with Kanye.

Big step: Kim Kardashian has reportedly introduced new boyfriend Pete Davidson to her four children

Pete is said to be unfazed by Kanye's attempts to get back with his wife after the rapper said last month that God will reunite them as he admitted he'd made 'mistakes' in his marriage.

An insider told US Weekly: 'Pete is not worried about Kanye trying to get back with Kim. Hes very laid-back and understanding.'

MailOnline have contacted Kim and Pete's representatives for comment.

Elsewhere, Kim shut down rumours she had already introduced new boyfriend Pete to her four children.

According to Hollywood Life, the SKIMS entrepreneur took her romance with the SNL star to the next level by allowing him to meet North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two, with sources stating that the kids 'adored him'.

No worries: Pete is not worried about the Donda hitmaker's declarations, with reports suggesting he's very 'understanding' of the situation

A source told Hollywood Life: 'Pete met Kims kids and she introduced him to them as "mommys friend".

'Kim thought that it was really cute how he interacted with them and that he tried to make her kids laugh and smile just as he does everyone he meets!'

However, Kim's rep has since told MailOnline that the reports are 'not true' and that comedian Pete 'has not' been introduced to Kim's brood.

Her world: Elsewhere, Kim shut down rumours she had already introduced new boyfriend Pete to her four children North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, three, and Psalm, two

It follows another significant step for the couple as the publication also previously reported that Kim met the funny man's mother Amy for 'several hours' during her trip to New York City over the weekend.

'It went really well,' a source told the outlet.

Meanwhile, In Touch reported that Pete had 'already introduced' his mum to Kim a couple of weeks before the new couple were spotted at a movie theatre in Pete's native Staten Island on Saturday night.

Meeting: It follows another significant step for the couple as the publication also previously reported that Kim met the funny man's mother Amy for 'several hours' during her trip to New York City over the weekend (pictured in 2019)

An insider revealed that Amy, 52, and Pete's 23-year-old sister Casey have 'already given their seal of approval.'

'They all met up on Staten Island,' the source added.

It comes after reports that the reality star's family is reportedly 'excited' to spend more time with her new love interest.

The mega-famous reality TV family are said to be a 'fan' of his  with Kris Jenner being particularly 'obsessed,' per E! News.

There have already been reports that the SKIMS founder has invited Pete to spend the Christmas holiday with the whole family, and is contemplating celebrating New Years Eve with him in Miami.

'She's really excited about having him around and Kris is already obsessed with him,' a source close to Kim told the publication.

Family: 'The whole family is a fan of Pete's and would love to spend a holiday with him,' the insider said after it was reported he was invited to the usual Kardashian Christmas blowout  which Kanye West may also be in attendance for

'The whole family is a fan of Pete's and would love to spend a holiday with him.'

Kim  who recently filed to be declared legally single from estranged husband Kanye West just last week  is said to be weighing New Year's Eve plans with Davidson.

The comedian is set to co-host Miley's New Year's Eve Party' for NBC and Peacock, with some sources saying she will be in attendance.

Kardashian Christmas: The SKIMS founder has reportedly invited the Staten Island native to spend the Christmas holiday with the whole family, before she rings in New Years Eve with him in Miami; pictured December 2019
Tilly Ramsay wished her Strictly dance partner Nikita Kuzmin a happy birthday with a slew of snaps on Instagram on Thursday.

The social media star, 20, shared images from their time on the show together including one of them back stage.

Tilly wrote in the caption for his 24th birthday: 'Happy birthday @nikitakuzmin!! So grateful for our amazing friendship and all that you helped me to achieve the past couple months, I hope you have the best day ever.'

Best friends: Tilly Ramsay, 20, wished her Strictly dance partner Nikita Kuzmin, 24, a happy birthday with a slew of snaps on Instagram on Thursday.

Celebration: Tilly wished Nikita happy birthday to her pal

In another snap, the pair posed in a restaurant while gazing at one another.

In one more, Nikita sat on a blue sofa in loungewear with a dog while pulling peace sign.

In other pictures, Tilly shared a picture of the pair of them backstage before their couple's choice dance in musicals week.

Pals: The social media star shared images from their time on the show together

Tilly wrote: 'Happy birthday @nikitakuzmin!! So grateful for our amazing friendship and all that you helped me to achieve the past couple months, I hope you have the best day ever'

Some others showed them enjoying some downtime in rehearsals with various snaps in the dance studio.

The pair left the competition back in November when they were in the dance off with Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu.

Tilly was unable to attend the final of the competition last week due to having a positive Covid test.

Happy times: In other pictures, Tilly shared a picture of the pair of them backstage before their couple's choice dance in musicals week

Friends: Some others showed them enjoying some downtime in rehearsals with various snaps in the dance studio.

Tilly will take to the dance floor, though, when the group of dancers go on tour - joining Aj Odudu, John Whaite and winner Rose Ayling Ellis.

Tilly and Nikita are set to perform their Couples Choice in addition to a dazzling Waltz.

The post comes after it has been claimed that Tilly has joined celebrity dating app Raya.

Short stint: The pair left the competition back in November when they were in the dance off with Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu

Oh no! Tilly was unable to attend the final of the competition last week due to having a positive Covid test.

Tilly always insisted that she and professional dancer Nikita are 'best friends' and is now seemingly looking for top-tier love.

A source told The Sun: 'She joined ages ago and wasn't using the app as she was concentrating on Strictly.'

MailOnline contacted Tilly's representatives for comment at the time.

Taking to the stage: Tilly will take to the dance floor, though, when the group of dancers go on tour - joining Aj Odudu, John Whaite and winner Rose Ayling Ellis
LadBaby are on track to make history by bagging their fourth consecutive Christmas number one.

The new song, Sausage Rolls For Everyone, is their tongue-in-cheek take of Ed Sheeran and Elton John's No.1 festive hit Merry Christmas, which benefits The Trussell Trust, whose mission is to end hunger and poverty in the UK.

The parody has been at the top spot on the iTunes download chart all week, with a second version featuring the Foodbank Choir boosting sales even further.

Exciting: LadBaby are on track to make history by bagging their FOURTH consecutive Christmas No.1 - with their parody of Ed Sheeran and Elton John's Merry Christmas

If snatching the sought-after number one for the fourth year running, LadBaby would exceed records set by The Beatles and Spice Girls.

Last week, LadBaby snuck Bad Habits hitmaker Ed and Sir Elton past the paparazzi in their new Christmas music video in an attempt to set records with a fourth Christmas No.1.

The video for Sausage Rolls For Everyone, which was released last Friday, stars Ed and Elton wearing sausage roll costumes to hide themselves from photographers.

Good cause: The new song, Sausage Rolls For Everyone, is their tongue-in-cheek take of Ed Sheeran (pictured middle) and Elton John's No.1 festive hit Merry Christmas

Hilarious: Last week, LadBaby snuck Bad Habits hitmaker Ed and Sir Elton past the paparazzi in their new Christmas music video in an attempt to set records with a fourth Christmas No.1

This is the fourth time LadBaby has released a Christmas single with past tracks including We Built This City on Sausage Rolls (2018), I Love Sausage Rolls (2019) and Don't Stop Me Eatin' (2020) - which all reached the top spot.

Ed can be seen joining Mark and Rox Hoyle (LadBaby) in full song whilst playing a sausage roll guitar in a sausage roll Christmas jumper and sausage roll Santa hat.

Elton joins the fun too, belting out the track from a decorated piano in Christmas glasses with some secret sausage roll socks tucked into his trademark glitter-platforms.

Charity single: The video for Sausage Rolls For Everyone, which was released last Friday, stars Ed and Elton wearing sausage roll costumes to hide themselves from photographers

With the long awaited release of Sausage Rolls for Everyone, William Hill has made them 1-8 favourites to reach the festive top spot.

Ed and Elton chomp on sausage rolls throughout, with Elton quipping at the end: 'I haven't had a sausage roll in years.'

Mark and Rox said of the new release: 'Trying to keep this video under wraps was so hard, so when you see us bundling Ed and Elton into the studio dressed as sausage rolls, that was a genuine ploy to try and keep everything secret!

Making history: This is the fourth time LadBaby has released a Christmas single with past tracks including We Built This City on Sausage Rolls (2018), I Love Sausage Rolls (2019) and Don't Stop Me Eatin' (2020) - which all reached the top spot

Record-breaking: The parody has been at the top spot on the iTunes download chart all week, with a second version featuring the Foodbank Choir boosting sales even further

Iconic: If snatching the sought-after number one for the fourth year running, LadBaby would exceed records set by The Beatles and Spice Girls

Good times: Elton joins the fun, belting out the track from a decorated piano in Christmas glasses with some secret sausage roll socks tucked into his trademark glitter-platforms

Funny: Ed and Elton chomp on sausage rolls throughout, with Elton quipping at the end: 'I haven't had a sausage roll in years'

'We had so much fun making this video, Ed and Elton were great sports.

CHRISTMAS NO.1 CONTENDERS Ed Sheeran & Elton John - Merry Christmas (2021) Adele - Easy on Me (2021) Wham! - Last Christmas (1984) Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas (2011) GAYLE - ABCDEFU (2021) LadBaby, Ed Sheeran & Elton John - Sausage Rolls For Everyone (2021) Advertisement

'But behind the hilarity, the reason for making the track is to raise as much money as we possibly can for the Trussell Trust.

'Please do not assume that just because we've convinced some big music industry names to help sing on the track that we will hit #1 without your help.

'We need EVERYONE to download the track and help us try and make history! We HAVE to do whatever it takes to build a future where all of us can afford to go to sleep with a full stomach.'

Elton said of the experience: 'LadBaby are just the nicest people in the world, and they raise so much money each and every year for The Trussell Trust.

'It's really important that people download and stream this record so that people who need the support can have a meal this Christmas.'

Meanwhile Ed said: 'I'm proud to be supporting and featuring on LadBaby's very fun rework of Merry Christmas.

'All profits will be donated to The Trussell Trust which is a very wonderful and important charity, so make sure you stream it, buy it and play it on repeat.'

The Trussell Trust provides emergency food parcels to people living in crisis and is expected to hand out more than 7000 emergency food parcels a day this December.

Pride: Meanwhile Ed said: 'I'm proud to be supporting and featuring on LadBaby's very fun rework of Merry Christmas'

Good cause: The Trussell Trust provides emergency food parcels to people living in crisis and is expected to hand out more than 7000 emergency food parcels a day this December

Emma Revie, Chief Executive Officer at the Trussell Trust said: 'Everyone in the UK should be able to afford the essentials  to buy their own food and heat their homes.

'Yet food banks in our network continue to see more and people being pushed deeper into poverty as they face giving out 7,000 food parcels a day this December.

'We are so grateful to LadBaby for their incredible support for a fourth year running.'
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Tale Of Tails actress Blanca Blanco lit up Christmas Eve by sharing several bikini pinup images to her over 100K Instagram followers on Friday morning.

The brunette bombshell - who has been romancing iconic Deer Hunter actor John Savage for the past decade - looked stunning with a deep California tan as she posed in a red two piece on the sandy beach in Malibu.

The Washington state native also held up her new memoir, Breaking The Mold, about overcoming her abusive past in Mexico with an overbearing father to go on to carve out a career for herself as a movie actress with dozens of credits to her name.

Beach day: Tale Of Tails actress Blanca Blanco lit up Christmas Eve by sharing several bikini pinup images to her over 100K Instagram followers on Friday morning. The brunette bombshell looked stunning with a deep California tan in Malibu

Blanco clearly has been to the gym during lockdown as her body looked very toned for her beach shoot.

The Mission: Possible star had impressive abs that appeared hard won and she also showed off sculpted legs and toned arms.

The cover girl wore her dark brown hair down in soft waves and had on pretty frosty makeup that went well with her beach atmosphere.

The star was seen walking on the beach and standing on steps as she enjoyed a break in the rain that Los Angeles has been experiencing this week, which has been welcome after a long drought.

Golden girl: The Washington state native also held up her new memoir, Breaking The Mold, about overcoming her abusive past in Mexico with an overbearing father to shine as a red carpet favorite who models glamorous gowns in Hollywood

'Dear, Santa. You can find me at the beach this year. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve loves and stay safe. Did you finish all your xmas shopping? Check out #BreakingtheMoldBook if you are looking for an uplifting read,' Blanca wrote in her Instagram caption as she plugged her book which goes on sale on January 2 but can be pre-ordered now on barnesandnoble.com.

The siren also noted that she had a glam team get her look together with her hair done by Rene Cortez, makeup by Akemi and a spray tan by Golden Glo Tans.

Blanca broke the news about her book exclusively with DailyMail.com in October.

Workout queen: Blanco clearly has been to the gym during lockdown as her body looked very toned for her beach shoot. The Mission: Possible star had impressive abs that appeared hard won and she also showed off sculpted legs and toned arms

Sandy shore: The star was seen walking on the beach and standing on steps as she enjoyed a break in the rain that Los Angeles has been experiencing this week, which has been welcome after a long drought

The beauty's early years were a 180 where she had to suffer physical abuse from her father and also live a life of poverty in Washington state that saw her reside in a garage for years.

'I wrote 'BREAKING THE MOLD' during the COVID lockdown, as I felt my story could help others because poverty and abuse has been increasing. I will take you on my journey from poverty to success and how I made it happen,' the Mission: Possible actress told DailyMail.com.

'I share and provide tools and techniques that worked for me,' she said about her book which is coming out from Briton Publishing.

Lean lady: 'Dear, Santa. You can find me at the beach this year. Have a wonderful Christmas Eve loves and stay safe. Did you finish all your xmas shopping?' she asked in her caption

Glam for the beach: The siren also noted that she had a glam team get her look together with her hair done by Rene Cortez, makeup by Akemi and a spray tan by Golden Glo Tans

The Cannes Film Festival favorite added, 'My book is an autobiography and I share about childhood poverty, abuse, and how I overcame it. I feel it will motivate readers if they are caught in a bad situation.'

She was isolated during her painful youthful, never having the support system she really needed, especially at school.

'I never told my classmates about our poverty, living in a garage, because I wanted to be treated just like them - a normal kid! No one knew, not even the teachers.'

She wrote a book during lockdown: Blanca broke the news about her book exclusively with DailyMail.com in October

She also shared an excerpt with DailyMail.com about the abuse she endured.

'It happened when we were living in Mexico as children but the abuse continued throughout the years.

Her father was not loving, she said, and instead he was an 'abusive father and husband.'

'He used to beat us and used a Chicote a type of switch or whip used to control horses to beat us with,' she shared.

She overcame the pain: The Cannes Film Festival favorite added, 'My book is an autobiography and I share about childhood poverty, abuse, and how I overcame it. I feel it will motivate readers if they are caught in a bad situation'

The book will be out in early 2022

'He even held his gun to our mothers head and threatened to shoot her right in front of us. We were all scared of him, especially our mother. We were all crying and trying to protect our mother who he had pushed into the bed and we were surrounding her and begging him not to shoot.

'His rage and uncontrolled anger was all because she was asking him to give her money to buy us food when he suddenly snapped.

'This continued even when we were older. He went to attack me when our mother was dying but that time I squared up to him and dared him to touch me. Now I was older and not afraid of him any more. He backed down, shocked that I challenged him!'

Blanco was born in Watsonville, California.

At three-years old, her family moved to Southwest Mexico.

Her father was a police officer there and was shot twice forcing the family to return to the U.S., to, hopefully, live the American Dream. Blanca was nine-years-old.

A graduate even though her dad was abusive: 'He used to beat us and used a Chicote a type of whip,' she said

Her family of seven lived in poverty for her entire childhood, residing in a small garage with no hot water, no shower and no heat while facing the frigid winters of Washington State.

They then moved into a tiny trailer in a small trailer park, often with unsafe water causing sickness.

She attended Chelan High School where she became determined not to remain in poverty.

Upon leaving school she became the schools role model for younger graduating students and made a motivational video to help them.

With the help of her guardian angel, a teacher who cared, she said, she achieved 'full ride scholarships enabling her to continue on to college then to university.'

She became the first Latina woman in the area to go to college working hard in order to graduate and continue her full ride scholarships, where she took an associate of science degree from Spokane Falls Community College.

She then went on to Washington State University achieving a 4.0 grade average and earned a bachelors degree in psychology followed by masters degree in social work from Eastern Washington State University.

Her first job after receiving her Masters in Social Work degree was working in hospice care. Deciding to follow her dreams, she moved to Los Angeles where she became an actress and studied under Gordon Hunt (Helen Hunts father).

She immediately landed many roles in film and television. The star achieved a Best Supporting Actress award for her role as Melanie in the movie Betrayed.

The foreword is by Edward I. Byrnes, Ph.D. Professor of Social Work  Eastern Washington University.
Every year Kris Jenner presents her kids with the super fancy gingerbread houses that have sweet accents everywhere.

Even though the COVID-19 variant Omicron has put a dent in some Christmas plans, the homes were still sent out to her loved ones.

Eldest child Kourtney, 42, was the first to show off her mini home on social media.

All here: Every year Kris Jenner presents her kids with the super fancy gingerbread houses that have sweet accents everywhere. Eldest child Kourtney was the first to show off her mini home on social media

She is working hard this month: Kourtney is seen here in a mini skirt with platform heels

The names on the home included not just hers and her kids, but also that of her fiance Travis Barker and his children too.

The list went as follows from left to right: Kourtney, Travis, Mason, Penelope, Reign, Landon, Alabama and Atiana.

Kourtney has three children with ex partner Scott Disick: Mason, 12, Penelope, nine, and Reign, seven.

And Travis has two children with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler: Landon, 18, and Alabama, 16.

Kim's home: Kim's daughter North West gave a look at the home when she took video of the family's $60million mansion without mom knowing during a TikTok clip

Kimmy's Christmas look: Kim seen here earlier this month in front of her tree

Atiana, 22, is the daughter Shana had with former boxer Oscar De La Hoya but Travis had a big part in raising her and they remain close.

Kourtney and Travis became engaged this year and are expected to wed in 2022.

Kim's daughter North West gave a look at the home when she took video of the family's $60million mansion without mom knowing during a TikTok clip.

Though COVID has spiked in recent weeks causing the annual Kardashian/Jenner Christmas Eve party to be 'low key,' according to TMZ, the houses were not overlooked.

Khloe has been not posting as much since news spread that her boyfriend Tristan Thompson got another woman pregnant.

But in 2020 she did show off her home which had his name in place.

And the Good American designer even sent one of the treats from Solvang Bakery in California to pal Kim Zolciak.

The price of the more decadent mini homes start at $1,450.

For Koko: This house from last year was for Khloe and had Tristan's name on it, but he likely has been taken off this year after his baby scandal

Sweet idea: Here Khloe thanked her mother for the home in 2020 as she said, 'I love you mommy' and, 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas'

She loves the homes: Khloe has sent one of the gingerbread homes to pal Kim Zolciak last year; she has not showed off her gingerbread home this year

Because the Kardashian/Jenner cookie mansions are bigger than what Solvang shows online, they likely cost more.

Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Rob, Kendall and Kylie all receive enormous personalized gingerbread house every year from the Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer.

They have the names of their family members on the outside. Inside the homes are decorated with furniture, a fireplace and even a rug.

And there are gingerbread men on the outside too with white frosting everywhere as snow..

Last year Khloe thanked her mother for the home as she said, 'I love you mommy' and 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' on Instagram.

For her eldest child: Last year Kourtney showed off her home as well which had the names of her three children: Mason, Penelope and Reign

A new guy in town: This year she is engaged to Travis; she showed off their stockings

Kim Zolciak was thrilled with the gift.

The Don't Be Tardy star wrote on social media, 'Thank you @khloekardashian We  you! You made my kiddos and us adults very happy today!!

'(I told Kaia not to touch the ginger bread house BUT she stole the chocolate packages 3 of them and hid while she ate them) cant blame her.'

According to the Solvang website, 'Whether you're sending this gingerbread house as a thoughtful holiday gift, or decorating your own home for the holidays, our handmade Christmas Gingerbread Houses are sure to make your home feel like Christmas.'

But this year they are all sold out already.

All of the gingerbread products are made by hand and the homes are fully assembled and decorated on arrival.

There are even lights inside.

There is a light switch located at the back of the house next to the chimney under the small gingerbread box.

Shoppers can select from the theme options and enjoy free personalization for up to six names.

Each name includes a gingerbread figurine with a white scarf.

They can also add additional names for $6.00 each. 'Please let us know if any of your names include family pets,' it asks on the site.

And shoppers can upgrade to full iced clothing. And there has to be a last name to put above the front door.

The gingerbread creations are cello-wrap tied with festive ribbon.

The house dimensions are 13in L x 11in W x 14.5in H. Approximate base dimensions: 18.5in L x 13.5in W.

She started it all: Kris has been sending out the cookie homes for years; seen here on December 7 with Khloe, far left, and Kim, middle, at the 2021 People's Choice Awards

Kris has a lot of pals: One of the friends who received Kris' flour mansion was Mrs Hilfiger in 2020

The pals: Tommy Hilfiger with wife Dee Ocleppo as well as Sir Philip Green and Tina Green in 2015 in London

What a fancy home! Kim Zolciak received this masterpiece from her friend Khloe
Emily Atack has shared a stunning throwback snap as she pined for sunnier climes.

Taking to Instagram in the early hours of Friday, the presenter, 32, uploaded a glamorous selfie of herself as she remarked: 'Need some sun and zero covid vibes asap hehe.'

In the snap, Emily wowed as he blonde locks cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves, while her pretty features were highlighted with a sleek palette of make-up.

Craving for a holiday? Emily Atack, 32, shared a stunning throwback snap to Instagram on Friday as she pined for sunnier climes, remarking: 'Need some sun and zero covid vibes asap hehe'

The Celebrity Juice star donned a busty black vest top beneath a white shirt which was loosely draped over her arms.

Emily previous enjoyed a sun-soaked getaway to Marbella in September this year, where she treated her fans to a plethora of poolside bikini snaps.

While in November she jetted off to Paris for a fun-filled mini break with sister Martha.

Sunnier times: Emily previous enjoyed a sun-soaked getaway to Marbella in September this year (pictured), where she treated her fans to a plethora of poolside bikini snaps

It comes after Emily called out a crude troll for praising her 'nice t**s' in a smiley birthday snap, which she'd shared to Instagram on Saturday.

The Inbetweeners star used sarcasm when responding to the lewd comment as she shared it to her Stories for all of her followers to see.

The actress put on a stunning display in a stylish black and white blocked dress as she celebrated her 32nd year in London, and beamed in the photos taken to document her party.

Birthday bash! It comes after Emily called out a crude troll for praising her 'nice t**s' in a smiley birthday snap, which she'd shared to Instagram on Saturday

For her birthday outing, Emily added a pair of knee high black leather boots with pointed toes and held a glass of celebratory prosecco and flashed her pearly white teeth.

She penned: '32 is a lovely age. Less panic than 30, but still very much early 30s and lots of time to fuck about. - my cousin @kateemilymohin birthday message to me this morning. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEE!'

But underneath, one vulgar follower wrote: 'Not in the least bit funny but got nice t**s,' and so Emily screen grabbed the comment and shared it to her Stories, adding: 'Phew! Every cloud. Cheers for that Ron! Merry Christmas to you.'

Cheers! The Inbetweeners star used sarcasm when responding to the lewd comment as she shared it to her Stories for all of her followers to see
Caitlyn Jenner, 72, shared with her 12million Instagram followers on Friday that 11 days ago she had a knee replacement surgery done.

The Olympic gold medalist posted a video and said, 'Ok, guess what I'm doing today? Yes, I'm getting my knee replaced.'

The ex of Kris Jenner and a staple on Keeping Up With The Kardashians said she had been 'putting this off for 25 years' and was 'finally going to do it today.' Caitlyn added, 'I'll try to keep you up to date along the way.'

Caitlyn Jenner, 72, shared with her 12 million Instagram followers on Friday that 11 days ago she had a knee replacement surgery done

On Tuesday, December 14, Caitlyn went to Cedars-Sinai hospital in LA to have the three hour long intense procedure done.

Caitlyn's lives in Malibu, with her two dogs, and she is eager to get back to the outdoor activities that she loves, once her new knee allows it.

The Secrets of My Life author shared with TMZ that the exact cause of her 'excruciating' pain comes from the time she spent training for the 1976 Olympic games.

Before the new knee: The Olympic gold medalist posted a video and said, 'Ok, guess what I'm doing today? Yes, I'm getting my knee replaced. I've been putting this off for 25 years and I'm finally going to do it today. I'll try to keep you up to date along the way'

In the hospital bed: On Tuesday, December 14, Caitlyn went to Cedars-Sinai hospital in LA to have the three hour long intense procedure done

Caitlyn captioned her video post and said, 'Merry Christmas!

'This year I got a new knee. 11 days ago I had a knee replacement surgery.

'I'll keep you posted on my progress! Stay tuned.' She wrapped up the post by wishing her followers a healthy and happy Christmas.'

Before the big surgery, the reality TV star took a trip Ojai for a pre-Christmas family holiday party.

The event was hosted by her oldest daughter, Casey Marino, 41, whom she shares with her first wife, Chrystie Scott.

In Caitlyn's Instagram post, she was surrounded by family.

Her followers couldn't help but notice that her children, Brody, Kylie and Kendall Jenner were not pictured.

Family holiday party: Before the big surgery, Caitlyn went to Ojai for a pre-Christmas family holiday party. The event was hosted by her oldest daughter, Casey Marino, 41, who she shares with her first wife, Chrystie Scott

Earlier this month, Caitlyn was denied service at the Beverly Hills Hotel, due to showing up for lunch in ripped jeans.

'F*** your horrible service for not letting me have lunch with this tiny rip in my jeans,' the reality star said. 'Shame on you. Disgusting. I have been a patron for decades. No longer.'

The hotel responded to Caitlyn's remarks, highlighting their dress code, which 'encourages' no ripped denim.
Tom Holland has hit back at Martin Scorsese after the film director claimed Marvel movies were 'not cinema'.

Martin, 79, who is considered one of the most influential directors in film history, expressed his views in a 2019 opinion piece for The New York Times, writing that the flicks lacked 'revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger' and they were made to meet a 'specific set' of fans' demands.

However, Tom, 25, who plays Spider-Man in the Marvel movie franchise, insists the silver screen creations are 'real art' adding that Martin would not know as he has never made a Marvel film.

Fighting talk: Tom Holland, 25, has hit back at Martin Scorsese after the film director claimed Marvel movies were 'not cinema'

Tom told The Hollywood Reporter: 'You can ask [Martin] Scorsese, 'Would you want to make a Marvel movie?' But he doesn't know what it's like because he's never made one.

'I've made Marvel movies and I've also made movies that have been in the conversation in the world of the Oscars, and the only difference, really, is one is much more expensive than the other.

'But the way I break down the character, the way the director etches out the arc of the story and characters  it's all the same, just done on a different scale. So I do think they're real art.'

His view: Martin, 79, wrote in a 2019 New York Times article that the flicks lacked 'revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger' and were made to meet fans' demands

In his 2019 article, Martin wrote: 'Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What's not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk.

'The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes.

'They are sequels in name but they are remakes in spirit, and everything in them is officially sanctioned because it can't really be any other way.

Hollywood heavyweight: Tom, who plays Spider-Man in the Marvel movie franchise, insists the silver screen creations are 'real art'

Blast from the past: Tom has seen his dreams come true  for a picture of the star dressed as Spider-Man as a child has emerged, shared by girlfriend Zendaya

Movie magic: Zendaya also shared a picture of Tom in costume on the set of Spider-Man: No Way Home

'That's the nature of modern film franchises: market-researched, audience-tested, vetted, modified, revetted and remodified until they're ready for consumption.'

The director added that franchise films have changed the Hollywood landscape, bring less people into independent cinemas as they turn to streaming platforms.

Meanwhile, Tom's girlfriend Zendaya, 25, who plays Michelle 'MJ' Jones-Watson, in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was released this month, recently shared a picture of her boyfriend dressed as the character he plays in the movie when he was younger.

Forbidden love? Tom and Zendaya are Hollywood's current 'it couple' after they started dating in 2017 (pictured December 2021)

The actress posted the snap on Instagram with the caption 'Some things never change and good thing @tomholland2013.'

Their new movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, was released in cinemas in the United States and the United Kingdom last Friday.

The film follows Tom's Spider-Man as he fights his way through villains from other universes.
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They already reside in the affluent, celeb-filled beach city of Malibu.

But even on vacation Cindy Crawford, Kaia, and Rande Gerber can't stray too far from the coast.

The family were seen in their best swimwear as they soaked up the sun in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Thursday ahead of Christmas.

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Model behavior: Cindy Crawford and daughter Kaia Gerber soaked up the sun in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Thursday ahead of Christmas

Supermodel Cindy, 55, donned a white floral patterned cover up over her bikini along with a large white sun hat and black sunglasses.

Her signature brunette tresses were worn down under the stylish headwear as she showcased her evergreen looks by going make-up free.

Cindy's up-and-coming model daughter Kaia, 20, donned a mismatched bikini included pink tiger patterned top and a black thong.

Fun in the sun: Cindy's up-and-coming model daughter Kaia, 20, donned a mismatched bikini included pink tiger patterned top and a black thong

Vibes: Kaia had plenty of space in the private beachside residence

Strutting her stuff: Her model figure was on full display

Cheeky: Kaia looked stunning as always in the tiny swimwear

Like her mother, the star - who has been recently romantically linked to actor Austin Butler - wore her brunette tresses down and went make-up free.

She made sure to wear protection from the sun as she sported a pair of black designer shades and later wrapped herself up in a towel.

No doubt Kaia enjoyed some time away from her busy modeling schedule as she sunbathed on one of the loungers by the pool.

Gorgeous: Like her mother, the star - who has been recently romantically linked to actor Austin Butler - wore her brunette tresses down and went make-up free

Dark side: She made sure to wear protection from the sun as she sported a pair of black designer shades

Out and about: No doubt she enjoyed some time away from her busy modeling schedule

The stunner also opened up her mind as she read novel Klara And The Sun by Nobel prize winning British writer Kazuo Ishiguro which was published in March of this year.

The book is Set in the US in an unspecified future, the book is told from the point of view of Klara, a solar-powered AF (Artificial Friend), who is chosen by Josie, a sickly child, to be her companion.

She later splashed around in the pool and enjoyed a relaxing swim.

After drying up, Kaia put on a pair of striped pants and brown basket-weave sunhat before carrying on the rest of her day.

Vibes: She walked around by the pool

Chill: No doubt Kaia enjoyed some time away from her busy modeling schedule as she sunbathed on one of the loungers by the pool

Good times: She looked happy to nestle up with a good book

Relaxed: She was joined by a male companion

Making a splash: She later hopped in the pool for a relaxing swim and chat

Her dad Rande was also seen enjoying time by the pool as he went shirtless while rocking a pair of grey boardshorts.

The 59-year-old mogul - who founded Casamigos Tequila with George Clooney and Mike Meldman - later left their private pool and headed down to the beach with his supermodel wife.

The Gerbers were not the only ones hanging out at the stunning property as they seemed to be joined by other friends and family.

Not seen on the outing was Kaia's new love interest Austin Butler who was seen heading to LAX Airport in Los Angeles with her earlier that day.

Taking it all in: The stunner also opened up her mind as she read novel Klara And The Sun by Nobel prize winning British writer Kazuo Ishiguro which was published in March of this year

Interesting: The book is Set in the US in an unspecified future, the book is told from the point of view of Klara, a solar-powered AF (Artificial Friend), who is chosen by Josie, a sickly child, to be her companion

On-the-go: After drying up, Kaia put on a pair of striped pants and brown basket-weave sunhat before carrying on the rest of her day

Caffeine run: She also sipped on an iced coffee

Bonding tiume: Her dad Rande was also seen enjoying time by the pool

A source divulged to PEOPLE on Wednesday that the Elle cover girl and the 30-year-old actor 'are in fact dating' and that 'all of her 'friends think they are so adorable' together.

'It's a total step up from her last relationship and she knows it too,' said the insider, who was referencing Kaia's ex Jacob Elordi, 24, who she split from last month.

They continued: 'She seems really happy. All of her friends think he's really cute.'

Kaia and Austin were romantically linked in a series of snapshots obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com on Sunday that showed the pair looking cozy while attending a yoga class in LA.

Feeling good: He went shirtless while rocking a pair of grey boardshorts

Chill: The 59-year-old mogul founded Casamigos Tequila with George Clooney and Mike Meldman

Drying up: He later wrapped up in a towel

Just us: Rande later left their private pool and headed down to the beach with his supermodel wife

Longtime love: Cindy and Rande married in 1998, making it the second marriage for Cindy, who was previously married to Richard Gere, and they celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary in May

Altogether now: The Gerbers were not the only ones hanging out at the stunning property as they seemed to be joined by other friends and family

Austin was previously in a long-term relationship with actress Vanessa Hudgens, with the pair dating from 2011 to 2019.

Kaia's ex Jacob has since been romantically linked to Lori Loughlin's influencer daughter Olivia Jade who is best known for being involved in the college admissions scandal at USC.

Cindy and Rande married in 1998, making it the second marriage for Cindy, who was previously married to Richard Gere, and they celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary in May.

They also have a 22-year-old model son named Presley.

Hot new couple: Not seen on the outing was Kaia's new love interest Austin Butler who was seen heading to LAX Airport in Los Angeles with her earlier that day
Tammy Hembrow and her family have travelled from their base on the Gold Coast to celebrate Christmas in Sydney.

And on Friday, the pregnant Instagram influencer shared sweet photos of herself with her children - son Wolf, six, and daughter Saskia, five.

The 27-year-old, who is currently in the Harbour city with her kids and fiance Matt Poole, cradled her bump for the impromptu hotel photo shoot.

Sweet: Pregnant Tammy Hembrow flaunted her baby bump in a glamorous nude bodysuit alongside her children - son Wolf, six, and daughter Saskia, five - as they celebrate Christmas in Sydney

For the second photo, she squat down to fix her son's collar as her daughter adorably cuddled up to her.

In the caption, she called herself the 'luckiest mama' to her children.

Meanwhile on Matt's Instagram, he shared a photo himself and Tammy looking ready for their family date night at Nobu in The Crown Sydney.

Earlier, Tammy had shared a glimpse of their exciting day at Sydney's Luna Park.

Smile! For the second photo, she squat down to fix her son's collar as her daughter adorably cuddled up to her. In the caption, she called herself the 'luckiest mama' to her children

Family outing! Meanwhile on Matt's Instagram, he shared a photo himself and Tammy looking ready for their family date night at Nobu in The Crown Sydney

She reposted a sweet photo captured by her Ironman beau Matt, showing her holding hands with Saskia and Wolf as they made their way to the theme park.

The fitness mogul shared videos of her kids trying out the rides, including the Loopy Lighthouse which Wolf was not a fan of.

She also posted a video of Saskia not looking excited on one of the smaller kids rides and the caption: 'Sass just gets bored on the kiddie rides lol.'

Heart melting: Earlier, Tammy had shared a glimpse of their exciting day at Sydney's Luna Park. She reposted a sweet photo captured by her Ironman beau Matt, showing her holding hands with Saskia and Wolf as they made their way to the theme park

Not really a fan: The fitness mogul shared videos of her kids trying out the rides, including the Loopy Lighthouse, which Wolf was not a fan of. However, Saskia appeared to love the ride

It was followed by a clip of Wolf on the same ride and having the time of his life.

Tammy shared with a hilarious picture showing thrill seeking Saskia enjoying a ride on the bigger Boomerang rollercoaster accompanied by Matt.

She also shared picture of her daughter being cheeky and standing up on the horse on the Merry-Go-Round.

Little thrill seeker! Tammy shared with a hilarious picture showing thrill seeking Saskia enjoying a ride on the bigger Boomerang rollercoaster accompanied by Matt

The blonde bombshell rounded out their day at the theme park with a video of Saskia and Wolf with Matt on the Tango Train.

Tammy and her family's Christmas trip to Sydney comes after she revealed to her family and friends that she and Matt are expecting a daughter.

She initially pranked her pals with a cake-cutting ceremony, whereby the gender is usually revealed with the colour of the filling.

Trickster! Tammy recently initially pranked her pals with a cake-cutting ceremony to reveal the gender of their baby, whereby the gender is usually revealed with the colour of the filling

After the filling was unveiled to be a beige sponge, Tammy quickly turned around and picked up a pink baby ensemble from a bag - confirming: 'It's a girl!' to her pals.

Tammy and Matt announced their engagement on November 24, which was then followed by their pregnancy announcement on December 5.

Tammy shares her son Wolf and daughter Saskia with ex-fiance Reece Hawkins.
Olivia Rodrigo had a special Christmas Eve surprise for her fans.

On Friday, the 18-year-old pop star shared adorable throwback photos along with a clip of the first Christmas song that she wrote at the age of five.

'In honor of Christmas Eve may I present to you my very first Christmas song the bels written by 5 year old me lol,' Olivia wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.

Exciting! Olivia Rodrigo had a special Christmas Eve surprise for her fans

'Happy holidays!!!!' the songstress added.

In the first photo that she shared, a young Olivia donned a red velvet dress trimmed with white faux fur.

The Disney Channel alum wore her long brunette hair down with one side pinned back with a barrette.

Young talent: On Friday, the 18-year-old pop star shared adorable throwback photos along with a clip of the first Christmas song that she wrote at the age of five

The California native stood in front a fireplace as she held a microphone.

The second photo that Olivia shared framed in bright green with a dark green Christmas wrapping bow taped to the side.

She was clad in a lacing pink cami and cropped white pants as she sat cross-legged on the floor in front of a Christmas tree.

Olivia sported a Santa hat over her chin-length bob as she gave the camera a sweet smile.

Early start: Olivia began taking singing lessons and acting classes at the age of six. Seen in December 2021

'the bels' was written on the frame above the photo with 'olivia' written underneath.

A 15 second clip of the song played over the photo with Olivia's vocal talent on display at young age.

'Red and green as a Christmas queen, make the holiday special to me,' Olivia sang, as lively beat played underneath the track.

She continued, 'oh, see the dancing gingerbread dance in your head. Wait, wait, wait for the bells.'

'Ring them, now let me hear it out loud, Santa's coming to town.'

'Oh, oh, oh wait for the bells...when you hear them ornaments on the tree...'

'Oh, oh, wait for the bells, wait for the bells, oh oh oh, wait for the bells to ring on Santa's sleigh.'

'Ho Ho Ho,' the hitmaker sang as the clip came to a close.

Major success: In May 2021, she released her debut album Sour which held the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks. Pictured in December 2021

Olivia began taking singing lessons and acting classes at the age of six. She was inspired by country music, particularly that of Taylor Swift, to begin writing songs.

After acting in several theater productions when she attended elementary and middle school, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

In 2016, Olivia was cast as Paige Olvera, a lead character in the Disney Channel series Bizaarvark. She played Paige during all three of the show's seasons.

Recognition: In November, she was nominated for seven Grammy Awards. Seen in December 2021

After the series ended in 2019, she landed the role of Nini Salazar-Roberts in the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

Olivia wrote the songs All I Want and co-wrote Just for a Moment with co-star Joshua Bassett for the show's soundtrack.

In 2020, she signed with Interscope and Geffen Records. Olivia released her first single Drivers License, which she co-wrote with producer Dan Nigro, in January 2021.

Drivers License was a huge hit and broke several records on Spotify. In May 2021, she released her debut album Sour which held the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart for five weeks.

In November, she was nominated for seven Grammy Awards. Olivia was named Time's Entertainer of the Year in December.
Thor star Chris Hemsworth wished his fans a Merry Christmas on Friday, with a cheeky and hilarious photo.

The 38-year-old Hollywood star shared a picture of himself showing off his bulging biceps while doing a workout from his fitness app Centr, with a Santa beard and hat Photoshopped onto him.

'Putting in the hard yards at Santa's workshop! Merry Xmas to all!! xo,' Chris captioned the image.

Merry Christmas! Chris Hemsworth showed off his bulging biceps and donned a Santa hat as he wished his fans a Merry Christmas on Friday with a cheeky new snap

Also digitally imposed onto the image was a Christmas tree and a reindeer.

'Hot Santa,' one fan cheekily wrote underneath his Instagram snap.

'Happy ThorXmas,' another added.

'Hot Santa,' one fan cheekily wrote underneath his Instagram snap

Chris is in Prague with his family as he shoots Extraction 2 for Netflix.

He will reprise his role as mercenary Tyler Rake who was shot and appeared to have died at the end of the first Extraction film.

Extraction was supposed to be filmed in Australia but moved location due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

The highly anticipated sequel to 2020's Extraction - which became Netflix's most-streamed original movie upon its release - was supposed to be filmed in the Harbour City, but producers decided in August to relocate to the Czech Republic.

New film: Chris is in Prague with his family as he shoots Extraction 2 for Netflix. He will reprise his role as mercenary Tyler Rake who was shot and appeared to have died at the end of the first Extraction film. Pictured on set

The shoot is expected to run for four months, until March 2022.

Chris told Today Extra hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys he was frustrated with the NSW lockdowns when the decision to move Extraction was made.

But he did acknowledge the state government had made the right decision to place restrictions when it did.

'At the time I was definitely thinking, like, "Ah, you know, enough of the lockdowns," but you go elsewhere and you go, "Actually we're doing a pretty good job as far as reducing the effects,"' he said.
It's Christmas time and everyone in the West seems to be cooking up massive, large turkeys to spread the festive cheer. Turkey and Christmas are synonymous in the West and cooking a large delectable turkey is a yearly ritual for many. It is usually the star of every Christmas dinner feast.

via GIPHY

You might remember how Nigella Lawson NOT cooking turkey last year made BIG news. The world has grown up watching her sensually cooking up the big beast on TLC and later ravishing it with a glass of wine with her friends. Thankfully, looks like she is back at it this year.

Brining bins at the ready! #RecipeOfTheDay is my Spiced and Superjuicy Turkey https://t.co/V01pDaOSfR! And I will post some alternatives later for those eschewing the big bird pic.twitter.com/RhWmODhHMn  Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) December 22, 2021

It's clear. Turkey is a BIG Deal in the West during the holidays. But did you know why?

Here's a look at how the turkey evolved from a nobody to the KING of the Christmas dinner table.

via GIPHY

HISTORY

Before the 1500s, turkeys were largely found and farmed in native Central American countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, etc. But when Columbus & friends discovered America in the 1500s after crossing the North Atlantic Ocean, transporting turkeys from America to Spain became the norm. The turkeys were then bought and farmed in France. Photo: Getty Images

Around the 1520s, Britain imported turkeys from both Turkey and Central America. Before this, people opted for other animals like peacocks, boar head, and geese.

During a 2018 excavation, turkey bones were found in England in expensive ceramics & glasses that dated back to the 1530s, suggesting that it was consumed by the elite royal class. England's famous king, Henry VIII was also known to eat turkey for the occasion.

Then came Charles Dickens who raised the bird's popularity in his own way. A self-proclaimed turkey lover, he wrote about it in 'A Christmas Carol', where the lead protagonist sends a prized turkey to his underpaid staff on Christmas Day after having a change of heart. Peacocks were the previous alternatives. Photo: Getty Images

The earliest European settlers are known to have survived with the help of the native Americans, who shared their meats with them. The first Thanksgiving meal was recorded in 1621 at Plymouth (in modern-day Massachusetts, United States), where turkey became the main centre food. It soon became a tradition which was celebrated for 200 years.

By the 19th century, turkey became one of the many Christmas delicacies being served; but it did not have the centre stage designation that it has now. Rich families still opted for beef as the main Christmas meal while other meats were laid on the table to be served as variety. The poor couldn't afford a turkey. So they opted for a smaller goose instead.

Next up, Roast Goose with Pear and Cranberry Stuffing https://t.co/zR2heh8dvj 2/3 pic.twitter.com/0ORobsGBTU  Nigella Lawson (@Nigella_Lawson) December 22, 2021

By the second half of the 20th century, World Wars and Depression made meals smaller for the entire population. People moved from having a lot of delicacies on the table to just one central meaty roast that was large enough for all. By 1950, America had adopted this golden glazed animal for its Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.

Beef was the center table highlight for many. Photo: Getty Images

This change in size of one meal caused a small problem - households had really small ovens to fit a turkey. So local bakers opened up special services on Christmas mornings. They used their BIG ovens to roast turkeys for the locals. This ensured that the community celebrated and helped each other create festive fervour together.

Smaller geese are still an alternative today. Photo: Getty Images

WHY WAS IT PREFERRED THOUGH?

Though Turkey can get dry if not cooked well it was seen as a magnificent and beautiful bird. Historically, people ate chickens and peacocks for Christmas, but that did not stay the course of time because apparently turkey tastes better than peacocks. Also, chickens give more eggs over time and cows give milk, so why waste something from your livestock when you can taste something new and nice?

The most popular way to serve a turkey was in a way it would last for 12 days of feasting starting from the 25th - a raised pie with the tail, wings, head and neck cooked onto skewers and put back in the pie. In the end, it looked like a delicious ball to dig into for the would-be diner. Nowadays, it's cooked separately and served with some hot curry and wine to complete the meal.

Merry Christmas. Photo: Getty Images

So, how does your Christmas feast look like?
Alkaline and Chronixx are the most streamed Dancehall and Reggae artists on Spotify in Jamaica, after the streaming platform became available on the island in February this year. See full lists for the top 10 Dancehall and Reggae artists below.

Spotifys expansion to Jamaica  and 80+ other markets  was welcome news for the industry because it meant that there would be one more platform for fans to access music in the region.

According to Julia Lavender, Communications Manager for Spotifys new markets across the world, the platform is positioned to help propel Jamaican music locally and worldwide. Much of the music energy is still untapped, but with our launch we believe that we can give Jamaicas music culture a boost both locally and globally  and that the access to our creator tools will help propel Jamaican artists careers, she told World Music Views.

Spotify holds a majority 32% market share among premium streaming services, according to Statista. Streams earned on premium services are worth more dollars than those gained on ad-driven services like YouTube.

Data from our dedicated Caribbean Hub shows us that theres a tremendous interest in sounds from the country, and Jamaican genres have seen massive increases in listenership since Spotify first entered the market, she said.

Lavender indicated that even dying genres like Ska have seen an increase over the year on the platform.

Ska Revival has seen a 191% increase, Early Reggae a 183% increase, and Ska has a 105% increase. Globally, the playlist Reggae Classics is by far the most streamed Caribbean playlist in the past year. Sunshine Reggae, One Love and Dancehall Throwback are also amongst the most streamed playlists the past year.

Whilst reggae playlists dominate globally, Dancehall playlists dominate amongst Jamaican listeners, with Dancehall Official, Back a Yard, Island Pop, Dancehall Throwback, and Dancehall Party on the top 5, she added.

Lavender said Spotify has taken careful note of Jamaicas music industry and is already helping dancehall artists at home and abroad.

Besides the Caribbean Hub, we in 2021 supported emerging artists with Jamaican heritage such as Griff, Skillibeng, Jorja Smith and Capella Gray  and hope to expand that support to more local artists and their releases. Its clear that theres an appetite for Jamaican sounds and in 2022 we want to continue surfacing local talents and introduce them to more Spotify listeners so they have the opportunity to discover unique local sounds, voices, and cultures.

As for what streamers and artists should expect in 2022 from Spotify, Lavender said there will be new ways to monetize, innovate and improve the listening experience.

This year we continued to go all in on the limitless power of audio and our mission to connect creators with fans and empower creators to live off of their art with more to come in 2022.

We aim to shape a new ecosystem with new tools and formats for creators to..reach new audiences and monetize their work, as well as continuing to innovate around the listening experience including Enhance, Blend and Lyrics.

Top 10 Most Streamed Dancehall And Reggae Artists On Spotify For 2021

Most played artists in Jamaica  Dancehall

Alkaline Vybz Kartel Skillibeng Masicka Intence Popcaan Dexta Daps Chronic Law Shenseea Skeng

Most played artists in Jamaica  Reggae

Chronixx Beres Hammond Protoje Tarrus Riley Buju Banton Lila Ike Sizzla Kabaka Pyramid Garnett Silk Barrington Levy

Most played artists globally  Dancehall

Sean Paul Burna Boy Shaggy Stefflon Don Popcaan Damian Marley Vybz Kartel Charly Black Chronixx Dave

Most played artists globally  Reggae
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For Release: Friday, December 24, 2021

DEC to Hold 'First Day' Hikes in the Adirondacks

New York State and Partners to Lead Hikes on Jan. 1, 2022, to Celebrate the New Year

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced six "first day" hikes planned for Jan. 1, 2022, in DEC's Region 5, which includes the Central and Eastern Adirondacks. Announced by Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this month (leaves DEC website), DEC encourages New Yorkers to connect with nature and enjoy safe, responsible recreation by getting outdoors on the first day of the New Year with DEC Region 5 staff and partners. The walks and hikes are family-friendly and range from 1.5 to five miles round trip.

"First Day Hikes are a fun, healthy way to welcome 2022," said Joe Zalewski, DEC Region 5 Director. "Our regional staff are excited to lead a hike and to work with our partners at Paul Smith's College, SUNY College of Environment Science and Forestry (ESF), Champlain Area Trails, and the Adirondack Mountain Club to provide exceptional outdoor experiences for this year's First Day hikers."

Hikers should come prepared for the elements with warm layered clothing, water, snacks, sunglasses, hats, gloves, and insulated, waterproof footwear. Depending on conditions, snowshoes and other traction devices may also be necessary. Participants should contact their trip leader or host for more information on required and recommended gear. Some hikes will be guided, while others invite users to enjoy a self-guided experience on a designated trail.

Each participant will receive a pair of Adventure NY-branded gloves and a New York State Parks bandana. Hikes may be cancelled if snowfall or other weather events create hazardous travel or outdoor recreation conditions. Registered participants will be notified if a hike is cancelled.

DEC Guided Hike Up Prospect Mountain

Jan. 1, 2022, 9 a.m.

Details: Hike 1.5-miles and climb 1,630 feet to the summit of Prospect Mountain to enjoy a spectacular 360-degree view. Parking at the trailhead is limited. If parking along Smith Street is full, find parking along nearby roads and walk to the trailhead. Dogs must be leashed. Please note that the pedestrian bridge over the Northway is metal grating and may be rough on dogs' feet. The trail typically has snow and ice at steep angles. Hikers must bring appropriate footwear and traction devices such as microspikes or snowshoes with crampons. Wear and bring warm winter clothing and layers as well as water and food. Cameras are recommended.

Prospect Mountain: Trailhead on Smith Street, Village of Lake George (43.4254N, 73.7197W)

Registration Required: Registration is limited to 20 participants. For more information and to register, contact Ben Thomas at benjamin.thomas@dec.ny.gov (reference 'First Day Hike' in the subject line) or call (518) 623-1268.

Paul Smith's Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) Guided Hike on Heron Marsh Trail

Jan. 1, 2022, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Details: Join VIC Director Scott van Laer and start the New Year with a spin around Heron Marsh (a 2.65-mile loop). You may catch glimpses of otters at play, birds checking back for the stash of seeds they carefully left behind last summer, or tracks from other critters who have been out and about. This event is free and snowshoes are required. Call in advance if you need to rent a pair of snowshoes.

Paul Smith VIC: 8023 NY-30, Paul Smiths, NY 12970.

Registration Required: Registration is limited to 20 participants. Visit Paul Smith's website to register (link leaves DEC website).

Champlain Area Trails - Self-Guided Hike Up Cheney Mountain

Jan. 1, 2022, 10 a.m.

Details: Begin at the trailhead on Pelfershire Rd, approximately 1.6 miles west of Rt 22/9N. Walk across the field and enter the woods for a .75-mile uphill hike to the Cheney Mountain summit with three scenic overlooks. Enjoy interesting "perched" wetlands on the summit.

Contact: For more information, contact Emily Segada at Emily@champlainareatrails.com.

Champlain Area Trails - Self-Guided Hike on Little Ausable Trail

Jan. 1, 2022, 10 a.m.

Details: The Little Ausable River Trail, a 3.6-mile round-trip recreational path, begins at Heyworth/Mason Park in Peru and leads to the entrance of Sullivan Park. Enjoy this flat gravel and paved trail along Little Ausable River. Near Peru are interpretive signs about human and natural history in the area.

Contact: For more information, contact Emily Segada at Emily@champlainareatrails.com.

SUNY ESF Guided Hike Up Goodnow Mountain

Jan. 1, 2022, 9:30 a.m.

Details: Enjoy a first day hike or snowshoe on the four-mile round trip trail up Goodnow Mountain. The Goodnow Mountain trail ascends approximately 900 feet over two miles and features gorgeous views into the High Peaks from a 60ft Fire Tower on the summit. Hike will take approximately 3.5 hours. Please note that the fire tower cab is closed and off-limits, but visitors can still enjoy views from the fire tower stairs. Please arrive at the Adirondack Interpretive Center (AIC) between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Coffee and pastries will be available before driving to the trailhead. Masks are required indoors at all times.

SUNY ESF's AIC: 6312 State Route 28N, Newcomb, NY 12852

Registration Required: To register, email aic@esf.edu. For more information, contact Charlotte Demers at 518-582-2000 or cdemers@esd.edu.

Glens Falls-Saratoga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club Guided Hike up Thomas Mountain

Jan. 1, 2022, 10 a.m.

Details: Help kick off the Adirondack Mountain Club's 100th Anniversary! This will be an easy to moderate paced hike covering three miles round trip. Beginners are welcome. If the conditions call for it, please wear snowshoes. If you are interested in participating but don't have snowshoes, please inquire with the trip leader as she has access to extra snowshoes. The hike will begin from the Valley Woods Road Trailhead in Bolton.

Registration Required: Group size limited to 13 participants. For more information and to register, contact Megan at megan@adk.org.

This year, DEC and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation are offering more than 75 First Day Hikes at parks, historic sites, wildlife areas, trails, and public lands across New York. For a list of DEC and partner guided hikes, visit DEC's First Day Hikes webpage. For more information and a complete list of hikes, view the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation press release.
Ticket rates were hiked on April 26, 2013, in undivided Andhra Pradesh but the order was struck down by the combined High Court of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on October 31, 2016.(DC file image)

HYDERABAD: The government has allowed cinema theatres to increase ticket rates, and to charge fixed uniform prices across the state. The previous method had variable ticket prices based on location of the theatre.

For AC theatres, the minimum ticket price will be Rs 50 and maximum Rs 150 (excluding GST), according to the Government Order (GO) 120 which listed the hiked rates. At multiplexes, the minimum price is Rs 100 and maximum Rs 250 (excluding GST).

AC theatres are allowed to collect a maintenance charge of Rs 5 per ticket and non-AC theatres Rs 3 per ticket. All ticket rates are excluding GST which will be added at the applicable rates.

For non-AC theatres, the minimum price is Rs 30 and maximum Rs 70. For recliner seats in single screen theatres, the maximum price will be Rs 200.

For special IMax/ large screen single theatre, the maximum price was fixed at Rs 250. For recliner seats in multiplexes, the maximum price will be Rs 300.

"The theatres should print the rates of admission of tickets, clearly indicating GST, maintenance charges as applicable and the online charges separately on all tickets. All the district collectors and licensing authorities and all the commissioners of police in Telangana state concerned shall take further necessary action accordingly in these orders," said the GO 120 issued by Ravi Gupta, principal secretary, home department.

Ticket rates were hiked on April 26, 2013, in undivided Andhra Pradesh but the order was struck down by the combined High Court of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on October 31, 2016.

The state government, on the directions of the court, set up a six-member committee to adjudicate the issue on February 28, 2017. Based on its committee, the government issued GO 75 on June 23, 2017, enhancing ticket prices. This was kept in abeyance on June 30, 2017, due to administrative reasons.

Later, the government convened several meetings with officials and representatives of the film industry to discuss ticket prices. It finally issued GO 120 on Tuesday (December 21, 2021) enhancing ticket prices which came to light on Friday.

In the previous variable ticket pricing method, the government allowed theatres to fix prices that can vary between Rs 40 to Rs 300 in municipal corporations and Rs 30 and Rs 80 in municipalities. In nagar panchayats and gram panchayats, the ticket costs varied between Rs 15 and Rs 70 in the previous system.
Women attendees listen and cheer during the launch of women-centric initiatives formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi during an event held at the parade ground near the Sangam, the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, in Allahabad. (Photo: AFP)

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Thursday urged the central government to stop political rallies from being held in election-bound states amid rising cases of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19.

A Bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, while allowing the bail application of a petitioner in a case, said the number of patients infected with Omicron are increasing and there is a possibility of a third wave.

The court said countries like China, Netherlands, and Germany have imposed complete or partial lockdowns due to the rising cases.

During the second wave, the country saw lakhs of people getting infected by coronavirus and many people had died contracting the disease, the HC said.

The gram panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal Assembly polls also contributed to a rise in infections that led to many deaths due to COVID-19, it stated.

As the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are nearing, all the political parties are mobilising lakhs of people by holding rallies and meetings where it is not possible to follow COVID protocols, including social distancing, in any way, the HC observed.

If this is not stopped in time, the consequences could be more dire than the second wave of the pandemic, it warned.

The court requested the Election Commission of India to immediately stop such rallies and gatherings and also order political parties to campaign through TV channels and newspapers.

The court said, if possible, the elections that are expected to be held in February next year could be postponed by a couple of months because only if there is life, then the election rallies and meetings can take place and the right to life has also been given under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the court requested him to consider stopping rallies, gatherings and postponing the upcoming state elections, taking strong measures in view of the pandemic situation.

The court made the remarks while allowing the bail plea of a person named Sanjay Yadav.
Belagavi: The contentious "Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021", popularly known as "Anti-conversion Bill", was passed by Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday, amidst din.

Congress partly vehemently opposed the bill, calling it "anti people", "inhuman", "anti constitutional", "anti poor" and "draconian", and urged that it should not be passed for any reason and should be withdrawn by the government.

JD(S) too expressed its opposition to the bill, which was introduced in the Assembly on Tuesday.

The bill was passed by a voice vote, even as Congress members were protesting from the well of the House, demanding continuation of the debate on the bill, that began this morning.

They were also expressing their anguish against some remarks made by Minister K S Eshwarappa, during his intervention in the debate.

Congress seemed to be on a back foot with the ruling BJP alleging that the bill was actually "initiated" by the Siddaramaiah led Congress administration, and placed documents to support its claim before the House.

Though Siddaramaiah, who is now the Leader of Opposition, denied it, later on personally going through the records in the Speaker's office, accepted that as the CM he had then only asked the draft bill to be placed before the cabinet and no decision was taken in this regard, and hence it cannot be seen or projected as the intention of his government.

With Siddaramaiah alleging RSS' hand behind this bill, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said, "RSS is committed to anti conversion, it is not a hidden secret, it is an open secret. Why did the Congress government in 2016 initiate the bill during its tenure following the RSS' policy? It is because Congress CM in Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh had brought a similar law. You are a party to this bill."

Bommai said the bill is both constitutional and legal, and aimed at getting rid of the menace of religious conversion. "It is for a healthy society.... Congress was indulging in vote bank politics by opposing it now, their double standard is clear today."

The "Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021", provides for protection of right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.

The bill proposes an imprisonment from three to five years with a fine of Rs 25,000, while for violation of provisions with respect to minors, women, SC/ST, offenders will face imprisonment from three to ten years and a fine of not less than Rs 50,000.

The bill also makes provisions for the accused to pay up to Rs five lakh as compensation to those who were made to convert, and with regards to cases of mass conversion the bill proposes 3-10 years jail term and a fine of up to Rs one lakh.

It also states that any marriage which has happened for the sole purpose of unlawful conversion or vice-versa by the man of one religion with the woman of another religion, either by converting himself before or after marriage or by converting the woman before or after marriage, shall be declared as null and void by the family court.

Where the family court is not established, the court having jurisdiction to try such case, on a petition presented by either party thereto against the other party of the marriage.

The offense under this bill is non-bailable and cognizable.

The bill that is also being opposed by Christian community leaders, mandates that the persons who wish to convert to another faith shall give a declaration in a prescribed format at least 30 days in advance to the District Magistrate or the Additional District Magistrate specially authorised by the District Magistrate in this regard of his residing district or place of birth within the state.

Also the religious converter who performs the conversion shall also give 30 days advance notice in a format, to the District Magistrate or the Additional District Magistrate.

Also, the person who wishes to convert will lose the religion of his or her origin and facilities or benefits attached with it, including reservations; however, one is likely to receive the benefits entitled to, in the religion he or she converts to, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, who piloted the bill, said.

According to Jnanendra, eight states have passed or were implementing such a law, and Karnataka would become the ninth one.
Police inspect the site of an explosion at the District Court complex, in Ludhiana. (Photo: PTI)

Ludhiana/Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday said as the Assembly polls are drawing near, some anti-national forces are trying to spread anarchy in the state.

He said this after a bomb blast in the Ludhiana district courts complex left one person dead and six injured.

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, former CM Amarinder Singh, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal also condemned the attack.

Talking to reporters in Chandigarh soon after the incident, Channi termed the alleged sacrilege bids and the Ludhiana blast a "big conspiracy".

"As the elections are nearing, some anti-national and anti-state forces are trying to commit such disgusting acts and for this, the government is alert and people should also be alert," he said.

Channi said earlier sacrilege attempts were made but they did not succeed. Now, this blast has been carried out, the CM said.

Later in the day, Channi visited a hospital in Ludhiana and enquired about the health of those injured in the blast.

Talking to reporters in Ludhiana, he said prima facie, it appears that the person who died in the incident was operating the bomb. He said the body has not been removed from the site so that the crime scene is not tempered with.

He expressed fear that an attempt is being made to "spread anarchy" ahead of the state Assembly polls.

Channi later at a public meeting in Ludhiana's Mullanpura Dakha sought to draw a parallel between the registration of an FIR against Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia, the blast and the recent alleged sacrilege bids.

He questioned as to why such a horrendous incident took place only after Majithia was cornered by the law.

Majithia (46) was on Monday booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act on the basis of a 2018 status report of a probe into the drug racket in the state.

Asked if it appears to be a suicide bomber and why would have this particular day been chosen, Channi said, "Sometimes, it appears we are doing political talk. Ever since we started acting against the drug menace, such incidents are surfacing."

Meanwhile, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh condemned the blast and reiterated his concerns over the challenges to the state's peace and security.

Hoping that the Punjab Police and other security agencies will closely coordinate with each other in investigating the blast, he regretted the "diversionary" tactics by the Punjab government, particularly Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.

"It is not only unfortunate but highly irresponsible on part of the chief minister to jump to conclusions by trying to construct a link between the blasts, the sacrilege incidents and the FIR against an Akali leader without any investigations," Amarinder said.

He said the CM must speak with facts and not with political rhetoric.

"There is a serious threat to the peace and security of Punjab and such incidents are an indication towards that which must be taken seriously and not brushed aside the way the government is trying to," he said.

Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu also condemned the blast, saying "innocent people losing lives to vote bank politics and polarisation".

"I condemn this cowardly act Innocent people losing lives to vote bank politics and polarisation !! The politics of Hope and Unity must replace the politics of Fear and Division. Divisive force will be defeated by the indomitable spirit of Punjabiyat given to us by Great Gurus," Sidhu said in a tweet.

He further said the blast in Ludhiana "left no shadow of doubt that a series of peace-disrupting activities have been planned by vested interests to create law and order problem in Punjab".

He condoled the death and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Union Minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat blamed "anti-national" forces for the incident.

He said Punjabis will never let the harmony and peace be disturbed in this border state.

Senior Congress leader Sunil Jakhar said people of Punjab needed to be assured of the state government's ability to maintain peace and law and order.

"People of Punjab can see through the evil designs behind today's bomb blast coming soon after attempts at desecrations. But they need to be assured of the commitment and ability of the govt to maintain peace & harmony. The CM can't afford to be seen floundering on this account," said Jakhar in a tweet.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed shock over the blast.

He, however, alleged, "Police are being used to settle political vendetta. I want to say that the DGP has to maintain law and order, which they are not doing," said Badal.

SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema condemned Channi's statement, in which he alleged that "sacrilege" bids and the Ludhiana blast occurred after the government registered a case against Majithia.

AAP leader and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in a tweet said,"First sacrilege, now blast. Some people want to disturb the peace of Punjab. Three crore people of Punjab will not allow their plans to succeed."
Kolkata: The India-Switzerland bilateral relations will prosper with the cooperation in the field of innovation between the two countries. This was underlined by Swiss ambassador Ralf Heckner at an interactive session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce on Friday in the city during his visit to West Bengal.

He said, "There is one thing why I am convinced that our relations will only grow in importance. If you have a look at what is important today, that is innovation. Innovation is important for our business. If you want to be competitive in business then you have to be innovative and look for innovation, If you want to be a successful country, you have to be an innovative country."

Mr Heckner elaborated, "Innovation is also at the centre of geo political interactions. What you see in between the US and China for example, is a competition about innovation. India is part and parcel of that geopolitical power equation. If India wants to have innovation, all India has to do is to pay attention to relations India has with Switzerland. Switzerland has been ranked one of the most innovative countries in the world. But being an ambassador of Switzerland to India, what I have seen is there are huge pockets of innovation in India and those pockets."

He added, "75 years back, Switzerland had innovation. India had little innovation. Today we are in a position where Switzerland is looking to India as an inspiration for innovation. And because of the fact that innovation grows in importance, I am convinced that our bilateral relations will grow in importance with the cooperation in innovation."
The farmers raising paddy under bore wells and tanks agreed to cultivate millets and horticulture crops. However, the farmers around the NSPs left canal are preferring paddy cultivation over others. (Representational Image/DC)

Khammam: Agriculture officials are facing a tough time convincing the ayacut farmers near Nagarjunasagar Projects left canal to cultivate crops other than paddy in yasangi. The farmers raising paddy under bore wells and tanks agreed to cultivate millets and horticulture crops.

However, the farmers around the NSPs left canal are preferring paddy cultivation over others.

The farmers submitted various arguments before the agriculture officials, including that their land and the soil are not suitable for other crops.

Farmers are also willing to sell their yasangi produce to private traders if the government does not open procurement centres.

Farmer leader N. Satyanarayana said that all the farmers in an area should opt for alternate crops. It is not possible to switch to other crops if farm officials dont convince all the farmers in a village, he said.
Tirupati: Tollywood actor Nanis comments on movie ticket prices, which sparked controversy across political and film circles, seems to be getting murkier by the day. While the actor called the state governments move illogical and an insult to the audience, some ministers and YSRC leaders have hit back at the star.

In a sarcasm-laid criticism that was aimed at belittling the actor, minister for water resources Dr. P. Anil Kumar Yadav said I don't know who Nani is. There is only one Nani who is famous in Andhra and that is Kodali Nani. We are not bothered about comments made by any other Nani.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday Yadav also dragged in Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan.

How much is Pawan Kalyan charging for a movie? Why can't he reduce his remuneration? If he does so, films production costs will come down and there will not be any problems, he said.

I heard that the Vakeel Saab was made with a Rs 70 crore budget and Pawan Kalyans remuneration reportedly was between Rs 45 crore and Rs 50 crore, he added.

The minister said Tollywood actors were worried that their remuneration would come down drastically if the ticket prices are lowered.

Yadav pointed out that he was also a fan who had even sold his motorcycle to erect cut-outs of Pawan Kalyans movie. I lost time, money and energy like any other fan did. If they (fans) want to spend more on movie tickets, its their wish. However, they will realize one day that all this is a waste of time, money and energy, he added.
Actor & Comedian K.Brahmanandam being felicitated with Visesha Puraskaram award by Chief Justice of India Justice N V Ramana during the Dr.Ramineni Foundation Puraskarams 2020 &2021 award ceremony held at a convention hall in Financial district on Thursday. (Photo: DC/R.Pavan)

Hyderabad: Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Thursday said there was a need to preserve the Telugu language and culture, and there should be pride in using the language. The achievements of Telugus should be celebrated, Justice Ramana said, adding, A person should be proud of his mother tongue and the traditions in which he is raised.

He said that many Telugus have contributed to all spheres of the society not only in their native places, but across India, and all over the world. He cited the example of the Ramineni Foundation which was incorporated in the USA by the late Dr Ramineni Ayyanna Chowdary who was steadfast in following, and propagating Indian, and particularly Telugu culture.

The Chief Justice was speaking after presenting the Puraskaarams 2020 & 2021 in the evening at a function hosted by the Ramineni Foundation. Awards were conferred on personalities from across India for their contribution towards society, chosen from a cross spectrum of fields in arts, science and humanities.

Praising the awardees, he said that many Telugus were self-made without a god father and rose from the lowest rung to the pinnacle of success. He observed that many Telugus suffer from a lot of inhibitions and an inferiority complex. It is high time that we come out of our shell and showcase our culture and support our traditions, he said.

Making a special mention to Bharat Biotech Founder chairman and managing director Dr Krishna M. Ella, and joint managing director Suchitra M. Ella, the Chief Justice praised them for their unstinted dedication in making Covaxin, the anti-Covid vaccine an international name despite resistance from international pharmaceutical giants who tried to scuttle their efforts.

The 2020 list of awardees are Nabard chairman G.R. Chintala, TV anchor Suma Kanakala, Healing Hastha Herbals Pvt. Ltd managing director B. Masthan Yadav and Dwarkamai Seva Trust managing trustee Bandlamudi Srinivas.

The awardees for 2021 are Bharat Biotech founder chairman and managing director Dr Krishna M. Ella and joint managing director Suchitra M. Ella, Telugu film comedian Brahmanandam, professor and head of anaesthesiology at NIMS Dr Durga Padmaja and Telugu film journalist S.V. Rama Rao.
Hyderabad: TRS Vemulawada MLA Chennamaneni Ramesh told the Telangana High Court on Thursday that the order issued by the Centre ceasing his citizenship was invalid from the beginning.

He contended that the order should have been issued by the secretary, border management, of the Union home ministry who was the competent authority, and he should sign the order copy. In his case, the order copy was signed by the undersecretary of the government of India.

Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy was hearing the petition filed by Ramesh, who challenged the cessation of his citizenship by the Centre, based on a complaint of Adi Srinivas, a politicain from Vemulavada. It was alleged that Ramesh had acquired Indian citizenship by false submissions about his stay in India.

Vedula Venkataramana, senior counsel, appearing for Ramesh, told the High Court that earlier orders in 2019 had directed that the competent authority should personally hear the case.

The hearing was conducted by the secretary, border management, whereas orders were issued by the undersecretary of the Union government, which is aviolation of High Court orders he said.

Venkataramana said that the High Court had directed the competent authority to consider whether by Ramesh`s conduct and continuation of his Indian citizenship was not conducive of the public good. But, the Centre had gone into the issue of how he acquired the citizenship and had concluded that Ramesh had submitted false statements about his stay in India, senior counsel said.

At this point, Justice Vijaysen Reddy inquired from counsels of both sides as to whether the competent authority was quasi-judicial and whether the lawyers were allowed or not at the personal hearing. Counsels submitted only personal hearing was conducted.

V. Ravi Kiran Rao, senior counsel, appearing for Adi Srinivas, said that it was unfortunate that Vemulawada was being representing by a German citizen. It is a clear violation of the Constitution, he said.

Ramesh had himself admitted that he still had the passport of Germany and he had the Indian Origin Citizen card. He is still traveling on this OCI card. But, he is arguing that he acquired Indian citizenship, Ravi Kiran Rao said. The case was adjourned to January 30.
Visakhapatnam: Nellimarla police on Thursday registered a case against former Union minister and TD leader P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, responding to a formal complaint lodged by the state endowment officials at Ramatheertham in Vizianagaram district.

Nellimarla circle inspector Satya Mangaveni said, We have registered a case under Section 353 for obstructing a government servant in discharging duties. It is a bailable offence.

Endowment officials lodged the complaint against Raju for allegedly creating a ruckus at the governments official foundation laying ceremony for redeveloping the Ramatheertham temple on Wednesday. State endowments minister Vellampalli Srinivas and the states urban minister Botsa Satyanarayana were among other ministers and YSRC leaders present at the ceremony.
Health workers process COVID-19 PCR tests at an outdoor testing site aside the Long Island Sound in Stamford, Connecticut. (Photo: AFP)

Singapore: The new and highly transmissible Omicron variant of the deadly coronavirus has increased immune escape compared with the Delta variant and appears likely to become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain globally in 2022, according to Singapore-based experts.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the world to pull together to end the COVID-19 pandemic next year.

"2022 must be the year we end the pandemic," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

But Singapore-based experts said much depends on how potent the Omicron variant is and asserted that it was futile to try and predict when the pandemic will end.

It appears likely that Omicron will become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain globally in 2022, Public health expert Associate Professor Natasha Howard said, adding that the Omicron variant is more transmissible and has increased immune escape compared with the Delta strain.

The rise of the more transmissible variant, increased case numbers and hospitalisations are likely, said Howard, the interdisciplinary health policy and systems researcher from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health in Singapore.

The implications of this are still unclear, but it shows that the pandemic is not controlled yet and until initial and booster COVID-19 vaccine doses are accessible to everyone eligible globally, we can expect new variants to emerge, she warned.

For the Singapore population, it is clear that two COVID-19 vaccine doses are not enough to provide reasonable protection against Omicron and people should get booster shots as soon as they are eligible, she said.

Citing Imperial College modelling data, she said that the risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant is more than five times higher and it does not appear milder than the Delta variant.

Omicron will likely be the cause of a significant wave of COVID-19, said Associate Professor Ashley St John from the Duke-NUS Medical School's Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme. "But while the Omicron variant is more transmissible than most we have seen, it is still SARS-CoV-2," she said.

The genetic backbone of Omicron is very, very different However, we don't yet have consistent data whether those genetic differences result in increased severity, the professor explained.

Public health experts are thus monitoring the data on severity for Omicron and are waiting for more concrete numbers to bolster the initial assessment that vaccines are efficacious against it, she said.

Dr Lim Wee Kiat, associate director at the Singapore Management University's Centre for Management Practice, said it was futile to try and predict when the pandemic will end.

After all, the 1918 flu pandemic never really ended, according to the US CDC (Centre of Disease Control and Prevention), descendants of the influenza virus from more than a century ago still circulate today, Lim Wee said.

The path to normalcy is going to be punctuated by twists and dead ends, even reversals, as we have seen here in Singapore and elsewhere, the Channel quoted Dr Lim, a disaster sociologist by training, as saying.

And while Omicron may further delay the roll-out of the Singapore government's COVID-19 endemic roadmap, the city state's experience in managing the pandemic over the past two years is a plus.

Our experience in managing the pandemic over the past two years means that we are unlikely to revert to a circuit-breaker' type situation, which will only serve as a last resort given Singapore's endemic goal, especially since most of the population has been vaccinated, said Nydia Ngiow, Singapore managing director of strategic advisory firm Bowyer Group Asia.

Meanwhile, Singapore reported 322 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, of which 89 are imported or those who arrived here. There are also two fatalities, taking the country's death toll from coronavirus complications to 820 deaths.

As of Thursday, Singapore has recorded 277,042 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
The fire also left over 200 others with burn injuries. (Photo: Twitter)

Dhaka: At least 40 people died and over 150 others were injured early Friday after a packed three-storey ferry carrying around 800 passengers caught fire on the Sugandha River in southern Bangladesh, officials said, in the latest maritime tragedy to hit the delta nation criss-crossed by rivers.

The fire broke out around 3:00 am (local time) on Friday in the engine room of the Barguna-bound MV Abhijan-10 launch that started a journey from Dhaka, police and fire service officials said, adding that scores of other passengers were missing.

"Nine of the bodies were retrieved from the river... 72 passengers mostly with fire wounds are being treated at Barishal Medical College Hospital alone," a fire official told a local television channel.

The television channels, quoting officials, reported that at least 40 people had died in the fire.

A police officer told reporters at the scene that most of the people died from the fire while a few drowned as they jumped into the river after the fire broke out.

"Many passengers were asleep as the fire broke out...Some died from inhaling smoke, some were burnt to death and some drowned, he said.

Witnesses told reporters that the passenger ferry, called launch in Bangladesh, was carrying passengers beyond its capacity and most of them were visiting their homes to spend more time with their families on the extended weekend.

Wailing relatives crowded the bank of the river and the hospital as massive rescue operations were underway.

Another fire official said an investigation was launched into what caused the fire as the passenger ferry was passing by the Jhhalakathi district.

Authorities ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. A seven-member committee has been formed and tasked to submit a report in three days. Rescuers fear the death toll is likely to rise as more passengers have been injured in the pre-dawn fire.

Many passengers jumped into the river in a desperate bid to save their lives as the fire raged for about three hours. Survivors say the launch was packed with passengers, bdnews24.com reported.

Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, deputy director of the Barishal Fire Service who led the response, said they suspect the fire may have started in the launch's engine room.

"After receiving the information, 15 firefighting units led by Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, deputy director of Barishal Division Fire Service and Civil Defence went to the scene at 3:50 am and brought the fire under control at 5:20 am," said a fire service control room statement.

"The engine room of the launch suddenly caught fire around 3:00 am and spread rapidly when the vessel was near the Gabkhan Bridge," Saidur Rahman, one of the survivors, was quoted as saying by the Daily Star newspaper.

"There were many passengers including children and elderly. Many of them jumped in the river and were able to swim ashore," he said.

"I caught a burning smell and came out of the VIP cabin to find out that there was a fire. Me, my wife and brother-in-law then jumped in the cold water and swam to the bank," he added.

The accident was the latest in a number of similar incidents in Bangladesh, a small country criss-crossed by a network of some 230 rivers of different sizes and shapes. These watercourses cover nearly 7 per cent of the total area of the country.

An overloaded speedboat allegedly driven by an inexperienced underage boy capsized in Bangladesh after a collision with a sand laden vessel in May this year, killing at least 26 people.

In June last year, a ferry carrying over 100 passengers capsized in the Buriganga river in Bangladesh after it was hit from behind by another ferry, killing at least 32 people. In February 2015, at least 78 people died when an overcrowded ship collided with a cargo vessel.
By Ragini Saxena,

Ola Electric Mobility Pvt., the Indian startup thats pledged to build the worlds biggest electric scooter factory, doled out a handful of brightly-hued bikes earlier this month, complete with drummers and a saxophonist to mark the occasion. Founder Bhavish Aggarwal came to thank some 100 customers who brought along family and friends.

But beyond the colourful proceedings, Ola isnt living up to its lofty ambitions. Mass production of its e-scooters is likely to be pushed back until at least January, according to people familiar with its operations, who asked not to be identified because the information isnt public.

The Bengaluru-based unicorn, which has already delayed initial deliveries to mid-December from October, is pledging to fulfil rest of the orders by February. But people familiar said Ola, which counts heavyweights SoftBank Group Corp. and Tiger Global Management LLC as backers, is struggling to iron out manufacturing wrinkles and is able to make only as many as 150 units a day -- a slow pace if it has to deliver on time the 90,000 orders Aggarwal said it had received. The companys body shop is operating at half capacity and its paint shop isnt up and running, the people said.

Also read: Moody's assigns first-time 'B3' ratings to Ola, outlook stable

Hobbled by the global chips dearth, and what analysts call an over-reliance on imported components, Ola Electrics woes are a microcosm of the challenges that Indias automobile industry will have to navigate as it pivots toward electric vehicles.

They also underscore the hurdles India, the worlds third-biggest emitter, may face as it attempts to become net carbon zero by 2070. The ability of Ola Electric, valued at more than $5 billion in a recent fundraising round, to deliver on its promise will also rub off on its parent company ANI Technologies Pvt. as it prepares to woo investors ahead of a planned initial public offering in Mumbai next year.

Customers waiting for their bikes are already voicing their unhappiness. When Ola began taking orders in September, it said deliveries would begin in October, which later got pushed to November and then to Dec. 15.

Many disgruntled customers -- some of whom paid the entire 99,999 rupees ($1,323) upfront -- have taken to social media.

Mr. Bhavish don't just keep tweeting only about good things. You should take ownership to address the public who have paid full amount and still waiting for delivery. You have cheated them. How many more times you will blame on chip shortage and push it. Didn't you know before.  Rahul Prasadh (@rahul_prasadh) November 21, 2021

The companys manufacturing unit is operational with automated weldline, battery line and the general assembly line and an installed paint shop, Chief Marketing Officer Varun Dubey said by email. We had a minimal delay of two to four weeks instead of much longer delays (months and up to a year) that are common in the industry, he added, attributing the hold-ups to the global semiconductor shortage, which has hobbled automakers globally.

Ola Electric declined to share its production numbers citing confidentiality.

Also read: Ola Electric expands test rides of e-scooters pan India

The chip shortage has been an unpredictable beast for everybody, Aggarwal, 36, said during a Reuters Next conference earlier this month.

Its never a great look for anyone if youve got a consumer base thats not happy with delivery timelines, said Anthony de Ruijter, a senior associate at U.K.-based global investment research firm Third Bridge Group Ltd. I would expect this is going to be an issue for the sector, not just Ola Electric.

According to Ruijter, theres still a lot of reliance in India on the import-and-assemble model, not just within Olas ecosystem but among automakers in general. This in turn creates too many factors a manufacturer cant control and often results in a product that isnt customised for the local market, he said.

Critical component

India currently imports around 70% of electric vehicle-parts from China, a situation that deprives local carmakers of an indigenous and reliable supply chain -- a critical component for mass production.

Thats worked to keep EVs in the nation at 1% of overall annual auto sales, versus 30% in some parts of China. Yet the need for cleaner transport solutions is urgent: New Delhi battled the worlds most toxic air last month and according to World Bank estimates, such pollution is costing the South Asian nation 8.5% of its gross domestic product.

People familiar with Olas predicament say because Olas in-house paint shop isnt functional yet, scooters are being transported to a plant near Chennai owned by South Koreas Seoyon E-Hwa Co.

Representatives at the Seoyon E-Hwa plant didnt answer phone calls seeking comment. Ola Electrics Chief Marketing Officer Dubey said the company works with multiple suppliers across the value chain and declined to comment on any one of them individually.

The pressure on the company is likely to amplify if its has to ramp up its annual production capacity to 2 million units in the first phase as planned. Aggarwals plan, shared in March this year, was to expand it to 10 million vehicles annually by the summer of 2022, or one e-scooter every two seconds.

Some of those who test rode the e-scooter in November found it underwhelming.

Pradeep M, a YouTuber who reviews automobiles on the video-sharing platform, test drove Olas e-scooters for about five kilometres (three miles) in Bengaluru last month. He said in an interview with Bloomberg News that some slowed down and eventually came to a halt altogether when accelerated to their top speed of 115 kilometres per hour.

Software issues

While Pradeep says Indias hot climate requires adequate motor cooling systems and without one, engines dont run as efficiently, Ola Electric denied there were any issues around over-heating of the scooter motor. We had provided scooters with the beta software during the media test rides due to which a handful of scooters had some software calibration, Dubey said. These have been fixed in the final version that has been released for customer deliveries.

Pradeep, who has one Ola e-scooter on order and owns another electric bike from rival Ather Energy Pvt., also said that Ola e-scooters use a horizontal suspension at the rear to make room for boot space. But a vertical suspension is better at absorbing shocks from bumpy tarmac.

The horizontal layout leads to a superior ride and handling and weight balancing, Ola Electrics spokeswoman said in an emailed response, adding that its scooters suspension is industry leading. and rides on one of the larger tires.

Other features like hill hold, used to keep a rider in place on a slippery slope, werent available during the test rides, according to Pradeep. Those functions were not in the scooters delivered earlier this month. Ola Electric said that several features were still being added and would be updated even if the vehicle is in use -- a standard practice like most tech products.

Quality issues are more prevalent in the low-speed electric two-and three-wheeler segments in India, said Komal Kareer, analyst at BloombergNEF in New Delhi. The segment is flooded with small players that directly import vehicle components from China. After so much anticipation, the delivery delays by Ola are making customers anxious.

2 am meetings

The pressure of meeting delivery targets is getting to the top management at Ola with Aggarwal holding meetings as early as 2 am, people familiar said.

Chief Financial Officer Swayam Saurabh and Chief Operating Officer Gaurav Porwal have quit, along with General Counsel Sandeep Chowdhury, the Hindu Business Line reported in November. The company didnt respond to the media outlets report at the time. Olas quality assurance head Joseph Thomas also left last month, Money Control reported. The four executives didnt immediately respond to requests for comment made over LinkedIn.

Extraordinary outcomes require unreasonable efforts, Dubey said, saying Ola was trying to make industry-changing products. That takes immense effort.

Olas rivals, meanwhile, are gearing up. Hero MotoCorp Ltd., the worlds largest maker of motorcycles, plans to launch its first e-scooter in March, while Bajaj Auto Ltd., an auto-rickshaw maker based in Pune, is planning to start deliveries of its Chetak electric scooter by the second quarter of next year.

The Indian automobile industry is in the midst of a transition that is led mostly by startups and OEMs without decades of experience in the electric vehicles markets, according to BNEFs Kareer.

Ola will be absolved of its delays if it delivers a high quality and a high value product soon, she said.

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The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said that it had seized 968 grams of amphetamine and 2.8 kilos of ephedrine from an African.

Acting on information provided by officials of the Chennai and Bengaluru units, NCB officials caught Benjamin Sunday alias Antony who had allegedly sourced the drugs from Mumbai and wanted to courier them abroad.

The drug was concealed in the cavities of three wooden tie boxes. Each was packed with 165 grams of amphetamine. Besides this, 237 grams and 236 grams of the same drug were packed into backrests. The drug peddler used separate metal pulleys to conceal 1.8 kilograms and 1.07 kilograms of ephedrine to avoid detection.

NCB officials said that with Antonys arrest, they had neutralised an African drug syndicate systematically operating in South India.

The seized drugs are worth approximately Rs 1.5 crore.

Cases abroad

Antony, involved in both importing and exporting drugs, is married to an Indian woman in Chennai.

He is wanted in two cases in Chennai, in which officials seized 113 grams of cocaine in September 2018 and 295 grams of methamphetamine in September this year.

He is also wanted in two international seizures where officials recovered 800 grams and 559 grams of methamphetamine separately in November 2021 in Australia.

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A gang of four persons, including a police constable (PC), his associate and two juveniles, were arrested by the Magadi Road police for stealing two-wheelers and selling them for a lesser price by creating fake documents. The police have seized around 53 two-wheelers worth around Rs 77 lakh from the accused.

The arrested have been identified as PC Honnappa Duradappa Malagi, his associate Ramesh, working in a textile showroom in Balepete, and two juveniles. Police said that Malagi teamed up with Ramesh and the two juveniles, taught them how to steal two-wheelers and got the two-wheelers stolen from various places in the city including Hebbal, Jnanabarathi, Magadi Road, Peenya, Yeshwanthpur and Vijayanagar.

Malagi used to create fake documents for stolen bikes/scooters before selling them. He had set up a computer, printer and other required equipment in his house to create fake documents.

After the juveniles stole a bike/scooter of a particular company, Malagi used to search for a similar bike of the same colour on a free classified portal (Olx), download the documents of the vehicles and created fake documents. Later, they changed the registration number plates and sold them in Haveri, Ranebennur and Bengaluru city.

Malagi, a native of Haveri district, stays in Narasipura Layout in Vidyaranyapura. He is from 2016 batch and is posted at Vidyaranyapura police station. On OOD, he was working as a driver to an IPS officer.

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Police will most likely ask restaurants, pubs and other commercial establishments to take in only fully vaccinated customers on New Years Eve and shut up shop before 11 pm. They will not allow any New Year celebrations on public streets and will seek an explanation from everyone going out after 11 pm.

The restrictions, in line with the governments decision to restrict the New Year celebrations to contain the spread of Omicron, will be finalised after a meeting between the police top brass, the chief minister and the home minister. Restaurants and pubs will be given the instructions on December 26 and 27.

Read | B'luru eateries fear losing business on New Year's Eve

We want people to get back home by 11 pm, a senior police officer said. He pointed out that the state government as well as the Brigade Shops and Establishments Association has already announced that late-night New Year celebrations wont be allowed on the streets.

Speaking to DH, Bengaluru police chief Kamal Pant said an early closure deadline for restaurants and pubs on December 31 would be set after a meeting with the chief minister and the home minister.

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Restaurants and pubs are upset about the prospect of losing business on the "biggest night of the year" after the government restricted New Year celebrations to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The establishments, which usually host parties on New Year's Eve, fear losing 70% of the business due to the restrictions.

While the government has categorically banned DJ parties and playing live music, a likely cap on occupancy has made pub and restaurant owners livid.

"This is a hit across the table. We have paid advances, booked their (DJ) tickets, arranged their travel. We are going to lose all that money now. The industry creates so many jobs, we generate so much revenue. But the government ignores us," said Amit Roy, who runs restaurants like Watsons and Slug and is also a member of the National Restaurant Association of India.

Read | Karnataka govt imposes restrictions on New Year celebrations

As for occupancy, the guidelines issued by the government are silent on the 50% cap, according to P C Rao, president of the Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers' Association.

"The chief minister announced that all hotels and restaurants will have to cap the capacity at 50%. But the (government) order has no reference to the 50% seating," he stated.

Commenting on this, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar told DH that he would look into the matter and revise the guidelines if there was any confusion.

If the government sticks to the 50% cap, restaurants and pubs fear that will deal a body blow to their business.

"That is half of our business already gone," said Akshath Prasad, the owner of Vapour pub. He said that most pubs and restaurants, especially in the CBD, used to get up to 1,000 customers each on New Years Eve before the pandemic. This year, the number may not cross even 400.

Then there is the fear that the restrictions would discourage many people from partying outside. People might think that they cannot enjoy or relax thoroughly due to time and other constraints. This will likely increase house parties.

"We understand that there is a high possibility of the spread of Omicron, but how is the government going to restrict house parties and stop people from moving? Why are we (the hospitality industry) the first to be given restrictions and the last to be provided relaxations," said Mukesh Tolani, owner of Toit Brewpub in Indiranagar.

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US President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law legislation that bans imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labor, the White House said, provoking an angry Chinese condemnation.

The Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act is part of the US pushback against Beijing's treatment of the China's Uighur Muslim minority, which Washington has labeled genocide.

The bill passed Congress this month after lawmakers reached a compromise between House and Senate versions.

Key to the legislation is a "rebuttable presumption" that assumes all goods from Xinjiang, where Beijing has established detention camps for Uighurs and other Muslim groups, are made with forced labor. It bars imports unless it can be proven otherwise.

Some goods - such as cotton, tomatoes, and polysilicon used in solar-panel manufacturing - are designated "high priority" for enforcement action.

Read | China imposes sanctions on US officials over Xinjiang

China denies abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer that also supplies much of the world's materials for solar panels.

Its Washington embassy said the act "ignores the truth and maliciously slanders the human rights situation in Xinjiang."

"This is a severe violation of international law and norms of international relations, and a gross interference in China's internal affairs. China strongly condemns and firmly rejects it," embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in an emailed statement.

He said China "would respond further in light of the development of the situation," but did not elaborate.

Nury Turkel, Uighur-American vice chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, told Reuters this month the bill's effectiveness would depend on the willingness of Biden's administration to ensure it is effective, especially when companies seek waivers.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Biden's approval of the law underscored the "United States' commitment to combatting forced labour, including in the context of the ongoing genocide in Xinjiang."

"The State Department is committed to working with Congress and our interagency partners to continue addressing forced labour in Xinjiang and to strengthen international action against this egregious violation of human rights," he said in a statement.

One of the bill's co-authors, Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, said it was necessary to "send a resounding and unequivocal message against genocide and slave labour."

"Now ... we can finally ensure that American consumers and businesses can buy goods without inadvertent complicity in China's horrific human rights abuses," he said in a statement.

In its final days in January, the Trump administration announced a ban on all Xinjiang cotton and tomato products.

The US Customs and Border Protection agency estimated then that about $9 billion of cotton products and $10 million of tomato products were imported from China in the past year.

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Japanese and US armed forces have drawn up a draft plan for a joint operation for a possible Taiwan emergency, Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Thursday, citing unnamed Japanese government sources, amid increased tensions between the island and China.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own "sacred" territory and in the past two years has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure to assert its sovereignty claims, fuelling anger in Taipei and deep concern in Washington.

Taiwan's government says it wants peace, but will defend itself if needed.

Under the plan, the US Marine Corps will set up temporary bases on the Nansei island chain stretching from Kyushu, one of the four main islands of Japan, to Taiwan, at the initial stage of a Taiwan emergency, and will deploy troops, Kyodo said.

Japanese armed forces will provide logistical support in such areas as ammunition and fuel supplies, it said.

Japan, former colonial ruler of Taiwan, and the United States would likely reach an agreement to start formulating an official plan at a "2+2" meeting of foreign and defence ministers early next year, the news agency said.

Japanese defence ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

In October, Japan's government signalled a more assertive position on China's aggressive posture towards self-ruled Taiwan, suggesting it would consider options and prepare for "various scenarios" while reaffirming close US ties.

Earlier this month, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that Japan and the United States could not stand by if China attacked Taiwan.

US officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have long said that given the tens of thousands of troops the US has in Japan and its proximity to Taiwan, Japan would likely have to play an important role in any Taiwan emergency.

A Pentagon spokesman said that as US President Joe Biden and his Japanese counterpart said in a March joint statement, both countries shared a commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

"We are committed to enhancing resiliency and interoperability between US and Japanese forces and deepening operational cooperation during peacetime and various regional contingencies," the Pentagon added.

Japan is host to major US military bases, including on the southern island of Okinawa, a short flight from Taiwan, which would be crucial for any US support during a Chinese attack.

China views democratic Taiwan as a wayward province, awaiting the day the island can be brought under its control - peacefully or militarily - with no right to state-to-state relations.

The United States, like most countries in the world, recognises China over Taiwan, in line with Beijing's "one China" policy. But Washington is the island's biggest arms supplier and ally and is obliged by law to help it defend itself.

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US intelligence agencies have assessed that Saudi Arabia is now actively manufacturing its own ballistic missiles with the help of China, CNN reported.

The development could have significant ripple effects across the Middle East and complicate the Joe Biden administration's efforts to restrain the nuclear ambitions of Iran, the Saudis' top regional rival, the report said.

Saudi Arabia is known to have purchased ballistic missiles from China in the past but has never been able to build its own -- until now, according to three sources familiar with the latest intelligence. Satellite images obtained by CNN also suggest the Kingdom is currently manufacturing the weapons in at least one location.

US officials at numerous agencies, including the National Security Council at the White House, have been briefed in recent months on classified intelligence revealing multiple large-scale transfers of sensitive ballistic missile technology between China and Saudi Arabia, according to two sources familiar with the latest assessments, the report said.

The Biden administration is now confronted with increasingly urgent questions about whether Saudi's ballistic missile advancements could dramatically change regional power dynamics and complicate efforts to expand the terms of a nuclear deal with Iran to include restraints on its own missile technology.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are bitter enemies and it is unlikely Tehran will agree to stop making ballistic missiles if Saudi Arabia has begun manufacturing its own, the report said.

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The Allahabad High Court on Thursday urged the central government to stop political rallies from being held in election-bound states amid rising cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.

A Bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, while allowing the bail application of a petitioner in a case, said the number of patients infected with Omicron are increasing and there is a possibility of a third wave.

The court said countries like China, Netherlands, and Germany have imposed complete or partial lockdowns due to the rising cases.

During the second wave, the country saw lakhs of people getting infected by coronavirus and many people had died contracting the disease, the HC said.

Read | Omciron: PM stresses on Covid-appropriate behaviour

The gram panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal Assembly polls also contributed to a rise in infections that led to many deaths due to Covid-19, it stated.

As the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are nearing, all the political parties are mobilising lakhs of people by holding rallies and meetings where it is not possible to follow Covid protocols, including social distancing, in any way, the HC observed.

If this is not stopped in time, the consequences could be more dire than the second wave of the pandemic, it warned.

The court requested the Election Commission of India to immediately stop such rallies and gatherings and also order political parties to campaign through TV channels and newspapers.

The court said, if possible, the elections that are expected to be held in February next year could be postponed by a couple of months because only if there is life, then the election rallies and meetings can take place and the right to life has also been given under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

Appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, the court requested him to consider stopping rallies, gatherings and postponing the upcoming state elections, taking strong measures in view of the pandemic situation.

The court made the remarks while allowing the bail plea of a person named Sanjay Yadav.

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The Christians were mid-hymn when the mob kicked in the door.

A swarm of men dressed in saffron poured inside. They jumped onstage and shouted Hindu supremacist slogans. They punched pastors in the head. They threw women to the ground, sending terrified children scuttling under their chairs.

They kept beating us, pulling out hair, said Manish David, one of the pastors who was assaulted. They yelled, What are you doing here? What songs are you singing? What are you trying to do?

The attack unfolded on the morning of Jan. 26 at the Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra Christian centre in the city of Indore. The police soon arrived, but the officers did not touch the aggressors. Instead, they arrested and jailed the pastors and other church elders. The Christians were charged with breaking a newly enforced law that targets religious conversions, one that mirrors at least a dozen other measures across the country that have prompted a surge in mob violence against Indian Christians.

David was not converting anyone, he said. But the organised assault against his church was propelled by a growing anti-Christian hysteria that is spreading across this vast nation, home to one of Asias oldest and largest Christian communities, with more than 30 million adherents.

Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literature, attacking schools and assaulting worshippers. In many cases, the police and members of Indias governing party are helping them, government documents and dozens of interviews revealed. In church after church, the very act of worship has become dangerous despite constitutional protections for freedom of religion.

Read | VHP demands nationwide anti-conversion law

To many Hindu extremists, the attacks are justified  a means of preventing religious conversions. To them, the possibility that some Indians, even a relatively small number, would reject Hinduism for Christianity is a threat to their dream of turning India into a pure Hindu nation. Many Christians have become so frightened that they try to pass as Hindu to protect themselves.

I just dont get it, said Abhishek Ninama, a Christian farmer, who stared dejectedly at a rural church stomped apart this year. What is it that we do that makes them hate us so much?

The pressure is greatest in central and northern India, where the governing party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firmly in control and where evangelical Christian groups are making inroads among lower-caste Hindus, albeit quietly. Pastors hold clandestine ceremonies at night. They conduct secret baptisms. They pass out audio Bibles that look like little transistor radios so that illiterate farmers can surreptitiously listen to the Scripture as they plow their fields.

Since its independence in 1947, India has been the worlds largest experiment in democracy. At times, communal violence, often between Hindus and Muslims, has tested its commitment to religious pluralism, but usually the authorities try, albeit sometimes too slowly, to tamp it down.

The issue of conversions to Christianity from Hinduism is an especially touchy subject, one that has vexed the country for years and even drew in Jawaharlal Nehru, Indias first prime minister, who fiercely guarded Indias secular ideals. In the past few years, Modi and his Hindu nationalist party have tugged India far to the right, away from what many Indians see as the multicultural foundation Nehru built. The rising attacks on Christians, who make up about 2% of the population, are part of a broader shift in India in which minorities feel less safe.

Read | Rising intolerance

Modi is facing increasing international pressure to rein in his supporters and stop the persecution of Muslims and Christians. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government body, recommended that India be put on its red list for severe violations of religious freedom  a charge the Modi administration strongly denied.

But across India, the anti-Christian forces are growing stronger by the day, and they have many faces, including a white-collar army of lawyers and clerks who file legal complaints against Christian organisations. They also devise devastating social boycotts against isolated Christians in remote villages. According to extensive interviews, Hindu nationalists have blocked Christians from community wells, barred them from visiting Hindu homes and ostracised villagers for believing in Jesus. Last year, in one town, they stopped people from gathering on Christmas.

Christians are being suppressed, discriminated against and persecuted at rising levels like never before in India, said Matias Perttula, the advocacy director at International Christian Concern, a leading anti-persecution group. And the attackers run free, every time.

For Dilip Chouhan, part of a growing network of anti-Christian muscle, just the mention of Christians makes his face pucker, as if he licked a lemon.

These believers, he said, using the term derisively, they promise all kinds of stuff  motorcycles, TVs, fridges. They work off superstition. They mislead people.

Read | With Congress cornered, Karnataka Assembly passes anti-conversion bill

Chouhan lives in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, which this year passed an anti-conversion law that carries prison sentences of up to 10 years for any person found guilty of leading illegal conversions, which are vaguely defined. Energised by this law, Chouhan, 35, and scores of other young Hindu nationalists have stormed a string of churches. Some of the raids were broadcast on the news, including footage of Chouhan barging into one church with a shotgun on his back.

Chouhan said his group, which uses WhatsApp to plan its raids on upcoming church services, has 5,000 members. It is part of a constellation of Hindu nationalist organisations across the country, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, as well as many members of Modis Bharatiya Janata Party, or the BJP.

Christians in states such as Kerala and Goa, which have large historic Christian communities, face much less persecution, if any at all.

But in tradition-bound rural areas where Christians are a tiny minority and community means everything, the pressure is intense. Village elders in Bilawar Kalan, in Madhya Pradesh, recently instituted the equivalent of a $130 fine for any family that allows Christians in their home. At the same time, they are trying to force the few Christian families to convert to Hinduism, warning that otherwise no one will marry their children, attend their funerals or sell them anything at the market.

They want to remove us from society, said Sukh Lal Kumre, a threadbare farmer and a Christian, who sat on a dry log in a field just outside the village.

When asked about the social boycott, elders in Bilawar Kalan were not evasive or apologetic.

We are doing this to coerce them back to society, explained Mesh Lal Chanchal, who is also one of the villages top BJP members. If we didnt intervene, they would have converted this whole area by now.

After Indias independence from Britain, Christian leaders helped persuade the framers of Indias Constitution to include protections for religious freedom, even as Hindu nationalists kept trying to pass anti-conversion laws. When the debate landed in Parliament in 1955, Nehru, Indias iconic prime minister, argued against such anti-conversion laws, presciently predicting that they might very well be the cause of great harassment.

In the decades that followed, Hindu nationalists tried to restrict conversions. Secularists within Nehrus Congress Party tried to check them. A few states, including Madhya Pradesh, where Hindu nationalists have long enjoyed broad support, passed their own anti-conversion laws, but enforcement was limited and desultory.

In 2014, all that changed.

Modi swept into power. Part of his appeal were his promises of economic reform and a more powerful India on the global stage. But many Indians were also attracted to Modis deep roots in Hindu nationalist groups such as the RSS.

A few years ago, after Catholic churches in New Delhi, the capital, had been vandalised, Christian leaders pleaded with Modi for help. He was disinterested, mocking them and never addressing the attacks, according to three clergymen who attended an important meeting at the prime ministers residence in December 2014.

He acted like a don, said the Rev. Dominic Emmanuel, a former official with the Delhi Catholic Church who now lives in Vienna.

When asked about the meeting, a spokesperson for Modi said these were unsubstantiated allegations and pointed to a speech in which Modi said he would not allow any religious group, belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others and that his government would be one that gives equal respect to all religions.

In October, Modi met Pope Francis at the Vatican and invited him to visit India. Some analysts saw that as progress. Others dismissed it as a cynical ploy for Catholic votes.

Emmanuel does not believe a papal visit will change much. Attacks have shot up over the past few months and have spread to the southern state of Karnataka. The extremists say they are acting to stop illegal conversions. Christian leaders say that is just an excuse to stir up a mob.

Just like they have terrorism to beat the Muslims with, Emmanuel said, they have conversions to beat the Christians with.

He added, Im worried and very sad that in this beautiful country, with a lovely culture, where we have lived together for centuries, majoritarianism is gaining the upper hand, and people are being put against one another based on religion.

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South Goa Congress MP and former Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha on Friday claimed that he was ashamed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not even make a mention of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his speech on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Goa's Liberation from Portuguese rule.

Sardinha also said that even if the Prime Minister is upset with Nehru or the Nehru-Gandhi clan, he should not "hide history" from the people, while also underlining Nehru's contribution to the Liberation of Goa on December 19, 1961, when the Indian armed forces marched into Goa liberated the state from 451 years of Portuguese colonial rule.

"And I felt even more ashamed when the Prime Minister did not mention Jawaharlal Nehru's name. Many of our freedom fighters fought, died (during the freedom struggle) If Jawaharlal Nehru had not sent troops to liberate Goa, we would not have completed sixty years of Liberation on December 19 this year," Sardinha said.

"No one can change history. In the future, if other governments come to power no one can deny that we had a PM called Modi. What Modi has done or has not done is in history (does not matter). I want to tell Modi, if you are upset with the Congress or the Nehru family, you are entitled to, but do not hide history," Sardinha also said.

Also Read | Only God can possibly give corruption-free govt: Former Goa CM

While Modi did not mention Nehru in his speech on December 19 in Panaji on the occasion of the state's 60th year of Liberation, the Prime Minister did claim that had then Union Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel lived longer, Goa would have got its freedom from Portuguese much sooner.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has also on repeated occasions slighted Nehru, saying because of the then Prime Minister the liberation of Goa from Portuguese rule was delayed by 14 years.

Sardinha also said that the PM's official function was reduced to a Bharatiya Janata Party affair, saying he as a sitting MP was not even invited to the dais.

"This was not meant to be a BJP function. It was a function for Goans. I felt ashamed. They were on the stage on top. I was given a prominent seat below. But I was not invited on stage," Sardinha also said.

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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.
An expert committee constituted by the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation has approved the marketing of hydroxyurea for the treatment of Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA).

The approval, researchers said, legalizes the drug usage in standard doses for SCA treatment, while allowing the designing of various formulations of smaller dose sizes that promise higher compliance rates in SCA children and may even lead to syrup-based formulations.

SCA is a common genetic disorder among Indians affecting red blood cells. It is transmitted by parents who carry a defective beta-globin gene without suffering themselves. Close to 0.4 per cent of the population suffers from the disease while 10 per cent people act as carriers leading to birth of new SCA patients. The disease is well-known in tribal populations and also prevalent in general populations in states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Like most genetic disorders, SCA has no cure but has symptomatic treatments for pain, anemia and Vaso-occlusive crisis. One of the rather inexpensive drugs, hydroxyurea, largely used as an anti-cancer agent, is also used in SCA treatment without any formal approval.

But the commercially available hydroxyurea formulations are made with its anti-cancer role in mind, and so, are of big quantity (minimum 500 mg). Since SCA children are typically of low weight, their dosage size needs to be much smaller.

Given the fixed, larger size of commercially available hydroxyurea capsules, it is difficult to provide the correct dosage to SCA patients. Although there is robust response to hydroxyurea therapy, the complexity and cumbersome nature of disbursing the right dose often leads to low compliance and sometimes unpredictable response.

The Central Scientific and Industrial Research's Sickle Cell Anaemia Mission involving six CSIR labs and three government hospitals located in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra is trying to address these lacunae in SCA diagnosis and disease management in the country.

The mission focus is on identifying the patients through population-based screening in states with high disease prevalence and helping the family with proper treatment and preventing the disease in the next generation. One of the mission objectives has been obtaining approval for hydroxyurea use in SCA treatment.

The CSIR-SCA Mission, coordinated by the Hyderabad-based CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), with help of Cipla, a Hydroxyurea manufacturer, had approached the Drugs Controller General of India for approval.

On December 9, the expert committee of CDSCO evaluated the proposal and approved the marketing of hydroxyurea for SCA treatment, subject to post-marketing surveillance.

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Close on the heels of Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla taking up with Myanmar's military rulers on the now infamous Churachandpur ambush in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a crucial late night meeting with Chief Ministers of Assam and Nagaland Himanta Biswa Sarma and Neiphiu Rio, respectively.

Home Minister Shah is likely to brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his talks with the northeastern leaders especially in the context of security implications in taking any decision on AFSPA.

Assam Chief Minister Sarma has favoured continuing with the enforcement of AFSPA in his state.

Recently, RSS leader Indresh Kumar told reporters that even in Kashmir the deployment of forces were automatically minimised once situation improved and the Article 370 was abrogated.

Also read: Centre imposed AFSPA against state's wishes: Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio

Sources close to the NNPGs, an umbrella of 7 militant groups, leadership have said only a final peace pact can bring a 'natural end' to all controversies pertaining to AFSPA and deployment of security forces in Nagaland and other Naga inhabited areas.

Tangkhul Nagas of NSCN (IM) leader Thuingaleng Muivah have substantial presence in Manipur, which again goes to the polls by February-March along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa.

BJP floor leader in Nagaland and Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton and a former Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang (of NPF) were also present in the meeting with Shah. Patton is also the state Home Minister and a section of BJP leaders in Delhi were not impressed with his performance especially in the context of Oting shooting down.

The deliberations between Shah and northeastern leaders were vital as these took place days after the Nagaland assembly adopted a resolution for repeal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA).

The summoning of the leaders from Nagaland especially on the eve of Christmas and their arrival in the capital along with Assam Chief Minister and NEDA convener Himanta Biswa Sarma signified that talks were sensitive and essential.

The meeting between Mr Shah and the northeastern leaders took place within hours India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on a two-day visit to Myanmar raised matters relating to India's security with Myanmar military rulers especially in the light of the "recent incident in Churachandpur" district in southern Manipur.

The ambush on November 13 claimed the lives of Col Viplab Tripathi, his wife and nine-year-old boy and four jawans. Subsequently, the killing of Naga civilians by security forces in Mon district in a botched up anti insurgency operation has now led to demand for the withdrawal of the AFSPA from Nagaland.

"Entire Naga society has been calling for repeal of AFSPA and that voice is at its loudest today," said Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on December 20 while piloting forcefully an official resolution in the Assembly seeking immediate repeal of the controversial law that gives some impunity to armed forces.

Also read: Nagaland Assembly passes resolution demanding repeal of AFSPA

Assam Chief Minister Sarma for his part, however, said AFSPA will continue in his state. The argument being the withdrawal of AFSPA cannot be a call of the government alone. It has to depend on the overall situation, law and order situation of the state.

"Now suppose I withdraw, will that be reciprocated by the militant organisations?" he said in Guwahati a few days back.

The Oting killing of Konyak Naga civilians and subsequent violence in Mon town on December 5 have led to the demand for withdrawal of the AFSPA, considered an essential piece of legislation for army operations in north east and in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the Churachandpur ambush on November 13, one colonel Viplab Tripathi, his wife and nine-year boy were killed along with four jawans. Six others were injured when PLA and little known Manipur Naga People's Front militants attacked the forces at Behiang in Churachandpur district.

Apprehensions were expressed in certain quarters that Oting killing and subsequent developments could even lead to derailment or stalling of the hard-owned Naga peace talks that had begun in August 1997.

The Oting killing of Konyak Naga civilians and subsequent violence in Mon town on December 5 have led to the demand for withdrawal of the AFSPA, considered an essential piece of legislation for army operations in north east and in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the Churachandpur ambush on November 13, one colonel Viplab Tripathi, his wife and nine-year boy were killed along with four jawans.

Six others were injured when PLA and little known Manipur Naga People's Front militants attacked the forces at Behiang in Churachandpur district.

Apprehensions were expressed in certain quarters that Oting killing and subsequent developments could even lead to derailment or stalling of the hard-owned Naga peace talks that had begun in August 1997.

As it is the NSCN (IM) has stuck to its demand for Flag and a Separate Constitution that has only lingered the peace talks.

In 2019, the then Nagaland Governor R N Ravi had said the peace talks were over and final pact was to be inked. However, the NSCN (IM)'s twin demands have posed hurdles although NNPGs, a conglomeration of 7 Naga groups operating in Nagaland, were keen for an early signing of the peace agreement.

Meanwhile, a four-member panel of party leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Jitendra Singh, Ajoy Kumar and Anto Antony submitted a report on Nagaland situation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Notably, K. Therie, the president of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee, has blamed Chief Minister Rio for the recent Oting incident. "It is a game plan to derail the peace process," Therie has alleged.

"Nothing can happen in the state without the knowledge of the Chief Minister and state Home Minister as the law and order is a state subject," he said and maintained the movement of 21 para troopers from Assam in Nagaland on the fateful day, December 4, was not possible without the knowledge of authorities in Nagaland.

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Several Opposition leaders, including those from the Congress and the TMC, on Thursday, condemned what they said was a "hate speech conclave" held in Haridwar recently and called for strict action against those involved.

All-India Trinamool Congress national spokesman Saket Gokhale demanded immediate action against the organisers and speakers of the Dharma Sansad held recently in Haridwar, where "hate speeches" were allegedly made against Muslims.

Gokhale lodged a complaint in this connection at the Jwalapur police station in Haridwar district, asking the Station House Officer to register an FIR within 24 hours.

At the event, several speakers allegedly made inflammatory and provocative speeches, calling for the killing of people from the minority community.

Also Read | Reconvert and pray in temples: Hindu outfit to Muslims

Held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar from December 17-20, the Dharma Sansad was organised by Yati Narasimhanand Giri of the Juna Akhada, who is already under police scanner for making hate speeches and inciting violence against Muslims.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind chief Maulana Mahmood Madani wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Minorities, over the remarks made at the Haridwar meet, calling on them to take cognisance of the matter and prosecute the perpetrators.

Madani said, "They have posed threat to the peace and communal harmony of the country".

"I demand strong actions must be taken against organizers and speakers, he said.

The All India Professionals Congress also condemned in the strongest possible terms the "genocidal statements made by Hindutva leaders" in the "hate speech conclave" organised in the holy city of Haridwar.

Also Read | Prejudice in the time of a pandemic

Will the Union of India and other institutions remain mute spectators, the Congress wing for professionals asked.

Reacting to the remarks at the Haridwar meet, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, "This is bloodcurdling stuff. Is it too much to expect? @CMuttarakhand to take action under the existing hate-speech laws?"

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said on Twitter, "Narsinghanand Organises 3-Day Hate Speech Conclave in Haridwar... are the Faux Hindutva Nazis planning a holocaust? Will the Union of India & its institutions be a blind/mute spectator?"

Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed said Munawar Faruqui has been relentlessly punished for alleged jokes which he didn't even crack, but there is no action against the 'Dharm Sansad' members who openly called for "genocide against Muslims in Haridwar!".

"Is India still a democracy!" she said.

Kishenganj MP of the Congress Mohammad Jawaid tweeted, "Appalled by the nature of the assembly and hate speech propagated openly in Haridwar. Such events are destroying the secular ethos of India."

He urged Home Minister Amit Shah to take serious and urgent action against the people who were involved in the "implied calls for genocide of Muslims".

Chhattisgarh minister and senior party leader T S Singhdeo said India's traditional value is -- 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbhkam - World is a Family'.

"Our Constitutional value is Secularism - Respect for all religions. Our primary Fundamental Right is Right to equality. Such bigoted thoughts & assemblies are against the foundation of India. This is criminal!" he said reacting to the remarks made at the meet.

Gaurav Pandhi, a Congress functionary, said that in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "'New India', sponsored by Ambani & Adani, Comedians are prevented from making people laugh but Hindutwavadis are allowed to give hate speeches, calling for genocide and armed revolt against the nation".

"In Haridwar, a group of Hindutvawadis gathered giving a call for armed violence against Muslims, former PM Dr Manmohan Singh & armed revolt against India. They stressed on CREATING TERRORISTS. Meanwhile, the police, govt agencies, Modi, Amit Shah & Dalal media are fast asleep!" he said.

Congress leader Salman Soz said, "Dear Supreme Court of India: #UmarKhalid is in jail for God knows why. Meanwhile, in Haridwar, Hindutva extremists call for Muslim genocide, record it on camera and throw it in our faces."

"Is this the justice you are supposed to uphold? Act now," he said.

CPI(M), from its official Twitter handle, said, "Munawar Faruqui has been relentlessly punished for alleged jokes which he didn't even crack, but there is no action against the 'Dharm Sansad' members who openly called for genocide against Muslims in Haridwar! Is India still a democracy!".

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Opposition on Friday demanded the strictest action against those involved in three days of hate speeches inciting armed violence against minorities and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying such acts violate the Constitution and the law.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted with hashtags #IndiaAgainstHindutva and #HaridwarHateAssembly, "Hindutva always spread hatred and violence. Hindu-Muslim-Sikh-Christian pay the price. But not anymore!"

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi demanded "strictest action" against those who incite "hatred and violence of this kind" and said it was "despicable that they should get away with making an open call to murder our respected ex-Prime Minister (Singh) and unleash violence against people of different communities."

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said that three days of hate speeches inciting armed violence against minorities was a "flagrant violation" of the Constitution and universal human rights. "Such impunity by hate mongers is the hallmark under BJP governments. Arrest the perpetrators immediately," he tweeted.

Also Read | Priyanka Gandhi slams 'hate speeches' at Haridwar event, demands strict action

In a statement, CPI(M) Polit Bureau said that the "extreme" hate speeches and "incitement to violence against Muslims" at the "so-called dharam sansad" in Haridwar was a "flagrant violation" of the Constitution, the legal framework.

"The speeches are akin to supporting terrorist acts including against former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. It could continue without hindrance for three days because of the impunity such people enjoy under the BJP-led governments. Shamefully, the delayed FIR is a mockery of the law as it does not name the main perpetrators of this assault on the Constitution even as videos of the proceedings clearly show the identities of those guilty," it said.

The CPI(M) demanded that the FIR should include the names and called for their immediate arrest "for the promotion not just of hate speech but of incitement to violence".

Also read: Haridwar hate speech: FIR filed, no arrests so far

Congress Rajya Sabha Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others and said the slogan "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas is total bakwaas (nonsense) as far as the Prime Minister and his drumbeaters are concerned. It's only an empty slogan! Why the thundering silence on the atrocious hate speech made in Haridwar? Why the paralysis from the Home Minister and Uttarakhand Chief Minister?"

Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Saket Gokhale has also demanded action against the organisers and the speakers and lodged a complaint at the Jwalapur police station in Haridwar district.

Also Read | Owaisi alleges part of his speech being quoted out of context 'to trigger controversy'

Gokhale also urged the Election Commission to issue orders for transfer of all police officers from Superintendent of Police (Hardwar) to Inspector General (Garhwal) if speakers and organisers of the event were not arrested by date of notification of Assembly elections.

"Initiate externment proceedings against the organisers and speakers at the #HaridwarHateAssembly and prevent them from entering Uttarakhand and all bordering states for the duration of Uttarakhand Elections. If ECI doesn't act, court orders will have to be sought," he added.

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Barely a month after prime minister Narendra Modi invited Pope Francis to visit India, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has demanded that he apologise for 'crimes' committed by Christians.

During the second day of the saffron outfits three-day meet of the Board of Trustees, International Working President of the VHP Alok Kumar said that the Pope should address the issue of religious conversions.

Christians have persecuted, conducted genocides and mass executions for 350 years. So, when the Pope comes visiting, he should apologise for all this, and showing respect for all religions should declare to stop horizontal religious conversions, Kumar said.

Also Read | VHP meet to begin in Junagadh on Dec 24, to discuss liberation of temples

Kumar compared Christian conversions to the sacrifice of Sikh religious leader Guru Tegh Bahadur, who he said that protected Hindus from Mughals. To propagate his teachings, we will organise programmes and conferences across the country, Kumar said.

The VHPs stand is in contrast to PM Modis meeting with the Pope during the G20 Summit in Rome on November 30, when Modi shared pictures of the meeting and said that he had invited the Pope to India.

During the last papal visit in 1999, of Pope John Paul II, the VHP had demanded that the Pope proclaim the validity of Gods other than the Christian Lord of the Bible. The VHP has been demanding a national anti-conversion law, like the one implemented in Uttar Pradesh, and mooted in Karnataka.

Also Read | VHP demands nationwide anti-conversion law

The outfits stand might dampen the Bharatiya Janata Partys chances in the election-going states of Goa and Manipur, where Christians are a majority.

The VHPs three-day meet of Trustees and Governing Council started Friday at Gujarats Junagadh. Apart from discussing events to commemorate the outfits 60th anniversary in 2024, the meet will also tackle subjects such as protection of the environment and ecology, the liberation of temples from government control, central law against religious conversions, to name a few.

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Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is leaving for India on January 10 to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, according to local media reports.

Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is a biennial event launched in 2003, and the 2022 event on January 10-12 is the 10th edition.

A detailed itinerary was not immediately available but sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Deuba and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi is very much likely.

Besides Modi, Deuba will be meeting some other senior Indian politicians and leaders when he will be in New Delhi and Gujarat.

His first foreign trip after he was appointed Prime Minister - for the fifth time - in July, was to the UK's Glasgow to participate in the climate change conference in November.

Deuba's visit to Gujarat comes at a time when talks about his state visit to India were being talked about.

The visit to the southern neighbour also comes on the heels of Deuba's comeback as a strong President of his party, the Nepali Congress, at its recently-concluded general convention.

Deuba was appointed Prime Minister on July 13 following a Supreme Court order a day before in which the bench also overturned then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's May 21 decision to dissolve the House.

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Ahead of Congress Uttarakhand leaders meet with central leadership here, the party is putting up a united front and saying all is well.

Congress Legislature party leader Pritam Singh said: "There is no dispute in the party" but refused to comment on the attack by former chief minister Harish Rawat.

Rawat is scheduled to meet former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday and has reached the national capital but is refraining from speaking to the media before the meet.

Uttarakhand campaign committee chief Harish Rawat had targeted the Congress for not giving him a "free hand". General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday spoke to the former Union Minister in a bid to pacify him, sources said.

Also Read | Trouble brewing in Uttarakhand Congress, leaders called to Delhi

On Wednesday, in a series of tweets, Rawat had said that "it's time to rest, it has been enough."

"Is this not strange? When we have to swim in the sea of election, the party organisation should extend supporting hand, but has rather turned its face the other way and is playing a negative role. I have to swim in the sea where the ruling party has released many crocodiles and my hands and legs are tied.

"Sometimes it feels that I have worked too much and now it's time to rest. I am in dilemma, the new year may show me a way, and Lord Kedarnath will show a path to me," the former Uttarakhand Chief Minister said.

According to sources in the know of things, Rawat is upset over the ticket distribution and that he wants more say in the party affairs.

The Congress has not declared Rawat as the chief ministerial candidate, the prime demand of his supporters.

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After witnessing over 5,100 incidents of ceasefire violations in 2020, the violations and killings at the border in Jammu and Kashmir this year was all-time low in the last more than a decade.

The year 2020 saw over 5,100 incidents of ceasefire violations which were the highest since 2003 when the armies of India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement. Last year, at least 36 civilians were killed and over 130 injured on the Indian side of Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) due to ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

The year 2019 also saw a huge number of ceasefire violations with 3,289 violations reported along the LoC and the IB. In 2018 nearly 3,000 ceasefire violations were reported along the LoC and the IB while the number was 971 cases in 2017.

Also Read | Delimitation in J&K may not give Centre's Kashmir policy legitimacy

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan, of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.

Before the government of India led by then Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee entered into a border ceasefire agreement with Pakistan in 2003, almost 5,800 ceasefire violations were reported in 2002. After the 2003 bilateral agreement, for the next three years -- 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- not a single ceasefire violation was reported on the border in J&K.

However, in 2007, Pakistan started to violate the bilateral agreement and 21 ceasefire violations were reported followed by 77 in 2008. There was a gradual increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan between 2009 and 2013. The corresponding figures for 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 were 347, 114, 62, 44, and 28 respectively.

However, the ceasefire violations dropped to 664 in the first six months of 2021 after armies of India and Pakistan recommitted themselves to ceasefire across the LoC and the IB. Of the 664 violations reported in 2021, January and February accounted for more than 99% of the incidents. While 380 incidents of ceasefire violations and cross-border firing by Pakistan were reported in January, in February, it dropped to 278. As per official figures, not a single civilian was killed in cross border gunfire in 2021.

Read | J&K may be militancy free in eight to 10 years, ex-Army chief NC Vij writes in book

According to a joint statement released on February 25, both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors with effect from midnight 24/25 Feb 2021''. This statement followed a call between senior Indian and Pakistani military officers.

Notably, border shelling has killed hundreds of people in Kashmir and Jammu region since 1990 and left scores handicapped. Besides, houses and livestock worth billions of rupees have also been damaged as well due to the cross LoC shelling in J&K in the last more than three decades.

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When Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday rained power promises on Uttar Pradesh electorates, he was following a set pattern that politicians have followed across the country as a potent method to acquire power in elections.

Akhilesh Yadav promised more relief than anticipated and regular cheap electricity to agriculture, households, industries and businesses, making SP the third political party in UP to hand out power doles to people in the run-up to the polls.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is fighting state polls in Punjab in alliance with the BSP, has already promised 400 power units of electricity free of cost to residential consumers across all categories. Of its nine key promises, Priyanka Gandhi-led Congress has promised to reduce electricity bills to half and waive off pending bills of the Covid-19 period.

Also Read | Akhilesh Yadav rebrands himself as 'Lord Ram' in Uttar Pradesh

The Power-to-Politics route was most successfully followed by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), first in the 2013 Delhi Assembly polls and it has repeated it since then.

Congress, which had refused to fall for it then, had revised its poll strategy in 2015 Delhi polls, making promises on the power front but the move came late and AAP romped home again.

This election season, AAP has again sought to hard-sell its Delhi power prescription to electrify its supporters in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa.

While in UP, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia exhorted people to vote AAP in 2022 polls to "end the era of darkness", promising to provide 300 units of free electricity to all domestic consumers "within 24 hours" after forming the government; its promise in Uttarakhand also included waiving of old bills and giving free electricity to farmers.

Sisodia also compared power supply in the two-BJP ruled states with that of in AAP-ruled Delhi. The ruling BJP government in Uttarakhand was also forced to announce that it will give free electricity up to 100 units to domestic consumers.

In UP, CM Yogi Adityanath this month made an ambitious promise of providing 24x7 power to residents including in rural areas where electricity supply is currently pegged at 18 hours a day.

Also Read | UP parties race past people's issues for 2022 polls

In Punjab, where AAP is trying hard to revive its 2014 Lok Sabha poll fortune, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been repeatedly assuring that power will be free, regular and there will be no cuts, reminding voters how power cuts are now a passe in Delhi.

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, promises for cheap power had found a mention in the manifesto of both Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

"Electricity affects the most significant chunks of voters  the farmers and the common man. After drinking water, the second most important item in people's day-to-day life is power and hence, any delivery on it is bound to benefit, whichever party makes any credible move. Kejriwal having already done it in Delhi, gives him the first-mover benefit more than any other party but any party with no organisation basis can't ride to power simply on power promise," says political analyst Rasheed Kidwai.

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A special court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment and imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 after declaring him guilty of sexually assaulting an autistic woman.

The incident took place three years ago when the man was 37 years old, and the woman was around 24 years old.

Ashutosh Pandey, Additional Director General (ADG), prosecution, said, "The DNA sampling of the rape survivor's 19-week foetus at that time and regular monitoring of the case by the prosecution helped in taking action against the accused. The case was a bit different as the survivor had neurodevelopmental disorder and was unable to express herself or identify the person."

The convict, Khushal Singh, was the survivor's trainer and he outraged her modesty at the training centre near Ram Ram Bank crossing in Madiaon, taking advantage of her disorder.

The incident was reported to the police on November 26, 2018, after the survivor's parents found her 19 weeks pregnant, said the ADG.

Initially, investigators did not have any proper evidence against the accused as the survivor was unable to narrate the incident.

The man was arrested on February 16, 2019, after his DNA sample was matched with the foetus, which was preserved after the victim's pregnancy was terminated due to medical complications, said Pandey.

He said Khushal Singh, along with his wife, runs Samarpan Day Care Foundation, in Madiaon, Lucknow.

Earlier, the couple worked at different training centres for special children. The rape survivor was kept at a special children's centre in Dehradun for 11 years as she was unable to speak and identify anyone because of her neuro-development disorder.

The woman's parents, who worked in Lucknow, brought her to the city during the summer vacation. She had been kept her in the day care centre run by Khushal Singh for 10 days. After the incident, the woman, who has speech disability, could not tell her parents about it.

The police first zeroed in on three suspects at the day care centre and collected blood samples to match them with the DNA sample of the foetus.

"DNA sampling was done in two months' time, and it matched with that of Khushal Singh. He later confessed to the crime when he was questioned. He said he raped the woman when his wife was not present at the day care centre," the ADG said.

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Amid rising Covid cases in the national capital, the Delhi Police has sealed a restaurant in Mehrauli for allegedly violating DDMA guidelines, officials said on Friday.

As part of a series of inspections conducted in view of latest DDMA orders for prohibiting large congregations, a flying squad team went for a surprise inspection at Diablo restaurant in Mehrauli, District Magistrate Sonalika Jivani said.

There were around 600 people at the restaurant around 10.45 pm on Thursday. The restaurant had organised an event in complete violation of prevalent Covid protocols, she said.

"Immediately, the crowd was dispersed by the tehsildar (Mehrauli) and the premises were sealed on spot for gross violation of DDMA guidelines, especially in wake of the emerging Omicron variant of Covid," Jivani said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) M Harsha Vardhan said an FIR under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the IPC has been registered against Diablo restaurant at Mehrauli police station.

In view of the rising coronavirus cases, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had directed district magistrates to ensure that no gatherings to celebrate Christmas and New Year take place in the city.

Restaurants and bars will continue to operate with up to 50 per cent of the seating capacity.

Marriage-related gatherings are permitted with a maximum of 200 people in attendance.

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From the execution of the plan to kill gangster Jitender Gogi from jail, roping in a law graduate with the know-how of working of courts, conducting recce of the security arrangements, a voluminous charge sheet filed in the Rohini courtroom shootout case revealed how the murder was carefully planned and carried out.

Two assailants dressed as lawyers opened fire at gangster Jitender Gogi inside the courtroom where an attempt to murder case was being heard against him on September 24. The duo, who were from a rival gang, was then killed in a swift police counter-fire.

The 122-page-long chargesheet, filed by the Delhi Police against seven accused including two dead assailants, revealed that the plan to kill Gogi allegedly began in August 2021 and various people were roped in to execute it.

Also Read | Rohini court shootout: Assailants had planned to surrender after killing gangster, say sources

The police have named Sunil Baliyan alias Tillu, Naveen Dabas alias Balli, Umang Yadav, Vinay Yadav, Ashish Kumar as accused in the case. Abated charge sheet has also been filed against deceased assailants Rahul and Jaideep.

In the chargesheet filed on December 17, the Delhi Police stated that Gogi was killed by deceased assailants under a "pre-planned deep-rooted criminal conspiracy" hatched by accused Tillu from Mandoli Jail and his associates.

According to the final report, Tillu, who is the main conspirator in the case, executed the alleged murder plan over WhatsApp calls and saw the news of Gogi's death on a TV installed in the prison cell.

As per a disclosure statement of Tillu, he planned to kill Gogi due to an old rivalry. He said that Gogi had killed one of his old friends and many gang members.

"Due to growing enmity, he decided to kill Gogi. In the end of August 2021, after second phase of Covid-19, hybrid system of hearing in courts had started and accused persons started getting produced in courts. He hatched a plan to kill Gogi in court, Tillu stated during the police interrogation.

Tillu then came in touch with co-accused Umang Yadav through an undertrial prisoner lodged in Rohini jail. Yadav had studied LLB and was acquainted with the practice of courts and advocates. Tillu asked Yadav to help him kill Gogi, to which he had agreed, as per the disclosure.

Two shooters Rahul and Jaideep were also roped in. Tillu asked them to go to Panipat court or Rohini court dressed as advocates and kill Gogi whenever he is produced from the judicial custody.

After killing Gogi inside court, both Rahul and Jaideep would surrender before the Judge in the court, the chargesheet stated quoting Tillu's disclosure statement.

Both the assailants then met Yadav in August 2021 and started preparations. Yadav briefed them about the working of the court and the practice of advocates. Jaideep and Umang also arranged the lawyer's attire.

The disclosure statement further read, When he came to know that Gogi would be produced in Panipat court on September 13, he sent Umang and Jaideep to Panipat court to recee the court and assess the security of Gogi. They informed that Gogi was produced in court under high security.

On being informed about Gogi's production before the Rohini court on September 24, Tillu directed Yadav, Rahul, and Jaideep to go to Murthal to collect firearms from one of his associates. On the morning of the shootout, he was in regular touch with the trio.

Yadav had also joined his cousin brother Vinay to help them in the execution of plan. Thereafter, they went to Rohini court, where his absconding associate Naveen Dabas @ Bhanja also reached with a shooter, who looked like a 'Nepali'. However, he sent the boy away as his appearance as an advocate was not proper, the statement further read.

Tillu further claimed that he received a call at 1:30 PM from one of his contacts informing him that Gogi was shot in Rohini court.

He became very happy with the news. However, shortly he came to know from TV installed in their cell that both assailants, who had fired upon Gogi were shot dead in court, he became very sad and he immediately gave his mobile phone and dongle to his jail inmate Ashish Kumar and asked him to destroy the mobile and dongle, the statement added.

Meanwhile, Umang Yadav, in his disclosure statement, said that he took Rahul and Jaideep to the Rohini court, and before reaching there, they changed into lawyer's attire at a mall. He along with one Nepali came out of court in a car, while Rahul and Jagga remained in court to execute the plan.

"Thereafter, he came to know on Facebook that Gogi was killed and both shooters shot dead by the police. He became afraid and called Tillu's number but his phone was switched off, Yadav said in the statement to the police.

After the shoot-out, when Yadav removed the DVR of CCTV cameras fitted inside his house. He disclosed that he had hidden the DVR inside the chimney in his kitchen, the police said.

Considering the gravity of the incident of the shootout, various operational teams of Delhi Police were activated by the supervisory officers to develop intelligence behind the conspiracy to kill Gogi inside the courtroom, the police stated in the chargesheet.

The incident had happened inside courtroom number 207 presided by Additional Sessions Judge Gagandeep Singh.

The police filed the final report for offences under sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 353 (assault), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 120B (conspiracy) of IPC, and various sections under the Arms Act.

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Four persons have been arrested in connection with a brutal attack on an RTI activist in Rajasthan, police officials said on Friday.

A car used for the crime has also been confiscated, they added.

On Tuesday, some people had abducted Amra Ram (30) and assaulted brutally. They had also hammered nails into his legs. The victim is undergoing treatment at a Joghpur hospital and is stated to be out of danger.

Bhupendra Singh (20), Ramesh Kumar (20), Khartha Ram (28) and Adesh Jat have been arrested.

They are being interrogated to know the names of others involved in the case, said Barmer SP Deepak Bhargava.

Bhargava further said that on Tuesday, RTI activist Amra Ram was kidnapped and taken to a secluded place by unknown accused in the Halka area of police station Gida.

After registering a case in Gida, police have started an in-depth probe.

Sensing the seriousness of the incident, SP Bhargava himself reached the spot the next day and formed five police teams.

Raids were conducted at the possible places in search of the unknown accused which led to the arrest of the four accused on Thursday.

A Scorpio vehicle used in the incident was seized from them, said Bhargav.

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Congress on Friday brought peace in its Uttarakhand unit ahead of Assembly elections by assigning sulking Harish Rawat the leader of the poll campaign even as it stopped short of announcing him as the Chief Minister face.

However, it has been made clear that Rawat may not have a free-run in the ticket distribution, a crucial area where the party leadership fears a free hand to one leader could create trouble.

The decision to make Rawat the Chairman of the partys campaign committee came during a meeting held by former party president Rahul Gandhi with senior leaders of the state, two days after the former Chief Minister created a flutter by tweeting that he was contemplating retirement from politics as the party organisation was not helping him.

Soon after Rawats tweets, Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala spoke to him over the phone followed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with whom the Congress veteran shared his concerns.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal later spoke to him and invited him for a meeting in Delhi on Friday with Rahul, who was in his constituency for the past two days. Sources said the immediate response from the top leadership was reassuring for Rawat, as the party was known for dilly-dallying on its response to the emerging inner-party crisis.

All of us are together, Rawat told reporters after the nearly two-and-half-hour meeting at Rahuls residence, attended by party in-charge Devender Yadav, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godhiyal and Legislature Party leader Pritam Singh among others.

Also read: Uttarakhand Cong president says he has similar feelings as Rawat

Yadav said Rawat is a senior and experienced leader and he has been given an important responsibility. There are no differences within the party though there could be some opinion about the style of functioning of people, he said.

Godhiyal said all issues raised by Rawat have been resolved and the Congress High Command has asked us to ensure that all cooperation is extended to him for a free campaign. Some changes are also suggested and will be carried out, he said.

While the party leadership is aware of the hold Rawat has in the state, sources said it is wary of giving Rawat a free hand in ticket distribution, as it could alienate several others in the party.

Rawat was not enthusiastic with the Screening Committee touring the state to zero in on potential candidates, as usually these panels sit in Delhi and decide on the panel of candidates to be submitted to the Central Election Committee headed by party president Sonia Gandhi.

Sources said the message from the meeting to Rawat was to not go public with his grievances and not aggravate the crisis at a time partys internal survey has shown an edge for the party in the upcoming elections with the ruling BJP facing immense anti-incumbency.

However, they said that the party has given enough indications that it acknowledges Rawat has the claim to the seat of Chief Minister. Rawat should be returning to Dehradun with such an assurance, a senior leader said.

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A day after the Ludhiana court blast, IANS has accessed a letter written by a top Punjab Punjab Police official, alerting police and security agencies about a possible strike by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists on key defence and other installations.

This alert, sent on November 30 by the Deputy Inspector General, Internal Security, "had indicated the possible target of the terrorists could be defence, Central armed police force, police establishments and courts," a source said.

"According to a fresh input shared by a central agency, ISI has tasked Lashkar-e-Taiba to infiltrate five terrorists under the garb of Sikh individuals through Kartarpur Corridor into India after two weeks of commando training in Shakargarh (Pakistan) with directions to move to either Pathankot or Gurdaspur for further tasking," read the input.

Also Read | One killed, five hurt in Ludhiana court blast, high alert in Punjab

Revealing the identity of two ultras as Mohd Gulzar Maghre and Mohd Sahjada Bande, the letter had mentioned the planning of a grenade attack against the security forces camp in Jammu and Kashmir by Islamic terrorist outfit, Muslim Janbaaz Force.

A highly-placed source, citing the letter, said that the police was advised to immediately take robust round-the-clock countermeasures and suitable preventive and precautionary steps.

"The agencies are asked to review the second line of defence along the India-Pakistan border in coordination with the BSF, and constantly monitor the routes, gaps on the international border.... having been used in earlier possible infiltrations by Pakistan-based terrorists," the letter said.

Also Read | Channi seeks Centre's help in blast investigation

The DIG, Internal Security had suggested in the letter to ensure deployment of Special 24x7 armed 'nakas' on all roads, routes leading to the border area to cover any ingress from vulnerable and riverine gaps on the international border.

One person was killed and several others were reportedly injured in the blast. The NIA and other agencies are probing the incident.

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The Uttar Pradesh government will impose a statewide night curfew in view of rising Covid cases from Saturday.

A government spokesman said on Friday that night curfew would remain in force from 11 PM to 5 am in the morning. A maximum of 200 people could attend social functions.

The government has asked the administration to make sure that every person who arrived in the state from any foreign country is tested for Omicron. Wearing a mask had been made mandatory.

According to sources, as many as 49 cases of Covid-19 were reported in the state in the past 24-hours while new cases stood at 31 on Thursday. Over 1.91 lakh samples were tested in the past 24 hours.

The number of active cases in the state was 266 and as many as 6.73 crore were fully vaccinated.

The Allahabad High Court had urged the Centre and the Election Commission (EC) to defer the forthcoming assembly polls in view of rising Covid-19 cases.

CM Yogi Adityanath also asked the officials to ensure all traders follow the "no mask, no goods" policy at their establishments.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

He asked for a close watch to be kept on the health of those coming from outside the state after testing them, and if required, they should be admitted to hospitals or be quarantined, the senior official said.

Monitoring committees did a commendable job in coronavirus management in the past, and directives have been issued to reactivate them in villages and urban wards, he said.

The chief minister said that in view of the possibility of a third wave of Covid-19, the state made systematic preparations in the past which needed to be re-examined. Facilities available at all government and private medical institutions of the state should be examined closely, and the Covid help desk and the day care centre in industrial units should be activated, he said.

(With PTI inputs)

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Of the 358 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus reported in India so far, 183 were analysed and it was found that 87 of them were fully vaccinated with three having received booster doses and 121 had travel history to foreign countries, the government said on Friday.

Two were partially vaccinated, seven people were unvaccinated while 16 were ineligible to receive vaccine doses in the country's national vaccination programme. The vaccination status of 73 is still unknown, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said at a press conference.

"Of the 183 Omicron cases analysed so far, 91 per cent (87 cases) were fully vaccinated with three -- two in Delhi and one in Mumbai -- having received booster shots, 70 per cent were asymptomatic and 61 per cent were males," he said.

Also read: Pressure mounts on India to begin boosters as Omicron spreads

Bhushan said 121 cases had foreign travel history, while in 44 cases the infected had come in contact with foreign travellers and information about 18 people were still not available.

ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said, "The predominant strain in India continues to be Delta, including the recently identified clusters. Therefore, we need to continue with the same strategy of following Covid-appropriate behaviour and ramping up vaccination."

Infection due to Omicron variant "does not necessarily lead to severe symptomatic clinical disease". In India, about a third of all the detected cases were mildly symptomatic and the rest were asymptomatic, he underlined.

"Therefore, I want to emphasise that the treatment for Omicron infected symptomatic individuals remains the same. It does not change from that for Delta, Alpha or the Beta variant."

Also read: Amid rising Covid cases, Centre cautions people against lowering guard during festive season

Of the 358 cases of Omicron variant detected so far in 17 states and Union Territories, 114 have recovered or migrated, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 am.

Maharashtra has recorded the maximum of 88 cases of the Omicron variant followed by Delhi at 67, Telangana 38, Tamil Nadu 34, Karnataka 31 and Gujarat 30.

Bhushan said that 1,51,368 cases of the Omicron variant and 26 confirmed deaths have been detected across 108 countries, Bhushan said.

The 10 countries classified on basis of the highest Omicron cases are the UK, Denmark, Canada, Norway, Germany, the US, South Africa, France, Australia and Estonia, he added.

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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president, Asaduddin Owaisi, said on Friday that a clipped video footage of his speech was being circulated on social media to trigger controversy.

The speech he made was in reference to the alleged provocative and communal statements made against minority communities during a three-day 'Dharma Sansad' in Haridwar.

Also read: Congress fertilised ground for Hindutva: Owaisi objects to Rahul Gandhi's comments on Hindus

"A clipped one-min video is being circulated from a 45 min speech I gave in Kanpur. I have shared my entire speech on Twitter now. The context to my speech is amply clear. I was talking about cops who torture 80-year-old men. I was talking about cops who watch silently as mobs thrash a rickshaw driver in front of his daughter. Also, cops who rained lathi blows on a man as held his child in his arms," Owaisi said.

He further said: "I said we will remember these police atrocities. Is this objectionable? Why is it offensive to remember how police have treated Muslims in UP? We cannot forget the oppression that was meted out to Anas, Suleiman, Asif, Faisal, Altaf, Akhlaq, Qasim, and hundreds of others," he asked in another series of tweets.

2. As you can see in the above video & the one here, I was talking about POLICE ATROCITIES in Kanpur & addressing such cops who think they have immunity to violate peoples liberties because of Modi-Yogi 3. I said do not confuse our silence for acquiescence. 2/n pic.twitter.com/SpQq4sxQYk  Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) December 24, 2021

Owaisi clarified: "I did not incite violence or make threats. I talked about police atrocities."

The event in Haridwar that Asaduddin Owaisi was referring to in his speech was attended by several Hindu religious leaders, who allegedly called upon the community to take up arms against Muslims as they gave a clarion call for a 'Hindu nation'.

The three-day religious assembly was organised by Yati Narsinghanand, a controversial Hindutva figure known to make communal statements.

Yati Narsinghanand reportedly said that "arming the Hindu brigade with bigger and better weapons" would be the "solution" against the "threat of Muslims."

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A day after the Allahabad High Court suggested deferring the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections due to a possible Omicron-led third Covid wave, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra on Friday said an appropriate decision will be taken on the issue after his UP visit next week.

A bench of Justice Shekhar Yadav had on Thursday urged the government and the poll panel to consider postponing the UP assembly elections for a month or two and banning all political rallies amid the fears of an impending third wave of Covid.

"I will be visiting UP next week. An appropriate decision as required by the situation will be taken after we review it," CEC Chandra told reporters here in reply to a question on the high courts observation.

Also Read | Allahabad HC urges Centre to postpone polls amid Omicron scare

The CEC was asked whether deferment of polls was possible as the Allahabad High Court had expressed concern over the rising cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. On Uttarakhand situation, Chandra said he had asked Chief Secretary SS Sandhu about Omicron cases in the state and was told that there was only one case of the latest variant of COVID-19 in the state.

The CEC also spoke of various safeguards taken by the commission due to Covid but sought to assure that whatever is required will be done as per the "Constitutional position" to check the spread of the virus.

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India's government faces a growing clamor from business leaders and public health experts to launch a Covid-19 booster drive and begin vaccinating children as the nation braces for a surge of Omicron-fueled infections.

With ample vaccine supplies, India could begin inoculating those under 18 as well as administer third doses to front-line health care workers, the elderly and those at high risk since they got their first shots in early 2021, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, the founder and chair of Biocon Ltd. -- one of Indias largest drugmakers -- told Bloomberg on Thursday.

We need a booster policy for sure, she said. I really dont know whats holding it up -- its got nothing to do with vaccine availability.

The heavily mutated and highly transmissible variant, which was discovered within Indias borders earlier this month, has already led to 358 infections. Now many, including Shaw, are asking that the country follow others lead by offering third doses to its population of almost 1.4 billion, as well as include children in the immunization program as schools reopen.

Elsewhere, Japan has announced plans to accelerate the rollout of boosters and the UK has set a year-end deadline to offer all adults a third dose. Israel is even experimenting with a fourth Covid shot.

Also read: Amid rising Covid cases, Centre cautions people against lowering guard during festive season

Recent studies show a third dose of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine or Covishield-- which accounts for nearly 90 per cent of doses administered in India -- significantly boosted neutralizing antibodies against Omicron while immunity from two shots started waning after three months. The Indian Medical Association, which represents physicians, has urged the government to provide additional doses to front-line workers and individuals with compromised immune systems.

While India has deployed more than 1.4 billion or 140 crore shots, only 41 per cent of its population has been fully inoculated, according to Bloombergs Vaccine Tracker. That shortfall has been partly pinned on some remaining hesitancy, along with the fact that India has yet to start vaccinating people under 18.

As some cities, including New Delhi and Mumbai, begin to register a rising numbers of infections, many Indian states are also moving to reimpose restrictions on Christmas and New Years Eve celebrations and gatherings.

Anil Rajput, the head of corporate affairs at Kolkata-based conglomerate ITC Ltd., said on a panel in early December that there were growing concerns on the need for a booster dose especially in the light of the new variant. It was also crucial to limit vaccine wastage with many doses close to expiry, Rajput said.

Danger Reduced

Indias network of government-funded Covid genome sequencing labs said in late November that boosters should be considered for over-40s and those at high risk, as the danger of severe disease will likely be reduced.

Indias drug regulator has so far been reluctant to authorize third doses or childhood vaccinations until local trial data has been produced. Government officials have been reiterating targets to fully inoculating the countrys adult population first.

Indias health ministry didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Also read: Covid-19: What is Delmicron?

While the head of the Serum Institute of India Ltd. -- which is locally producing the AstraZeneca shots -- warned of a production drop two weeks ago due to lack of orders, Shaw expects demand to remain robust into 2022, especially if booster shots are deployed every six months or whatever.

Biocon inked a deal earlier this year with Serum for access to 100 million vaccine doses annually.

Shaw knows from personal experience that protection offered by vaccines averts worst outcomes. Three weeks ago, 12 people in her household -- including her husband and domestic staff -- tested positive for Covid. But, being fully inoculated, they all had only mild symptoms and no one needed to go to a hospital.

The vaccine did protect them against severe diseases, she said. But as time goes by, you will have waning antibodies -- I do believe you need boosters.

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The Directorate General of GST on Friday said that they have launched searches in Kanpur following a tip-off against the manufacturers of Shikhar Pan Masala and tobacco products.

A senior official said that the search operations covered the factory premises of Ms Trimurti Fragrance Pvt Ltd, the manufacturers of Shikhar brand Pan Masala and tobacco products and the office, godowns of Ms Ganpati Road Carriers, Transport Nagar, involved in the transportation of the goods.

"They were busy in clandestine supplying goods without making payments of applicable tax.

The transporter reportedly used to generate multiple invoices in the name of non-existent firms, all below Rs 50,000/- for one full truckload, to avoid the generation of E way Bills while moving the goods. The transporter was also collecting the sale proceeds of such clandestine supply in cash and handing it over to the manufacturer, after deducting his commission," said a GST official.

Also Read | Income Tax dept raids premises of two UP businessmen

Based on the information, the GST officers were able to intercept and seize four such trucks outside the factory premises, cleared from the factory without invoices and E-way Bills.

The official said that during physical stock-taking, a shortage of raw materials and finished products was noticed as the finished products had been cleared clandestinely.

During the questioning, the authorised signatory of the company admitted to having cleared the goods without GST.

The official said that at the premises of the transporter, Ms Ganpati Road Carriers, more than 200 fake invoices used in the past for transportation of goods without payment of GST were recovered. The transporter also admitted that goods were being transported without e-way bills under the cover of fake invoices and also the sale proceeds was being collected in cash.

"We have seized Rs 1.1 crores from the possession of transporter," the official said.

Later, the GST official conducted searches on the premises of partners of Ms Odochem Industries, who were supplying perfumery compound, mostly in cash, to the said company.

During the search proceedings at the residential premises, a huge amount of cash, wrapped in papers were found.

"We had to call officials of Bank of India to count the cash. The total amount till the counting was around 150 crore. The whole amount will be seized," the official said, adding that further probe was on.

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From back to back political murders to attack on common people by goonda gangs, from police inaction in genuine complaints to public trial of a minor girl with a false accusation of mobile phone theft, all is not well on the law and order front in Kerala for quite some time.

With the political leadership hardly initiating any visible steps to put things in order, resentment is brewing among the people. In a damage control bid the police launched drives to nab anti-social elements and in Thiruvananthapuram city alone over 200 wanted criminals were nabbed during the last 24 hours.

Anti-social elements are literally going on a rampage even in the state capital with innocent people also coming under attack, the latest being the attack on a father and daughter at a busy junction on the suburbs of the city on Wednesday evening. The same locality had just witnessed a goonda gang murdering a rival gang member and throwing his chopped off leg on the streets.

Also Read | Alappuzha murders: Kerala government under fire for lack of arrests

While political murders are not unfamiliar to the state over the last several decades, the recent murders at Alappuzha exposed serious lapses of the police as it failed to prevent a second murder, indeed an act of retaliation, in a gap of hardly ten hours.

The state also witnessed a series of instances of police inaction on genuine grievances mainly domestic violence and dowry harassment complaints of women leading to the victims ending life or being killed at husbands' houses. Even last month a 22-year old woman ended life in Ernakulam after accusing the police of mentally harassing her after she lodged a domestic violence complaint against her husband and in-laws.

Also Read | Kerala government loses fight against eight-year-old as High Court orders compensation for police harassment

The other day the Kerala High Court ordered compensation of Rs. 1.5 lakh to an eight-year-old girl who was harassed by a woman police personnel in the public by accusing her of stealing a mobile phone from a police vehicle.

While Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who heads the home portfolio, often maintains silence, in some instances the left-front government even justified the police. Even in the mental torture of the minor girl the errant woman police officer was strongly backed by the government even in the High Court, which invited the court's criticism.

CPM politburo member M A Baby told DH that the recent political murders involving SDPI and BJP-RSS and the subsequent hate campaign over the social media were part of deliberate attempts to create unrest in the left-front ruling state as the left-front was only taking a stern stand against communal politics. He also said that the instances of lapses of policing were caused by a section in the police force and the Chief Minister had conveyed stern messages to such officers. The left-front would also ensure functional freedom to the police.

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With the cases of new Covid-19 variant Omicron jumping, the Maharashtra government on Friday issued orders to prohibit gathering of more than five people between 9 pm and 6 am and put a cap on the number of attendees in marriages, social, political and religious events.

The orders came on a day when Maharashtra crossed the 1,400-mark in around two months time even as total cases of Omicron variant surpassed 100 cases on Friday.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi had been mulling restrictions in the wake of the jump of figures ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities.

However, essential services have been exempted from the prohibitory orders.

Also read | People flowing like river in Delhi market: HC

In the Maharashtra Legislature, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab made a formal announcement on the restriction timings.

On Thursday night, Thackeray chaired a Cabinet meeting and also met members of the Covid-19 Task Force to discuss the Omicron threat even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation in New Delhi.

Other states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan have announced restrictions to combat the spread of the Omicron variant.

In cases of marriages, where movement of people is generally staggered, the total number of attendees should not exceed 100 in enclosed places (like banquets, marriage halls), and 250 for open sky spaces or 25 per cent of the capacity, whichever is less, according to the orders issued by Chief Secretary Debasish Chakrabarty.

Similar restrictions would be applicable in case of religious, social and political gatherings.

In the last 24 hours, 1,410 cases and 12 deaths were reported, taking the progressive total to 66,54,755 and 1,41,404, respectively.

As many as 20 new cases of Omicron were reported, taking the progressive total to 108.

Of the Omicron cases, 54 have been discharged after the RT-PCR report was negative.

Of the 20 new cases, 15 have history of international travel, one has history of domestic travel and four are their high-risk contacts, according to the Public Health Department.

Meanwhile, Behram Khodaiji, Joint Chief Executive Officer, Masina Hospital, Byculla, Mumbai, said: As the 2021 draws to a close, the threat of the new Omicron variant is looming large and staring alarmingly on the face of the common citizen. What started as a new localised variant in South Africa has rapidly spread all across Europe and is jumping into new countries with every passing day. India is also seeing the spread of the virus although, as yet, it is largely limited to Maharashtra and Delhi. But, as the WHO has repeatedly stressed, unless all countries are immune from the virus, no one is really safe from it.

People have to be highly vigilant and take adequate measures to ensure that they do not get infected and, more importantly, spread the virus to others. The festive parties and New Year celebrations should not become a super spreader, he said.

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For some years now, many South Indian states have been flagging the issue of distribution of the central pool of tax revenue in the Finance Commission. The grounds for concern have been that the southern states collect more taxes and have brought down their populations, but the larger shares of revenue go to the poorer states with bigger and expanding populations. In other words, the South Indian states have been arguing that they are "penalised" for controlling the pace of population growth.

To extend this argument a step further, it means that tax income collected from better-performing states is used to underwrite policies and schemes in poorly performing states such as Uttar Pradesh. Currently, schemes and infrastructure projects are being inaugurated at a frenzied pace in election-bound Uttar Pradesh, all on public money before the Election Commission notification for the state polls is announced. By extension, therefore, tax-paying residents of south India have every right to be concerned about public spending in Varanasi or Gorakhpur.

Read | J&K Delimitation Commission's draft proposal explained

This issue of distribution of taxes cannot be delinked from delimitation, the act of redrawing boundaries and increasing the number of seats in state assemblies and the Lok Sabha to reflect the changes in population. The issue is a ticking time bomb since that can potentially recast the federation of India as we know it. Currently, there is a freeze on this exercise till 2026. But in the future, there is a clear and present danger confronting states in the south that they would be outnumbered to a larger extent than they currently are. Should the BJP win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well, it would certainly be in the party's interest to see that the number of seats in Hindi belt states, where the party has its bases, should increase while those in the south could potentially decrease.

After all, the pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central Vista in New Delhi, aims to build a Parliament building that will accommodate many more members both in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. In an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the CPWD (Central Public Works Department) said that the new Lok Sabha chamber could accommodate 876 members and 1224 during joint sessions as it would be three times the size of the current chamber in Parliament. In the same affidavit filed in the context of suits against the Central Vista project, the CPWD stated that the current strength of the Lok Sabha has remained at 545 as per the delimitation carried out after the 1971 Census, but "it is likely to increase substantially as the freeze on the total number of seats is only till 2026."

Imagine, therefore, the future: more seats for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan and less for performing states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Punjab that have done well on population control? Indeed, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has publicly stated that the Modi government might advance the delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies from the mandated timetable of 2026 if it feels unsure of winning the 2024 elections. Speaking from the perspective of being an MP from the South, he said that the delimitation is a very real threat because "as a percentage of Parliament in terms of total seats we will no longer form an effective block from the southern states."

Read | J&K delimitation may not give govt's policy legitimacy

It is in this backdrop that the controversial delimitation for Jammu & Kashmir can also be viewed. Here the reverse is happening, and the critique by Kashmiri stakeholders is that the principle of population has been ignored in the draft proposal of the Delimitation Commission. The Commission has proposed adding six seats to Jammu's tally and one to Kashmir's. The charge by political parties in the Valley is that the idea is to "increase the Hindu footprint through enhancing the numbers of Jammu." Former chief minister Omar Abdullah has said the Commission is promoting the political agenda of the BJP. He quotes the 2011 Census to state that the share of the population is 56.2 per cent in the Kashmir division and 43.8 per cent in Jammu. He then elaborates on the current seat share ratio: 55.4 per cent for Kashmir and 44.6 per cent for Jammu and says it would fall to 52.2 per cent in Kashmir and 47.8 per cent in Jammu if the delimitation recommendations made public last week were to be accepted. They have now been rejected by politicians from the Valley who say that the idea behind the proposal is also to end the possibility of a Kashmiri Muslim chief minister in the future.

Frankly, the BJP does not care about hearts and minds in the Valley as Muslim majority Kashmir is viewed through the prism of ideology. The Jammu & Kashmir delimitation follows a different set of rules and has been necessitated by the entire structure of special status being taken away on August 5, 2019, and the state being downgraded into a union territory. It's also clear that the nation's pre-eminent ruling party places political expediency and ideological underpinnings over propriety and precedent. The Valley remains utterly alienated, but the BJP does not really care, although it does give importance to holding its bases in Jammu.

It is noteworthy that the principle of population has been ignored in the draft proposal for Jammu & Kashmir, but when it comes to the national delimitation exercise, this is precisely the argument the BJP ecosystem would use to increase seats from states where the party has a presence. For when it comes to public policy, the BJP appears to have decided that heads they win and tails the Opposition loses. But this over-centralised approach of the BJP can, in the long run, trigger strong anti-New Delhi emotions in some southern states and lead to Balkanisation of the mind in parts outside Kashmir.

(Saba Naqvi is a journalist and an author)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
Tavarekere Shila Mutt Seer Abhinava Siddalinga Shivacharya Swamiji warned that seers of various mutts in the state will launch agitation against the government if anti-conversion law is not implemented in Karnataka effectively.

Speaking to media persons, here on Friday, he said seers would welcome the government's decision to implement anti-conversion law. "We oppose religious conversion by force."

Siddalinga Shivacharya Swamiji said though the government implemented The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act 2020, the result is poor. The slaughtering of cows has continued across the state. So, the government must implement an anti-conversion bill without fail effectively.

Channagiri-based Halaswamy Virakta Mutt Seer Basava Jayachandra Swami said, "we oppose religious conversion by force. Anti-conversion law must not remain only on papers. The pros and cons of the law must be discussed before the implementation."

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The High Court of Karnataka has passed a conditional ad-interim order granting permission to a resident of Devalkanda village in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district to offer prayers at her house.

Justice Krishna S Dixit said the interim order would stand automatically rescinded if the conditions are violated and also said it is open to the police to video/audio record the activities of the congregation or celebration, without unnecessarily interfering with the prayers.

The petition was filed by Esthela Louis challenging the October 26, 2021, notice issued by the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kundapur police station, claiming that it violates her fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution.

The police had claimed they have information that she has been calling people from outside for the purpose of prayers and preaching. The notice further said that it was found that she has been continuing such activities without a license from the police authorities, which is a violation of law. The police also asked her to submit relevant documents regarding the events.

In her petition, Esthela stated that she does not require police permission for conducting prayers in her house as the same comes under her religious rights. She claimed that pursuant to the police notice, she is not being allowed to offer prayers at home and the police warned of arresting her friends and relatives if they come visiting her. Esthela claimed that she had been holding prayers at her house for the past 11 years, between 11 am and 1 pm on Sundays and 10.30 am and 1 pm on every Fridays.

The court passed the interim order with conditions that there shall be no much congregation of the persons offering the prayer, so that the possible risk of spreading Covid-19 or Omicron is avoided, no disturbance or nuisance shall be caused to the neighbours and others due to such congregation nor any scope shall be given for the allegations of conversion activities.

"The above conditions are imposed to dispel the vehement submission of Additional Government Advocate that the area being communally sensitive, the congregation is likely to endanger peace and harmony and endanger law and order problem," Justice Krishna Dixit has observed in his order.

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The ruling BJP's plan to somehow get the anti-conversion bill passed in the Legislative Council, where it does not have a majority, fell flat and the government ended up withdrawing its decision to table it in the upper house.

What led to the withdrawal is nothing short of a drama that saw the BJP make a desperate attempt to have just the right number on the floor to ensure passage of the Bill. It was passed in the Assembly on Thursday.

After the first half, the Council was adjourned for lunch. The session was to meet at 3 pm. But, it was not until 4 pm that the House resumed. In the meantime, the BJP chalked out a strategy.

Also Read | Anti-conversion Bill: Speaker denies Congress charge

Several BJP members, including Council deputy chairperson MK Pranesh, had left Belagavi. The ruling party summoned them to return, and the Council was kept waiting. Several Congress MLCs, too, had left Belagavi and the BJP stood a chance to get the Bill passed with whatever numbers they had on the floor.

At around 3.45 pm, BJP's floor leader Kota Srinivas Poojary and other party leaders went to Council chairperson Basavaraj Horatti's chamber for a discussion.

Realising the plot, Congress MLCs rushed into Horatti's chamber and questioned the delay in resuming the House. That is when the quorum bell started ringing.

Also Read | Let select committee deliberate on anti-conversion Bill: A H Vishwanath

They knew they lacked a majority. They wanted to get the Bill passed when the Opposition had fewer members on the floor. Earlier, they had said the Bill will not be tabled. They deliberately delayed the tabling of the Bill since morning so that their members can return to Belagavi, Opposition chief whip M Narayanaswamy said.

After the House reassembled, Horatti said that the delay in the proceedings was unintentional. Opposition members urged Horatti to give them time to recall their members, or adjourn the session. Apparently, some Congress MLCs had booked their flights in the anticipation that the Council will be adjourned sine die.

Horatti adjourned the House for five minutes to hold parleys between the ruling and the opposition sides.

Also Read | Faith, history & nationhood: The many facets of anti-conversion Bill debate

Thereafter, Poojary told the Council that the Bill will not be tabled. It will be taken up in the next session.

Later, Deputy Chairman Pranesh adjourned the House sine die.

According to sources, the episode embarrassed Horatti to the extent that he considered resigning.

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The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Anti-conversion Bill amid uproar by the Opposition during the ongoing Winter Session of the Asembly. The day was reserved for discussion on the Bill.

"The Anti-conversion Bill is Constitutional and pro-people," Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said while speaking to mediapersons at the Suvarna Soudha here.

The bill was passed by a voice vote on Thursday, even as Congress members were protesting from the well of the House, demanding continuation of the debate on it, that began earlier in the day.

Read | Siddaramaiah counters BJP on anti-conversion Bill

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K S Eshwarappa, during a heated debate on the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, said the BJP government would bring another hundred Bills to protect Hindu dharma.

Yes, were all RSS. And yes, the [Bill] came from the RSS. The RSS has taught us the culture of protecting this nation and dharma. We will bring a hundred more Bills, just like how we enacted the anti-cow slaughter law, he said.

Eshwarappa also made a remark that prompted Congress MLAs to rush into the well of the House.

Whatever benefits the nation and dharma, in accordance with what RSS has taught us, we will bring such Bills and save dharma in this state. We wont allow Hindus to be converted. We wont allow our population to reduce. We wont bother others. But if someone bothers us, we will tear them apart, the minister said, angering the Congress.

The Bill witnessed a debate of nearly six hours traversing the chapters of history. Members such as Priyank Kharge and N Mahesh recalled speeches made by B R Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi on the issue of conversion.

Former Congress minister K J George said the Bill would lead to harassment of Christians.

I agree that this Bill isnt against any religion, but there are problems when one does a fine-reading of it, he said.

Read | D K Shivakumar vows to repeal Karnataka anti-conversion law if voted to power

The Bill defines allurement as gift, employment and free education. If we want to do something good to society and provide free education, is it wrong, he asked.

He said Christians run several educational institutions. If I provide a job to someone, I can be accused of conversion, he said.

JD(S) deputy legislature party leader Bandeppa Kashempur also said there is no need for an anti-conversion law. The panic is that this law will be misused and lead to harassment, he said.

BSY warns Cong

Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa warned the Congress against opposing the Bill.

If you continue like this, people will tear you apart just like D K Shivakumar tore the copy of the Bill, he said.

Christians can worship Jesus, Muslims can believe in Mohammed Paigambar and Hindus can worship their gods. The point is that there shouldnt be forced conversion. Nobody can differ on this, he said.

What the Bill says:

The Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, popularly known as Anti-conversion Bill proposes protection of right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means and for the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

"No person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any other person from one religion to another by use or practice of force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by any other means or promise of marriage, nor shall any person abet or conspire such conversion," the Bill says.

According to new law, any converted person, his parents, brother, sister or any other person who is related to him by blood, marriage or adoption or in any form associated or colleague may lodge a complaint of such conversion which contravenes the provisions, the offence is made to be non-bailable and cognizable.

The bill proposes declaration before conversion of religion and also pre-report about conversion. The declaration of post conversion of religion is also proposed. If any institution violates the Act, imprisonment of up to three to five years with a fine of Rs 25,000 is proposed. If the victim is a minor, the imprisonment is extended up to 10 years.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said that his health is good, a clarification that came at a time when speculation was rife that he would fly overseas to find a fix for a knee ailment.

"My health is good. There's no problem. You can see how active I am. My health and the state's health is good," Bommai told reporters.

Meanwhile, Revenue Minister R Ashoka also denied speculation surrounding Bommai's health and his possible exit, which has been brewing in the rumour mill these past few weeks.

Also Read | Congress's plan to target Bommai govt goes sine die

"Someone is spreading this mischievous rumour. He's not going overseas 1,000%," Ashoka, who is Bommai's senior Cabinet colleague, said.

According to Ashoka, Bommai has been advised by the doctors that he does not need surgery. "It will cure without an operation. Orthopaedic and Ayurveda doctors have said this. He is improving and in a week's time he'll be alright," he said.

Political circles are abuzz with rumours of a possible change in leadership. Bommai's emotional speech in his home constituency of Shiggaon earlier this week added to this buzz, coupled with RDPR Minister K S Eshwarappa's projection of Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani as a future chief minister.

And, senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has been cryptically targeting a BJP leader who is said to be going to town saying he'll become the CM.

Also Read | Bommai will continue as Karnataka CM, says Pralhad Joshi

Alternatively, there is speculation that Bommai's Cabinet will be rejigged keeping the 2023 Assembly elections in mind.

Ashoka dismissed talk of Bommai's exit. "We're all with Bommai. Our support is for Bommai. We will fight the next election under his leadership," he said.

Ashoka pointed out Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement in early September that Bommai will lead the BJP into the 2023 election. "If people still have a doubt after Shah's statement, then they should be sent to a mental hospital," he said.

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Less than a quarter of all known Omicron cases in the state are children. While the preliminary data indicates that the cases have survived Covid-19 without complications, experts are worried about an "inevitable" surge that could drive up child infections, owing to their lack of access to vaccinations.

In an August action plan report, government experts had projected that there could be between 3,270 and 4,861 pediatric hospital admissions in the third wave. These projections were made before the emergence of Omicron which has a higher reproduction number than the Delta.

Already, data from South Africa shows that while adults infected with Omicron have a lower propensity for hospitalisation, it is the reverse for children, where the rate of hospital admission is up 20%. This is said to have implications for schools.

Read | Of 183 Omicron cases, 87 were fully vaccinated: Centre

"Case numbers due to Omicron will increase, that is inevitable, but what we expect is the rate of infection of children roughly on par with the first and especially the second wave," paediatrician Dr Vishwanath Kamoji of Columbia Asia Hospital, also a member of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) pediatric panel, said.

Between April and May 2021, 1,56,733 cases aged under 18 years were found positive for Covid-19 in Karnataka, out of which around 3% had required hospital admissions.

However, the current situation is complicated by the fact that schools have reopened, unlike in previous waves. Dr R Vishal, Commissioner for Public Instruction, said that a reconsideration of schools was pending recommendations by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

"We are aware that many schools are adhering to 50% physical attendance in classes but many schools are also still continuing virtual learning. Any change to physical attendance will be recommended by the TAC," he said.

Read | Pressure mounts on India to begin boosters as Omicron spreads

"At the same time, we are cognizant of the fact that even if children are infected, the disease will be mild. This is not a virulent variant as per the existing scientific evidence," he added.

According to Dr Kamoji, the initial numbers of Omicron cases have already compelled schools not to increase their physical attendance numbers. "People must nevertheless take all precautions to safeguard their children. Children under the age of 12 are generally safe but older children face a risk," he said.

In Karnataka, six out of the 31 known Omicron cases to date are aged between 9 and 14, including two new cases disclosed on Thursday. All are girls. They constitute 18.7% of the states total. Nationwide, 25 out of the 310 cases recorded as of Thursday evening are children. However, discounting 189 cases for which ages are not yet known, the nationwide prevalence rate is 20.6%.

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A new charity is to be set up in Derry to encourage liaison between local organisations to create community access to the city's important historic buildings and records.

It follows one of Derry's most historic churches, Christ Church, being awarded a 10,000 grant by the National Churches Trust as part of the Treasure Ireland project.

The funding award coincides with the announcement of a new collaboration between Ulster University, the Inner City Trust, St Eugenes Cathedral and Christ Church which will offer greater access to historic buildings in the Northland Road area.

The Treasure Ireland project, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust and the Department for Communities, supports historic places of worship in Northern Ireland.

The Christ Church announcement marks the first occasion on which the projects Northern Ireland grants committee has awarded the maximum Treasure Ireland grant amount. Christ Church  a Gothic Revival church  is located on the citys Infirmary Road opposite St Eugenes Cathedral.

Erected in 1830, to the designs of architect John Ferguson, it was the first purpose-built Protestant church constructed outside the city walls, and marked Derrys northern expansion in the early-nineteenth century.

The church sustained severe damage in an arson attack in 1996 but retains many fine features, including a significant collection of stained glass designed by the artist William MacBride.

The 10,000 grant has been awarded for the restoration of the churchs tower roof, its stonework and for waterproofing.

The Northern Ireland grants committee was impressed by the conservation-led approach of the project which will help to protect the historic fabric of the church.

To date, Treasure Ireland has supported 21 places of worship across Northern Ireland with grants totalling 106,000.

Irwin Thompson, a member of Christ Churchs Select Vestry, said: This is a remarkably generous grant from the Treasure Ireland Fund which will allow us to renovate the tower, making it watertight.

Historic building consultants McCollum Conservation and the National Churches Trust have been wonderfully supportive of our efforts to preserve this historic building while encouraging the formation of a Northland Heritage Group to promote community and tourist engagement with the buildings of this area of the city.

Fr Paul Farren and Emmet Thompson, of St Eugenes Cathedral; Helen Quigley and Damian McAteer, of the Inner City Trust; Prof. Malachy O Neill of University of Ulster; and Christ Churchs Archdeacon Robert Miller, Jim Kelley and myself, are forming a charity to encourage liaison between our organisations and community access to the important historic buildings and records we treasure.

This area of Londonderry is well-known for its cultural activity, which will be enhanced by the Northland Heritage Groups efforts, beginning with support for the Walled City Passion Festival and events next Easter.
We speak to Mary Gormley, regional development manager for Invest NI, about the Economic Recovery Innovation Grant and the benefits of progressing along Innovate NIs Innovation Framework.

According to the UK Innovation Survey carried out in 2017 by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), only 39% of Northern Ireland businesses are actively engaged in innovation, ranking it 12th out of the 12 UK regions.

Invest NI and the Department for the Economy (DfE), believe that Northern Irelands ranking in the ONS survey is not truly reflective of the level of innovation activity that is actually being delivered across the region. This could be down to the fact that many businesses simply dont recognise what they do as innovation.

In response to the ONS, DfE launched Innovate NI in October 2019; this is an initiative that supports local businesses to progress through a four-step innovation framework for successful innovation to create value. The initiative also provides official recognition for innovation activity, helping businesses to understand where they are in their innovation journey and recognise their innovation achievement.

As a business further develops their innovative project, they can have their activities assessed by Innovate NI. If deemed to be innovative, they receive recognition so they can clearly see the level of progress that they're making.

Mary agrees with the need to encourage businesses to identify as innovative.

One thing is for sure; we dont shout about our innovation achievements enough. I firmly believe the NI economy is much more innovative than the ONS survey portrays; during the pandemic, we found that NI actually had a lot of innovative businesses with diverse offerings and locally we showed a high level of resilience in dealing with a very significant economic shock.

But I do think micro-businesses in particular, sometimes struggle to see themselves as being innovative and struggle to understand all the supports that are available to them. Thats why Innovate NIs recognition scheme is so important and it is one of the reasons we decided to support the work of Innovate NI with the Economic Recovery Innovation Grant.

Economic Recovery Innovation Grant

The Economic Recovery Innovation Grant (ERIG) is funded by the Department for the Economys Economic Recovery Action Plan. The grant was launched on 10th November and it provides small-to-medium-sized businesses, including micro- businesses (SMEs) with the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to 5,000.

This grant was created to help businesses progress their innovative idea - this idea must be new to the business, or the market, for example, a new product or service, or a new process within the business.

The grant will help a business that is currently working on an innovative project to test and develop it, with the end goal of commercialising the product or service, or implementing the process fully in the business.

The 5,000 can be used to fund development costs and the actual implementation of that innovative idea into the business.

Businesses hoping to apply must complete Invest NIs eligibility checker and satisfy the schemes eligibility criteria including being registered with HMRC and being a Northern Ireland-based SME or social enterprise.

They must also have a valid Silver Level Innovator recognition from Innovate NI. Silver Level Innovator recognition means businesses have already started to test and develop an innovative idea for their business.

Businesses can check if they satisfy the eligibility criteria on Investni.com and if they do, they can submit an innovation assessment to find out their innovation level. Once issued, Invest NI will invite the eligible, Silver Level Innovator to apply for ERIG.

Mary says the reason why businesses must have the Silver Level Innovator recognition to qualify for the grant, is to ensure that the grant is put to good use.

We want local businesses to further develop innovative projects, services or processes that will enable them to grow. A business that is recognised as Silver Level has already completed the ideation and selection steps of the Innovation Framework, so we know the grant will be used to progress an idea Innovate NI has assessed as potentially innovative.

Using the grant to achieve commercialisation or implementation would then, hopefully, allow a business to progress to Gold Level Innovator status.

Innovate NI also provides help, support and signposting to ensure businesses progress through these innovation levels. This helps to avoid repeating the same step over and over again. This signposting will also help businesses know where to go for the right help.

Innovation can be something big or something minor, but it can make a major change for an SME or micro business. Just go check if you are eligible and where you are on the Innovation Framework - it could completely change the way you do business.

The closing date to apply for the Economic Recovery Innovation Grant is 5pm on Monday, 31st January 2022. Grants will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.



Visit Invest NI to learn more about the grant and whether you are eligible.
Samsung has shed light on some gaming specific features of its 2022 TVs and gaming monitors. Gamers can take advantage of HDR 10+ gaming on Samsung Q70 and higher TVs launched in 2022.

Samsung has announced that its 2022 gaming monitors and TVs (Q70 and higher variants of 2022) will support HDR 10+ gaming. Currently, we have Samsung TVs that support gaming in HDR 10. HDR 10+ gaming will introduce a host of features that will enhance the gaming experience.

We are extremely proud to announce that the new HDR10+ GAMING standard will be adopted by Samsungs 2022 Neo QLED line up with the Q70 TV series and above and gaming monitors, allowing users to enjoy a game-changing experience through cutting-edge visuals and richer, life-like images, said Seokwoo Yong, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Team, Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. Samsung will continue to invest in users viewing experiences as technology continues to advance and provide enhanced new features and capabilities.

What to expect with HDR 10+ gaming on Samsung TVs and monitors

As mentioned above, Samsung has confirmed that its Q70 TV and higher models will support HDR 10+ gaming. Samsung hasnt revealed the gaming monitors models that will support HDR 10+ gaming and we can expect the announcement to come in January 2022 when CES Kicks off.

Speaking of some of the features of HDR 10+ gaming, Samsung says that its 2022 TV and gaming monitor lineup will support the HDR10+ GAMING standard by allowing automated HDR calibration that provides stunning picture quality to meet game developers demand. We are interested to see how this automatic calibration works as it will eliminate the need for manual HDR calibration removing the problem of human error. To date, we have experienced automatic HDR calibration for the PS5 (review) on the Sony A80J TV (review) and you can check it out here.

HDR 10+ in gaming is expected to offer optimized brightness and contrast scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame, with more accurate colour expression. Gamers can expect features like Low-latency, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and over 120Hz. The over 120Hz is interesting as it means PC gamers with capable hardware will be able to game in frame rates higher than 120Hz in HDR 10+ with supported hardware.

NVIDIA GeForce gamers can enjoy a brighter, more vivid and consistent HDR gaming experience on their monitors or TVs from the support of the new HDR10+ GAMING standard, said Vijay Sharma, Director of Product Management at NVIDIA.

It will be interesting to see how HDR 10+ translates to the consoles. As of writing this story, the PS5 supports gaming in HDR 10 only while the Xbox Series X (review) supports Dolby Vision gaming on popular titles like Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5 (review), Gears 5 (review) and more.

Dolby Vision gaming supports all the features touted by HDR 10+ gaming with the only catch being Dolby Vision gaming is limited to 120Hz on the LG C1 (review) and G1 (review) when connected to an Xbox Series X. It will be interesting to see how HDR 10+ gaming and Dolby Vision Gaming compare and what advantages HDR 10+ gaming brings by surpassing the 120Hz mark.

Source
Local

Ripley woman turns vintage camper into traveling photo booth

Thomas Wells | Daily Journal Butler has loaded her mobile photo booth with props for her customers to use while snapping photos. This time of year, she's included plenty of Christmas-themed items. Thomas Wells | Daily Journal Susan Butler sits on the couch inside the Snap 'N Roll Photo Booth on Dec. 10, 2021, in Ripley.

RIPLEY  All it took for Susan Butler to create a successful side business was an idea  and a vintage camper.

Thomas Wells | Daily Journal Susan Butler of Ripley waves from the doorway of her traveling photo booth business, Snap 'N Roll Photo Booth, on Dec. 10, 2021. Butler began work on transforming a vintage camper into a mobile photo booth in 2019 and now hauls the thing to all kinds of fun events.

The Ripley resident is the owner and operator of the Snap 'N Roll Photo Booth, a mobile photo booth complete with props and decor that change with the seasons.

Butler has worked as a dental hygienist for 33 years, 29 of which shes spent at Family Dental Clinic in Ripley.

Butler had dabbled in photography over the years, mostly taking photos of family and friends, but hadnt seriously considered turning her hobby into a business until 2018. While attending a wedding, she spotted a small photo booth set up for guests to use.

Thats when inspiration struck: Shed create her own traveling photo booth.

Getting hitched

Butler found a 1974 Travelaire camper on Craigslist in 2019 and drove to a spot just east of Atlanta to pick it up.

She hitched the camper up and never looked back. Literally.

Thomas Wells | Daily Journal The Snap 'N Roll Photo Booth decked out in a "Grinning with the Grinch" Christmas theme. The booth began its life as a 1974 Travelaire camper, which Butler purchased on Craigslist in 2019.

"I had never pulled a trailer before in my life," Butler said. "But I went over there, looked at it, bought it and pulled it all the way home going forward. I never backed it up a time."

Two years later, Butler still avoids backing the camper up if at all possible, but she can do it when she needs to.

Butler started getting props and decor together for the camper in September 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed her plans to open her unique photography business.

She and her coworkers were off work from March through May in 2020 because of the pandemic, so she spent that time assembling the Snap 'N Roll Photo Booth.

The camper's interior was in rough shape when Butler bought it. She gutted the inside  which originally had a sink, stove, table and closet  and hired B & B Camper Sales in Burnsville to install shiplap walls and redo the floors.

Get the picture Individuals or companies interested in booking the booth for an event can contact Butler through the "Snap 'N Roll Photo Booth" Facebook page or by searching the business' name on Wedding Wire or The Knot.

She picked the exterior colors, turquoise and white, and had the camper painted by Creative Awning & Sign in Ripley. She hopes to eventually add an awning to the side of the portable photo booth.

As for the camera, she purchased it from Photo Booth International in Texas. It's easy to move in and out, so she can take photos inside the camper or set up shots with a backdrop.

Photo booth gets rolling

The photo booth business really got rolling in 2021.

Butler has taken the Snap 'N Roll Photo Booth to birthday parties, proms, weddings, festivals, markets, Christmas parades and other community events.

She typically rents out the booth for three hours at a time, with rates starting at $300 for a small party or corporate event, $500 for a prom and $700 for a wedding. Those prices include unlimited photos, assistance from Butler with operating the camera, decor for each occasion and personalized templates for the photos.

Thomas Wells | Daily Journal The photo booth camera, purchased from Photo Booth International, is operated via touch screen.

The camera can print a 2x6" strip with two to four photos or a 4x6" with one to four photos.

Butler has 10 vintage suitcases where she stores props like sunglasses, hats and headbands that customers use during shoots. This time of year, theyre filled with Christmas decor.

She's always on the lookout for new props to add to her collection, which includes a shark hat, pirate hat, Viking hat and sombreros  even a plunger hat she purchased at A. Schwab on Beale Street in Memphis.

"I love the people, laughing with the people," Butler said. "They put on crazy hats and have a good time."

Butler also dresses the part for each event. She has more than 50 costumes stored in a closet in her home, some she accrued from years of elaborate outfits put together for Halloween and others she purchased specifically to use with the photo booth.

For the moment, the Snap 'N Roll Photo Booth is a side business, but Butler hopes to eventually retire from the dental field and focus her full attention on operating the photo booth.

Think of it as her big picture.

"This will be my retirement plan, I guess you could say," Butler said.
A local Louth youth group has gifted a handcrafted Just a Minute bench to the Gaisce (The Presidents Award) office in Ratra House in honour of the organisations 35th anniversary.

Young people from Youth Work Louth diligently spent several weeks constructing their Just a Minute benches to help promote good mental health in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The group initially started out training in woodwork and refurbishment before settling on producing mindfulness benches for designated spaces within their local community in Drogheda.

A number of different spaces were identified by the group to receive a bench, including the Gaisce office in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, as members of the group were working towards their Bronze Awards.

Delighted with their community-led venture, Youth Worker Keith OHagan from South Side Youth Project contacted Gaisce on behalf of the young people to explain the idea behind the benches and the aim of the project.

While Storm Barra forced a slight postponement on an official presentation, on Thursday, 9th December, six members of the group travelled to Gaisce offices in Dublin to personally deliver the bench to the staff, including CEO Yvonne McKenna.

Each bench takes between one to two weeks to construct with materials costing 70 and the group are hoping to have their fourth bench completed by the New Year.

Explaining the motivation behind the project, Youth Worker, Keith OHagan, who is also a President Award Leader with Gaisce, said:

These young people went from learning simple woodwork skills to making benches and being active citizens by promoting good mental health in the community.

They also supported others as peer mentors by leading and facilitating groups by making spaces for younger members to make bird houses and keep safe boxes as well as using their pallet furniture in Gaisces recent Bulbs for Bees challenge.

This is next-level work, and it was all influenced by being a participant with Gaisce.

While at Ratra House, five young people in the group were also presented with their Bronze Gaisce Awards.

A further three young people who couldnt make the trip to Dublin were also awarded their Bronze Awards.

Support for the project came from local Community Gardai in Drogheda with Garda Aidan and Garda Paddy even making the trip to Dublin to congratulate the young people on receiving their Bronze Awards.

Speaking about the project, Gaisce CEO Yvonne McKenna said:

We are just so thrilled to be presented with this beautiful bench - a piece of art in and of itself - marking the milestone of Gaisce.

Gaisce is a self-development award and is Irelands highest national recognition of all the commitment and positive contributions our young people make in the local community.

The Gaisce Award is for any young person 14-25, and its non-competitive.

Gaisce is about creating yourself, not competing with anyone else.

The young people connected with Youth Work Ireland Louth have really shown skill, determination and creativity in this project, and the bench is a brilliant reflection of that, and will be enjoyed for a long time to come!
CITESTE IN ROMANA

15 million loan to heating utility CET Nord under the EBRD Green Cities programme

Project supported by EBRD donors, including a 1 million GCF concessional and a 2 million grant from E5P

Financing to improve energy efficiency, district heating and hot water supply in Moldovas second-largest city

Citizens of Balti, Moldovas second-largest city, will benefit from more efficient district heating thanks to a new 15 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to state-owned company CET Nord JSC.

The company provides district heating services to around 70 per cent of the citys population, as well as to numerous public buildings and commercial entities.

The EBRD will provide a 14 million loan, alongside Green Climate Fund (GCF) financing of 1 million. The loan will be complemented by a 2 million grant from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P) fund.*

Octavian Costas, EBRD Associate Director, Senior Banker, and Andrei Spinu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development of Moldova, signed the agreement in the capital, Chisinau, today.

The project is a follow-on investment in Baltis district heating system under the flagship urban sustainability programme, EBRD Green Cities. It addresses the citys key environmental challenges, including air quality and climate change, exacerbated by the underperforming energy distribution network and the low level of investment in building energy efficiency. These elements were identified in Baltis Green City Action Plan, completed and approved by the city council in November 2021 and funded by the government of Sweden.

The investment will help alleviate legacy infrastructural issues and promote systemic decarbonisation. It will encourage a reduction in electricity imports, leading to better energy security and significant CO 2 emission savings.

By enhancing the operational and energy efficiency of district heating with improved system controls, the project will enable the introduction of apartment-level, consumption-based billing to consumers and further optimise use of the citys highly efficient combined heat and power plant.

Furthermore, by reducing gas consumption for space heating through better energy regulation, the project will help reinstate a supply of affordable centralised domestic hot water to consumers that was discontinued more than 20 years ago.

As part of the project, the EBRD and the GCF will help promote equal opportunities by supporting womens participation in climate policy and technical roles, as well as by developing training courses and awareness on gender and climate change issues.

The EBRDs Early Transition Countries (ETC) Fund also supported the project with technical cooperation for project preparation.

The new investment builds on the improvements achieved in the first phase of the project, completed in 2019, which resulted in a significant reduction in natural gas consumption, reduced CO 2 emissions and better-quality district heating services.

The 5 billion EBRD Green Cities programme helps member cities identify, prioritise and tackle environmental issues by developing a tailor-made Green City Action Plan and making targeted investments to address each citys urban challenges. Founded in 2016, it currently has 52 members. Balti joined the programme in 2019.

The EBRD is one of the largest institutional investors in Moldova. To date, it has invested around 1.47 billion in more than 145 projects across the country to support private businesses and key infrastructure and to build a greener and more sustainable economy.

*The E5P facilitates investments in energy efficiency and environmental projects. Active in Moldova and other Eastern Partnership countries, the E5P is funded by the European Union, the largest donor, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Moldova, Poland, Romania, the Slovak Republic and Sweden.
HUNDREDS of Cork students are taking part in a fundraiser this week to raise money for the county's elderly community.

The fundraiser is part of a wider drive by the Students Harness Aid for the Relief of the Elderly group, known as SHARE.

As part of the annual event, a small number of students complete a fast every day during Christmas week at SHARE's Cork City crib.

In addition, the team is collecting donations across the city wearing their usual yellow jackets.

Those taking part today had a special visitor with Taoiseach Micheal Martin stopping by to show his support earlier this afternoon.

An Taoiseach, Micheal Martin, with students and sisters Cliona, Roisin and Ailbhe Carroll who are fundraising for Corks SHARE community. Picture: Darragh Kane.

I would like to acknowledge the hard work of all involved in SHARE. To see the students, out in all weather conditions, with many fasting, is very impressive," Mr Martin said.

"As many of us look forward to celebrating Christmas with our families, these young people are shining a light on the needs of the elderly in our community where isolation and loneliness remains a hardship for many, particularly at this time of year.

"These students continue on a long tradition in Cork and through their effort represent the true spirit of Christmas and I applaud their great work.

The students, who are from various Cork schools, will be collecting in Cork City until Christmas Eve.

The students can be found collecting money in yellow SHARE jackets around Cork city today. Picture: Gerard McCarthy.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, SHARE is also welcoming donations through a GoFundMe which can be found at www.sharecork.org.

Speaking about this year's drive, Ronan McAuliffe, chair of the 2021 SHARE executive, said: We are determined to do our level best to make this our best fundraising year yet.

"Covid-19 certainly made it more challenging this year but I am proud to say that the entire SHARE team has turned out in huge numbers to fundraise for the essential support services of the SHARE community.

"Our gratitude goes to the people of Cork for their ongoing kindness and generosity which makes a difference to the lives of so many.
CORK secondary school Colaiste an Chroi Naofa held a fundraising initiative last week to raise funds for Concern.

The pupils from the Carrignavar secondary school all wore Santa hats and Christmas-themed jumpers to school on the day in order to raise funds for charity.

School principal Colm O Corcora said the initiative was very successful.

It was a very successful day, Mr O Corcora said.

Ordinarily, we would be having carol services so we decided to improvise this year. Going back a long number of years we have held Christmas fundraisers for Concern.

Lucia Tari, teacher, (left) and Bernadette Roche of Le Caf Fe at the Christmas Jumper Day at Colaiste an Chroi Naofa, Carraig na bhFear, in aid of Concern celebrated with hot choclotate from Le Caf Fe for students and staff. Picture Denis Minihane.

One of our staff members Lisa OFlynn has been instrumental in driving the fundraiser. This year we decided to hold a Santa hat and Christmas jumper day. Everybody who participated each donated 2 for charity.

A van serving hot chocolate and marshmallows was also provided on the day which proved a very popular move, said the secondary school principal.

Teachers Paula Fleming (left) and Laura McCormack at the Christmas Jumper Day at Colaiste an Chroi Naofa, Carraig na bhFear, in aid of Concern celebrated with hot choclotate from Le Caf Fe for students and staff. Picture Denis Minihane.

We brought in a hot chocolate van which played Christmas music and served hot chocolate and marshmallows.

The students and the teachers were delighted with this idea. The hot chocolates went down a treat. It was a great day overall.

At this time of year, people are tired come the end of the term in any given year. But with this year now marking our second year with Covid, people are extra tired.

Student Ellen Foley enjoying the Christmas Jumper Day at Colaiste an Chroi Naofa, Carraig na bhFear, in aid of Concern celebrated with hot choclotate from Le Caf Fe for students and staff. Also in picture is John Joe O'Donovan. Picture Denis Minihane.

It gave the place a great buzz. It was nice to end the term on a high, he added.

Mr O Corcora said the teachers also got involved in the festive spirit last Friday as they decorated their doors which added to the Christmas spirit in the school.

The Student Council was great. They organised a competition whereby the teachers had to decorate their doors and make them as festive as possible.

Students Sarah Kelleher (left) and Emily Daly enjoying the Christmas Jumper Day at Colaiste an Chroi Naofa, Carraig na bhFear, in aid of Concern celebrated with hot choclotate from Le Caf Fe for students and staff. Picture Denis Minihane.

That helped brighten up the place hugely and added to the buzz.

A figure of 1,000 was raised overall for Concern. The school principal paid tribute to his students for their various fundraising initiatives.

We raised 1,000 for Concern. That money will be invaluable for them, Mr O Corcora said. All schools get involved in fundraising at this time of the year.

Marie Sheehan, deputy principal, next to one of the decorated classroom doors during the Christmas Jumper Day at Colaiste an Chroi Naofa, Carraig na bhFear, in aid of Concern celebrated with hot choclotate from Le Caf Fe for students and staff. Picture Denis Minihane.

We also did a food run for Cork Penny Dinners. Our transition year students also knitted a blanket of hope to raise funds for Follow-up Care After Cancer.

The students are great. They are very caring and resourceful. They also have great teachers behind them motivating them the whole way.
In his usual Christmas Eve speech, Spanish king Felipe VI deliberately chose to ignore the situation of his father. There has been talk for weeks of a possible return of the former monarch Juan Carlos I to Spain. A homecoming was first scheduled for the Christmas holidays, and later situated in February. The point is, though, that the legal cases that the emeritus is facing in Switzerland and Spain are coming unstuck in their efforts to obtain evidence or due to his status of royal inviolability, not because he is innocent of corruption. In this context, the current head of state limited himself to making a general appeal to the "public and moral integrity" that the institutions and those who form them must have. He gave a 13-minute discourse, with a less baroque staging than on other occasions and no photos of the father, also discussing the pandemic and those affected by the volcanic eruption on La Palma, with whom he showed solidarity. But again, dodging Spain's territorial debate.

The playing field is what it is. Swiss prosecutor Yves Bertossa has closed his investigation into the 65 million euros, 100 million dollars, paid by Saudi Arabia to Juan Carlos I. The Spanish public prosecutors in the Supreme Court have been preparing to do the same for months. But the shelving of the case would not mean that he was innocent, but rather, that the laws protect him. And there is also the pending case before an English court, initiated by Corina Larssen, which hinges on whether or not the businesswoman and long-time consort of Juan Carlos is considered to be a member of the royal family (and if her residence is in Spain).

In his message from the hall of the Zarzuela royal palace, the son did not mention the emeritus king either directly or indirectly. The current monarch claimed that, in the "great task" ahead, "the institutions have the greatest responsibility." In this regard, Felipe VI defined the height of the bar: "We must always keep in mind the general interests and thinking of the citizens, their concerns, their worries, we must be permanently at their service and address their problems." And he added: "We must be in a position that is constitutionally appropriate for us; we must each assume our obligations; we must respect and abide by the laws and be an example of public and moral integrity."

In this context, the monarch defended that "understanding and collaboration are necessary attitudes that dignify the institutions and strengthen them, because they generate the trust of the citizens". Amid the climate of polarization in recent months, the Spanish head of state reiterated that "differences of opinion must not prevent consensus that will ensure greater stability, greater well-being in households and give the necessary peace of mind to families facing their future.

The Constitution, against "bitterness"

As in previous speeches, Felipe VI recalled the transformation that has taken place in Spain during the last forty years of democracy. "The profound change in Spain in these more than four decades of democracy and freedom has been extraordinary and has not been the result of chance," he said. And as a symbol there is the Constitution of 1978, "with which we were fully integrated into modern Western democracies." The spirit of Spain's "Magna Carta", he continued, "calls us to unity in the face of division, to dialogue and not to confrontation, to respect in the face of bitterness, to the spirit of integration in the face of exclusion."

"The Constitution has been and is the mainstay of our progress, which has sustained our democratic coexistence in the face of the serious and grave crises of different types that we have experienced." Therefore, the head of state added, the constitutional text "deserves respect, recognition and loyalty."

Covid

Once again, the Christmas speech was marked by the pandemic. In the latest context, Felipe VI asserted "with all due prudence" that the situation has changed thanks to the high level of vaccination among Spaniards, a process with which "we can be especially satisfied." However, he noted that "once again there is rapid transmission and, therefore, the risk has not disappeared." That is why he asked his subjects to be careful, to protect themselves from taking "backward steps" and he dedicated a memory to the victims and gave gratitude to the medical staff. He also mentioned people who are in vulnerable situations, of whom there are now more, as well as referring to young people who have "difficulty finding a stable job."

"I sincerely believe that the challenges ahead represent a real crossroads for Spain," said the monarch, adding that despite everything, they also "represent an historic opportunity, even an obligation for us to update, to come up to the present and modernize our country, keeping ourselves firm in our democratic principles and in the values that inspire our coexistence. The head of state also defended the European Union project, to which the future of Spain is tied, something that "the majority of Spaniards believe".

"The moment is difficult"

"The moment is difficult, of course, but to stop today is to fall behind, to go backwards," the king warned at the end of his speech. "We must move forward because history teaches us that the Spaniards have known how to react and overcome adversity," said Felipe VI. He concluded the Christmas message as always, with a greeting in each of the three main co-official languages: "Eguberri on, Bon Nadal, Boas Festas".
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The deals have mostly dried up for the holidays, but Walmart has brought back an offer on the Lenovo Smart Clock 2 plus one of the company's smart light bulbs for only $25, which is about $45 off its normal price. The company introduced the modestly updated Smart Clock 2 this year, and we first saw this deal in early December before it returned today.

The design of the Smart Clock 2 is a bit different from the original in that it has a wider base, but the four-inch screen size remains the same. Lenovo also moved the speakers to the front of the device, resulting in a larger chin underneath the display. It doesn't hinder the minimalist look of the smart clock, and since it also means the speakers now fire outwards, it should actually help the blaring noise of your alarm reach your ears regardless of the position of the clock in relation to your bed.

The biggest new feature on the Smart Clock 2 is that the screen can now double as a night light and you can swipe down on the display to enable it. You can still ask the Google Assistant to activate the night light, but the extra gesture makes it so you don't have to speak to get some extra light in the middle of the night. Otherwise, the Smart Clock 2 can do everything the original device can, including show weather forecasts, enable alarms, play music and control smart home devices. Lenovo also kept a camera out of the equation yet again, which will make the Smart Clock 2 a more appealing option for those who have no desire to video chat using the alarm on their bedside table.

We can't speak for the quality of the Lenovo smart light bulb that's included in the bundle, but we can say that it supports white and color options with adjustable temperature and brightness. In addition to the companion mobile app, you can control the bulb using the Google Assistant or Alexa  and we expect you may do so using the former quite a bit if you pick up this bundle. If you have a small room in your home that you want to make a bit smarter, this Lenovo bundle is a solid, inexpensive way to do that.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
I joked about LGs unusual TVs earlier this week, but I'll take it back. Those were fine. Sensible, even. Thats because a Meiji University professor in Japan has unveiled a prototype screen called Taste the TV. The prototype sends electrical signals to 10 flavor canisters that spray flavors on a film overlay for those willing to lick. Creator Homei Miyashita thinks of the device as less of a taste-at-home device, and more as a tool for food professionals, like chefs and sommeliers.

The prototype is, yes, a little icky, despite the hygienic film that can be treated between tastings. According to Reuters, Miyashita is already discussing spin-off applications for the spray tech, like applying pizza or chocolate flavors to a slice of toasted bread. Dont tell him about Nutella.

Your daily TMA will be taking a few days off for the holidays, but we'll be back next Wednesday. Have a great weekend!

-Mat Smith

The robot's head has just been attached.

Ikedaya Karuta via YouTube

Fukuoka is the latest home for a 1:1 scale Gundam robot statue, following the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam that was installed in Tokyos Odaiba district. This one has a new color scheme, thanks to the creator of Gundam, and stands 81.3 feet tall. Its a twist on Amuro Rays Nu Gundam from the Gundam one-shot, Chars Counterattack . Yes, it looks a little like Gundam Wing Zero, but Amuros mech came first.

Continue reading.

Vodafone will donate the proceeds to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Christian Hartmann / reuters

International phone network Vodafone has turned the first text message into a non-fungible token (NFT) and subsequently a nice sum of money. It sold at a Paris auction house this week for 132,680 ($150,000) worth of Ether. The company will donate the proceeds to the United Nations Refugee Agency to support forcibly displaced people. Its also pretty timely: the first message was a simple line of text saying, Merry Christmas.

The anonymous auction winner will receive a copy of the communication protocol for the SMS, a certificate of authenticity and a digital frame that displays an animation of a phone receiving the message. Better than a Ghost Recon skin .

Continue reading.

Including Lenovo, Google and Intel.

Lenovo follows Amazon, Meta, Twitter and show sponsor T-Mobile in backing away from CES 2022. All four said they would not attend in person due to concerns related to the new COVID-19 omicron variant. And while they're all important names in tech, they're not a hardware player in the same way Lenovo is. The PC maker often launches or reveals its newest hardware at the Las Vegas show. Intel and Google have also announced they wont have a physical presence at the event.

Continue reading.

"They talked about how a lot of workers feel this way."

Amazon is hitting the end of its busiest season of the year. Its also when its workers are under the greatest strain, frequently required to clock mandatory overtime hours and are often not allowed to schedule vacation days. It also coincides with the hiring of a deluge of temporary workers, with a projected 150,000 added this year.

According to an internal email viewed by Engadget, and interviews with several current or former associates, it's also a time of year when Amazon expects some number of its workforce to take out their stress on their colleagues, or on themselves. Read on for the full report.

Continue reading.

The biggest news stories you might have missed



Merck's COVID-19 antiviral pill is the second authorized by the FDA

How the pandemic supercharged the creator economy in 2021

'Star Trek: Discovery' finally embraces standalone storytelling in its fourth season

What we learned this year about how to avoid a climate catastrophe

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After far too many delays over the years to count, NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has a launch date. Provided theres not another last-minute setback, the successor to Hubble Space Telescope is scheduled to take flight on Saturday, December 25th.

NASA expects the Ariane 5 rocket carrying the JWST to lift off no earlier than 7:20AM ET on Christmas Day from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. You can watch the entire event unfold, beginning with pre-launch coverage, starting at 3AM ET. The space agency will broadcast the launch on its NASA Live website, as well as on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch.

Understandably, theres a lot of excitement for the JWST to finally make its way into space. Not only will a successful launch represent the end of a tumultuous 14-year development cycle, but the telescope, with its far more advanced sensors than Hubble, will afford astronomers to glimpse at black holes and early galaxies in a way they havent been able to do in the past.
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The Pound Australian Dollar exchange rate has traded within a narrow range today as risk-on trading has given a boost to the Australian Dollar (AUD).

At time of writing the GBP/AUD exchange rate is at around $1.8552, which is up roughly 0.2% from this mornings opening figures.

Australian Dollar (AUD) Exchange Rates Boosted by Optimistic Market as Country Reintroduces Restrictions

The Australian Dollar has risen against many of its competitors today as the currency is boosted by a risk-on trading mood. Recent studies indicating the Omicron variant may be less severe than initially thought have provided a boost to the markets.

Any upward movement for the Aussie may be limited by retreating iron ore prices however. Ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in both Australia and China along with Chinese construction moving into its off-season have all contributed to the commodities dip.

The Australia Dollar may also be hampered by the news that Australia has reintroduced COVID-19 curbs in the face of the Omicron variant. Whilst the decision marks a major reversal from a planned re-opening after two years of lockdowns, the country recorded its biggest daily rise in cases today since the start of the pandemic. Should further measures come into place across the country then it could cause AUD to tumble.

James Merlino, Acting Premier for the state of Victoria, had the following to say on the new measures:

Victoria is in one of the strongest positions really of any place around the world to combat this new fast-paced variant. That said, we still need to be smart, we still need to protect ourselves and our loved ones from getting sick and ensure our health care workers are not being overwhelmed.

Pound (GBP) Exchange Rates Rise as Omicron Fears Wane and Hospitality Struggles

The Pound (GBP) has seen a boost today amid a risk-on trading environment and news that no further Covid-19 restrictions are to be introduced in the UK until after Christmas.

Recent reports that the Omicron variant may be less severe than previously thought may also have helped lift Sterling today. Despite this, restaurants across the country have seen bookings plummet in recent weeks although levels were still higher than December 2020. Hospitality leaders will be hoping that the 1bn support package announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak will help support businesses through December, although many felt the measures did not go far enough.

Victoria Scholar, head of investment at interactive investor, had the following to say on the struggles facing the UKs hospitality and retail sectors:

While urban hubs and shopping centres are undoubtedly quieter than normal, Covid hasnt stopped us from spending either online or in the stores. Overall credit and debit card purchases are consistently higher than this time last year, with many families keen to enjoy an abundant Christmas together having missed out last year.

Retail businesses will be hoping that an increase in sales throughout December could balance out poor growth in the months preceding. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) released figures from their monthly growth indicator which fell 11 points to +21 in the three months leading to December, the weakest business growth since the UKs lockdown earlier in 2021.

Finally, the Pound could well see further Brexit headwinds today as car manufacturers reported their worst November since 1984. There are concerns that new customs measures to be introduced on 1 January could cause severe disruption for the industry, and January could see the Pound fall should these measures fail to meet businesses demands. Further headwinds may come from the ongoing negotiations between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol, as newly appointed chief negotiator Liz Truss has reiterated the UKs threat to invoke article 16.

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: Will Either Country Introduce Further Restrictions?

With no further data this week for either currency, its likely that movements will be driven by developments surrounding the Omicron variant. Should Australia or the UK introduce further restrictions then both currencies could fall. The Pound could also see downward movement should Brexit negotiations become more heated.
Friday, December 24, 2021

Today is the day before Christmas, also known as Christmas Eve. It is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. After his birth, three wise men from afar came bearing gifts. This is the reason we give gifts to each other at Christmas. It's all the Magi's fault that we have to shop, and order on line, and pay extra for overnight delivery. So thanks a lot Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar, enjoy your rubber cigar.

All of my gifts have been purchased and wrapped so I had some extra time to write a Christmas poem that I hope will be recited for ages.

Twas the night before Christmas, or Christmas Eve,

as I unravel the tale I'm about to conceive.

It was quiet that night,

no alarms had gone off.

But pipe-smoking Santa started to cough.

Years of abuse had damaged his innards,

to the point where he had to be rushed to the hospital where he died.

And I heard him declare as he drifted from sight,

"Who the  just turned out the lights?

THAT'LL SHOW HIM

Have you ever had a product that was so bad you just wanted to throw it against a wall? That's how Tuomas Katainen, from Finland felt about his Tesla. In addition to other problems plaguing his auto, Tuomas was told that he needed a new battery at a cost of $22,000! Since his 8 year old car was out of warranty, he did what any rational Tesla owner would do, he blew it up.

He rigged his model-S with 60 pounds of dynamite and placed a doll that bore a likeness to Elon Musk behind the wheel. He pushed the button and another Tesla went up into space.

Elon Musk was counting his money and not available for comment.

NO JOKES FOR YOU

Ten years ago, Kim Jong-Un's father Kim Jong-il passed away and to honor the tenth anniversary of his death, Kim Jong-Un has issued some rather bizarre warnings for his countrymen. For the 10 day mourning period, they are forbidden to laugh, drink, or engage in any celebration or leisure activity. Well that's going to put a big dent in Christmas, which is also forbidden.

So what is a North Korean supposed to do for ten days? After working 12 hours in a munitions factory you can't even stop for a drink on your way home. If your birthday falls within the mourning period there will be no celebration, and - this is true - if somebody dies during this period, you are not allowed to cry out loud.

Well, for crying out loud, that does it for me, a North Korean comedy tour is off my bucket list.

FLORIDA

In Clearwater, Florida, a traffic stop produced a driver who was arrested for DUI and marijuana possession. A search of the man revealed that the had cocaine and methamphetamine taped around his wiener, but in true Floridian form he said that the drugs were not his and he didn't know whose drugs they are.

Lesson to be learned, if authorities find drugs wrapped around your penis, simply say "Hey, that's not my penis."
Joe Raedle, Staff / Getty Images

Hundreds of thousands of Texans quitting their jobs in September and October have made Texas the job quitting capital of the US, according to revised data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Texans quit 440,000 jobs in September and 456,000 jobs in October, the highest statewide totals in the nation. Total job quits in Texas soared past California, which saw 400,000 quits in September and 396,000 in October within a labor force roughly one third larger than in Texas.
Melissa Ward Aguilar / Melissa Ward Aguilar

Franklin Barbecue, a staple of the Texas barbecue scene, announced on social media it was closing for the rest of the week because it lacked sufficient staff after multiple employees tested positive for COVID-19.

In an Instagram post Monday night, the craft barbecue establishment said it hoped to have enough healthy staff to reopen next Tuesday.
Eighteen musicians dressed in concert attire silently marched back and forth Thursday afternoon in front of the home of the San Antonio symphony board chairwoman, continuing efforts to encourage symphony leadership to negotiate fair labor contracts.

The silent picket comes after the 72 musicians went on strike in late September amid a labor dispute with the Symphony Society of San Antonio, the nonprofit board that runs the orchestra. The musicians and the board had been renegotiating the contract for the 2021-22 season. The musicians unanimously rejected a proposal that would reduce pay and eliminate 30 full-time positions. Musicians who lost their full-time jobs would be offered part-time contracts with no health insurance.

The picket lasted about an hour by the East Hollywood Avenue home. A couple of passers-by expressed support either by shouting or honking.

After the board imposed the contract in September, the musicians went on strike. Since then, the board has canceled the musicians health insurance and other benefits, and both sides have filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board. Six concerts have been postponed or canceled.

Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Far more musicians wanted to attend the Thursday event, according to Mary Ellen Goree, chairwoman of the San Antonio Symphony musicians negotiating committee and principal second violin, but many have been working out of town to make ends meet during the strike.

We have been silenced by our board and our management, who basically forced the strike by imposing conditions which were intolerable and which they knew we would find intolerable, Goree said in an interview ahead of the picket. So we will be there dressed in our concert clothing, and silent just as we are silenced on the stage.

The board and the musicians last met Nov. 23. The board proposed going to arbitration, which the musicians turned down.

The symphony base pay  the minimum amount a musician earns  already was low. The contract negotiated in 2019 called for $35,775 a year, well below the national average for symphony musicians, which is $47,706, according to job site ZipRecruiter.

If we were to accede to the boards demands, we would be signing the death warrant of the San Antonio symphony, Goree said.

Though the musicians have picketed in other places such as in front of the symphony offices on Navarro Street, Goree said this was the first silent event and the first one in front of someones home.

Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

I think it is safe to say that the symphony board chairwoman, Kathleen Weir Vale, has not been present or anywhere in the vicinity when we have been picketing on Navarro Street, Goree said. So, if she is working at home, we will take it to where she is.

Bassoonist Brian Petkovich has been with the symphony for 26 years. He is a musician representative on the symphony board.

Cuts arent a solution, he said. Theyre a symptom. We really have to have the economic engine of the symphony fixed before we can talk about going forward and partnering with a management that doesnt seem to know where theyre going.

Weve been suffering for decades without an endowment, he continued. The community has gotten behind the performing arts by building the Tobin Center and renovating the Majestic Theater before that, and we need to see an investment in people.

Vale didnt respond to a phone call for comment. Her husband opened the door to the Express-News a few minutes after the picket ended, saying that he just got home and that his wife was out on an errand.

Anamaria Suescun-Fast, CEO and managing partner at talkStrategy, sent a comment from Executive Director of San Antonio Symphony Corey Cowart via email.

As of today, the musicians union has not responded to our December 10th request to continue negotiations, nor have they returned to the bargaining table with a counteroffer, his comment reads. They have also rejected the Symphonys request for mediation and binding arbitration. We hope to hear from the musicians union soon so we can pursue productive efforts to return to negotiations and a resolution of the strike.

Daniel Wang, a violist, has been with the symphony for almost six years. He said he marched alongside his colleagues Thursday to fight for his profession.

Wang said had envisioned himself staying in San Antonio for life but has been looking for employment elsewhere due to the dispute.

It pains me to say this, Wang said, but its hard for me to see a long-term future here as long as our management doesnt share the same desire to have an artistically excellent organization here.

Staff writer Deborah Martin contributed to this report.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A Texas board that had unanimously supported a posthumous pardon for George Floyd over a 2004 drug arrest in Houston backpedaled in an announcement Thursday, saying procedural errors" were found in their recommendation months after leaving the decision to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

The unusual reversal was announced by Abbott's office two days before Christmas, around the time he typically doles out his annual pardons.

The withdrawn endorsement was met with outrage from a public defender who submitted the pardon application for Floyd, who spent much of his life in Houston before his death in 2020 under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer. Allison Mathis, an attorney in Houston, accused the two-term governor of playing politics ahead of Texas' March GOP primary elections as he faces challengers from the far right.

Floyd's name was withdrawn along with two dozen other clemency recommendations that had been submitted by the Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles. In a letter dated Dec. 16 but not released publicly until now, the board told Abbott that it had identified unexplained departures from its process of issuing pardons and needed to reconsider more than a third of the 67 clemency recommendations it sent to Abbott this year, including the one for Floyd.

In October, the board had unanimously recommended that Floyd become just the second person in Texas since 2010 to receive a posthumous pardon from the governor.

As a result of the Boards withdrawal of the recommendation concerning George Floyd, Governor Abbott did not have the opportunity to consider it, Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement.

Mathis called the last-minute reversal a ridiculous farce." She said the board  which is stocked with Abbott appointees  did not make her aware of any issues prior to the announcement from the governor's office.

It really strains credibility for them to say now that it's out of compliance, after the board has already voted on it, she said.

Floyd grew up and was laid to rest in Houston. In June, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for Floyd's murder, which led to a national reckoning in the U.S. over race and policing.

Pardons restore the rights of the convicted and forgive them in the eyes of the law. But in Floyds case, his family and supporters said a posthumous pardon in Texas would show a commitment to accountability.

In February 2004, Floyd was arrested in Houston for selling $10 worth of crack in a police sting, and later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and served 10 months in prison. But the global spotlight on the death of Floyd in police custody 16 years later is not why prosecutors revisited his Houston case. Instead, it was prompted by a deadly Houston drug raid in 2019 that involved the same officer who arrested Floyd.

Prosecutors say that officer, Gerald Goines, lied to obtain the search warrant for the raid that killed a husband and wife. Goines, who is no longer on the Houston force and faces murder charges, has denied wrongdoing. More than 160 drug convictions tied to him over the years have since been dismissed by prosecutors due to concerns about his casework.

David Gutierrez, chairman of Texas' parole board, said in the letter to Abbott that he ordered a review after the board had recommended more clemency recommendations this year than at any point in two decades. He did not specify how Floyd's recommendation skirted the usual procedures, instead only broadly pointing to several sets of rules that Gutierrez said the board did not follow.

A number listed for Gutierrez was not answered Thursday.

For months, Abbott gave no indication whether he would grant the pardon in the months since the parole board put the recommendation on his desk. The prolonged silence raised questions by Mathis and others over whether political calculations were at play in Abbott's decision. His office has not respond to those charges.

Abbott attended Floyd's memorial service last year in Houston, where he met with the family and floated the idea of a "George Floyd Act" that would take aim at police brutality. But when the Texas Legislature convened months later, Abbott was silent over policing reforms pushed by Democrats and made police funding a priority.

___

Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
It was a busy morning at the Brooke Army Medical Center emergency room when EMTs brought a seemingly elderly patient into one of the facilitys 60 treatment bays.

He was in deep trouble.

The man stared straight at the ceiling, eyes fixed. At first, it wasnt clear if he was conscious or even could see  he definitely couldnt talk, the EMTs reported, but did understand questions.

Can you lift up this leg, sir? Army Capt. Juliette Conte asked. Can you lift this leg at all? All right, very good. How about this one? Good, OK. Can you give me a thumbs-up here? Can you give me a thumbs-up? Very good.

How about on this side?

The patient, it turned out, was suffering from the effects of a prior stroke. Conte, one of two attending physicians on the ERs dayside shift, already had helped treat three trauma patients  a stabbing victim and two from a car accident.

Sam Owens /San Antonio Express-News

It was a typical weekday for Conte, now 3 years into her career as an Army physician. Inspired by the care her brother received at BAMC and Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston after being badly injured in a grenade blast in Afghanistan, she joined up.

Lt. John Conte, an ROTC graduate of Rutgers University, was wounded Aug. 5, 2011, while serving as a 10th Mountain Division infantry platoon leader helping secure the Charkh district in eastern Afghanistan.

Violence was a way of life in the district, which sits nearly 7,000 feet above sea level and is close to the Khyber Pass, used by insurgents as a route in and out of Pakistan.

There was a lot of kinetic activity, guerrilla warfare, unconventional warfare, it was a lot of night missions, a lot of day missions, recalled Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Badillo, a Chicago native who was in the platoon. It was pretty volatile because at that point they wanted to take control of the local populace, and it was just not something that was allowed. It wasnt in our plans.

Complicating matters was Afghanistans army, which Badillo said the Americans had to coerce to take the lead on security missions. On the day of the attack, the Afghans operated the tactical security checkpoints at a town marketplace, searching the locals.

They werent as thorough as we would have liked them to be in securing the personnel going in and out, and it just happened to be that an individual snuck through with a homemade explosive and was close enough to release that grenade, Badillo said.

The blast hit the center of their position.

Sam Owens /San Antonio Express-News

Badillo, a combat medic who trained at Fort Sam, reacted out of muscle memory. In seconds, he rated Conte the second-most-injured soldier.

He had shrapnel, lower extremities, shrapnel with bleeding, and so immediately thats a treatment with hemorrhage control. The next one was unconscious, said Badillo, now 46 and the noncommissioned officer in charge of West Points cadet clinic. And the third was very close to the (grenade), and he had lacerations  to his skull, and so that was the most extreme case. He was No. 1.

The terrifying news

Juliette Conte tracked her brothers deployment while in one of the most rigorous periods of her time as an undergraduate student at Columbia University. The tension she felt for her brother was gut-wrenching.

Before he deployed, Conte told his sister  but not their parents  where he was going. In his calls home, Conte held back, shielding her from the worst of the violence.

Sam Owens /San Antonio Express-News

He actually had not told me of the 11 soldiers, unfortunately, that were KIA, but he did mention that they were in firefights  and that he himself had had some close calls before his injury actually happened, she said.

Were extremely close, hes half the world away and all I know is once a week I get a phone call that hes still alive, and the rest of the week Im just like, I wonder what hes doing? I wonder if hes alive?

Then word came via a brief message  on Facebook  from one of his soldiers in the platoon that said, Your brother was just in a grenade explosion today, and he got medevaced out, she recalled. And thats the only information I had, and that was particularly terrifying for me.

John Contes wounds were serious but not debilitating. BAMC was his ultimate destination. On summer break doing research when he was injured, Juliette Conte joined her family in Annapolis, Md., and they flew to San Antonio, arriving the same day her brother did.

His shrapnel injuries included his face, as well as his arms and legs. None required surgery. The shrapnel in his legs raised concerns because of swelling, but his hospital stay was short  overnight.

Conte stayed at Fort Sams Powless Guest House for a couple of weeks undergoing rehabilitation and physical therapy. He later went back to his own quarters on Fort Polk, La., his home post, but that didnt mean he was 100 percent back.

Shrapnel embedded in flesh often comes out, sometimes for months or even years after an injury, and that was  and still remains  true for him.

Sam Owens /San Antonio Express-News

Its still happening, Juliette Conte said. Hes got a jar, a collection. And the shrapnel still comes out.

That her brothers service would shape her own career wasnt surprising, given a long family military history.

Contes dad was in the Army during the Vietnam War. An uncle also was a soldier. In World War II, her maternal grandfather was awarded the Purple Heart and her paternal grandfather served in the Italian navy.

I think it was a decision that was slowly brewing for a long time, but that was definitely the deciding thing, Conte said of her brothers injury. We have a military-strong family, and serving your country is always something that I admired and respected. I think when I was younger  my focus was more on science and health care, but I had a tremendous respect and admiration for the military.

Saving those who served

Conte entered the Individual Ready Reserve in 2014. In medical school at State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, she was part of a health scholarship program until being commissioned a captain in 2018. BAMC is her first assignment.

Her brother left the Army as a first lieutenant a couple of years after the deployment and is now a corporate refinance lawyer in New York City.

By chance, she ran into Badillo, the medic who cared for him, while on a three-month COVID-19 response mission that ended in mid-October in Little Rock, Ark. Recognizing her last name, he asked if Conte had a brother.

I was very overwhelmed. I was truly speechless, and I just gave Sgt. Badillo a big hug. What words can you say to the person that saved your brothers life? she said.

Badillo called it one of those once-in-a-lifetime types of moments.

Sam Owens /San Antonio Express-News

You would never think you would meet, he said. It was exact, I think, to the day, almost 10 years had gone by.

Joining the Army boiled down to job satisfaction. Serving in the military would allow her to treat and take care of  patients who were injured in selfless service to their country, Conte said.

Medically, I treat all of my patients equally, no matter who they are, she said. But in terms of the personal satisfaction, personal fulfillment, treating soldiers is definitely what gives me the most fulfillment, as well as their family members.

At BAMC she sees troops, dependents and more than a few civilians in the hospitals trauma ward. The ER admitted 4,768 trauma patients in 2020, up 8 percent over 2019. That number is up sharply this year, with 5,600 trauma patients admitted.

Conte supervises others as an attending physician. Shes had to pronounce patients dead, and her heart falls when she sees people who suffer from a poor quality of life.

Its difficult on everybody, but I think we have a great family in the ER, and we all support each other, we all check in on each other a lot. Its not that we become used to seeing this stuff, but I think were all used to supporting each other through this, Conte said.

Whether Conte stays in the Army is an as-yet unwritten chapter in her life. She was undeployable while in her residency at BAMC, but now can go overseas. That opens the door to the true start of a military career that is due to end in 2025.

Her current role seems a perfect fit. Its a place where job satisfaction, a challenging environment and camaraderie intersect.

Its not so much a brotherhood, (its) a degree of respect and admiration for those who will put themselves selflessly in harms way for the well-being of others or to serve others or to protect others, Conte said. Its the selfless component that really speaks to me.

sigc@express-news.net
In February, when temperatures dropped below freezing and snow covered the streets, Kenneal Bellard found emergency shelter at Haven for Hope. He stayed there three days, waiting out the storm and keeping warm with many homeless San Antonians.

This year, Bellard, 56, hopes to be in Houston if another winter storm hits San Antonio.

But hes not sure he can, which brought him to a fair hosted this month by Christian Assistance Ministry, where organizations that serve the homeless, including nonprofits and churches, came to provide resources to help people living on San Antonios streets prepare for cold weather. At the event, Bellard grabbed a sleeping bag and looked for work, while at least 20 booths were arranged in a semicircle in the back of the ministrys building.

Christian Assistance Ministry is among several organizations  including CityChurch San Antonio, SAMM Ministrities and Corazon Ministries  that have formed a winter shelter coalition. The aim is to be better prepared to meet homeless peoples needs during extremely cold temperatures.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Representatives of the coalition and the city of San Antonio met in late November at Christian Assistance Ministry to discuss this winter.

For over an hour, they exchanged ideas, questions and concerns about how to do better at communicating with and providing shelter for the homeless under difficult circumstances.

On ExpressNews.com: Preparing for the storm: Some San Antonio homeless must find new shelter

During the winter storm in February, outreach organizations, first responders and shelters worked tirelessly to find warm places for homeless people, with phones ringing continuously, vans picking people up, and others handing out blankets, firewood and coats.

This time, preparation is key.

It was a lot then, said Valerie Salas, director of homeless services at Christian Assistance Ministry. During the winter storm, Salas spent every day trying to persuade homeless people to seek shelter. We learned a lot last year. We want to be more prepared now and make sure communication is clear between everyone involved.

Finding shelter on an app

Alex Fleming, a pastor with Life Restored Church, was among the first to speak at the November meeting. He showed the group a smartphone application, called the winter shelter coalition, designed to show in real time the availability of beds at shelters in San Antonio. People can use the app to reserve a spot for someone who needs shelter for the night  an outreach worker can put a hold on a bed for an hour  or a meal.

The goal is to provide something easy to use, Fleming said. During Februarys storm, it was difficult amid the chaos to ascertain which shelters had space, as communication between organizations, shelters and emergency responders was difficult.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

The app is in its testing phase, and Fleming wants it to be ready before freezing temperatures hit San Antonio again. One hope is to include daytime shelters as well, for people who just need a place to be warm in the morning or afternoon.

Day shelters are not as common as night shelters in San Antonio, and often finding a place for people can be hard. But during emergencies, churches will open their doors for people to stay.

On ExpressNews.com: We push forward  volunteers scrambling to help homeless out of the cold

The group also discussed having hotels available for homeless people and offering free public transportation, with a bus dedicated to taking people on the streets to shelters. Some were interested in engaging off-duty police officers to keep shelters safe, while others were wary of how the homeless might feel around them.

But there was consensus that warm options must be available or people could die.

For us, communication is everything, Fleming said. And this can help us do it.

Jessica Phelps /San Antonio Express-News

Prepping for multiday freezes

City officials also have begun preparing for another winter storm, including how to keep the homeless safe and warm.

Morjoriee White, homeless services administrator in the Department of Human Services, said city officials met in November with faith-based organizations, nonprofits and emergency response teams to plan ahead.

When the weather is bad for one or two days, thats kind of manageable, but when it becomes three or four or five days, there are challenges, White said. You cant travel too much because of road conditions, so people get stuck and run out of supplies. We just want to ensure that our partners feel equipped if that happens.

The city also wants to ensure that the homeless are alerted to upcoming severe weather well in advance, White said. Although outreach providers have a good grasp of the downtown area, the city and its partners need to also focus on shelters and hubs throughout the city.

On ExpressNews.com: You have to be quick  flash floods are a mortal peril for San Antonios homeless. Early warning is key

Some homeless people are uncomfortable with shelters and do not feel safe staying in any of the places San Antonio provides. For such people, homeless care partners go to encampments to hand out blankets, hand warmers and foil for tents.

Some churches have a rapport with homeless people, so when they provide emergency shelter, some homeless individuals feel comfortable going there instead of using traditional options, White said. Its important to let them know whats available.

San Antonians can also contribute. Donations such as socks, jackets and thermal underwear are welcome.

I always say that to effectively address homelessness, the city as an entity cannot do it alone, White said. Homelessness is a symptom, not a root cause. Different organizations can help move that needle, especially during an emergency.

Elena Bruess writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org. elena.bruess@express-news.net
As the search for 3-year-old Lina Sardar Khil continues, six other children in San Antonio were also reported missing this month, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The centers website lists 34 active cases of missing children from the San Antonio area. Twenty-one of those children were reported missing this year, but some of the cases date as far back as 1988.

The San Antonio community has been on high alert since Lina was reported missing Monday night. She was last seen at a playground inside her gated community on the Northwest Side, and San Antonio police have worked around the clock searching for her.

On ExpressNews.com: The longer the time lapses, the less hopeful we become: Search continues for missing 3-year-old

We arent giving up. We dont end the search at the end of shift, Police Chief William McManus said. We are here until we find her.

Texas Department of Public Safety

Lina isnt the only child recently reported missing in the San Antonio area.

This week, 15-year-old Paradise Castillo and 13-year-old Kathrine Noblitt were reported missing since Dec. 19 and Dec. 14, respectively.

Aiden Rodriguez, 15; Kaylee Martinez, 15; Valen Villanueva, 17; and Mya Stevens, 14, have been missing since Dec. 5. Officials have not indicated whether they were believed to have been abducted or whether they ran away.

The day Lina disappeared, three Hondo siblings also went missing. The Wright children  Ariana, 8; Lucas, 9; and Jonathan, 11  are thought to be with their father, 40-year-old Jonathan Wright, who is wanted on multiple felony warrants.

On ExpressNews.com: These 4 San Antonio kids have been missing for more than 20 years

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, runaways account for a majority of the missing child cases reported to the organization. Most of those children are 12 to 17 years old.

Four of San Antonios oldest unsolved disappearances of children date back more han 20 years. The oldest active case is the 1988 disappearance of 16-year-old Samuel Ray Rawls, who went missing while on his way home from a friends house.

taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
Hundreds of San Antonians started off their Friday outside in the chilly, foggy morning air praying for the safe return of 3-year-old Lina Sardar Khil.

The interfaith prayer vigil  organized by Pamela Allen, CEO of Eagles Flight Advocacy and Outreach  drew about 200 people to the St. Francis Episcopal Church pavilion on Bluemel Road.

Linas father, Riaz Sardar Khil, thanked everyone for coming out to pray for his daughter. During the ceremony he lit a candle in Linas name that was meant to symbolize hope, faith, prayer and unity.

Im hopeful that my daughter will be back, her father said through Basir Qasmi, who translated most of the vigil to Pashto for the Afghan community members present. I know there is a good person among us whose prayer will be heard by God, and that will be the cause for the safe return of my daughter.

Robin Jerstad, San Antonio Express-News

Qasmi works for Catholic Charities and is a board member in the local Afghan community. Qasmi prayed at the event, reciting verses from the Quran.

Lina has been missing since Monday evening. She last was seen on the playground inside of the gated Villas Del Cabo apartments, at 9400 Fredricksburg Road.

The San Antonio Police Department and the FBIs San Antonio Field Office have been searching for her.

Thursday, the Islamic Center of San Antonio, a nonprofit that aims to support the Muslim community, announced on Facebook that a reward for information that helps find Lina has grown to $100,000. Additionally, Crime Stoppers of San Antonio is offering a $50,000 reward.

Linas family came to the United States from Afghanistan in 2019. Margaret Constantino, executive director of the Center for Refugee Services, said earlier this week that Linas family is among thousands of Afghan refugees in San Antonio, and they have been clients of the center since they arrived in the U.S.

San Antonio police Chief William McManus attended the ceremony. Though he did not have any update, he recapped the efforts that have been made so far, noting that officials are working especially hard on this case. He said that about 300 units at the Villas Del Cabo apartments have been searched, some more than once.

Were not giving up hope, he said.

Robin Jerstad /Staff photographer

The FBI has brought in its Child Abduction Response team, behavioral analysis unit, and data exploitation units, said Justin Garris, acting special agent in charge of the FBI San Antonio Field Office.

Rev. Carrie Guerra, rector of St. Francis Episcopal Church, said the final prayer at the event.

I think its lovely, Guerra said of the ceremony when it concluded. I think its lovely that so many people from different walks of life, different communities, multiple different languages, multiple faith practices all came together united for the sake of the safety of a precious baby.

Attending the Friday ceremony was important to Bexar County Clerk Lucy Adame-Clark who said that she felt like she couldnt celebrate Christmas Eve with her loved ones without first standing alongside those praying for Lina.

This child belongs to the community, she said. And I dont care what country they come from, were here to stand beside them.

About 20 people with Guardians of the Children of San Antonio were at the event. The nonprofit made up of motorcycle enthusiasts aims to help children who have overcome abuse, according to its website.

Robin Jerstad, San Antonio Express-News

Allen, the event organizer, said the prayer vigil came together quickly and that Linas family was quick to agree to the gathering. Allen said that Linas father and two of her uncles attended the event.

In his prayer at the ceremony, Pastor Kenny Vallespin of Summit Christian Center said it is a time to rise as a community on behalf of Lina.

Father God, we stand and we have faith that you are just and that you will let justice prevail, he prayed. We ask Lord that even though many people may not know Lina out there, that her story is getting out there and that you will make a way where there seems to be no way.

megan.rodriguez@express-news.net
A warehouse space on the Northeast Side was bustling Friday morning with dozens of elves stacking two-by-fours, filling boxes of blankets and unloading mattresses from trucks.

The elves then dispersed across San Antonio in small teams with one mission in mind: deliver beds to families in need on Christmas Eve.

Its part of the annual Christmas bed drive held by the San Antonio chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit that seeks to provide twin-size beds to children in need.

The organization was on track to deliver 217 beds on Christmas Eve, bringing its total to 2,500 beds since it launched.

Eddie Arnold, who started the San Antonio chapter four years ago and serves as its president, observed the hustle and bustle at the warehouse and directed teams on which families they would be visiting.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

The Castro family, who live in a small one-bedroom apartment on the Southwest Side, was among the 217 families who received beds Friday.

Ovidio Castro, 41, stood by as he watched a team of five put together two twin beds in his bedroom that he, his wife and their two children would get to take turns sleeping in.

I havent had a bed like this in a long time, he said.

Clifford Rath is a longtime volunteer with Sleep in Heavenly Peace and has been called a one-man pit stop when it comes to putting together beds quickly.

With a belt full of power tools, he and fellow volunteer Brian Mylar worked quickly to assemble two twin-size beds  complete with a mattress, sheets, pillows and comforters  in Castros bedroom.

Rath said he volunteers to deliver and assemble beds for the nonprofit each year because its fulfilling to see people who might never have had a bed get to lie in one for the first time. His phone is filled with pictures of smiling kids proudly sitting on their freshly made beds.

Its especially special for the little kids, but also, have you ever seen a 19-year-old kid have a bed for the first time in his life? he said. I have, and its pretty awesome.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace doesnt have financial criteria for those who want to apply to receive a new bed  it tries to help fill a need in the community, Arnold said. No questions asked.

Well, there is one question we always ask, he said, smiling. Do you want your beds bunked or unbunked?

Annie Blanks covers the city of San Marcos for the San Antonio Express-News. She previously covered local government in the Florida Panhandle for USA Today and originally hails from Macon, Ga.
As an estimated 1,200 GIs prepared to fly home for the holidays, USO San Antonio volunteers welcomed them at the airport as if they were family.

When the soldiers pushed open the glass doors, volunteer Elizabeth Hutchinson, 55, greeted them with a cheery, Good morning! Retired Army Staff Sgt. Johnny Casella, 67, joined her at the plexiglass-shielded counter to offer tidings of joy. Retired U.S. diplomatic service member Anthony Woods, 60, shared the amenities available at the USO located in the baggage claim area of Terminal B.

Across from a potted red poinsettia were complimentary coffee, tea, snacks and a microwave. A string of tinsel looped around a wooden wall unit with compartments filled with bags and luggage. A Christmas tree twinkled in a corner. Three flat-screen TVs hung above a long bookcase next to a bank of video screens.

Three soldiers were curled up in plush recliners at sunrise Saturday and catnapped as they waited to take flights from the San Antonio International Airport. Pfc. Cortney Allen, 20, was headed to Michigan. Pvt. Tana Armstrong, 18, was on her way to Ohio. Pvt. Nicole Osborne, 18, was home-bound to New Hampshire.

The trio is training to be nurses at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence at Fort Sam Houston. Theyd stayed up all night, so theyd be on time for their bus to the airport for exodus  a decades-old annual military tradition that began last Friday evening and ends today.

Armstrong said the warm ambiance felt like home. Osborne said it was nice to have a break from the bustling crowds.

We love it, she said. Its so crowded out there, and this is so welcoming.

Allen was also impressed. She said the volunteers treated us like their kids.

On ExpressNews.com: Fort Sam trainees head home in annual holiday Exodus

The volunteers dedicated their shifts to the soldiers who arrived under drizzling rain at the airport in the pre-dawn hours. The USO is a rallying point for thousands of active duty military and their families to use throughout the year as they wait to board flights from the Alamo city.

Volunteers operate the airport location, open seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eleven staff members work at San Antonio sites, including two at Fort Sam Houston and a center at Brooke Army Medical Center. In addition, there are three satellites at Camp Bullis, complete with morale services.

Heather Krauss, executive director of USO San Antonio, oversees operations of the nonprofit whose mission extends to Del Rio and border towns. She said an important element is stewarding donations to the nonprofit into direct services that impact military members and their families.

Krauss said volunteers would help 5,000 military students and permanent party personnel during the holidays.

We couldnt operate a huge event like exodus without the help of our dedicated volunteers and sponsors, Krauss said. They give us the ability to provide these services and make the soldiers travel a little less stressful.

Krauss, mother of an airman and soldier, said after the exodus, volunteers and staff would shift their focus to Holidays for Heroes, a program for the stay-behind population who cant get home for the holidays. Free activities include a visit with St. Nick, decorating events on Christmas Eve and attending a San Antonio Spurs game.

The thing we dont want is for them to feel they have to spend the holiday by themselves, Krauss said. We want to make sure they dont have that sense of missing their families.

On ExpressNews.com: Like a bomb went off - San Antonio relief workers stunned by Kentucky tornado damage

During a four-hour shift, the three volunteers offered a helping hand to the stream of camouflage-clad active duty members, lugging duffle bags, backpacks and luggage.

This time of year is very hard being away from their homes, Hutchinson said. All these people passing through here to go see their families makes me feel good.

Casella re-checked supplies of food and beverages as if he were on a military mission. He said airports have exclusive clubs for preferred customers, and active military deserve a hub of their own.

Weve got the Presidents Club right here, Casella said. And it doesnt cost a dime.

Woods gave new arrivals a tour of the warmly-lit space.

Like they say, you give back,  Woods said. Wherever Ive been, Ive always volunteered.

On Saturday morning, Maj. Gen. Dennis LeMaster, commander of MEDCoE, and several other senior Army staff visited the GIs at the airport and USO center. After talking to each one, he wished them a Merry Christmas and safe travels.

Theyre going home as soldiers, LeMaster said. This is one of the highlights of my time here. Its a chance for the soldiers and staff to take a moment, refresh and recharge. When they come back, its game on until next Thanksgiving.

Mario Ayapan, USO Airport Center operations supervisor, said it takes contributions from many partners to serve visiting airmen, coast guardsmen, Marines, sailors, soldiers and guardians.

We get a lot of support for this, Ayapan said, from the city, donors and other companies who donate the goods. Its a huge help. All of this happened because a lot of people came together to make it happen.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios top chefs train active duty military at Culinary Institute of America

The USO set up two satellite stations at the airport: one in Terminal A and the other in Terminal B. Volunteers at each site offered snacks and gift wrapping, a 15-year tradition. Wrapped presents arent allowed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. Once through airport security, those with gifts could get items wrapped by volunteers.

Volunteer Thelma Parker, 78, an airport ambassador, had silver, shiny and striped paper ready atop an unused ticket counter at Gate 16, near the end of Terminal A. She said her first guest was a young soldier from Florida who asked if she could wrap a teddy bear hed bought for his sister.

Parker recalled the trainee said the military allowed him to make enough money to buy a present for the first time. She triple covered the present to protect it during the soldiers flight. After all of her meticulous care, Parker said he pushed the stuffed toy into a jumble of items in his rucksack.

Parker chuckled.

She wasnt upset, just happy she could offer an act of kindness to military members during the holidays.

Its one little bit to give them for what theyre doing for us, Parker said. Its nice to help young people who are doing something for our country.

vtdavis@express-news.net
Corazon will be the center of an $8 million World Heritage Center set to break ground next fall as a gateway to the Spanish-Indigenous mission sites of San Antonio.

Although some nearby residents have reservations about the projects scale, location, function and design, officials say the 5,300-square-foot building with a 3,700-square-foot veranda will provide something thats long been needed on the South Side: a central location where those interested in the five missions scattered along both sides of the San Antonio River can orient themselves. Its set to open in spring 2024.

One of the centers early design elements is a ceramic tile map tracing the path southward from the Alamo to Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and finally Mission Espada on the far South Side.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonios Queen of the Missions celebrating its tricentennial

At a recent community meeting, Park Ranger PT Lathrop cautioned against leaving out Rancho de las Cabras, where ruins still stand on ranchland near Floresville that served the Native American community at Espada. But he agreed with the plans goal of connecting stories of the river, acequias, architecture and neighborhoods with corazon  the Spanish word for heart that also can mean courage, love or compassion.

One thing that Ive been really impressed by is the corazon. Theres not a community like San Antonio, said Lathrop, a National Park Service ranger who joined San Antonio Missions National Historical Park  his ninth national park  in March.

Billy Calzada /San Antonio Express-News

But while San Antonio has embraced the missions 2015 designation as the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas and one of just 24 nationwide, Lathrop said the city could better promote the national park brand as a catalyst for tourism and community pride.

The center is funded with 2017 bond dollars  $5 million for the building and $2.25 million for landscaping and site improvements. Another $845,000 from the local Tricentennial Commission will pay for art, design enhancements and interpretive elements. Its two key themes: ancestors and community. The citys World Heritage Office hired the Witte Museum to develop the plan, which included community input through local surveys and focus groups.

The center will be built along Roosevelt Avenue, between the restored Mission Drive-In movie marquee and Mission Branch Library, just over a quarter-mile north of the heavily restored Mission San Jose  the most frequently visited South Side mission.

On ExpressNews.com: Mission San Juan reveals part of Native Americans story

Colleen Swain, director of the citys World Heritage Office, which will staff the center, said the facility will be one of the jewels in the Mission Marque Plaza. The area, she said, is evolving into a complete campus, hosting outdoor movies, markets and poetry events.

Not every World Heritage Site gets an opportunity to have a center like this. Its a trend that were seeing more and more in the European countries. Its a great asset to really showcase San Antonio, Swain said.

Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-News

Plans for the center include:

 A U-shaped gallery featuring the giant missions map and way-finding area

 A short film

 Exhibits on ancestral voices, community perspectives

 Mission site highlights with recorded audio and smartphone technology

Preliminary designs by Dunaway Associates and Munoz & Co. show a wraparound veranda and large windows providing natural lighting to create an indoor-outdoor experience that mimics being at the missions.

The exhibits at the center will touch on significant features of each mission, such as:

 Frescoes and the nations oldest unrestored stone church at Concepcion

 A working acequia and farmlands at San Juan

 Espadas unusual brickwork and distinctive church doorway

On ExpressNews.com: Espada known for bricks, aqueduct

We want to make sure that each of the missions are highlighted and that all of their unique, wonderful characteristics are on display, Michelle Everidge, chief of strategic initiatives at the Witte, told about 40 people at a planning meeting. Weve all heard about the Alamo. But we want to make sure that every mission really receives its due credit.

The center will have restrooms, a community meeting room, stations for charging electronic devices and possibly a shop that sells wares made by local artists. The plan recommends an outdoor water-filling station, a water play area for children or other features to connect the center to the river theme and a touch-screen kiosk that offers directions and event schedules.

Initially constructed as San Antonios first permanent mission, the state-owned Alamo draws about 1.6 million visitors downtown annually. The four federally and church-run missions to the south together have had similar attendance. The park service estimates 1.1 million people visited the South Side missions park in 2020, despite the pandemic, and spent $84.3 million in neighborhoods near the four sites.

To tie the building to the missions, local artist Adriana Garcia will design a symbol to be incorporated into the structures ornamentation. Garcia said shes developing a concept of the Four Directions in Native American spirituality and is consulting mission descendants on other ideas.

Anyone wanting to give input, send a scanned photo or get involved with the project can contact the World Heritage Office at worldheritage@sanantonio.gov.

We want to make sure that the corazon is woven all the way through  the uniqueness, the character, the love, the family, the art, Everidge said.

Residents seemed to support the concepts, but some had reservations about the location, saying the city should spend more for a larger site or one closer to the south main entrance of Mission San Jose.

On ExpressNews.com: Expert work on Concepcion church seek to ensure its future

No design innovation can undo a bad location, said Brady Alexander, who called the conceptual renderings out of character for a building honoring 10,000 years of Indigenous history.

Terry Ybanez, president of the Mission San Jose Neighborhood Association, said shed hoped the center would include more space for performances by historians, novelists and Indigenous and Chicano poets that need to be heard on the South Side.

She said the center could be the first venue of its kind on the Southeast Side to showcase professional artists  and I can see the collaborations of the (mission) descendants.

A proposal is in the works for a nearby outdoor pavilion that could accommodate larger performances as a second phase to follow the centers construction.

Swain said the location makes sense for a lot of reasons, since its on city land and builds on the synergy of the marquee plaza.

We are looking at ways so that if we host an art event or a poetry reading, that can happen at the center depending on the numbers, or with that pavilion that would host larger groups, she said.

shuddleston@express-news.net
Im not trying to be a cheerleader for CPS Energy.

Thats how North Side Councilman John Courage prefaced his Dec. 1 comments on a proposed 3.85 percent rate hike for the city-owned utility.

Courages subsequent statement might not have met the definition of cheerleading. But it certainly was the most ardent championing of CPSs rate request delivered by anyone not on the utilitys payroll.

Courage isnt exactly a neutral observer. His wife, Zada True-Courage, has worked for CPS Energy for nearly seven years, the last five as a financial analyst.

The councilman insists, however, that his support for CPS has nothing to do with that personal connection. And he has no plans to refrain from casting a vote when the council decides on the rate proposal on Jan. 13.

I dont see any reason for me to recuse myself from that vote, Courage said.

The councilman said CPS faces a rare combination of operational pressures, including $1 billion in charges from natural-gas suppliers related to Februarys devastating freeze, $120 million in past-due customer balances, 400 vacant staff positions and the need to winterize its power plants.

Those pressures, to Courages way of thinking, demand fiscal relief.

In my opinion, from what Ive been watching, it is definitely needed, he said of the rate increase. So Im going to be voting for it, and I dont feel that because my wife has a job there that it should affect any decision I make.

The citys Ethics Code states that a city official or employee shall not take any official action that will affect his or her economic interests or those of a parent, child, spouse or other family member or a member of his or her household.

City Attorney Andy Segovia agrees with Courage that the councilmans vote on the CPS rate increase would not constitute a conflict of interest.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

The impact on his wife is so attenuated, it wouldnt fall under that prohibition, Segovia said.

If council, for example, had to approve pay raises for (CPS) employees at a certain level, that would clearly be a direct conflict.

CPSs proposed rate hike would add about $5 a month to the average households utility bill. It would generate an estimated $73 million a year in additional revenue for the utility.

Courages participation in the council vote is important for a number of reasons.

The most obvious one is that even after three consecutive B-session briefings by CPS representatives, the council is clearly divided on the proposed increase.

Courages fellow northsider, Clayton Perry, has said his constituents are telling him they oppose the increase.

Were kind of ramrodding this through during the holiday season, Perry said last week.

Courages voice carries extra weight, given that he was handpicked by Mayor Ron Nirenberg five months ago to chair the councils newly created Municipal Utilities Committee.

Theres also the simple fact that Courage, at a time when San Antonio residents are still angry about Februarys widespread power outages, unabashedly lauds CPS for its service to the community.

He recently reminded his colleagues that the city receives about 14 percent of CPSs gross revenue, which translates to about $30 million a month in budgetary support.

CPS is helping to pay for police, fire, public health, parks, libraries, trash pickup, public art and so much more, Courage said.

The energy cabal in this state is trying to bleed a billion dollars from our citizens pockets. But CPS is fighting that for all of us.

He framed the utilitys litigation contesting $580 million of its storm-related debt  a legal fight widely seen as a public-relations move with little chance of success  as CPSs bid to save us.

Courages wholehearted defense of CPS is in stark contrast to his 2017 stance when the San Antonio Water System went to the council with a rate-increase request.

Courage was one of only three council members (along with Perry and Greg Brockhouse) to vote against the SAWS proposal.

I have both conservatives and liberals asking me to vote no on the (SAWS) rate increase, Courage said in December 2017. Meanwhile, the business community and the chambers (of commerce) are saying everything is hunky-dory.

SAWS representatives said they needed rate increases  5.8 percent in 2018 and 4.7 percent in 2019  for infrastructure improvements, including sewer system upgrades and water-line replacements.

During his successful re-election campaign this year, Courage continued to tout his refusal to back SAWS rate hikes.

According to Courage, the difference between the 2017 SAWS request and the current CPS proposal is that SAWS asked for way more than they needed, whereas CPS has needs that the proposed rate increase only begins to address.

The question is whether at least five of Courages council colleagues will embrace that argument.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
We need to have a conversation about Elon.

You know who Im talking about  one of the rare few in pop culture who are widely recognized by just one name. Like LeBron, Madonna and Oprah, theres only one Elon.

Having recently hosted Saturday Night Live, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO commands an enormous online audience of legions of devoted fans with more than 67 million Twitter followers. He was just named Times 2021 Person of the Year and even made a cameo in Iron Man 2.

He also happens to be a massive jerk.

On ExpressNews.com: Commentary: Other close encounters to watch for

Its possible you dont care about any of this, but trust me when I tell you that the kids deciding what they want to do when they grow up have taken notice. The man is a celebrity and, like it or not, hes the most recognizable face of the global space industry. Id wager not many 16-year-olds could name the current NASA administrator (its former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, by the way) but almost all know of Elon Musk.

Elon could use his fame and popularity as a platform for good. He could be working to get our kids excited about rockets, and educate them about space science and its related engineering challenges. Better yet, he could engage women and other traditionally underrepresented groups by encouraging them to pursue STEM careers.

Research has demonstrated that diverse teams produce more novel, creative and effective solutions to complex engineering problems. Diverse companies are also consistently more profitable than their peers. In a field like aerospace  a woefully homogeneous field where currently only 25 percent of employees are women and 30 percent are minorities  improving diversity will be critical toward achieving lofty goals like interplanetary travel, hypersonic flight, electric aircraft and low-emission propulsion technology. This isnt political, this isnt wokeism, its just good business. But it isnt Elons focus.

On ExpressNews.com: 7 times the speed of sound: UTSA goes hypersonic to study the next generation of flight

Instead, he prefers to tweet memes and tasteless jokes in a way that showcases a disappointing level of immaturity. He half-jokingly proposed founding a Texas Institute of Technology and Science citing the epic merch that would be possible. He recently referred to Sen. Elizabeth Warren as Senator Karen and compared her to an angry mom. I dont care about politics, but you shouldnt talk to people that way.

When hes not trolling on Twitter, the billionaire is requesting his employees cancel their holiday plans to return to the factory floor, implying in emails that the extra hours may be the only thing preventing SpaceX from filing for bankruptcy.

Musks penchant for tantrums and petulant outbursts directed toward employees at both SpaceX and Tesla are well-documented. Recent reports also detailed toxic workplace cultures at SpaceX and Tesla that are rife with sexual harassment.

Its all such a shame and a wasted opportunity. The progress SpaceX has made since its inception is astounding and should be an inspiration to all. Unfortunately, the entire operation  and, by association, our entire modern space race  is often overshadowed by Elons bad behavior.

I fear that for every cryptocurrency-hawking tech bro that Elon inspires to watch a few YouTube videos about rockets, theres a young girl out there who has her preconceived notions about engineering confirmed by Elons antics: Aerospace is a boys club.

On ExpressNews.com: Chances of falling Chinese rocket landing in populated area? Slim ... but not none

Aerospace needs a seismic cultural shift if we truly want to innovate through the 21st century. Maintaining the status quo and allowing aerospace to remain a boys club will hold us all back.

Chris Combs is the Dee Howard Endowed Assistant Professor and aerospace program coordinator in the University of Texas at San Antonio Department of Mechanical Engineering.
When COVID-19 brought San Antonios economy to a standstill, the city stepped up in a big way. Instead of just funding emergency rent and utility relief, leaders committed to do more for the long term, recognizing an opportunity to address long-standing poverty and revamp our workforce.

Starting its Train for Jobs program in September 2020 was a risk. But its one we supported because it recognized the deeper need in San Antonio and was an opportunity to invest in people.

Critics, including some City Council members, have said progress has been too slow and inadequate for the $65 million program. They have said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg was too optimistic and his goal of placing 10,000 trainees in new jobs was too big.

Its true the city isnt close to its goal, reporting only 888 trainees with jobs as of mid-December. The city also was slow to set up it internal structure and only hired a permanent director, Michael Ramsey, in August.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio hires new director to lead the citys $200 million job training program

But this was a new program, built from the ground up. And choosing not to address workforce development is unacceptable.

Consider the cost of the status quo  unemployment, low-wage jobs, an over-reliance on tourism and service industry employment, the loss of earning potential and the cost of supporting those in poverty.

Ramsey and other city officials have said while they expected participants to choose short-term training, participants have opted for longer-term programming. This is good. Lets keep sight of the long-term benefits of new careers.

On ExpressNews.com: With interest in city-funded job training picking up, program opened to more residents

On ExpressNews.com: Citys job training effort still off to slow start

San Antonio officials are learning and adapting, and expectations should shift, too. As we have learned, variants arise and complicate the recovery. Employers have raised wages to entice people to return to work. The Great Resignation has given power to workers.

We cant forget that the job training was launched in the middle of the pandemic, in spring 2020, when 140,000 city residents found themselves out of work. Its a different job market today.

That said, a Dec. 15 city report offers optimism. More than 16,000 people have expressed interest in the program, more than 9,500 people have completed the intake process, and more than 4,400 people have enrolled.

Almost 70 percent of the participants in Train for Jobs are women, and the majority are either Black or Hispanic. About 62 percent were living below the poverty line when they entered the program. May they complete the program and rise out of poverty. Thats the long-term goal, right?

The city made the right choice when it pushed back its August launch of its new $200 million, four-year Ready to Work job-training initiative, approved by voters with an 1/8-cent sales tax, to start in early 2022.

This is the longer-term program that could spur generational change.

To do that, the city must continue to prioritize job placement, shorten the enrollment period and get people into the training pipeline. Leaders should continue to be transparent with data, and work to increase employers and participants.

City Manager Erik Walsh said employers will drive the Ready to Work program in terms of their needs.

Be critical of the citys workforce efforts, but also be patient. The need for this type of program runs much deeper than the immediate crisis of the pandemic. Generational change takes time.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 23, 2021 / Helo Corp. (OTC PINK:HLOC) ("Helo" or the "Company"), a leading developer of wearable, wireless devices at the forefront of digital health and dedicated to improving wellness worldwide, is pleased to announce that the Vyvo Network Japan KK employees have won the 2021 Helo Chairman's Award.

The Helo Chairman's Award recognizes an exceptional individual or team performance that had a significant impact on the Vyvo business. This is the first year for this annual award. It is granted for outstanding achievements such as driving impressive financial results, building strong team performance, and successfully introducing new processes, which contribute to the wellbeing and success of Vyvo and its employees.

The allocation of this award is decided exclusively by the Helo Chairman, Mr. Fabio Galdi. Today, he has announced that the first Chairman's Award goes to Vyvo's top-performing office for 2021, Vyvo Network Japan KK.

Fabio Galdi, Helo's Chairman of the Board, stated that "After much deliberation, I am delighted to select Vyvo Network Japan for this award. Everyone is aware that this past year has been extremely challenging, however, this did not stop Vyvo. I am proud to work with such resilient and resourceful colleagues who hail from all over the world. My only regret is that I cannot present this award personally due to travel restrictions." He continued, "It was a difficult decision as there were many strong contenders for the Chairman's Award, in all areas of Vyvo's business activities. However, the Japanese team, led by their inspirational GM, Mr. Shimizu, excelled in their team approach, which delivered impressive financial results as well the Chairman's Award for every Vyvo employee in Japan."

The precise details of the Chairman's Award, which comes in the form of a January 2022 bonus this year, and is in addition to any other employee performance bonus, will be communicated to the Japanese employees tomorrow by the management of Vyvo Network Japan KK.

About Helo Corp.

Helo Corp. (OTC PINK:HLOC) is a wellness technology company at the forefront of digital health and a pioneer of the Digital Health Sharing Economy. Using its Life-Changing Technology and data from its LifeWatches, it encourages wearer wellness-centered lifestyles, consumer data empowerment and generates revenue from data sales that drive the self-funding, Digital Health Sharing Economy.

Helo's Life Sensing TechnologyTM uses state-of-the-art sensors, enhanced signal processing, and algorithms to collect and process specific bio-parameters for the user and Healthtech market. We incentivize our userbase with Vyvo Utility Tokens to continuously build up our shared bio-bank through self-tracking. Our two-sided data-rich platform collects health data from the users which we analyze and use AI to prepare customized and personalized user reports, user alerts, and user NutraPak supplements. In addition, our platform also presents Big Data opportunities for developers, medical research, and diagnostics.

For further information on Vyvo and Helo, please click on the links:

https://www.vyvo.com and http://www.helocorp.com

Forward-Looking Statement

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as may, "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," potential and similar statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this press release are forward-looking statements and involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections about the Company and the industry in which the Company operates, but involve several unknown risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the OTC Markets and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

Investor Contact: investors@helocorp.com

SOURCE: Helo Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/679449/Helo-Chairmans-Award-2021-winner-is-Vyvo-Network-Japan
BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Chinese holdings company, Tencent Holdings Limited (TCEHY), has announced that it will be giving away 457 million Class A shares of the e-retail company, JD.com, Inc (JD), worth $16.4 billion. The news has resulted in a 7% drop in JD stock during regular trading on the market. The holding company said that it will distribute the shares among the regular shareholders as a one-time dividend. According to reports, Tencent believes that JD has reached the heights where it can continuously self-sustain itself, and Tencent's strategy is to invest in companies in their early stage to help them grow into bigger ventures. In their press release, JD said that it after the share distribution, Tencent will be left with a mere 2.3% hold in the company, compared to the present 17%. However, according to multiple rumors, Tencent is doing so in order to deflect the government interests. Recently the Chinese watchdogs have been very strict to shoot down any hint of a monopoly in the market. It has already fined the likes of Alibaba (BABA) and made Didi leave the NYSE. Since Tencent is the holding company of companies like JD, social media Pinduoduo, and Meituan, it can get targetted by the government. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2021) - Solis Minerals Limited (ASX: SLM) (TSXV: SLMN) (FSE: 08W) ("Solis Minerals" or "the Company") is pleased to announce its successful listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) following its very well-supported IPO.

The Company raised a total of A$5.5 million through the issue of 27,500,000 Chess Depository Interests ("CDIs") at A$0.20, with one attaching option for every two shares subscribed in the IPO with an exercise price of AUD$0.30 for a period of two-years from the date of issue.

Upon closing, the Company has in excess of A$7.0 million cash at bank, and is very well placed to commence its highly anticipated maiden drilling program at the Mostazal Copper Project in Chile, one of the largest copper production nations in the world.

CEO Jason Cubitt commented: "We were pleased to see the support of past shareholders and we welcome many new shareholders to the company in the IPO. I'd like to thank the administrative and legal teams in both Canada and Australia for supporting this achievement and, in particular, thanks go to our lead manager in Australia, Euroz Hartleys, for managing distribution of the IPO. We now look forward to a busy field season commencing January 2022 and the potential for a significant new copper discovery."

Net proceeds from the IPO will be primarily allocated to funding the upcoming drill program at the Company's 100%-optioned Mostazal Copper Project in Chile's Atacama Desert where previous exploration has outlined significant near surface copper mineralisation.

Mostazal Copper Project Summary

The Mostazal property is located 80 kilometres (km) northeast of Copiapo, Chile (Figure 1) and within the Domeyko fault - a major structural control for some of the world's largest and most productive copper mines*, including Chuquicamata and Escondida, and 40 km south of Codelco's El Salvador mine (Appendix 1).

The first program of drilling will total approximately 2,900 metres diamond drilling in two phases, is expected to commence in mid-January continuing through until mid-March, and will initially target both porphyry and manto-style copper mineralisation.

As well as testing the copper at near surface, the Company intends to undertake the first-ever drill testing of an interpreted porphyry feeder system underlying a 4 km by 2.5 km, north-south-trending, belt of outcropping copper mineralisation, small-scale mine workings, and geochemical and geophysical anomalies. Four main target areas have been identified (Figure 2) on the basis of historical drilling, geochemical and geophysical surveys, and structural interpretation and modelling.









Figure 1: Mostazal Copper Project - historical drill testing of manto copper mineralisation by a previous operator.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/108454_4dcbbbecf4ec0b75_016full.jpg



Figure 2: Mostazal Copper Project - initial diamond drilling target locations over copper soil geochemistry.



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/108454_4dcbbbecf4ec0b75_017.jpg

The Mostazal West target (Target Area 1) is located immediately west of stacked copper-bearing manto lenses and is characterised by the presence of a magnetic low and chargeability high geophysical anomalies. The Company is targetting a potential source of copper mineralisation beginning at a depth of 300 metres - about 100 metres deeper than prior drilling and immediately adjacent to the area of recent exploitation.

The Central target (Target Area 2) is located immediately beneath known manto copper lenses where historical, relatively shallow drilling (Figure 1) to a depth of approximately 150 metres, has encountered wide zones of high-grade copper mineralisation (Table 1). The Company is targetting to penetrate though stacked copper-bearing manto lenses to test for an interpreted buried porphyry/ feeder structure beginning at a depth of approximately 300 metres.

Table 1: Selected significant intersections from historic drilling at the Mostazal Copper Project1.

DDH-MZ-08: 16m @ 1.48% Cu from 56m

DDH-MZ-10: 13m @ 1.23% Cu from 91m

DDH-MZ-13: 8m @ 1.83% Cu from 55m

DDH-MZ-27: 10m @ 1.59% Cu from 40m

DDH-MZ-30: 16m @ 1.27% Cu from 74m

DDH-MZ-32: 11m @ 2.52% Cu from 84m

Appointment of Directors

Effective from the date of the Company's admission to the official list ASX, and as noted in the Prospectus, the Company is pleased to welcome Mr. Michael Parker and Ms. Chaifika Eddine to the Board as Non-Executive Directors. Mr. Fred Tejada has stepped down from the Board. The Company thanks Mr. Tejada for his significant contributions and welcomes his continued role as a technical advisor.

About Solis Minerals Ltd.

Solis Minerals is a Latin American-focused mining exploration company. The Company is earning into a 100-per-cent interest in the Mostazal Copper Project in Chile's Atacama Desert, one of the world's premier copper production jurisdictions. The Company also holds a 100-per-cent interest in a package of highly prospective IOCG (iron oxide copper/gold) and porphyry copper projects in southwestern Peru within the country's prolific coastal copper belt - a source of nearly half of Peru's copper production.

Issued on the directive of the board of Solis.

For further information please contact:

Jason Cubitt

President and CEO

Solis Minerals Limited

+01 (604) 209 1658

Stephen Moloney

Investor Relations

Corporate Storytime

+61 (0)408 228 889





Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this news release.

Derrick Strickland, P. Geo. (1000315), is a qualified person and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. *The qualified person has been unable to verify the information on the adjacent properties. Mineralisation hosted on adjacent and/or nearby and/or geologically similar properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation hosted on the Company property.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ materially from those expected including, but not limited to, market conditions, availability of financing, actual results of the Company's exploration and other activities, environmental risks, future metal prices, operating risks, accidents, labor issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry. All the forward-looking statements made in this news release are qualified by these cautionary statements and those in our continuous disclosure filings available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances save as required by applicable law.

Competent Person Statement

The information in this ASX release in relation to Geological Information and Exploration Results is based on and fairly represent information compiled by Mr Anthony Greenaway, a Competent Person who is a Member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Greenaway is an employee of Solis Minerals Ltd and has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralisation and types of deposit under consideration and to the exploration activities undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the "Australian Code for Reporting of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Greenaway consents to the inclusion in this report of the matters based on information in the form and context in which it appears. Mr Greenaway has provided his prior written consent as to the form and context in which the Geological Information and Exploration Results and supporting information are presented in this Announcement.

All information relating to exploration results that have been previously released to the market is appropriately referenced in this document.

APPENDIX 1





Figure 3: Mostazal Copper Project location.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1134/108454_4dcbbbecf4ec0b75_018full.jpg

APPENDIX 2

Table 2: Mostazal Copper Project historical diamond drilling collar details.

HOLE ID Hole Type Grid ID Easting

(m) Northing

(m) Elevation

(m) DIP

(deg) Azimuth

(deg) Depth

(m) DDH-MZ-1 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440790.40 7049919.37 2819.48 -60 242 120.25 DDH-MZ-2 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440791.39 7049919.91 2819.58 -90 242 120.00 DDH-MZ-3 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440854.43 7049839.98 2795.00 -45 242 98.12 DDH-MZ-4 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440852.90 7049839.20 2794.96 -80 242 111.60 DDH-MZ-5 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440852.39 7049774.71 2789.90 -65 242 95.00 DDH-MZ-6 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440851.67 7049774.31 2789.89 -90 242 141.42 DDH-MZ-7 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441043.87 7049548.01 2819.38 -45 242 166.60 DDH-MZ-8 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441042.00 7049547.38 2819.32 -64 242 182.60 DDH-MZ-9 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441043.48 7049546.16 2819.35 -45 208 129.20 DDH-MZ-10 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440931.35 7049651.52 2810.53 -45 242 144.24 DDA-MZ-11 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440930.74 7049651.10 2810.51 -65 242 127.60 DDH-MZ-12 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440929.89 7049650.65 2810.75 -36 242 159.62 DDH-MZ-13 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440929.38 7049650.33 2810.74 -90 242 132.45 DDH-MZ-14 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440782.02 7049722.79 2764.68 -36 62 135.18 DDH-MZ-15 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440781.04 7049722.22 2764.61 -58 62 139.42 DDH-MZ-16 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440780.48 7049721.91 2764.47 -80 62 140.00 DDH-MZ-17 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440868.09 7049537.34 2747.68 -45 62 144.10 DDH-MZ-18 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440866.99 7049536.76 2747.68 -75 62 110.38 DDH-MZ-19 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440695.36 7049875.38 2787.02 -45 62 171.00 DDH-MZ-20 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440501.00 7050272.23 2820.25 -45 242 90.70 DDH-MZ-21 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440503.00 7050272.00 2819.16 -80 242 83.70 DDH-MZ-22 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440675.75 7050028.70 2816.99 -35 242 102.76 DDH-MZ-23 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440779.97 7049668.71 2768.01 -35 62 141.78 DDH-MZ-24 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441034.27 7049588.84 2813.96 -35 242 170.15 DDH-MZ-25 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441532.82 7051088.34 3011.72 -35 160 130.33 DDH-MZ-26 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441533.40 7051086.96 3011.71 -50 160 131.00 DDH-MZ-27 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441995.00 7051291.00 3045.32 -55 270 110.00 DDH-MZ-28 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441997.00 7051291.00 3045.32 -90 270 115.00 DDH-MZ-29 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441997.00 7051291.00 3045.32 -40 106 82.93 DDH-MZ-30 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441034.27 7049588.84 2813.96 -55 242 230.09 DDH-MZ-31 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440753.00 7049543.00 2721.00 -45 60 259.12 DDH-MZ-32 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440965.00 7049671.00 2814.00 -45 62 141.00 DDH-MZ-33 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441105.00 7049717.32 2836.50 -45 62 150.79 DDH-MZ-34 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441202.00 7049799.00 2878.00 -45 90 301.48 DDH-MZ-35 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441097.00 7049630.00 2838.00 -45 90 299.50 DDH-MZ-36 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441495.00 7049901.00 2956.00 -50 90 247.30 DDH-MZ-37 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441504.00 7049599.00 2904.00 -45 90 300.75 DDH-MZ-38 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441347.00 7049799.00 2898.00 -45 90 240.60 DDH-MZ-39 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441132.00 7049369.00 2814.00 -45 90 241.45 DDH-MZ-40 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440923.00 7049763.00 2819.00 -45 90 318.00 DDH-MZ-41 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441403.00 7049397.00 2858.00 -50 90 225.20 DDH-MZ-42 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441401.00 7049701.00 2879.00 -45 90 249.60 DDH-MZ-43 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440979.00 7049851.00 2848.00 -45 90 249.74 DDH-MZ-44 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441850.00 7049495.00 2921.00 -45 90 250.64 DDH-MZ-45 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440902.00 7049979.00 2850.00 -90 0 250.68 DDH-MZ-46 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440957.00 7049475.00 2768.00 -70 90 200.94 DDH-MZ-47 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440616.00 7049705.00 2755.00 -80 90 202.06 DDH-MZ-48 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441650.00 7050200.00 3058.00 -70 90 250.70 DDH-MZ-49 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441850.00 7049700.00 2980.00 -45 90 250.72 DDH-MZ-50 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440704.00 7049705.00 2751.00 -80 90 252.21 DDH-MZ-51 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440414.00 7049940.00 2761.00 -55 90 250.04 DDH-MZ-52 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440581.00 7049489.00 2615.00 -55 90 252.00 DDH-MZ-53 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440974.00 7049917.00 2845.00 -60 90 249.56 DDH-MZ-54 Diamond PSAD56_19S 441045.00 7049548.00 2819.00 -50 90 250.27 DDH-MZ-55 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440500.00 7049798.00 2759.00 -70 90 249.00 DDH-MZ-56 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440599.00 7049597.00 2708.00 -45 90 219.00 DDH-MZ-57 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440655.00 7049795.00 2775.00 -70 90 246.18 DDH-MZ-58 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440397.00 7049697.00 2732.00 -55 90 299.00 DDH-MZ-59 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440603.00 7049903.00 2796.00 -60 90 269.00 DDH-MZ-60 Diamond PSAD56_19S 440796.00 7049922.00 2818.00 -50 90 256.92

APPENDIX 3

JORC Code, 2012 Edition - Table 1

Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data

(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (e.g. cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling.

Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.

Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report.

In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (e.g. 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (e.g. submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information. Sampling across the project has included rock chip sampling of open pit exposure, trenches, rock outcrops, soil sampling and diamond drilling.

Soil, trenching and outcrop sampling was undertaken by Sociedad Legal Minera Mostazal between 2005 and 2008, Galileo Minerals Ltd in 2008, and IMT Exploraciones between 2011 and 2013.

Diamond drilling was undertaken by IMT Exploraciones between 2012 and 2013.

Soil sampling and rock chip sampling was used to identify zones of potential mineralisation.

These is no detailed record of how outcrop sampling was completed or the size of the samples.

Trenches were sampled on 1m intervals; however the size of the sample is not recorded.

Diamond drill holes were samples on either 1 m, 3 m or 4 m, intervals as half core samples. Drilling techniques Drill type (e.g. core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (e.g. core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc). All drilling completed to date at the Mostazal Copper Project has been diamond drilling.

60 diamond drill holes were completed for a total of 11,381m.

Diamond drilling was undertaken using a Boart Longyear LF-900 drilling rig.

Drill holes were completed as HQ size (63.5mm core diameter).

There is no record of the drill tube type used, i.e. triple tube of standard tube. Drill sample recovery Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed.

Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples.

Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. Diamond core recovery was recorded for each sample interval by measuring the recovered core against the drill depth.

Diamond core recovery varies between 0.25% and 100%, but is typically averaging 95%.

There is no apparent relationship between core recovery and grades.

There is no apparent sample bias due to preferential loss/ gain of fine/ coarse material. Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.

Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography.

The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. Rock chip and soil sampling was usually completed as part of a geological mapping campaign.

Diamond drill holes were geologically logged at varying intervals based on lithology. Logging included, lithology, colour, mineralogy, texture, alteration, structure, mineralisation and RQD. All diamond drill core has been logged. Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.

If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry.

For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique.

Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples.

Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling.

Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. Diamond core was cut using a core saw and sampled as either half core or quarter core.

Soil and rock chip samples collected by Galileo Minerals Ltd were sent to Vigalab laboratory in Copiapo, whereas samples collected by IMP Exploraciones were sent to Andes Analytical Assay Ltda in Santiago for sample preparation and analysis. There are no records for rock chip samples and soil samples collected by Sociedad Legal Minera Mostazal.

There is no detailed description of the sample preparation methods for the soil and rock chip samples.

Diamond drill core was sent to Andes Analytical Assay Ltda in Santiago for sample preparation and analysis.

There is no detailed description of sample preparation methods used for diamond drill core.

Quality control samples were inserted into each of the soil, rock chip and diamond drilling sample batches and included field duplicates, blanks and certified reference material samples. There is no record of any internal laboratory quality control sampling.

Sample sizes are appropriate for the material being sampled. Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.

For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.

Nature of quality control procedures adopted (e.g. standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (i.e. lack of bias) and precision have been established. There are no assay records for rock chip and soil samples for samples collected by Sociedad Legal Minera Mostazal.

Rock chip and soil samples collected by Galileo Minerals Ltd were assayed for copper, soluble copper, solvent copper extraction from pregnant solution, gold silver, lead, zinc, molybdenum arsenic and iron. The analytical method is not recoded.

Rock and soil samples collected by IMT Exploraciones were assayed for 39-elements using Inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Diamond core samples were assayed for a 39-element suit using Inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Quality control samples were inserted into each of the soil, rock and diamond drilling sample batches and included field duplicates, blanks and certified reference materials. There is no record of any internal laboratory quality control sampling.

ICP-MS is considered to be a total assay method.

6,830 diamond core samples ranging in length from 0.04m to 20m were submitted for SG analysis using Archimedes method. Verification of sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel.

The use of twinned holes.

Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.

Discuss any adjustment to assay data. Reported significant intersections have been calculated as length weighted averages by Soils Minerals.

There have been no twin drill holes completed.

There have been no adjustments made to the assay data. Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation.

Specification of the grid system used.

Quality and adequacy of topographic control. Drill holes have been located using a handheld GPS (model unknown).

Down hole surveys were conducted for each diamond drill hole on 50m intervals. There is no description of the survey tool used.

All data has been collected in UTM zone 19S coordinates.

The topography was surveyed on 1-5m contours intervals in 2012 over the entire project area by contract surveyors (method unknown).

Artisanal open cut and underground mining occurred throughout the project area between 1950s and 2006. Sociedad Legal Minera Ltda then conducted a small scale open cut surface and room and pillar underground mining between 2006 and 2008. The surface mining has been surveyed during the topographic survey in 2012, however the underground workings have not been surveyed. Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.

Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied.

Whether sample compositing has been applied. Geological sampling (rock and soil) has been completed on a nominal 200m x 200m grid over the entire project area.

Diamond drilling was completed over the central parts of the project area on a nominal 150m x 100m grid.

The sampling data is sufficient to establish the general extents and orientation of the near surface manto copper-silver style mineralisation, however the mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth.

Sample compositing has not been applied. Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type.

If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. The diamond drilling was completed in three phases. The initial phase of drill holes were angled to the southwest and were fanned off drilling platforms spaced approximately 100m apart on a northwest-southeast line. The subsequent drilling programs were drilled steeply towards the east or northeast to intersect the manto structures at a perpendicular angle. Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. There is no detailed record of sample chain of custody between the project site and the assay laboratories

Remnant drill core is securely stored at Sociedad Legal Minera Mostazal's property in Copiapo. Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. There have been no detailed audits or reviews of the sampling techniques

Solis Minerals has conducted an internal technical review of the Mostazal Copper Project data.

Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings.

The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area. The Mostazal Copper Project is located in the commune of Diego de Almagro, in the Chanaral Province of the Third Atacama Region, Chile approximately 80km northeast of the city of Copiapo.

The Mostazal Copper Project consists of eight Exploitation Mining Concessions covering an area of 1,317 ha that were constituted in accordance with the Chilean mining Code 1993.

The eight concessions are currently 100% owned by a series of legal Mining Companies (Sociedad Legal Minera), each of which are owned by two shareholders, who are also the owners of Sociedad Legal Minera Mostazal. Exploration done by other parties Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties. Sociedad Legal Minera Mostazal completed reconnaissance sampling and mining activities at the project between 2005 and 2008.

Galilea Minerals conducted trench and outcrop sampling in 2008 and produced an exploration target for the M-01 mineralised lens based upon previous geological mapping and surface sampling.

IMT Exploraciones completed soil, trench and outcrop sampling, diamond drilling, and ground magnetic and induced polarization geophysical surveys between 2011 and 2013.

APGC Corp Chile Spa produced a foreign estimate for the Mostazal Copper Project in 2015 using the diamond drilling data, surface sampling and mapping.

Santiago Metals Limitada completed geological mapping over the project area in 2016. Geology Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation. The Mostazal Copper Project rea consists of fine grained to porphyritic andesite lava flows and breccias of the Jurassic - lower Cretaceous age Sierra Fraga Formation, that are locally interbedded with volcaniclastic sediments. The andesites are intruded by a series of dacite porphyry dykes of Paleocene to Eocene age that typically trend northeast - southwest. The western and southeastern portions of the project area covered by late-stage Tertiary Atacama gravels with thicknesses ranging from a few meters to a few tens of meters. More recent Quaternary age sediments including sand, gravel, colluvium, and silt cover occurs throughout the project area.

Mineralisation identified at the Mostazal Copper Project consists of several stacked stratified and discontinuous copper-silver (Cu-Ag) mineralised lenses or 'mantos' within the andesitic volcanic rocks that strike to the north-northwest and dip to the west, subparallel to the host andesite flow banding. Drill hole Information A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes: easting and northing of the drill hole collar elevation or RL (Reduced Level - elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar dip and azimuth of the hole hole length.

If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case. A summary of the Mostazal drilling data is included in Appendix 2 of this document. Data aggregation methods In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (e.g. cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated.

Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high-grade results and longer lengths of low-grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail.

The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated. Intersection have been calculated as length weighted averages.

Selected intersections are reported above a nominal intersection grade cutoff of >0.5% Cu, with a maximum of 3m of internal dilution.

No metal equivalent values have been used. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results.

If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported.

If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (e.g. 'down hole length, true width not known'). Calculated intersections are reported as down-hole widths. There is insufficient data at this to enable to calculation of true width intersections. Diagrams Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views. The Company has included various maps and figures showing the sample results and geological context. Balanced reporting Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced avoiding misleading reporting of Exploration Results. All analytical results for copper and silver, have been reported. Other substantive exploration data Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples - size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. IMT Exploraciones completed ground magnetic and Induced polarization surveys over the project area. Further work The nature and scale of planned further work (e.g. tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling).

Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. Solis Minerals will undertake extensive validation and field confirmation of the various targets identified from the historical data at the Mostazal Copper Project.

A comprehensive work program for the Mostazal Copper Project has been proposed and will include additional diamond drilling, relogging and sampling of the existing diamond drill core, geological mapping and down-hole geophysics.

1 Refer to Solis Minerals' TSXV announcement dated 26 October 2021, and Appendix 2 and Appendix 3 for details and associated JORC tables.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108454
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2021) - Taurus Gold Corp., ("Taurus" or the "Company") announces that due to prevailing market conditions, the Company has delayed its initial public offering of common shares under its second amended and restated prospectus dated November 10, 2021. The distribution period under the Company's prospectus has expired. The Company expects to re-commence efforts to complete its initial public offering by filing a new prospectus in early 2022.

The Company also announces that Trevor Harding has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, replacing Lori Walton in that role. Both Ms. Walton, and Mr. Harding remain directors of the Company. The Company thanks Ms. Walton for her contributions during her tenure as Chief Executive Officer.

For more information, please contact:

Trevor Harding, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 587-608-5035

Email: info@taurusgold.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT

Statements in this press release may contain forward-looking information. Any statements that are contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the Company's expectations that it will file a new prospectus, and the expected timing thereof. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Taurus. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, failure to obtain necessary final regulatory approvals and the failure to find or complete new business acquisitions. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and Taurus does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by securities law.

/NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRES/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108466
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2021) - MJ Innovation Capital Corp. (TSXV: MSMJ.P) ("MJ" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its press release dated September 15, 2021 announcing the receipt of conditional approval from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") for its previously announced qualifying transaction (the "Transaction") with SPARQ Systems Inc., the Company has filed a filing statement dated December 23, 2021 with the TSXV, also available on its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Closing of the Transaction is expected to occur during the last week of December 2021, or such other date as may be agreed upon between the parties. The Company will issue a further news release announcing the closing of the Transaction and the date on which trading in the common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") will resume on the TSXV. Trading will remain halted pending completion of the Transaction and the issuance of the final TSXV bulletin in respect of the Transaction.

About MJ Innovation Capital Corp.

MJ is a capital pool company created pursuant to the policies of the TSXV. It does not own any assets, other than cash or cash equivalents and its rights under the definitive agreement dated June 10, 2021 with SPARQ. The principal business of MJ is to identify and evaluate opportunities for the acquisition of an interest in assets or businesses and, once identified and evaluated, to negotiate an acquisition or participation subject to acceptance by the TSXV so as to complete a qualifying transaction in accordance with the policies of the TSXV.

About SPARQ Systems Inc.

SPARQ was incorporated on July 16, 2009 pursuant to the provisions of Business Corporations Act (Ontario). SPARQ's head office is located at 945 Princess Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 0E9. SPARQ originated from the advanced research conducted at ePOWER, the Centre for Energy and Power Electronics Research at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. SPARQ was founded at Queen's University in 2009 by Canada Research Chair in Power Electronics, Dr. Praveen Jain, Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Royal Society of Canada.

SPARQ designs and manufactures next generation single-phase microinverters for residential and commercial solar electric applications. SPARQ has developed a proprietary photovoltaic ("PV") solution called the Quad; the Quad inverter optimizes four PV modules with a single microinverter, simplifying design and installation, and lowering cost for solar power installations when compared to existing market offerings.

SPARQ has one wholly-owned subsidiary, Sparq Systems (USA), Inc. which was incorporated under the laws of Delaware on August 30, 2013.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MJ's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur.

Forward-looking statements in this document include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the completion of the Transaction and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: (a) domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Resulting Issuer's business and results of operations; (b) a drop in retail pricing of electricity from utilities providers or other renewable energy sources or improved distribution of electricity could negatively impact the Resulting Issuer's business; (c) the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Resulting Issuer's securities, regardless of its operating performance; and (d) the impacts of COVID-19.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of MJ as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. MJ undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities in the United States. MJ's securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

The Common Shares will remain halted until such time as permission to resume trading has been obtained from the TSXV. MJ is a reporting issuer in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all. Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the Filing Statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.

The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release publication,

distribution or dissemination directly, or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States.

For further information, please contact:

MJ Innovation Capital Corp.

Bryan Van Engelen

Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Director

Telephone: 226.750.9914

SPARQ Systems Inc.

Dr. Praveen Jain

Chief Executive Officer

Email: pjain@sparqsys.com

Tel: 343.477.1158

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108465
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2021) - RMR Science Technologies Inc. (TSXV: RMS.P) ("RMR" or the "Company") announces that it has entered into a definitive amalgamation agreement dated December 21, 2021 with Turnium Technology Group, Inc. ("TTGI") to effect a business combination (the "Business Combination") which is intended to be a Qualifying Transaction ("QT") of RMR pursuant to TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") Policy 2.4. The Business Combination has been structured as a three- cornered amalgamation pursuant to which a wholly owned subsidiary of RMR, 1333633 B.C. Ltd., and TTGI will amalgamate pursuant to the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and the amalgamated corporation will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of RMR, which will be renamed TTGI OpCo Inc.

Pursuant to the Business Combination, RMR will consolidate its issued and outstanding Class "A" Common Shares on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation Class "A" Common Share for every five (5) pre-consolidation Class "A" Common Shares and shareholders of TTGI will receive one (1) Class "A" Common Share of RMR (post-consolidation) for each common share of TTGI, including common shares issued by TTGI pursuant to the Concurrent Financing (as hereinafter defined). TTGI currently has 57,693,234 common shares issued and outstanding. Shareholders of RMR approved the share consolidation by way of special resolution at RMR's Annual General and Special Meeting of shareholders (the "AGSM") held on December 21, 2021.

At the AGSM, shareholders of RMR also approved, subject to the QT closing, the adoption of new Articles for RMR, a 20% fixed stock option plan, and the election of Johan Arnet, Derek Spratt, Ralph Garcea, Jim Lovie, Evelyn Bailey and Peter Green as directors. Robin Hutchison, Michael Hutchison, Ralph Garcea and Vassilios Mitoulas were elected to serve as directors of RMR until completion of the QT.

TTGI intends to raise a minimum of $6,000,000 and a maximum of $8,000,000 (the "Concurrent Financing") through the issuance of subscription receipts at a price of $0.56 per subscription receipt. Each subscription receipt will automatically convert into one unit of TTGI immediately prior to closing of the Business Combination upon satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions. Each unit will consist of one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant, each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.75 per share for a period of two years from closing of the Concurrent Financing. Based on the 1:1 exchange ratio (post-consolidation), on closing of the Business Combination a minimum of 10,714,286 RMR Class "A" Common Shares and 5,357,143 share purchase warrants of RMR, and a maximum of 14,285,715 RMR Class "A" Common Shares and 7,142,857 share purchase warrants of RMR, would be issued to subscribers under the Concurrent Financing.

TTGI's obligation to close the Business Combination is subject to, among other things, the following conditions precedent for its benefit:

The Concurrent Financing completing on or before the date of closing of the Business Combination; and

RMR's representations and warranties in the definitive agreements being true, and RMR meeting its terms and conditions and completing its covenants and obligations as contained in the definitive agreements.

RMR's obligation to close the Business Combination is subject to, among other things, the following conditions precedent for its benefit:

TTGI's representations and warranties in the definitive agreements being true, and TTGI meeting its terms and conditions and completing its covenants and obligations as contained in the definitive agreements.

The obligation of each of the parties to close the Business Combination is subject to, among other things, the following conditions precedent for their mutual benefit:

All necessary approvals for the Business Combination having been obtained from their respective boards and shareholders;

The Business Combination shall have closed on or before January 31, 2022; and

The acceptance for filing of the TSXV and any other necessary regulatory approvals for the Business Combination having been obtained.

Further details in respect of the Business Combination are set out in RMR's news release dated August 19, 2021.

Stock Options

Further to press release of RMR dated November 19, 2021, RMR has determined not to grant stock options as set out in such press release and will address the granting of the stock options with the approval of the QT.

All information contained in this press release with respect to RMR and TTGI was supplied by the respective parties, for inclusion herein, and each party and its directors and officers have relied on the other party for any information concerning the other party.

About Turnium Technology Group Inc.

TTGI was formed under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) on October 1, 2020 by the amalgamation of five corporations (Multapplied Networks Inc. - incorporated in April 2012; Turnium Technology, Ltd. - incorporated in January 2017; Plait Networks Ltd. - incorporated in July 2016; MNI Investment Holdings Ltd. - incorporated in October 2012; and Turnium Technology Group Inc. - incorporated in February 2019). TTGI has clients in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Germany, other parts of Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. TTGI delivers its software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) solution as a managed cloud-native service and as a licensed OEM white label software platform. Turnium's managed SD-WAN is available direct to enterprises and through its enterprise partner channel of Managed Service Providers and industry vertical specific Value-Added Resellers. Turnium's white-label SD-WAN software platform is available through a global Channel Partner program that enables Internet and Managed Service Providers and Telecommunications Service Providers to offer, host, and control their own branded SD-WAN offering quickly and easily. For more information, contact sales@ttgi.io.

About SD-WAN

SD-WAN is revolutionizing the networking and telecommunications industry by virtualizing secure, high-speed networking and abstracting network control from the underlying physical circuits. SD-WAN frees enterprises, small-medium businesses, cloud and managed services providers from the constraints imposed by traditional telecommunications companies.

About RMR Science Technologies Inc.

RMR is designated as a Capital Pool Company under Exchange Policy 2.4. RMR has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash. RMR's objective is to identify and evaluate businesses or assets with a view to completing a QT. Any proposed QT must be approved by the Exchange and, in the case of a Non-Arm's Length QT, must also receive majority approval of the minority shareholders. Until the completion of a QT, RMR will not carry on any business other than the identification and evaluation of businesses or assets with a view to completing a proposed QT.

Exchange Advisory

Completion of the QT is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSXV acceptance and, if applicable pursuant to the requirements of the TSXV, majority of the minority shareholder approval. Where applicable, the QT cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the filing statement to be prepared in connection with the QT, any information released or received with respect to the QT may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of a capital pool company should be considered highly speculative.

The TSXV has in no way passed upon the merits of the QT and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

A comprehensive news release containing the disclosure required by TSXV Policy 2.4 will be disseminated subsequently to this release. Trading in the securities of RMR has been halted and is expected to remain halted in accordance with the requirements of TSXV Policy 2.4.

For further information please contact:

Rob Hutchison, President

Telephone: 1 (604) 644-1232

CAUTIONARY NOTES

"Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain acts, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information in this press release may include, without limitation, statements with respect to the completion of the Business Combination, the completion of the Concurrent Financing, the consolidation of the RMR Class "A" Common Shares, the satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions in connection with the closing of the Business Combination, and the terms, conditions and completion of the Business Combination. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, the risks that the parties will not proceed with the Business Combination and associated transactions or the Concurrent Financing, that the ultimate terms of the Business Combination and associated transactions will differ materially from those that are currently contemplated, and that the Business Combination, Concurrent Financing and associated transactions will not be successfully complete for any reason (including failure to obtain the required approvals or clearances from regulatory authorities). The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.



NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108463
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The works of Moon Shin (1923-1995), the world's top three sculptors, can be seen through NFT. On the 24th, Chairman Choi Sung Sook of Arte Moon Shin and CEO Kim Seok announced that they will mint artworks of Moon Shin on the NFT market to promote the lift and art of the Moon Shin to mark the 100th anniversary of Moon Shin.

Irish blockchain company COJAM is selected as an exclusive partner to enter the market, and Moon Shin's artworks will be presented on the NFT curating platform CORK NFT, which is scheduled to be released at the end of the year.

Choi Sung Sook, CEO of Arte Moon Shin, and Professor Kim Sung Hyun also announced that they will utilise COJAM's NFT curating platform, CORK NFT, to help emerging artists through NFT.

Meanwhile, Moon Shin is a genius in symmetry techniques and art galleries across Europe and Korea hold his artworks. He also got announced on the front page of Le Figaro, a world-renowned art magazine.

Moon Shin's award

1991 (France) Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

1994 (France) Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

Currently, Moon Shin's works can be found at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea, Moonshin Art Museum, Sook Myung Women's University Moonshine Museum and many other art galleries in Europe.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1714181/KakaoTalk_Photo_2021_12_20_16_38_45.jpg
Guelph, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 23, 2021) - Zentek Ltd. (TSXV: ZEN) (OTC: ZENYF) ("ZEN" or the "Company"), a Canadian IP development and commercialization company focused on next-gen healthcare solutions, announces, in connection with a review by Staff of the Ontario Securities Commission (the "OSC"), the filing of amended and restated unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements (the "Q2 2021 FS") and management's discussion and analysis thereof ("Q2 2021 MDA", together with the Q2 2021 FS, the "Amended Statements"), and provides updates on its business developments over the past year, including the development of its patent-pending anti-microbial ZENGuard compound, its licensing status with Health Canada, its commercial revenue-generating agreement with Trebor Rx Corp. ("Trebor"), the development of the Company's planned industrial scale production plant, and certain of its other previously disclosed initiatives.

2021 Highlights

In September 2021, Health Canada authorization for the sale of ZENGuard coated masks was received under the Interim Order No. 2- 329587 (the " Interim Order "), which is eighteen months in duration.

"), which is eighteen months in duration. In September 2021, the Company entered into a binding definitive license and supply agreement with Trebor Rx Corp. for the supply of ZENGuard to coat face masks and potentially other health care products.

In November 2021, the Company received a medical device establishment license (" MDEL ") from Health Canada, which permits it to manufacture, and distribute all class one medical devices in general (whether or not coated with the ZENGuard antimicrobial coating), even after the expiration of the authorization under the Interim Order.

") from Health Canada, which permits it to manufacture, and distribute all class one medical devices in general (whether or not coated with the ZENGuard antimicrobial coating), even after the expiration of the authorization under the Interim Order. Development is underway of the Company's industrial scale facility to produce ZENGuard and to coat materials.

Financing Status

Further to its press releases dated November 16, 2021, and November 24, 2021, the Company is continuing to work towards its previously disclosed proposed C$30 million financing (the "Offerings"). In connection with a review by Staff of the OSC the Company was asked to provide updates on its various previously disclosed initiatives, which are set out below.

Additionally, given the novel business of the Company and the Company's change of classification on the TSX Venture Exchange in October 2021 from a "mining issuer" to an "industrial, technology, or life sciences issuer", the Company performed an impairment analysis to determine the suitability of carrying the Albany Graphite Project on its balance sheet. Based on such analysis, the Company has determined that the Company's previously filed Q2 2021 FS and Q2 2021 MD&A, as filed on November 29, 2021, need to be restated (as more fully described below).

The Company contemplates that the Offerings will be repriced at C$5.20 per common share, and structured as (i) a bought deal prospectus offering of 3,847,000 common shares at C$5.20 per common share for gross proceeds of approximately C$20.0 million, through Eight Capital as lead underwriter and sole bookrunner on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters including Leede Jones Gable Inc. and Research Capital Corporation (collectively, the "Underwriters"). The Company has granted the Underwriters an option (the "Over-Allotment Option") to purchase up to an additional 577,050 common shares on the same terms exercisable at any time up to 30 days following the closing of the prospectus offering, for market stabilization purposes and to cover over-allotments, if any; and (ii) a concurrent non-brokered private placement of up to 1,924,812 common shares at C$5.20 to certain shareholders for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $10 million. The Underwriters have agreed to pay for their own legal counsel expenses in connection with the Offerings. The Company anticipates that the Offerings will be completed on or about December 31, 2021.

Amended and Restated Financial Statements

Management had intended to address the Albany Graphite Project on its balance sheet for its financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2021, the first period end following the Company's change of business on the TSX Venture Exchange (see the Company's press release dated October 14, 2021). However, based on the impairment analysis noted above, the Company's Audit Committee, in consultation with management of the Company, has determined that the Company's previously filed Q2 2021 FS and Q2 2021 MD&A, as filed on November 29, 2021, need to be restated in order to improve the Company's disclosure and to clarify and provide additional disclosure regarding:

the recoverable amount and carrying value of the Company's exploration and evaluation assets, which was determined to be negligible, now that the Company has completed its change of business; and

an immaterial dollar figure capitalized to the Company's exploration and evaluation assets in the current fiscal year, which should have been recorded as a research and development expense in support of the Company's intellectual property efforts.

The Amended Statements replace and supersede the previously filed Q2 2021 FS and Q2 2021 MD&A and are available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The Company continues to own 100% of the unique Albany Graphite Deposit, and it remains an important asset as the Company works to develop a market for the raw materials produced from the Albany Graphite Project. As the potential for a robust graphene market grows, and the Company's demand for graphene and raw materials grows, the Company intends to re-evaluate when it may be appropriate to consider working towards putting the Albany Graphite Project into production. The Company intends to continue to consult closely with the community of Constance Lake First Nation with respect to the Albany Graphite Project.

ZENGuard Antimicrobial Compound

Further to its press releases dated April 30, 2020, and June 8, 2020, the Company announced that it had begun work on the development of a virucidal graphene-oxide-based compound (the "Graphene Compound") to be applied as a coating onto fabrics, which included personal protective equipment ("PPE") such as face masks in an effort to increase protection afforded by such products. Efficacy testing against SARS-CoV-2 virus was performed at the University of Western Ontario's ImPaKT Facility Biosafety Level 3 lab (the "ImPaKT Facility").

On September 22, 2020, the Company reported that after five months of optimization, it had developed a novel virucidal Graphene Compound with a 99% effectiveness against the COVID-19 virus, and had filed its first provisional patent relating to certain medical uses for this graphene-based virucidal product. Testing at the ImPaKT Facility indicated the Graphene Compound retained this 99% effectiveness for a minimum of thirty-five days after application to N95 mask material.

On December 22, 2020, the Company announced that testing results from the University Health Network/Mount Sinai Hospital Department of Microbiology in Toronto indicated that the Company's virucidal Graphene Compound may also be beneficial in the treatment of numerous human contracted pathogens, including upper and lower respiratory tract infections, where COVID-19 is a major contributor, as well as drug resistant organisms. The report delivered to the Company dated December 18, 2020 entitled "Evaluation of Graphene Oxide with Silver Cations (GO-Ag+) as an Antibacterial Agent against Respiratory Pathogens", stated that if the Graphene Compound could be shown to be safe and effective, it could provide a breakthrough alternative therapy for the practices of family medicine, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology and intensive care units. The Company disclosed that "Based on this breakthrough and an urgent need for such treatments, we will seek immediate collaborations with potential pharmaceutical partners to optimize the delivery mechanisms to target infections in general and especially those common in the respiratory tract." The Company engaged in initial discussions with a major pharmaceutical company and considered the requirements to bring a respiratory tract medication to market. Based on the timing and costs required to satisfy such requirements, while testing on the Graphene Compound for use in respiratory tract infections remains ongoing, the Company determined to focus instead on commercializing the ZENGuard coating in masks, including the development of an industrial scale production plant for deliveries under its agreement with Trebor (as discussed hereunder).

On December 29, 2020, the Company announced an update on cytotoxicity testing of the virucidal Graphene Compound and the effectiveness as a coating following testing completed at McMaster University's Centre for Microbial Chemical Biology and Mount Sinai Hospital. The preliminary testing confirmed the Graphene Compound's efficacy with fungi and bacteria in vitro at very low concentrations.

On February 4, 2021, and March 2, 2021 the Company announced results of the Phase 2 cytotoxicity testing, by Nucro Technics testing laboratory, and included cytotoxicity testing that noted no adverse effects after seven days of repeated dosing. Testing continues with Nucro Technics, and the Company anticipates that the next step in this process will be animal testing for various skin conditions. The Company is currently in the process of receiving quotes for animal studies of psoriasis and MRSA-related skin infections. Successful animal studies would support further work including Phase 1 human trials, which the Company estimates would likely occur later in 2022. The Company is currently receiving proposals for this testing and expects to make a decision by the end of January 2022 with respect to the Clinical Research Organization that it expects to work with for this next round of testing.

In a news release on April 13, 2021, the Company confirmed that safety testing results received from Nucro Technics indicated that the Graphene Compound did not lead to skin irritation or sensitivity as required in ISO 10993-10 for its level 1 medical device ie surgical masks. These results would be shared with Health Canada as part of their review process for obtaining the Interim Order authorizing the sale of ZENGuard coated masks in Canada.

On March 17, 2021, the Company announced that testing of the Company's Graphene Compound against four gram-positive and nine-gram negative bacteria with antimicrobial-resistance, including multidrug-resistant variants like methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, had been completed. Testing demonstrated that the compound was 99.9% effective against bacteria, and fungi at very low concentrations. Testing was conducted by Dr. Tony Mazzulli, the Microbiologist-in-chief at Mount Sinai Hospital. To date the Company has not identified any fast-tracking routes or partners to collaborate with at this time, however testing in this respect remains ongoing with Dr. Mazzulli. On April 5, 2021 the Company reported that the Graphene Compound's Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations against bacteria, including multi-drug resistant versions, combined with its safety profile had resulted in the Company engaging in discussions with interested parties from the pharmaceutical industry. Further to this, the Company engaged in discussions with two pharmaceutical companies, however these discussions did not lead to any agreements and no further discussions are planned in this respect. The next step in this process is testing to prove efficacy in animal models.

In March 2021, the Company began the process of transitioning from bench-scale production to pilot scale production of the Graphene Compound. The Company provided production capacity estimates in its press release dated March 24, 2021, which were based on management's reasonable business judgment at such time. Those production capacity estimates were not met. The Company delayed its production schedule based on the directive issued by Health Canada, which restricted any graphene coated mask from entering the market until a full review had been conducted by Health Canada. Multiple pilot scale production capacity of the ZENGuard compound sufficient for up to thirty-two million masks per month was ready in July 2021, however the Company did not initiate production at such a capacity until October, 2021 after Health Canada authorization was obtained (as discussed below), and the Company has not yet achieved industrial scale capacity (as discussed below). Management has determined not to continue to provide production capacity estimates at this time, as it has identified significant variables including, without limitation, the timing of completion of its industrial scale plant (discussed below), and evolving production methods.

On April 13, 2021, the Company announced the Graphene Compound's new trade name, "ZENGuard".

On May 3, 2021, the Company announced that it would begin ingestion good laboratory practice compliant safety studies of the ZENGuard compound following successful testing against Clostridium Difficile at the University of Manitoba under the supervision of Dr. George Zhanel, Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease and Director of the Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance. The ingestion good laboratory practice studies were not performed because the Company was advised by two separate clinical research organisations that due to the broad spectrum of the Graphene Compound, it would have a negative impact on the natural gut biome.

On October 6, 2021, the Company announced the filing of an international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty ("PCT") for ZENGuard, and the transfer from the University of Guelph of the rights, under its PCT application, for the electrochemical exfoliation process to produce graphene-oxide. Pursuant to a License Agreement dated September 22, 2020 between the Company and the University of Guelph, the Company holds the exclusive global rights to this technology, and it is being transferred from Guelph University to the Company's facility for scale-up. During Q1 2022, the Company intends to investigate the potential to scale up the prototype from bench scale to pilot scale.

The Company continued to conduct testing on the ZENGuard compound, which includes the increased challenge viral filtration efficiency and bacterial filtration efficiency test results announced by the Company on September 27, 2021. The results of third-party testing at GAP EnviroMicrobial Services Ltd. ("GAP Labs") demonstrated that ZENGuard coated masks removed 98.9% more bacteria and 97.8% more virus particles than a typical ASTM level 3, 3-ply uncoated mask and resulted in a bacterial and viral filtration efficiency of over 99.99%. There is no further testing to be conducted with GAP Labs in this respect at this time.

Health Canada Licensing Status

In collaboration with Trebor, a Canadian PPE manufacturer, an application was made to Health Canada for authorization for Trebor to market and sell surgical face masks coated with the Company's patent-pending ZENGuard antimicrobial compound, under the Interim Order. On March 3, 2021, the Company announced that Trebor had reported that the ZENGuard-coated masks had passed the Health Canada testing requirements as a level 1 medical device. The coated masks were tested at a Canadian ISO certified facility in line with American Society for Testing and Materials standards.

In April 2021, Health Canada issued an advisory related to masks containing graphene and recalled certain masks containing graphene. On April 5, 2021, the Company reported that it supported the Health Canada advisory and worked with Trebor to ensure that the ZENGuard-coated products met the Health Canada standards and requirements.

On June 4, 2021, the Company and Trebor announced the results of certain inhalation safety testing for the ZENGuardTM enhanced surgical masks and the submission of these results to Health Canada. Testing was completed by a United States based company, where they confirmed that no ZENGuardTM graphene material was released from the surgical masks with air flow rates simulating resting and light activity inhalation rates. Health Canada did not approve the protocols used by the US company and Zentek started a new inhalation study with a Canadian company. On July 13, 2021, Health Canada announced that the sale of masks, which were recalled for containing graphene, could resume after conducting an assessment of the masks and finding no health risks.

On September 22, 2021, the Company announced that Health Canada authorization for the sale of ZENGuard coated masks had been received under the Interim Order, which is eighteen months in duration.

On November 29, 2021, the Company announced that it had received a medical device establishment license ("MDEL") from Health Canada, which permits it to manufacture, and distribute all class one medical devices in general (whether or not coated with the ZENGuard antimicrobial coating). The MDEL will allow the Company to work with other manufacturers and distributors around the world in addition to Trebor to bring surgical masks and, potentially, other PPE to the Canadian market, even after the Interim Order expires.

Trebor Partnership

In November 2020, the Company first announced the execution of a letter of intent with Trebor, a Canadian manufacturer of PPE with a production facility located in Collingwood, Ontario. The letter of intent set out the framework for an agreement between the parties pursuant to which Trebor would purchase quantities of the Company's ZENGuard coating, which would be applied to fabric used by Trebor to manufacture surgical masks, subject to the authorization by Health Canada. In January 2021, the Company also announced an agreement in principle for Trebor to use the ZENGuard coating on nitrile gloves, which is subject to authorization from Health Canada.

On March 3, 2021, the Company reported that Trebor intended to begin marketing the ZENGuard coated masks immediately with products to be available in April in anticipation of strong demand. Based on the Health Canada advisory from early April 2021 (discussed above) this timeline changed as masks with graphene had to undergo additional tests before being authorized for sale in the Canadian market.

On September 22, 2021, the Company announced that Health Canada authorization for the ZENGuard-coated masks had been obtained, following which, the Company announced that it had entered into a binding definitive license and supply agreement (the "License and Supply Agreement") with Trebor. Pursuant to the terms of the License and Supply Agreement, the Company granted a non-exclusive and non-transferable license to Trebor to use the ZENguard coating in certain specified Trebor products displaying the Company's branding, including surgical masks, mask filters, nitrile gloves, surgical gowns and scrubs and other healthcare products, and an exclusive license to sell and distribute ZENGuard coated elastomeric respirator mask filters, whether fixed or replaceable. This exclusive license is to remain in force only so long as Trebor sells a minimum of sixty million (60,000,000) filters per year with annual growth of at least 10%. Trebor agreed to use the ZENGuard coating on all of its products sold unless a Trebor purchaser specifically refuses to acquire the ZENGuard-coated products. Trebor agreed to purchase the ZENGuard coating from the Company by way of cash payments for a supply based on demand for Trebor products. There is no minimum amount of ZENGuard coating required to be purchased by Trebor.

In September 2021, the Company announced that it had received revenue from its first shipment of the ZENGuard coating to Trebor. To date, Trebor has purchased, and the Company has delivered, quantities of ZENGuard coating sufficient for 10,000,000 masks.

ZENGuard Industrial Scale Production Plant

On November 12, 2020, the Company announced that it had signed a three-year lease, with an option for an additional three years, on 25,680 square feet of newly built B.1 industrial zoning space in Guelph, Ontario, to produce its ZENGuard antimicrobial compound. The Company conducted permitting requirement research in consultation with ERM Consultants Canada Ltd., which completed and delivered its permitting review report. On November 30, 2020, the Company announced the purchase of graphene oxide needed to produce the ZENGuard compound, which was delivered to the Company in December of 2020 and February 2021 for a total of just over 300 kg. Furthermore, the Company reported that it had negotiated terms to purchase additional GO commencing in January 2021. On November 11, 2021, the Company announced an agreement with the same supplier to secure the necessary supply of graphene oxide to produce enough ZENGuard to meet the Company's estimate of the anticipated demand for the ZENGuard Graphene Compound in the short term, based in part on discussions with Trebor. Shipments began arriving on December 20, 2021 and are to continue through the first six months of 2022, with the supplier currently preparing the remainder of a shipment of 880 kg for delivery prior to the end of Q4 2021. The Company also expects that approximately 5,000 kg of graphene-oxide is scheduled to be delivered to the Company over the course of the first half of 2022, which is the next significant step in this process. This material was purchased to secure a plentiful supply of raw material for the ZENGuard coating and to prevent supply line disruptions.

On January 18, 2021, the Company announced the engagement of Bantrel Co. to design and source production equipment for the Company's ZENGuard production plant. The Company currently plans to construct industrial scale production equipment to produce the ZENGuard coating formulation at its York Rd. location, as such location is permitted for industrial use. The Company has also purchased coating equipment so the process of applying the ZENGuard coating formulation to spunbond polypropylene for use in surgical masks, other PPE equipment, and potentially other uses can be completed by the Company on-site. Detailed engineering of the proposed ZENGuard compound manufacturing equipment began in July 2021. The Company estimates that engineering (including design, procurement and construction assistance) of the production facility is approximately 80% complete and management of the Company expects that such engineering will be 100% complete by the end of the first calendar quarter of 2022. Procurement was initiated in September 2021 and the Company anticipates that all equipment will be on site by February 2022. Installation packages will be awarded by the Company in January 2022 and the Company anticipates assembly and installation of the industrial scale production equipment to be completed during Q1 2022, at which point production is expected to commence while commissioning, optimization and production ramp-up occurs over the following two to three months. At this point the Company would continue to use third parties to coat the ZENGuard Graphene Compound onto materials.

Industrial scale spray coating line equipment was researched, selected and ordered in October 2021 with an anticipated delivery in or around May 2022. Upon delivery of the industrial scale coating equipment, installation and commissioning of such equipment can commence, which the Company estimates will take between three and six months, at which point the Company expects to be able to coat materials with ZENGuard that the Company has produced on-site. The Company notes that there are potentially many variables involved with the final completion of the planned industrial scale production/coating plant, including the timing of the delivery of equipment from the United States, availability of installation service providers from the United States, potential restrictions on travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, among others, and the Company is therefore currently unable to provide timing estimates with certainty.

Once this industrial process is in operation, the Company expects the production capacity of ZENGuard to increase significantly. The Company is currently assessing how it will increase market opportunities for the increased manufacturing capacity. Supply chain risks include the availability of nonwoven fabric for coating, the availability of shipping containers and port congestion. The Company is aware of the challenges of supply lines globally and is taking steps to minimize any such risk to its business by seeking out North American suppliers where possible.

Rapid Detection Technology

On June 17, 2021, the Company announced that it had signed an exclusive agreement with McMaster University to be the global commercializing partner for newly developed aptamer-based, SARS-CoV-2 rapid detection technology, developed by a team of researchers under the guidance of Drs. Yingfu Li, John Brennan and Leyla Soleymani, who are recognized as global leaders in biosensing technologies, and their applications as point of care diagnostics. The Company continues to work with the McMaster University team to commercialize the COVID-19 test by improving the performance of aptamers, optimizing chip synthesis and by identifying and initiating other tests that can be incorporated into the pathogen detection platform.

In connection with the rapid detection technology, on November 4, 2021, the Company announced that it was selected as one of three technologies for Phase 1 of the Innovative Solutions Canada ("ISC") Challenge to develop a portable detection device for SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. The Company continues to make progress within the ISC challenge. It is expected that Phase 1 will conclude in February 2022. The Company has contracted with NeoVentures Biotechnology Inc. ("NeoVentures"), a well-known entity in the aptamer development and applications field. NeoVentures has been engaged to validate the McMaster University results against spike proteins and develop a mathematical model to better understand the technology and results. NeoVentures is also being asked to develop a standard operating procedure for the system, perform a pre-trial evaluation using saliva samples, and optimize buffers for sample preparation. The Company continues to work with NeoVentures, axiVEND, McMaster University and has recently engaged StarFish Product Engineering Inc. ("StarFish Medical"). StarFish Medical is to conduct a product strategy alignment, usability analysis, device and architecture development, proof of concept and prototyping, and program development.

The Company currently intends to continue to develop this technology, including the development of software and hardware, using outsourced third-party developers. In order to bring the product to market, the Company must also prepare a working prototype to conduct baseline studies and submit an application to Health Canada.

To bring the product to market, the Company will be required to obtain authorization from Health Canada under an interim order, or to obtain a Class IV Medical Device Active License ("MDAL"). The process for obtaining an MDAL involves completing certain testing requirements and demonstrating that the product is (i) safe, (ii) effective, and (iii) fit for purpose. Assuming that process is completed, the Company intends then to start putting together a product technical file, obtaining an ISO 13485 Certificate, which the Company currently expects by the end of Q2 2022, and then completing a Health Canada Class IV application.

Other Initiatives

On April 11, 2019, the Company and its research partners the Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft-und Raumfahrt, The German Aerospace Center ("DLR") and Kal Tire Ltd. ("Kal Tire") reported preliminary battery development testing results at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, which was performed by Dr. Lukas Bichler. The initial results showed that the addition of the Company's 5% reduced Graphene Oxide ("rGO") into carbon black, which was derived from recycled Kal Tire tires, resulted in a 324% increase in the anode discharge capacity when compared to the current industry standard anode material. Subsequently, the Company and Kal Tire were unable to agree to the terms for an agreement and the collaboration was discontinued.

On September 16, 2019, the Company signed an agreement with Chemisar Laboratories Inc. ("Chemisar") to provide various consulting services which included the use of 2,300 square feet of office and laboratory space in Guelph, Ontario commencing on October 1, 2019. This office is the Company's graphene research and development centre located at 24 Corporate Court in Guelph, ON. Subsequently on October 9, 2020, the Company signed a 2-year extension with Chemisar for consulting services and the use of 4,300 square feet of office commencing on January 1, 2021. The additional 2000 square feet is currently used by the Company for the pilot-scale production of ZENGuard antimicrobial formulation. The Company is currently in negotiations with the current owner of the property, and reasonably expects that an agreement of purchase and sale will be executed, with a target to close by early in 2022.

In November 2019, the Company reported on encouraging preliminary results from graphene-carbon aerogel battery development testing, which indicated that relatively low loadings of graphene-based material, combined with DLR's proprietary carbon aerogel structure, can result in an anode with a significant specific discharge capacity. These unoptimized results were believed to be better than those currently reported in the literature for graphene aerogel batteries. Graphene-enhanced aerogels could have the potential to be a low-cost, low-weight, high-performance composite materials for near future energy storage applications. Subsequently, on October 15, 2020, the Company and DLR signed a new research collaboration agreement to investigate the use of graphene-based nanomaterials in the fabrication of novel carbon aerogel composites for the development of hydrogel batteries. The Company was to contribute graphene and rGO for their part of the collaboration. However, with the outbreak of COVID-19, The Company's research and development initiatives focused on other priorities and, although this collaboration may continue in the future, there are no projected next steps at this time.

On July 9, 2020, the Issuer announced that Evercloak Inc. ("Evercloak") and the Company had been awarded $125,000 each as part of a Next Generation Manufacturing Canada ("NGen") Project, for an aggregate amount of $250,000. The project entitled "Advancing Large-Scale Graphene and Thin-Film Membrane Manufacturing" was to support the production of graphene oxide by the Company to supply to Evercloak for scale up and optimizing activities. Through this grant, and in collaboration with Evercloak, the Company was to optimize and scale-up the electrochemical exfoliation process that was developed by Prof. Aicheng Chen and his team at the University of Guelph to produce graphene oxide. On September 30, 2020, the Naval Material Technology Management section of the Royal Canadian Navy ("RCN") partnered with the Company and Evercloak as a testing organization and agreed to provide in-kind donations of test services. The testing was completed and compared the efficiency of an HVAC unit produced with the Evercloak dehumidification membrane technology to the incumbent HVAC system that is currently in use on certain of the RCN's frigates. Any additional testing with the RCN is currently on hold and no next steps are being considered, although Evercloak may test the suitability of the Company's GO products (chemical and electrochemical) in its dehumidification membrane technology.

On September 30, 2020, the Company first announced testing on graphene use for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ("HVAC") systems. On January 13, 2021, the Company announced that testing by a major Canadian certification company had confirmed that there was very little effect on air flow and pressure drop with a ZENGuard treated filter compared to an untreated filter. The Company also reported that it would immediately move to commercialize its coating in the HVAC industry, and it continues to work towards this goal. The Company determined to wait for government support in order to proceed with testing, which was awarded on November 30, 2021. Further to the press release dated November 30, 2021, the Company announced that it has been awarded a research and development test contract through the ISC Testing Stream Call for Proposals to test ZENGuard-coated HVAC filters with interest from three different units within the National Research Council of Canada ("NRC"). The goal of the testing will be to demonstrate: (i) a net reduction in the airborne viral load with ZENGuard coating applied to standard filters; (ii) no modifications required to existing HVAC systems to achieve (i) above; (iii) no reduction in air flow rates, which means air exchange rates in the space will be unchanged; and (iv) no reduction in the air quality as the ZENGuard coating will be tested to ensure it does not contribute particles into the air stream. Phase 1 testing commenced in December 2021 after an extensive design process, calibration and assessment of the testing rig. The Company expects testing to be complete by the end of Q1 2022. Phase 2 testing will be dependent on positive results from Phase 1.

On December 7, 2020, the Company announced that in partnership with Prof. Mohammad Arjmand and his team at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, the Company was awarded a $780,000 alliance grant ($480,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ("NSERC") and $300,000 from a combination of cash and in-kind contributions from the Company), awarded through a competitive peer review process. This proposal, titled "Synthesis of Graphene Nanomaterials and Development of Their Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites", included work on conductive and magnetic 3D printable filaments, which have now been optimized and are being assessed for commercialization. Prof. Arjmand's team has also been conducting research on graphene quantum dot synthesis for quality and reproducibility purposes. The research in this respect is ongoing and, with respect to next steps, Prof. Arjmand is to begin work in a new research and development facility, which the Company expects may accelerate progress on this initiative.

On June 1, 2021, the Company announced that it had developed a stable diesel fuel additive based on testing carried out on a Gunt single-cylinder test engine. The Company's research and development team improved the synthesis of the functionalized graphene oxide additive to reduce the size of the particles and increase the functional groups, which could lead to improved combustion. An NSERC alliance proposal has been submitted for $110,500 cash contribution and a total budget of $311,500 over two years to continue doped fuel research. The project will focus on measuring the combustion of doped fuel in both droplet and spray combustion.

On November 2, 2021, the Company announced the development of a new carbon-based nanotechnology-enhanced icephobic coating to prevent or reduce ice accretion for aviation (including drone) and wind energy applications. The Company also announced that an accompanying provisional patent for this technology had been filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Preliminary testing demonstrated that this coating showed an adhesion strength consistently around 20 kPa. The project has involved using dispersion technology to homogeneously mix graphene materials in the elastomer. The Company has conducted testing in a third-party icing wind tunnel and prepared graphene-enhanced elastomer material and coated coupons for testing. Future testing includes accelerated weathering, durability (sand erosion), flight testing on a specially equipped research aircraft under real world ice-forming weather conditions, elastomer/graphene loading optimization, adhesion optimization, and coating application optimization. The Company continues its search efforts to find collaborators to commercialize this technology, including UAV companies and companies specializing in elastomer production. More recently, the Company has submitted samples to Micom Laboratories Inc. for UV accelerated aging per ASTM G-154 testing, which will take six weeks to complete. These samples will then be retested in the icing wind tunnel to determine if the aging has had any impact on the coating's icephobic properties. The third-party that will be performing the in-flight ice accretion testing has confirmed to the Company that they anticipate performing a shakedown test flight with a probe coated with the Company's icephobic elastomer before the end of the year or early in 2022.

The Company has also been awarded multiple Mitacs grants, including the following previously disclosed grants: (i) as disclosed by the Company in its press release dated November 11, 2021, Dr. Antony Thiruppathi, PhD, was awarded a Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral fellowship to conduct work on the chemical exfoliation of graphite into graphene oxide; (ii) as disclosed by the Company in its press release dated January 20, 2021, Dr. Deepak Sridhar, PhD, was awarded a Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral fellowship to conduct work on the chemical exfoliation of graphite into graphene oxide; (iii) as disclosed by the Company in its press release dated September 3, 2020, Dr. Seyyedarash Haddadi was awarded a Mitacs Elevate Postdoctoral fellowship to conduct work on the chemical exfoliation of graphite into graphene oxide. The Company continues its work with such individuals (including Dr. Sridhar who has joined the Company on a full-time basis) and assists with applications for grants as appropriate.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration under U.S. federal and state securities laws or an applicable exemption from such U.S. registration requirements.

About Zentek Ltd.

Zentek is an IP development and commercialization company focused on next-gen healthcare solutions in the areas of prevention, detection and treatment. Zentek is commercializing ZENGuard, a patent-pending coating with 99% antimicrobial activity, including against COVID-19, and the potential to use similar compounds as pharmaceutical products against infectious diseases. The Company also has an exclusive agreement to be the global exclusive commercializing partner for a newly developed, highly scalable, aptamer-based rapid pathogen detection technology.

For further information:

Matt Blazei

Tel: (212) 655-0924

Email: mattb@coreir.com

To find out more about Zentek Ltd., please visit our website at www.Zentek.com. A copy of this news release and all material documents in respect of the Company may be obtained on ZEN's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements reflect current expectations or beliefs regarding future events or the Company's future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "continues", "forecasts", "projects", "predicts", "intends", "anticipates", "targets" or "believes", or variations of, or the negatives of, such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, including statements relating to the proposed Offerings including the completion and timing thereof, potential research, development or commercialization of new or existing products, the acquisition or completion of new facilities, obtaining permits, licenses or authorizations from regulatory bodies, collaborations or partnerships with third parties, production capacities, potential revenue generation, and the general future development of the Company's business. All forward-looking statements, including those herein are qualified by this cautionary statement.

Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information. These include without limitation, related to the following: no operating revenues and history of losses, no guarantee of success, intellectual property, lack of revenue from graphene sales, product development and technological change, market development and growth, unpredictable sales cycles, government regulation and import/export controls, industry competition, lack of trading market for graphene, shortages, need for additional funding, going concern, commodity markets, market fluctuation and commercial viability, operating hazards and risks, health, safety and community relations, environmental protection, pre-existing environmental liabilities, reliance on key personnel, liquidity risk, share price fluctuations, public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, conflicts of interest, uninsurable risks, cybersecurity threats, and general economic, market or business conditions, as well as those risk factors set out in the Company's annual information form for the year ended March 31, 2021, and in the continuous disclosure documents filed by the Company on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release speak only as of the date of this news release or as of the date or dates specified in such statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions relating to: the availability of financing for the Company's operations; operating and capital costs; results of operations; production schedule and related costs; timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals for products; capital and operating costs; and general business and economic conditions.

Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, investors are encouraged to review the Company's public filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108476
TORONTO, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Published in April 2021, a report authored by Sir Ivor Roberts titled "An Unholy Alliance: Links Between Extremism and Illicit Trade in East Africa" contained references to Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa and his PTG group of companies. Through his legal counsel, Ayabatwa made representations to the legal counsel for Sir Roberts as to Ayabatwa's history as a Pan-African industrialist and philanthropist operating across the African continent and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). All references to Ayabatwa in the Roberts' report have now been removed. Ayabatwa welcomes this development and is happy to put this matter behind him.

Senior Advisor David Himbara commented on this episode as follows:

"Regrettably, due to the complexity in the persisting instability and conflict in eastern and central Africa, it is nearly impossible for foreign researchers and analysts to fully grasp positive and negative actors in the region. In Ayabatwa's case, for example, his Congo Tobacco Company has been the only manufacturing business operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo for over four decades. The company is one of the few providers of legitimate employment opportunities in a region devastated by instability and war. It is therefore ironic that Ayabatwa was lumped together with illicit trade and extremism in the Unholy Alliance: Links Between Extremism and Illicit Trade in East Africa report penned by Sir Roberts. "

About Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa

Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa is a pan-African industrialist. He is the founder and controlling shareholder of the Pan African Tobacco Group, Africa's largest indigenous manufacturer of tobacco products. The company, which in 2018 celebrated its 40th year of operations, manufactures cigarettes in nine African countries, namely, Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates. Ayabatwa is also one of Africa's leading philanthropists. He has helped communities uplift themselves in fields such as education, food security, afforestation, and water-access. Through his non-profit foundation, Ayababwa strives to help young people to gain the practical engineering experience required to enter the job market in Africa. More recently, Ayabatwa assisted governments in the battle against the Covid19 pandemic by contributing medical equipment and foodstuffs during the lockdowns.

David Himbara, PanAfrican Tobacco Group, www.ptg-hld.com
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution for renewables, announced recently it supplied 2.8 MW of its commercial & industrial (C&I) PV inverter solutions to over 40 buildings including the Thematic Districts Buildings, Al Wasl Plaza Parcel Buildings, France Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai, demonstrating its contribution to minimizing the carbon footprint of the expo and further leading a sustainable path to the future.

After eight years of planning, the Middle East's first world's fair opened on October 1st, 2021 in Dubai. The pandemic-delayed expo is expected to last until the end of March, 2022 and will draw both visitors and global attention to this desert-turned-dreamscape.

The 2.8 MW project can generate 630,000 kWh of clean electricity per month, which highlights the innovation of harvesting solar power to a global audience. The dazzling buildings at the expo feature diversified scales and shapes, posing challenges like shade for PV plants. The string inverter solution Sungrow supplied ranges from 36 kW to 110 kW, boasting multiple MPPTs, enabling a high-power generating yield despite the impact of shade. The high protection capability makes the inverter robust in the Middle East, as it's vulnerable to extreme heat. With compact and highly integrated designs, the inverter solution streamlines installations and O&M, making it an ideal match to the C&I market.

The project's Design and EPC Empereal Energy and Services, headquartered in Singapore, maintains operations and projects in India, the Middle East and the USA. "The safe operation of the projects are of vital concern to us as it's related to every audience. We chose Sungrow as a valued partner because projects it powers work stably, being free of hassle and the easily accessible technical support. Together with Sungrow, we endeavor to deliver one of the most sustainable World Expos ever," said Manoj Divakaran, CEO of Empereal.

"Sustainability is an important concept for Expo 2020 Dubai. We're proud to partner with Empereal and be part of the fabulous PV project at the expo as all of our actions are geared towards creating positive environmental impacts on the regional and global scale," said Alvin Shi, Managing Director of Sungrow MENA. Shi also mentioned that the Company took first place in market share in the UAE and supplied a growing number of landmark projects including a DEWA 900 MW project in Dubai and a Al Dhafra 1.5 GW project in Abu Dhabi.

The Expo 2020 Dubai offers a platform to forge a united worldwide effort to build a more sustainable and prosperous future. As one of the most energetic PV and ESS pioneers, Sungrow keeps committing to global carbon neutrality with more cutting-edge products and solutions applied.

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 182 GW installed worldwide as of June 2021. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 24-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 150 countries. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.

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LONDON (dpa-AFX) - HSBC Asset Management (India) Private Ltd, an indirect unit of HSBC Holdings plc (HSBA.L, HSBC), has agreed with L&T Finance Holdings Limited to fully acquire L&T Investment Management Limited for $425 million. With assets under management of $10.8 billion, and over 2.4 million active folios as of September 2021, L&T Investment Management Limited is the 12th largest mutual fund management company in India. Following the completion of the acquisition, HSBC plans to merge the operations of L&T Investment Management Limited with that of its existing asset management business in India. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Scientists in the UK investigated the relationship between two of the most worrisome defects that can affect solar cells in the field - cracking and hotspots. Their work analyzed solar cells with different levels of cracking under varying light conditions, finding that the most severely cracked cells were considerably more likely to run at high temperatures and form damaging hotspots.Cell cracking is a well-known threat to module performance in the field, where cracks can often start out so small as to be difficult to detect, and grow larger in the field eventually leading to lost performance. ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian and New Zealand dollars fell against their major counterparts in the Asian session on Friday, as oil prices retreated, halting a three-day rally driven by receding fears over the Omicron variant of coronavirus.



United Airlines and Delta Air Lines had cancelled around 200 flights scheduled today, citing the impact of the Omicron variant.



The Italian government tightened its covid restrictions on Thursday after recording the highest daily infections since the start of the pandemic.



The government issued an outdoor mask mandate and dance halls, discos and night clubs were ordered to close until January 31.



Trading volumes were thin, with many markets shut or closing early on account of Christmas Eve.



The aussie slipped to 0.7227 against the greenback, 82.61 against the yen and 1.5674 against the euro, off its early highs of 0.7243, 82.87 and 1.5624, respectively. The next possible support for the aussie is seen around 0.70 against the greenback, 80.00 against the yen and 1.59 against the euro.



The kiwi weakened to 0.6802 against the greenback, 1.6643 against the euro and 77.79 against the yen, following its prior highs of 0.6825, 1.6585 and 78.14, respectively. The kiwi is seen finding support around 0.66 against the greenback, 1.70 against the euro and 76.00 against the yen.



The kiwi retreated from its previous high of 1.0593 against the aussie, touching a session's low of 1.0628. The kiwi is poised to challenge support around the 1.08 mark.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Redefining the future of AI-powered intelligent automation and process discovery

BANGALORE, India, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Automation Anywhere , a global leader in robotic process automation (RPA), today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire cloud pioneer FortressIQ, a leading process discovery and mining company based in San Francisco.

Combining FortressIQ with Automation Anywhere will usher in a new era of intelligent automation by enabling organizations to accelerate automation initiatives and transform in a digital-first world.

"The Fortress IQ team are the pioneers of process intelligence, making this a perfect match," said Mihir Shukla, CEO and Co-Founder, Automation Anywhere. "Together, Automation Anywhere and FortressIQ will reshape the future of automation, changing the way our customers automate, adapt, and accelerate as they pursue digital transformation initiatives. I'm thrilled to welcome FortressIQ to the Automation Anywhere family once the transaction closes."

"Automation Anywhere is a global leader of the RPA revolution, and nearly two decades later, is reimagining automation to be cloud-native, intelligent, and designed for every person in every company," said Pankaj Chowdhry, CEO and Founder, FortressIQ. "We share a vision to deliver and automate at scale, as well as share common values to help customers succeed on a trusted platform. This will change the industry, and I'm excited about what we can automate next."

Building the Automated Company, Together

Demand for robotic process automation has skyrocketed as the pandemic endures and companies look for new ways to streamline business processes. Process intelligence, as part of RPA, is essential, helping companies identify, map, and analyze the multi-dimensional processes that extend across hundreds of applications and hundreds of thousands of employees.

With the acquisition of FortressIQ, Automation Anywhere will advance its AI-powered, cloud-native Automation 360 platform with process discovery, intelligence, and optimization that can scale to any system or application across any vertical. The new capabilities offer built-in intelligence that provides fast, accurate visibility on which processes can and should be automated.

"Today, organizations are focusing on improving cycle times and overall operating performance to ensure that inefficiency does not get in the way of successful transformation," said Maureen Fleming, Program Vice President, IDC Intelligent Process Automation Research. "Tools aimed at providing insights about where a process and its individual tasks are holding back overall operating performance are becoming the de facto starting point for automation and improvement projects. Integrating process insights with automation planning and development speeds up time to value while improving the accuracy and completeness of the resulting automation."

Automating low-value, manual tasks can free up time and resources that can then be used by organizations to adapt to changing business conditions. Automation Anywhere customers have collectively implemented nearly 3 million automations, with leading companies deploying tens of thousands of bots throughout their organizations, primarily in the cloud.

Interact with Automation Anywhere:

Visit our website: www.automationanywhere.com

Check out our monthly webinar series: https://www.automationanywhere.com/rpa-webinars

Follow us on Twitter: @AutomationAnywh

Explore with us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/automation_anywhere/

Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/automation-anywhere

About Automation Anywhere

Automation Anywhere is the world's #1 cloud automation platform, delivering intelligent RPA solutions globally across all industries to automate end-to-end business processes, for the fastest path to enterprise transformation. The company offers the world's only cloud-native platform combining RPA, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and analytics to automate repetitive tasks and build enterprise agility, freeing up humans to pivot to the next big idea, build deeper customer relationships and drive business growth. For additional information, visit www.automationanywhere.com.

Automation Anywhere and Automation 360 are trademarks/service marks or registered trademarks/service marks of Automation Anywhere, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

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Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks held steady in a holiday-shortened session on Friday after data indicated that both Merck's and Pfizer's Covid-19 antiviral pills were effective against the Omicron variant. Investor sentiment remained supported amid optimism that the Omicron variant might be highly infections, but less likely to lead to hospitalization. Another batch of upbeat U.S. economic data, including improved consumer sentiment, increased new home sales and better-than-expected durable goods sales also helped offer some support after recent strong gains. The benchmark CAC 40 was little changed at 7,105 after gaining 0.8 percent in the previous session. Biotech firm Lysogene jumped more than 10 percent. The company said that it has entered into a 15 million loan agreement with the European Investment Bank to accelerate the development of its gene therapy platform. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
DGAP-News: Locafrique / Key word(s): Legal Matter

Complaint: Locafrique claims 170 billion from SAR before the English courts



24.12.2021 / 13:30

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Complaint: Locafrique claims 170 billion from SAR before the English courts

The company Locafrique (www.Locafrique-sf.com) is claiming 170 billion from Societe Africaine de Raffinage (SAR) and a complaint has been filed with the London Court of Appeal, according to their lawyers. Mr. Seydou Diagne, El Hadj Diouf and Demba Cire Bathily made the announcement at a press conference on Wednesday.



According to the explanations of Mr. Seydou Diagne, the choice of English jurisdictions was made in perfect adequacy with the contracts that bind the company Locafrique, its partners and SAR. "There are articles in the contracts that stipulates that in case of a dispute over the supply of petroleum products to SAR, we can designate a jurisdiction, which has been designated by mutual agreement between SAR and us."



Returning to the origin of this complaint, the lawyer affirms that "Locafrique group is being ostracised by bad management and attitudes that are not founded in law and are deplorable in a state of law. The level of Lacafrique's commitment today exceeds 170 billion FCFA, for a national private company, which only wanted to help a very important company in the hydrocarbon sector," deplored Mr. Seydou Diagne.

"This is what justified our announcement today that a complaint is being filed imminently before the English courts, notably the London Court of Appeal, to claim the amount of 170 billion CFA francs from Societe Africaine de Raffinage," he added before Mr. El Hadj Diouf and Mr. Demba Cire Bathily.

It should be noted that this conference was held after a summary victory by Locafrique against SAR and Petrosen in the Commercial Court for abuse of minority rights. These two companies wanted to go through AFC at all costs in order to raise 192 billion CFA francs and recapitalise SAR. An operation described by the shareholder Locafrique as costly, since AFC would end up with millions of dollars in commissions. And this Wednesday, the summary judge disavowed them, rejecting all their arguments.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Locafrique

24.12.2021 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 24, 2021) - James Bay Resources Limited (CSE: JBR) ("James Bay" or the "Company") announced today the grant of incentive stock options as compensation to certain directors, officers and management.

Options to purchase up to 5,000,000 common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") have been granted with an exercise price of $0.10 per Common Share. These options vest as of December 22, 2021 and expire on December 22, 2026.

About James Bay Resources Limited

James Bay is a Canadian resource company with 54,014,068 shares outstanding and trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "JBR." Please visit the James Bay website at www.jamesbayresources.com

Disclaimer

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Corporation's operations, exploration and development plans, expansion plans, estimates, expectations, forecasts, objectives, predictions and projections of the future. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "projects", "intends", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or "variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "can", "could", "would", "might", or "will" be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of James Bay Resources Limited to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: risks related to the Company's business generally risks related to operations, construction delays and cost overruns, the actual results of exploration, development and construction activities, conclusions of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future commodity prices, as well as those factors discussed in the sections relating to risk factors of our business filed in James Bay Resources Limited's required securities filings on SEDAR. Although James Bay Resources Limited has attempted to identify important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements will prove accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. James Bay Resources Limited does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

For further information about James Bay, please contact:

Stephen Shefsky

President and CEO

Tel: 416-366-4200

sshefsky@jamesbayresources.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE U.S. OR TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108368
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 24, 2021) - CENTR Brands Corp. (CSE: CNTR) (FSE: 303) (OTCQB: CNTRF) (the "Company") is pleased to provide the following corporate update:

Annual General Meeting: At the Company's annual general meeting of shareholders held December 9th in Vancouver BC, shareholders approved all matters recommended by management, including:

- the audited financial statements of the Company;

- the election of Anton J. Drescher, Campbell Becher, Joseph P. Elmlinger, David T. Young, Arjan J. Chima, and Joseph E. Meehan as directors of the Company; and

- the reappointment of KPMG as the Company's auditors.

New Director Joseph Elmlinger: Joseph Elmlinger has held senior exeucitve roles at Fortune 500 companies including Citigroup and Salomon Brothers, where he served as Global Head of Equtiy Derivatives. He is a pioneer in derivatives sales - Joseph was previously Head of Sales for Equities & Derivatives at Societe Generale, with senior roles at Bankers Trust Company, Merrill Lynch, the Board of Directors of ISDA and The Options Clearing Corporation. Currently he is head of Client Solutions at Lake Hill Capital, an asset management firm that provides options and futures-based solutions to investors in search of yield, hedging, or absolute return. He has a B.A. from the University of Vermont and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Q2 2022 Results: The Company reported gross sales of USD $373,138 for Q2 2022, and together with Q1 sales a total of $1,353,985 for the first half of the fiscal year, already significantly ahead of FY 2021's sales of $1,110,019, with 6 months of sales growth remaining in FY 2022.

"Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits' initial load-in near the end of Q1 allowed us to meet the demands of activations across the U.S. for the first six months of fiscal 2022," said Company CEO Joseph Meehan. "The strong retail response exceeded expectations - based on the sell-through, CENTR is already preparing inventories for even greater load-ins for the final six months of our year. Importantly, the significant increase in accounts opened during our launch with SGWS is a positive leading indicator for future sales growth."

About CENTR Brands Corp. CENTR Brands is one of the country's leading functional beverage companies, developing and marketing non-alcoholic beverages and related products for the global market. The Company's portfolio includes CENTR and CENTR Sugar Free, both all-natural, sparkling, and low-calorie hemp-derived CBD beverages, and CENTR Instant, a family of super convenient, single serve, ready-to-mix CBD drink powders.

www.findyourcentr.com

For further information, contact Joseph Meehan at info@centrcorp.com

On behalf of the Board,

CENTR BRANDS CORP.

/s/ Joseph Meehan

Joseph Meehan, Chief Executive Officer

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule", "will" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to the development of the business of CENTR Brands Corp., the timing for the launch of the Company's products , the Company's financial positon and results of operations, F2022 sales and other matters . Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties including, without limitation, the risks identified in the Company's annual information form for the year ended May 31, 2021 available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108478
Following the period of exclusive negotiations that began on 22 November and the approval of the board of directors of Enodia, Orange Belgium and Nethys have today signed an agreement for the acquisition by Orange Belgium of 75% less one share of VOO SA

The transaction is based on an enterprise value of 1.8 billion for 100% of the capital.

This acquisition represents a major step forward in Orange Belgium's national convergent strategy and will increase investment and competition in the telecommunications sector for the benefit of customers and the competitiveness of the Walloon and Brussels regions.

VOO is a telecom operator that owns the cable network in the Walloon region and part of the Brussels region. VOO offers a portfolio of fixed and mobile telephony, broadband Internet and television services.

With the acquisition of VOO, Orange Belgium will have a very high-speed network in Wallonia and part of Brussels, thus reinforcing the deployment of its convergent strategy at national level.

The investment plan, consisting of cable modernisation and fibre optic (FTTH) rollouts, and the pooling of the two companies' skills will make it possible to ensure and strengthen the quality of VOO's network in the long term, serving customers and the competitiveness of the Walloon and Brussels regions.

Orange's industrial project, the complementary nature of its assets and teams and the excellent working conditions within the two companies will offer attractive prospects for the employees of VOO and Orange Belgium. Orange Belgium is committed to developing WBCC, VOO's call centre, and intends to strengthen BeTV.

Nethys will retain a minority stake in VOO and governance rights to guarantee the implementation of the industrial and social project. Orange is offering Nethys the possibility of converting its stake in VOO into Orange Belgium shares to secure the development of VOO and Orange Belgium through further integration between the two companies.

The enterprise value of 1.8 billion for 100% of the capital corresponds to an EBITDA1 multiple of 9.5x. This transaction will generate significant synergies, mainly related to the transfer of VOO's MVNO business to Orange Belgium's network. Post synergies, the EBITDA multiple amounts to 6.5x. Orange Belgium, which currently has a very low debt leverage, will finance this transaction through an intra-Group loan.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions precedent, including the approval of the European Commission expected in 2022. Until such approvals and closing of the transaction are obtained, the two companies will continue to operate independently.

Mari-Noelle Jego-Laveissiere, Executive Vice President, Orange Europe Operations, said: "This acquisition reinforces Orange's leadership in convergence in Europe and confirms the Group's long-term commitment in Belgium. This operation is based on a strong industrial project, drawing on the complementary nature of Orange Belgium and VOO."

Xavier Pichon, CEO of Orange Belgium, said: "25 years after the creation of Mobistar and 5 years after the launch of our first fixed-line offers, this operation reinforces the deployment of Orange Belgium's convergent strategy at national level. Our investment plan will enable us to upgrade the network to multi-gigabit for the benefit of customers and the competitiveness of Wallonia and Brussels. The merger of Orange Belgium and VOO, two companies with highly complementary assets and skills, will benefit the employment and development of the employees of both companies."

For further information about the transaction please refer to the presentation that is available on the financial section of the corporate website at Financial news.

About Orange Belgium

Orange Belgium is one of the major telecommunication operators on the Belgian market, with over 3 million customers, and in Luxembourg, via its subsidiary Orange Communications Luxembourg.

As a convergent player, it provides next generation connectivity services to residential customers through multi-gigabits mobile, cable and optic fiber networks, also relating to the Internet of Things. Its high-performance mobile network is equipped with the latest technologies and benefits from continuous investments preparing for the arrival of 5G. As a responsible operator, Orange Belgium is also investing to reduce its ecological footprint and promote sustainable and inclusive digital practices.

Orange Belgium is a subsidiary of the Orange Group, one of the main operators in Europe and Africa for mobile telephony and internet access and a world leader in telecommunication services for companies.

Orange Belgium is listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange (OBEL).



For more information go to: corporate.orange.be, www.orange.be or follow us on Twitter:

@pressOrangeBe.

Press contact

Younes Al Bouchouari - younes.albouchouari@orange.com +32

Investor Relations

Koen Van Mol - koen.vanmol@orange.com +32 (0)495 55 14 99







1 VOO SA's forecast EBITDA for 2021 under Belgian GAAP (no application of IFRS).





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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 24, 2021) - Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF) ("Choom" or the "Company"), a Canadian retail company focused on delivering a high quality cannabis experience through its elevated service, is pleased to to announce a non-brokered private placement of 10,000,000 units of the Company ("Units") at a price of C$0.05 per Unit for gross proceeds of C$500,000 (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit consists of one common share (a "Share") and one transferable warrant exercisable at a price of $0.05 per Share for a period of 24 months following the date of issuance (the "Closing Date"). The private placement is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange and the securities will be subject to a four month and one day hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement for general working capital and corporate purposes.

About Choom

Choom is a fast-expanding retail cannabis company that has established an extensive store network across Canada. Choom is focused on delivering a high quality cannabis experience through education, curated product selections, elevated environments and inspiring stories. The Choom brand is inspired by Hawaii's "Choom Gang"-a group of friends in Honolulu during the 1970s who loved to have fun and smoke weed-or as the locals called it, "Choom". Evoking the spirit of the original Choom Gang, our brand caters to the Canadian market with the ethos of 'cultivating good times'.

For additional information contact:

Corey Gillon, CEO

Telephone: 604-683-2509

Chris Bogart, President

Telephone: 604-683-2509

investors@choom.ca

Cautionary Statement on Forward-looking information

This news release contains forward-looking information relating to the Company's proposed activities and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking information relates to management's outlook and anticipated events or results and includes statements or information regarding the future or prospects of the Company. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. These factors include risks and uncertainties associated with or arising as a result of delays in obtaining or an inability to obtain required regulatory approvals, access to sufficient quantities of cannabis, the results of diligence investigations, the actions of third parties, the results of negotiations with third parties, developments in the cannabis sector, the ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, reliance on key personnel, regulatory risks and delays and other risks and uncertainties discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of the Company's interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings, including those made with the CSE and applicable Canadian securities regulators. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108451
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 24, 2021) - ScreenPro Security Inc. (CSE: SCRN) (OTCQB: SCRSF) ("ScreenPro" or the "Company") wishes to announce that the Company is ready to help the Canadian people, the Government, and local businesses with COVID testing. ScreenPro has been increasing its testing capacity for both rapid antigen with results in ten (10) minutes, and the laboratory polymerase chain reaction ("PCR") testing, with results within twenty-four (24) hours in preparation of this holiday season.

The Company has ramped up its medical doctors and nursing staff. The Company is available to help all levels of Government if asked and our team can also provide COVID testings for holiday gatherings, corporate gatherings, and individuals with preventative screening to determine the presence or absence of COVID.

ScreenPro is also able to provide Health Canada approved travel documents for both PCR and antigen COVID test results.

Demand for tests has historically been tied to surges of confirmed Covid-19 cases and with new variants. The Company feels testing will remain important throughout 2022.

Andrew Ryu, Chairman of ScreenPro commented, "The Company has taken action to mitigate impact on supply chain with testing kits and secured supplies to safeguard our operational capability with production and distribution capacity from our supply partners. It is important that we all respond on multiple fronts with the many variants circulating globally to protect the population with continued testing and contact tracing."

"With the Omicron variant surging through Canada's population and daily case counts hitting an all-time-high, and with an increase in demand for COVID-19 testing services across the country, it is as important as ever to get tested and prevent the spread of the virus and help keep the countries hospital ICU's from hitting capacity. We continue to see an increased number of appointments being booked and can respond with our medical staff and lab capacity," stated Lena Kozovski, CEO of the Company.

About Concierge

Concierge Medical Consultants is a small group of board-certified practicing emergency physicians who think that urgent care does not just happen in an ER or your doctor's office, it can happen anywhere at any time. Dr Jibran Sharif, MD, CCFP EM, RDMS, is the founder and CEO of Concierge Medical Consultants and grew up in Vancouver. He earned a degree in Economics at the University of British Columbia before graduating with a medical degree and residencies in Emergency Medicine and Ultrasound at the University of Sydney, University of Saskatchewan, and the University of Calgary, respectively. He is a full time Emergency physician in the GVRD and a Clinical lecturer with the faculty of Emergency Medicine at the University of British Columbia.

For additional information, please visit Concierge's website at www.conciergemedical.ca

About ScreenPro

ScreenPro is a Screening and Medical Technology company that provides turnkey screening solutions with its proprietary medical alerting software. ScreenPro's unique access to multiple manufacturers of high-quality test kits and its strategic partnership with labs in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec allowing ScreenPro to be a full-service nationwide provider of COVID testing solutions across Canada. In addition, ScreenPro has its own medical doctor and nursing professionals along with on the ground support staff and transportation, as access to high quality PPEs to ensure that its clients are protected in all aspects of their testing needs. ScreenPro provides alerting software through its secure GoStop application that enables individuals to use the app for test screening results as well as provides automated identification codes for our laboratories and analytics to our clients on their testing cadence. For additional information on ScreenPro and other corporate information, please visit the Company's website at www.screenprosecurity.com

For more information about the Company, please refer to the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor it's Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:

Jamie Hyland, Director

Email: info@screenprosecurity.com

P. (604) 442-2425

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information, including statements relating to expectations regarding the acquisition and business of Concierge Medical Consultants Inc. and the future development of ScreenPro's business. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. The actual results of ScreenPro could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which ScreenPro operates, prevailing economic conditions, changes to ScreenPro's strategic growth plans, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of ScreenPro. Management of ScreenPro believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents ScreenPro's expectations as of the date hereof and is subject to change after such date. ScreenPro disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

###

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108491
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Orange Belgium said that it has signed an agreement with Nethys to acquire 75% minus one share in VOO SA. The transaction is based on an enterprise value of 1.8 billion euros for 100% of the capital. VOO is a telecom operator that owns the cable network in the Walloon region and part of the Brussels region. VOO offers a portfolio of fixed and mobile telephony, broadband Internet and television services. Nethys will retain a minority stake in VOO and governance rights to guarantee the implementation of the industrial and social project. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions precedent, including the approval of the European Commission expected in 2022. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
RADNOR, Pa., Dec. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP informs investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against ON24, Inc. (ON24) (NYSE:ONTF). The action charges ON24 with violations of the federal securities laws, including omissions and fraudulent misrepresentations relating to the companys February 2021 initial public offering (IPO). As a result of ON24s materially misleading statements made in connection with the companys registration statement and prospectus, investors have suffered significant losses.



CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ON24 LOSSES

LEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE: January 3, 2022

CLASS PERIOD: February 3, 2021 through November 3, 2021

CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:

James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Toll Free (844) 887-9500 or Email at info@ktmc.com

ON24S ALLEGED MISCONDUCT

ON24 markets products and services based upon webcasting, virtual event and environment technology via an AI powered platform that enables businesses to scale engagement, conversions, and pipeline to drive revenue growth.

On February 3, 2021, ON24 conducted its IPO at $50 a share, selling 8.6 million shares of stock and generating nearly $430 million in new capital. On August 11, 2021, for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, ON24 reported a net loss of $2.5 million, compared to a net income of $5.3 million for the same period in the prior year. Following this news, ON24s stock price fell $10.00 per share, or 30.95%, and closed at $22.31 on August 11, 2021. Since then, ON24s stock has continued to plummet, and as of November 3, 2021, the companys stock has declined over 60% from the IPO price.

WHAT CAN I DO?

ON24 investors may, no later than January 3, 2022 , seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages ON24 investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASE

WHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?

A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.

ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. At the end of the day, we have succeeded if the bad guys pay up, and if you recover your assets. The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com.

CONTACT:

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500 (toll free)

info@ktmc.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/42b9ef57-854f-493c-a88f-6e2f1fd29455
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. WIRE SERVICES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Traction Uranium Corp. (CSE:TRAC) (Traction or the Company) is pleased to announce the results of recently completed Phase 1 exploration program at its Whitewater Property located in the Slocan Mining Division, Kaslo, British Columbia (the Property). The work was completed on two claim blocks (the North Block and the South Block) on the Property. The sample assays showed anomalous values of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc.

Highlights

North Block Sampling (Total 76 Samples)

Gold values were less than 0.01 gram per tonne ( g/t ) to 38.4 g/t.

) to 38.4 g/t. Silver values were 0.09 parts per million ( ppm ) to 449 ppm.

) to 449 ppm. Copper values were 12.9 ppm to 31,800 ppm.

Lead values were 8.8 ppm to 78,700 ppm.

Manganese values were 26 ppm 17,100 ppm.

Zinc values were 22 ppm to 69,200 ppm.

Barium values were 20 ppm to 1,870 ppm; cobalt values were 1.2 ppm to 100.5 ppm; chromium values were 61 ppm to 1,380 ppm; and nickel values were 3.3 ppm to 166.5 ppm.



South Block Sampling (Total 75 Samples)

Silver values were 0.03 ppm to 1.62 ppm; copper values were 3 ppm to 110.5 ppm; lead values were 1.9 ppm to 129.5 ppm; and zinc values were 7 ppm to 265 ppm.

Barium values were 10 ppm to 1,080 ppm; cobalt values were 1.6 ppm to 83.6 ppm; chromium values were 61 ppm to 358 ppm; manganese values were 45 ppm 1,840 ppm; and nickel values were 2.4 ppm to 92.1 ppm.

Phase 1 work involved detailed mapping, prospecting and sampling work in the North and South claim blocks on the Property. A ground magnetic and very low frequency (VLF) electromagnetic geophysical survey was also completed at 50 m line spacing in a portion of the South Claim Block. The geophysical survey preliminary data indicate some interesting magnetic and electromagnetic trends and targets which warrant follow up work. A geophysical survey interpretation report is still in progress.

A total of 151 channel cut and grab rock samples were collected during this work program, of which 76 samples were taken from the North Block and 75 samples were taken from the South Block. The samples were bagged and tagged using best practices and delivered to ALS Metallurgy (ALS), located at 2957 Bowers Place, Kamloops, British Columbia, V1S 1W5. ALS is an independent group of laboratories accredited under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standards for specific registered tests. ALS analytical packages picked for sample preparation and analysis are: Au ICP 21 (Gold by fire assay) and ICP AES; and MEMS 61 (Four Acid Digestion with ICP-MS Finish).

Second Tranche of Private Placement

The Company is also pleased to announce that it closed a second and final tranche (the Second Tranche) of its previously announced private placement through the issuance of 50,000 units (each, an NFT Unit) of the Company at $0.44 per NFT Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $22,000.

Each NFT Unit is composed of (1) common share and one-half of one (1/2) common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant is exercisable at $0.60 per share for two (2) years from issuance.

The Company plans to allocate the net proceeds from the Second Tranche towards working capital. All securities issued in connection with the Second Tranche are subject to a four-month and one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The securities issued pursuant to the Second Tranche have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), or under any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, or delivered within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy such securities in the United States.

Qualified Person

Afzaal Pirzada, P.Geo., a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

About Traction Uranium Corp.

Traction is a mineral exploration company with an objective to locate and develop economic mineral properties. The Company is based in Vancouver, BC and holds options over the Hearty Bay and Lazy Edwards properties, located in the Athabasca Basin region of Saskatchewan, and the Whitewater property, located in the Slocan Mining Division, Kaslo, British Columbia.

For more information, investors should review the Companys filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, including statements regarding: the implications from geophysical survey preliminary data from the Property; progress of the geophysical survey interpretation report; and expected use of proceeds from the Second Tranche are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company based on information currently available to it. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contact Information

Michael Malana

Director and CEO

Telephone: 604 561 2687

Email: michael@tractionuranium.com
Grovetown, United States, Dec. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The latest move is part of her focus on bridging the gap between the needs that Grovetown businesses face and more affordable marketing solutions. Steadyfront Marketing aims to help clients accelerate their online growth through services tailored to their business needs.

More information plus a FREE 7-Step Plan can be found at: Get Online with the #1 Online Marketing Business in GA

Over the last year, over four million new businesses were created across America. However, without the right marketing strategy, it can be hard for these companies to stand out. Steadyfront Marketing now creates bespoke marketing packages to ensure more companies can meet their growth goals.

The team can work with both new startups and established businesses wanting to create a stronger brand or grow their online presence. Individually tailored marketing campaigns will provide better ROI for clients, generate more leads, and drive increased sales.

The first step of the process is to schedule a call with the Georgia marketing agency. From there, a member of the team can learn more about the business and ensure their requirements are met.

Clients will then receive a plan that contains all of the solutions the agency has designed for them. By leveraging these services, clients can improve Google ranking more consistently, reach a wider audience, and ultimately grow their revenue.

Steadyfront Marketing has a highly specialized team of dedicated professionals who can provide PPC campaigns, professional web design services, social growth, press release features and custom content solutions for clients across sectors.

The full range of services also includes social media marketing, search engine optimization, and custom Facebook Ad programs.

Business owners and entrepreneurs wanting to create more effective marketing processes are encouraged to get in touch. A free 30-minute strategy session can be arranged, which is a chance for prospective clients to learn more about the services available.

A spokesperson for the agency states: Our digital services will not only give you time and freedom to pursue the things important in your life while still running your business but also help increase your sales and revenue. Get ready, its time to shine! Contact us for 10% off your order.

Interested parties can learn more at: www.steadyfrontmarketing.com

Website: https://www.steadyfrontmarketing.com
Austin, United States, Dec. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The new smile makeover service includes metal-free dental crowns that use ceramic materials to restore teeth damaged by injury or decay and hide stains resistant to other cosmetic procedures. This practice is conveniently located at 1301 S Capital of Texas Hwy A-132, Austin, TX 78746 and welcomes smile makeover patients from West Lake Hills TX, Lost Creek, Tarrytown, Rollingwood, Barton Creek and the wider North West Austin Texas area.

More details can be found at: https://www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com/cosmetic-dentistry.html

The crowns have a natural appearance and are expected to last between 10 and 15 years with proper oral hygiene. In addition to crowns, West Lake Hills Dental Arts range of cosmetic dentistry procedures includes porcelain veneers, Zoom in-house and take-home teeth whitening procedures, and cosmetic dental bonding. Recent media coverage can be seen here https://www.yahoo.com/now/smile-makeovers-launched-westlake-hills-025500996.html

A healthy smile is both cosmetically attractive and important for health reasons. A beautiful smile helps make a good first impression, with a survey revealing that a majority of single men and women rated good teeth as important attributes they look for in a date. Conversely, poor teeth can lead to a reluctance to smile, and according to Psychology Today, smiling has many psychological benefits, including mood elevation and projecting likeability and competency.

This cosmetic dentist serving Lost Creek and Barton Creek, in Austin TX comprehensively assesses each patient and their dental needs in a friendly, relaxing, and professional environment. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the issue, a treatment plan is developed to help patients get the smile they want, drawing on the range of treatment options and carried out with the minimum of discomfort.

The practice uses state-of-the-art technology to facilitate and enhance the result, including intraoral hand-held cameras, all-digital x-rays and panoramic x-rays, and soft-tissue diode lasers for work on gums.

The practice also accepts preferred provider organization dental plans and helps patients maximize their benefits under their plan.

West Lake Hills Dental Arts was founded over 27 years ago by Dr. Richard Jones, who recently handed over to Dr. Rebecca Long, a highly experienced dentist.

A satisfied patient said, Dr. Long and the staff at Westlake Hills Dental Arts are outstanding. Exceptional service and everyone is extremely professional and personable.

Interested parties can find more information at: https://www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com/veneers.html

Website: https://www.westlakehillsdentalarts.com/
LIMA, Peru, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comcorp, a Peruvian marketing agency, announces that its new unit specializing in NFTs has landed its first client, rising Russian digital artist Sati, who is getting a lot of attention in different NFT marketplaces, increasing the traded value of her digital art to almost 6 Ethereum - over USD22K - in the last month.

"Last November, different companies were asking us about what to do around Metaverse. We even have a Roblox project which is still on standby until next March. Also, I read that NFT Artists were struggling to get a well-done PR campaign, so it was decided that Comcorp will venture into the Metaverse. Two weeks later, Sati, a rising Russian digital artist, chose us to be her MKT agency. We are thrilled because she is an amazing digital artist with a strong community and a sold-out frenzy every week," comments Arturo Collahuazo, Director of Comcorp.

Sati is a self-taught artist who brings bytes of her life and opinions in digital form and minted on the Ethereum network. Her latest collection revolves around portraying subjects with TV heads. Why? Here is Sati in her own words:

"I just don't like to draw faces! (Joke). I cannot give a clear answer to this question. Before creating a collection I thought about an idea for a long time. I chose TVs, especially old ones, because of their retro aesthetic. Also, they remind me of my childhood. If we are talking about the concept of 'TV heads', this is just a hilarious interpretation of how the media (including the internet) affects us."

She joined the NFT community in mid-August 2021, in a difficult time in her life. As soon as she joined, she noticed that people liked her stuff and that her art was appreciated and supported, changing completely not only her financial situation but also her perception of her own work. "My life has changed in one month. Not only thanks to the money that I received through my art, but also thanks to the love and support of the people in this community," said Sati.

Sati has a lot of goals for the future. One of them is to finish her next collection of "TV Obsession" that will be out next week. In addition, because the NFT community has helped her so much, she wants to give something back, so she hopes that in the future she can open her own NFT gallery to show not only her work but also to give more exposure to new independent artists.

Find Sati

Foundation: https://foundation.app/@satidraws

OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/tvobsession

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satidraws

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamsati

Contact us: www.comcorp.pe

Camila Franco - camila@comcorp.pe

Ana Lucia Sumari - analucia@comcorp.pe

Related Files

Ramonasglasses Sati x Tokyoluv.png

Related Images











Image 1: Rare TV#45





Sati got her nickname "Mother of TVs" because of her famous NFT collection Universe TVs.

















Image 2: Sati





"I'm Sati, 23 years old. I have been a digital artist since 2012. Now I am a full-time digital artist leaving behind my lawyer diploma."









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Beverly Hills , Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In this interview, Matt Aston talks with Mission Matters about his career in the construction industry and discusses the importance of subsurface damage prevention.

Listen to the complete interview of Matt Aston with Adam Torres on the Mission Matters Innovation Podcast.

What mission matters to you?

Aston says hes driven to create opportunities for the people who choose to work at GPRS. They are dedicated to risk management in construction, with a specific focus on subsurface damage prevention. Hes committed to protecting the GPRS customer base from potential dangers underground, using innovative techniques and steep expertise.

The Ground Penetrating Radar System (GPRS) team helps its clients mitigate the risks of constructiona critical goal requiring great skill and dedication. The firms employees, Aston notes, deliver extraordinarily consistent results. You cannot have an exceptional business if you dont have exceptional people, he says.

Whats the biggest challenge GPRS has faced since it started?

GPRS, headquartered in northwest Ohio, had to overcome an awareness issue to build itself into the brand it is today. Rather than just relying on a stack of business cards and a sense of hope, he says, he rolled up his shirtsleeves and personally met with construction teams to talk about the importance of his teams services. Over time, word spread, and the company gained traction, consulting on an ever-expanding list of construction projects. GPRS scans, maps, models, inspects and detects potential issues in subsurface environments to ensure the success and safety of every project theyre brought in on to review.

What is your vision for GPRS?

You have to work on the business and not in the business, Aston says, noting that hes determined to offer cost-efficient and helpful services to his customers across a wide range of industries.

The firm is currently working on building full-fledged database focusing on underground risks to help people prevent a variety of issues that can arise when proper diagnostics arent conducted and underlying issues arent addressed.

He says he plans to introduce leak detection services and continue expanding the business in 2022. Hoping to double GPRS in size in the coming years, he continues to spread awareness and offer effective innovations for present and future clients.

Who are your potential clients?

GPRS is always ready to help anyone performing excavations or cutting and drilling through concrete, Aston says. Our potential clients are withing in the construction industry and mainly work on universities, hospitals, military bases, manufacturing, power plants, utility installations, infrastructure upgrades and much more.

To learn more, visit GPRS online.

Media Communications

Inquiries: adamtorres@missionmatters.com

Publicist for Adam Torres and Mission Matters Media KISS PR Brand Story PressWire

Brand Publicity Partners KissPR.com

For more details, visit Kisspr.com. KISS PR Digital PR & Marketing powers the Mission Matters Business podcast with brand storytelling. T: 972.437.8942







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Dublin, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Precision Engineering Machines Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by End-use, Region and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global precision engineering machines market size is estimated to reach USD 19.27 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2021 to 2028, according to the report.

The increased demand for advanced machining solutions, as well as the focus on reducing downtime to promote production efficiency, improve accuracy, and optimize machining processes, are driving sales growth. Moreover, Industry 4.0 promotes the integration of manufacturing facilities with other processes to create holistic and adaptive automation system architectures using precision engineering machines for production and manufacturing. Hence, the market comprises significant opportunities with the advent of industry 4.0 in the forthcoming years.



The increased popularity of precision engineering machines can be attributed to their computerized accuracy, which helps improve the productivity and efficiency of manufacturing processes. The scope of precision engineering is expanding owing to the rising technological possibilities. Precision engineering machines facilitate automated operations and, hence, reduce the time required for machining components. These machines can continue operating without any manual intervention and supervision once the machinist feeds the codes into the computer. Industrial automated machines, often known as robots, have proven to be beneficial for both discrete and continuous manufacturers in numerous ways. Some of these benefits include more efficient production procedures and higher productivity.



The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the market by restraining innovation, reducing profitability, and depleting cash flow and economic imbalance. The COVID-19 pandemic also resulted in the cancellation of many events in 2020, which restricted manufacturers from marketing their new products or technologies. On the other hand, untrained workers may struggle to manage precision engineering machines, resulting in potential machine damage, and putting the manufacturing unit's investments at risk. As a result, a scarcity of experienced operators is posing a significant barrier to market expansion. The shortage of skilled manufacturing workers, such as precision machinists and tool and die makers is affecting industries such as aerospace and steel.



Market Report Highlights

The automotive segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of over 7% during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to the rising demand for autonomous vehicles, new mobility solutions, advancements in robotics, design, manufacturing processes, and the advent of EVs in countries, which is expected to drive the demand for precision engineering machines in the automotive industry

In the non-automotive segment, power and energy is anticipated to record the highest CAGR from 2021 to 2028. The expansion of oil and gas industries and the use of modern machinery for precise manufacturing such as lathes and spinning machines are anticipated to drive the market growth

The growing trend of incorporating advanced technology into products to boost machinery efficiency at drilling sites with greater depths and pressure requirements is projected to benefit the European and MEA markets

APAC is anticipated to emerge as the fastest-growing regional market over the forecast period. The market in the Asia Pacific area is being driven by the expanding trend of industrial automation, as well as the rising demand for accurate manufacturing, due to its extensive applications in the automotive, aerospace, and electronics sectors across the region



Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope



Chapter 2 Executive Summary

2.1 Precision Engineering Machines Market - Industry Snapshot and Key Buying Criteria, 2018 - 2028

2.2 Global Precision Engineering Machines Market, 2018 - 2028



Chapter 3 Precision Engineering Machines Industry Outlook

3.1 Market Segmentation

3.2 Market Size and Growth Prospects

3.3 Precision Engineering Machines Market - Value Chain Analysis

3.4 Precision Engineering Machines Market - Market Dynamics

3.4.1 Market driver analysis

3.4.1.1 Growing demand for advanced machining solutions

3.4.1.2 Emphasis on increasing efficiency and reducing downtime

3.4.2. Market opportunity analysis

3.4.2.1 Shortage of skilled workforce

3.4.3 Market challenge analysis

3.4.3.1 Continued urbanization and rise in industry 4.0

3.5 Penetration and Growth Prospect Mapping

3.6 Precision Engineering Machines Market - Porter's Analysis

3.7 Precision Engineering Machines Market - Competitor Analysis, 2020

3.8 Precision Engineering Machines Market - PESTEL analysis



Chapter 4 Precision Engineering Machines End-Use Outlook

4.1 Precision Engineering Machines Market Share By End Use, 2020 & 2028

4.2 Automotive

4.3 Non-Automotive

4.3.2 Aerospace & Defense

4.3.3 Engineering & Capital Goods

4.3.4 Power & Energy

4.3.5 Others



Chapter 5 Precision Engineering Machines Regional Outlook



Chapter 6 Competitive Landscape

Amada Machine Tools Co. Ltd.

Amera-Seiki

DATRON AG

Dalian Machine Tool Group (DMTG) Corporation

DMG Mori Co. Ltd.

FANUC Corporation

Haas Automation, Inc.

Hurco Companies, Inc.

Okuma Corporation

Shenyang Machine Tool Co. Ltd.

Yamazaki Mazak Corporation

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vxkoez

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
Dublin, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "CBD and Cannabis Regulatory Report: Chile" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Chile has maintained a rather restrictive approach towards hemp and CBD. It has only recently allowed medicinal use of cannabis-based products, but there are still many legal grey areas as a consequence of the lack of regulation.

The future of hemp as well as recreational and medical cannabis will be determined by the outcome of the next presidential elections, which will take place in November 2021. Depending on the candidate elected, Chile may propose new laws from which the sector could benefit, as both the main parties' presidential candidates advocate for liberalisation in the governing regulations.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive summary Outlook Hemp plant Extracts and finished products Finished products Import and export requirements Medical cannabis Recreational cannabis Relevant laws Relevant bodies

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/tb2bx2
TORONTO, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- White Gold Corp. (TSX.V: WGO, OTCQX: WHGOF, FRA: 29W) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed a technical report in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects to update the mineral resource estimate on its 100% owned VG gold deposit. The technical report entitled Technical Report for the QV Project, Yukon, Canada and dated November 15, 2021 (effective date October 15, 2021) has been prepared for the Company by Dr. Gilles Arseneau, P.Geo. of ARSENEAU Consulting Services Inc. (ACS). The technical report is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Companys issuer profile.



The updated mineral resource for the VG deposit comprises near-surface Inferred Resources of 267,600 ounces of gold (5,264,000 tonnes at an average grade of 1.62 g/t gold), representing a 16% increase in Inferred Resources compared to a historical 2014 resource estimate(1) which remains open in multiple directions. The VG deposit is located approximately 11km north of the Companys flagship White Gold property hosts the Companys Golden Saddle and Arc deposits which have a combined mineral resource of 1,139,900 ounces Indicated at 2.28 g/t Au and 402,100 ounces Inferred at 1.39 g/t Au(1). Mineralization at the Golden Saddle and Arc is also known to extend beyond the limits of the current resource estimate.

Highlights Include:

The VG deposit is located on the QV property and 11km north of the Companys Golden Saddle and Arc deposits.

Gold mineralization at the VG deposit appears very similar to that at the Companys Golden Saddle deposit.

Opportunities exist at the VG deposit to quickly upgrade a significant portion of Inferred Resources to Indicated, as well as for expansion of mineralization at depth and along strike.

Several other prospective targets on the property have received limited exploration work and offer potential for additional discoveries.

The 2021 work program continues to demonstrate extensive gold mineralization in the White Gold district and the potential for new discoveries and continuing to increase the Companys significant defined resource base.



Figures accompanying this news release can be found at: https://whitegoldcorp.ca/investors/exploration-highlights/

We are very pleased to have increased the resources at the VG deposit with very limited drilling since acquiring the project in 2019, and feel confident that excellent opportunities exist to quickly upgrade and further expand the resources, further increasing our already significant and growing defined resource base in the White Gold District., stated David DOnofrio, CEO.

Resource Estimate Details

The current resource estimate for the VG deposit was carried out by Arseneau Consulting Services (ACS) and is reported in accordance with the guidelines of the Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) and has been estimated in conformity with generally accepted CIM Estimation and Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Best Practices guidelines. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.

The current resource estimate incorporates assay results from 23 diamond drill holes (4,324m) and 8 reverse circulation (RC) drill holes (870m). An additional 24 rotary air blast (RAB) drill holes totalling 1,758 m were utilized to assist modelling the mineralized zones, but were not used in grade estimation. All drilling except for the 8 RC holes drilled by the Company in 2019 was completed between 2012 and 2017 by the previous owner, Comstock Metals Ltd. (Comstock, TSX-V: CSL). This compares to 16 diamond drill holes (3,278m) having been used for the historical 2014 resource estimate.

The Mineral Resource Estimate for the VG deposit, with an effective date of October 15, 2021, is summarized in Table 1 below. The resources are situated near-surface and are potentially amenable to open pit mining methods. The Companys updated total mineral resources for on its Yukon projects is summarized in Table 2 below.

Table 1. VG Deposit Mineral Resource Statement, Effective Date October 15, 2021.

Classification Cut-Off Grade Tonnes Grade Contained Au (g/t Au) (g/t Au) (ounces) Inferred 0.5 5,264,000 1.62 267,600

Notes:

The Mineral Resource Estimate has been constrained to a preliminary optimized pit shell, using gold recovery of 92%, operating costs of CDN$33.50/tonne, pit slope=50 degrees, SG=2.65, and a gold price of US$1,600 per troy ounce.

Mineral Resources were estimated by Ordinary Kriging in 20m by 20m by 10m blocks.

Top cuts to each of the estimated zones were applied with capping values between 3 g/t to 10 g/t Au.

A fixed bulk density of 2.65 t/m 3 was assigned to the model based on the average of all density measurements collected from the mineralized zones.

was assigned to the model based on the average of all density measurements collected from the mineralized zones. Mineral resources were prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, Companion Policy 43-101CP, and the CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Rounding may result in apparent summation differences between tonnes, grade, and contained metal content.

Table 2. Summary of Mineral Resources, White Gold Corp., Yukon, Canada

Indicated Resource Inferred Resource Deposit Tonnage Grade Contained Gold Tonnage Grade Contained Gold (000's) (g/t) (ounces) (000's) (g/t) (ounces) Golden Saddle - Near Surface 14,815 2.31 1,098,300 3,454 1.43 159,100 Golden Saddle - Underground 143 4.53 20,800 326 4.33 45,300 Arc - Near Surface 613 1.06 20,800 5,221 1.18 197,700 TOTAL 15,571 2.28 1,139,900 9,001 1.39 402,100 Indicated Resource Inferred Resource Deposit Tonnage Grade Contained Gold Tonnage Grade Contained Gold (000's) (g/t) (ounces) (000's) (g/t) (ounces) VG - Near Surface -- -- -- 5,264 1.62 267,600

The Mineral Resource estimate is based on the combination of geological modeling, geostatistics, and conventional block modeling using the Ordinary Kriging method of grade interpolation in Geovia GEMS software. Four mineralization solids were created to outline mineralization domains greater than 0.5 g/t Au. The solids constrained drill hole intercepts were composited into 2.0 m lengths with all unsampled values assigned zero grade. Gold grades for the model were estimated in three successive passes. The first pass used a search ellipse with dimensions of 95 m X 30 m X 9 m in the X, Y, and Z directions respectively which represents 80% of the correlogram ranges. Pass two used the full correlogram range of 120 m X 37 m X 11 m in the X, Y, and Z directions respectively. The third pass search ellipse doubled the correlogram range in the Y and Z directions. For all three passes a minimum of 6 and maximum of 20 composites were required to generate a resource block, with no more than 5 composite allowed from any one drill hole. Resources were estimated into non rotated blocks with dimensions of 20 m X 20 m X 10 m in the X, Y and Z dimensions respectively. Top cuts to each of the estimated zones were applied with capping values ranging from 3 g/t to 10 g/t Au.

About White Gold Corp.

The Company owns a portfolio of 21,111 quartz claims across 31 properties covering over 420,000 hectares representing over 40% of the Yukons emerging White Gold District. The Companys flagship White Gold property hosts the Companys Golden Saddle and Arc deposits which have a combined mineral resource of 1,139,900 ounces Indicated at 2.28 g/t Au and 402,100 ounces Inferred at 1.39 g/t Au(1). Mineralization at the Golden Saddle and Arc is also known to extend beyond the limits of the current resource estimate. The Companys VG deposit acquired in March 2019 hosts an Inferred Resource of 267,600 ounces of gold at 1.62 g/t Au(2). Regional exploration work has also produced several other new discoveries and prospective targets on the Companys claim packages which border sizable gold discoveries including the Coffee project owned by Newmont Corporation with Measured and Indicated Resources of 2.14 Moz at 1.20 g/t Au, and Inferred Resources of 0.23 Moz at 1.07 g/t Au(3) and Western Copper and Gold Corporations Casino project which has Measured and Indicated Resources of 14.5 Moz Au and 7.6 Blb Cu and Inferred Resources of 6.6 Moz Au and 3.3 Blb Cu(4). For more information visit www.whitegoldcorp.ca.

(1) See White Gold Corp. technical report titled Technical Report for the White Gold Project, Dawson Range, Yukon Canada, dated July 10, 2020, prepared by Dr. Gilles Arseneau, P.Geo., and Andrew Hamilton, P.Geo., available on SEDAR.

(2) See White Gold Corp. technical report titled Technical Report for the QV Project, Yukon Canada, dated November 15, 2021, prepared by Dr. Gilles Arseneau, P.Geo., available on SEDAR.

(3) See Newmont Corporation press release titled Newmont Reports 2020 Mineral Reserves of 94 Million Gold Ounces Replacing 80 Percent of Depletion, dated February 10, 2021: https://www.newmont.com/investors/news-release/default.aspx

(4) See Western Copper and Gold Corporation technical report titled Preliminary Economic Assessment, Yukon Canada, dated August 2, 2020, prepared by M3 Engineering & Technology Corp., available on SEDAR.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", proposed, "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate, among other things, the Companys objectives, goals and exploration activities conducted and proposed to be conducted at the Companys properties; future growth potential of the Company, including whether any proposed exploration programs at any of the Companys properties will be successful; exploration results; and future exploration plans and costs and financing availability.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: the expected benefits to the Company relating to the exploration conducted and proposed to be conducted at the White Gold properties; failure to identify any additional mineral resources or significant mineralization; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, including to fund any exploration programs on the Companys properties; business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining and mineral exploration; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); the unlikelihood that properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines; geological factors; actual results of current and future exploration; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be evaluated; soil sampling results being preliminary in nature and are not conclusive evidence of the likelihood of a mineral deposit; title to properties; ongoing uncertainties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic; and those factors described under the heading "Risks Factors" in the Company's annual information form dated July 29, 2020 available on SEDAR. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

For Further Information, Please Contact:

Contact Information:

David DOnofrio

Chief Executive Officer

White Gold Corp.

(647) 930-1880

ir@whitegoldcorp.ca

To Book a Meeting with Management: https://whitegoldcorp.ca/contact/request-information/

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/03f1dfcd-d3ad-4bd8-9448-639a052466a7

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5c71879e-5553-4462-9491-a196dd04b9a5

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4701bc63-163c-426f-881a-fe5b6b19b78c
Pune, India, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global telehandlers market was estimated to value USD 6.1 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.50% during the forecast period, as per a recent comprehensive market study by Quince Market Insights.

Telehandler is also known as telescopic handler, these are a versatile hydraulic lifting unit that are often used in the construction, farming, and agriculture sectors. The main advantage of a telehandler is that it is multifunctional. You can use your telehandler for a wide range of tasks. By means of the right attachment, you can easily turn it into a lift truck, aerial work platform, tractor, earth-moving machine, or crane.

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One of the main advantages of a telescopic handler is the ability to lift loads to normally unreachable heights and lengths. As the boom handle on our range of telehandlers to hire can reach up to 20 meters in length, a telehandler can effectively transport materials to distances that would otherwise be impossible to reach using a single vehicle. With a wide range of attachments available, a telescopic handler is one of the most versatile mobile crane machines available.

The other specialized applications can be found in airports, oil & gas, tyre, tunneling, container stuffing and de-stuffing, waste management etc. In mining, telehandlers are used for handling tyres of large dump trucks, large cylinders, and cable reels. Whats more, the machine, along with its wide scope of attachment pairing for numerous applications, provides operational versatility and cost efficiency. Given their multifunctional features that allows them to perform the tasks of loaders, cranes and access equipment in various sectors and industries, telehandlers could well be the first equipment that can be deployed at the site for material handling without any ground preparation.

However, given the low awareness in the market, telehandler manufacturers are taking steps to disseminate information on the various functionalities of the machine to potential users, and are promoting the machines wide potential across industries.

The need for safe working environments, versatility, and low dependency on labor in industrial facilities and construction sites is set to increase demand for material handling equipment in the coming years. operators are comfortable with the boom and hook machines which can handle similar capacity loads at similar heights.

Although the advantage of telescopic telehandler technology is still limited to a niche customer base, the demand is increasing, especially in challenging sites where safety is a concern. It therefore becomes imperative for manufacturers like to promote and market the telehandlers and create awareness of the machines safety aspects along with its other superior features.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, material lifting was a concern in construction, equipment industry, and manufacturing industry. The companies needed to ensure that machines can be used while respecting government guidance. Due to decline in activities during the COVID-19 outbreak, on account of insufficient labor, disruption of suppl chain, the growth of global telehandlers market slowed, however, with the resuming of activities in construction and industrial sector the market is expected to recover gradually.

Market Segmentation

By Type

The type segment of the global telehandlers market is segmented into compact telehandler, high reach telehandler, and heavy Lift Telehandler. The compact handler segment of the market is expected to capture the largest market share. The smallest telehandler in our range, the JCB 516-40 is also one of the most innovative telehandlers in the world. Put simply, its a skid steer, wheeled loading shovel and forklift all in one compact telehandler package.

This small telehandler achieves its extraordinary versatility because of JCBs revolutionary offset single-spine chassis. Core strength is under the boom and the chassis wraps around the cab, meaning the 516-40 cab can be mounted lower than normal. That means the whole machine sits lower (1.8m) for improved maneuverability and easier, safer cab access.

By Technology

The technology segment of the market is segmented into hybrid, electric, combustion. Hybrid segment is projected to be the largest segment. One trend in the construction industry today is the increased adoption of hybrid telehandlers. Challenges with the availability of fossil fuels have prompted new technologies such as hybrid telehandlers. The need for better infrastructure leads to a high demand for telehandlers, as they are useful in a wide range of construction activities.

By Lift Height

The lift height segment of the global telehandlers market is divided into < 5 meter, 5-15 meter, and >15 meter. >15 meter segment is projected to be the largest segment. >15 meter telehandlers are excellent heavy duty telehandlers, which offer a lifting capacity up to 4000 kgs, plus a maximum lift height of 13.8 meters. They are suitable for many multi-storey projects in construction, steel erection, industrial and house building projects, where additional lift capabilities are required.

By Lift Capacity

The lift capacity segment is categorized into < 5 Ton, 5-10 Ton, and >10 Ton. The < 5 Ton segment is anticipated to hold the largest market share. < 5 Ton telehandler enhances the load all range to give our customers more choice, more functionality, more lift, and more reach. It is designed to handle bulk and will be welcomed by users who need a large bucket capacity for heavy duty operations. Waste handling and metals recycling are already seeing major productivity benefits from this high-capacity machine due to a high lift capacity and a powerful driveline which ensures rapid loading cycles and exceptional productivity.

By Application

The application segment of the market is categorized into construction, agriculture, forestry, mines and quarries, oil & gas, industrial and manufacturing, and others. Construction segment is projected to hold the largest share of the market. The activities in Construction majorly constitute movement of palletized or loose materials across the job site or to heights, roofing, renovation, cladding etc. These new-generation motorized machines are now used by the most demanding construction professionals: masonry, cladding, tunneling, roofing, structure, renovation... Their performance makes them indispensable machines for optimizing operations (movement/loading, lifting, transporting loads, lifting people) and ensuring perfect safety on site.

Enquiry Before Buying This Report @ https://www.quincemarketinsights.com/enquiry-before-buying/enquiry-before-buying-66548

By Region

In the telehandlers market, there are five major regions, including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America. Asia Pacific region is expected to capture the largest market share. Telehandlers are best suited for construction and agriculture projects due to their versatility and safety, which is experiencing a robust growth in Asia Pacific region.

The Indian market for telehandlers is still at a very nascent stage as awareness across sectors is limited. On the upside, demand has been increasing steadily, especially from the infrastructure, construction, and mining segments.

In Europe, where city streets and alleys are often narrow and twisting, and buildings are packed tightly, rotating telehandlers have long been popular because they can park in one spot and make lifts without having to travel or maneuver to pick and place loads. Exposure here in North America has come slowly but is starting to accelerate.

Recent Developments in the Market

July 2021 - Loxam launched a range of LoxSafe telehandlers, co-designed with Manitou Group and pre-tested by Bouygues Construction Materiaux, which designs, builds, and operates projects in the building, civil works, and energies and services sectors.

May 2021 - US-based OEM Bobcat is launching the companys next generation of R-series telehandlers, providing a choice of 12 models each with Stage V engines. The new machines cover lifting heights from six to 18 meters, with maximum lifting capacities between 2.6 and 4.1 tons.

January 2021 - Magni has officially launched a new range of fixed boom telehandlers, complementing its existing range of rotating telehandlers. The new TH range comprises seven models, which are being built at the Italian manufacturers 35,000 square meter facility, formally its only production base.

June 2019  JCB (U.K.), the worlds number one telehandler manufacturer, is extending its portfolio, with the launch of a totally new Hydraload rotating telescopic handler. Recognizing the growth in popularity of rotating machines with heavier lift capacities across Europe, the company will initially launch the Hydraload 555-210R, offering a maximum lift capacity of 5.5 tons and a maximum working height of 20.5m.

Major companies operating in the global market include JLG (U.S.), JCB (U.K.), Caterpillar (U.S.), Doosan Infracore (South Korea), CNH (Netherlands), Manitou (France), Terex (U.S.), MERLO S.p.A. (Italy), Claas (Germany), Dieci (Italy), Wacker Neuson (Germany), Liebherr (Germany), Skjack (Canada), Haulotte (France).

To Find more insights on this topic, visit Quince Market Insights report titled,  Telehandlers Market , By Type (Compact Telehandler, High Reach Telehandler, Heavy Lift Telehandler), By Technology (Hybrid, Electric, Combustion), By Lift Height (< 5 meter, 5-15 meter, >15 meter), By Lift Capacity (< 5 Ton, 5-10 Ton, >10 Ton), By Application (Construction, Agriculture, Forestry, Mines and Quarries, Oil & Gas, Industrial and Manufacturing, others), By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, South America)

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Quince Market Insights

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London, UK, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 2021 South China Sea Buddhism Shenzhen Roundtable was held in Shenzhen on December 9th. Guests from 18 countries and regions, including Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mongolia and Myanmar, attended the meeting through physical and virtual participation. Centering around the theme of Build Compassion and Light up the Heart, Fight COVID and Preserve Peace, the meeting featured equal dialogue, candid conversations, insight sharing and census building, with the hope of using Buddhist kindness to provide spiritual comfort to people suffering from the pandemic. International political figures and former political leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia Men Sam An, Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia S.Amarsaikhan, President of the Lao Front for National Development Sinlavong Khoutphayhoune, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, sent congratulatory letters and messages to the conference.

Laos was invited to be the guest of honor for this years event. By the end of 2021, China proposed a joint strategic project with Laos to transform the land-locked country into a land-linked one. The China-Laos Railway was completed and opened to traffic, bringing new benefits to the Lao people and enhancing mutual assistance and exchanges between the Chinese and Lao Buddhist communities. His Holiness Maha Bounma Simmaphom, Vice President of Central Buddhist Fellowship Orgnization of Lao PDR, said many Buddhist leaders and Buddhists from around the world have attended the previous editions of the roundtable.

Chinese Master Yin Shun Makes Six-Point Proposal with Calls for Joint Pandemic Response.

Yin Shun, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China and Abbot of Shenzhen Hongfa Temple, delivered a keynote speech. He stated that the presence and free discussions of eminent monks from the South China Sea region is the best illustration of freedom of religion, people-to-people bond and shared destiny of the Buddhist community around the world.

Master Yin Shun said, this years roundtable marks a fresh start of another five-year plan, and in the coming five years, the roundtable will open its arms to more countries and regions, making it a harbor for the souls of believers. He made six propositions: First, combat COVID and comfor the people. The roundtable Secretariat will set up a dedicated South China Sea Buddhism Charity Office to boost cooperation against COVID-19 for the Buddhist community in countries of the South China Sea and beyond. Second, stick together and create synergy. Continued efforts should be made to implement the consensus reached on the roundtable over the past five years, seek common ground while reserving differences, make joint efforts to protect the South China Sea, pursue common development and create a better future, jointly enhance the discourse power and visibility of Buddhism in the South China Sea, and adapt to the changes of the times to upgrade the notion of community of a shared future for the region. Third, boost exchanges and mutual learning for the harmony among nations. Buddhist leaders of all countries and regions in the pan-South China Sea shall continue conducting regular exchange of visits, promote communication and mutual learning, enhance national friendships, and further cooperation in various fields. Fourth, relieve sufferings and convey Buddhist compassion. Shenzhen Hongfa Temple Charity Foundation will be used to communicate and coordinate poverty reduction and relief programs in the region. Fifth, protect the environemtn and preserve a green world. The Secretariat of the South China Sea Buddhism Shenzhen Roundtable and the South China Sea Buddhism Foundation will cooperate with Buddhist temples and monasteries of various countries and regions in the South China Sea to carry out environmental campaigns, engaging more Buddhists to be the participant, contributor and defender of global ecological progress. Sixth, reinforce self-discipline and cultivate good conduct. Buddhists should remain modest and self-disciplined, restrain behaviors, strengthen convictions, guard against misdeeds and purify the hearts.

Monks Sugggest Stronger Cooperation through Buddhist Compassion.

During the roundtable, emient monks conveyed their wishes to build consensus through Buddhist wisdom and compassion. Ku Mara Bhivamsa, Chairman of the Linguee Tutor Committee of Myanmar, urged all parties to join hands in eliminating all sufferings of people around the world. He quoted the Ratana Sutra and called for concerted efforts for a better future, including: 1) All people of the world should be righteous, avoid cheating and wrongdoings and evil deeds; 2) Be faithful to one another and build trust; 3) Despite the different beliefs, religions and nationalities, efforts should be made to find solutions through dialogues without hate speaches; 4) Help all living beings withou loving-kindness and great compassion; 5) Overcome all challenges through discussions and right judgement, promote exchanges and dialogues for future cooperation.

Different schools of Buddhism share the same root and origin. Buddhist believers in the South China Sea region have taken an active part in the roundtable with profound friendship, kinship and blood ties.

Company: The Golden Age News Group

Contact Person: Ning Li

Email: ning.li@goldenagenewsgroup.com





Attachment
Fort Lauderdale, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fort Lauderdale, FL - A recent report from the CDCs National Center for Health Statistics reveals the highest drug overdose death rate ever recorded in the US with roughly 100,306 Americans having lost their lives from April 2020 to April 2021. This is nearly a 30 percent increase from the previous year and is cause for concern as communities and families across the United States battle the ongoing opioid epidemic.

The head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Dr. Rahul Gupta, called the tragic milestone unacceptable saying, An overdose is a cry for help; for far too many people, that cry goes unanswered, as he urged for more evidence-based strategies and stronger government response.

Experts point to the effects of the global pandemic as reasons for the surge in drug overdose deaths as COVID-19 has disrupted many of the addiction treatment programs and support services available to people.

The synthetic opioid fentanyl, often added to other drugs unbeknownst to users, remains the biggest culprit in fatal overdoses, but fatal methamphetamine overdoses have risen dramatically as well.

The head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Volkov, predicts that the dangerous trend will continue as the spread of menacing street drugs, including counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl, carries on. The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Anne Milgram, said, This year alone, [the] DEA has seized enough fentanyl to provide every member of the U.S. population with a lethal dose.

The efforts of law enforcement are being made increasingly difficult due to the cheap production of fentanyl and methamphetamine that is flooding into the U.S. through drug cartels in Mexico and other parts of the world.

Effective treatment for the disease of addiction is the best way to prevent a fatal drug overdose. David Levin, Clinical Director at Legacy Healing Center, a behavioral health center in South Florida and New Jersey, warned that The disease of addiction metastasized in isolation. While in quarantine, we are especially vulnerable and susceptible to [addiction], depression, anxiety, and relapse because of the isolation, because of the quarantine, because of the fear. Legacy's new Fort Lauderdale Addiction Treatment Center care is making a positive impact in the community already.

As dangerous counterfeit pills, fentanyl-laced street drugs, and the rise of methamphetamine overdose threaten more American lives than ever before, accredited high-quality addiction treatment centers in Fort Lauderdale and around the country. are now more important that than ever in the fight against addiction and drug overdose. Anyone in need of help with substance use disorder can speak to a treatment specialist at any time by calling (888) 534-2295. Visit www.legacyhealing.com to learn more.

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For more information about Legacy Healing Center Fort Lauderdale, contact the company here:



Legacy Healing Center Fort Lauderdale

Travis Benfaida

754-203-4541

1425 W Cypress Creek Rd

Suite 201, Fort Lauderdale Florida 33309
AURORA, IL, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Simplify Healthcare is proud to support its not-for-profit affiliate, Makers Merci, in donating $20,000 to Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund to support those affected by tornados in Kentucky on December 10.

With this contribution, Simplify Healthcare lends a shoulder to the relief efforts in Kentucky and thanks its clients, partners, employees, and the local communities for contributing to the organizations success in a year full of unprecedented challenges and opportunities.

We are heartbroken to see the impact severe weather and tornados have made on communities and have consciously chosen to do our bit to provide relief to those in the greatest need during this holiday season. 2021 has been an incredible year for us. This donation is just our way to give back to the community and bolster our commitment towards creating a better and sustainable world.  Mohammed Vaid, CEO/Chief Solution Architect, Simplify Healthcare and Founding Patron, Makers Merci.

About Simplify Healthcare

Simplify Healthcare is a rapidly growing healthcare enterprise solutions company that offers a unique platform that solves many pain points for healthcare payers. Simplify Healthcare is the leading player in the benefit plan management vertical with deep expertise for Large Groups, Small Groups, and Individual Benefit Plan Management across all lines of business (Commercial, Medicaid, Medicare, and ACA QHPs). The company is quickly emerging as a leading player in other areas, including Provider Data Lifecycle; and Contract Management; Client Setup, Onboarding, and Enrollment; Member and Provider Benefit Inquiry; Claims Configuration; and Value-Based Payment Reconciliation. The company has consistently seen an increase in PBPs filed with CMS using the Medicare Advantage plan management solution, eMedicareSync, currently accounting for 1 in 4 individual PBPs submitted to CMS. The company ranked 38 in the 2021 Inc. 5000 Regionals list of the fastest-growing private companies in the Midwest region and 700 in the 2021 Inc. 5000 Americas fastest-growing private companies list. The company ranked 239 on the 2021 Deloittes Technology Fast 500 list and was recognized in Gartners 2020 Hype Cycle for the U.S. Healthcare Payers report.

For more information, please visit www.simplifyhealthcare.com

Follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.





About Makers Merci

Driven by values and fueled by a passion for creating a better and sustainable community, Makers Merci is an initiative that alleviates poverty and delivers vital services, relief, and support to those in crisis. The organization helps via donations or collaborates with volunteers and partners to spread smiles and help those in need. Its initiatives primarily focus on food assistance, education support and training, healthcare services support, and filling gaps in elderly and orphan care.

For more information, please visit makersmerci.org

Follow Makers Merci on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

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ROUGEMONT, Switzerland, Dec. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GiftChill (giftchill.co.uk) is excited to announce the addition of the Solana (SOL) token as a means to pay for gift cards through the platform. Sales of gift cards on the GiftChill platform have dramatically increased since adding the newer coins.

Through the addition of SOL, and all of our previous cryptocurrency options, GiftChill has become a leader in real-life use cases of digital cryptocurrency. GiftChill's innovative platform enables anyone to convert digital currency into gift cards accepted all over the world. Today, on the GiftChill site, you can use Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Doge, Shiba, Cardano, Chromia, Solana, XRP, and the stable-coins BUSD, USDC, and USDT to purchase gift cards for physical and online stores throughout the world.

More about GiftChill: The site, which offers over one hundred different gift cards, was created to be the one-stop-shop for gift card purchases online. Through their focus on the purchasing power of cryptocurrency, GiftChill can offer its users gift cards at the best price by eliminating the processing fees of credit card companies.

More about Solana: Solana, a decentralized computing medium, uses the SOL token for transactions on its platform. The project is unique in that it aims to solve many of the blockchain's scalability issues through its combined use of the Proof of Stake and "proof of history" consensus algorithms. Per the exchange service Coinbase, "Solana claims to be able to support 50,000 transactions per second without sacrificing decentralization."

If you would like more information on GiftChill's addition of Solana, its gift cards, cryptocurrency options, or any other questions, don't hesitate to contact the GiftChill team at Support@giftchill.co.uk

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Image 1: Solana added as payment method on GiftChill





Solana coin can be used to purchase gift cards on GiftChill









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Swiss energy storage company Leclanche has carved out its eTransport business into a wholly owned Swiss entity, Leclanche E-Mobility S.A.. Leclanche has also signed a mutually exclusive Letter of Intent with a US-listed Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) for merging with Leclanche E-Mobility S.A.

The company is working with its largest shareholder, SEFAM, and its investment advisors, to secure funding to run its operations in 2022 until completion of the intended merger of Leclanche eTransport business with the SPAC.

The SPAC has around US$140 million in its trust account which shall be complemented with the funds from a Private Investor in Public Equity (PIPE) to fully fund the five-year business plan of the merged entity. Currently, the parties and the banks appointed by the SPAC are conducting joint marketing for the PIPE.

If the process to raise capital through the PIPE is deemed satisfactory by the Board of Directors of Leclanche and the SPAC, the parties aim to announce a definitive merger agreement around mid-February 2022. That shall be followed by completion of the due process and documentation filing required under the Stock Exchange Regulations in the US. The parties expect the merger to be completed in 2Q 2022.

Further details shall be provided at the time of the announcement of a definitive merger, expected by mid-February 2022.

Business outlook. On 29 September 2021, Leclanche informed the market that the outlook for the second half of 2021 remained uncertain due to ongoing worldwide supply chain issues. Worsening factory gate prices, the cost at which wholesalers buy materials from producers, transportation choke points and increased shipping times are causing delays across a wide range of businesses worldwide.

Leclanche has reviewed the current worldwide supply chain situation and its impact on its production capacity including longer lead-times for raw materials; shortage of high-grade plastics parts, such as sensors and connectors; and continued requests from some customers, who are facing the same supply chain issues, to defer their 2022 deliveries. The company estimates that the current intermittent production will probably last through the end of the first quarter of 2022.

Consequently, the revenue outlook for 2021 will be essentially flat to small growth over 2020. Leclanche will provide guidance for 2022 in due course.

Notwithstanding the ongoing supply chain issues, Leclanche has recently been selected as a strategic supplier by several OEMs in the fields of specialized mining, agriculture and defense vehicles. The cumulative business from these customers is expected to add more than CHF 150 million of (US$163 million) revenue over a period of five years, with engineering services and pilot systems delivery expected from the second half of 2022.
Methane pyrolysis technology company Monolith, a leader in clean materials production (e.g., hydrogen, earlier post; carbon black, earlier post), has received conditional approval for a $1.04-billion loan from the US Department of Energy (DOE). Established via the Title XVII Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program, the loan will allow Monolith to expand its clean hydrogen and carbon black production facilities in Hallam, Nebraska.

Monolith cleanly produces essential materials utilized by a wide variety of industries including hydrogen, ammonia and carbon black. Carbon black is a material found in many everyday products but is perhaps most commonly known for its use in tires. Leading tire manufacturers including Goodyear and Michelin expressed their support for the DOEs conditional approval and Monoliths technology.





Data: Monolith

In addition to carbon black, Monoliths innovative methane pyrolysis process creates cost-effective clean hydrogen. As the world builds a roadmap to decarbonization, the energy density of clean hydrogen fuel has been recognized as one of the critical paths to creating a green world. Shipping, aviation, long-haul trucking, energy storage and clean steel production are areas with the potential to rely on clean hydrogen fuel. Monolith also expects to use much of the clean hydrogen produced from its Olive Creek expansion for the production of cleanly made ammonia that will be distributed in the US corn belt to help feed a growing national and world population.

Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 16511, et. seq.) provides authority for the D.O.E. to guarantee loans for projects that avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; and employ new or significantly improved technologies as compared to commercial technologies in service in the United States at the time the guarantee is issued.

Current conventional processes to create carbon black release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Through Monoliths methane pyrolysis technology, the company is able to prevent an estimated 2.3 tons of CO 2 from being released for every ton of carbon black produced.

With its production of cleanly made hydrogen, carbon black and ammonia, Monolith expects that its Olive Creek expansion will prevent one million tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year compared to traditional manufacturing processes.

While this conditional commitment demonstrates DOEs intent to finance the project, several steps remain, and certain conditions must be satisfied before a final loan guarantee is issued.
File / Johnathon Henninger / For Hearst Connecticut Media

On what is hopefully a peaceful Christmas morning, fans of card games are thinking ahead to a new year of playing bridge  hopefully face-to-face with friends. For the holidays, here is another in the current series of quizzes on interpreting partners bids.

Todays quiz: In the following problem, you are given an auction accompanied by three hands, only one of which could actually fit the bid your partner has made. Which of the three hands do you think partner has?
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)  Outside a foreign currency exchange in Zimbabwes capital, hordes of people desperate for U.S. dollars are pushed up against each other.

Thats it, keep it tight, some shout, trying to prevent others from jumping the line to buy the money that could get them a discount on goods pegged to a quickly devaluing local currency.

Nearly two years into a global pandemic, a new spike in coronavirus cases driven by the omicron variant is once again shuttering businesses, halting travel, reviving fears of overwhelmed hospitals and upending travel and holiday plans in countries around the world.

But in Zimbabwe and other African nations, the virus's resurgence is threatening the very survival of millions of people who have already been driven to the edge by a pandemic that has devastated their economies. When putting food on the table is not a given, worries about whether to gather with family members for the holiday or heed public announcements urging COVID-19 precautions take a back seat.

Yes, I have heard of the new variant, but it can never be worse than having nothing to eat at home right now, says furniture store clerk Joshua Nyoni, one of the dozens waiting outside the exchange. Like many others in the chaotic crowd, Nyoni alternately wears his face mask below his chin or puts it in his pocket.

The United Nations Economic Commission on Africa, or ECA, noted in March that about 9 in 10 of the worlds extremely poor people live in Africa. The ECA now warns that the economic effects already felt since the pandemic began in 2020 will push an additional 5 to 29 million below the extreme poverty line.

If the impact of the pandemic is not limited by 2021, an additional 59 million people could suffer the same fate, which would bring the total number of extremely poor Africans to 514 million people, the agency says.

The World Bank estimates the economy went from 2.4% growth in 2019 to a 3.3% contraction in 2020, plunging Africa into its first recession in 25 years.

"The economic disruption wrought by COVID-19 has pushed hunger crises off a cliff, Sean Granville-Ross, Africa regional director for the nonprofit charitable organization Mercy Corps, told The Associated Press.

Granville-Ross says his organization in 2021 saw an alarming spike in need in regions such as the Sahel, West Africa, East Africa and southern Africa where some countries were already experiencing humanitarian crises and conflict before COVID-19.

Worry is now intensifying amid a spike in COVID infections in Africa, which currently accounts for about 9 million of the worlds roughly 275 million cases.

The World Health Organization has for months described Africa as one of the least affected regions in the world in its weekly pandemic reports. But in mid-December it said the number of new cases was "currently doubling every five days, the fastest rate this year as the delta and omicron variants push up infections. Both South Africa and Zimbabwe have been reporting reduced numbers over the past week, but authorities remain cautious.

Renewed travel restrictions and possible lockdowns will only push millions more people to poverty and undermine the slight economic recovery we have started to see, Granville-Ross says.

Compared to the continent as a whole, where just over 7% of the population has received two shots of the coronavirus vaccine, Zimbabwe is regarded as a success story  even though only about 20% of its 15 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Amid lingering hesitancy, the government has threatened to widen vaccine mandates. But for many people, virus infection fears have taken a back seat to the more urgent task of finding enough money to feed their families.

Dozens of residents desperate for access to money in an economy where cash, especially the U.S. dollar, is king, sleep outside both foreign currency exchanges and banks, huddled closely together for days. Elderly people, many without face masks or not properly wearing them, stand in tightly packed lines that snake for kilometers, waiting to withdraw their pensions.

I would rather spend my time here than queue for the vaccine, says Nyoni, outside the crowded foreign currency exchange.

If I catch the virus, they may quarantine me, treat me or even feed me if I am hospitalized," he says. "But hunger is different: You cant be put in quarantine because the family has nothing to eat. People just watch you die.
BERLIN (AP)  A German man who fled after losing his final appeal of a murder conviction for the 1993 killing of a teenager has been arrested in the Netherlands after more than two days on the run, police and prosecutors said Friday.

Ralf Hoerstemeier, 56, was arrested shortly after midnight at an apartment in Enschede, just over the Dutch border from Germany.
NEW ORLEANS  Tulane University in New Orleans is delaying the start of its spring semester because of the latest surge in coronavirus cases, and another private school says students must get booster shots before returning.

The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate says Tulane has put the semesters beginning back one week, to Jan. 25.

The report also says Loyola University is keeping its Jan. 18 start for most classes and Jan. 10 at its law school, but requiring both booster shots and proof of a negative coronavirus test. Loyola says students not yet eligible for a booster must get one six months after their basic vaccination.

Louisianas Department of Health estimates that the omicron variant accounted for more than 84% of all coronavirus infections diagnosed in the week that ended Dec. 18.

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HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC:

 Hospitals, police departments struggle to stay staffed as omicron infects workforces

 Fear of infection takes back seat to food insecurity as pandemic pummels African economies

 Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in biblical Bethlehem

Go to https://APNews.com/coronavirus-pandemic for updates throughout the day.

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING TODAY:

SACRAMENTO, Calif.  California health officials say the omicron variant is evident in 50% to 70% of new coronavirus cases in parts of the most populous state heading into the holidays, with the state nearing a total of 5 million virus infections for the pandemic.

The U.S. recorded its first confirmed omicron infection just three weeks ago in a San Francisco resident who had recently traveled to South Africa.

On Friday, the state had 4,990,016 confirmed coronavirus cases to date and more than 75,000 deaths from COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the virus.

Case reporting is expected to lag because of the holidays.

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.  Health officials in Missouri say the omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread across much of Missouri, according to wastewater testing data.

The variant has now been detected at low levels in 15 of the 63 test locations, including in St Louis, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Columbia, Branson, St. Joseph, Union, Clinton, Warrensburg and Fulton.

Jeff Wenzel at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says the data released Friday is based on samples collected last week. He says that tests a week earlier detected the omicron variant in just St. Joseph and in the Kansas City area.

Wenzel says that for now, though, the delta variant remains the dominant strain in Missouri.

Federal health officials said Monday that nationally, omicron accounts for 73% of new infections.

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MADRID  Spains King Felipe VI has warned citizens to remain cautious as the coronavirus can still inflict widespread damage. His annual Christmas Eve speech came amid a record number of infections in the country Friday.

Spanish health authorities have reported three days in a row of record-breaking caseloads and have reinstituted mandatory mask-wearing in open spaces with few exceptions.

We all have to do everything possible not to take steps backwards in this health crisis that has caused so much suffering, Felipe said.

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ROME  Pope Francis has celebrated Christmas Eve Mass before an estimated 2,000 people in St. Peters Basilica, going ahead with the service despite the resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has prompted a new vaccine mandate for Vatican employees.

A maskless Francis processed down the central aisle of the basilica Friday as the Sistine Chapel choir sang Noel, kicking off the Vaticans Christmas holiday.

For the second day in a row, Italy on Friday set a new pandemic daily record with 50,599 new cases. Another 141 people died, bringing the official death toll to 136,386.

The Vatican secretary of state on Thursday imposed a new vaccine mandate on all Vatican staff, except those who have recovered from the coronavirus. The faithful attending Mass are required to wear masks.

Francis, who is missing part of one lung and had intestinal surgery in July, has largely eschewed masks. He is believed to have received the third booster shot.

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has defended her response to the coronavirus, insisting that the state acted early and did all it could against the omicron variants rapid spread.

Hochul also told a news conference Friday that the state is shortening the amount of time essential workers must stay home after testing positive.

Fully vaccinated people in health care and other frontline fields can return to work after five days instead of 10 if theyre not showing symptoms or if their symptoms are resolving. They must also wear masks on the job. Some Republican officials have called the mask mandate an overreach.

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HARTFORD, Conn. -- A spokesperson for Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says a small number of attendees at a recent holiday party hosted by the Democrat and his wife at their Greenwich home have tested positive for COVID-19.

Both Lamont and wife Annie have regularly tested negative for the coronavirus since the Dec. 11 private event. Lamont spokesperson Max Reiss says guests were required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated and present a negative test.

Hearst Connecticut Media reported Thursday that Reiss says the couple get tested regularly and have tested negative in each instance since the party. He did not say how many guests were at the event.

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MIAMI  A COVID-19 outbreak has been recorded on a South Florida-based cruise ship, as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida has hit its second-highest level since the start of the pandemic.

An undisclosed number of passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Freedom caught the virus and the ship was denied entry to Bonaire and Aruba, Carnival said in a statement.

The ship has 2,497 passengers and 1,112 crew members and was scheduled to return to Miami on Sunday following an 8-day cruise. Passengers were required to be vaccinated and they were tested before leaving last Saturday, according to Carnival.

Carnival Freedom is following all protocols and has a small number on board who are in isolation due to a positive COVID test, the statement said. Our protocols anticipate this possibility and we implement them as necessary.

It was the third outbreak this week affecting cruise ships operated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean departing Miami and Fort Lauderdale ports.

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ISTANBUL  Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the worlds Orthodox Christians, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is displaying mild symptoms.

The Istanbul-based Patriarchate said Friday that Bartholomew, who is 81 and recently had heart surgery, is fully vaccinated. It added that his general condition is good.

The Patriarch has urged people to get their shots and follow the recommendations of doctors.

Bartholomew was hospitalized overnight in the United States in late October and later had a stent installed to open up a clogged coronary artery.

He is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope.

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NEW DELHI  Indias Health Ministry says an analysis of 183 omicron variant infections showed that 87 were in fully vaccinated people and three involved individuals who had booster doses.

India has confirmed a total of 358 cases of the omicron variant and 114 of the infected individuals already have recovered, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told reporters Friday.

He said Asian countries are seeing COVID-19 cases decline overall, unlike in North America and Europe.

India was overwhelmed by two massive outbreaks in September 2020 and in May of this year. It recorded more than 400,000 new cases in 24 hours at the peak of its second surge in May. In the past two weeks, the country has averaged around 7,000 new cases a day.

Bhushan said 61% of Indias over-18 population has received two vaccine doses. Despite being home to some of the worlds largest vaccine makers, India has relied largely on two jabs: the Astra Zeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute and Bharat Biotechs domestically developed vaccine.

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BERLIN  Germanys health minister says the country's proportion of coronavirus infections with the new omicron variant will increase sharply in the days ahead.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach acknowledged there would be delays in local health offices reporting figures over the holidays, but he appealed on Twitter for people to take steps to avoid infection during Christmas festivities.

According to the national disease control center, Germany had 3,198 COVID-19 cases attributed to omicron as of Wednesday, a 25% increase from the previous day. The disease control center said Thursday that of those cases, 48 people were hospitalized and one person had died.

So far, the delta variant remains the dominant form of the coronavirus in Germany.

Authorities are introducing new contact restrictions, while most regions are shutting nightclubs and putting other measures in place. In most cases, the curbs are set to take effect just after Christmas, though a few will go into force starting Friday.

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TOKYO  Japan has approved the COVID-19 pill developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. for use beginning next week, the Japanese health minister said Friday.

Health Minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters that a ministry drug panel authorized Mercks molnupiravir under a fast-track process and the drug will be shipped to hospitals and pharmacies beginning next week.

Its one of two medications for treating COVID-19 that Japan has secured. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country is procuring 1.6 million doses from Merck.

Japan has also arranged for a shipment of 2 million doses of a COVID-19 pill made by Pfizer that hasnt yet received approval for use in the country.

Until recently, Japan largely kept out coronavirus infections involving the new omicron variant by enforcing stringent border controls. The first known locally transmitted cases were reported in Osaka on Wednesday.

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BETHLEHEM, West Bank  The biblical town of Bethlehem is marking its second straight Christmas Eve under the shadow of the coronavirus.

Small crowds and gray, gloomy weather dampened celebrations on Friday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. A ban on nearly all incoming air traffic by Israel -- the main entry point for foreign visitors heading to the occupied West Bank -- kept international tourists away for a second consecutive year.

Instead, local authorities are counting on the Holy Lands small Christian community to lift spirits. It is a theme seen around the world as revelers, weary from nearly two years of lockdowns and safety restrictions, search for ways to celebrate safely.

Before the pandemic, Bethlehem would host thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world, bringing a strong dose of holiday spirit to the town and a huge jolt to the local economy.

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PARIS  Protesters angry over virus and vaccine rules have occupied Guadeloupes regional legislature because of stalled negotiations over their grievances about management of the French Caribbean island.

Officials in Guadeloupe and Paris denounced Thursdays incursion as unacceptable and a threat to the democratically elected Regional Council.

Officials posted images online that showed a Christmas tree knocked over and a banner reading No to Obligatory Vaccination, No to the Health Pass.

Vaccinations are mandatory for all French health workers and a health pass is required to enter many venues. The measures have met the stiffest opposition in Guadeloupe and Martinique, reflecting long-running frustrations over inequality between the islands and the French mainland.

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SYDNEY  Australias New South Wales state is reporting more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours for the second straight day as the state and federal governments roll out measures meant to curb the spread of the virus.

The Federal health minister also said experts have recommended the gap between second vaccine doses and boosters be shortened from five months to four starting Jan. 4 and down to three beginning Jan. 31.

State Premier Dominic Perrottet had resisted mandating mask-wearing indoors until Thursdays record caseload led him to reconsider.

Testing centers have been swamped by people seeking tests before traveling for family Christmas gatherings. People are now being advised to seek tests only if they are symptomatic or are close contacts of existing cases.

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QUITO, Ecuador  Ecuador is making vaccination against the coronavirus mandatory.

The government said Thursday that only Ecuadorians with a medical condition that could be complicated by vaccination will be exempt. Those people must provide documentation.

Officials say the order comes because of an increase in coronavirus infections and the circulation of new variants such as omicron.

Ecuador says it has enough vaccine to immunize the entire population. As of Tuesday, about 77% of Ecuadors 17.3 million people had been vaccinated. About 33,600 people in Ecuador have died from COVID-19.

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SANTIAGO, Chile -- Chile plans to offer a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine to its citizens.

President Sebastian Pinera said Thursday that the fourth dose is expected to start in February.

Health Secretary Enrique Paris says the shot will be different than the one people got previously.

Chile has reported almost 86% of its population fully vaccinated. It has the highest level of immunization against the coronavirus in Latin America, and among the best levels in the world, according to online research website Our World in Data.

Pinera says 10,2 million out of Chiles 19 million people have received a third dose.

Chile has recorded almost 39,000 COVID-19 deaths.
GREENWICH  More than 350 members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich will be a little toastier this holiday season, thanks to a thoughtful donation from a local family and with the help of a new club at Greenwich High School.

For at least four years, the Carino family has been distributing Snuggle Socks, a stocking-shaped blanket, at the Boys & Girls Clubs annual holiday party, said Logan Carino, a junior at Greenwich High School. Created by his parents, the Snuggle Socks come in red, purple, camouflage and rainbow hues, and each one is packaged with a jaunty Santa hat to allow both club members and staffers to look sharp while lounging about this yuletide season.

We give one to each child, said Logan. They like them very much.

The distribution has gotten so large, that Logan and his family brought along members of the new Students Give Back Club at Greenwich High to help out. Logan created the charitable-minded club over the summer, and it has grown to 100 members strong since then, said Logan, who is the club president.

The family said it has donated Snuggle Socks to other deserving organizations over the years, but the annual Boys & Girls Club distribution is one of the largest.

I love giving back to our community through the Boys & Girls Club, Logan said. Its awesome to see everyone getting involved.

The Snuggle Socks were handed out to the Club Kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs Holiday Party held last week. The event also gave kids the opportunity to pick out a variety of gifts to give to their parents, which were wrapped by volunteers.

Don Palmer, vice president of programs at youth development at the Boys & Girls Club, said the members look forward to the donation each year.

The Carino Family helped make the holiday celebration here at the Boys & Girls Club extra special with their Snuggle Socks donation, he said. The family has been a huge supporter of the Boys & Girls Club throughout the years. The club is extremely thankful to Logan Carino for carrying on the tradition this year.

The Give Back Club, which meets monthly, has already started making its mark in town. Members volunteered to play with kids at an October party and serving as course marshals for the annual Turkey Trot to benefit the Greenwich Alliance for Education, a charitable foundation that supports special programs in the Greenwich Public Schools.

We hope to plan a lot of events this month, Logan said.
GREENWICH  The number of new cases of COVID-19 spiked among students and staff just as the Greenwich Public Schools closed for the holiday recess.

The school district hit another record of new cases of COVID, with 146 reported on Friday, the first full day of the holiday recess, according to the districts online tracker.

There were 272 active cases of COVID in the district as of Friday, with 233 cases reported among students, 21 cases among teachers, 13 cases among non-teaching staff members, three cases among service providers and two cases among administrators, according to the tracker.

This brings the total number of COVID cases reported across the Greenwich school district to 544 since classes began on Sept. 1. By comparison, for the 2020-21 school year, a total of 700 cases of COVID were reported districtwide. The next update on the COVID tracker will come on Jan. 4, according to the district.

New cases of COVID have been surging in the Greenwich schools in December, with a total of 392 cases reported, according to the tracker.

All 15 of the public school buildings in town are reporting active cases of COVID, with the most at Greenwich High, with 105 cases.

The number of COVID cases at each school totals: Eastern Middle with 34; Central Middle with 20; Riverside with 18; North Mianus with 17; Old Greenwich with 16; Cos Cob with 12; North Street with nine; Western Middle with eight; Glenville and Julian Curtiss with seven each; Hamilton Avenue, New Lebanon and Parkway with six each; and the International School at Dundee with three.

Staff working at multiple buildings are counted toward each locations total.

Last Tuesday morning, the Greenwich schools reported 96 new cases of COVID, with 171 active cases, according to the districts online tracker. By Tuesday evening, Superintendent Toni Jones announced the district had made the difficult decision to close Greenwich High immediately for holiday recess, canceling classes for Wednesday and Thursday.

Mask mandate

With the omicron variant of COVID raging in Greenwich, according to the town director of health, the mask requirement is returning at all town-owned buildings.

The mask mandate went into effect at 8 a.m. Thursday and will remain in place until further notice, First Selectman Fred Camillo announced.

It is out of an abundance of caution, in the interest of public health and safety, that we are imposing this temporary requirement, Camillo said.

The mandate requires all visitors and staff, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks and practice social distancing in town-owned buildings, including Town Hall, the civic centers and the ice rink.

The virus spike is putting a strain on the health departments ability to conduct contact tracing and monitor active cases of COVID, town Director of Health Caroline Baisley said. The large increase is due to the omicron variant, she said.

All cases received by the department need contact tracing, and the staff at the Department of Health is overwhelmed and cannot keep up, Baisley said. I have asked for contact tracing assistance from the state health department, and I am talking to the state about more testing locations in the immediate area as the number of COVID cases in the lower part of Fairfield County is rising very fast.

Also, the town has moved all municipal meetings to Zoom, Camillo said.

Last week, Baisley urged residents to increase their use of masks to protect themselves against COVID.

Its time for Greenwich residents to take personal protection measures by wearing a mask indoors and wearing a mask outdoors in populated areas, she said. People need to know they need to take personal precautions when they go out.

GHS announcement

The district did not provide totals for types of COVID transmission  in school vs. family or activity vs. unknown, which are usually listed on the tracker.

As an explanation, there is a note that says: Please note that some details have been temporarily omitted to this tracker to allow time for the healthcare team to update their records.

Since the start of the school year, a total of 69 families in the district have reported multiple cases of COVID affecting 154 individuals, according to the tracker.

In her email to families and staff about the early closure of Greenwich High, Jones cited a sharp rise in COVID-positive cases as well as a shortage of non-teaching staff members, including custodians.

We do not take this decision lightly, as we know how important it is for families who rely on our schools to be open, she said.

In the email, Jones reminded parents that remote learning is not an option this year, per legislative action taken last year.

There were numerous attempts ... to gain permission from the Connecticut State Department of Education or governor to allow us the decision-making power to be remote so that the days would count instructionally if needed, Jones said.

However, it was not granted and the two days missed for GHS will need to be made up at the end of the calendar school year unless there is some sort of action taken at the state level, she said.

Students and staff are slated to return to classes on Jan. 3.

The district says it updates the online tracker every Tuesday and Friday to keep the community informed on the pandemic. The district reported 65 cases in November, 29 cases in October and 58 cases in September.

Includes prior reporting by staff writer Ken Borsuk.
The first week of January 2022 is turning out to be busier than expected. We know Realme, vivo, and Xiaomi are hosting launch events on 4th, 5th, and 6th, respectively, to unveil their new smartphones. Now Lenovo has announced it will kick off the new year by unveiling a gaming smartphone on the first day of 2022.

Lenovo's new gaming smartphone is called the Legion Y90, and while the company hasn't detailed its specs sheet yet, it did reveal a few specs of the phone's display.

The Lenovo Legion Y90 will pack a 6.92" E4 AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and 720Hz touch sampling rate. The panel supports HDR content, and the smartphone will come with a dual-engine air-cooled system for sustained performance.

Lenovo didn't get into the specifics of this cooling system, but a company employee shared a screenshot on Weibo, saying the Legion Y90 will continue playing games at 120fps and remain comparatively cool even after 20-30 minutes of gaming.

With the unveiling still over a week away, you can expect to hear more about the Lenovo Legion Y90 in the coming days.

Source 1, Source 2 (both in Chinese) | Via
After all the holiday excitement, streaming TV platforms slow down their offerings in January. As they reset for a new year of programming, look for actors to appear in new roles.

Among them: Kristen Bell. She moves on from comedy The Good Place to a dark comedy thriller with a title that sounds like something I would have come up with when I was in kindergarten: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.

While there are similarities, the series is not to be confused with the more serious film The Woman in the Window. Or maybe it is meant to be confused with it.

Premiering Jan. 28 on Netflix, Woman in the House focuses on Bells character, Anna, whose daily routine involves drinking wine and looking out her front window.

Things change when a man and his daughter move into the house across the street, and Anna believes she sees a murder. But did she?

Woman in the House involves a lot of wine. Netflix describes it as a wine-soaked, satirical slant on the psychological thriller.

Bells fans may be disappointed if they are expecting something akin to Veronica Mars, the mystery series where she played the young title character in a breakout role.

If Woman in the House doesnt sound like your thing, you can check out what else is new in streaming. (Stateside premiere dates are listed.)

More to Stream on Netflix

Jan. 13, The Journalist: Japanese series about a newspaper reporter is based on the 2019 theatrical film that won Best Picture of the Year at the 43rd Japan Academy Awards.

Jan. 14, Archive 81: Inspired by the popular podcast of the same name, the supernatural thriller series involves a mystery revealed in the restoration of damaged decades-old videotapes.

Netflix movie nights

Jan. 13, Brazen: Fans of author Nora Roberts might want to check out this mystery based on her novel, Brazen Virtue. Alyssa Milano is a writer and crime expert who investigates the death and double-life of her sister.

Jan. 14, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure: An Irish boy named Keegan and a Spanish girl named Moya journey into a mythical world where they learn to appreciate Riverdance as a celebration of life.

What to Stream on Amazon Prime

Jan. 21, As We See It: This promising series from Parenthood producer Jason Katims follows Jack (Rick Glassman), Harrison (Albert Rutecki), and Violet (Sue Ann Pien), twentysomething roommates on the autism spectrum, as they try to navigate the world with the help of their families, an aide (Sosie Bacon) and each other. Glassman, Rutecki and Pien all identify as living on the autism spectrum.

Amazon Prime movie night:

Jan. 7, The Tender Bar: Based on J.R. Moehringers best-selling memoir, J.R. (Tye Sheridan) is growing up fatherless but has his bartender Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), as a father figure. J.R. begins to pursue his romantic and professional dreams, always connected to Uncle Charlies bar.

What to Stream on Apple TV+

Jan. 7, El Deafo: Animated series for kids and families is based on the best-seller and Newbery Honor-winning graphic memoir that follows young Cece as she loses her hearing and finds her inner superhero.

Jan. 28, The Afterparty: Drama series with Tiffany Haddish centers on a murder mystery at a high school reunion. Each episode is a retelling of the same night told through a different characters perspective.

Apple TV+ movie night:

Jan. 14, The Tragedy of Macbeth: Due in select theaters on Christmas Day, Joel Cohens adaptation of the Shakespeare play about murder, madness and ambition features Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand.

What to Stream on HBO Max

Jan. 1, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts: Retrospective special reunites Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and other cast members with filmmakers across all eight Harry Potter films to celebrate the release of the first movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.

Jan. 13, Peacemaker: John Cena reprises his role in this series that focuses on the origins of the character that he first portrayed in James Gunns 2021 film, The Suicide Squad.

Jan. 24, The Gilded Age: From Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, this period drama begins in 1882 when a young Marion Brook (Louisa Jacobson) has to move from rural Pennsylvania to New York City to live with her wealthy aunts (Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon). Ill be watching just for the costumes!

HBO Max movie night:

Jan. 27, The Fallout: Drama follows a student in the aftermath of a tragedy at a high school and examines its impact on her worldview and relationships with the people around her.

What to Stream on Hulu

Jan. 18, How I Met Your Father: Comedy series spinoff of the long-running CBS hit is set in Manhattan and features Hilary Duff.

Hulu movie night

Jan. 14, Sex Appeal: Teen comedy has Avery Hansen-White (MIka Abdalla) embarking on a study in sexuality that results in the realization that theres more to sex, and love, than mechanics.
If the holidays have you you feeling down, you dont have to go through it alone.

The Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center crisis hotline provides support to residents 24/7, 365 days a year.

Behavioral Health has provided an annual holiday crisis helpline for residents in the past, with trained volunteers available to assist callers who find it difficult to get through the holidays. With its regular crisis hotline now staffed full time, theres no need for the volunteers, but residents can still call at any time.

Difficult time

Christmas and New Years can be a difficult time for those going through loss or feeling lonely, according to Behavioral Health Director Theresa Arriola, adding the agency sees an increased number of people needing assistance around the holidays.

Its known as a cheerful time, but its also known as the time for family. And so a lot of people are either longing for family, dont have families, or are already feeling low, she said.

Feelings of anxiety or depression can become more pronounced, she said.

Everybody goes through a sense of loss. But the one message that we have at Guam Behavioral Health is that there is hope. Youre not alone, she said.

Any reason

The hotline can help refer people to any further services that they need, but residents can even call if they just need someone to speak with.

You can call for any reason, whether you want to talk to somebody because you feel like youre feeling emotional, or out of control or feeling you cant handle certain emotions.  We get calls (ranging) from: Im depressed, Im anxious,  I need help. I feel Im drinking too much. Im spiraling down, you know, Im losing. Im losing my life through drugs.

For some, having a conversation is enough to help them feel better, she said, and anyone can call back again if they feel they need to.

We are subject to (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) at the protection of our clients identity and health records, Arriola said.

She added that if youre concerned about privacy, you dont need to give your name to speak with someone on the hotline. Personal information isnt needed unless you require further services or want to schedule an appointment, which staff at the hotline can help you do.

You go to your doctor for broken bones. Its no different. You come to a different type of doctor, a different type of facility for emotional, or drug and alcohol services, she said.

Steadily increasing

The number of people using the hotline has steadily been increasing, she added.

In the past, the crisis helpline would get 25 to 30 calls per month, averaging about one call per day. Now the data shows there have been between 900 to 1,000 calls per month.

Part of the increase was the sharp toll that the COVID-19 pandemic was having on the mental health of residents, Arriola said.

Youd be amazed. Everybody I know who, you know  just talking about drug addiction or alcohol addiction  I dont think theres a single household that can honestly say they werent touched by that pandemic. Whether its in your immediate family, or your second or third generation, we know somebody, she said.

But numbers also increased because more and more people were aware of the helpline and are taking advantage of the service, she said. Behavioral Health hopes more people will reach out.

People dont need to suffer quietly, or by themselves during this holiday season, or any time at all, Arriola said.
Guam could lose out on more than $1 billion in benefits and funding as opposition from a U.S. senator threatens to sink President Joe Bidens Build Back Better Act.

Among other things, the now $2 trillion legislation includes roughly $347 million for the construction of a new hospital on Guam and $320 million in federal highway funding, Del. Mike San Nicolas said during a press conference last month. Theres also tens of millions of dollars for affordable housing, community development and education, along with universal access to early childcare.

Guam also would be granted access to the Supplemental Security Income program, which gives monthly payments up to $794 for the elderly and disabled adults with little income.

One of the biggest changes would be an increased cap on funding for Medicaid recipients on island with more equitable federal to local dollar matching rates for the program. This could alleviate delayed payments to health care providers and improve access to health care for local Medicaid recipients.

But the legislation needs the support of all 50 Democrats in the Senate to pass. Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on Dec. 19 announced he would not support the measure, The Associated Press reported. While officials in D.C. are currently trying to reach a compromise, Manchins opposition could doom the legislation.

Plan to proceed

The governor earlier this week said she was hopeful Biden and Democrats in Congress would find a way to squeeze the legislation through. Even with the possible loss of $347 million for the hospital, construction will proceed, she said.

The plan to build a hospital moves on, the financing authorization is there through the Legislature, so well just have to look at other capital market investment funds to make it happen, she said.

The Guam Economic Development Authority is authorized to issue up to $600 million in bonds to fund the hospital, under financing legislation passed and signed in October. The administration is still looking for more funding through federal agencies such as the Department of Defense and Department of the Interior, Leon Guerrero said.

Additionally, there still is about $200 million in American Rescue Plan funds the governor will set aside for the hospital. While the administration is working with the U.S. Treasury to determine if the construction of a medical campus is allowable using the money, no final guidance has been issued as of Tuesday, Leon Guerrero said.

There were no plans to change how $570 million in American Rescue Plan money for Guam will be used, she said.

The public knows how those monies are going to be spent. And were on our way to implementing a lot of those programs and projects, the governor said.
The Northern Marianas reported 122 new COVID-19 cases Dec. 27-28, bringing the total to 3,085 cases. The CNMIs COVID-19 death toll is now 13.
The Department of Public Health and Social Services Division of Senior Citizens at the University Castle Mall in Mangilao Sept. 29, 2021.
Robert Underwood is the former president of the University of Guam and Guams former delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives.




Haiti - Christmas and New year : Traditional message from Lesly Conde





On this Friday, December 24, 2021, the eve of Christmas Day, which for the second year comes with severe restrictions, Lesly Conde, Former Consul General of Haiti in Chicago (2004-2018) delivered, as every year, his traditional message of reflection to all Haitians, which we invite you to read ...



Message from Lesly Conde :



"Dear compatriots and friends everywhere,



Here we are at the end of a year 2021 strewn with challenges of all kinds. Our patience, endurance and optimism have been severely tested. Even if fear and uncertainty are still part of our daily lives, even if sadness and disappointment have punctuated our moments, we are indeed together today, and it is with a heart filled with love and emotions various that I wish you a Merry Christmas in prudence and discretion. At the same time, I wish you a happy new year 2022. As it will not come without its own challenges, I also wish you all the courage and all the discernment you will need to make it a success.



For the second year in a row, the celebration of Christmas is accompanied by severe restrictions which drastically alter the gregarious nature of this long-awaited event. I strongly advise you all to strictly apply the health instructions that are dictated to you. The main thing is to get through this difficult moment in human history.



However, we must not lose sight of the original meaning of this Christmas celebration. It is the day when all Christians all over the world celebrate the coming into the world of the son of God. As we celebrate the most important day in the Christian world, we must above all focus on the symbolism of the circumstances in which the Savior of mankind has come among us. Christmas is the birth of the only son of God who brought us a powerful message of love and humility. The Christmas spirit encourages us to love our neighbor, and most importantly, to reach out to those in need of help. The world would be a lot better if this Christmas spirit could last all year round.



In closing, I urge you once again to be cautious and in moderation, while wishing you a Merry Christmas in Peace and Security.



Lesly Conde"/I>



Other messages from Lesly Conde 2021 :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35270-haiti-vertieres-218th-traditional-message-by-lesly-conde.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35015-haiti-social-215th-of-the-death-of-jj-dessalines-message-from-lesly-conde.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34787-haiti-social-263rd-anniversary-of-the-birth-of-emperor-jean-jacques-dessalines.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34481-haiti-history-230th-anniversary-of-the-bois-caiman-congress.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34081-haiti-social-father-s-day-message-from-lesly-conde.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33847-haiti-social-message-from-lesly-conde-on-the-occasion-of-haitian-mother-s-day.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33748-haiti-218th-flag-day-message-from-lesly-conde.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33421-haiti-218th-death-of-toussaint-louverture-message-from-lesly-conde.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-33187-icihaiti-women-s-day-message-from-lesly-conde.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-32668-haiti217th-independence-message-of-reflection-from-lesly-conde.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2021/12/23 | Source

Actors Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung, and Park Hae-joon were cast in director Kim Sung-soo's new film "Spring in Seoul".

Advertisement

On the 23rd, production company Hi-MediaCorp announced that it will crank-in in February next year, announcing the casting news of "Spring in Seoul".

"Spring in Seoul" is a work based on actual events that shook modern and contemporary Korean history in the late 1970s.

Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung, who worked with director Kim Sung-soo in "Asura: The City of Madness", once again join forces with the completeness of the scenario and faith in Kim Sung-soo. Park Hae-joon, who is showing unique acting across movies, dramas, genres and characters, is also joining the cast.

The three actors are expected to show different intensity and acting in "Spring in Seoul".

"Spring in Seoul" is scheduled to be cranked in February 2022.
Published on 2021/12/23 | Source

Korean movie "Good Person" is available to order on DVD with English subtitles from YESASIA.

"Good Person" (2020)

Directed by Jung Wook-II

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With Kim Tae-hoon, Lee Hyo-je, Kim Hyun-jung-V, Kim Jong-goo, Park Chae-eun, Joel Lee,...

Synopsis

A wallet is stolen from high school teacher Kyeong-seok's class, and Se-ik, his student, is identified as the culprit. Kyeong-seok calls Se-ik and tells him to tell the truth because he will believe whatever he says. Se-ik finds it unfair, saying it's definitely not true. That night, Kyeong-seok's daughter, Yoon-hee, who was brought to school, got into a car accident.

Once again, Se-ik is pointed out as the culprit...

Everything faltered at the moment of doubt, between doubt and faith is a good man.

Release date in Korea : 2021/09/09

DVD with English subtitles

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Dr. Radford leaves legacy of lives saved, research to fight cancer

Dr. James Radford

Everyone hopes that when they reach the end of our career, they can look back and say theyve accomplished their goals.

Dr. James Radford, an oncologist at Pardee Cancer Center, had two goals going into his profession: to never be bored and to leave thinking he had done something that wouldnt have been done or done as well if he had not been there.

As he prepares to retire from a remarkable career, there is no doubt that he can check these boxes. Radford touched the lives of many people through his compassionate care and the development of the cancer research program at Pardee, which has given thousands of patients access to a large number of national and international clinical trials of new cancer therapies.

During Radfords second year of college, his mother was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Though her treatment went well, her diagnosis came before medical oncology was a specialty and before families had someone available to answer their questions, provide other treatment options, or help patients learn how to deal with such a difficult life event. That experience made Radford want to be that person for others.

After studying medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, he completed a residency in oncology and pursued a fellowship in hematology at the University of Iowa. He began his medical career in academic medicine, serving on the faculty at both Wake Forest University and the University of Minnesota. When he made the decision to pursue another field of medicine, he chose to be closer to his family in Western North Carolina and moved to Hendersonville.

Once in Hendersonville and practicing with Pardee, Radford developed Pardees Cancer Research Program and has remained the principal investigator for more than 22 years.

It seemed like an obligation to the community, he said. Establishing this program was the one thing that I could do besides treating my individual patients, it was the one thing I could do to help move the field forward for my kids and grandkids and everyone else.

The clinical trials programs at Pardee, through which patients are able to access a large number of national and international clinical trials of new cancer therapies, began in 1999 with only Radford and one research nurse, Karen Morris. Morris ultimately became the Cancer Research Coordinator for the program. Theyve since grown the program to four researchers while maintaining 50 to 55 open studies continuously since the programs inception.

Under Radfords leadership and membership in the Southeast Clinical Oncology Research program, Pardees Cancer Research Program has allowed people in Henderson County and the surrounding areas to be enrolled in clinical studies among 20+ community cancer centers across the southeast. Typically, clinical trials at larger metropolitan hospitals were limited only to people with very complex cases. The reality was that these larger medical centers also needed access to patients with less complex cases  a stage two breast cancer, for example. Radford saw an opportunity in that he and his team had access to a large base of patients that scientists at other centers needed for clinical trials. With Radford's encouragement and guidance, Pardee was able to become a part of a cooperative cancer research group where major medical centers banded together to write clinical trials requiring more patients than any individual program would have.

By participating in this cooperative research group, and later becoming a community clinical oncology program, patients benefit because they are able to participate in a clinical trial out of UCLA, for example, without traveling to do so. Likewise, the UCLA trial that needed 5,000 patients can now complete their research in two years instead of 20 years, with the addition of community cancer centers like Pardee joining the larger pool of hospitals.

In 2009, Radford was honored for his research with the David King Community Clinical Scientist Award through the Association of Community Cancer Centers. Its one of his most cherished honors because Radfords goal all along was to make sure he made some difference on this earth. Though he will say that he only made a difference in hundreds of little ways, not in big ways, his patients and colleagues believe otherwise. Radford has been voted one of North Carolinas Best Doctors for Medical Oncology and Hematology every year since 2005 and has made the list of Best Doctors in America nine times.

I am grateful to Dr. Radford for his innovation and leadership over the years and his work that has truly transformed cancer care for Henderson County, said Jay Kirby, president and CEO, Pardee UNC Health Care. He is beloved by his patients and admired by his colleagues at Pardee. He is going to be greatly missed, but he will leave knowing he has made an impact on our ability to connect our patients to clinical trials and further cancer research. I am thankful for his dedication to this community and wish him all the best in his retirement.

Radford has left an incredibly valuable legacy in Western North Carolina. Through his work over more than two decades, thousands of patients have recovered from cancer and lives have been saved. My patients are often kind enough to tell me, Im so glad you were my doctor, Radford said. Theyre telling me that I made a difference that I dont think someone else would have made and thats the real accomplishment in my career.



Radford is thankful for his time serving this community and grateful for the ways he has been able to move cancer research forward and foster relationships with his patients over the years. I will miss that moment when I walk into a patients room and say Hey, welcome back. How are things?





Radfords last day with Pardee is Dec. 31. He said he looks forward to fishing and spending time with his wife, Heidi, and their three children.
Autonomous freight trucking company Embark will make Houston the hub for its new Texas operations and launch an autonomous trucking route along Interstate 10 to San Antonio.

The San Francisco-based company this month said it will begin hiring aggressively in Houston at the start of 2022 as the company begins to expand across the southern U.S., said Stephen Houghton, chief operations and fleet officer at Embark.

Texas is the center of America's trucking industry, and its the perfect home for Embarks expanded operations. Were excited by the talent and entrepreneurial spirit that Houston has to offer, he said.

Texas has recently become the primary testing ground for autonomous trucking companies working to put driverless big rigs on the nations highways over the next decade. Two major companies  Aurora and Waymo Via Trucking  have launched driverless truck test routes along I-45 between Dallas and Houston, though neither company has driven the route without a human in the trucks cab. Those two companies have based their Texas operations in the Dallas area.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How I-45 between Houston and Dallas became nation's premier test track for driverless big rigs

Texas for years has sought to lure autonomous driving companies. The Texas Legislature passed laws in 2017 allowing autonomous vehicles to operate on Texas roads without drivers, and the U.S. Department of Transportation named the state one of 10 proving grounds for autonomous vehicle testing.

In previous interviews, officials with both Waymo Via Trucking and Aurora said Texas was an obvious choice to test their technology thanks to the favorable regulations, relatively mild weather, major population centers and vast stretches of monotonous highways.

Officials with Embark said Houston will prove to be at the nexus of the industrys development and growth because it sits at the center of a 600-mile stretch of highways that human drivers cant complete in a day because of regulations limiting the number of hours they can drive. While it usually takes a human driver about 22 hours to complete, autonomous trucks could do it in about 12 hours, Embark officials said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Self-driving trucks from Googles Waymo to deliver UPS freight from Dallas to Houston

The region is also home to research institutions that have been studying autonomous vehicles for years, with Embark officials citing Texas A&M Universitys work in the field. A cornerstone of its Texas operations will be an extensive partnership with Texas A&M University, Houghton said. Embark will use the universitys Engineering Experiment Station test track to pilot its technologies, and company engineers will work with the universitys mechanical engineering faculty and Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor Systems, or CANVASS, to prepare for a driverless trucking test program in 2023.

Srikanth Saripalli, CANVASS director, said the partnership will help the university further develop its private-public partnerships and will help the state continue to lead in bringing autonomous vehicles to local roads.

Our faculty and students will have the unique opportunity to apply theory to the real world by working together with Embark on engineering projects, he said.

shelby.webb@chron.com
The law firm Thompson & Horton LLP has represented Spring Branch ISD in multiple legal matters since 2005.

While Thompson & Horton were originally representing SBISD in the Voting Rights Act lawsuit that Virginia Elizondo filed against the district and its trustees, the firm announced earlier this month that it would be withdrawing as counsel on the case.

Astros star helps spread holiday cheer: Alex Bregman teams up with Lilys Toy Box to give out toys to every Thornwood Elementary student

All I can really say is that Thompson & Horton requested to withdraw because we believe it to be in the best interest of the school district, said lead attorney Chris Gilbert. And that we believe the issues in the lawsuit are too important for the focus to be on who is legal counsel as opposed to the lawsuit itself.

Gilbert would not give more details, citing attorney-client privilege.

The only statement from the district expressed similar ideas, saying, On December 3, 2021, Thompson & Horton informed the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees of their desire to withdraw as counsel in Elizondo v. SBISD. Thompson & Horton believes this request is in the districts best interests. The firm also believes the issues surrounding this lawsuit are very important and should be the focus of the community rather than who is legal counsel. SBISD is grateful to Thompson & Horton for their legal representation and their integrity in ensuring SBISDs interests are best represented.

As of Dec. 22, the district had not announced new counsel.

Elizondos lawsuit, which was filed by attorney Barry Abrams of Blank Rome LLP with the U.S. District Courts Southern District of Texas, Houston Division on June 18, claims that the districts at-large voting system violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by diluting the voting power of minorities and is trying to get the court to force SBISD to adopt a single-member district voting system.

The legal response, which was filed by Gilbert on Aug. 20, says that the defendants expressly deny that the Districts election system violates that Voting Rights Act or has denied minority voters any right protected by the Voting Rights Act.

Letters to Santa: Meadow Wood Elementary students reach out to the jolly guy at the North Pole

In the current at-large system, everybody in the district votes for each trustee.

In a single-member system, the district would be divided up into sections, with only people from that section eligible to vote for the trustee from that section.

The case is ongoing with no clear timetable for when it might be tried and decided.

elliott.lapin@hearst.com
New toys, clothes and good conversation brought holiday cheer to children and police officers during Missouri Citys Shop with a Cop event on Saturday, Dec. 18.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Months after a stroke, Braeswood-area man thanks Memorial Hermann Southwest for his full recovery

Eighteen Missouri City and Fort Bend ISD officers paired with around 50 middle school students for shopping sprees at Target. Sergeant Russell DOench with the Missouri City Police Department said the event began in the city around 14 or 15 years ago. Part of a national movement, it works to provide children with gifts during the holidays and build relationships with children and families.

DOench said the Missouri City program started to bridge the gap between individuals and families who might not readily engage with police officers and show them that there is a different side to law enforcement than what is often shown on TV.

He said it lets both children and parents become familiar with the police, become familiar with the badge, kind of humanizing the badge, and makes people feel comfortable in our presence. That way, children who are in trouble or need help will be less hesitant or afraid to tell a police officer.

In the past while on patrol, DOench would stop to eat at a restaurant and overhear a parent tell their child that he would put them in jail if they misbehaved. But he said he always politely corrected the parent that he wasnt there for that, in order to break down that image.

The police department tries to interact with community members in programs throughout the year, such as school speaking events, Police Explorers and a food drive. DOench said he strives to create remember when moments for people that they would look back on a police event years later and remember seeing officers loving what they were doing and having fun.

The Missouri City Police Department teams up with Fort Bend ISD Police Department for Shop with a Cop because the campus officers also need to build relationships with students and families.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Give a pet a break: Fort Bend County dogs and cats ready to be fostered for the holidays

The children with Shop with a Cop came from around eight schools. Counselors asked teachers to nominate students based on those could use some extra assistance during the holidays. A few of the students were nominated because they had shown great behavior in school or would assist other students.

They went above and beyond to help their classmates, so some of those kids were also chosen, DOench said.

Since Shop with a Cop targets middle school children, Missouri City police officers and fire fighters worked together for Blue Santa that allowed elementary children to shop for toys at the police station.

A lot of the funding for Shop with a Cop came from a grant from Target. The Missouri City event has received the grant for several years. Sugar Land nonprofit Sole Loved provided shoes and socks for the children. Other sponsors included Horizon Baptist Church and landscaping business JSB & Associates.

Each child had a $125 gift card to spend how they chose. It could be on toys; it could be on clothes. If their total went a little over, the officers were ready with gift cards to help cover the difference. Also, the children picked out a special gift for someone in their lives who was meaningful to them.

DOench said each year, officers email him ahead of the event, wanting to participate. Once a sign-up list is posted, it usually fills up in about an hour.

As the officers shopped with the children, they tried to leave the conversation open. Topics ranged anywhere from the family pet to school to holiday plans. Once the shopping was complete, most of the children wanted a picture with the new friend they had found in a police officer.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Fort Bend County Judge KP George self-isolates after positive COVID-19 test

DOench said he hopes the children go home or to school and tell family members, friends or classmates about the positive experience they had.

Well, its all about relationships, he said. And its all about communication and being approachable. And this is just one of many events that we do to keep that going and create more of that atmosphere.

tracy.maness@hcnonline.com
With the new dominant Omicron strain spreading swiftly across Texas, area leaders are asking constituents to resume practicing all pandemic safety protocols.

Emergency officials and health experts are recommending all individuals above the age of five get vaccinated.

Missouri City released the following guidelines  which can be used across the region  while urging residents to celebrate the holidays safely:

Wear a face mask.

Watch your distance.

Wash your hands.

The CDC made the following recommendations:

Get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can.

Avoid large crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.

Get tested to prevent spreading the virus.

Fort Bend and Harris counties have reported an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, with Harris County recording a death associated with the Omicron variant, Missouri City said in an update.

Harris County has subsequently raised its threat level to orange. The omicron variant is highly transmissible with a greater reinfection rate, MCTX said.

Booster shots have been shown to increase protection against infection, said Dr. Joe Anzaldua, the citys medical doctor and health authority. Researchers are broadly optimistic that if fully vaccinated, (including booster), this will blunt severe disease and death due to Omicron.

Whether you need a first dose or a booster shot, COVID-19 vaccinations are available at the following sites, many of which accept walk-ins.

Harris County  https://bit.ly/32aqol5

Fort Bend County  https://bit.ly/3FkTz2T

Memorial Hermann  https://bit.ly/3eboTW0

Houston Methodist  https://bit.ly/3J7OYDC

Glenn Lakes Pharmacy  https://bit.ly/3yLLIsW

CVS Pharmacies  https://bit.ly/3so86ax

Walgreens Pharmacies  https://bit.ly/3FioFbn

H-E-B Pharmacies  https://bit.ly/3q9AOJm

Kroger Pharmacies  https://bit.ly/3yPg3qD

Walmart Pharmacies  https://bit.ly/3J8TDVX

Low or no-cost COVID-19 tests are available at the following testing sites:

Harris County  https://bit.ly/3mr0sbL

Fort Bend County  https://bit.ly/3J5AeFk

CVS Pharmacies  https://bit.ly/3qeAjhi

Walgreens Pharmacies  https://bit.ly/3pgASrw

Quest Diagnostics  https://bit.ly/3mnWII0

U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services  https://bit.ly/3EhlgbQ

For more information, visit the Citys Emergency Management website, www.missouricityready.com.

juhi.varma@hcnonline.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  The driver of a tractor trailer has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in a crash that killed a North Carolina police officer investigating a crash on Interstate 85, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police announced Thursday.

Daniel Morgan, 50, failed to move left to an open lane or slow the Volvo VNL early Wednesday and it struck four police vehicles, a semi-truck and Officer Mia Goodwin, police said in a news release.
ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  Authorities in southern Kansas are investigating after a man was shot to death at a fishing lake.

The Cowley County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call just after 6 p.m. Wednesday reporting a shooting at Cowley State Fishing Lake. After a search of nearly two hours, deputies found 37-year-old Joel Leon-Santos of Arkansas City, who had been shot. The coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed emergency legislation to tweak New Mexico's new law on medical malpractice to head off a possible loss of insurance coverage for some health care providers.

Lujan Grisham's office said she signed the legislation Wednesday and appreciated that the Legislature acted on the issue during a recent special session on redistricting and pandemic relief.
An Atlanta rapper recently showed Houston why he's called the "Money Man."

The rapper and YouTube sensation whose real name is Tysen Jay Bolding, 35, dropped by a local City Gear Thursday morning and bought out the complete apparel and shoe store for Houston kids.

He announced it on Twitter showing stacks of shoe boxes and flashing loads of cash.

The clothes and shoes will be distributed at a drive at Bar 5015 Friday, he said on his Instagram page, to "all the single moms and all the parents who need shoes for the kids."

In a second video, a store employee is heard saying that they had to break his order down in increments because he spent too much money,  "40 racks," which is equivalent to $40,000  and because the register was going too slow.

"They broke a record," the employee said. "We ain't never had anyone do this before."

"This is what it's all about," wrote one Twitter user under profile @dave20190. "Some them kids needed them shoes. Now they get to feel fly and look fly and feel good. Mad respect."

Money Man is a known crypotcurrency investor and became the first artist to receive an artist advance payment completely in Bitcoin, according to Complex. He recently dropped an album called "Blockchain," which is an ode to cryptocurrency.

CRYPTO COME UP: Houston-area brothers donate $150,000 in HBCU scholarships, foundations using cryptocurrency profits
Venezuelan cookbooks call the hallaca the queen of the Christmas food and December celebrations.

But for immigrants from the South American country, the hallaca symbolizes the flavor of the Venezuelan homeland that they long for and celebrate in December with a special party to prepare the elaborate dish. Its popularity has grown in Houston and other parts of Texas and the United States with the increasing flow of Venezuelan immigrants in recent years.

If you have to explain to a person who doesnt know what is a hallaca, the closest reference that most people understand here would be the Mexican tamal, said chef Joel Eliaz, owner of the Venezuelan restaurant Tuttopane Bakery & Cafe in Katy.

More from Olivia P. Tallet: Houston's biggest Tex-Mex restaurateurs are behind one of the city's most effective Latino nonprofits

However, Eliaz hurried to clarify that comparing hallacas to tamales is like wounding Venezuelans patriotic love. He explained that, technically, the hallaca (pronounced ah-ya-ka) is a pastel of cornmeal dough stuffed with a guiso or stew prepared with a mixture of meats, usually beef, chicken, and pork. The pastel is then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.

Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Technicalities aside, the hallaca is the food that best represents the melting pot that is the Venezuelan culture, he said. Its origin is traced to a combination of indigenous, African and Spanish ingredients that merged during Spanish colonial times.

The hallaca is like an exemplary compendium of the process of miscegenation, or cultural mixture, in the southern country, said the late Venezuelan writer and historian Arturo Uslar Pietri in his essay, The hallaca as a history manual.

With some variations by region, the recipe includes raisin and olive from the Romans and Greeks, caper and almond from the Arabs, meat from the cattle industry brought by Spaniards to the Americas, and the corn and banana leaf used by local native Americans and adopted by African slaves, he said. It is believed that the initial hallacas, or their immediate predecessor, were made by slaves adding leftovers from their owners kitchens to their regular cooked meals.

It is a very laborious plate to prepare, but it tastes like tradition, like family from back home and here with us, it tastes like celebration, said Eliaz, whose restaurant specializes in Venezuelan food.

Party with meaning

In a red brick house in Katy, an area that locals call Katy-zuela because of its large population of immigrants from Venezuela, Cesar Saldivia begins each December by planning the hallacazo, as Venezuelans call the annual party to make hallacas.

The Venezuela native and his wife, Krista, who is from Michigan, met in college and moved to Katy in 2009. Shortly afterward, they began hosting annual hallacazos at their home. Before the pandemic, they would have gatherings of as many as 50 people including extended family and friends at their house.

On a recent Friday, the Saldivias prepare the guiso, the filling that Venezuelans cook the day before the party.

In Venezuela, this stew is usually a family affair. Its cooked by gramma or the elder woman in the family and the recipe is passed from generation to generation, said Lisbeth Canga, a former Venezuelan journalist who co-owns a studio production business in Houston.

The next day, Canga and her husband, Humberto Tancredi, are among those in attendance at the Saldivias party. Around 15 people begin taking roles to make the pastels in a sort of assembly line.

Some women in the kitchen prepare and wash banana leaves cut in rectangles. Others knead the cornmeal with hen broth to make the dough. You have to get the right consistency until it doesnt stick to your hands, said Bruna Colosio Collazo, as she busily tends to her task. The Brazilian is married to Venezuelan Alex Collazo, both friends of the hosts.

Then, people take positions around a table and in the kitchen. Some make balls with the dough and crush them on the banana leaves, which are passed to others who fill them with stew and wrapping. Men frequently handle the last step, tying and boiling the hallacas.

The whole process is accompanied by drinks and music. By the end of the day, some 30 people were singing gaitas, aguinaldos y parrandas, the typical musical genres that Venezuelans play during the December holidays. They had made 130 hallacas and everyone left the Saldivars party taking home a bag with a few of them, as is customary.

More from Olivia P. Tallet: LULAC drops use of 'Latinx' as term for Hispanics, considering it 'non-inclusive'

Families fill their freezers with hallacas from different hallacazos and eat them during December for dinner and often for breakfast.

On Christmas Eve, hallacas are the centerpiece of the meal served with ham bread, pork roast and chicken salad. A similar menu is repeated for New Years Eve.

My wife is gringa but she loves our culture, said Cesar Saldivia.

Yes, said Krista. We have combined cultures in our family, and we believe that its not right to prioritize one culture over the other, she said.

Josie Lepe, FRE / Special to the Chronicle

On Christmas Eve, Krista said, they have a fun party a la Venezuelan with the typical food. But on the 25th, we quiet down and share our turkey just with family, with our two kids, and ham and mashed potatoes and green beans.

A couple of decades ago, there werent Venezuelan restaurants in Houston or typical ingredients to prepare food from that country. But now, there are more than a dozen eateries serving Venezuelan food in Houston. Ingredients for hallacas can be found in many supermarkets catering to this community, although sometimes they may be harder to find during December with the increasing demand.

At the table, the hallaca is worshiped like no other Venezuelan dish.

For Venezuelan immigrants, unwrapping a hallaca is like opening your heart to the nostalgia of your country, your family and friends you left behind, said Canga, who has written about this dish.

The hallaca is delicious, but its meaning goes beyond food, Canga said. Cooking it with family and friends is to fill it with love; its a holiday gift that we (Venezuelans) bring wherever we migrate.

olivia.tallet@chron.com

Twitter.com/oliviaptallet
Ever since she was a high school junior, Manasvi Perisetty knew she wanted to be a computer engineer. So when her acceptance letter came last month from University of Texas Cockrell School of Engineering, Manasvi shouldve been ecstatic. Instead, her anxiety stirred. Her familys pending green card application means she might be forced to move back to India before graduating college.

I have a lot of negative thoughts, she told the editorial board. Its not healthy.

Manasvi moved to Houston with her parents from southern India when she was 3, as a dependent on her fathers long-term work visa. Now 18, she and her family are still waiting for a green card that would allow them to live and work here permanently. Manasvi is allowed to stay in the country as part of her parents visa application, but on her 21st birthday she will age out of her parents application and will be forced to self-deport to India.

The uncertainty clouds Manasvis otherwise typical American teenage life. Senioritis is hardly an option when she has to spend an extra three hours at the bank getting her college residency affidavit notarized. Her mornings are preoccupied by anxious scanning of news articles about the dim prospects for federal immigration legislation.

I grew up here, this is my home, Im very much as American as everyone else, Manasvi said. Going back to India, I just dont think I would survive as well. My parents would have to stay here. It would be me by myself going to a place that Ive only lived a year or two of my life.

Skilled Indian workers such as Manasvis father, an engineer at Intel, currently make up 75 percent of the roughly 1.2 million immigrants waiting for an employment-based green card, with some Indians facing a waiting period of up to 84 years. Around a quarter of those applicants are documented dreamers such as Manasvi, dependents of visa holders who eventually will age out of their place in line. For every new green card made available, two petitions are added to the line. By 2030, the already insurmountable backlog is expected to double.

Immigration law allows 140,000 employment-based green cards every year  spouses and children count against the cap  but only 7 percent of those can go to individuals from a single country annually. If the number of people sponsored from a single country is greater than 7 percent annually, they are placed in the backlog and not considered until a visa becomes available. There is no good reason why these caps remain in place. The limits are arbitrary and inherently unfair  a vestige of an immigration system that historically gave preference to European migrants  with no regard for the size of country or demand for visas. A Norwegian national, for instance, will wait a much shorter period for a green card than the 74,000 Indian and 23,000 Chinese individuals mired in immigration purgatory.

Calling for comprehensive immigration reform has been the familiar refrain of this editorial board for years. In a perfect world, a wholesale revamp of our immigration laws would include aligning the federal supply of green cards with the demand for permanent residency among temporary workers. Getting rid of per-country immigration caps for employment-based visas would break the logjam of applicants, to the great benefit of our national economy. Alas, while such bills exist, there is virtually no momentum for a bipartisan grand bargain to move these policies forward.

A more politically feasible solution would be for Congress to simply recirculate old permission slips. In some years, the number of green cards issued in family- and employment-based visa categories fell below the per-country caps. A provision of the U.S. Citizenship Act, a comprehensive reform bill proposed by President Biden on his first day of office, would recapture nearly 1 million of these unused family- and employment-based green cards dating back to 1992 and make them immediately available to individuals in the backlog. The Niskanen Center estimates that passing that provision alone would contribute $815 billion to the national gross domestic product over the next decade.

While Congressional Democrats attempted to shoehorn green card recapture into the $1.8 trillion Build Back Better bill, the Senate parliamentarian rejected all immigration provisions in the bill last week. With the future of Build Back Better now in doubt, Congress may look to break up the omnibus legislation into smaller bills that can gain broad support. Green card recapture has historically attracted Republican votes  the first successful green card recapture was a Republican-sponsored bill  with even John Cornyn, Texas senior senator, indicating months ago that hed support a standalone bill. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, introduced a bill in September that would recapture a smaller number of unused visas from 2020 through 2021, opening a potential pathway for compromise legislation with Democrats.

Recapturing old green cards is hardly a panacea for legal immigration. The backlog will still exist, and per country caps will remain in place until Congress decides to do something about them. But it would be a tremendous help for the thousands of immigrants who have built a life here, paying taxes and contributing to the economy despite having limited upward mobility in the workforce and few labor rights. These individuals have gone through the system the right way and filed their petitions for permanent residency, only to become casualties of Congress decades-long failure to overhaul our immigration system. Its time we did right by them.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has shown us how American politics is supposed to work. Hes being tarred and feathered by the far left for spoiling its effort to shove a transformative single-party bill down a divided nations throat. But Manchin represents the will of most of the country. While individual items in the Build Back Better may appear popular, polls show a public increasingly nervous about Washingtons spending and its impact on inflation. These moderates represent a demographic both the current president and his predecessor seemed to ignore.

Despite President Trumps claim to be an outsider and dealmaker, and all of President Bidens talk about unity in his inaugural address, both took turns trying to box out the other party, largely to the countrys detriment. Manchin has now called out that derisive impulse by throwing cold water on the Democrats plans to pass the massive social policy and climate bill all by themselves. Manchin may be a pariah to some, but that courage suggests that he has illuminated the way forward.

We can wonder why both presidents so quickly abandoned the collaborative politics Manchin exemplifies and instead reverted to the partisan norm. Perhaps theyd never intended to reach across the aisle, and they simply knew raising the flag polled well in national contests. Perhaps they simply succumbed to pressure from their partisan allies in Congress. But, in the end, the reasons matter less than the impact. Trumps tenure shook the electorates faith in the core of our democracy. If Biden continues on the same trajectory  if he fails to learn the lesson Manchin is teaching  he will leave the country as angry and divided as Trump left it one year ago. We must do better.

In part, that means we as citizens need to put more pressure on our individual members of Congress. Trumps ability to do bipartisan tax reform (as opposed to the single-party bill that ultimately passed in 2017) was likely stymied by Republicans on Capitol Hill who would have argued at the time that, because the GOP controlled both houses of Congress, he was squandering an opportunity to press their conservative advantage. By the same token, I am quite sure that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer would have bristled if President Biden had chosen to reach across the aisle and negotiate with Republicans from the outset on Build Back Better and they frankly didnt seem interested in real negotiations with Manchin.

But if Congress is an obstacle, neither president should be let off the hook. We need our commanders-in-chief to display the mettle that defines true leadership. Thats what both men promised to do during their campaigns. And to the degree that they have failed to follow through, we should call them out.

I will admit to being surprised by Bidens decision to steer away from the bipartisan path to Build Back Better. When I met him personally in 1980, he made a real impression. I was taken with his soaring rhetoric about working across the aisle. America used to boast leaders who maintained strong ties with their counterparts in the other party. But we cant ignore the reality. President Truman left office less popular than he might have had he done what was good for the Democratic Party. Instead, Truman worked with staunch Republicans on a containment policy toward the Soviet Union that many Democrats at the time opposed.

Bob Dole, a war hero and distinguished Senate leader who died this month, was a committed Republican, but was the driving force behind the landmark bipartisan Americans With Disabilities Act, and blunted the worst impulses of the right-wing Republican Revolution in Congress in 1995, working to end a government shutdown.

The problem today is that the pull to the extremes in evidence on Capitol Hill so frequently overpowers the desire for collaboration around the country. When voters consistently cast ballots for candidates who promise to break the country out of the insipid push for tribal partisanship, and then those candidates fail to follow through, the public is bound to lose faith in government. And yet, here we are, again.

Some of our leaders  figures like Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who revived talks with the White House on infrastructure this year after earlier talks failed, and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), the only House Democrat to oppose BBB  understand whats at stake. But to restore our democracy, more of our leaders need not only to pay lip service to bipartisanship, but to put bipartisanship on display in earnest. Americas problems are solvable, but not by either party on its own. We need figures in Washington who are willing, capable, and committed to working across the aisle. Beyond paying lip service to bipartisanship, we need real leadership in the Oval Office.
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Hudson, NY (12534)

Today

Cloudy with periods of snow after midnight. Low around 25F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. About one inch of snow expected..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of snow after midnight. Low around 25F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. About one inch of snow expected.
Dennis Labonte hands over his spatula to Brittany Lillie, putting her in charge of the American Legion Post 125's annual community Christmas dinner. Labonte's been working the dinner since 1955. Labonte was also given a special spatula. Brittany Lillie and her fiance, CJ Hazel, will be running this year's Be Our Guest Dinner. PreviousNext

Longtime American Legion Cook Passes on the Spatula



Post Cmdr. Michell Keil presents Dennis Labonte with a certificate of appreciation. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. American Legion Post 125 held a special celebration last week to honor Dennis Labonte, who after 38 years of cooking the annual Be Our Guest Dinner is passing on his duties to a new generation

"We have some good people here to come and take over, and I know they will do a great job," Labonte said.

The Be Our Guest Dinner is a free dinner Post 125 hosts every Dec. 25 for veterans and community members together who may not have a place to go on Christmas Day.

During the ceremony, Labonte ritualistically handed over his trusty spatula to Brittany Lillie and her fiance, CJ Hazel. Both have worked extensively in the food industry.

Lillie, past commander Dennis St. Pierre's granddaughter, has been around the community dinner her entire life.

"Every Christmas before we went to see our families we would always come here first to see Dennis," Lillie said. "This will be a different side of such an important tradition."

Hazel, a man of few words, already had his mind on the menu.

"Ham, glazed carrots, stuffing, mashed potatoes," Hazel said aloud running through a mental list as he scoped out the kitchen.

Lillie said Hazel will do the lion's share of the cooking and she plans to take on more of a "sidekick" role.

Commander Mitch Keil gave Labonte a certificate of appreciation as well as a spatula adorned with a plaque noting his service to the community.

Keil said Labonte has been cooking up Christmas dinner since 1955.

"We want to thank you for your dedication and honor you," he said.

Labonte didn't deny he was getting older and that spending so many hours on his feet just wasn't possible anymore. He was thankful for the support he had received in the kitchen over the years and was happy to be able to feed so many people in the community.

And after giving up his Christmas Day for so many years to volunteer, Labonte still plans to dine at the Legion this holiday to lend a hand.

"I will miss the people," he said. "But I will still be here on Christmas Day."
The Covid-19 pandemic has had tremendous and swift effects on workplace culture. And the year 2021 had the global lockdown and travel bans upend assumptions about the nature of work and corporate interactions.

In the past year, people have discovered that they dont have to be in an office, that they can get most things done remotely. They do not need to commute to work. Others have gone from jet-set to home-bound with little effect on their business.

In short, it taught us many trends and how work can be done, efficiently and effectively without having to implement the typical work structure. Here's a list of changes we saw at workplace cultures across the world in the year 2021.

1) Working from home

In the past couple of years, the competition for talent has been fiercer than ever. At the same time, some groups of talent are less willing to relocate to their employers locations than they had been in the past. As organisations reconstruct how they work and identify what can be done remotely, they can make decisions about which roles must be carried out in person, and to what degree.

File

For instance, Apple declared that its employees wont be returning to offices in February as previously slated due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, according to Bloombergs Mark Gurman. Further, the company has announced that it would be giving all of its employees $1,000 as a bonus that can be used for their work-from-home needs.



2) Technology upgradation

Previously, for example, organisations may have generated ideas by convening a meeting, brainstorming on a physical or digital whiteboard, and assigning someone to refine the resulting ideas. A new process may include a period of asynchronous brainstorming on a digital channel and incorporating ideas from across the organisation, followed by a multi-hour period of debate and refinement on an open videoconference.

Google

Organisations should also reflect on their values and culture and on the interactions, practices, and rituals that promote that culture. A company that focuses on developing talent, for example, should ask whether the small moments of mentorship that happen in an office can continue spontaneously in a digital world. Other practices could be reconstructed and strengthened so that the organisation creates and sustains the community and culture it seeks.



3) 4-day work week

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies across the globe experimented with a four-day workweek, but the pattern gained steady popularity when the world shifted to work from home.

Recently, United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become the first country in the world to implement four and a half-day working week for government employees. This plan will be implemented from January 1, 2022, as reported by state news agency WAM on December 7. This plan is in contrast to the global five days working week, with Mondays to Thursdays, the new working period will be from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, and on Fridays, it's from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Representational Image

Earlier, Spain, New Zealand, Japan and Ireland rolled out a 4-day work week schedule. Scotland and Iceland are among the countries that are experimenting the 4-day workweek trial.



4) Expanded data collection

Gartner analysis shows that 16% of employers are using technologies more frequently to monitor their employees through methods such as virtual clocking in and out, tracking work computer usage, and monitoring employee emails or internal communications/chat. While some companies track productivity, others monitor employee engagement and well-being to better understand employee experience.

Even before the pandemic, organisations were increasingly using nontraditional employee monitoring tools, but that HR trend will be accelerated by new monitoring of remote workers and the collection of employee health and safety data.

5) Expanded employer's role

The pandemic has increased the trend of employers playing an expanded role in their employees financial, physical and mental well-being. Support includes enhanced sick leave, financial assistance, adjusted hours of operation and child care provisions. Some organisations supported the community by, for instance, shifting operations to manufacturing goods or providing services to help combat the pandemic and offering community relief funds and free community services.

Shutterstock

The current economic crisis has also pushed the bounds of how employers view the employee experience. Personal factors rather than external factors take precedence over what matters for organisations and employees alike. Employing such measures can be an effective way to promote physical health and improve the emotional well-being of employees.



6) Humanization of employees

If not all, many orrganisations have recognized the humanitarian crisis of the pandemic and prioritized the well-being of employees as people over employees as workers. Companies were deliberate in the approach they took and mindful of the effects on employee experience, which will be long-lasting. The discussion became about addressing inequities if remote and engaging task workers in team culture and creating a culture of inclusiveness.

Conclusion

As employers around the world experiment with bringing their employees back to offices, the leadership must act now to ensure that when they return, workplaces are both productive and safe.

Organisations must also use this moment to break from the inertia of the past by dispensing with suboptimal old habits and systems. A well-planned return to offices can use this moment to reinvent their role and create a better experience for talent, improve collaboration and productivity, and reduce costs.That kind of change will require transformational thinking grounded in facts. Ultimately, the aim of this reinvention will be what good companies have always wanted: a safe environment where people can enjoy their work, collaborate with their colleagues, and achieve the objectives of their organisations.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.
Do you wanna taste your TV? Japan has invented a lickable screen to imitate food flavours.

Developed by a Japanese professor and called "Taste the TV (TTTV)", the device was developed to recreate the taste of a particular food. For germaphobes like me, this is a complete nightmare. But for people who find hard to control their cravings, just creating a sensory imitation of that taste may quell over consumption.

The Guardian

World's first lickable food experience

The creator, Homei Miyashita, from Meiji University in Tokyo claims that the lickable film is hygienic. Using TTTV, a user chooses from a carousel of 10 flavour canisters to create the taste of a particular food item. Then, the viewer can simply lick it off the screen.

Miyashita told The Guardian that this can help enhance the way people connect with each other in the era of Covid-19.

Also read: Japanese Scientists Create Vaccine To Reverse Ageing And Old Age-Related Diseases

The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home, he said.

All this sounds good, but we have serious concerns with the lickable screens and whether it would be counterproductive.

unsplash

What does it cost?

The TTTV prototype was made by Miyashita in collaboration with 30 students who produced a series of flavour-related devices. They've also made a fork that makes food taste richer. Now that's an invention we can get behind.

The TTTV prototype was built over this year and its commercial version would cost about $874.57 (100,000 yen). According to Miyashita, it may be used for distant learning and for tasting games and quizzes.

iStock

Also read: Japan's Fighting Loneliness With 'Alter Ego Robots' For People With Social Anxiety



Would you want a taste-mimicking screen of your own? Share with us in the comments below. For more in the world of tech and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

Citation

Reporter, G. S. (2021b, December 24). Taste the TV: Japan invents lickable screen to imitate food flavours. The Guardian.
A former deep-sea treasure hunter is still languishing in jail six years after refusing to reveal the location of 500 missing gold coins discovered in a historic shipwreck.

Tommy Thompson was held in contempt of court on December 15, 2015, for not disclosing the whereabouts of the coins, and has been behind bars ever since. He is also incurring a daily fine of $1,000, the Associated Press reported.



AP

Thompson's case dates back to the historic shipwreck of the S.S. Central America, also known as the Ship of Gold, in 1988. The gold rush-era ship sank in a hurricane off South Carolina in 1857 with thousands of pounds of gold aboard.



Thompson has continuously refused to cooperate with authorities attempting to locate the coins despite an investors lawsuit and a federal court order according to court records, prosecutors and the judge who held him in contempt.



AP

"He creates a patent for a submarine, but he can't remember where he put the loot," federal Judge Algenon Marbley said during a hearing in 2017, as per Newsweek.



But Thompson claims that he has already revealed all that he knows about the missing coins.

"Your honour, I don't know if we've gone over this road before or not, but I don't know the whereabouts of the gold," Thompson said during an October 2020 hearing when asked about the location of the coins. "I feel like I don't have the keys to my freedom."

AP

Federal law generally limits jail time for contempt of court to 18 months. But a federal appeals court in 2019 rejected Thompsons argument that that law applies to him, saying his refusal violates conditions of a plea agreement.



After technology problems cancelled Thompson's latest virtual hearing last week federal Judge Algenon Marbley scheduled a new hearing for Jan. 7.

For more from trending stories, click here.


Kate Winslet will be ready in a sec. Im just going to put some more eyedrops on my stye, she says.

Blame her intense crime drama Mare of Easttown, one of the TV hits of the pandemic. It was quite a stressful job, and about nine weeks in I got three styes in my left eye, the third of which turned into a solid little marble and had to be cut out. But I pushed on. On with the show!

In it, she plays DS Mare Sheehan, who is raising her grandson, coping with her sons suicide, and trying to solve the murder of a young mother in a working-class Philadelphia suburb. All without makeup: Mare is more likely to reach for a Cheeto topped with a squirt of spray cheese than anything in the Max Factor range.

The discussion about how Mare looked blew my mind, says Winslet. The 46-year-old actor is speaking by phone from the West Sussex home she shares with her husband, Ned Abel Smith, and their seven-year-old son Bear, as well as her two children from previous marriages: 21-year-old Mia by her first husband, Jim Threapleton, and 17-year-old Joe by her second, the director Sam Mendes.

People were asking, Did she gain weight? Didnt she look frumpy? Wasnt that brave of her? But why should that be brave? I suppose because its not how leading actresses are represented. Maybe Mare will be the tipping point, and were going to stop scrutinising women on screen quite so much.

Kate Winslet in Mare of Easttown

Realism extended to every corner of the show.

We were always saying on set: Thats too TV. Keep it real'. Id constantly be rubbing Marmite into the knees of my jeans, or scuffing up my sneakers with a Brillo pad. You cant just make one thing feel real: it has to be everything.

Take Mares car. She would have been driving her grandson to and from kindergarten, feeding him breakfast on the fly. I know what the floor in the back of my own car looks like  theres crushed cereal, with bowls and spoons clinking around, because weve had breakfast on the school run. Youre sitting on crumbs which are so embedded in the seat it would take a fucking blowtorch to get them out!

Kate Winslet, winner of the award for outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie for "Mare of Easttown" poses at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Picture: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

This is Winslets shtick: she may be a seven-time Oscar nominee (she won in 2008 for the Holocaust drama The Reader) and a double Emmy-winner (for two HBO shows, Mildred Pierce and now Mare of Easttown) but she remains the star whos a slob like us. Its a persona that chimes perfectly with Mare  Winslet intervened to ensure that publicity pictures werent airbrushed to make her look more presentable  as well as with our times.

Mare is how most of us felt through lockdown, she says. She validated the permanent pyjama look.

Contagion starring Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Jennifer Ehle, Laurence Fishburne, Elliott Gould, John Hawkes, Jude Law, Demetri Martin, Gwynneth Paltrow  and Kate Winslet

Inadvertently or otherwise, Winslet became almost the face of the pandemic. As reports of coronavirus spread at the start of last year, her 2011 disaster movie Contagion, in which she plays an epidemiologist, shot to the top of the streaming charts. Three months later, she and several Contagion co-stars, including Matt Damon and Marion Cotillard, presented public information videos. Winslet became a kind of Covid Vera Lynn, jollying people along by teaching us how to wash our hands, cough into the crooks of our arms, and deploy the word fomite correctly.

ate Winslet as Mary Anning, Saoirse Ronan as Charlotte Murchison in Ammonite. Picture: PA Photo/ Courtesy of Lionsgate UK/See-Saw Films

That brooding stillness is hard for me because Im a joyful, busy, active, huggy person During the interminable third lockdown, she gave two outstanding performances: first as the 19th-century palaeontologist Mary Anning in Ammonite , and then in Mare of Easttown. Both characters force Winslet to play against her natural warmth: its more than an hour into Ammonite before Mary smiles, while Mare doesnt laugh until episode five. I took some of what I learned on Ammonite into Mare, she says. That brooding stillness. Its hard for me because Im a joyful, busy, active, huggy person. Thats who I am.

Kate Winslet in Ammonite

The scripts for Mare of Easttown arrived one by one while she and Saoirse Ronan were shooting Ammonite on the Dorset coast. Id say: Oh my God, episode five just came in, then Saoirse would go  and here Winslet slips into her co-stars breathless Irish lilt  Jesus fooking Christ, this is so exciting, youve gotta tell me what happens!

Audiences turned out to be every bit as enthusiastic. It came along just as people badly needed something to discuss other than who they knew who had died from Covid. It put families on couches, and there was a nostalgic quality to the one-episode-a-week format. It gets conversation going while youre waiting for the next one.

Winslets own fondest TV memories from growing up in Reading, Berkshire, revolve around exactly those kinds of cliffhangers. Youd desperately want to know what would happen to Zammo next on Grange Hill, or to the Fowlers in EastEnders.

Is she a binger now? Covid has taught me how to binge. In more ways than one. But yes, Ned and I watched Ted Lasso pretty much back-to-back. Covid made you not feel so bad about hanging out on the couch.

Kate Winslet in Wonder Wheel (2017)

It would be wrong to suggest that Mare of Easttown has catered simply to a nostalgia for delayed gratification when there is so much else to praise it for, not least its female characters.

Middle-aged women have long been underestimated, disrespected and disregarded in the film and television community, and now thats changing, she says.

Look at the actresses who won at the Emmys. None of us were in our 20s by any means, and thats cool! I feel way cooler as a 40-something actress than I ever imagined I would.

She also felt a deeper connection between herself and the character than she has done on previous jobs: I knew Mare and this world vividly. I grew up in a tiny terraced house in a working-class, small-town community where your life overlaps with your neighbours lives just because the walls are so thin. If Lorraine down the road had her varicose veins done, the entire world knew. And if, for the first time ever, the couple two streets across voted Conservative instead of Labour then  bloody hell!  all shit went off in our house, and my parents would be debating whether they ought to talk to those people about their choices. This wasnt a teeny-tiny cul-de-sac. It was the Oxford Road. If I was standing in my parents bedroom, I could be eye-to-eye with the people on the top deck of the No 17 bus.

The Mountain Between Us with Kate Winslet as Alex Martin. Picture: PA Photo/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/New Regency/Kimberly French

Winslet is proud of Mare of Easttowns focus on community; the whodunnit element may be the motor, but its the milieu that makes the show feel so salty and rich. There is also far less emphasis on damaged female bodies than audiences have come to expect from crime drama. Youre right, we did show less, she says. In the morgue scene, we had a dummy that was an exact replica of the actresss body and we were even respectful of that. Between takes we would cover the dummy with a sheet.

For all the shows sensitivity, its vision of the police as uniformly caring, conscientious and true feels antiquated in light of the murders of George Floyd and Sarah Everard, to choose only the most shocking recent examples of police criminality. Shouldnt television reflect the fact that the police badge is not necessarily a reassuring or honourable symbol?

I dont know if Im going to be playing Mare again, Winslet says. But if we were to do a second season, then for sure these atrocities which have existed in the police force here and in America will find their way into the stories we tell. One hundred per cent. You cant pretend these things havent happened.

She sighs. Its horrible, isnt it? This moment in time. Its horrific. You can hear me, I cant quite find the words because we all feel so betrayed and powerless. We have to turn this moment into something meaningful. We have to use our voices on behalf of people who dont have one. That matters to me now in ways that hadnt even crossed my mind in my 20s.

Leonardo De Caprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic

Possibly, she had other things to think about. Her 20s began, after all, with Titanic. Do you know Leo just turned 47? she asks, suddenly shocked. Then her voice grows wistful as she thinks back to herself and DiCaprio as pups. I turned 21 on that shoot, and Leo turned 22, she says.

I tell her that when I met DiCaprio back then, he complained to me about Titanics arduous production and how miserable he felt. She lets out a raucous laugh. I remember! I remember that he was! It wasnt pleasant for any of us, but we were all in it together. Though he had way more days off than I ever bloody did. I guess I was raised to be grateful and just get on with it. I didnt feel it was my right to be miserable, and if I was miserable I certainly would not have let a journalist know. She is laughing again. There is no way I would have let that slip!

Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio in Revolutionary Road

She and DiCaprio later played a troubled married couple in Revolutionary Road and met again in Los Angeles recently for the first time in three years. I couldnt stop crying, says Winslet. Ive known him for half my life! Its not as if Ive found myself in New York or hes been in London and theres been a chance to have dinner or grab a coffee and a catchup. We havent been able to leave our countries. Like so many friendships globally, weve missed each other because of Covid. Hes my friend, my really close friend. Were bonded for life.

Were she sitting in front of me now, I get the impression she might appear to have something in her eye. Or perhaps it would just be the drops.

 The Guardian
Sam Atwell: "It's hard to put into words just how much I love Ireland"

Sam Atwell saw Ireland as the "home of writing", and it was this that attracted the Home and Away actor and writer here initially.

Now, eight years later, having witnessed not one but two referendums, Ireland feels very much like home; and Dublin City, where he lives, feels as intimate as a "village".

Originally from Brisbane, Australia, and having lived in Indonesia from the age of six months to when he was six years old, Sam studied acting which led to a three-week stint on Home and Away, which turned into a 13-year relationship with the show where he acted, wrote, and directed.

But in 2013, it was time to see the rest of the world.

"I always thought of Ireland as the home of writing, and that is what always attracted me," says Sam, who, unbeknownst to his 2013 self, would go on to work with many Irish actors and writers.

"I came over here on a holiday in 2013, and through a family connection I ended up meeting Brigie de Courcy ( Fair City executive producer)," explains Sam. "They needed a multi-camera director and I had done that back in Oz."

Having taken a holiday here in 2013, he returned to Ireland in 2014 for work and took up a job in Fair City. He has since worked as their script producer before moving on to work in animation in Ireland, and now he's back in RTE.

I now work for RTE as a development executive helping to commission and develop their new dramas  so from the idea stage to being on screen," he said.

" Hidden Assets with Angeline Ball is the first show I got to work on, and I am so happy with how well that's been received.

"And outside of my own work, I've loved the stuff coming out on stage and screen. Emmet Kirwan's Dublin Oldschool (2018) was life-changing, and RIOT by ThisIsPopBaby (2016), the feeling and the movement behind that piece of theatre was just incredible. I recently watched Damien Dempsey's film ( Love Yourself Today, 2021), what a story of grace, beauty, and friendship."

How can a 30-something adult from a different hemisphere step into a totally foreign land and find not only home, but a sense of connection to its culture?

It turns out that Ireland actually ran in Sam's DNA.

"When I came to Dublin, I just fell in love, and we looked into it, and both my parents are very Irish," he says.

"My dad's great grandmother left the west of Ireland, a lot of the family went to America and some went to Australia. And on my mum's side they're from Kerry.

When my parents come over they're like private detectives trying to work out the ancestry, and they just love it."

But it wasn't actually his ancestors that made Ireland feel like home, but his now-partner Kitty Maguire whom he met after a few years in Ireland.

"Ireland became home quite quickly after I moved here, but meeting Kitty cemented it," says Sam. "When we moved in together it really felt like home."

And if he has had a front-row seat to the arts, he has also gotten to see Ireland pass through seismic social change since he's been here.

"I've been really lucky in the time I've been here  there's been such social change in terms of the marriage referendum and the abortion referendum," says Sam.

I've been really proud of Ireland while I've been here."

Despite nearly a decade in Ireland, he has only made it home to Australia twice for Christmas.

"We do the traditional ham and turkey here," he says.

"At home, we do that too, but usually on the barbecue served with buckets of prawns, and sometimes we exchange presents on the beach.

"Christmas day in Ireland lasts longer, in Australia you're eating hot food in a hot environment, so you tend to get a bit sleepy, but here we power on into the night battling it out playing board games.

It's nice being here, because growing up, we were watching [Christmas] movies that centred around cosy houses with steamed windows and snow, but you're on the beach swimming and sweating.

"I love a sunburnt Christmas, but I do love it over here at Christmas too."

But it's not just Christmas and the arts that he loves about Ireland, it's the "kindness" too.

"There's such a kindness here," he says.

"People are so generous and caring. It's hard to put into words just how much I love Ireland  and the love affair just grows stronger and stronger, and my parents love it too, so I hope they can travel back here again soon.".

Shoaib Karimi: I believe that Ireland will be a home for my children

Shoaib Karimi

This will be Shoaib Karimi's first Christmas in Ireland. In August, the 33-year-old fled his homeland of Afghanistan with his then-pregnant wife. Between fleeing the city of Herat for Kabul, and trying to find a safe passage out of Afghanistan, the young couple lost their much-wanted baby.

For now, Mosney, the direct provision centre for refugees in Co Meath, is their home.

In Afghanistan, Shoaib worked for a global human rights organisation, Centre for Civilians in Conflict, following the completion of a law degree, and his wife was the IT manager at Afghanistan's National Environmental Protection Agency.

They left Afghanistan with just the clothes in their bag, leaving behind elderly parents whom they cared for and a sister who relied on Shoaib after a marriage break-up.

The couple arrived at their new home in Ireland on August 26.

"After Herat collapsed on July 31, my wife and I fled to Kabul through the support of the UN and my employer," explains Shoaib.

"Then Kabul collapsed on August 15.

I knocked on every door to support us. My employer was asking many countries for support, and other countries did not respond positively.

"But on August 17, we found out the Irish Government accepted us as programme refugees.

"We were so glad to have a path to escape our country."

But having official documents to Ireland did not mean they had a clear pathway to the airport in Kabul, as it was "impossible" to get to the capital city's airport with the Taliban takeover.

Shoaib Karimi

Finally, on August 26, leaving their family and lives behind, the couple boarded a Dutch military plane bound for Islamabad where they would take a civilian flight to Dubai, then on to Amsterdam, and eventually to Dublin.

"My wife and I are very grateful for the support the Irish Government and Irish people have given us," says Shoaib.

I can't find any words to thank you for the warm welcome you have given Afghan refugees. I will never forget the mercy and protection you provided us. Ireland was the first country to say 'yes' to us."

Now in Ireland, they're officially refugees, meaning they have to start their lives from ground zero and access housing, education, and the labour market.

"I would like to find a house and be integrated as soon as possible," says Shoaib.

"I spend my days in Mosney improving my English in an online class that's provided by the centre, and I got the learner permit for driving.

"I'm engaging with the primary issues of life here while I have a glance at my future career. I'm looking to start work in my field of experience to support my costs and further my studies."

His professional experience and education are shared by most of the Afghan people who fled here.

It's not only my wife and I, but most of all other Afghans who have come to Ireland under the IRPP [International Refugee Protection Programme] are educated and skilful, and were mostly employees of the Afghan government and international NGOs," explains Shoaib.

Work and livelihood aside, his biggest concern is getting his loved ones out of Afghanistan safely, especially his niece who worked as a TV presenter in Herat, as female journalists are particularly under threat.

And what will life be like in Mosney for Christmas?

"We don't know how we should join in this celebration," he said.

Some people design their home with lights and we have Christmas trees at the centre  it would be a good idea if someone came and celebrated it with us.

"We know that it is a cultural event, we don't know how to celebrate it, we just know it's a holiday on December 25, and then some other holidays come until January."

What he does know for sure is that Ireland is his new and permanent home; and for that, he is extremely grateful.

"I believe that Ireland will be a home for my children," says Shoaib.

Ireland has provided me protection and security, so it's home for me, of course it is our home.

"I would like to say thank you to the great nation of Ireland."

Cristina O'Connor: "I don't worry about my friends' kids getting shot in school here"

Cristina O'Connor

While some people fantasise about pursuing the American dream, this woman swapped California for Cork.

Cristina O'Connor, is originally from the Bay Area in California, but since 2012, Cork has been her permanent home  a year in UCC and the love of a Corkman being the main reasons for her transatlantic move.

"I came here originally in 2001 for a study abroad year at UCC just after I turned 20," says Cristina.

"I met a Corkman in a pub in the summer of 2002 just a few weeks before I moved back home to the States.

The end-of-year romance turned serious, with the couple marrying a few years later, and a move to the US ensued.

"He then moved to the US for five years, and we came back here in 2012 when I was 30," says Cristina.

Affordability and quality of life were the main drivers behind a very informed decision to make not only Ireland, but Cork, their home.

We chose to come back to Cork because at the time houses were much more affordable here than where we were living in the States, the general cost of living is less, and you get a lot more leisure time," she says.

"At home, the standard holiday time, if you get any, is two weeks per year, and we wanted the opportunity to have more time off for travelling and that sort of thing.

"We stay in Ireland for many reasons. For my husband, it is, of course, his home  but additionally neither one of us can imagine going back to the US and the culture of working all the time with very little time to relax or enjoy life."

Another major reason to make a permanent move to Ireland was healthcare and gun crime.

I also feel like I have fewer things to worry about here  for example, I don't worry that I will owe half a million euro if I end up spending a week in the hospital, and I don't worry about my friends' kids getting shot in school here, although I worry about the children of my friends back in the US all the time," she says.

So what is the thing about Ireland that makes it hospitable for her?

"I notice that Ireland seems to be a relatively sane corner of the world these days, and I hope it remains that way," she says.

"Don't get me wrong  it is not without its problems and conflicts and is by no means perfect, but I don't see the same drastic divide in society that exists back home in the US.

"Politicians aren't saying that climate change or the housing crisis or Covid aren't real  they certainly disagree on how to address these and other issues, and they certainly might not address issues effectively, but they aren't denying that the issues exist in the first place. Nobody is trying to overturn referendum results."

For Americans, Thanksgiving is the big celebration at the end of November, as is Christmas, with many Irish people reared on movies centred around the American Christmas, with the likes of Home Alone and the Griswold family of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Is Cristina's Christmas complete with trimmings, crafting, neighbourly competitions over lights, log fires, and freshly picked pine trees?

"Christmas is a quiet day in our house, even in a 'normal' year," says Cristina.

It's usually just the husband and I, and our cat.

"We crack open a bottle of something bubbly when we get up, and spend the day watching movies, and we make ourselves a nice steak dinner and apple pie."

Sarah Nascimento: "I must be Irish, otherwise I don't belong anywhere"

Sarah Nascimento

When Sarah Nascimento arrived here from Brazil in 2013, she thought she'd be here for a year.

Eight years later, she's hiked every major mountain in Ireland, including Kerry's Carrauntoohill; navigated her way into the corporate tech world; and also gotten married.

"I left Brazil when I was 23, saying to everyone I'd be back in a year," she says.

"I had a student visa that allowed for six months of study and six months of work, that was eight years ago."

When her first visa expired, a permanent return to Brazil did not feel like the right move. She wanted to continue her English studies and move into a professional career too, so Sarah decided to stay another year in Ireland.

But by the end of the second year, a permanent move home still didn't feel right.

"So then the second year came, and I said: 'The Brazilian life isn't something I want anymore', so I decided to fight the good fight and stay," she says.

Sarah came to the decision when she was "on holidays at home" in Brazil.

You change after you live in a different country, you start figuring out who you are without all the biases you grew up with," she explains.

But a decision to make a go of life in Ireland, came with navigating both the corporate and the property ladder.

Sarah moved from English classes to undertaking a bachelor's degree in marketing. This led her into the tech world, working as a customer success manager in a multinational company. In 2017, she founded Brazilian Professional Network Ireland.

"I wanted people to exchange information, and I wanted to inspire and motivate people so everyone could see that it was possible to get a professional job here," says Sarah.

"It might be difficult, but what's important is the psychology behind finding the opportunity," she adds.

Opportunity is something she specifically identifies as a trait of Ireland.

"I feel you have a lot more opportunities to be who you are," she says.

Ireland is very welcoming regardless of where you're coming from, people are curious to know your story and how has your experience been. It's easy to strike up a conversation.

"Sometimes it's hard to get the jokes because some are very specific to here and there is a degree of sarcasm."

Sarah says she found the same welcoming atmosphere in the work environment too.

"People have always been friendly and willing to explain, even what my rights are here and how the system works," she adds.

Another place she has integrated with is the Irish pub, especially at Christmas.

"I've done the '12 pubs', which is a very Irish thing, but I've never managed to do the whole 12," admits Sarah, who has spent many Christmasses and new years in Ireland.

Another part of her Irish Christmas experience is visiting the lights on Henry St and Grafton St, and especially this year, as she will be out of Ireland on Christmas Day, and it's not because she'll be in Brazil.

"This year is exceptional as I got married, and we are going to Germany to my husband's family," she explains.

He is more part of Sarah's pandemic story, rather than her Irish story.

"We met just before the pandemic and we became serious in the pandemic," she says.

"My partner is German and he loves hiking, and he was like: 'OK, let's go for a hike'. It was my first time, I had never gone up a mountain prior to 2020, but now hiking is my hobby," says Sarah, and it's made her love Ireland even more.

So does she feel Irish or Brazilian or both?

"I do feel Irish to a certain extent, and I don't feel Brazilian anymore so I must be Irish, otherwise I don't belong anywhere".

Sarah is on LinkedIn here.

Justyna Mikolajczyk: If you are hard-working and you have a dream you can make it here

Justyna Mikolajczyk

Justyna Mikolajczyk will be 15 years in Ireland this February, and she might be spending this Christmas in the Rotunda Hospital.

"I'm pregnant now, and due on January 1, but I think the baby will come sooner," she says.

It will be her second child, having already had her son here in 2013, so Ireland has long been home, even though that wasn't the original plan.

"I came to Ireland with my boyfriend at the time," she says.

"I was taking a break from my studies, and I said: 'I'll come for a year and make money, study English and then get back to my studies in Poland'.

A year later we were supposed to be back in Poland, and we weren't, and the next year again and we weren't. We got jobs and we started meeting people from all over the world and I just felt so welcome here."

After four years in Ireland, she and her boyfriend decided to get married, which they did in the Polish embassy  and four years after that she gave birth to her first child.

"We didn't have a plan to stay, we were just living our lives, even now we are still renting," explains Justyna. "But we feel very welcome here and when we are back from Poland, we feel at home here."

But one set of roots she has put down is her business ones  as a Zumba dance teacher, and as a Zumba Jammer. She is the only Zumba Jammer in Ireland, meaning she leads training for other Zumba teachers already qualified here.

Zumba has been a major part of her Irish story. She had been working in retail while she undertook a fitness course and began a job in a gym. One day she saw "this girl moving amazingly" and wanted to know what the dance was. She undertook Zumba training and began teaching it after that.

But it was after the birth of her son that she moved into it full-time, and she's now Ireland's best-known Zumba teacher.

"People think I'm the Polish celebrity," says Justyna, who's grateful for the opportunity Ireland gave her to pursue her "dream".

"I think Zumba is the main part of my life here, it was my dream," says Justyna.

"If you are hard-working and you have a dream you can make it here.

I'm from a small city and I don't think I'd have gone as far or as big had I stayed at home."

But home is now Ireland  Dublin City Centre to be exact, a stone's throw from the spire.

And how will she celebrate Christmas, in the event that she is not in the Rotunda Hospital giving birth?

"Christmas we will spend at home, it's more Polish," she says.

We will celebrate it totally traditionally Polish. We will eat on December 24, we will have Polish dumplings, lots of fish, cabbage with mushrooms, and Santa also comes on December 24.

"We then go to church at midnight if it's open, and if it's not, we will go on the morning of December 25, and then on the second and third day we'll meet our friends," says Justyna, who doesn't ordinarily spend Christmas here.

"This will be our second Christmas in Ireland, the first one was last year because of Covid," she explains.

After 15 years in Ireland, what has she noticed about Irish people and life here that's different to Poland?

"We are very similar, but you are more open, you accept that people are different, I came here without English and that was totally fine," says Justyna.

Irish people are very friendly and are always very helpful. Everyone I know here is friendly and welcoming, it's easier to live here and to do whatever you love.

"And it's the same with my husband  he's opened his own business as a carpenter and he's never not busy."

Justyna is on Instagram.

Esther-Ayo James: "By my teens, I knew what they were talking about when they were talking about Fr Ted"

Esther-Ayo James, 27, moved from Nigeria to Cork when she was aged seven.

She remembers her mum togging her out in red and white to see the men's senior hurling team arrive at Mallow train station.

"My mum is one of the most amazing people I know," she says.

She was insistent on us integrating. She took us to the train station to welcome the team and she dressed us up in red  it was such a buzz."

"My mum is very community-oriented, she was in the Tidy Towns - she's that kind of person."

The biggest difference between Ireland and Nigeria for seven-year-old Esther was school, and the temperature difference.

"In Nigerian schools, they do this end-of-year ceremony and you see where everyone comes in the class. There was a thing of striving to do very well. Then when we moved here, and I was driven as a result," she explains.

When she came here first she was initially started in second class, but quickly moved to third, such was the standard of her Nigerian education.

However, it being 2001, and only the start of immigration here, there wasn't a lot of diversity in her school.

"We were the only black kids in the whole school, and that was different, especially because we had African accents," she says.

But there was never anything that was going to take us down. If you'd go home and tell my mum things she was just like: 'You know who you are.'

"But it was really interesting trying to navigate the intricacies and nuances of being different, and people trying to make you feel different."

By her teenage years, "Ireland felt like home", and Esther also had citizenship by then, as well as a grasp of our in-jokes.

"By my teens, I knew what they were talking about when they were talking about Fr Ted," she says.

'Wait, wait, I can do this bit...'

But at 18 years of age, Esther couldn't wait to leave Ireland.

"I wanted to leave Ireland and go anywhere and do anything," she says.

"I went to college in Scotland. I knew what the feeling of going away from somewhere was like, the knowledge that the world is so much bigger, and I wanted to explore that as well.

"My parents always stayed in Ireland, and after college, I had the postgraduate anxiety of: 'I don't know what I should do with my life'.

I needed to be home and feel safe, I remember ringing home and telling my mum I felt all over the place, and she just said: 'Come home '. That has been the best decision."

At 27, Esther has her sights on acting while working as a carer in Dublin, but she will return home to Cork for Christmas, where they'll have a traditional Irish day  except for the food.

"Our Christmas is pretty much like any Irish family would have it, except we'd have Nigerian food like jollof rice, fried rice, gizdodo, fried yam  it would be celebration food, not celebration food that's specific for Christmas," explains Esther.

But Christmas here is very different to her early experiences of Christmas back in Nigeria.

"Christmas is like a festival, and nobody has to be stuck in the house," she says.

"My first Christmas here, I was like: 'Where are all the people?' That's one of the things that stuck with me.

In Nigeria, neighbours pop into each other's homes, there's music everywhere, the bells of the churches are going, the gongs of the mosques are going and it's just such a buzz."

"That's the biggest difference between Nigerian and Irish Christmases, the quietness," she adds.
In an exclusive message received by The Irish Examiner from Mr Claus this evening, he is urging all the children of Ireland to get tucked up in bed if they havent already.

Santa has delivered over three billion gifts to parts of the world where its already been nighttime, including Australia, Asia, Eastern Europe and parts of Africa.
Having hit the headlines at a difficult time earlier this year, Nadim Hussain will end 2021 on a much more positive note having been granted permission to remain in Ireland.

The 34-year-old Cork resident had begun a hunger strike in October of this year after he was told he had been denied refugee status and potentially faced deportation.

But, this month, he got the good news hed been hoping for.

Its a big relief, he told the Irish Examiner.

I have to say thanks to the Government, thank you to the TDs and the community groups that helped me. I am very happy.

During the pandemic, Mr Hussain  who is originally from India  worked as a hospital security guard while living in direct provision.

He came to Ireland three years ago and says he feared he would be killed if he was deported to India. He said both of his parents were killed in anti-Muslim riots in West Bengal in 2018.

Mr Hussain said that he had been confident in submitting his documentation that he would be granted leave to remain, but in September he received a letter from the International Protection Appeal Tribunal (IPat) which affirmed a recommendation that he should be refused a declaration as a refugee and subsidiary protection status.

Nadim Hussain On day six of his hunger strike in October.

On October 13, he began a hunger strike and appealed to those in power to grant him refugee status.

I did it because they sent me that refusal letter, he said.

It was not correct. I had given them everything, all the documentation.

In the early hours of October 22, Mr Hussain was admitted to hospital before eventually ending his hunger strike after receiving assurances from the Department of Justice that he would not be deported.

He returned to his shared room at the direct provision centre, feeling very weak and very sad because of the accommodation he was returning to.

However, things are now looking up after he received confirmation that he would be issued an Irish Residence Permit (IRP).

He is currently waiting for an appointment to receive an IRP, go through the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service system, and hopes to move out of direct provision and into rented accommodation in the new year.

Its a big relief, he said.

Im not illegal anymore. Thats where the happiness is for me. I can work freely.

Mr Hussain still works in security at present and is looking forward to giving his life a kickstart once he is able to move out of direct provision.

He is among thousands who could do the same in 2022 after the Department of Justice recently announced an amnesty scheme that will see a large number of people given the chance to apply to remain and reside in the State while regularising their residency status.

The new scheme will apply to the estimated 17,000 undocumented persons in the State, and applicants can include people with expired student permissions, people living in direct provision, and people with an existing deportation order if they meet the minimum requirements.

Mr Hussain added: The Connolly Youth Movement have said theyll help me to try find rented accommodation. This is a very personal moment for me. Its life-changing.

I will do anything for this country. Cork is my family. Its my family. Happy Christmas.
A request has gone out across social media to track down a couple who got engaged on the grounds of St Fin Barre's Cathedral early on Thursday morning.

Marian O Tuama is looking to track down the couple to give them a unique gift as she "accidentally" captured the moment on camera.
Time and again throughout history, perpetrators of injustice have absolved themselves and justified miserliness and inaction by blaming the victim.

Amid allegations of African culpability for the Omicron outbreak and complaints from the global north about vaccine hesitancy and low take-up in the global south, 2021 has seen this shameful story being told anew.

However, the new variant is not Africas fault. Responsibility starts with the governments of wealthy nations that stockpiled hundreds of millions of vaccine doses and that, even when warned about the failure to vaccinate more vulnerable parts of the world, did too little as the virus mutated.

It is not Africas wariness about vaccines that is the decisive problem. It is a lack of African access to them.

Of course, anti-vaxxers sow havoc everywhere, but the more accurate picture I have, from my visits to various places in Africa and Asia, is of the mother and her family who walk miles, queue for hours, even wait for days for vaccines to be delivered, because she knows from her experience of polio, diphtheria, and tuberculosis that the best chance of her family surviving is getting the shots into their arms.

Her determination  her faith in the power of medicine to save lives  is a moral summons to respond. However, the latest outbreak also reminds us of a practical imperative: if we fail her, we also fail our own families and communities by allowing the virus free rein to mutate and return to haunt even fully vaccinated people.

With the World Health Organization (WHO) forecasting 200m more cases by next September  and potentially another 5m preventable deaths  the grim truth remains that until no one anywhere lives in fear, then everyone everywhere will have to live in fear.

Instead of lurching from Covid crisis to Covid crisis, we must resolve that 2022 will be the year when we finally bring the virus fully under control. Ours is not a fraught choice between boosters and vaccinating the world.

We are manufacturing enough vaccines  11.2bn doses already, 19.8bn by June  to immunise the whole world. However, it is an inescapable and unacceptable fact that, of the billions of doses of vaccine administered, only 0.6% ended up in low-income countries, while over 70% have been administered in high- and upper-middle-income countries.

Of tests, only 0.4% have been administered in low-income countries, and even basic medical equipment such as oxygen and oral therapeutics remain a luxury, let alone ventilators.

An estimated 500m people who are already poor are being pushed further into extreme poverty because of payments they have to incur for healthcare.

The pitifully low 4% full-vaccination rate for low-income countries and 8% rate in Africa are a grim reproach that we appear to value human life in the south far less and far more cheaply than in the north.

These inequalities are not just a medical failure but a moral lapse, a stain on our global soul.

The great global challenge of 2022 must be to wipe away that stain by finding the money to bridge the yawning divide between the worlds protected rich and unprotected poor  and in so doing end the indefensible but perennial underfunding of global health.

I know from my experience of the 2009 financial crisis, when the world economy was underpinned with 1trn of support that, in the words of Keynes about a previous emergency, anything we can actually do, we can afford.

People queue to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Lenasia South Hospital, near Johannesburg. Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Picture: AP Photo/ Shiraaz Mohamed

In the first weeks of 2022, we need to achieve for the world what Britain is attempting for its own citizens: To deploy every available nurse, enlist every available community health worker, provide every available test and treatment, commandeer every known distribution agency, and summon up the support of the military where necessary.

Its vital to show that, just as Coca-Cola can get to faraway places not listed on maps and Pfizer can deliver vaccines by drones, then so too must we get jabs into arms across communities that have never before known adult vaccinations.

The richest economies should immediately underwrite the urgent request for 20.7bn  which includes 1.3bn to finance the WHO  from ACT-Accelerator, the co-ordinating agency for vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

It may sound like a huge sum, but is more than 200 times smaller than the 4.7tn the IMF estimates will be the Covid- induced loss of economic output by 2026. The 20.7bn breaks down to just 10c a week to be paid by every citizen of the wealthier countries. It would not only save next Christmas, but would be the best investment the world could ever make. Surely making the difference between life and death is worth more than the price of the cheapest biscuit?

There are four potential sources of sustainable long-term funding to cover this 20.4bn, an additional 22.1bn to build in-country capacity to administer tests and treatments, and the 8.8bn required annually (as recommended by three independent reviews) to prepare for and prevent future pandemics. This could all be pledged at the vaccines conference to be recalled by the US president Joe Biden at the start of next year.

Firstly, the international community should agree a formula to share the costs fairly between countries in the same way that we fund UN peacekeeping, the IMF, and the World Bank; and in the 1960s levied countries to eliminate smallpox.

We can no longer rely on the ad-hoc, piecemeal lottery of global health funding, which is more akin to a whip-round at a charity fundraiser than a serious attempt to move beyond begging-bowl politics.

The purest public good of all  control of infectious disease  should be first on the list for a multilateral burden-sharing agreement to finance the WHO and global health, with the US and Europe each offering around 25% of the costs and the rest of the world contributing based on capacity to pay.

Secondly, we must rectify the profound failure of the global system that Covid has exposed. The WHO and those with the global remit to act have the least resources, while the IMF and the multilateral development banks command the most resources, without a specific mandate to act.

Another 8.7bn of World Bank resources, a new IMF vaccine facility, and 87.7bn of the new international money  special drawing rights  should be immediately deployed to build health systems in low-income countries.

Thirdly, we need to be more innovative by using guarantees from the global north to source the funds we need. Just 1.7bn of guarantees can be leveraged to create an international financial facility for health that, with 1.33bn of grants, could raise 8.7bn of additional resources for poorer countries.

Finally, we should consider how we can increase the proceeds from Unitaids solidarity levy. Since 2006 it has raised 1.1bn from hypothecating airline taxes to global health and, with big pharma now admitting it has not done enough, companies that will benefit from the resumption of trade should be asked to join with foundations in our mission to make Covid history.

Hope is resilient, but it is also fragile. Hope dies when countries hoard vaccines that others desperately need, when the richest fail to honour solemn promises made to the poor, and when we place profit before people.

However, hope can come alive in 2022, making what once seemed impossible possible. This will begin with first wealthy country, then two, then half a dozen, then all uniting together, resolving to stop the march of this lethal disease  not only to save lives, but to affirm we value all human lives equally.

By these acts of solidarity, thousands of mothers, like those I have met across Africa  who are today waiting to see whether a world that fell apart in 2020 and 2021 will come together in 2022  will discover, to their relief, that we do indeed feel the pain of others and that we do believe in something bigger than ourselves.

Gordon Brown is WHO ambassador for global health financing, and was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010.
Burma Myanmar Regime Persists With Long-Discredited Narrative of Suu Kyi the Traitor

Ousted State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in December 2019. / State Counselors Office

From the day Daw Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics in 1988, Myanmars military viewed her as an enemy who threatened their grip on power. As her popularity soared among opponents of its rule, the military began using every trick in the book to get rid of her. Its smear campaign included portraying her as a national traitor due to her marriage to a Briton despite being the daughter of national hero General Aung San, who led the countrys independence struggle, and as an untrustworthy figure who was too close to the West.

An editorial in the Dec. 16 issue of the militarys mouthpiece Myawady Daily bears testimony to the fact that the militarys stance has not changed over the past three decades.

The editorial begins by describing the British colonialists repressive rule in Myanmar, and their provision of arms to the assassins of Gen. Aung San and his fellow martyrs, going on to say that it was British rule that led to the multicolored insurgencies or internal conflicts in Myanmar. Whats more heartbreaking, it argues, is that the daughter of the independence hero who fought the colonialists ended up marrying a Briton, thereby robbing Myanmar of the progeny of its national hero.

It is an old narrative, promoted since 1988 by successive power-hungry military leaders including Senior General Saw Maung, Senior General Than Shwe and military spy chief General Khin Nyunt to drive a wedge between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the Myanmar people.

Under the rule of Snr-Gen Saw Maung, pro-military magazine Myat Khin Thit featured a cartoon in which two men appear with a photo of Gen. Aung San in the background. One says, If the general were still alive, he would be sad to have a foreign son-in-law. To which the other replies, Yes, hell never know about it [Daw Aung San Suu Kyis marriage] as hes gone now.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was just 43 when the military began trying to exploit her marriage to British national Michael Aris to discredit her; it continues to do so to this day, more than 20 years after her husbands death, with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi having reached the age of 76.

In August 1988, as she made her first-ever public speech to a mass rally at the western gate of Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said that although she was married to a foreigner and had spent most of her life abroad, those facts would never lessen the love and devotion she feels for her country.

Nonetheless, the military dictators used the marriage as an excuse to exclude Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from Myanmars politics. When Myanmar held a general election in 1990the first since the 1962 coupshe registered as a Lower House candidate. However, the National Unity Party, the successor to military dictator Ne Wins Burma Socialist Programme Party, filed a complaint with the electoral body over her candidacy, citing electoral laws that ban anyone with allegiance to, or entitlement to privileges from, a foreign power. She was barred from the poll.

At press conferences, military intelligence chief General Khin Nyunt often said military leaders viewed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as a sister. On the contrary, articles, songs, cartoons, films and theatrical performances that were highly defamatory of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi were published or aired almost daily in state-run media under the previous military regimesthe State Law and Order Restoration Council and its successor, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

Wife of kalar (a racial slur used for foreigners), traitor to the Burmese people and Buddhism, and traitor Suu Kyi are just some of the many offensive epithets the military has used against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in its propaganda campaign.

While Than Shwes regime was conducting its smear campaign through various media, it also placed her under house arrest three times for a total of 15 years between 1989 and 2010. It is widely believed that he orchestrated the Depayin Massacre, a violent attack on Daw Aung San Suu Kyis motorcade by government-backed thugs in Sagaing Regions Depayin (or Tabayin) in May 2003 in which scores of her supporters were killed.

In his book My Life Experience published in 2015, Khin Nyunt, who served as Secretary-1 of the SPDC at the time of the massacre, writes: Aung San Suu Kyi was campaigning in a long convoy from place to place, which was a concern for our government. When the convoy of Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Monywa from Mandalay, the SPDC chairman [U Than Shwe] summoned me and four or five other senior leaders and told us to stop the convoy by all means.

Out of xenophobia and in order to bar Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from the presidency, Than Shwe included a provision, the infamous Article 59 (f), in the constitution he designed and which was adopted in 2008. The article bars anyone from becoming president if their spouse, either of their parents or any of their children or their childrens spouses are citizens of a foreign country. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was thus barred from the presidency despite leading her National League for Democracy (NLD) to a landslide electoral victory in 2015.

While the NLD was in office between 2015 and 2020, the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion, a radical nationalist group known by its Burmese acronym Ma Ba Tha that had emerged under U Thein Seins quasi-civilian government, often accused the party of failing to protect the Burmese people and Buddhism.

Since seizing power in a coup on Feb. 1, military chief Min Aung Hlaings regime has filed 11 charges against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. She faces 102 years in prison if convicted on all counts. At the same time, the junta chief has, through regime-controlled media, followed in the footsteps of former military dictators and slandered the popular leader.

The military deserves praise for sheer persistence, if nothing else: It has kept up its efforts to slur Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for 33 years in a row. To gauge the effectivenessor lack thereofof this smear campaign, one need look no further than the NLDs sweeping electoral victories in the general elections of 1990, 2015 and 2020. Sadly, the military appears to be clinging to this failed strategy. It seems Min Aung Hlaing and his subordinates still do not understandor pretend not to understandthat the people have supported Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for more than 30 years not just because of her sacrifices for the country, but most importantly because of her goodwill toward and consideration for the people. Perhaps they do not understand it because goodwill toward the people is something they have never had. No wonder, then, that they continue barking at the moon!

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Guest Column Will India Serve as a Catalyst to Solve Myanmar Crisis?

Myanmar regime leader Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing (right) and Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla meet in Yangon on Thursday. / Cncds

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited neigboring Myanmar days after New Delhi said it was disturbed by the verdicts relating to ousted leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and others.

The Nobel laureate was handed a four-year prison sentence by a Myanmar court earlier this month, even as the junta regime continues with what international human rights groups and pro-democracy forces have called high-handed policies against former ruling party leaders. The sentence was later commuted to two years house arrest by military regime leader Min Aung Hlaing.

Shringla emphasized Indias interest in seeing Myanmars return to democracy at the earliest; release of detainees and prisoners; resolution of issues through dialogue; and complete cessation of all violence. He reaffirmed Indias strong and consistent support to the ASEAN initiative and expressed hope that progress would be made in a pragmatic and constructive manner, based on the five point consensus, Indias Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement issued on Dec. 23.

Indias stand on Myanmar appeared ambiguous in the immediate aftermath of the Feb. 1 military coup. It took a measured approach by avoiding any direct criticism of the Tatmadaw (Myanmars armed forces), but expressed deep concern over developments such as the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protestors.

And Shringlas visit seems to be aimed at answering some of the tricky questions that New Delhi faces vis-a-vis the Southeast Asian nation.

The underlying message of his visit is that India will continue to demand the restoration of democracy in Myanmar; and at the same time, it will keep the communication channel with the military leaders open to mitigate its domestic security challenges.

This became evident as Shringla called on the Chairman, State Administrative Council [SAC] and other senior representatives and held meetings with members of civil society and political parties, including the National League for Democracy [NLD], according to the MEA statement. The SAC is the juntas governing organ.

Indias foreign policy

Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted at more sanctions on Myanmar amid continued violence and bloodshed and the resulting humanitarian crisis in the country. Being an ally of the US-led Quad, India has also clearly stated its position. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) comprising the US, Japan, Australia and India is aimed at countering Chinas aggressive posture in the Indo-Pacific region.

As a democracy and close neighbor, India has been involved in the democratic transition process in Myanmar and in this context has worked with various stakeholders in developing capacities on democratic systems and practices. India proposes to renew these efforts for Myanmar to emerge as a stable, democratic, federal union in accordance with the wishes of the people of Myanmar, the MEA statement read.

When Myanmar faced the 1988 democracy uprising movement, known as 8-8-88, the Indian Embassy in Yangon actively assisted pro-democracy activists and offered shelter to students and refugees in New Delhi and on the Indo-Myanmar border.

At that time, New Delhi strongly voiced its support for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar and demanded that the military government recognize the 1990 parliamentary election results where Daw Aung San Suu Kyis NLD won 392 out of 492 contested seats. It is another matter that India changed its policy in 1993 and forged closer relations with the junta for fear of growing Chinese influence in Myanmar.

Even now, there is no reason why New Delhi cannot serve as a catalyst to restore a semblance of democracy in Myanmar. It is in Indias interest that normalcy returns to this country at the earliest.

It is pertinent to mention here that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Indias flagship Act East policy at the 2014 ASEAN summit in Naypyitaw. The policy seeks to connect India with Southeast Asia in order to help expand its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region. And Myanmar is key to Modis Act East dream. By renaming Look East as Act East, New Delhi has tried to create a new strategic narrative aimed at countering Chinas growing footprint in its neighborhood.

It is quite apparent that India maintains a distinct foreign policy, which is not conditioned by pulls and pressure from its allies. For instance, while Washington talks about tightening the noose around the Tatmadaw generals, India has made it clear that it will keep talking to them. Needless to say, India has to perform a balancing act without undermining the security factor.

The Government of India, after the February 02, 2021, coup in Myanmar, has taken a calibrated policy of dissuading the State Administration Councils excessive use of force on the pro-democracy activists, calling for dialogue between the opposing parties, while also continuing with the bilateral strategic cooperation. India cannot wish away its borders, and, therefore, cannot adopt a heavy-handed approach on the Tatmadaw, as pushed for by the USA-led western democracies, said Dr. Ambuj Thakur, a Myanmar expert.

Indias internal security threat

India shares a porous, 1,643-km-long border with Myanmar. Cross-border insurgencies have remained a major security threat to Indias northeast region for several decades. The rugged terrain makes it easy for the rebels to slip back and forth between their camps and ambush sites on the Indian side.

Therefore, New Delhi looks to the Tatmadaw to flush out Northeast Indias rebels operating from Myanmars soil. In April and May last year, as many as 22 Indian rebels were handed over to India by Myanmar following their arrest in Taga in the Hukwang Valley.

Recently, five Manipuri insurgents belonging to the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) were handed over to India. The rebel group has been fighting for secession from India since 1978.

Thakur, an assistant Professor of history, C.K.B. College, Teok, Assam, said the boundary is a colonial vestige, since it arbitrarily segregated a number of ethnic groups on both the sides. Villages like Longwa, in Nagaland, are testaments to this anomaly. The post-colonial dispensations have, thus, been heavily involved in viewing and handling the problems arising out of it through a security paradigm for most of the last eight decades.

Securing its border is of utmost priority for India. During the Indian foreign secretarys visit to Myanmar, both sides reiterated their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other, the foreign ministry said.

India also pointed out that peace and stability in Myanmar have a direct bearing on the border. Needless to say, Indias northeastern states such as Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland have hosted thousands of Myanmar nationals displaced by the civil war in their country.

The problem is compounded by the fact that India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. And the federal government does not officially accord refugee status to foreigners seeking shelter even on humanitarian grounds, and considers them illegal immigrants. But that did not deter Indias northeastern states bordering Myanmar from offering a helping hand to those seeking refuge.

Mizoram, for one, openly defied a Union Government notification and chief minister Zoramthanga wrote a letter to Prime Minister Modi, stating that it was not possible for Mizoram to refuse shelter to our own brethren who fled Myanmar fearing for their lives.

Myanmar remains a key to India exerting its influence on Southeast Asia overland, through its soft power. Myanmar is a key peg in the fruitful execution of Indias Act East Policy. Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringlas Myanmar visit should be seen in this perspective. It is more about India reaching out to striking a deal with Myanmar to safeguard its border regions in the short and the medium terms. So far as the long-term objectives are concerned, India doesnt have too many cards to play at the moment unlike China, which has both money and muscle power, Thakur added.

(Jayanta Kalita is a senior journalist and author based in New Delhi. He writes on issues relating to Indias northeast and its immediate neighborhood. The views expressed are his own.)



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This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
President Joe Biden signed a law Thursday virtually banning all imports from the Chinese region of Xinjiang in response to concerns over forced labor, as US companies find themselves caught in the diplomatic fray.

The bill, which was approved by Congress last week, bans the import of all goods from the region unless companies offer verifiable proof that production did not involve forced labor.

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act sets its sights on three products in particular: cotton, of which Xinjiang is one of the worlds major producers; tomatoes; and polysilicon, a material used to produce solar panels.

In a rare bipartisan move, the Senate last week unanimously voted to make the United States the first country to ban virtually all imports from the region.

The vote came despite lobbying by US firms, many of which are heavily dependent on Chinese suppliers and already facing massive disruption due to trade disturbances caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The law gives the government new tools to prevent goods made with forced labor in Xinjiang from entering US markets and to further promote accountability for persons and entities responsible for these abuses, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, calling on China to end genocide and crimes against humanity.

The law also requires the US president to impose sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for human rights abuses in the region.

An estimated 20 percent of garments imported into the United States each year include some cotton from Xinjiang.

Rights experts, witnesses and the US government say more than one million Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking Muslims are incarcerated in camps in an effort to root out their Islamic cultural traditions and forcibly assimilate them into Chinas Han majority.

Washington has described the campaign as genocide.

 Weaponizing of markets 

Republican opposition has criticized the White House for slow movement on the matter.

On Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the relative discretion with which Biden signed the text, despite having made countering China a major axis of his foreign policy.

The White House released only a photo of the signing on Twitter, while Biden signed a law  with cameras rolling  intended to support research against a rare neurodegenerative disease.

Sometimes he signs bills off camera, sometimes on camera. We support the bill and obviously weve been leading the effort in the world to call out human rights abuses, Psaki said.

Washington has already hit some Chinese officials and businesses with sanctions and announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics in protest of the conditions in Xinjiang.

Beijing describes the sites as vocational training centers and says it is seeking to reduce the allure of radical Islam following deadly attacks.

Implementation of the law and the US offensive against certain Chinese economic interests is causing friction for some companies, such as semiconductor giant Intel, which on Thursday issued an apology over a letter to its suppliers.

In the wake of the US bills passage in the Senate, the company had asked suppliers to avoid sourcing in the region.

Following public outcry in China, the chipmaker expressed its regret for the comments in a statement posted on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform.

We believe the private sector and the international community should oppose the PRCs weaponizing of its markets to stifle support for human rights, Psaki said, using an acronym for the Peoples Republic of China.

We also think that American companies should never feel the need to apologize for standing up for fundamental human rights or posing repression, she added.
A truth and reconciliation commission in The Gambia on Friday recommended that ex-leader Yahya Jammeh be brought before an international tribunal for crimes allegedly committed during his 22-year dictatorship.

The commission recommended prosecuting Yahya Jammeh and his co-perpetrators in an international tribunal in West Africa outside of The Gambia, under the auspices of either the African Union or the ECOWAS regional grouping, it said in a statement.

Over a period of 22 years, starting from July 22, 1994, Yahya Jammeh and co-perpetrators committed very serious crimes against the people of The Gambia, it said.

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission was set up in January 2017 by President Adama Barrow, whose election in 2016 put an end to more than two decades of dictatorship.

The commission, which heard from nearly 400 witnesses, presented its findings to Barrow on November 25 and urged the government to pursue criminal charges, but neither the report nor the names of officials it deemed responsible were made public until Friday.

Jammeh seized power in 1994, and for 22 years, he oversaw a regime accused of committing abuses such as state-sanctioned murder, torture and rape.

He went into exile in Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after Barrows election victory, but retains considerable support in the country.
Song Kang is in talks to return in "Sweet Home" season 2.

It came after his agency, Namoo Actors, addressed the reports about the South Korean heartthrob reprising his role.

"It is true that we are in discussions about it, but nothing has been confirmed yet," Song Kang's agency said.

In the mega-hit Kdrama, the 27-year-old actor played the main protagonist, Cha Hyun Soo.

A loner high school student, his parents died in a car accident, prompting him to move to Green Home Mansion Apartment.

Song Kang mesmerized viewers with his mysterious character and charm as an actor.

'Sweet Home 2' Cast and What We Know So Far

Netflix is hush-hush about reports that the post-apocalyptic K-series will return for a sequel; however, multiple outlets revealed in October that "Sweet Home 2" would begin its production in winter.

Surprisingly, not all OG cast are included for the second installment.

At the time, JTBC News reported that only Lee Si Young and Park Gyu Young, who took the role of former firefighter Seo Yi Kyung and bassist Yoon Ji Su.

It means that Lee Do Hyun, Song Kang, and more will not appear in the second season, which disappointed several fans.

#SongKang became a trending topic on Twitter as viewers expressed their opinion towards the upcoming sequel.

Some fans even mentioned that "Sweet Home 2" would never be the same without the actor.

Fortunately, it appears that Netflix changed its mind and included the South Korean heartthrob among its lineup of lead stars.

As for the possible storyline of "Sweet Home 2," The Cinemaholic noted that the second installment might focus on the battle between humans and monsters. These creatures believe that they are part of evolution; hence they will try to eradicate every single person on Earth.

IN CASE YOU MISSED: Kim Seon Ho, Song Kang and More Kdrama Stars Whose Fame Skyrocketed Because of Netflix

Song Kang on the Popularity of 'Sweet Home'

Released in December 2020, "Sweet Home" immediately gained the attention of viewers with its unique plot, star-studded cast and not to mention, stunning visuals.

Due to the global fame, the post-apocalyptic Kdrama became the first South Korean series to enter Netflix Top 10 in the United States, making it in third place.

In an interview with Elle magazine in February 2020, Song Kang talks about his experience in "Sweet Home" and the popularity of the series.

Thye "Navillera" star admitted that he was stunned by the amount of fame that "Sweet Home" got worldwide.

When asked if he had already seen the entire series, the actor shared that he enjoyed binge-watching the whole Kdrama.

"I wanted to watch the final version with music, so I purposely didn't see the edited version. As soon as it was released, I binge-watched it, and it was really good. I watch the series every day."

After "Sweet Home," Song Kang starred in two series, "Navillera" with veteran actor Park In Hwan and "Nevertheless" with Han So Hee.

He is also starring in an upcoming Kdrama "Meteorological Agency People: The Cruelty of Office Romance" opposite Park Min Young, set to air in 2022.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
tvN announces the release date of "Twenty-Five Twenty-One," starring Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk.

Helmed by "The King: Eternal Monarch" and "You are My Spring" director Jung Ji Hyun, the upcoming Kdrama is set in the late 1990s, following the story of two individuals who met in their early 20s.

'Twenty-Five Twenty-One' Release Date and Cast

After confirming lead stars in October, tvN officially announced the premiere date of the new romance series.

"Twenty-Five Twenty-One" is slated to air on February 12, 2022, after Lee Jin Wook's "Bulgasal: Immortal Souls."

It is safe to say that the upcoming series is gaining the public's attention due to the lead stars' fresh team-up.

Aside from the duo Bona, Choi Hyun Wook, Lee Joo Myung and more will join the star-studded lineup.

Hwa & Dam Pictures, the production company behind the tvN Kdrama hints at the synergy of the actors and the striking characters they portray.

"Kim Tae Ri, Nam Joo Hyuk, Bona, Choi Hyun Wook, and Lee Joo Myung will provide a vivid and shining portrayal of youth during a time when everything could be loved and everything could be hurtful through 'Twenty-Five Twenty-One,'" the representative shared.

Moreover, the production company also noted that the romance drama would definitely bring out a nostalgic moment for the viewers of all generations.

In "Twenty-Five Twenty-One," Kim Tae Ri took on the role of high school fencer Na Hee Do, who successfully became a part of the national team.

Na Hee Do has this bold personality but is passionate about what truly matters to her.

Meanwhile, Nam Joo Hyuk plays Baek Yi Jin, a reporter and the family's eldest son who is greatly affected by the IMF financial crisis.

He used to deliver newspapers and worked as a part-timer at a book rental shop to make ends meet.

Joining the lineup is Choi Hyun Wook as social media star Moon Ji Woong while Lee Joo Myung portrays class representative Ji Seung Wan.

Lastly, Bona will be Go Yu Rim, a professional fencer and Na Hee Do's great nemesis.

Kim Tae Ri Talks About Her Upcoming Kdrama and Movie

The 31-year-old actress showed her charismatic beauty as she graced the Elle Korea November cover.

During the interview, she spoke about her preparations for the upcoming Kdrama and her new movie "Alien."

He learned gymnastics for the film and fencing for "Twenty-Five Twenty-One" since she is set to portray a national athlete.

"While filming 'Alien,' I learned apparatus gymnastics. It's an exercise that really suits me. I was worried if I could enjoy fencing as much as that, but I didn't have to be concerned," she said, adding that she instantly fell in love with the sport and even enjoyed watching the fencing game at the Tokyo Olympics."

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Amid the controversy over the alleged historical distortion, Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK's "Snowdrop" releases a special broadcast to ease the viewers' concerns. JTBC guarantees light and clarity to every unanswered question as the story progresses.

Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK Jisoo's 'Snowdrop' Releases 3 Consecutive Episodes

After releasing a statement regarding the controversial history distortion in the JTBC drama "Snowdrop," the broadcast network hopes to resolve misunderstandings from the beginning of the drama by releasing a special broadcast.

JTBC stated, "The controversy about the new JTBC drama continues. Due to the nature of "Snowdrop," all narratives can't be released all at once, which aroused misunderstanding in the beginning."

With that said, JTBC is releasing three consecutive episodes ahead of the slated schedule to ease viewers' concerns. Episodes 3, 4 and 5 will air from December 24 to December 26, which will reveal the background story of Su Ho, played by Jung Hae In, a North Korean spy sent to South Korea.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: JTBC Releases Statement Regarding New Drama 'Snowdrop' + To Push Broadcast Amid Controversy

In the drama, the Agency for National Security Planning (NSP) is the organization that also brings spies to South Korea, and the leaders of North Korea and South Korea will collude for power. In addition to that, the new episodes will depict the stories of young people who get caught up in their dirty white lies.

JTBC concludes, "We respect viewers' opinions and voices about our content. The special schedule is decided in order to address concerns. We will continue to listen to opinions to produce the best content."

'Snowdrop' Episode 2 Recap, Special Schedule and Where to Watch

Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK Jisoo's "Snowdrop" will make the Christmas merrier with its newest episodes!

Previously, Young Ro (BLACKPINK Jisoo) and Su Ho (Jung Hae In) met for the first time through a fun group date, where the two of them fell in love at first sight. Since then, the two kept on meeting coincidentally.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: 'Snowdrop' Episodes 1 and 2: The Fateful Encounter of Jung Hae In and Jisoo-Is It Love at First Sight?

One night, Young Ro and her roommates are shocked to see an injured Su Ho, all drenched in blood, hiding in their room. With concern and worry, Young Ro hides Su Ho and tends to his wounds.

In the succeeding episodes, it is expected to show how Young Ro and Su Ho go in hiding without the university's head mistress noticing.

To cut the chase and eagerness short, broadcast media JTBC will release episodes 3, 4 and 5 on December 24, 25, and 26, respectively, at 10:30 p.m. KST.

Don't miss the new episodes this Christmas! Watch "Snowdrop" episode 3 preview here:

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KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Netflix teases fans with behind-the-scenes photos on the set of "The Silent Sea" ahead of its premiere.

Gong Yoo, Bae Doona and the rest of the cast get candid while shooting the highly anticipated series.

'The Silent Sea' Behind-the-Scenes

In a series of photos shared over the streaming giant's official Instagram account, the actors transformed as astronauts donning the iconic white space suits.

The "Kingdom" star showed off her goofy side as she flashed her big smile while sporting a helmet and hanging onto a harness.

Moreover, the behind-the-scenes also featured how the studio turned into a lunar base.

Gong Yoo was also spotted getting candid alongside his co-stars while on queue.

The update comes ahead of the highly anticipated sci-fi series.

"The Silent Sea" has a total of eight episodes and is slated to air on December 24, coinciding with Christmas Eve.

What to Look Forward to in Netflix's 'The Silent Sea'

The soon-to-air sci-fi Kdrama follows the story of a group of an elite space crew who are set to go on a secret mission in hopes of finding a sample in the abandoned lunar base.

Known as the "silent sea," an incident occurred, killing several astronauts, including Song Ji Ah's sibling.

As the Earth slowly decreases its resources like food and water, the crew are instructed to track and bring home artifacts that could save the human race.

In the Netflix series, Bae Doona took on the role of astrobiologist Song Ji Ah, who is set to lead the mission as instructed by Korea's Space and Aeronautics Administration.

Joining her on the special expedition is Gong Yoo, playing the role of team leader and space soldier Han Yoon Jae.

He is set to carry out a critical mission with very little information.

Working alongside him is head engineer Rye Tae Seok, portrayed by Lee Joon.

He volunteered to join the expedition to break away from the Ministry of National Defense.

Meanwhile, Lee Moo Saeng took the role of Gong Soo Hyuk, the head of the security team and Kim Sun Young as the space team's medic, Doc Hong.

Adding to the list of the star-studded cast are Yoo He Je, Lee Joon Hyuk, Heo Jung Do, Jung Soon Won and "Squid Game" villain Heo Sung Tae.

'The Silent Sea' Press Conference

The lead stars, supporting actors, director Choi Hang Yong and executive producer Jung Woo Sung attended the press conference ahead of the debut.

During the media briefing, the team spoke about their experience filming the Kdrama.

Gong Yoo revealed why he took the offer and made "The Silent Sea" as his comeback drama.

"I chose to be a part of 'The Silent Sea' because I had always wanted to challenge myself to play a role in a genre series," he said.

The Hallyu star's last series was the 2016 hit "Goblin" and made a cameo in Netflix "Squid Game."

As for the Jung Woo Sung, who the actors described as a hands-on executive producer, explained that he was enthralled by the "spectacular ideas of the story," which was originally based on the short film, "Sea of Tranquility."

"I wanted to be involved in creating a sci-fi series that is uniquely Korean," he explained.

KDramastars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
MEDFORD, Ore. -- Today Oregon is officially in a state of emergency for severe winter.

Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency because, Beginning December 24, 2021, and continuing, this severe weather is expected to bring heavy snow and sustained temperatures below freezing, resulting in critical transportation failures and disruptions to power and communications infrastructure.

Brown issued the declaration Thursday night to start today and last through January 3 due to projected severe winter weather across the state.

She says, "Our state has experienced a number of climate-related emergencies this year, and with another coming, I urge all Oregonians to make a plan with your family now and be prepared. I am directing state agencies to work proactively with local emergency management partners to coordinate on communications for emergency services, such as warming centers. Winter storms mean increased risk for those traveling as well as those staying home for the holidays. Check on your neighbors and loved ones when you can do so safely. If road conditions worsen, please help our first responders by staying home when possible.

Brown cited potential threat to life, safety, property, and significant damage to infrastructure exists due to severe winter weather across Oregon. The National Weather Service has issued multiple winter storm watches, warnings, and winter weather advisories throughout our state.

The Governor's declaration authorizes the Oregon Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to activate state resources, and to utilize personnel, equipment, and facilities from other state agencies in order to respond to or mitigate the effects of the weather emergency. In addition, the Oregon National Guard, Oregon State Police, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Department of Human Services, and the Oregon Public Utility Commission and other state agencies are directed to provide any assistance as requested by OEM that is deemed necessary to assist in the response.

The declaration states, This determination of a severe winter weather emergency is statewide. It is not to be construed as a comprehensive declaration or proclamation of emergency for other purposes. It is limited to the use of state resources and personnel required by the emergency, to request assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, if needed, and to allow state agencies to suspend provisions of any order or rule of the agency if strict compliance with the provisions of the order or rule would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay mitigating the effects of the severe winter weather emergency.
Eugene, Ore. -- Eugene Airport officials report a record amount of traffic this holiday weekend, despite concerns from public health officials about the possible spread of the omicron variant.

Airport Director Cathryn Stephens said the parking lots are nearly full. Over the course of the pandemic three new airlines have been added, and Stephens said that plays a role.

This is definitely the busiest weve ever been, Stephens said.

She urges passengers who are traveling this weekend to be dropped off by a friend or some other rideshare service in order to preserve the few available spots.

KEZI 9 News spoke with several citizens who are traveling by car this weekend as well.

Many of them said theyre focused on being able to travel to see their family this holiday season rather than the potential spread of the variant.

"Last year was just one of those deals that we kinda just stayed in the house and just kept to our immediate in-home, me and the kids, said Eugene resident James Van Hook, This year to be able to be out, to see friends and family makes it worth it."

He said hes been fully vaccinated, and that helps ease some of his concerns.

Still, local medical professionals urge the public to be careful this holiday season when gathering with family, as they expect an omicron surge in the coming weeks.

Other Oregonians said their main concern was about the expected inclement weather in various parts of the state.

I'm not too worried about the variants or gas prices. I'm more concerned about the snow and getting stranded, Xochitl Roberts said.

According to ODOT, the Willamette Valley, the mountains, the Columbia River Gorge and Central, Southern and Eastern Oregon will all see freezing temperatures and possibly snow this weekend headed into next week.
For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, The Kansas City Star.
Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.




South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun had discussions with Iran's top envoy here on "pending" bilateral issues Friday, his ministry said.







Choi met with Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari and reaffirmed that Seoul will continue diplomatic efforts for progress in negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, taking the importance of Seoul-Tehran ties into consideration, it added.







They also agreed to maintain close communication to resolve "pending" bilateral issues. The ministry stopped short of elaborating, while the matters are seen as including the problem of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea.







An estimated $7 billion worth of Iranian assets remain in two South Korean banks under U.S. sanctions imposed following Washington's 2018 withdrawal from the multilateral nuclear pact with Tehran. (Yonhap)






SK Bioscience, a vaccine unit of South Korea's SK Group, said Friday it has extended an agreement to manufacture a component of the U.S.-based biotechnology company Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine by one more year.







Under the extended agreement, SK Bioscience will reserve additional manufacturing capacity to produce antigen, a key component of NVX-CoV2373  Novavax's recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine  through 2022.







Last year, the two sides initially signed the agreement to reserve manufacturing capacity at SK Bioscience's plant in Andong, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, for the production of NVX-CoV2373 through 2021.







Under the new agreement, SK bioscience also acquired non-exclusive rights to sell doses of Novavax's vaccine to Thailand and Vietnam.







The agreement between the companies also builds on a previously announced advance purchase agreement between SK bioscience and the South Korean government to supply 40 million doses of Novavax's vaccines to South Korea.







NVX-CoV2373 is a protein-based vaccine engineered from the genetic sequence of the first strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (Yonhap)


Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Snow showers this evening becoming more scattered later. Low 12F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%..

Tonight

Snow showers this evening becoming more scattered later. Low 12F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%.
After several months of consideration and multiple meetings, a Kwik Trip convenience store and gas station has received final approval in the City of Lake Geneva on Wells Street.

Members of the Lake Geneva City Council unanimously approved, Dec. 13, a precise implementation plan to allow a Kwik Trip convenience and gas station to be constructed at 898 Wells St.

Kwik Trip representatives plan to demolish a current Stop N Go store at the site and construct a new Kwik Trip store in its place. The development also is set to include a gas station with 16 fuel pumps and a detached car wash facility.

Company officials first presented plans for the Kwik Trip development during the March 15 plan commission meeting. Members of the plan commission and city council have reviewed and revised plans for the development during the past several months.

This will be the second Kwik Trip store and gas station in Lake Geneva, as a Kwik Trip business currently is located at 710 Williams St.

City aldermen approved several amendments to the plan before giving it final approval, including requiring the company to install a sidewalk near the rear of the development, parallel to Lake Geneva Boulevard, and to make the sidewalk ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The sidewalk is to provide pedestrians with more convenient access to the gas station. The amendment was approved by a 5-3 vote with aldermen Richard Hedlund, Ken Howell and Joan Yunker voting no.

We did talk about increasing sidewalks where we could, so people were not in the street when we have the opportunity to require sidewalks, Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier said.

The council members unanimously approved an amendment to switch the order of the landscaping and the fencing on the site. The site plan proposed placing landscaping before fencing, but Fesenmaier recommended switching the two items, so residents who live in the area can have a better view of the landscaping rather than the fencing.

The neighbors should be looking at trees, Fesenmaier said. Theyre going to be looking at a whole fence line. I dont care how pretty a fence looks, theyre still looking at a fence line. They should be looking at the trees.

Seth Waddell, Kwik Trip project manager, said there should be no issue with switching the order of the fencing and the landscaping.

Thats very much possible, Waddell said.

City aldermen also approved an amendment for the car wash to operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the weekdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the weekends to coincide with the citys noise ordinance.

Fesenmaier said the car wash at the Williams Street location operates from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., but the Wells Street store will be located near more residential areas.

So it should follow the noise ordinance, Fesenmaier said. Im sorry the other location doesnt, but this one should because its totally residential.

Fesenmaier proposed requiring the developers to pay a portion of the cost to install traffic signals in that area if it is determined that they are needed.

I think we owe it to the residents, Fesenmaier said.

Alderman Tim Dunn said he feels it is not fair to require the company to help pay for traffic signals when other businesses and developments in that area would not be required to pay.

Theyre all contributing to the traffic to that area, Dunn said. Why are we singling out this one business?

Alderwoman Cindy Flower said more commercial and residential developments are being constructed near that area, and people from those developments will be traveling to the Kwik Trip store.

We have more going on out there, and those people are going to go to this Kwik Trip, Flower said. I will guarantee you.

After some discussion, the proposal failed by a 3-5 vote, with aldermen John Halverson, Fesenmaier and Flower voting yes.

Kwik Trip purchased the Wells Street Stop N Go location and about 34 other Stop N Go stores in Wisconsin and northern Illinois late 2020. Company officials said, during the summer of 2020, the owners of Stop N Go approached Kwik Trip about acquiring their stores.

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An attorney representing Wisconsin elections administrator Meagan Wolfe told a judge Thursday that the public would be strongly disserved if former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman is allowed to hold a closed-door meeting with Wolfe as part of his ongoing probe into the states 2020 election.

Dane County Circuit Court Judge Rhonda Lanford said she plans to make a decision by Jan. 10 on whether Gableman, who was hired earlier this year by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, to lead the review, has the authority to demand a private, in-person interview with Wolfe. The pending decision stems from Democratic Attorney General Josh Kauls October request for a restraining order against subpoenas issued by Gableman seeking election-related documents and the Wolfe interview.

Kaul has contended that Gableman issued numerous subpoenas to state and local election officials in furtherance of an unlawful investigation focused on debunked theories about the November 2020 election, and Wolfe is willing to meet with Gableman or his team, but only in a public setting. Attorneys representing Wolfe have asked the court to halt Gablemans request, which the former justice has said is paramount to the election review.

Assistant Attorney General Gabe Johnson-Karp said during a hearing Thursday that state statutes require that any meeting with Gableman occur in a public setting before a legislative committee.

I think the public interest would be strongly disserved by the type of closed-door proceedings that these subpoenas call for, Johnson-Karp said.

Attorneys for Gableman and Vos have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit and contend that Gableman is operating under the authority of the Legislatures Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections.

He stands in the shoes of that committee, said Joseph Voiland, an attorney for the committees chairperson, Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls.

George Burnett, a lawyer for Vos and the Assembly, said Wolfe is acting as a surrogate for the Elections Commission, and the commission itself should be compelled to appropriately respond to the subpoenas.

They are not a citizen, they have no right under the U.S. Constitution, Burnett said. And for good reason because they owe their allegiance, they owe their fidelity, they owe information to the Assembly, which is one of the bodies that created the agency.

Mired in court

The case before Lanford is one of several ongoing legal battles related to the GOP-ordered probe into Wisconsins 2020 election.

Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington on Tuesday issued an order in a separate case declaring that Vos and Gableman must immediately release public records related to the ongoing investigation. The case stems from a lawsuit filed earlier this year by liberal watchdog group American Oversight alleging that Vos and Assembly Chief Clerk Ted Blazel have failed to produce public records related to Gablemans review.

A Waukesha County judge earlier this month scheduled a hearing for Jan. 21 on Gablemans request that the Waukesha County sheriff compel the mayors of Madison and Green Bay to meet with him or else face jail time.

Gableman had initially requested interviews with mayors and city clerks in five cities  a demand he later rescinded. But in a legal filing in Waukesha County, Gableman asked for an order compelling Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich to comply with an Oct. 22 legislative subpoena.

Gablemans lawyer James Bopp said on Thursday the former justice is investigating a series of allegations against the Elections Commission, including those by Republican Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, who earlier this year called for five members of the commission  two Republican appointees and three Democratic appointees  to be charged with crimes for waiving the states special voting deputy requirement in nursing homes. The commission made the decision, at first unanimously, after several nursing homes barred voting deputies because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is (Gablemans) hope that through this investigation some of these allegations  hopefully all of them  can be disposed of, debunked and we just move on, but some of them may not be and that is what he is trying to investigate in order to determine and make recommendations on what legal changes need to be made to election law, Bopp said, adding that recommendations may also include changes to the state Elections Commission itself.

Outside money

Vos has allocated $676,000 to Gablemans review, which has largely focused on private election grants from the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), funded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, that Republicans say were used to unfairly increase turnout in the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha and Racine.

Court rulings have found nothing illegal about the more than $10 million in grants CTCL distributed to about 214 municipalities in 39 of Wisconsins 72 counties, including many in areas solidly won by Trump. Nor did CTCL turn down grant requests from any of the Wisconsin municipalities that made them.

Reviews of the election by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty found no evidence of widespread fraud, but did lead to recommendations on how elections can be improved. The commission earlier this month took the first steps for administrative rules on a number of issues raised in the Audit Bureau report, including rules for ballot drop boxes and what missing information clerks can fill in on absentee ballot envelopes.

A recount and court decisions have affirmed that President Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin by almost 21,000 votes.

An analysis by The Associated Press found only 31 potential cases of voter fraud in Wisconsins 2020 election, which represents less than 0.15% of Bidens margin of victory. In 26 of the 31 cases, prosecutors declined to bring charges after conducting a review.
New Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI/Oswaal Books): Students have started preparing for CBSE Term 2 exams that will be conducted in March or April 2022.

Unlike the term 1 exams for class 12, these exams will be conducted descriptively in the centres allotted by the board. This will be done if the pandemic situation remains normal.

Also Read | Vivo V23 Series Teased Online, Likely To Debut on January 4, 2022.

If the situation won't be under control, then CBSE will proceed with the 90-minutes MCQ exam.

Students will face a lot of difficulty in appearing in the exam halls for giving descriptive examinations.

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With the pandemic going on, students have lost this feeling. Some students get very anxious before entering the exam hall.

Students can get rid of this anxious feeling by following some of the tips listed below.

1. Get plenty of time for relaxation

Before entering the exam hall, students should make sure to have ample time for relaxation. If the students relax well in time, then it allows them to shoo away the nervousness.

When the students are relaxed then they can perform well in exams. Moreover, they can easily solve the questions with a calm mind rather than being nervous.

2. Revise short notes

Before entering the exam hall, students should revise the short notes. These short notes will help to bring back the important concepts in the memory that might have slipped out.

Students should make short notes that will help for the last-minute revisions.

3. Choose Quality material

This time is essential as students have only these 2 months. But students are not planning their preparation for term 2, but instead of wasting their time, students should prepare for their exams with quality study material. Students should wisely choose their material to rank their position in CBSE Term 2 Exam 2022. Students can also go with Oswaal CBSE Class 12 Term 2 Question Bank for Board Exams 2022, and you will get: Strictly as per the Term-II syllabus for Board 2022 Exams (March-April)

* Includes Questions of the both -Objective & Subjective Types Questions

* Objective Questions based on new typologies introduced by the board-

I. Stand- Alone MCQs,

II. MCQs based on Assertion-Reason

III. Case-based MCQs.

* Subjective Questions Includes-Very Short, Short & Long Answer Types Questions

Here is the recommended link for CBSE Question Bank Class 12 for Term 2 board exams 2022, click here https://bit.ly/3sycQdJ

4. Make sure to carry every essential thing

Students should make sure that before entering the exam hall they should carry all the essential items required for the exam.

Make sure to carry the admit card, identity proof, and all other stationery items that are useful for the exam. If the students will miss upon any item, then it will only make them stressed out.

Students should keep everything in their arm's reach so that they don't forget to carry any item in the exam hall.

5. Keep a water bottle handy

Students should keep themselves hydrated before entering the exam hall. This will help the students to have more concentration levels during the exam.

Students should carry a water bottle with them to keep themselves hydrated during the exam.

Final Verdict

Students can follow the above pro tips before entering the exam hall for the CBSE class 12 Term 2 exam.

Students should keep their calm and try to focus on what they have learned for the examination. Students should not fall prey to tensions and worries.

This story is provided by Oswaal Books. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/Oswaal Books)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 24 (ANI): A 20-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped by two of her friends after receiving cold drinks mixed with intoxicants in Bijnor, police said on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Umer and Abdul.

Also Read | Night Curfew in Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath Govt to Impose COVID-19 Restrictions from December 25 Amid Omicron Scare.

According to Bijnor police, the incident occurred at around 12 pm on December 19 when the main accused, Umer, called the victim over phone and convinced her to come near a hostel.

Later on the pretext of celebrating the accused sister's birthday, Umer convinced the victim to sit inside the car, said the complainant.

Also Read | Omicron Can Evade Protection Offered by COVID-19 Vaccines, Antibody Therapies: Study.

The victim, in her complaint, said that there was another person, whom he called Abdul, was sitting inside the car.

Later, the duo took her to Hotel Sunheri and allegedly gangraped her. The accused also threatened her of dire consequences if she reported the matter to police or family members.

The complainant alleged that the two accused told her that they had made a nude video of her and demanded Rs 10,000 for not releasing it on the internet. However, with the help of another friend, she managed to pay Rs 8,000 through Paytm.

Meanwhile, Kothwali Police station registered a case under Sections 366, 328, 376(D), 323, 506 of the IPC and under section 3 (2)(v) of the SC/ST Act. (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, Dec 24 (PTI) The country's coal production is expected to record a "sizeable leap" in 2022 with increased output mainly from Coal India and captive mines, providing adequate firewall against any possible dry fuel shortages like the one witnessed in the latter half of this year.

While coal supplies have stabilised in recent times, efforts are on to further improve the fuel dispatches and a top government official said power plants are now receiving slightly more coal compared to their requirements.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi to Attend 54th Convocation of IIT-Kanpur on December 28.

Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain said the increase in coal output would be on account of more production from Coal India Ltd (CIL), captive coal blocks auctioned between 2015-2020 and commercial mines put on sale last year.

"Next year (FY 2022-23), we are expecting a sizeable leap in coal production," Jain told PTI in an interview.

Also Read | India Reports 6,650 New COVID-19 Cases, 374 Deaths in Past 24 Hours; Omicron Tally Rises to 358.

In the last financial year, CIL dug out about 596 million tonnes (MT) of coal, he said, adding that in the ongoing fiscal, the output is likely to be upped to 640 MT.

"Next (financial year), we are hoping that they (CIL) produce around 680 MT. So, between this year and next year, we expect an increase of 40 million tonnes," he said.

The captive coal mines that were put on sale post cancellation of blocks by the Supreme Court produced 63 MT last fiscal. In the current financial year, their production is likely to be scaled up to 90 MT.

According to the secretary, captive coal blocks are expected to produce 120 MT in the next financial year.

Further, he said "40 MT (from Coal India) plus 30 MT (from captive blocks) is 70 MT. In a country which produces about 750 MT, this increase in production is about 10 per cent. So, normally the demand rises by 5 per cent each year. So, we would be producing about 10 per cent more coal."

"We have 70 MT more coal. The country's power demand rises by 5 per cent, then... 10 per cent (more coal) becomes an adequate cushion," Jain pointed out.

CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production.

About the road ahead, the secretary said in FY'20, an amount of Rs 15,000 crore was sanctioned for rapid loading systems and Coal Handling Plants (CHPs) for 35 largest mines of CIL.

"In 2022-23, we expect most of these CHPs to get finished. So, not only will it improve efficiency, it will also lead to less pollution, less trucking, less pilferage. This is another development I see happening," Jain said.

Regarding the unprecedented coal shortages during this year, the secretary said when the second COVID wave hit the country, there was a slowdown in the economy.

The lifting of coal, in spite of being in abundance, did not happen fully as the power producers may have thought that electricity demand this time, like in the first wave of the pandemic, will remain moderate. So, in the crucial months of April, May and June, the stocking of coal did not happen, he explained.

"So suddenly when there was a rise in demand (of coal) during monsoons, there wasn't enough stock available," he said, adding that the quantity of the dry fuel being supplied now is "little more than their (power sector's) requirement".

In October, many states complained about shortage of coal for power plants and some of them also faced electricity outages for several hours a day. The situation had also triggered a political blame game.

Reasons such as excessive rainfall, international price rise, COVID-19 pandemic, less production and transportation issues, including freight rates, and high consumption were cited as the reasons for the coal shortage.

Jain pointed out that the first and second waves of COVID had hit coal production, dispatch of the fossil fuel and the manpower working in this segment.

With the new COVID variant posing a threat, he said, "For Omicron (situation), we are better prepared. We are one of the largest providers of oxygen plants especially at the district and sub-district levels... This time, we are better prepared and people are vaccinated."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, Dec 24 (PTI) Mounting an attack on the SP, the BSP and the Congress, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said these parties never showed respect to Maharaja Suheldev, who had defeated invader Salar Masood.

Addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "Jan Vishwas Yatra" in Bahraich, he said, "Having an institution named after Maharaja Suheldev was a dream and it was (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji who made it a reality. The foundation stone of a medical college named after Maharaja Suheldev has been laid."

Also Read | Omicron Spread: COVID-19 Infection Rate in Goa Has Risen From 1.8% to 3.5%, Says CM Pramod Sawant.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party (SP), Adityanath asked the gathering if it had ever shown respect to Maharaja Suheldev.

"Will the followers of Maharaja Suheldev shake hands with the followers of Salar Masood? The followers of Maharaja Suheldev will never bow down before anyone," he said.

Also Read | Night Curfew in Maharashtra: State Govt Imposes Curfew From 9 PM to 6 AM To Curb Spread of Omicron COVID-19 Variant; Check Guidelines.

Virtually addressing the "Jan Vishwas Yatra" at Deoria, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the BJP government is scripting a new history of Uttar Pradesh.

"The BJP is working for the villages, the poor, the farmers and the youngsters. It had sent free ration to the needy people and BJP workers reached out to every person in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic to help them," he said.

Maurya exuded confidence that the saffron party will retain power in the state in the 2022 Assembly polls.

Addressing the "Jan Vishwas Yatra" at Fatehpur, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said the previous governments used to suffer an "electric shock" seeing saffron robes.

"Earlier, the Opposition leaders never used to go to a temple during their tours. They used to stay away from bhajan-keertan and used to suffer an electric shock by seeing people wearing saffron robes. They used to feel shy calling 'gau mata' as 'gau mata'. That is because those insulting the 'gau mata' indulged in the politics of appeasement," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chandigarh, Dec 24 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday said SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia has been booked in a drug case as there is enough evidence against him and an STF report points to it.

The CM also vowed to catch the "big fish" involved in the drug racket and slammed his predecessor Amarinder Singh, saying he did not make the STF report on it public.

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Majithia, 46, was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on Monday on the basis of a 2018 status report of a probe into a drug racket in the state.

The Union Home Ministry has issued against the former Punjab minister a lookout circular, which prevents him from leaving the country.

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Majithia has moved a Mohali court for an anticipatory bail.

Channi told reporters here that the drug racket had come to the fore in 2013, when the SAD-BJP government was in power in the state.

He said the Enforcement Directorate has been investigating the case since 2013, when now dismissed policeman Jagdish Singh Bhola, alleged kingpin in the synthetic drugs case, was arrested by the Punjab Police.

It was Bhola who had taken Majithia's name in front of the media after his arrest in January 2014, said Channi.

"The STF report mentioned that there is enough evidence against Bikram Majithia. Later, we converted that report into an FIR," he told reporters here ruling out any political vendetta.

Channi held his predecessor Amarinder Singh and the then advocate general responsible for not making the STF report public and initiating any action on it.

Channi said after he became the CM, the matter was pursued.

The CM said the case was lodged against Majithia after he was convinced of it.

"First of all, I convinced myself and asked my officers that what we are doing has to be right. First, I found out what the reality is and when I was convincedthen we took up the issue and moved forward. First, I listened to my conscience," he said.

"This fight (against drug menace) is nation's fight, this is Punjab's fight, this is the fight to secure future of our youth. We will not spare those who spread the drug menace and take this case to its logical conclusion," Channi said.

He said the property and businesses of the "big fish" whose involvement is found in the drug racket will also be under the scanner now.

"Till the time you do not catch big fish, it does not send out a message below," Channi said.

Channi also slammed AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal and former CM Amarinder Singh over their comments on registration of the case, saying the cat is out of the bag now.

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New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) The government's scientific groups are deliberating on the need for booster dose of COVID-19 and they are reviewing all data from across the world as well as from India, officials said on Friday.

Addressing a press conference, ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava said discussions are going on to look at different aspects of booster dose.

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"There is a COVID working group, which has debated on it several times that those recommendations to the subcommittee of the National Technical Advisory Group of immunisation following which it goes to the main technical advisory group of immunisation and then to NEGVAC which will then be accepted by the Ministry of Health," he said.

"So, deliberations are going on and we are reviewing all the scientific data from across the world as well as from India. We are deliberating and we are formulating our policy," he said.

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Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the government has very clearly articulated the position that it would be governed by science and scientific evidence on deciding on the need and timing for additional doses and for lowering the age of vaccination.

"So our stand remains the same. And when we say science and scientific evidence, I did refer to certain aspects of science and scientific evidence. One aspect relates to antibody titers and their behaviour over a period of time. The other aspect relates to T cells and their behaviour over a period of time," Bhushan said.

"The third aspect relates to hybrid immunity, where you take one dose of vaccination and then get afflicted by the disease, then recover then take the second dose. So these are issues that men of science are deliberating," he said.

Quoting WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Bhushan said, "No country can boost its way out of the pandemic and boosters cannot be seen as a ticket to go ahead with planned celebrations without the need for other precautions".

According to WHO expert Abdi Mahamud, Bhushan said, "Although we are seeing a reduction in the neutralization antibodies, almost all data shows T-cells remain intact, that is what we really require."

"While the antibody defences from some courses have been undermined, there has been hope that T-cells, the second pillar of an immune response, can prevent severe disease by attacking infected human cells," Mahamud was quoted as saying by Bhushan.

National Expert Group on vaccine administration for Covid (NEGVAC) and National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) are deliberating and considering scientific evidence related to justification for booster dose against Covid, the Centre informed Parliament recently.

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Gurugram, December 24: Hindutva activists on Friday lodged police complaints against "namaz" at open spaces, saying the practice is being carried out at undesignated places despite the Haryana CM making a statement against it.

The complaints were lodged at the Udyog Vihar and the Sector 29 police stations. Also Read | Vivo V23 Series 5G India Launch Set for January 5, 2022; Check Expected Features & Specifications Here.

The CM has clearly ordered no tolerance to 'namaz' in the open and no official announcement has been made so far about designated places, claimed advocate Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, one of the complainants. The administration and police should take action, he said. Also Read | Maharashtra: 25-Year-Old Man Lured With 'Call Boy' Job Duped of Rs 1.54 Lakh by Women in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Muslims offered prayers at 20 designated places, six of which were open spaces. Police sources said some Hindutva activists tried to disrupt the prayers or create ruckus but were shooed away.

Some Muslims had gathered at an open space in Sector 40 for prayers but police sent them back as the site was not designated by the administration.

One of them, Mohammad Salim Kashmi, said they were praying there for the past two weeks but police denied them permission today and they will take up the issue with the administration. According to cops, some members of the Manvta Hindu Sangthan led by Praveen Yadav reached Shyam Chowk but were sent away.

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New Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI): India and European Investment Bank (EIB) on Thursday signed a finance contract for the first tranche loan of Euro 250 million for the Agra Metro Rail Project.

Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of Government of India and Edvardas Bumsteinas jointly with Roger Stuart, Head of Divisions on behalf of European Investment Bank (EIB) signed the loan document in New Delhi and in Brussels respectively, said a press release by Ministry of Finance.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the construction work of the Agra Metro project in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, last year through a video conference, added the press release.

EIB had approved a total loan of Euro 450 million to fund the Agra Metro Rail Project. The project aims to provide a safe, reliable, affordable and environment-friendly public Mass Rapid Transit System for Agra city which will improve mobility and support endeavour for planned urban development in Agra, according to the statement.

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The financing from EIB will help to fund the construction of a 29.4 km metro corridor comprised of Corridor-1 from Sikandara to Taj East Gate (14 km) and Corridor-2 from Agra Cantt to Kalindi Vihar (15.4 km) in the Agra City. Further, the project will enhance the economic productivity of the city and catalyse job creation, as per the statement.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is the Government of India's line ministry for this project and Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (UPMRCL) is the implementing agency. (ANI)

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Budgam (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], December 24 (ANI): Budgam Police, along with the 50 Rashtriya Rifles and 181 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), arrested two terror associates linked with the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tobia from Chadoora area of Budgam district in Jammu and Kashmir.

As per the Jammu and Kashmir police press release, the arrested terror associates were identified as Imran Majeed and Aqib Amin from Magray Mohalla Mochwa of the Union Territory.

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During the investigation, it surfaced that both the arrested terrorist associates were in touch with LeT commanders and were involved in providing shelter and other logistics in Mochwa, Kralpora, Chattergam, Sathsoo, Nowgam, Chadoora and other adjacent areas of the district.

"An FIR has been registered under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal code(IPC) at Chadoora police station," the press note read.

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Police have recovered incriminating material of LeT and explosive substance including two hand grenades, two AK-47 magazines, 30 live AK-47 rounds from their possession. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI): Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday hit out at opposition parties over their remarks concerning the suspension of 12 MPs in Rajya Sabha during the winter session of parliament and said they "should introspect on the uncivilized behaviour of MPs who attacked marshals, women in the Parliament".

He also said that the government made sincere efforts to resolve the impasse over the suspension of 12 MPs but the opposition was adamant on its stance.

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"Opposition parties should introspect on the uncivilized behaviour of MPs who attacked marshals, incl women in Parliament and their unregretful, totally obstructive response to honest, sincere efforts of govt and Rajya Sabha Chairman to resolve the issue," said Goyal, who is Leader of House in Rajya Sabha.

Goya's remarks were apparently in response to Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge who on Wednesday said he was ready to express "regret" on behalf of the 12 suspended MPs and accused the government of not being ready to resolve the stalemate over the suspension

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He also alleged that the government wanted to push bills through without discussion.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had said at the conclusion of the winter session that the House functioned much below its potential.

"I urged all of you to collectively and individually reflect and introspect if this Session could have been different and better," he said.

(ANI)

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Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 24 (ANI): Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, will be released on one-month parole on Friday after completing surety formalities, said Nalini's advocate Radhakrishnan.

Speaking to ANI, Radhakrishnan said, "Nalini, who was granted by the state government on Thursday, will be released on Friday after completing surety formalities."

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The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday had informed the Madras High Court that Nalini was granted a month's parole by the government after repeated requests from her ailing mother Padma.

Nalini and six other people were sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. In May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. The attack also left 14 other people dead. (ANI)

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New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) Hitting out at the opposition over disruptions in Parliament, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday accused Congress chief whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh and other senior leaders of the party of casting aspersions on the Upper House chairman to create a "opposite narrative" and said it does a "disfavour not only to truth but to democracy itself".

Reacting to the charge, Ramesh said he hopes the mention of his name in the minister's statement is not a prelude to his suspension for the forthcoming Budget session. "I have always believed respect has to commanded, not demanded," he added.

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Taking on the opposition, Joshi in a statement said it was painful that some members of the opposition reduced the temple of democracy to a theatre of street fight.

Joshi's remarks came after opposition members, including leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, said that Naidu could not do anything to resolve the differences between the opposition and the government.

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In the statement, Joshi said that the chairman was deeply pained over ruckus in the House and reached out to the opposition to break the stalemate.

"The opposition came back in multiple voices which were unclear and contradictory at the same time. Duplicitousness was obvious beneath some weak conciliatory overtures," he said.

He further said when the chairman reached out in a concrete manner, the response proved that the intention beneath the conciliatory talk was that the House does not run.

"Now in order to somehow create the opposite narrative, senior members of the Congress party such as Jairam Ramesh by casting aspersions on the functioning of a Constitutional authority, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, do a disfavour not only to the truth, but to democracy itself," Joshi said.

In the Winter session, the opposition appeared committed to hampering the running of the House, Joshi claimed.

"The public of our country and even history is witness to the level of noise and indiscipline the opposition has made a kind of practice to bring to the sittings of the House. In fact the opposition appears to use every means to not let the House proceedings carry on," he said.

Ramesh said, "I hope the mention of my name in Pralhad Joshi's statement defending an unconstitutional and illegal suspension of 12 MPs is not a prelude to my suspension for the forthcoming Budget session."

"This regime is capable of anything and most of all is simply not interested in any meaningful discussion on pressing national issues. And as far as Joshi's accusation is concerned I have always believed respect has to commanded, not demanded," the Congress leader added.

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Chandigarh, Dec 24 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the alleged sacrilege attempts and the Ludhiana bomb blast are the handiwork of a few people wanting to disturb the state's peace and such incidents will continue unless a strong government takes over.

The Delhi chief minister, who is on a Punjab visit, promised to set up a separate police unit to protect all religious places and prevent sacrilege incidents.

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He also called the drug case lodged against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia a "political stunt".

A bomb had exploded in the Ludhiana district courts complex on Thursday, killing one and injuring six, prompting the Punjab government to declare a high alert in the state.

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Police suspect that the man killed in the blast may have been trying to assemble or plant the explosive device.

"A few days ago, there were cases of sacrilege. Now, there is a blast in Ludhiana. Such incidents before polls are being done under a conspiracy to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the state. It is the handiwork of a few people," Kejriwal told reporters in Amritsar.

After landing at the Amritsar airport, he went straight to Gurdaspur to address a public meeting.

He told reporters there that he has full faith in the people of Punjab and that they will defeat the nefarious designs of those trying to foment tension.

Hitting out at the Punjab government, he said, "There is a weak government in Punjab. They (ruling party leaders) are fighting amongst themselves. Punjab needs an honest strong government, which acts against those indulging in conspiracies."

He said the person who "attempted sacrilege" at the Golden Temple must have been sent by someone influential to foment tension and that there has been several cases of sacrilege over the past five years.

"Such incidents will keep taking place until a strong government takes over," he said.

Addressing a public meeting at Hanuman Chowk in Gurdaspur, the AAP leader said a separate police unit will be formed to protect all religious places so that desecration cases don't take place in future.

The AAP chief also slammed the Congress on the drug menace in the state, saying the government, during the previous election campaign, had promised to wipe out the mafia within a month of forming the government.

"During five years, one FIR has been registered and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu are boasting about it," he said in an apparent reference to the case lodged against Majithia.

Kejriwal said a well-entrenched drug network existed in Punjab and powerful dealers were involved.

When asked about Majithia, he said, "Just 10 days before polls are to be announced, they are boasting. It is only a political stunt.

The former minister was on Monday booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act on the basis of a 2018 status report of a probe into the drug racket.

Kejriwal while addressed the public meeting gave "five guarantees" to people of the poll-bound state.

He said if voted to power, his party will ensure security, law and order, peace and brotherhood of Punjab.

"First, we will completely eliminate the corruption in police recruitment and transfers. Good, qualified and honest police officers will be appointed on high posts and unnecessary pressure and interference of MLAs, MPs, ministers and political parties in police work will be completely stopped," said Kejriwal.

Kejriwal assured justice in all cases of sacrilege and strict punishment to the culprits.

He also promised to crush nefarious designs of the anti-national forces from across the border.

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New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) A 40-year-old woman and her son were arrested for allegedly kidnapping an infant from central Delhi's Shahid Bhagat Singh Park, police said on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Momina and her son Furkan (25), residents of Valmiki Basti, Firozshah Kotla, they said.

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On Thursday at 4.10 pm, a PCR call was received regarding kidnapping of an infant from Shahid Bhagat Singh Park.

During enquiry, the complainant said that in the evening, she brought her six children to Shahid Bhagat Singh Park. Meanwhile, one woman started talking to her and mingled with her family, police said.

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After sometime, the complainant went nearby to bring biryani for her children leaving them in the park. Meanwhile, the accused woman took her youngest one-year-old child from her daughter and escaped, a senior police officer said.

During investigation, police got information that the kidnapper was hiding in Valmiki Basti, Vikram Nagar area. Police conducted a raid and nabbed the kidnapper woman while she was trying to flee from her house, Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Shweta Chauhan said.

The kidnapped child was recovered from her possession. Her son Furkan was also found involved in the crime. He helped his mother to carry the kidnapped child in a taxi and also to hide the child from police, the DCP said.

Furkan drives a taxi, police added.

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New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) Adani Transmission (ATL) has bagged 400 kV Karur Transmission Project for evacuation of renewable power.

Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL), India's largest private sector power transmission company and part of the diversified Adani Group, has received the Letter of Intent (LoI) for the acquisition of Karur Transmission Ltd, a company statement said.

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According to the statement, ATL won the project through the Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) process and has received the LoI for the Central RE evacuation project.

ATL will build, own, operate and maintain the transmission project in Tamil Nadu for a period of 35 years.

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The project, Karur Transmission Ltd, incorporated by PFC Consulting Ltd, primarily consists of the following elements.

Establishment of 2x500MVA, 400/230 kV Karur Pooling Station (at a location between Karur Wind Energy Zone and Tiruppur Wind Energy Zone).

LILO (Line In Line Out) of both circuits of Pugalur -- Pugalur (HVDC) 400 kV D/c line at Karur PS.

ATL's execution of the project will help evacuate renewable energy from the Karur-Tiruppur region and the estimated Capex will be more than Rs 200 crore.

ATL is pleased to contribute to the Renewable Energy evacuation system by building power transmission infrastructure.

This new project will be ATL's first-ever ISTS project in Tamil Nadu, which will allow us to contribute significantly to the development of the national transmission infrastructure for evacuation of renewable energy. We are accelerating our pan-India presence through the competitive bidding process and setting industry benchmarks in sustainable best practices, Anil Sardana, MD and CEO, Adani Transmission, said.

Winning this project consolidates ATL's position as India's largest operating private power transmission company and takes it closer to its target of setting up 20,000 ckt km (Circuit km) of transmission lines by 2022.

The project will also allow the company to assist in the government's quest to achieve power for all by 2022.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Pretoria [South Africa], December 24 (ANI): South Africa has announced it is launching a coronavirus revaccination campaign on Friday with the use of Johnson&Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as booster shots.

This comes as the South African health regulator approved the use of Johnson&Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine as a booster dose two months after the first vaccination.

Also Read | Bangladesh Ferry Fire: 40 People Dead After Fire Breaks Out Aboard Packed 3-Storey Barguna-Bound Ferry.

"Thus, from 24th December 2021, the National Vaccination Programme will provide J&J booster vaccinations to anyone who received their last dose at least 2 months prior (24th October 2021 or before and from then on at least 2 months interval)," the South Africa health ministry said in a statement.

The recommended interval is after 2 months but preferably before 6 months from the primary dose, the ministry said.

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"From 28th December 2021 the National Vaccination Programme will provide Pfizer booster vaccinations to anyone who received their last dose at least 6 months since the second primary dose," the statement added.

Booster doses are the same vaccine in the same dose administered to people who have had a primary vaccination series and are administered to allow the body to boost its immunity to the COVID-19 virus, the ministry added.

South Africa on Thursday had cancelled contact monitoring and mandatory quarantine for those in contact with people infected with coronavirus, regardless of whether the person was vaccinated or not. (ANI)

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Athens, Dec 24 (AP) Coast guard divers searched the hull of a submerged sailboat for passengers possibly trapped inside Friday after the vessel hit rocks and sank off the coast of southern Greece, leading to the deaths of at least 11 people.

The Greek coast guard said 90 people, including 52 men, 11 women and 27 children were rescued overnight and early Friday from a rocky islet some 235 kilometers (145 miles) south of Athens, near the remote island of Antikythera.

Also Read | Bangladesh Ferry Fire: 40 People Dead After Fire Breaks Out Aboard Packed 3-Storey Barguna-Bound Ferry.

Smugglers based in Turkey increasingly have packed sailboats with migrants and refugees and sent them across the Mediterranean Sea toward Italy, avoiding the heavily patrolled Greek islands.

We are extremely saddened at reports that at least seven people lost their lives in a shipwreck north of Antikythera, the Greek office of the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, tweeted before the divers helped recover four more bodies.

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People need safe alternatives to these perilous crossings.

The coast guard released a video of the rescue operation. It showed people being put into life rafts and transferred to a patrol boat.

The survivors were being brought to the port of Piraeus, near Athens.

In a separate incident Friday, Greek police arrested three people on smuggling charges and detained 92 migrants after a yacht ran aground in the southern Peloponnese region.

A search operation also continued for a third day in the central Aegean Sea, where a boat carrying migrants sank near the island of Folegandros.

Thirteen people were rescued, and the survivors reported that at least 17 others were missing.

Authorities said the passengers originally were from Iraq.

Greece is a popular entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

But arrivals dropped sharply in the last two years after Greece extended a wall at the Turkish border and began intercepting inbound boats carrying migrants and refugees, a tactic criticised by human rights groups.

More than 116,000 asylum-seekers crossed the Mediterranean to reach EU countries this year as of Dec. 19, according to UNHCR.

The agency said 55% travelled illegally to Italy, 35% to Spain, and 7% to Greece, with the remainder heading to Malta and Cyprus. (AP)

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Dhaka, Dec 24 (PTI) A man and his wife jumped into the swirling waters of the Sugandha river in a last-ditch attempt to save themselves from the fire that had engulfed the three-storey ferry they were travelling in early on Friday, only to survive under miraculous circumstances, though the wife broke her leg in the process, according to a media report.

At least 40 people died and over 70 others were injured on Friday after a packed ferry carrying around 800 passengers caught fire on the Sugandha River in southern Bangladesh, officials said.

Also Read | Bangladesh Ferry Fire: 40 People Dead After Fire Breaks Out Aboard Packed 3-Storey Barguna-Bound Ferry.

Hossain Mohammad Al-Mujahid, an executive officer hailing from Patharghata Upazila, was jolted from his slumber in the wee hours on Friday by screams from passengers and smoke billowing from the vessel, a bdnews24.com report said.

Hossain and his wife Ummul Wara were travelling in the VIP cabin of the ferry.

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Realising that they had no other means to escape, the two jumped into the Sugandha River, the report said.

After smoke covered the entire ferry, we rushed out of the cabin and moved to the front of the launch. More than 100 people gathered there. The ferry was in the middle of the river. Many passengers were seen jumping into the river, Hossain was quoted as saying in the report.

We also jumped off the burning ferry. I fell straight into the water, while Ummul Wara rammed into the railing first, and then fell into the water. She broke her right leg, he said.

Wara was later treated in a local hospital before the couple headed home to Patharghata.

The elderly and children accounted for most of the victims. Many women jumped into the river but it was not confirmed if all of them could make it to the shore, Hossain said.

Passengers who were sleeping and stayed inside the cabins suffered more, he said, adding the locals took them to the Jhalakathi Sadar Hospital.

The fire broke out around 3:00 am (local time) on Friday in the engine room of the Barguna-bound MV Abhijan-10 ferry that started a journey from Dhaka, police and fire service officials said, adding that scores of other passengers were missing.

Officials familiar with the rescue campaign said 40 people were killed in the blaze, including nine being drowned, but some private television channels, quoting officials, reported 41 deaths from the accident in southern Jhalakathi district, 250 kilometers from the capital Dhaka.

"The rescue efforts are still underway, we can update you about the casualties later," a district administration official told reporters.

Coastguard, fire service and police personnel are spearheading a search campaign covering rivers in three downstream districts.

The accident took place at the confluence of rivers as a huge number of people crowded on the river banks and hospitals to find their relatives.

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Islamabad, Dec 24 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday expressed hope that his country would host the much-delayed SAARC Summit when the "artificial obstacle" created in its way is removed.

Khan made the remarks during his meeting with Secretary-General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Esala Ruwan Weerakoon, who paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister here, according to the Foreign Office.

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The Prime Minister expressed hope to host the SAARC Summit in Pakistan when artificial obstacle created in its way would be removed, the Foreign Office quoted him as saying.

The SAARC - a regional grouping comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - has not been very effective since 2016 as its biennial summits have not taken place since the last one in Kathmandu in 2014.

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The 2016 SAARC Summit was originally planned to be held in Islamabad on November 15-19, 2016. But after a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18 that year, India expressed its inability to participate in the summit due to "prevailing circumstances". The summit was called off after Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also declined to participate in the Islamabad meet.

During his meeting with Weerakoon, Khan reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the mutually beneficial goals and objectives embodied in the SAARC Charter. He also underlined that SAARC can provide a conducive and beneficial atmosphere to build economic synergies which can transform the quality of life of the people of South Asia.

Prime Minister Khan emphasised on strengthening cooperation on issues of common interest including climate change, education, poverty alleviation, energy integration and health challenges, the FO said.

The Prime Minister appreciated SAARC Secretary-General's efforts to further improve and promote SAARC processes and assured him of continued support of Pakistan in further strengthening regional cooperation under the SAARC ambit, it said.

The Secretary-General thanked the Prime Minister for his guidance on SAARC related issues and assured him that during his tenure he will make determined efforts to strengthen collaboration among member states in different fields for the benefit of all the countries of South Asian region.

Khan also strongly condemned the lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot earlier this month and said that there was no justification whatsoever for such acts.

He said that all necessary steps have been taken in order to speedily bring the perpetrators to justice.

Weerakoon, a Sri Lankan diplomat, assumed charge as the Secretary-General of the SAARC in March last year.

Weerakoon, who is on his first visit to Pakistan since assuming office, earlier this week met with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi who reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to the principles and objectives of the SAARC Charter for the welfare of the people of the region, economic integration and regional prosperity.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington [US], December 24 (ANI): Pentagon in an upgrade of its policy on Thursday (local time) expanded the scope of the word "extremism" to include terrorism. "The term 'extremist activities; means.... Advocating, engaging in, or supporting terrorism, within the US or abroad."

The US Department of Defense has come up with a strict anti-extremism policy that can punish service members for "liking" extremist content or supporting any kind of terrorism, reported The Geneva Daily.

Also Read | James Webb Space Telescope To Be Launched On Christmas Day From French Guiana; Know All About NASAs Next Great Space Observatory.

The policy, originally brought in by the Pentagon in 2009 in light of changes recommended to tackle Islamist terrorism after 9/11, was amended after the January 6 "insurrection" call on the US Capitol.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reviewed the policy to discover the "extent of extremism within the ranks" and how to prevent people in uniform from "espousing" extremist views.

Also Read | US FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of Merck's Molnupiravir COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Pills.

The policy introduces rules that specifically govern troops' activities on social media. Under the new policy, "liking" extremist content could result in military punishment.

Acts of clicking "like," using certain emojis, or favouring a site would violate the new extremism policy. New training will be imparted to troops and officers about what social media activity is prohibited, reported The Geneva Daily.

The policy comes with a preamble that explains the rationale for the rules: "Enforcement of this policy is the responsibility of every command. It is the commander's responsibility to maintain good order and discipline in the unit, and every commander has the inherent authority and responsibility to take appropriate actions to accomplish this goal. Active participation in extremist activities (which includes some forms of conduct with respect to groups and organizations that actively participate in extremist activities) does not accord with military values and is not conducive to good order and discipline."

The rules say extremist activities will mean "advocating or engaging in unlawful force or violence to achieve goals that are political, religious, discriminatory, or ideological in nature, advocating or encouraging military, civilian, or contractor personnel within the DoD or United States Coast Guard to violate the laws of the United States, or to disobey lawful orders or regulations, for the purpose of disrupting military activities (e,g., subversion), or personally undertaking the same, and advocating widespread unlawful discrimination based on race, colour, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, or sexual orientation, reported The Geneva Daily.

It also defines "active participation" to mean advocating or engaging in the use or threat of unlawful force or violence in support of extremist activities, advocating for, or providing material support or resources to, individuals or organizations that promote or threaten the unlawful use of force or creating, organizing, or taking a leadership role in a group or organization that engages in or advocates for extremist activities, with knowledge of those activities.

A Pentagon official is quoted as saying, "As of this time, we are not reviewing the social media content of recruits. We do ask a series of questions during the recruiter interviews, and then we do look extensively at past involvement with law enforcement include arrest charges, citations, parole, probation detention. We also do advanced fingerprint shots and an FBI name check which serves as a preliminary screening for any history of this activity."

Military recruiters will also notice things like "body tattoos" that might "indicate membership in an extremist group". Once recruits formally join the Services, their off or on duty actions will now be subject also the new anti-extremism rules, reported The Geneva Daily. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kabul [Afghanistan], December 24 (ANI): Children across Afghanistan are increasingly vulnerable to disease and illness due to the deadly combination of rising malnutrition, an unprecedented food crisis, drought, disruptions to vital health and nutrition centres, lack of access to and poor quality of water and sanitation services, and crippling winter weather, United Nations Children's Fund said.

As the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Afghanistan, outbreaks of life-threatening diseases are putting children's lives at risk, the UNICEF said in a statement.

Also Read | Bangladesh Ferry Fire: 36 People Dead, Nearly 200 Injured After Fire Breaks Out Aboard A Barguna-Bound Packed Passenger Ferry.

More than 66,000 cases of measles have so far been reported in children so far in 2021. There have also been outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea, malaria and dengue fever. Four cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV-1) have been confirmed this year.

Severe winter weather conditions, with temperatures already well below freezing in many areas, increase the risk of pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI) as families struggle to heat their homes and keep their children warm, the UN agency said.

Also Read | Omicron Likely to Be Dominant Strain Globally in 2022: Singapore Experts.

Children living in high altitude regions are especially vulnerable and require urgent life-saving assistance including winter clothing, blankets and fuel for heating. Some 25-30 per cent of deaths in children below the age of five are due to respiratory tract infections, with 90 per cent of these deaths due to pneumonia, it added.

"We are approaching a critical juncture for Afghanistan's children, as winter brings with it a multitude of threats to their health," said Abdul Kadir Musse, UNICEF Afghanistan Representative.

"There is no time to lose. Without urgent, concerted action - including ensuring we have the resources to deploy additional cash transfers and winter supplies - many of the country's children will not live to see spring,"

Earlier this month, UNICEF launched its largest-ever single-country appeal to respond to the needs of over 24 million people in Afghanistan, half of whom are children.

UNICEF's appeal for US$2 billion aims to help avert the collapse of health, nutrition, WASH, education and other vital social services for children and families.

Last month, UNICEF provided more than 10,000 front-line health workers in over 1,000 health facilities with salaries for November and supported over 1,000 health facilities with medical supplies and winter heating materials.

UNICEF estimates that 1 in every two children under five will be acutely malnourished in 2022 due to the food crisis and poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

Guided by humanitarian principles, UNICEF said it will prioritize life-saving interventions to treat children and provide other vital services.

UNICEF's response will help ensure continuity of essential services by preventing the collapse of systems that are critical for children, while also safeguarding hard-won gains, including protecting the rights of women and girls, it said.

UNICEF counts on the support of the international community by facilitating exemptions to sanctions to ensure the timely provision of goods and services to the children of Afghanistan, it 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)
Kabul [Afghanistan], December 24 (ANI): The Taliban have halted US-chartered Qatar Airways evacuation flights out of Afghanistan for the past two weeks.

The flights were halted over disagreements both about how the Kabul airport is managed and who is provided with seats on the evacuation flights, Sputnik reported citing NBC report on Thursday.

Also Read | US FDA Authorizes Emergency Use of Merck's Molnupiravir COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Pills.

"We are hopeful that flights will resume shortly, though as usual, winter weather conditions and airport operations remain additional factors to be aware of," a State Department official told NBC.

The Taliban allegedly demanded several seats on the flights for their fighters and sympathizers so that they can work in other countries, the Russian News Agency reported.

Also Read | Greece Cancels Christmas Events, Brings Back Mask Mandate in View of Omicron Variant.

According to the report, the Taliban argue that they are running the country and Qataris use their airspace, so the radical group should receive seats on the flights.

Prior to the flight suspension, the Taliban were using the seats to send migrant workers to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries to find work, the report noted. The Taliban were deciding who would get the seats, and it was not known who was leaving Afghanistan - Taliban fighters, sympathizers, civilians, or a combination of these groups, the report added.

The report further stated that when the Qatari government declined to continue providing seats, the Taliban halted evacuation flights.

The Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis.

A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban, have plunged a country already suffering from high poverty levels into a full-blown economic crisis.

The international community, from governments to non-governmental organizations, has been providing various assistance to the Afghan people. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mogadishu [Somalia], December 24 (ANI/Xinhua): The United Nations' top relief envoy in Somalia on Friday called for a ceasefire in Bossaso, a commercial port city in northeast Somalia, following three days of intense fighting between rival security forces.

Adam Abdelmoula, the humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, expressed concern about the impact of ongoing hostilities in Bossaso of Puntland State on civilians.

Also Read | US To Lift Omicron-Linked Travel Ban on Southern Africa.

"I urge all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to ensure unfettered access for humanitarian workers to all people in need of assistance," Abdelmoula said in a statement issued in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

He said more than half of Bossaso city's population have reportedly been displaced from their homes because of fighting between the United States-trained anti-terror unit, Puntland Security Forces (PSF) and the region's regular security forces loyal to Puntland President Saed Abdullahi Deni.

Also Read | Bangladesh Ferry Fire: 40 People Dead After Fire Breaks Out Aboard Packed 3-Storey Barguna-Bound Ferry.

According to humanitarian partners and local authorities, some 40 percent of 70,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) hosted in Bossaso town are also reported to have experienced secondary displacement.

The UN official said the closure of shops has limited the possibility of vulnerable people, including IDPs and drought-affected communities, to redeem their vouchers for basic supplies.

"I am further concerned that fighting has negatively affected the ability of humanitarian partners to reach the displaced people who are in urgent need of humanitarian and protection assistance," said Abdelmoula.

The clashes which began Tuesday have been roundly condemned by Somali leaders including President Mohamed Farmajo. (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)
New Delhi, December 24: First dose of Covid vaccine has been administered to all people eligible for inoculation, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday while hailing the healthcare and frontline workers who have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. Taking to Twitter, he shared data on the vaccination drive underway in the city.

"Delhi completes first dose to 100 per cent eligible people -- 148.33 lakh. Salute to doctors, ANMs, teachers, ASHAs, CDVs and all other frontline workers. Congratulations to DMs, CDMOs, DIOs and all district functionaries," Kejriwal tweeted.

Delhi on Thursday had achieved the milestone of administering at least one dose of Covid vaccine to all above 18, government data showed. According to the CoWIN dashboard, 1,48,27,546 people in Delhi have taken at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine by 8 pm on Thursday. COVID-19 Vaccine Covishield Protection Declines After 3 Months? Experts Say Lancet Study Is Misquoted.

As per the draft roll published on November 1, 2021, the total number of electors in Delhi stands at 1,47,95,949. Over 2,53,37,557 doses have been administered in the city since the inoculation exercise started on January 16. As many as 1,05,10,011 people have received both doses. Over 1.22 lakh people were vaccinated against coronavirus in Delhi on Thursday.
Telugu's superstar Nagarjuna, who hosted three seasons of Bigg Boss Telugu, recently concluded the fifth season of the reality show.
Officials of the United Nations (@UN) have said that they are busy considering the resumption of the economy in #Afghanistan for which the global body will allocate a package of $8 billion, Khaama Press reported. pic.twitter.com/cs1oKC1JQc IANS Tweets (@ians_india) December 24, 2021

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It was December 1955, the height of the Cold War, when the red phone on Col. Harry Shoups desk at the Continental Air Defense Command began to ring.

Only an elite few knew the number. Odds were good that a four-star general from the Pentagon was on the other end of the line.

Shoup reached for the phone.

Yes, sir. This is Col. Shoup, he said.

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No response.

Sir? This is Col. Shoup. Pause. Sir, can you read me all right?

Thats when Shoup heard the little girls voice.

Are you really Santa Claus?

For the last 60 years, officials at the North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., have tracked Santas whirlwind tour across the globe to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. Nearly 9 million people from more than 200 countries are expected to check in with NORADs Santa-tracking website before they go to bed on Christmas Eve.

And it all began with that phone call.

As Shoup later recalled in a home video, his first response to the unlikely query was that someone was pulling his leg -- and he wasnt amused.

I said, Would you repeat that please? he replied.

Are you really Santa Claus?

Thats when he realized two things: Something had gone wrong with his phone, and the question was genuine.

So he told the little girl on the other end of the line that he was, indeed, Santa Claus. Relieved, she informed him that she would be leaving him food by her fireplace, plus treats for his reindeer as well.

I said, Oh boy, they sure will appreciate that!

Then Shoup asked to speak to her mother. Thats how he learned that a Sears, Roebuck & Co. advertisement in the local newspaper had invited kids to call Santa at ME 2-6681 -- the number for the red phone.

See the most-read stories in Science this hour >>

It was a misprint, of course, but that didnt stop kids from flooding the line all the way until Christmas. Shoup assigned a couple of airmen to answer the line and act like St. Nick, Shoups daughter Pamela Farrell recounted to StoryCorps.

After a few weeks, someone at the Continental Air Defense Command (which is now NORAD) had an inspired idea. He went to the giant glass board where airmen tracked the planes in U.S. or Canadian airspace and added a drawing of a sleigh with eight reindeer. They were headed south from the North Pole.

Shoup studied the board. Then he picked up his phone, his other daughter, Terri Van Keuren, told StoryCorps.

He called a local radio station and said, This is the commander of the Combat Alert Center, and we have an unidentified flying object -- why, it looks like a sleigh!

After that, Van Keuren added, stations would call every hour to ask for the latest on Santas whereabouts.

The militarys Santa-tracking efforts have become considerably more elaborate since 1955. NORADs online tracker plays Christmas tunes while flying reindeer pull a red sleigh over images of the Earth provided by NASA. The site shows Santas last stop and gives an ETA for his next destination. It also keeps a running tab of the number of gifts delivered.

Those who find websites passe can download the NORAD Tracks Santa app from the iTunes store, follow @NoradSanta on Twitter, like NORADs tracker on Facebook or keep tabs through a variety of other social media sites.

More than 70,000 children still call NORAD to talk to Santa on a toll-free line -- (877) HI-NORAD or (877) 446-6723 -- and another 12,000 or so send e-mails to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com.

All of this would have been impossible for Shoup to imagine as he spoke to the little girl who inadvertently kicked the whole thing off 60 years ago.

Before handing the phone to her mother, the girl asked a question that was certainly appropriate for an Air Force colonel: How is it possible for Santa to visit so many houses in a single night?

Years later, Shoup still remembered his answer: I said, Thats the magic of Christmas.

Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shortened the COVID isolation period for health care workers who have been infected with COVID amid the rising Omicron variant concerns.

The CDC suggested that health care workers who are asymptomatic return to work after seven days and a negative test, saying that isolation time can be cut further if there are staffing issues, according to The New York Times report.

In addition, health care workers who had received all recommended vaccine doses, including boosters, will not need to quarantine at home after high-risk exposures.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement that the agency is updating their recommendations based on what they know about infection and exposure with the vaccination and booster in mind. Walensky added that their goal is to keep health care workers and patients safe, as well as address the undue burden in the health care facilities, according to an Associated Press News report.

However, the new recommendations do not cover the public, with CDC still setting a 14-day isolation period for infected Americans. The agency is now examining the 14-day isolation period as more research confirmed that a typical patient would be infectious for a shorter amount of time.

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said that a shorter COVID isolation period for the public would make sense, especially for those who are vaccinated.

The change in the CDC guidance was announced days after chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said the U.S. was considering shortening the 10-day quarantine period for asymptomatic health care workers.

Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, noted that the agency is consistently behind in updating recommendations needed now, especially with the sudden surge in cases.

READ NEXT: First Omicron Variant Death Reported in Texas; Patient Was Unvaccinated Who Previously Caught COVID

U.S. Health Care Workforce Amid Omicron Variant

Omicron has become the dominant variant in the United States in a matter of weeks, accounting for 73 percent of sequenced cases, which is six times higher than last week.

Officials and experts cautioned about a wave of patients and possible staffing shortages, according to The Guardian report.

Marcus Plescia, the chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said that Omicron is a highly contagious variant and could cause significant issues with the workforce. Plescia added that Omicron is "spreading like wildfire" and hitting hospitals.

Meanwhile, the American Nurses Association is calling U.S. officials to declare the nursing shortage a national crisis.

In April, 55 percent of front-line health workers reported feeling burned out, with them frequently experiencing harassment and frustration at work.

Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, noted that the Omicron variant is significantly impacting the workforce.

Benjamin said that hospital administrators may need to tap retired workers, even for a short period.

Dani Bowie, vice president of nursing workforce development, said that Ohio-based Bon Secours Mercy Health introduced a new scheduling system during the pandemic so workers could book extra shifts in advance and have more certainty over their schedules, according to a CNBC report.

Betty Jo Rocchio, a chief nursing officer at Mercy, noted that everybody is mentally, physically, and emotionally tired from dealing with the effects of COVID.

To address the issue, Rocchio said Mercy offers an employee assistance program with mental wellness built into it.

READ MORE: Dr. Anthony Fauci Says COVID Variant Omicron Might Evade Protections Gained by Vaccination, Previous Infection

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Written by Mary Webber

WATCH: How Surging Covid Cases, Hospitalizations Are Impacting Healthcare Workers - from NBC News






Seven Colombian companies attended the Customer Contact Week in Las Vegas, the largest international event on the outsourcing services industry (BPO) calendar, held between the 13th and 16th of December in Las Vegas (United States). ProColombia, the government agency in charge of Exports, Tourism, Investment and Country Branding, accompanied these seven companies to promote the qualities and characteristics that make these key industrial sectors stand out internationally.

READ ALSO: Start a New Business in Colombia? Here's What You Need to Know

This year's CCW featured nearly 700 participants, with 200 exhibitors from the outsourcing industry. The companies that participated came from different industries, such as food, tax, software, telecommunications, mass media, retail, and many others. With a huge influence in the international market, some of the companies taking part included Target, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Ancestry, TaxSlayer, among others.

Colombia represents 13.1% of all BPO sales in Latin America, surpassing Argentina, Chile, and Peru. In addition, the contact center sector in Colombia is expected to maintain an accumulated growth rate of 3.8% between 2021 and 2022, which makes the country's projected future growth one of the largest in the region.

According to the Offshore Confidence Index of 2021*, Colombia ranked first overall, ahead of countries such as India and South Africa. The main strengths highlighted for Colombia are governmental support and strong cohesion in the BPO sector. The country's infrastructure, scalability of talent, reliability of the public sector, recruitment and staffing, and economic stability are also highly rated in the index. Additionally, the country has 11 submarine cables in operation, making it the second country in the region with the largest number of internet cables allowing it to offer reliable, stable, and fast data transmission. In addition, according to the Ministry of Information and Technology, Colombia registered 2.8 million broadband connections in 2010. In 2018, that figure reached 32.7 million connections.

Prior to 2019, the contact center market in Colombia served mainly the telecommunications and financial services industry, representing more than 50% of operations, with Spain and the United States being the main destinations for call center services exports from Colombia. Moreover, the contact center industry in Colombia is expected to maintain a cumulative growth rate of 3.8% in 2022.

CCW Infrastructure and Talent

Companies: Atento, BRM, Complarketing, Cos, Emergia, GSS, and Iterum. These companies specialize in offering call center and backoffice services, in English and Spanish, which has earned them the trust of large multinationals such as Adobe, Amazon, IBM and Microsoft, among others.

According to the IMD World Talent Report in 2019. Colombia had the largest workforce in the region, and came first for growth and training, surpassing countries such as Peru, Mexico and Brazil. The country has facilitated large BPO companies to move their operations to Colombia from other regional markets to serve their internal and external markets, most notably the United States and Spain.

RELATED ARTICLE: Google and Other Companies to Conduct Conferences and Events Remotely
A California woman on Thursday pleaded guilty to a federal charge of punching a Southwest Airlines flight attendant. She may face up to 20 years in prison and be fined an amount of about $250,000.

The California woman, identified as Vyvianna Quinonez from Sacramento, pleaded guilty to a charge of interfering with a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, The Sacramento Bee reported. Her conviction was a result of a plea agreement with the prosecutors.

READ NEXT: Southwest Airlines Walks Back on Decision to Put Staffers Seeking Vaccine Exemption on Unpaid Leave

California Woman Asked to Wear Face Mask 'Properly' in Southwest Airlines Flight

According to The Daily Mail, the punching incident in the Southwest Airlines flight between Quinonez and the flight attendant on May 23, took place while the 28-year-old California woman was on a flight from Sacramento to San Diego.

During the flight, a flight attendant asked Quinonez to buckle up her seat belt, properly wear her face mask, and stow away her tray table during the flight's descent.

NBC News noted that in response, Quinonez recorded the flight attendant on her cellphone, pushed her then punched the attendant in the face and pulled her hair. Authorities noted that other passengers intervened with the physical altercation.

The said assault done by the California woman was recorded on the cellphone of another passenger of the flight.

According to reports, the flight attendant suffered three chipped teeth. The flight attendant also sustained bruised and swollen left eye, as well as a cut in the same area that needed three stitches. Furthermore, the flight crew also has a bruise in the shape of fingers on her right forearm.

Acting United States Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement that it was "inexcusable" for anyone to use violence on an airplane "for any reason." Grossman also defended the flight attendant who was hurt because of the California woman.

"The flight attendant who was assaulted was simply doing her job to ensure the safety of all passengers aboard the plane," Grossman pointed out.

As the California woman pleaded guilty to a federal charge, Quinonez is due to be sentenced in a San Diego federal court in March. Although she could face up to 20 years in prison, prosecutors said that they would recommend a sentence of four months in custody and six months of home confinement.

In addition to federal charges, prosecutors also confirmed that Quinonez will be banned from flying with commercial airlines for three years.

Number of Unruly Passengers Over Face Mask Mandates in Airlines

The attack of the California woman on a Southwest Airlines flight attendant was among the over 5,000 incidents of unruly passengers.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that 4,156 of the incidents of unruly passengers on airlines are those from passengers who refuse to wear their face masks during their flight.

The FAA also noted that there were more acts of violence in 2021 flights more than the entire history of its record-keeping which started in 1995. In response, the TSA in September reinstated flight crew self-defense classes.

READ NEXT: [UPDATE] California Man Faces Assault Charges After Attacking American Airlines' Female Flight Attendant

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Woman Pleads Guilty in Flight Attendant Assault That Left Victim With Chipped Teeth - From CBS 8 San Diego
Heavy overnight rains in Northern California left two individuals dead inside a submerged car on Thursday as a storm rolled through the state.

California authorities on Thursday urged residents of several mountain and canyon communities situated in the southern portion of the state to voluntarily leave their homes due to the threat of mud and debris flows.

California Experiences Heavy Rain, Flooding

According to U.S. News, San Mateo County Sheriff's Detective Javier Acosta said the firefighters doing the rescue operations in Millbrae, just south of San Francisco, were able to rescue a driver who climbed on top of his car at a flooded underpass.

However, they were not able to reach the two individuals in another car. Acosta told the Mercury News that "overwhelming rain" rose rapidly in the underpass when the firefighters responded to a call for help shortly before 6 a.m.

In order for California authorities to recover the bodies, it took them several hours to drain the area. An investigation is ongoing regarding the deaths.

Moreover, an evacuation warning was issued in the Sierra Nevada for about 150 homes downstream of Twain Harte Lake Dam after cracks were found in the granite that adjoins the man-made portion of the 36-foot-high structure.

According to Tuolomne County sheriff's Sgt. Nicco Sandelin, authorities in the area have started to release some water, but the dam did not seem in any immediate danger.

READ NEXT: Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake Hits Northern California Coast: USGS

Storm Threatens Southern Portion of California

The precautions for California's southern portion came as precipitation that had been mostly falling in Northern California this week spread across the state.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an advisory warning of potential heavy rains in Southern California late Thursday. There was also an advisory for minor flooding of low-lying areas and roadways around San Francisco Bay counties.

Forecasters said the storm, which rolled in from the north Thursday morning, would grow in intensity into the night and hover over the region the following day. An avalanche warning was already released for eastern Sierra Nevada backcountry areas in Mono and Inyo counties.

State authorities have also required tire chains on vehicles traveling to some major routes through the Sierra. Flooding has already closed a section of U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara County and a stretch of coastal Highway 1 in San Luis Obispo County.

Meanwhile, a flood watch was also issued for the southeast and east areas of Los Angeles by Thursday evening due to possible heavy overnight rain.

Orange County officials have already issued evacuation warnings for three canyons near a wildfire burn scar where rain unleashed muddy torrents last week. San Bernardino County authorities also issued warnings for a half-dozen mountain areas.

Periods of rain and snow were predicted for California on Christmas until early next week. Forecasters said another storm was expected to roll in again on Saturday. They warned holiday travelers to be ready as snow levels in the north could drop to 1,000 feet or lower by Sunday.

The Sacramento weather office said that foothill locations that do not normally receive snow should prepare for winter, especially from Sunday morning until Tuesday morning.

READ MORE: California Mother Who Allegedly Told Daughter to Punch Opponent in Basketball Game Charged With 2 Misdemeanors

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Winter Storm: Northern California Has Rain, Snow in Christmas Week Forecast - From ABC 10
Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar said he has "moved on" from trying to work with Vice President Kamala Harris when it comes to border and immigration issues.

Cuellar said Harris was tasked to do that job, but "it doesn't look like she's very interested in this," Daily Mail reported.

"So we are going to move on to other folks that work on this issue," he added. Cuellar noted that when Harris said she would be visiting the border in June, his office reached out to her office, but the calls were unreturned.

The Texas representative then compared President Joe Biden's office to Harris, saying in the West Wing, "at least they talk to you," Fox News reported.

Cuellar has earlier called for Harris' replacement as the so-called "border czar" as his constituents struggle with the surge of migrants at the border firsthand.

READ NEXT: Vice Pres. Kamala Harris Announces $1.2 Billion Worth of Private Investments in Central America as Part of Her Response to Migration Root Causes

Kamala Harris and Immigration Issues

Joe Biden has tapped Kamala Harris to address the "root causes" of the migration surge that has overwhelmed the border this year.

However, she reportedly complained privately to allies about the difficulties of the assignment, with her facing criticisms for waiting months to visit the border.

Harris has delivered mixed messages at one point, telling migrants "do not come" illegally while proclaiming herself to be an "advocate" for both legal and illegal migrants.

Kamala Harris as 'Border Czar'

Kamala Harris' aides have highlighted her work of lobbying other countries and companies to join the U.S. in a commitment to invest around $1.2 billion in efforts to expand digital access, climate resilience, and create more economic opportunities in Central America, The New York Times reported.

Harris issued the call during a roundtable discussion with CEOs of companies such as Microsoft, PepsiCo Latin America, and Cargill.

A senior White House official said, at the time, that they have brought resources, political focus, and raised the international profile. The official added that the vice president has caused all of those to happen with her leadership and her vision.

However, there has not been much effort when it comes to curbing corruption in the region. There are also issues regarding the way she runs her team.

Gil Duran worked for Kamala Harris when she was the California attorney general in 2013. Duran said that the vice president could be insulting and unprofessional.

Duran noted that he quit after five months on the job when Harris declined to attend a briefing before a press conference and berated a staff member to the point of tears when she felt unprepared.

Symone Sanders, a chief spokesperson for Harris, announced her departure from the vice president's team earlier this month. In November, Harris communications director Ashley Etienne left the vice president's side.

A Rasmussen Reports poll found that just 39 percent of likely voters have a favorable impression of Kamala Harris, while 57 percent have a negative view of the vice president, New York Post reported.

READ MORE: Majority Believes Joe Biden Unfit to Be President and 'Others' Are Secretly Running the White House: Poll

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: VP Kamala Harris Delivers Remarks on Immigration at the Border - From CNBC Television






The families of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie will be celebrating their first Christmas without them.

Ahead of Christmas Day, Petito's family took action to honor her memory by financially supporting groups working to track down missing persons, the Independent reported.

As the family prepared for their first Christmas without her, the foundation, established in Gabby Petito's name, announced this week that it had made donations to three groups working to help locate missing persons.

This money was initially intended to help in the search effort to find Petito. But when her body was found at the Spread Creek Dispersed Campground near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on September 19, the money was transferred to the control of the Gabby Petito Foundation.

The AWARE Foundation, the first organization Petito's parents asked for help in getting the word out that she had gone missing, received donations from the family.

The other two groups were the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and the Safe Space, a certified domestic violence shelter in Florida.

"We want to honor Gabby's memory and life by ensuring that no one ever has to experience what she did," Nichole Schmidt, Petito's mom, said in a statement.

According to Petito's dad, Joe Petito, the three organizations "are doing incredible work on the front lines of missing persons and responding to those impacted by abuse."

Petito's parents said they wanted survivors to know that they are not alone and there are groups ready to help them. A foundation's board member told The Independent that $20,000 was donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline and $15,000 each to the other groups.

READ NEXT: Gabby Petito's Dad Joins in Search for Missing Mom of Five Not Seen in Weeks, Tweets Directly at Celebs to Help Out

The Gabby Petito Foundation

The Gabby Petito Foundation was launched in late September, shortly after federal officials confirmed the death of Brian Laundrie's fiancee.

Petito's family formed the foundation to address the needs of organizations that support locating missing persons. The foundation also aims to provide aid to organizations that assist victims of domestic violence through education, awareness, and prevention strategies.

Petito's mom earlier said, "the foundation is a way of us grieving."

"For me, it means preventing this from happening to someone else... That's what we're trying to do here. And that's justice, for me, it's helping others," Nichole noted.

In an interview with WFLA Now last month, members of Petito's family said helping others, especially the victims of domestic violence, and making the world a better place can be seen as a form of justice for the death of the YouTuber.

Petito's mom noted that even though she can't do it, she will try "saving the world" because "that's Gabby's legacy." Nichole added that justice for her was "helping others."

Petito's stepmom, Tara Petito, echoed what Nichole said, noting that saving even a single person "would be justice."

"Just going forward, that's really what we would like to do. To save... or help her story get there so people know that we care," Tara noted.

Joe Petito said the family tried to stay focused and put their energy toward the foundation they put up in honor of their late daughter.

"It's hard. We're still grieving and it's going to be a process for a long time... I think starting the foundation is a way of us grieving and getting through this," he noted.

Deaths of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie

Gabby Petito disappeared on a cross-country road trip with Brian Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when the YouTuber stopped communicating with her family in Wyoming in late August.

Laundrie was named a person of interest by the North Port police after returning home alone on September 1 or 10 days before Petito was reported missing by her family.

A Teton County, Wyoming coroner said Petito was strangled to death by a "human being," and the manner of death was homicide.

After a month-long manhunt, the North Port police and the FBI agents found Laundrie's remains in a swampy area of Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park on October 20.

The partial skeletal remains were confirmed to belong to him after a review of dental records. According to the autopsy report, Laundrie died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of death was suicide.

Brian Laundrie was never charged in connection with Gabby Petito's murder. But an arrest warrant was issued for him for allegedly using his fiancee's debit card after her death.

READ MORE: Brian Laundrie Manipulated Gabby Petito to Deposit Vlogging Revenue to His Bank Account? Questions Pop up on How He Got the $20K He Left Behind

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Family of Gabby Petito Launches Foundation in Her Honor - From NewsNation Now
The annual St Stephen's Day Tractor Run in memory of the late Tom Kinsella returns this year to its usual Laois venue in Ballyroan.

Because it was not possible to hold an event event last year the organisers, the Ballyroan Vintage Club, say they aim to go "bigger and better" in aid of Laois Hospice in 2021.

Registration starts at 11am on Sunday, December 26 for the annual road run which the organisers hope will raise 10000 for this great cause.

The event features a raffle on the day with a top prize of 1000! Followed by 500, 250 and a range of hampers.

Tickets are 5 each with some great deals on multiple tickets purchased. Tickets can now be purchased online through the idonate platform HERE.

The organisers say Laois Hospice has helped to provide a palliative care service for Cancer patients, whose illness no longer responds to curative treatment. The hospice also provides support for the families of such patients. This total care involves doctors, nurses, a team of specialists and the clergy who are all concerned with quality of life.

"Tom Kinsella passed away in 2015 following a long battle with cancer, the support and help that Tom and his family received from the Laois Hospice home care team at such a difficult time was something that we as a family will be forever grateful for. It is extremely important that familys going through similar circumstances are also able to avail of this help and support," said the appeal from the organisers.
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As a model, entrepreneur, DJ and mum-of-two (with another baby on the way), Vogue Williams is nothing if not busy, and shes regularly seen on the red carpet at glamorous events alongside husband Spencer Matthews.

The Dublin-born beauty, 36  who launched her own tanning brand, Bare by Vogue, in 2019  is also a self-confessed beauty buff and has perfected her party season skincare routine.

Speaking at the Amazon Black Friday Live event, the model mum revealed her five top tips for keeping your complexion looking healthy throughout the festive period

1. Always remove your make-up



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Are you guilty of slumping into bed after a festive shindig with a full face of make-up? No matter how tempting it is to leave it on, just for one night  dont! Williams says. You will always regret not taking your make-up off. And when youre getting made up and going out more often over Christmas, its hard to get flawless make-up if your skin hasnt been looked after.

2. Cleanse, cleanse, and cleanse again

If I go out night after night after night, like we tend to over Christmas, my skin really feels it and can definitely look tired, says Williams. At those times, you cant beat the power of a double cleanse, or even a triple cleanse!

She recommends using a cleansing balm followed by a gel to make sure every scrap of make-up and dirt is removed. And if your complexion is looking as hungover as you feel the next morning, skincare can help: Most people dont realise this, but you should always start those mornings with a proper cleanse again. It makes such a difference to your pores, and ultimately how flawless your skin looks.

3. Switch up your skincare in winter

Do you use the same products year-round and notice your skin gets more dry in the colder months? Just like we get the big coat out over winter, our skincare needs to match the weather too, Williams says. In the cold especially, you have to protect your skin from cold winds and central heating. The best way to do this is layer up using facial oils so you have protection against the elements.

4. Prime for parties

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I never thought a primer could be such a game-changer to my beauty routine, Williams says. I am in LOVE with the Elemis Superfood Glow Priming Moisturiser and will be using it non-stop over the festive season. I use it in three different ways  under my foundation for a gorgeous glow, mixed with my foundation for a dewy finish, or as a highlighter to make my cheekbones pop.

5. Finish with massage

As a final step in her evening skincare routine, Williams says that you cannot underestimate the power of facial massage. I dont mean spend hours, just spend a minute massaging your final product in before bed, working from the inside of your face outwards, she says. Really get stuck in too, use your whole hand and your knuckles too, not just your fingertips. Your hands are the best tools youve got!
Pipe works to prevent floods in Portlaoise between houses and the train line are to start soon, Laois County Council has confirmed.

Previous floods on the land in Clonboyne created a need for the work to be done by both Irish Rail and Laois County Council.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley this December asked for a timeframe, in a motion to the Portlaoise Municipal District monthly meeting.

"There was a pipe that went under the railway line back in the day when the flooding was really bad. Some people's land flooded," she recalled.

Area Engineer Wes Wilkinson said that Irish Rail has done their bit, but surveys must be carried out before the council can fully alleviate the risk.

"We have been working in conjunction with Irish Rail for the last two or three years on it. Temporary works were carried out initially around the time of the initial issue. Then Irish Rail completed their element of works underneath the railway. So we have other works that we hope to connect to existing surface water infrastructure out there.

Surveys and designs are needed before the works can start he said.

We hope that we'll be starting those works in early quarter two (April to June) of next year," Mr Wilkinson said.
Hello, my name is Princy Kurian and I am a staff nurse working in the respiratory high dependence unit at Naas General Hospital. During weekends and night shifts, I may also undertake the role of team lead on the ward, depending on rostering.

Usually the Christmas Day shift begins at 7.45am and ends at 8.15pm. The workload on Christmas Day is very different to a usual day. As a healthcare worker on this special day, you are the family for your patients and I always try to make my patients feel special on Christmas Day. I always ask my patients how they normally celebrate and ask about their childhood Christmas memories. I generally wear a Christmas hat and wish all my patients and colleagues a Happy Christmas. We play Christmas music on the radio all day and after evening tea we sing some Christmas carols to make everyone feel merry and happy.

We are very lucky in Naas General Hospital to have Christmas lunch provided for the staff in our canteen and it is always so delicious and a lovely treat!

When I have Christmas Day off it is a lovely busy day with my family. On Christmas Eve we go to mass and, as part of the Indian Christian community, we follow the Advent. As an Indian Christian, we have Christmas breakfast with appam and duck or chicken curry. Christmas cake is cut after a small prayer. Then the children will be running to the Christmas tree to open gifts.

Read more Kildare news

I came to Ireland in December 2012, since then I have never celebrated a Christmas or Easter in my own native land. I am lucky enough to have my cousins and friends living in Ireland so we plan early and share the workload of Christmas lunch. If my cousin is preparing the biriyani or fried rice, I will prepare the starters and the dessert. We will gather in one of our houses with Christmas gifts. For Christmas supper we usually go to a friends house but with Covid-19 that was put on hold last year, and this year as well, as we still need to keep our social contacts low.

Of course, working on Christmas Day is a different feeling. You miss your family. On break time we call overseas and see how our families are celebrating. I will always cherish the memories of childhood Christmas with my big family back at home and always miss them at this time of year.

As a healthcare worker who has battled through the pandemic on the frontline over these last two years, I would implore everyone to please take heed of the public health advice, especially over the Christmas holidays. I for one am afraid of what the Omicron variant might mean for us in the hospital over the coming weeks. Keep your social contacts low and when your turn comes, avail of the booster vaccine. This will help to keep you and your close ones safe over the weeks ahead.

From all of us at Naas General Hospital, we wish you and yours a very Happy Christmas.
Everyone loves a good Christmas movie but how much do you actually know about your favourite festive films. Test your and your family's knowledge with these 50 teasers. The answers are below.

1: Who plays Buddy in the film Elf?

2: What name do the burglars give themselves in Home Alone?

3: Who provided the voice of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 2009 animated Christmas movie, A Christmas Carol?

4: In which Christmas movie does Buddy travel from the North Pole to New York to find his father Walter Hobbs?

5: Which English actor plays the villian in the first Die Hard movie?

6: In which film does Jim Carreys character try to ruin Christmas?

7: Which 2003 film features Billy Bob Thornton as a thief who disguises himself as a department store Santa Claus?

8: In which rom-com does the character Natalie fall in love with the British prime minister, played by Hugh Grant?

9: What is the name of the child that the story focuses on in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factor?

10: Which actor voiced several roles in The Polar Express?

11: What was Clarence the angel awarded for completing his mission in Its A Wonderful Life?

12: How much did Kevin McCallister spend on room service in Home Alone 2?

13: Tim Allen played a msn who has to take Santas place, in which film?

14: In which comedy is Clark Griswolds boss kidnapped and brought to Griswolds house?

15: Which animated 1993 film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentowns pumpkin king?

16: Bill Murray plays a successful executive in which modern version of A Christmas Carol?

17: Joe Pesci stars as Harry and Daniel Stern is Marv in which comedy caper?

18: Who played Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol?

19: Vince Vaughn played Santas older brother in which 2007 film?

20: Die Hard takes place on Christmas Eve in which city?

21: What is the Mogwi who is given to Billy in Gremlins?

22: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad battle it out for an action figure in which film?

23: Who starred as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone?

24: Which film sees the paths of Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy cross when they become part of an elaborate bet?

25: Who is the first child to meet a sticky end in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?

26: Richard Attenborough plays Kris Kringle in which film?

27: Which film sees Kate Winslett and Cameron Diaz swap Christmas and meet new romantic partners in Jude Law and Jack Black?

28: In Its A Wonderful Life, what is the name of George Baileys guardian angel?

29: Which animated film features the song Walking In The Air?

30: In Die Hard, what is the name of the building the terrorists take over?

31: What do the Kranks decide to do instead of having a traditional Christmas in Christmas with the Kranks?

32: When the lights on the house do not work, what gets used instead in Deck the Halls?

33: In Home Alone 2, which shop do the bad guys break into on Christmas Eve?

34: Where do Brad and Kate get trapped while traveling in the film Four Chritmases?

35: Who wrote the picture book that was inspiration for the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas?

36: Which Cheers actor provided the narration for the Disney movie, Mickeys Once Upon A Christmas?

37: In the 1946 film Its a Wonderful Life, who plays George Bailey?

38: At what department store does Kris Kringle work in Miracle on 34th Street?

39: What is Father Christmas known as in The Nightmare Before Christmas?

40: Who plays the title role in the film, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?

41: What are the three rules that Billy is told he must obey in the film Gremlins?

42: What does a drunk Dan Aykroyd hide in his Santa costume in Trading Places?

43: Which Disney film do the creatures watch in the cinema in Gremlins?

44: Who narrated the film version of Dr Seuss How The Grinch Stole Christmas?

45: Perry van Shrike and Harmony Faith Lane are characters in which Christmas movie?

46: Which Irish actress plays the Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2?

47: What job did Hugh Grant just get in the film Love Actually?

48: Who are the people who make the sweets in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?

49: In Die Hard 2, what airport is John McClaine waiting at when terrorists take over?

50: And finally, how many Home Alone movies are there?

ANSWERS

1: Will Ferrell; 2: The Wet Bandits; 3: Jim Carrey; 4: Elf; 5: Alan Rickman; 6: How The Grinch Stole Christmas; 7: Bad Santa; 8: Love Actually; 9: Charlie Bucket; 10: Tom Hanks; 11: His wings; 12: $967; 13: The Santa Clause; 14: National Lampoons Christmas Vacation; 15: The Nightmare Before Christmas; 16: Scrooged; 17: Home Alone; 18: Michael Caine; 19: Fred Claus; 20: Los Angeles; 21: Gizmo; 22: Jingle All the Way; 23: Macaulay Culkin; 24: Trading Places; 25: Augustus Gloop; 26: Miracle on 34th Street; 27: The Holiday; 28: Clarence; 29: The Snowman; 30: Nakatomi Tower; 31: A ten-day Caribbean cruise; 32: Mobile phone lights; 33: Duncans Toy Chest; 34: San Francisco Airport; 35: Dr. Seuss; 36: Kelsey Grammer; 37: James Stewart; 38: Macys; 39: Sandy Claws; 40: Gene Wilder; 41: Keep them out of light; Keep them away from water; Never feed them after midnight; 42: A smoked salmon; 43: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; 44: Anthony Hopkins; 45: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang; 46: Brenda Fricker; 47: Prime Minister; 48: Oompa-Loompas; 49: Washington Dulles International Airport; 50: Five (but only the first two are worth watching)
THE Country Head of Legato Health Technologies says the very encouraging first-quarter for the company in Limerick bodes positively for the future.

Reflecting on an eventful but hugely successful first four months for the company in Ireland, John Shaw said the experience, in recent months, has reinforced the companys confidence in its project in Limerick.

In acknowledgement of the support the company has received, it has made donations to three worthy charities - migrants support group Doras, domestic abuse services provider ADAPT and St Gabriel's Foundation, which provides specialist services and respite for children with severe life-limiting disabilities.

Legato Health Technologies says it is committed to transforming healthcare through operational excellence, innovation and digital transformation.

The final quarter is a busy one for most but for us here in Legato Health Technologies, its been a particularly special one. In September we announced our intention to establish our global R&D headquarters in Limerick with 60 jobs and just four months later we have our base here in Castletroy, our recruitment programme is well underway and we announced the doubling of our staff to 120," said Mr Shaw.

If anything, the start weve had has reaffirmed our confidence in Limerick and Ireland as a location for our R&D base. Weve got incredible support, from the IDA and government and locally as well, from the likes of Limerick City and County Council, Limerick Chamber and the two universities, UL and TUS. Were finding this a very pro-business region and we look forward to developing those relationships going forward, he added.

Mr Shaw also paid tribute to the core teams contribution. The quick early strides would not have been possible without our core team. Weve assembled an excellent team that has put the energy into the project and is pivotal to laying the foundations for something that will be hugely beneficial for human health but also for those who join us on this journey and for the economy of the region.
A MASSIVE 4m is to be invested in further development of the Limerick greenway network next year, as part of a 60m spend on greenways nationally.

The money comes on top of the 10m already spent on upgrading the 41km Limerick Greenway section from Rathkeale to the Kerry border which reopened in July.

Ultimately, however, the plan is to extend the Limerick Greenway eastwards, from Rathkeale through Adare and Patrickswell into the city and from Limerick through UL and on to Castleconnell and Montpelier.

Next year, the biggest slice of the funding, 3m, will be spent on a dedicated greenway carpark at Newcastle West and on providing cattle underpasses at a number of crucial junctures along the existing greenway.

The rest of the money will be spent on preparing feasibility plans and examining how to extend the greenway into the city and beyond. The possibility of developing a greenway along the old Patrickswell to Charleville line will also be examined

A further 100,000 has been allocated to Clare to investigate the routing of a greenway from Shannon to Bunratty and then on to Limerick, and 2.5 million to Kerry to continue the Limerick Greenway from the Limerick border to Listowel.

Welcoming the funding, the Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Daniel Butler said: The opening of the Limerick Greenway earlier this year has proved that demand for well managed and safe greenways is there and they will attract Limerick people and visitors from around the country alike. This latest stage of funding will allow us to plan for greenways in other parts of the county.

Green Party TD Brian Leddin also welcomed the announcement from Transport Infrastructure Ireland as a significant series of investments .

It will build on the impressive visitor numbers for the Limerick Greenway in its first year of reopening after resurfacing, he said. Over time we can build a full greenway network throughout the county that will be an amazing amenity for residents and visitors alike.

Nationally, 60m will be spent on 40 Greenway projects, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said while more than 600m is to be spent on national roads.

Included in the funding are the new Limerick to Foynes road with bypass of Adare, the N/M20 Cork to Limerick road and relief roads for Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale.
YOUVE heard of elf on the shelf but this is elf on the shed! Suckler farmer Brenda Lundon, from Pallasbeg, Cappamore, has put an agri spin on the mischievous elves that have become part of the run up to Christmas in countless homes.

During the summer she showed her support for Limericks hurlers with messages on bales of silage but now she is getting into the festive spirit.

I started doing elf on the shed four Christmases ago. I started off with one elf, then I had four or five. Then a life-size one came along this year, said Brenda.

The giant elf blew in with the storm so Brenda christened him Barra. And due to staff shortages on farms Brenda didnt miss a trick and put him to work.

She posts a photo of what Barra has been up to every morning on her Facebook page. In the one pictured poor Barra had too many Jagerbombs the night before and was panned out!

It is only a bit of banter on Facebook with people. They are getting a good auld kick out of it. It is harmless and a bit of fun at Christmas, laughed Brenda.
If you are planning to watch a movie this Christmas Day, we've got you covered. Film guru Ronan O'Meara has been scouring the TV schedules and has picked ten to choose from.

The Big Sleep: RTE 2 @ 1.45am

Private eye Philip Marlowe has been hired to deal with the youngest daughter of a rich family and he asks the help of the eldest daughter to do so. Things get complex. Do you like hard boiled dialogue, blistering chemistry and intriguing plotlines? If so The Big Sleep was made just for the likes of you. A classic that truly lives up to the name. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall are brilliant as the leads and their chemistry just smoulders.

Casablanca: BBC Two @ 11.10am

Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Blaine, a nightclub owner in World War II era Morocco who has his finger in a number of pies. When an ex-lover appears it throws him for six. This is one of those famous movies that truly lives up to the hype. You'll recognise scenes and dialogue even if you've never seen it before and Ingrid Bergman and Bogie are at the top of their game here. Oh and the Marseillaise scene is one of the best ever filmed. Aux armes, citoyens, formez vos bataillons!!

The Lego Batman Movie: RTE 2 @ 3.40pm

The bad guys of Gotham city have a nefarious plan and it's up to Batman aka Bruce Wayne to stop them. Only he has a problem, a problem in the shape of a son he's somehow accidentally adopted. It might sound like a silly watch but it's as entertaining a Batman film as any of them, and in some ways it's more inventive than all of them. Will Arnett is a fine Dark Knight while Rosario Dawson, Michael Cera and Ralph Fiennes supply the laughs.

Bumblebee: Film4 @ 3.55pm

Yes it's a Transformers film. I know. Come back. Bumblebee rocks. Seriously. No, honestly. The bombast of the earlier films is gone and now we get the story of Bumblebee and the time he spent away from his Robotic counterparts in the 80's, just him and his buddy Charlene, played by Hailee Stanfield. There's CGI a-gogo of course but there's also a tonne of heart, nostalgia and wonder instead of the usual bloated screeching.

Paddington 2: RTE One @ 4.10pm

Paddington is now living in London all the time and to thank his aunt Lucy for her kindness he decides to get her a gift. His shopping trip does not end well! The sequel to the 2014 hit is an absolute joy and a perfect Christmas afternoon watch. It is for children of course but there's plenty here for everyone and it will leave you grinning for hours after it ends. Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, Sally Hawkins and Imelda Staunton lead a wonderful film.

The Adventures Of Robin Hood: BBC Two @ 5.20pm

By now we all know the story of Robin Hood but the 1938 version is the best of the lot. Here we have Robin against the dastardly Prince John who's declared himself King in his brother Richard's absence. Robin Of Locksley and his Sherwood forest buddies don't agree with now things are being run. The stunts, the glorious technicolour, Errol Flynn's charisma, Olivia de Havilland's superb Marian, Claude Rain's dastardly bad guy, all ingredients for a lovely post Christmas dinner film.

Allied: More 4 @ 9pm

Max and Marianne, a Canadian and French spy respectively, work together in Northern Africa during WWII and fall in love. They marry and settle down in London but something's not quite right with their relationship. Robert Zemeckis's 2016 thriller is an old fashioned affair dotted with modern day sex and violence and if you can over look it's sillier elements you'll have a right good time with it. Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt work well together.

Their Finest: BBC 4 @ 9.35pm

The Dunkirk evacuation has been a public relations nightmare for the British government and the only thing that will up public morale is a dose of propaganda. Catrin Cole is hired to find a story the people can cling to. A blend of wartime misery and comedy shouldn't really work but somehow it does and a lot of it is down to winning turns from a wicked cast that includes Gemma Atherton, Helen McCrory, Richard E. Grant and Bill Nighy.

Bohemian Rhapsody: RTE One @ 10.10pm

In 1970 a young man called Farrokh Bulsara met Brian May and Roger Taylor. 15 years later they stride out onstage at Live Aid in Wembley Arena to play a set for the ages. Bohemian Rhapsody is the story of everything inbetween. It wimps out big time on the darker aspects of the story and a lot of it feels ridiculously simplified but the last 30 minutes of this are just brilliant with it's perfect recreation of a famous day in 1985. Rami Malek does well as Freddy Mercury.

Sing Street TG4 @ 11.15pm

A teenage boy in 1980's Dublin struggling with both growing up and his relationship with his family, finds an escape when he forms a band with his schoolmates. The 80's were a tough time to be different though. A lovely film, agreeable as hell and bursting with love and energy. If you don't like this one you are probably dead. A packed cast lead by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo & Lucy Boynton is the icing on the cake.

As always visit hamsandwichcinema.blogspot.com/ for more film and tv chat.
A new expressway link will be constructed to connect Delhi and Lucknow, which is expected to reduce commute time between the two cities to three and a half hours, said Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday.

"We have made a plan to connect Delhi and Lucknow," he said.

Gadkari said that the groundbreaking ceremony of the proposed new expressway link will be held in the next 10-12 days in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The minister, during the inauguration of the intelligent transport system (ITS) on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, further said that this is the beginning of a new era of smart and green highways in India.

"After completion of the new expressway (link), we will be able to complete the distance between Delhi and Lucknow in three and a half hours," claimed Gadkari.

Intelligent transport system

Gadkari on Thursday inaugurated an intelligent transport system on the Eastern Peripheral Expressway to minimize traffic woes and enhance safety of commuters.

Gadkari said India needs to improve its road engineering as every year, around 1.5 lakh people are killed in 5 lakh accidents across the country.

"It is a great event in the history of Indian infrastructure(development)," the Road Transport and Highways minister said on the inauguration of the intelligent transport system (ITS).

He said the ITS is a revolutionary state-of-the-art technology that will achieve traffic efficiency by minimizing traffic problems, prompting efficient infrastructure usage, enriching users with prior information about traffic and reducing travel time as well as enhancing safety and comfort of commuters.

Inauguration of highway projects

Gadkari also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of three National Highway projects worth 755 crore in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

While inaugurating the national highway projects, Gadkari said they will help the sugarcane farmers to easily transport their agriculture products to sugar mills and markets. This will also help in increasing their income.

The minister formally inaugurated the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and dedicate it to the nation, which was opened for the public in April this year. The expressway cuts the travel time between the two cities to just 45 minutes from the earlier two-and-a-half hours.

With inputs from agencies.

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China's securities regulator on Friday proposed tightening rules governing Chinese companies listing abroad, which it said would improve oversight while allowing them to continue to do so.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said on its website that it had proposed establishing a new framework for the overseas listing of Chinese firms.

The draft rules extend CSRC's oversight on offshore listings of Chinese companies to include those that have so-called variable interest entity (VIE) structures.

"China is tightening the screws on offshore listings but not turning the valves off completely," Andrew Collier, managing director of Orient Capital Research, said of the plans.

Previously, the regulator would only examine companies registered onshore in China that proposed an overseas listing, such as in Hong Kong.

VIEs have mostly been used by companies that list on overseas stock markets, primarily the United States, to skirt Chinese rules restricting overseas investment in sensitive industries such as media and telecommunications.

They give firms more flexibility to raise capital offshore, while also bypassing the scrutiny and lengthy IPO vetting process that locally-incorporated companies have to go through. "The real key is how much data needs to be retained, location of servers, and whether the U.S. or China has responsibility for accounting," Collier said.

CSRC said the registration process should take up to 20 working days if adequate materials were submitted.

DIDI IMPACT

Overseas IPOs have provided an alternative source of capital for Chinese companies in the past and a New York listing has been seen as a badge of honor for many.

Beijing has been examining ramping up supervision of overseas listings since the $4.4 billion initial public offering (IPO) of ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc and the proposals on Friday were not as stringent as some had expected.

Chinese firms have raised about $12.8 billion in U.S. listings in 2021, according to Refinitiv data, but the deals ground to a halt after Didi's debut in New York in early July.

The CSRC said it was improving the regulatory system and was not tightening its policies, adding that the rules would not be retroactively applied and it would not consider whether firms met the requirements of overseas listing locations.

The news came as U.S. markets were closed on Friday for the Christmas holiday period.

In a VIE, a Chinese firm sets up an offshore company for an overseas listing that allows foreign investors to buy into it.

The offshore company enters into a series of contracts with the owner of the local Chinese company, which operates the business in China, to obtain 100% economic interest in that business, analysts have said previously.

Chinese IPOs on all world markets have reached a record $100 billion, Refinitiv data showed.

Also read: India's engineering goods exports to China more than double in November

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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WARM SPRINGS, Ore. (AP)  Erland Suppah Jr. doesnt trust what comes out of his faucet.

Each week, Suppah and his girlfriend haul a half-dozen large jugs of water from a distribution center run by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to their apartment for everything from drinking to cooking to brushing their teeth for their family of five. Its the only way they feel safe after countless boil-water notices and weekslong shutoffs on a reservation struggling with bursting pipes, failing pressure valves and a geriatric water treatment plant.

About the only thing this water is good for is cleaning my floor and flushing down the toilet, Suppah said of the tap water in the community 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Portland. Thats it.

In other, more remote tribal communities across the country, running water and indoor plumbing have never been a reality.

Now, theres a glimmer of hope in the form of a massive infrastructure bill signed last month that White House officials say represents the largest single infusion of money into Indian Country. It includes $3.5 billion for the federal Indian Health Service, which provides health care to more than 2 million Native Americans and Alaska Natives, plus pots of money through other federal agencies for water projects.

Tribal leaders say the funding, while welcome, wont make up for decades of neglect from the U.S. government, which has a responsibility to tribes under treaties and other acts to ensure access to clean water. A list of sanitation deficiencies kept by the Indian Health Service has more than 1,500 projects, including wells, septic systems, water storage tanks and pipelines. Some projects would address water contamination from uranium or arsenic.

About 3,300 homes in more than 30 rural Alaska communities lack indoor plumbing, according to a 2020 report. On the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation, about one-third of the 175,000 residents are without running water.

Residents in these places haul water for basic tasks such as washing and cooking, sometimes driving long distances to reach communal water stations. Instead of indoor bathrooms, many use outhouses or lined pails called honey buckets that they drag outside to empty. Some shower or do laundry at community sites known as washeterias, but the equipment can be unreliable and the fees expensive.

You look at two billionaires competing to fly into outer space, yet were trying to get basic necessities in villages of interior Alaska, said PJ Simon, a former chairman of an Alaska Native nonprofit corporation called the Tanana Chiefs Conference.

Many more tribal communities have indoor plumbing but woefully inadequate facilities and delivery systems riddled with aging pipes.

The coronavirus pandemic, which disproportionately hit Indian Country, further underscored the stark disparities in access to running water and sewage systems.

In Warm Springs, the water crisis has overlapped with COVID-19.

During a worldwide pandemic, weve had a boil-water notice. How are we supposed to wash our hands? How are we supposed to sanitize our homes to disinfect, to keep our community members safe? How can we do that ... when our water isnt even clean? said Dorothea Thurby, who oversees the distribution of free water to tribal members and food boxes to those who are quarantined.

A 2019 report by a pair of nonprofit groups, U.S. Water Alliance and Dig Deep, found Native American homes are 19 times more likely than white households to lack full plumbing. And federal officials note tribal members without indoor toilets or running water are at increased risk of respiratory tract, skin and gastrointestinal infections.

On the Navajo Nation, Eloise Sullivan uses an outhouse and often drives before dawn to beat the crowd at a water-filling station near the Arizona-Utah border to get water for the five people in her household. They use about 850 gallons (3,200 liters) a week, she estimated.

Sullivan, 56, doesnt mind hauling water, but for the younger generation, its like, Do we have to do that?

Its kind of like a big issue for them, she said.

She once asked local officials what it would cost to run a water line from the closest source about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away. She said she was told $25,000 and never pursued it.

Libby Washburn, special assistant to President Joe Biden on Native American affairs, recently told tribes the infrastructure bill included enough money to complete all the projects on the Indian Health Service list. The agency said its consulting with tribes and wont make allocation decisions before that process is over.

Until now, tribes and outside organizations have worked to address needs with their own funding, donations or federal money, including pandemic relief.

If you live without running water, you understand the importance and the connection you have with it, deep down as a person, as a human being, said Burrell Jones, who sets up water systems and delivers water around Dilkon, Arizona, with Dig Deeps Navajo Water Project. You cant exist without water.

Andrew Marks recently moved back to Tanana, a community of about 190 people in Alaskas interior. He initially relied on a washeteria but found the equipment unreliable. He now has running water and plumbing where he lives but hauls water for family members who dont.

I believe if we had more people with water, more people connected to the grid, it would drastically improve their life, he said.

In Oregon, tribal officials have handed out about 3 million gallons (11 million liters) of water  almost all of it donated  from a decommissioned elementary school on the reservation. A steady stream of residents pick up a combined 600 gallons (2,270 liters) of water a day from the building. Former classrooms overflow with 5-gallon (19-liter) containers and cases of bottled water.

The infrastructure bill brought joy to my heart because now it gives me hope  hope that its going to be repaired, said Dan Martinez, the tribes emergency manager, who expects to receive federal funds to replace underground pipes and address the 40-year-old treatment plant.

If you came to work one day and someone said, Hey, you need to go and find water for a community of 6,000 people. ... I mean, where do you start?

The money wont provide immediate relief. Funding to the Indian Health Service is supposed to be distributed over five years. There is no deadline for its use, and projects will take time to complete once started. The money wont cover operation and maintenance of the systems, a point tribes have criticized.

In Warm Springs, tribal members dont pay for their water, and proposals to charge for it are deeply unpopular. That provides little incentive for tribal members to conserve water and raises questions about how new infrastructure will be maintained.

There are some Natives who say  and I believe this myself  How do you sell something you never owned? The Creator has given it to us, said Martinez, a tribal member.

Building out infrastructure in remote areas can be onerous, too. Most roads on the Navajo Nation are unpaved and become muddy and deeply rutted after big storms.

In Alaska, winter temperatures can fall well below zero, and construction seasons are short. Having enough people in a small community who are trained on the specifics of a water system so they can maintain it also can be a challenge, said Kaitlin Mattos, an assistant professor at Fort Lewis College in Colorado who worked on a 2020 report on water infrastructure in Alaska.

Every bit of funding that is allocated is going to help some family, some household, which is wonderful, she said. Whether its enough to help every single household, I think, remains to be seen.

___

Fonseca reported from Flagstaff, Arizona. Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska.
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather

By Mark Seal

Gallery. 432 pp. $28.99

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The director had four unremarkable feature films and a handful of soft-porn skin flicks on his resume. The star was a washed-up and unreliable former deity who couldn't memorize his lines, was deeply in debt and was pondering his third divorce. The co-star was a high school dropout and former messenger boy whom the studio suits considered too short, too old and too inexperienced for the part. And the man overseeing the production was an insufferable narcissist with a blossoming cocaine habit and a glamorous wife who was about to dump him for Steve McQueen.

They fought with one another and with their doubting overseers at Paramount Pictures, exceeding their budget, their deadline and the patience of all involved. But in the end, this crew of certifiable misfits delivered a full-blown masterpiece -- "The Godfather," which the American Film Institute ranks as the second-greatest American movie of all time (just behind "Citizen Kane," in case you're wondering).

The making of this classic drama is a story that's been told, retold, psychoanalyzed and strip-mined for leftovers -- see "The Godfather: The Corleone Family Cookbook," just one of a library's worth of spinoff books. The 1972 movie revitalized Hollywood, elevated Francis Ford Coppola to the ranks of great directors, rescued the career of Marlon Brando and helped create a new generation of movie stars: Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton. It spawned two sequels, one of them brilliant ("The Godfather Part II"), the other meh ("The Godfather Part III"). But do we really need to read again how Brando dyed his ponytail with black shoe polish, stuffed his cheeks with cotton balls and lowered his voice two octaves for the screen test that got him the starring role?

Mark Seal, a longtime movie writer for Vanity Fair, clearly believes we do. And after resisting the idea as long as I could, I have to confess that his book, even with the inside-joke title of "Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli" (an improvised line in the movie), captured me with its joyful energy, extensive research and breathless enthusiasm.

It's the forgotten characters who often make movie books intriguing, and Seal's story finds its footing when he introduces a great one: Mario Puzo, the chronically broke, frustrated author with an addiction to high-stakes gambling and high-carb pasta, who decides to write a pulp novel about the mafia in a last-ditch effort to escape bankruptcy. Despite his Italian American background, Puzo knew next to nothing about the mob when he started, and did a lot of his research talking to well-informed blackjack dealers and roulette wheel operators at the Sands and Tropicana hotel casinos in Las Vegas. "I never met a real honest-to-god gangster," he later confessed.

Puzo's more-than-400-page epic captured the brazen ruthlessness and brutality of the mobsters he portrayed, but also their devotion to their families and sense of honor. "It was Puzo's genius to turn them into family men," wrote reviewer Maria Laurino in the Wall Street Journal. And Puzo turned the mafia into a metaphor for America -- its greed, violence, pretensions and betrayals. The novel, published in 1969, became a huge bestseller; the paperback deal alone netted Puzo $410,000. But Robert Evans, the young, aggressive, playboy-handsome production head tasked with turning around Paramount's fortunes, had already purchased the screen rights for a mere $12,500, with another $50,000 if the picture got made.

Paramount was not enthusiastic. Mafia pictures had generally bombed, including the studio's recent stinker, "The Brotherhood." But Evans and chief deputy Peter Bart figured the problem could best be addressed by hiring an Italian American director. They chose 30-year-old Coppola. He was deeply skeptical about the job -- "I was young and had no power, so they figured they could just boss me around," he told Seal. But like Puzo and Brando, he too was deeply in debt after opening his own independent studio. He pocketed the $175,000 director's fee and reluctantly set to work.

The studio, ever guarding its wallet, wanted to update the story from the 1940s to a cheaper-to-depict contemporary setting, and film it on the Paramount back lot. Coppola managed to overcome these notions as well as sabotage the studio's more bizarre casting ideas -- including Ernest Borgnine as the Godfather, Vito Corleone, the role that went to Brando, and Robert Redford or Ryan O'Neal as Michael Corleone, Vito's youngest son and successor, the part that eventually went to Pacino. The studio execs hated the idea of casting Brando, who had wasted the previous decade making mostly dismal movies. They made him post a bond of $1 million to ensure he wouldn't delay the film shoot and insisted he forgo his usual salary for a bargain-basement $50,000. He grudgingly agreed -- and won the Academy Award for best actor.

Coppola insisted on verisimilitude, even overseeing the color, quality and trajectory of the blood in the gory, unsettling scenes of gangland executions. Many scenes were visually operatic -- Coppola and cinematographer Gordon Willis kept the camera in a fixed position, creating a tableau that the actors walked in and out of. Willis used underexposed film and low lighting to produce darkly rich compositions.

While Coppola was creating cinematic mob bosses, producer Al Ruddy was negotiating with a real one: Joseph Colombo Sr., the head of one of New York's five main crime families and founder of the Italian American Civil Rights League. Ruddy agreed to delete the terms "mafia" and "Cosa Nostra" from the movie and to turn over proceeds from the film's New York premiere to the league's hospital fund. In return, Colombo gave his blessing to the project and delivered cooperation and tranquility from the city's powerful labor unions.

The tougher battles were between Coppola and the studio execs, who constantly threatened to fire him. "It was the most miserable time of life," he tells Seal. He fought viciously with Evans over the movie's nearly three-hour length, music and somber tone. Then Evans fought with the Motion Picture Association of America's ratings board, whose censors demanded cuts in three scenes considered excessively violent. The scenes stayed in; the movie was rated R.

Both Coppola and Evans feared that the movie would bomb. But an early preview changed their minds. When the film ended, Seal reports, there was silence -- no applause, nothing. Audiences were stunned by the artistry of what they had seen, and they've been stunned ever since.

- - -

Glenn Frankel's most recent book is "Shooting 'Midnight Cowboy': Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation and the Making of a Dark Classic."
Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA

By Tim Mak

Dutton. 371 pp. $29

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The best way to understand the National Rifle Association is to treat it "as if you were approaching one of the great religions of the world," says the association's former executive vice president, J. Warren Cassidy. But in Tim Mak's blistering book, the advocacy group comes off far more like a cult: an organization run by pampered, buffoonish elites exploiting the faith of gullible members for power and profit.

Like many cult leaders, the top echelons of the NRA work hard to convince their community that there is one simple answer to all their fears and anxieties, and that answer is unwavering fidelity to the gun. Look no further than the response by CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre to one of the most horrific massacres in modern U.S. history -- the slaughter of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. As Mak recounts in "Misfire: Inside the Downfall of the NRA," LaPierre insisted after the tragedy that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

LaPierre would undoubtedly consider himself to be a good guy with a gun. By all accounts, though, his skills as a marksman leave much to be desired. Mak, an investigative reporter for NPR, describes a safari trip that LaPierre and his wife, Susan, took to Botswana, video of which was later leaked to the New Yorker. As Mak tells it, "While tracking African bush elephants in 2013, [LaPierre] shot and wounded one of the large mammals, sending it crashing to the ground. ... Approaching to close range, he attempted three times to fire a fatal round into the elephant, per his guide's suggestions. He missed the intended target all three times, drawing a chuckle from the guide. Wayne's friend had to step in to deal the final blow."

Later in the book, Mak notes that Susan had no such trouble: "Susan fired a shot, and the animal instantly collapsed. Susan burst into laughter after killing the animal, exclaiming, 'That was amazing ... wow, my heart is just racing. I feel great!' Grinning, she then sliced off the end of the elephant's tail, held it in the air, and cried out 'Victory!'"

This is just one small but telling example of the gulf between the NRA's rhetoric and the lived realities of its leaders. The group may claim to reflect and protect the rights of the ordinary citizen to defend home and hearth, but it uses the hard-earned money donated by those citizens to fund safari adventures for its top brass. As Mak writes, the NRA's power comes from "its millions of passionate dues-paying members," and it is these members whom LaPierre "has betrayed with his fancy getaways and private jets -- the blue-collar workers who scrape together five or ten or fifteen dollars a month to contribute to the group."

It is particularly striking that foremost among the justifications LaPierre offers for his $2.15 million annual compensation, flights on private jets and lavishly outfitted homes is "security concerns." Being the public face of an organization that relentlessly advocates for more guns in more places, even as Americans are being shot down in elementary schools, movie theaters and grocery stores, doubtless invites some security risks.

But according to the NRA gospel of armed self-reliance, a gun is all anyone needs for protection. NRA spokespeople never tire of ridiculing the idea of relying on law enforcement for personal safety: "When seconds count, police are minutes away." The fact that LaPierre feels compelled to spend millions of dollars on professional security makes it painfully clear that the "good guy with a gun" strategy is a fantasy. Let the masses believe they can protect themselves with a gun and a prayer; LaPierre will be using their donations to pay for private guards and sophisticated security systems.

But even top-tier security can't fully control what the NRA has unleashed in America. Even as it flails under the scrutiny of multiple lawsuits alleging misuse of funds and violations of campaign finance law, the NRA continues to set the tone and the terms of the country's gun debate. The tragedy of the group's particular grift is that it raises everyone's risk of dying a violent death; even if we do not belong to or believe in the cult of the gun, we are all hostage to it. As Mak illustrates in fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, this includes the NRA's most privileged leaders.

Around 4 a.m. on April 4, 2013, the LaPierres were "swatted." A 911 operator called Susan LaPierre to tell her that police had surrounded their house. They were responding to a call from a person claiming to be Wayne LaPierre, who stated that he had just shot his wife, had barricaded himself inside their home and would come out shooting if police tried to take him. Eventually the operator persuaded Wayne and Susan to emerge from their house, where they were met by a dozen police officers yelling at them to get down. But for some length of time, Susan refused to go outside because she didn't believe that the caller was a real 911 operator. "'Don't go outside,' she told Wayne. 'You don't know who that is. They're going to kill you.'"

That night in their expensive, well-secured home, the multimillionaire vice president of the NRA and his wife could not tell if the guys with guns surrounding their house were good or not. Had the couple armed themselves as they emerged, the police would not have been able to tell if they were good guys, either.

One wonders whether Wayne or Susan thinks about how perilously close they came that night to being shot -- how easily they might have been the ones collapsing under an agonizing succession of bullets or felled immediately by one well-placed shot.

One wonders if either of them has reflected on how, in a house in the middle of the night, or in a crowded nightclub, or in a dark theater, there are no good guys with guns -- there are just guys with guns. And the guns are what makes it impossible to tell who is good.

- - -

Mary Anne Franks, a professor of law and the Michael R. Klein distinguished scholar chair at the University of Miami School of Law, is the author of "The Cult of the Constitution: Our Deadly Devotion to Guns and Free Speech."
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A specter of Harry Styles floats in Greg Pennys studio, located in an industrial park in Ojai, California. In this 3,000-square-foot, high-ceilinged space that feels like a warehouse, a makeshift acoustically-treated room is created from compressed cotton panels made from shredded T-shirts. These panels hang from a truss that looks like it should be on a small festival stage. There are a total of 13 speakers  arranged left, right and center; high, middle and on the floor in the front; and with two sets of left and right speakers about two-thirds of the way to the back of the mixing room.

This is where Styles disembodied voice comes from, and if you close your eyes, you would swear that he is suspended in the air right in front of your face  something that only happens when you hear his album Fine Line in Sony 360 Reality Audio.

Penny, who is known for producing Elton Johns Made in England and k.d. langs Ingenue albums, is a longtime pioneer in the immersive audio space, in all its iterations, including being nominated for a Grammy for best surround sound album for Johns Honky Chateau in 2005. His latest fascination is with Sony 360 Reality Audio, for which he is nominated for a Grammy in the best immersive audio album category for Fine Line.

Ill drink Harrys bath water  I love that guy, says Penny with enthusiasm. It took Penny two weeks to get through mixing Fine Line in 360 Reality Audio, which is quick for him, and he enjoyed every minute of it. You get a sense of Harry popping out of the mix and talking right to you. I felt like I had this intimacy with him by being able to sit alone in this room and mix that out. I took some liberties, but I also tried to make it so its not going to jar you. Hopefully it will enhance your experience and youll think, That was even better than I ever remember it being.

Nick Rhodes, who mixed Duran Durans recent album Future Past in 360 Reality Audio, explains its spatial elements: If you imagine sound as a sphere, you are placing the sounds within that. That sphere is almost your head. Youre placing sounds, not just to the left and right like you would with stereo, youre putting things behind the head, or youre putting something up in a corner that can slowly come down towards your eye. Youre literally moving the sound around that sphere.

A visual of what Rhodes is explaining is on a giant screen in Pennys studio. There are two perspectives. On the left is a three-dimensional view of the sphere looking forward. On the right is the top perspective looking down on the sphere. This second image can be toggled to a variety of other perspectives.

These are the graphic representations of the placements of the objects in the music, Penny explains. The objects are more powerful than just tracks because theyre impregnated with metadata that tells them where to go. You have three-dimensional movement that youve programmed into the mix. I dont overuse the movement ability, because I feel it takes you out of the moment. You can blow peoples minds with just the atmosphere, and only move something when it has meaning, rather than for the sake of being able to do it. Its set up so the mix always feels like youre moving forward into the mix, like its pushing sound past you.

A 360 Reality Audio mix of Fine Line sounds its best in Pennys studio, where it was actually done. It is, for the time being, only available in the United States and Europe on Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer through their spatial audio portals, where Penny asserts the fidelity absolutely translates, despite DSPs reputation for low-quality audio.

I try to make the speaker experience and headphone experience match each other as much as possible, he says. The quality of the listening experience in 360 Reality Audio is the placement of the speakers, or the placement of the energy thats coming from the headphones. So much of the way we perceive sound is in the bone structure of our heads. The software is really attuned to that.

Rhodes concurs with Pennys assertion, saying, Where its particularly good is on headphones. When I first heard about it, I was slightly skeptical about the possibility of a 3D 360 sound on headphones. Its not the same as having speakers all around you. What Sony has done is quite clever, because its like an enhanced stereo that spreads widescreen, and that also works really well behind the head.

Penny has made it so you can have Styles floating in front of you with a click on your phone. But, he says, For me, the satisfying moment is when you stop thinking about the technology thats involved, and you get this immediate visceral reaction to the music. I feel like its the closest I can come to the artist.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  A senior government human rights official said Thursday that 90% of crimes against activists and journalists go unpunished in Mexico.

The assistant interior secretary in charge of human rights said that in those cases where the culprits have been identified, almost half are local officials.

Local officials in Mexico are often angered by corruption accusations against them, but in some cases they are also in league with criminal or business interests.

Alejandro Encinas said new laws are needed to protect activists and reporters.

Mexico currently has a protection mechanism of alarms or guards that as of October covered 495 journalists and 1,011 activists. But critics have said the measures are insufficient. Nine people covered by the protection measures have been killed since Dec. 1, 2018, when President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous places on earth for reporters outside active war zones.

Official figures show that in the first three years of the administration of Lopez Obrador, 96 community, environmental or rights activists have been killed in Mexico, and 47 journalists or media workers.

Encinas also commented on the rather limited results of an amnesty law for Indigenous people, elderly non-violent offenders and those who didn't get a fair trial. Under that program, only 44 people have been freed out of 1,798 who applied. Many cases are still under study.
The U.S. Border Patrol announced on Thursday that an individual was detected crossing into Mexico with what appears to be a rifle.

Laredo agents from the USBP caught images of the individual with remote surveillance cameras.
A man has been arrested for allegedly making threats toward local shopping centers.

The Laredo Police Department announced that the man, 26, was arrested by the LPD and the FBI. The individuals name was not released at the time of the announcement.

LPD stated that theres still an ongoing investigation, and the FBI will lead in the case.

On Thursday afternoon, some rumors circulated throughout the city and on social media that an active shooter was inside Mall del Norte.

Laredo Morning Times confirmed with the Laredo Police Department that this was not true.

LPD stated that it had heard the rumors as well and had been getting calls on the subject.

Additionally, LPD stated that there was a police presence at the mall. It cited extra security as it checks every threat that it receives.

However, LPD stated that there was no information suggesting an active shooter at the mall. In fact, the only call involving the mall had been from a lost individual who was trying to find their car.

As always, we want to remind the community to be mindful of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity, the LPD said in a statement. We appreciate the communitys assistance and cooperation.

Mall security confirmed with LMT that everyone present was OK.

Additionally, Mall del Norte provided a statement regarding the situation.

We are aware of the threats circulating on social media, Mall del Norte Senior Marketing Manager Susie Torres said. We are working with public safety authorities as they investigate the claims. We contract with a third-party security provider and officers from the Laredo Police Department are on-site providing additional patrols. Any additional questions should be directed to police.

LPD added that for suspicious activity, locals should call 956-795-2800 and 9-1-1 for emergencies.

zdavis@lmtonline.com
Whether youve been naughty or nice, hes coming.

As we approach the home stretch before Christmas Eve, children all over the world who observe the holiday are minding their Ps and Qs. To help you know when Santa is coming to your neighborhood (and subsequently when to make sure the kids are asleep, dreaming of sugar plums), there are many tracking services that will begin offering updates on Dec. 24.

It all started with a misprint in a department store ad in 1955 when children called the Continental Air Defense Command in Colorado looking to talk to Santa. Since then, NORAD has made sure to keep up with the movements of the red suited elf and his reindeer. In addition to its website that provides up to date information, the organization has launched a mobile app and is active on most popular social media platforms.

An easily accessible way to track Santa is available through Google. All December long, the site features a variety of online games, puzzles and holiday features like an online yule log. You can even design your own elf as you watch the countdown to the start of Santas annual journey.

Using state of the art technology, you can follow along with precise updates of Santas location around the globe. It can even keep you updated on how many presents he has delivered. The tracker will be going online at 5 a.m. EST on Dec. 24. The app is also available from the Apple and Google app stores.

Santa Update provides a way to stay in contact with the big man himself. With updates around the year, Santa Update isnt limited to just Christmas Eve. Through the service, you can email, call or text him with updates on your Christmas list. Make sure to tune in on the morning of Christmas Eve though to hear the start of the live radio broadcast that features reporters around the globe and even a reporter who follows Santas sleigh in real time.
On the Southeast Side of San Antonio, just off Loop 1604 near Calaveras Lake Park, the J.K. Spruce Power Plant has been pumping power  and pollution  into the city since the early 1990s.

The two-unit facility, owned and operated by city-owned CPS Energy, is among the last coal-burning power plants built in the United States. This year, it has produced about 23 percent of the citys power.

But since not long after its opening, the Spruce plants future has been the subject of jousting among environmental groups, utility executives and city officials. Some call for its complete closure or a retrofit of the plant that would reduce the pollution it emits. Others fear the impact its closure would have on energy reliability in San Antonio  and ratepayers.

Now, with CPS seeking approval from City Council for a rate increase, interim CEO Rudy Garza has promised the utility will examine the future of the plant over the next year.

Staff file photo

Were going to present the community with options, he said. I think we can have this conversation over the next 12 months and get to a point where our board can make some decisions.

On ExpressNews.com: City Council splits on CPS rate increase ahead of January vote

Its a conversation that was thrown off course both by the pandemic and Februarys winter storm. Just weeks before the deep freeze struck, CPS published a resource plan outlining scenarios for closing the plant or converting one of its units to run on cleaner-burning natural gas.

The newer Spruce 2 coal unit produces more power than any other CPS plant. But the utility owes about $1 billion in debt on it and its older Spruce 1 unit, so shuttering the plant ahead of schedule could raise customers bills.

The costs

In the plan issued earlier this year, CPS estimated a swift closure would cost ratepayers between $6 and $12, on average.

Historically, coal has been really cheap compared to other energy technologies, said Josh Rhodes, a research associate at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Only recently have wind and solar started to compete competitively to coal and gas. But after investing billions of dollars into a new coal plant, it can be hard to just move away from it.

CPS owes about $150 million on the older Spruce 1 unit, which went online in 1992, and about $750 million for Spruce 2, according to Cory Kuchinsky, chief financial officer. CPS owes another $100 million on facilities shared by both units.

Reed Williams, a former city councilman, heads the Rate Advisory Committee that has been giving CPS public input as it decides what to do with Spruce. The retired oil and gas executive has argued that a coal plant is no longer more economical than a gas-fired plant. Writing off Spruce  an accounting mechanism to reduce the value of an obsolete asset  would be the best move for CPS, he said.

If CPS wrote off Spruce, it would be recorded as a noncash charge. That means CPS would show a loss on paper but no dollars would go out CPS door.

The Spruce 2 plant was commissioned in 2005, before fracking drove down the price of natural gas and when renewable energy technology was still in its infancy. The plant went online in 2010.

When we built (Spruce), we thought natural gas was going to be a lot more expensive than coal. It just hasnt worked out, Williams said. So when things change economically, we have to look at changes and make a decision.

Bob Owen, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

Converting Spruce 2

Williams offered his own proposal to City Council: Convert Spruce 2 to run on natural gas and close the Spruce 1 plant within three years. Burning natural gas produces roughly half the carbon dioxide emissions as burning coal.

Garza, however, said Williams is minimizing the financial impact of doing away with Spruce. And he said it would take as long as four years to convert it to run on natural gas, much longer than Williams proposed 18-month conversion timeline.

You could write it (Spruce) off, but the debt is not going away. It still needs to be paid, Kuchinsky said. When that stops generating, you still have the asset, but its not making any money for you. But youve still got the debt.

CPS has sought proposals for newer zero-emission generation technologies such as hydrogen or batteries. But officials recently said CPS is likely to rely on natural gas as a primary fuel alongside renewables for decades to come.

Frank Almaraz, the utilitys executive in charge of power generation, has said CPS is also looking at blending hydrogen with natural gas at its plants to make them lower-emitting. Hydrogen can be produced using excess electricity, and it generates power when its burned in a turbine but creates no emissions.

New turbines have the potential to be upgraded so they can blend hydrogen all the way to a pretty big blend, and thats a natural way to supplement natural gas, Almaraz said. If we get to the point where were producing a lot of green hydrogen  shoot, blend it in and reduce emissions.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates natural gas can be blended with as much as 30 percent hydrogen.

Kevin Geil /Staff file photo

Coals impacts

Coal-fired power plants emit numerous chemicals  mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter  that are harmful both for global climate and the long-term health of surrounding communities.

Theyre especially harmful for children, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, said Adelita Cantu, vice chair of the Climate Equity Advisory Committee for San Antonios climate action plan.

Burning coal is responsible for 42 percent of mercury emissions in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The heavy metal, which is toxic to humans, can damage nervous and immune systems, and stunt childhood development.

The longer you are exposed to these chemicals, whether you work at the facility or live nearby, the more likely you are to experience health issues, Cantu said. It will impact your breathing, such as with bronchitis or chronic pulmonary disease, and either cause the development of asthma or exacerbate the symptoms if you already have it.

In Bexar County, asthma hospitalization rates are higher than in Texas overall, according to a 2021 report by the Metropolitan Health District. Between 2018 and 2019, asthma rates in the county surpassed the state as well.

Other emissions, like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter, are small enough to penetrate human lungs and cause chronic respiratory diseases, which can lead to pneumonia and influenza or impact the cardiovascular system. Spruce produced more than 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 821 tons of sulfur dioxide in 2020.

Other pollutants include heavy toxic metals such as lead and cadmium, volatile organic compounds, which add to the ozone pollution, and carbon monoxide  a chemical that can aggravate heart disease.

But even moving to a natural gas-powered plant is hazardous for the community because it produces similar chemicals as coal, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, Cantu said.

Jose Barrera /Staff file photo

DeeDee Belmares, who serves on the CPS rate advisory committee, echoed that.

If we truly want to address the climate crisis, if CPS energy really wants to reach its targets, its commitments to (San Antonios climate action plan), we cant just convert Spruce to natural gas, she said. Thats not the solution.

The Spruce plant is the sixth-highest emitter of carbon dioxide among more than 300 power plants in Texas. Last year, it spewed nearly 6 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

On average, Texas power plants generate 1.4 megawatt hours of power for every ton of CO2 they emit  roughly the amount of electricity a household in San Antonio consumes in a month. But the Spruce power plant generates only 0.91 megawatt hours per ton of CO2 emitted, meaning the plant produces roughly 50 percent more emissions per unit of power generated than the average Texas power plant.

Of the nearly 400 coal plants operating in the U.S., 28 percent have committed to closing by 2035, with the number of scheduled retirements likely to increase in the coming years, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Energy storage

As CPS increasingly relies on renewable energy such as wind and solar, the utility could look to store that energy for when its needed most, like in the early evenings, and rely less on fossil fuel-based generation.

Energy storage is kind of like the battery on your smartphone or in an electric car, but in a much bigger package, said Rhodes, the UT researcher. It can act like a buffer for how inconsistent wind and solar might be. We cant turn renewables off and on, but we can turn batteries off and on. So if we put that renewable energy into batteries, we have the ability to switch it off and on.

And the energy transition doesnt have to spell the end of the coal industry, said Wen Song, a professor of engineering at UT-Austin. There are plenty of ways to use coal elsewhere.

Song has been working in her lab on the fly ash that comes from coal combustion. Across the United States, standing mountains of fly ash are an environmental hazard for the air and waterways, she said. But fly ash also carries rare earth elements, minerals used for products such as computer chips, hybrid cars or the magnets in wind turbines.

Theres a huge demand for these elements, Song said. And it turns out coal and coal-related materials might be an opportunity to secure that supply chain.

A completely carbon-free economy must to be fueled by economics, she said, not just people wanting to do good.

On ExpressNews.com: After slow start, San Antonios climate change plan may finally be gaining traction

CPS officials also warn that closing Spruce too quickly could affect the utilitys bond rating. Rating agencies gauge the utilitys financial health to signal to investors the safety or risk of buying the bonds it issues. A lower bond rating would mean CPS could have to spend millions more in extra interest expenses to investors each year.

At the end of 2018, CPS closed the J.T. Deely coal-fired power plant and wrote down $150 million of depreciation on the plant. Garza said the utilitys financial metrics took a hit as a result.

Williams downplayed the significance of writing off a $1 billion asset, but thats a real impact, Garza said.

Weve got to be thoughtful about what the impact is on our customers, he said. Were going to need firm capacity to back up renewables. Theres no way around that reality.

diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net

elena.bruess@express-news.net
AIB Main Street Branch, Longford, proud partner of the GOAL Mile, has teamed up with GOAL Mile Organiser, Tiernan Dolan to encourage communities across Longford to step up together and take part in the GOAL Mile this Christmas season.

People can take part in the GOAL Mile in a number of different ways, be it in one of the more than 150 GOAL Miles events being organised in Ireland and internationally or simply by registering with GOAL at www.goalmile.org and completing a mile in any place, at any time during the month of December.

The Longford GOAL Mile starts from Connolly Barracks at 12 noon on Christmas Day.

AIB Branch Manager Gordon O' Bric said, The GOAL Mile, which is already a well-established event in many of the communities that we serve, helps transform the lives of the worlds most vulnerable people. This year we are committed to working with GOAL to make it the biggest GOAL Mile yet and are asking people across Longford to step up together to complete a mile for GOAL. In doing so, together we can help GOAL reach vulnerable communities that are already suffering deeply from the impact of crises, poverty and climate change.

Longford GOAL Mile Organiser, Tiernan Dolan, has seen GOALs incredible work first hand having travelled to assist with their programmes 15 times.

Mr Dolan, who set up the Longford GOAL Mile in 1981, said, The GOAL Mile is a big Christmas tradition here in Longford and is very close to peoples hearts. By turning up to Connolly Barracks on Christmas Day the people of Longford are showing incredible compassion for the communities in need across the world that GOAL supports. We are so proud to play our small part.

People can step up together to take part in the GOAL Mile by visiting www.goalmile.org. They can register to take part in one of the hundreds of AIB GOAL Mile events taking place across the island of Ireland, sign-up to organise a new event, or pledge to take their 2,000 steps at any time throughout the month of December. Donations to GOAL can be made at www.goalglobal.org/donate.
The allocation of 100,000 to the development of a unique Longford Town Masterplan has received the seal of approval from Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Peggy Nolan and Chief Executive Paddy Mahon.

The new initiative involves the development of Town Centre First (TCF) Plans as part of Our Rural Future  the Governments five-year strategy to revitalise rural Ireland. The Town Centre First Policy and associated funding was announced recently by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys TD.

Longfords allocation is part of a 2.6 million fund nationwide that has been ring fenced to support 26 towns in mapping out their future development, revitalise town centres and tackle dereliction.

Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Peggy Nolan has warmly welcomed the announcement, stating that it comes at a very timely point. Longford County Council is already embarking on a major body of work in 2022 in the form of the 4m Longford Connected Project which is underway, and the 14m Camlin Quarter Regeneration Project, which is projected to start, conditions permitting, later in the year. All of this work is part of a holistic joined-up plan for the regeneration of Longford Towns public spaces.

She added, This further 100,000 is going to help us build on those plans, prioritising efforts to bring even more residents back into the heart of Longford Town which is the way forward - because we all know it is a great place to live, work and do business.

Welcoming the funding, Chief Executive Paddy Mahon said, There is a strong track record of collaborative work in Longford Town between Longford County Council and the local community, which has already yielded great results. We look forward to continuing to work closely with all of those stakeholders, and more, to develop the Town Centre First Plan and hopefully unlock further opportunities for future investment in Longford.

The TCF plans aim to address key emerging issues like dereliction and vacancy as well as the opportunities presented by remote working and climate change for example.

Longford County Council will now work closely with local community groups, retailers and relevant stakeholders in Longford Town to devise, deliver and support the objectives of the TCF plan.
Dublin Airport is estimating that an average of 45,000 people per day will pass through its doors before Janaury 4.

That's around 850,000 between Friday, December 17 and Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

It compares to an average of 12,000 passengers per day during the Christmas season last year, and 77,000 in the same period in 2019.

Although it marks a significant increase on numbers in December 2020, the total 850,000 passengers expected to come through Dublin Airport this Christmas still marks a 42% drop from pre-pandemic numbers.

Almost 1.5 million flew in and out of the airport in 2019, before Covid-19 caused havoc for air travel.

The busiest day during the Christmas season this year is expected to be December 19th, followed closely by December 23rd.

New travel restrictions introduced for arrivals into Ireland, amid fears over the Omicron variant, have made predicting passenger numbers more difficult, Dublin Airport said in a statement.

It is expected that some passengers who have already booked will decide not to travel.

Dublin Airport has asked those who do travel this Christmas to be mindful of the Covid-19 rules.

Face masks are mandatory at Dublin Airport and must be worn when in the terminal buildings the statement said.

In addition, social distancing protocols should be observed and there are more than 1,000 hand sanitisers located throughout the Dublin Airport campus.

Anyone planning to greet passengers should arrange to meet them outside the terminal buildings.

There are new meeting points just outside Terminal 1 and at the glass walkway between the Terminal 2 car park and arrivals.

It is recommended that anyone who is collecting passengers at Dublin Airport plan and arrange pick-ups in advance.
(Alliance News) - DCD Media PLC on Friday reported an increase in interim profit despite a fall in revenue, as it completed the sale of operating subsidiary NBD Holdings Ltd to 108 Media Ltd.

The independent television production and distribution company reported a pretax profit of GBP262,000 in the six months that ended September 30, up 9.2% from GBP240,000 a year before.

Revenue of the London-headquartered company amounted to GBP5.6 million, down 3.1% from GBP5.8 million a year ago.

DCD Media explained that the decline in revenue was consistent with the first-half performance last year and in line with its expectations.

The growth in profit was attributed to a 6.4% decrease in the costs of sales to GBP4.4 million from GBP4.7 million.

DCD Media pays no dividend.

DCD Media said the sale of subsidiary NBD Holdings including DCD Rights - substantially all of its existing business, assets and trade liabilities - was completed on December 10.

The disposal is expected to provide the necessary support that will allow DCD Rights to grow.

"The shareholders have taken the opportunity presented by global distributor and funder 108 Media to divest themselves of DCD Rights and its related entities after the period-end in a sale to 108 Media Ltd, announced on November 16 and approved by shareholders on December 2," the company said.

Following the completion of the sale, the company is considering the best way to maximise shareholder value, it said. This could involve returning a proportion of the cash to shareholders, while also looking at alternative acquisitions as an AIM cash shell.

DCD Media said DCD Rights and its related entities are well-positioned to deliver a strong performance in the future supported by its new owners in 108 Media.

"The board believes the immediate horizon continues to look promising for DCD Rights and its associated businesses and in the mid to long-term. The sale to 108 Media will be a catalyst for delivering deeper funding arrangements to support the continued growth being driven by the DCD Rights' senior management team," Executive Chair David Craven commented.

Shares in DCD Media was untraded on Friday morning in London, last quoted a 185.00 pence on Thursday.

By Abby Amoakuh; abbyamoakuh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - HSBC Holdings PLC said Thursday it plans to buy the the investment management unit of India's L&T Finance Holdings Ltd for USD425 million.

The deal fits into the lender's push to build up its Asian wealth and investment business that is at the forefront of its turnaround plans.

"The proposed acquisition, subject to regulatory approval, will be another milestone as HSBC delivers on its strategy of becoming a leading wealth manager in Asia," the bank said.

"Strengthening HSBC's asset management business in India will add to its ability to serve the wealth needs of its customers in India as well as those of its growing non-resident Indian customer base across the world."

L&T's investment management unit held assets under management of about USD10.8 billion at the end of September, marking it the twelfth largest mutual fund management company in India.

LTIM reported a pretax profit of USD25.0 million on income of USD46.9 million in the financial year ended March 2021.

If the deal gets the greenlight, HSBC will merge the operations of LTIM with its existing asset management business in India, which had AuM of USD1.6 billion at September 30.

HSBC Chief Executive Noel Quinn said: "This transaction enhances the strength of our business in India and reinforces our status as one of Asia's leading wealth managers. Combining LTIM with our existing Indian asset management business gives us the scale, reach and capabilities to capture some of the 15% to 20% annual asset management market growth expected in India over the next five years. It also boosts our ability to serve India's growing wealth needs, along with those of the 18 million non-resident Indians around the world.

"Together with our recent announcement to acquire AXA Singapore, this demonstrates our commitment to capturing the Asia wealth opportunity. We will continue to invest significantly to achieve that goal."

HSBC agreed to buy AXA SA's insurance business in Singapore in a USD575 million cash deal in mid-August. AXA Singapore is the eighth biggest life insurer in the city-state by annualised new premiums.

The LTIM deal, HSBC noted, will be funded from existing resources and will have a "minimal" impact on its CET 1 ratio.

HSBC expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to earnings and achieve a return on investment of greater than 10% in the medium term.

In February 2020, HSBC combined its retail banking and wealth management, asset management, insurance and private banking businesses to create a Wealth & Personal Banking unit as part of its turnaournd. In those plans, HSBC set out a goal "to be Asia's leading wealth manager by 2025".

Asia generates nearly 65% of HSBC's wealth revenues.

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The NHS is in danger of being "overwhelmed" by the surge in Omicron cases, Health Secretary Sajid Javid has warned, despite further evidence it causes less severe illness than earlier Covid-19 strains.

Javid said officials were monitoring the data "hour by hour" after new figures showed the Covid infection rates in the UK reaching record levels with an estimated 1.4 million people with the virus.

The warning came as the UK Health Security Agency estimated someone with Omicron was between 31% and 45% less likely to attend A&E and 50% to 70% less likely to be admitted to hospital than an individual with the Delta variant.

The findings are broadly in line with studies published on Wednesday by Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh.

Javid said that, while the UKHSA conclusions were "promising", Omicron cases were continuing to rise at an "extraordinary rate".

"Hospital admissions are increasing, and we cannot risk the NHS being overwhelmed," he said in a statement.

"This is early-stage analysis and we continue to monitor the data hour by hour.

"It is still too early to determine next steps."

Earlier the Health Secretary confirmed the government would not be announcing any new restrictions for England before Christmas.

But his comments raise the prospect that ministers are preparing to act as early as next week if the cases continue to grow at a rapid rate.

The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all already announced they are putting in place measures once Christmas is out of the way.

NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said the health service was on a "war footing" as the variant continues to sweep through the country.

"We are once again ramping up to deal with the rise in Covid infections," he said.

"Staff are making every possible preparation for the uncertain challenges of Omicron."

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said hospital trusts were looking to expand capacity to deal with a major influx of new admissions.

"We are identifying places that would be needed if we really, really needed to surge.

"We can do this, but the issue is, we're in incredible pressure right the way across the health system," he told the BBC.

The UKHSA emphasised that its findings regarding the severity of Omicron were "preliminary and highly uncertain" because of the small numbers of confirmed cases currently in hospital.

Ministers were divided over the need for restrictions in the run-up to Christmas with Javid and Communities Secretary Michael Gove reportedly pressing for action while Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss argued more data was needed.

Meanwhile a slew of new data underlined the pressures facing the NHS.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated 1.4 million people in the UK had the virus in the week ending December 16, the highest number since comparable figures began in autumn 2020.

The number of lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases also hit a new daily record with 119,789 as of 9am on Thursday, according to official figures.

Meanwhile new figures from NHS England showed one in five patients waited at least half-an-hour to be handed over from ambulance teams to A&E staff at hospitals in England last week.

Across England as a whole, 18,829 NHS staff at acute hospital trusts were absent due to reasons relating to coronavirus on December 19, up 54% from 12,240 a week earlier and up 51% from 12,508 at the start of the month.

Professor Andrew Hayward, a member of the Nervtag group which advises the government on new respiratory diseases, said while it was "undeniably good news" that Omicron appeared to be less severe, the speed of transmission meant it was still a threat.

"We're definitely not out of the danger zone a I think perhaps we can downgrade this from a hurricane to a very severe storm," he told the BBC.

"If you've got a halving of severity but in the context of case numbers of Omicron doubling every two or three days, that doesn't buy you much extra time, maybe less than a week in terms of relieving the pressure on the NHS."

By Gavin Cordon, PA Whitehall Editor

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Playtech PLC on Friday said it has launched two Live Casino studios in the US, with one in Michigan and the other in New Jersey.

The London-based gambling software company said that the launch was in collaboration with its partner Parx Interactive under the Play Gun Lake brand in Michigan and its partner Bet365 Group Ltd in New Jersey.

The casinos represent the first launch of Playtech's Live Casino offering in the US. Live Casino comprises of roulette, blackjack and baccarat live dealer tables as well as 'all bets blackjack', which allows an unlimited number of players to participate in a game.

Playtech said this initial offering will be followed by further launches, including a sport-led environment, an arcade experience and the introduction of live game shows.

Chief Executive Edo Haitin said: "The launch of the two facilities represents our core strategy of bringing our industry-leading studio standards to the US whilst ensuring that Playtech Live's most engaging and innovative products & technology are available to new markets and audiences. By partnering with Parx in Michigan and bet365 in New Jersey, we have been able to enter some of the fastest growing states in the US."

Shares in Playtech were up 1.2% at 739.00 pence on Friday morning in London, giving the company a GBP2.26 billion market capitalisation.

Playtech has accepted a GBP2.1 billion takeover offer from Australia's Aristocrat Leisure Ltd, though a rival offer remains possible.

By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
The information contained in this announcement is restricted and is not for publication, release or distribution in the United States of America, any member state of the European Economic Area, Canada, Australia, Japan or the Republic of South Africa.

24 December 2021

MAC Alpha Limited

(the "Company")

First day of dealings

MAC Alpha Limited is pleased to announce that 700,000 Ordinary Shares will at 8.00 a.m. today be admitted to the Standard Segment of the Official List and to trading on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market for listed securities ("Admission"). The Ordinary Shares will trade under the ticker MACA (ISIN: VGG5869Z1045).

The directors of the Company believe that the current economic environment will present attractive opportunities to invest in, improve and grow companies in partnership with an industry leading executive or management team. The directors of the Company have developed a listed acquisition company model that will enable trusted and successful management partners to identify value enhancing opportunities before raising additional capital.

A broad range of sectors will be considered. Those sectors which the directors currently believe will provide the greatest opportunity, and on which the Company will initially focus, include Automotive & Transport, Business-to-Business Services, Clean Technology, Consumer & Luxury Goods, Financial Services, Banking & FinTech, Insurance, Reinsurance & InsurTech, & Other Vertical Marketplaces, Healthcare & Diagnostics and Media & Technology.

The directors believe that the structure of the Company represents a significant improvement on conventional listed acquisition vehicles both for investors and vendors, allowing for greater speed and flexibility in financing and execution alongside lower operating and transactional costs.

The total number of Ordinary Shares in the Company in issue immediately following Admission is 700,000, each with equal voting rights. The total voting rights figure can be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine whether they are required to notify their interest in the Company under the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority. Immediately following Admission, funds managed by Marwyn Investment Management LLP will hold 90 per cent. of the issued Ordinary Shares of the Company. A PDMR Notification is set out at the bottom of this announcement.

Enquiries:

MAC Alpha Limited

Tel: +44(0)207 004 2700

Mark Brangstrup Watts

James Corsellis

Antoinette Vanderpuije

Further information on the Company can be found on its website at www.MAC-Alpha.com.

The Company's LEI is: 254900LOBYWJWYSAB947

Save for expressions defined in this announcement, words and expressions defined in the Prospectus shall have the same meaning in this announcement.

Important Notice

This announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. Marwyn Capital LLP ("Marwyn Capital"), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting only for the Company in connection with the matters described in this announcement and is not acting for or advising any other person, or treating any other person as its client, in relation thereto and will not be responsible for providing the regulatory protection afforded to its clients or advice to any other person in relation to the matters contained herein. Neither Marwyn Investment Management LLP nor Marwyn Capital nor any of their respective affiliates, directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for this announcement, its contents or otherwise in connection with it or any other information relating to the Company, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic format.

This announcement may not be published, distributed or transmitted by any means or media, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in the United States. The securities mentioned herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act") or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and will not be offered, sold, exercised, resold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, any US person (as defined under Regulation S under the US Securities Act). The Company has not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

Neither this announcement nor any copy of it may be: (i) taken or transmitted into or distributed in any member state of the European Economic Area, Canada, Australia or the Republic of South Africa or to any resident thereof, or (ii) taken or transmitted into or distributed in Japan or to any resident thereof. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws or the laws of any such jurisdiction. The distribution of this announcement in other jurisdictions may be restricted by law and the persons into whose possession this document comes should inform themselves about, and observe any such restrictions.

Notification of transactions of persons discharging managerial responsibilities and persons closely associated with them

1 Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities/person closely associated a) Name Marwyn Investment Management LLP, a person closely associated with James Corsellis and Mark Brangstrup Watts (Directors of the Company) and Antoinette Vanderpuije (Company Secretary to the Company) 2 Reason for the notification a) Position/status Sponsor b) Initial notification/ Amendment Initial 3 Details of the issuer, emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name MAC Alpha Limited b) LEI 254900LOBYWJWYSAB947 4 Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii) each type of transaction; (iii) each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument Identification code Ordinary shares of no par value VGG5869Z1045 b) Nature of the transaction Subscription for shares c) Price(s) and volume(s) Price(s) Volume(s) 1.00 630,000 d) Aggregated information - Aggregated volume - Price 630,000 1.00 e) Date of the transaction 24 December 2021 f) Place of the transaction London

This announcement is made in accordance with the requirements of the EU Market Abuse Regulation as adopted into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended from time to time, ("MAR") and the Company confirms that the PDMR's notification obligations under MAR have also been satisfied.
Manchester Center, VT (05254)

Today

Cloudy. Snow likely late. Low 21F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch..

Tonight

Cloudy. Snow likely late. Low 21F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
MANISTEE -- There are many ways people celebrate their ethnicity and culture during the holidays, and one of those is with the types of ornaments that adorn their Christmas trees.

America has always been known as the great melting pot of culture with citizens who come from a wide variety of countries around the world. Manistee County is not any different in that respect as many ancestors of local residents came to this area from Sweden, Germany, Austria, Poland, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and other countries to seek a better life.

During the holiday season there are opportunities around the county for the public to view some Christmas trees decorated with ornaments in the spirit of the native lands from which the early settlers came.

At the Old Kirke Museum, located at 304 Walnut St. in Manistee, they featured the trees of Scandinavia during the Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend. Museum director Ken Cooper said they did research to decorate trees in the way people from Denmark, Sweden and the Norwegians would have.

They each have a garland with their own countrys flags on them, said Cooper. The Danish tree has a lot of paper decorations on it that are traditional handmade Danish decorations in the form of hearts and stars.

He said the primary color scheme of the decorations is similar to the colors of the Danish flag. Lighting the trees prior to the advent of electricity was always a challenge for the Danish and everyone else to do it safely.

We made some fake candles that we clipped on to the tree as obviously we are not going to light them as it could start a fire, said Cooper. Also on that tree are little ornaments in the form of berries.

The Swedish flag that adorns that tree is a blue field with a yellow cross on it.

On this tree are some traditional straw decorations in the form of a sunset and hand-tied velvet stars, said Cooper. There also are little wreaths that are hand tied and made out of straw with a red bow.

There also is an ornament of a Viking ship on this tree, and the top is a straw star that caps off the decorations.

Cooper said the Norwegian tree is probably the most intriguing of the three trees in their display.

It has the garland of flags with a red field with a blue cross with a white barrier inside it, he said. This one has lots of traditional handmade straw decorations. It also a bunch of little baskets that kids would place their candy in during the holidays.

This tree is topped off with a straw star and the tree also has wheat chaff on it. The trees are lined up across the front of the church with the Norwegian one on the left and on the right is the Swedish tree. Since the building was at one time a Danish church it is only fitting the large one in the middle is the Danish tree.

Manistee County also has a strong contingent of people with a Finnish background living around the Village of Kaleva. So it is only fitting that this holiday season the Bottle House Museum, located at 14551 Wuoksi St. in Kaleva, features a Christmas tree decorated with Finnish ornaments.

Kaleva Historical Society member Cindy Asiala said they wanted to show off more of the Finnish heritage.

We are not usually open, but this year we are going to be open the Saturdays before Christmas, said Asiala. Someone said it is a shame to decorate the Bottle House for just one day so we (were) open from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays in December leading up to Christmas."

Asiala said people who visited saw some authentic Finnish decorations on the tree.

Our tree has straw ornaments, which is typically Finnish, but we also have some clips that have real candles only we dont light them, she said. We have some garland of straw so it is kind of a typical Scandinavian tree.

Another display is the Finnish Heaven. The tradition with that is the children will sleep under it and be like the night that Christ was born.

The other thing we have is the Finnish Heaven that usually hangs over the tree, said Asiala. That is a frame that holds pine boughs and we hang silver stars from it made out of foil. We are expecting more people this year, so we put the tree on the porch so they could view it better. Our Finnish Heaven is probably our most unusual tradition that we put up every year.

They also brought out antique toys from the Bottle House Museum toy room and they have an old fashioned Finnish quilt that is used for the tree skirt.

Manistee County also has many people with strong German and Polish backgrounds living in the area and they also had some traditional decorations that were placed on their Christmas trees.

Polish trees often had linked paper chains on the tree called lancuchy that symbolized togetherness and the road to heaven. Those paper chains were also used in Germany and both countries also had candles on their trees to light them up.

Christmas trees in Poland were decorated with glass baubles, garland and many homemade ornaments including painted egg shells, shiny red apples, walnuts, wrapped chocolate candy and other such things.

In Germany, they used a fir or pine trees to symbolize life by the church and the green color of the tree was looked upon as a symbol of hope. The ornaments were also full of treats including candles, cakes, nuts and handmade paper ornaments.

Each one of the ornaments had its own meaning such as apples being for health and beauty, nuts for strength and welfare, and candles for protection against evil and darkness. It was widely believed that Martin Luther was the first to add lighted candles to a tree.

Over the years many of these traditional type of decorations have been incorporated in family traditions giving a whole new look to the ways trees are decorated.
One of the most iconic movies which managed to put India on the global map is Baahubali, the magnum opus from the mastermind, S.S. Rajamouli. The movie, which is like a period saga following the fall of Bhalladeva at the hands of Baahubali, is a visual delight which broke some smashing box-office records across the world.



Prabhas and Rana Daggubati in their roles were phenomenal and if someone asks you to imagine another actor in their place, it will be difficult for any fan to fathom. However, as per a TOI report, some actors were legit offered a part in the movie but it didnt materialize eventually. Here are 5 actors who turned down roles.

1. Hrithik Roshan

The Greek God of Bollywood was offered the titular role but since he had just finished wrapping up Jodhaa Akbar, he wasnt in a zone to take up another period drama. Although on a show, the director has mentioned that he only had Prabhas in mind for the role.

 Instagram

2. Sonam Kapoor

On a chat show with Neha Dhupia, the Aisha star revealed that she was approached for Baahubali but she never mentioned the character she was offered to play.

 Instagram

3. John Abraham

According to the same report, this handsome actor was offered the character of Bhallaladeva but he was not too keen on it. The report also suggests that the director eventually decided to choose a cast which was not from Bollywood.

 Instagram

4. Sridevi

The late actress was one of the choices to play Sivagami Devi, but owing to some remuneration and screen time issues, it was eventually essayed by Ramya Krishnan.

 Instagram

5. Mohanlal

The superstar of South India was approached to play the iconic role of Kattapa but owing to screen time issues, he let it go.

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Last year, Avengers: Endgame fame Russo Brothers had announced a multi-series titled Citadel.

It was also announced that besides being made in Hollywood, the series will also be made in different countries and the responsibility of helming its India-leg was given to Raj & DK of The Family Man and Go Goa Gone fame.

Explaining the kind of multi-series that Russo Brothers are making in collaboration with Amazon, DK had explained to Variety, Every countrys series is its own series with multiple seasons, but theres going to be crossovers and cross-references. Raj had added, Its an action thriller drama, about super agents across the world.

 Instagram/;Varun Dhawan

While the US version of Citadel stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Richard Madden and Stanley Tucci, we now have an update on the star cast of its Indian version.



According to Pinkvilla, Citadel India will star Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead role. This will be Samantha's second collaboration with director duo Raj & DK after The Family Man season 2.

Sharing the details about their casting, a source told the website, Its among the biggest shows that's keenly awaited not just in India but even on an international front. The makers were on the look out for a fresh pairing and thats when they pulled off the coup of bringing Samantha alongside Varun for the first time.

 Instagram/Samanth Ruth Prabhu

The show will feature Varun and Samantha as spies and is expected to go on floors in 2022.



Sharing further details, the report stated, The team is planning to mount it on a massive scale and get stunt coordinators of international repute on board. Both Varun and Samantha will do multiple workshops and training sessions to learn various forms of action next year before taking the series on floors.

The source in the report further added, Its neither a remake nor an adaptation. Given that the espionage genre has universal reach, the makers have decided on a spin off to Citadel in India. The idea is to set the premise against the backdrop of Indian characters and take it to a global level.

As for Citadel US, the shoot was wrapped earlier this month and Priyanka had shared a few BTS pictures from the sets.

Considering there will be crossovers planned in future, it will be interesting to see Varun and Samantha joining Priyanka, Richard and other Hollywood stars in a future team-up of spies.

Citadel India is expected to release in 2023 on Amazon Prime Video.
2021 Accomplishments Countdown: Education and Skills

2021 Accomplishments Countdown: Education and Skills

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 23, 2021

Contact: press@michigan.gov

2021 Accomplishments Countdown: Education and Skills

Governor Whitmer counts down to 2022 by highlighting administration's progress on 10 kitchen-table issues that makes a difference in people's lives

LANSING, Mich. - The Whitmer-Gilchrist administration is counting down the last 10 days of 2021 by celebrating Michigan's progress on 10 fundamental kitchen-table issues. Today we celebrate progress Michigan has made on education and skills.

"Every Michigander has a birthright to a phenomenal public education and a path to a good-paying, in-demand job," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "Together, we have made historic investments in our public schools without raising taxes to give every kid in every community an opportunity to pursue their potential. We have also helped hundreds of thousands of Michiganders take steps towards pursuing their potential, powering our economy to new highs by helping small businesses staff up. We will continue finding ways to put our kids on track to graduate and pursue postsecondary education, skills training, or good-paying jobs."

Getting Things Done

From her first day in office, Governor Whitmer has worked to expand opportunities and improve outcomes for Michiganders. Governor Whitmer made the largest education investment in state history-without raising taxes-to close the funding gap between schools in Michigan, expand access to preschool program for 22,000 more four-year-olds, and distribute resources to expand mental health supports for our kids. These historic investments ensure our schools have the funds to help each and every Michigander reach their full potential. The Governor also believes that every Michigander deserves a path to a high wage job, and she is committed to making college degrees and skill certificates available and affordable for more residents. Since last Sept., over 170,000 Michiganders applied for scholarships through Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners, two programs she created to put people on tuition-free paths to better-paying jobs.

Key Numbers

$8,700 per student closes funding gap between schools, part of largest education investment in state history.

100% of eligible four-year-olds can attend free, high-quality preschool under Michigan's home-grown Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP).

170,000 Michiganders on path to good-paying jobs because of Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners.

Looking Ahead

Governor Whitmer will always strive to make bigger, bolder investments in our kids, teachers, and schools because when they succeed, we all succeed.

She knows that children are learning from birth and all children deserve quality early learning experiences, like our nationally recognized preschool program.

She will keep working to achieve Sixty by 30-preparing individuals and our state to complete in a global economy by increasing the number of adults with a degree or skill certificate to 60% by 2030.

Additional education and skills accomplishments can be found here.

"Raised by a single mom and my grandmother, I grew up moving all over southeast Michigan until the burden became too much and I was forced into the foster care system," said Shelby Bliss Essenmacher, a 30-year-old Michigan Reconnect student attending Wayne County Community College District pursuing an Associates of Applied Science degree to become a RN. "I was forced to live on my own before completing high school and attended some college until I had to withdraw to prevent crippling student debt. College and earning a livable wage always seemed like a pipe dream for me. On top of that, the pandemic made things seem impossible, but Reconnect has given me hope by offering me the opportunity to do something about it and help be a part of the change. Without this scholarship I could never afford to become a nurse and make a real difference in facing this pandemic head on. Reconnect has given me hope for the future and for myself."

"Gov. Gretchen Whitmer listens closely to the voices of educators, and she takes our expertise to heart before acting on education issues," said Paula Herbart, MEA president and Macomb County music teacher. "She also oversaw the largest increase in public school funding in Michigan's history - and she did it without raising taxes. Governor Whitmer is committed to finding real solutions to the educator shortage, and she's working shoulder to shoulder with parents and educators to get students the resources they need to succeed coming out of the pandemic."

"It's been a difficult year for students and educators across the state, but thanks to Gov. Whitmer's leadership and her push for historic investment in public education, we have a chance to build a better future for students across Michigan regardless of where they live," said David Hecker, president of AFT Michigan. "Her push to close the funding gap means at-risk students are getting the support they need, and more students have access to important mental health services right at school. Our public schools are where we'll find Michigan's next generation of leaders and problem solvers and Gov. Whitmer has shown she'll always step up for them and the educators who support them."

"Bay College is thrilled to serve 447 Future for Frontliners and Reconnect students," said Bay College President Laura Coleman. "These students are completing degrees with skills in nursing, business, social work, computer information systems, networking, paramedics, robotics and mechatronics, and early childhood education. These skills are in high demand in the Upper Peninsula and in Michigan. Bay College is honored to be here for the students and community!"

"It's been great to see so many working age adults take advantage of Michigan Reconnect to advance their skills and complete their education. It's all about improving the quality of life for local families and providing a much-needed skilled workforce for area employers," said Lake Michigan College President Dr. Trevor A. Kubatzke.

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2021 Accomplishments Countdown: Public Safety and Criminal Justice

2021 Accomplishments Countdown: Public Safety and Criminal Justice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 24, 2021

Contact: press@michigan.gov

2021 Accomplishments Countdown: Public Safety and Criminal Justice

Governor Whitmer counts down to 2022 by highlighting administration's progress on 10 kitchen-table issues that makes a difference in people's lives

LANSING, Mich. - The Whitmer-Gilchrist administration is counting down the last 10 days of 2021 by celebrating Michigan's progress on 10 fundamental kitchen-table issues. Today, we celebrate progress Michigan has made on public safety and criminal justice.

"Every Michigander, no matter where they live or who they are, deserves to live safely and be treated equally under the law," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "As a former prosecutor, I am committed to protecting public safety and reducing crime so we can build strong, vibrant communities together. I will work with anyone to bring down crime, treat every Michigander with dignity and respect, and help families feel safe in their community. Together, we can build a safer, more just Michigan where every family can thrive, where every kid can get a great education, and where every person has a path to a good-paying, high-skill job."

"This year Michigan recorded its lowest recidivism rate in state history, placing us sixth best in the nation. A low recidivism rate means less crime, fewer victims and safer communities," said Heidi Washington, Michigan Department of Corrections director. "Our focus on long-term public safety is returning individuals back to communities across this state who are better educated, and are trained to begin work in in-demand careers. This is important and complex work, but our dedicated employees are committed to doing all they can to ensure those leaving prison are equipped with the skills and tools they need to be successful upon release."

Getting Things Done

As a former prosecutor, public safety is a core issue for Governor Whitmer. She has worked closely with local leaders, law enforcement officers, and community organizations to bring down crime and ensure people feel safe whether they're going to work, picking up their kids from school, or grabbing groceries. Through her time in office, Governor Whitmer has enacted historic criminal justice reform. She signed bipartisan "Clean Slate" laws which will help hundreds of thousands of Michiganders emerge from the criminal justice system with enhanced opportunities for jobs and housing and allow them to pursue their full potential. She also launched task forces to address pretrial incarceration and juvenile justice and pursued reforms to improve relationships between law enforcement and the people they serve.

Key Numbers

The budget will also allow the MDOC to hire 800 new corrections officers this fiscal year.

Created a new partnership between the Secretary of State and MDOC that has already led to more than 5,000 returning citizens to have a state ID or driver's license in-hand when they parole.

Looking Ahead

Getting the MI Safe Communities plan across the finish line

Making stronger investments to keep our students safe

Working with our business community to create employment opportunities in historically underinvested communities

"The MI Safe Communities plan, with its emphasis on direct funding in the areas of public safety, jobs, counseling, and education, will provide the equity that is needed to bring hope, healing, and wholeness to our community," said Rev. Dr. Daniel Moore, Sr., DMin, Pastor of The Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Flint.

"In Marquette County alone, we are dealing with hundreds of backlogged felony cases due to our inability to hold jury trials during the height of the pandemic," said Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Wiese. "Directing funding at this problem will help reduce crime and keep victims of crime safe by addressing not only our backlog, but also the backlog of criminal cases being experienced across the State of Michigan."

Additional public safety and criminal justice accomplishments can be found here.

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Gov. Whitmer Calls Deployed Michigan Troops on Christmas Eve

Gov. Whitmer Calls Deployed Michigan Troops on Christmas Eve

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

December 24, 2021

Contact: press@michigan.gov

Gov. Whitmer Calls Deployed Michigan Troops on Christmas Eve

LANSING, Mich. - Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called actively deployed members of the Michigan National Guard to wish them a merry Christmas.

The governor spoke to Airmen of the 127th Wing currently deployed to Guam in support of U.S. Pacific Command, Soldiers deployed to Lebanon in support of U.S. Central Command and Soldiers deployed to Arizona and California in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection law enforcement missions along the US Southwest border.

"Our men and women in uniform put their lives on the lines to keep us safe," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "On Christmas, we should recognize their service and honor the sacrifices they make on behalf of all of us. As we get to spend time with our loved ones at home, many active duty service members in uniform are away from their families, on the job. I hope we all take some time to think about our service members and their families this Christmas and pray for their safe return home."

"Answering the call to serve anytime, anywhere is part of an ordinary day's work for the men and women of the Michigan National Guard," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, Adjutant General and Director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "Today there are more than 500 members of the Michigan National Guard serving away from their homes and families. Whether supporting the ongoing COVID-19 response here in Michigan, aiding efforts at the Southwest Border or protecting our national security interests around the globe, it is an honor to remember their selflessness and devotion to duty during this holiday season."

The governor spoke to members of the:

127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard (Harrison Township)

1775th Military Police Company of the Michigan Army National Guard (Pontiac)

1776th Military Police Company of the Michigan Army National Guard (Taylor)

The Michigan National Guard service members Governor Whitmer spoke to are serving in Guam, Lebanon, Arizona and California. These brave men and women are tackling a wide range of challenges in each of their respective missions, bringing their expertise in operations, logistics, engineering, and communications to get the job done.

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LOS ANGELES (AP)  Los Angeles police fatally shot a 14-year-old girl who was inside a clothing store dressing room Thursday as they fired at a suspect who had assaulted a woman earlier, authorities said.

Police also killed the male suspect, authorities said. He and the girl have not been named. The woman who had been assaulted was taken to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries.

The shots were fired around 11:45 a.m. at a Burlington store  part of a chain formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory  in the North Hollywood area of the San Fernando Valley.

Police initially responded to reports of a person being assaulted with a deadly weapon as well as reports of shots being fired, said Los Angeles police Capt. Stacy Spell at a news conference. Spell said officers opened fire when they saw the suspect assaulting another person.

The suspect was struck by the officers' bullets and killed, Spell said.

One of the bullets went through a dressing room wall and struck the 14-year-old girl, according to LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi. Officers later found her inside.

You cant see into the dressing rooms and it just looks like a straight wall of drywall, Choi said at a second news conference.

Investigators do not yet know whether the teenager was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.

The California Department of Justice was investigating the shooting, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

Choi said authorities do not yet know the man's motive or whether he knew the woman he initially assaulted in the store.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said that woman had moderate to serious injuries and was transported to a hospital. It wasn't immediately known if she'd been shot but Choi said she had injuries to her head, arms and face.

Police found a heavy metal cable lock near the suspect that they say may have been used in that assault.

Spell said the injured woman was the victim in the first assault report. It was not immediately clear what weapon was involved in that assault.

He added that police had received calls about the suspect acting erratically before the incident.

Imelda Garcia said her sister works in the store and was on break when she heard gunshots and everyone started running. Garcia said she spoke to her sister on the phone and that she's OK but sounded really nervous.

Police escorted people out of the store nearly two hours after the shooting.

The shooting recalled a July 21, 2018, confrontation in which LAPD officers accidentally shot and killed a woman at a Trader Joe's market. Officers got into a gunfight with a man who authorities say shot his grandmother and girlfriend before leading police on a chase that ended when he crashed his car outside the market.

A police bullet killed Melyda Corado, 27, the assistant store manager, as she ran toward the stores entrance after hearing the car crash.

The suspect, Gene Evin Atkins, took employees and shoppers hostage for three hours before surrendering, authorities said.

Atkins has pleaded not guilty to the killing.

Prosecutors found two police officers acted lawfully when they returned Atkins gunfire.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday he will pardon his chief conservative rival and predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who is serving a lengthy prison term for bribery and other crimes.

Moons liberal government said the pardon is meant to promote national unity in the face of difficulties brought by the pandemic. Some observers say Moon may want to ease conservative criticism stemming from Parks health problems, or even use her to split the opposition ahead of a presidential election in March.

We should move into a new era by getting over the pains of the past. Its time to boldly pull together all our strengths for the future rather than fighting against each other while being preoccupied with the past, Moon said in remarks released by his office.

In the case of former President Park, we considered the fact that her health condition has deteriorated a lot after serving nearly five years in prison, he said.

The Justice Ministry said the 69-year-old Park is among 3,094 people who are to be pardoned on Dec. 31. South Korea often grants special pardons to mark New Year's Day or national holidays.

Park has been treated since last month in a hospital, from where she will be released, the ministry said. Officials refused to elaborate on Parks health, but local media said she has been suffering from a lumbar disc, a shoulder injury and dental problems as well as mental stress.

In comments released by lawyer Yoo Young-ha, Park thanked Moon for pardoning her and said she will focus on treating her illnesses. She said she wants to offer her greetings to the people at an early date.

Park, a daughter of assassinated dictator Park Chung-hee, was once the darling of conservatives in South Korea. Dubbed by local media as the queen of elections, she won election as South Koreas first female president in late 2012 by beating Moon, then a unified liberal candidate, by a million votes. Park was propelled by conservatives who celebrate her father as a hero who pulled the country up from postwar poverty despite his suppression of human rights.

She was impeached by lawmakers in late 2016, and was formally removed from office and arrested the following year over an explosive corruption scandal that prompted months of massive street protests.

In January, the Supreme Court upheld her 20-year prison term. If she hadnt been pardoned, she could have served a combined 22 years behind bars because she was separately convicted of meddling in her partys nominations of candidates ahead of parliamentary elections in 2016.

Park has described herself as a victim of political revenge. She has refused to attend her trials since October 2017.

Among the main charges she faced was collusion with her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to take millions of dollars in bribes and extortion from some of the countrys largest business groups, including Samsung, while she was in office.

Parks scandal led to the arrests, indictments and convictions of dozens of high-profile figures. Choi is serving an 18-year term. Samsung scion Lee Jae-yong was initially sentenced to five years in prison before his term was reduced and was eventually released on parole in August.

Park was succeeded by Moon, who easily won a special presidential by-election while the conservatives were in disarray amid fierce internal feuding over Parks ouster.

Moons single five-year term ends in May and he is barred by law from seeking reelection. Recent public support surveys show candidates from the governing and conservative opposition parties running neck and neck.

It wasnt immediately clear how Parks pardon will affect voter sentiment. It could cause a backlash from the liberals, but some observers say it may also rekindle a division in the opposition camp.

Even if the presidential Blue House may have impure intentions to influence the results of the presidential election with the pardon of ex-President Park Geun-hye, its something that we opposition forces should address, Kim Jae-won, a senior member of the People Power Party, wrote on Facebook. United we stand and divided we fall.

Moons office said Parks pardon has nothing to do with the presidential election.

Moon may be accused of trying to influence the next election, but releasing a predecessor from prison has precedent in Korean politics, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Now that staunch conservative and progressive candidates are set for the March 2022 election, this move is unlikely to change their positions or the publics opinion of them, Easley said.

Almost all South Korean former presidents, or their family members and key associates, have been mired in scandals near the end of their terms or after they left office.

Parks father was assassinated by his spy chief in 1979 after a 18-year rule. Moons friend and former President Roh Moo-hyun jumped to his death in 2009 amid corruption investigations involving his family.

Two other former presidents, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, spent time in prison but were later pardoned. Both died this year.

Parks conservative predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, is serving a 17-year prison term on corruption charges.

Those to be pardoned with Park on Dec. 31 include ex-Prime Minister Han Myung-sook, one of Moons former political allies, who served a two-year prison term on corruption charges. The government will reinstate her civil rights so she can run in elections or cast ballots.

Separately, former leftist lawmaker Lee Seok-ki, who has been serving a more-than nine-year prison term for plotting a pro-North Korea rebellion and other charges, was released Friday on parole. Lee was arrested when Park was in office. He was affiliated with a now-disbanded small progressive party.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  The mother of a transgender teenager who died by suicide at a youth detention center in Maine has settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the state for $225,000.

The Bangor Daily News reported the settlement Thursday in the death of Charles Knowles, 16, at Long Creek Youth Development Center in fall 2016.

Michelle Knowles, of North Vassalboro, filed the lawsuit in federal court in April against the Maine Department of Corrections. The Maine attorney generals office declined to comment on the settlement.

Michelle Knowles has said she pleaded with authorities to provide mental health treatment to Charles before his death.

Charles Knowles was a transgender boy who had already lived with intolerance before being placed in the girls unit at Long Creek, his mother said.

Charles was on suicide watch, and his death prompted a review of the facilitys ability to handle the mental health needs of people who are detained there. Charles was detained in Long Creek while awaiting a court hearing on charges of setting fire to his house earlier in 2016.

Knowles attorney, Matthew Morgan of Augusta, praised his clients efforts on behalf of her son.

She continues to follow developments at Long Creek and urges the state to take bold action to make sure no child ever dies a needless death there ever again, Morgan told the newspaper.
MIDDLETOWN  A very special, jolly old man in red, a toy bundle slung upon his back, arrived at City Hall Thursday as the guest of honor during holiday festivities.

Norman Ward, aka Santa Claus, helped spread cheer as city employees participated in their annual door-decorating contest.

In lieu of his fee, the Portland resident asks for donations primarily to the Friends of the Portland Library, as well as Youth and Family Services emergency shelter, and the food bank.

Ward, whos been suiting up for over 20 years, looks remarkably like Kris Kringle, Middletown Environmental Planner James Sipperly pointed out.

Thats because I am Santa, retorted the man tasked with spreading joy, love and Christmas cheer.

Playing St. Nick is grueling, Ward admitted. Its 24/7. I can be out for 14 hours a day sometimes, he said. We run around from one get-together to another.

The No. 1 gift children are asking for this year is a toy garbage truck. Thats something new for Santa, he said.

He surmises children, confined to home during the pandemic, are entertained by sanitation workers picking up trash every week.

Family games are also enjoying a resurgence, as well as Slinky, he said.

Outside of the holidays, Santa is retired from a career in finance, and serves as chairman of the Portland Conservation Commission and is a member of the towns Water and Sewer Commission.

But through Christmas, hes a full-time Santa.

In light of the pandemic, Santa and Mrs. Claus keep their distance from the children behind a little fence, with everyone masked up. Most of the kids understand they cant sit on his lap or get hugs this year.

We leave it up to the families if they want me to hold their child, Ward said.

City Hall was full of excitement during the judging of the annual door-decorating contest. Offices on all three floors were bedecked with holiday decorations, with employees, many of whom were dressed in ugly sweaters, there to mark the occasion.

This years contest theme was holiday celebrations around the world, Director of Land Use Marek Kozikowski said. In 2020, employees created scenes of their favorite Christmas songs, and in 2019, Christmas movies.

Naturally, Kozikowski believes his office had the best decorations.

Employees created a display centered on Weihnachten, a celebration of Christmas Eve in German-speaking countries, which won a gold star for its entryway, festively festooned with white lights, stuffed animal owls, a nest and tree branches.

Other countries that celebrate the holiday include Austria and Switzerland.

On Christmas Eve, people go outside and enjoy the woods. After that, when it gets dark, they go and eat, said Sipperly, who is one-quarter German.

Faith Jackson, who was one of the city employees who posed for photos with Santa, was clad from head to toe in holiday colors  a red-and-green cap, sparkly reindeer antler glasses, and gingerbread-and-candy cane vest.

Another employee wore a black tank dress covered in lights and gold, green, red and pin details, her shoulders adorned with a tinsel scarf.

Bob Westendorfo, whose grandparents were born in Germany, happened to stop by the mayors office at the same time. He and his family observed Weihnachten growing up.

We just loved going into the woods and celebrating for a while, said Westendorfo, whose father loved the outdoors.

Thats where I learned to love nature and animals, he said.

On Christmas Eve, each family member would find one present under the tree, Westendorfo said. He came around just for us, he joked.

We couldnt ever figure out how Santa got around everywhere for Christmas Day, so he came on Christmas Eve, he added.

The contest was judged on a floor-by-floor basis, with the second level declared the winners. The land use office was given a gold star for its exemplary decorations, Sipperly said. The prize is a pizza party.

Meanwhile, Santa derives much joy from his longtime role, which warms his heart with joy.

I always say, I receive more than I give, he added.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  At first glance, Eugene artist Liza Mana Burns latest mural is a bright and colorful panorama depicting Oregons diverse landscape.

However, the work, titled Celebrate Oregon! actually contains images of 127 seemingly random objects: a wine bottle, a Chinook salmon, a comic book, the Siuslaw Bridge  all on display at Portland International Airports Concourse B, near Alaska Airlines gates.

Individually, the objects depicted in the mural might seem inconsequential. But take a step back and youll realize that every one of them represents a part of Oregons history.

At the bottom left corner is a beer glass, a nod to Oregons reputation as being at the forefront of the craft beer industry.

Shift your eyes to the right, and you might find the books The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin and Only What We Could Carry by Lawson Fusao Inada, two of Oregons most prominent writers.

Suddenly, the murals message becomes clear: Oregon isnt a homogenous place.

Much like its diverse geography, the state is a collection of different people and customs that come together to form a giant cultural mosaic.

You think culture is opera and ballet but its everything. Its history, its language, its dance, its food, its indigenous culture, said Burns, the murals creator.

While working on the project, Burns said, she learned a lot about aspects of Oregons history that she was unaware of growing up.

I didnt know who York was, which is embarrassing to say, Burns said, in reference to the African American man who was an integral part of Lewis and Clarks expedition. So we got to include him. I didnt know about the city of Vanport. So I learned a lot of pieces about Oregon history.

Vanport was the states second largest city in the 1940s, before completely disappearing after a catastrophic flood in 1948.

Burns said that the most challenging part of the project was making sure to include all aspects of Oregons history and culture.

She admitted that being a 32-year-old white woman meant that her worldview was inherently limited. So she reached out to various community leaders to learn about what she might be missing or getting wrong. I said, I would like to work with people from the community to say, OK, what symbols are we missing?

Burns worked with volunteer cultural content experts like Chuck Sams III, an Oregon Cultural Trust board member and deputy executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Sams was recently named head of the National Park Service.

He was helping with selection of the indigenous symbols and he brought up the American Indian movement. So we looked up that symbol and included that symbol, Burns said.

She also worked with Linda Castillo, the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion manager at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.

She came up with the hummingbird and a sunflower, which are two symbols that I didnt know had cultural meaning to hispanic Oregonians, Burns said.

The hummingbird, she discovered, is treasured for its almost magical qualities and is an important symbol for the Mexican and Indigenous communities.

The sunflower has been used in Hispanic culture as ornaments, a food source, and as medicine.

Through those conversations, as well as many others, Burns selected the 127 elements that represented a part of Oregons culture that, when looked at as a whole, make up the entire state.

Viewers can scan a special QR code with their phone that will lead to an interactive key to help decipher the meanings of the symbols.

The mural is the result of an 18-month long project by Burns and the Oregon Cultural Trust to commemorate the trusts 20th anniversary.

The Oregon Cultural Trust was created in 2001 by the Oregon state legislature and funds multiple arts and cultural projects across the state. According to the trusts communications manager, Carrie Kikel, the fund has raised more than $74 million for arts and culture programs.

The trust is partially funded through a cultural tax credit, where a private donor will receive a tax credit for donating to the trust and any of the 1,500 cultural organizations across the state.

In establishing the trust, the Legislature was saying to Oregonians: We will fund culture with state dollars, but only if Oregonians tell us it matters to them, Kikel said.

In 2020, the Oregon Cultural Trust looked to revamp the artwork for their custom license plate, which was created to promote the cultural tax credit.

We wanted to create a design that truly reflected all Oregon culture and all the diversity of Oregon culture and that was a really lofty goal. How do you reflect all of Oregons diverse cultures in that tiny space? Kikel said.

After an extensive search process, the trust unanimously selected Liza Burns, in part due to her artist statement.

She decided you have to start with this place, because if not for this place, there would be no culture, there would be no people, there would be no spirit of Oregon, Kikel said. So how do you represent so many different cultures? You give them each a little piece of the real estate.

After seeing Burns design, officials at the trust felt that her vision deserved a much bigger and more public platform.

So Burns turned her small license plate image into four large 16-foot murals that were installed at the airports in Eugene, Medford, Redmond and Portland.

Having murals at airports was really about how the artwork could serve as an introduction and really communicate who we are as a people and what we value, said Kikel.

Designing this public-art project opened Burns eyes to the richness of culture in her home state. Ultimately, she hopes that people will take the time to pay attention to the little details in her mural.

I really encourage people to use the QR code and learn about some of those symbols. I guarantee youll find something you didnt know about Oregon, or a piece that you thought you knew, but you can learn more about.
BRIDGEPORT  A fixture in the citys ongoing fight to improve quality of life for its residents has died, according to a statement from Mayor Joe Ganim issued Thursday.

We mournfully announce the passing of Thomas Coble, Ganim said. Toms family and friends are in our thoughts at this time.

Coble, who had been battling cancer, worked for the city for 13 years as the director of the anti-blight program and then an inspector with the licensing and permitting office, Ganim said.

He always strived to improve the quality of life in our city. Among other things, you would find Tom in our community planning and executing demolitions of blighted properties to revitalize neighborhoods and make way for a new park, home or business, he said. Tom Coble made a positive impact on the City of Bridgeport and will be missed.

City Councilman Ernie Newton said his friendship with Coble dated back 50 years, to their days at Harding High School.

We were blue and gold men, Newton said. We all grew up together, we got involved in politics at the same time. He helped run my campaign for City Council in 1981, and he helped put the strategy together to make me the first Black person to be president of the City Council at age 25.

Away from politics, Newton described Coble as a good-hearted family man.

He was a good friend, a good brother, Newton said. He could be serious when the situation called for it, but we also had a lot of laughs together.

A prominent community figure, Coble was a supporter of Ganims 2015 primary bid that unseated incumbent Democratic Mayor Bill Finch. The following year Ganim rehired Coble, who had been fired by Finch in 2011, to work in the citys public facilities department.

Coble, who had been heading the citys anti-blight operation before his firing, filed a federal discrimination lawsuit, which he dropped in exchange for his rehiring. In the agreement, the city promised that it would never reveal the reason for his termination, but the agreement also mandated that Coble attend an anger management course and agree to a last chance clause that protected the city from legal action should he be fired again.

As part of his new job, Coble oversaw numerous city projects, including the 2017 demolition of the former Braxtons Mens Shop, an East End fixture for nearly 50 years.

Coble would later serve as a volunteer with Ganims minority outreach efforts in Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford during Ganims unsuccessful run for governor in 2018.

More recently Coble made news in September 2021 when he filed a police complaint against his supervisor for allegedly threatening to flatten him over illness-related work accommodations. Coble, who disclosed at that time that he was battling cancer, said he and his supervisor had argued repeatedly over his flexible work schedule as a result of his illness.

The citys labor relations director at the time said he was aware of the situation and vowed to immediately address the issue.

This story includes previous reporting from Michael P. Mayko, Keila Torres Ocasio and Brian Lockhart.
SHOW LOW, Ariz. (AP)  A Utah man and a Tucson girl were killed when a single-engine plane crashed near the airport of the east-central Arizona city of Show Low, a fire official said Thursday.

Deputy Chief Randy Chevalier of the Timber Mesa Fire and Medical District identified those killed Wednesday as pilot David A. Gillette, 40, and passenger Lorelai Johansen, 11.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  Many businesses are scrambling to install gas detectors ahead of Jan. 1, when a state law goes into effect in response to a 2019 propane blast in Farmington.

Detectors must be installed in any room where theres a gas- or propane-fueled appliance for many businesses, hotels, motels, nonprofit organizations, shelters and rental properties. Those that fail to do so face a $5,000 fine.

It will undoubtedly help protect people with any gas leakage in the buildings. But its going to take a while to bring everybody into compliance, said Jason Grant, of the Portland Fire Department, told WGME-TV.

Lawmakers acted after a deadly propane blast in Farmington. The explosion on Sept. 16, 2019, killed a firefighter and injured others.

The gas detectors are different from fire and smoke detectors.

The problem, said Brit Vitalius with the Southern Maine Landlord Association, is that many landlords are just learning of the requirement.

We want our buildings to be safe, Vitalius said. But were not thrilled with the way that this was just passed at the state level with no education, no outreach, nothing else attached to it to make sure that its actually successful.

Local hardware stores say theyre already seeing an increase in purchases.

Were definitely getting a lot more calls and inquiries on it, Tim Currier with Maine Hardware said. People are just still trying to figure out where they need to have them.
Less than 30 percent of nursing home staff in Connecticut had received a COVID-19 booster shot as of mid-December, according to state data, and as the number of COVID cases among both residents and staff continues to grow, some providers are wondering whether a booster mandate is needed.

With the omicron variant expected to become dominant, providers are hoping to avoid another wave of infections among nursing home residents, who have already borne the brunt of previous COVID waves.

In a meeting this week, DPH officials told providers that only about 29 percent of long-term care staff have gotten a booster. The percentage of residents who have had a booster is about 80 percent. That number has increased recently because the state made a concerted effort to hold a clinic at every facility by Dec. 15.

Data released Thursday show just how quickly the number of cases is growing. As of Dec. 21, the state had recorded 136 cases among residents and 242 among staff, compared to just a week earlier, when there were 66 cases among residents and 76 among staff.

On Thursday, the states positivity rate was 9 percent and hospitalizations had increased by 16 to 837. In the previous two weeks, there had been 75 deaths, and 13 of them were long term care residents.

The infections have been on the rise since early November, according to DPH data. Staff cases have quadrupled since the end of November and cases among residents have more than doubled.

Just 120 days ago, the governor mandated vaccines in nursing homes. We went from 70 percent vaccinated to 98 percent in a matter of weeks, Paul Liistro said.

Some employers are mandating booster shots for staff

Liistro is the CEO of Vernon Manor and Manchester Manor and is one of only a handful of providers that has mandated that his employees get booster shots. Liistro said the clock is ticking because many got their initial two doses more than six months ago - meaning the efficacy of the vaccine is waning just as omicron is about to hit.

He (Lamont) needs to mandate vaccines in nursing homes now. One can always do something a day too soon but not a day too late, Liiistro said.

One of the other providers that has mandated vaccine boosters for staff is Masonicare of Wallingford, one of the largest facilities in the state.

In November 2021, I issued a company-wide mandate for the boosters. Im once again thrilled by the response from our employees, who are stepping up to receive the booster that will offer continued protection to both employees and the frail and vulnerable patients in their care, Masonicare CEO Jon-Paul Venoit said Thursday.

The staff there has until the end of January to get the booster shot. About 40 percent have gotten the third shot so far. Masonicare has scheduled at least eight more clinics and two family clinics over the next few weeks.

But Matthew Barrett, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, said his group would not favor a booster mandate and that there hasnt been any indication from the state that one is on the horizon. He added that the 29 percent rate of vaccinated staff is a big concern but that with a more focused effort, those numbers will improve.

We have to be very careful and cautious about a universal mandate, Barrett said. We are in a different place on the staffing issue than we were previously, and its not a better place. The fact is, the staffing situation is considerably worse than where we were during the underlying rollout of the initial vaccine a year ago.

At a press conference earlier this week, when asked about possible mandates for boosters, Lamont stopped short of endorsing the idea but said he was monitoring the spread of omicron closely.

I cant afford to lose any nurses in nursing homes or nurses in hospitals, and if theres a trepidation about getting the third dose, I have to take that into account, Lamont said. If our hospitals are overwhelmed, we may have to take a second look at that.

While the percentage of residents boosted has improved, it is still well below the 90 percent rate achieved when vaccines were first introduced.

Part of the problem is the transitional nature of the nursing home business, where people are coming in for short rehabilitation from different hospitals, most of which are not offering booster shots to patients before they are discharged.

Several providers said there is no policy on whether hospitals should give booster shots to patients before they discharged them. All hospitals are required to make sure that any patient transferring to a nursing home has a negative COVID test within 72 hours of discharge, but there is no requirement to give them booster shots.

We have been told by several hospitals that they dont do booster shots, said David Hunter, CEO of the Mary Wade Home in New Haven.

Hartford HealthCare Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Ajay Kumar said they dont offer booster shots, mostly because of timing.

We dont generally give booster shots in house because they (patients) are still recovering, and theres a complexity around that, Kumar said.

The challenge is that if you give a booster in the hospital, it takes a little bit longer for them to get immunity. So if they go back to a nursing home and then get it, thats a reasonable approach. Theres no downside to that, and nursing homes are doing a good job, as best I know, Kumar added.

Nursing homes say it is not feasible to give each patient that transfers in from a hospital a booster shot right away. Each vial contains six boosters, so most wait until they have enough patients to use almost the entire vial before opening it. During some weeks, that could be a day or two, and at other times, it could be a couple of weeks, depending on admissions.

Vaccine requirements for visitors?Hunter said the other issue that concerns providers is visitation. Right now, most nursing homes take visitors temperature and ask them to wear a mask before admitting them to the building.

We have no control over who is visiting and what their vaccination status is, and thats tough on the staff, Hunter said.

The rules for visitation at long term care facilities are set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, so the state has no say in it.

Barrett said his organization would be in favor of a similar approach that Yale New Haven Hospital has taken - requiring visitors to show proof of vaccination before they can enter the building and visit a patient.

Barrett said no one wants to see visitation cut off completely, like it was at the beginning of the pandemic, but he said some balance may be needed with the omicron variant appearing to spread quickly.

DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said long-term care facilities need to be more vigilant as cases increase.

I think that, again, masking of visitors  being maybe a little bit more vigilant on those types of interventions in a nursing home itself  is something a home can decide and institute for themselves, in terms of where and how that exactly is implemented, Juthani said.

She said officials are sensitive to the isolation that many nursing home residents experience.

Visitation is the one thing that actually can help keep people connected with their families, but that is something that will need to be assessed on a nursing home by nursing home basis, especially if an outbreak occurs, Juthani said. It also depends on what the circumstances are in a given community with a given staff and with a given group of residents might be, and so I think that homes are going to have to be on red alert.
Key

The Ashbrook mining district is in extreme northwestern Box Elder County, 60 mi west of Snowville. The district was initially prospected in the 1860s and 1870s, becoming a significant Ag-Au producer in the 1920s and also had minor production as late as the 1980s. Total district metal production at modern metal prices is estimated at $61 million. The Vipont underground Ag-Au mine is the only important producer.

Geologically, the Ashbrook district is situated in the northern Goose Creek Mountains on the west flank of the Albion-Raft River-Grouse Creek metamorphic core complex. The area has a long and complex geologic history. The strata near the Vipont mine consist of a sequence of Paleozoic orthoquartzites, carbonates, shales, and sandstones. These units were subjected to Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous thrusting, folding, and low-grade metamorphism followed by severe Eocene to Miocene extension and intrusion by Miocene (about 13 Ma) granite and rhyolite porphyry plugs, dikes, and sills. Mineralization is apparently related to these late felsic intrusive bodies (possibly the rhyolite plug at Twin Peaks 2 mi to the south), so the orebodies have not undergone significant deformation (Gloyn and Krahulec, 2006).

Mineralization at the Vipont mine primarily consists of Ag-rich veins, mantos, and stratiform disseminated ores hosted primarily by the Mississippian Vipont (Tripon Pass?) limestone near the base of the Chainman-Diamond Peak Formations in a gently southwest-plunging syncline. The orebodies are formed along favorable northeast-trending crenulations and faults within this syncline. A typical individual high-grade Ag orebody may be 500 ft long, 100 ft wide, and 8 ft thick. Mineralization extends down-plunge for about a half mile and was developed by stopes from numerous underground mine levels (Peterson, 1942).

The Vipont orebodies are northeast-elongate, lensoidal, stratiform zones of void-filling, disseminated, replacement, and veinlet- style sulfide mineralization. The total sulfide content of the ore probably averages less than 10 wt.%. The primary hypogene minerals associated with Vipont ore, in addition to quartz and rhodochrosite, are pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrargyrite, tennantite, pearceite, covellite, and argyrodite. Supergene argentite is the most common ore mineral exploited in the oxidized zone (Peterson, 1942). The Vipont deposit may represent a transitional stage between a polymetallic vein/replacement deposit (USGS Model 22c) and a distal disseminated Ag-Au deposit (USGS Model 19c). In addition to Ag and Au, the Vipont ores are strongly anomalous in As, moderately anomalous in Pb, and weakly anomalous in Zn.

Select Mineral List Type Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

References

Sort by Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A)

Peterson, V. E. (1942). A study of the geology and ore deposits of the Ashbrook silver mining district, Utah. Economic Geology, 37(6), 466-502. Gloyn, R.W., and Krahulec, K., 2006, History, geology, production, and resources of the Vipont mine and Ashbrook mining district, Box Elder County, Utah, in Harty, K.M., and Tabet, D.E., editors, Geology of northwest Utah: Utah Geological Association Publication 34, CD-ROM, 14 p.

External Links

Localities in this Region
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The Padres have signed infielder Domingo Leyba to a minor league contract, according to the transactions tracker at MLB.com. As is the case with other players who have signed minors deals during the lockout, Leyba opened the offseason as a minor league free agent after being outrighted off the Orioles 40-man roster in August.

Leyba, 26, has suited up in a pair of MLB seasons. He broke in with the Diamondbacks in 2019 and appeared in 21 games that year. He missed the abbreviated 2020 campaign on the restricted list but returned with Arizona in 2021. He was designated for assignment in early June and claimed off waivers by the Orioles, but Baltimore waived him themselves and released him not too long after. While he hooked on with the Rangers on a minors pact for the stretch run, Leyba didnt get to the big leagues in Texas.

Between the D-Backs and Os, the switch-hitting Leyba has played in 55 big league games. Over 126 plate appearances, hes managed just a .152/.238/.222 line with one home run. Yet the Dominican Republic native has a far better track record in the minors. Hes a .304/.346/.537 hitter in two Triple-A seasons and owner of a .279/.352/.404 mark across three years at Double-A.

Leyba will presumably get an opportunity in big league Spring Training to compete for a utility role. Hes got minor league experience at both middle infield spots, although hes primarily functioned as a second baseman or third baseman in the big leagues. The Padres already have ample talent around the dirt, with Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar on hand to back up Jake Cronenworth, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Theyve recently subtracted from that group by moving Adam Frazier to Seattle, though, and theres no downside in adding to the organizational depth by bringing Leyba in on a non-roster deal.
Gabriel Amatey Akorley, a pig farmer in the Ada East District, said he lost 119 pigs to the African swine fever, which is spreading very fast and killing most of the animals in the community.

I had 125 pigs, unfortunately, there are only six left. Even with that, two are sick, I just hope they survive, he told the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday.

He said the effect was devastating as all his investment made in the pig farm were gone.

Mr Akorley said most of the workers had been affected and some middlemen were taking advantage of the situation to exploit the pig farmers by buying the animals at a very cheap prices.

The lack of veterinary officers in the district was worrying, he said, and called on the Ada East District Assembly to take steps to solve that problem.

He appealed to the Government to support farmers as they contributed massively to national development.

Mr Prince Bawuah, the Disease Control Officer, Ada East District, said the office was not aware of the outbreak of swine flu in the communities but would immediately move to the farms to investigate.

GNA
The trial of Alhaji Collins Dauda, a former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing who doubles as NDC MP for Asutifi South and four others involved in the $200 million Saglemi Housing Project scandal, has been adjourned to January 26, 2022.

The case was adjourned because the court presided over by Justice Elfreda Dankyi had not been sitting the whole week.

There was a notice posted on the door to the courtroom which read: Criminal Court '2' is not sitting this week. Kindly see the Registrar of the court for an agreed adjourned date. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

The parties in the matter subsequently went to the Registrar of the Criminal Division of the court and agreed on January 26, 2022.

The Attorney General's Department had been ordered by the court at the last sitting to file disclosures as well as witness statements for the trial to pave way for case management conference.

Main Trial

Apart from Alhaji Collins Dauda, Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, a former Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing; Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu, Chief Director at the Ministry for Water Resources, Works and Housing when the Saglemi Housing deal was prepared and signed; businessman Andrew Clocanas, Executive Chairman of Construtora OAS Ghana Limited as well as Nouvi Tetteh Angelo, the Chief Executive Officer and owner of Ridge Management Solutions Ghana Limited are all on trial.

They all pleaded not guilty to 52 counts of causing financial loss to the Republic among others when the case was put before the vacation judge.

52 Counts

All the five personalities, per the charge sheet signed by the Director of State Prosecution Mrs. Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa on behalf of the Attorney General, are facing a total of 52 counts of intentionally misapplying public property contrary to Section 1 (2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140, willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58 and dishonestly causing loss to public property contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Public Protection Act 1977 (SMCD) 140.

Specific Charges

Collins Dauda alone is facing one count of intentionally misapplying public property contrary to Section 1 (2) of the Public Property Protection Act, 1977 (SMCD) 140.

He is also facing 10 counts of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) as well as another three counts of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58.

Collins Dauda and Ziblim Yakubu again are facing another charge of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

More Counts

In the case of Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, he has been charged with two counts of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and another two counts of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58.

Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah has also been charged alongside Ziblim Yakubu with 18 counts of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

Furthermore, Ziblim Yakubu alone has been charged with six counts of willfully causing financial loss to the Republic contrary to Section 179A (3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and three counts of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58.

In the case of Andrew Clocanas, he has been charged with one count of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58 and another count of dishonestly causing loss to public property contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Public Protection Act 1977 (SMCD) 140.

Nouvi Tetteh Angelo has been charged with two counts of issuing false certificate contrary to Sections 1 and 2 of the Government Contracts (Protection) Act, 1979, AFRCD 58 and another two counts of dishonestly causing loss to public property contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Public Protection Act 1977 (SMCD) 140.

Interesting Revelation

The state reportedly pumped about $200 million into the Saglemi Housing Project which the Mills/ Mahama administration initiated, but the housing units were never completed even though the funds had allegedly been exhausted before Mr. Mahama and his NDC were defeated in the 2016 general election and left office in early January 2017.

The initial agreement ratified by Parliament was for the construction of 5,000 housing units, but by the time the project was being executed, only 1,502 housing units had been earmarked for construction without recourse to Parliament.

Interestingly, the contract amount of $200 million was spent when even the 1,502 housing units could not fully be completed.

Only 668 were reportedly done, according to investigations compiled and sent to the Attorney General's Department, and those are not even habitable.

Daily Guide
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin has said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is bound to lose the 2024 general elections should the ruling government go ahead with the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy).

Sharing his thoughts on the controversial levy at an event in Accra on Thursday, the Speaker said there appears to be a missing link between the government and Ghanaians that voted them into power.

He noted that nobody should be surprised if the NPP government is booted out of government in the next election because of the levy.

As you go around trying to convince Ghanaians to vote for you and your party, others with big pockets are facilitating your parties and when you win power, they get the positions, not you. So they dont have that understanding, so there is that missing link.

So they come to impose their ideas on you to rather take party interest first not Ghana first, and we always vote ourselves out of power, which my colleagues in the NPP are doing now. So dont be surprised in the next election, if they dont win. It is very clear that if this e-levy goes through, they have lost the election, Speaker Alban Bagbin shared.

The E-Levy since last month has been topical in the country with government keen on seeing it approved despite the agitations from Ghanaians and the opposition National Democratic Congress Members of Parliament.

This led to fisticuffs in Parliament Monday night between the Minority and Majority MPs during the passage of the e-levy bill under certificate of urgency.

Parliament adjourned sitting to January 18.
Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has taken on the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, over what he calls attempts to throw mud at the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.

According to him, the attempts by the Majority Leader are pathetic and must be condemned by all.

The Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu , has questioned the motives of the Speaker of Parliament in relation to the impasse that has characterized business in parliament during the just-ended budget meeting.

He had suggested the Speaker of Parliament is carrying out plans to stall business of the house due to his insistence on getting the Minister for Finance to allocate 1.72 billion Ghana cedis to Parliament.

Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu also disclosed that the Speaker openly confronted the Minister on November 17, 2021, before the budget reading on the need for such an amount to be allocated.

He thus blamed him for the chaos that characterizes the house anytime he isn't presiding.

The day when this budget came to be presented, we had to be at the Speaker's place for close to an hour. We were not coming out. Why were we not coming out because we had a Speaker who told the Finance Minister that because we had not given Parliament an amount of GHS 1.72 billion that the Speaker had requested the Finance Minister to give to Parliament, he will ensure that the budget will be rejected.

He even said to him that he does not want to remind him of what his own father did to President Hilla Limann. All that is playing out is to satisfy what the Speaker indicated at the very beginning of the presentation of the budget. The people of this country ought to know the mindset of the Speaker with respect to this budget. With all that is playing out.

But the Nonth Tongu lawmaker in a Facebook post on Thursday, December 23, 2021, called out the Majority Leader.

He insisted that the Majority Leader is desperately trying to blackmail the Speaker of Parliament.

Majority Group Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu's desperate efforts to blackmail and throw mud at Speaker Bagbin is most pathetic and must be roundly condemned.

If President Akufo-Addo could increase his allocation to the Office of Government Machinery from GHS2.5billion to GHS3.1billion and at the same time raise his Contingency Vote from GHS186.8million to GHS933million (a staggering 431.5% increase); what is wrong if the head of the legislature demands that the organ he leads be accorded its fair share?

citinewsroom
Benito Owusu-Bio, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources embarked on a fact finding mission on Thursday, December 23, 2021 to the Volta lake to ascertain the verity of a petition submitted to the Ministry by Kete Krachi Timber Recovery about some alleged rosewood discovered beneath the Volta lake.

The Deputy Minister indicated that the petition received from the timber company reveals that in the cause of salvaging tree stamps submerged under the Volta lake, the recovery company has come across rosewood which estimates about 500 cubic meters per week.

Speaking after a fact-finding visit to the place, Mr Owusu- Bio noted that he will submit a report to the Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor on the new development and hold discussions with relevant stakeholders and also, consider the request presented to them.

He added that currently there is a ban on the exportation of rosewoods and government does not intend to lift the ban anytime soon.

He said government will in consultation with the company that nurtured the trees consider a number of possibilities with sale to the National Cathedral being one of them.

Mr Owusu-Bio will not rule out the commercialisation of the woods especially with the company being a private entity but assured Ghanaians that a decision that suits the interest of all parties will be reached.

The ban has been enforced to the letter and we dont see trucks moving from the North to the South. Well look at it and if we have to lift it for a specific amount to be exported then we will look at the circumstances around it.

We never imagined that rosewoods will be discovered here so when we got the petition, we wrote to the Forestry Commission to assess the viability of the claims.

"They are requesting that we grant them permission to export the rosewoods and we are going to consider it. We said that we are going to give the rosewoods we seize to the National Cathedral. They are also in that business as well. We are going to report to our Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor and we will see how we can help them defray the cost of the work they have done here."

Elking Pianim, the CEO of Ketekrachi Timber Recovery explained why they petitioned the Ministry saying we wrote a letter seeking permission to export rosewoods. We need to monetize every tree that we bring. Our salvaging has not affected the environment in anyway. No living tree was felled in the process. That is why we need an exemption.

He added that aside the rosewoods, other wood species discovered under the Volta lake are ebony, ofram and other unidentified woods.

Many of these Mr. Pianim said they transform into charcoal and firewood for sale to the local people and also for export across the world.

 Classfmonline.com
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said: Ive been given a privileged opportunity to bring change, to help the good people of Ghana. I pledge to do nothing but that.

The former Nadowli Kaleo MP is the first Speaker to come from an opposition party in the political history of the Fourth Republic.

Ill not do anything, as a Speaker, to obstruct the business of government, he reiterated at a forum with ex-MPs on Thursday, 23 December 2021, but also warned he will never allow myself to be used as an errand boy of any president.

It wont happen, he noted.

At the same event, Mr Bagbin said the Majority Caucus in parliament cannot blame him for its failure to get the controversial e-levy bill passed.

At a press conference on Thursday, 23 December 2021, Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said not only was the Speakers absence from parliament on Monday night to consider the e-levy bill payback time for the sins of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Attas father, Mr Akwasi Andrews Jones Amoako Atta Ofori Atta, who led parliament, several decades ago, to reject one of the budgets of President Dr Hilla Limann, but also a manifestation of an earlier threat by the former Nadowli Kaleo MP to make sure the 2022 budget was rejected if Mr Ofori-Atta did not allocate two per cent of the countrys revenue to the legislature.

Theres been a stalemate over the budget, particularly concerning the proposed 1.75 per cent e-levy.

It led to a free-for-all brawl on the floor of parliament on Monday as the House voted on the bill.

The Suame MP told journalists later that the Speaker said he didnt want to remind Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of what his [Kens] own father did to President Hilla Limann. That was the Speaker.

So, all that is playing out, is it to satisfy what the Speaker indicated at the very beginning of the presentation of the budget? That; this budget, he will make sure the budget is rejected? Is that the case? he asked.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the people of this country ought to know the mindset of this Speaker with respect to this budget? So, all this playing out, really, and that is why he sits and elects to leave the chamber, to create problems".

The Majority Leader said: I told you that some clergymen, the queen of Christendom in the country, have met me. Im not going to speak for any long time but the people of this country should know what is leading all of us into this crisis.

On the Speakers demand for two per cent of the national revenue for parliament, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said: GHS1.72 billion for what?

He [Bagbin] says that he has information that the total revenue of this country was going to be GHS89 billion and that the finance minister should give him 2 per cent of it and that works to GHS1.72 billion.

If he [Finance Minister] doesnt give parliament GHS1.72 billion, then his budget is going to be thrown out; he [Bagbin] was going to make sure that the budget was rejected.

Is that where we are going as a country? he wondered.

Im hoping that this period that we have  between now and the 18th of January, well be able to get to the bottom of this and rally together as one people in one country with a common destiny and not submit to the whims and caprices of just one individual, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said.

Breaking his silence on the matter, Mr Bagbin told the forum that he cannot be blamed for the failures of the Majority Caucus.

Now, they say I refused to preside and that is why some numbers were not in the house. I am not a Chief Whip of any of the caucuses in the house and I am also not entitled to bring members to the house. That is not my duty.

I am to preside and apply the rules and I have applied them fairly, according to my understanding, through literature and experience and I am not even sure that the members listened to what I read that day about the rules.

classfmonline.com
Information available to this portal indicates that residents of Buokrom Estate B-Line in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region are in pain with sorrow following the burning of 11 year old girl to death by wild inferno on Christmas eve.

Four victims are also battling with for their lives in connection with the fire incident.

They have been rushed to the Trinity Hospital at Tafo Pankrono for immediate medical attention.

The class 6 girl met her untimely death in a fire outbreak that razed down a self-contained house completely early hours of Christmas eve, Friday December 24, 2021, around 2 am.

An eyewitness, Kwabena Poku explained that the fire incident saw at least 9 people stucked inside the house including the deceased, commonly called Nyhira.

Nhyira charred body was found after fire service doused the fire.

DGN online
24.12.2021 LISTEN

The Strategic Thinkers Network (STRANEK) has recommended to the government to consider changing the leaders of the Majority in Parliament.

STRANEK-Africa is of the view that the Majority led Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has failed the government from the election of Speaker Alban Bagbin early in the year to the scuffle on the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy).

STRANEK-AFRICA has observed with keen interest developments in the 8th Parliament since its commencement in January this year and has come to the conclusion that the current leadership of the Majority Group in Parliament lacks tactful leadership skills and influence that is required to build the requisite consensus in leading government business in a hung Parliament.

Even though Parliament successfully approved the presidents appointees, recent developments show that the leadership of the Majority Group has failed woefully in leading government business in the House, a statement issued by STRANEK-Africa on December 24 read in parts.

STRANEK-Africa explains that its call has become necessary because instead of the leadership of the majority adopting a more consultative approach to build consensus to ensure the success of government business, they have resorted to a very confrontational approach thereby generating more controversy incurring the wrath of the minority group.

STRANEK-Africa is therefore calling on the leadership of the Majority to change its approach or be replaced altogether by their political party, the groups statement signed by Executive Director Nii Tettey Tetteh concludes.

Read the full STRANEK-Africa statement below:

For immediate release

24.12.2021

GOVERNMENT MUST CONSIDER CHANGING ITS LEADERSHIP IN PARLIAMENT- STRANEK-AFRICA

STRANEK-AFRICA has observed with keen interest developments in the 8th Parliament since its commencement in January this year and has come to the conclusion that the current leadership of the Majority Group in Parliament lacks tactful leadership skills and influence that is required to build the requisite consensus in leading government business in a hung Parliament.

The Majority Leader and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has failed to demonstrate leadership in the election of Speaker resulting in a situation in which his Partys candidate Prof. Mike Ocquaye lost the elections. After this defeat, he (the Majority leader) made public pronouncements to the effect that Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin had not been elected and that there was a consensus to make him Speaker.

Even though Parliament successfully approved the presidents appointees, recent developments show that the leadership of the Majority Group has failed woefully in leading government business in the House.

One major point of failure relates to the rejection of the 2022 Budget and Economic Policy of Government. First, the leadership of the Majority in Parliament instead of engaging their counterparts at the consultative stages of the budget preparation to build consensus given the current nature of Parliament failed to do so. After the presentation of the budget, the Minority Group indicated clearly its intention to reject the budget subject to certain amendments. These threats were repeated throughout the budget debate.

Unfortunately, the NPP leadership in Parliament failed to take steps to avert the imminent rejection of the budget.

It was only on 26th November, 2021 the date for the budget vote that the Finance Minister decided to prevail upon Parliament to defer the approval or rejection of the budget. The budget was rejected partly because the Majority though has 137 votes in addition to the independent member (a Pro-NPP member) failed once again to mobilize their members for the vote.

Taking cognizance of the fact they would lose the vote, the Majority Caucus elected to stage a walk out on its own governments budget. After this rejection, they shamelessly resorted to disregard the constitution and the standing orders of Parliament to rescind the rejection of the budget.

In the instant case of the proposed E-levy and its bill, there is absolutely no doubt that the introduction of the E-levy or tax has suffered a major push back from Ghanaians. It is therefore strange that government remains intransigent about the E-levy and insists that it must pass. Here again, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu failed to marshal the necessary votes to support the passage of the E-levy bill.

As Ghanaians may be aware, the Minority Members on the Finance Committee voted against the bill at the Committee level and therefore the report supposedly came before the plenary by a majority decision and not by consensus.

It is our observation that the failure on the part of the Majority Leader to lay the report on the bill resulted in the inability of the House to consider it on time hence the departure of the Rt. Hon. Speaker.

STRANEK-Africa is of the view that even though Ghana has a hung Parliament, it is not necessary to have results of disagreements in the house.

It is rather as a result of leadership failure on the part of those responsible for leading government business in the House.

Instead of adopting a more consultative approach to build consensus to ensure the success of government business, they have resorted to a very confrontational approach thereby generating more controversy incurring the wrath of the minority group.

For instance, the Majority Leadership had the opportunity to consult their counterparts on the E-levy from March this year but they failed to do so. It was on the day the budget debate was about to be concluded and a vote to be taken that they held the entire House to ransom by calling for a meeting with the Rt. Hon. Speaker when the House was supposed to be sitting.

Again, the violence and controversies in the House are triggered by the determination of the Majority group to disregard the Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament. The First Deputy Speakers insistence to vote while presiding contrary to the Standing Orders of the House remains a major source of conflict that must be addressed before Parliament reconvenes.

It is a notorious fact that the position of First Deputy Speaker comes with benefits and its conditions. While he enjoys allowances and privileges that come with the position, he is also precluded from voting when presiding. By necessary implication, an occupant of that position cannot pick and choose the content of the package with respect to the position of the First Deputy Speaker.

In effect, if Hon. Joseph Osei-Owusu ( also known as Joe Wise) is not ready to conform to the conditions associated with the position of the First Deputy Speaker, it will be prudent for him to resign to make way for those who are ready to accept the terms and conditions that comes with the position of the First Deputy Speaker in its entirety.

Again, it is clear that the Majority Leader and his Deputy Hon. Afenyo Markin have resorted to attacking the Rt. Hon. Speaker and the Minority Leadership with wild accusations to cover up their failed leadership.

Such attitude may work for a regular Parliament but for such a hung Parliament like this, the irresponsible conduct of the Majority leadership will further deepen the acrimony an mistrust between the Minority and the Majority Groups.

Again, the persecution of members of the Minority in Parliament through invitations of the Police and threats of prosecution will further make matters worse for government.

STRANEK-Africa can predict that if things remain without any interventions, the sharp disagreements and acrimony witnessed in the first session of Parliament will worsen during the second session.

STRANEK-Africa is therefore calling on the leadership of the Majority to change its approach or be replaced altogether by their political party.

The National Peace Council must consider continuous engagement with both sides to ensure that tempers are calmed in the House.

We are all involved in building our motherland, Ghana.

Signed.

Nii Tettey Tetteh

Executive Director

+233 559 042 914

Eyram Norglo

Deputy Director of Research

+233 266 119 773
The National Cathedral, when completed, is also going to be a burial place for all ex-presidents and important personalities when they die, the Founder and General Overseer of Power Chapel Worldwide, Prophet Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also the Secretary to the Board of the National Cathedral, has disclosed.

He explained that the project, which is going to be the biggest Bible Museum in the world, will serve multi-purposes.

It is not just about the cathedral, it is Biblical museum which is going to be the biggest. We are building in terms of space, in terms of contents and in terms of technology.

We are building the biggest Bible museum in the world that is an African Bible Museum because a lot of people don't know that there is a business white man who came to colonize us and there was the religious white man who came to empower us.

They were the ones that came to help us build schools like Prempeh College , Opoku Ware, St Augustine's , Wesley Girls, Holy Child . A lot of people don't know that Africa plays role in the Bible.

We don't know of who the Ethiopian Enoch is and his influence, we don't even know that Africa was the place that saved Jesus from being prematurely killed, he said on the Good Evening Ghana show on Thursday December 23.

He added We are building the state-of-the-art and one of the best museums in the world and the biggest Bible Museum in the world but to be called the African Museum of the Bible. It is going to bring African significance in the Bible.

Five thousand expandable to 20,000, you can open it up . We have a museums down there, where ex-presidents who enter into eternity will be buried, we call it a Museum. What we are doing has never been done anywhere in the world, Rev Kusi Boateng added.

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta had told Parliament that Cathedral would be officially opened on March 6, 2024, upon completion.

He said this while delivering the 2021 mid-year budget review in Parliament on Thursday, July 29, 2021.

Mr. Speaker, work on the National Cathedral is progressing speedily, and following the program of the contractors, and with God helping us, the National Cathedral is expected to be officially commissioned on March 6, 2024. Upon completion, the National Cathedral would provide a sacred space for formal religious activities of State and symbolize the enormous contribution of faith to Nation Building.

The board, which was inaugurated in March 2017, is chaired by a former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, the Most Rev. Samuel Asante Antwi, with the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Coast, the Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle , as Vice-Chairman.

3news.com
After five years' work and at a cost of more than a billion dollars, Senegal's capital city next Monday will finally welcome a new commuter railway line.

Politicians are lining up to extol the benefits of slashing journey times and decongesting Dakar once the gleaming TER regional express trains start to roll.

But thousands of residents claim they have not been properly compensated for homes and businesses that were demolished to make way for the much-trumpeted line.

The TER aims to carry 115,000 people between central Dakar and the city suburbs -- a journey that for many workers is blighted by traffic jams. By SEYLLOU (AFP)

"We plan to block the start of the TER on the day of the inauguration to demand satisfaction for our grievances," said Ibrahima Cisse, who leads a group of some 16,000 people who say they are owed money.

Many are also furious that the rehousing they were promised has not yet been completed.

The government says that almost everyone who is owed compensation has received it, but accepts that some resettlements have not yet happened.

'Record-breaking' works

Travelling at up 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour, the trains will ply the 36-kilometre (22-mile) route between Dakar and the new city of Diamniadio in about 20 minutes.

The TER aims to carry 115,000 people between central Dakar and the city suburbs -- a journey that for many workers is blighted by traffic jams. By Tupac POINTU (AFP)

Supporters of the project say it will carry 115,000 people per day, saving them hours otherwise spent in the capital's monstrous traffic jams.

The time it took to build "may seem long, but we have broken records for the speed of construction, and despite Covid," Stephane Volant of Seter, the railway's operating company, told AFP.

Critics say the true cost of the project is more than a thousand trillion CFA francs ($1.7 billion 1.5 billion euros), compared with its budget of 780 billion francs.

Seter will use 15 four-car dual-mode trains with diesel and electric power, built by Alstom, one of several French companies, including Seter, that have had a leading role in the project.

Tickets for the Dakar-Diamniadio stretch will cost 1,500 CFA francs ($2.5) in second class, and 2,500 francs ($4.3) in first.

The railway line, which is owned by the Senegalese state, is a centre piece of President Macky Sall's plan to overhaul the nation's infrastructure by 2035.

The TER has been dogged by claims of insufficient compensation from thousands of people whose homes or business were expropriated to build the line. By SEYLLOU (AFP)

Improving the situation in Dakar is one of Sall's pet themes.

The city's five million inhabitants make up almost one-third of Senegal's population and account for nearly all of the country's economic activity.

Traffic jams cost the city the equivalent of $172 million per year, according to official figures.

The TER stations will hook up with express buses which will operate on reserved lanes on a toll highway that has been operating for the last decade.

In the project's second phase, the line will be extended another 19 kms to the Blaise Diagne International Airport, which opened in 2017. Travel time to downtown Dakar from the airport would take less than 50 minutes.

'Living dead'

Behind these impressive figures, those battling for compensation say their lives have been wrecked by the train line.

"The TER has impoverished us. It's a project that has created the living dead," said Amina Bayo, a member of Cisse's campaign group, called the Collective of People Affected by the TER.

Some 2,000 individuals and businesses have filed complaints with Apix, the state-owned agency that has overseen the project, claiming 50 billion CFA francs ($86 million/76 million euros).

They say that in many cases, assessors badly under-valued their property.

But Yatma Dieye of Apix told AFP that "98.8 percent of people affected by the project have been compensated."

Workers at the TER control centre in Colobane. The system has undergone weeks of testing ahead of Monday's inauguration. By SEYLLOU (AFP)

"Payments began in February 2017. Everything was transparent and done according to international standards," he said.

But he conceded that the state was "still working" on resettlement, a point that can be seen clearly in one Dakar suburb intended to house the evicted.

Unfinished market stalls with electric wires hanging down to the ground sit in a stretch of weeds near a disused lot close to a motorway.

"The construction site was supposed to be completed in April 2018 for more than 2,000 evicted traders," said one of them, Ngagne Amar.

Many compensation claimants face an uphill battle, especially those lacking documentation.

Dieye said much of the evidence received by Apix "was generally weak."
A former deputy finance minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has accused President Akufo-Addo of seeking to silence him as the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, with a recent charge of causing financial loss of 2.37 million to the state through the procurement of some 200 ambulances.

Dr Ato Forson is facing the court with two others in connection with the transaction that took place between 2014 and 2016.

The other two are Sylvester Anemana, a former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health and Richard Jakpa, a businessman.

The three gentlemen were dragged to the Accra High Court on Thursday, 23 December 2021, by the Attorney General.

They are facing five counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to willfully cause financial loss to the state, contravention of the public procurement act and intentionally misapplying public property.

Addressing the press on Friday, 24 December 2021 on the matter, Dr Ato Forson said: Though I am yet to be formally charged in court, I have seen copies of the charge sheet in the media and wish to say without any fear of contradiction that these charges are nothing but a frivolous and politically motivated attempt by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his hatchet man, the Attorney General, to silence me for performing my duties as the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of the Parliament of Ghana.

But I want to assure the good people of this country, especially my constituents who elected me to represent them in Parliament, that I will not and cannot be silenced by the blatant abuse of prosecutorial powers by the Attorney General, he noted.

Read Dr Ato Forsons full statement below:

PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE HONOURABLE CASSIEL ATO FORSON, RANKING MEMBER ON FINANCE OF THE PARLIAMENT OF GHANA ON THE ABUSE OF PROSECUTORIAL POWERS BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, I have had to call you this morning for the singular purpose of responding to the news doing the rounds on social and mainstream media that certain charges have been preferred against me by the Attorney General of the Republic, the Honourable Godfred Yeboah Dame.

Though I am yet to be formally charged in court, I have seen copies of the charge sheet in the media and wish to say without any fear of contradiction that these charges are nothing but a frivolous and politically motivated attempt by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his hatchet man, the Attorney General, to silence me for performing my duties as the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of the Parliament of Ghana.

But I want to assure the good people of this country, especially my constituents who elected me to represent them in Parliament, that I will not and cannot be silenced by the blatant abuse of prosecutorial powers by the Attorney General. Ladies and Gentlemen: The investigation into the purchase of the ambulances, which is the basis for these frivolous charges, started in somewhere 2017.

In November 2017, a request was made to the then Speaker of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Aaron Mike Ocquaye, for me to assist the Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO) with their investigation into this matter. I provided a statement to the EOCO detailing my honest recollection of the transaction.

Interestingly, nothing was heard of the investigation until November 2021, a period of four years, when I started raising concerns about the 2022 Budget and Economic Policy of the Government.

During this period, the Secretariat of the Rt. Honourable Speaker informed me that the EOCO had requested that I be released to assist with further investigation into the purchase of the ambulances.

I was further informed that the Office of the Attorney General had requested that a charge statement be taken from me in preparation for formal charges to be filed against me.

The coincidence speaks volumes about the motivation for these frivolous and baseless charges. A cursory reading of the frivolous and politically motivated charges shows that my only role in the entire transaction was to have signed a letter on behalf of the Minister of Finance, in my capacity as Deputy Finance Minister, for the establishment of letters of credit by the Bank of Ghana and for payment by the Controller Accountant General of the charges for the letters of credit.

If I may ask, ladies and gentlemen of the press, since when did ministerial instruction for the establishment of letters of credit become a crime in this dear country of ours? It is important to note that, while I am being prosecuted for my role in instructing that letters of credit be established for the purchase of ambulances for use in our health delivery system, the Attorney General does not see it fit to prosecute those who left the ambulances purchased with taxpayer money to rot while pregnant women are being carried on bicycles, aboboyaa, push trucks and okada bikes to hospitals all over the country to deliver the next generation of Ghanaians.

Between the person who requested that letters of credit be established for the purchase of ambulances and the person who took the decision to leave the purchased ambulances to deteriorate, who has caused financial loss to the state? Which of these two has misapplied state property? Ladies and Gentlemen: I must point out that the instructions of the Ministry of Finance for the establishment of letters of credit was preceded by a well written opinion of the Attorney General in an opinion letter dated May 9, 2014 advising the Ministry of Health on this transaction.

It was based upon the advice of the Attorney General that the Legal Division of the Ministry of Finance advised the Minister of Finance, not the deputy minister, to take steps to establish the letters of credit.

At the appropriate time, and in the course of the trial, we will make available the full complement of documentation through the process of discovery.

In the meantime, the question you should be asking the Attorney General and his Director of Public Prosecutions is why they are running away from their own legal opinion? Dont they know that it is highly unethical and unprofessional for a lawyer to issue an opinion on the position of the law on a matter and then turn around to act against her own advice? I dare say that that is professional misconduct.

It should be noted that I did not authorise payment for the said 2,370,000 Euros. My only job in the entire transaction was to request the issuance of LC (Letter of Credit) on the authority of the Minister of Finance.

A letter of credit is letter from a bank guaranteeing that a buyer's payment to a seller will be received on time and for the correct amount. In the event that the buyer is unable to make a payment on the purchase, the bank will be required to cover the full or remaining amount of the purchase.

Ladies and Gentlemen: May I take this opportunity to thank you for coming to this press conference and to once again assure the good people of this country that neither myself as the Ranking Member on Finance nor the NDC Minority Group will relent on our fight to ensure that the feet of this profligate Government is held to the fire.

We will stand firm and protect the people of Ghana from misrule and poor economic policy choices. Not even a million prosecutions will stop us in our quest to ensure accountability and transparency in the management of our public finances.

Thank you and God bless our homeland Ghana.

Classfmonline.com
24.12.2021 LISTEN

Covid-19 mutation variants have rekindled an old debate, into a new one. We always have vaccine doubters that are conscientiously sure that vaccines are worse than the diseases. Yet, empirical evidence has always proved them wrong since the administration of childhood vaccinations. We had people who blamed childhood vaccines for everything but the disease itself. Vaccines have been blamed for autism, infertility, miscarriages and more.

There used to be a time when many children did not survive because of Mumps, Measles, Rubella to Whooping Cough and Hepatitis B. Smallpox and Polio vaccines saved the world from some of the most deadly and debilitating diseases in the face of resistance based on some fundamental rights. Even more disgusting, the far-right Confederation party in Poland used an Auschwitz-style Nazi banner to protest against vaccination mandate.

While the fear of the worst effect of Covid-19 in Africa has not materialized we cannot be complacent. Africans have other problems apart from combating Covid-19. They already have more than enough to deal with. Though local and traditional medicine many Africans rely on, to cure or arrest similar past waves of diseases, have not been credited. Peer reviews are needed for dosage, purity and efficacy. Local herbs and their inhaled steam worked. Nevertheless, they must be separated from placebo or coincidence.

After all, Nigeria's Center for Excellence in Osun State detected the Ebola virus locally before Western experts arrived. The same way South Africa detected Covid-19 Omicron mutation before the rest of the world. Most Africans are calling on leaders to develop local vaccines instead of waiting for cold vaccines (without the capacity to freeze them) in the rural areas or that are too close to expiration dates before delivery. The world wants the rich countries to donate more Covid-19 vaccines to developing countries, especially African countries.

Indeed, the Presidents of South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda and others are asking for waiver of intellectual properties so that these vaccines could be locally produced in Africa. But the pharmaceutical companies that depend on Government funding themselves have resisted any attempt to release their know-how to Africans. The same people that blame China for sharing the Coronavirus genome sequencing too late. They all prefer the dependent mentality of finished products that can make them more money from Africa as usual.

We cannot blame Africans if they want technology transfer or establishment of local supply laboratories for immediate use of vaccines. But we must blame poor decision makers that prefer to pay for ready-made vaccines when it would be cheaper and more efficient to make them at home as India, China and Russia did. If the rich countries refuse, buy their products, break them down, adapt and build to local environmental mutations.

Moreover, some social media spread disinformation that is not easy for the usual health education to combat. It has to be countered forcefully by their counterparts in the public media. Health Education and Information used facts to educate. Disinformation in social media is intentional mischaracterization with attractive tricks to sell and generate the maximum number of traffic for advertisements.

Research scientists are there to find the difference between coincidence and the real cause of diseases. Most of the misinformed skeptics of vaccines cannot tell one from the other. Of course, there were unscrupulous scientists, especially those that exploit the worst part of us to experiment on the poor in disadvantaged communities of Africans, American Indians and Jews in Nazi concentration camps. https://www.ushmm.org/collections/bibliography/medical-experiments

Their cold blooded experiments have cast doubts on the reputation of sincere and dedicated scientists of all colors and countries. Unfortunately, many of the leaders of these skeptics have taken all the shots needed to prevent the worst form of sickness or death. Leaders got the best treatment when infected. The problem here, as always, is that doubters are infectious to others. While they claim it is their life and can allow it to expire, if they so choose.

It is a simple logic that prevention is better than cure. Treatments like monoclonal antibody therapy are very expensive, take time to make and not enough for everyone that needs them because of short supply. The cost of putting on masks inside and in crowded public places is far cheaper than the cost of hospital treatment paid with taxes by all of us. The unvaccinated also overwhelmed the hospital intensive care units, displacing those preparing for elective surgeries and more serious cases that are not as preventable.

But nobody has the right to infect others or their communities, exposing them to life threatening diseases or outright death. American media experts are training media practitioners in African countries on ways to combat disinformation and fake news about Covid-19. There are cultural and political differences that are crucial in fighting those spreading false news in social media.

Many fatal disinformations are spreading throughout the world including the United States.

People are worried about Covid-19 alright but they are also weary about how many vaccines they have to take before they are considered fully vaccinated. It went from one shot, two shots and booster shot. While one country, at least, is administering a 4th dose. The Unvaccinated, will hold onto any or no reason, to avoid taking a single shot based on anecdotal accidents.

Nevertheless, the unvaccinated that are the most vulnerable without a single shot of vaccine, are the loudest against Covid-19 vaccine. Nothing like if you die, you die. We must take care of you and your loved ones. The cost and liabilities of vaccine production cannot be borne by pharmaceutical companies alone. The efforts, knowledge or expertise can be onerous. So the Government has to partner and insure them against legal liabilities. No vaccine is free of risk.

Farouk Martins Aresa @oomoaresa
Dr. Casiel Ato Forson

24.12.2021 LISTEN

Former Deputy Finance Minister, Dr. Casiel Ato Forson says the case filed against him by the state is nothing but a frivolous and politically motivated attempt by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo to silence him.

As reported by Modernghana News on Thursday evening, the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency Member of Parliament has been dragged to court by the Attorney General for causing financial loss to the state through the purchase of ambulances when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in power.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Friday morning, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson told the media the case against him is an abuse of prosecutorial powers by the Attorney General.

He said, Though I am yet to be formally charged in court, I have seen copies of the charge sheet in the media and wish to say without any fear of the contradiction that these charges are nothing but a frivolous and politically motivated attempt by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo and his hatchet man, the Attorney General, to silence me for performing my duties as the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of the Parliament of Ghana.

In a message to his constituents and Ghanaians in general, the MP stressed that he will not and cannot be silenced by the blatant abuse of prosecutorial powers by the Attorney General.

Read the full statement read by Dr. Ato Forson at his press conference today below:

PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE HONOURABLE CASSIEL ATO FORSON, RANKING MEMBER ON FINANCE OF THE PARLIAMENT OF GHANA ON THE ABUSE OF PROSECUTORIAL POWERS BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, I have had to call you this morning for the singular purpose of responding to the news doing the rounds on social and mainstream media that certain charges have been preferred against me by the Attorney General of the Republic, the Honourable Godfred Yeboah Dame. Though I am yet to be formally charged in court, I have seen copies of the charge sheet in the media and wish to say without any fear of the contradiction that these charges are nothing but a frivolous and politically motivated attempt by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo and his hatchet man, the Attorney General, to silence me for performing my duties as the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of the Parliament of Ghana.

But I want to assure the good people of this country, especially my constituents who elected me to represent them in Parliament, that I will not and cannot be silenced by the blatant abuse of prosecutorial powers by the Attorney General.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The investigation into the purchase of the ambulances, which is the basis for these frivolous charges, started in somewhere 2017. In November 2017, a request was made to the then Speaker of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Aaron Mike Ocquaye, for me to assist the Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO) with their investigation into this matter.

I provided a statement to the EOCO detailing my honest recollection of the transaction.

Interestingly, nothing was heard of the investigation until November 2021, a period of four years, when I started raising concerns about the 2022 Budget and Economic Policy of the Government. During this period, the Secretariat of the Rt. Honourable Speaker informed me that the EOCO had requested that I be released to assist with further investigation into the purchase of the ambulances. I was further informed that the Office of the Attorney General had requested that a charge statement be taken from me in preparation for formal charges to be filed against me.

The coincidence speaks volumes about the motivation for these frivolous and baseless charges. A cursory reading of the frivolous and politically motivated charges shows that my only role in the entire transaction was to have signed a letter on behalf of the Minister of Finance, in my capacity as Deputy Finance Minister, for the establishment of letters of credit by the Bank of Ghana and for payment by the Controller Accountant General of the charges for the letters of credit.

If I may ask, ladies and gentlemen of the press, since when did ministerial instruction for the establishment of letters of credit become a crime in this dear country of ours? It is important to note that, whilst I am being prosecuted for my role in instructing that letters of credit be established for the purchase of ambulances for use in our health delivery system, the Attorney General does not see it fit to prosecute those who left the ambulances purchased with taxpayer money to rot while pregnant women are being carried on bicycles, aboboyaa, push trucks and okada bikes to hospitals all over the country to deliver the next generation of Ghanaians.

Between the person who requested that letters of credit be established for the purchase ofambulances and the person who took the decision to leave the purchased ambulances to deteriorate, who has caused financial loss to the state? Which of these two has misapplied state property?

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I must point out that the instructions of the Ministry of Finance for the establishment of letters of credit was preceded by a well-written opinion of the Attorney General in an opinion letter dated May 9, 2014 advising the Ministry of Health on this transaction.

It was based upon the advice of the Attorney General that the Legal Division of the Ministry of Finance advised the Minister of Finance, not the Deputy Minister, to take steps to establish the letters of credit. At the appropriate time, and in the course of the trial, we will make available the full complement of documentation through the process of discovery.

In the meantime, the question you should be asking the Attorney General and his

Director of Public Prosecutions is why they are running away from their own legal opinion? Dont they know that it is highly unethical and unprofessional for a lawyer to issue an opinion on the position of the law on a matter and then turn around to act against her own advice? I dare say that that is professional misconduct.

It should be noted that, I did not authorise payment for the said 2,370,000 Euros, My only job in the entire transaction was to request the issuance of LC (Letter of Credit) on the authority of the Minister of Finance, A letter of credit is letter from a bank guaranteeing that a buyers payment to a seller will be received on time and for the correct amount. In the event that the buyer is unable to make a payment on the purchase, the bank will be required to cover the full or remaining amount of the purchase.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

May I take this opportunity to thank you for coming to this press conference and to once again assure the good people of this country that neither myself as the Ranking Member on Finance nor the NDC Minority Group will relent on our fight to ensure that the feet of this profligate Government is held to the fire.

We will stand firm and protect the people of Ghana from misrule and poor economic policy choices. Not even a million prosecutions will stop us in our quest to ensure accountability and transparency in the management of our public finances.

Thank you and God bless our homeland Ghana
The Central Regional Police Command has pledged to work assiduously to battle the 13 most rampant crimes on the rise in the Region.

These are murder, robbery, defilement, rape, kidnapping, illegal mining, human trafficking, assault, lawlessness, Chieftaincy disputes, stealing, road accidents, and petty theft.

It said for effective policing, the Command had divided its territories into seven main divisions to help flash out the most prevalent crimes.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kwadwo Antwi Tabi, the Regional Police Commander, reassured the people that the Ghana Police Service would not relent on its mandate to prevent crimes, enforce law and order and protect lives and property.

He said this at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) meeting to discuss successes chalked, shortfalls and what could be done to raise standards for the Region in 2022.

In Cape Coast and its environs, DCOP Antwi Tabi said stealing, kidnapping, assault, and chieftaincy disputes were most predominant in the area while road accidents, stealing, robbery and lawlessness were general crimes recorded in almost every corner of the Region.

Murder, human trafficking, rape and defilement were seasonal crimes, which were also on the rise at the Gomoa, Agona, Ekumfi, Assin and Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denkyira districts.

On illegal mining, he said land owners willingly released their lands for returns and that the Command was putting effective operational strategic plans in place to combat the act.

He urged drivers to be cautious to prevent road accidents to be able to realise a crime-free region.

The Command would also intensify public education and sensitisation through the media to reach or engage the society on the need to help combat crime.

We will also not hesitate to arrest, detain and prosecute perpetrators of crimes for the public good.

The police would also engage in rigorous swoops and motor bike patrols at very odd hours to bring criminals to book.

DCOP Antwi Tabi urged the public to prioritise their safety and parents should monitor their children to prevent them from becoming victims of crime during the Yelutide.

He urged all to put their ears on the ground and pay rapt attention to details and inform the police when necessary to nip crime in the bud.

Help us protect your interests, we cherish our informants and we are ready to protect you, your lives matter to the Police. Crime must never win the Regional Commander said.

GNA
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has reiterated his position not to do anything to obstruct government business and will also not allow himself to be used as errand boy of the Executive.

He said he had been given a privileged opportunity to bring a change to better the lives of Ghanaians and would do just that.

Speaker Bagbin said this in Accra at a forum for Ex-Members of Parliament on the theme: Ghana's Hung Parliament: Challenges, Opportunities and the National Goals.

Former Members of Parliament (MPs) who had been part of Ghana's democratic process since the beginning of the Fourth Republican Dispensation attended.

Speaker Bagbin also bemoaned the idea of certain individuals trying to manipulate everybody, including the media, to do their bidding.

He said societies all over the world were developed by people with the right ideas, out of which had emerged quality human resources required to make progress.

It is not politicians who develop the society but the people, he said, and that politicians led the way to take the view of the society on board.

Speaker Bagbin also questioned the motives of people who had sought to blame him for being the cause of Parliament's inability to take a decision on the E-levy.

I'm said not to be a Member of Parliament and cannot take decisions for MPs, however I'm being blamed today for being the cause of Parliament's inability to take a decision on the E-levy, he said.

The Speaker also debunked claims making rounds in certain quarters that he had been diagnosed with cancer adding: As I stand here I do not have cancer but rather an ulcer, which developed at the time that I was the Minority Leader.

He indicated that even though he was looking fresh and healthy upon his return from the medical review in Dubai, he was aging and could not behave like before.

As I stand you can see me looking fresh and healthy.but does that necessarily mean I am like before? Even my age alone would not allow me to behave like before, he said.

So I can start sitting from morning but after 1800 or 1900 hours I would need a rest; that is why I have deputies to assist me.

GNA
The United States will next week lift the travel ban imposed on several southern African nations when the Omicron variant of Covid was first detected, officials said Friday.

Countries around the world restricted travel from southern Africa after the variant was detected in South Africa, which reported Omicron to the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24.

WHO and the United Nations spoke out against the travel bans and officials in South Africa said they were being punished for identifying the strain and being transparent.

White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz defended the ban on Twitter, saying, "The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, (especially) boosted."

He said the travel ban would be lifted on December 31.

A senior White House official added that with Omicron present across the United States and globally, international travelers from the eight affected countries would not have a significant impact on US cases.

"During the travel pause President Biden reduced the time for pre-departure testing to one day opposed to three days," the official said. "Travelers from these eight countries will be subject to these same strict protocols."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later Friday spoke with South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor over the announcement.

"The Secretary again thanked South Africa's scientists and government for their transparency and expertise," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

Omicron across US

The ban applied to South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

Holiday festivities are expected to further drive up Covid cases in the United States where the heavily mutated Omicron variant is pushing some stretched hospitals -- and exhausted health workers -- to the brink.

Omicron now accounts for more than 90 percent of all cases in some regions of the country.

The seven-day average of new daily cases is about to pass the Delta peak seen in September, according to non-profit website Covid Act Now.

Intensive care units are running at near capacity in some states.

US health authorities are banking on vaccinations to lower the number of severe cases, and inoculation numbers have been strong all week.

President Joe Biden this week also announced the purchase of 500 million rapid Covid tests by the federal government. However, the additional tests are not expected to be available until January.

Infection rates are soaring across South Africa as a result of the Omicron variant, but fewer people have died or required hospital treatment compared to previous waves of Covid, local health officials say.

Omicron is known to be far more contagious than previous variants of Covid-19 but appears to cause a less severe illness than its predecessors.
France on Friday joined forces with 14 European nations as well as Canada to condemn the deployment in Mali of an estimated 1,000 operatives from the Russian-based Wagner Group.

The units were drafted in during the autumn after French president Emmanuel Macron announced the end of the decade-long Operation Barkhane and the phased withdrawal of 5,000 French troops.

The counter-terrorist operation was launched in 2013 in northern Mali and fanned out across the country into Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

Geopolitical analysts as well as a raft of politicians in Africa queried the strategic sense of Macron's decision.

Anticipating a security vacuum after the French departure, Colonel Assimi Goita's administration turned to Wagner as a replacement.

Crimes

But units of the group  which has links to the security services of the Russian Federation  have been accused of a series of crimes.

This deployment can only further deteriorate the security situation in west Africa, lead to an aggravation of the human rights situation in Mali, threaten the agreement for peace and reconciliation in Mali resulting from the Algiers process, said the joint statement of the 16 countries.

The bloc also fears the Wagner Group's presence could hamper the efforts to provide support to the Malian armed forces.

The pressure has been mounting on the Wagner Group and its backers in the upper echelons of Russian politics.

On 13 December, the European Union sanctioned Wagner and 11 of its associates for its activities in Ukraine, Libya, Central African Republic and Syria.

Two days later the US state department urged Malian authorities not to use their operatives.

Countries that experience Wagner Group deployments within their borders soon find themselves poorer, weaker, and less secure, said the US state department.

Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, has said private military contractors have the right to work and pursue their interests anywhere in the world as long as they do not break Russian law.

Putin has said the Wagner Group neither represented the Russian state nor was paid by it.

The 16-nation bloc, however, said it rejected denials of any links between the state and the group.

"We are aware of the involvement of the Russian Federation government in providing material support to the deployment of the Wagner Group in Mali and call on Russia to revert to a responsible and constructive behaviour in the region," it added.
Morocco has extended a ban on international passenger flights until the end of January to fight the spread of the Omicron variant. The closure deals a severe blow to its vital tourism economy, with those working in the sector warning Morocco is going bankrupt.

The National Office of Airports (ONDA) announced on Friday that all passenger flights to and from Morocco would be suspended until 31 January 2021.

Royal Air Maroc  the local airline  said that its scheduled exceptional flights between 24 December and 31 December 2021 would still operate.

The government imposed the measure to run initially from late November until 31 December, although a mechanism had been in place for Moroccan citizens stranded abroad to come home.

Now the only passenger movements allowed are one-off repatriation flights for foreign citizens in the kingdom, authorised on a case-by-case basis by Rabat.

The government has also banned all New Year's Eve celebrations and reimposed a night time curfew

Festivals and cultural gatherings have been banned since the beginning of December.

A bankrupt tourism sector

The restrictions have dealt a severe blow to Morocco's economy, which relies heavily on tourism. This sector is already on its knees after two lost seasons because of the pandemic.

One industry official quoted by the Medias24 news website said the industry faced losses of at least 88 million euros between Christmas and the New Year.

The country welcomed some two million tourists over summer 2021, compared to just 165,000 the previous summer, according to the economy ministry.

But those hopes were dashed by another spike in cases in Europe, followed by news of a new Omicron variant the WHO believes could be more transmissible and resistant to vaccines.

And as their country joins other states around the world fighting yet another wave of infections, Moroccan hoteliers have lost the little hope they had.

"We were very optimistic with the arrival of the New Year, but these decisions took us by surprise," said Khalid Moubarak, secretary general of the National Federation of Travel Agencies of Morocco.

"We were on the edge of bankruptcy.
With almost 20 months of Covid travel restrictions in place in Thailand, several different species of sea turtles have returned to nesting around Phuket, an ultra-popular beach destination before the pandemic.

After laying eggs on a deserted Thai beach, a green sea turtle dives back into the turquoise-coloured waters of the Andaman Sea - a welcome sight for biologists who say the absence of tourists spurred the marine animal's return.

The turtle's nesting was spotted in November by scientists. In about two months, the 100 eggs will hatch and babies will slide towards the sea, guided by the moonlight.

Pre-pandemic, millions of tourists thronged to the white sand beaches of southern Thailand, ferried to the islands by tour boats which dissuaded the skittish creatures from venturing ashore.

But between October 2020 and February 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, several different species of sea turtles have returned to nesting around Phuket. Eighteen nests of leatherback turtles - which can grow to as heavy as 400 kilograms as an adult have been found there.

"Their nesting has improved in the last two years thanks to the absence of tourists, noise and light pollution," Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center, told French news agency AFP.

"We had never seen such a number in 20 years."

Although chances of survival are low - about one egg hatched out of 1,000 will reach adulthood - Kongkiat said the increase in nesting is a positive sign for efforts to preserve endangered species.

A nest of the olive ridley sea turtle was also spotted for the first time in two decades.

Other species that live in the warm waters around Thailand include hawksbill, green and loggerhead turtles.

No long-term reprieve

But as Thailand tentatively begins to reopen its doors to fully vaccinated international tourists, scientists have tempered their optimism.

"The pandemic may offer sea turtles a welcome break," Thon Thamrongnawasawat from Kasetsart University in Bangkok said.

"But they live long and are a highly migratory species. Without effective policies to protect them, we can't expect many long-term benefits to population recovery."

In Thailand - as in many other countries - the reptile's future is threatened by global warming, which harms coral reefs and increases temperatures of waters.

The hotter conditions could in turn disrupt turtle species' populations. Studies have shown that warmer sands where they nest lead to more female hatchlings relative to males. Pollution is also a problem.

At the moment, plastic as well as discarded fishing lines and nets remain the primary cause of disease and death.

"In 56 percent of the cases, the turtles that are brought to us have ingested marine waste or become trapped in it," said Dr Patcharaporn Kaewong from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre where 58 turtles are being treated.

Some need operations, amputation or prosthetics before they are released back into the wild.

Tracking the turtles

At the moment, scientists and local authorities are on high alert during the nesting season, which runs until February.

After a female turtle lays a nest, the authorities will act quickly - either moving them to a safe place if they are too close to the water or surrounding it with bamboo fences and security cameras.

"After hatching, we take care of the weak turtles until they are strong enough to go to the sea," Patcharaporn said.

She added that educating the public about conservation was also important.

Up until a few decades ago, eating turtle eggs was a common custom in Thailand, but gathering them was banned by the Thai government in 1982.

Illegally possessing or selling leatherback turtle eggs is now punishable by three to 15 years in prison, and carries fines of up to 44,000 euros.

Some marine protection NGOs are also financially rewarding locals who report a nest, while technology - like microchipping a turtle - also plays a part in long-term monitoring.

"Thanks to satellite tracking, we have observed that they can migrate much further than we thought," Kongkiat said, adding that some have gone as far as Australia.

(with AFP)
When I was filing the 2019 annual returns for The Special Mothers Project in the early parts of 2020, I was almost certain that I was done with the project.

I had been frustrated in the year 2020 even though the project wasnt totally idle in the year 2020. We had stopped any physical meetings with the parents and moved all our activities online.

The Projects whatsapp platform was however very vibrant and we were adding new members almost every week.

The calls for support from the parents was also increasing, it was a big dilemma for me. To go on with the project or not to

The Special Mothers Project does mainly advocacy.

In addition to our media and social media advocacy programmes which aims at contributing positively to policy formulation around children with cerebral palsy and other special needs we move to support parents and families nurturing children with disabilities in any way that we can.

Therefore, a call from the Executive Secretary of the National Council on Persons with Disability, inviting the Special Mothers Project to a meeting in the early parts of 2021 came as a pleasant surprise.

The Council had selected some NGOs to provide them with technical support, and the Special Mothers Project was one of those.

Even though the Special Mothers Project could not get the needed support due to some technical reasons, the call awakened the senses of the Executive Director that it was not over.

In the year 2021, The Special Mothers Project supported many parents of children with various disabilities in a variety of ways.

Madam Yawa Ankrah _ - Madam Yawa is one of the very notable special needs moms we gave support to in 2021, Madam Yawa is mother to an adolescent with Down syndrome, Madam Yawa got sick with diabetes which left her bedridden and her daughters life to chance.

The Special Mother Project highlighted the issue of Madam Yawa, which caught the attention of other media colleagues. Joy News Beryl Richter took the issue up and the issue finally got the attention of Ghanas First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo.

Madam Yawa was given hospital care, her home renovated and her daughter admitted to the Dzorwulu Special School.

Madam Yawa said her life today is a living testimony.

The Special Mothers Project also supported many parents of children with disabilities, raising funds on social media to set some up in small enterprises, we paid for the two years rent advance of one woman who was being abused by her husband because of her child with special needs.

We supported some parents with the payment of hospital bills, the support to the parents were countless and we cannot list them all.

The Special Mothers Project also raised funds to renovate the Special Unit of the Madina Demonstration basic school, separate funds were raised to buy furniture and educational materials.

The Project donated items to the Accra Psychiatric Special School on behalf of Special Mom Eunice Enam Gakogo during her birthday

The project also provided counselling support on a daily basis to many special needs parents who reached out through social media.

Special Mothers Project on Amplified

The Special Mothers Project was also featured on the Ministry of Informations flagship programme on social media Amplified.

The Amplified programme provided the project with the opportunity to be known by many and helped increased our social media following.

Contribution to Policy

One of the major aims of the Special Mothers Project is to contribute meaningfully to policy formulation around children with cerebral palsy and other special needs in Ghana.

The Special Mothers Project as part of the Amplified programmes presented some policy suggestion to the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.

The Project also engaged in some critical policy discussions including the Ghana Early Childhood Care and Development Policy, The Inclusive Education Policy, and other policies bothering on children.

The Special Mothers Project is also part of the Civil Society Platform for Social Protection. A group that came together to push for a social protection law in Ghana

The Special Mothers Project outlined policy suggestions have also been presented to individual Members of Parliament and other high-profile members of society.

The Special Mothers Project also shared some experiences when Ghana hosted the first ever training programme for Rehabilitation professionals across five African countries with the support of Cerebral Palsy Africa

The Special Mothers Project was also awarded by the Patience Awards International for the work they are involved in

Media

The Media in Ghana and beyond has been of tremendous support to the Special Mothers Project since its inception. I risk leaving some of the media houses out if I attempt to mention but all the same, let me mention The Ghana News Agency, Finder Newspaper, ModernGhana.com, HBTV, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Nana Yaa Konadu of Despite Media and Talklife and a host of media personnel and organizations that hosted the Special Mothers Project their on platforms to articulate our concerns as well as educate the public about children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities

The Special Mothers Project crowned the year with an end of year get together where some items were donated to the mothers who attended.

Way Forward

The Special Mothers Project intends to continue the advocacy path for the long haul. Our advocacy will include making meaningful contributions to policy formulation that centres around children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

The project where necessary will raise funding to support a cause that is in line with our advocacy objectives and where necessary continue to support selected parents with skills and small enterprises that will enable them earn an income by themselves

The project will focus on a care-giving advocacy drive to get more people especially the youth interested in taking up care-giving as a viable career option. This programme will help us solve a bit of our unemployment challenges as a country.

The Special Mothers Project intends to with the necessary funding host a once-a-year respite programme to serve as a networking event for families raising children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities and also help in supporting the mental wellbeing of especially special needs mothers

Appreciation

Words are not enough to express our gratitude for the overwhelming support we have enjoyed over the years as the Special Mothers Project.

Special mention to Mrs Eunice Enam Gakogo, Mr Kwadwo Boateng Ntim, Special Moms Ellen Berko Akoto, Lydia Afia Owusuaa Ntaah, Patience Puplampu, Salome Okoh, My Childs wellbeing Project, Ms Gloria Amo Aidoo, Members of the Special Mothers project Whatsapp and Telegram platform and all our followers on social media, the list is endless and I risk offending some should I go on t list all the people that has supported the project this year 2021
The Akatsi police have arrested a 19-year-old senior high school student for robbing an 'Okada' rider of his Haojue motorbike at Dzrakate near Akatsi in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region.

Superintendent Isaah Baah, the Akatsi South Municipal Police Commander, told the Ghana News Agency that Godsway Sedofia, the suspect, with three others, now at large, robbed the victim.

He said, on Wednesday, December 22, at about 1200 hours, Sedofia hired the services of the Okada rider, Prosper Ahianor, at the Akatsi Market to send him to Atidzive.

He said on reaching a section of the road at Dzrakate, the suspect ordered Prosper Ahianor to stop.

"Three young men who had laid ambush in a nearby bush, with one wielding a shotgun, attacked and robbed the victim by taking his Haojue motorbike and its crush helmet," Supt. Baah said.

Preliminary investigations led the police to suspect's house at Glikpome, a community within Akatsi South, he said.

"Upon arrest and search, the crash helmet and broken mirrors of the said motorbike were retrieved from the suspect's room," he said.

During investigations he admitted to have conspired with three other accomplices to rob the victim.

Supt. Baah said his men were pursuing the three other accomplices, namely; Robert Sedofia, elder brother of Godsway Sedofia, who was said to be keeping the motorbike, Seraphim Torgbo, and one Junior.

Meanwhile Mr Baah said the suspect would be arraigned before court on Friday, December 24.

He appealed to the public to assist the police with information that would lead to the arrest of the remaining suspects.

GNA
The Conference of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has expressed displeasure at the delays in releasing ration to students as part of the implementation of the Free Senior High Secondary School (Free SHS) policy.

CHASS expressed this displeasure in a communique after a conference held in Kumasi, on December 23, 2021, on the implementation of the Free SHS.

The group has resolved that if by the 31st December 2021, the government and for that matter, the Ghana Education Service does not release the full complement of the outstanding monies and food supplies to schools which include:

A. First Semester forms one and two recurrent (balance) for 2021.

B. The whole of the Second Semester is recurrent for forms one, two, and three.

C. Form one perishables for Second Semester.

D. fifty percent of form 3 perishables.

E. Teachers Intervention Money.

F. Staff Motivation.

G. Development Levy.

H. Fifty percent examination levy

They will advise parents not to send their wards to schools on the reporting date of January 5, 2022.

Below is the communique

RESOLUTION FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CONFERENCE (NEC) OF HEADS OF ASSISTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS (CHASS)

The National Executive Council of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (Chass), met in Kumasi on the 23rd December 2021 and discussed the challenges they face at their Schools in the implementation of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) Government Policy, especially challenges of erratic supply of food to schools and financial constraints; delays in the release of monies to schools and also the releases that are generally done in bits, affecting the smooth running of the schools.

CHASS resolved that if by the 31st December 2021, Government and for that matter the GES does not release the full complement of the outstanding monies and food supplies to schools which include:

A. First Semester forms one and two recurrent (balance) for 2021.

B. The whole of Second Semester recurrent for forms one, two and three.

C. Form one perishables for Second Semester.

D. fifty percent of form 3 perishables.

E. Teachers Intervention Money.

F. Staff Motivation.

G. Development Levy.

H. Fifty percent examination levy

Also National Food and Buffer Stock (NABCO) should make available all outstanding food supplies to schools,

Chass will officially inform the GES Management on the 4th January 2022 and advise parents not to send their wards to schools on the reporting date of January 5, 2022, as Heads will not be able to administer the running of the schools amidst these challenges.

We pray and hope that the issues enumerated above would be addressed by the end of this year, to avert any unfortunate happenings.

Signed:

Secretary and President

CHASS.

---Classfmonline.com
Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has been dragged to court for causing financial loss to the State in the purchase of ambulances.

The former Deputy Minister of Finance during the erstwhile John Dramani Mahama administration will stand trial next year alongside two others.

During the period he served, Mr. Ato Forson is said to have executed a contract by the Government of Ghana to purchase some 200 ambulances for the National Ambulance Service.

Although a medium-term loan facility of 15.8 million was granted for the 200 ambulances, only 10 were shipped to Ghana in 2014.

Read full details below:

THE REPUBLIC

VRS

CASSIEL ATO BAAH FORSON SYLVESTER ANEMANA RICHARD JAKPA

Facts of Case

The 1 st accused person, Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, was the Deputy Minister for Finance from 2013 to 6th January 2017. The 2nd accused person, Sylvester Anemana, was at all material times the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health. The 3rd accused person, Richard Jakpa, was at all material times the local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, a company based in Dubai.

In the year 2009, the President of the Republic of Ghana indicated in his message on the state of the nation delivered to Parliament that new ambulances would be procured to expand the existing fleet to enable many districts to be covered by the National Ambulance Service. Following this address, the Ministry of Health (MOH) initiated action to acquire more ambulances. The 3rd accused person, using his company Jakpa at Business, presented a proposal and term loan to MOH which he claimed to have arranged from Stanbic Bank to finance the supply of 200 ambulances to the Government.

On 22nd December, 2011, Cabinet endorsed an Executive Approval that had been granted for a joint memorandum submitted by the Minister for Health and the Deputy Minister for Finance and Economic Planning for the purchase of two hundred (200) ambulances for the National Ambulance Service (NAS), out of a medium term loan facility of fifteen million, eight hundred thousand Euros (15,800,000.00) to be paid out of a credit arrangement between Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited and Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance.

By a joint memorandum dated 30th April 2012, the Minister for Finance, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, and the Minister for Health, Alban S. K. Bagbin, applied for parliamentary approval for the supply of 200 ambulances at a price of 15,800,000.00 to be paid out of a credit arrangement between Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited and Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance. This memorandum to Parliament did not make reference to any role to be played by either Big Sea General Trading Limited (Big Sea), Dubai, UAE or the agents for Big Sea, Jakpa at Business Limited in the transaction. It also did not refer to the terms under which the ambulances would be procured or the terms under which the two companies would be involved in the transaction.

On 1 st November 2012, Parliament granted approval for the financing agreement between Government of Ghana and Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited for the procurement of the 200 ambulances.

By a letter dated 19 th November 2012, the 2 nd accused person, who was then the Chief Director at the Ministry of Health, requested approval from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) to engage Big Sea through a process of single-sourcing for the supply of 200 ambulances. The letter falsely indicated that the reason for the single-sourcing was because Big Sea had arranged for funding for the project.

By an agreement dated 19th December 2()12, the Government of Ghana, represented by the Ministry of Health, formally contracted with Big Sea General Trading LLC, based in Dubai, for the supply of 200 Mercedes Benz ambulances. The contract sum was fifteen million, eight hundred thousand Euros (15,800,000.00) at a unit price of seventy-nine thousand Euros (79,000).

According to the terms of the contract, the contract was to become effective upon the signature of both parties of the contract and when all governmental and other approvals had been obtained by both parties.

The terms of delivery, as per the Agreement, were that the first consignment of twenty-five (25) vehicles should be delivered within 120 days of execution of the agreement. The outstanding one hundred and seventy-five (175) vehicles were to be delivered in batches of 25 every thirty (30) days thereafter.

By the terms of the agreement, advance payment was prohibited. Also, payment for the purchase price of 15,800,000.00 was to be by "raising an irrevocable and transferable Letter of Credit' from Government of Ghana's bankers for the benefit of the Supplier. Upon delivery of every 50 ambulances, 25% of the purchase price was to be paid through confirmed letters of credit (LC) on sight of goods opened in favour of the supplier, upon submission of a number of documents specified in the agreement.

On 7 th August 2014, the 1 st accused person, Cassiel A. Forson wrote to the Bank of Ghana "urgently requesting ... to establish the Letters of Credit for the supply of 50 ambulances amounting to EUR3, 950, 000 representing 25 percent of the contract sum, while arrangements are being made to perfect and sign the loan Agreement. .... in favour of Big Sea".

On 12th August 2014, the 1 st accused person wrote to the Controller and Accountant-General authorising the release of the sum of GHC806,688.75 (Eight Hundred and Six Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty-Eight Ghana Cedis, Seventy-Five Ghana Pesewas) to the Minister for Health to enable him pay the bank charges covering the establishment of Letters of Credit (LCS) for the supply of 5() Mercedes Benz Ambulances and Related Services. He further directed that the LCS should be charged to the budget of the Ministry of Health contrary to the Parliamentary approval on the funding for the supply of the ambulances.

The Controller and Accountant-General, on the authority of the letters dated 7 th and 12th August 2()14 written by the 1st accused person, wrote to the Bank of Ghana on 14th August 2014, authorising it to establish an irrevocable transferable Letters of Credit in the sum of 3,950,000 in favour of Big Sea.

A consignment of 10 ambulances which was shipped from Dubai on 22 nd October 2014 arrived on 16th December 2014. A post-delivery inspection of the first batch of 10 ambulances revealed that same were without any medical equipment in them. Other fundamental defects included defects on the body of the vehicles and the patient compartment of the ambulances. Same were brought to the attention of Big Sea in a letter dated 1 I th February 2015 written by the 2 nd accused, Sylvester Anemana.

By a reply dated 19th February 2015, Big Sea acknowledged the defects with the vehicles but indicated that they proceeded to ship the vehicles when they received the LCS on 18th August 2014. The company also stated that the second consignment of 10 vehicles with the same defects had been shipped 51 days before the date of the letter from the ministry. The company promised to send their technicians to fix all issues relating to the defects and train Ghanaian staff before handing over the ambulances.

The third batch of 10 vehicles were shipped on 12 th February 2015. By this time, the second batch had already arrived at the Tema Port. All the 30 ambulances had the same fundamental defects stated above. A further inspection by Silver Star Auto Limited at the request of the Ministry of Health disclosed that the vehicles were not originally built as ambulances and were therefore not fit to be converted for that purpose. A total amount of 2,370,000 was paid for the 30 vehicles.

The 3rd accused person as the local representative of Big Sea, knowing that Big Sea had not shipped ambulances, still arranged with his principal to supply the purported ambulances and contracted with Big Sea to charge a commission of 28.5% on the proceeds of the supply of these vehicles purported to be ambulances to the Government of Ghana.

By a letter dated January 20, 2016, the then Minister for Health, Mr. Alex Segbefia, informed Big Sea that the vehicles did not meet ambulance specifications and were not fit for purpose. The Minister requested for an inspection of a well-equipped ambulance vehicle that meets specification by 20th February 2016.

Following this, a team led by the CEO of the National Ambulance Service proceeded to Dubai and held an inspection on 11 th February 2016. After the visit to Dubai, Big Sea undertook to send a technical team to Ghana to rectify the defects. This has not been done.
Youths in Ghana have been admonished to be careful about their actions during the Christmas festivity and use the moment as a sober reflection to strategize their ambitions.

Mrs. Comfort Dzacka, President of the New Covenant Assemblies of God Womens Ministry appealed to desperate youth to always aspire to greatness.

According to her, consistent hard work and trusting in God is the ultimate key to crossover every difficult situation in ones life.

The Advisor highlighted that some youth of the present generation, are necessitating cultural nuisances in the society as a result of cultural infiltration.

Mrs. Dzacka called on the need for government institutions and faith-based organisations to strengthen systems that would help curb this cankerworm that undermines the peace of the nation.

She admonished the youth to take precautions in all their approaches and ensure that they avoid all forms of deviances in society.

Instead of teaming up and causing mayhem in town, reflect on the goodness of God in your lives even the wave of coronavirus and situations you survived throughout the year, she recommended.

She also urged women to create an enabling atmosphere for their families during this festive season.

She admonished women to be supportive to their families and render the needed sustenance required of them at home.

This, she underscored, would spice up the family and create a happy home.

Women must be circumspect with their relations at home and should not give up on any circumstance that antagonizes them but rather remain still and surrender all their burdens to God, she explained.

The President of the Ministry said there was renewal of hope in God at all times, since God is the only answer for a turnaround in an individuals life.

She noted that the theme for next year 2022 is Revive thy work.

Advising women to be still, she encouraged the weary, hopeless and those in opened-sole desperations to ponder how God beautifully changed Sarahs story in the Holy Book of Genesis 21 versus one to six.

She emphasised the need for building a culture of integrity to enable the youth appreciate the essence of living an honest life and also pass on the baton to generations to come.

According to her, integrity is a societal concern that cannot be overemphasised because it was an important tool for growth and development.

She wished all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.
The Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu in the Northern Region, A. B. A Fuseini has denied granting an interview to the media on the fisticuffs that occurred in Parliament.

There was a brawl in Ghanas parliament on Monday, December 20, 2021, over the First Deputy Speakers decision to vote cast his vote on the controversial e-levy.

Shortly after the incident, there has been a purported interview laced with proverbs granted by the Sagnarigu legislator to an unknown journalist trending on social media.

The said interview said to suggest that Mr Fuseini distanced himself from the chaos that erupted in parliament on Monday.

But in a post on his Facebook wall, Mr Fuseini described the said interview as a fertile imagination of someone who wants to mimmick my use of proverbs, to perhaps create some humour but ended up lacing it with falsehood slant and political mischief.

He insists that he never granted such an interview and that anyone who has closely followed the exploits of the NDC group in Parliament will arrive at the unmistakable conclusion that I have been at the centre, if not among the top of our MPs carrying out this patriotic national duty to redeem our nation from the stranglehold of this abysmally incompetent and hopelessly uninspiring Nana Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.

The Proverbs Man as some call him has therefore cautioned his detractors and the mischief-makers to Let it be known that you dont frighten a chief warrior with a moustache. And a man in tattered clothing needs no second invitation for a tango.

See the full statement below;

PRESS RELEASE BY HON ALHAJI A.B.A FUSEINI ON A FABRICATED PURPORTED INTERVIEW

My attention has been drawn to a publication on opera news on the recent events in parliament purporting to emanate from me.

In a purported interaction with the media, I am reported as using proverbs to dissociate myself from the events on the floor of parliament and by extension, to subtly condemn the heroic deeds of the gallant NDC group in Parliament led by our dynamic Leader, Hon Haruna Iddrisu.

I never granted such an interview in the course of which I uttered those words. It is the fertile imagination of someone who wants to mimmick my use of proverbs, to perhaps create some humour but ended up lacing it with falsehood slant and political mischief.

Anyone who has closely followed the exploits of the NDC group in Parliament will arrive at the unmistakable conclusion that I have been at the centre, if not among the top of our MPs carrying out this patriotic national duty to redeem our nation from the stranglehold of this abysmally incompetent and hopelessly uninspiring Nana Akuffo Addo/Bawumia government.

There is therefore no way I could have granted an interview to the media who cover our activities daily and know the frontline role I play and seek to deny same. Indeed in the last incident in the chamber that prevented Hon Joe Osei Owusu, then presiding as Speaker from illegally and capriciously trying to exercise his non-existent right to vote on the floor, I was very much in the thick of affairs.

Let it be known that you dont frighten a chief warrior with a moustache.

A man in tattered clothing needs no second invitation for a tango.

I take this opportunity to salute all the 137 NDC MPs, our visionary and dedicated leaders and the good but oppressed and disadvantaged Ghanaians on the enviable victory chalked by NDC MPs.

We stay together!

We work for our people! ALLAH Almighty shall grant us victory.
As part of measures to control the spread of the Omicron variant, the Greater Accra regional Minister Henry Quartey has ordered the closure of all beaches in the Greater Accra region during the Christmas and New Year festivities.

The decision was taken at a meeting held on Friday December 24 by the Greater Accra Regional Security Council (REGESC) on how to control the spread of the virus during the festivities.

A statement issued by the Regional Minister after the meeting said With immediate effect, all beaches in the Greater Accra region should be closed before and during the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Effective Saturday December 25 2021, all passengers without facemasks must not be allowed to board any means of public transport.

All persons moving in public places must ensure that they wear face masks and observe all covid-19 protocols.

---3news.com
The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has admonished drivers to be extra careful during the Christmas period to avoid accidents.

In an address to the nation on Friday, December 24, 2021, the President hopes to see no life lost through accident.

It is my further hope that this Christmas will be celebrated without any road accidents. Drivers must minimise their speed, take due precaution for other road users, drive without the influence of alcohol, and wear their seatbelts, President Akufo-Addo advised.

The President in delivering his season greetings called on all Ghanaians blessed with plenty to extend a helping hand to the poor in society to also have a feel of Christmas celebration.

According to him, this is the Christian thing to do especially in this season.

Please, in the name of Christian charity remember to help those who are less fortunate in this festive season. May God bless us all and make our homeland great and strong. Merry Christmas and a happy new year, President Akufo-Addo said.

Meanwhile, the general public is urged to adhere strictly to all the Covdi-19 protocols during the Christmas period in order not to escalate the covid-19 cases in the country.
The Builsa North Municipal Assembly in the Upper East Region has handed over two police posts to the Police Command to ensure effective policing.

The police posts were constructed by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust at the Chuchuliga and Wiaga communities in the Municipality.

Madam Vida Akatagriwen Anaab, the Builsa North Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), who handed over the facilities, said security was critical to protecting lives and property.

She said police presence in the two communities would reduce crime, especially on market days, and enable the people to go about their activities without fear.

With police visibility at these areas, it will reduce crime incidences, especially day light armed robberies in the communities and the Municipality as a whole, she said.

Security is an important aspect of nation building, and the Government, led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has paid critical attention to it, and continued to equip the Ghana Police Service to deliver on its mandate, she said.

Madam Anaab, also the Chairperson of the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC), said the police posts were for immediate operations as the yuletide was characterised by lots of travels within and outside the communities.

ASP Francis Awasi Amankwah, the Police Commander in Charge of Builsa North, after receiving the keys to the two facilities, commended the MCE for the initiative to enhance police operations and protect lives and property.

This will ensure that policing is brought to the doorsteps of residents.

He said the Police Post at Wiaga would serve commuters along the Wiaga-Fumbisi road, while the one at Chuchuliga would serve those on the Chuchuliga-Sandema stretch.

ASP Amankwa said motorbikes would be assigned to the posts for patrols to curtail crime, especially on the Wiaga-Fumbisi stretch, where armed robbery was rampant on market days.

GNA
24.12.2021 LISTEN

A Civil Society Organization calling itself Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM GH) has petitioned the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces President Akufo-Addo over what it described as irregular appointments in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).

In a petition signed by the General Secretary, Azubila Emmanuel Abdul-Salam drew the attention of the President over alleged unlawful appointments in the Ghana Armed Forces which according to him undermines due process with regards to seniority and who qualifies to be the Commanding Officer and Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment in Burma Camp.

He noted that the current Acting Commanding Officer, Lt Col Theophilus Oswald Afotey Laryea (GH/3117), has been acting as such since June 2019 when the then substantive Commanding Officer left office.

Azubila Emmanuel Abdul-Salam added that when the List of Postings, Promotions and Appointments was published by the Military Secretary on 18th June 2020, Lt Col T.O Laryeas acting role was formalised and the status quo has remained so to date.

He calls on the President to intervene and put things in order, in his capacity as the President and Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and to calm tempers within the Ghana Armed Forces before things get out of hand.

ADAM GH in the petition stated that it is obvious that, the appointment of the Commanding Officer and Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment is unambiguously stated in the Command and Staff Instructions and Procedures, Volume 6, Section 4.12(c) on page 9 provides as follows; 4.12(c) Acting Appointments of An officer who is not fully qualified to fill a higher appointment in a substantive capacity may be appointed to fill an appointment temporarily in an acting capacity.

According to him, the post of Commanding Officer of the Forces Pay Regiment is by the Armed Forces rules and regulations reserved for senior officers of the rank of full Colonel and above, not persons of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

This he said is specifically provided for in the organizational structure of the new Forces Pay Regiment created by the Ministry of Defense Instructions (MDI) No. 4 of September 2014 (Promulgations Instructions for the Re-Designation of the Forces Pay Office as Forces Pay Regiment).

"From the above, it is clear that Acting Appointments are supposed to be temporal and should not take the full duration as a qualified officer appointed into the position".

Below is the full petition:

COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE GHANA ARMED FORCES AND PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA, HIS EXCELLENCY NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO.

CC:

MINISTER OF DEFENSE

GHANA ACCRA. HON. DOMINIC NITIWUL

CHIEF OF DEFENSE STAFF GHANA ARMED FORCES BURMA CAMP ACCRA.

24TH DECEMBER 2021.

PETITION AGAINST IRREGULAR APPOINTMENTS IN THE GHANA ARMED FORCES

Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM GH) is a Civil Society Organization that anchors proper democratic principles, protects Ghanas democracy and the rule of law, fights corruption, ensures peace and security of our country, promotes the welfare of society and advocates for proper fundamental human rights.

ADAM-GH with the greatest of respect to your high office will like to draw your attention to a serious unlawful appointment in the Ghana Armed Forces that undermines due process with regards to seniority and who qualifies to be the Commanding Officer and Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment, in Burma Camp.

Your Excellency, we wish to bring to your attention these on-going irregularities in the Ghana Armed Forces and to humbly call on you to intervene and put things in order, in your capacity as the President and Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and to calm tempers before things further get out of hand. The post of Commanding Officer of the Forces Pay Regiment is by the Armed Forces rules and regulations reserved for senior officers of the rank of full Colonel and above, not persons of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This is specifically provided for in the Organizational Structure of the new Forces Pay Regiment created by the Ministry of Defense Instructions (MDI) No. 4 of September 2014 (Promulgations Instructions for the Re-Designation of the Forces Pay Office as Forces Pay Regiment). It is obvious that, the appointment of the Commanding Officer and Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment is unambiguously stated in the Command and Staff Instructions and Procedures, Volume 6, Section 4.12(c) on page 9 provides as follows; 4.12(c) Acting Appointments of An officer who is not fully qualified to fill a higher appointment in a substantive capacity may be appointed to fill an appointment temporarily in an acting capacity. Such appointment shall not qualify him for Pay of Higher Rank. From the above, it is clear that Acting Appointments are supposed to be temporal and should not take the full duration as a qualified officer appointed into the position. Unfortunately, the current Acting Commanding Officer, Lt Col Theophilus Oswald Afotey Laryea (GH/3117), has been acting as such since June 2019 when the then substantive Commanding Officer left office. And when the List of Postings, Promotions and Appointments was published by the Military Secretary on 18th June 2020, Lt Col T.O Laryeas acting role was formalized and the status quo has remained so to date. What is even more baffling about this irregularities is that, the regular tenure for substantive Commanding Officers of the Regiment is usually three (3) years. However, the current COs supposed temporal tenure has covered almost the entire three years already, being two and half years in December 2021. Worst still, there are clearly more qualified and more experienced senior officers in the Pay Corps who could easily fill the post of Commanding Officer of the Pay Regiment. Yet all of them have been surprisingly ignored in preference for the current Commanding officer who is not yet qualified to take up the post. Mr. President In fact ADAM GH checks and investigations revealed that there are at least five (5) fully qualified Colonels in the Pay Corps including:

1. GH/2433 Col CB Oddoye

2. GH/2440 Col SS Kumi

3. GH/2827 Col K Yankson

4. GH/2808 Col S Osumanu

5. GH/2979 Capt (GN) DY Akotey

Take note sir, the Capt rank in the Navy is equivalent of the Colonel rank in the Army. Your Excellency, in fact, even aside all the full Colonels listed above, when it comes to the Lt Cols level, Lt Col Laryea is not the senior-most. Thus, in the absence of all the full Colonels mentioned above in the Pay Corps, Lt Col Laryea could not have been the senior-most to be considered if, out of the blue, the list of Lt Cols were to be considered. Indeed some of his seniors on the Lt Col role in the Pay Corps include: GH/2892 Lt Col M Tettey-Matey and GH/3070 Lt Col DY Deegbe

It therefore remains a mystery to Ghanaians and a lot of officers in the Ghana Armed Forces in general and the Pay Corps in particular, as to why all the fully qualified senior officers should be bypassed and Lt Col Laryea should be picked over and above his superiors.

1. Why should Lt. Col. Laryea be retained in an acting capacity for almost three years?

2.What is the duration for even a qualified Col. Appointed to serve as pay Corps?

3.What at all is the interest of Ghana Armed Forces to use unqualified officer to undermine his superiors and the GAF procedures?

4.How healthy is this with regards to due process in the Army?

5.Is Lt. Col. Laryea paid as Pay Corps Higher Rank officer or an acting Lt. Col?

Indeed, with hindsight, it is clear that his appointment in an acting capacity was not genuine but designed to give him the full substantive post for the regular three-year tenure regardless of the fact that he was not qualified for it neither, was he the most experienced when compared to his seniors or peers. Additionally, in line with well established conventions in the Ghana Armed Forces, the Defense Financial Comptroller (DFC) is the one who nominates the Cashier of the Forces Pay Regiment for Appointment. Yet, this time around, the DFCs nomination for the post of Cashier (GH/3360 Maj Okyere-Duah) was cancelled and a new one (GH/3403 Cdr D.O Bempong) was appointed by the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) purportedly by a mere telephone call. Thus in both instances, the right procedures for appointment were not followed. These anomalies have led to a situation where the morale of senior officers in the Pay Corps has negatively been affected with a number of them harboring grudges but unable to openly and freely complain for fear of victimization. We suspected that, the situation further compounded with a suspicion of political interference by frequent visits, sometimes with some of them in motorcades, to the Acting Commanding Officers office at the Forces Pay Regiment, Burma Camp, by former military officers some of whom are now political appointees, including retired Col Damoah (now Commissioner, CEPS) and Lt Col Ababio Serebour (now Chief Director, Ministry of National Security); in the full glare of soldiers, and for reasons best known to themselves. It is also interesting to note that the said Lt Col Laryea issues began under the former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen OB Akwa, and the current Chief of Army Staff, Maj Gen Oppong Pepprah, is one of the service commanders still directly superintending over the issue, as these matters directly fall under his watch.

Your Excellency, this unlawful practice in the Army seem to be coming a norm which is likely to generate a very worrying situation if you did not intervene immediately.

This is because, the Second-in-Command (2IC) of the Forces Pay Regiment (FPR), GH/3334 Lt Col Agyenim-Boateng was also appointed as the 2IC of the FPR while he was still a Major, contrary to the laid down regulations in the Ministry of Defence Instructions (MDIs) that set up the Forces Pay Regiment.

It was just five (5) months ago that he was promoted from Major to Lt Col in the MS Publication dated 9th July 2021, Ref No. GHQ/18023/MS, Serial No. 51 page A-4.

He also jumped over his senior officers in the same way his boss did when there were eight other senior officers who were senior to him. Yet he was picked from the bottom and this is also sowing seeds of discord among the senior officers in the Pay Corps.

These seniors are:

GH/2494 Cdr ABS Lawani

GH/3057 Lt Col MA Nkrumah

GH/3175 Lt Col E Osei-Gyebi

GH/3189 Lt Col BM Blay

GH/3200 Lt Col DA Azadda

GH/3257 Lt Col MN Nankpan

GH/3295 Lt Col S Attu-Buameh

GH/3333 Lt Col FM Brown

Your Excellency, it is our fervent hope that you will intervene to ensure that the right things are done, in order to ensure that proper discipline is maintained in the Ghana Armed Forces, including the appointment of senior officers to the higher echelons of the Pay Corps.

We Respectfully submit and with hope that this Petition shall receive your quick intervention.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

........................

AZUBILA EMMANUEL ABDUL-SALAM

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, ANCHORING DEMOCRACY ADVOCACY MOVEMENT GHANA (ADAM-GH).

CONTACT:. 0544418072, 0507629533, 0545270290.

JOHN KWAME ADU JACK

DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND MEDIA RELATIONS, ADAM-GH.

CONTACT: 0208307003

IBRAHIM A.MUMUNI,

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, ADAM-GH

CONTACT: 024348 6397
Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has threatened to embark on strike if the government does not take steps to address challenges confronting the Free Senior High School.

In a statement issued by the National Executive Council of the group, it explains that the challenges they face at their Schools in the implementation of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) Government Policy.

NEC noted challenges of erratic supply of food to schools and financial constraints; delays in the release of monies to schools and also the releases that are generally done in bits, are affecting the smooth running of the schools.

As a result, the National Executive Council of CHASS said it will ask students to stay at home when schools resume next month.

The decision was taken after a meeting in Kumasi on Thursday, December 23, 2021.

CHASS is demanding the release of the full complement of the outstanding monies and food supplies to schools which include the first Semester forms one and two recurrent (balance) for 2021, the whole of Second Semester recurrent for forms one, two, and three, as well as Teachers Intervention Money.

We pray and hope that the issues enumerated above would be addressed by the end of this year, to avert any unfortunate happenings, the CHASS statement concludes.

Read more from the statement below:

RESOLUTION FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CONFERENCE (NEC) OF HEADS OF ASSISTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS (CHASS)

The National Executive Council of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (Chass), met in Kumasi on the 23rd December 2021 and discussed the challenges they face at their Schools in the implementation of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) Government Policy, especially challenges of erratic supply of food to schools and financial constraints; delays in the release of monies to schools and also the releases that are generally done in bits, affecting the smooth running of the schools.

CHASS resolved that if by the 31st December 2021, Government and for that matter the GES does not release the full complement of the outstanding monies and food supplies to schools which include:

A. First Semester forms one and two recurrent (balance) for 2021.

B. The whole of Second Semester recurrent for forms one, two and three.

C. Form one perishables for Second Semester.

D. fifty percent of form 3 perishables.

E. Teachers Intervention Money.

F. Staff Motivation.

G. Development Levy.

H. Fifty percent examination levy

Also National Food and Buffer Stock (NABCO) should make available all outstanding food supplies to schools,

Chass will officially inform the GES Management on the 4th January 2022 and advise parents not to send their wards to schools on the reporting date of January 5, 2022, as Heads will not be able to administer the running of the schools amidst these challenges.

We pray and hope that the issues enumerated above would be addressed by the end of this year, to avert any unfortunate happenings.

Signed:

Secretary and President

CHASS.
Commemorative head of an Oba, Benin, Nigeria, now in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA.

24.12.2021 LISTEN

Truth must be repeated constantly because error is being repeatedly preached round about all the time, and not just by a few, but by the masses. In the periodicals and encyclopaedias, in schools and universities, everywhere error prevails, being confident and comfortable in the feeling that it has the majority on its side. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. (1)

Nine years ago, we congratulated the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for changing its untenable arguments about restitution of looted African arts and returning artefacts to Nigeria:

Have the museum officials who a few months ago seemed to be convinced of their right to hold other peoples cultural artefacts experienced a conversion? Whatever may be the cause of the change of position and attitude regarding restitution of looted cultural artefacts, the Museum of Fine Arts must be congratulated for this change of policy or practice which seems to be on the right path. Gone from the museums policy then are lengthy legal process and interminable arguments and counterarguments between the museum and artefact owners. (2)

However, we read recently to our great astonishment, in the Boston Globe that the museum which still holds twenty-nine looted Benin bronzes, now does not know to whom it could return Benin artefacts. A director of the museum has been reported as follows: it remains unclear who has proper standing to make a restitution claim: Is it the oba? Edo State? Or is it Nigerias National Commission for Museums and Monuments? (3)

We read further in the Boston Globe: But what is a straightforward duty for other institutions is a more complicated one for the MFA.

For starters, most of the objects are not the MFAs to return. Banking scion and collector Robert Owen Lehman pledged the 32 Bronzes to the museum nine years ago. But at present, the MFA owns only five of them outright.

The museum could move to ship the two plaques, two commemorative heads, and the pendant to Nigeria on its own. But that sort of unilateral decision could invite an ugly public rupture with Lehman  throwing the fate of the other 27 Bronzes into question. (4)

Is the Boston Museum that had in the past returned looted Benin artefacts to Nigeria now telling us it does not know any more to whom those treasures could be returned? Why does the museum not return it the same way it did in the past? Why does the museum not ask a well-known Nigerian artist like Peju Layiwola, professor of Art History, University of Lagos? To read now, after the University of Aberdeen, Jesus College, Cambridge, and other institutions have restituted artefacts to Nigeria and several States are preparing to do so, that the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, does not know where to send those treasures appears as farce. Why does the American museum not follow the path the Germans have taken, by handing over the objects to the Nigerian Federal Government, represented by the National Commission on Museums and Monuments, led by Prof. Abba Isa Tijani who in turn will hand them over to the Oba of Benin, the owner of the Benin artefacts?

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, advances a very unconvincing argument. When Robert Owen Lehman made nine years ago a donation to the museum, we assumed that the museum would own the thirty-two objects. We now learn that the museum only owns five of those objects; the museum could return those five objects to Nigeria, but the Boston institution asserts that this sort of unilateral decision could invite an ugly public rupture with Lehman  throwing the fate of the other 27 Bronzes into question. In other words, the museum is afraid of a public difference with Robert Lehman, its benefactor. The museum appears in favour of risking the ire of the two hundred million Nigerians who have been deprived of their treasures for 132 years. The director of the National Commission on Museums and Monuments asked for the return of these looted articles already in 2012. (5)

But how did the museum acquire those five artefacts? Was this through purchase even though the museum was abundantly aware that the Lehman objects were all stolen from the notorious 1897 invasion and looting of Benin City? What was then the nature of the Lehman donation in 2012, a mere ploy to enhance the purchase value of the looted artefacts by placing them in a prestigious museum? Or was the gift only a device for tax purposes only?

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is willing to go against the clear direction of the history of restitution of looted African artefacts by ignoring the following:

- The famous Ouagadougou Declaration of French President Emmanuel Macron on 28 November 2017.

- Sarr and Savoy report, The Restitution of Looted African Artefacts: Towards a New Relational Ethics, November 20018.

- Black Lives Matter demonstrations .

-Decolonize the museum .

- Removal of slavery, colonialist, and imperialist statues .

-The French have restituted twenty-six treasures to the Republic of Benin,10 November 2021.

-The Belgians have promised to return looted artefacts to the Democratic Republic of Congo .

-The Dutch are changing their laws to enable restitution of looted colonial artefacts.

- The Germans are returning next year 1131 artefacts to Nigeria.

-Jesus College, Cambridge, has returned a Benin artefact to Nigeria.

- The University of Aberdeen has returned a Benin bronze to Nigeria.

The University of Aberdeen has returned a Benin bronze to Nigeria. - The Metropolitan Museum of Fine Arts has returned three artefacts to Nigeria.

- The Smithsonian National Museum of African art is preparing to return its Benin bronzes to Nigeria.

The Smithsonian National Museum of African art is preparing to return its Benin bronzes to Nigeria. - Fowler Museum at UCLA is considering the reparation and restitution of looted artefacts to Nigeria.

Fowler Museum at UCLA is considering the reparation and restitution of looted artefacts to Nigeria. - The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, is preparing to return a Benin cockerel in its possession to Nigeria.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has had enough time since the Nigerian letter of 2012 to make up its mind about restitution. So, if it starts now to create doubts about the restitution process, we must conclude it is avoiding its legal and moral duty to restitute looted Africa artefacts. The famous museum thus joins the racist and reactionary institutions that persist in holding onto old colonialist and racist ideas about Africans.

The museum also violates the United Nations/UNESCO resolutions on the return of cultural property to their countries of origin. Since 1972, the organizations have urged holders of looted colonial artefacts to return them to their owners.

The General Assembly once again unanimously adopted on 6 December 2021 a resolution on Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin, (6). During the discussion of the resolution, the representative of the United States said trafficking in cultural property denies populations, especially indigenous peoples, objects that form a central part of their heritage.

The withholding of looted artefacts of African peoples violates their rights to independent cultural development as provided by the General Assembly Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples New York, 14 December 1960. The rights granted by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are hardly respected by delaying tactics.

The rich museums of the West do a disservice to the cause of justice and restitution by advancing untenable arguments for their illegitimate retention of looted African artefacts. They thereby encourage those who believe that 130 years of illegal detention are enough and that they should collect the artefacts from the museums and bring them back home to Africa.

The struggle to recover our looted artefacts may be for some Westerners mere academic and intellectual exercises. For many Africans, the quest to regain our treasures is a spiritual and cultural duty to rediscover and regain essential components of what constitutes our cultural identity and what distinguishes our societies.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has the choice of doing what most people and institutions now accept as the right thing to do by returning looted artefacts or join those who still harbour imperialist illusions of grandeur, unrepentant about colonialist crimes of violent robbery, and who continue to hold onto looted African artefacts. Every second the museum holds onto looted African artefacts; it violates the human rights of the rightful African owners.

Kwame Opoku.

NOTES.

1. "Und denn, man mu das Wahre immer wiederholen, weil auch der Irrtum um uns her immer wieder gepredigt wird, und zwar nicht von der Masse. In Zeitungen und Enzyklopadien, auf Schulen und Universitaten, uberall ist der Irrtum oben auf, und es ist ihm wohl und behag Majoritat, die auf seiner Seite ist." Goethe am 16. Dezember 1828 Johann Peter Eckermann, Gesprache mit Goethe in den letzten Jahren seines Lebens, Seite 311, Reclams Universal Bibliothek, Nr.2002, Stuttgart, 2006.

2. https://www.modernghana.com/news/553765/a-season-of-miracles-boston-museum-returns-looted-nigeri.html

3. https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2014/06/26/museum-fine-arts-returns-artifacts-nigeria/z2RenPtuhh9qyPoSi05fRO/story.html

4. https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2014/06/26/museum-fine-arts-returns-artifacts-nigeria/z2RenPtuhh9qyPoSi05fRO/story.html

5. See the annex below for a letter dated 2012 to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts from Nigeria.

6. UN General Assembly Resolution 61/295(13 September 2007) UN DOC A/RES/61/295 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

ANNEX

LETTER OF NATIONAL COMMISSION ON MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS TO MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON,2012.

Portuguese soldier, Benin, Nigeria, now in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States of America.

Horseman, Benin kingdom, Nigeria, now in Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, States of America.

Relief plaque showing a dignitary with a drum and two attendants striking gong Benin kingdom, Nigeria, now in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States of America.

Pendant showing an Oba and two dignitaries, Benin, Nigeria, now in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States of America.

Relief plaque depicting a battle scene, Benin, Nigeria, now in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States of America.

Pendant with a queen-mother playing a gong, Benin, Nigeria, now in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States of America.

Staff showing a bird of prophecy, Benin, Nigeria, now in Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States of America
"As Christ our Saviour was given to us as a gift from the Almighty God," former President John Dramani Mahama says "so must we endeavour to give that which is greater than ourselves to others.

In his 2021 Christmas message to Ghanaians, the former President is asking Ghanaians to also let go off all bitterness and chart a new path.

"Like the birth of Christ signaling a new beginning, an awakening and a fresh start," Mr Mahama noted that "Christmas is a period for forgiveness. We must let go of the anger and the pain in our hearts."

According to Mr Mahama, Christians must extend a hand to their fellow in this period of celebration.

"Christmas is a time when we go beyond the limits of our religious denominations, ethnicity, and our political affiliations  demonstrating that we are one people. It is a time for all families and people of all walks of life to get together," he stated.

He urges Ghanaians to continue to adhere to covid-19 safety protocols as the Omicron variant strikes.

"In this holiday season, as we traverse the country, with some travelling beyond the borders of Ghana, let us all endeavour to observe the Covid-19 protocols of social distancing, wearing of masks and sanitizing our hands regularly, especially after every public surface we may touch," he emphasised.

Read full statement below:
On my first visit to the Calcutta main branch, after taking up my new posting, I was surprised to find great stacks of large cartons lying on the verandah just outside the main door. I was told that they contained the computers, printers, and terminals that had been sent ahead of the impending computerisation of the branches in Calcutta.

But computerisation was not happening.

The union had protested vehemently against computers, branded as the devil incarnate designed to take away jobs from the poor working masses. The union was affiliated to the Communist Party (Marxist), which had run the state government for the past 18 years (and would, for the next 17, too).

The computers would never enter the bank, the union had declared with the full backing of the government and, hence, all that equipment had been lying on the verandah for the past 19 months.

In this atmosphere, the Bank bowled a googly  it brought in personal computers (PCs).

They were given to selected branch managers. Since they were not installed within the Bank to do actual banking work, thereby replacing any clerks, the union looked at them with great suspicion but could not do anything about them.

It had to content itself with declaring that the PC was a mini-devileach PC could replace four people.

I was one of the lucky managers on whom a PC was bestowed. The specifications of this magic box will appear to be laughable to you today, but at the time it was truly state-of-the-art:

No hard disktwo 6-inch floppy drives, one for the program that was to be run, and the other for recording whatever was being done on the PC.

No mouse, only function keys on the QWERTY keyboard (the only bit on the device that has not changed much in these 40 years).

20 MB (yes, megabytes, not GBs or TBs) innards.

256 KB (yes, kilo bytes) RAM.

12 inch cathode tube, mono-colour screen.

Laughing, huh? Let me remind you that the Apollo mission had reached the moon with much less hardware than this.

Not so long-ago, Bill Gates had remarked that he could not imagine why anybody would ever need a PC with a memory bigger than 80MB.

Yet, this apparently puny toy could do some things. It ran WordPerfect (WP), an early form of todays Word, and Lotus-123, the precursor of Excel.

It also ran Digger, to the great joy of a few lucky people and the envy of many others.

Digger was an elementary computer game in which a little creature ran around in a two-dimensional field embedded with gems and stone bags. You controlled the creature with the four up-down-side keys (no mouse, remember?). Digger was an elementary computer game in which a little creature ran around in a two-dimensional field embedded with gems and stone bags. You controlled the creature with the four up-down-side keys (no mouse, remember?).

As it moved at your command it would eat up the field, clearing space as it went along. If it reached a gem it would gobble it up and you scored points, but if it had cleared out the space just below a stone bag, the bag would fall and the creature would be crushedgame over.

There was a time limit within which you had to make the creature eat up all the gems without being crushed by a bag. If you succeeded, you moved to the next round where you needed to be a little bit faster, and more skilled, to survive and complete the round in time.

Several officers, me included, got addicted to Digger. There was a daily battle at 5pm to grab the PC and play Digger. Some clerks, especially the younger ones, used to hang around, mystified by the excitement surrounding the little PC, which one officer operated and several others watched while making excited comments.

After a while everyone got bored with Digger and the PC lay largely unused after work, though during the day, I would use it to do various programs on Lotus and WP.

Then I had an idea. Why not expose some of the younger clerks to it? They seemed mighty interested.

I set up the PC on a wheeled table. Every evening at 5pm, after work had ended for the day, I would roll it out and place it in the hall just outside my office.

At first, a whole bunch of young boys and girls gathered around me, learning how to play Digger. Soon there was a lively competition going, and active negotiations would take place to decide whose turn came next.

I took a step back and watched.

The elderly clerks, especially the union leaders, would look on non-plussed. They did not quite like what was going on; but there was nothing they could really say, let alone do.

After all, the PC was being used for just a game, and that too after office hours, and not for any work.

Eventually, the clerks, too, got bored with Digger. One of them came up to me and asked What else can this machine do?

This was the moment I was waiting for!

I introduced him to Lotus-123. He was amazed to discover that it could do long calculations in a trice, multiply dozens of numbers at one shot, add up a huge column with a few key strokes, and all of that.

Soon, there was an even bigger crowd of youngsters around the PC than would be found in the Digger days.

The PC was a big hit.

An enterprising clerk in accounts found that he could calculate the depreciation on hundreds of items by listing them just once, then working out the entire depreciation, a task that would take hours pounding keys on a calculator, in just minutes.

A clerk in savings found a way to calculate interest on savings accounts. Soon, I was flooded with requests for floppies for storing individual data for future calculations.

There was nothing that the union honchos could do about the proliferating use of the PC.

The youngsters just brushed aside their warnings and appeals against the use of the devil machine, and more and more young users came on board.

The path was laid for the upcoming computerisation of the branch.

And I came to be known as the 'Computer Man'!
Venkaiah Chowdary Nannapaneni believed that no patient should go without medicine or treatment due to financial constraints. His belief inspired him to start NATCO Pharma Ltd with a vision of making speciality medicines accessible to all.

Today, the company is a market leader in general oncology, and is known for its new path-breaking discovery of drugs at affordable prices. The chairman and managing director (CMD) of NATCO Pharma is a visionary and a humanitarian and his son, Rajeev Nannapaneni, is a chip off the old block. His entry into the business in 2000 spurred the company into a period of high growth till about 2016-17, after which, various external factors seem to have slowed things down.

The grand vision to make specialised medicines accessible to ordinary people did not just remain on paper and NATCO was a trail-blazer in invoking the dispensation of compulsory licensing of life-saving patented drugs to be supplied to people at affordable prices, a provision that checks multinational inventors from profiteering from their discoveries at the expense of the common people.

Thus, a key drug in the treatment of cancer was born at a fraction of the price at which the multinational pharma firm that discovered it was selling. This licence is invoked only where the drug controller has been provided with an incredible amount of information on the number of people ailing and needing treatment and specific details, which demand great rigour in the process and time and resource commitment.

This practice also carries a significant risk of litigation as the offended multinational corporation (MNC), with money power, can battle endlessly and is rarely invoked in the pharma industry in India. Yet Rajeev Nannapaneni was not deterred from taking the plunge, which has not only helped achieve the goal of reaching a life-saving medicine to the needy but has also given a fillip to the company to broaden its offering in the fastest-growing speciality of oncology drugs.

NATCOs corporate and governance culture has been built around the theme of business with a social objective and concern for all stakeholders in an equitable fashion. Being in the pharma industry carries the responsibility of a high standard of hygiene in the management, as overseas drug regulators make it a point to clinically assess the concerned companys compliance with quality in processes and management practices. Transparency becomes a natural outcome of this expectation of the regulators and permeates people, processes and practices.

While the specialty segments have been a setback in the past two years, where the focus shifted to managing the ongoing pandemic and thereby significantly reducing the top-line from this segment in oncology and cardiology, the overall buoyancy in the pharma business globally has helped in the growth of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and generics through exports.

The company has not withheld its investments in physical assets and people; it transparently explains in the annual report the current challenges and iterates its confidence to overcome and regain its growth momentum.

Unlike most annual reports where the management discussion would be touching on vague generalities, the company provides specificity to the areas of concern and how the gaps would be addressed.

While the promoters hold a sizeable stake just below the halfway mark, the level of professionalisation and parity in remuneration between the top management personnel provides a good view of the culture of each promoter being one among equals.

The shareholders are treated fairly, with the total dividend pay-out amounting to Rs956.48 million resulting in a pay-out of 30.90% of the stand-alone profit after tax (PAT) of the company, which is higher than the average distribution among the Indian corporates.

However, the investment of surplus funds in the bonds of a non-banking financial company (NBFC) and debentures of a bank are debatable. Corporates should just hold in liquid mutual fund (MF) schemes and in the absence of a long-term need for surplus funds, or return the money to the shareholders by one of the means.

The commitment to treat the workforce with due consideration is reflected in the fact that, while every employee is provided with health insurance coverage, last year, the company doubled the insurance cover due to the COVID-19 occurrence.

Continuous health monitoring and training for safe behaviour is the new normal, continued assistance for employees and dependents in the form of healthcare, emergency supplies and other such steps are examples of the empathetic leadership and a culture that have allowed the company to emerge stronger from this experience.

With just two promoter representatives on the board, the culture of broad-basing the governance structure is evident and all the board committees are headed only by an independent director. However, it happens to be the same person.

At a personal level, the promoters are known to be highly charitable and the media have reported their contributions to public causes in many instances. As the promoters are expected to helm the organisation for a long time, their personal character becomes a key ingredient in the way the organisation evolves.

In this regard, NATCO would appear to be on a safe wicket with the patriarch and the scion both being passionate about the role of the pharma industry in making healthcare affordable, taking the right level of risks in the business, being fair to the stakeholders, recognising that employees are a key long-term resource and having enough experience of having seen the company through various ups and downs in the four decades of its existence.

NOTE from Editor

NATCO Pharma Ltd is one of the companies shortlisted for Moneylifes first-ever Corporate Governance Awards based on direct nominations from active investors, rigorously processed and analysed to eliminate biases.

Join Us on Thursday, 6 January 2022
Victoria Jones/AP

LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II is expected to offer a particularly personal Christmas Day message to the nation this year after Buckingham Palace released a photo of the monarch recording the speech alongside a picture of her and her husband, who died earlier this year.

The image provided by the palace showed the queen in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, with a framed photograph of Elizabeth and Prince Philip arm in arm in the foreground. In both photos, she is wearing the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  The last three months have been very dry in New Mexico and its only going to get worse.

Thats the word from forecasters with the National Weather Service and other climate experts in the state. They said during a meeting this week that New Mexico reservoirs continue to be far below historical averages and that ranchers are bracing for a winter with little moisture out on the range.

Some snow is expected in the higher elevation on Christmas Eve, but it will be less than the precipitation that has helped to ease drought conditions elsewhere in the West in recent weeks. Parts of California are in line for even more snow, but the latest drought map shows nearly half of the western region is still dealing with the most severe categories of drought.

Andrew Mangham, a senior hydrologist with the weather service in Albuquerque, shared a series of maps that showed chances are good for above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation for the next two weeks, the next month and into April.

Really the story is we had a dry year that is getting worse and worse as we move through this second La Nina, he said.

The benefits of a decent monsoon over the summer have all but evaporated and most of New Mexico missed out on any meaningful moisture in the fall, Mangham said. The far northern reaches of the state saw some snow earlier this month, but he said New Mexico would need a lot more of that to get snowpack levels closer to normal for this time of year.

Stream flows? Soil moisture levels? Mangham said it's the same story and it doesn't look good heading into the next year.

Everything is just getting drier," he repeated.

Ranchers say they are feeling the pinch, and farmers who rely on traditional irrigation systems called acequias say they're worried about having water for crops next spring.

Bone dry with winds that make it even drier is how Paula Garcia described the conditions. As head of the New Mexico Acequia Association, she hears firsthand about the challenges from family farms and individual growers.

Last year, we had some snow in late 2020 and we had a very dry spring with little or no runoff. This year, the past few months are worse. If this continues, we wonder if there will be any snowmelt in the spring, she said.

The association is planning a series of meetings among acequia leaders to talk about the year ahead in terms of sharing observations about the drought, dealing with scarcity and conflicts, and addressing the need for more water-sharing agreements for those areas that will need it most.

In Nara Visa, a small village near the New Mexico-Texas state line, rancher Cliff Copeland talks about the dust and its effects on his cattle. He and other ranchers already had cut back their herds last year due to dry conditions then. Summer rains helped the grasslands recover somewhat so that in combination with smaller herds will help heading into the winter but growing feeds costs are worrisome, he said.

It's very seldom you go and not get hardly any measurable precipitation this time of year so its very concerning, he said. Its possibly devastating and it sure has everyones attention.

For Copeland, who serves as a regional vice president with the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association, doing more with less is a key part of the equation that has helped to keep the family ranch humming for four generations.

It's part of the evolution, he said. ... So being able to pass this along to the children and grandchildren and sustain our operation as weve done for so long is extremely important to us.
Bosco Photos

CARROLLTON  The city is applying for a grant that it hopes will help it revitalize its downtown square.

The project would enhance the appearance of the courthouse square, provide access to a historic statue and a new veterans' memorial and improve the suitability of the space for events.
Although some groups have resumed meetings, others schedules may have changed because of pandemic restrictions. It is recommended you contact the group in advance to verify details. Any changes in meeting schedules can be emailed to JJCsocial@myjournalcourier.com.



ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

217-370-4002

Jacksonville locations:

 First Baptist Church, 1701 Mound Ave. Wheelchair-accessible.

 Club HOW, 638 S. Church St.

Monday

 Closed discussion, 7:30 a.m. at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, noon at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at First Baptist Church. Bowen Group.

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at Club HOW.

Tuesday

 Open discussion, noon at Club HOW.

 Womens open meeting, 5:30 p.m., First Christian Churchs Fireside Room.

 VIRGINIA: Closed discussion, 7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, Main and Washington streets.

 ROODHOUSE: Closed discussion, 12-step/12 traditions, 8 p.m. at Grace Center, 114 W. Palm St.

Wednesday

 Closed discussion, noon at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at Club HOW.

Thursday

 Closed discussion, 7:30 a.m. at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, noon at Club HOW.

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at Club HOW. Newcomers Group.

Friday

 Closed discussion, noon at Club HOW. TGIF Group.

 Closed discussion, 5:15 p.m., Big Book Study at Club HOW.

 VIRGINIA: Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at United Methodist Church, 401 E. Broadway Ave.

Saturday

 Open speaker, 8 p.m. at Club HOW.

 Open meeting, noon at Club HOW.

Sunday

 Closed discussion, 8 p.m. at Club HOW. 12 & 12 Group.

 Closed discussion, 10 a.m. at Club HOW. (Second Sunday is open)

 SPRINGFIELD: AA for Women, 10 a.m. at Discovery Club, 313 W. Cook St.



AL-ANON

Meetings are nonsmoking and open to anyone. The only requirement is that there be a problem of alcohol with a loved one or friend. 217-248-6434.

Wednesday

 Al-Anon, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church, 331 E. State St. (use Morgan Street entrance).



NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS

All meetings are nonsmoking. Not affiliated with any religious organization.

Jacksonville locations:

 First Christian Church, 2106 S. Main St. (enter through far southeast door). 217-883-1975.

 Lutheran Church for the Deaf, 104 Finley St. (enter through back door). 217-883-1975.

Wednesday

 Open discussion group, 8 p.m. at Lutheran Church for the Deaf.

Friday

 Open discussion group, 7:30 p.m. at First Christian Church.



OTHER MEETINGS

Monday

 Addicts Victorious, 7-8 p.m. at Faith Tabernacle, 571 Sandusky St. Use side entrance to church hall.

 PITTSFIELD: Addicts Victorious, 7-8 p.m. in the basement of Subway in Pittsfield. 1-800-323-1388.



Tuesday

 American Legion Post 279, first Tuesday of every month, 7 p.m. at 903 W. Superior Ave.



Wednesday

 Breastfeeding support group, 6 p.m., Passavant Area Hospital, Meeting Room 2.

 ROODHOUSE: Women with Hearts of Love (WWHOL), 6-7 p.m. at House of Restoration, 208 W. Franklin St. 217-602-1670.



Thursday

 Jacksonville Area Chess Club, 6-9 p.m. at Jacksonville Public Library. 217-370-0882.

 Jacksonville Kiwanis Club, noon at Hamiltons.

 WHITE HALL: Addicts Victorious, teens 5:30-6:30 p.m.; adults 7-8 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of New Life Church, 626 Curtis St.



Friday

 Jacksonville Rotary Club, noon at Hamiltons.

 PITTSFIELD: Addicts Victorious, 6 p.m. at Assembly of God, 575 Piper St. 800-323-1388.



Saturday

 Jacksonville Amateur Radio Societys Net, 9 p.m. Transmitted on K9JX repeater. K9JX.com.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP)  A massive fire swept through a crowded river ferry in Bangladesh early Friday, leaving at least 39 people dead and 70 injured, officials said. Many passengers leapt from the vessel into cold waters to escape the blaze.

It took 15 fire engines two hours to control the fire and another eight to cool down the vessel, according to fire officer Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, who led the rescue operation. Afterward, the blackened hull of the ferry sat anchored at the river's edge. Many anxious relatives gathered on the banks, while divers continued to search the waters.

The blaze broke out around 3 a.m. on the MV Avijan-10, which was carrying 800 passengers, many of whom were traveling to visit family and friends for the weekend, officials said.

I was sleeping on the deck and woke up hearing screams and a loud noise, survivor Anisur Rahman told reporters, adding that he saw smoke coming from the back of the ferry. I jumped into the freezing water of the river in the thick fog, like many other passengers, and swam to the riverbank.

Police officer Moinul Haque said rescuers recovered 37 bodies from the river, while two people died from burn injures on the way to the hospital. All of the 70 injured were hospitalized, including some with severe burns.

Ferries are a leading means of transportation in Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by about 130 rivers, and accidents involving the vessels are common, often blamed on overcrowding or lax safety rules.

The ferry was traveling from Dhaka, the capital, to Barguna, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) to the south. It caught fire off the coast of Jhalokati district on the Sugandha River, toward the end of the journey.

Bhuiyan said the fire may have started in the engine room. The government set up two committees to investigate the blaze and ordered them to report their findings in three days.

In April, 25 people died after a ferry collided with another vessel and capsized outside Dhaka.

___

This story has been updatd to correct that 37 bodies were pulled from the river, not 39. Two people rescued alive later died. It also reflects that there are now 70 injured people in the hospital.
NICE, France (AP)  France on Thursday condemned the Malian transitional authorities' decision to allow the deployment of the Wagner Group, and accused Moscow of funding the private military company's use of mercenaries in the West African country.

We are aware of the involvement of the Russian government in providing material support to the deployment of the Wagner group in Mali, the French foreign ministry said in an emailed statement. It called on Russia to revert to a responsible and constructive behavior in West Africa.

Mali has struggled to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. Extremist rebels were forced from power in the country's northern cities with the help of a French-led military operation, but they regrouped in the desert and began launching attacks on the Malian army and its allies.

In June, Col. Assimi Goita was sworn in as president of a transitional Malian government after carrying out his second coup in nine months. Mali faces increasing isolation from the international community over the juntas power grab. Elections are due to be held in February, but there are fears they will be delayed.

We deeply regret the choice of the Malian transitional authorities to use already scarce public funds to pay foreign mercenaries instead of supporting the Malian Armed Forces, the French statement said.

The Wagner Group has been accused by western governments and United Nations experts of human rights abuses in the Central African Republic and involvement in the conflict in Libya. France and Germany have both objected to the presence of its mercenaries in Mali.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the company has a legitimate right to be in the West African nation because it was invited by the transitional government, and he has insisted that the Russian government is not involved.

French troops have been present in Mali since 2013, when they intervened to force the Islamic extremists from power in the countrys north. That operation was later extended to other countries in an effort to stabilize the broader Sahel region that includes Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauretania.

In July, President Emmanuel Macron announced a drawdown of French troops in the Sahel force by early 2022 amid growing political instability in Mali and despite continued devastating attacks by Islamic militants in the region.

Hundreds have died this year alone of massacres targeting villages on the border of Niger and Mali.

France has said that Malian forces are ready to take over the heavy lifting in northern Mali but Macron promised his African partners after a meeting in July that his country will continue to help fight groups linked to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Along with France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania and other European Union countries joined in the condemnation of the mercenaries' deployment to Mali.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP)  The doctor for a private Christian boarding school that has been the focus of an abuse investigation in Missouri was charged with child sex crimes.

An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for David Earl Smock, 57, the longtime physician for Agape Boarding School, the Kansas City Star reported. Smock is charged with second-degree statutory sodomy, third-degree child molestation of a child less than 14 years of age and enticement or attempted enticement of a child less than 15 years of age, court records show.
HONOLULU (AP)  Rescuers trekked through heavy snow and sleet to find a hiker lost in one of the most dangerous places in Hawaii.

Rangers said the hiker registered at the the visitor's center for Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest peak, before he set off Tuesday morning. But the Center of Maunakea Stewardship said he gave rangers the wrong number.
MOSCOW (AP)  A Moscow court on Friday slapped Google with a nearly $100 million fine and also fined Facebooks parent company Meta $27 million over their failure to delete content banned by local law, as Russia seeks to step up pressure on technology giants.

The Tagansky District Court ruled that Google repeatedly neglected to remove the banned content, and ordered the company to pay an administrative fine of about 7.2 billion rubles (about $98.4 million).

Google said it would study the court documents before deciding on its next steps.

Later Friday, the court also slapped a fine of nearly 2 billion rubles ($27.2 million) on Meta for failure to remove banned content.

Russian courts had previously imposed smaller fines on Google, Facebook and Twitter this year, and Friday's rulings marked the first time the size of the fine was calculated based on revenue.

Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said Google and Meta were specifically accused of violating the ban on distributing content that promotes extremist ideology, insults religious beliefs and encourages dangerous behavior by minors, among other things.

The agency said that Facebook and Instagram have failed to remove 2,000 items despite the courts requests to do so, while Google has failed to delete 2,600 such items.

It warned that they may face more revenue-based fines for failure to delete the banned content.

Russian authorities have steadily ramped up pressure on social media platforms, accusing them of failing to purge content related to drug abuse, weapons and explosives and extremist views.

Earlier this year, authorities criticized tech companies for not deleting announcements about unsanctioned protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Russian authorities also have demanded that foreign tech giants store the personal data of Russian citizens on servers in Russia, threatening them with fines or possible bans if they fail to comply.

Alexander Khinshtein, head of the committee on information policies in the lower house of Russian parliament, said the massive fine should send a clear message to all IT giants.

He added that Russian law envisages other forms of punishment for failure to comply with court orders, including slowing down traffic and complete blocking.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP)  Russia has doubled the purchases of natural gas from Turkmenistan this year amid rising global demand, the Russian ambassador in Ashgabat said Friday.

Ambassador Alexander Blokhin said Russia this year stands to import about 10 billion cubic meters (353 billion cubic feet) of gas from Turkmenistan, nearly twice the amount imported in 2020.

This years volumes were on par with the period before 2016, when Russia halted gas imports from the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation amid pricing disputes and a slump in global prices.

Moscow resumed the purchases of Turkmen gas in 2019 when it signed a five-year contract envisaging annual deliveries of 5.5 billion cubic meters (194 billion cubic feet).

Turkmenistan is overwhelmingly dependent on exports of its vast natural gas reserves, and Russias 2016 move to halt supplies dealt a heavy blow to the Turkmen economy.

China has replaced Russia as the top export destination for the Turkmen gas. Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said the country annually supplies 40 billion cubic meters (1.4 trillion cubic feet) of gas to China.

Earlier this year, Chinas state-owned CNPC started work to set up new wells at Turkmenistans giant natural gas fields in exchange for future gas supplies. Under the deal with CNPC, Turkmenistan will pay for its services by supplying 17 billion cubic meters (600 billion cubic feet) of gas a year for the period of three years to a total of 51 billion cubic meters (1.8 trillion cubic feet) of gas.

Turkmenistan also has been working to build a pipeline that would pump gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

By ALEXANDER VERSHININ

Associated Press
Tuolumne County Public Health says due to unforeseen circumstances, the COVID-19 testing site at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds is closed today, Thursday, December 23 through Sunday, December 25. They report It will tentatively open on Sunday, December 26. Stating they will provide updates as they become available and those seeking testing can visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting to find an appointment at another nearby testing site or some local pharmacies are offering testing. The site plans to be open Friday, Dec. 31 only from 7 AM to 1 PM and closed Jan. 1st for New Years Day.

Tuolumne County has 23 new Covid cases since yesterday, 18 are unvaccinated. Tuolumne Countys active cases increased by 12 to 109 including five people who are hospitalized, one person in the hospital is vaccinated.

The newly reported cases include three cases age 17 or younger and four cases age 60 or older. The new Covid cases by gender and age: one girl age 11 or younger, two boys age 12 to 17, two women and four men age 18 to 29, two women and one man in their 30s, three woman and three men in their 40s, one woman in his 50s, and two women and one man in their 60s.

The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County increased to 20 from 18.8 per 100,000 population. The case rate reached a low of 15.1 on December 17th. Nine individuals were released from isolation, in all 6,276 have been released from isolation. The number of active cases has been above 60 since near the end of July, the first three Delta cases were identified July 2nd active cases peaked August 13th at 317, with the lowest active cases since July being 62 on November 29th. There were 18 Covid deaths in October, 20 in November, and seven this month for a total of 45 Covid deaths since October in Tuolumne. Excess deaths in 2021 are 200 more than the average of January to October 2015 to 2019 with 148 reported Covid deaths. In 2020 there were 84 excess deaths with 33 reported Covid deaths according to Californias vital statistics reports.

A total of 59% of the population eligible to get vaccinated has been vaccinated. There have been 1,621 inmate cases, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reports two active Covid cases at the Sierra Conservation Center. The SCC manages 3,211 inmates including all the southern fire conservation camps.

Tuolumne Public Health Officials state there are positive actions we can take to protect ourselves and those around us from illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Vaccination (including a booster) is the most important step we can take to reduce the spread of disease, and reduce the impact to our healthcare system. Also, the continued practice of other preventive actions like wearing a mask in public, keeping your distance, avoiding crowds, washing hands, cleaning surfaces, and staying home when sick will help slow the spread of the virus. These actions remain the same in light of the Omicron variant.

Calaveras County Public Health Covid numbers are not posted for today. They state, COVID-19 testing is recommended for all travelers entering California within 3-5 days of their arrival. Stay safe during the holidays. Enjoy holiday traditions with friends and family members in ways that dont spread COVID-19. Public Health Officials detail, Wear a mask over your nose and mouth when social distancing isnt possible  especially while in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status. They also recommend, Keep gatherings small. If your guests are unvaccinated or you dont know their vaccination status, keep gatherings small, short, and outdoors.

California Public Health is requiring universal masking for all public indoor settings to slow the spread of both Delta, the highly transmissible omicron variant, and to increase protection for individuals, families, and communities during the holidays. More details are here. Additionally, CDPH updated requirements for attending mega-events, and issued a new travel advisory. Mariposa Public Health shares the CDC added multiple studies to their Science Brief on Community Use of Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 as detailed here. As detailed here there is no information yet on the presence of the omicron variant in Mother Lode. California will require healthcare workers to get a COVID-19 booster as detailed here. The Adult Care Facilities and Direct Care Worker Vaccine Requirement is here, and the State and Local Correctional Facilities and Detention Centers Health Care Worker Vaccination Requirement is here.

COVID-19 Testing Public health recommends scheduling an appointment to get tested 5 days after possible exposure and if you are having any symptoms, to get tested right away. Excluding the holidays and staffing issues, the Tuolumne County State testing site schedule is 7 days a week from 7 AM to 7 PM at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds. Appointments can be scheduled at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Testing is also at pharmacies, at Rapid Care and the hospital emergency department if you are experiencing any symptoms, or contact your healthcare provider. The Mariposa LHI/OptumServe testing site is at the YARTS Park and Ride beside Rite Aid and is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 7:00 am to 12:00 pm, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, and 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

COVID-19 Vaccine appointments and booster vaccine shots are recommended for anyone age 16 and older (Pfizer only for age 16-17) Vaccine appointments for children ages 5 to 11 can be made through myturn.ca.gov, by calling 833-422-4255, or the pediatric vaccine may also be available through local pharmacies more details are here. For ways to manage this fear of needles or a phobia and help others with it, view the CDCs information guide here. Learn more about self-care strategies by visiting namica.org

County/Date

New

Active (Hospital)

Total in 2021 (2020) All Cases (Deaths) Amador 12/22 4 47 (8) 2,685

(1,233) 3,918

(61) Calaveras 12/22 16 30 (1) 3,733

(853) 4,586

(92) Mariposa 12/23 10 22 (13) 1,429

(252) 1,691

(18) Mono 12/23 22 65 1,179

(637) 1,816

(5) Stanislaus 12/23 126 1,263 (87) 49,071

(34,465) 83,536

(1,464) Tuolumne 12/23 23 109 (5) 5,194

(2,962) 8,154

(148)
Biden, first lady visit hospitalized kids on Christmas Eve View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden brought some Christmas Eve cheer to hospitalized children who arent well enough to go home for the holidays.

Its longstanding tradition for first ladies to visit Childrens National Hospital at Christmastime, but Joe Bidens visit on Friday was a surprise. It marked the first time that a sitting president had joined the fun, the White House said.

It wasnt the only tradition that the president joined in on Friday. Jill Biden answered calls to the the North American Aerospace Defense Commands Santa tracking service, another longstanding tradition for first ladies, and she was joined by Biden for the calls.

At the hospital, the Bidens spoke with a group of children making lanterns as part of a winter craft project, asking each one what they drew on their lanterns. Some drew family, snowmen or other holiday-themed art.

They both spoke to a child who said the hospital helped him when he was down.

Well we hope were bringing you some joy today, Jill Biden responded.

The president added, Youre bringing us some joy, pal.

Biden also pulled out his phone to show the kids photos of his new dog, Commander, a nearly four-month-old German Shepherd puppy. The dog joined the family this week and was seen playing with a handler on the South Lawn of the White House complex earlier Friday before the Bidens left for their visit to the hospital.

His name is Commander! Jill Biden told the kids. And this morning he was eating my slippers!

The president and first lady then sat before the hospitals Christmas tree, where Jill Biden read Olafs Night Before Christmas to the kids, which was broadcast to hundreds of children in their rooms at the hospital.

The Walt Disney Co. provided copies of the book for each patient so they can follow along with the first lady, the White House said. Each book includes a White House bookmark designed by her office.

The annual tradition of a hospital visit by the first lady dates to Bess Truman, who served in the role from 1945-1953.

Before returning to the White House, the two stopped briefly at a Jill Biden-themed Christmas tree set up on the street in D.C.s Dupont Circle neighborhood by a local business owner. The president hung the 2021 White House Christmas ornament on one of the branches, nestled between large cutouts of Jills face dotting the tree.

Back at the White House, the two capped off their Christmas Eve festivities by answering calls for NORAD, as they watched Santa soar over the United Arab Emirates on the Santa tracker screens. They took three largely pleasant phone calls from kids and parents, though one father capped off an otherwise polite conversation with the president by wishing him a happy holidays and adding, Lets go Brandon! before hanging up. The phrase has become widely used by conservatives as a stand-in for a more vulgar epithet against the president.

Biden didnt seem to catch the callers intent, however  he responded, Lets go Brandon, I agree as the call came to an end. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Bidens response.



AP writer Darlene Superville contributed reporting.

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE

Associated Press
LONDON (AP)  Queen Elizabeth II is expected to offer a particularly personal Christmas Day message to the nation this year after Buckingham Palace released a photo of the monarch recording the speech alongside a picture of her and her husband, who died earlier this year.

The image provided by the palace showed the queen in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, with a framed photograph of Elizabeth and Prince Philip arm in arm in the foreground. In both photos, she is wearing the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch.
NOTE: The Herald continues a weekly series featuring local and area World War II veterans. To recommend a veteran for this series, email hmarquez@hearstnp.com or telephone 806-296-1350.

He was raised on the landlocked farms of West Texas, but soon a young Bill Hiett became a man of the sea as the World War II veteran became a hero as he steered through the waters of a bullet-riddled Pacific Theater.

I wanted to fight those (Japanese), said Hiett, as he reflected on his decision to join the U.S. Navy. And I wanted (the) sea.

Hiett grew up amid the cotton rows on the rural farm land of Collingsworth County during the later portion of the Great Depression.

As war efforts heightened on both fronts in 1943, Hiett felt the proverbial call of duty and urged his parents to let him join the good fight at the tender age of 17.

I was working at cotton gin at the time, and I wanted to fight, said Hiett. I tried really hard to convince my dad to take me to Amarillo so I could join. Also, I wanted to volunteer so I could join the Navy instead of being drafted to the Army.

Hietts persuasion was effective as he eventually convinced his dad to make the trip to Amarillo.

They signed me up, but they told me they would notify me when they were ready to send me my bus ticket to go to basic training, said Hiett.

Hiett would have to wait a whole year before he was eventually sent his bus ticket.

I dont know why they took so long, said Hiett.

But with his ticket in hand, Hiett boarded the bus and headed to San Diego to join the 225th Company in basic training in 1944.

It was all right, said Hiett. It wasnt too rough.

After completing his basics, Hiett was given a choice on where he would attend secondary training.

They gave me a choice and told me to really think about it, said Hiett. But I already knew. I wanted sea duty. They asked me what my second choice was, and I told them sea duty. They asked me a third time and I said . . . you guessed it.

Hiett was shipped across the San Diego Bay and was made a first-class seaman.

But we were doing the work of a cocksman, said Hiett with a laugh.

Hiett was trained in the basics of sea navigating, but specialized in landing crafts which were used to transport troops, vehicles and equipment to shore on a beach.

They were fun to drive, if you got a good one, said Hiett.

After training, Hiett was sent to San Francisco and Hawaii before heading to the South Pacific.

They really didnt tell us where we were going at the time, said Hiett.

In route to the Philippines, Hiett learned that transport ships mostly traveled in a massive bundled group as part of a convoy.

Sailing was somewhat smooth until the convoy met a flight of suicidal Japanese Kamikazes.

They wanted us, said Hiett, who explained the horrors of watching diving planes crash into the middle group. Manning his battle station, Hiett fed ammo into a 5-inch gun while its operator attempted to shoot down the planes.

They waited until the sun was in our eyes, and they came in and riddled our boat with bullets, said Hiett.

Then Hiett said he noticed a Kamikaze speeding toward his ship.

It was coming right for us, and while I was handing ammo I just remember thinking pull the trigger, pull the trigger,  said Hiett. Once the rounds flew, gunners were able to shoot down the plane just 20 feet away from their ship.

We had some good fire power, and I guess the Lord was with us, said Hiett. With the threat eventually coming to an end, he remembered reflecting on one of his first experiences with war.

We didnt have time to be scared, said Hiett. But as I made my way back into the ship, I remember thinking, were just Gods children killing children, just because a man wants to rule the world.

The troops made it to the Philippine Islands, but were still in constant danger of attack.

They came for us again, said Hiett as he explained that he took a piece of shrapnel during one attack.

But things calmed down as Hietts ship eventually moved to safety.

For the next several months, Hietts ship was assigned to transport the bodies of fallen soldiers to Hawaii.

The assignment lasted until the later months of 1944.

At the beginning of 1945, Hiett and his ship were sent to Okinawa. Once there, they joined an armada that included between 50 to 75 ships of various sizes that spent the next couple of weeks bombing the shores of the Japanese island.

Hiett manned a smaller Higginss boat and provided a smoke screen for Allied fire.

In April 1945, after two weeks of shelling, Allied forces invaded the beaches of Okinawa.

With my boat, I would pick up troops from the ships and take them to the shore, said Hiett.

Enemy fire was almost completely eradicated, as the bombing helped to clear the beach. However, threats were still prevalent in the sky, courtesy of the Kamikazes.

Environmental dangers were a risk as Hiett remembered tearing the bottom part of his boat after scrapping a coral reef on the way to the beach.

They had to shoot a lanyard to my boat and then tied it to it. They were able to tug me back in after that, said Hiett.

Storms also hammered the ships, causing considerable damage to the fleet.

Those storms shook those ships like toys, said Hiett.

After a few more days, Hiett was sent back to Hawaii, where he got to continue on to Wellington for a small break.

On his return to base, Hiett was scheduled to head back to the Philippines in preparation for the invasion of Japan.

However, on the way, word came down that two atomic bombs had brought a surrender from Japanese forces.

I remember the captain saying that and us just shooting our guns off. I felt like we were shooting for 30 minutes, said Hiett.

Hiett still was sent to Japan as part of the occupational force, but was eventually discharged at Long Beach in 1946.

Hiett continued farming upon his return home and eventually married his wife, Clifftene, in 1947. The two had four children, Marsha, Brenda, Melinda and Scott; and also adopted three children Amy, Catherine and Brian.

In 1961, Hiett moved to Tulia to work as a parts man for Ziegler Wimblyem Automotive until it closed in about 1976.

Hiett worked at Scott Tractor Co. in Plainview and retired as a school bus driver for the Tulia Independent School District.

To comment:

hmarquez@hearstnp.com

806.296.1350
Click here to read the full article.

Anna Drezen is exiting her role as one of four head writers for Saturday Night Live in order to focus on her Freefrom animated comedy series Praise Petey.

Drezen disclosed her decision Thursday in an Instagram post that featured a collection of photos from her time working on the NBC mainstay. Bye SNL! I am leaving the show to focus on my show at Freeform. Was going to post a joke but I dont do those anymore, she wrote.

Drezen has been on a roll as a writer-producer on the Peacock comedy Girls5eva in addition to landing a series order from Freeform earlier this month for the Disney-owned cablers first-ever animated series. Praise Petey features a strong voice cast led by Schitts Creek alum Annie Murphy and John Cho. Murphy plays a fallen NYC It girl who takes on the job of modernizing her fathers small-town cult after her life comes crashing down around her.

Praise Petey hails from Disneys 20th Television Animation and ShadowMachine Films. Drezen is the series creator who wrote the pilot and serves as executive producer. Comedy stalwarts Greg Daniels and Mike Judge are also on board as executive producers.

Drezen rose from SNL staff writer in 2016 to head writer in the 2020-21 season alongside veterans Michael Che, Colin Jost and Kent Sublette. Now in its 47th year, SNL concluded its run of original episodes for the year on Dec. 19 with an episode that was hastily scaled down amid the spike in COVID infection rates in New York. Actor Paul Rudd joined the shows vaunted Five-timers club of hosts who have fronted the series five times (or more).

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A Texas board that unanimously supported a posthumous pardon for George Floyd over a 2004 drug arrest in Houston has withdrawn that recommendation over procedural errors" after sending it to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's desk, his office said Thursday.

The unusual reversal announced by Abbott's office two days before Christmas  around the time he typically doles out pardons  drew outrage from a public defender who had submitted the pardon application for Floyd, who spent much of his life in Houston before his death in 2020 in the custody of a white Minneapolis police officer.

Floyd's name was withdrawn along with two dozen other clemency recommendations that had been submitted by the Texas Board of Pardon and Paroles. In a letter dated Dec. 16, the board told Abbott that it had identified unexplained departures from its process of issuing pardons and needed to reconsider some recommendations, including the one for Floyd.

As a result of the Boards withdrawal of the recommendation concerning George Floyd, Governor Abbott did not have the opportunity to consider it, Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement.

Allison Mathis, a Houston public defender who submitted the pardon application on behalf of Floyd, called the last-minute reversal a ridiculous farce.

It really strains credibility for them to say now that it's out of compliance, after the board has already voted on it, she said.

Floyd grew up and was laid to rest in Houston. In June, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for Floyd's murder.

Pardons restore the rights of the convicted and forgive them in the eyes of the law. But in Floyds case, his family and supporters said a posthumous pardon in Texas would show a commitment to accountability.

In February 2004, Floyd was arrested in Houston for selling $10 worth of crack in a police sting, and later pleaded guilty to a drug charge and served 10 months in prison. But the global spotlight on the death of Floyd in police custody 16 years later is not why prosecutors revisited his Houston case. Instead, it was prompted by a deadly Houston drug raid in 2019 that involved the same officer who arrested Floyd.

Prosecutors say that officer, Gerald Goines, lied to obtain the search warrant for the raid that killed a husband and wife. Goines, who is no longer on the Houston force and faces murder charges, has denied wrongdoing. More than 160 drug convictions tied to him over the years have since been dismissed by prosecutors due to concerns about his casework.

Texas parole board  whose members were all appointed by Abbott  unanimously recommended the pardon for Floyd, and the district attorney in Houston also urged the governor to act.

Abbott, who is up for reelection in 2022 and faces primary challengers from the far right, had for months given no indication whether he would grant the pardon in the months since the parole board put the recommendation on his desk. The prolonged silence raised questions by Mathis and others over whether political calculations were at play in Abbott's decision. His office did not respond to those charges.

Abbott attended Floyd's memorial service last year in Houston, where he met with the family and floated the idea of a "George Floyd Act" that would take aim at police brutality. But when the Texas Legislature convened months later, Abbott was silent over policing reforms pushed by Democrats and made police funding a priority.

___

Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd
(Natural News) Film producer and director Lori Gregory accused big pharmaceutical companies of making tons of money on huge patient populations.

I saw the profit over people model a long time ago. And it was scary. Theres a problem when the government has to force an industry to create something known as an orphan drug program. Because the drug makers are only making drugs that have huge patient populations, because thats where the money is, Gregory said during the ReAwaken America Tour in Dallas, Texas.

Gregory, who started her career in media, lamented the passage of Senate Bill 277 in 2015 that required parents to put 22 pharmaceutical products into their five-year-old children or be denied admission in California schools  both public and private. (Related: Hard data proves Big Pharma knew COVID vaccines would worsen and prolong the pandemic)

When I saw SB 277 pass, I knew we were in big trouble, said the former Wall Street investor relations consultant of biotech and pharmaceutical company clients. Gregory also took note of the fact that the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) of 1986 gave pharmaceutical corporations that make vaccines zero liability for their products.

We need all hands on deck. We need you and we need all hands on deck. Because when I saw what I saw in 2015, I knew we were in deep trouble. Because by the time the policy hits the table, by the time the policies are introduced in the legislature, its too late. There are too many stakeholders, too many people invested in that bill becoming a law. So we have to educate our lawmakers before the policies are introduced.

Parents were no longer able to exempt their children from being vaccinated in order to attend school after then-California Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 277 on June 30, 2015. The law removed the personal belief exemption that permitted parents in California to refuse vaccinating their children.

The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases, Brown said in a statement at the time. While its true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community.

California along with Mississippi and West Virginia has now imposed the strictest school vaccine law in America. The said legislation applies to students attending both public and private school in the state and parents who choose against vaccination for nonmedical reasons need to home school their children.

The law took effect in July 2016.

Gregory also called on Americans to know and find out about their lawmakers and state. She took a shot at the pharmaceutical companies who got a business model that allows them to make a junk jab that gets injected into the bloodstream of a 12-hour old baby and have zero liability for their product. Gregory also questioned the standard of care in America for 12-hour old infants to get a hepatitis B vaccine that contains aluminum.

Get the truth out through film

The film producer and director pointed out that we already have an entire globe being held hostage by fake news and fake science. Gregory believes that we can get the truth out through film.

Film is the only way to get through this. Because guess what? While all of this COVID crazy is going on, we are already at war. And weve been at war since 1986. So welcome to the battlefield, said Gregory, producer of Chakra Films first release titled 1986: The Act.

An emerging film media company, 7th Chakra Films is dedicated to truth in science, health and whistleblower stories. Its film 1986: The Act is about a husband and his newly pregnant wife, who dug deep into the true reasons why vaccine makers have no liability and what they found would eventually shock and rock their world.

Watch the full video of Lori Gregory during the ReAwaken America Tour below.

This video is from the Thrivetime Show channel on Brighteon.com.

Follow PharmaceuticalFraud.com for more news related to the pharmaceutical fraud, bad science and dangerous medicines.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

PharmacyToday.org
(Natural News) Tesla founder and technologist Elon Musk hit the rising culture of woke authoritarian leftism in an interview with the Babylon Bee, describing the anti-white and politically correct subculture in terms that might shock the sensibilities of affluent coastal elites.

(Article by Richard Moorhead republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

When asked about woke culture, Musk accused its perpetrators of striving towards a society that is colorless and humorless, reminiscent of the culture of authoritarian regimes in countries such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful, Musk said of the authoritarian ideology. Basically, it gives mean people a shield to be evil and cruel. Armored in false virtue.

Musk even went on to call out wokeness as a threat to modern civilization, suggesting what he called a mind virus could result in a societal downfall similar to that seen in the age of the Roman Empire.

Musk also referenced his brief Twitter war with progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren, remarking on the Democrats hypocrisy for accusing him of not paying taxes. (Musk intentionally sold shares of Tesla to pay more than $10 billion in taxes this year.)

She called me a grifter & a free-loader who doesnt pay taxes basically & Im literally paying the most tax that any individual in history has ever paid this year, ever. And she doesnt pay taxes basically at all.

Musk spoke with the Babylon Bees Kyle Mann and Ethan Nicolle on Tuesday. In the no-holds barred discussion, Musk even said that hes not perverted enough to work at CNN, referencing to a series of pedophilia and sex crimes scandals involving producers and staffers of the fake news network.

Musk, a longtime fan of satire sites such as Babylon Bee, remarked that he witnessed the Onion moving in a politically correct direction.

The spaceflight entrepreneur is known for being one of the only major oligarchs in the US who declines to bend the knee before culturally liberal authoritarian ideology.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin didnt hold back against the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine Sunday, Dec. 20, during a speaking engagement at the conservative student group Turning Point USAs Americafest event in Phoenix, Arizona.

Over my dead body, Palin said as she expressed her stance against getting jabbed with a COVID-19 vaccine.

Palin explained that she had already recovered from the virus, making vaccines unnecessary for her. Do you remember [Dr. Anthony Fauci] said that if you had COVID, you would be naturally immune? she asked. Fauci, the White House chief medical advisor, said early in the pandemic that people would get natural immunity from the virus if they become infected with it.

She went on: So at the time, we were led to believe we wouldnt need to have the shot. Well, then they changed their tune. Those of us who have had COVID, theyre telling us that even though weve had it  we have natural immunity  now we still have to get a shot. And itll be over my dead body that I get a shot. I will not. I wont do it and they better not touch my kids either.

Palin described her familys COVID situation back in March when one of her daughters first contracted the virus, then her son, then herself. At the time, she encouraged everyone to use common sense to avoid spreading the disease and even endorsed mask-wearing as a better alternative than doing nothing, despite evidence that masks do little, if anything, to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Palin holds her ground on natural immunity

The former Alaska governor holds a firmer ground on natural immunity. Research studies have shown that COVID immunity from infections is equal to or more robust and superior to existing vaccines.

Multiple studies also showed that vaccine-induced protection wanes around six months or sooner, leading to the need for booster shots. In contrast, natural immunity could last three times longer at 17 months. Despite these findings, the federal government is still invested in the narrative of natural immunity being unreliable.

I think if enough of us rise up and say no, enough is enough, there are more of us than there are of them, Palin said. (Related: Sarah Palin cites Israeli study showing the power of natural immunity to explain why she didnt get COVID-19 jab.)

In September, Fauci was asked about an Israeli study suggesting that those who have recovered from COVID-19 have a greater degree of protection from the virus than those who received two doses of the Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. Fauci claimed at the time that he did not have a firm answer on the matter and that it is something that needs to be discussed.

Faucis comments aligned with that of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions recommendation that those who have recovered from the virus should still get vaccinated.

In the same month, Palin reiterated her position that she didnt need to get vaccinated because she had natural immunity. I am one of those conservatives with common sense. I believe in the science and I have not taken the shot, she said. I do believe in science, and the Faucism of the day back then was if youve had COVID  Ive had COVID  well then mother nature was creating an immunity into me.

Meanwhile, government officials are pushing harder to vaccinate every eligible American in light of the surge of cases fueled by the omicron variant. They claim without evidence that the omicron variant is more transmissible than the delta variant.

Watch the video below as Sarah Palin announces that she has not received the COVID-19 vaccine.

This video is from thedeadgene channel on Brighteon.com.

Read more about how COVID-19 is affecting everyone on Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

Newsweek.com
(Natural News) The U.S. Secret Service revealed that almost $100 billion worth of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) relief funds had been stolen. It said that the amount was diverted from government programs meant to help Americans tide over the effects of the pandemic.

A Dec. 21 press release from the agency said the stolen funds were embezzled from benefit programs set up at both the federal and state level. These include unemployment insurance (UI), the Small Business Administrations (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program and others. The funds are part of the $3.5 trillion the federal government has allocated for COVID-19 assistance.

Fortunately, the Secret Service managed to seize more than $1.2 billion and return more than $2.3 billion of the embezzled funds. It has also arrested 100 individuals behind UI and SBA loan fraud. The Secret Service continues to work closely with the Department of Labor, the SBA Office of the Inspector General and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee on identifying and preventing these crimes, the press release added.

The Secret Service currently has more than 900 active criminal investigations into fraud specific to pandemic-related relief funds, said the agencys National Pandemic Fraud Recovery Coordinator Roy Dotson. Thats a combination of pandemic benefits and all the other benefits programs too. Every state has been hit, some harder than others.

According to the press release, exploitation of pandemic-related relief is an investigative priority for the agency. Thus, Dotson said the Secret Service is hitting the ground running by trying to recover everything [it] can  including funds stolen from both federal and state programs.

Aside from the Secret Service, which is under the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has also moved to combat benefits fraud. It outlined in a March 26, 2021 press release that it has publicly charged 474 fraudsters with criminal offenses. The charges involve more than $569 million pilfered from both the federal government and unsuspecting individuals.

According to the DoJ press release, the fraudulent schemes targeted UI programs and two SBA initiatives  the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. It added the the more than 470 cases filed reflect a degree of reach, coordination and expertise that is critical for enforcement efforts against COVID-related fraud. (Related: Jobless claims fraud on the rise as coronavirus boosts unemployment.)

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the March 2021 DoJ statement: The impact of the departments work sends a clear and unmistakable message to those who would exploit a national emergency to steal taxpayer-funded resources from vulnerable individuals and small businesses.

Pandemic sees surge in cyberspace fraud

Dotson said the Secret Service saw a huge rise in electronic fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. Criminals will often ask potential victims to open an account and move money for them for some reason as part of a ruse. [The victims] are often asked to accept large sum deposits. As a result, people are becoming unwitting mules for stolen money, he said.

He told CNBC in an interview: Theres no doubt that the [COVID relief] programs were easily accessible online. With that came the opportunity for bad actors to get into that mix. It was necessary to try to get these funds out to people that were truly hurting, and no fault of anybody.

Dotson touched on the difficulties of fighting benefits fraud.

The primary difficulty is the sheer scope of the amount of fraudulent loans or unemployment insurance benefits ever distributed. The number of individuals that receive those  whether they were a money mule or the actual recipient  is just enormous.

Another difficulty he faced was the extent of the bad actors involved in the scheme. Aside from transnational and domestic organized groups, there are also individuals who decided to take advantage of COVID-related financial assistance. These bad actors accounted for three percent of embezzled funds, Dotson said.

The Secret Service has established Cyber Fraud Task Force (CFTF) networks to address the criminal activity through prevention, mitigation and investigation. According to the agencys Dec. 21 press release, these CFTFs are staffed with special agents and analysts in finance, crime and digital forensics. The CFTF networks have already prevented billions [of dollars] in financial loss, it added.

Private sector also steps up to fight c riminal activity

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Secret Service told CNBC that a substantial amount of pilfered funds were coursed through online payment systems such as Green Dot and PayPal. They added that the Secret Service managed to seize $400 million through collaboration with these firms. (Related: Bank of America flags outrageous unemployment fraud worth $2 billion.)

After the Secret Service alerted the private sector early on about the emerging fraud, numerous financial institutions proactively identified, investigated and safeguarded against suspected fraudulent pandemic relief funds, the spokesperson elaborated.

A PayPal spokesperson said the company takes every instance of potential fraud very seriously. The spokesperson added: We proactively work with law enforcement agencies and industry partners, as well as use our own sophisticated systems, to detect fraud and keep our customers and their payments safe.

A spokesperson for Green Dot said the firm does proactively bring fraud cases to the attention of the Secret Service, as well as other government agencies and industry peers. The company also partners with the Secret Service to address, mitigate and resolve such cases.

Watch Owen Shroyer of InfoWars talk about the embezzled COVID-19 relief funds.

The video above is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

Pandemic.news has more about the loss of COVID-19 relief money through fraudulent means.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

SecretService.gov

Justice.gov

CNBC.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The Swiss Freedom Movement (MLS) has collected 125,000 signatures, which is 25,000 more than required, to hold a vote against the prospect of mandatory Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination.

If passed, the referendum would actually prohibit all vaccinations and implants without an individuals consent  meaning vaccines would always remain voluntary and never be compulsory in Switzerland.

Unlike the United States, Switzerland holds referendums several times a year. Citizens can petition to vote on an issue by collecting signatures for it, and if the threshold is met then the country votes on it.

In this case, the Swiss are trying to get ahead of a possible Fauci Flu injection mandate before one arrives on their doorstep like it already has in nearby Germany and Austria.

Swiss law currently allows for mandatory vaccination policies, though none exist at this time. The referendum would remove that provision and disallow the possibility of vaccines ever being mandated in Switzerland.

Incoming president Ignazio Cassis has said that he would only consider mandatory vaccines as a last resort to curb the spread of infection. This is too open-ended, which is why the Swiss are attempting to ban the possibility before it ever has a chance to become reality.

The person concerned must not be punished for having refused to give his consent, nor suffer social or professional disadvantages, the initiative states.

To clarify again, the referendum covers not only covid injections but also all other vaccines, chips and digital information that would be implanted in the body.

Get out there and vote, Switzerland!

As part of the referendum, the MLS is calling for the Swiss Constitution to be amended to include specific protections for health freedom and the fundamental right of each citizen to decide for himself whether or not to be injected.

While Swiss authorities have said that mandatory jabs will not be enforced, Switzerlands Epidemic Act technically allows for them in extreme circumstances.

There is also concern that Cassis, who takes office on January 1, might try to impose them. Cassis, also a trained doctor, has suggested in the past that mandatory vaccination can be useful, which is why the MLS is pushing the referendum.

The date for the referendum has not yet been set, but will likely take place in 2022. It comes after a recent controversial vote approved more covid restrictions (i.e., lockdowns) and so-called vaccine passports.

Supposedly 62 percent of voters supported that legislation, which was already technically in force, prompting Health Minister Alain Berset to say that authorities still have the necessary instruments to manage the crisis, and we can, if necessary, adjust the instruments to developments.

A decision has been made and we must come together now to get through this winter as well as possible, Berset added in a statement. This is an appeal for unity but also for respect for decisions that have been taken.

The strange thing about that particular referendum is that it saw a 65.7 percent turnout, which reports indicate is unusually high for a country that holds referendums several times a year.

As you may recall from years past, Switzerland has made some pretty noteworthy decisions with its referendum process. In 2019, for example, the Swiss rose up to help stop the 5G rollout in their country.

At last, some common sense, wrote one commenter at the DailyMail Online about the new MLS referendum to prohibit mandatory vaccination. Hopefully it wont be rigged.

I only wish Australia would follow the Swiss, wrote another. Holding a referendum on mandating vaccines is not a bad idea. But no, the authorities in Australia would not consider such a proposal. They only wish to dictate such a ruling. The Swiss have the right idea.

More related news about the Fauci Flu can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) In tandem with one another, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Jason Crow (D-Colo.) all tweeted almost identical language admitting that despite getting their booster shots for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), they still tested positive for the virus.

Like parrots, Warren, Booker and Crow all say that they are still either thankful or grateful that they got boosted, despite experiencing breakthrough cases of the Fauci Flu.

Today I tested positive with a breakthrough case, reads Warrens tweet. Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provide against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted.

Bookers tweet was a near-carbon copy of Warrens, stating that he is beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster.

Im certain that without them I would be doing much worse, Booker added.

Then we have Crow, who says he is really thankful to be fully vaccinated and boosted and experiencing only mild symptoms.

 the vaccine is safe and effective, he was sure to add at the end of his tweet to reemphasize his political correctness.

In New York, an unvaccinated healthy person cant enter a restaurant, but a fully vaccinated sick person can

It is almost as if all three of these political hacks receive their marching orders from the same source. All three of their tweet scripts, after all, certainly read that way.

Meanwhile, the science behind the plandemic continues to morph into nonsensical voodoo as the fully vaccinated get increasingly sicker despite being protected with their injections.

American television host and author Jedediah Bila used New York City as an example in a tweet pointing out that the restrictions there make no sense in terms of actually stopping the spread of the Wuhan Flu.

Someone who is unvaccinated but not sick with Covid cant sit inside a NYC restaurant, she wrote. But a vaccinated person with an active, transmissible Covid infection can flash a vaccine passport & gain entrance.

Does that make sense to you? she added. I dont think so. The mandates are horses**t.

Even so, New York City and the state as a whole are doubling down on this approach with a new proposed plan to lock up the unvaccinated and stop them from participating in society at all.

When the New York Senate and Assembly reconvene on Jan. 5, 2022, there is a possibility that they will pass Bill A416, which would allow Gov. Kathy Hochul to decree that all cases, contacts, carriers, or anyone suspected of presenting a significant threat to public health' be hauled off to Camp Covid on a whim.

The plan is to allow only the fully vaccinated, as that term is constantly being redefined, to go to restaurants, go to the gym, and maintain employment. The unvaccinated will need to be cleansed in a Fauci Flu detainment camp.

I am grateful for the cancer and heart disease the VACCINATION has given me, joked one commenter, mocking the parrot tweets from Warren, Booker and Crow. To think I had a .090 chance of dying from covid.

TRUTH is almost certain that they are among the 200+ members of Congress taking ivermectin, suggested another about these three.

They have been given a script to follow (you may change the wording slightly, but the concept shall not vary). They are parrots out there to convince the fence-sitters.

Another pointed out that Warren, Booker and Crow are more than likely paid off by the pharmaceutical cartels to spout these scripts.

Most politicians are just deep state puppets pushing lies, especially when it comes to the Fauci Flu. To keep up with the latest, visit Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

NaturalNews.com
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 22: People stand in a line at a COVID-19 testing site set up at the Miami Beach 17th street garage on December 22, 2021 in Miami Beach, Florida. As COVID-19 cases rise around the country, healthcare workers are urging people to take precautions during family holiday get togethers. (Photo : Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Moderna, a US immunization manufacturer, remains confident that its specially designed shot is extremely effective against with the Omicron modified version, following the release of convincing clinical findings.

"We will be particularly inclined to depend upon the vaccination program to discuss the relatively close huge increase of Omicron rare situations," Moderna Chairman, Stephen Hoge said during a panel discussion.

But even so, he stated that testing methods revealed that safeguarding against Omicron was "dramatically lower" already after two doses than those of the preliminary amount of pressure of COVID.

Moderna Vaccine Booster Continues to Provide Immunity from Omicron Variant

And as per the result obtained, administering a full course of Moderna's vaccination program as a specially designed shot would provide further immune response prevention against Omicron than that of the reportedly permitted half-strength intravenous infusion.

The researchers evaluated the thresholds of Omicron-neutralizing monoclonal antibody in clinical specimens from 40 participants who had significantly lower levels of these immunoglobulin prior to receiving the booster.

For preservation against COVID-19, the recommended method is to administer 100 micrograms of the Moderna parting shot as a first and second prescribed dose, accompanied by a 50-microgram stimulant.

Immune responses were analyzed 29 days ever since booster people who participated received the third jab, with half receiving a 50-microgram dose and the other half receiving a 100-microgram dose.

According to Moderna, pre - feasibility statistics indicate that the development of resistance to Omicron at the 50-microgram intake enhanced 37-fold, however when the medication was massively increased, antibody titers enhanced 83-fold.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel described the findings as "encouraging," indicating that the company would focus on developing an Omicron-specific vaccine.

"We're extremely hopeful considering the evidence articulated now," Hoge continued, "that perhaps the officially approved booster intake of 50 micrograms would have to provide adequate prevention, we keep hoping, against with the Omicron special version."

"We do anticipate that different seasons boosting will be required in the years ahead," he appended.

Also read: Death Toll in Europe Projected to Rise Because of Omicron, Health Agencies Warn Us

Moderna Manufacturer Guarantees People Protection from COVID-19

A targeted vaccine clinical trial is expected to begin in early 2022. Moderna is developing an immunization that will take into account many other deeply troubling different variations at almost the same moment in order to expand body 's immune system.

Professionals advise extreme care when trying to decipher laboratory findings, stating that legitimate and authentic proofs is required to define exactly legal immunity against transmission of infection and chronic condition.

The other week, real-world data from South Africa revealed that two shots of a roughly comparable mRNA shot from Pfizer/BioNTech provided more than 70% immunity against serious physical Omicron respiratory illness.

In a question-and-answer session made public on Monday in the French daily Le Monde, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin stated that after such a third intravenous infusion, the vaccine appeared to continue supply 70% up to 75% immunity against almost any version of the COVID-19 illness.

He started adding that, regarding the outstanding regulatory explicit permission, his corporation must therefore be eligible to focus on providing an Omicron-specific immunization in March.

Also read: Two Doses of Pfizer Vaccine 70% Effective Against Stubborn Omicron Variant
According to information published by the U.S. Embassy in Uruguay, On December 15, 2021, Admiral Jorge Wilson, Commander of the Uruguayan Navy, signed a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) finalizing the government-to-government agreement between the United States and Uruguay, allowing Uruguay to accept three Protector-Class patrol vessels as part of a grant from the United States Coast Guard as part of the Uruguayan Navys Fleet Modernization plan.

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Navy of Uruguay to accept three Protector Class vessels as part of a grant from the United States Coast Guard as part of the Uruguayan Navys Fleet Modernization plan (Picture source U.S. Embassy of Uruguay)

The three vessels, USCG Cutters Albacore (WPB-87309), Cochito (WPD-87329), and Gannet (WPB-87334), were all commissioned between 1999 and 2009. The original cost of the vessels was US$14,361,000 and the current estimated value is US$ 8,685,000.

Uruguay will receive the vessels themselves as a no-cost grant but, in accordance with U.S. law, will be responsible for paying US$ 4,986,296 for the vessels refurbishment, and for training for Uruguayan Navy personnel to employ the ships.

The 87-foot (27 m) Protector Class vessels have a 900 NM (1,700 KM) range, a top speed of 25 knots, and served in the United States on missions including homeland security, combating drug smuggling, immigration enforcement, marine fisheries enforcement and search and rescue support. The ships are designed to accommodate crews of mixed gender with five separate small berthing spaces and maximum berthing for 12. Each ship will include a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) that can be launched from the stern of the larger vessel via an innovative launch and recovery system. This capability allows for crews to quickly intercept, inspect and/or board other vessels while on patrol without stopping. The three specific vessels that Uruguay will receive, now decommissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard, were homeported in Connecticut, Virginia, and Florida.
WASHINGTON (AP)  For over a decade, residents of the rural Fort Apache Reservation in eastern Arizona have been promised miles of pipeline that would bring clean drinking water to their communities.

Now, a one-time windfall to help carry out the agreement could be on its way.

The federal infrastructure bill signed last month includes $2.5 billion for Native American water rights settlements, a tool tribes have used to define their rights to water from rivers and other sources and get federal funding to deliver it to residents.

The federal government has not disclosed how the money will be divvied up. But tribes involved in more than 30 settlements  many in the U.S. West, including the White Mountain Apache of the Fort Apache Reservation  are eligible and eagerly awaiting specifics.

These are longstanding lapses in the building out of infrastructure ... to make sure that people in Indian Country are not left behind, said Heather Whiteman Runs Him, who is from the Crow Nation of Montana and directs the University of Arizonas Tribal Justice Clinic.

Access to reliable, clean water and basic sanitation facilities on tribal lands remains a challenge for hundreds of thousands of people. The funding for settlements is part of about $11 billion from the infrastructure law headed to Indian Country to expand broadband coverage, fix roads and provide basic needs like running water.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1908 that tribes have rights to as much water as they need to establish a permanent homeland, and those rights stretch back at least as long as any given reservation has existed. As a result, tribal water rights often are more senior to others in the West, where competition over the scarce resource is often fierce.

Litigation can be expensive and drawn-out, which is why many tribes have turned to settlements. The negotiations generally involve tribes, states, cities, private water users, local water districts and others and can take years if not decades to hash out.

What makes them a complicated and often very slow-moving process is there are huge potential ramifications for how a tribal water right gets quantified and developed, said Richard Jim Palmer, the White Mountain Apache Tribes attorney general from 2010 to 2018.

Nearly 40 water rights settlements have been reached with tribes, some of which include more than one tribe. The Interior Department said 31 of the settlements are eligible for funds from the infrastructure bill.

This money will really help us to fulfill our end of the deal, said Elizabeth Klein, senior counselor to the Interior secretary.

Congress approved the White Mountain Apache settlement in 2010. The tribe received more than one-third of the water it claimed it was entitled to from two rivers that flow on the mountainous reservation in exchange for the promise of federal money to deliver the water to tribal communities.

The tribe has said it needs federal funding for water storage, surface water treatment facilities and miles of pipeline so residents can have a reliable and clean source of drinking water.

The projects stalled, however, because of cost overruns and technical issues that took years to resolve and even more negotiations to secure additional funding, Palmer said. He added thats typical of many tribal water rights settlements.

Its a situation of having a lot of money on paper but it being very, very difficult to access and implement ... without a staggering amount of red tape getting in the way, said Palmer, who is White Mountain Apache.

As a result, residents of the reservation still rely on over-pumped wells or consume water thats potentially contaminated with heavy metals, Palmer said.

Congress' piecemeal approach to funding tribal water rights settlements is what makes the $2.5 billion in the infrastructure deal important, said Jay Weiner, an attorney and Native American water law expert.

It kind of clears the decks on these annual funding cycles so you have less competition for ... limited dollars, he said.

The Navajo Nation  the largest Native American reservation in the U.S.  said it expects to receive funding from the infrastructure law for a 2020 settlement it reached with Utah for water in the upper Colorado River basin.

Congress authorized $210 million for water delivery infrastructure and agricultural conservation projects to help bring running water to the Utah side of the reservation, but lawmakers did not provide full funding.

Meanwhile, residents and public health experts are concerned about groundwater contamination from uranium and arsenic. On the Utah portion of the Navajo Nation, the tribe has said hundreds of households  or roughly 40% of the residents  lack running water or proper sanitation facilities.

The 27,000-square-mile (70,000-square-kilometer) reservation is larger than West Virginia and also stretches into Arizona and New Mexico. Homes are scattered on the landscape, adding to the difficulties in transporting water.

Tribes say the faster they get the funding, the sooner they can start long-anticipated projects to make use of water deemed theirs on paper.

Ultimately, it really is about allowing and facilitating tribes to be able to put their water to use, which is the point of the whole exercise, Weiner said.

___

Fonseca reported from Flagstaff, Arizona.

___

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of APs environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/environment
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP)  Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santas coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 wont stop him.

Thats the word from the joint U.S.-Canadian military operation that for 66 years has been tracking Jolly Old St. Nicholas on his global mission and has assured us all  first by land line and more recently by iPhone, Android, OnStar, Facebook, YouTube and more  that hes on his way with a sleigh stuffed with toys and a welcome dose of joy.

In whats become its own wildly popular tradition, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command provides real-time updates on Santas progress Dec. 24, from 4 a.m. to midnight MST. NORADs Santa Tracker lets families watch Father Christmas in 3D as he transits the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

From deep inside NORAD headquarters, dozens of volunteers field an unrelenting wave of phone calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They and other volunteers working off-site because of coronavirus distancing protocols will answer such questions as When will he come to my house? What kind of cookies does he like? said program manager and NORAD spokesman Preston Schlachter.

Want to watch? Visit https://www.noradsanta.org, check out #NORADTracksSanta and @NoradSanta on Twitter, or use the associated apps. You can also email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com for the latest.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden also participated in tradition, answering calls to the Santa tracking service. It is a longstanding tradition for first ladies, but the president joined this year as well.

Even before Fridays takeoff, the NORAD webpage had been visited more than 3 million times, Schlachter said.

Every household, every country is having to deal with the impact of this pandemic. Santa Claus is an icon, and he is a source of joy for a lot of people, Schlachter said.

For those worried about Santas safety  or their own  the bearded man likely will be wearing a mask at each stop, and of course hes wearing gloves, Schlachter noted. For the technically inclined, NORADs website offers more data on the voyage (Weight of gifts at takeoff: 60,000 tons, or 54,600 metric tons; sleigh propulsion: nine RP, or reindeer power).

Like any good Christmas tale, the programs origin has been told for generations.

In 1955, Air Force Col. Harry Shoup  the on-duty commander one night at NORADs predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command  answered a call from a child who dialed a number that was misprinted in an ad in a newspaper, thinking she was calling Santa.

Shoup answered the call, thought it was a prank at first, but then realized what had happened and assured the child that he was Santa, and thus started the tradition that we are celebrating now 66 years later, Schlachter said.

NORADs mission is to watch the skies above North America for any potential threats. Come early Christmas Eve, the Santa operation begins when a cluster of radar stations in northern Canada and Alaska pick up an infrared signature emanating from Rudolphs nose. NORADs array of geostationary satellites above the Earth monitor the journey.

Its all shown on large, unclassified display screens in a festively decorated command post at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. Masked volunteers sit at tables equipped with telephones, garland, miniature Christmas trees, plenty of caffeine-laden candy and coffee  and hand sanitizer.

We Have the Watch, is NORADs military-mission motto.

And when it comes to Santa, NORAD adds:

Santa calls the shots. We just track him.

___

Associated Press journalist Terry Chea in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Reporter

Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
AP

Spain has set a new daily infection record as citizens seeking to determine whether they are contagious ahead of Christmas gatherings endured long queues amid a shortage of tests
Randy Willis, who refused to speak to police, was arrested after his release from the hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg he received at a convenience store. Police are looking for other shooters.
Letter to the Editor | Please, wise up and get the shots
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
An additional 30 million in emergency funding has been made available through the Culture Recovery Fund to support museums, cinemas, theaters and heritage organizations with the impact of the Omicron variant this winter.

Announced as part of the Chancellor's 1 billion support package, this funding recognizes how important the festive period is for the arts, heritage and creative sectors and will provide vital emergency grants, doubling the amount that was previously available in the latest round of the Culture Recovery Fund.

Now open for applications, emergency grants will safeguard local museums and heritage, independent cinemas and regional theaters so that they can continue to support jobs, contribute to the economy, and make sure everyone has access to culture and heritage on their doorstep. The government is also extending the application window by a week until January 18, to give more organizations a chance to apply to the fund and help protect even more jobs.

Government funding via Arts Council England will also provide an immediate 1.5 million to support freelancers affected by the pandemic, alongside a further 1.35 million contribution from the theater sector. This will provide grants of 650,000 each directly to the Theatre Artists Fund, Help Musicians, and 200,000 to a-n, the Artists Information Company, a charity for visual artists which will distribute cash to freelancers over the coming weeks.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:

Our arts, culture and heritage sectors bring joy and enrichment to our day-to-day lives, and rarely more so than at Christmas. So we understand how devastating the uncertainty caused by Omicron has been. This new funding, alongside the new grants of up to 6,000 we announced earlier this week, will support the sector as we together face this difficult time. We've supported the cultural sector throughout the pandemic, and we'll continue to do so."

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

From pantos to carol singing to festive film releases, Christmas is a very important time of year for so many of our brilliant arts and culture organizations who have now found themselves impacted by the Omicron variant. It is absolutely right that we support them through this challenging time which is why we've doubled the emergency funding available from the Culture Recovery Fund and allowed more time for organizations to come forward. The best thing we can all do to help protect ourselves and to get back to the culture we love is to Get Boosted Now."

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

Thanks to the dedication and ingenuity of people working in the arts, culture and heritage - as well as unprecedented government support - these cherished sectors have already withstood many challenges over the course of the pandemic. The new Omicron variant has added to those challenges by hitting at what is a crucial time of the year for so many artists and organizations. This additional emergency funding will make sure that those most at risk are able to receive the urgent help they need. We are also working with Arts Council England and charities supporting artists across the sectors to help freelancers who have been particularly hit by the cancellation of productions in what should have been a busy and vibrant period. We will continue to work closely with groups and organizations across the sectors to see how we can best provide support to those affected."

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:

We are once again grateful to government for their support and investment which continues on an unprecedented scale to meet the challenges facing our arts and cultural organizations and creative freelancers. We will work closely with the government to deliver funding at pace and will continue to support freelancers and cultural organizations to explore all available funding to help navigate these difficult times."

So far more than 1.5 billion from the 2 billion Culture Recovery Fund has been allocated to around 5,000 organizations across the length and breadth of England, supporting them through the pandemic.
Scientists investigating the DNA outside our genes - the 'dark genome' - have discovered recently evolved regions that code for proteins associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

They say these new proteins can be used as biological indicators to distinguish between the two conditions, and to identify patients more prone to psychosis or suicide.

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are debilitating mental disorders that are hard to diagnose and treat. Despite being amongst the most heritable mental health disorders, very few clues to their cause have been found in the sections of our DNA known as genes.

The scientists think that hotspots in the 'dark genome' associated with the disorders may have evolved because they have beneficial functions in human development, but their disruption by environmental factors leads to susceptibility to, or development of, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

The results are published today in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

"By scanning through the entire genome we've found regions, not classed as genes in the traditional sense, which create proteins that appear to be associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder," said Dr Sudhakaran Prabakaran, who was based in the University of Cambridge's Department of Genetics when he conducted the research, and is senior author of the report.

He added: "This opens up huge potential for new druggable targets. It's really exciting because nobody has ever looked beyond the genes for clues to understanding and treating these conditions before."

The researchers think that these genomic components of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are specific to humans - the newly discovered regions are not found in the genomes of other vertebrates. It is likely that the regions evolved quickly in humans as our cognitive abilities developed, but they are easily disrupted - resulting in the two conditions.

The traditional definition of a gene is too conservative, and it has diverted scientists away from exploring the function of the rest of the genome." Chaitanya Erady, researcher in the University of Cambridge's Department of Genetics and first author of the study

She added: "When we look outside the regions of DNA classed as genes, we see that the entire human genome has the ability to make proteins, not just the genes. We've found new proteins that are involved in biological processes and are dysfunctional in disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder."

The majority of currently available drugs are designed to target proteins coded by genes. The new finding helps to explain why schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are heritable conditions, and could provide new targets for future treatments.

Schizophrenia is a severe, long-term mental health condition that may result in hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking and behaviour, while bipolar disorder causes extreme mood swings ranging from mania to depression. The symptoms sometimes make the two disorders difficult to tell apart.

Prabakaran left his University position earlier this year to create the company NonExomics, in order to commercialise this and other discoveries. Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialisation arm of the University of Cambridge, has assisted NonExomics by licensing the intellectual property. Prabakaran has raised seed funding to develop new therapeutics that will target the proteins implicated in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and other diseases.

His team has now discovered 248,000 regions of DNA outside of the regions conventionally defined as genes, which code for new proteins that are disrupted in disease.
A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), published by Elsevier, reports in adolescents 11-14 years old, that schools account for a small, but significant part of a young person's mental health.

As young people transition back-to-school, we must prioritize their mental health and consider what we can do to promote their well-being. Schools are potentially well placed to do this as young people spend much of their waking life at school; however, policy makers also need to look at any number of factors outside schools that are consistently associated with poor mental health-;namely deprivation and social inequality." Willem Kuyken, PhD, Corresponding Author, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK

A sample of 26,885 students, between 11-14 years of age, across 85 schools were surveyed to establish young people's mental health and which school and broader factors were important. Schools accounted for only 2.4% of the variation in social-emotional-behavioral difficulties; 1.6% of the variation in depressive symptoms; and 1.4% of the variation in well-being. Other factors like being in an urban location, greater levels of deprivation and being white British were all associated with poorer mental health. While schools explained only small amounts of variation in mental health, in support of additional research in the field, school climate was nonetheless associated with mental health.

The findings, from data obtained in the My Resilience in Adolescence (MYRIAD) study, explore what supports young people's mental health and evaluates the cost-effectiveness of a mindfulness training intervention delivered to an entire school. This study uses the data from this mindfulness trial to explore school-level influences on the mental health of young people.

"Despite the direct influence of schools on mental health being small in our study, this does not mean schools should stop themselves short of doing something really valuable to improve a young person's mental health," said Tamsin Ford, PhD, Professor of Child Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK. "A positive school climate seems key and there are a range of whole school and targeted interventions that work. I would add that even small school-level effects may translate into more significant impacts if the substantial future health, economic, and societal costs of mental ill health are considered."
In the recent issue of Nature Immunology, researchers have shared a comprehensive brief on the latest research conducted by Dowell and colleagues. The new data by Dowell and the team shows that, compared to adults, children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) preferentially activate pre-existing acquired immunity to prevalent common cold coronaviruses that cross-react with SARS-CoV-2 and protect them from severe disease.

The team suggests that these superior immune responses are derived from prior HCoV exposures and demonstrate that they are upregulated by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Study: Boosted immunity to the common cold might protect children from COVID-19. Image Credit: Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock

Previous studies have shown that biological age of an individual is the primary risk factor associated with the development of severe coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). As of 27 October 2021, nearly 76% of the ~737,000 cumulative deaths in the United States, involved older individuals, aged 65 years or more. Notably, the COVID-19 related hospitalization or death rate in this age group is approximately 1,0008,000 times higher than in the younger 017-year-old group. In another study, SARS-CoV-2 related mortality has been the lowest among children aged 5-9 years. However, the answer to, why SARS-CoV-2 infection tends to be milder or asymptomatic in children and young individuals, wasnt explained yet.

Background

SARS-CoV-2 is a new coronavirus to human population, however, most of the people throughout their lives have been exposed to or infected with other antigenically related seasonal common-cold coronaviruses (HCoV) and have developed detectable acquired immunity against them. HKU1 and OC43 are two such closely related HCoVs that share extensive sequence homology with SARS-CoV-2. Few studies have shown cross-reactivity of the adaptive immune response to these viruses with SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Another report suggested that recent HCoV infections are associated with a reduction in COVID-19 severity, however, some reports have even drawn contrary conclusions.

Dowell and the team aimed at this study to find the immunological relationship between pre-existing responses to endemic HCoVs and SARS-CoV-2, and to figure out how would such cross-reactivity affect disease outcomes across different age groups.

The study involved a cohort of 91 children and 154 adults, who had mild or asymptomatic disease in the United Kingdom during the latter half of 2020. Their convalescent humoral (antibody) and cellular (T cell) immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 were quantitatively profiled. Immune responses to other endemic coronaviruses were also quantitated.

Comparison of Humoral immune responses

Both children and adults produced robust antibody responses against the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD), the N-terminal domain and the full ectodomain of spike glycoprotein, as measured by an electro-chemiluminescence multiplex assay. Nevertheless, compared to adults, children showed a higher but statistically insignificant trend for overall spike-specific antibody production.

Noticeably, antibody levels to all four endemic HCoVs were boosted in SARS-CoV-2 seropositive children and adults, compared to their respective seronegative groups. The antibody levels were boosted the most in SARS-CoV-2 infected children and reached significance for HKU-1 and OC-43. In contrast, antibody levels to other unrelated common cold viruses i.e. Influenza A virus and respiratory syncytial virus which did not alter significantly, showing that the effect was specific to other HCoVs only. This demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection in children specifically and significantly boosted the pre-existing immune responses to HKU-1 and OC-43 HCoVs.

The team demonstrated quantitatively that the back-boosted antibodies to OC43 and HKU1 in seropositive children were predominantly cross-reactive with the SARS-CoV-2 S2 domain, explaining the higher SARS-CoV-2-specific titer in children.

The team also found that children maintained quantitatively higher as well as more durable spike-specific antibody immune response, lasting 12 months after infection, in comparison to adults. These superior humoral immune responses existed for both wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and other variants of concern (VOC). In addition to neutralizing antibodies, children maintained comparatively longer-lasting non-neutralizing antibodies to spike epitopes that could provide protection through Fc-mediated effector functions.

Comparison of Cellular T-cell mediated immune responses

In similar lines to the antibody responses, children developed stronger cellular immune responses to the spike protein following SARS-CoV-2 infection. The team used an interferon- (IFN-) enzyme-linked immune absorbent spot (ELISpot) and overlapping peptide pools resulting from the spike, nucleocapsid, membrane and envelope proteins, and observed that T cell responses were similarly aroused in SARS-CoV-2 seropositive children (33/37) and adults (51/64), however, the number of spot-forming/cross-reactive T cells were double in the children that indicated towards improved protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection in children.

Cytokine production profile by SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells was compared from children and adults using a multianalyte bead assay on supernatants of ELISpot assay. Children showed differential functional response compared to adults and demonstrated that samples from adult donors showed a marked interleukin-2 (IL-2) response. In contrast, IL-2 levels in children were very low and CD8+IL-2-TNF+IFN-+ T cells constituted the majority of the spike-specific T cell profile in them.

Notably, T-cell mediated cellular responses were observed in 60% of the seronegative children, in comparison to seronegative adults, in which this proportion reduced to 34%.

Implications

The study indicates that in addition to the induction of S1-directed virus-neutralizing antibodies, SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, if designed to induce humoral and cellular immune responses directed to the S2 domain might provide improved protection in all age groups.

The finding that plasma antibodies in children are preferentially enriched in cross-reactive antibodies directed to conserved epitopes shared between HCoV and SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins, particularly the S2 subunit, suggests a vital contribution of cross-reactive antibodies in the resolution of SARS-CoV-2 viral infection in children.
After Amanda Wilson lost her son, Braden, 15, to covid-19 in early 2021, she tried to honor his memory. She put up a lending library box in his name. She plans to give the money she saved for his college education to other teens who love the arts and technology.

But in one area, she hit a brick wall: attempting to force change at the California hospital where she believes her son contracted covid in December 2020. While seeking treatment for a bleeding cyst, Braden was surrounded for hours by coughing patients in the emergency room, Wilson said. Yet, she said, she has been unable to get the hospital to show her improvements it told her it made or get a lawyer to take her case.

"I was pretty shocked," Wilson said. "There's truly no recourse."

Throughout the pandemic, lawmakers from coast to coast have passed laws, declared emergency orders or activated state-of-emergency statutes that severely limited families' ability to seek recourse for lapses in covid-related care.

Under such liability shields, legal advocates say, it's nearly impossible to seek the legal accountability that can pry open information and drive systemic improvements to the infection-control practices that make hospitals safer for patients.

"Lawsuits are there for accountability and truth to be exposed," said Kate Miceli, state affairs counsel for the American Association for Justice, which advocates for plaintiff lawyers. "These laws are absolutely preventing that."

A previous KHN investigation documented that more than 10,000 people tested positive for covid after they were hospitalized for something else in 2020. Yet many others, including Braden Wilson, are not counted in those numbers because they were discharged before testing positive. Still, the KHN findings are the only nationally publicly available data showing rates of patients who tested positive for covid after admission into individual U.S. hospitals.

Those who have lost a family member say hospitals need to be held more accountable.

"My mom is not like one of those people who would say 'Go sue them,'" said Kim Crail, who believes her 79-year-old mom contracted covid during an eight-day stay at a hospital in Edgewood, Kentucky, because she tested positive less than 48 hours after leaving. "But she just wouldn't want it to happen to anyone else."

'You put your trust in the hospital'

At age 89, Yan Keynigshteyn had begun to fade with dementia. But he was still living at home until he was admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles for a urological condition, according to Terry Ayzman, his grandson.

Keynigshteyn, a Soviet Union emigrant who did not understand English, found himself in an unfamiliar place with masked caregivers. The hospital confined him to his bed, Ayzman said. He did not understand how to navigate the family's Zoom calls and, eventually, stopped talking.

He was tested regularly for covid during his two-week-plus stay, Ayzman said. On Keynigshteyn's way home in an ambulance, his doctor got test results showing he had tested positive for covid. It can take two to 14 days from exposure to covid for patients to start showing symptoms such as a fever, though the average is four to five days. His grandson believes that because Keynigshteyn was in the hospital for over two weeks before testing positive, he contracted covid at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

As the ambulance doors opened and Keynigshteyn finally saw his wife and other family members, he smiled for the first time in weeks, Ayzman said. Then the crew slammed the doors shut and took him back to the hospital.

A few days later, Keynigshteyn died.

"You put your trust in the hospital and you get the short end of the stick," Ayzman said. "It wasnt supposed to be like that."

Ayzman wanted to find out more from the hospital, but he said officials there refused to give him a copy of its investigation into his grandfather's case, saying it was an internal matter and the results were inconclusive.

Hospital spokesperson Phil Hampton did not answer questions about Keynigshteyn. "UCLA Health's overriding priority is the safety of patients, employees, visitors and volunteers," he said, adding that the health system has been consistent with or exceeded infection-control protocols at the local, state and federal level throughout the pandemic.

Ayzman reached out to five lawyers, but he said none would take the case. He said they all told him courts were unsympathetic to cases against health care institutions at the time.

"I dont believe that a state of emergency should give a license to hospitals to get away with things scot-free," Ayzman said.

The current state of legal play

The avalanche of liability shield legislation was pitched as a way to prevent a wave of lawsuits, Miceli said. But it created an "unreasonable standard" for patients and families, she said, since a state-of-emergency raises the bar for filing medical malpractice cases and already makes many lawyers hesitant to take such cases.

Almost every state put extra liability shield protections in place during the pandemic, Miceli said. Some of them broadly protected institutions such as hospitals, while others were more focused on shielding health care workers.

Corporate-backed groups, including the American Legislative Exchange Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, American Tort Reform Association and the National Council of Insurance Legislators, helped pass a range of liability shield bills across the country through lobbying, working with state partners or drafting forms of model legislation, a KHN review has found.

William Melofchik, general counsel for NCOIL, said member legislators drafted their model bill because they felt it was important to guard against a never-ending wave of litigation and to be "better safe than sorry."

Nathan Morris, vice president of legislative affairs for the Chamber's Institute for Legal Reform, said his group's work had influenced states across the country to implement what he called timely and effective protections for hospitals that were trying to do the right thing while working through a harrowing pandemic.

"Nothing that we advocated for would slam the courthouse door in the face of someone who had a claim that was clearly legitimate," he said.

The other two organizations did not answer questions about their involvement in such work by deadline.

Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice & Democracy at New York Law School, said such powerful corporate lobbying interests used the broader "health care heroes" moment to push through lawsuit protections for institutions like hospitals. She believes they will likely worsen patient outcomes.

"The fact that the hospitals were able to get immunity under these laws is pretty offensive and dangerous," she said.

Some of the measures were time-limited or linked to public emergencies that have since expired, but, Miceli said, more than half of states still have some form of expanded liability laws and executive orders in place. Florida legislators are currently working to extend its protections to mid-2023.

Doctors' groups and hospital leaders say they must have legal immunity in times of crisis.

"Liability protections can be incredibly important because they do encourage providers to continue working and to continue actually providing care in incredibly troubling emergency circumstances," said Jennifer Piatt, a deputy director of the Western Region Office for the Network for Public Health Law.

Akin Demehin, director of policy for the American Hospital Association, said it's important to remember the severe shortages in testing and personal protective equipment at the start of the pandemic. He added that the health care workforce faced tremendous strain as it had to juggle new roles amid personnel shortages, along with ever-evolving federal guidance and understanding of how the coronavirus spreads.

Piatt cautioned that appropriately calibrating liability shields is delicate work, as protections that are too broad can deprive patients of their ability to seek recourse.

Those wanting to learn more about how covid spreads within a U.S. hospital have few resources. Dr. Abraar Karan, now an infectious diseases fellow at Stanford, and other researchers examined covid transmission rates among roommates at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. But few hospitals have dug deep on the topic, he said, which could reflect the stretched-thin resources in hospitals or a fear of negative media coverage.

"There should be dialogue from the lessons learned," Karan said.

'Do not put anything in writing'

Crail and Kelly Heeb lost their mother, Sydney Terrell, to covid early in 2021. The sisters believe she caught it during her more-than-weeklong stay at St. Elizabeth Edgewood Hospital outside Cincinnati following a hernia repair surgery.

They said she spent hours in an ER separated from other patients only by curtains and did not wear a mask in her patient room while she recovered. She was discharged from the hospital complaining about tightness in her chest, the sisters said. Within 24 hours, she spiked a fever. The next day, she was back in the ER, where she tested positive for covid on Christmas Eve 2020, they said. After a difficult bout with the virus, Terrell died Jan. 8.

When Crail attempted to file a complaint detailing their concerns, she said a hospital risk management employee told her: "'No, do not put anything in writing.'"

Crail filed cursory paperwork anyway. She received the hospital's conclusion in the mail in an envelope postmarked Dec. 1, more than seven months after the April 27 date typed at the top of the letterhead. The letter stated the St. Elizabeth Healthcare oversight committee determined it was "unable to substantiate" that their mother contracted covid in the hospital due to high community transmission rates, incubation timing and unreliable covid tests. The letter did note that despite the hospital system's extensive protocols, "the risks of transmission will always exist."

Guy Karrick, a spokesperson for the hospital, did not comment on the sisters' specific case but said "we have not and would not tell any patient or family not to put their concerns in writing." He added that the hospital has been following all federal and state guidelines to protect its patients.

Braden's mom, Amanda Wilson, had far more dialogue with the hospital where she thinks her son got covid. But it still left her with doubts that she made an impact.

When her son was in the Adventist Health Simi Valley ER in December 2020 in a bed separated by curtains, they could hear staffers periodically reminding coughing patients around them to keep on their masks. She and Braden kept their own masks on for the vast majority of their several-hours-long stay, she said, but staffers in their bay didn't always have their own masks pulled up.

Hospital spokesperson Alicia Gonzalez said staffers "track infections that may occur in our facilities and we have no verified infection of any patient or visitor of covid-19 in our facility," adding that the hospital is "dedicated to serving our community and ensuring the safety of all who are cared for at our hospital."

Wilson, a mathematician who works in the aerospace industry, expected the hospital to be able to show her evidence of some of the changes she discussed with hospital officials, including its president. For one, she hoped the staffers would get trained by a physician with direct experience treating the covid complication that made her son fatally ill, called MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome. She also had hoped to see proof that the hospital installed no-touch faucets in the ER bathroom, which would help limit the spread of infections.

Gonzalez said that hospital executives listened to Wilson's concerns and met with her on more than one occasion and that the hospital has improved its internal processes and procedures as it has learned about transmissibility and best practices.

But Wilson said they wouldn't send her photos or let her see the changes for herself. The hospital declined to list or provide evidence of the changes to KHN as well.

"It made me more angry," Wilson said. "Here I tried to make it better for people. I couldnt make it better for Braden, but for people who'd come to this hospital  it is the only hospital in our town."

She said she reached out to a lawyer, who told her there would be no way to prove how Braden caught covid. She had no other way to force more of a reckoning over her son's death. So, she said, she has turned to other ways to "leave little pieces of him out in the world."
A new medRxiv* preprint study suggests that the immune response against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is greater with a three-dose regimen than a two-dose regimen. Administering a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot produced a 1.7-fold increase in IgG levels one after one month compared to IgG levels one month after the second dose. Additionally, there was a significant 6.1-fold rise in neutralizing antibodies.

Booster shots generated a high immune response among healthcare workers 60 years or older and people with two or more comorbidities. Compared to the first two Pfizer-BioNTech doses, the booster shot had an 85.6% vaccine effectiveness.

Study: Superior immunogenicity and effectiveness of the 3rd BNT162b2 vaccine dose. Image Credit: Rido/Shutterstock

The researchers conclude that a third Pfizer-BioNTech dose is immunologically superior to the second dose. Booster shots have shown considerable effectiveness against the newly identified Omicron variant which has caused a record number of breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals. Additionally, the booster shot may be essential in providing protection against people who are older or immunocompromised who may not have had a full antibody response with the first two doses.

How they did it

The researchers studied vaccine effectiveness, vaccine safety, and immune response of 12,413 healthcare workers living in Israel who were given a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Serum samples were collected from vaccinated healthcare workers after the second, before the third dose, and after the third dose to study changes in antibody levels. Vaccine effectiveness was studied between healthcare workers with three doses to healthcare workers who received two vaccines at least 5 months ago.

Heathcare workers inoculated with a booster shot by September 2, 2021 were invited to fill out an electronic questionnaire involving adverse events after vaccination.

Third Pfizer-BioNTech shot boosts immune levels against SARS-CoV-2

The third vaccine dose produced a 31-fold increase in IgG antibody levels compared to two doses. Additionally, there was a 41-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies after the third dose.

The researchers also found a small, but significant increase in T cell activation in 16 healthcare workers. The average IgG titer was greater after the third (2,745) than the second dose (1,586). In other words, a 1.7-fold increase was observed in IgG levels after the third booster shot. With the third dose, neutralizing antibodies rose from 646 to 3,948. This translated to a 6.1-fold increase from the second dose.

The researchers also tested antibody binding strength to a complex antigen after the second and third doses. The second dose produced a 61.1% antibody binding strength while the third dose produced a 96.3% binding strength. Age did not make a difference in binding strength between doses.

Individual factors associated with dosage strength

Old age was linked to lower IgG levels and neutralizing titers after the second dose. Being male and having one or two preexisting health conditions was also associated with lower levels.

Higher IgG tiers are correlated with obesity  a BMI of 30 or higher  than those that are not. In healthcare workers 60 years or older with two or more comorbidities, the third dose increased IgG antibody levels by 1.41-fold. Additionally, neutralizing titers in this age group increased by 1.66-fold compared to younger healthcare workers and those with no preexisting health conditions.

The gap in differences in IgG levels between older and younger adults, gender, and between those with and without preexisting health conditions was reduced after receiving a third dose. The increased binding strength from the third booster shot was correlated with the observed increases in IgG levels and neutralizing antibodies.

Vaccine effectiveness after booster

The rate of breakthrough infections two doses was 5.8 per every 10,0000 days. Healthcare workers inoculated with three shots had a lower risk of breakthrough infections at a rate of 1.1 per every 10,000 days.

The vaccine effectiveness for the booster was calculated at 85.6%.

Side effects from COVID-19 booster

About 3,611 healthcare workers completed an electronic questionnaire asking about any local or systemic adverse events after the booster. Almost all young females younger than 60 and two-thirds of older males reported local reactions, mainly pain at the injection site. About 76% of young females reported systemic adverse events, including fatigue and muscle pain. Nineteen percent also reported fever. In contrast, 31% of older males reported systemic reactions and 3% reported fever.

Two healthcare workers developed symptoms after their booster and required hospitalization.

*Important notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
(Newser)  Update: The girlfriend of a Boston College student who jumped to his death on the morning of his graduation day has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with his 2019 death. Inyoung You, now 23, received a two-and-a-half-year jail sentence, but it's suspended for 10 years, meaning as long as she follows the terms of her probation she won't have to serve time behind bars, the Boston Herald reports. She has also been barred from profiting in any way off the case, the BBC reports. Prosecutors found she was abusive to Alexander Urtula during a tumultuous year-and-a-half-long romance, frequently urging him via text to kill himself. The terms of her probation include mental health treatment and community service. Her lawyer described her as "distraught" and experiencing "deep remorse." Our original story from Nov. 22, 2019, follows:

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Text messages released in the case of a 21-year-old woman accused of pushing her college boyfriend to suicide show she apparently asked him to "stop." Prosecutors say Inyoung You was not only present when 22-year-old Alexander Urtula jumped from a parking garage on the morning of his Boston College graduation but encouraged him to take his own life "hundreds of times" in the two months leading up to the May 20 death. In what are said to be their final text messages, released by the PR firm representing her and obtained by the Boston Globe, You begins by grilling Urtula about where he's been and who he's seen. "I'm not talking to anyone. I won't ever again. I'm happy I got to spend my last night with you. I love you inyoung until my last breath," he replies, before adding he's "far away on a tall place" and "leaving everyone."

"WHAT SRE YOU [expletive] DOING. IF U [expletive] LOVE ME STOP. IF U EVER [expletive] LOVED ME STOP," You responds. She told Urtula to stop "many more times in more than 100 texts she sent after he stopped responding," per CNN. "I'm begging you please," she adds, per the Globe. "Please why can't we have our forever and always." A rep for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office says it won't comment on the case "beyond what is stated in court," per CNN. You withdrew from classes at Boston College before returning to her native South Korea following Urtula's death but is back in the US to be arraigned on an involuntary manslaughter charge on Friday, per CBS Boston. (Read more suicide stories.)
(Newser)  The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously recommended that George Floyd, who was convicted on a drug charge in 2004 and killed by a police officer in 2020, be given a full pardon. But Thursday, when it came time for Gov. Greg Abbott to release his annual list of pardons and commutations, the board members changed their minds, the New York Times reports. The recommendation was dropped because of "procedural error," a spokeswoman for the governor said. Because the pardon recommendation was withdrawn, she said, "Governor Abbott did not have the opportunity to consider it."

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Abbott did issue clemency to eight people Thursday. The public defender who had taken the pardon request to the board in May said she was furious, per the Texas Tribune. The request had already cleared a compliance review, Allison Mathis said, with none of the board members raising any concerns. She blamed Abbott. "It definitely seems like is that he didnt want to have to vote on this, for whatever reason," Mathis said. "It just seems awfully convenient." The original request had said the arresting officer in the case had "manufactured the existence of confidential informants to bolster his cases against innocent defendants," per CNN.

The officer, Gerald Goines, now faces two murder charges, per Axios, and has been accused of lying to justify warrants involving a drug raid. Abbott, who had said his office would look into the pardon request after it was received in October, didn't rule out a future pardon of Floyd. The board withdrew 24 other recommendations at the same time, and his press secretary said the members will "review and resolve" the procedural errors. Mathis said she wasn't told what the specific problem was. (Read more George Floyd stories.)
(Newser)  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed a pandemic rule for health care workers on Thursday, but it's not because COVID-19 is under control. Fearing hospital staffs will be overwhelmed by the surge in cases, the CDC will allow workers who tested positive for the disease to end their quarantine soonergoing back to their jobs after seven days instead of 10. The change assumes the workers are asymptomatic and have tested negative, the Hill reports. The agency said it might shorten quarantines again if a staffing shortage occurs.

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In addition, the CDC said workers who have had all the vaccine doses and boosters recommended won't have to isolate at home after high-risk exposures, unless they tested positive. In addition to hospitals, per the New York Times, the agency's guidelines apply to anyplace that provides direct patient care, including nursing homes and dental offices. Employers in other fields, such as the airline industry, have asked the CDC to change its recommendations on returning to work, per the Washington Post.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the increase in cases, including those involving the omicron variant, sparked the decision. "As the health care community prepares for an anticipated surge in patients due to omicron," she said in a statement, "CDC is updating our recommendations to reflect what we know about infection and exposure." The CEO of a hospital in New Jersey said retaining employees is his biggest worry now. "It's a concern that actually exceeds my concern over omicron-specific hospital admissions," Dr. Shereef Elnahal said, per CNBC. (Read more COVID-19 stories.)
(Newser)  As four devastated families in Michigan face a first Christmas without their children, prosecutors are pushing back hard against a request from the parents of alleged school shooter Ethan Crumbley to have their bail lowered. In court papers filed Thursday, prosecutors accused James and Jennifer Crumbley of ignoring red flags in the weeks before the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School and concentrating on their own issues instead of their troubled son, the Detroit Free Press reports. Prosecutors said those issues included substance abuse, financial problems, and "seeking other relationships," including Jennifer Crumbley's extramarital affairs. They said the parents spent several hours a night, three or four nights a week, at a barn caring for their horses.

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Oakland County prosecutors said that in the weeks before the shooting, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley's only friend moved away, the family dog died, and "he was sending his mother disturbing texts about his state of mind," the Detroit News reports. He was also torturing animals and left a baby bird's head in a jar in a school bathroom, prosecutors said. His parents knew he was depressed and fascinated with guns, but "instead of paying attention to their son and getting him help, they bought him a gun," prosecutors said. They said their bonds should not be lowered from $500,000 each to $100,000 because they are "a greater risk of flight now than they were at the time of arraignment," having sold their horses and put their home for sale.

Prosecutors also said the Crumbleys had seen their son watching violent videos of shootings on the morning of Nov. 30but when they were called to the school, they did not disclose that he had access to a gun, or ask him where it was. The parents, who have been charged with involuntary manslaughter, will have a bond hearing Jan. 7. The Free Press notes that Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald has acknowledged that the prosecution is unusual and there has been some "pushback" in her office, but she feels it is warranted. "I want to be really clear that these charges are intended to hold individuals who contributed to this tragedy accountable and also send a message that gun owners have a responsibility," she said. (Read more Ethan Crumbley stories.)
(Newser)  Not exactly what holiday travelers want to hear the day before Christmas Eve: Three airlines announced Thursday they were canceling flights for the following day due to the omicron variant of COVID-19. United Airlines canceled more than 150 flights, saying "the nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation." Delta Air Lines canceled more than 100 flights, also citing omicron as one of several reasons, CNN reports. And Alaska Airlines canceled 17, with more cancellations possible, also due to omicron.

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Delta's CEO earlier this week urged the CDC to reconsider isolation guidelines for vaccinated people, Fox Business reports. "With the rapid spread of the omicron variant, the 10-day isolation for those who are fully vaccinated may significantly impact our workforce and operations. Similar to healthcare, police, fire, and public transportation workforces, the omicron surge may exacerbate shortages and create significant disruptions. Further, all airline personnel are required to mask at airports and on airplanes," the letter, which proposes a 5-day isolation, says. A trade organization representing multiple airlines agreed with the recommendation, but the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA disagreed and wants to stick with 10 days. (Read more omicron variant stories.)
(Newser)  Rest assured, kids of all ages: Santas coming this Christmas Eve, and a second holiday with COVID-19 wont stop him. Thats the word from the joint US-Canadian military operation that for 66 years has been tracking Jolly Old St. Nicholas on his global mission and has assured us allfirst by land line and more recently by iPhone, Android, OnStar, Facebook, YouTube, and morethat hes on his way with a sleigh stuffed with toys and a welcome dose of joy, the AP reports. In whats become its own wildly popular tradition, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command provides real-time updates on Santas progress Dec. 24, from 4am to midnight MST. NORADs Santa Tracker lets families watch Father Christmas in 3D as he transits the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

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From deep inside NORAD headquarters at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, dozens of volunteers field an unrelenting wave of phone calls to 1-877-HI-NORAD (1-877-446-6723). They and other volunteers working off-site because of coronavirus distancing protocols will answer such questions as "When will he come to my house? What kind of cookies does he like? says program manager and NORAD spokesman Preston Schlachter. Want to watch? Visit https://www.noradsanta.org, check out #NORADTracksSanta and @NoradSanta on Twitter, or use the associated apps. You can also email noradtrackssanta@outlook.com for the latest. Even before Fridays takeoff, the NORAD webpage had been visited more than 3 million times, Schlachter says.

Like any good Christmas tale, the programs origin has been told for generations. In 1955, Air Force Col. Harry Shoupthe on-duty commander one night at NORADs predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Commandanswered a call from a child who dialed a number that was misprinted in an ad in a newspaper, thinking she was calling Santa. Shoup "answered the call, thought it was a prank at first, but then realized what had happened and assured the child that he was Santa, and thus started the tradition that we are celebrating now 66 years later," Schlachter says.

(Read more Christmas Eve stories.)
(Newser)  Update: Another legal win for Andrew Cuomo in regard to sexual harassment allegations. The former New York governor will not face a criminal charge that he fondled an aide while in office, reports the AP. Albany County District Attorney David Soares said Tuesday that he was dropping the case because "we have concluded that we cannot meet our burden at trial." He made a point to say that he found Cuomo's accuser "credible," however. She alleged that Cuomo put his hand up her blouse while they were alone in 2020. Last month, Cuomo learned that he won't be charged with inappropriately touching a state trooper. Our original story on that from Dec. 14 follows:

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After investigating an accusation that Andrew Cuomo inappropriately touched a state trooper assigned to guard him in 2019, a prosecutor said the former governor won't be charged in the case. The allegation is "credible, deeply troubling, but not criminal under New York law," said Joyce Smith, acting district attorney of Nassau County. The trooper, who has not been named publicly, told investigators that she was assigned to the governor's detail at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont when Cuomo ran his hand across her stomach, the New York Times reports. When his hand neared her navel, the trooper said, she pushed it toward her right hip, toward her gun holster.

The trooper's accusations were part of a report by state Attorney General Letitia James released in August that said Cuomo had sexually harassed 11 women. The trooper said she had felt "completely violated" by Cuomo, per the Hill. A senior State Police investigator "fully corroborated" the accusation to investigators and said he asked the trooper if she wanted to take action against the governor. She declined, fearing retribution, the report said. Cuomo, who resigned in August, has denied any inappropriate behavior toward his accusers.

The same month, Cuomo's lawyer apologized to the trooper in an interview. Cuomo didn't intend "to make her feel as if he was touching her in a sexual way," the lawyer said. A spokesman for the former governor said the prosecutor's decision not to press charges validates Cuomo's claim that James' damning report was just a "political springboard" to further her political career. Richard Azzopardi called the report "the intersection of gross prosecutorial misconduct and an abuse of government power for political purposes." James announced her candidacy for governor in October, then withdrew from the race weeks later. (Read more Andrew Cuomo stories.)
(Newser)  The biblical town of Bethlehem marked its second straight Christmas Eve under the shadow of the coronaviruswith small crowds and gray, gloomy weather dampening celebrations Friday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. A ban on nearly all incoming air traffic by Israel the main entry point for foreign visitors heading to the occupied West Bankkept international tourists away for a second consecutive year, reports the AP. The ban is meant to slow the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant, which has shaken Christmas celebrations around the world. Instead, local authorities were counting on the Holy Lands small Christian community to lift spirits.

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It was a theme seen around the world as revelers, weary from nearly two years of lockdowns and safety restrictions, searched for ways to revive customs and celebrate safely with loved ones. Bethlehems mayor, Anton Salman, said the town was optimistic that 2021 would be better than last years Christmas, when even local residents stayed home due to lockdown restrictions. Bethlehem planned a return of its traditional marching band parades and street celebrations. Last year, our festival was virtual, but this year it will be face to face, Salman said. Scout bands marched through Manger Square banging drums and holding flags ahead of the expected arrival from Jerusalem of Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the top Roman Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land. I hope that this COVID will finish, Pizzaballa said as he left Jerusalem, saying there needs to be a balance between public health and community life. "We need to find this balance and we are all working for this because its very sad to see the Old City (of Jerusalem) almost empty.

By midday, several hundred people, nearly all of them Palestinians, milled about behind the barricades to celebrate the occasion. Before the pandemic, Bethlehem would host thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world, bringing a strong dose of holiday spirit to the town and a huge jolt to the local economy. Those who attended tried to make the best of a difficult situation. Billy Stuart, an employee at the British Consulate in Jerusalem, said his experience in Bethlehem was uplifting, despite the smaller-than-hoped-for crowds. The parade is amazing and I did not realize there were so many Palestinian bag pipers, he said. (Read more Christmas Eve stories.)
(Newser)  South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday he will pardon his chief conservative rival and predecessor, Park Geun-hye, who is serving a lengthy prison term for bribery and other crimes. Moons liberal government said the pardon is meant to promote national unity in the face of difficulties brought by the pandemic. Some observers say Moon may want to ease conservative criticism stemming from Parks health problems, or even use her to split the opposition ahead of a presidential election in March, the AP reports. "We should move into a new era by getting over the pains of the past," Moon said in remarks released by his office. "In the case of former President Park, we considered the fact that her health condition has deteriorated a lot after serving nearly five years in prison."

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The Justice Ministry said the 69-year-old Park is among 3,094 people who are to be pardoned on Dec. 31. South Korea often grants special pardons to mark New Year's Day or national holidays. Park has been treated since last month in a hospital, from where she will be released, the ministry said. Officials refused to elaborate on Parks health, but local media said she has been suffering from a lumbar disc, a shoulder injury, and dental problems as well as mental stress. Park, a daughter of assassinated dictator Park Chung-hee, was once the darling of conservatives in South Korea. She won election as South Koreas first female president in late 2012 by beating Moon, then a unified liberal candidate, by a million votes.

She was impeached by lawmakers in late 2016, and was formally removed from office and arrested the following year over an explosive corruption scandal that prompted months of massive street protests. Park was succeeded by Moon, who easily won a special presidential by-election while the conservatives were in disarray amid fierce internal feuding over Parks ouster. In January, the Supreme Court upheld her 20-year prison term. Moon's single five-year term as president ends in May and he is barred by law from seeking reelection. His office said Parks pardon has nothing to do with the presidential election. "Moon may be accused of trying to influence the next election, but releasing a predecessor from prison has precedent in Korean politics," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

(Read more South Korea stories.)
(Newser)  Dreams of a white Christmas are likely to come true in much of the West and parts of New England, according to a holiday update from the National Weather Servicebut it'll be an exceptionally warm Christmas elsewhere. The NWS says that in "Christmas-speak," weather patterns mean "Snow Miser has control of the West while Heat Miser has full control of the weather in Southtown with no compromise of snow in Southtown this Christmas." Forecasters say that with record-breaking warm temperatures expected from the Ohio Valley to the Southern Plains, "Santa may want to pack a lighter red coat when going house to house," NBC reports.

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The weather service warned that by Christmas night, there could be up to 4 feet of snow in parts of the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, and Salmon mountains, making travel "hazardous, even impassable at times." The NWS defines a white Christmas as an inch or more of snow on the ground at 4am Christmas morning. With snow forecast to start Saturday evening, Seattle might not see a true white Christmas, but at least 2 inches are expected to fall over the weekend, reports the Seattle Times. Mayor Jenny Durkan warned Thursday that the city is expecting "the lowest temperatures weve experienced in a decade," with a cold snap forecast to last from Christmas to New Year's Day.

Snow and frigid temperatures are also expected in Portland, Oregon, where the city plans to open severe weather shelters on Christmas Day, the AP reports. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency Thursday night, warning that the snow and cold could cause power failures and severe disruption of transportation. In California, authorities have warned that a storm system will cause "unsettled weather" and possibly flash floods, the Los Angeles Times reports. Two people died in a car submerged in a flooded underpass near San Francisco Thursday, and an evacuation orders were issued in Orange County Thursday night because of possible mudslides in wildfire-scarred areas. (Read more winter weather stories.)
(Newser)  Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter, convicted Thursday of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, may face worse news than expected at her February sentencing. Under state sentencing guidelines, the 49-year-old could get up to 11 years in prisonseven years for the first-degree conviction and four for the second-degree conviction, reports the Washington Post. However, prosecutors plan to seek an even longer sentence because of additional factors, arguing, among other things, that her actions endangered other people at the scene. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 18, and the judge ordered Potter held without bail in the interim.

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The family of the 20-year-old Wright, meanwhile, expressed relief at the guilty verdicts, reports Axios. "If we are ever going to restore the confidence of Black and marginalized Americans in law enforcement, we need to have accountability and a commitment to listening and to creating meaningful change," says a statement from their attorneys. Says Wright's mother, Katie Bryant: "The moment we heard guilty on manslaughter oneemotions, every single emotion that you can imagine, just running through your body. ... This is just a step forward in the bigger issue with policing and hopefully there has to be no more Dauntes."

Potter, who is white, shot Wright, who was Black, during a traffic stop. She said she mistakenly grabbed her gun instead of her Taser, and her defense team argued unsuccessfully that the mistake did not amount to a crime. CNN talks to legal experts who say the verdict is a sign of a continuing shift in regard to police accountability. "Three to five years ago, this would be a full acquittal, not even a concern over a mistrial," says criminal defense attorney Sara Azari, who was not involved in the case. "So the fact that we are now seeing more accountability for officersthe idea they are not above the law, that if they do the crime, they do the time." (Read more on the case here.)
Army Guardsmen with the 301st Chemical Battalion and Air Guardsmen with the 123rd Airlift Wing continue search and rescue missions in Mayfield, Ky. on December 12th, 2021. "I feel like extraction training has prepared me really well for a real world scenario like this," said Pvt. Tyler Price, 301st Chem. Co. "We have shown that we have a really good response time with people coming together from all over the state and they have all been able to get here quickly." (Spc. Brett Hornback)
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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments yesterday announced restricting the entry to mosques to holders of the Green shield on BeAware Bahrain App.

The decision, the ministry said, follows directives issued by the National Medial Taskforce for Combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mosques will open 10 minutes before prayer calls and close 10 minutes after prayers.

The ministry also urged worshipers to refrain from attending mosque prayers if they have any symptoms of COVID-19.

Worshipers are also required to leave at least two meters between them and bring their rugs.

Worshipers will receive sanitisers at the doors of mosques and are not allowed to stay in the mosque after completing prayers.

It is also not allowed to enter a mosque without wearing a mask.

Children are not allowed to attend prayers in mosques.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

A Bahrain-India joint task force for formulating proposals in education, skill development and experience sharing is on the anvil.

The task force will work on several areas including, Technology, innovation, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Energy and Fintech.

The decision came during a virtual meeting between Dharmendra Pradhan, the Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of India, and Aymen Tawfiq Almoayyed, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, yesterday.

Their discussions focused on opportunities for the young entrepreneurs of both countries and skilling and upskilling the youth for the labour market.

Aymen Tawfiq Almoayyed briefed about initiatives taken by Bahrain with a focus on employability and vocational aspects of education.

He also appreciated the role of the Indian diaspora in the Kingdoms economic development.

Dharmendra Pradhan briefed Indias National Education Policy 2002 on skilling & vocational training to suit an ever-challenging workplace characterized by the technological revolution and job pattern changes.

Appreciating various initiatives of Bahrain, Minister Pradhan stressed collaboration between the two countries in these areas and on learning from each others experiences.

Both Ministers praised the deep-rooted, historical and multifaceted relations between India and Bahrain and the continued high-level engagement between the two sides despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP)  So long eggnog, shrimp cocktail and pet-shaped sugar cookies.

It's been a less merry holiday scene at the White House this year under COVID-19's shadow. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have replaced the packed parties and overflowing buffet tables of the past with food-free open houses, face masks and testing for the unvaccinated.

Beyond the impact on Biden's first Christmas in office, the virus and its variants largely put the kibosh on the entire White House social scene for 2021, starting with an inauguration that positioned flags in place of people on the National Mall.

I think its been really tough on them," said Philip Dufour, who was Vice President Al Gore's social secretary. He noted that many events were not held while the president and first lady did others over Zoom.

Major social events scrubbed from the calendar included the White House ball for the nation's governors and the Easter Egg Roll, the second straight year that springtime ritual has been canceled.

The Democratic president also has yet to toast a foreign counterpart at a glitzy White House state dinner because he has yet to invite a world leader for a state visit. In fact, months passed before Biden was able to welcome a foreign leader to the Oval Office for even lower-key talks.

Still, the White House managed to pull off some events despite the pandemic, such as bill-signing and Medal of Honor ceremonies. The Bidens also hosted large receptions for Hanukkah and for artists recognized by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

But the pandemic's biggest blow to the calendar came at Christmas, forcing the White House to overhaul its holiday entertaining  and trim the guest list.

Anyone who knows the Bidens knows how much they enjoy hosting and celebrating the holidays, Michael LaRosa, the first ladys spokesperson, said in announcing a limited number of open houses for invited guests to ooh and aah over the Christmas trees and other decorations.

"It is disappointing that we cannot host as many people as the Bidens would like to, but as we have done since Day 1 of the Biden Administration, we will continue to implement strong COVID protocols, developed in consultation with our public health advisers, LaRosa said.

In addition to fewer people passing through for the open houses, thousands of other people didn't get a close-up look at how Jill Biden decked out White House hallways and public rooms for the holidays because public tours of the mansion remain on indefinite hold.

The White House is never as beautiful as it is at Christmas. It's just gorgeous, said Jeremy Bernard, who oversaw holiday decorating and event planning as President Barack Obama's social secretary. It's a shame that more people can't go through, but it's the reality of being in a pandemic.

In part to make up for the lack of access, photos and an interactive tour of the decorations were uploaded to the White House website, and the first lady tweeted video of herself describing the decor and theme in each of the rooms and public spaces.

She revived the long tradition  which had lapsed under the previous administration  of opening the executive mansion for the PBS series, In Performance at the White House. A holiday-themed installment aired Tuesday night featuring Andrea Bocelli, Billy Porter, Norah Jones, The Jonas Brothers and others performing from different rooms in the White House.

The first lady also taped a children's tour of the White House with characters from PBS KIDS.

In pre-pandemic times, presidents and first ladies spent many December evenings in the run-up to Christmas hosting nearly two dozen holiday parties and receptions, sometimes two per day, where they stood in line for hours posing for photos with ecstatic guests.

Eggnog and adult beverages flowed freely, partygoers piled dinner plates with shrimp and cocktail sauce, and dessert tables offered cookies decorated in the image of White House dogs  some of which were slipped into purses and pockets for the trip home.

All of that was scrapped this year.

Instead, the Bidens invited groups of up to 100 people to holiday open houses, giving them half an hour  instead of the usual two  to tour the decorations on the ground and state floors. There was no food and drink. Nor was there picture-taking with the Bidens, who didn't attend.

Guests had to attest to their vaccination status before showing up, wear a face mask at all times on the White House grounds and practice social distancing. Anyone not vaccinated had to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the event.

The final open houses were held this week.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., suggested on Twitter that the White House was guilty of hypocrisy with the open houses and shouldn't have held them at all.

The Biden White Houses decision to cancel their holiday party and instead hold a holiday open house tracks right along with the Democrats tendency to virtue signal while simultaneously creating loopholes for themselves, Blackburn said in a written statement.

Jennifer Pickens, an event planner who wrote a book about Christmas at the White House, said holiday traditions can provide comfort and a feeling of normalcy, and argued that the White House should continue to welcome visitors during the pandemic.

Events can be smaller in scale and done safely, but they need to continue," she said in an email. Pickens said the White House is the People's House, so the people should be there."

Dr. Leana Wen, the former Baltimore health commissioner, said the open houses seemed safe given the safety steps required by the White House and the absence of eating and drinking.

That's exactly the right thing to do," Wen said.
Snow fell across southern Connecticut on Friday morning as authorities urged drivers to take it slow to prevent crashes.

The National Weather Service said light snow fell across the region and continued through daybreak. A light coating accumulated on roadways, especially side roads and untreated streets.

Along the coast, a wet, heavy snow fell. Further north, the snow was lighter.

Connecticut State Police urged drivers to be cautious and drive slow, stressing that just a coating of snow can lead to dozens of accidents.

Interstate 95 in the Norwalk area continues to see traffic delays Friday with the left and center lanes of I-95 north and the left lane of I-95 south closed between exits 16 and 17 and exits 17 and 16 respectively because of a jackknifed tractor-trailer reported around 5:30 a.m., the Department of Transportation reported.

Westport fire officials said crews responded to help in the crash. Officials said the driver was headed north and crashed into the median, blocking northbound and southbound lanes. Around 8 a.m., officials said firefighters were still on scene.

Expect delays, Westport fire officials cautioned drivers.

Around 7 a.m., the DOT reported an overturned tractor-trailer on Interstate 84 east between exits 63 and 64. The right two lanes remain closed to drivers.

The weather service said with temperatures below freezing, slick spots of black ice are possible.

Use extra caution if traveling early this morning as slippery conditions are expected, the weather service said.

The light snowfall tapered off later Friday morning, with a second quick-moving low pressure system set to bring a mix of freezing rain and rain Friday night into early Saturday.

The weather service has issued a winter weather advisory for northern Fairfield, northern New Haven, northern Middlesex and northern New London counties from 10 p.m. Friday through 9 a.m. Saturday.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create stress and anxiety for many Canadians, particularly those who do not have ready access to their regular support networks. Through the Wellness Together Canada online portal, people of all ages across the country can access immediate, free and confidential mental health and substance use supports, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

OTTAWA, ON, Dec. 23, 2021 /CNW/ - The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) continues to monitor COVID-19 epidemiological indicators to quickly detect, understand and communicate emerging issues of concern. The following is a brief summary with the latest national numbers and trends.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,922,227 cases of COVID-19 and 30,113 deaths reported in Canada. These cumulative numbers tell us about the overall burden of COVID-19 illness to date, while the number of active cases, now at 82,708, and 7-day moving averages indicate current disease activity and severity trends.

The number of cases associated with the Omicron variant of concern has further accelerated around the world and in Canada. Accumulating data continue to demonstrate that Omicron is the most highly transmissible variant to date and that prior immunity, either from vaccination with a two-dose primary series or previous infection, does not offer good protection against infection. There may be protection from severe disease after two doses, but this remains uncertain. Importantly, getting a booster dose when eligible, with either Pfizer Comirnaty or Moderna Spikevax mRNA vaccines, is expected to help restore protection that may have waned since the second dose.

Although there is still uncertainty regarding the severity profile of Omicron variant cases, and given concerns about the potential impact of a sudden and strong surge on the healthcare system, I am urging all Canadians reduce their contacts as much as possible. Although the situation is not the same everywhere, the Omicron variant spreads extremely quickly and the local situation can rapidly get out of hand so increased vigilance is needed across Canada now and in the coming weeks.

During the latest 7 day period (Dec 16-22), an average of 10,167 new cases were reported across Canada, which is an increase of 120% compared to the previous week. Of these, as of December 22, 2021, there have been 3,536 cases confirmed with the Omicron variant, reported in 12 provinces and territories; however, these cases likely represent just the tip of the iceberg. Community transmission of Omicron is ongoing in many parts of Canada and outbreaks are being reported in a multiple settings and Omicron is now the dominant variant in several jurisdictions.

Currently, hospitalisation and critical care admission trends, are increasing in Ontario and Quebec, driving the national trend. As noted above, continued rapid increase in Omicron cases is expected to add additional strain on the healthcare system, impacting many areas of the country over the coming weeks. The latest provincial and territorial data show that an average of 1,534 people with COVID-19 were being treated in Canadian hospitals each day during the most recent 7-day period (Dec 16-22), which is 6% higher than last week. This includes, on average, 459 people who were being treated in intensive care units (ICU), 1.5% more than last week and an average of 17 deaths were reported daily (Dec 16-22). Keeping infection rates down remains key to avoiding renewed increases in severe illness trends over the coming weeks and months as well as to ease longer-term strain on the health system, particularly in heavily impacted areas.

As of December 22, 2021, provinces and territories have administered over 66 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The latest provincial and territorial data indicate that over 82% of the total population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and over 76% are now fully vaccinated. Age-specific vaccine coverage data, as of December 18, 2021, show that over 89% of people 40 years or older have at least one dose and over 87% are fully vaccinated, while over 86% of younger adults aged 18-39 years have at least one dose and 82% are fully vaccinated.

Among children aged 5-11 years, 40% have now received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. As the pediatric vaccination program rolls out across Canada, I encourage parents and guardians to seek credible information from trusted sources, such as Canada.ca to make informed decisions about COVID-19 vaccination. I also urge healthcare providers and others to support children and their caregivers by listening, sharing credible information, and engaging in respectful dialogue.

In consideration of emerging evidence on waning protection of vaccines over time, the National Advisory Committee for Immunization recently updated their guidance regarding booster doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for adults 18 years of age and over, who are at least 6 months from completing their primary series. Immunization for those who are eligible - but have not yet received their primary series - remains a top priority.

While COVID-19 is still circulating in Canada and internationally, a vaccines plus approach continues to be essential to the pandemic response in Canada. This includes layering vaccination with timed and targeted public health measures and individual protective practices such as staying home/self-isolating if you have symptoms; getting tested if symptomatic and/or as recommended; being aware of risks associated with different settings; following local public health advice and consistently maintaining individual precautions. In particular, properly wearing a well-fitted and well-constructed face mask when in public or private spaces with others outside of your immediate household, avoiding crowding, and getting the best ventilation possible in indoor spaces, are layers of protection that can reduce your risk in all settings. As well, given the significant risks and uncertainties associated with rapidly expanding spread of the Omicron variant, Canadians are advised to avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada at this time; if you must travel, be aware of current and rapidly evolving requirements for visiting other countries and for returning to Canada.

In addition to getting fully vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines and getting a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose as recommended, we can also stay healthier during the winter respiratory season by getting up-to-date with recommended vaccines, such as influenza and other routine vaccines for children and adults. For additional information regarding vaccination in your area, reach out to your local public health authorities, healthcare provider, or other trusted and credible sources, such as Canada.ca and Immunize.ca. Canada.ca provides a broad range of COVID-19 information and resources to help Canadians understand the benefits of being vaccinated against COVID-19.

Canadians can also go the extra mile by sharing credible information on COVID-19 risks and prevention practices and measures to reduce COVID-19 in communities. Read my backgrounder to access more COVID-19 Information and Resources on ways to reduce the risks and protect yourself and others, including information on COVID-19 vaccination.

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada

For further information: Contacts: Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]
Amid the escalation of tensions in Uttarakhand Congress, party veteran Harish Rawat along with other top leaders of the Congress state unit is scheduled to arrive in Delhi today to meet the party High Command. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Pritam Singh, Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal and party leader Yashpal Arya will accompany Rawat to Delhi. The meeting holds significance following Harish Rawats veiled attack on the Congress leadership on Wednesday saying nominees of those on whose directions one has to swim (in the electoral battle) are tying my hands and feet. Rawat through his tweets on Wednesday had expressed anguish at the factionalism in the state unit and noted that thought has been crossing his mind that it is time to rest.

Isnt it strange, one has to swim in the sea in the form of the forthcoming electoral battle, instead of cooperation, the organisational structure at most places is turning its face away or is playing a negative role, said Rawat in a tweet.

There are many crocodiles of the ruling dispensation. On whose directions one has to swim, their nominees are tying my hands and feet, he added. Rawat also cited lines associated with Gita. And then quietly in a corner of my mind, a voice is erupting, na denyam, na palaynam (one who does not bow or flee). Perhaps the new year will show the way. I have faith that Lord Kedarnath will provide me guidance in this situation, he said.

Rawat, a member of the Congress Working Committee, is a key Congress troubleshooter and is seen as the partys face for the elections in Uttarakhand. The Congress is keen to come back to power in Uttarakhand in assembly polls early next year. Rawat is apparently keen to be projected as the chief ministerial candidate in the state. However, party leaders have so far said that the polls will be held under collective leadership. Assembly polls in Uttarakhand are due for early next year.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Polish Sen. Krzysztof Brejzas mobile phone was hacked with sophisticated spyware nearly three dozen times in 2019 when he was running the opposition's campaign against the right-wing populist government in parliamentary elections, an internet watchdog found.

Text messages stolen from Brejza's phone  then doctored in a smear campaign  were aired by state-controlled TV in the heat of that race, which the ruling party narrowly won. With the hacking revelation, Brejza now questions whether the election was fair.

It's the third finding by the University of Torontos nonprofit Citizen Lab that a Polish opposition figure was hacked with Pegasus spyware from the Israeli hacking tools firm NSO Group. Brejzas phone was digitally broken in to 33 times from April 26, 2019, to Oct. 23, 2019, said Citizen Lab researchers, who have been tracking government abuses of NSO malware for years.

The other two hacks were identified earlier this week after a joint Citizen Lab-Associated Press investigation. All three victims blame Polands government, which has refused to confirm or deny whether it ordered the hacks or is a client of NSO Group. State security services spokesman Stanislaw Zaryn insisted Thursday that the government does not wiretap illegally and obtains court orders in justified cases. He said any suggestions the Polish government surveils for political ends were false.

NSO, which was blacklisted by the U.S. government last month, says it only sells its spyware to legitimate government law enforcement and intelligence agencies vetted by Israels Defense Ministry for use against terrorists and criminals. It does not name its clients and would not say if Poland is among them.

Citizen Lab said it believes NSO keeps logs of intrusions so an investigation could determine who was behind the Polish hacks.

In response to the revelations, European Union lawmakers said they would hasten efforts to investigate allegations that member nations such as Poland have abused Pegasus spyware.

The other two Polish victims are Ewa Wrzosek, an outspoken prosecutor fighting the increasingly hardline government's undermining of judicial independence, and Roman Giertych, a lawyer who has represented senior leaders of Brejzas party, Civic Platform, in sensitive cases.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday dismissed revelations that Giertych and Wrzosek were hacked as fake news. Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro expressed no knowledge of illegal actions aimed at the surveillance of citizens but also said Poland was not helpless in taking action against people suspected of crimes.

Giertych was hacked 18 times, also in the run-up to 2019 parliamentary elections that the ruling Law and Justice party won by a razor-thin margin. That victory has continued a dangerous erosion of democracy in the nation where the popular 1980s protest movement Solidarity presaged the eventual collapse of the Soviet empire.

The intense tempo of the hacks of Brejza and Giertych indicates an extreme level of monitoring that raises pressing questions about abuses of power, Citizen Lab senior researcher John Scott-Railton said. Pegasus gives its operators complete access to a mobile device: They can extract passwords, photos, messages, contacts and browsing history and activate the microphone and camera for real-time eavesdropping.

My heart sinks with each case we find," Scott-Railton added. "This seems to be confirming our worst fear: Even when used in a democracy, this kind of spyware has an almost immutable abuse potential.

Other confirmed victims have included Mexican and Saudi journalists, British attorneys,Palestinian human rights activists, heads of state and Uganda-based U.S. diplomats.

An NSO spokesperson said Thursday that the company does not and cannot know who the targets of its customers are, yet implements measures to ensure that these systems are used solely for the authorized uses." The spokesperson claimed zero tolerance for governments who abuse it the software; NSO says it has terminated multiple contracts of governments who have abused Pegasus, although it has not named any publicly.

Despite any measures NSO might be taking, Citizen Lab notes, the list of abuse cases continues to grow.

Brejza, a 38-year-old attorney, told the AP that he has no doubt data stolen from his phone while he was chief of staff of the opposition coalitions parliamentary campaign provided critical strategy insights. Combined with the smear effort against him, he said, it prevented a fair electoral process."

Text messages stolen from Brejzas phone were doctored to make it appear as if he created an online group that spread hateful anti-government propaganda; reports in state-controlled media cited the altered texts. But the group didnt actually exist.

Brejza says he now understands where TVP state television got them.

This operation wrecked the work of staff and destabilized my campaign, he said. I dont know how many votes it took from me and the entire coalition.

Brejza won his Senate seat in that October 2019 race. But since the ruling party held on to the more powerful lower house of parliament, it has steered Poland further away from EU standards of liberal democracy.

Election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said at the time that control of state media gave the ruling party an unfair advantage but called the elections essentially free. They were unaware of the hacking.

Brejza has kept the ruling Law and Justice party on its heels since it won power in 2015. For example, he has exposed large bonuses paid to senior government officials. In another case, he revealed that the postal service sent tens of thousands of dollars to a company tied to ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Brejza fears the hacking could have compromised whistleblowers who had reached out to him with evidence.

NSO Group is facing daunting financial and legal challenges  including the threat of default on more than $300 million in debt  after governments used Pegasus spyware to spy on dissidents, journalists, diplomats and human rights activists from countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and the United States. The U.S. blacklisting of NSO has effectively barred U.S. companies from supplying technology to the Israeli firm.

Apple sued NSO last month, bent on halting the violation of its operating systems with exploits including a so-called zero-click hack that can compromise a device with no user interaction. Apple alerted scores of users worldwide that they had been hacked. In 2019, Facebook sued the Israeli firm over allegations of hacking its globally popular WhatsApp messenger app.

Dutch EU parliamentarian Sophie in t Veld told the AP on Wednesday that a committee has launched hearings on Pegasus and that the revelations from Poland will only help intensify the process.

EU governments using spyware on political opponents and critics is unacceptable, she tweeted, accusing the European Commission  the EU's executive branch  of ducking the issue. She wants a ban on such practices in the 27-nation bloc.

That may be difficult, however, because national security matters are outside EU jurisdiction, said Lukasz Olejnik, a cybersecurity consultant who has worked with the International Red Cross. Some member states are apt to argue that the EU cannot prohibit their use of digital surveillance tools for that end, he said.

___

Bajak reported from Boston. Associated Press reporters Kelvin Chan contributed from London and Josef Federman from Jerusalem.
Dave Fravel and his wife invited several relatives to their Cape Cod home for Christmas to share food, gifts and the togetherness theyve longed for during the lonely days of the pandemic. They were also looking forward to a holiday sightseeing trip to New York City.

But the coronavirus spoiled all those plans. With cases surging in their state of Massachusetts and the super-infectious omicron variant racing around the world, they feared spreading the virus even before Fravels 18-year-old son, Colin, came down with COVID-19.

Rich England has been there before. In the summer, when the delta variant was surging, he said no to a Christmastime vacation with his parents and sisters family to London and Scotland. But he, his wife and 2-year-old daughter are keeping plans for a four-day trip from their home in Alexandria, Virginia, to Miami on Dec. 31.

The safest thing to do would be to say OMG, we have to cancel, he said. But theres a lot of letters in the Greek alphabet  theres going to be variants after omicron. You cant just respond to every single variant by shutting down.

For the second year in a row, the ever-morphing virus presents would-be revelers with a difficult choice: cancel holiday gatherings and trips or figure out ways to forge ahead as safely as possible. Many health experts are begging people not to let down their guard.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus put it starkly this week when he said that "an event canceled is better than a life canceled.

But pandemic fatigue is real. And while travel restrictions in some places have forced cancellations, many governments have been reluctant to order more lockdowns, leaving decisions about who to see and where to go increasingly in the hands of individuals.

Complicating matters is the mystery that surrounds omicron. Scientists now know it spreads fast  perhaps up to three times faster than the delta variant. It also seems to be better at evading vaccines, although boosters rev up protection, particularly against hospitalization and death. But a crucial question remains: Does omicron cause less severe illness than delta? Some research suggests that it does, but the studies are preliminary.

Even if it is milder, omicron could still overwhelm hospitals because of the sheer number of infections. That makes it difficult to know how far to turn down the dial on the festive season.

In the United States, infections average around 149,000 a day, and officials announced this week that omicron dethroned delta as the dominant variant. In Britain, where an omicron-fueled surge is seen as a harbinger for many other European countries, daily cases topped 100,000 for the first time on Tuesday. France, Spain and Italy are also seeing infection spikes.

Fravel and his wife, Sue Malomo, who are both software developers and have six children between them, are worried about omicron and delta. Fravel, 51, said they nixed their trip to New York City because the thought of being in those big crowds didnt seem to make a whole lot of sense.

Neither did having lots of people at their house. Typically, 20 to 25 people filter through between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But this year, only the kids will come and not all at the same time.

Right now, the plan is everyones just kind of staying put in smaller circles or doing FaceTime, Fravel said.

England, an energy lobbyist, also weighed his options  and decided a trip could be made. He and his wife both got booster shots, which reassures him, though his daughter is too young for the vaccine.

We picked Miami in part because we would be able to eat exclusively outdoors and then spend time on the beach and at the pool, he said. But even he is still hedging: As of Tuesday evening, they were 80/20 going.

Colombia native Julieta Aranguren has already begun her trip. The 18-year-old was on a stopover in Madrid on Wednesday on her way to Dubai, where she planned to spend time with relatives. She spent thousands of dollars on flights and hotels  booked nine months ago  so she said that she didnt consider canceling.

But she still faces the unknown. Her group plans to go shopping, dine out and visit the World Expo in Dubai, so it would be no fun at all if there were more restrictions, Aranguren said.

It's still unclear which path most people will take. Ryanair, Europes biggest airline, lowered its forecast for the number of passengers for December from 11 million to 10 million, chief executive Michael OLeary told the Guardian last week.

Several airlines in the United States remain fairly upbeat.

For the period from Dec. 17 through Jan. 3, Delta Air Lines says it expects to fly about 8 million people, more than double last years holiday season but short of the 9.3 million passengers in 2019. American Airlines plans about 5,000 daily flights between Dec. 19 and Jan. 1, up from 3,700 at the same time last year. But there were a lot more  6,300  during the 2019 holidays.

Both airlines noted that international travel was the most affected by the omicron variant.

That rings true for Alex Wong. The freelance journalist and radio producer in Toronto canceled a mid-December flight to New York that would have been his first trip since the pandemic began. He worried about being stuck in quarantine upon his return, which would leave him unable to see his family during the holidays.

Feels like I made the right decision and feel better by the day, he said in a text message. Hes getting a booster shot on Wednesday and seeing his parents, who live nearby, this weekend.

That is the sort of balanced calculation many experts recommend.

Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said people should consider taking a rapid test for COVID-19 on the day of a gathering or, better yet, a more accurate PCR test 24 hours in advance. But experts warn that tests are not a firewall against infection.

Its a good idea to kind of rethink big plans of travel or getting together in large groups, he said.

Small groups of less than 10 people can gather in safety if they ensure that everyone is vaccinated, wear masks indoors and encourage people most vulnerable to severe disease to stay home. Other experts suggest opening windows to improve ventilation and staying outdoors as much as possible.

To me, the holidays are a time to think about others. This is often expressed through gift giving, charitable donations or volunteering, Binnicker said. But this year, theres another excellent way to think of others, and thats to take precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19 and influenza.

___

Associated Press writers Mae Anderson in Nashville, Tennessee, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Emily Schultheis in Vienna and Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.

___

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.
HARTFORD  The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection State Parks, its partners and Friends groups invites residents to join them as Connecticut once again takes part in the annual First Day Hikes.

These hikes provide a great way to welcome the coming year in the outdoors, exercising and connecting with nature. For many it has become a tradition, according to the DEEP.

Americas State Parks First Day Hikes, a nationwide initiative of the National Association of State Park Directors, offer individuals and families an opportunity to begin the New Year connecting with the outdoors by taking a healthy hike on January 1, 2022 at a state park close to home.

DEEP State Parks and Forests Friends groups have put together a range of in-person and self-guided hikes and programs for those looking to participate. Visit the DEEP Calendar of Events at ct.gov to select from various First Day Hike options. Distance and rigor vary from park to park, but all hikes aim to create a fun experience for the whole family. People are invited to savor the beauty of the CT State Parks natural resources so they may be inspired to take advantage of these local treasures throughout the year.

This year, CT State Parks will continue adapting First Day Hikes with health and safety in mind. Participants are asked to follow DEEPs New Normal Guidelines as everyone plays a role in keeping the community safe during the pandemic. Those who are not yet fully vaccinated should continue to wear a face mask outdoors when social distancing is not possible, officials said.

DEEP is proud to once again be hosting First Day Hikes to promote outdoor recreation and welcome people to their beautiful state parks that are available for enjoyment year-round, DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. Thanks to the Passport to the Parks program, Connecticut is the only northeast state that does not charge day-use parking fees for state residents who are driving Connecticut-registered vehicles, making our small state one of the most outdoor friendly states in the Northeast and an attractive option for those who are relocating from large metropolitan areas. We hope you get out and enjoy many of the 142 state parks and forests that make our state a great place to live, in 2022.

In Connecticut, over a dozen First Day Hikes will be offered at State Park and Forest locations (offerings may change, visit the DEEP Events Calendar and search by keyword first day hike for updates and additions), including Auerfarm State Park Scenic Reserve , Bluff Point State Park , Chatfield Hollow State Park , Gillette Castle State Park , Goodwin State Forest , Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park , Kettletown State Park , Mansfield Hollow State Park , Machimoodus/Sunrise State Park , Pachaug State Forest , Peoples State Forest -Skys the Limit Hike, Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area and Sherwood Island State Park.

Established in 1913, the mission of the Connecticut State Park System is to provide natural resource-based public recreational and educational opportunities through a system of state park and forest recreation areas, environmental centers, and nature centers that provide an understanding of, access to, and enjoyment of, the states historic, cultural and natural resources.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)  At least three major airlines said they have canceled dozens of flights because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season.

Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday that it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a massive rise in sick leave among pilots. The cancellations on flights to Houston, Boston and Washington come despite a large buffer of additional staff for the period.

The airline says it couldn't speculate on whether COVID-19 infections or quarantines were responsible because it was not informed about the sort of illness. Passengers were booked on other flights.

Lufthansa said in a statement that we planned a very large buffer for the vacation period. But this was not sufficient due to the high rate of people calling in sick.

U.S.-based Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said they had to cancel dozens of Christmas Eve flights because of staff shortages tied to omicron. United canceled 169 flights, and Delta called off 127, according to FlightAware.

The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation, United said in a statement to several news outlets. As a result, weve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport.

The airline said it was working to rebook as many people as possible.

Delta said it canceled flights Friday because of the impact of omicron and possibility of bad weather after it had exhausted all options and resources  including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying.

It said in a statement to several outlets that it was trying to get passengers to their destinations quickly.

The cancellations come as coronavirus infections fueled by the new variant further squeeze staffing at hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers.

To ease staffing shortages, countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian was among those who have called on the Biden administration to take similar steps or risk further disruptions in air travel. On Thursday, the U.S. shortened COVID-19 isolation rules for health care workers only.
NEW YORK (AP)  Airlines canceled hundreds of flights as the omicron variant jumbled schedules and drew down staffing levels at some carriers during the busy holiday travel season.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines together canceled more than 600 flights on Friday and Saturday. As of early evening Friday, Delta canceled had 149 flights on Friday and 188 for Christmas Day, according to FlightAware. (Other factors, such as weather, are also causing cancellations.) United called off 189 flights on Friday, about 10% of its schedule, and 140 on Saturday. Planned cancellations continued into Sunday.

Not all airlines said COVID was disrupting their travel schedules. American Airlines said it had nothing to report, while Southwest Airlines said things are running smoothly. JetBlue, which FlightAware said had canceled nearly 150 flights over Friday and Saturday, did not respond to a request for comment.

Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been a regular problem for the U.S. airline industry this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and were caught short-staffed this year as travel recovered.

The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation, United said in a statement. As a result, weve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport.

Delta said it canceled flights Friday because of the impact of omicron and possibility of bad weather after it had exhausted all options and resources  including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying.

The airlines both said they were trying to rebook passengers.

While some travelers canceled holiday plans because of rising case numbers, many others kept to their vacations during some of the year's busiest travel days. The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen nearly 30 million people from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, compared with nearly 44 million during the last holiday season before the pandemic.

Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday that it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a massive rise in sick leave among pilots. The cancellations on flights to Houston, Boston and Washington come despite a large buffer of additional staff for the period. The airline says it couldn't speculate on whether COVID-19 infections or quarantines were responsible because it was not informed about the sort of illness. Passengers were booked on other flights.

Australian airline Jetstar said many of its workers had to test and isolate because of COVID spread, leading to last-minute delays and cancellations. It said it has rebooked the majority of passengers. FlightAware said Jetstar had 45 cancellations on Thursday and 34 on Friday.

According to FlightAware, there are more than 3,900 canceled flights on Friday and Saturday, with close to half of the cancellations by Chinese airlines. About 30% of affected flights  more than 1,100  were to, from or within the U.S. This is still a small fraction of global flights. FlightAware says it has tracked more than 100,000 arrivals in the past 24 hours.

Coronavirus infections fueled by the new variant have also squeezed staffing at hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations that have struggled to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers.

To ease staffing shortages, countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian was among those who have called on the Biden administration to take similar steps or risk further disruptions in air travel. On Thursday, the U.S. shortened COVID-19 isolation rules for health care workers only.

___

McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany.
Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

WEST HAVEN  The attorney for the family of Mubarak Soulemane has filed a lawsuit against the city of West Haven, city officers and state troopers involved in the 2020 fatal shooting of the teen.

Attorney Mark Arons filed the suit Tuesday in Superior Court in New Haven. He said the lawsuit was needed to preserve the two-year statute of limitations for negligence claims against the officers.
HAMDEN  Following school threats and violence at Hamden schools, the Hamden High School Governance Council has ideas on how to increase student safety.

A letter from the council to Superintendent of Schools Jody Goeler and the Board of Education was written after input from teachers, parents and students voicing challenges around mental health and returning to school remote learning due to the pandemic.

Theres a tension there and a lot of kids are experiencing social, mental health challenges that are coming out in various ways as far as violence, things of that nature, that we think has been elevated, said Frank Dixon, co-chairman of the Hamden High School Governance Council.

The letter also spoke of student-involved safety and anger-related incidents at Hamden High School involving guns and knives in recent months.

In November, two high school students were arrested and faced assault charges after a stabbing just off-campus. In the incident, a 13-year-old allegedly stabbed a 14-year-old multiple times in the back during a fight.

On December 3, the high school was closed due to a threat of possible gun violence. The school also was closed on Dec. 6 and 7 following a threat but reopened Dec. 8 with increased safety measures.

One of these safety measures was security guards stationed at entrances scanning students with metal-detecting wands. Metal detectors since have been installed and there are plans to establish a video observation room to monitor the school, and to hire new staff members, including a security supervisor and an in-school suspension supervisor.

In its letters, the governance council said it feels more needs to be done, calling for a long-term preventative plan in addition to the safety measures to reduce threat-related school shutdowns while addressing mental health challenges.

This is a town-wide challenge, not just specific to the high school, Dixon said. If we want to have a long-term plan for safety measures, mental health measures, the Legislative Council, the Board of Ed, the Mayors Office, the police, they all got to be in sync.

Recommendations came out of the councils safety and mental health subcommittees, which worked to craft the letter, according to Dixon.

The council is recommending a full-time district mental health coordinator be stationed at the high school. The coordinator would be responsible for overseeing mental health support staff, serving as a representative for all the mental health needs of students districtwide and identifying local therapeutic resources that could work directly in the schools and with those in the school community.

Following the councils letter, Goeler on Wednesday said he plans to seek clarification on this recommendation to see whether the council is referring to an administrative role or someone who could provide the services to students and families, which is what the district needs.

I want mental health professionals who can pull groups of students and have support groups with those and to hold parent meetings in the evening to talk about the trauma parents are experiencing and give them the tools to help them cope, not only with their childrens mental health needs, but also their own, Goeler said.

Goeler added that the district is working to establish a relationship with Clifford Beers, a childrens mental health outpatient clinic, to develop a proposal for mental health supports.

Another council recommendation was that a health class, taught by a mental health professional, offers an overview of mental health issues and services.

Improving teacher professional development and support also was among the councils recommendations, such as hiring experts trained in Dialectical Behavior Theory to train staff, in order to improve the culture and climate of Hamden High School.

The council also wants to see preventative actions taken, such as developing a long-term, funded school safety plan and promoting initiatives that teach children about social and emotional development.

The final recommendation was for ongoing, community-based forums with town leadership, such as the mayor, police and the council.

Goeler said he planned to meet with Dixon over the holiday break regarding the councils letter.

Funding for these recommended roles should not be an issue, according to Goeler, who said the number of grants available will help, but staffing could be difficult.

Im not as concerned about funding as I am about finding the right people to hire and also making sure that were making the right decision to hire the right people and that we have the right position, the superintendent said.

Goeler said he believes the fighting and violence at schools is due to a lack of conflict resolution skills, as well as the uncertainty and trauma of the pandemic.

Dixon said while the governance council works on many of these items internally, other town agencies are the ones with the power to make change.

We cant hire people. We were not on the Legislative Council, we dont allot budget line items, things of that nature. Were not the Police Department that can ensure that officers, when theyre scheduled theyre there, theyre not splitting their duties, Dixon said. Those things are outside of our control. If youre in any leadership capacity in this town, you have a part in all of this.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
MIDDLETOWN  Local veteran and first-time author Gerald E. Augustine recently released a book with stories and photos detailing life before, during and after his service in Vietnam.

Vietnam Beyond is published by Dorrance Publishing Co. Augustine said he received his first copy Dec. 10. The book actually came out so beautiful. Im really proud of it.

After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1963, Augustine began attending the University of Connecticut the following year. However, his studies were interrupted by the war in Vietnam.

I was enjoying the best years of my life when I got my draft notice, he said.

For the next few years, he took part in various training courses across the Northeast with the U.S. Armys 196 Light Infantry Brigade. Before being shipped off to Vietnam, the brigade held an inspection contest during which a soldier was deemed best trainee in the unit.

It was tradition for the U.S. Army, Augustine said.

Chosen from among 4,000 soldiers, he won the contest. The prize was a three-day leave to come home to Middletown, and a seat on a plane to Vietnam, while the rest of the soldiers had to travel for weeks by boat.

While he was home, Augustines mother suggested he bring his camera. That ended up being a great thing my mom did.

The 1949 Kodak Brownie Hawkeye box camera went with Augustine to Vietnam, where he served for a year beginning Aug. 4, 1966. He used the camera to capture his experiences during and after the war. Many of the photos taken are included in his new book.

As a machine gunner, Augustine and his unit carried out search-and-destroy missions, helicopter assaults and ambush patrols. Ninet percent of the time, I was in the jungles serving in combat, he said.

He described multiple close calls with death, including an eye injury that required him to travel to Saigon for surgery. This experience was completely different from the jungle, he said.

In downtown Saigon, it didnt even seem like there was a war going on, Augustine said.

Like many who fought in Vietnam, Augustine suffered lasting effects from his time abroad, including anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and genetic issues from being sprayed with the chemical herbicides used by the Army in the jungles of Vietnam and around the Korean demilitarized zone to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover, according to military.com.

It had lasting effects on my family, including his sons, Augustine said.

The book also details post-war life. While this includes the challenges he faced as a service member, it also includes some of his proudest moments.

Augustine returned to his hometown after the war, eventually buying a house on Ridge Road, the same street he lived on while attending Farm Hill Elementary School and Woodrow Wilson. He eventually took over his fathers business, No Leak Roofing Co.

Driven by physical competition, he became a member of the Middlesex YMCA, and eventually went on to win the Mr. New England body building competition in 1975. This was only the beginning for Augustine, who continued to win physical competitions ranging from summer biathlons to races up the Empire State Building even into his 50s, 60s and 70s.

Even while this was ongoing, Augustine had to receive treatment at veterans hospitals for his anxiety and PTSD, which at the time was referred to as battle fatigue.

That had a big effect on me also, Augustine said.

Now, at 77, Augustine said one of the main reasons he stays in Middletown is because of the opportunities and support veterans receive in the city.

The chamber of commerce just loves our veterans in Middletown, he said.

He has been heavily involved in these organizations himself. Augustine is vice president of the Greater Middletown Military Museum, past commander of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 7, past commander of the Veterans of Vietnam War local chapter, and currently serves as chaplain of both of these organizations and multiple others, and is founder and organizer of the Middletown Elks 771 kayaking project.

On Dec. 3, Augustine was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. That was such an honor, he said.

Augustine is a member of the veterans writing group at the Russell Library. After writing bits and pieces over eight years with that group, Augustine took the last year to buckle down, and compile it all into his book.

It will be available on Amazon and most other places books are sold in a few weeks, Augustine said. For now, anyone that wants a copy should call the publisher at 800-788-7654.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP)  A woman who returned from a flight to Europe with more than $3,000 worth of gifts in her luggage found the contents gone  and replaced with dog food.

Gina Sheldon, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, also found an old T-shirt and a shaving cream bottle in her bag, WMUR-TV reported Friday.
A small number of people who attended a holiday party at Gov. Ned Lamonts Greenwich home this month tested positive last week for COVID-19, the governors office confirmed Thursday night.

However, Ned and Annie Lamont have regularly tested negative for COVID since the Dec. 11 private party, according to Max Reiss, the governors director of communications.

Reiss said everyone who attended the event were required to provide proof of full vaccinations as well as a negative test result for the virus.

In the week that followed, the Lamonts were informed that a small number of attendees had tested positive for COVID-19, Reiss said.

Reiss pointed out the governors schedule often includes two or three public events every day, including indoor gatherings like the Connecticut Restaurant Association gala the night of Dec. 6 at Foxwoods Resort & Casino, and the annual fundraising breakfast of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 14 attended by about 300 people in Rocky Hill.

Reiss did not say whether the Lamonts and others wore masks during the party at their home or how many people attended.

The governor and first lady test regularly and have tested negative in each instance since the event, Reiss said. The positive tests occurred long after their party.

Unlike last year during the holidays, Lamont has not set limits on the number of people who can gather indoors to help prevent the spread of COVID.

Amid the states worst wave of the virus in a year, Lamont has resisted reinstating broad mandates and has instead encouraged municipal leaders to enact their own local rules like indoor mask requirements while encouraging everyone to get vaccinated and receive booster shots.

Stamford and Norwalk were among the municipalities this week to reinstate indoor mask mandates as the states seven-day average COVID positivity rate on Thursday topped 8 percent  the highest since Connecticut began broad testing.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has made a description of how the next president of Nigeria will loo...





The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has made a description of how the next president of Nigeria will look like.





Primate Ayodele said the next president of Nigeria is not an old person and not someone who is too young.





In a statement signed by his Media Aide, Oluwatosin Osho, the clergyman explained that Nigerias next president is one who is free from scandal, as shown to him by God.





He said: God said that the rotational system will not give Nigeria what they want. Nigeria wants good leaders. This will be someone who is ready to sacrifice so many things for the country. There will be a lot that will surround who will become the next president of Nigeria. The person will not be too old or too young. The person will have a clean bill of health from scandals. Of course, the Igbo will find it difficult and tough. They will come up with propaganda in order to keep them in the race.





In the 2023 election, Nigeria will want to pick the best candidate. The Northern states will be divided; some will support the South while some people will support the North. Governors from the Southern states will not speak with one voice. The Governors will be divided on personal grounds.





APC and PDP will do everything possible to reach consensus so that it wont cause problems. The pattern of the Southerners will be very firm while that of the Easterners will be very weak. They will make moves but they wont achieve their expected desires. Of course, the two leading parties will make bold moves that will make the 3rd party re-strategizes their plans.





I foresee that whoever wins the 2023 election will be given the mandate freely given by the electorate. The spirit of God says Buhari is ready to handover and will not interfere or dabble into the affairs of who becomes the next President. The government and the Electoral Umpire will do what is right and this will make Buhari to be honoured. There is no doubt, there will be smooth transition and whoever is announced by INEC will not be removed by any court.





While making this prophetic revelation, the man of God referred to some politicians who are likely to join the presidential race.





He mentioned the likes of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Omoyele Sowore, Kingsley Moghalu, Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State and several others.
The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has urged people to get a COVID-19 booster jab, as it follows the teaching of Jesus Christ. ...

The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has urged people to get a COVID-19 booster jab, as it follows the teaching of Jesus Christ.

In a message to mark a Christmas, Johnson said this years Yuletide would be significantly better than last years.

In a video statement filmed in Downing Street, the Prime Minister applauded those who were getting jabbed not just for themselves, for ourselves, but for friends and family and everyone we meet.

That, after all, is the teaching of Jesus Christ, whose birth is at the heart of this enormous festival  that we should love our neighbours as we love ourselves, he said.

The prime minister said he could not state when the COVID-19 pandemic would end, but pointed out that many people were able to celebrate with more family members this year than last.

If this year you need a bigger turkey and there are more sprouts to peel and more washing up to do, then that is all to the good, because these rituals matter so deeply. And I hope that people will enjoy this Christmas this year all the more keenly because of what we had to miss last year, he said.
Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, a prominent Islamic scholar and former chairman of the Kano Council of Ulama, has announced his resignation from the ...





Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, a prominent Islamic scholar and former chairman of the Kano Council of Ulama, has announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC).





Khalil announced his resignation from the party while a rift between Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, his predecessor, is raging.





Well, as an APC member and one of the elders and one of the caucus, I want to make sure I leave the APC, he told the BBC.





Everything in life has a reason. There are three reasons: either the educated and the intelligent know, or everyone knows, or the person himself knows the reason.





He said his resignation from the party has no connection to his alleged sacked as Chairman of the Ulama council.





If that was the case, I would have stepped down. It is not the reason, because just as I did not explain my separation from the government, I do not have to waste time explaining it.





I did not give up politics and I did not say I would not join the party. I did not join the ANPP myself, I was registered by my supporters. So now I will join the party I want for myself, he said.
The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 on Thursday said indoor religious gatherings should be limited to 50 per cent with full co...

The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 on Thursday said indoor religious gatherings should be limited to 50 per cent with full compliance to public health measures.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the PSC, Boss Mustapha.

The statement, which was made available to journalists in Abuja explained that there had been reduced compliance to public health social measures which had led to increased COVID-19 cases in the country.

The committee however added that it might be forced to introduce more restrictions should there be more increase in cases.

The statement partly reads, The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 recognises the importance of the Christmas and New Year celebrations for most Nigerians. As we prepare to celebrate with our families and loved ones, it is important that we do so safely by taking the necessary precautionary measures to stop the further spread of COVID-19 in our country.

The PSC wishes to remind Nigerians that we are now experiencing the fourth wave COVID19 as new cases have continued to rise in the country. This is the result of a mix of very low vaccination coverage, increased travels and movements, reduced compliance to public health social measures and highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant now circulating in the country.

The statement further reads, Indoor religious congregation should be limited to 50 per cent capacity with full compliance to public health social measures; and facemasks and hand sanitizers should be used at all times regardless of vaccination status while in public spaces;

Families are advised to limit the number of visitors to their homes and put in place precautionary safety measures, Any gathering in excess of 50 people should be done in open spaces with physical distancing;

 Avoid non-essential interstate travel at this period as this increases the risk of spreading infection from one place to another. People who intend to travel are encouraged to take a rapid COVID-19 test to confirm status as many infected persons are asymptomatic.

CAN laments FGs directive on gatherings

When contacted for comments on restrictions at the places of worship during Yuletide, the Christian Association of Nigeria asked Christians to adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

CAN, however, faulted the governments directive that all gatherings must not exceed 50 per cent capacity.

In a chat withnewsmen on Thursday, the Spokesman for the CAN President, Rev. Bayo Oladeji, said it was curious that such directives were always issued during Christian holidays.

Oladeji said, Earlier in a statement we asked all Christians to observe the COVID-19 protocols. But it is very unfortunate that they always bare their fangs during Christmas. That is when they always remember the need to enforce COVID-19 protocols.

Nobody is enforcing anything in the markets. If you go to the banks, you will see crowds. Even if you go to the airports, you will see crowds. There is no social distancing. I was at the international airport two weeks ago. People were standing. There is no social distancing.

Isolation centres filling up  NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says isolation centres for persons sick with COVID-19 are starting to fill up in some states.

The NCDC director-general, Ifedayo Adetifa, said this on Thursday while speaking on AITs Kakaaki programme, warned that the Omicron variant was more transmissible than the Delta variant and appeared to have a shorter incubation period.

He stated, It is responsible for the increase that were seeing in COVID-19 cases, but it is also important to note that even as that is happening, the existing Delta variant is still persisting. Its either slowly being replaced or has already been replaced by Omicron, he said.

In addition to the wave, isolation centres and treatment centres in some of our cities, especially those that typically have the highest burden, are already beginning to fill up.

The Gombe State Commissioner for Health Dr. Habu Dahiru, said that state had over 600 bed in various five isolation centres in the zones across the state.

Dahiru made this revelation in an interview with newsmen saying that more may be added as the need arise.

He noted that in the last two months the number of positive cases had doubled.

The Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Rilwan Mohammed, on his part, said that the state had one functional isolation centre.

He said: We have an isolation centre which is the Lassa Fever Camp in all the General Hospitals but for now, we only have one that is functional at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital.
Rivers Governor Nyesom in a viral video mocked governors of Ekiti and Ondo for their failure to construct the road linking their states. In...

Rivers Governor Nyesom in a viral video mocked governors of Ekiti and Ondo for their failure to construct the road linking their states.





In the viral video, Mr Fayemi said the likes of Mr Wike are beneficiaries of struggle for democracy which he participated in.





If we didnt do what we did you think you go dey office now, Mr Fayemi said in pidgin referring to his participation in pro-democracy struggle. If we did not do it, you go opportunity to dey do road, dey do project?, he asked.





Though in opposing political parties, Messrs Fayemi and Wike have enjoyed camaraderie as brother-governors.





But Mr Wike is not know to let a jab slide, he promptly took a counterjab at Mr Fayemi, poking him with deplorable state road between Ekiti and Ondo.





What is the essence of if we dont do, if we dont do? From Ekiti to Akure no road, Mr Wike said, suggesting that Mr Fayemi could not use his influence as a top APC governor to get the federal road fixed.





The video was shared on Facebook by Tope Fasua, former presidential candidate for Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP). However, we cannot immediately determine where and when the viral video was recorded.





According to Google map, Ado-Ekiti to Akure, Ondo State capital, is a 47.8 kilometers distance.





Reacting to the video, Mr Fasua said, Chai that was below the belt. From Ekiti to Akure no road. Its the Ondo part that is bad though and perhaps theres a rift between Fayemi and Akeredolu. All the same its a big shame that we cannot fix
Usman Baba, inspector-general of police, has expressed concern over the ability of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) to fi...

Usman Baba, inspector-general of police, has expressed concern over the ability of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) to fire rockets in communities in Borno state.

ISWAP had launched multiple rocket attacks in Maiduguri, the state capital, hours before the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Borno.

Many houses were destroyed by the explosives that landed in different areas including Ngomari, Bulumkutu, Ajilari, and Ayafe communities.

Fielding questions on Friday at the end of the emergency security council meeting presided over by Buhari at the presidential villa, Baba said the ability of the terrorists to strike with rockets is worrisome.

He, however, said the insurgents were unable to achieve their objectives.

They are launching it in major towns, they are launching it in Maiduguri. It is a concern. And it has been seriously checkmated. There are efforts to continuously checkmate it, Baba said.

Yes, they have done it, but to a large extent they have not achieved what they intended to achieve because of the situation the security agencies, particularly the military, put in place.

Asked if the security agencies have been able to determine the origins of the rockets, Baba said: Yes, it had been done before and even after. Some of those who must have planned and thrown those rockets have been taken out.

The police boss assured that the security agencies are trying to improve on what they are already doing to ensure there is peace, law and order during the yuletide period and beyond.

He reiterated Buharis orders to security agencies that the insurgents must not be spared.

The marching orders are always the same. It has always been the same. There is no space, there is no tolerance to any threat to security, he said.

There is no sparing of any terrorists and there must be an intelligence gathering, there must be proactive prevention of crime and there must be checkmating of all those that are involved in criminal activities, whether it be terrorism, banditry or armed robbery or whatever and that is what we are trying to do to the best of our knowledge and ability.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Snow this evening will transition to snow showers late. Low 19F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 100%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected..

Tonight

Snow this evening will transition to snow showers late. Low 19F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 100%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
Wizard World New Orleans, now renamed Fan Expo, will be back in the city in early January after being absent for the first time in a decade last year because of the pandemic, though it remains a rare large convention scheduled to take place in the city in the first half next year.

The event will run in two of the large halls at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center over the Jan. 7-9 weekend, and it is expected to attract visitors in numbers close to pre-pandemic levels of about 15,000, according to Andrew Moyes, vice president at Fan Expo HQ, which bought the Wizard World events in August.

But the conventions business in New Orleans and elsewhere in the country is bracing for another round of cancelations amid worries over another surge in COVID-19 cases as the omicron variant rapidly spreads.

An ominous sign for the convention business has been the withdrawal in the last week of several large tech companies, including Amazon, Twitter, and Facebook, from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that is set to take place in Las Vegas in the first week in January. Those companies and others have cited the latest viral wave for pulling out of an event that is a bellwether for the industry, attracting 170,000 visitors the last time it took place before the pandemic.

The conventions business in New Orleans also has been devastated by the pandemic and a hoped-for revival this autumn was scotched by the delta variant surge and Hurricane Ida.

The cancelation of events including The International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference, the Produce Marketing Association's "Fresh Summit" and the Solar Power International convention meant that tens of thousands of expected exhibitors, speakers and visitors didn't make the trip to the city this autumn.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology's November event and the American Geophysical Union's fall meeting in December went ahead, but with greatly reduced numbers because of COVID-19 worries and the option to attend virtually.

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The risks of attending large events were highlighted by the AGU gathering  as of Thursday, the organization reported that it had 78 reported cases of coronavirus infection from attendees. "All of these are breakthrough cases of fully vaccinated individuals," the AGU said on its website. "These close-contact individuals are monitoring their health for potential symptoms."

Moyes said the Fan Expo convention is different than a typical industry convention in that it is driven mainly by the fans of comic books, science fiction series like Star Trek and Star Wars, and cosplay participants who relish the opportunity to dress up like their favorite fantasy characters.

"It's difficult for us to predict attendance because of the missed shows last year but the signs have been encouraging," said Moyes, pointing to successful Fan Expos in Orlando, Chicago, Boston and Toronto from August this year.

January's event has several celebrities confirmed in the hopes of bringing out autograph hunters. They include New Orleans-born Anthony Mackie, whose has starred in Marvel movies and television shows as Sam Wilson, the alter ego of The Falcon and Captain America. Also appearing is 90-year-old William Shatner, Star Trek's original Captain Kirk on the Starship Enterprise, as well as Ming-Na Wen, who features in the latest instalment of the Star Wars series.

Still, the convention center has no other large meetings booked thereafter until mid-May when the American Urological Association's 2022 Annual Meeting is scheduled.

The drought of major events continues to deplete the hall's financial reserves. The center has had to cover more than $21 million in operating expenses this year, on top of the $22 million shortfall last year.

The board canceled its December meeting and will not report on the latest outlook for conventions or its running financial losses until the New Year.
For 30 years, Julie Generes has cooked Christmas dinner for her extended family, a tradition that she is bringing back after the pandemic shrank last year's guest list to immediate family only.

But she never imagined her open invitation  2 p.m. Christmas Day, as always  would cause a flap over COVID-19 vaccines.

When a family member called to ask if unvaccinated people would be there, Generes said yes. The relative said he wouldn't be able to attend  something Generes, who lives in New Orleans, said she completely understood.

What she wasn't expecting was that he would write letters to everyone in the family urging them to skip the dinner as well.

"This is someone out in the community all the time," Generes said. "I'm not sure why my house is where he drew the line."

Generes isn't the only one dealing with what has become a new holiday dilemma: who is vaxxed and who isn't, and should that figure into the guest list?

Kern Maass, dean of Loyola's College of Music and Media, says that he has had long, hard discussions with out-of-town family over vaccines and get-togethers. A year ago, when the first vaccines had just rolled out and were not widely available, it was his in-laws' turn to host Christmas. The family drove to Michigan, even though no one had been vaccinated.

"They were so desperate to see the grandkids," Maass said. But he had concerns. "The last thing you want to do is kill your parents or grandparents."

Tonya Hansel, an associate professor in Tulane University's School of Social Work, says that she sees a strong desire for people to get together, especially if they missed such holiday gatherings last year.

While vaccines are a divisive issue, she thinks people are tiptoeing around it for the most part. "People are really exhausted," she said. "They don't have the emotional energy to get into it."

For the Maass family, it's the in-laws turn to come to New Orleans for the holidays, and while Maass, his wife and their two teenage children are vaccinated, his in-laws remain unvaccinated. "They don't trust it, for whatever reason," he said.

The family has agreed to "respect each other as adults," and they're handling this visit by making sure everyone gets tested ahead of time.

That's something doctors strongly recommend. While they continue to urge people to get the vaccine and to get a booster, testing, which should be done 24 to 36 hours before a gathering, is another tool.

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"If you're not vaccinated and want to go, get a test," said Dr. Michael Hill, an infectious disease doctor at St. Tammany Health System. "If you are fully vaccinated and haven't been a lot of places, you're probably OK. If you've been a lot of places, get a test."

With cases on the rise in the metro New Orleans area and the advent of the omicron variant, demand for tests has skyrocketed. Ochsner Health System has responded by increasing the number of testing sites, including drive-thru locations.

Dr. Katherine Baumgarten said in a media briefing Tuesday that home tests are reliable, but they are also in high demand. The city of New Orleans had to close a two-day home-test kit giveaway after one day Wednesday because the supply ran out.

Beyond testing, Baumgarten advises outdoor gatherings and wearing masks indoors. And doctors urge anyone with symptoms of illness to get tested. If you're sick, you should stay home, Hill said, noting that the flu and other viruses also circulate this time of year.

Urging loved ones to get vaccinated or boosted is a gift that family members can give, Baumgarten suggested. But she acknowledged that it is a challenging subject.

For Kathryn LeBlanc, who lives in Slidell, bringing up vaccination status has become easier since her baby girl was born last spring.

"It's hard for me to want to go around people who aren't vaccinated with her since she's only seven months old," said LeBlanc, who was vaccinated during her pregnancy. "Anyone who wanted to meet her had to get the vaccine."

For the Maass family, the fact that their children are old enough to be vaccinated helps. "If our kids were more vulnerable, I imagine we would be having a different conversation," said Maass, who has been skipping holiday parties locally because cases are spiking and unvaccinated family are coming.

Hansel suggests that the recent surge is taking some of the pressure off, with the variant being to blame for decisions to not gather.

LeBlanc said that she's already celebrated Christmas with her side of the family and everyone in the room was vaccinated. For Christmas Day, they'll go see her husband's parents and grandparents, although his grandparents are not vaccinated. LeBlanc said she's making an exception for them, but if her mother-in-law were to have a big party, she and the baby would skip it.

"Now that I have a child, I've found my voice," she said.
An alleged carjacker found there was a significant flaw in his plan after taking a car that was being fueled up in Slidell  the vehicle was just about out of gas.

Slidell police said the man was nabbed while he finished gassing up in New Orleans East.

Arsenio Wells, 31, approached the owner of a Nissan Altima who was pumping gas at a Shell station on Old Spanish Trail about 4 p.m. Thursday, according to a report from Slidell police. Wells is accused of pulling a gun, taking the victim's vehicle and heading west on Interstate 10 toward New Orleans, according to police.

But the car was taken before its owner had a chance to fill it up, leaving it with little fuel for the drive across the twin spans. Slidell police rushed off in pursuit, "knowing the vehicle didn't have much fuel to make it very far," Slidell police spokesperson Daniel Seuzeneau said in news release.

Sure enough, a Slidell police officer spotted Wells filling the car up at a gas station on Bullard Avenue a short time later. Wells tried to flee but crashed on Read Boulevard before getting out and continuing to run on foot, Seuzeneau said.

Wells was later caught with the assistance of the New Orleans Police Department and State Police, he said. Though there were initial reports that shots were fired during the chase, Seuzeneau said those turned out to be false and no one was injured in the pursuit.

Wells was booked with one count of carjacking, though Seuzeneau said additional counts could come at a later date.

Woman shot in hand in New Orleans East

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A woman was shot in the hand in New Orleans East late Thursday night, New Orleans Police said.

The woman had been arguing with her sister in the 7800 block of Sun Street around midnight when a man came out of the bedroom of the home and started making threats, police said. The man began shooting, and the woman was hit in the hand, police said.

The woman was brought to the hospital in a private vehicle. Police did not provide additional information on the shooting.

Two armed robberies in New Orleans Thursday evening

New Orleans police reported a pair of armed robberies in the city on Thursday.

In the first case, a group of four men approached two men who were in the 1300 block of Harrison Avenue about 6 p.m. The suspects took the cell phone of one of the victims and then struck the second victim and took his car keys, police said. The suspects fled in the victim's 2000 Ford F-150, according to police.

In the second incident, a man robbed a store in the 1100 block of North Broad Street at gunpoint. The man waited until the cashier was opening the register and then pulled a handgun, according to police. He then took an unknown amount of cash from the register and fled, police said.
When St. Tammany Parish government released a long-awaited review of the parish-owned water system that serves Cross Gates and Meadow Lake subdivisions in the Slidell area, the consultant called one step "paramount" to restoring consumer confidence: a 60-day switch to "free chlorine" for disinfecting the water.

Now, months later, area residents and Parish Council member Mike Smith, who represents the area, are saying that that step  which St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper's administration agreed to at a Nov. 15 public meeting  is taking too long.

Sometimes called a "chlorine burn," the change would mean temporarily using only liquid chlorine to disinfect the water instead of what's known as a chloramine system, a more complex system that relies on a combination of naturally occurring ammonia in the water with sodium hypochlorite, which is added.

Residents have been raising concerns about water quality in the system that serves 2,578 customers near Slidell after a sewage leak in April coincided with a lack of residual chlorine in the water system. The Louisiana Department of Health issued violation notices at the time, and customers feared that there had been contamination, pointing to health issues like skin rashes, diarrhea and urinary tract infections.

Cooper hired the engineering firm Owen & White Inc. in May to review the system. The consultant found numerous deficiencies and recommended 35 changes, including the 60-day chlorine burn. The initial report was completed in August, and the parish administration released the final version in October.

At first, the Cooper administration resisted doing a chlorine burn. In notes on the consultant's recommendations, the administration said that the free chlorine burn "is not needed or recommended at this time" and noted negatives including an increased chlorine taste, discoloration of water, inconvenience and increased carcinogens in the water.

If the burn is desired, the administration said, a third party should be hired to do it and to supervise the burn in accordance with Louisiana Department of Health rules.

At a meeting last month, however, the administration agreed that it would do the chlorine burn, and a Nov. 19 email from Chief Administrative Office Gina Hayes to Cross Gates resident Stephen Leech said that the parish was contracting with Curtis Environmental to come up with the plan.

But Smith and others are questioning the pace.

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"They think that they're living up to their commitment, but it's going awfully damn slow," Smith said.

The administration has had the consultant's initial copy since August, Smith said. "They knew that this was a possibility and that people were calling for remediation and for going to free chlorine," he said.

Cooper was not available for an interview, but parish spokesperson Michael Vinsanau said that the switch to free chlorine "is currently being designed and planned, so it is not delayed."

A plan will be submitted to the Louisiana Department of Health for approval and the public will be notified 14 days before the change, Vinsanau said.

But Smith said that the administration hasn't provided a time line as of yet.

Parish Council member Mike Lorino, who is on the council's Utilities Committee, said that Curtis Environmental had concerns about the equipment and whether the burn could be done.

Lorino said that discussion followed on whether to fix the system enough to perform the burn or if the parish should focus on addressing other recommendations in the report.

"That would take a long time, maybe six or seven months. Mike Smith felt like that's not going to help the people over there. ... We agreed a week to 10 days ago to move forward with the chlorine burn," Lorino said.

Smith said that money is not the issue. At its Dec. 2 meeting, the Parish Council voted to allocate $14 million from the American Rescue Act to Tammany Utilities, half to be spent in western St. Tammany and half in eastern St. Tammany.

Smith and Lorino said that council members are discussing another option: bringing in an outside firm to operate the system. Smith said he thinks having a subcontractor would speed up implementation of the Owen & White recommendations.

"It's been discussed a lot with members of the Parish Council," Lorino said. "They (the administration) haven't said yes or no."
The Xiaomi 12 will arrive on December 28, but Evan Blass has already leaked several official promotional pictures. The leak confirms that the Xiaomi 12 has a 50 MP primary camera, a textured back panel and at least four colour options. Update: Four colourways revealed in promotional videos.

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Evan Blass has leaked Xiaomi 12 marketing renders, just a few days before Xiaomi reveals its next flagship smartphone. So far, Blass has published three marketing images, which we have reproduced throughout this article. For reference, Xiaomi is also expected to unveil the Xiaomi 12X and Xiaomi 12 Pro before the start of 2022.

As the images show, the Xiaomi 12 has a 50 MP primary rear-facing camera, complemented by two smaller cameras. Blass has not revealed details about any of these cameras, but none of the lenses look like a periscope camera. Presumably, Xiaomi will reserve a periscope camera for the Xiaomi 12 Ultra or equivalent.

Additionally, the images reinforce that the Xiaomi 12 has a 6.28-inch display with slightly curved edges. To date, Xiaomi has only showcased the Xiaomi 12 Pro's front and has not confirmed the device's display size.
These programs are ideal for adolescents who may have been on the inpatient unit. If they have the support system at home, they can then attend this program and receive additional treatment. Its also ideal for children who may not meet the criteria to be admitted to an inpatient unit, but who can still benefit from treatment. This gives them an alternative, more than outpatient, less than inpatient. So, it really does fill that gap, Director of Behavioral Health Linda Thompson said.

The programs were relocated to larger spaces so they can handle up to eight patients instead of just two or three.

Continuity of care can be achieved with these programs," board-certified child/adolescent psychiatrist Nisha Rao said. "They can be a bridge for adolescents discharged from the inpatient unit who dont feel ready yet to return to the real world and may still have goals to accomplish.

Patients learn coping mechanisms and other strategies for handling stress and becoming more emotionally resilient.

Its the relationship between the parent and child that plays a big role because thats the foundation, she said.
Northwest Health recently added new physicians.

The health care system with hospitals in Valparaiso, LaPorte and Knox welcomed cardiologist Stella Kyung and colorectal surgeon and general surgeon D. Owen Young.

Both physicians are practicing at the Medical Plaza on the Northwest Health  Porter campus in Valparaiso. Kyung also is seeing patients in Portage.

"Dr. Kyung is board-certified in cardiovascular medicine and completed two advanced fellowships after attending Medical School in New York," Northwest Health said in a press release. "She completed a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship in advanced cardiovascular imaging at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. Some of her interests include cardiac MRI, Cardiac CT imaging, preventive cardiology, heart failure, heart valve disease, cardiac arrhythmias, cardio-oncology, and womens heart health."

To schedule an appointment, call 219-983-6300.

Young, who also is based at the Northwest Medical Group  General Surgery in Valparaiso, has been board-certified by both the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery and the American Board of Surgery.
Republican women from Lake and Porter counties came together Wednesday to donate gifts for men, women and children. Next year, they hope, it will be a bipartisan effort.

Their first stop was Gabriels Horn, a shelter for women and their children.

Executive Director Monica Hammond said the shelter was helped over the summer by the Nasty Women of Porter County, the Democratic Partys counterpart to the Porter County Republican Women group. The Nasty Women group helped remodel bathrooms at the shelter. We have been praying for people to adopt us, Hammond said.

The GOP women dropped off $1,000 worth of feminine products, including some scented lotions as well as hygiene products and other items.

Hammond said a ministers prophecy to the shelter last year is proving true. He said, Angels are going to be stopping by from all walks of life.

Those angels have their work cut out for them.

Gabriels Horn has six women and their families currently, but plans call for converting a pole barn into space for 10 more apartments to serve additional women and their children.
For this year only, however, legitimate charitable donations of up to $300 per individual, or $600 per couple, may be deducted from the taxpayer's income simply by reporting the donation on the taxpayer's electronic 1040 form.

The deduction lowers both adjusted gross income and taxable income  generating tax savings for those making donations to qualifying tax-exempt organizations.

"Over the past two years, charities have helped America confront generational health, economic and social crises. They have answered the call to serve their communities despite facing lost revenue, disrupted operations and dramatically increased need," said Daniel J. Cardinali, president and CEO of Independent Sector.

"Congress has sent a powerful message that everyone  not just those who itemize on their taxes  has a role to play in helping meet this moment, and we know people in America will respond in kind. We hope charitable contributions and deductions will increase in the coming years."

The IRS is reminding taxpayers that to receive a deduction they must donate to a qualified charity and should keep a record of their donation, such as an acknowledgement letter from the charity, a canceled check or a credit card receipt.
"Southern Indiana would kill to have something like the White Foundation. The White family made that money all over the country but are going to spend it here. They're going to put it to good use for us and make sure that use is sustainable."
Jones, who made millions from selling an early voicemail system and has started several companies, told The Associated Press that parameters set by INvestEd are prohibitive," however, and could stymie student and training provider participation.

His main qualm is with the $7,500 student loan cap workers can get to earn credentials in fields like logistics, construction and IT. Jones' proposal to legislators set loan limits at $10,000, which he maintains is needed by training providers to meet the 75% student graduation rate and 65% job placement rate required by lawmakers.

But the legislation establishing the fund did not specify loan cap limitations. It sketches out a program under which participants enroll in courses such as computer programing, manufacturing, health care, logistics and aviation that take up to six months to complete and result in graduates finding jobs that pay at least 20% more than what they had earned. Recipients would repay the interest-free loans in installments based on their new monthly income.

Jones said INvestEd's decision to shave the loan cap takes away from historic legislation" that holds training providers accountable for high rates of student success upon entering the workforce.
About 10:40 last evening, four males: Two were on foot, two were in black scooters. They were all hooded and masked up. They turned eastbound on ... 37th Avenue from 97 Street. Two males immediately extend their arms and begin firing in the direction of a group in front of the barbershop down the street. There was a party going on at the restaurant, just a few stores away. Ten people were shot, three of which are known Trinitario- gang members. We believe there were seven unintended targets, which aged and ranged between 19 and 72. The most seriously shot was shot to the stomach and they were all expected to recover from their wounds. They were transported to various hospitals throughout Queens; Elmhurst and New York Pres. At this moment, weve recovered at least 40 ballistics evidence, but were still doing a daylight search. This was, as I can most accurately describe it, this was a brazen, coordinated attack for a lack of a better word. Were asking for the publics help, for anything, any information they have in this. And if they can reach us at Crime Stoppers, at 1-800-577-TIPS, we would appreciate their help in this. Two guys just stick their arms out, walk down a very crowded street at 10:30 at night, where theres parties going on, restaurants going on, crowded streets. The two scooters then follow up on them. After the shooting, after they fire at least 37 times that we know of, they calmly get on the back of the scooters and take off. So very brazen, to say the least.
Israel weighs a fourth dose of a vaccine

Israel is considering whether to approve a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose for those over age 60, the immunocompromised and health care workers to contain the fast-spreading Omicron variant, despite debate among scientists and a lack of evidence about another booster.

Though there is not much scientific data, the pandemic response advisers concluded that the potential benefits outweighed the risks, pointing to signs of waning immunity a few months after the third shot and arguing that a delay in additional vaccine doses might prove too late to protect those most at risk. Fourth doses could be given as soon as Sunday.

The price will be higher if we dont vaccinate, Dr. Boaz Lev, the head of the advisory panel, said at a news conference late Wednesday. But other members of the panel worried about a diminished immunological response in older people after multiple vaccinations within a short period of time.

Context: Israel was among the first countries to offer its residents a third shot, starting over the summer, and it would be well ahead of other nations in administering a fourth dose.
When I was growing up, one toy captured my imagination: a Power Wheels Jeep. It was the Christmas present that seemed out of reach of my familys limited finances. The commercials during the Saturday morning cartoons were a constant reminder of what I would never have. In those 30-second segments, the tiny Jeeps and Corvettes were driven by blond kids zooming through neighborhoods filled with green grass and nice homes.

But every Christmas, I woke up to find that we were still, in fact, poor and I would not be driving my Power Wheels through the hood. Until the Christmas that changed everything. One year my mother, my siblings and I made our way to my grandmothers house to enjoy Christmas dinner with our extended family. As we approached the home, I saw a red and blue Power Wheels Jeep sitting in the driveway with a red bow attached.

My grandmother had a gambling addiction and played the illegal lotto that operated in the Black neighborhoods of Huntsville, Ala. This particular year, things had apparently gone quite well. She had used her winnings to buy many of her numerous grandkids the gifts of our dreams. That is how I got my Power Wheels.

I have always considered that lottery a Christmas miracle, evidence that God had not forgotten the little Black boys and girls in my corner of the world. But as I have aged, I have been tempted to reconsider. Are these merely the pious memories of a naive child looking for hope wherever he could find it? Is it wrong to see Gods presence in a gift bought with money of questionable origins?
Residents were also aggrieved by a sudden increase in the fees they paid for a private restaurant on the premises  $15,000 a year, up from $1,200 a year when the building opened.

The sponsor said that it had paid for the losses at the restaurant  which were partly because of lower than anticipated use  through mid-2019, well beyond its legal obligation, and that residents were now responsible for the increased cost.

It is not uncommon for residents to seek additional work from a developer after they take over a condo board, typically a few years after construction is completed or when a sales threshold is met. And given the complicated nature of this project  briefly the tallest residential building in the city, and still one of its slenderest towers  it is no exception.

In its response to the condo boards lawsuit, the sponsor accepted responsibility for some of the items identified, noting that 432 Parks sophisticated symphony of systems needed to be fine-tuned when residents began to move into the building. But it claimed that the resident board constantly canceled appointments for repair work, and that the residents were now manufacturing an ever-increasing list of demands.

The sponsor also said that, during a virtual meeting in October, the residential board president told unit owners that the building was safe, despite claims of life-safety issues.

The Sponsors efforts to completely live up to its obligations have been continuously restricted and inexplicably limited by the Board, against the interests of all the owners, Jay A. Neveloff, a partner at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, who represents the sponsor, said in a statement.

The claims that they arbitrarily blocked access to the building are not based on fact, Jonathan A. Adelsberg, a partner at Herrick Feinstein and a lawyer for the residential board, said in a statement. Over a five-year period  despite numerous mistakes and damage caused by its contractors  the Sponsor repeatedly defied the usual and customary safety protocols that apply to repair work in all skyscrapers in New York City.
Thousands of would-be travelers received last-minute cancellations of their Christmas flights on Friday and Saturday because of the recent spike of Omicron cases, including among airline workers.

The number of cancellations globally for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day added up to more than 3,800, the Flight Aware website showed, with more than 1,000 in the United States. Although the cancellations represented a relatively small percentage of the roughly 80,000 arrivals on any given day, they were a jarring disruption in a holiday season shadowed by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which now accounts for more than 70 percent of new coronavirus cases in the United States.

United Airlines canceled 176 flights of the 4,000 domestic and international flights scheduled at dozens of airports on Friday, mostly the result of crew members calling in sick, said Joshua Freed, a spokesman for the Chicago-based carrier. At least 44 more flights on Saturday have already been canceled, he added.

A spokeswoman for Delta Air Lines said that it had canceled 158 of the 3,100 flights scheduled for Friday, Christmas Eve, one of the most hectic travel days of the year. The Atlanta-based airline was exhausting all options and resources, including rerouting and substituting planes and crews to cover scheduled flights.
A Los Angeles police officer opened fire on a man who was involved in an assault at a clothing store on Thursday, and one of the shots pierced a wall, killing a 14-year-old girl in a dressing room, the police said.

The shooting happened at a Burlington store in North Hollywood during the busy holiday shopping season after the police received reports at about 11:45 a.m. of an assault with a deadly weapon and possible shots fired, the police said. Some of the callers said they were hiding in the store, the police said.

When the officers arrived, they went upstairs and found a man who was assaulting a woman, the police said. The police opened fire, killing the man, whose name was not immediately released, the police said.

Officers found a heavy metal lock near the man but no gun, Dominic H. Choi, an assistant chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, said at a news conference.
As Americans prepare for out-of-state travel and multigenerational indoor gatherings over the holidays, many people who need to get tested for the coronavirus are running into shortages, long lines and other deterrents  while many others are avoiding getting tested altogether.

The fact theyre hard to come by suggests that there is a portion of people who really do put a lot of confidence in these tests, said Preeti Malani, a professor and chief health officer at the University of Michigan. But are the people who most need to be tested being tested?

As the government has concentrated mainly on pushing more people to get vaccinated, she said, testing remains not anywhere near where it needs to be.

A forthcoming study in South Carolina suggests that some of the same groups that were slow to embrace vaccination are also less likely than others to get tested, often for reasons like mistrust of the medical system or fear of missing work and wages if they test positive.
The study follows findings from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which reported that third doses of their vaccines had initial success at stopping infection and severe illness from Omicron.

Vaccines from all three companies have been authorized as safe and effective booster doses by Britains Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Britains booster campaign has been built around Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna doses, but people who cannot get one of them can receive an AstraZeneca booster, according to the National Health Service.

The study comes on the heels of a real-world effectiveness study published by British government scientists last week that found that after six months, the regular two-dose AstraZeneca vaccination alone offered little to no protection against Omicron infection, though it still helped prevent serious disease from the variant. Giving people who started with two doses of AstraZeneca a Pfizer booster dose increased the effectiveness against symptomatic infection from the variant to 71 percent, the study found.

A growing body of preliminary research has indicated that most of the worlds vaccines provide protection against serious illness from Omicron. But many of them, including those manufactured in China or Russia as well as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, seem to do little or nothing to stop the variants spread.

Three doses of the Chinese vaccine Sinovac offer almost no protection from Omicron infection, researchers in Hong Kong said in a study released on Wednesday. Sinovac is one of the most widely used vaccines in China, as well as in low- and middle-income countries like Mexico and Brazil.
President Biden has promised to make 500 million coronavirus tests available free of charge, but help is at least weeks away  if not longer  as new cases surge in the United States.

As a candidate, Mr. Biden excoriated the Trump administration for what he called a failure of planning, leadership and execution where tests were concerned. But the Omicron variant caught the White House off guard, as this president has acknowledged, and cases have far outstripped available tests.

The presidents pledge, which he made on Tuesday, was the centerpiece of a new aggressive effort, announced as Americans scramble to locate the hard-to-find tests for use over the holidays. Purchase contracts for tests could be completed as soon as next week, officials said.

Thats not a plan  its a hope, said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which tracks testing trends. She said that if tests arrived in January and February, they might be useful. But if they trickle in over months, she said, Im not sure what kind of impact it is going to have.
Eleven days later, the owner texted pictures of the artwork to Mr. Schorer, who said he drove straight to the mans house, where, he said, the man and his wife lived modestly. Mr. Schorer sat down at the kitchen table to look at the piece.

It was either a masterpiece or the greatest forgery I had ever seen, he said.

Mr. Schorer, who specializes in recovering lost art, paid the man a $100,000 advance to sell the drawing, he said. (The exact terms are confidential, but both will get money when it sells, he said.) Mr. Schorer would lose his advance if the work turned out to be a forgery.

Mr. Phillipson said his friend, the owner of the drawing, declined to comment.

Three days later, Mr. Schorer boarded a flight to England to rush the drawing into the hands of Jane McAusland, a paper conservator who advises museums, dealers and auction houses. She did not respond to emails this week from The Times.

Three weeks after his visit, Ms. McAusland told him that the drawing had been stained with tea or coffee to make it look like an antique, Mr. Schorer said. But he asked her to look again, and she replied by email the next day with an image. He clicked on it, and the picture showed a translucent light shining through the paper.

It had the trident watermark, which is only in Albrecht Durers drawings, he said. My mind was blown.

Durers preferred medium was a special paper made by his patron, Jacob Fugger, one of the richest men who ever lived. Only Durers workshop had access to that paper, which bore Fuggers signature watermark, according to Christof Metzger, a Durer specialist who was on the panel of experts who authenticated the drawing this month.
With so much emphasis on dialogue and character development, the tension  the very glue of West Side Story  seeps away. Tony, we learn, is on parole for almost killing a kid. Who cares? He talks about how he first saw the Cloisters, where he takes Maria on a date, while being carted off to prison. Its hard to imagine how that could have happened, yet again, who cares? Its like watching dancers with lead in their shoes.

Its not as if back stories werent important to Robbins, who conceived, directed and choreographed the stage musical. (He choreographed the 1961 film and directed it, with Robert Wise.) He wanted his actors and dancers to flesh out their characters pasts in order to give them greater dimension. But in the new version, theres another war raging as action and sensation battle a continual need for context.

In a 1985 symposium with the four collaborators  Robbins, Laurents, Bernstein and Sondheim  the subject of Cheryl Crawford came up. She was a producer who ultimately dropped out of the original stage production because, Sondheim said, She wanted us to explain more why these kids were the way they were, and the more we tried to explain to her that this was not a sociological treatise, but rather a poetic interpretation of a social situation, the less she understood what we were saying.

She wanted, he said, for West Side Story to be more realistically grounded. If we had gone that way, Sondheim added, we wouldve killed the piece.

The new movie hasnt killed West Side Story, but it has muted it considerably  and packed it full of starts and stops. Now when the dances come, theyre less a part of the shows fabric than an escape.
In the summer of 2020, shortly after the murder of George Floyd, Kelly Latimore, a white artist who grew up surrounded by images of a white Jesus, decided to make a course correction. Hed paint the Virgin Mary and Jesus with gold halos encircling their heads  and both would be Black.

Also, his image of Jesus would resemble Floyd, a Black man who had been killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

The painting, titled Mama, attracted little notice in February after a copy was installed at the law school of the Catholic University of America in Washington. But in November, The Daily Signal, a conservative website, published an article about the work and about the universitys recently published report on diversity and inclusion, and students created a petition calling for its removal. That month, the painting was stolen.

The university replaced it in November with a smaller copy  the schools policy was not to cancel speakers or prevent speech by members of the community, the universitys president, John H. Garvey, said in a statement after the theft  but now that copy, too, has been stolen. And the student government has passed a resolution calling for further displays of the work on campus to be banned, citing religious objections.
Auguste Rodins powerful bronze statue of a dying girl cradled by her mother, which spent nearly a century atop a pedestal in a cemetery in Middleburg, Va., is now headed for sale at Freemans auction house in Philadelphia on Feb. 22.

Descendants of the grieving mother depicted by Rodin  Elizabeth Musgrave Croswell Merrill, a philanthropist and arts patron  have removed the sculpture, saying they needed to protect it from theft. While in some cemeteries families are permitted to remove their own ancestors markers, scholars describe the Rodin move as rare in American graveyard history. And, they point out, many important sculptures removed from cemeteries have gone to public spaces, not private sale.

Virginia Jenkins, a Merrill descendant, said in a brief phone interview that the sculpture was becoming widely recognized and that it was vulnerable to theft. (Its fans over the years have included Jane Fonda, who blogged about it in 2013.) The family has kept an identical casting of the Rodin work, she said. She and other relatives did not respond to phone calls and emails seeking further comment.

Dennis Montagna, president of the Association for Gravestone Studies, said that the rare example of important graveside art removed for profit just so runs against the original intent of the generation of Merrills who had commissioned and imported the Rodin. A burial ground is not intended as a temporary exhibit nor an outdoor salesroom, he said.
We wanted to delve into what made him the character we saw later in Empire, said Dave Filoni, a writer, supervising director and executive producer of Clone Wars. Once his father was killed by a Jedi, it changed him significantly. You realized that he would want to mirror his father  become his father and take his armor.

Soule, the comic-book author, said that compared to other Star Wars characters whose life stories have been filled in almost entirely by the movies, Boba Fett still had many tantalizingly unexplored areas in his personal history.

There are characters who we have seen a lot of, and its hard to find the places where theres much capital still left, he said. Then there are characters whose bank accounts havent been drawn down very much. Theres a lot of capital left in Boba Fetts account.

But the popularity of Boba Fett among Star Wars creators has meant that not everyone who wants him can have a piece of him. Kasdan said that while he might have liked to feature the character in Solo, he was told by Lucasfilm that Boba was always off limits because he was in development elsewhere.

The studios initial efforts to create a Boba Fett movie did not come to fruition. But as Favreau and his collaborators began devising The Mandalorian, which premiered in 2019, they found themselves irresistibly drawn to a bounty-hunter protagonist who lived by a personal code and wore armor similar to Boba Fetts.

As Favreau explained: We tried to reconnect with the roots of what inspired George. A Mandalorian character lends itself to simple storytelling, in the spirit of the westerns that were so popular on television in the generation of my father.
4. A venerable Burmese-Irish family known for its charitable foundation has secretly helped equip Myanmars brutal military.

An investigation of the Kyaw Thaung family by The Times reveals a vast web of military procurement that was strategically hidden from the public. For all their efforts to differentiate themselves from the drug lords and business cronies who dominated Myanmars economy, the Kyaw Thaungs were quietly profiting from their military ties.

Their partnership with the Tatmadaw, Myanmars military, deepened even as its generals committed ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims. And it continued into this year, when the army staged a coup and seized full power of the country. One of the familys companies donated more than $40,000 to the Tatmadaw for what the U.N. described as a cover-up of the site of genocide.
A New York trial court judge has upheld his order preventing The New York Times from publishing documents prepared by a lawyer for the conservative group Project Veritas, in a move that alarmed First Amendment advocates concerned about judicial intrusion into journalistic practices.

In a ruling made public on Friday, the judge, Justice Charles D. Wood of State Supreme Court in Westchester County, went further: He ordered The Times to immediately turn over any physical copies of the Project Veritas documents in question, and to destroy any electronic copies in the newspapers possession.

The Times said it would seek a stay of the ruling and was planning to appeal it.

This ruling should raise alarms not just for advocates of press freedoms but for anyone concerned about the dangers of government overreach into what the public can and cannot know, the publisher of The Times, A.G. Sulzberger, said in a statement on Friday. In defiance of law settled in the Pentagon Papers case, this judge has barred The Times from publishing information about a prominent and influential organization that was obtained legally in the ordinary course of reporting.

Mr. Sulzberger said Justice Woods order that the company return the documents had no apparent precedent and could present obvious risks to exposing sources.
Barbara Sibleys four New York restaurants had already weathered the citys initial Covid-19 wave, the prevaccine surge last winter and this summers Delta spike when last weekend it finally happened: Fearing an outbreak and struggling with staffing after one of her workers got sick with Covid, she temporarily shut down one of her locations.

That was only the start of Ms. Sibleys worries. She also had to weigh how long the employee, who was fully vaccinated, should isolate before returning to the job. And the messaging from public health experts was not clear-cut.

In the early days of the pandemic the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that most people who tested positive for the coronavirus isolate for 14 days. It later reduced its recommended isolation period to 10 days. But these policies were based on data from unvaccinated individuals and were implemented before the widespread availability of rapid tests. An increasing number of health and policy professionals now suggest that vaccinated people can end their isolation after five to seven days, so long as they are not symptomatic and they test negative.

On Thursday, the C.D.C. reduced, in some circumstances, the number of days it recommends that health care workers who test positive for the coronavirus isolate themselves, but it did not address other businesses.
Collards is a corruption of colewort  colewort is any non-heading cabbage, said Dr. Harris, the author of High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey From Africa to America. They became part of the foodways of African Americans. The Africanism is in the cooking of them  not in the green itself. That cooking method of long, low and slow, and with the potlikker being consumed, is a very different thing.

And celebrating on the first day of the year, is more of a global tradition, Mr. Miller said. In Italy, for example, lentils  said to resemble coins  are cooked down with pork and served for luck. In West Africa, he added, there were certainly auspicious days. But this idea that the first day of the calendar year  and doing something on that day  would bring good luck, to my knowledge, doesnt exist in West African societies prior to European contact.

West African spiritual practices often revolved around deities who had favorite foods like black-eyed peas, which are native to the continent. The forced migration of enslaved Africans to North America and their interactions with European colonists led to a convergence of customs.

Its all kind of messy, Mr. Miller said, but you can see this process of cultural diffusion, borrowing, appropriation, all of those things that were happening in previous centuries, to the point where it coalesces into the tradition we have now.
Pop bands more or less playing themselves in semi-fictional movies are not new: The Beatles starred in Help! and A Hard Days Night in the mid-1960s, the Monkees were in Head in 1968.

Now the K-pop boy group P1Harmony are the marquee attraction in a science-fiction feature that explains how the six members got superpowers in a world overcome by a lethal virus. Yes, this is K-pop meets the apocalypse. And A New World Begins (sometimes titled The Beginning of a New World) is a lot better than it needs to be.

The premise is that drones carry slithering wormy things that burrow into peoples flesh and eradicate their emotions, leaving only murderous impulses  victims essentially become rampaging killers, with results that are surprisingly gory.

The story starts off in a wrecked Seoul, and the director, Yoon Hong-seung, proves his mettle in nifty action scenes  the first half-hour is as well made, if not more, as most wham-bam sci-fi you can stream right now.
As the founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply, a three-year-old business that imports and roasts Robusta beans from Vietnam (one of the top nations in coffee production and export), Sahra Nguyen is in back-to-back Zoom or phone meetings all week. And then there are the constant media appearances.

As a new business owner, theres so much for me to learn and capture, and I feel like everything is very time-sensitive, she said. This is why I turn into a blob on Saturdays and just sit on the couch. (Not that shes complaining; when she was first establishing her business, she said, she didnt pay herself for over a year and lived in an apartment with no heat.)

The entrepreneur regains some pep on Sundays, which are typically marked for errands and fun. I try to find time for myself, my boyfriend and my friends, but the focus is very much on eating and drinking well.
But she also stood out  and had enormous impact  for something else: She conceded her subjectivity. Traced her blind spots. Showed her hand. Instead of mimicking the swagger and voice-of-God authority that many other journalists affected, she stipulated  sometimes as the very subject of an essay, other times in its margins  to what a peculiar narrator she could be. She cataloged her own oddities, and she did so not as an exercise in narcissism but as an act of candor.

In the news business over recent years, there has been significant discussion about whether any one writer can be wholly objective and neutral, whether its wise to assert (or, perhaps, pretend) as much, whether the idea that a particular account could have been produced in its exact form by any number of different reporters is patently false on its face. Some outlets now give their audiences more information about the people bringing them the news or permit those journalists to create profiles on social media that are a kind of piecemeal, steadily accruing autobiography. Thats not intended as a surrender to subjectivity. Its meant as transparency.

Well, Didion was there long ago. Her signature essays from the 1960s and 1970s  which, for the true Didion cultist, mattered infinitely more than her novels or than anything else until her grief memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, in 2005  were radically transparent. Thats not to say that she didnt selectively edit the aspects of her life that she presented for public consumption, hold on to secrets, turn herself into a character of her choosing. Every writer does that. Every human does that.

But Didion had the boldness and brilliance to realize, ahead of her time, that she bolstered her credibility and cemented her bond with readers if she volunteered that her sensibilities invariably steered her in certain directions and circumscribed her observations. So she owned up to her prejudices and parameters. She copped to her leanings and limits.

In that dispatch from Hawaii, after mentioning the prospect of divorce, she added: I tell you this not as aimless revelation but because I want you to know, as you read me, precisely who I am and where I am and what is on my mind. I want you to understand exactly what you are getting: You are getting a woman who for some time now has felt radically separated from most of the ideas that seem to interest other people. You are getting a woman who somewhere along the line misplaced whatever slight faith she ever had in the social contract, in the meliorative principle, in the whole grand pattern of human endeavor.
The order, a highly unusual and astonishingly broad injunction against a news organization, was issued by Justice Charles D. Wood of the State Supreme Court. He wrote that The Timess decision to publish excerpts from memos written by Project Veritass lawyers cries out for court intervention to protect the integrity of the judicial process. This ruling follows a similar directive Justice Wood issued last month in response to a story The Times published that quoted from the memos. The Times plans to appeal this latest ruling.

In requesting the order from Justice Wood, Project Veritass lawyers acknowledged that prior restraints on publication are rare, but argued that their case fits a narrow exception the law recognizes for documents that may be used in the course of ongoing litigation. This exception recognizes that because parties are forced by the court to disclose materials, courts should have the power to supervise how such forced disclosures are used by the other party. The litigation here is a libel suit Project Veritas filed against The Times in 2020, for its articles on a video the group produced about what it claimed was rampant voter fraud in Minnesota. The video was probably part of a coordinated disinformation effort, The Times reported, citing an analysis by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Washington.

The groups lawyers also argue that the memos are protected by attorney-client privilege and that The Times was under an ethical obligation to return them to Project Veritas, rather than publish them. This is not how journalism works. The Times, like any other news organization, makes ethical judgments daily about whether to disclose secret information from governments, corporations and others in the news. But the First Amendment is meant to leave those ethical decisions to journalists, not to courts. The only potential exception is information so sensitive  say, planned troop movements during a war  that its publication could pose a grave threat to American lives or national security.

Project Veritass legal memos are not a matter of national security. In fact, but for its ongoing libel suit, the group would have no claim against The Times at all. The memos at issue have nothing to do with that suit and did not come to The Times through the discovery process. Still, Project Veritas is arguing that their publication must be prohibited because the memos contain confidential information that is relevant to the groups litigation strategy.

Its an absurd argument and a deeply threatening one to a free press. Consider the consequences: News organizations could be routinely blocked from reporting information about a person or company simply because the subject of that reporting decided the information might one day be used in litigation. More alarming is the prospect that reporters could be barred even from asking questions of sources, lest someone say something that turns out to be privileged. This isnt a speculative fear; in his earlier order, Justice Wood barred The Times from reporting about anything covered by Project Veritass attorney-client privilege. In Fridays decision, he ordered The Times to destroy any and all copies of the memos that it had obtained, and barred it from reporting on the substance of those memos. The press is free to report on matters of public concern, he wrote, but memos from attorneys to their clients dont clear that bar.
The populist right has in recent months undergone an identity shift. It used to be that these parties claimed, with their positions on immigration and cultural change, to speak for the people, a silent majority. That doesnt work anymore. Austrias Freedom Party, for example, has adopted a hard-line anti-vaccination stance. But holding this position means that it can no longer claim to be the champion of the majority; most Austrians have chosen to get vaccinated. At least in Western Europe, the vaccinated are the majority. Not surprisingly, when populists are in power  as they are in Hungary and Poland  they adopt vaccine and lockdown policies similar to those introduced by mainstream parties elsewhere.

Populist parties now claim to speak on behalf of a persecuted minority of nonconformists and are repositioning themselves as champions of liberty and individual rights. This may sound familiar to many Americans: They are the same positions held by the American right, even when it is in power. Its now clear that the coronavirus crisis has contributed to the internationalization of the populist right.

This gambit to define freedom as heroic resistance to the interventionist state will likely falter in Europes aging societies, where many worry about the virus. But by opposing pandemic restrictions, these political players will have a better chance of attracting support from members of younger generations who are more likely than their parents to blame their loss of freedom on government policies than on the spread of a deadly virus.

For the young, the pandemic is associated far less with loss of life than with the destruction of their way of life. The European Council on Foreign Relations survey shows that they suspect that they have been turned into invisible victims of their governments risk aversion. It was indicative that in the Freedom Party-backed anti-vaxxer rallies in Vienna, anarchists and other leftists  historically much more the territory of the young  marched side by side with those who were their archenemies just yesterday.

What does this mean for mainstream politics? In the short term, the situation looks good: The parties of the center have benefited by meeting the majority of peoples expectations for precaution and protection. But by endorsing what increasingly seem like never-ending lockdowns and mandatory vaccination, European governments risk misreading a changing public sentiment.
For the first-time visitor to the warehouse, the multiplicity of sacred objects usually seen by themselves can have a surreal aspect. A glass case displays dozens of chalices and wine-and-water cruet sets. A side room is full to bursting with holy water fonts. And the rear of the statue room calls to mind a scene from the film Being John Malkovich, in which a crowded restaurant is populated entirely by various incarnations of Mr. Malkovich; in this case, the room is thronged with multiples of Jesus Christ, including five small quintuplets splayed atop a pipe-organ console and a pair of formerly crucified saviors, absent their crosses, lying side by side in matching holy agony.

Other statues  of the Blessed Mother and an eclectic assortment of saints  stand in their multitudes like a rookery of colorful penguins.

This is my last Mother Cabrini, Mr. Amatrudo said, resting his palm on the head of a waist-high plaster statue of the canonized Italian-American nun Frances Xavier Cabrini, rescued from St. Lucys Church in East Harlem after the churchs deconsecration in 2017.

Mr. Amatrudo never throws anything out, he said, in case a priest comes in looking for a missing fragment. In an 1890s card catalog in his office, the loose finger of a plaster Jesus shares a drawer with Duracell batteries.

Laypeople are not permitted to shop at the warehouse, and there are generally no listed prices. When an artifact is transferred to a parish, the archdiocese typically asks for a donation commensurate with that parishs means.

Even at a time of supply-chain troubles in the secular world, the ongoing closings and mergers of parishes have provided the Patrimony Warehouse with a steady pipeline of holy artifacts.
If you wake up early enough on Saturday, youll be greeted with a spectacle of science and engineering: the launch to orbit of the James Webb Space Telescope.

The telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and Canadas space agency, and will be the most powerful observatory ever sent into space. Astronomers have waited decades as budgetary and technical delays have stalled the Webbs completion and launch.

But on Christmas morning, they and the rest of humanity will come one step closer to witnessing the spacecraft begin its scientific mission. Heres what you need to know.

When is the launch and how can I watch it?

The telescope is scheduled to lift off at 7:20 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday from a European-managed spaceport in French Guiana on the coast of South America. The launch window lasts 32 minutes, until 7:52 a.m., in case there are any last-minute rocket checks or brief pauses in the countdown. A longer delay means the launch would be postponed to that same time on Sunday.
Our facility had an outbreak from August until September back in 2020, said Ms. Gonzalez, an infection-control nurse at Pleasanton Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pleasanton, Calif. Thats six weeks of physical and mental exhaustion. I was working almost everyday, coming in weekends and on-call 24 hours.

Through it all, Mr. McCloud was her biggest ally, she said. He made sure to take care of me and everything else he could so I could concentrate on restoring our facilitys pre-Covid status.

It was Ms. Gonzalezs work on the frontline, and the sacrifices the couple had to make as a result, though, that ultimately brought the two to their unforgettable wedding day.

This whole thing has been so surreal, Mr. McCloud said. Its like Emilia and I have been living a dream.

It was a dream that began with a chance meeting between Mr. McCloud and Ms. Gonzalez in May 2015 at a bar in San Jose, Calif. He was actually at the bar when our eyes connected, Ms. Gonzalez said of that night. Then a few minutes went by, and he was just standing there, not moving, and I didnt know what to think.
And then our dashing hero begins to hold forth on the learning sciences  how I hate that term!  and he quickly wilts before my eyes into a cursed academic, a cross between a lonely nerd speaking some archaic language only five other people on earth understand and a haunted ice cream man, circling his truck through the neighborhood in the dead of winter, searching for children. I see Bill with a scorching clarity that pains me.

This is why surviving a marriage requires turning down the volume on your spouse so you can barely hear what theyre saying. You must do this not only so you dont overdose on the same stultifying words and phrases within the first year, but also so your spouses various grunts and sneezes and snorts and throat clearings dont serve as a magic flute that causes you to wander out the front door and into the wilderness, never to return.

When Bill sneezes, no matter how far away he is, its like a blast from an air horn aimed at your face. Somehow there are two notes involved, a screechy high one and a shouty low one. Every sneeze is an emergency. I dont think Ive ever not said Jesus Christ out loud upon hearing one.

Bill also clears his throat constantly. Hes just a phlegmy guy in general. I can almost get away with being this mean about him because he has remained the same amount of smart and kind and extremely attractive that he was when I met him 17 years ago. This is just how it feels to be doomed to live and eat and sleep next to the same person until youre dead. Because the resolution on your spouse becomes clearer and clearer by the year, you must find compensatory ways to blur and pixelate them back into a soft, muted, faintly fantastical fog.

Its not easy, though. Because when Bill clears his throat, its like the fussiest butler in the mansion is about to make a very important announcement and he needs to get the attention of all of the children and wives and animals within earshot. But when you look up from your work, there is no butler there. There is only Bill, staring dumbly at his laptop, with no crucial proclamation forthcoming.
Gordon Carey, a white civil rights worker who was a major if largely unheralded force in two of the most significant nonviolent actions of the civil rights movement  the lunch-counter sit-ins and the Freedom Rides  died on Nov. 27 in Arlington, Va. He was 89.

His daughter Ramona Carey said he had been in declining health in recent months and died of pneumonia in a hospital.

After the seminal sit-in by Black activists at a segregated Woolworths lunch counter in 1960 in Greensboro, N.C., Mr. Carey ran workshops and helped train hundreds of others in the tactics of civil disobedience. The trainees spread the sit-in movement to other states, and within a few months their peaceful assertion of their right to be served won them seats at many of these once all-white establishments. The sit-ins showcased the success of nonviolent protests and provided an organizing structure for other fights ahead.
South Africas government, buoyed by encouraging data showing that infections from the Omicron variant arent as severe, has dropped quarantine restrictions for all but symptomatic people.

That includes allowing people who have tested positive but show no symptoms to gather with others, so long as they wear a mask and social distance. A top health official explained that since the variant spreads so quickly, there are likely many infected people socializing with others and it no longer made sense to quarantine only those who have tested themselves.

The move was yet another step toward a slow acceptance that many countries around the world will likely need to find a way to live with Covid, rather than avoid it. The new measures follow recommendations from a committee of experts who called for focusing on vaccinations rather than contact tracing and quarantining.

There is greater recognition that, in the face of a hyper-contagious variant like this, quarantining and isolation are no longer effective as public health containment measures to contain the virus, said Professor Francois Venter, a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and a former member of the committee.
What most haunts Ahmad Nader Nadery about the last hours before the Taliban seized power in Kabul are the words of a police officer, exhausted after a tense night, who appealed to him to secure a peace deal.

Its too much, the officer said. We need to end this.

One of Afghanistans top negotiators in peace talks with the Taliban, Mr. Nadery was flying to Qatar early on Aug. 15, in a last-ditch attempt to work out a peaceful transition of power. Taliban forces had seized control of most of the country, U.S. forces were withdrawing, and fear was building of a bloody onslaught on Kabul, the capital.

But Mr. Nadery was still working on a plan. President Ashraf Ghani had finally agreed to step down and hand over power to a loya jirga, a traditional assembly of elders. The Taliban had been persuaded to pull back units that had infiltrated the capital.

As far as I knew there was a couple more weeks for the agreement to be worked out, Mr. Nadery said.
Hundreds of right-wing Hindu activists and monks rose in unison at a conference this week to take an oath: They would turn India, constitutionally a secular republic, into a Hindu nation, even if doing so required dying and killing.

If 100 of us are ready to kill two million of them, then we will win and make India a Hindu nation, said Pooja Shakun Pandey, a leader of Hindu Mahasabha, a group that espouses militant Hindu nationalism, referring to the countrys Muslims. Be ready to kill and go to jail.

Even by the standards of the rising anti-Muslim fury in India, the three-day conference in the city of Haridwar, 150 miles north of New Delhi, produced the most blatant and alarming call for violence in recent years.

The crowded auditorium, where right-wing Hindu monks called for other Hindus to arm themselves and kill Muslims, included influential religious leaders with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modis governing party, and even some members of the party.
MADRID  Covid-19 infections were rising all across Spain, but the message from the countrys leader was clear: The government was not entering 2022 with the restrictions of 2020.

The situation is different this time, and because of that, were taking different measures, Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister, said this week, adding that he understood his people had grown impatient with the pandemic and that he was fully aware of the fatigue.

Across Europe, that fatigue is as palpable as the dampened Christmas spirit. The fatigue of another named variant of the coronavirus and another wave of infections. The fatigue of another grim year watching New Years Eve gatherings get canceled or curtailed, one by one.

But along with the exhaustion, another feeling is taking root: that the coronavirus will not be eradicated with vaccines or lockdowns, but has become something endemic that people must learn to live with, maybe for years to come.
For most of the last three decades, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain has attended church services on Christmas Day in Sandringham, near her English country estate, and spent the day with immediate family.

But this year the holiday season is pointedly different as she celebrates her first Christmas without her husband, Prince Philip, who died in April, and as other family members mark the holiday at a distance.

Because of concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant, the monarch, 95, will instead spend Christmas at Windsor Castle. She will celebrate with her son Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, but her daughter Princess Anne is not attending because her husband, Timothy Laurence, tested positive for the virus, according to Buckingham Palace.

The queens grandson Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, were not expected to travel to Britain for Christmas. The couple, who have a home in California, have spent much of their time in North America since quitting their royal duties in 2020.
Nell Lewis of Platte City, Mo., entered the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest with this recipe in 1963. She didnt win, but the recipe has since become an internet favorite for its impossibly tender crumb and sugary crust. This is the only cake recipe on this list that requires an electric mixer, but all you have to do is dump the ingredients into the bowl and beat it like mad for a good three minutes.
This year felt like a long one. Click and drag the bars below to put the events in the order in which they happened, starting with the earliest.
A Japanese professor has created a prototype lickable TV screen that can reportedly imitate the taste of various foods.

Dubbed Taste the TV (TTTV), the prototype was developed by Homei Miyashita, a professor at the prestigious Meiji University in Japan, as a step towards a true multisensory viewing experience. The Intriguing device uses a carousel of 10 flavor canisters that are sprayed in combination to create the taste of a particular food. The cocktail then rolls onto hygienic film over a flat TV screen, and the viewer can sample it. Miyashita believes that this technology can help people connect and interact even over long distances.

The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home, the Japanese researcher told Reuters.

As goofy as the idea of a clickable TV screen may sound, Homei Miyashita is convinced that it is part of humanitys future. The Japanese professor envisions a world where people are able to download flavors they see on TV and have them recreated by the flavor canister carousel. He also hopes to create a platform where tastes from around the world can be downloaded and sampled by viewers.

Miyashita told reporters that, should his Taste-the-TV device be available commercially right now, it would probably cost around 100,000 yen ($875) to make. But even though the bizarre invention never hits the market, the concept behind it could find a home in the food business. The inventor claims that he has been in talks with companies about using his spray carousel technology for various purposes, like applying flavors to toast or pizza.

Interestingly, Homei Miyashita is the brilliant mind behind another intriguing invention we featured a while back  a smart fork capable of altering the taste of food.
A MAN who had cocaine and four other controlled drugs in Clara was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Tullamore Circuit Court.

Leo Gannon, 41, admitted having drugs for sale or supply to others at 9 Marian Square, Clara on January 30 and November 10 last year.

A variety of drugs were found by gardai including cocaine, oxycodone, alprazolam and dimethylone.

Prosecution counsel Kevin White (instructed by Sandra Mahon, Offaly state solicitor), said the value of the drugs found on one occasion was 8,544 and on the other was 4,200.

Garda Trevor Mullins said white powder was found in a sitting room, along with tablets, when the residence was searched on January 30 and Mr Gannon admitted the drugs were his.

When the premises was searched a second time 60g of cocaine was found and the man said the weighing scales which was also found was used for the preparation and sale of cocaine.

Gardai were told by the accused that he was in a hole financially and had to pay drug debt and a mortgage.

He had been working as a doorman and became addicted to drugs and owed upwards of 10,000 in a drug debt.

He was selling the drugs in Dublin and also selling some to friends who would buy some every week but it became harder to make sales during lockdown.

Garda Mullins said the man remarked I have to change. He had a previous conviction for a similar offence and had received a suspended sentence in the Circuit Court in April, 2020.

Garda Mullins agreed with defence counsel Aoife O'Halloran, BL, that Mr Gannon had aided the gardai in their investigation.

He had been commuting to a job as a doorman at the Mercantile in Dublin.

When Ms O'Halloran put it to the garda that the accused had come up on the garda Pulse system as someone who would be very helpful to the police in relation to incidents in his workplace, Judge Keenan Johnson said that was a double-edged sword.

Judge Johnson said Mr Gannon's work there meant that he was in a position to sell drugs.

The court was told by Mr White that 5,800 was the value of the drugs in the man's previous conviction and he was now before the court for an offence committed while on bail.

Pleading for leniency, Ms O'Halloran said the defendant's mother had accompanied him to court and his family had been shocked by what had happened.

The accused had studied engineering at third level, had opened his own business and worked in sales until 2008.

Since 2010 he had been working in security and was considered trustworthy and responsible.

Ms O'Halloran said Mr Gannon had a 17-year-old daughter by his first wife who died in 2018 but he had become estranged from her because of his offending.

He had two young children with his new partner and had found himself in significant and mounting debt, including over 103,000 mortgage debt, half of which was arrears.

When he lost his job he could not service his debt and turned to alcohol and drugs and because he internalised his problems his family did not know about them. He had been storing the drugs in his house.

Judge Johnson heard the man was now doing a HGV course to re-enter the workforce and had engaged with MABS in relation to his debts.

The judge said the fact that Mr Gannon was on bail at the time he committed an offence was a hugely aggravating factor.

He said those who engage in this type of activity were peddling misery and the drug problem was particularly bad in the Midlands region.

Judge Johnson noted that a probation report indicated the man was at moderate risk of reoffending but also that he was remorseful, had a good work history and wasn't a big player in the drugs industry.

His drug debt had been discharged by his parents.

The offence carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and Judge Johnson deemed Mr Gannon's offending to be at the mid-range which would attract a sentence of eight years, which with mitigation he would reduce to five years.

He suspended three-and-a-half years of that for five years and deferred the activation of the remainder until March 1 next because a baby is expected in his family.

When Ms O'Halloran suggested that the sentence be increased but suspended in full, Judge Johnson refused, saying: I deal with too many people who are victims of drug addiction in this court, day in and day out.
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmouth was formerly the home of the Strategic Air Command's Pease Air Force Base, since converted to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.
The Prime Minister and the Labour leader of the Opposition used their Christmas messages to thank NHS staff and the army of..

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DENVER (AP)  The man known as the Unabomber has been transferred to a federal prison medical facility in North Carolina after spending the past two decades in a federal Supermax prison in Colorado for a series of bombings targeting scientists.



Theodore Ted Kaczynski, 79, was moved to the U.S. Bureau of Prison's FMC Butner medical center in eastern North Carolina on Dec. 14, according to bureau spokesperson Donald Murphy. Murphy declined to disclose any details of Kaczynski's medical condition or the reason for his transfer.



Kaczynski is serving life without the possibility of parole following his 1996 arrest at the primitive cabin where he was living in western Montana. He pleaded guilty to setting 16 explosions that killed three people and injured 23 others in various parts of the country between 1978 and 1995.



The Federal Medical Center Butner, in North Carolinas Granville County just northeast of Durham, offers medical services for prisoners including oncology, surgery, neurodiagnostics and dialysis, according to the Bureau of Prisons. It opened an advanced care unit and a hospice unit in 2010.



Butner has 771 inmates, according to the prison bureau, and has been home to notable offenders including John Hinckley Jr., who was evaluated there after shooting President Ronald Reagan and Bernard Madoff, the infamous architect of a massive Ponzi scheme who died at the North Carolina facility earlier this year.



In November, the former Oklahoma zookeeper known as Tiger King Joe Exotic was transferred to the facility after a cancer diagnosis, his attorney said. Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, had been convicted for trying to hire someone to kill an animal rights activist and for violating federal wildlife laws.



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The Russia-Ukraine standoff; China's posturing; and cybersecurity threats  these are testing times for NATO. US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, says no other alliance is better-suited to meet those challenges.
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As of 7:30 p.m. ET, Delta Air Lines has canceled 84 flights on Christmas Day while United Airlines has canceled 27. More flights have been canceled on Christmas Eve.


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Ottawa wants to help municipalities build 100,000 new middle-class homes by 2025. How does it plan to get there?
Canada's long-standing, stalwart support of Ukraine will be under new and intense pressure early in the new year as the West braces for possible military action by Russia, perhaps as soon as late January. CBC takes a look at the possible scenarios and obstacles for a peaceful resolution to the growing crisis.
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MANISTEE COUNTY  For over a century, the National Audubon Society's Christmas bird count has provided data to help Audubon researchers study the health of bird populations across the continent.

The Manistee chapter held its annual count on Tuesday  a little later than usual  after severe winds postponed the event earlier this month.

"There's a period of a few weeks that you can do the count, and we try to do it earlier because usually there's more open water, less freezing up and there's a few more birds lingering around," said Manistee Audubon Club president Brian Allen, who has organized the annual event in Manistee County since 1986. "We had it scheduled for (Dec. 16) but then that horrible storm came and I had to cancel it for the first time in the 35 years that I've been doing this."

Allen said participation numbers were down as a result of the delay, but the event was still a success.

"A lot of people couldn't do it because of the last-minute rescheduling," he said. "This time of year, right around Christmas, trying to get a bunch of people to commit a whole day to a project is near impossible, but it worked out."

The Christmas bird counts are held from Dec. 14 to Jan. 4 all around the country. Allen said there were bird count circles in Ludington, Frankfort, Traverse City, Leelanau County and Cadillac.

"A lot of the communities do this, and there's a little bit of competitive spirit involved, too. Usually Manistee is one of the best counts around," he said. "In fact, we were one of the best counts in Michigan one year. Usually the counts downstate, it's warmer and milder, so they have more birds down there."

Once Allen collects and compiles the data from Tuesday's count, it will be sent to the National Audubon Society.

"There's also a Michigan compilation," he said. "It used to be published in a journal in Michigan, also, but now it's mostly published on the National Audubon website. It's in cooperation with Cornell University."

Every bird observed Tuesday was recorded.

"The pure object of the thing is you put a pin down in a spot and then you draw a 7.5 mile radius around that pin. Within that area is called your count circle," Allen said. "Theoretically, you try to see every bird and count every bird that's in that circle  which is impossible, of course. You do the same thing every year so there's some scientific validity in that. You keep track of your effort, how many miles you cover in your car and on foot, and how much time you spend, so those variables can be analyzed along with the number of birds you see and count."

Around 12-14 birders were in the field on Tuesday, including some from as far as Newaygo and Glen Arbor. More still participated from the comfort of their own homes.

"Another guy's organizing people that have bird feeders at their home and are counting things from their home," Allen said. "I don't have the information from him yet. Usually we have about 15 or 16 people that do that, too."

Even with fewer people taking part, there were still some rare birds spotted Tuesday. Allen said a Barrow's goldeneye  a type of duck that usually winters in the southern Rocky Mountains  was his last bird of the day.

"We've had one here the last few years, but it's always turned up late in winter when everything's freezing up and all the ducks get concentrated in small areas," he said. "This year I made more effort to try to find it, and I found it right at the end of the day when it was getting dark. ... It's neat that it's back again for another year in Manistee. A lot of people from all over Michigan have come up to see that bird."

Allen said people also saw white-winged crossbills, a colorful bird from the northern reaches of Canada.

"They're kind of a pinkish color with white wing bars, and the females are kind of lemon-colored. They're real chatty, loud, active birds that people get excited to see," he said. "They're just a neat bird you only see once every 10 years or so, but there are a lot of them around this year.

"I had a kind of flycatcher called an eastern phoebe that we've only had once before in 35 years. That was on the count, too," Allen continued. "We had some interesting waterfowl. We always get long-tailed ducks out on Lake Michigan. I had a red-throated loon and horned grebes."

Allen said he got into birding as a junior high school student in the 1970s when wandering through the woods with a BB gun hunting started to lose its luster.

"One day in particular there was this bird way up in this tree. It was a beautiful spring day and it was singing its heart out," he said. "I shot it and it fell to the ground and there was blood coming out of its beak, and all of a sudden it was quiet  just nothing there. My friend ran up and said, 'Good shot, Brian!' I just felt awful. I didn't feel good. I vowed from then on to do things to help birds instead of kill them."

Allen said he had a teacher in junior high who helped introduce him to birding.

"We had a science club and we'd go out on adventures looking for birds and stuff," he said. "There were a lot of good-looking girls in the science club, so it was fun."

Allen said the coronavirus pandemic has limited some of the feelings of togetherness from bird counts of years passed.

"Most years, before the pandemic, we'd have a compilation party where we'd have chili and stuff," he said. "We'd get together and go over the results together and I'd get all the results. We didn't do that this year, for the second year in a row."
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin.

Monday, Dec. 20

11:46 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle injury crash on North Saginaw Road.

8:59 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a single vehicle property damage crash at a Greendale Township location.

8:43 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Coleman location for reports of an elderly woman walking on the side of the road. The deputies patrolled the area but were unable to locate anyone matching the description given. The deputies cleared the scene without incident.

8:29 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to an Edenville Township residence about a possibly suicidal female. She refused to answer the door, so the deputy contacted the complainant and found that there were no direct threats of suicide.

6:20 p.m.  Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Waldo Avenue and East Patrick Road.

5:11 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on North Saginaw Road.

5:04 p.m.  Officers responded to an animal bite on Woodberry Drive.

3:52 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Lee Township residence to speak with a 31-year-old Lee Township male who is upset that his neighbor has installed a security camera in their trailer window.

2:13 p.m.  Referral from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding a possible abuse complaint involving a 3-year-old child. The family recently moved to Arkansas and DHHS contacted the daycare provider who said the child had fallen on the ice and had a habit of biting his lips. The daycare advised that they did not have any concerns prior to the family moving.

2:07 p.m.  A 66-year-old male reported a speeding vehicle in his neighborhood. The complainant wished to have the incident documented and requested extra patrol.

12:55 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Eastman Avenue and West Wackerly Street.

12:32 p.m.  A deputy cited a 23-year-old Jerome Township male after a traffic stop in Jerome Township. A report will be forwarded to the Midland County Prosecutors Office.

12:07 p.m.  Deputy answered questions regarding child abuse/punishment for a 52-year-old Jasper Township female.

11:31 a.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of South Saginaw Road and Washington Street.

11:28 a.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on Joe Mann Boulevard.

9:43 a.m.  Deputies responded to a Larkin Township residence regarding a larceny from an automobile. A suspect entered two unlocked vehicles and stole numerous items from inside, worth approximately $740.

9:17 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to the area of North Water Road and Margaret Street for the report of a mailbox damaged during a crash.

7:59 a.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Larkin Township location for a report of a larceny from a vehicle. This incident is under investigation.

7:45 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to the area of East Baker Road near North Swede Road for the report of a single-vehicle traffic crash.

1:44 a.m.  Officers responded to a case of family abuse and neglect on Jefferson Avenue.
Tubilab will be offering free COVID testing outside the former Younkers at the Midland Mall all next week Sunday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

They were at the location Monday through Thursday this past week, and Tubilab representative said they tested a lot people for COVID. The results are returned within 24 hours. Also, the tests are less invasive than the previous ones that extend further up ones nose.
HONG KONG (AP)  A monument at a Hong Kong university that was the best-known public remembrance of the Tiananmen Square massacre on Chinese soil was removed early Thursday, wiping out one of the city's last remaining places of public commemoration of the bloody 1989 crackdown.

For some at the University of Hong Kong, the move reflected the erosion of the relative freedoms they have enjoyed compared to mainland China.

The 8-meter (26-foot) -tall Pillar of Shame, which depicts 50 torn and twisted bodies piled on top of each other, was made by Danish sculptor Jens Galschioet to symbolize the lives lost during the military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijings Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.

They are sending a signal to the students that it is over with the (Hong Kong) democracy movement and that it is over with free speech in Hong Kong, Galschioet said of the monument's removal.

The university said it asked that the sculpture, which had been standing on its campus for more than two decades, be put in storage because it could pose legal risks."

No party has ever obtained any approval from the university to display the statue on campus, and the university has the right to take appropriate actions to handle it at any time, it said in a statement after its removal.

Each year on June 4, members of the now-defunct student union would wash the statue to commemorate the massacre. The city, together with Macao, were the only places on Chinese soil where commemorations of the crackdown were allowed.

Authorities have banned annual Tiananmen candlelight vigils for two consecutive years and shut down a private museum documenting the crackdown. The group that organized the annual vigil and ran the museum, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, has since disbanded, with some of its key members behind bars.

The dismantling of the sculpture came days after pro-Beijing candidates scored a landslide victory in Hong Kong legislative elections, following amendments to election laws allowing the vetting of candidates to ensure they are patriots loyal to Beijing.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam traveled to Beijing this week to report on developments in the semi-autonomous Chinese city, where authorities have silenced dissent following Beijing's imposition of a sweeping national security law that appeared to target much of the pro-democracy movement following mass protests in 2019.

The Pillar of Shame became an issue in October, when activists and rights groups opposed a university demand that it be removed following the latest risk assessment and legal advice. Galschioet offered to take it back to Denmark provided he would not be prosecuted under the national security law, but has not succeeded so far.

Galschioet said he has been promised a spot for the sculpture in a park across from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and was also offered places in Norway, Canada and Taiwan.

He compared the removal of the sculpture to driving a tank through Arlington Cemetery, a burial ground for American war veterans.

Grave desecration is also very frowned upon in China, but thats really what it is. It is almost a sacred monument, he told The Associated Press. It is a a sculpture for those who died.

Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said its removal was another worrying development in Hong Kong.

The Danish government cannot decide which art other countries universities choose to exhibit. But for me and the government, the right to speak peacefully -- through speech, art or other means -- is a completely fundamental right for all people. This is also true in Hong Kong, he said.

Billy Kwok, a University of Hong Kong student, said the Pillar of Shame has been treated as part of the university by many who studied there.

Its the symbol of whether (there is still) ... freedom of speech in Hong Kong, he said.

An employee at the university, Morgan Chan, said its removal "doesnt mean that history will be erased, and removing the pillar doesnt mean people wont learn about the history.

Wang Luyao, a student, had a more mixed reaction.

To me, because I am from mainland China, perhaps my understanding of the Pillar of Shame is not as deep as the locals or students from Hong Kong and it is not that significant to me, Wang said.

For me, its like a landmark which provides an approach to understanding. For the University of Hong Kong, it should also be considered a landmark.

___

Associated Press writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the monument was one of the last few remaining places of commemoration.
As MyMichigan Health Medical Center  Midland nears a full ICU capacity, an expected holiday worker shortage might exacerbate the problem.

This week, the New York Times released data that said MyMichigans Midland ICU capacity was at 92%, and only three ICU beds were open in Midland. While this is technically correct, the available beds may not be usable during the holiday weekend.

Dr. Lydia Watson, senior vice president and chief medical officer of MyMichigan Health, said the current Midland location patient population with COVID-19 cases is at about 50, with three beds currently available as of Thursday. Ventilators availability is at 48% across all MyMichigan hospitals.

However, she said the hospital is expecting a worker shortage this weekend, meaning the number of open beds could decrease if there are staffing shortages. While they would fill one of these beds if needed, she said the level of staffing could still affect the use of them.

Today, we have three beds open in our ICU, Watson said. We are not planning on filling them because of the weekend shortages. It would be fair to say that there are three open because if somebody came into our ER, we would have to find a bed for them and figure out how to take care of them.

She said it is important to get vaccinated for both COVID-19 and the flu, including boosters if eligible, to prevent the hospital from being overloaded with COVID-19 patients.

While it is too early to tell whether all ICU beds will be filled within the next month, Watson said factors including the omicron variant and holiday travel is a concern for the hospitals capacity. It could also put a strain on the care of other non-COVID patients at the hospital. Staffing also plays a roll in the hospitals ability to respond to a surge, she said.

The combination of employees getting COVID themselves and not being able to come to work varies from day to day, Watson said. Are we concerned that it is going to have an impact over the next couple of months? Absolutely. But we cannot predict, so we just have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis as it comes.
Photo: (Photo : JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

A school teacher from Michigan has been arrested and charged for making fake bomb threats so she could start her Christmas break earlier. Johnna Rhone, who works as an art teacher for young students at the Jefferson Middle School, was arraigned in court on Monday for making a false report and creating a terrorism threat.

Officials from the Lakeview Public Schools confirmed that Rhone left three notes for her co-teachers, including one that implied she was trying to close down the school. One of the notes apparently indicated that they need to "start break early" or there would be a bomb going off.

Despite her threats, however, Jefferson Middle School did not send the kids and the staff home. It comes as school officials have been high on alert after the Oxford High School shooting in late November.

Read Also: School Shooting TikTok Challenge Puts Authorities on High Alert

Rhone to Plead 'Not Guilty'

Following her fake bomb threats, Rhone was placed under police custody while the authorities searched her house. The police didn't find any weapons and the teacher denied that she attempted to make copycat threats.

Rhone is the first adult to be questioned for this incident. According to reports, the police and school officials have received hundreds of fake bomb threats since the Oxford High School incident but they were mostly done by kids. Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido told reporters that he cannot give the exact reason as to why some adult, who has been supervising kids, would do this but he guessed the teacher likely wanted to have the day off earlier or she could be in need of help.

Attorney Andrew Leone said that Rhone has never had a criminal record and will plead not guilty to the charges. She could be placed under house arrest after paying a bond of $75,000. The court has also asked the teacher to undergo a psychological test and she has been ordered not to contact anyone in the school.

Leone, however, said that his client appears to be shocked by the accusations. When asked if her notes were misunderstood or misinterpreted, Lucido said that only the teacher could answer this question in court. Her hearing is scheduled for February 1.

Rhone has worked as a teacher for 21 years and is licensed to practice school administration. Prior to this incident, the school district has never had complaints about her from her co-workers, the students or their parents. Her reviews have always been positive.

150 Threats to School in One Week

According to Campus Safety, schools across the U.S. received over 150 threats in the first week after the Oxford High School shooting in Michigan. Prior to this, schools nationwide also got the same number of threats for the month of September.

Trigger more concerns is an alleged viral challenge on TikTok, which has encouraged kids to make threats of violence against their school to force its closure. According to the experts, kids participate in these activities to gain attention and notoriety, however, some are in real mental health distress which has been made worse by the isolation during the pandemic.

Research shows that when mental health distress remains undiagnosed, unrecognized or untreated, some turn to violence as a form of release. More than 80 percent of mass shooters exhibit some form of distress before they launched the attacks, such as agitation, abusive behavior, isolation, depression, mood swings and paranoia.

Related Article: Gun Violence: Missouri 2nd Grader Brings Gun to School, South Carolina Teen Arrested for School Shooting Threats
Photo: (Photo : OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

The holiday season is a time for celebration and parties left and right with families and friends. However, amid all the eating, drinking, exchanging gifts, as well as foregoing proper sleep, are some health risks that could see family members going for an unexpected trip to the hospital.



The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) highlights the need for caution and care during the holidays because most of the health risks that can crop up during this season are largely preventable. CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric said in a statement that everyone should take "steps to keep holiday festivities safer."

Read Also: Artificial Food Dyes Impact Children's Behavior; California Senator Wants Parents Warned

Here are five health risks that should be avoided during the holidays:

1. Food poisoning

Be careful with storing, preparing and cooking food for the holidays. Since it's easy to be swept in the rush, basic kitchen protocols might not be observed so you have the presence of mind if you're in charge of the kitchen.

If you're having poultry or meat this Christmas, make sure that they have been stored in the proper temperature. Bake, sear or heat the meat thoroughly before serving these to family members. Wash any fruits and vegetables before adding as ingredients or putting these on the dining table.

If there are leftovers, store these in the refrigerator after two hours of eating to prevent bacteria from multiplying. According to Food Safety News, store the leftovers in small and shallow containers, as opposed to large containers, as these will help cool the food more quickly, protecting it immediately from bacteria formation. Leftovers must also be consumed within four days if it's not frozen.

2. Heart attacks

Experts in Sweden found out in a study that heart attack risks are up by 40 percent between December 25 to 27. The culprit is not just the food, which is likely loaded in salt or cream but also the unusual activities families do during the holidays. According to the American Heart Association, those at risk, especially people of a certain age, should be aware of their limits when it comes to food. They must also avoid putting stress on their body with too many activities or parties and not enough sleep and rest.

Never ignore the symptoms of an illness just because the family is having a fun holiday. If you're experiencing shortness of breath, chest pains, or heart palpitations, slow down, observe your body's signals and then get prompt medical attention if the symptoms won't go away.

3. Choking or other toy-related accidents

Per the CPSC, more than 150,000 toy-related accidents were reported at various emergency departments in the U.S. during Christmas 2020. The incidents involved small kids who choked on toy parts or accidentally swallowed a battery. Older kids were also injured for use of scooters, bikes or hoverboards.

Ideally, the older children should be oriented and guided on wearing safety gear if they are using these toys. Gift-givers should also be wary of the toys they give to younger kids and follow the age guidelines that are usually found on the labels. Dr. Greg Newman of Texas said that those who plan to give toys should also consider if there are younger kids in the household who could be around the toys and accidentally swallow something without anyone noticing it.

Related Article: Trial for Pfizer COVID Vaccine for Kids Under 5 Fails to Provide Immunity
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In January a report titled "Google workers unionize, a watershed in Silicon Valley activism" detailed Google's first union. Though relatively small and with limited powers, the new Google union represents a rising brand of labor activism that is putting a fresh spotlight on the tech industrys disparities and pressuring its elites. More than 400 workers across Google and other units of Googles parent Alphabet Inc. have signed up for the union, which has been quietly in the works for about a year. You could review the Bloomberg report at the L.A. Times in full here.

As for Apple, a union movement has begun. In September we wrote about Ashley Gjvik, a senior engineering project manager who had a long history of publicly criticizing the company's culture of work. Apple put her on paid leave and eventually terminated her employment.

Then in early November we posted a report titled "Fired Apple Employee Janneke Parish has Filed a Complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.

Lastly, we reported on Wednesday that Parish decided to leave Apple after a private settlement wherein she agreed to request a withdrawal of her complaints filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

Late yesterday it was reported by a number of sites such as NBC and Fox Business that an Apple workers group plans to boycott Apple stores today, Christmas Eve, a busy last minute shoppers day.

Fox Business reported that "A coordinated group of Apple workers is staging an employee walkout set for Christmas Eve, and urging customers to boycott the tech giant's stores and products in solidarity with the workers who are demanding better workplace conditions.

Calling all Apple workers and patrons!



Tomorrow, December 24th, 2021, Apple workers are staging a walkout/callout to demand better working conditions.



Strike funds are available for participants: https://t.co/xYESzWc196.



Don't cross the picket line.#AppleWalkout  pic.twitter.com/U9OexqTLv9  Apple Together (@AppleLaborers) December 23, 2021

The workers noted that strike funds would be available for the employees that participate, and provided a link to a "solidarity fund" promising stipends for "current, or former, employees or contractors of Netflix or Apple who have taken action to improve their workplace." There is an application waitlist on the site, and the amount of stipends available is unclear, as it says the fund will provide "up to $5,000."

NBC reported that "Apple Together states that the group came to be over a period of time and challenges. When "#AppleToo" began to gain more traction, Apple employees had begun working together to try and implement change.

Apple Together said on their website: "However, were seeing an increase of rules restricting our ability to continue collaborating on workplace issues that are important to us. Were making our own space off of our virtual campus to ensure that our voices can still be heard."

It's unknown at this time if this group has members beyond parts of California nor how many stores will have protesters participating today.

What are your thoughts on this? Make your comments known on our social media sites.
Close to three-quarters of Americans don't trust Facebook and worry about how the social media giant uses their data, according to a new poll.



A total of 72 percent of surveyed Americans say they're wary about how Facebook manages personal data in a poll that also reflects distrust of other social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp - with the latter two also owned by Facebook parent company Meta.



Just 20 percent of people said they trust Facebook 'a great deal,' with another 72 percent of the 1,100 surveyed by The Washington Post expressing distrust of the social networking giant; eight percent of people did not offer an opinion.



Meanwhile, 70 percent of Americans said they believed their devices - phones and smart speakers such as Amazon's Echo - listen in on their conversations, without permission.



Tech firms deny this is the case, but multiple Americans have shared their unease at speaking about something with a friend close to a device, only to be offered goods and services related to the same topic the next time they log on to Facebook or Amazon.



Pollsters conducted a random sample of Americans to glean insights on how the nation feels about social media, targeted advertisements, and online privacy concerns.



Skepticism of Instagram's trustworthiness was also reflected in the survey, where 60 percent of respondents said they were cautious of the platform.



TikTok didn't fare any better, with 63 percent of Americans saying they lacked trust in the video-sharing app which has exploded in popularity and has usurped Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook among young users.



Amazon received the best trustworthiness rankings, with 53 percent of Americans saying they trusted the online retailer. It's owned by Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post.



The bulk of respondents also trusted Google (48 percent), Microsoft (43 percent) and Apple (44 percent).



The poll appears to show that firms which sell people actual goods - Apple, Google and Amazon - fare better than Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, where people are unnerved and unsure about how their data is being used in return for free access to the sites.



The poll - taken November 22 with results released Wednesday - found 56 percent of Americans believe Facebook has a negative impact on society. Just 10 percent of people believe the platform has a positive impact.



Facebook's reputation took a blow during the Cambridge-Analyitica scandal, when it was revealed that the personal data of 84 million users was harvested without consent between 2007 and 2014.



It took another hit earlier this year, when whistleblower Frances Haugen went public claiming that the company puts profits above morals, and that it knew full well Instagram was harming young girls' mental health, but didn't make any such disclosure.



Haugen in October shared how she routinely filed complaints against Facebook for putting profits above morals by failing to stop the spread of misinformation online, protect young people and or stop the January 6 riot.



Facebook rebranded itself as Meta shortly after the scandal broke.



Separately, about 70 percent of Americans believe their phones and other electronic devices secretly listen in on conversations without consent.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk









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 most outstanding Islamic fraternity in Ghana and beyond, known as Qudwah Muslim Community Ghana has fed inmates of the Tamale Correctional Centre of the Ghana Prisons Service.



On December 23rd, 2021, about 350 inmates and Prison Wardens on duty received sumptuous meals including jollof rice.



The generosity was part of outreach activities in connection with the 8th Memorial Lectures organized by the Qudwah Muslim Community Ghana in showing love to the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad(S.A.W).



A high-powered delegation led by Sheikh Dr. Sibaway Zakaria, a senior

Lecturer, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) delivered motivational messages to the inmates.



"We are celebrating the birthday of our Holy Prophet known as Maulid. We have been doing it for the last eight years.This year, the theme of the Maulid is about the love, the mercy and compassion that the Prophet had for the world at large."



"Since we want to show love and compassion, we felt that we must reach out to inmates in the Tamale Prison. This is an occasion that we hope can help in the reformation of our inmates."



He restated the need for constant support to the inmates and indicated that they shouldn't feel dejected.



Sheikh Sibawey said the inmates shouldn't be discouraged by their current state, but rather feel that they are very special to society.



ASP Musah Sulemana Mansur, Northern Regional Prisons Imam thanked the Executive Management of Qudwah Muslim Community Ghana for showing unconditional love to the inmates.



Some of the inmates conveyed their heartfelt gratitude to the Qudwah Muslim Community Ghana and solicited for abundant grace.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Womens Ministry of Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC) Sakumono has visited the new life orphanage home behind the Junction Mall, Nungua. In Accra on Saturday, December 18, 2021.



The visit which took place on Saturday, December 18 sought to put smiles and joy on the faces of the young ones during this years Christmas celebrations. Items worth about Twelve thousand Ghana cedis (GHS 12,000.00) and a cash donation of GHC 2,000 were donated to the home. Some of the items donated included bags of rice, breakfast cereals, buckets, assorted drinks, biscuits, bottled water, cooking oil, clothes, and shoes. The rest were Toilet rolls, sanitary pads, baby diapers among others.



The Ministry also fellowshipped with children and encouraged them to live for the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In an exhortation, the Resident Minister for PIWC -Sakumono, Mrs Eunice Owusu Sekyere Kwarteng quoted 2 Timothy 3:15 and Luke 2:52 and asked the children to read their Bibles and pray every day as well as strengthen themselves in the word of God.



The mother of all mothers who cater for children is the Lord Jesus Christ, she said and added that Society may forget about you but our Lord Jesus will remember you hence take the word of God seriously and grow in it.

She prayed the favour of God upon them, and an excellent spirit for the kids to learn and be obedient to the mothers of the home.



Presenting the items on behalf of the Ministry, the Womens Ministry Leader for PIWC Sakumono, Deaconess Isabella Orhin said the Ministry was touched by the plight of the children and wanted them to have a great Christmas.



As Christians, we strongly believe children are a gift from God and must have the right to live irrespective of the circumstances surrounding their gestation and birth, she said.



Receiving the items on behalf of the home, Nii Afotey Botwe II, the head of the home, thanked the Womens Ministry of PIWC for their kind gesture. He called on other churches to support them as support to the home has dwindled considerably during the era of the pandemic.



According to Nii Afortey, the home houses Ninety  two kids with teenagers as well as toddlers.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former NDC Central Regional Chairman, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has cautioned Ghanaians against the guiles of the Minority in Parliament as he claims the Minority don't have the interest of the citizenry at heart.



According to him, the Minority portray themselves as fighting for the ordinary Ghanaian regarding their position on the e-levy but what they are doing, in actual fact, is fighting for the comeback of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) into government.



Allotey Jacobs was commenting on the brawl on Monday night involving some Members of Parliament.



Proceedings in the House turned violent as the MPs, from the Minority and Majority sides, wrestled with one another when the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, affectionately called Joe Wise, decided to hand over to the Second Deputy Speaker in order to pave way for him to participate in the voting on the e-levy.



The Minority has been against the e-levy since the Finance Minister announced it on the floor during his presentation of the 2022 budget.



Reacting to the matter, Allotey Jacobs asked Ghanaians not to be ''fooled'' by the Minority saying ''the Minority position in Parliament, on the e-levy, they won't accept it and that they are protecting the interest of Ghanaians is deception. Don't believe them. It is never true.''



He continued; ''I tell you don't believe the politician. Anything the politician will do to convince the masses to toll their line, so they march forward for them to come into power, they will do it.''



To him, the Minority are feigning to defend Ghanaians on the e-levy so they will win them to vote the NDC into power, come 2024.



''The Minority is thirsty for power...In politics, you take advantage of your enemies disadvantage. So, the Minority in Parliament is taking that advantage to drive home with their propaganda for them to win the sympathy of Ghanaians, irrespective of whatever happens. Because, critically, when you look at what's happening, they are holding the NPP government to ransom'', he stated.



Allotey Jacobs made these submissions on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' on Wednesday.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Office of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban S.K. Bagbin, has denied a news publication alleging that members of the Parliamentary Service Board (PSB) had held a board meeting in Dubai at the instance of the Speaker.



There has not been any meeting of the PSB in Dubai held at the instance and convenience of the Speaker of Parliament, a statement issued by the Office of the Speaker said.



It explained that the PSB rather participated in an international workshop and team building exercise by the Crown Agents in Dubai.



It is worth noting that arrangement for the workshop predated the Speaker of Parliament's medical trip to Dubai. It was initially planned for April 2021 and was finally held in September 2021. It had to be postponed a couple of times due to time constraints and availability of members of the PSB. Consequently, the workshop and the Speaker's medical trip had nothing in common.



We entreat all well-meaning Ghanaians to disregard this misleading publication, which only seeks to traduce the Rt.Hon. Speaker's character by negatively projecting him and the Parliamentary Service Board.



The Speaker recently undertook a two-week trip to Dubai to seek medical care  from November 27 to December 14.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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NORTH CHARLESTON  Yulonda Clayton's niece and daughter screamed with excitement when she drove them through the Holiday Festival of Lights on James Island as part of a Mary Ford Early Learning & Family Center activity in late November.

Mary Ford, a preschool serving almost entirely minority students in North Charleston, opened last year with the goal of engaging parents and guardians early in their childs education through activities like the Charleston County Parks' Festival of Lights. The goal is to improve education outcomes by having the entire family invested in student learning. Parental engagement ultimately leads to improved grades, test scores, attendance, social skills and behavior, according to a 2006 study by the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education.

Through a partnership with the Charleston Promise Neighborhood, Mary Ford was able to give Clayton and parents like her free tickets and a pamphlet of activities as part of the schools family engagement program. The pamphlet challenged the children to spot nursery rhyme characters from stories like Little Miss Muffet, Humpty Dumpty and Hey Diddle Diddle among the light displays.

Throughout the evening, Claytons 5-year-old niece, Mariah Clayton, and 4-year-old daughter, Victoria Brown, were enthusiastically pointing out story book characters and shouting in delight. Clayton loved it so much that she decided to take a second trip around the light displays, telling her daughter and niece it was time to let the little girl inside of me enjoy it.

The activity was one of many Mary Ford has hosted since transitioning from an elementary school to an early learning and family engagement center in 2020. The school is the Charleston County School Districts first early childhood and family center and aims to provide a comprehensive pre-kindergarten education that keeps North Charleston parents involved.

More Coverage To read more in-depth stories from The Post and Courier's Education Lab, go to postandcourier.com/education-lab.

The schools push for better family involvement sets students up for success because their guardians know what to expect from a school system and how to advocate for their students, said Patrick Kelly, an education lobbyist for the Palmetto State Teachers Association.

Finding a way to infuse family engagement into an early childhood curriculum is going to benefit the students not just during the early childhood setting but, really, throughout their entire K-12 experience, Kelly said.

The push for better preschool

Mary Fords mission reflects an overall push for more comprehensive early childhood education across South Carolina, where the state Legislature spent $34 million over the 2020-21 school year to expand full-day kindergarten for 4-year-olds throughout the state. The S.C. Department of Education is using another $15 million of federal COVID relief funds to support preschoolers through parenting classes, home visits, after- school programs and health initiatives.

The goal is to set the states youngest students up for success. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to education, only 37.2 percent of South Carolina kindergarteners demonstrated a readiness to learn on the states Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, according to the S.C. state report card. That number dropped over the pandemic, with just 26.8 percent of kindergarteners meeting readiness standards statewide in the 2020-21 school year.

Mary Ford Principal Ruth Taylor likes to think of the issue as a preparation gap. Many educators reference achievement gaps to show how poor students of color are often disadvantaged in education and, therefore, struggling to keep up with their wealthy White classmates.

If we address the preparation gap, then we should not have an achievement gap, she said.

At Mary Ford, students start participating in classroom activities before they turn a year old. It often looks like playtime, Taylor said, but the students are learning phonics, identifying letters, shapes and sounds.

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The schools teachers work with students in small groups so they can identify who needs more attention. Then, parents are given a list of tongue twisters or nursery rhymes to practice at home.

Parents are starting to see a difference. Laquivia Brigance noticed her son, Lamontae Douglas, developed a stutter after spending time with extended family from Africa a few years ago. The situation confused her because she hadnt noticed him struggling with speech up until that point.

Now 5 years old, Lamontae spends 30 minutes of every day in one-on-one time with a Mary Ford teacher to work on his stutter. The school also gave Brigance tongue twisters to practice with Lamontae at home over the summer. Since then, shes noticed the stutter slowly improved.

Every week I get a progress report just for his speech and I love it, Brigance said.

Serving underrepresented communities

Brigance and Clayton are among the schools vast majority of minority parents. Out of the schools 216 students, 98 percent are minorities and 93 percent live in poverty, according to 45-day headcounts for the 2021-22 school year from the S.C. Department of Education.

Both were apprehensive when they enrolled their children in the education system. Minority children historically underperform academically in the state, even at a very young age. Just 17 percent of African American and 13 percent of Hispanic South Carolina students demonstrated readiness on the Kindergarten Readiness Exam in 2020-21, according to a report to the S.C. Education Oversight Committee. Twenty-nine percent of Mary Ford students showed readiness on that same exam, outdoing the overall state average.

Taylor and her team hope the family engagement efforts improve outcomes for the minority students in North Charleston. Through monthly parent meetings where school officials go over upcoming activities, school resources and ways for parents to help their kids at home, and one-on-one interactions with the schools parent and Head Start family advocates, the schools family starts to feel more heard.

They also have access to outside resources. On Wednesdays, the school hosts a mobile health clinic by Fetter Health Care, which offers health services to anyone in the community.

In addition to those wrap-around services, the school hosts nutrition classes and events like the Festival of Lights. Everything involves an educational component, like the nursery rhymes at the Festival of Lights. Students are encouraged to make a connection between what they're seeing in front of them and what they're reading or hearing at school.

Mary Fords approach has paid off for students and their families. They feel more empowered and the school has a better connection to the student's life at home.

When the parents understand what the school is doing and the school understands what the parent's needs are, I get excited about what we can do together, Taylor said.
GREENVILLE  A decade ago, Saluda Lake, filled with sediment, was dredged at a cost of more than $7 million.

By 2018, it was already two-thirds filled in again with sediment from the upper branches of the Saluda River. Now, more than a half-million dollars is being put toward preventing that happening again.

The environmental advocacy group Save Our Saluda has secured a $550,000 grant from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control to work with landowners and farmers in the Upper Saluda Watershed to prevent runoff, organization president Melanie Ruhlman announced in a new release Dec. 23.

The projects include planting cover crops, restoration of streams and banks, stabilizing farm roads, drainage improvements and sediment basin construction.

The organization in partnership with other groups has used previous grant money to buy farm equipment friendly to the environment that farmers can lease.

Saluda Lake is the first stopping point for the convergence of the North, South and Middle Saluda rivers that originate along the mountainous border of North Carolina and South Carolina.

The rivers were dammed in 1909 along the Greenville-Pickens county line by Duke Power to produce hydroelectricity. Today, Saluda Lake serves as the source of drinking water for more than 80,000 consumers.

From the lake, the Saluda flows into Lake Greenwood and Lake Murray before converging with the Broad River to form the Congaree River in Columbia.

Over time, sediment runoff has built up and diminished water quality and recreation opportunities.

The program will provide up to 90 percent cost share assistance to landowners within the watershed for soil conservation projects, with hopes of reducing sediment runoff by 524 tons per year.

Funding for the overall project is provided in part by DHEC with funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act and through additional support from Easley Combined Utilities, Trees Upstate, Duke Energy, Renewable Water Resources, MetroConnects, the Greenville Soil and Water Conservation District, and Greenville County.
COLUMBIA  President Joe Biden is nominating South Carolina U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, wrapping up a busy year for judicial nominees for the administration.

If confirmed, Childs  a former South Carolina circuit judge  would replace longtime jurist David S. Tatel, who was nominated to his current post by President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Childs, of Columbia, is the 73rd federal judge nominated by the Biden administration this year. Of that number, 40 have been confirmed by the Senate, the most ever appointed by a sitting president in their first year in office.

Her nomination, which comes alongside the nomination of Nancy Gbana Abudu to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, comes amid an unprecedented diversity push by the Biden administration. Of the 40 names confirmed so far, 80 percent are women, while more than half of those confirmed have been people of color.

House Majority Whip and South Carolina U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, who has pushed Childs as a possible nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, praised her nomination in a statement Dec. 23.

"Judge Childs has served with distinction on the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Clyburn said. "She has distinguished herself with keen intellect, fundamental fairness and exemplary temperament.

I believe the federal bench should reflect the diversity of the country, he added. Not just with regards to race, gender, religion and other protected classes, but also various aspects of the American experience.

Not all of South Carolina's politicians were in favor of the pick.

"Disappointing but not surprising news regarding Judge Childs," tweeted U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, who pointed to a ruling she made about South Carolina absentee ballots last year that was overruled by the Supreme Court. "Judges eager to make law from the bench should not be rewarded with promotion."

Last year, Childs struck down a witness signature requirement for South Carolina absentee ballots, determining that it would increase the risk for voters contracting COVID-19 while doing little to guard against voter fraud.

That decision was upheld by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals but ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court. In a concurring opinion, Justice Brett Kavanaugh pointed to legal precedent that election administration should mostly be left up to state lawmakers and that the rules should not be changed by courts close to an election.

The current president of the Federal Judges Association, Childs boasts substantial experience on the federal bench. First nominated to her position by President Barack Obama in 2009, Childs is considered skilled in labor and employment law. She also holds a unique distinction as the third woman and the third African American to serve as a federal judge in South Carolina.

Childs, who earned her bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in 1988, has longstanding ties to South Carolina.

After earning two graduate degrees from the University of South Carolina in law and in personnel and employment relations, Childs accepted a position as an attorney at the Columbia firm Nexsen Pruet in 1991, becoming the firms first African American partner in 2000.

She then left for the public sector, serving as Gov. Jim Hodges deputy director of the division of labor with the state Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, and later as a commissioner on the state Workers' Compensation Commission.

She was elected by the General Assembly to become a circuit court judge in 2006.
SUMMERVILLE  It's hard for 84-year-old Rina Palmer to get people to believe that she lived through World War II in Italy.

And while it was one of the most difficult times in her life, there were bright spots.

One of them, an early childhood Christmas memory from the end of the war when she was about 8 years old, reassures her family that she was fated to be with her late husband, Jack Franklin Palmer Jr.

It was when she met her first American friend, a GI stationed there in Italy.

"I still get goosebumps," Palmer said.

Over the past month, Palmer has been moving around old items in her Summerville family home of more than 50 years.

While shuffling through old memories, she came across a letter in which her husband had helped her write down some of her early recollections of Christmas. In it, she depicts a Christmas she spent in an orphanage in Udine, Italy, toward the end of the war.

"I keep everything," Palmer said.

She wasn't actually an orphan at the time. Her mother was unable to watch her, so she was one of the few children there who wasn't adoptable during the war.

That Christmas, a group of American GIs came and organized a Christmas party for the children. Each child was assigned to a GI.

Palmer doesn't remember her GI's name, only that he was tall, slim and very nice. She never knew her father, and in that moment, the GI felt like one to her, she said.

That party was the first time she had ever had chocolate candy and hot chocolate  a food item she is still crazy about.

"We have to keep her out of chocolate," said Rina's daughter, Barbara Palmer.

In the letter, Rina talks about a large room filled with Christmas decorations and tables with food. She makes special note of the bright shining star on the Christmas tree and how she would never forget it.

Though they didn't speak a common language, Palmer's American friend would go on to show her pictures of his family and attempt to tell her as best as he could about them and how he missed them.

The letter closes with, "Thank you American friend, wherever you may be, thank you."

The children at the orphanage would go on to talk about the party for weeks.

"It was so nice," Rina said.

An unexpected connection

It wouldn't be the last time she would see the soldier.

Palmer would go on to meet her husband some years later in Italy. He was a serviceman with the Air Force stationed in the country.

They were married in 1955. Rina was 18 at the time. Looking through old wedding pictures, she remembers how nervous she was.

Jack couldn't speak Italian and she couldn't speak English. But somehow they made it work, she said.

They would go one to have two children and endless stories of her time in America.

She was told by Italian friends that when she got to America it would look like New York, and she would have a giant house with people making her breakfast.

Instead, after sailing from Europe, Jack would take her to his family in Athens, Tennessee. There wasn't a bathroom in the house.

Eventually Rina learned English, and Jack built her the big home her friends told her she would get. Jack died 12 years ago after a battle with cancer.

"He was a good daddy," Rina said.

Barbara kept the name Palmer after getting married to keep Jack's legacy alive. She said she always remembers how wherever her father went, Rina was with him.

"He was a family man," she said.

But one story still gives Rina goosebumps. They were visiting some of Jack's family in Georgia.

When she walked into the home, Rina saw a familiar face in a photo of Jack's uncle. As she got closer, she said, she realized that it was the American GI that gave her chocolate all those years ago.

At the time, she still couldn't speak English, so she couldn't tell everyone, but Rina said she will never forget the man's face.

Neither Barbara nor her mother know the uncle's name. But Barbara said it feels like his meeting her mother was the beginning of her parents' love story.

"It's kind of like fate," Barbara said.
Two recent front page stories caught my attention.

Health Editor Lauren Saussers excellent Dec. 12 article, Health coverage gap leaves 105K without a safety net, describes the large number of S.C. citizens who fall into the Affordable Care Act coverage gap.

More than 100,000 South Carolinians are without health insurance due to the states continuing decision to opt out of the Medicaid expansion included in the ACA (aka Obamacare). South Carolina is one of only 12 states that has chosen not to expand its Medicaid program. For South Carolina, expansion requires only a 10% match, estimated at $250 million a year, to receive $2.25 billion a year in federal funding.

State hospitals collectively provide about $1 billion of uncompensated care every year, of which the Medicaid program reimburses about half. But just like theres no free lunch, theres no free health care.

Ms. Sausser provides estimates from industry experts that South Carolinians with private insurance pay premiums that are about 2% higher than such premiums in Medicaid expansion states. Therefore, it appears to cost state residents about $1.3 billion a year for other states to have Medicaid expansion, and our state government refuses to pay one-fifth of that to have the expansion here.

Contrast this story with the Dec. 20 article by reporter Seana Adcox, $1.3B in federal funds contingent on state legislature.

The state is due to receive $1.3 billion in federal highway funding over the next five years, provided the Legislature sends a match of $100 million, or about 8%, yearly to the S.C. Department of Transportation.

If we dont get the match, well leave $750 million on the table, S.C. DOT Secretary Christy Hall said.

House Ways and Means Chairman Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, said, We need to draw down all the money available to us  to increase the funding for our highways and roads in South Carolina.

How is it logical to leave $2.25 billion annually in health care funding on the table while its necessary to draw down all the money available to us for highways and roads?

As a physician who provided care to cancer patients in South Carolina for 32 years before retiring, I have witnessed patients who died due to a lack of health care insurance.

My colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina and other South Carolina hospitals provided billions of dollars in uncompensated care during the past 32 years, but it was not enough to save everyone.

Good roads, bridges and highways contribute to the states economy, but so does a healthy population.

How can we not expand the Medicaid program when it is the right thing to do, not only morally but also financially?
James Webb Space Telescope Optical Engineer Larkin Carey examines two test mirror segments on a prototype at the Goddard Space Flight Center's giant clean room in Greenbelt, Md., on Sept. 29, 2014. Webb will attempt to look back in time 13.7 billion years, a mere 100 million years after the universe-forming Big Bang as the original stars were forming. File/AP
Marilyn Mosby is the Baltimore prosecutor who, along with then-mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, undermined police morale following the death of Freddie Gray in 2015. Mosby did it by prosecuting half a dozen police officers who werent guilty of wrongdoing. She failed to convict any of them.

The citys failure to support its police force led to a surge in violent crime in the months and years following Grays death. We wrote about this breakdown in law enforcement here, for example.

All these years later, Rawlings-Blake is long gone as mayor. However, Mosby, her partner in facilitating crime, remains in office. She is under federal investigation, though.

Meanwhile, homicides, carjacking incidents, aggravated assaults, and bank and convenience store robberies all continue to rise. About half of the aggravated assaults and one third of the robberies in the entire state of Maryland occur in the city of Baltimore.

Its obvious that Mosby is part of the problem  even Baltimores mayor acknowledges this  and on Sunday Marylands governor Larry Hogan said so. In response to a question about the attempted murder of a Baltimore police officer who is now on life support, Hogan stated:

We have a prosecutor in Baltimore City that refuses to prosecute violent criminals, and thats at the root of the problem.

Mosby fired back with the race card. She accused Hogan of incessant dog-whistling and called him privileged and entitled. She suggested, as does the Washington Post in this slanted article, that Hogan is posturing in anticipation of a possible presidential run. (Hogan cant run for governor again due to term limits.) And she complained that Hogan wont meet with her.

Shes right on the last point. Hogan has said that, although he has met with other Baltimore leaders, Mosby shouldnt even bother asking for a meeting. He added, I have no interest in meeting with her while shes under federal investigation.

Hogan has collaborated with Baltimores new mayor, Brandon Scott, who is African-American. In May, Scott asked to have the state police come back into the city. Hogan has agreed to this. He is also fast-tracking and expanding the states $10 million Neighborhood Safety Grants program to include places of worship and vulnerable communities.

As for the racial angle, Mosbys allegations are laughable. If Hogan has a political future, which I doubt, it doesnt depend on the votes of racists. The Posts report, though sympathetic to Mosby, acknowledges that Hogans national aspirations depend on him being regarded as bipartisan and unifying. The only dogs who detect, or claim to detect, a racist whistle in Hogans feud with Mosby are Mosby and her sympathizers.

Mosby also objected, with reason, to Hogans claim that she wont prosecute violent crime. Mosby does, of course, prosecute violent crime. As of the end of August of this year, her office had secured nearly 400 guilty verdicts in felony cases, seven of which were were for homicides and 59 for gun violence-related crimes.

According to Mosby:

This data sends a clear message that we will not tolerate criminal activity and my prosecutors will continue to fight tirelessly to deliver justice for victims, witnesses, and their families in our daily pursuit to create a safer, healthier Baltimore.

However, experts noted what was missing from Mosbys data  the number of cases that have been dropped this year as well as the number of cases in which charges were reduced.

Last year, Mosby boasted of a 95 percent felony conviction rate and an 85 percent conviction rate for homicides. However, these numbers do not include cases that her office dropped.

This set of data released by Mosbys office in 2020 shows a significant decrease in violent crime cases brought during the period from 2010-2019  this despite the spike in violent crime during these years.

We also know that Mosby isnt prosecuting nonviolent crimes, including drug possession, and that she opposes mandatory minimum sentences. In announcing her policy of prosecuting only violent crimes, Mosby declared that the era of tough on crime prosecutors is over in Baltimore.

Actually, its been over since at least 2015, when Mosby took office.

It was tough on crime prosecutors, mandatory minimum sentences, and broken windows policing that reversed the crime wave of the 1970s and 1980s. Hogan is right to be disgusted with Mosby for rejecting this successful formula.

Hogans grievances against Mosby arent about dog-whistles, privilege, or entitlement. They are about public safety, and Baltimores willful failure adequately to protect it ever since the death of Freddie Gray.
Police have arrested five people in connection with the carjacking of Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon in broad daylight yesterday in Philadelphia. The five criminals are all teenagers. They range in age from 13 (yes, 13) to 19.

Reportedly, they have written an apology letter to Scanlon, so there would seem to be no doubt about their guilt. Also, the gangs leader had Scanlons car keys in his possession when the police arrested him.

The leader of the gang is Josiah Brown. Hes age 19 and therefore an adult for purposes of prosecution. According to reports, Brown is the one who pointed a gun at Scanlon. He claims the gun wasnt loaded.

Brown is no stranger to the criminal justice system. He has been charged twice with crimes, once in Delaware and once in Pennsylvania. One of the charges was brought just a few months ago, in August.

I dont yet know what crimes Brown was charged with or what the circumstances of his release are. However, given yesterdays carjacking, its obvious that Browns release presented a threat to public safety.

Maybe this time, he will be held in jail.

By the way, yesterdays carjacking brought the total number in Philadelphia this year to 793. Thats a 101 percent increase over last years total and an increase of 260 percent from the number in 2019.

Today, Rep. Scanlon spoke about her experience. I was struck by her claim that she will continue to push for policies and resources that will help reduce violence.

This is disingenuous. What Scanlon has pushed for is the diversion of resources from the police to mental health professionals. That, and changes in the law that will make it easier successfully to sue cops and hold them criminally liable.

But criminals dont hijack cars, for example, because of poor mental health. They hijack cars because theyre bad people who think they can get away with it.

The response should be a beefed up police force that will reduce the likelihood of getting away with crimes and policies that will enable society to keep these kinds of people locked up once they commit them.

Diverting resources away from the police and making it easier to sue cops and hold them criminally liable will undercut the first solution. Scanlon apparently has no interest in the second.

She has been mugged by reality, yet remains clueless. Lets hope a Red Wave sweeps her out of office next year.
A former chief executive of Seplat Energy, Austin Avuru, could initiate a legal action against the oil driller in resistance to his sudden dismissal by the companys hierarchy, his lawyers Perchstone and Graeys said Friday.

The move is the latest phase in the wrangle between the corporation and Mr Avuru, who retired from the firm in November 2019 as a CEO, but had later become a non-executive director until Wednesday, when the Seplat board severed his contract.

Seplat  Nigerias largest oil and gas company by market capitalisation  said Thursday it ended Mr Avurus appointment for contravention of corporate governance procedure and for failing in his fiduciary duties.

It demanded a resignation notice from him and ordered Platform Petroleum Limited to shop for someone to take his role.

The row between the two came to a head early in the year over an undisclosed issue between the parties which, according to a statement by Mr Avurus legal team, Seplat asked its erstwhile CEO now a non-executive director to keep under wraps.

The law firm said a letter from Seplat in January helped in confirming our clients dignified position, and urging our client to act with confidentiality, which is customary to our clients impeccable character.

Mr Avuru got his termination notice around 6pm on Wednesday, according to his legal team, but was not given reasonable time to react before the announcement was made public the morning after.

We are studying the papers and almost certainly will respond with appropriate step to remedy the multi-faceted wrongdoings on the part of Seplat on this, Folabi Kuti, partner at Perchstone and Graeys, told PREMIUM TIMES.
Moses Olafare, the spokesman of the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has said the monarch isnt aware of the supposed separation announced by his queen, Silekunola Naomi.

Olori Naomi on Thursday confirmed that her three-year marriage to the monarch, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has indeed ended.

She had made the disclosure via an official statement on her official Instagram page.

But Mr Olafare, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday said the king, like every other person, read the news of the separation on social media.

He said that he wasnt sure the supposed separation posted on Instagram was written by the queen herself as her account might have been hacked.

He said: About the speculations reported by the social media, I wouldnt know if it was the queen herself that posted it. But I read in just the way every other person read it, and when I started answering questions on that, I was like based on what I read.

But as far as I am concerned, the palace is not aware of it, because separation involves two parties, if you want to discontinue any relationship, it must be known to the two of you, so to that extent, I would say the palace is not aware, and on that I stand.

Background

The queen, who runs an interdenominational ministry based in Akure, in her statement, said she tried to make the union work but the 46-year-old monarchs public identity is at variance with his true self.

According to Mr Olafare, the Ooni saw the news of the separation for the first time on social media.

He added that the news of the separation came to the palace as a surprise as there was no indication whatsoever that the queen was hatching a divorce plot.

Mr Olafare said a separation should involve two persons in the relationship, and the appropriate channel to disclose the news of any supposed separation should be from the palace.

What I will tell you is that when it comes to separation, the palace is not aware. The person that should give information regarding any development is the Ooni, but the Ooni has not told anybody of such. So the position of the palace will remain that we are not aware of this development.

Mr Olafare also confirmed that as of Thursday evening, the queen was still at the palace.

The now embattled couple had an elaborate wedding ceremony in October 2018 and welcomed their son on November 18, 2020.

The monarch revealed Naomi Oluwaseyi as his wife on Instagram on October 18, 2018.

This was 14 months after his ex-wife, Zaynab Otiti-Obanor, confirmed that her 17-month-old marriage to the monarch had ended.
Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari said Thursday that he believes that without addressing the problem of security, the countrys economy cannot grow.

Mr Buhari stated this in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, while commissioning some projects.

Nigeria has been battling with security challenges for over a decade leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

Although the Boko Haram insurgency, which has claimed about 100,000 lives, preceded the Buhari administration, other forms of insecurity have worsened since Mr Buhari assumed office in 2015.

The North-west region, which was relatively safe compared to the North-east, has become a theatre of war as marauding bandits attack communities at will. Thousands of people have been killed by the bandits in the region, as well as in the North-central, since Mr Buhari assumed office.

Also, separatist agitations have become violent in the South-east with hundreds of people, including security officials, killed in the region.

Amidst the killings, kidnapping for ransom has become rampant in many parts of the country.

PREMIUM TIMES has reported how the violence has worsened food production in Nigeria, with many farmers deserting their farms and communities for fear of being killed or kidnapped. This has worsened unemployment and led to rising food prices.

Buharis Speech

In his speech on Thursday, Mr Buhari said his administration will keep giving its best for the development of the country until May 2023, reiterating that he will handover as stipulated by the Constitution.

The presidents spokesperson, Femi Adesina, in a statement said Mr Buhari gave the assurance at the inauguration of Oriental Energies Resource Ltd Hanger, Muhammadu Indimi Distance Learning Centre and an International Conference Centre.

The centre was donated to the University of Maiduguri by businessman Muhammadu Indimi, in Maiduguri, on Thursday.

President Buhari also inaugurated the Tijjani Bolori Memorial Secondary School and the first fly-over in Borno State, Custom Roundabout (3.5km) with a stretch of 10 km Gamboru Ngala Road constructed by the state government.

I know I swore by the Constitution, and I will leave in 17 months. I pray that the person that will take over from us will also follow the targets of securing the country and building the economy.

Without securing the country, you cannot grow the economy, Mr Buhari said.

He added that Nigerians should appraise the performance of the administration based on what the situation was on security, economy and corruption before he came in, and where it is now.

We have a great country, he said, and we thank God for giving us so much resources. But we need to develop our resources.

The president noted that development would be more sustainable by empowering the people.

On security in the North-west, he said it was sad that the people who lived together, sharing same culture and outlook for a long time would start stealing, kidnapping and killing one another.

According to him, the military will come down hard on the North-west to stabilise the situation, having procured more hardwares.

I am highly impressed with what I have seen at this state of the art Centre for Distance Learning and auditorium sited here, the University of Maiduguri. I am told that this international conference hall has 1,300 seats.

The high quality standard of this edifice is a major contribution by Alhaji Muhammadu Indimi. This intervention will benefit not only students from Borno and the North-east but also students from all parts of Nigeria.

For the Oriental Energy Resources Hangar which I commissioned, it will welcome and offer support services to aircraft and pilots involved with Humanitarian Air Services, the president noted.

Mr Buhari also commended the Governor of Borno, Babagana Zulum, for the work he had done in two years, noting that he was in the state earlier in June to commission developmental projects.

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Zulum Speaks

In his remarks, Mr Zulum appreciated the president for honouring the state, adding that Mr Indimis contributions to the development of the state showed he loved his people.

Words cannot convey our gratitude for the statesmanship,  he said.

The governor said the state had recognised the contributions of Mr Indimi by renaming the Damboa Road after him, now Alhajji Muhammadu Indimi Road.

In his remarks, Mr Indimi said he was motivated to build the Distance Learning Centre and the International Conference Centre to encourage education in the state.

I believe the centre will help in delivering training and skills as well as encourage those who will be taking lessons from remote places, he said.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Aliyu Shugaba, thanked President Buhari for honouring the invitation and Mr Indimi for the contribution.
In 2019, the Nigerian Senate spent about N3.6 billion that it could not account for, an audit report has revealed.

There was also no evidence to show what the funds were used for.

The Senate also failed to remit taxes to the appropriate authorities in the same year.

According to the report, several deductions were made from the salaries of staff.

These deductions were meant to be Withholding Tax (WHT), Value Added Tax (VAT) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE), but these funds were not remitted to the relevant agencies.

Details of these missing funds are contained in the annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation (AGF) for 2019.

The Senate is one of the many Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government indicted and queried by the Auditor-General for incessant violation of extant rules, some of which include non-retirement of personal advances within a financial year and grant of cash advances above the approved limit and payments without vouchers.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how their counterparts at the House of Representatives also diverted over N5.2 billion in the same year.

The Auditor-General, in the report, had said these financial offences could translate to loss of government funds and/or diversion of public funds. And the discrepancies could be attributed to weaknesses in the internal control system at the Senate.

There was no response to the queries and concerns raised by the Auditor-General either by the Senate, House or the management of the National Assembly.

The report is the latest in the Office of the Auditor Generals annual series. It is titled, Non-compliance/Internal Control Weakness Issues in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria for the Year ended December 31, 2019.

It was recently submitted to the Clerk of the National Assembly by the Auditor General of the Federation, Adolphus Aghughu, in accordance with sections 85(2) and (4) of the Nigerian constitution.

Unaccounted payments/vouchers

The top of the five queries raised by the Auditor-General is N1.7 billion paid between February and December 2019 for the supply of vehicles and other office equipment.

The payments were made through 17 vouchers and none of the 17 vouchers was made available for audit examination.

The report said this violates Paragraph 110 of the Financial Regulations which states that by virtue of the responsibilities and functions of the Accountant General and the Auditor-General or their representatives shall, at all reasonable times, have free access to books of accounts, files, safes, security documents and other records and information.

To this regard, the Clerk to the National Assembly was asked to account for the N1.7 billion, explain why payment vouchers were not made available for audit examination and remit the money to the treasury.

The clerk was also asked to forward evidence of remittance to the Public Accounts Committees of the National Assembly.

In another instance, a total of N675.7 million was paid for supply of motor vehicles, motorcycles and other office equipment through 16 payment vouchers between July and December 2019 but none of the payment vouchers was cleared by the Internal Audit before payment as required by extant regulations.

This violates Paragraph 1705 of the Financial Regulations which says the Head of Internal Audit Unit in all ministries/extra-ministerial offices and other arms of government shall ensure that 100% pre-payment audit of all checked and passed vouchers. is carried out and the vouchers forwarded under security schedule directly to the appropriate Central Pay Office for payment.

The Clerk to the National Assembly was, therefore, requested to account for the fund that was paid without a 100 per cent pre-payment audit as required by extant regulations.

He is also to explain why payment vouchers were not cleared by the Internal Audit before payment, remit the money to treasury and forward evidence of remittance to the Public Accounts Committees.

Unremitted taxes

In other queries raised by the Auditor-General, N176.2 million was deducted as Pay As You Earn (PAYE) from staff salaries.

In another instance, a VAT of N39.7 million for payment for services was deducted. At the same time, WHT of N237.6 million from payment for services were deducted.

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There was no evidence to show that the monies were remitted to the relevant tax authorities with acknowledgement receipt as required by extant regulations.

This violates Paragraph 235 of the Financial Regulations which states that  deductions for WHT, VAT and PAYE shall be remitted to the Federal Inland Revenue at the same time the payee who is the subject of the deduction is paid.

Hence, the National Assembly clerk is required to explain why PAYE, VAT and WHT deducted from salaries were not remitted to relevant tax authorities and remit the whole fund to relevant tax authorities, with revenue acknowledgement receipt as evidence and forward evidence of remittance to the Public Accounts Committees.

Unremitted housing, vehicle loans

Paragraph 220(i) of the Financial Regulations states that sub Accounting officers who function as revenue collectors will bring their collection to account directly into their cash books, the receipt being acknowledged on General Receipt Form (Treasury Book 6) or the appropriate receipt or license form.

This is the extant regulation the Senate violated when N291,6 million was deducted from the salary arrears of 107 senators between July and December 2019 as housing loans but had no evidence to show that the money was remitted to the treasury and acknowledged with Treasury Book 6 as required by extant regulations.

In the same vein, N123.3 million for vehicle loans were deducted from the senators salary arrears between July and December 2019 without evidence to show that it was remitted to the treasury and acknowledged with Treasury Book 6 as required by extant regulations.

The National Assembly is mandated to explain why housing and vehicle loans deducted from senators salaries were not remitted to the treasury as required by extant regulations and remit the entire sum to the treasury.

Evidence of remittance is to be forwarded to the Public Accounts Committees.

Other queries

The Senate violated Paragraph 603 (i) of the Financial Regulations when N423.3 million was paid for the supply of utility vehicles and production of National Assembly Logo between August and November 2019 from the Capital account without documents showing payment.

The regulation states that all vouchers shall contain full particulars of each service. Such as dates, numbers, quantities, distances and rates. So as to enable them to be checked without reference to any other documents and will invariably be supported by relevant documents such as local purchase orders, invoices, Special letters of authority, timesheets. Etc.

According to the report, the payment of N423.3 million was effected through four payment vouchers and no relevant supporting documents were attached to the payment vouchers to facilitate the validation of the payment.

Besides explaining the violations, the National Assembly clerk has been asked to remit the money to the treasury and forward evidence of remittance to the Public Accounts Committees.

Normally, when MDAs are indicted in the AuGFs report, the National Assembly Public Accounts Committees would issue queries and threats and summon heads of the agencies for explanations.

The Senate public accounts committee had, on several occasions, threatened heads of major agencies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Central Bank of Nigeria, Minister of Information and the Niger Delta Development Commission.

Efforts to reach the Senate spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru, and the Chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, Matthew Urhoghide, with regards to how the upper chamber intends to handle the AuGFs queries, were unsuccessful.

It is not clear how the National Assembly will respond to the latest queries from the AuGF.
Combined troops of the Nigerian armed forces have reportedly executed a top commander of the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP), identified as Modu Kime.

PR Nigeria, an online news platform with close ties with the military, reported that Kime who is also known as Abou Maryam (father of Maryam) was killed in airstrikes coordinated along the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno State.

The airstrikes were reportedly launched at the river banks of Bisko and Tumbum Tawaye in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.

The death of Abou Maryam comes a few months after the military announced the death of a factional leader of the terrorist activities organisation, Abubakar Shekau.

ISWAP, which is a breakaway faction of the Shekau-led Boko Haram faction, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2016.

They have been responsible for the terrorist activities in the North-east and Lake Chad region.

Before the emergence of ISWAP, Boko Haram group had held the center stage of terrorism in Nigeria. It kicked off as a religious institution and a critic of the affairs of the government.

It has spread its tentacles to Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

According to the UN, the group has caused the deaths of over 35,000 persons in the ongoing crises in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states and other parts of Nigeria since the beginning of the conflict in 2009.

How Abou Maryam was tracked down

PR Nigeria quoted an unnamed source as saying that the operation was conducted after Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions revealed the location of the terror kingpin.

After an assessment from the spots of the air bombardment, it was discovered that scores of the terrorists and the commander were killed in the process, it said.

The source also said Abou Maryam had been on the radar of intelligence services.

For sometime we had been intercepting his communication and his coordination of attacks by his terror group, mostly in Borno State.

He had operated around the axis of Tumbum Tawaye, Bisko, Garere, Arkumma and Dumbawa, Zari and Gundumbali LGA.

Abou Maryam coordinated attacks on military troops and soft-targets mostly around Damasak, Nganzai and Gajiram and sometimes on outskirts of Maiduguri
Members of staff of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) have decried the non-payment of their salaries, which they said has brought misery upon them.

The CCB is of one Nigerias anti-corruption agencies with the sole mandate of assets verification of public officers in the country.

In spite of its crucial responsibility in tackling widespread heist in Nigerias public sector, the agency has grappled with poor funding, a development CCB workers say exposes assets verification officers to kickbacks from politicians who want to beat the system.

A staff member at the CCBs headquarters in Abuja, who spoke with our reporter on the condition of anonymity out of fear of possible victimisation, said workers are being owed two months salaries.

We are being owed November and December salaries, and the situation is getting out of hand. For instance, I can no longer provide food for my wife and children, the staff said.

Another staff member at the agencys annex office at Asokoro area of Abuja, told PREMIUM TIMES that most personnel of the CCB have become beggars; from fare to food, we ask relatives and friends to get by. We are dying of hunger.

When this reporter visited the CCBs headquarters on Thursday, barely 48 hours to Christmas, most of the offices were deserted as a clerical officer of agency who did not want his name mentioned, attributed the situation to the non-payment of salaries.

The situation has been very tough since November, but this Christmas will be bleak for us all, the distraught staffer said.

For a worker at the annex office in Asokoro, the Christmas celebrations were least of his problems. My headache is my childrens school fees in January, he said.

Its a private school, so you have to pay the school fees before resumption, the staffer explained.

Were working hard to clear salaries  CCB

Meanwhile, Babs Ogunjimi, CCBs Director of Finance and Accounts, said efforts were being made to clear the backlog of salaries.

In a telephone interview with this reporter on Friday, Mr Ogunjimi, said They (workers) will get their salaries if not today, then tomorrow.

He explained that federal government had worked on it, adding, That was why the National Assembly passed the virement request of the President along with the national budget.

Mr Ogunjimi assured that November and December salaries will be paid together.

The bureaus many woes

Addressing journalists at a press conference in Abuja last month, the Chairman of the CCB, Mohammed Isah, said Our staff are poorly paid.

Mr Isah, a professor of law, ventilated his agencys operational encumbrances.

Top on the list was poor manpower for an intractable problem of corruption in Nigerias public service.

We have less than 800 personnel across the country for 10 million public officers whom we are investigating their assets, Mr Isah lamented, warning of the danger ahead if new persons are not recruited to replace the deceased and retired.

On budgetary allocations, Mr Isah said some persons were out to strangulate the bureau by starving it of funding.

We get N36 million as overhead per release, and this year, we have received nine releases of N297 million (in total, instead of N324 million), he had explained.

Monitoring more than 10 million public officers is not easy, Mr Isah revealed of the manpower shortage.

Of all its mandate, verification is one of the most, if not the most tedious exercise. It is capital intensive. Despite the above, and the fact that the bureau is poorly funded considering our budgetary allocation, we are determined to go ahead with the process to ensure the success of the fight against corruption, he had assured.

CCB 2022 budget

PREMIUM TIMES analysis shows that, among the countrys anti-graft agencies, only the CCB, a perennially underfunded body set up to handle asset declarations of public officers across all levels of government, is billed to take a cut  up to nine per cent from its 2021 budget  in the coming year.

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The CCB has proposed a budget of N2.9 billion for 2022. The amount is a decrease of 9.4 per cent from the N3.2 billion appropriated for it in the 2021 budget.

Of this, N1.7 billion is earmarked for Salaries and Wages while N22 million is proposed for Local Travel and Transport for Training, and N120 million for Local Travels and Transport Others.

In the proposed budget of the bureau, Utilities will gulp N15 million, Materials and Supplies is to take N41 million, office rent, N24 million, and refreshment N7 million.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Nigeria has recorded a total of 45 Omicron cases as of December 20, 2021.

The NCDC Incident Manager, Luka Lawal, made this known during a virtual media briefing on Friday.

Mrs Lawal, said Nigeria ranks third in the list of African countries with the highest cases of Omicron after South Africa and Botswana with 1,296 and 291 cases respectively.

She noted that as of Monday, a total of 13,758 sequences have been uploaded on GISAID, a global epidemic database.

Omicron

Nigeria on December 1, 2021, joined the growing number of countries that have recorded cases of the omicron variant also known as B.1.1.529 lineage.

The index case of Omicron was detected in South Africa after which the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated Omicron a variant of concern.

Although the first cases of the Omicron variant were detected among travellers from South Africa to Nigeria, the NCDC explained that the subsequent cases detected are not from travellers but within Nigeria.

Mrs Lawal, the incident manager, noted that the Delta variant contributed more to the third wave of COVID-19 experience in Nigeria.

She said the Delta variant remains the most dominant since the outbreak of COVID-19, with 2,237 cases detected in Nigeria as of December 20, 2021.

There are other variants but the Delta variant is the most contagious variant yet and may trigger serious illness compared to others, she said.

COVID-19 in Nigeria

The NCDC announced the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria on December 20, 2021.

It said the country has recorded a 500 per cent increase in the number of confirmed cases within the past two weeks.

The Director-General of the disease centre, Ifedayo Adefila, in a statement noted that the rise in infections has been linked to both the Delta and Omicron variants of the rampaging virus.

However, the latest statistics by the NCDC show that Nigerias infection toll has increased to 233,353, while the fatality toll stands at 2,991.

As of Wednesday, the number of active cases increased from 12,547 to 16,569 cases, while the number of discharged cases now stands at 212,040.

The data also shows that Nigeria has so far tested 3,751,696 samples.
The police in Ondo State have arrested a cleric, Tunde Olayiwola, allegedly in possession of a fresh human head at Oka in Ondo East Local Government Area of the state.

Oyeyemi Oyediran, Commissioner of Police, made this known while parading the suspect with eight others arrested for various crimes in the state before reporters on Thursday in Akure.

Mr Oyediran explained that the cleric suspected to be involved in money rituals was arrested following a tip off received from a member of the public on Thursday in Oka in Ondo township.

On the 23rd of December, 2021, at about 0920hrs, the Police received information that a self -acclaimed cleric named Alfa Tunde Olayiwola m, a suspected ritualist, was about to receive a consignment suspected to be a human head.

The Police immediately swung into action, and the cleric was apprehended at Ajagbale Area of Oka, Ondo town.

A fresh human head was found in Olayiwolas custody when he was arrested.

He (suspect) confessed that the head found in his possession was to be used to ensure he had a better life, Mr Oyediran said.

The commissioner of police said that three other suspects were arrested between December 17 and December 21 at various places across the state over alleged murder.

According to him, on December17, one Ayodele Bankole, aged 26 years of Adabo Oke-aro, went to a hotel known as Enjoy your life, and a few minutes later he jumped down the stairs of the hotel and took to his heels.

He said the suspect was pursued and brought back to the hotel room, where a young lady of about 24 years, was found in the pool of her blood with fresh injuries on her neck and chest.

The lady was confirmed dead at the hospital. A blood stained knife was recovered at the scene.

Also, on Dec. 20 about 1600hrs, one Haruna Shaibu was discovered to be missing.

The elder brother of the missing person contacted the police that he suspected one Paul Samuel, aged 29 years, best friend of Haruna, to have used him for money rituals.

Because the deceased was seen last with Paul and Pauls mother called him that his son was seen in Yara in Kogi State negotiating to sell a motorcycle, which was suspected to belong to the missing Haruna.

When Paul Samuel was arrested he confessed to have killed his friend so that he could sell his motorcycle. A TVS motorcycle was recovered from the suspect.

Meanwhile, On December 21, one Ismaila Ojo, a hunter, shot a 70 years old man, who is his neighbor, while defecating in the bush at the back of his house, the CP said.

Mr Oyediran said that when the suspect was arrested, he claimed to have been testing his gun and mistakenly shot the deceased.

A Dane gun was recovered from the suspect, the CP said. (NAN)
Some Nigerian female commercial drivers, under the umbrella of Ladies on Wheel Association of Nigeria (LOWAN) have accused Nigerians of subjecting them to what they described as unfair treatments including discrimination, humiliation and harassment.

The women, who spoke recently during the last day of the global 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, said apart from calling them sex workers, many of their clients also allegedly try to take advantage of them by seeking amoral affairs.

These women, who converged on the Womens Rights and Health Project, WRAHPs Ireti Resource Centre, were dressed in the same shirts with inscription in line with the theme of the global event, which is entitled; Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now.

Narratives

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES during the event, the president and founder of LOWAN, Nkech Abiola, said many of her members go through abuse from their homes, environment and the larger society.

She said, We decided to join hands with the WRAHP and Ireti Resource Centre to mark the last day of activism against gender-based violence. I have been assaulted verbally so many times. People look down on me, the things they say are belittling, but because of my will power, I am still standing.

Those things they say are enough to lead one into depression. On one occasion, a lady driver was beaten by a man inside her car.

Adding that the discrimination stretches to refusal to patronise them, Ms Abiola, who is a driver with Uber, a passenger transport company, said many ordered rides get cancelled on daily basis as soon as the rider discovers that the driver is a woman.

Some people will say that women dont know how to drive. Some say that they cannot sit and a woman will drive them while others will say that they are in a hurry and dont want to be delayed by a woman, she noted.

She added that many of the female commercial drivers are university graduates across various fields but had to take up the job for survival.

They call me wayward

One of the drivers, Lawal Ayobami, said many times, women passengers give them more problems.

She said; A fellow woman like you will see you on the wheel and the next thing that comes to her mind is that you are wayward. But if I am wayward, I will not be driving. I am doing a mans job, so I deserve to be appreciated.

I drive for a living and I am proud of it. When you earn legally, you are proud of yourself. I went into driving because I needed to take care of myself and the fact that I love driving as well. Also, there is no job out there so I use driving to escape poverty.

Asked about her educational qualification, she said she has a BSc in Business Administration and a telecommunications and customer service certification from Houston University. But there is no job anywhere so I had to take what was available.

Ms Ayobami, who gave her nickname as AY, said she gets harassed by both male and female passengers.

I started driving three years ago. It has been fun, interesting, hectic, it has been everything and yes, I have experienced harassment from both ladies and guys but we thank God. Sometimes when you pick a man or woman, he or she will be staring at you via the mirror and the next thing he is asking you to go to a hotel with him, she said.

Another LOWAN member, Ogum Maureen, advised women to use the opportunity they get as drivers to campaign against domestic violence to their passengers, saying being afraid to speak out is the beginning of the troubles.

Some women are afraid to speak. They wear make-up, go out to work but go back home to husbands who beat them. We can use LOWAN as a means to get to women out there who are going through violence by introducing them to the Ireti resource centre to get justice, Ogum said.

On her part, Mercy Atagana, also of LOWAN, said the association needs government support in the area of housing. Many of us here are paying our rent ourselves. No man is paying for us but if we can get mortgages from the bank with the support of the government it will go a long way.

Saying that LOWAN also needs free health insurance, Atagana said many of the drivers sit for almost 20 hours a day.

Counsels

Meanwhile, the founder of WRAHP and Ireti Resource Centre, Bose Ironsi, said it is high time society began to respect the work LOWAN does.

Mrs Ironsi said that women drivers should not be discriminated against because they are women. Majority of the people who are on the wheel are women who want to break stereotypes that say that only men should be drivers when you actually dont require anything special to drive.

Mrs Ironsi told them not to allow culture, tradition or stereotypes to stop them from fulfilling their dreams.

I am calling out to those women who feel they are economically disempowered to join the LOWAN to actualise their dream. You dont have to be dependent on anybody, Mrs Ironsi said.

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About LOWAN

Ladies on Wheel Association of Nigeria, LOWAN, is the first registered female drivers association of Nigeria. It is an organisation of female commercial drivers that have been in existence for three years.

According to its leadership, the organisation supports women who are interested in engaging in commercial driving, saying it brings members together for protection against abuses and for solidarity purposes.
A Kano State High Court has restrained the Kano State Government from carrying out construction work on the disputed Kofar Wambai Market in the state.

Justice Aisha Yau gave the order Friday while hearing a suit filed by some of the traders against the government.

The judge said that the order would remain pending the hearing and determination of the suit, next year.

She directed that both parties should maintain the status quo on the disputed land.

Addressing the court, counsel to the traders, Sadiq Abbdullahi, alleged that the government had laid the foundation for the construction of shops on the disputed land.

The traders, led by Ibrahim Yakasai, had approached the court on December 22 to stop the governments plan to erect more shops in the congested market.

An order is granted that parties shall stop all action on disputed land and maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion on notice.

The matter is adjourned to 24/01/2022, Fridays court order stated.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how traders at the Kofar Wambai market Wednesday morning protested against the erection of more shops by the Kano government.

The protesters, who converged at the Sani Buhari line of the market, defied multiple gunshots by security officials who shot into the air to disperse them.
The Ekiti State House of Assembly unanimously passed the states 2022 budget of N100.8 billion on Friday.

This followed the adoption of the House Committee on Finances report read by its Chairman, Olubunmi Adelugba (APC-Emure).

The motion for the adoption was moved by the Majority Leader, Gboyega Aribisogan (APC-Ikole 1) and seconded by Teju Okuyiga (APC-Gbonyin).

This was after it was ratified by the Committee of the Whole House chaired by the Speaker, Funminiyi Afuye.

The committee, after due consultations through public hearing, recommended N60.5 billion as recurrent expenditure and N40.3 billion as capital expenditure.

Mrs Adelugba lauded the cooperation of stakeholders for ensuring that the budget process was given speedy consideration.

Governor Kayode Fayemi presented the Appropriation Bill christened Budget of Legacy and Consolidation to the Assembly on October 28.

Before passing the bill, the speaker lauded the cooperation of members with the Executive and the Judiciary throughout 2021.

He announced that members would immediately proceed to the governors office to present the bill for Governor Fayemis assent.

Let me formally announce that we shall, all members, proceed to the governors office to present the budget in order for Gov. Fayemi to assent to it, Mr Afuye said.

Members thereafter sang a Christmas song in Ekiti dialect to wish one and another as well as their constituents merry a Christmas and New Year in advance.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the House consequently adjourned proceedings indefinitely so that members could consult with their constituents and prepare for the upcoming Ekiti APC governorship primary.

Ondo passes N199 billion

Similarly, the Ondo State House of Assembly passed N199 billion budget for the 2022 fiscal year into law.

The Chairman House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Sunday Olajide, while presenting the budget estimate during plenary noted that the budget was increased by N6.9 billion.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, presented a budget proposal of N191.6 billion for the 2022 fiscal year, tagged: Budget of Economic Re-Engineering.

Mr Olajide noted that N112.9 billion is for recurrent while N885.6 billion is for capital expenditure.

The committee urged all Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs) to collaborate with the State Internal revenue service to ensure that the goals and objectives of Government to boost internally generated revenue are pursued with all seriousness.

The speaker, Bamidele Oleyelogun, commended the committee members for a thorough job and quick passage of the budget.

Mr Oleyelogun noted that the 2022 fiscal budget of Economic Re-engineering will further drive the growth of the economy and will mark the beginning of new projects and programmes that are crucial to the development of the state. (NAN)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has refunded N326,000 that was illegally withdrawn from the bank account of a student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Diemesor Gabriel.

The commissions head of media and publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

It came like a Christmas gift for Diemesor Gabriel, 21-year-old student of Chemical Engineering, University of Benin, when on Friday December 24, 2021, Adesola Amusan, an Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, presented him with a bank draft of N326,000 (Three Hundred and Twenty-six Thousand Naira) , the statement said announcing the refund.

According the commission, the 21-year old chemical engineering student had, in September 2021, petitioned the commission over an illegal bank withdrawal of N326,000 from the N600,000 awarded to him as scholarship grant.

Mr Uwujaren said the commission after receiving his petition, commenced investigation and was able to arrest three suspects and recovered the illegally withdrawn money.

The refund was presented to him as a bank draft by the Adesola Amusan, an Assistant Commander at the Benin Zonal Command of the commission, the statement added.

ALSO READ: EFCC arrests another suspect with 576 ATM cards in Kano

Mr Diemesor, who said he had lost hope, received the bank draft with joy and commended the commission on a job well done.

The commission has done a very well. I was pleasantly surprised when I was called. I had lost hope when fraudsters withdrew the money, Mr Diemesor said.

He added that the commission had brought a smile to his face as the money was for school fees, project and upkeep.

Reacting, Mr Amusan said the commission would continue to discharge its duties diligently, ensure relief for victims of fraud and bring perpetrators to book.
The former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, says Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is the best person to lead Nigeria in 2023.

Mr Babangida expressed the view on Thursday while receiving the Osibanjo Grassroot Organisation at his Hill Top residence in Minna, the Niger capital.

He urged Mr Osinbajo to remain focused and resilient.

Osinbajo has great passion for Nigeria, he is one that can communicate with the country and inspire people among other qualities; he is the best person to lead Nigeria in 2023.

I know the vice president very well; he is a good man; a man who has conviction about Nigeria; a man who can communicate with the country and inspire people.

Such a man is worthy person to work with; we need good man to lead Nigeria; a man who has passion for this countrys economy; Nigeria is a good country; the people of Nigeria are good.

You must learn to understand people and constant discussion is key; I want to convey my best wishes to the vice president through you and I want you to tell him to stay the course; I know its not easy but he has the conviction; I wish him the best.

The former military leader told the group that he accepted to speak to the members because of the person of the vice president and because of his conviction that Mr Osinbajo has what it takes to lead the country.

The National Convener of the organisation, Ojo Foluso, said the group was happy with Mr Babangida s endorsement.

We came to consult the oracle and the oracle has spoken; IBB is an oracle because he understands Nigeria, he said.

He said the group would continue to mount pressure on Mr Osibanjo to show interest in contesting for the presidency in 2023.

The leader of the team, Emma Ejiofor, said the group was ready to work with counsel from prominent citizens like Mr Babangida because of their sound knowledge and understanding of Nigeria.

He said Nigeria was in dire need of leaders with conviction and passion for its development.

(NAN)
The UN envoy, Stephanie Williams, on Thursday, said Libyas presidential election had been postponed with a new date expected to be announced within 30 days.

Ms Williams, the deputy head of the UN Support Mission in Libya for political affairs, said this after her 10 days visit to the county to help implement intra-Libyan political, security and economic dialogues.

Having arrived in Libya on December 12, Ms Williams said she had heard time and again the overwhelming desire of Libyans to go to the ballot box.

The Libyan presidential election was scheduled to be held with the first round on December 24, and the second round on January 24, 2022.

She said the overwhelming desire of Libyans to go to the ballot box would determine their future and to end the long transitional period through the holding of inclusive, free, fair, and credible elections.

I have also heard their genuine hopes that elections must be part of the solution and not part of the problem in Libya, Ms Williams said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the High National Elections Commission announced that despite being technically prepared, it was unable to meet the December 24 date set by the political roadmap for national elections.

Citing inadequacies in electoral legislation and challenges and appeals related to candidates eligibility, the commission requested that the House of Representatives set, within a 30-day period, another date for the first round of the presidential election.

They also asked that the necessary measures be taken to address the difficulties facing the completion of the electoral process.

The United Nations takes note of the Commissions recommendation to the House of Representatives and welcomes its commitment to the ongoing electoral process and to continuing the review of the applications of the candidates for parliamentary elections, Ms Williams said.

The Special Adviser maintained that she was ready through mediation and the UNs good offices, to work with the concerned Libyan institutions and interlocuters to address challenges.

She called upon those concerned to honour and support the will of the 2.8 million Libyans who had registered to vote.

According to her, the current challenges in the electoral process should in no way be instrumentalised to undermine the stability and progress which has been achieved in Libya over the past 15 months.

The envoy urged the relevant actors to focus on the electoral process and on creating the political and security conditions needed to hold inclusive, free, fair, peaceful and credible elections, whose outcome will be accepted by all parties.

In addition to her work surrounding the election, the Special Adviser met with hundreds of people from all regions to lead mediation efforts and engage with Libyan and international partners.

She observed that since the UN-facilitated ceasefire agreement was signed in October 2020 and the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum Roadmap adopted in November 2020, tangible progress had been achieved.

Against the backdrop of relative calm across the country as the ceasefire continued to hold, she was able to travel on the coastal road between Misrata and Sirte, which was reopened through the efforts of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), comprising military representatives from opposing sides.

During her trip, Ms Williams was particularly pleased to witness a shift from a discourse of conflict to one of peaceful dialogue.

Despite the many hardships endured by numerous Libyans and the pleas of those still displaced by the 10-year conflict, she spoke with scores who had recovered a sense of normalcy.

Even those who only last year bore arms against each other have continued to come together.

I have heard stories of separated families that could finally travel to visit relatives  a development made possible by the ceasefire and resumption of flights and the reopening of roads, she said.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, issued a statement through his Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, taking note of the announcement.

It is imperative that the will of the people is respected.

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Presidential and parliamentary elections must take place in Libya in the appropriate conditions to peacefully end the political transition and transfer power to democratically elected institutions, he said.

He added that Ms Williams will continue to support a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process to address outstanding challenges and ensure the holding of Presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

(NAN)
President Muhammadu Buhari has sworn in the newly appointed Minister representing Taraba State in the federal cabinet, Muazu Sambo.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the swearing-in of Mr Sambo was held shortly before the opening of the meeting of the National Security Council in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

NAN reports that Mr Sambo, who replaced former Minister of Power, Mamman Sale, from Taraba, was posted to the Ministry of Works and Housing as Minister of State, Works and Housing.

Those in attendance of the security meeting include Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Ministers of Police Affairs, Justice, Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs.

Others are service chiefs, the National Security Adviser to the President are Babagana Monguno; Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba; Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi as well as the Director-General, NIA, Abubakar Rufai.

Mr Sambo was Area Manager, Lagos Zone of the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration remains resolute at ensuring that the standard of living of the average Nigerian is elevated.

Mr Buhari said this in his Christmas message sent to PREMIUM TIMES by his office.

He also used the celebration to call on all Nigerians to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Recent events have shown that vaccination greatly reduces the effects of the virus on the human body, Mr Buhari said.

Read the presidents full Christmas message below.

PRESIDENT BUHARIS 2021 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

I rejoice with Christians in Nigeria as they join fellow believers all over the world to celebrate this season.

It is a special period that brings peoples of the world together with one purpose; to celebrate togetherness, joy, peace, and above all, to share love with one another through exchange of goodwill and gifts.

For the second Christmas running, the world will not be able to celebrate as we used to in years past.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its attendant debilitating impact, has remained with mankind, mutating and leaving in its wake devastating consequences on the economy, social interaction, and curtailing certain freedoms.

The silver lining, however, is that humanity has been able to rise up with one voice and purpose, to confront the foisted conditions.

I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our dear citizens to embrace vaccination, which is the best scientifically known bulwark against the pandemic.

Recent events have shown that vaccination greatly reduces the effects of the virus on the human body.

I will also urge those that have taken the two doses to go ahead and take the booster as advised by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC).

I commend the efforts of members of the PSC under the headship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as they continue to chart a roadmap out of the pandemic and associated issues.

On security, despite the remarkable successes generally recorded, we still have some challenges.

Our courageous security forces, bolstered by the necessary support from this administration, daily confront the wicked ones amongst us, who continue to threaten the peace of the land.

Recently, during the meeting with fellow Heads of State of the ECOWAS, I discussed the need to intensify efforts to jointly confront this menace causing instability in our sub-region.

I am confident that with the renewed commitment and empowerment of our committed security personnel, all these issues which inflict pain and trauma on us will soon be history.

Let us utilize the opportunity that this festive period brings to encourage ourselves so that the machinations of the wicked ones in our midst will find no place to thrive.

Christmas is a season when hope is rekindled. Hope, Peace, Joy, Love are the recurring themes of this time.

It is in the midst of hardship that the true test of a nation emerges.

I urge Nigerians to invoke the indomitable spirit in us and see the present order of things as a phase that will also pass, just like other unsavoury situations in the nations history.

This government will not abandon the promises made to Nigerians for a better lease of life.

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The diversification of the economy embarked upon is yielding fruits.

We shall continue to create opportunities for our teeming youths to ventilate their tremendous energy.

As we felicitate with family, friends, colleagues, associates, let us spare moments to reach out to the less privileged.

Let us also pray and give words of encouragement to our gallant security personnel fulfilling their oaths to keep us safe.

I assure my compatriots that this administration remains resolute at ensuring that the standard of living of the average Nigerian is elevated.

On this note, I wish Nigerians Merry Christmas!

Muhammadu Buhari

December 24, 2021
Residents of Igando, Idimu, and Egbeda areas of Lagos woke up Friday to a pipeline explosion.

The explosion occurred at the pipeline site located at Isale Odo, LASU Road, Egbeda.

Confirming the incident, Ibrahim Farinloye, the acting coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said the explosion posed no threat to human lives.

Mr Farinloye said the explosion was as a result of electric poles that collapsed on the pipeline.

The electric cable collapse led to electric sparks all over the area and the sparks got to the spilled content of PMS around the area which led to the pipeline gutting fire and subsequent explosion.

The pipeline corridor have been known to have spillage often due to activities of vandals.

The pipeline fire explosion does not pose any threat to human and public lives, he said.

Mr Farinloye had earlier sent an advisory to residents in Egbeda and environs to observe safety precautions due to the collapse of high tension poles.

Although he said the fire service was mobilised to prevent fire outbreak, the pipeline exploded before preventive measures could be taken.

Mr Farinloye added that emergency responders from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and security operatives from the NSCDC were on ground.

Traffic has been diverted though Governors Road to Ikotun while efforts are on by Ikeja distribution Company to dismantle the poles and remove the cables crossing the highway.

The pipeline is burning out gradually as trapped content after shutting supplies will have burn out completely for the fire to be out.

The NEMA boss said no life was lost or injury sustained in the incident.
Moving forward, the key issue is that the Bill is extremely important for the development of electoral democracy and integrity in Nigeria and should be processed and returned to the president, as soon as possible the provision for the electronic transmission of results in the proposed Bill is extremely important for our democratic progress and must not be allowed to fall; we cannot throw away the bath water with the baby.

President Muhammadu Buhari has officially written to the National Assembly, indicating rejection of his assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021. For the past month, there have been intense worry and speculation over his inclination to sign or not to sign the Bill. In the run up to the Sunday deadline for his signature, many media organs had been running a daily countdown, while contemplating: Will he sign, will he refuse, who is influencing him, whose side is he on?, and so on. The reason is simple, the Bill is very important and has within it major policy gains on improving the integrity of our elections.

The other element that fuelled controversy was the diametrically opposed position of state governors, on one side, and federal legislators, on the other side, on the issue. In an interesting power game, most state governors openly canvassed support for delegate-driven conventions for party primaries. Their reasoning is well known to Nigerians  they have almost total control of political structures in their states, as such whoever they want wins primaries held in the states. Many legislators are apprehensive that their governors, as they usually do, love changing legislators at each election, so that no one within the state builds sufficient political capital to become a major actor. On the basis of their fear, most legislators lined up in favour of primaries through direct election, thinking this is their best bet in preventing the governors from making them ex-legislators. Nigerians were very curious on whose side the president would emerge. Now we know, he is on the side of the governors, not the legislators. Very little has been heard on who is on the side of the people in this debate. One of my concerns is that the president should have engaged directly with Nigerians on the matter by raising his concerns directly in a public forum and listening to the views of the people on it.

The presidents rejection of the Bill was conveyed in letters read in the two chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, in which he explained his reasons for declining assent to the Bill. He said he received relevant advice from all concerned ministries, departments and agencies of government. He cited financial, security and legal consequences for rejecting the Bill. He also added that the Bill would infringe on the rights of Nigerians to participate in governance and democracy; specifically that:

the president argued that the conduct of direct primaries in the 8,809 wards across the length and breadth of the country will lead to a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties, as well as increase the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC, which has to deploy monitors across these wards each time a party is to conduct direct primaries for the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative posts.

The amendment as proposed is a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy, which is characterised by freedom of choices of which political party membership is a voluntary exercise of the constitutional right of freedom of association. He pointed out that the existing constitutions of political parties already registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permits direct, indirect and consensus primaries, and the proposed Bill will violate this right; they have to be able to choose their preferred option.

I must confess that I am less convinced than the legislators that direct primaries are not as susceptible to manipulation as the delegates system. Let us take the example from the political life of President Buhari himself. In the run up to the 2019 general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari secured 2,931,235 votes at the presidential primary election, held purportedly across the 484 wards in the 44 local government areas of Kano State. The votes were, to use clear Nigerian language, delivered by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who had made the promise of delivering more votes than any other state. Ganduje attributed the massive turnout of registered party members during the primary to stakeholders effort at mobilising party members to consolidate the gains of direct primary election process. The question then became where the party members during the 2019 elections were when President Muhammadu Buhari won only 1,464,768 (78.9 per cent) of the total votes cast to beat the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who polled 391,593 (21.1 per cent). Kano had 5,391,581 registered voters, out of which 2,006,410 voters were accredited for the presidential election, while the total votes cast was 1,964,751, which itself is a very high number. Clearly, the primary election numbers were manufactured and reports at the time said people were not observed voting in most polling units for the primaries and yet nearly three million were said to have voted. The presidents awareness of the manufacturing of numbers in direct primary elections may have influenced his decision this time around. In that case, he should have said so.

In his letter, the president argued that the conduct of direct primaries in the 8,809 wards across the length and breadth of the country will lead to a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties, as well as increase the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC, which has to deploy monitors across these wards each time a party is to conduct direct primaries for the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative posts. We all know the reality that many parties do not have members in all the wards, not even in all the local governments in the country. In any case, there is no specification that direct primaries must hold in all wards in the country. What makes sense is for political parties to organise primaries according to their preference, size, membership and capacity.

On Tuesday, the Senate was sufficiently irritated by the presidents action and appeared to be collecting signatures to override his veto. As we all know however, this National Assembly has no capacity to resist the president. In that case, they should stay in character, apologise to the president for including Section 85 which annoyed him, remove the section immediately and return it to him for his signature, as that is the only section he clearly objected to.

The president is right to point out that the existing constitutions of the parties already registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permits direct, indirect and the consensus primaries. The National Assembly, by imposing direct primaries on all parties, has clearly narrowed the choice of party members and indeed Nigerians. They should not have acted in consideration of their self-interest alone. In any case, most parties do not have reliable and verifiable Membership Registers or valid means of identification, which therefore means that non-members can be recruited to vote by wealthy contestants to influence the outcome. Rival parties can also conspire and mobilise people to vote against a good or popular candidate in a party during its primaries, just to pave way for their own candidates.

Moving forward, the key issue is that the Bill is extremely important for the development of electoral democracy and integrity in Nigeria and should be processed and returned to the president, as soon as possible. On Tuesday, the Senate was sufficiently irritated by the presidents action and appeared to be collecting signatures to override his veto. As we all know however, this National Assembly has no capacity to resist the president. In that case, they should stay in character, apologise to the president for including Section 85 which annoyed him, remove the section immediately and return it to him for his signature, as that is the only section he clearly objected to. We must not return to the position in 2019 when the president rejected the Amendment Bill and we had to fall back to use the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). That Act is problematic today because the Supreme Court has ruled that the INEC manual that recognises the use of the card reader in authenticating voters in any election is illegal, and voided it. In this context, the provision for the electronic transmission of results in the proposed Bill is extremely important for our democratic progress and must not be allowed to fall; we cannot throw away the bath water with the baby. The National Assembly should therefore simply remove the clause imposing direct primary elections on all political parties and repass the Bill to the president for his signature.

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.
All praise is due to Allah the Lord of all creation. May Allah grant His praise, manifest his virtue and elevate the status of the noblest of the Prophets and the Seal of the Messengers, our beloved Prophet Muhammad and protect him, the message of Islam, his family and all his companions from any harm in this life or the next. As for what follows:

Dear brothers and sisters! When we look around our globalised world today, we observe much discussion on various ideologies and principles of life being championed and criticised. Despite the benefits which some of these ideologies may provide, there are aspects within them which drive humans to go against their innate nature. This ultimately produces long term harms, which include the destruction of families, societies and nations. Such ideologies include individualism and capitalism. Upon analysing the former, we find a study which reveals that the U.S., Australia, U.K., Netherlands and New Zealand are the most individualistic countries. With that in mind, we realise that although there are aspects of individualism which can be beneficial, this way of thinking in general steers us towards selfishness, greed, and the me, myself, I, and my family mentality which is evident in such countries. This has lead to moral decline, short sightedness and the devaluation of family values. All of these factors lead to loneliness, the break up of family homes, depression and ultimately suicide. To understand this further, the causes and effects in association with this phenomenon have been highlighted by the sociologist, Emile Durkheim, who is widely regarded as the founder of the French school of sociology. He concluded in his text, Suicide: a Study in Sociology: the more socially integrated and connected a person is, the less likely he or she is to commit suicide. As social integration decreases, people are more likely to commit suicide.

This reflects the fact that the more individualistic a person is, the more likely he is to feel suicidal, entertain suicidal thoughts, or actually commit suicide. As a matter of fact: Durkheim found, through a study of suicide rates of Protestants and Catholics in nineteenth-century Europe, that the suicide rate was higher among Protestants. Understanding the different values of the two forms of Christianity, Durkheim theorised that this occurred because Protestant culture placed a higher value on individualism. This made Protestants less likely to develop close communal ties that might sustain them during times of emotional distress, which in turn made them more susceptible to suicide.

Of course, even when we are at our lowest, as Muslims and believers we have the gift of having our hearts fortified by tawakkul (reliance upon Allah), thinking good of His decree, as well as observing taqwa (consciousness of Allah) by fearing His punishment and seeking His reward. These religious factors constitute as strong deterrents by blocking the path to suicide.

With the above concepts in mind, this Friday sermon aims to explore a section of a verse shining this lofty quality of sacrifice. In this verse, Allah praises those noted for altruistically:

Preferring others over themselves even though they are in need of that.

By developing this character quality within us, we can steer the Ummah (nation) and humanity back towards their pure fitrah (natural disposition) via moral revival. By understanding and developing this Quranic characteristic, we can return back to our optimum potential, and move away from the darkness of selfishness and disconnection from society. This can then lead to a reduction in suicide rates and the other negative repercussions which individualism begets. The best way incorporates relevant components from individualism, capitalism and collectivism, whilst at the same time filtering out the extreme aspects. Allah Almighty says:

And those who, before them, had homes (in Madinah) and had adopted the Faith, love those who emigrate to them, and have no jealousy in their breasts (hearts) for that which they have been given (from the booty of Banu Nadir), and give them (Emigrants) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful. [Quran, 59:9]

My great people! In this great Quranic verse, Allah is highlighting the lofty virtues of the Ansar (Helpers) from Madinah during the time of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). For the purposes of this sermon we will investigate the section of the verse:

give them (Emigrants) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that.

This is the quality of sacrifice to the uppermost degree, a practice which is not easy to find in current times. What does this mean? It means that the one in need of something  not want but need (i.e. you need this element to survive, such as food, water and so on)  gives others preference, as they also are in need of such essentials. In order to understand this practically, we will analyse the following incident, which subsequently led to the revelation of this verses segment. Abu Hurairah narrated that:

A man came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). The Prophet (Peace be upon him) sent a messenger to his wives (to bring something for that man to eat), but they said that they had nothing except water. Then Allahs Messenger (Peace be upon him) said:

Who will take this (person) or entertain him as a guest?

An Ansari man said, I. So he took him to his wife and said to her, Entertain generously the guest of Allahs Messenger (Peace be upon him). She said, We have got nothing except the meals of my children. He said, Prepare your meal, light your lamp, and let your children sleep if they ask for supper. So, she prepared her meal, lighted her lamp, and made her children sleep, and then stood up pretending to mend her lamp, but she put it off. Then both of them pretended to be eating, but they really went to bed hungry. In the morning, the Ansari went to Allahs Messenger (Peace be upon him), who said:

Tonight Allah laughed or wondered at your action.

Then Allah revealed:

But give them (Emigrants) preference over themselves even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful. [Bukhari]

Respected servants of Allah! First of all, it is important to understand the principles surrounding the quality of sacrifice by preferring the needs of others over that of ourselves and our family members. The general rule entails that our own needs and that of our family ought to be prioritised over others. The scholars highlight that if one has dependents such as family members, they are not permitted to give away all of their wealth in charity if that would mean their familys needs are unmet. This would be the case unless their own family members, whom they are obliged to spend on, approve of it. They should also be patient and satisfied willingly in executing this noble deed of sacrifice. If this is their state, then they have a golden opportunity to reach lofty ranks with Allah. The great scholar Imam Shawkani said:

The Hadith of Kaab indicates that it is prescribed for the one who wants to give all his wealth in charity to keep some of it. That does not imply that if he wanted to go ahead with it, he would not be able to do so. It was said that giving all of ones wealth in charity varies according to ones situation. If a person is strong and knows that he will be able to bear the consequences with patience, then there is no reason why he should not do that. Based on that, we may interpret the action of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and the way in which the Ansar preferred others to themselves, even though they were in need of that [Quran, 59:9]. But if a person is not like that, then he should not do that. This is how the words there is no charity except when one has the means should be interpreted. According to another report, The best of charity is that which is given when one has the means. [Nailul Awtar, vol. 8, page 288]

Also Imam al-Nawawi, another great classical scholar, commented regarding Kaab Bin Malik wanting to give away all his wealth in charity by saying:

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) ordered him to confine himself to giving a portion thereof in charity, out of his fear for him being harmed by poverty and out of fear that he would not have patience to bear a hard life. This does not contradict the fact that Abu Bakr gave all his wealth in charity, as he was patient and satisfied. [Sharh of Muslim]

Moving on to the chapter heading of this Hadith, Imam al-Bukhari titled it as:

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Chapter: (they) give them (Emigrants) preference over themselves

This heading has been taken from the verse I mentioned earlier in this sermon. This denotes the key practical benefit which this Hadith provides. Secondly, this Hadith reflects the type of lifestyle the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was living in. The state of poverty he found himself in was due to exercising the aforementioned Quranic quality of sacrifice. Another Hadith demonstrates the same theme, where he (Peace be upon him) said to Abu Zar:

I would not like to have gold equal to this mountain of Uhud, unless nothing of it, not even a single dinar of it remains with me for more than three days, except something which I will keep for repaying debts. I would have spent all of it (distributed it) amongst Allahs servants like this, and like this, and like this.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) pointed out with his hand towards his right, his left and his back (while illustrating it). He proceeded with his walk and said:

The rich are in fact the poor (little rewarded) on the Day of Resurrection except those who spend their wealth like this, and like this, and like this, to their right, left and back, but such people are few in number [Bukhari]

This Hadith signifies that when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) would be given wealth, he had the mindset of hastening to give it all away to the needy, unless he had debts. He was the best in exemplifying all noble character traits, for as Allah Almighty says:

Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad Peace be upon him) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much. [Quran, 33:21]

Returning back to the first Hadith of this sermon regarding the Ansari man, we can see that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his wife Aisha:

had nothing except water.

If they had even one date to give to the needy, they would do so. The following Hadith narrated by Aisha indicates this:

A woman along with her two daughters came to me asking (for some alms), but she found nothing with me except one date. I gave it to her and she divided it between her two daughters, and did not eat anything herself, and then she got up and went away. Then the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came in and I informed him about this story. He said:

Whoever is put to trial by these daughters and he treats them generously (with benevolence), then these daughters will act as a shield for him from hellfire. [Bukhari]

Even though they needed food for their own survival, they still preferred the woman to themselves. Aisha willingly gave the only food her house had, namely a date, whilst the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was absent. The woman she gave the date to was a mother of two daughters. This mother also exhibited the Quranic trait by satisfying the hunger of her own two daughters whilst remaining hungry herself.

Continuing on with the first Hadith of the Ansari man, we note that they had enough food for his wifes children. However, they did not apologise to their guest and tell them that they could not host him. The wife also did not disobey her husband when he prioritised his guest over her children. Rather, she obeyed him in this noble opportunity, which caused both of them to acquire great honour in the sight of Allah Almighty. Look at how special their honour was. They were honoured to such an extent that Allah laughed or wondered (in a manner that suits his Majesty), at their action. He then even revealed a section of the verse praising this manifestation of noble and altruistic behaviour. Today, this verse has been recited by billions of people over time, starting from more than 1400 years ago. And it will continue to be recited for generations to come. What a magnificent honour this is! One can only wonder how much Sadaqah Jariyah (ongoing charity) they have obtained through their act of generosity. This is a great reward given for such a high level of sacrifice.

These are individuals who have shone brightly this lofty honourable characteristic:

Preferring others over themselves even though they are in need of that.

 How Abu Hurairah Overcame His Nafs With a Glass of Milk

Dear brothers and sisters! In this sermon, our eyes were opened up to how chances of suicide are increased if the people become more individualistic. This has been highlighted by the famous Sociologist Emile Durkheim in his findings. In conjunction with this, we were introduced to the powerful Quranic moral value that helps to push us human beings away from individualism by becoming more socially integrated, thus decrease the chances of suicide.

 Abu Hurairahs Tarbiyah

Another amazing story exemplifying this noble characteristic of preferring others over themselves even though they were in need of that is the case of Abu Bakr. He is the best person after the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his closest Companion. Umar Ibn al-Khattab reported that:

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) ordered us to give charity, and at the time I had some wealth. I said to myself, Today I will outdo Abu Bakr, if ever there were a day to outdo him. I went with half of my wealth to the Prophet and he said, What have you left for your family? I said, The same amount. Then, Abu Bakr came with everything he had. The Prophet said, O Abu Bakr, what have you left for your family? Abu Bakr said, Allah and his Messenger. I said, By Allah, I will never do better than Abu Bakr. [Tirmidhi]

Abu Bakr gave everything he had, while having tawakkul (reliance upon Allah) that his family would be looked after. Even though he immensely loved his family members and wanted the best for them, he acknowledged the bigger picture and societal context of the Muslim community. He thus sought to fulfil a great need to ensure the well-being and protection of the Muslims. Abu Bakr aimed at achieving very high and lofty objectives. He personally developed himself to the state where he could be patient and content with giving away all his wealth in such a manner. Umar was competing with Abu Bakr in this good deed, and thought he could outdo him by giving away half of his wealth, which is without any doubt a large amount. However, once he observed how Abu Bakr astonishingly gave away everything, he said:

By Allah, I will never do better than Abu Bakr.

This shows how Abu Bakrs sacrifice was on another level.

 The Process of developing this Quranic Characteristic

Respected brothers and sisters! To get an insight into the process of developing this lofty and noble trait, we will look at the example of how our Prophet (Peace be upon him) nurtured Abu Hurairah. The latter narrated:

By Allah except Whom none has the right to be worshipped, (sometimes) I used to lay (asleep) on the ground on my liver (abdomen) because of hunger, and (sometimes) I used to bind a stone over my belly because of hunger. One day I sat by the way from where they (the Prophet and his Companions) used to come out. When Abu Bakr passed by, I asked him about a Verse from Allahs Book and I asked him only so that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by and did not do so. Then Umar passed by me and I asked him about a Verse from Allahs Book, and I asked him only that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by without doing so. Finally Abul Qasim (the Prophet) passed by me and he smiled when he saw me, for he knew what was in my heart and on my face. He said, O Aba Hirr (Abu Hurairah)! I replied, Labbaik, O Allahs Messenger! He said to me, Follow me. He left and I followed him. Then he entered the house and I asked permission to enter and was admitted. He found milk in a bowl and said, From where is this milk? They said, It has been presented to you by such-and-such man (or by such and such woman). He said, O Aba Hirr! I said, Labbaik, O Allahs Messenger! He said, Go and call the people of Suffah to me. These people of Suffah were the guests of Islam who had no families, no money, or anybody to depend on. Whenever an object of charity was brought to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), he would send it to them and would not take anything from it, and whenever any present was given to him, he used to send some for them and take some of it for himself. The order of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) upset me, and I said to myself, How will this little milk be enough for the people of Suffah, though I am more entitled to drink from that milk in order to strengthen myself? But behold, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came and ordered me to give that milk to them. I wondered what will remain of that milk for me, but I could not but obey Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him). So I went to the people of Suffah and called them, and they came and asked the Prophets permission to enter. They were admitted and took their seats in the house. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, O Aba Hirr! I said, Labbaik, O Allahs Messenger! He said, Take it and give it to them. So I took the bowl (of milk) and started giving it to one man who would drink his fill and return it to me, whereupon I would give it to another man who, in his turn, would drink his fill and return it to me, and I would then offer it to another man who would drink his fill and return it to me. Finally, after the whole group had drunk their fill, I reached the Prophet (Peace be upon him), who took the bowl and put it on his hand, looked at me and smiled, and said: O Aba Hirr! I replied, Labbaik, O Allahs Messenger! He said, There only remains you and I. I said, You have said the truth, O Allahs Messenger! He said, Sit down and drink. I sat down and drank. He said, Drink, and I drank. He kept on telling me repeatedly to drink, till I said, No. by Allah Who sent you with the Truth, I have no space for it (in my stomach). He said, Hand it over to me. When I gave him the bowl, he praised Allah, pronounced Allahs Name on it, and drank the remaining milk.

From this incident, we observe how Abu Hurairah was extremely hungry and needed to satisfy it. There was only a small amount of milk in the vessel, yet the Prophet (Peace be upon him) commanded him to bring the people of Suffah as well. They were also very poor members of the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet), and would live in a section of the Prophets mosque. Abu Hurairah, in dire need of the milk, admitted he felt upset when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) commanded him to bring the poor people of Suffah. Despite this natural reaction, he still obeyed Allahs Messenger. It is important to remember here that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) wanted the best for Abu Hurairah. By commanding Abu Hurairah to give preference to the needs of the people of Suffah, he (Peace be upon him) was nurturing Abu Hurairah towards the Quranic model of:

Preferring others over themselves even though they were in need of that.

Abu Hurairah patiently overcame his nafs (soul) to ensure the people of Suffah had the opportunity to drink from the bowl of milk before him. This event was a miracle of mercy from Allah, for there was enough milk in the bowl for the people of Suffah, including both Abu Hurairah and the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

This is how he dealt with Abu Hurairah. With other members of the Sahabah, he advised and nurtured them according to what was best for them. Such is the trait of a true leader. One example of this is the advice he gave to Kaab Bin Malik. Kaab Bin Malik had repented for failing to join the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the Tabuk expedition. He said:

O Messenger of Allah, because of the acceptance of my repentance I will give up all my wealth by way of charity for the sake of Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him).

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

Keep some of your wealth, as it will be better for you. I said, Then I will keep my share from Khaibar with me. [Muslim]

Dear brothers and sisters! We can observe here how Kaab wanted to give away all his wealth, but the Prophet (Peace be upon him) advised him to keep some of it, as that would be better for him. He did not give this advice to Abu Bakr when he gave away all his wealth for the sake of Allah, as already explained in the narration mentioned earlier.

We also acknowledge the tarbiyah (nurturing) that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) provided to his wife Aisha, which thereby helped her to develop the Quranic character quality of:

Preferring others over themselves even though they were in need of that.

This can be seen in an earlier Hadith where Aisha gave a date to the woman.

We can note from that Hadith how Aisha did not have any food to give to the woman and her daughters, except for just a single date. By no means would have one date constituted as an adequate meal for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his wife Aisha. Yet, they sacrificed their own needs, preferring the woman and her familys necessities instead. Imagine we only had a single date or biscuit left inside our homes, and someone came to our door, begging for food. How would we react? Let us carefully gauge our level of development, this key dimension of Quranic character is, within us. With this awareness, we can work towards nurturing it further to the loftiest of levels following the Prophet and the Sahabah.

I pray, may Allah Almighty enable us to diligently achieve our goals and grant us success in both worlds, ameen.

All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Jumadah Ula 19th, 1443 A.H. (December 24, 2021).
Coca-Colas 70th anniversary in Nigeria was one for the books. I mean, what else did we expect? Its THE COCA-COLA!  and yes, there is a lot to unpack, so grab your juice box or whatever feels like a comfort zone to you and enjoy.

First off, the invite-only event took place on Monday, November 22, 2021, at Eko Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, and was well attended by the creme de la creme of the Nigerian media, the Coca-Cola System leadership, and key stakeholders and partners across the country. Shameless name drops will be the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, and the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat  like I said, its COCA-COLA!

The event opened to a lounge area that had mouth-watering finger foods, fabulously dressed guests chatting excitedly away, an all-you-can-drink bar with  I promise you  the most delicious cocktails youve ever tasted. The final boss of this section was a Coca-Cola System museum wing that had artefacts on display and a history wall that tracked the beverage companys achievements for the last 70 years.

As the celebrations progressed, there was not one, but TWO exhilarating performances from the thespians at Terra Kulture, and all these happened while we stuffed our faces with delectable meals. It was not all play, however, as The Coca-Cola System, which comprises Coca-Cola Nigeria and its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company, took some time to celebrate 70 iconic Nigerians who have been pivotal to the companys business in Nigeria.

The highlight of the evening was the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajos witty and encouraging speech. He spoke on how between 1975 to 2017, he probably drank 29,200 bottles of Coca-Cola. He also congratulated the Board and Management of The Coca-Cola Company on the iconic anniversary celebration and saluted the Systems hard work and dedication to thriving and maintaining its leadership position in the market.

See photos below:
Gunmen Wednesday night attacked Nahuche community of Zamfara State and abducted five residents.

Nahuche, in Bungudu Local Government Area, is a few kilometres from the state capital, Gusau.

A resident of the community, Kasim Abdullahi, said the bandits did not fire a single shot.

They came around 12:30 midnight, brandishing guns. But they didnt fire a single shot even after abducting the people, he said.

He mentioned those abducted to include: Hassan Makkiyu, Ibrahim Maishago, Basiru Yabo and two children of Muntari Spawa.

He said the kidnappers have yet to contact the families to demand for ransom.

In another attack, bandits killed two persons and carted away sheep and goats in Tungar Bai and Tungar Kade villages in Garbadu ward of Talata Mafara Local Government Area.

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According to a resident, Abubakar Sani, one of those killed was Sanusi Kwargo, a commercial motorcyclist, and another resident named as Abu Dan Bala.

They now frequent our villages in Garbadu and others in southern Talata Mafara area. Were suffering in silence due to the negligence of security personnel in the area, he added.

The immediate former councilor of the area, Bello Bado, said the villages under the area have come under repeated attacks in the last few months.

Efforts to get the Zamfara police spokesperson, Mohammed Shehu, to speak on the latest incidents were unsuccessful. He did not return calls nor reply to messages sent to him.

Zamfara is one of the North-west states most affected by banditry. Others include Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna.

The terror groups attack communities in the region at will despite the heavy deployment of security operatives to the area.
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has signed the 2022 Appropriation Bill into law with a total outlay of N381.4 billion.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the governor signed the bill at the new Executive Chambers, Government House, Owerri, on Thursday in the presence of members of the State Executive Council.

NAN also reported that the Bill which was earlier presented to the Assembly by its Budget and Appropriation Committee Chairman, Emeka Nduka, was approved by the Assembly and presented to the governor for his assent.

Others who were present during the signing of the bill into law included the states legislators led by the Speaker of the Assembly, Kennedy Ibeh.

The governor said the 2022 budget, christened Budget of Consolidation and The Peoples Budget, was prepared with contributions from town unions through their respective representatives at the House of Assembly.

He thanked the legislators for rising to the task and expressed the confidence that with expected internal revenue generation in 2022, funds will be available to execute the budget.

It is on behalf of my government that I thank the speaker and members of the state House of Assembly for a job well done.

I sincerely hope that having been signed into law, this Budget of the People will bring about the expected development to our dear state when it will be judiciously implemented, he said.

(NAN)
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has said that the states House of Assembly is not a rubber stamp assembly.

Mr Umahi made the assertion in Abakaliki while signing the states N145.4 billion 2022 budget into law.

The governor said notwithstanding negative views in some parts of the state, the House is knowledgeable in the art of law-making and understands the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Anyone who thinks otherwise can go and try them and get floored.

The members are committed to uplifting the state, they call off their recesses anytime their attention is needed, he said.

Mr Umahi assured that the state government would ensure the completion of its projects in 2022.

These projects include the airport, the stadium and flyover road projects among others.

We intend to turn the states university into a one-campus structure to enable the new University of Aeronautics to use the Presco campus as its temporary site.

The new University for Information Communication Technology will also use the College of Agricultural Sciences campus as its temporary site, he said.

Mr Umahi also said the government would employ 5,000 civil servants and empower 10,000 citizens.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru, commended the governor for ensuring prudent management of the states resources

We are happy to report that the 2021 budget had over 70 per cent implementation which has helped in the overall development of the state.

We interfaced with relevant governmental agencies in reviewing the budget and would always collaborate with other arms of government to make the state better, he said.

(NAN)
The police in Imo State, Nigerias South-east, said they have arrested three suspected traffickers of a one-year-old and have recovered a human skull, arms and ammunition in the process.

The Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Husseini, disclosed this while parading the suspects and displaying the exhibits in Owerri on Thursday.

Mr Husseini also said that 11 suspected armed robbers and kidnappers were arrested in different parts of the state.

He added that other exhibits such as nine motorcycles, four vehicles, three pump action guns, two locally-made pistols and 17 live cartridges were recovered.

Also, N1,092,000 cash was recovered from the kidnappers, being ransom paid by victims.

He said investigations were ongoing to unravel more details about the mode of operation of the suspects, adding that some information would be kept away from the public for security reasons.

In the course of interrogation, it was discovered that they belong to an organised crime syndicate, whose modus operandi includes going to banks, pretending to be customers who have come for banking transactions.

They spy on genuine bank customers who are withdrawing huge sums of money, and as the customer is leaving the bank, they will use their phone and give information about the person to their members waiting outside the bank premises on motorcycle or vehicle.

As soon as the victim comes out, they will trail him to his destination and snatch the money from him. Based on this revelation, on 21/12/2021 at about 1400hrs, the commands tactical team mobilised and laid ambush on the suspects, he said.

He advised Imo residents to get used to their surroundings so as to detect strange people and to install CCTV cameras at home or office if possible so as to monitor movement of people around.

He also harped on the need for residents to have police and other security agency emergency numbers at all times, to speak with caution in public places and to avoid giving out personal information to strangers.

He thanked his officers and men for their doggedness as well as the state governor, Hope Uzodinma, for his support.

(NAN)
Ahead of the 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, the senator for Ekiti Central Senatorial District, has begun consultations and seeking the support of the members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

The lawmaker met with some members of the party at the state secretariat on Thursday where he stressed the need for peace in the party and the state at large.

This was contained in a statement signed by his media aide, Muyiwa Bamidele.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the governorship election for June 2022.

Governor Kayode Fayemi will conclude his second term in office in October 2022.

Mr Opeyemi, who has since indicated interest to contest in the gubernatorial election coming up in the state next year, narrated how a third party created a rift between himself and the state governor, Kayode Fayemi, in 2014.

The lawmaker, a former commissioner in Lagos State, disclosed that he decided to stay away from the state in order not to allow what happened in 2014 to repeat itself.

While he recalled how he took care of the defunct Action Congress (which later became Action Congress of Nigeria) from May 2003 till 2010 when Mr Fayemi assumed office, he expressed optimism that residents of the state will vote for him if given the chance to run.

I took care of the party from May 2003, when Otunba Niyi Adebayo left office till 2010 when Governor Kayode Fayemi took over as the governor of the state.

The people of Ekiti are waiting to vote for me, but if I dont have the ticket, there is no way they can vote for me. We should give the ticket to a popular candidate, we should not deceive ourselves in this party.

We should think about where we are coming from and where we are going to.I can count the number of times I attended events within two years and six months that I am in National Assembly, part of the statement read.

Although Mr Bamidele did not give further details of what really transpired between himself and Mr Fayemi, he said he would not want the 2014 incident to repeat itself.

I dont want what happened in 2014 to repeat itself. They squandered relationship between me and my brother (Mr Fayemi). God said we are not enemies and we took over Ekiti again. The third party will go to governors office in 2014 and said what I did not say

Mr Bamidele said that he is not ready to fight because it is only God that gives the crown.

He also prayed that his life is preserved because he has good intention for Ekiti people.

This is even as he assured the party members in the state that he would make them proud and also take care of them.

On his part, the state Chairman of the APC, Paul Omotosho, said Mr Fayemi had asked the leadership of party to be neutral in the process of electing the candidate of the party.

While he promised that the party will give every aspirant a level playing field at the partys primary election, he also assured that it will be neutral in the process of electing partys candidate.

Mr Bamidele is one of the few aspirants who have made thier intentions known.

Only recently, his colleague, Biodun Olujimi, informed the Senate of her decision to contest for governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ms Olujimi represents Ekiti South senatorial District.

Other aides of Mr Fayemi , including the secretary to the state government, have since indicated their interest to succeed their principal.
Justice John Adeyeye of an Ado-Ekiti High Court has discharged and acquitted a 51-year-old man, Asalu Olorunkemi, serving two years imprisonment for assaulting Olubunmi Beatrice.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Olorunkemi and others at large, had, in August, been sentenced to two years imprisonment, with an option of N50,000 fine, for physically assaulting the complainant by beating her.

NAN also reports that the offence was committed at Fasuba Plaza, Ilawe-Ekiti road, Ado-Ekiti within Ado-Ekiti magisterial division.

The alleged offence was said to have been contrary to Section 2b (1) and punishable under Section 4 (a) of the Ekiti State Gender Based Violence Prohibition Law 2011.

Dissatisfied with the judgment of the Magistrate Court, the convict had approached a higher court for an appeal.

The appellants counsel, Olalekan Olatawura, had argued on the grounds that the lower court erred in its judgment.

The judge was, however, of the opinion that the prosecution did not prove its case beyond reasonable doubt that the complainant was indeed assaulted on the said date, as alleged.

This, he said, was in view of the contradictions between the oral testimony of the prosecution witnesses and the documentary evidence tendered in support of the crime.

One of the witnesses, a police officer, had stated that the petition received specified that the assault took place on November 13, 2014, while the medical report was dated September 2, 2014.

Mr Adeyeye, therefore, discharged and acquitted the defendant on the grounds that the prosecution was unable to prove its case beyond every reasonable doubt.

He said that with the observations that there were contradictions in the evidences tendered by the prosecution which went materially to the charge, the appeal was consequently allowed to lie.

The judge said that the testimony of the prosecution witnesses failed to establish that the accused actually committed the offence of assault.

He said: Asalu Olorunkemi, you are hereby discharged and acquitted of the offence of assault, dated November 13, 2014.

(NAN)
A man arrested for allegedly being the native doctor preparing charms for Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, has been released after being held in custody by the State Security Service (SSS) for over five months.

Dada Ifasootos lawyer announced his release in a statement on Friday.

The lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, said in the statement that Mr Ifasooto was secretly arrested on July 16, 2021, and his whereabouts remained unknown until the release of a detainee by the SSS.

Mr Ifasootos arrest on July 16, came 15 days after the secret police stormed Mr Igbohos house in the Soka area of the city in the early hours of July 1.

Mr Olajengbesi described the allegations as strange in the statement announcing his release on Friday.

He said the treatment meted our to Mr Ifasooto also under-pinned the alleged ongoing persecution of Mr Igboho, who is being held in months-long detention in the neighbouring Republic of Benin.

This is to announce the release of Mr Dada Ifasooto who was secretly arrested by the State Security Service (SSS) on 16th July, 2021 on the allegation that he is a native doctor who prepares charms for Chief Sunday Igboho.

Mr. Dada Ifasootos whereabouts was unknown for months until one of the released detainees from SSS custody informed our office that he is in the custody of the secret service in an underground locker.

The strange allegations against Mr Dada Ifasooto and his incarceration defies logical and legal thoughts and underpins the ill-motivated persecution of Chief Sunday Igboho and his associates, the statement read in part.

It added, Amongst other things, it exposes the straw-clutching antics of the State Security Service in this matter even as it underscores the ridiculous and unlawful length the agency is willing to go.

Mr Dada Ifasaato, the latest victim of the overreaching arms of the DSS (SSS) although having regained his freedom after months of deprivation and the sufferance of the indignity of his detention, have the trauma of his experience to contend with for a life time.

Background

At least two persons were killed in the invasion of Sunday Igbohos home in Ibadan by SSS operatives on July 1.

Twelve of Sunday Igbohos aides arrested at the home were moved to Abuja for a protracted detention in violation of court orders.

Despite the court orders issued for their release, the last two of the 12 aides were only released late October after they spent about 114 days in detention.

The Oyo State High Court in September ordered the SSS to pay N20 billion to Sunday Igboho, over the invasion of his home in Ibadan.

The judge, Ladiran Akintola, ruled that the money was awarded as exemplary and aggravated damages against the SSS in the suit filed by Mr Igboho, in which he was seeking N500 billion damages for the invasion.

Mr Igboho, who was declared wanted by the SSS after the invasion of his home, was later in July arrested while trying to catch a Germany-bound flight in Cotonou in the Republic of Benin.

He has been detained in the neighbouring country where he has been accused of violations of migration laws.

Mr Igboho has always maintained that his agitations were to bring attention to the plight of those in the south-western flanks of the country in the hands of criminal herders who consistently attacked communities at will then.
Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Aircraft Turbofan Engine Market Analysis Report by Application (defense aviation and civil aviation) and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America), and the Segment Forecasts,2022-2026." Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders. Track key industry opportunities, trends and threats. Information on marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales, and supply functions. https://www.technavio.com/report/report/aircraft-turbofan-engine-market-industry-analysis

Aircraft Turbofan Engine Market - Driver & Challenge

The demand for air travel is expected to be boosted by the rising affluence of the middle-class population in emerging markets. Also, the demand for commercial aircraft is likely to witness a surge due to the growth in air travel in key countries like China, Russia, India, Indonesia, and the US. The year-over-year increase in air traffic has made the induction of new aircraft necessary to cater to the growing demand. Hence, aircraft OEMs and their suppliers are revamping their production facilities to ensure that aircraft deliveries take place as scheduled.

However, countries cannot afford to adopt every new technology that emerges as it will result in downtime in their defense aircraft. Several other challenges that come with the introduction of new technology are its prohibitive cost, technology risks that are driven by stringent certification requirements, and the need for the required expertise. Technologically advanced equipment must also go through a rigorous testing and evaluation process prior to certification. In addition, innovations require substantial backing and support from prominent manufacturers and MRO service providers in the defense market.

To know more about drivers & challenges - Download a free sample now!

Some of key Aircraft Turbofan Engine Players:

The aircraft turbofan engine market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying various organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market.

EuroJet Turbo GmbH

General Electric Co.

Honeywell International Inc.

Ivchenko-Progress SE

Liebherr-International AG

PowerJet Pressure Cleaning Systems

Raytheon Technologies Corp.

Rolls-Royce Plc

Rostec State Corp.

Safran SA

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Aircraft Turbofan Engine Market Application Outlook (Revenue, USD mn, 2021-2026)

Defense aviation - size and forecast 2021-2026

Civil aviation - size and forecast 2021-2026

Aircraft Turbofan Engine Market Geography Outlook (Revenue, USD mn, 2021-2026)

North America - size and forecast 2021-2026

- size and forecast 2021-2026 Europe - size and forecast 2021-2026

- size and forecast 2021-2026 APAC - size and forecast 2021-2026

MEA - size and forecast 2021-2026

South America - size and forecast 2021-2026

For additional information on segmentation - Grab an Exclusive Free Sample Report

Related Reports:

Aircraft Cabin Upgrades Market -The aircraft cabin upgrades market share is expected to increase by USD 3.96 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 7.41%. Download a free sample now!

Light Electric Aircraft Market -The light electric aircraft market share is expected to increase by USD 2.88 billion from 2021 to 2025, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 31.04%. Download a free sample now!

Aircraft Turbofan Engine Market Scope Report Coverage Details Page number 120 Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Decelerate at a CAGR of 4.37% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 629.51 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth (%) 4.77 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America Performing market contribution Europe at 36% Key consumer countries US, UK, China, Germany, and Canada Competitive landscape Leading companies, competitive strategies, consumer engagement scope Companies profiled EuroJet Turbo GmbH, General Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc., Ivchenko-Progress SE, Liebherr-International AG, PowerJet Pressure Cleaning Systems, Raytheon Technologies Corp., Rolls-Royce Plc, Rostec State Corp., and Safran SA Market Dynamics Parent market analysis, Market growth inducers and obstacles, Fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and future consumer dynamics, market condition analysis for the forecast period, Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contacts

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
HOUSTON, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A Baytown woman who suffered injuries during a December 23 refinery explosion near her home has filed a lawsuit against the refinery's owner, ExxonMobil Corporation.

The lawsuit, filed today in Harris County, alleges that Tona Credit suffered hearing loss and related balance issues resulting from the concussive force of the blast at the gasoline-producing refinery unit. The lawsuit also raises concerns that unknown and potentially harmful chemicals were released into the air and into nearby residential neighborhoods, including where Ms. Credit lives.

"From all reports there were legitimate safety issues about the plant's operation that led to this devastating explosion," says Derek Potts of the Potts Law Firm in Houston. "Ms. Credit and potentially other nearby residents are facing significant costs for immediate medical treatment, as well as long-term medical monitoring expenses to identify and reduce the risk of other related health effects. ExxonMobil must be held responsible for its corporate negligence and lack of oversight."

The lawsuit seeks damages on behalf of Ms. Credit, as well as a temporary restraining order to preserve all company documents, video and other materials related to the early morning blast.

Media Contact:

Barry Pound

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Potts Law Firm
DUBLIN, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Application (Stationary, Portable, Transportation), By Region (Europe, North America, Asia Pacific), And Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global solid oxide fuel cell market size is expected to reach USD 4.0 billion by 2028. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 42.2% from 2021 to 2028.

Growing expenditure in infrastructure and industry development is anticipated to have a positive impact on the global solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) market over the projected period. Installers and system providers usually hold stock of significant equipment in the inventory.

However, manufacturers face bottlenecks and shortages due to limited production in countries severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, upcoming SOFC-based large-scale projects are expected to witness delays in commissioning due to disruptions in the supply chain and halting of on-site construction activities.



The rising awareness about alternative sources of energy is one of the major factors encouraging market growth. Increasing carbon emission levels is a global issue, and government authorities worldwide are supporting technological advancements to tackle the issue by providing research funding and drafting supportive policies and plans.

The global SOFC market is highly competitive owing to the ongoing technological advancements developed by the existing vendors and new entrants. Market players are concentrating on strengthening their relations with system installers due to their strong local presence and close ties with clients, which, in turn, is likely to help enhance geographical presence.



Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market Report Highlights

In terms of revenue, the stationary segment accounted for a prominent share in the market in 2020

It is projected to expand further at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period. Transportation is predicted to be the second-largest application segment by 2028

In 2020, North America accounted for over 45% of the global revenue share and will expand further at a significant CAGR from 2021 to 2028

accounted for over 45% of the global revenue share and will expand further at a significant CAGR from 2021 to 2028 Germany led the Europe regional market with a revenue share of more than 67% in 2020

led the regional market with a revenue share of more than 67% in 2020 Government funding and aggressive mergers and acquisitions between companies for alternative energy technologies contribute to heavy investments in Europe

Key Topics Covered:

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market Variables, Trends & Scope

Market Lineage Outlook

Global Fuel Cell Market Outlook

Penetration and Growth Prospect Mapping

Industry Value Chain Analysis

Technology Overview

Regulatory Framework

Market Dynamics

Market Driver Analysis

Market Restraint Analysis

Market Opportunities Analysis

Business Environment Analysis: Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market

Industry Analysis - Porter's

Supplier Power

Buyer power

Threat of substitutes

Threat of new entrants

Competitive rivalry

PESTEL Analysis

Political Landscape

Economic Landscape

Social Landscape

Technological Landscape

Environmental Landscape

Legal Landscape

Impact of COVID on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

Competitive Analysis

Companies Mentioned

Bloom Energy

Mitsubishi Power Ltd.

Cummins Inc.

Ceres

General Electric

FuelCell Energy Inc.

Ningbo SOFCMAN Energy

KYOCERA Corporation

AVL

Watt Fuel Cell Corporation

NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/z0yyic

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a market saturated with hemp-derived products, Hollyweed is a name that has pushed through the noise, quickly becoming synonymous with producing some of the highest quality hemp flower and extracts available on the market. This year Hollyweed continued to raise the bar by releasing a range of the most highly regarded delta-8 products and hemp strains. The company has certainly raised the bar for other Delta-8 brands.

Now Hollyweed is close to celebrating its birthday, marking 5 years since multimedia artist and plant advocate Zach "Jesushands" Fernandez welcomed the end of cannabis prohibition in California by changing Hollywood's iconic sign to read "Hollyweed". 5 years later, hemp and cannabis culture has reached an all time high, and Hollyweed has remained at the forefront as one of the hottest brands available in 2022.

Hollyweed's delta-8 products are a unique addition to the world of hemp in that they put the creative-minded consumer front and center. Hollyweed was founded by creatives with the intent to provide holistic wellness through the six pillars of wellness; spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, environmental and social, which we believe encourages the overall holistic wellness of their customers.

Hollyweed is dedicated to providing the highest quality hemp products available by sourcing from only the most premium Oregon hemp farms with the highest standard of care. All processing of CBD-rich hemp is done utilizing the cleanest, most natural, and technically advanced processes available to maintain the hemp's natural integrity. The result of this attention to detail is a product of a quality rarely seen in the industry, giving a proper representation of the beauty that can be found through hemp when it is given the love and care it deserves.

Hollyweed Fan Favorites!

Hollyweed has been at the forefront of providing some of the most exciting and innovative products in hemp culture. Hollyweed specializes in CBD, but has seen recent highly successful expansion into the world of hemp-derived Delta-8 along with HHC or hexahydrocannabinol. We include these pure extracts in a variety of convenient and enjoyable products, all of which take advantage of fully organic ingredients while providing various consumption methods, so you can find that balance between effectiveness, enjoyability, and convenience.

Below are some of the top-selling products that Hollyweed offers:

CBD Flower: Smoking flower is the most traditional and classic way to enjoy CBD! Hemp flower can act as a throwback for old heads or introduce a new love affair for those yet uninitiated to the world of CBD. You'll fall in love with the unique flavors and scents from legendary strains like Bubba Kush , Sour Space Candy, and Northern Lights.

Smoking flower is the most traditional and classic way to enjoy CBD! Hemp flower can act as a throwback for old heads or introduce a new love affair for those yet uninitiated to the world of CBD. You'll fall in love with the unique flavors and scents from legendary strains like , Sour Space Candy, and Northern Lights. CBD Oil Tincture : One of Hollyweed's bestsellers, CBD oil provides customers with a convenient and versatile means for getting the various wellness benefits from CBD. The oil is made with only healthy, natural ingredients like hempseed oil with pure CBD extract for clean, enjoyable relaxation!

: One of Hollyweed's bestsellers, CBD oil provides customers with a convenient and versatile means for getting the various wellness benefits from CBD. The oil is made with only healthy, natural ingredients like hempseed oil with pure CBD extract for clean, enjoyable relaxation! Delta-8 Gummy Cubes : If you're looking for discreteness and tasty flavors, you're not alone! Try these gummies and are a big part of what has made them a popular choice for consumers. In addition to CBD, Delta-8 contributes its subtle uplifting effects sparking creativity and ease while cultivating a clear yet elevated headspace.

: If you're looking for discreteness and tasty flavors, you're not alone! Try these gummies and are a big part of what has made them a popular choice for consumers. In addition to CBD, Delta-8 contributes its subtle uplifting effects sparking creativity and ease while cultivating a clear yet elevated headspace. Delta-8 Vape Cartridge: For those who prefer an inhalable D8 product, vape carts are one of the most enjoyable and convenient ways to experience sweet bliss. You can choose from many amazing flavors like Jack Herer , Sour Diesel, and Zkittles that people love!

And many more! Hollyweed produces a range of vape flavors and flower strains too extensive to list here. Many of these strains are available with the addition of Delta-8, so be on the lookout to find your favorite strains with D8! Hollyweed also produces high-quality pre-rolled joints so you can enjoy your favorite varieties of hemp without the hassle of going through the trial and error that comes with rolling them yourself. Instead, you'll spend your time enjoying a perfectly packed, smooth smoke.

Celebrating 5 Years with Hollyweed

In celebration of the 5th anniversary of his iconic viral statement and the launch of his Cannabis/Hemp venture which includes a brand new line of delta 8 products , Fernandez will drop a limited collection of Hollyweed AI-generative NFTs with Cosmic Wire. The whitelist will open on January 1, 2022 and with the full NFT collection is set to drop January 18, 2022 at TIME on Launchpad by BYT (creators of NeoTokyo Parts 1, 2, & 3), and a portion of all NFT sales will be donated to LOVE MORE. Join the whitelist and learn more here: www.cosmicwire.com/hollyweed/

SOURCE Hollyweed
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer attorney Pedram Esfandiary from the national law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman submitted a public comment this week to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its "Closer to Zero" action plan for heavy metals in baby foods.

Esfandiary represents hundreds of children suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD) as a result of being exposed to toxic heavy metals  specifically lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium  in baby foods from several U.S. manufacturers, including:

Nurture  Happy Family Organics and HappyBABY

Beech-Nut

Hain Celestial Group  Earth's Best Organic

Plum Organics

Walmart  Parent's Choice

Sprout Foods  Sprout Organic Food

Gerber

The legal cases stem from a government report issued in February that found baby foods from the companies above are "tainted with dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury." Chillingly, the report also notes that the companies "knowingly sell these products to unsuspecting parents, in spite of internal company standards and test results, and without any warning labeling whatsoever."

Following the report, FDA initiated the "Closer to Zero" action plan to reduce children's exposure to heavy metals in baby foods to levels that are "as low as possible." While Esfandiary says he applauds the agency for taking much-needed action on this issue, he notes that the Agency "must endeavor to eliminate the presence of such poisons," as they have no business in baby foods.

In his FDA public comment on the Closer to Zero action plan, Esfandiary writes that if children are to be protected from the scientifically-backed link between heavy metals exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders, the FDA must urgently recognize and act on the threat that tainted baby foods pose to children's health:

The well-being of future generations should not be predicated on the levels that industry deems economically acceptable to achieve for the foods that companies manufacture. The Agency's goal must be the eradication of such metals from baby foods. However, even if the Agency is to ensure that metal levels in foods are "as low as possible", that goal can only be met if the Agency acknowledges the very real risk to the health of children posed by these metals today.

Read Esfandiary's complete public comment to the FDA on heavy metals in baby foods here.

Media Contact:

Robin McCall

(310) 207-3233

[email protected]

SOURCE Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman
SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carrot General Insurance Corp. ("Carrot" or the "Company"), one of the fastest-growing South Korean InsurTech announced today that the company recently surpassed 400,000 written contracts for its pay-per-mile auto insurance program. The news follows the announcement made 11 months ago that it had made 100,000 registrations back in January.

Speaking about the achievement, Paul Jung, CEO of Carrot, commented, "What's remarkable when you consider our accrued number of written policies is that Carrot has been commercially in operation of per-mile auto insurance service for less than two years." he continued, "this milestone validates aspects of customer value that we offer and we will continue to introduce innovative products that are fueled with technology as we move forward."

The company says that it has been receiving significant interest from potential investors in wanting to assess the appetite for Carrot's future growth potentials. Carrot's top tier customer retention rate, fast growing revenue and market share, and normalizing loss-ratio may be deemed positive factors to support investments in the company. In terms of the growth in business presence and expansion of its targeted total addressable market, Carrot is eyeing a possible acquisition and South East Asia is one of the geographies under consideration.

"We are well placed to pursue both organic and inorganic growth opportunities. Our digital lines of products, extensive technology development, strong relationships with partners and major distributors, and the supportive market backdrop will enable us to continue to play a key role in driving the evolution of insurance," Jung said.

He also noted that the company is strengthening an open innovation strategy through active collaborations with external partners to further broaden its service offerings, as well as achieve technology advancements. Accordingly, the company is close to signing a JV agreement whereby it will focus its efforts on advancing Carrot's IoT (internet of things) technologies, expanding its applications while ensuring a sustainable supply of devices. Lately, the company also announced that it has formed a JV with other general insurance peers to offer tech-based claims management services to its customers while realizing efficiencies through process automation.

Considering Carrot's incredible track record and its ambitious future plans, keeping an eye on the company's upcoming executions may be well worth the effort.

About Carrot General Insurance Corp.

Based in Seoul, South Korea, Carrot was formed in 2019 as a JV with some of the big-name investors, including Hanwha, SK Telecom, Hyundai Motor Group, Altos Ventures, Stic Investments. Since its inception, Carrot has been establishing itself as a disruptor and has outpaced its global peers in terms of the speed of acquiring new customers for its pay-per-mile auto insurance. The company's successful footprint owes itself to strong customer value propositions, such as easy and accessible insurance, transparent premiums, AI automated accident registration and help dispatch service and etc. The company is also pursuing business in Pay-As-How-You-Drive auto insurance, which assesses the premiums as per customer's driving patterns through utilization of proprietary telematics technology. In line with the company's open innovation strategy, Carrot has 100+ national & international partnerships, including South Korean government unit.

SOURCE Carrot General Insurance Corp.

Related Links

http://www.carrotins.com/


The OIAA determined the property, located east of Haven Avenue, north of Jurupa Avenue, south of Airport Drive and west of Carnegie Avenue, is unsuited for typical airport use, making it surplus to the airport's aviation/aeronautical needs. (See accompanying ONT aerial photo showing surplus property to be leased.)

"We are pleased and proud to move forward with the first of several major real estate transactions to monetize vacant property since the airport was transferred to local control in November 2016," said Alan D. Wapner, Mayor pro Tem of the City of Ontario and President of the OIAA Board of Commissioners.

"As envisioned in the OIAA strategic business plan, the ongoing revenue stream will help ONT fund vital safety, security and infrastructure projects while keeping airport costs to airlines low. As a result, ONT will become even more attractive for airlines to inaugurate and increase flight schedules."

CanAm Ontario LLC, a venture formed by San Antonio, TX-based USAA Real Estate Company and McDonald Property Group of Newport Beach, CA, will develop the vacant property for industrial use in compliance with the Airport Compatibility Plan required under State Law.

Steven Ames, Managing Director-Investments, USAA Real Estate Company, sounded a note of optimism following the Board's action.

"USAA is excited to enter into another large-scale industrial project in the Inland Empire with McDonald Property Group. Given our long track record of success with McDonald, it is our vision that the Ontario International Airport project will continue in that tradition and become one of the most prominent industrial/logistics developments in the region," Ames said.

CanAm Ontario was selected following a competitive process which began with 17 bidders managed by CBRE Group, Inc., a global leader in real estate services and investment headquartered in Los Angeles.

The deal calls for a non-refundable $10 million deposit to OIAA. After allowing time for CanAm Ontario to obtain local jurisdictional entitlement and environmental approvals, rental revenue to the OIAA will start at $25 million in the first year, increasing in five-year increments, resulting in revenue of $90.6 per year in the final five years. The net present value of the agreement is $625 million.

"The air carriers at Ontario support efforts that keep operating costs low, which benefits anyone who uses the airport," said Trey Hettinger, Chair of the ONT Airline Affairs Committee representing the Signatory passenger and cargo airlines operating at ONT. "This is an example of the Authority's continued efforts to provide funding for airport improvements while reducing airline costs".

Airport officials noted that special consideration was given to ensure the transaction complies with applicable federal laws and Federal Aviation Administration policies and provide lease revenue exceeding fair market value as determined by three independent appraisals. Federal law requires that revenues generated by the airport be used for airport purposes.

About Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA)

The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario Mayor Pro Tem Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner).

About USAA Real Estate (Lessee under OIAA Ground Lease)

With approximately $30 billion in assets under management and 11 global offices, USAA Real Estate is an industry leader in acquiring, developing, financing and managing the highest quality real estate assets in North America and Europe. The mission of USAA Real Estate is to serve the financial interests of its investor clients by strengthening the profitability and diversity of the USAA investment portfolio, which includes multifamily, industrial, office and hotel properties, as well as e-commerce logistics and distribution centers, media production facilities and data centers. Aligned with a series of strategic partnerships cultivated over decades of co-investment, USAA Real Estate engages with preeminent sector leaders demonstrating proven domain expertise in a shared drive to achieve superior, risk-adjusted returns. Visit www.usrealco.com for more information.

About McDonald Property Group (Developer for USAA)

McDonald Property Group has recently developed for USAA more than 3 million square-feet of warehouse fulfillment developments in the Inland Empire. Over the past 25 years, McDonald Property Group and its affiliates have developed over 12 million square-feet in Southern California. A significant number of these institutional quality projects are located all within the City of Ontario which total over 4 million square-feet on 250 acres, including Thoroughbred Business Park, its signature master planned 2 million square-feet, 11-building park. For more information, visit www.mcdonaldpropertygroup.com.

OIAA Media Contact:

Steve Lambert (909) 841-7527 [email protected]

SOURCE Ontario International Airport

Related Links

www.flyontario.com


The Conference focused on the theme "How Can International Organizations Play a Leading Role in Global Tourism Recovery and Reshaping Governance", revolved around the two topics of "Reshaping and Governance of Tourism during the Pandemic" and "Innovative Construction of a Future-oriented International Tourism Organization Cooperation Platform and Mechanism".

During the Conference, Dominique de VillepinIMTA Chairman and former French Prime Minister, Shao QiweiIMTA Vice Chairman and former China National Tourism Administration(CNTA) Chairman, He YafeiIMTA Secretary-General and former Vice Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, Tan JiongVice Governor of the People's Government of Guizhou Province, Francesco FrangialliHonorary Secretary-General of World Tourism Organization, Julia SimpsonPresident and CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council, Xu JingFormer Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO, Dai BinPresident of China Tourism Academy, Wei Xiao'anFamous Tourism Experts in China, Chen PingGlobal Vice President of the International Organization Fur Volkskunst, and Chen TiejunChairman of Hainan Tourism Investment&Development Co., Ltd. and other guests at home and abroad also gave speeches through online or offline.

In line with the post COVID-19 crisis, we need all together to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by countries and regions around the world in order to find how best it is possible to recover and revitalize tourism. As Mr.Dominique de Villepinthe IMTA Chairman said, we need to keep united. Through this crisis, we see how much we are depending on one another for our common safety and prosperity based on trust and cooperation. This is even more true for international tourism.

At the Conference, the IMTA Mountain Hot Spring Wellness Specialized Committee unveiled. Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province was determined as the host site for the 2022 "International Mountain Tourism Day". 8 units including Coastal City Development Group Co., Ltd.(Cambodia), Danish Chinese Tourism & Cultural Exchange Association(Denmark), have officially become members of IMTA.

SOURCE International Mountain Tourism Alliance
NEW YORK, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ronn Torossian, one of America's leading public relations executives has just released a book excerpt from his recently released paperback book, the updated version of "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results with Game-Changing Public Relations."

Torossian has released a book excerpt on Louis Vuitton, one of the world's leading luxury brands.

"Brands can build community and increase real engagement by participating in social life in a variety of ways. Louis Vuitton, one of the greatest luxury brands in the world, is famous for its world-class leather goods and other products. It has mastered the art of public relations and is able to speak several "languages" simultaneously, which is precisely why Wall Street financiers, pop music icons, Park Avenue matrons, and downtown divas all covet and use the same LV satchel with ease and with their own unique style.

One of the company's effective PR initiatives is its campaign against counterfeiting. The luxury industry is particularly hard hit by counterfeit goods, and as part of its brand-protection policy, LVMH takes anti-counterfeiting measures seriously. Some 60 people at various levels of responsibility in the company work full-time on anti-counterfeiting, in collaboration with a wide network of outside investigators and a team of lawyers. For many years, counterfeits of Louis Vuitton have been seized at production sites, and legal action has been taken against the counterfeiters. The company also let the fashion and business press know about these initiatives, as well as alerting retailers and resellers to the work they are doing to combat "brand terrorism."

Moreover, LV engages the public in many positive educational efforts, letting fashion and style writers and bloggers know how to spot counterfeits. For example, the "o" in Vuitton is very round in genuine articles and looks more like an oval in counterfeits; the LV monogram printed on bags is usually, with the exception of some vintage pieces, symmetrical from side to side on all bag styles; and so on. These "guidelines" are, in turn, published on sites like YouTube, eBay, Poshmark, The RealReal, WikiHow, and 1stDibs. This is absolutely PR for the company, and it serves an important purpose. The company is saying to its loyal fans, we value your business so much we will not let your investment in our brand be devalued by cheap imitations flooding the market. Powerfuland profitable.

LV also participates in Galeries Lafayette's Go For Good project, which is part of its commitment to sustainability, and a way of signaling that its products are built to last. Louis Vuitton's leather goods workshops have been certified "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" from the French government, a unique distinction for companies committed to maintaining production in France. Since its founding in 1854, Louis Vuitton uses leathers tanned with natural plant extracts, with the aim of minimizing environmental impact of this and every step of production.

The Parfums Louis Vuitton Collection is designed to be refillable, eliminating the need for additional packaging. The Be Mindful capsule of LV accessories and textiles upcycles silk into unique creations. These efforts make sense for a company committed to quality of design, workmanship, and materials. They don't pay lip service to an environmental "trend"  it's an organic part of how the company chooses to do business. This certainly attracts luxury customers who also care about the state of the earth."

Ronn Torossian is CEO of one of America's largest PR firms, and one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations professionals.

SOURCE 5W Public Relations
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alpha Motor Corporation unveiled the company's highly anticipated pure electric 5-door hatchback, SAGA ESTATE.

"Alpha Motor Corporation is focused on efficient market delivery of its electric vehicles. The company has a unique perspective that comes from experience in the automotive industry and is laying out an optimal roadmap to reach its goal."

Alpha Motor Corporation  2021. All Rights Reserved. Alpha Motor Corporation  2021. All Rights Reserved.

"2021 was a year of dynamic development for Alpha Motor Corporation which included the following highlights:

established 'Move Humanity' vision,

actuated efficient vehicle commercialization system,

introduced EV product line (ACE, JAX, WOLF, SAGA),

launched multiple brand collaborations,

completed prototype of WOLF truck,

initiated collaborative fundraise for Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research,

exhibited WOLF truck at Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles ,

, initiated vehicle production program and supply chain research,

received over 1.8 million YouTube views,

received THE ZEVAS Award for Top Coupe (ACE), and multiple nominations for Top EV (JAX, WOLF, SUPERWOLF),

debuted virtual SAGA electric sedan at Los Angeles International Auto Show,

initiated assessment for vehicle manufacturing."

"Our unwavering commitment is rooted in a system that grants consumer accommodation and access to quality electric vehicles. We are constantly processing feedback to quickly transform impression of need to expression of supply."

"In 2022, Alpha Motor Corporation aims to make considerable progress in vehicle production and robust preparations for future market entry. Passion and synergy of every partnership will play a key role in reaching our milestones," said Alpha Motor Corporation.

In continuation of the company's brand identity, SAGA ESTATE is introduced as the third variant in the SAGA series of electric vehicles. SAGA ESTATE is an adventure seeking crossover vehicle based on SAGA (Sleek Adaptive Geometric Architecture). The rear profile of SAGA ESTATE is lengthened for an estimated front and rear combined cargo volume of 35 cubic feet. The vehicle is intended to be equipped with a 450 V dual motor all-wheel-drive system powered by an 85-kilowhatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack for an estimated range of 300 miles.

The vehicle battery charge port is accessible from the driver side and with a projected capacity of 80% in 1 hour using DC power. A four-wheel independent suspension along with front and rear stabilizer bars are planned to equip the SAGA ESTATE with smooth driving performance through rugged terrain. 225/65R tires with 17-inch wheels are mounted onto the vehicle as standard wheel configuration.

The material composition of the vehicle includes lightweight aluminum alloy body panels combined with high-strength steel framing. Aerodynamic modifications are also planned as an optional package which integrates a front bumper integrated air dam and rear diffuser for efficient air flow management. An offroad vehicle configuration features an elevated ride height of 50mm along with cylindrical front and rear bumper reinforcements.

SAGA ESTATE features spacious storage compartments, both underneath the hood and rear hatch of the vehicle. The vehicle interior integrates several advanced features, including a driver-centric digital speedometer, a digital center display, haptic interior climate and audio controls, digital sound system, 63mm diameter (2.5in) center console integrated cupholders and ergonomically bolstered performance inspired seating, all designed for an engaging in-vehicle experience.

SAGA ESTATE vehicle dimensions measure approximately 4,850mm (191in) in length, 1970mm (78in) in width, and 1460mm (57in) in height. SAGA ESTATE was unveiled in a metallic deep tan finish called 'Grace' and metallic blue paint called 'Royal Safari.'

Additional information on SAGA ESTATE, is available on Alpha Motor Corporation's website: https://www.alphamotorinc.com .

To indicate your interest to reserve SAGA ESTATE, visit https://www.alphamotorinc.com/vehiclereservation.

SAGA ESTATE launch can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep_7lfINEwQ.

Please contact [email protected] for more information.

*Vehicle specifications are provided for illustrative purposes only and subject to change.

Related Links

www.alphamotorinc.com

SOURCE Alpha Motor Corporation
More than forty residents showcased their artistic talents, submitting beautiful watercolors, oils and sketches along with messages of joy, peace, and blessings. Entries were displayed in the Watercrest home office in Vero Beach, Florida for voting. Judges selected Diane Burazer of Watercrest Indian Land as the 2021 Holiday Card image winner and Alice Coverdale of Market Street Memory Care Palm Coast with the favorite card message. Diane's winning image depicts two young children building a snowman in a winter scene. This is the second year in a row that a resident of Watercrest Indian Land has won the Holiday Card image.

The 2021 Watercrest holiday cards will be printed and distributed across all their senior living communities in the southeast to spread holiday cheer to families, associates and valued partners. Alice Coverdale's winning message inside the card reads:

Family gatherings, the smell of Christmas turkey, cookies baking, carols around the piano, and quietly reminiscing about the memories madeAll these magical moments that we hold dear give us that special feeling of home. We here at Watercrest Senior Living wish you the happiest of holidays!

"Our annual Watercrest holiday card contest fosters our Get Connected facet of the Watercrest Live Exhilarated wholeness model," says Sheena Jeffries, Regional Director of Engagement for Watercrest Senior Living. "Residents are encouraged to share their talents to promote a more fulfilled lifestyle, while simultaneously inspiring and enriching the lives of others during this Christmas season."

Watercrest Fort Mill-Indian Land Assisted Living and Memory Care is a newly constructed luxury senior living community by Watercrest Senior Living, artfully designed to meet the unique needs of seniors living with Alzheimer's and dementia. Ideally located at 8154 English Clover Lane, Indian Land, South Carolina, the community offers 75 assisted living and 32 memory care apartments with premium accommodations, resort-style amenities, and world-class care. For information, please call 803-590-7005.

About Watercrest Senior Living Group

Watercrest Senior Living Group was founded to honor our mothers and fathers, aspiring to become a beacon for quality in senior living by surpassing standards of care, service and associate training. Watercrest senior living communities are recognized for their luxury aesthetic, exceptional amenities, world-class care, and innovative memory care programming offering unparalleled service to seniors living with Alzheimer's and dementia. A certified Great Place to Work, Watercrest specializes in the development and operations of assisted living and memory care communities and the growth of servant leaders. For information, visit www.watercrestseniorliving.com.

SOURCE Watercrest Senior Living Group
DUBLIN, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Australia Telecoms Industry Report - 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Australia has one of the most competitive and mature telecommunications markets in the world. Forecasts suggest that mobile subscriptions will continue to grow in the 2021-26 period while fixed broadband subscribers also expected to grow at a slightly lower average rate over the same period. The ratio of the telecommunications sector revenue to GDP is declining from a peak in 2000 to an all-time low in 2020.

The author forecasts the overall telecoms market is expected to decline until 2021 as NBN subscriber payments to Telstra will decrease gradually as all Telstra's copper and HFC services are migrated onto the NBN and market growth will resume from 2022 onwards.

Telstra's share of the telecommunications revenue pie has been declining over the last 5 years and its EBITDA share is declining even faster as Telstra's dominance in the fixed-line market is challenged with the migration onto the NBN.

Capex Investments

The capital expenditure (Capex) from telecommunications operators is coming off from an all-time peak between 2017 to 2018 due to the NBN investments in upgrading Australia's fixed broadband infrastructure. The author expects Capex investments to remain sustained to accommodate for data usage growth, mobile coverage expansion and capacity improvements. NBN expects an increasing Capex spend from 2021 to bring 75% of its fixed line footprint to 100Mbps speeds and above but excludes a clear plan to a gigabit speeds network upgrade to full-fibre. Instead, NBN will be required to continually invest in HFC and fixed wireless to increase capacity and accommodate more customers and higher data usage.

Mobile Subscribers and Revenue

The mobile subscriber market increased between 2014 and mid-2020 with Telstra and Optus growing their postpaid subscriber base and Telstra also increasing its MVNO and IoT subscribers significantly over the same period 2014-2020 period. The publisher estimates the Australian mobile subscribers will increase on the back of population growth and Internet of Things subscribers take-up.

Mobile network operators are facing competitive pressure with the market shifting to unlimited voice and text and data allowance as the sole offering differentiator. Operators are also bundling mobile plans with content offerings such as sport, music and video streaming.

Australia is now in the unfortunate position of being the only country in the developed world with a higher average mobile speed compared than fixed broadband as per Ookla speed tests.

The author expects 5G subscribers to represent 80% of all mobile subscribers by 2026.

Broadband Subscribers & the NBN

The publisher estimates the broadband subscribers growth will be sustained by household growth and a reduction of the number of underserved premises previously not able to connect now served by the Internet but now served by the NBN.

The NBN project remains a politically contentious issue for the country. The NBN has failed to address a flawed pricing structure, including a contentious usage charge, resulting in high pricing and is a wholesale failure to deliver affordable gigabit speed in comparison to countries such as New Zealand or Singapore who launched national broadband plans at a similar time. For the third year in a row, NBN also shifted its forecasted positive cash flow position to 2023 after increasing its forecast Capex spend.

By 2023, forecasts suggests most subscribers migrated to NBN broadband services with a few remaining ADSL services in fixed wireless and satellites services and a number of fibre premises provided by greenfield operators and in-fill operators supplying wholesale services on the same terms as NBN. Opticomm, Uniti, Telstra with its legacy fibre Velocity estates and TPG are sharing the non-NBN market.

NBN Enterprise Products

The NBN enterprise product rollout strategy is creating a lot of industry debates. On one hand, the NBN embarked on a strategy targeting high ARPU enterprise customers while the industry is arguing that NBN's push in overbuilding existing fibre infrastructure - in some instances joining 6 other fibre providers competing to offer services in the same Melbourne CDB building - is not in its remit and capital investments should be directed to upgrade underserved areas or residential services in FTTN or HFC areas with poor speeds.

On the other hand, the NBN product service is also opening up new opportunities in areas where enterprise fibre services were not present prior to the NBN investment. This, in turn, is creating opportunities for smaller specialist business ISPs to broaden their footprint and offerings and address the small and medium market segment that is largely overlooked by the large operators such as Telstra, Optus, TPG and Vocus.

Thematics - 5G/Open-RAN/6G/M&A

The arrival of 4G moved the Internet off our desktops into our palms and pockets, 5G could transform the network from something we carry around to something taking us around either virtually (augmented reality or virtual reality) or in reality (autonomous vehicles), the 5G outcome and benefits beyond fast connectivity remain largely unknown in terms of business models, investments required and timeline.

With 5G a reality now in Australia, telco operators can now do an arbitrage of NBN speeds in areas where the copper lines are very long or in poor health and thus offer a faster service over 5G than NBN at an equivalent price for some segments of the market and some geographies.

This report shows subdued growth due to ARPU pressure compounded by margin pressure in the fixed broadband market is pushing telcos to look for outside opportunities to increase scale. The author expects another wave of consolidation in Australia, similar to the 2010-2015 period, post-NBN rollout as margins get squeezed further.

Smaller NBN resellers will struggle to compete and sell-out to larger operators. Some market players outside the telco market are seeking growth by exploring ways to increase their scope of products and services offerings. The report outlines examples of some newcomers branching out by reselling broadband access services as a churn reduction strategy and increase consumers' share of wallet.

Investment funds are assigning high valuation multiples to telecommunications infrastructure assets such as mobile towers, data centres, submarine cable and fibre infrastructure. This report outlines some real market examples of how investors view and value these investments with real industry examples and EV/EBITDA comparatives and benchmarks.

This report provides analyses of revenue and market forecasts as well as statistics of the Australian telecoms industry including market sizing, 5-year forecasts, market insights, key telecom trends, 5G, digital infrastructure and also features the following:

Overall Telecommunications Market by Major Operators

Telco Operators Profile, Revenue and EBITDA Mix

Mobile Subscribers & Revenue Market Overview and Forecasts

Spectrum Holdings

IoT Market Overview

Broadband Subscribers & Revenue Market Overview and Forecasts

Digital Infrastructure (Fibre, Telecom Towers, Data Centres, Submarine Cables)

Telecom Tower Market Analysis and Forecast

Thematics/Opportunities relating to 5G, M&A and e-Commerce

Telco M&A Transaction Database

Companies Mentioned

AGL

Aussie Broadband

Exetel

Foxtel

NBN

Optus

Superloop

Telstra

TPG

Uniti Group

Vodafone

Vocus

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1oyu4m

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman urges Chegg, Inc. (NYSE: CHGG) investors with significant losses to submit your losses now. A securities fraud class action has been filed and certain investors may have valuable claims. The firm also encourages persons with knowledge who may be able to assist the firm's ongoing investigation to contact its attorneys.

Class Period: May 5, 2020  Nov. 1, 2021

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Feb. 22, 2022

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/CHGG

Contact An Attorney Now: [email protected]

844-916-0895

Chegg, Inc. (CHGG) Securities Fraud Class Action:

The complaint alleges that Defendants misled investors about the sustainability and sources of Chegg's growth during the class period.

Specifically, while touting Chegg's explosive growth as an inevitable shift in higher education and due to its unique position to impact the future of the higher education ecosystem and its strong brand and momentum, Defendants omitted to disclose that (1) Chegg's subscriber and revenue growth was a temporary effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) its subscriber and revenue growth was also due to the facilitation of cheating.

Moreover, while defrauding investors, Chegg insiders dumped over $90 million of their company shares at inflated prices and Chegg raised over $1 billion through public offerings.

The truth emerged on Nov. 1, 2021, when Chegg stunned investors with its disappointing Q3 2021 financial results revealing materially fewer-than-expected enrollments, and the company declined to provide 2022 guidance.

On this news, the price of Chegg stock plummeted nearly 50%, erasing nearly $4.3 billion in market capitalization.

"We're focused on investors' losses and proving Chegg lied about the sources and sustainability of its continued growth," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you invested in Chegg and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Chegg should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email [email protected].

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a national law firm with eight offices in eight cities around the country and over eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw .

Contact:

Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895

SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
CHENGDU, China, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Desun Real Estate Investment Services Group Co., Ltd. (Desun Services) (02270.HK), formally debuted on the Hong Kong stock market on December 17.

In China, the history of the property service industry can be traced back to the early 1980s, and since then, the industry has grown rapidly. In 2007, the State Council officially promulgated the Regulations on Property Management, which provides the legal framework for regulating the entire industry. Correspondingly, a more sophisticated legal framework for the industry further fuels the rapid growth of China's property service industry.

Nowadays, the property service industry is stepping into the second stage of development, which means the industry landscape is rapidly evolving from a highly fragmented structure to a concentrated one. This also presents unprecedented development opportunities for property management service companies, one of which is Desun Real Estate Investment Services Group Co., Ltd. (Desun Services) (02270.HK), formally debuting at the Hong Kong stock market on December 17.

As a property management service company with a significant presence in the Sichuan-Chongqing Region, Desun Services ranks fifth in terms of commercial operational services market share in Chengdu. According to the prospectus, the company was awarded with several industry honors such as Top 10 Property Service Companies in Chengdu, and Top 100 Property Service Companies in China.

With the trend of accelerating concentration in the industry, the growing of Desun Services has just begun.

The twin driving factors behind the high growth

From the perspective of the business performance, Desun Services has experienced remarkable growth in the past few years. According to the prospectus, from 2018 to 2020, the company achieved revenue of RMB63.964 million, RMB69.116 million and RMB127.922 million, respectively, representing a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 41.4%. During the same period, the company's net profit grew from RMB31.394 million to RMB42.913 million, representing a CAGR of 16.9%.

The high growth in business performance is propelled by the twin driving factors, namely, the company's property management services and value-added services.

In terms of property management services, the relevant business revenue of the Company doubled from RMB30.153 million to RMB61.435 million between 2018 and 2020. Specifically, both the residential property management services and non-residential property management services maintained notable growth. The former grew from RMB11.303 million in 2018 to RMB27.794 million, while the latter increased from RMB18.850 million to RMB33.641 million.

Credit for it is owed to the increase in GFA (gross floor area) under management. According to the prospectus, from 2018 to May 31, 2021, the number of properties under the management of Desun Services grew from 4 to 30, and the GFA under management increased from 533,500 square meters to 4,154,200 square meters. Among them, the GFA under management for residential properties grew from 422,700 square meters to 1,858,500 square meters over the same period; the GFA under management for non-residential properties rose from 110,800 square meters to 2,295,700 square meters.

Based on the prospectus, there are two main reasons for the increase in the GFA under the management of Desun Services:

First, as the preferred property management service provider of Desun Property Group (Chengdu Desun Property Co., Ltd and its subsidiaries, joint ventures and associated companies), Desun Services has been cooperating with Desun Property Group for many years. Desun Property Group, as one of the top ten developers in terms of sales revenue in Chengdu, is able to provide considerable growth in the GFA under management for Desun Services every year.

Second, as a property management service company with a significant presence in the Sichuan-Chongqing Region, Desun Services is also on its way to gain further growth through mergers and acquisitions. Last year, Desun Services completed the acquisition of Zhongneng Group. As at the end of last year, the GFA under the management of Zhongneng Group for residential and non-residential properties in six cities in Sichuan Province amounted to 2,461,800 square meters, and the contracted GFA was 3,316,300 square meters.

Thanks to the synergistic benefits with Desun Group and the positive M&A (mergers and acquisitions) activities, as at May 31, 2021, the contracted GFA served by Desun Services reached an impressive figure of 7,365,300 square meters. The excellent contracted GFA reserve will bolster the Company's sustainable growth going forward.

In terms of value-added services, benefiting from the expansion of the GFA under management, Desun Services has also delivered an impressive result. Between 2018 and 2020, the Company's revenue generated from value-added services increased from RMB33.811 million to RMB66.487 million.

In particular, the growth of value-added services for property owners was outstanding. The relevant business revenue of the Company grew from RMB4.852 million to RMB10.721 million over the same period. In the light of the fact that the demand for value-added services in mid- to high-end property communities is greater than that in ordinary property communities, there is still much room for the Company's value-added services for property owners to increase its share.

Whilst the continuous growth of the GFA under management explains the immediate success of Desun Services, the presence of the Sichuan-Chongqing Economic Circle is the core impetus behind the data that boosts the company's long-term growth.

With evident geographical advantages, Desun Services embraces epic growth opportunities

As the saying goes, one's success, of course, depends on self-struggle, but one must also take into account the course of history. This is true for people, as well as for companies. Behind the high growth of the revenue of Desun Services, it is equally inseparable from its favorable geographical advantages.

Since the 21st century, western China has experienced rapid economic development, and the Cheng-Yu city cluster, located in the heart of western China, has emerged as one of the four major city clusters in China, alongside Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Since the "13th Five-Year Plan", the development of the Chengdu-Chongqing region has steered into the fast lane. By 2019, the annual average growth of the regional GDP (gross domestic product) of the Chengdu-Chongqing region exceeded 8%. The total retail sales of social consumer goods grew by more than 10% annually on average. The urbanization rate of the resident population exceeded 60%. The railroad density reached 3.5 km per 100 square kilometers. The passenger handling capacity of the airports surpassed 100 million passengers, and the proportions of the resident population and the total regional economy in the whole country continued to rise.

With the release of the (Outline) in October this year, the Cheng-Yu city cluster will sustain its rapid development momentum.

According to the Outline, by 2035, the Chengdu-Chongqing region will establish a twin-city economic circle with strong strength and distinctive features, and Chongqing and Chengdu will make their way into the ranks of modern international metropolises. While greatly improving people's quality of life, the Cheng-Yu Economic Circle will also significantly enhance its capacity to support and drive the high-quality development of the country, thus establishing itself as an active growth pillar and robust power source with international influence.

The rapid economic development has created a great arena for the expansion of the property industry. In the past few years, the property management service market in Sichuan-Chongqing Region has always maintained considerable growth.

According to the prospectus, between 2015 and 2020, the total revenue of property management service companies in Sichuan-Chongqing Region increased from RMB31.2 billion to RMB55.1 billion, with a CAGR of 12.0%. By 2025, Total revenue for property management services in Sichuan-Chongqing Region is expected to reach RMB92.4 billion, representing a CAGR of 10.9% from 2020 to 2025.

While the market size was increasing at a high speed, the market concentration in Sichuan-Chongqing Region remained at a relatively low level. Taking Chengdu as an example, the market share of the top five property companies providing commercial operational services, ranked by revenue in 2020, stood at 4.5%. Among them, the market share of Desun Services ranked fifth.

In terms of development trend, the increase in concentration will be the key logic for the future development of the property management industry. Public information reveals that from 2015 to 2020, the market share of the TOP 100 Property Management Enterprises in terms of the GFA under management increased from about 20% to 30.8%. With the further increase of concentration in the industry, Desun Services, focusing on the Sichuan-Chongqing Region, undoubtedly possesses huge growth potential.

In parallel, Desun Services, a brand positioned as a mid- to high-end property management services, will fully reap the benefits of the rapid growth of the mid- to high-end property market in Sichuan-Chongqing Region. In the past five years, the growth rate of demand for mid- to high-end property management services in Sichuan-Chongqing Region was higher than that for ordinary property management services. According to the data, the CAGR of the mid- to high-end residential property management services market in Chengdu from 2015 to 2020 was 7.9%, which was higher than the CAGR of 4.7% of the total residential GFA under management in the city.

In the future, the high growth rate of the mid- to high-end property market will carry on. According to the prospectus, with the further development of mid- to high-end residential properties in Sichuan-Chongqing Region, the total GFA under management for the mid- to high-end residential property management services market is projected to reach 171.2 million square meters in 2025, with a CAGR of 6.5% from 2020 to 2025.

Thanks to its leading position in Sichuan-Chongqing Region, together with its mid- to high-end brand positioning, the company's performance will continue to maintain high growth.

Commercial operational and value-added services, underrated growth "engines"

In addition to geographical advantages, commercial operational and value-added services also play an important role in the subsequent performance growth of Desun Services.

Starting from the former that in recent years, with the increasing number of shopping malls and commercial streets in Chengdu, the commercial operational services market in Chengdu is expanding exponentially. According to the prospectus, the total GFA under management in commercial operational services in Chengdu increased from 7.3 million square meters to 16.1 million square meters from 2015 to 2020, representing a CAGR of approximately 17.2%; the market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of approximately 14.9% from 2020 to 2025.

This is why Desun Services has started to develop its business in this field. In 2020, Desun Services further extended its business to commercial operational services.

Given the vast space in the commercial operational market in Sichuan-Chongqing Region, the future performance of Desun Services in commercial operational services is highly anticipated. The expansion of service categories and service scenarios will also further boost the growth rate and stability of the company's overall business.

Apart from the commercial operational services, the value-added services of Desun Services also merit key attention. In the current property management industry, value-added services are still in the early stage of development, and each property management service company is seeking to monetize the private domain traffic of the community in different forms. In 2020, the company's value-added services for property owners generated revenue of RMB10.721 million, leaving plenty of room for improvement.

As far as Desun Services is concerned, its previous synergy with Desun Property Group has enabled it to provide a full cycle of services from early property planning and development to sales office services and post-delivery project operation. Such experience can also facilitate the company to fully tap the potential of value-added services down the road.

Over a long period of time, as the commercial operational and value-added services thrive, the value of Desun Services will be further released.

SOURCE Desun Real Estate Investment Services Group Co., Ltd.
SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstDigital Telecom ("FirstDigital" or "the Company"), a leading fiber-based carrier in the western United States, today announced that it has raise debt financing from a group of leading investors ("the lenders"), including AllianceBernstein, Deutsche Bank, Guggenheim and Webster Bank.

As a result of the transaction, FirstDigital has recapitalized its balance sheet with high-quality institutional lenders and consolidated its common equity ownership under President and CEO Wesley McDougal. This follows the recent $200 million preferred equity investment by infrastructure funds managed by Apollo (NYSE: APO), as FirstDigital continues to attract blue-chip capital partners and prepares the business to scale. Having successfully executed these series of transactions, the Company is optimally positioned to execute on its ambitious growth plans.

"These recent transactions position FirstDigital to accelerate our strategy and meet growing demand for telecommunications services," said McDougal. "We appreciate the support of the new lender group and of Apollo's strategic partnership in helping us to execute on this transaction."

"FirstDigital is a leading fiber operator in the southwest region, and we're pleased to have provided our strong institutional support for this key milestone in the company's growth plans," said Dylan Foo, Partner and Co-Head of Infrastructure at Apollo.

Apollo Global Securities served as the placement agent to FirstDigital and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Parr, Brown, Gee & Lovelace served as legal counsels to FirstDigital. White & Case LLP served as legal counsel to the lenders.

About FirstDigital

FirstDigital Telecom is a leading fiber-based carrier in the Western United States providing a full suite of Business services including Local Voice, Long Distance, Internet, VOIP, CO-Location, Managed Services and Fiber-to-the-Tower/Premise. Since 2000, FirstDigital has built, operated and maintained fiber networks for enterprises, government, health care, education and financial institutions. The company's customer-centric model gives clients overall economic value, an industry-leading quality of service experience and increased business productivity.

FirstDigital's all fiber network delivers robust business fiber services, including dedicated internet access, dark fiber, Ethernet and data center solutions. The company's advanced fiber network offers direct peering with all major carriers and cloud hyperscalers. With high-speed, low-latency connections, it provides converged internet, voice and data services at speeds of up to 100 Gbps.

To learn more about FirstDigital and our network offerings, visit FirstDigital.com.

Contacts:

FirstDigital

[email protected]

SOURCE FirstDigital Telecom
ATLANTA , Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power and Microsoft today announced more than a $200,000 investment in support of Clark Atlanta University's (CAU) Makerspace and Advanced Manufacturing Lab. The lab is developed to give entrepreneurial undergraduate students the opportunity to expand their knowledge, skill set, and market competitiveness in the renewable energy space. Through the program, students will build an advanced solar powered generator that will ultimately serve as a back-up energy source for their campus, while supporting predominantly African American communities in the Atlanta area.

With the financial investment from Georgia Power and Microsoft's Community Empowerment Fund and University Relations team, CAU students and faculty will also experiment with solar capabilities around increasing Wi-Fi internet access and supporting emerging 5G technology infrastructure. Further, this investment will give work opportunities for students in an innovative and sustainable sector while creating intellectual property through a community enterprise venture.

"Through this partnership with Microsoft, Georgia Power is proud to support opportunities for students and our state's future workforce that will enhance their knowledge, skills and interest in the renewable energy space," said Bentina Terry, senior vice president of Regional Affairs & Community Engagement at Georgia Power. "As a committed partner and champion of Historically Black Colleges & Universities across Georgia, we are excited to partner with CAU's students on this entrepreneurial venture that closely aligns with our sustainability and philanthropic goals."

In addition to providing a back-up energy source for communities during power outages, students of the program will have the opportunity to support their local communities with solar power at outdoor events and engagements.

"Microsoft is honored to partner with Georgia Power and Clark Atlanta University to support the solar powered generator student venture to empower education and workforce development in the sustainability sector," said Rahul Joshi, director of Datacenter Community Development, "The Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund awards are an important way for the company and our employees to contribute to stronger, more resilient communities."

The Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund, created and managed by Microsoft's Datacenter Community Development team, is designed to support community-led and prioritized projects, increase collaboration among contributors and award recipients, and develop ecosystems that help deliver common community priorities. Through this approach, Microsoft hopes to achieve long-term, systemic, and holistic outcomes in the communities in which it operates.

"Clark Atlanta University is thankful to both Microsoft and Georgia Power for this amazing partnership in support of our scholars. Initiatives like this provide invaluable experiences and opportunities for our students ultimately preparing them to be successful in the workforce, and that is our mission and goal here at Clark Atlanta University," said President George T. French Jr., Ph.D.

CAU students are currently working on a prototype of the first solar powered generator. Projects like this align with Clark Atlanta's student leadership development goals in 2022.

About Clark Atlanta University

Established in 1988 by the historic consolidation of Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). Clark Atlanta University continues a 150-year legacy rooted in African American tradition and focused on the future. Through global innovation, transformative educational experiences, and high-value engagement. CAU cultivates lifted lives that transform the world. Notable alumni include: James Weldon Johnson; American civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter (Lift Every Voice and Sing) "The Black National Anthem"; Ralph David Abernathy Sr., American civil rights activist; Congressman Hank Johnson, Georgia District 4; Kenya Barris, American award-winning television and movie producer; Kenny Leon, Tony Award-winning Broadway Director; Jacque Reid, Emmy Award-winning Television Personality and Journalist; Brandon Thompson, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for NASCAR; Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the Recording Academy. To learn more about Clark Atlanta University, visit www.cau.edu.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the Company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the Company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the Company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

SOURCE Clark Atlanta University
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Flexible Printed Circuit Board Sourcing and Procurement Market Analysis

Analysis of the cost and volume drivers and supply market forecasts in various regions are offered in this Flexible Printed Circuit Board Sourcing and Procurement research report. This market intelligence report also analyzes the top supply markets and the critical cost drivers that can aid buyers and suppliers devise a cost-effective category management strategy.

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Insights Delivered into the Flexible Printed Circuit Board Sourcing and Procurement Market

This market intelligence report on Flexible Printed Circuit Board Sourcing and Procurement answers to all the critical problems faced by investors who seek cost-saving opportunities in a competitive market. It also offers actionable anecdotes on the industry structure and supply market forecasts including highlights of the top vendors in this market. Our procurement experts have determined effective category pricing strategies that are attuned to the dynamics of this market which can be leveraged to maximize revenue generation against minimum investments on the products.

The reports help buyers understand:

Global and regional spend potential for Flexible Printed Circuit Board Sourcing and Procurement for the period of 2020-2024

Risk management and sustainability strategies

Incumbent supplier evaluation metrics

Pricing outlook and factors influencing the procurement process

This Flexible Printed Circuit Board Sourcing and Procurement Market procurement research report offers coverage of:

Regional spend dynamism and factors impacting costs

The total cost of ownership and cost-saving opportunities

Supply chain margins and pricing models

For more information on the exact spend growth rate and yearly category spend: www.spendedge.com/report/flexible-printed-circuit-board-sourcing-and-procurement-intelligence-report

This market intelligence report identifies the major costs incurred by suppliers and provides additional information on:

Competitiveness index for suppliers

Market favorability index for suppliers

Supplier and buyer KPIs

Some of our best-selling reports Include:

Rapeseed Oil - Forecast and Analysis: The rapeseed oil will grow at a CAGR of 5.51% during 2021-2025. Prices will increase by 4%-8% during the forecast period and suppliers will have a moderate bargaining power in this market. High-Fructose Corn Syrup Sourcing and Procurement Report: This report offers key advisory and intelligence to help buyers identify and shortlist the most suitable suppliers for their high-fructose corn syrup requirements. Some of the leading high-fructose corn syrup suppliers profiled are extensively in this report. Cardamom Oil - Sourcing and Procurement Intelligence Report: This report evaluates suppliers based on requesting for samples of cardamom oil from suppliers to check the quality, backward integration sourcing, suppliers possessing certifications and accreditations, and methods implemented in extraction process.

Table of Content

Executive Summary



Market Insights



Category Pricing Insights



Cost-saving Opportunities



Best Practices



Category Ecosystem



Category Management Strategy



Category Management Enablers



Suppliers Selection



Suppliers under Coverage



US Market Insights



Category scope



Appendix

About SpendEdge:

SpendEdge shares your passion for driving sourcing and procurement excellence. We are the preferred procurement market intelligence partner for 120+ Fortune 500 firms and other leading companies across numerous industries. Our strength lies in delivering robust, real-time procurement market intelligence reports and solutions.

Contacts

SpendEdge

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

Ph No: +1 (872) 206-9340

https://www.spendedge.com/contact-us

SOURCE SpendEdge
Hancom Group, which has been participating in CES for five consecutive years since 2018, will exhibit metaverse and NFT (Non-Fungible Token) products and solutions, which have emerged as a new paradigm due to COVID-19. At the same time, AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things), satellite, and drones will also be exhibited.

Hancom Frontis, the group's metaverse specialized company, will introduce 'XR Pandora,' a 3D-based metaverse platform that enables meetings in virtual space regardless of device - PC or mobile. XR Pandora works with Hancom Office to share and edit various type of documents such as PDF, Word, and Excel, and provides functions optimized for meetings such as browsing internet and voice chatting.

Hancom WITH, the group's digital finance company, plans to introduce Arowana Mall, which can be used for shopping with NFT in the metaverse space. Hancom, the group's flagship company, plans to introduce 'Hancom Town', a metaverse service.

Hancom Intelligence will exhibit "HY-CHECK," an AIoT remote water meter reading service that won the CES 2022 Smart City Innovation Award. HY-CHECK sends image data taken from analog water meter gauge through the IoT platform and analyzes it with AI deep learning technology.

Hancom Intelligence also plans to introduce "Hi-Aqua," a water quality monitoring system based on NeoIDM, an IoT platform used in HY-CHECK.

Hancom InSpace will exhibit "Sejong-1", an earth observation satellite that will be launched into orbit in the first half of next year. In addition, military drones (HD-850) and a drone ship capable of carrying four mission drones will be introduced at the event.

Through this exhibition, Hancom Group plans to focus on new businesses such as the metaverse and NFT to discover global partners and create business opportunities. To this end, Hancom Group Chairman Kim Sang-cheol and other key executives will personally attend CES 2022.

"As CES is being held offline for the first time in two years, we will discover new business opportunities based on Hancom Group's differentiated technology." said Hogan Yu, Head of Global Business, Hancom Group.

For more detailed information, please visit www.hancomglobal.com

For business inquiries, please contact us at [email protected]

About Hancom Group

Founded in 1990, Hancom Group is a leader in creating innovative ecosystems that will lead the world through the convergence of technology.

With its reach of 20 affiliate companies covering Software, Hardware, and the Finance industry, the Group's mission is to create a "Convenient World, Connected World, and Safe & Secure World".

SOURCE Hancom Group
Germany is the most important European trade and investment partner of Jiangsu Province. According to the latest statistics, the trade volume between Jiang Province and Germany reached 26,61 Billon US dollars in 2020, which accounted for 14% of the whole trade volume between China and Germany. Between January and August 2021, the trade volume reached 21,1 Billion US dollars and marked 28,2% year-on-year growth.

Jiangsu maintains strong economic ties with its two partner States in Germany  the State of Baden-Wurttemberg and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. There are over 200 companies from Baden-Wurttemberg residing in Jiangsu, while over 160 Jiangsu companies operating in Baden-Wurttemberg. The fortune 500 Company from North Rhine-Westphalia Thyssenkrupp has carried out 6 times of investments since the company came to Changzhou in 2012.

The host city of the Jiangsu-Germany Dialogue 2021 Changzhou was the birthplace of China's modern industry. There are over 200 local companies in Changzhou which are recognized as "hidden Champions in China". In recent years, the city has attracted many foreign companies to invest there given its excellent industrial infrastructures, high-quality technicians and engineers as well as governmental services.

Striking to become the most attractive investment site for the German companies in China, the city of Changzhou expanded its Sino - GermanChangzhouInnovation Industrial Park into 27,5 square kilometers in 2020 and attracted over 900 million Euros investment in high-tech areas including automotive, medical and healthcare, photovoltage, new materials and artificial intelligence.

Over 300 participants from both countries attended this hybrid dialogue. Representatives of difference Chinese and German companies shared their experience of investing in Jiangsu as well as their future plans. The Jiangsu  Germany Dialogue 2021 was successfully completed with ten newly signed cooperation agreements.

Contact: Wie Cai, [email protected], 0086-519-8568850

SOURCE Jiangsu-Germany Dialogue
PLAINFIELD, Ind., Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MD Logistics announces the passing of co-founder and executive advisor, Mark Sell, after a brief and courageous battle with cancer.

John Sell, President and CEO said, "I am saddened to announce the passing of my mentor, business partner, brother and friend, Mark Sell. Mark co-founded MD Logistics in 1996 with his business partner Dave Kiebach, and I was blessed to have worked by his side for the last 25 years. Mark dedicated his career to taking care of and ensuring the success of his clients and employees. Mark's boisterous persona and passion for business will be greatly missed. While we mourn the loss of Mark as an organization, we are comforted by the opportunity to continue his legacy at MD Logistics and within the supply chain industry."

In September of this year, the MD Logistics Board of Directors announced Mark's transition into an executive advisor role and the promotion of new executive team members. This was key to ensuring the stability and success of the organization. As always, the MD Logistics Executive Team remains committed to its clients and employees and will continue to uphold Mark's passion for the organization.

About MD Logistics: Founded in 1996 by Mark Sell and Dave Kiebach, MD Logistics has quickly grown into one of the nation's leading 3PL's servicing the pharmaceutical and retail goods industries. MD Logistics is headquartered in Plainfield, IN with four locations and services the western block of the US out of its Reno campus. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Express USA, MD Logistics also provides companies with global freight forwarding solutions.

Media Contacts:

Emilie Gerbers (MD Logistics)  [email protected]

SOURCE MD Logistics
DUBLIN, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Norway Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2021-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Norway data center market size by investments to reach USD 1095 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.22% during 2021-2026.



The report considers the present scenario of the Norway data center market and its market dynamics for 2021-2026. It covers a detailed overview of several growth enablers, restraints, and trends in the market. The study includes the demand and supply aspects of the market.

In Norway, data center investment has traditionally been from homegrown data center operators; investments from global companies have increased in the last few years. Bergen, Trondheim, Sandefjord, and Stavanger are secondary markets witnessing data center project development. Digiplex, Green Mountain, Bulk Infrastructure, Itsjefen, and Basefarm (Orange) are some of Norway's leading colocation service providers.



NORWAY DATA CENTER MARKET OUTLOOK

In June 2021 , the Norwegian data center industry announced the establishment of Norsk Datasenterindustri (Norwegian Data Center Industry), an industry association to strengthen the data center industry in Norway .

, the Norwegian data center industry announced the establishment of Norsk Datasenterindustri (Norwegian Data Center Industry), an industry association to strengthen the data center industry in . In 2020, the Norway Government reintroduced tax breaks for cryptocurrency data centers, which will boost data center investment opportunities in the country.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORT

The growing adoption of innovative, intelligent devices, the increasing demand for analytics, cloud adoption, and the growth of wireless networking technologies have led several organizations in Norway to invest in big data and IoT technology.

to invest in big data and IoT technology. Cisco Systems introduces a new software solution for on-premises data center cloud environments, which simplifies IT operations.

WHY SHOULD YOU BUY THIS RESEARCH?

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and data center colocation revenue.

An assessment of the data center investment in Norway by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators.

by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators. Data center investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across cities in the country.

A detailed study of the existing Norway data center market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the Norwegian data center market size during the forecast period.

data center market landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about the Norwegian data center market size during the forecast period. Snapshot of existing and upcoming third-party data center facilities in Norway

Facilities Covered (Existing): 23

Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 07

Coverage: 11 Cities

Existing vs. Upcoming (Data Center Area)

Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Norway

Market Revenue & Forecast (2021-2026)

Retail Colocation Pricing

Wholesale colocation Pricing

The Norway data center market investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecast.

data center market investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecast. A comprehensive analysis of the latest trends, growth rate, potential opportunities, growth restraints, and prospects for the industry.

Business overview and product offerings of prominent IT infrastructure providers, construction contractors, support infrastructure providers, and investors operating in the industry.

A transparent research methodology and the analysis of the demand and supply aspect of the market.

NORWAY DATA CENTER MARKET VENDOR LANDSCAPE

In 2018, AWS deployed its Amazon CloudFront edge location in Oslo , cutting network latency for its customers in Norway by around 35%.

, cutting network latency for its customers in by around 35%. In September 2021 , Microsoft announced the launch of three availability zones in its Norway East Azure Cloud region in Oslo .

, Microsoft announced the launch of three availability zones in its Norway East Azure Cloud region in . In June 2021 , the Solor Bioenergy Group announced the acquisition of the district heating business from Veolia Nordic in Norway and Sweden .

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Huawei Technologies

Hitachi Vantara

IBM

Inspur

Juniper Networks

Lenovo

NEC

NetApp

ORACLE

Pure Storage

Super Micro Computer

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

Designer Group

RED

YIT

SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDERS

ABB

Alfa Laval

Bosch Security Systems

Caterpillar

Cummins

Delta Electronics

Eaton

FlaktGroup

HITEC- Power Protection

KOHLER-SDMO

Piller Power Systems

Rittal

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Socomec

Trane ( Ingersoll Rand )

) Vertiv

Data Center Investors

AQ Compute

Bulk Infrastructure

DigiPlex

Green Mountain

Green Edge Compute

Nordkraft

STORESPEED

REPORT COVERAGE:



EXISTING VS. UPCOMING DATA CENTERS

Existing Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

Oslo

Other Cities

List of Upcoming Facilities in the region (Area and Power Capacity)

NORWAY DATA CENTER INVESTMENT COVERAGE

Infrastructure Type

IT Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

General Construction

IT Infrastructure

Server

Storage Systems

Network Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer Switches and Switchgears

PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC and CRAH Units

Chillers

Cooling Towers, Condensers, and Dry Coolers

Economizers & Evaporative Coolers

Other Cooling Units

Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

Rack Cabinets

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

General Construction

Building Development

Installation and Commissioning Services

Building & Engineering Design

Physical Security

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Tier Segments

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 : Existing & Upcoming Third-Party Data Centers In Norway

20+ Unique Data Center Properties

Data Center IT Load Capacity

Data Center White Floor Area Space

Existing Vs Upcoming Data Center Capacity by Cities

Cities Covered

Oslo

Other Cities

Chapter 2: Investment Opportunities In Norway

Data Center Investments

Investment by Area

Investment by Power Capacity

Chapter 3: Data Center Colocation Market In Norway

Colocation Services Market in Norway

Retail Colocation vs Wholesale Data Center Colocation

Colocation Pricing (Quarter Rack, Half Rack, Full Rack) & Add-ons

Chapter 4: Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Market Trends

Market Restraints

Chapter 5: Market Segmentation

IT Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Electrical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

Mechanical Infrastructure: Market Size & Forecast

General Construction Services: Market Size & Forecast

Chapter 6: Tier Standard Investment

Tier I & II

Tier III

Tier IV

Chapter 7: Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Construction Contractors

Support Infrastructure Providers

Data Center Investors

Chapter 8: Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ofqojg

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


Such practices of democratic consultation and decision-making have become the norm in Hongqiao and other places across China.

In November 2019, President Xi Jinping visited the center, where he said, "People's democracy is a type of whole-process democracy." This was the first time the concept was publicly put forward.

China's whole-process democracy can be understood as "from the people, to the people, with the people, for the people," said Xu Wenhong, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. It covers election, decision-making, management and supervision, in order to meet people's needs and solve their real problems, Xu said.

Chinese socialist democracy takes two complementary forms: In one, the people exercise their right to vote in elections; and in the other, people undertake extensive deliberations before major decisions are made, Li Junru, former Vice President of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said.

Upholding the citizens' status as masters of their country has been a commitment of the CPC since its founding 100 years ago. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China stipulates that all power in China belongs to the people, and they shall, in accordance with legal provisions, manage state affairs, economic and cultural undertakings and social matters. This clause determines China's democracy is innately equipped with a whole-process feature, which ventures well beyond electoral equality to enable the public to have its say in the general course of governance.

In China, the people exercise state power through the National People's Congress and local people's congresses, roughly equivalent to U.S. legislatures. Deputies at the county and township levels are directly elected; those above the county level, indirectly. The task befalls upon all deputies to communicate with their constituencies and represent them on the political stage.

China also values consultation, mainly conducted through the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which involves members from non-CPC parties and various social sectors. Matters of public concern are debated by the people's congresses, CPPCC national and local committees and other stakeholders before major decisions are finalized.

In the capital city, the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress has taken a series of initiatives in recent years to apply the concept of whole-process democracy to legislative processes.

In formulating regulations on garbage sorting and property management, deputies visited communities to hear public opinion. Topics such as fines for violations and restrictions on the use of packaging were discussed.

Deputies are not only participants in the making of laws, but also involved in the supervision of their enforcement. From July to October 2020, 13,000 deputies inspected 5,000 urban residential compounds and 3,000 villages in Beijing to check if the garbage sorting regulations were implemented to the letter.

Also, city authorities swiftly respond to people's concerns expressed through the 12345 resident service hotline and its online platform.

Residents who have dialed the hotline are asked to provide feedback on whether their problems have been solved.

Wei Jiawen is one of them. "I was invited to a seminar and given a list of questions beforehand, including what improvements can be made," she said. "I consulted relatives and friends and aired opinions on their behalf too."

By Beijing Review reporter Ji Jing

SOURCE Beijing Review
DUBLIN, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Sustained Release Injectables" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The goal of this report is to address the requirement for patient-dependent, and therefore compliance-sensitive, drug treatment protocols such as multiple dosing through controlled release formulations that provide the desired therapeutic effect with dosing of once-a-day or less.

Chronic conditions require drug administration over long periods of time, placing a greater emphasis on self-administration. With the shift away from caregiver interaction, drug safety and compliance/adherence become prominent concerns.

These concerns, which are not new, are becoming magnified as the number of powerful new drugs reaching the market increases. For healthcare managers and public health officials, one way to address these issues is less frequent dosing.



Using formulation technologies designed to modulate the effect of therapeutic substances, drug developers are creating formulations that exhibit extended-release profiles. These chemistries include polymers such as polyethylene glycol-complexed (PEGylated), which are used to product encapsulated and coated versions of new APIs.



What You Will Learn

What are the marketed sustained release injectable drug products, what sustained release formulation technologies are used, and who markets them?

What are the major factors driving sustained release injectable drug demand?

What sustained release injectable drug candidates are in late-stage clinical development and what is their potential impact?

How important are drug developer-formulation technologist relationships in the sustained release market segment, and what are the key alliances in the industry?

What are the essential formulation factors, delivery device selection issues, related technology factors and market development issues for sustained release injectable drug products?

In what therapeutic market segments do sustained release injectables compete? What is their market share today? What will it be in 2028? What is their expected growth rate?

What are the significant economic, technology, and regulatory factors affecting the market for sustained release injectables?

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Injectable Drug Market Dynamics

The Trend toward Self-Administration

Injectable Drug Formulation Technology

Innovation in Injectable Device Designs

Therapeutic Demand Drivers

Market Factors

Competitive Landscape

Risk Factors

Sustained Release - Branded Formulation Technologies

Biodegradable Polymers

Branded SR Formulation Technologies

Physical Process Control Methods

Sustained Release Injectables - Development Factors

Formulation Factors

Stability

Lyophilization

Packaging

Administration Factors

SR Injectables - Product Analysis & Market Sector Forecasts

Addiction

Naltrexone

Diabetes

Exenatide

Infectious Disease

Interferon

Hormone Deficiency

Estradiol

Somatropin

Testosterone

Metabolic Diseases

Acromegaly

Lanreotide

Octreotide

Neurology

Aripiprazole

Fluphenazine

Haloperidol

Paliperidone

Olanzapine

Risperidone

Oncology

Leukemia

Vincristine

Lymphoma

Cytarabine

Prostate

Goserelin

Leuprolide

Triptorelin

Pain Management

Bupivacaine

Reproductive Health

Endometriosis

Companies Mentioned

Alkermes

Amylin

AntriaBio

Ascendis Pharma

AstraZeneca

Aurobundo

Avadel

Biomarin

Camurus

Critical Pharmaceuticals

DURECT

Eli Lilly Enzon

Ipsen

Janssen

NanOlogy

Novartis

OctoPlus

Oakwood Laboratories

PharmaSophia

Pacira

PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals

Recipharm AB

Roche

Sanofi

Taiwan Liposome Company

Xbrane Biopharma

Talon

Octoplus

Midatech

MedinCell

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/uu5bjd

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716



SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


DUBLIN, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Portable, Fixed), By Pollutant Type (Chemical, Physical, Biological), By Application, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The U.S. air quality analyzers market size is expected to reach USD 2.23 billion by 2028 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2020 to 2028

The U.S. market for air quality analyzers is primarily driven by the increasing awareness pertaining to the monitoring of air quality in indoor spaces.



Proper maintenance of indoor air quality in schools and offices is essential for the comfort and health of students and employees. Ill-effects caused by poor indoor air quality such as fatigue, headache, and irritation to the eyes, throat, lungs, and nose, contributed to the rising demand for monitoring air quality, in turn, complementing the market growth.



The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for the early detection of biological contaminants such as viruses, bacteria, and house dust in the air, thereby fueling the growth of the U.S. market for air quality analyzers. Increasing pollution and rising awareness among the masses about the importance of indoor air quality are expected to drive the market.



Manufacturers of air quality analyzers are focusing on launching innovative products using advanced technology to measure air quality in various applications. For instance, in June 2020, Siemens launched a real-time air quality monitoring system that measures pollutants, humidity, and temperature.



U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market Report Highlights

By product, portable indoor analyzers are expected to witness the fastest growth from 2020 to 2028 as these analyzers are easier to maintain and repair as compared to fixed analyzers

In terms of pollutant type, the biological segment is expected to expand at the fastest CAGR of 6.5% over the forecast period as these pollutants can cause allergies, influenza, watery eyes, and cough due to which demand for air quality analyzers is rising to monitor air quality

The commercial application segment led the market and accounted for 43.0% share of the U.S. revenue in 2020 owing to the rising worker safety in the commercial sector as the pollutants in indoor settings can cause illness and allergic reactions

The manufacturers of air quality analyzers are focusing on launching new products in North America . In January 2021 , TSI launched a new air quality monitor named Q-Trak XP Indoor Air Quality, which is available only in North America

Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope

1.1. Research Methodology

1.2. Research Scope & Assumption

1.3. Information Procurement

1.4. Information Analysis

1.5. Market Formulation & Data Visualization

1.6. Data Validation & Publishing



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Market Outlook

2.2. Segmental Outlook

2.3. Competitive Insights



Chapter 3. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1. Market Segmentation & Scope

3.2. Penetration & Growth Prospect Mapping

3.3. Value Chain Analysis

3.4. Regulatory Framework

3.5. Market Dynamics

3.5.1. Market driver analysis

3.5.2. Market restraints analysis

3.5.3. Industry challenges

3.6. Porter's Five Forces Model

3.7. PESTEL Analysis

3.8. Major Deals & Strategic Alliances Analysis

3.9. Air Quality Analyzers Product Design Innovators

3.9.1. Product Innovation Examples

3.9.2. Upcoming Technology/ Product Quality Upgrades

3.10. Industry 4.0 Trends



Chapter 4. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Price Trend Analysis



Chapter 5. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market: Product Movement Analysis, 2020 & 2028

5.2. Fixed Indoor Analyzers

5.2.1. Market estimates and forecasts, 2017 - 2028 (USD Million)

5.3. Portable Indoor Analyzers



Chapter 6. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market: Pollutant Type Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market: Pollutant Type Movement Analysis, 2020 & 2028

6.2. Chemical

6.2.1. Market estimates and forecasts, 2017 - 2028 (USD Million)

6.3. Physical

6.4. Biological



Chapter 7. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market: Application Estimates & Trend Analysis

7.1. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market: Application Movement Analysis, 2020 & 2028

7.2. Industrial

7.2.1. Market estimates and forecasts, 2017 - 2028 (USD Million)

7.3. Educational Institutions

7.4. Commercial

7.5. Residential



Chapter 8. U.S. Air Quality Analyzers Market: Competitive Landscape

8.1. Key Players, Their Initiatives, & Its Impact on the Market

8.2. Key Company/Competition Categorization

8.3. Strategic Framework

8.4. Competitive Dashboard Analysis

8.5. Public Companies

8.5.1. Company Market Position Analysis

8.6. Private Companies

8.6.1. List of Key Emerging Companies and Their Geographical Presence



Chapter 9. Company Profiles

9.1. Company overview

9.2. Financial performance

9.3. Product benchmarking

9.4. Strategic initiatives

Siemens AG

TSI

Emerson Electric Co.

Aeroqual

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

IQAir

Honeywell International Inc.

Camfil

3M

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h4e2c6

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


Angels Share, Vintage Wine Estates' campaign to help end food insecurity, celebrates one million meals served. Tweet this

"With a virtual event last year, we regrouped in 2021 under Covid-safe protocols to once again have an in-person packing event at our Santa Rosa warehouse," explained Katy Long, VWE Director of Angels Share. "With a smaller crew we still managed to pack 3,000 boxes in well under three hours and sent them off in our trucks to our neighbor, Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB), for distribution this holiday season."

Since its inception, Angels Share has provided over one million mealsnot only to REFB, which serves California communities from the Oregon border to the North Bay, but to nine other food banks in Colorado, Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Food insecurity is a national challenge and with the support of Angels Share and VWE's nationwide network of distributors, retailers and restaurants, the food needs of seniors, families and those in need, especially in these challenging pandemic times, will be met.

VWE also lends a hand to REFB throughout the year in the form of thousands of gently used wine boxes, upcycled and donated to pack food.

"We are grateful to VWE for its leadership and ongoing hands-on commitment to help stop hunger in our community." said Lisa Cannon, Director of Programs for Redwood Empire Food Bank. "Neighbors helping neighborsthat's what it's about."

About Vintage Wine Estates, Inc.

Vintage Wine Estates is a family of wineries and wines whose mission is to produce the finest quality wines and provide incredible customer experiences with wineries throughout Napa, Sonoma, California's Central Coast, Oregon and Washington State. Since its founding 20 years ago, the Company has grown to be the 15th largest wine producer in the U.S. selling more than two million nine-liter equivalent cases annually. To consistently drive growth, the Company curates, creates, stewards and markets its many brands and services to customers and end consumers via a balanced omni-channel strategy encompassing direct-to-consumer, wholesale and exclusive brand arrangements with national retailers. While VWE is diverse across price points and varietals with over 50 brands ranging from $10 to $150 at retail, its primary focus is on the fastest growing premium segment of the wine industry with the majority of brands selling in the $10 to $20 price range. The Company regularly posts updates and additional information at www.vintagewineestates.com.

For more information:



Mary Ann Vangrin



[email protected]

SOURCE Vintage Wine Estates
DUBLIN, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "High Energy Lasers Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The High Energy Lasers Market was valued at USD 7.43 billion in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 14.74 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 12.4% from 2021 to 2026. The industry is one of the industries hit by the covid-19 pandemic.

As the demand for machine inventory declined, the demand for high-end lasers declined in the year 2020. The market again started recovering eventually after a slowdown and increase in demand from China.

High energy lasers have played a crucial role in modern society with an increasing number of applications from manufacturing, communication, and defense. With the growing defense budget and research grants, militaries worldwide are adopting high-energy laser-based equipment and investing heavily in research and development. For example, in May 2021 , the US army began testing a prototype laser weapon for close-range air defense; the weapon is a 50-kilowatt high-energy laser attached to a Stryker A1 vehicle that can locate, lock on, track, and destroy airborne threats.

, the US army began testing a prototype laser weapon for close-range air defense; the weapon is a 50-kilowatt high-energy laser attached to a Stryker A1 vehicle that can locate, lock on, track, and destroy airborne threats. The defense industry drives a prominent share of the R&D and application of the technology. Major spending countries are keen on developing and inducting the technology as part of their forces and operation. According to SIPRI, global defense spending reached an all-time high of USD 1.98 trillion in 2020, an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous year. Such developments are expected to pave the way for new technologies and modernization.

in 2020, an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous year. Such developments are expected to pave the way for new technologies and modernization. With the proliferation of drones in the defense sector, the demand for solutions that can track and destroy them has gained traction. For instance, in March 2021 , European missile-maker MBDA and French firm CILAS agreed to collaborate with electronic warfare and intelligence specialist SIGN4L to explore co-development opportunities in high-energy laser weapons systems to destroy drones. Such developments are expected to increase over the coming years further.

, European missile-maker MBDA and French firm CILAS agreed to collaborate with electronic warfare and intelligence specialist SIGN4L to explore co-development opportunities in high-energy laser weapons systems to destroy drones. Such developments are expected to increase over the coming years further. The application of high energy lasers as part of the missile defense systems is expected to increase with major defense spenders increasing adopting these solutions and showing interest in developing such solutions. For example, in March 2021 , the Israeli Defense Ministry showed interest by seeking US funding and expertise for their air and missile defense lasers; Israel's current prototypes have achieved an output beam of nearly 100 kilowatts, whereas the United States has been exploring 300-kW weapons capable of killing cruise missiles.

Key Market Trends

Rising Demand for Laser Weapons Systems in Navy and Growth for Non-lethal Deterrents?

The demand for laser weapon systems in the navy around the globe is increasing at a fast pace to tackle airborne threats, such as missiles and drones. Lasers have proven to work against missiles and are being deployed as the first net of safety. For instance, the High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance, or HELIOS from Lockheed Martin, is slated to be permanently deployed aboard a flight IIA DDG ArleighBurke destroyer in 2021. The US Navy formally accepted the Laser into Aegis Combat System.

Apart from this, laser-based weapons are being tested for disabling drones by integrating such weapons aboard naval vessels. For example, in May 2020 , the USS Portland successfully disabled an uncrewed aerial vehicle during a new high-energy laser weapon system test. Northrop Grumman developed the system, and the test was conducted after the incident with the Chinese destroyer, where a weapons-grade laser was shot by a US Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft.

, the USS Portland successfully disabled an uncrewed aerial vehicle during a new high-energy laser weapon system test. Northrop Grumman developed the system, and the test was conducted after the incident with the Chinese destroyer, where a weapons-grade laser was shot by a US Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft. In addition to the United States , various other countries are also aiming at expanding their naval capabilities in deterring and disabling threats. China is among the countries set to race with the United States for supremacy in this field. China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) tested their tactical laser system that bears remarkable similarity to the US Navy's Laser Weapon System (LaWS) back in 2019.

, various other countries are also aiming at expanding their naval capabilities in deterring and disabling threats. is among the countries set to race with for supremacy in this field. People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) tested their tactical laser system that bears remarkable similarity to the US Navy's Laser Weapon System (LaWS) back in 2019. As navy vassals are prone to attacks from missiles and other airborne threats against whom the defense section is increasingly developing and inducting technologies that can defend against such threats. In March 2021 , announced that the ship-borne laser weapon is edging closer to achieving pinpoint accuracy.

Asia Pacific to Witness the Highest Growth

The Asia-Pacific region is a leading adopter of high energy lasers across various fields with the growth of the market, driven by prominent countries like China , India , and Japan .

region is a leading adopter of high energy lasers across various fields with the growth of the market, driven by prominent countries like , , and . The US-China tensions, inter-border conflicts, and the focus on nuclear power have furthered high energy lasers in the defense and military systems in various countries in the region, like India .

. As part of the Tactical High Energy Laser System for the Army and Air Force of India , the country has adopted and encouraged high energy lasers in the military as part of the TechnologyPerspective and Capability Roadmap by the Ministry of Defence.

, the country has adopted and encouraged high energy lasers in the military as part of the TechnologyPerspective and Capability Roadmap by the Ministry of Defence. The Defence Research and Development Organisation of India announced its plans in September 2020 to form a national program on directed energy weapons, including high energy lasers. The DRDO is currently working on chemical oxygen-iodine lasers and high-power fiber lasers and eyeing a budget of USD 100 million from the Ministry of Defence for the 2021-2022 budget, which is aimed at the production of high-power laser weapon. Such spending on the high energy lasers is expected to impact the country's growth positively.

announced its plans in to form a national program on directed energy weapons, including high energy lasers. The DRDO is currently working on chemical oxygen-iodine lasers and high-power fiber lasers and eyeing a budget of from the Ministry of Defence for the 2021-2022 budget, which is aimed at the production of high-power laser weapon. Such spending on the high energy lasers is expected to impact the country's growth positively. According to SIPRI, China's military expenditure is estimated to have totaled USD 252 billion in 2020, registering an increase of 1.9% over 2019. As part of its New Concept Weapons, China is expected to advance and implement high energy lasers in its defense systems. The military spending and the country's inclination toward the integration of HELs indicate the positive growth of the studied market.

military expenditure is estimated to have totaled in 2020, registering an increase of 1.9% over 2019. As part of its New Concept Weapons, is expected to advance and implement high energy lasers in its defense systems. The military spending and the country's inclination toward the integration of HELs indicate the positive growth of the studied market. With the focus to control the space in terms of military dominance, the studied market is expected to benefit from technological advancements made by China with government-funded investments in research and development.

Companies Mentioned

TRUMPF Pvt. Ltd.

IPG Photonics

Coherent, Inc

nLight, Inc

Bae Systems Plc

Alltec Gmbh

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Applied Companies Inc.

The Boeing Company

Lumentum Holdings

Bystronic Laser AG

Wuhan Raycus Fiber Laser Technologies Co. Ltd.

Raytheon Company

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Han's Laser Technology Co. Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/c4ufk7

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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Srinagar, Dec 24 : A gunfight between security forces and terrorists in underway in South Kashmir's Anantnag district on Friday, officials said.

A joint team of the police and the security forces cordoned off the Mumanhal (Arwani) area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific information about presence of terrorists.

As the security forces zeroed in on the spot where the terrorists, were hiding they came under a heavy volume of fire that triggered the encounter.
Houston, Dec 24 : Four people were injured after a fire broke out at the ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins Plant in Texas, according to the company.

The fire, which first responders started to put out around 1 a.m. on Thursday, had been extinguished by 9.15 a.m., Xinhua news agency quoted the American multinational oil and gas corporation as saying in a statement.

Officials were monitoring the air quality but so far no shelter-in-place order has been issued for residents in the area.

Among the injured, two were treated for burns, a third person had a fracture and the fourth person was treated for injuries related to a fall of about 40 feet, said an ABC News report.

Exxon said all the injured were in stable condition.

"All other personnel at the site have been accounted for, and we're ensuring that these individuals are receiving the best care possible," said ExxonMobil refinery manager Rohan David.

It was not immediately known what caused the fire.
Lucknow, Dec 24 : A special court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment and imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 after declaring him guilty of sexually assaulting an autistic woman.

The incident took place three years ago when the man was 37 years old, and the woman was around 24 years old.

Ashutosh Pandey, Additional Director General (ADG), prosecution, said, "The DNA sampling of the rape survivor's 19-week foetus at that time and regular monitoring of the case by the prosecution helped in taking action against the accused. The case was a bit different as the survivor had neurodevelopmental disorder and was unable to express herself or identify the person." The convict, Khushal Singh, was the survivor's trainer and he outraged her modesty at the training centre near Ram Ram Bank crossing in Madiaon, taking advantage of her disorder.

The incident was reported to the police on November 26, 2018, after the survivor's parents found her 19 weeks pregnant, said the ADG.

Initially, investigators did not have any proper evidence against the accused as the survivor was unable to narrate the incident.

The man was arrested on February 16, 2019, after his DNA sample was matched with the foetus, which was preserved after the victim's pregnancy was terminated due to medical complications, said Pandey.

He said Khushal Singh, along with his wife, runs Samarpan Day Care Foundation, in Madiaon, Lucknow.

Earlier, the couple worked at different training centres for special children. The rape survivor was kept at a special children's centre in Dehradun for 11 years as she was unable to speak and identify anyone because of her neuro-development disorder.

The woman's parents, who worked in Lucknow, brought her to the city during the summer vacation. She had been kept her in the day care centre run by Khushal Singh for 10 days. After the incident, the woman, who has speech disability, could not tell her parents about it.

The police first zeroed in on three suspects at the day care centre and collected blood samples to match them with the DNA sample of the foetus.

"DNA sampling was done in two months' time, and it matched with that of Khushal Singh. He later confessed to the crime when he was questioned. He said he raped the woman when his wife was not present at the day care centre," the ADG said.
Ramallah, Dec 24 : Dozens of Palestinian protesters were injuredin clashes with Israeli soldiers in a village northwest of the West Bank city of Nablus, according to medics and witnesses.

At least 42 Palestinians, including a local journalist, were injured by rubber-coated metal gunshots and 83 others suffered from suffocation after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli soldiers in the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement on Thursday.

Witnesses in the village told Xinhua news agency that clashes between the demonstrators and the Israeli soldiers broke out earlier on Thursday.

They added that the protesters organised a demonstration against Israeli settlers' assaults and expansion of settlements.

The clashes broke out in the village shortly after hundreds of Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli soldiers, attempted to break into the village, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

In the past few days, the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been flaring in the West Bank over the Israeli measures.

Two Palestinians were killed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Saleh al-Arouri, deputy chief of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) told the pro-movement Al-Aqsa TV channel that there is a clear ascending trend of tension in the West Bank as a result of the Israeli occupation practices.

Diplomatic ties between Israel and the Palestinians were interrupted in 2014 due to the latter's rejection of the Jewish state's policies of expanding settlements in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinians want to establish an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel on all the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967, including the entire West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Chennai, Dec 24 : The Tamil Nadu government is developing a strategy to buyback plastic products and to be set up Reverse Vending machines in association with FMCG companies.

Chief Minister on Thursday inaugurated a campaign to make Tamil Nadu plastic-free and to promote cloth bags in large volumes. The government is also in talks with a major corporate company for construction of 1,000 toilets in the state made of non-recyclable plastic waste.

To reduce the stress caused by the overuse of plastic in the environment, the government is planning a strategy to improve Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) for the manufacturers.

The Chief Minister's office has already directed all the district administrations to have a discussion with the companies in their respective districts to evolve strategies regarding buy-back plans of plastics and for use of this material in the construction industry.

Sources in the Tamil Nadu environment department told IANS that the Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages (HCCB) is in talks with the Tiruvallur district administration for use of construction materials from plastic waste.

The company under its CSR initiative has already adopted eight villages in and around Nemam where the factory of HCCB is located and has already got approval for building a model toilet at Nemam in the district of Tiruvallur.

The HCCB has entered into an association with Ricron Panels, a company that has specialised in the business of converting plastic waste into eco-friendly construction material.

The state environment department in a study found that on an average a person in the state is using and discarding a plastic bottle a day. This would lead to installing 5,000 to 6,000 Reverse vending machines in the state for safe deposit of plastic material.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : A restaurant was sealed in south Delhi's Mehrauli area for violating the Delhi Disaster Management Authority's guidelines, an official said here on Friday.

"The restaurant named Diablo was found violating DDMA guidelines," Additional DCP South M Harshawardhan said.

He informed that there was excessive overcrowding in the restaurant after which it was sealed.

The police have registered an FIR under sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) against the establishment at the Mehrauli police station.

In view of the rising cases of Omicron in Delhi, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had reduced the capacity at public places like restaurants, auditoriums and assembly halls to 50 per cent, while gatherings at wedding functions was capped at 200 persons to curb the spread of the new Covid variant.

There will be a ban on all kinds of gatherings on Christmas and New Year in the national capital. However, it said that all religious places will remain open on December 25 and 31.

The order had further asked the district magistrates to survey the areas falling within their jurisdiction and identify the places, which have the potential of becoming Covid hotspots and tighten the enforcement machinery by deploying sufficient number of enforcement teams on field for keeping vigil at public places and for enforcing Covid appropriate behaviour.

"All district magistrates as well as DCPs shall conduct surprise checks and raids in their respective areas and shall take strict penal action against the defaulters," the DDMA had stated.

The Omicron infection tally has climbed to 358 across the nation. However, out of total Omicron positive, 114 have been discharged. So far 17 states have reported Omicron infection.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Luxury fashion house, Bottega Veneta, as one of the world's most visible bottega, intended to encourage the inventiveness of Italian bottega owners. These communities, which are essentially 'creative workshops,' contribute to the particular attractiveness of 'Made in Italy'.

"We are thrilled to launch Bottega for Bottegas alongside Italian artisans with whom we share the common values of creativity and craftsmanship. We are proud to offer worldwide visibility to these "Bottegas" that are deeply rooted in Italian culture, especially at a time where smaller entities continue to be impacted by the pandemic. It is with honour that we have passed on our advertising spaces, website, newsletters, and store windows, and we hope that this will further highlight their excellence at a global level," said Bartolomeo Rongone, CEO of Bottega Veneta.

The brand is using its global brand awareness and passing along its global visibility - coveted ad places, website, newsletters, and store windows - to twelve bottegas from around Italy: . Amatruda . Campania Cantina Bisson . Liguria Enza Fasano . Puglia Gay-Odin . Campania Ginepraio Gin . Toscana Krumiri Ross . Piemonte Pastificio Martelli . Toscana Bottega Orsoni . Veneto Riso Pozzi . Lombardia Respighi Drums . Lombardia Olio Vanini . Lombardia Saponificio Varesino (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Seoul, Dec 24 : This season's first cold wave warning will be issued in the greater Seoul area and many other parts of South Korea on Friday night, with temperatures expected to plummet to as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius the following morning, the weather agency said.

The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said the cold wave warning will take effect at 9 p.m. in the capital area, most of Gangwon Province and many other central inland regions, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The warning is issued when the morning low is expected to fall more than 15 degrees from the previous day or stay below minus 15 degrees for more than two consecutive days, or when the temperature drops sharply and major damage is expected.

The KMA said it will also issue a cold wave advisory for Daegu, Daejeon, Sejong, Yeosu and many other parts of the central and southern regions.

On Saturday, the morning low is forecast to drop to minus 14 degrees in Seoul, minus 13 degrees in Chuncheon of Gangwon Province, and minus 10 degrees in Daejeon.

Due to strong winds, Seoul's sensible temperature will drop to minus 22 degrees on the day, with the daily high reaching just minus 8 degrees, the agency noted.

The cold wave will come after light snow in the capital area and some central regions and heavy snow in Gangwon's east coast during Friday, the KMA noted, predicting up to 20 cm of snow in some Gangwon areas until Saturday.

The cold wave will peak on Sunday, as temperatures will take a further dive nationwide, the agency said, adding Seoul's daily low will drop to minus 16 degrees on the day.

The KMA said the latest cold wave is expected to last until December 27.
Patna, Dec 24 : A Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) SP probing the copy book scam in Magadh University has allegedly received a threat call asking him to stay away from the case.

SVU SP Jay Prakash Mishra received the threatening call on Thursday night on his mobile phone. The caller, who identified himself as Dipak Yadav, warned him to stay away from the case or be prepared to get hanged.

Mishra is leading the investigation of alleged copy book scam in Magadh University and its vice-chancellor Dr Rajendra Prasad is facing the charges of corruption.

Following the threat, the entire police and civil administration of Gaya and Patna were alerted.

Dr Rajendra Prasad is facing serious corruption charges and special vigilance unit has also registered an FIR against him. According to an SVU officer, during his tenure, the copy book scam took place.

Despite that, Bihar governor Phagu Chauhan did not remove him from his post. Dr Prasad is currently on a month's medical leave. He had applied for extension of medical leave which was granted by Raj Bhawan secretariat.

"We have already arrested four persons, including lab in charge, personal assistant of VC and two others in connection with copy book scam," the officer said.

"We have also served notice to Dr Prasad to appear before SVU in Patna on January 3," he said.
Seoul, Dec 24 : Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye has expressed gratitude for her pardon to President Moon Jae-in shortly after the announcement of the latter's decision to grant a special pardon to her, her lawyer said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Moon announced that he granted a special pardon to former President Park, currently serving a 22-year prison term for corruption, to bolster national unity and in consideration of her deteriorating health, reports Yonhap News Agency.

In a meeting with reporters in front of Seoul Samsung Hospital where she has been hospitalized, lawyer Yoo Yeong-ha said that Park feels sorry for worrying people and is grateful for their constant support.

The former leader also expressed gratitude to Moon for his decision to grant a special pardon to her despite difficulties, saying she will focus on treating her disease and will show her gratitude to the people as soon as possible, Yoo added.

Pardoning the former leader came as a surprise because Moon had ruled out the possibility of granting her a pardon.

This year, the 69-year-old Park was hospitalised three times due to chronic shoulder and lower back pain. In 2019, she underwent a shoulder surgery.

Park has been serving a combined 22-year prison sentence since March 2017 after being impeached and removed from office over far-reaching corruption charges and an influence-peddling scandal.

Meanwhile, the government also announced it will exonerate Han Myeong-sook, a former Prime Minister during the liberal Roh Moo-hyun administration who was convicted of bribery and has served her full prison sentence.

Han, who served as from 2006 to 2007, was imprisoned from 2015-2017 after being convicted of accepting about 900 million won ($$795,000) in illegal political funds from a late businessman while in office.

Han has long claimed innocence, arguing that she never accepted the money and that the charges against her were fabricated as part of political revenge by a conservative government against the former liberal administration of late President Roh Moo-hyun.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Shehbaz Sharif, President of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), foresaw the country's downfall if the incumbent Imran Khan-led government was not sent packing, Geo News reported.

"God forbid, if this government is not sent packing, we might see Pakistan's 'khuda hafiz' - so gear up," Geo News quoted Sharif as saying on Thursday while addressing a party meet in Lahore.

The PML-N President said the time has come to end this government "which was formed as a result of rigging", as he claimed that Quaid-e-Azam "must be turning in his grave", the report said.

Slamming the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its policies, he said: "I had revealed this three and a half years ago that a NAB-Niazi nexus exists. They have mortgaged the country to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)." Taking a jibe at Khan, Sharif said if the Prime Minister likes unveiling projects "so much", he should have informed him, as he would award him a plaque for "unveiling so many plaques".

For his part, PML-N leader and former federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said he predicts Khan's "political death" in the near future.

Rafique called on PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party to join hands and initiate a political struggle, as he claimed that Khan was not a part of the political fraternity, the report said.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Trending number 1 on Twitter in Pakistan, a Karachi-based bakery is currently facing harsh criticism by netizens and celebrities for their bigotry and discriminatory mindset. This social media outcry is due to their reported refusal to write "Merry Christmas" on cakes at their outlets, The Express Tribune reported.

The problem was initially reported by a woman against the bakery's Khayabane Jami branch, on a Facebook group called Voice of Customer PK. However, it later turned out that all branches across Karachi have been practising the same behaviour. Now, another bakery has been called out for the same discriminatory behaviour, the report said.

Pakistan actor and VJ Anoushey Ashraf is of the strong opinion that "writing something for someone else's faith doesn't make my faith weak".

She herself visited the Boat Basin branch and is "offended as a Muslim". She suggests the bakery to "lead by example and get over their personal biases". She also called them out for "treating them (minorities) just like Muslims are treated badly in the West", the report said.

Shedding light on the incident and schooling netizens on their hate-mongering and hypocritical behaviour, she commented: "If the western world tomorrow says that Eid is un-Christian like and they don't believe it and no Muslim can get an Eid Mubarak cake on the basis of this explanation, then the hue and cry would be real." Ashraf reminded the workers in the bakeries that it is simply their "job to write wishes for the customers".

Highlighting that respect goes both ways, she added: "The person wanting the cake deserves respect before what you 'believe'. Religion connects people, it brings us all closer, and it makes us love. These clergies have only helped create such division where people in the comments sections are abusing one another. Religion is once more at the forefront of division amongst people." Pakistani actor Sanam Saeed also expressed her shock at the incident and took to her Instagram story and shared: "The white in our flag represents solidarity with our minorities. We should start practising inclusivity and respect." Tagging both bakeries, she added: "If it's true that both bakeries refused to write 'Merry Christmas' on customer cakes then shame on you. And if it's a policy then it needs to be revised as soon as possible."
Lauderhill : , Dec 24 (IANS) Lorcan Tucker's 56-ball 84 effort saw Ireland come back from a shocking defeat to the United States in the opening T20I to defeat the hosts by nine runs in the second game to level the two-match series 1-1 here.

Setting the hosts 151 for victory, thanks to a lone hand from the 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, Ireland turned the screws with a strong bowling performance, headlined by a calm final over from the experienced Mark Adair.

In a change from the opening match of the series where they won by 26 runs, USA skipper Monank Patel opted to bowl first, bringing Vatsal Vaghela into debut in place of Xavier Marshall.

Going into the second match with an unchanged line-up from their first-up defeat, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie walked out with Paul Stirling, though lost his partner by the end of the first over. Opting for the spin of Nisarg Patel in the opening over, Monank's plan delivered immediate dividends, with Stirling adjudged lbw for 5.

Backing up his unbeaten 57 from 49 balls in the first match, Tucker looked in imperious form, hitting his first ball for a boundary off left-armer Saurabh Netravalkar. Captain Balbirnie looked in good touch with two early boundaries of his own, only to pick out Sushant Modani at deep backward square-leg.

Tucker and Curtis Campher countered during the powerplay, moving the Irish to 59/2, though the work was undone in the first ball of the seventh over, with Campher miscuing a slog to Marty Kain at long-on for 17 (11 balls).

Tucker continued in his push despite the loss of partners at the other end, moving to 50 from just 32 balls despite the loss of Shane Getkate (5) and Neil Rock in the 12th over for four. He then moved into the seventies with a six off American spearhead Ali Khan.

USA began their chase emphatically through left-hander Ryan Scott, slapping boundaries off consecutive balls of the opening over. Moving the score to 19/0 inside the first two overs, the USA looked to have taken an early hold of the match, only for Scott to be run out by Curtis Campher for 11.

The wicket of Scott halted the hosts, scoring just seven runs from the next two overs. The lack of runs heaped pressure on Ritwik Behera and Monank Patel, eventually leading to the wicket of Behera for a 23-ball 16.

Brief scores: Ireland 150 in 18.5 overs (Lorcan Tucker 84; Saurabh Netravalkar 3/33) beat USA 141/7 in 20 overs (Sushant Modani 27; Curtis Campher 4/25) by 9 runs.
Things have perhaps started falling in their places. Have they? Close on the heels of Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla taking up with Myanmar's military rulers on the now infamous Churachandpur ambush in Manipur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a crucial late night meeting with Chief Ministers of Assam and Nagaland Himanta Biswa Sarma and Neiphiu Rio, respectively.

Home Minister Shah is likely to brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his talks with the northeastern leaders especially in the context of security implications in taking any decision on AFSPA.

Assam Chief Minister Sarma has favoured continuing with the enforcement of AFSPA in his state.

Recently, RSS leader Indresh Kumar told reporters that even in Kashmir the deployment of forces were automatically minimised once situation improved and the Article 370 was abrogated.

Sources close to the NNPGs, an umbrella of 7 militant groups, leadership have said only a final peace pact can bring a 'natural end' to all controversies pertaining to AFSPA and deployment of security forces in Nagaland and other Naga inhabited areas.

Tangkhul Nagas of NSCN (IM) leader Thuingaleng Muivah have substantial presence in Manipur, which again goes to the polls by February-March along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa.

BJP floor leader in Nagaland and Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton and a former Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang (of NPF) were also present in the meeting with Shah. Patton is also the state Home Minister and a section of BJP leaders in Delhi were not impressed with his performance especially in the context of Oting shooting down.

The deliberations between Shah and northeastern leaders were vital as these took place days after the Nagaland assembly adopted a resolution for repeal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA).

The summoning of the leaders from Nagaland especially on the eve of Christmas and their arrival in the capital along with Assam Chief Minister and NEDA convener Himanta Biswa Sarma signified that talks were sensitive and essential.

The meeting between Mr Shah and the northeastern leaders took place within hours India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on a two-day visit to Myanmar raised matters relating to India's security with Myanmar military rulers especially in the light of the "recent incident in Churachandpur" district in southern Manipur.

The ambush on November 13 claimed the lives of Col Viplab Tripathi, his wife and nine-year-old boy and four jawans. Subsequently, the killing of Naga civilians by security forces in Mon district in a botched up anti insurgency operation has now led to demand for the withdrawal of the AFSPA from Nagaland.

"Entire Naga society has been calling for repeal of AFSPA and that voice is at its loudest today," said Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on December 20 while piloting forcefully an official resolution in the Assembly seeking immediate repeal of the controversial law that gives some impunity to armed forces.

Assam Chief Minister Sarma for his part, however, said AFSPA will continue in his state. The argument being the withdrawal of AFSPA cannot be a call of the government alone. It has to depend on the overall situation, law and order situation of the state.

"Now suppose I withdraw, will that be reciprocated by the militant organisations?" he said in Guwahati a few days back.

The Oting killing of Konyak Naga civilians and subsequent violence in Mon town on December 5 have led to the demand for withdrawal of the AFSPA, considered an essential piece of legislation for army operations in north east and in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the Churachandpur ambush on November 13, one colonel Viplab Tripathi, his wife and nine-year boy were killed along with four jawans. Six others were injured when PLA and little known Manipur Naga People's Front militants attacked the forces at Behiang in Churachandpur district.

Apprehensions were expressed in certain quarters that Oting killing and subsequent developments could even lead to derailment or stalling of the hard-owned Naga peace talks that had begun in August 1997.

The Oting killing of Konyak Naga civilians and subsequent violence in Mon town on December 5 have led to the demand for withdrawal of the AFSPA, considered an essential piece of legislation for army operations in north east and in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the Churachandpur ambush on Nov 13, one colonel Viplab Tripathi, his wife and nine-year boy were killed along with four jawans.

Six others were injured when PLA and little known Manipur Naga People's Front militants attacked the forces at Behiang in Churachandpur district.

Apprehensions were expressed in certain quarters that Oting killing and subsequent developments could even lead to derailment or stalling of the hard-owned Naga peace talks that had begun in August 1997.

As it is the NSCN (IM) has stuck to its demand for Flag and a Separate Constitution that has only lingered the peace talks.

In 2019, the then Nagaland Governor R N Ravi had said the peace talks were over and final pact was to be inked. However, the NSCN (IM)'s twin demands have posed hurdles although NNPGs, a conglomeration of 7 Naga groups operating in Nagaland, were keen for an early signing of the peace agreement.

Meanwhile, a four-member panel of party leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Jitendra Singh, Ajoy Kumar and Anto Antony submitted a report on Nagaland situation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Notably, K. Therie, the president of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee, has blamed Chief Minister Rio for the recent Oting incident. "It is a game plan to derail the peace process," Therie has alleged.

"Nothing can happen in the state without the knowledge of the Chief Minister and state Home Minister as the law and order is a state subject," he said and maintained the movement of 21 para troopers from Assam in Nagaland on the fateful day, December 4, was not possible without the knowledge of authorities in Nagaland.

(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of books, 'The Talking Guns: North East India' and 'Modi to Moditva: An Uncensored Truth')
San Francisco, Dec 24 : Two people, a 14-year-old girl, were killed during a shooting incident at a store in Los Angeles, authorities said.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon in progress at the Burlington store in North Hollywood at around 11.45 a.m. on Thursday, reports Xinhua news agency.

At the location, officers encountered the suspect who was in the process of assaulting another person, the LAPD said on Twitter.

The suspect was struck by gunfire and taken into custody.

Paramedics responded and determined the suspect dead at scene.

One victim was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained as a result of the suspect's attack and remains under unknown condition at this time, according to the department.

As officers contacted the suspect, one bullet of the officer's rounds penetrated a wall that was behind the suspect.

Officers searched the room behind the wall and found a 14-year-old female victim who was struck by gunfire, LAPD tweeted.

LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi told the media the girl was found deceased in the room and "preliminarily, we believe that round was an officer's round", City News Service, a regional wire service covering Southern California, reported.

It added that it remained unclear if the suspect was armed, but no gun has been found.

Choi called it a "tragic and unfortunate sequence of events", according to City News Service.
Hyderabad, Dec 24 : The American Telugu Association (ATA) has facilitated a $20 million investment in Indian startups by organising business seminars since 2014.

According to the association, which is working to promote Telugu community in the US, they have been conducting business seminars in Hyderabad once every two years.

These business seminars encouraged multiple companies to move into second tier cities; and start T-Hub in Khammam town, which was a big accomplishment made possible by Lax Chepuri, ATA co-chair for business.

The business seminar held in Hyderabad on Thursday focused on encouraging Telugu entrepreneurs with mentorship and funding. The meet was aimed at promoting the business environment in tier-II cities of Telangana.

This is an initiative to encourage business ideas, mentor young entrepreneurs, provide a platform for venture capitalists, and startup companies. Nearly 100 mentors, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and technology experts based in the US and in India attended the seminar.

"This business seminar agenda was multifold, to increase networking and interaction between the US-based Telugu entrepreneurs and business owners based in Telangana; mentor and invest in start-up companies in India, especially those based in Telangana; and attract more companies into second tier cities like Khammam, Warangal, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, and Nizamabad," said Kashi Kotha, the Business Committee Chair for ATA Vedukalu.

"Telugu entrepreneurs are gaining prominence across the US and around the world. This ATA business seminar is an effort to promote US-India partnerships and encourage entrepreneurs to invest in various districts across Telangana," said Jayanth Challa, Conference Advisory Committee Chair, ATA.

In addition to mentoring and potential investment discussions between investors, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, the seminar is also the launch pad for a continuous dialogue between various enterprises planning to move to second tier cities and officials representing the Telangana government.

Senior executives of the state government took part in the seminar, including Jayesh Ranjan, IT Secretary; Puvvada Ajay Kumar, Transport Minister; Vijay Rangineni, CEO IT Investments Telangana government, and Srikanth Sinha, CEO Telangana Academy of Skill and Knowledge.

ATA President Bhuvanesh Boojala, ATA President Elect Madhu Bommineni, Conference Coordinator Kiran Pasham and others addressed the seminar.

The ATA is a premier national organisation established in 1990 in the USA representing over 500,000 people across the US, majority of whom are first generation Indians coming from the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

It is involved in promoting community services, business, cultural and social activities, student assistance, and preservation and promotion of Telugu language and heritage in the US, and across the globe.
Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 24 : Several agencies have begun a probe if there was a violation of protocol done by the vehicle carrying the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor, Arya Rajendran when the visiting President Ram Nath Kovind was travelling from the airport to attend an event in the capital city.

Kovind, who is on a state visit, arrived from Kochi on Thursday morning at the airport in state capital.

He was to be present at the inauguration of the event to unveil a statue of the late P.N. Panicker, the pioneer of learning, literacy and library movements, in the city.

It was when the presidential convoy with Kovind travelling second in the 14 vehicle-cavalcade was moving towards Poojapura, nearly 8 km from the airport, the vehicle carrying the Mayor was trying to enter into the convoy as she was also to be present on the stage with Kovind at the event.

After travelling a few kilometres, her vehicle got into the convoy near the General hospital and followed the eighth vehicle of the convoy.

According to sources, this was a serious lapse done by the district Mayor and as soon as her vehicle entered into the ninth position, vehicles behind her had to halt Central agencies have started a probe into what they allege is a serious lapse of protocol and will submit a report on this. The Kerala Police is looking into the matter as well.

Time and again the district Mayor has been in the news for various reasons.

She first came in the limelight in December 2020, after becoming the youngest Mayor in the country at the age of 21.

Since then she has come under attack from the BJP, the main opposition in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, for allegations of corruption.
Addis Ababa, Dec 24 : The Ethiopian government has announced a successful competition of the latest military operation against rebel forces in the northern Afar and Amhara regions.

The Ethiopian government forces have "routed the terrorist group forces in the Afar and Amhara regions, and effectively prevented (the rebel group) from taking ammunitions it brought to the areas it had invaded to its final destination," Xinhua news agency quoted state-run Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) citing Legesse Tulu, Minister of Government Communication Service, as saying.

"The government has decided to order the army to keep the stronghold in liberated areas without further proceeding due to various reasons." Noting that the aim of the operation was to liberate the two regions from the occupation of the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the Minister stressed that the entire Afar and Eastern zones of the Amhara have been cleared of the aggression of forces loyal to the TPLF as per the plan.

The conflict that started in early November last year in the country's Northernmost Tigray region between the TPLF and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) following the former's attack on the northern military command of the latter had over the second half of 2021 expanded further southwards, affecting the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions.

The ENDF had initially taken control of Mekelle, Tigray's capital, within less than one month from the ousted rebel group, which used to rule the region for about three decades.

In June, the federal government announced a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew its forces from the region, emphasising the move would facilitate humanitarian assistance, peaceful livelihood and agriculture activities amid the approaching rainy season.

Forces loyal to the TPLF soon took control of much of the area in the region, including the regional capital.

The conflict has since expanded to Amhara and Afar, which was followed by a six-month nationwide state of emergency rule by the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives (HoPR) to ward off forces of the TPLF -- an entity designated as a terrorist organization by Parliament.

In line with the national call, which the Ethiopian government dubbed a "survival campaign", Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed joined frontline combat late last month, followed by strong mobilisation among the general public.

The massive nationwide mobilisation seems to have played a role as the ENDF, supported by regional allies and the popular movement, intensified its military operations against the rebel fighters.

Over the past month, the ENDF, together with regional forces and militia fighters, has claimed control of strategic cities and towns across Amhara and Afar, reversing months of battlefield gains by the rebel forces, eventually forcing the rebel forces to withdraw from the regions against their initial plans.
United Nations, Dec 24 : Taking note of the delay in the proposed elections in Libya, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the need for the polls to go ahead in appropriate conditions.

The Secretary-General has taken note of the announcement on Wednesday by the Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC) that the first round of the presidential poll, which was scheduled for December 24, will be delayed, Xinhua news agency quoted Farhan Haq, Guterres's deputy spokesman, as saying in a statement.

The Libyan parliamentary elections, originally planned to be held also on December 24, had already been postponed to January 2022.

"The Secretary-General commends the 2.8 million Libyans who have registered to vote. It is imperative that the will of the people is respected. Presidential and parliamentary elections must take place in Libya in the appropriate conditions to peacefully end the political transition and transfer power to democratically elected institutions," said the statement.

In this regard, Guterres took note of the HNEC's recommendation to the House of Representatives and welcomed its continued commitment to the ongoing presidential and parliamentary electoral process, said the statement.

The HNEC on Wednesday proposed to postpone the first round of the presidential election to January 24, 2022, provided that the House of Representatives "takes the necessary measures to lift the state of force majeure that obstructs the electoral process".

The most notable presidential candidates in the fray include Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi; Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the eastern-based army; Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Parliament; and Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the incumbent Prime Minister.

The Secretary-General's special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, and the UN Support Mission in Libya will continue to support a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process to address outstanding challenges and ensure the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.
Ramallah, Dec 24 : Palestine has called on the UN Security Council to protect people against the Israeli settlers' assaults in the West Bank.

The Palestinian presidency said in a statement that it urges the international community, especially the UN Security Council, "to urgently intervene to provide international protection for the Palestinian people", reports Xinhua news agency/ Referring to the recent escalation of tensions in the West Bank, the statement said that "the Israeli measures would thwart the US and the international efforts to revive the stalled peace process".

On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a message to the international community before Christmas Eve, the official news agency WAFA reported.

Abbas said in his message that "Christmas reminds us of the importance of justice, resilience and the Palestinian people's quest for human dignity and freedom".

Meanwhile, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Voice of Palestine earlier on Thursday that the meeting between Abbas and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Ramallah on Wednesday "was candid and frank".

"During the meeting, President Abbas stated that he was waiting for US President Joe Biden to fulfill his promises on the two-state solution, reopening the US Consulate in Jerusalem and ensuring that Israel halts its settlement construction," he said.
December 24 : Hrithik Roshan will celebrate Christmas in Maldives as he landed in the island nation along with his mother Pinkie Roshan, son Hrehaan and cousins Suranika, Eshaan and Pashmina Roshan.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Pinkie Roshan shared a bunch of pictures from Maldives. In one of the pictures, Hrithik can be seen smiling as he looked up at the night sky while Pinkie Roshan can be seen standing behind him enjoying a view. Hrithik was dressed in casualsblack shirt, blue denims and a cap. In another picture, the War actor can be seen with Pinkie Roshan, Hrehaan and other family members. Sharing the post, Pinkie captioned it as, "With the moon the son and all my stars."

Although Hrithik is not an avid social media user, he shares spacial posts from time to time. Recently, he dedicated a post to Ayushmann Khurana and Vaani Kapoor, as he was impressed with their performances in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. The War actor took to Twitter and praised Ayushmann and the film as a whole. Calling Ayushmann an extraordinary actor, Hrithik tweeted, "You are one of the finest actors of Indian cinema my friend!! Its been a long time since I got inspired like this. Love it when it happens! Thanks for inspiring me with this one! Extraordinary you are! Huge congrats! Big jhappi @ayushmannk #ChandigarhKareAashiqui."

Hrithik also lauded his War co-star Vaani Kapoor for her performance in the film. My dear dear Vaani! You were the heart and soul of #ChandigarhKareAshiqui ufff you are too too good! Talent like yours is rare and special. You were nothing less than brilliant! So real and strong yet vulnerable. Im a fan! Love you. Now go celebrate!! he tweeted.

Hrithik wished Anil Kapoor, who is celebrating his birthday today. Sharing a photo with the senior actor, Hrithik wrote, "Happiest Birthday to the man who grows younger each year in spirit and health, @anilskapoor! Best wishes to you Sir. From witnessing your legendary presence on sets as a mere assistant, to finally having the opportunity of sharing the screen with you. Super excited for #Fighter!"

On the work front, Hrithik has recently wrapped up the first schedule of the Vikram Vedha remake in Abu Dhabi. Hrithik shot over a schedule spanning 27 days in Abu Dhabi. The film also stars Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte. The action thriller will hit the theatres on September 30, 2022. Hrithik will also be seen in Siddharth Anands Fighter alongside actor Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor. A sequel to War has also been announced but the cast is yet to be revealed. The War sequel will go on floors in 2022.

Latest updates on Christmas 2021
Vijayawada, Dec 24 : Chief Justice of India Justice N.V. Ramana took a bullock cart ride during his visit to native village Ponnavaram in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.

On his first visit to the village after assuming office of the CJI in April this year, he along with his wife took bullock cart ride to reach the village from the outskirts.

The CJI, who received a grand welcome from the villagers and the district administration, offered prayers at the local temple.

As soon as the CJI's convoy reached the borders of the village, people gathered there offered a traditional welcome. Justice Ramana and his wife were then guided to a specially decorated bullock cart which took them to the village.

A festive atmosphere prevailed in the village and for many it was early Sankranti. Folk artists were seen playing traditional musical instruments and performing folk dances as part of the celebrations.

The villagers were elated to see the son of soil in their midst after reaching the top most position in the judiciary. They arranged a civic reception in his honour.

Earlier, district collector, superintendent of police and other officials, public representatives and leaders of various political parties accorded the CJI warm welcome when he reached Garikapadu checkpost to enter the district.

Justice Ramana will spend four hours in the village before returning to Vijayawada. He is scheduled to visit Kanaka Durga temple on Saturday morning. He will attend a High Tea being hosted by the state government the same evening.

A civic reception will also be organised in Vijayawada. Rotary Club of Vijayawada will felicitate him and present him with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mumbai, Dec 24 : Christmas is around the corner and its time for celebration. Television actors are also geared up to celebrate it and have opened up about their plans.

'Dhadkan Zindaggi Kii' actress Additi Gupta has always preferred to be with her near and dear ones on this special day and this year tool she has similar plans.

She says: "The way I celebrate it today is not far from what Christmas has always been for me - the coming together of friends and family. So, without fail I ring in an early celebration with a Christmas party that is always at my home with my nearest and dearest friends and family".

Simaran Kaur of 'Aggar Tum Na Hote' likes everything about Christmas- beautifully decorated Christmas tree, carols, sweets, plum cakes and of course everyone's favourite Santa Claus. She recalls celebrating this festival during her school days.

She says: "I celebrate Christmas with my family by decorating my home with special lights. I even go to a church and go shopping with my mom for my Christmas present. I have studied in a Christian school, Mater Dei in New Delhi. My fondest memory to date has been that I played the role of Santa's reindeer 'Rudolph' and we performed carols with my friends and teachers. I wish to Santa that he makes our world COVID-free so that everyone can enjoy the Christmas festival happily with their loved ones." 'Tere Bina Jiya Jaye Na' actor Avinesh Rekhi shares his fondest memory of Christmas, when he went to Germany and enjoyed there for entire week with family.

"I had gone to Germany with my extended family, especially for the festive celebrations. It was so much fun because for the first time I had actually celebrated the festival for the whole week, right from buying the Christmas tree to decorating it to calling our friends over at home and exchanging gifts and whatnot. On Christmas Eve, the whole city was lit up, and people were enjoying the day like there was no tomorrow. This year I haven't planned anything as such, but I might be going for a quick getaway to a place nearby." 'Bhabiji Ghar Par Hai' famed Shubhangi Atre reveals her secret wish she made to Santa Claus in her childhood.

She shares: "In my school days, a classmate of mine was sharing a story that how Santa Claus came and hung a badminton racket on the Christmas tree, she had at her place. I was very young and believed it was a true story. Though the Christmas celebration was over, I thought of making a similar wish to Santa that I wanted a tape recorder as I was very fond of music and dance. I cut out a Christmas tree from paper and coloured it green and wrote a tape recorder on it, assuming I would be receiving it the next day from Santa Claus." "And it magically did happen, and my Santa was none other than my father. My father was my Santa, and keeping the legacy alive, I am my daughter's secret Santa every year and get her whatever she wishes. I wish my fans a Merry Christmas and urge them also to be a secret Santa for their loved ones," adds the actress on how her wish was fulfilled by her father.

Latest updates on Christmas 2021

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Dec 24 : 'Kashibai Bajirao Ballal' actress Aarohi Patel has shared her experience of shooting for the wedding sequence in the show.

In the coming episodes, Bajirao, played by Venkatesh Pande, will be seen getting married to Aarohi's Kashibai.

She says: "It is not easy to shoot for a wedding sequence, especially when you have to pull off such a heavy sari and jewelry. Being a Gujarati girl, I have also never witnessed a Maratha wedding like this." Aarohi finds the wedding rituals quite different from what she has witnessed in Gujarat.

"It was so different from the typical Gujarati weddings, but I enjoyed it a lot. It's great to be able to live and experience a Marathi wedding through my show. I am happy that at such a young age, I am getting to live such an epic character and the traditions of the 18th century," she adds.

'Kashibai Bajirao Ballal' airs on Zee TV.
United Nations, Dec 24 : UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights in and out of the airport in Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa have been cancelled, said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The civil aviation authorities in Sanaa have effectively prevented humanitarian flights into and out of the airport since Sunday, Xinhua news agency quoted the OCHA as saying.

"UNHAS is a vital link for the movement of aid workers and the delivery of humanitarian supplies into Yemen. As we reported earlier in the week, a UN team visited the airport on December 21 to assess the damage caused by airstrikes the night before and noted that it remains operational for emergency humanitarian use.

"The UN is exploring alternatives to move supplies and staff into and out of Sanaa," said OCHA.

The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes on Sanaa.

"We continue to call on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law and to take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects throughout military operations as well as to preserve the civilian character of public infrastructure," said OCHA.

The US also reiterates its call for the airport to be open for regular civilian and commercial flights and calls for the seaport of Hodeidah to be fully operational, it added.
Patna, Dec 24 : A Maoist group allegedly killed newly-elected 'mukhiya' (village headman) Parmanand Tuddu in Bihar's Munger district for defying their diktats in the recently held panchayat polls.

The deceased, Parmanand Tudu was threatened earlier by the group to withdraw his nomination from the panchayat election. A Maoist leader Pravesh Da had imposed a ban and Parmanand was asked not to contest the election on October 13.

Kunal Kumar, Munger Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the incident. He said that Tudu was expected to take oath as the mukhiya in a swearing-in ceremony on Friday.

"We have launched a search operation in the area to nab the Naxals," he added.

Sources said that more than 100 Maoists carrying sophisticated firearms attacked the house of Tudu on Thursday night on the eve of his swearing-in ceremony in his native village Mathura under the Dharahara police station. They allegedly surrounded the house and forcibly dragged him out.

The attackers then made an 'announcement of death penalty to Tudu on a loudspeaker for contesting the panchayat election' and then slit his throat, polcie said.

After executing the murder, the Maoist group shouted slogans and fled to the nearby jungle.

Tudu was elected as the village headman from Azimganj panchayat.
Bogota, Dec 24 : The direction of flights to and from the Colombian capital of Bogota will be modified due to smoke from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano and it may cause delays, the state-run Civil Aviation Authority announced.

"Because of the smoke from the Nevado del Ruiz volcano reaching 27,000 feet high, the Civil Aviation Authority informs that air traffic to and from Bogota, and from southern and western parts of the country, will be redirected," Xinhua news agency quoted the Authority as saying in a tweet.

The agency also said that itineraries may be affected, so it asked travellers to contact their respective airlines for more information.

"The Civil Aviation Authority, along with operators, are working in coordination to minimise the impact that this natural phenomenon may have for the safety of air operations and service to users," it said.

The Nevado del Ruiz is a volcano on the border of the departments of Caldas and Tolima in Colombia, about 129 km west of Bogota.

On November 13, 1985, a small eruption produced an enormous lava flow that buried and destroyed the town of Armero in Tolima, causing an estimated 25,000 deaths.

The volcano continues to pose a threat to the nearby towns and villages, and it is estimated that up to 500,000 people could be at risk from future eruptions.
Bengaluru, Dec 24 : Robotic process automation (RPA) provider Automation Anywhere on Friday said it is acquiring US-based FortressIQ, a Cloud-based process discovery and mining company, for an undisclosed sum.

With the acquisition of FortressIQ, Automation Anywhere will advance its AI-powered, cloud-native Automation 360 platform with process discovery, intelligence, and optimisation that can scale to any system or application across any vertical.

"Together, Automation Anywhere and FortressIQ will reshape the future of automation, changing the way our customers automate, adapt, and accelerate as they pursue digital transformation initiatives," said Mihir Shukla, CEO and Co-Founder, Automation Anywhere.

Demand for robotic process automation has skyrocketed as the pandemic endures and companies look for new ways to streamline business processes.

"Automation Anywhere is a global leader of the RPA revolution, and nearly two decades later, is reimagining automation to be cloud-native, intelligent, and designed for every person in every company," said Pankaj Chowdhry, CEO and Founder, FortressIQ.

Automation Anywhere customers have collectively implemented nearly 3 million automations, with leading companies deploying tens of thousands of bots throughout their organisations, primarily in the cloud, said the company.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : US President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill that aims to punish China for human rights abuses against ethnic and religious minorities, including the Uyghurs, in the Xinjiang region, The Hill news outlet reported.

The bipartisan legislation, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent last week, bans imports of goods from the Xinjiang region unless individuals or companies demonstrate that the materials were made without forced labour, the report said.

The bill, called the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, is the latest effort by the US to punish China for alleged abuse of millions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

The US has accused China of committing genocide against Uyghurs, the report added.

Last week, the Biden administration blacklisted elements of China's biotechnology sector that officials said are involved in human rights abuses.

Senator Marco Rubio in a statement on Thursday called the legislation "the most important and impactful action taken thus far by the US to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their use of slave labour".

"It will fundamentally change our relationship with Beijing," Rubio said.

"This law should also ensure that Americans no longer unknowingly buy goods made by slaves in China. I look forward to working with the Biden administration and my colleagues to ensure the new law is implemented correctly and enforced properly."
New Delhi, Dec 24: The unfortunate incident in Nagaland on December 4 is again being used to stoke the fire, rather than support a united effort for stability and long-term resolution of the Naga issue, that dates back to Indias independence.

On December 4, the Army's Special Forces, acting on specific intelligence, laid an ambush for insurgents. Six innocent people were killed when the ambush fired on a vehicle suspected to be ferrying the insurgents. The Army authorities were quick to acknowledge that it was a case of 'mistaken identity' and army personnel on the ground swiftly evacuated the two injured to a nearby hospital.

As the evening progressed, angry locals attacked the Army personnel. One soldier was killed and many more were injured. Two army vehicles were burnt. In order to disperse the mob, the Army personnel opened fire and consequently, seven people died in the firing.

Violence continued the following day, as the Company Operating Base of Assam Rifles in Mon town was attacked by an infuriated mob, compelling the forces to open fire to protect lives and property. One person was killed, and another injured in the firing.

On December 6, Union Home Minister Amit Shah unequivocally regretted the incident in Parliament and ordered an interagency SIT to carry out the investigations and submit its report within a month.

Additionally, a Court of Inquiry was ordered by the Indian Army. The inquiry team, led by a Major General, will examine the circumstances under which the incident happened, pinpoint responsibility; and recommend measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

While the events are still being investigated by the authorities, the fury and anger of the people is being stoked to demand revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). This tendency, however, is neither new nor surprising. After any unfortunate incident, deliberate attempts are made by vested interests to use AFSPA to deepen the sense of alienation by playing on sentiments of cultural and racial divide, and to even promote secessionism.

'Why do the Security Forces need AFSPA', is the immediate and often asked question, bypassing the more fundamental understanding of what necessitated AFSPA in the given place. The Union Government declares an area to be a 'disturbed area' after considerable deliberation when over a period of time there is a significantly deteriorating law and order situation beyond the control of police. Distinction needs to be made between situations that merit areas to be declared disturbed vis-a-vis where Armed Forces are called out to aid civil authorities for undertaking Flag March, in situations such as riots. AFSPA is applied to counter insurgency situations where there is grave threat to the internal security of the country. Moreover, there is reason to believe that there is external support.

It is important to note that the 'disturbed area' label and AFSPA are not meant to be permanent. In India's experience of counterinsurgency, the security forces have been successful in stabilising the situation militarily on repeated occasions. Logically, stability of the security situation should lead to political resolution of the conflict, revocation of the 'disturbed area' and AFSPA. But experience suggests that this may not always be the case.

We have witnessed instances of revocation following political resolutions in Punjab and Mizoram. In Tripura the revocation was done progressively as the situation started to improve in the jurisdiction of various Police Stations. By May 2015, the AFSPA was fully revoked from Tripura, with then Chief Minister Manik Sarkar stating: "The security forces recently exhaustively reviewed the law-and-order situation in the state. Considering the reports of the security forces, the council of ministers decided to recommend to the union home ministry to issue a notification to withdraw the AFSPA." Likewise, with effect from 1 April 2018, AFSPA was revoked from Meghalaya in light of improved security situation. On the same day, AFSPA was withdrawn from eight police stations' jurisdiction in Arunachal Pradesh while keeping it operational in the three districts bordering Myanmar- Tirap, Longding and Changlang.

In the case of Nagaland, unfortunately, peace has been elusive as the political process has been slow and sluggish. In August 1997, a ceasefire was declared with NSCN (IM) and a unilateral cease-fire by NSCN (Khaplang) faction also came into effect in April 2000. Meanwhile, there were multiple splits in both NSCN (IM) & (K), due to some cadres being against any ceasefire and peace negotiations.

In August 2015, a Framework Agreement was signed between the Government of India and NSCN (IM), and four years later, on 31 October 2019, another ceasefire agreement was signed by all NSCN factions to finalise the Naga Peace Accord. Lately, the Gaon Bura Association of Nagaland and other Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) showed political resolve, and they are also being included, as the peace process progresses slowly, albeit more inclusively.

Concomitant to the political process, many initiatives are being taken by the Union Government to expedite economic and infrastructural development of the Northeast. Prime Minister Modi, in his Independence Day speech this year, said that "the work to connect the state capitals in the region with rail services will be completed soon", the region would be further connected with Bangladesh, Myanmar and Southeast Asia. Northeast India is indeed the springboard for the Government's Act East policy, thereby peace and stability is an imperative.

Connectivity projects undertaken by the Government to integrate the Northeast are affected by the disturbed security situation. Kidnappings, threat calls to site engineers, attacks, firing and kidnapping for ransom continue to stall progress of the 111-km Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal rail line. In August this year, two days before the inauguration of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR)'s special tourist train, members of the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) rebel group put seven trucks on fire and killed five people. Similar security challenges stare at Nagaland's infrastructure projects such as the 82-km Dimapur-Kohima railway line scheduled to be completed by 2023.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that security threats cannot be traced to a single source, as they emanate from multiple factions of insurgent groups. Although the NSCN cadres in the ceasefire are located in designated camps, they continue to violate the ceasefire rules and move around freely, indulging in violence, extortion, and blockades. With little or no public reaction against the cadres, making a distinction between friend and foe becomes very difficult for the security forces.

China's influence has been a further aggravating factor. China's involvement in training Naga, Meitei, and Mizo rebel groups since the early sixties is well known. In July 2011, seven Meitei outfits of Manipur, with the support of NSCN(K), created a combined front called 'Coordination Committee', an approach advocated for long by China.

Confessions of surrendered militants reveal that terrorist groups in both Assam and Nagaland have received major arms consignments from China from time to time. Top NSCN (IM) Arms organiser, Anthony Shimray (now in custody) had confirmed that NSCN (IM) along with ULFA (anti talk faction) have "very close connections" with China. Yunnan in China has become known as the centre for arms procurement.

The contention that AFSPA provides 'sweeping powers' to armed forces and provides 'blanket protection' from criminal prosecution is incorrect. There is provision for prosecution of security personnel, with the consent of the Central Government. Army has invariably ordered inquiries whenever the situation so required. Accountability is fixed and action taken against individuals for lapses once determined. Punishment awarded to the guilty in the Machhal case and the ongoing investigations in the Shopian case, amongst others, testify the same. Armed Forces fulfil constitutional responsibilities upholding the law of the land. The fact that Army personnel are additionally subject to the Army Act and Army Rules, imply that they are subjected to laws that are more stringent than the civilian citizen.

Another argument often cited by critics of AFSPA is that there are no rules for application of AFSPA. The Supreme Court of India, while upholding the Act, has issued guidelines on application of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Based on the Supreme Court guidelines, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been issued.

Indian Army had created the Human Rights Cell in March 1993, in fact before the Human Rights Commission was established in October 1993, under the aegis of Protection of Human Rights Act of 1993. The cell is meant to promote and protect human rights and is tasked with monitoring and responding to alleged Human Rights (HR) violations by Army personnel. Similar cells are also set up at the Command, Corps and Division/Force HQ level in Counter Insurgency areas.

Unlike Armed Forces around the world operating in counter insurgency/counter terrorist operations, Indian Army follows the principle of 'minimum essential force'. Heavy calibre weapons, artillery, armed/attack helicopters, armed UAVs, or fighter aircrafts are not used. Army's operations are launched based on specific intelligence, and the cordon and search operations that were common in the early years of counter insurgency, have been done away with. This obviously entails increased security risk of security forces running into traps by intelligence sources that are often compromised.

Recently, on December 16, when the country was celebrating the Golden Jubilee of India's spectacular victory over Pakistan, our security forces rescued two girls taken hostage by terrorists in Kulgam in South Kashmir and eliminated the terrorists. In situations like this, where insurgents/terrorists merge with the locals by seeking shelter amongst the populace, or use civilians as human shield, the Forces can't be expected to deliver without the protection of AFSPA.

The situation in Nagaland is fragile. Internally there are conflicting political agendas to contend with. The porous borders with Myanmar enable easy movement of terrorists, drugs and arms smuggling. The influence of China cannot be wished away. Even slight instability can send the situation hurtling down an abyss. At this crucial juncture when the Nagaland Peace Process is in an advanced stage, we should not lower our guard by revoking AFSPA. Let the investigations conclude and the law take its course in dealing with the 4-5 December incident.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Of the 28 dams that were found to have major deficiencies of multiple kinds, deficiencies in 20 are to be rectified even after 11 to 69 months of their being pointed out, a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has found.

The rectification of deficiencies of dams has a direct bearing on the safety of these dams.

"Estimates for repairs of only eight dams were prepared but estimates of the seven of them were not even sanctioned by the higher officials," the CAG report on economic sector for the year ended March 31, 2019, Government of Madhya Pradesh, said.

The Water Resources Department (WRD) of Madhya Pradesh government is the principal agency for construction and maintenance of large and small dams. There were 4,523 (906 large and 3617 small) dams in the state as of December 2019.

The State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) had inspected 510 dams during the years 2016-17 to 2018-19 and reported 73 dams (72 dams under category II and one dam under Category I), which needed immediate repairs.

There is a three-stage dam inspection system and on the basis of the degree of emergency envisaged for attending and executing remedial measures, dams have been categorised into four types. Category I has dams having major deficiencies, which may lead to complete failure/mere (partial) failure and need attention at once while category II has dams with minor to medium deficiencies, which are rectifiable but need immediate attention.

The CAG had selected only 16 divisions for audit and the report brought out alarming statistics from the areas pertaining to only those divisions.

In the selected 16 divisions, 28 dams under Category II had major deficiencies, viz. heavy leakage from central masonry/dam body, choking of seepage drains, water pooling near downstream toe drains, formation of weed growth, disturbance of pitching, erosion of top width, leakage from sluice and damage of sluice, etc. For rectification of these deficiencies, estimates should have been prepared immediately.

Audit noticed that out of these 28 dams, estimates of only eight dams were prepared (February 2018-May 2019) by the Executive Engineers concerned, and of these, only one estimate (that of Chandora) was sanctioned (April 2018) under Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP-II); estimates of the remaining seven were not sanctioned by the Chief Engineers concerned even after eight to 24 months of their submission.

"Deficiencies in the remaining 20 dams have not been rectified even after 11 to 69 months of their being pointed out. Government replied (September 2020) that the estimates are being framed as per observations of SDSO and discussions to take up under DRIP-II were in progress," the CAG report released earlier this week said and warned, "The government needs to act quickly, as delay in preparation of estimates delayed the process of rectification of deficiencies of dams, which will affect the safety of these dams."
Jaipur, Dec 24 : Almost half the complaints of crime against women in Rajasthan are fake, said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in an email interview to IANS.

As per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Rajasthan recorded the highest number of rape cases in the country last year followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The crime data for 2020 released by the NCRB showed Rajasthan reported the highest number of rape cases among the states. A total of 5,310 rape cases were registered in various police stations across the state.

However, the CM in an exclusive interview with IANS, said, "It is a matter of concern that a lot of people are maligning this policy. 45.88 per cent of the FIRs lodged for crimes against women in 2019, 45.23 per cent in 2020 and 47.56 per cent in 2021, till June, were found to be fake. This means that almost half the complaints received for crimes against women are fake. The state is being maligned due to people misusing the law in this manner. And you already know how FIRs are lodged in other states." He further said, "It is written at the beginning of the NCRB report that crime is a result of various circumstances prevailing in the society. We should avoid comparing states solely on the basis of these figures due to various state specific policies and procedures. Some people make a mistake by assuming that increase in crime and increase in registration of crime are the same thing. The media and the Opposition are also making the same mistake.

"Our government implemented the policy of mandatory registration of FIRs in 2019. Earlier, the police used to write a report on a blank paper and lodged an FIR when they found any evidence. But the women and the marginalised communities used to face trouble a lot of times due to this and they weren't heard. Now everyone's FIR is registered due to which every case is taken to its logical end. This has provided much relief to the common man.

"Earlier, 33 per cent FIRs in rape cases were lodged through courts under CrPC section 156(3). Due to a policy of free registration, this figure is now just 15 per cent. Not just this, in 2019, our government set up a special unit for investigation of crimes against women under an officer of Deputy SP rank in every district -- this was promoted to Additional SP. Due to this, the investigation in heinous cases such as rape has decreased from 274 days in 2017-18 to 73 days. We have also appointed legal officers in courts and have made such an arrangement that the culprit isn't let off by the courts either. This is the reason why you keep reading in newspapers now that the accused is getting punishment in ten days or that a decision is being made within a month," he added.

According to the NCRB data, the year 2020 was the second consecutive year when the state registered the highest number of rape cases. In 2019, around 5,997 rape cases were registered in various police stations of the state.
Bhopal, Dec 24 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be facing a tough time ahead as he will have to maintain his people-friendly image and tackle discontent brewing in the party in the run-up to the urban bodies and Panchayat polls which will set the tone for the Assembly elections in 2023.

Chouhan is known among the masses as 'paon paon wale bhaiya' (foot soldier) and 'betiyon ke mama' (maternal uncle), but with the passage of time, it is not easy for any political leader to keep his/her image intact, and so is the case with Shivraj.

Chouhan, who is the state's longest serving Chief Minister and has been elected to the position thrice, has implemented many welfare schemes such as Ladli Lashmi Yojana, Kanyadan Vivah Yojana, due to which he became the face of more than half the population of the state.

His Sambal Yojana which aims to strengthen the lives of the poor and the SC and ST communities by providing them social security cover, right from birth to death, gave him an opportunity to reach out to the poor and backward classes.

The main challenge before Chouhan is reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC). Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath had increased the reservation for OBCs to 27 per cent during his tenure, but as the matter is in court, the community is unable to reap its benefit.

On the one hand, the OBCs are unable to get the benefit of increased reservation in jobs, while on the other hand Panchayat polls have prompted a new debate.

On the directions of the Supreme Court, the State Election Commission has postponed the polls for the OBC community in the reserved Panchayat areas. The Congress is holding the government responsible for this.

Experts are of the view that Chouhan is standing at the crossroads where his party can benefit or suffer a loss.

The Madhya Pradesh government along with the Centre on Wednesday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court against the latter's December 17 order staying polling for all OBC-reserved seats.

If OBC reservation continues in the Panchayat polls, then the BJP will benefit.

BJP spokesperson Durgesh Kesvani said the BJP governments at the Centre and the state are working for public welfare.

Welfare schemes are being run for every strata of society. Chouhan's popularity is intact. The Congress had pushed the state back in its 15-month rule. Kamal Nath's priorities changed after the Assembly polls. People have come to know the true face of the Congress, Kesvani added.

The priority of Shivraj Singh Chouhan and the BJP has been public welfare and that is the reason the people rejected the Congress in the bypolls and showed them a mirror, he claimed.

Though the BJP doesn't see any big challenge for the Chief Minister, the Congress is raising questions about Chouhan.

Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafeez said Chouhan's image took a beating in 2018 Assembly elections itself.

Hafeez said under Chouhan, who dubs himself as 'Mama' (maternal uncle), crime against women has increased, farmers were promised that their income will be doubled but many of them committed suicide.

Madhya Pradesh topped the country in such matters, that is the reason people voted Chouhan out of power in the 2018 polls, Hafeez claimed.

"Shivraj, who again formed the government after horse-trading of MLAs, carried forward the schemes which were introduced by the Congress-led Kamal Nath government." Voices of dissent are rising within the BJP. It is being said that the BJP does not want to enter the poll fray with Chouhan as the party's face, he added.
Film: 'Don't Look Up' (Streaming on Netflix); Duration: 138 minutes Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Evans, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Mark Rylance, Timothee Chalamet

IANS Rating: **1/2 Director Adam McKay's 'Don't Look Up' is a sci-fi-based goofy satire that gets uncomfortably real. At its core, it delivers a very sharp treatise on the dysfunctional state of affairs in politics and media, in which everyone is so short-sighted as to be unable to focus on an existential threat.

The film begins with a pair of Michigan State astronomers, Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his Ph.D. Student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discovering a huge comet. But the excitement of the discovery soon fizzles out when they realise that the comet's trajectory leads to a direct collision with Earth in a little over six months, and it will cause an extinction-level event.

Understandably alarmed, they rush to the White House to inform President Orlean (Meryl Steep), who along with her son and chief of staff Jason Orlean (Jonah Hill), does not take the duo seriously. The astronomers struggle to get their message across because no one wants to hear bad news. So, they then attempt to break the news of their findings via the media. They appear on the morning news talk show anchored by Jack Bremmer (Tyler Perry) and Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett), who stand out as self-absorbed TV anchors. Here they are told to keep things light. When Kate explodes in frustration and tells the hosts that doomsday is near, she becomes a meme.

Then there is a tech billionaire Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance), who sees opportunities to cash in on the comet's natural resources.

The premise of the film may sound absurd- if it did not feel so close to reality. The narrative races with a scathing indictment of everything about our media and political ecosystem. It makes you open your eyes at; the erosion of our ability to react in time, to understand that something awful could happen, and it is happening right now.

The seriousness of the issue gets thawed with the piling up of celebrities in minor roles with their specific agenda or subplots who basically serve as flashy and somewhat unnecessary window dressing. So, what starts on a serious, hot-dramatic note gradually becomes a lukewarm comedic flawed tale.

While Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill act as caricatures, the rest of the entire cast delivers an earnest performance.

Overall, the title 'Don't Look Up' aptly implies the Ostrich syndrome, which we humans often indulge.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Khartoum, Dec 24 : A UN official has voiced grave concerns over alleged acts of sexual violence by the Sudanese security forces during demonstrations in Khartoum earlier this week and called for accountability for those responsible.

Pramila Patten, the UN secretary-general's special representative on sexual violence in conflict, was deeply concerned about "credible reports of serious human rights violations, including the use of rape and gang rape of women and girls to disperse protesters", Xinhua news agency quoted her office as saying.

"I demand the immediate and complete cessation of all human rights violations and abuses including sexual violence. I call on the authorities to take effective measures to ensure ease of access to medical, legal and psychosocial support to the survivors, and put in place accountability mechanisms to prevent reoccurrence of such violence," she was quoted as saying.

"The perpetrators of these human rights violations must be identified and prosecuted. I join the call of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual harassment." Patten called on the international community, including members of the Security Council, to use their good offices with leaders of Sudan to demand an end to all forms of violence and intimidation against civilians, including sexual violence.

With further protests planned, it is crucial that security forces act in full respect for international law and standards regulating the use of force, her office added.

On Sunday, thousands of Sudanese protesters managed to break a security cordon and reach the presidential palace in capital Khartoum, demanding a civilian rule on the third anniversary of the December revolution, which toppled the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir.

The huge crowd managed to cross three bridges linking cities of Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman despite the intensive security presence.

The security forces fired tear gas, forcing the majority of the demonstrators to retreat.

The country has been suffering a political crisis after General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on October 25 and dissolved the sovereign council and government.
Mumbai, Dec 24 : Actor Akshay Mhatre, who currently plays the protagonist Varun in the television show 'Ghar Ek Mandir - Kripa Agrasen Maharaj Ki', says that he couldn't relate to his on screen role initially.

He says: "The initial phase of my currently played role Varun was not something that I could relate to, as he was self centric, super lazy and arrogant. The only thing I could relate to was his love for playing games on his cell phone." "Varun now in the later phase is much more mature, caring, sensitive and a family man which is in a kind similar to me. I'm enjoying essaying the role." The actor calls actress Shrenu Parikh, who essays Genda in the show, an amazing co-actor.

"Shrenu is an amazing co star. It's super fun to be with her on or off the sets. She's really helpful when it comes to doing some major scenes. And off sets we bond over food, movies and mono deal," he adds.

Akshay is known for featuring in shows like 'Indiawaali Maa' and 'Piyaa Albela' wants to explore different genres.

"As an actor I'm always looking to essay some really challenging and promising roles. I enjoy shooting for powerful and inspiring scenes. I'd love to explore different kinds of roles. That may be positive or negative is okay to me," he concludes.
Wellington, Dec 24 : New Zealand reported 62 new cases of the Delta Covid-19 variant on Friday, increasing the country's overall infection tally to 13,719, according to the Ministry of Health.

Among the new infections, 37 were recorded in the largest city of Auckland, five in nearby Waikato, 14 in Bay of Plenty, five in the Lakes District and one in Canterbury, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

Another person succumbed to the virus, which took the nationwide death toll to 49.

A total of 45 cases are being treated in hospitals, including eight in intensive care units or high dependency units, a Ministry statement said.

To date, 95 per cent of eligible people in New Zealand have received their first dose and 91 per cent are fully vaccinated against the virus.

A series of precautionary measures was announced on Tuesday in light of emerging experience overseas with Omicron, which included shortening the period between the second and booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine from six months to four months.

Vaccinations for 5-11 year-olds will also be available from January 17, authorities said.
Phnom Penh, Dec 24 : The ruling Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) on Friday unanimously decided to endorse Hun Manet, the eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, as the future prime ministerial candidate, according to an official statement.

The decision was made during the CPP's 43rd Central Committee meeting held at the party's headquarters in Phnom Penh, the statement said, adding that the meeting was presided over by Hun Sen and National Assembly President Heng Samrin, reports Xinhua news agency.

Manet, 44, is currently a member of the CPP's Permanent Committee, and in the army, he is a deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and the commander of the Royal Cambodian Army.

Hun Sen announced early this month that Manet will be the next prime ministerial candidate after his possible retirement in 2030.

The 69-year-old has served as the Prime Minister since 1985, making him the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and one of the longest-serving leaders in the world.

Also the CPP's President, Hun Sen is currently serving his sixth term as Prime Minister in de facto one party rule.

Speaking at a press conference after Friday's meeting, CPP spokesman Suos Yara said two senior party members, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tea Banh and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection Men Sam An, were elected as the party's vice presidents during the meeting.

The CPP now has four vice presidents including Senate President Say Chhum and Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sar Kheng, he said.

"The Central Committee has urged all the CPP's members to strengthen solidarity and internal unity, in order to implement the party's political programs and decisions successfully for the sake of the nation and people," Yara said.

He added that the Central Committee also appealed to the Cambodians to protect the country's peace, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : The Youth Congress on Friday filed a complaint with National Human Rights Commission against Mamata Banerjee and Commissioner of Police, Kolkata for assisting the goons in unleashing violence during Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections.

The elections were held on December 19 in which the ruling Trinamool Congress swept the polls but the Congress accused it of indulging in large scale violence against the Opposition parties. Several Congress party candidates were assaulted by the TMC goons, it alleged.

According to Youth Congress Secretary In charge West Bengal Amrish Ranjan Pandey: "The Congress candidate from Ward 16 Rabi Saha was stripped in full public view. Similarly, party candidates and leaders were brutally beaten up in Ward 45 in presence of several police officers. Therefore, there was a large scale violation of human rights and the police department and state administration stood as mute spectators. In some places, they even assisted the goons." In its complaint, the Youth Congress sought an inquiry and action against Mamata Banerjee and Commissioner of Police, Kolkata. "We hope justice will be served to those undergoing surgeries or with broken limbs only when strictest action is taken against the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Earlier, the Youth Congress had approached West Bengal Governor over the issue.
Dhaka, Dec 24 : At least 38 people were killed and 100 others injured when a passenger ferry caught fire in Bangladesh's Jhalokati district on Friday, a senior official said.

Md Nazmul Alam, Jhalokati district's additional deputy commissioner, told Xinhua news agency that the vessel was carrying nearly 1,000 people from Dhaka to Barguna district.

He said the fire broke out in the engine room at about 3 a.m.y due to a technical glitch, forcing the Barguna-bound "MV Abhijan-10" vessel to drop anchor on the banks of the Sugandha River.

"Thirty-eight bodies have so far been recovered following the fire accident," he told Xinhua.

Most of the passengers were asleep when the accident occurred, said the official.

He said a search operation is still underway for an unknown number of missing persons.

"We've come to know that the ferry was carrying about 1,000 passengers," he said, adding that it has been dragged to the bank.

Survivors told local media that many of the passengers jumped into the river to swim ashore in a desperate bid to save their lives as the devastating fire ripped through the vessel for about three hours.

The vessel was reportedly excessively overloaded.

The ferry services in Bangladesh, a key means of transport in the country, usually do not maintain a list of passengers and none can exactly say how many passengers are aboard a ferry.
Hyderabad, Dec 24 : It is reported that the Andhra Pradesh government is going extremely hard on the theatrical releases in the state.

In the wake of unprecedented rides on the movie theatres in the state of Andhra Pradesh, several cinema halls have now been seized by the local authorities, quoting multiple reasons.

As Nani and Sai Pallavi-starrer 'Shyam Singha Roy' hit the screens on Friday, the seizure of theatres has caused a huge loss to the distributors and the businessmen.

It is to be noted that as many as 50 centers in Krishna district of AP were seized on Friday, and so were all 7 of the cinema halls in Madanapalle, Chittoor district.

Also, all four theatres in Kuppam town were seized, causing a huge loss to the people involved in the business.

Of the remaining 36 centers in the Krishna district, 'Shyam Singha Roy' has been released only in six centres, which is an abnormally low count for any notable actor of Tollywood.

Nani's comments on the Andhra Pradesh ticket pricing issues prove to be true, as the movie is one of the biggest sources of money, for hundreds of families, who are now facing serious problems.

"This is shaming the audience", Nani had earlier mentioned, when he spoke up about Andhra Pradesh's situation regarding the movies.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Johannesburg, Dec 24 : India opener and vice-captain KL Rahul has stated that the team is better prepared than their last tour of South Africa in 2018. He added that coming in early has helped in making a good preparation.

India will begin their tour of South Africa with the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion from Sunday.

"We are slightly better prepared than the last time. Hopefully, Mayank (Agarwal) and I will go off to a good start and give the team a good platform. The pace and bounce here are different from all other places in the country. That is why we came here early and are practising with intensity. We had a great week of preparation. Hopefully, we will have a great series," said Rahul in the virtual press conference.

This is the second time Rahul has come to South Africa after 2018 and the right-handed batter believes that the pitches in the country will pose a challenge.

"I haven't played a lot of games in South Africa but my experience is that the pitches could be challenging. Here, the pitch could be spongy. That is the main difference compared to the fast and bouncy pitches of Australia." Asked about his personal preparation ahead of the series, Rahul said, "I try to play close to my body. That has been the preparation. My focus has been really to play tight and not give away wickets in the first 30-35 overs of the new ball." The 29-year-old insisted India will take confidence from wins in Australia and England while taking the field against South Africa.

"It's a huge series for us as a team. We always take away series as a challenge. We have worked really hard on this. Winning in Australia and in England has given us good confidence."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Film: 'Writer'. Duration (Releasing in Theatres): 149 minutes.

Director: Franklin Jacob. Cast: Samudrakani, Ineya. Lizzy Antony, Maheshwari, Hari Krishnan, Subramaniya Siva, Antony and Manickam.

IANS Rating: ***1/2Director Franklin Jacob's 'Writer' is an interesting and engaging thriller that stands out for two reasons. Probably for the first time, a film tells what exactly happens in the lower rungs of the police force and how those at the bottom of the force are treated with contempt and made to work almost like slaves.

The second reason is it tries to make a case for permitting police force personnel to have a union, something which is not possible at the moment.

The film starts off with Thangaraj (Samuthirakani), who works as a writer in a police station in Trichy. On the verge of retirement, Thangaraj has two families to support -- his first wife Amutha (Lizzy Antony) who has separated from him and his second wife Subha (Maheshwari) and her young son with whom he is living at the moment.

Thangaraj has just one dream and that is to have a union for police personnel. It is for this right that he has filed a case and continues to fight, despite several odds.

Thangaraj's move to file a case against the police administration doesn't go down well with the top brass of the police force. One day, a senior officer slaps him and hurls abuses at him for demanding a union for policemen. When he stands his ground and glares back, the officer orders a punishment transfer.

Thangaraj has no other option but to make his way to Chennai. Here again, he is looked down upon by those in the station and made to do tasks that are much below his grade. He bears everything and continues to work.

One day, he is asked to do "para duty". His duty is to go and guard a suspect called Devakumar (Harikrishnan) who has been illegally detained by the inspector and the Deputy Commissioner in a marriage hall.

With no case file or details of why the man has been detained, Thangaraj hesitantly makes his way to the place to guard the suspect. Devakumar, a Ph.D scholar, is a Dalit who hails from a poor family. Thangaraj and the young man begin to get along well. A couple of days later, Thangaraj is asked to set Devakumar free.

A relieved Thangaraj does that but little does he know that both his life and the life of the suspect is about to change...

'Writer' is engaging from the word 'go'. It boldly shows how cops keep crime percentages at optimal levels and how "recoveries" of stolen goods are made and handed back to their owners.

It highlights the bargains that cops strike with those who have lodged complaints to make them withdraw their complaints. It also shows how cops operate in teams to discredit individuals and build non-existant cases. In fact, the film has sequences that show writers conjuring up imaginary situations. In short, it shows how unreliable the statements of police personnel are.

Franklin Jacob seems to have a good understanding of how the system functions and he uses this understanding well to tell a compelling story that draws our attention to the sad state of affairs prevailing in our society.

The film has some exceptional performances coming in from all its actors. Samuthirakani, in particular, is brilliant. He relishes playing a conscientious cop, who is caught between having to lie to protect his colleagues in the police force and trying to save an innocent individual who has incurred the wrath of the cops.

Harikrishnan as the young Dalit who is being framed for no fault of his is equally good. Subramaniya Siva as the uneducated brother of the Dalit suspect is outstanding.

Govind Vasantha's music is just fantastic. It adds life to the proceedings and intensifies the emotions that the film is trying to convey.

'Writer' does not talk just about caste atrocities or atrocities committed by the police force on the public. It also talks about the atrocities the force commits on its own personnel and makes a strong demand for a redressal mechanism to be put in place.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Smartphone brand Vivo on Friday confirmed that it is all set to launch its upcoming smartphone series -- V23 Series -- on January 5.

The company took to micro-blogging site Twitter to confirm the launch of its upcoming smartphone series.

"With stylish design, delightful selfies and power-packed performance #VivoV23Series is all set to make you and your moments stand out," the company wrote on Twitter.

"Vivo V23 Series launching on 05.01.2022 at 12 PM. Block your date and welcome delightful moments in your life," it added.

According to GSMArena, Vivo V23 series will "come with India's First 50MP Eye Autofocus Dual Selfie camera," ruling out the launch of the V23e or the V23e 5G since both feature single front-facing cameras.

A short clip shows a sunshine gold-coloured smartphone with a curved screen and three cameras on the back, the report said.

The V23 Pro was initially expected to be a global version of the recently launched China-exclusive S12 Pro, but it seems the V23 Pro won't be a complete clone of the S12 Pro despite having some similar features, it added.

The Vivo V23 Pro is also rumoured to be touted as "India's slimmest 3D curve display smartphone at 7.36mm".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Madhya Pradesh has Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for merely 25 of the 453 large dams while only 31 dams have Operations and Maintenance (O&M) manuals even after 30 years, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has found.

An EAP contains procedures and information to assist the Executive Engineer of the dam in initiating necessary action in time to moderate or alleviate the problems, in addition to issuing early warning and notification messages to responsible emergency management authorities.

"The (Madhya Pradesh) government replied (in September 2020) that EAP, which is a format document, is necessary for all large dams and as per directions of the Chairman of State Dam Safety Committee (SDSC), EAP of 25 dams have been prepared," the CAG report said, adding, "The reply of the government is not acceptable, as no document in confirmation of preparation of EAP of 25 dams has been provided to audit." "Moreover, the reply does not mention the reasons for non-preparation of EAPs for large dams even after the lapse of 30 years," the report of the CAG on Economic Sector for the year ending March 31, 2019, Madhya Pradesh government, said.

The Madhya Pradesh Water Resources department is the principal agency for construction and maintenance of large and small dams. There were 4,523 (906 large and 3617 small) dams in the state as of December 2019.

The State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) had inspected 510 dams during the years 2016-17 to 2018-19 and reported 73 dams (72 dams under category II and one dam under Category I), which needed immediate repairs.

Similarly, O&M manuals for each dam are essential for taking decisions about storing or releasing of water. The SDSO has to take necessary steps for preparation of O&M manual for all large dams.

"Out of 453 large dams in the 16 test checked divisions, O&M manuals were prepared for only 31 dams," the CAG report added.

The state government on (September 2020) replied that the O&M manual for reservoir operation of all large dams has to be prepared as per the latest guidelines by the Central Water Commission (June 2018) for safe operation of reservoirs. In pursuance of these guidelines, all CEs were directed by the SDSC to prepare O&M manuals of all gated large dams on a priority basis.

"The reply of the state government does not address the issue regarding preparation of O&M manual of non-gated large dams. Further, CWC had not instructed to prepare the O&M manual for gated dams only," the CAG report said.
Lucknow, Dec 24 : An artificial limb measurement and distribution camp for underprivileged differently-abled people was held in Lucknow during the two-day Atal Health Fair to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The camp was held by Narayan Sewa Sansthan (NSS) with the collaboration of the UP Health Department.

The two-day Atal Health Fair saw people with disabilities and those who are differently-abled get free tricycles, wheelchairs, prostheses, callipers. Prostheses were also distributed amongst the orphans, poor people with disabilities and the underprivileged.

The Narayan Sewa Sansthan offered 15 tricycles, five wheelchairs, 15 crutches, 15 callipers and 110 OPD.

Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon of the NSS, Dr VR Shinde, Prosthetics and Orthotics Neha Agnihotri and Camp In-charge Hari Prasad Ladda who participated in the fair, said that despite the pandemic, they have been regularly organising camps for free food distribution, medicines, blankets, school books, artificial limbs and distribution camps across India for the destitute.

Prashant Agarwal, president, NSS, said, "Uttar Pradesh Health Department is proposing major aid to assist differently-abled by organising the health care camps on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Since 1985, NSS Team is offering free of cost medical treatment, skill development, mass marriage, and physiotherapy and free school education to the underprivileged and differently abled individuals." Before the pandemic, the NSS has distributed 2,74,603 wheelchairs, 2,64,422 tricycles, 2,97,789 crutches, 3,61,997 blankets among the needy and underprivileged individuals through various camps.
Los Angeles, Dec 24 : Hollywood veteran star Alec Baldwin has shared that he's going "through a tough time" and wants to focus on his family this Christmas.

Baldwin said: "I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all the people who sent me such kind words and best wishes and strength and hope and prayers, thoughts and lots of encouragement." "I got hundreds, hundreds of e-mails from friends, family and colleagues and people I haven't heard from in quite a while to send me strength and good wishes and so forth. I'm really grateful to them." The actor added that he is "looking forward to some aspects of this being behind me", and shared the tragedy will "never be behind us" for anyone involved, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

He added: "I never lose sight of that, not a day goes by I don't think about that." Now, he is focused on his family and getting through a "really tough time" as best he can.

He continued: "It's true, I only care about my wife and my kids and moving forward with my life and trying to get through a tough time, a really tough time. I want to say thank you to all the people who sent me good wishes who sent me support. I'm really grateful for that, I feel very awkward going through this, it's been very difficult.

"Whatever holiday you're celebrating, happy holidays to everybody. I hope that you're as lucky as I am in one department, that you're home with your family; I'm home with my family." Baldwin, who will reportedly be spending a "quiet" Christmas in the Hamptons with his wife Hilaria and their six children - again thanked his fans, and urged people to "be safe" during the pandemic.

He said: "I don't have anything smart or original to say, just thank you to the people who sent me these great wishes. Be safe, wear a mask, get the booster. Don't let Santa Claus down the chimney without a mask."

Latest updates on Christmas 2021
Hyderabad, Dec 24 : Telugu's superstar Nagarjuna, who hosted three seasons of 'Bigg Boss Telugu', recently concluded the fifth season of the reality show.

Now that the makers of 'Bigg Boss' have announced the 'OTT' format of the show, Nagarjuna will host the first season as well.

It is reported that 'Bigg Boss Telugu OTT 1' will go on floors in February 2022. It is reported that nearly 18 contestants will start as inmates, to show their participation in the reality show.

24 hours of live feed for 'Bigg Boss Telugu OTT1' (Tentative title) will be telecasted on Disney Hotstar.

Reports also suggest that the makers are working on remodeling the 'Bigg Boss Telugu 5' set, so as to accommodate it for the upcoming 'Bigg Boss Telugu Live'.

On the other hand, the makers of 'Bigg Boss Telugu Live' or 'Bigg Boss Telugu OTT 1' are working on the casting for the reality show.

'Bigg Boss Telugu 5' had VJ Sunny win the title, while Shanmukh Jaswanth became the runner-up.

With the amplified craze around the reality show, the makers are planning on innovative games and campaigns so as to make the upcoming seasons more interesting, the sources report.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Helsinki, Dec 24 : In a bid to protest against the cost of a replacement battery, a Tesla Model S owner in Finland decided to blow up his electric car with dynamite along with an effigy of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, media reports say.

According to the Daily Mail, Tuomas Katainen blew up his Tesla S Model 2012 with 66 lbs of dynamite after its battery failed and he was faced with the $22,000 repair bill.

Instead of stumping up the cash, the 26-year-old contacted local Youtubers to blow up the car -- for which prices now start at $100,000, the report said.

The Finnish Youtubers agreed to blow up Katainen's car and even put a dummy with Musk's face inside the motor, it added.

The car was strapped with explosives on rugged, snowy terrain in Katainen's native Finland, with the Youtubers training high-definition cameras on the car to capture the explosion in all its glory, from as many angles as possible.

Tesla and Musk have faced a wave of complaints about the cost of replacing a battery, with third party garages providing replacements for a quarter of the cost, as per the report.

According to the auto-tech website Electrek, another Tesla owner in the US was told a battery pack replacement would cost him $22,500 at a Tesla service centre. However, he took it to an independent garage who provided a working replacement battery for $5,000.

The report mentioned that Tesla's warranty covers battery replacements if the capacity drops below 70 per cent within 150,000 miles or eight years of purchase.

However, owners of older models are being left with large repair bills from Tesla as their batteries lose power and give their cars a reduced range, the report said.
Kodagu, : Dec 24 (IANS) Karnataka Congress President D. K. Shivakumar on Friday urged the people of the state to make the 10-day protest demanding implementation of the Mekedatu project a success.

After offering special prayers at Talacauvery, the birth place of River Cauvery, for the success of padayatra from Mekedatu to Bengaluru, he stated that he invites everyone cutting across the party lines to participate in the padayatra which begins from Mekedatu on January 9.

"Mekedatu project is being implemented in our land with our money. We have the right to utilise our share of water. The project helps people of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states. BJP, JD (S) leaders, religious seers have also extended their support to padayatra," he explained.

This is the first step towards the struggle of claiming the state's rights over water in Mekedatu.

Asked whether he will discuss the issue with Tamil Nadu leaders, he stated: "The project benefits them (Tamil Nadu) more. They are making it a political issue. But, all politicians come to forefront when it comes to oppose the Mekedatu project." The controlling and monitoring of all reservoirs of Cauvery river bank come under the central government. They decide on the share of water for states. "We have committed to obey the orders of the tribunal. I appeal Tamil Nadu leaders to cooperate for implementation of the project," he said.

The Centre has agreed for the detailed project report with a budget of Rs 9,900 crore. The Supreme Court has also stated that there should not be any road blocks to drinking water project. The project helps to provide continuous drinking water facility to 1.5 crore people of Bengaluru and surrounding areas. About 66 TMC of water would be released to Tamil Nadu, he said. The project aims at utilising more than 104 TMC water which is flowing into the sea.
New York, Dec 24 : The highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 has the potential to evade the immune protection conferred by vaccines and natural infection, as well as render most monoclonal antibody therapy ineffective, according to a new study.

The study led by researchers from Columbia University in the US, in collaboration with scientists at the University of Hong Kong, suggests the need for new vaccines and treatments that anticipate how the virus may soon evolve.

A striking feature of the omicron variant is the alarming number of changes in the virus's spike protein that could pose a threat to the effectiveness of current vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.

The new study, published in the journal Nature, tested the ability of antibodies generated by vaccination to neutralise the Omicron variant in laboratory assays that pitted antibodies against live viruses and against pseudoviruses constructed in the lab to mimic Omicron.

The findings showed that antibodies from people double-vaccinated with any of the four most widely used vaccines - Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson - were significantly less effective at neutralising the Omicron variant compared to the ancestral virus.

Antibodies from previously infected individuals were even less likely to neutralise Omicron.

Individuals who received a booster shot of either of the two mRNA vaccines were found to be better protected, although even their antibodies exhibited diminished neutralising activity against Omicron.

"The new results suggest that previously infected individuals and fully vaccinated individuals are at risk for infection with the omicron variant," said David Ho, Director at Columbia's Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Centre.

"Even a third booster shot may not adequately protect against omicron infection, but of course it is advisable to get one, as you'll still benefit from some immunity," he added.

The results are consistent with other neutralisation studies, as well as early epidemiological data from South Africa and the UK, which show efficacy of two doses of the vaccines against symptomatic disease is significantly reduced against the omicron variant.

Further, the study suggests that all of the monoclonal antibody therapies currently in use and most in development are much less effective against Omicron, if they work at all.

When administered early in the course of infection, monoclonal antibodies has shown to prevent many individuals from developing severe Covid.

In neutralisation studies with monoclonal antibodies, only one (Brii198 approved in China) maintained notable activity against Omicron. A minor form of Omicron is completely resistant to all antibodies in clinical use today, the researchers said.

The researchers note that Omicron is now the most complete "escapee" from neutralisation that scientists have seen.

In this study Ho's lab also identified four new spike mutations in omicron that help the virus evade antibodies, suggestingA the need for new approaches to combat the variant.

"It is not too far-fetched to think that SARS-CoV-2 is now only a mutation or two away from being completely resistant to current antibodies, either the monoclonal antibodies used as therapies or the antibodies generated by vaccination or infection with previous variants," Ho said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kolkata, Dec 24 : A couple of days after two revolvers of the security team of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went missing in the state's Cooch Behar district, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) tracked and recovered the arms and ammunition on Friday, officials said.

The firearms and ammunition of the SSU, CM Security were stolen from the Kanchanjunga Express near New Cooch Behar Railway Station early in the morning on Wednesday, as the rest of Banerjee's security detail was returning from Assam by train, sparking concerns among the security set-up.

A special investigation team, headed by Additional Superintendent of Police, HQ, Cooch Behar, Kumar Sunny Raj, was set up to recover the arms.

The State Task Force (STF) under the guidance of Siddharth Dorjee also joined the investigation, and raids, interrogations, and searches were conducted at multiple locations at Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and even in Assam to catch the accused and to recover the arms.

Finally, at around 2.45 p.m. on Friday, the arms were recovered from a bush near Cooch Behar Railway station, where they had been hidden well.

"Two Glock pistols and 20 rounds of ammunition have been recovered near the PO (besides the railway line) where our team was searching for arms.

"Later on, our police team and STF went to Alipurduar to recover the missing mobile phone of the SSU security personnel," an official said.

Banerjee visited Assam on Tuesday and offered prayers at the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati during a brief visit to the city.

As only two guards were allowed to travel with her on an aircraft, the other 12 security personnel travelled to and from Assam by train.

They were returning to Kolkata when a bag, containing two revolvers, some money, and a mobile phone, of one of the security personnel went missing.
President D. K. Shivakumar on the final day of the winter session of the Assembly to debate the anti-conversion bill has upset many of his party leaders, sources in the Congress revealed.

Belagavi, Dec 24 (IANS) The absence of Karnataka Congress President D. K. Shivakumar on the final day of the winter session of the Assembly to debate the anti-conversion bill has upset many of his party leaders, sources in the Congress revealed.

Shivakumar had torn the copy of the bill when it was introduced on Wednesday and pledged that when the Congress comes to power, the law will be rolled back.

However, party leaders are not happy with the state Congress chief's decision to stay away from the crucial discussion on the controversial bill on Friday and Saturday.

Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, faced the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone on Friday. The BJP had turned the tables on the Congress that it is Siddaramaiah who had initiated the anti-conversion bill and during the previous government the draft of the bill was prepared. This claim by the ruling BJP came as a shock and Siddaramaiah was chided and ridiculed in the Assembly.

Former Speaker Ramesh Kumar had to come to Siddaramaiah's rescue several times. The absence of Shivakumar was felt strongly and even Congress leaders had no clue why the former chose other events as priority over attending the Assembly session.

Shivakumar has travelled to Kushalnagar in Madikeri district to participate in a religious function on Friday. He performed worship at Talacauvery, the sacred birth place of the Cauvery eiver, for the success of a massive protest demanding implementation of the Mekedatu project.

Many senior Congress leaders have expressed their displeasure over the absence of Shivakumar in the session on Friday and Saturday. Siddaramaiah was visibly struggling to face the onslaught by the ruling BJP.

It is an open secret within the Congress ranks about the rivalry between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for supremacy of the state party affairs. The party sources said that the Congress high command had taken the absence of Shivakumar seriously as the party has suffered a massive setback in connection with the anti-conversion bill.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : The Indian government should protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms in India, Chinese analysts urged, as New Delhi launched probe into multiple Chinese companies on tax and income issues, Global Times reported.

The operations of Chinese firms remain normal at the moment, but relevant companies are looking to reassure their Indian employees as the investigation has caused some concerns, the report said.

The investigation has not been concluded yet, but some Chinese experts reiterated on Thursday that the business environment in India is harsh, not only for Chinese firms, but all foreign companies, the report said.

They pointed out that "non-market factors" in India will have large and unpredictable effects on them and cause many problems, and many Western companies have already pulled out from the country for this reason, the report added.

They urged Chinese firms to be cautious in investing and doing business in India, and strictly follow the local laws and leave no excuse for the authorities to take actions against them if those companies choose to stay there.

More than 20 premises in the National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai, Rajkot and Karnataka linked to Oppo and Xiaomi were searched by the tax department on Thursday. Searches were also conducted at the offices of OnePlus, the Chinese company that has merged into Oppo but operates as a separate brand.

"India's tax laws are very complicated, and in recent years, many Indian companies and some joint venture enterprises have also been investigated over tax issues," said Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Although the latest investigation seems likely to have been mainly driven by economic reasons, the possibility of a political impact still exists, because there are extreme anti-China forces in the government, and they will look at matters related to Chinese firms in India with a discriminatory attitude, Qian said, as per the report.

Lin Minwang, a professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times that "the investigation is not a surprise at all, because the Indian authorities, especially those in some local governments, don't care about how Chinese firms feel because they are pushing for 'decoupling with China' and they see Chinese firms as perfect targets, and they don't care how Chinese investors will look at the business environment in the country".

In a statement sent to the Global Times on Thursday, a Xiaomi spokesperson said: "As a responsible company, we give paramount importance to ensuring that we are compliant with all Indian laws. As an invested partner in India, we are fully cooperating with the authorities to ensure they have all the required information." Along with Chinese vendors, their contract manufacturers were also subject to searches. Foxconn said that it is looking into the matter.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : The Directorate General of GST on Friday said that they have launched searches in Kanpur following a tip-off against the manufacturers of Shikhar Pan Masala and tobacco products.

A senior official said that the search operations covered the factory premises of Ms Trimurti Fragrance Pvt Ltd, the manufacturers of Shikhar brand Pan Masala and tobacco products and the office, godowns of Ms Ganpati Road Carriers, Transport Nagar, involved in transportation of the goods.

"They were busy in clandestine supplying goods without making payments of applicable tax.

The transporter reportedly used to generate multiple invoices in the name of non-existent firms, all below Rs 50,000/- for one full truck load, to avoid generation of E way Bills while moving the goods. The transporter was also collecting the sale proceeds of such clandestine supply in cash and handing it over to the manufacturer, after deducting his commission," said a GST official.

Based the information, the GST officers were able to intercept and seize four such trucks outside the factory premises, cleared from the factory without invoices and E-way Bills.

The official said that during physical stock taking, shortage of raw materials and finished products was noticed as the finished products had been cleared clandestinely.

During the questioning the authorised signatory of the company admitted to have cleared the goods without GST.

The official said that at the premises of the transporter, Ms Ganpati Road Carriers, more than 200 fake invoices used in the past for transportation of goods without payment of GST were recovered. The transporter also admitted that goods were being transported without e-way bills under the cover of fake invoices and also the sale proceeds was being collected in cash.

"We have seized Rs 1.1 crores from the possession of transporter," the official said.

Later, the GST official conducted searches on the premises of partners of Ms Odochem Industries, who were supplying perfumery compound, mostly in cash, to the said company.

During the search proceedings at the residential premises, huge amount of cash, wrapped in papers were found.

"We had to call officials of Bank of India to count the cash. The total amount till the counting was around 150 crore. The whole amount will be seized," the official said, adding that further probe was on.
Hyderabad, Dec 24 : A 12-year-old boy, who was on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support for 65 days after suffering multi-organ infection due to Covid-19, has recovered fully at a hospital here.

According to doctors, this is the only reported case in the country of a child who has sustained on this mode of life support for over two months and has fully recovered from his infection.

Doctors at Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital announced on Friday that the boy, who was airlifted from UP to Hyderabad, has recovered well enough for ECMO discontinuation.

The patient had been on life support utilising the efficiencies of a veno-venous ECMO. Doctors at KIMS said they closely monitored other organ functions, enhanced nutrition, physical rehabilitation, and advanced lung recovery manoeuvres while on the ECMO.

"When the patient came to us, his lungs were fully affected, stiff and he was unable to supply oxygen to his body. With ECMO support, his lung was rested and gradually healed itself and regained enough function to be able to support him," said Dr Vijil, Chief of Transplant Pulmonology, KIMS Heart and Lung Institute.

The boy was airlifted from Midland Healthcare and Research centre, Lucknow. A medical team from KIMS flew on a chartered aircraft to evacuate this child to their base in Hyderabad.

"It is very heartening to know that the child has recovered fully and is being discharged from the hospital. It was a very satisfying effort of the combined medical team at Midland Hospital Lucknow and KIMS Hospital Hyderabad to achieve a successful outcome," said Dr B P Singh, Senior Pulmonologist and Primary Physician Midland Healthcare and Research Centre.

"This boy had critical illness syndrome on arrival. This also included a myopathy caused by steroids and immunomodulating therapy for severe Covid. It required a herculean effort for over 2 months till he recovered well enough for ECMO discontinuation. It is really a satisfying moment for us," Dr Prabhat Dutta, Chief Intensivist, KIMS Heart and Lung Transplant Institute, said. He also thanked the nursing and physiotherapy team for their efforts.

Critical Covid illness leads to multiple comorbidities, muscle weakness caused by medications used to treat the primary condition, repeated infections in the bloodstream, and secondary infections in their airways over and above dense non-resolving pneumonia.

"Dr Sandeep Attawar and the transplant team at KIMS Hospitals are first among equals. The high-quality outcomes that they aspire to and achieve, time and time again, and their accomplishments demonstrate their commitment and the facilities at KIMS," said Dr Abhinay Bollineni, Chief Executive Officer, KIMS hospitals.

A veteran in the field of transplant surgeries with experience of more than 25 years, Dr Attawar has performed over 12,000 heart surgeries and has over 350 transplant surgeries for lungs, heart, and artificial heart.

In treating this patient, he was supported by a team of experts and support staff members, who monitored the child round the clock for more than two months.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : A day after the Ludhiana court blast, IANS has accessed a letter written by the Director General of Police, Internal Security, Punjab, to the police and security agencies regarding a possible strike by Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists.

"The letter had indicated the possible target of the terrorists could be Defence, Central Armed Police Force, police establishments and courts," sources said.

This alert was sent on November 30 by the DIG internal security to the agencies and police department.

"According to a fresh input shared by a central agency, ISI has tasked Lashkar-e-Toiba to infiltrate five terrorists under the garb of Sikh individuals through Kartarpur Corridor into India after two weeks of commando training in Shakargarh (Pakistan) with directions to move to either Pathankot or Gurdaspur for further tasking," read the input.

The letter has revealed the identity of two ultras as Mohd Gulzar Maghre and Mohd Sahjada Bande.

The letter had mentioned the planning of a grenade attack against the security forces camp in Jammu and Kashmir by an Islamic terrorist outfit, Muslim Janbaaz Force.

A highly placed source said quoting the letter that the police was advised to immediately take robust round-the-clock counter measures and suitable preventive and precautionary steps.

"The agencies are asked to review the second line of defence along the India-Pakistan border in coordination with BSF, and constantly monitor the routes, gaps on the international border that have come to office, I.G.P. Ludadana Ranaticer having been used in earlier possible infiltrations by Pakistan-based terrorists," the letter said.

The DIG Internal Security had suggested in the letter to ensure deployment of Special 24x7 armed 'nakas' on all roads, routes leading to the border area to cover any ingress from vulnerable and riverine gaps on the International Border.

One person was killed and several others were reportedly injured in the blast. The NIA and other agencies are probing the incident.
Johannesburg, Dec 24 : India vice-captain KL Rahul conceded that the decision on who will bat at number five will be a very, very difficult one to make. He added that the team will start to talk about it either from today or tomorrow. Ajinkya Rahane has been batting at number five for long. But an indifferent run of form means Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer have emerged as contenders for the spot.

"It is a very, very difficult decision to make. I think Ajinkya has been a very important part of our Test team and has played very, very crucial knocks in his career. In the last 15-18 months, if I think back, his knock in Melbourne was really, really crucial and helped us win a Test match. The partnership with Pujara in the second innings at Lord's, where he got a fifty, was really important and that ended up in us winning the Test match. So, he has been a key player for us in that middle order and is a very, very strong player," said Rahul in the virtual press conference.

"Shreyas has taken his chances and played a brilliant knock in Kanpur and got a hundred, so he's very exciting. Hanuma has done the same for us. It's a tough decision and will start having a chat today or tomorrow and you will get to know in coming days' time," added Rahul.

Rahul opined that the nature of the pitch at Centurion oscillates between slow and quick. "Even the last time we played here, the wicket started off a bit slow and then quickened up and got slow again. I think whatever information we can gather for this Centurion pitch, it's been that kind of pitch. Even in the centre-wicket practice, we have experienced same things and we tried to prepare accordingly." Rahul fully backed the five-bowler strategy which has given India success in recent overseas tours. "I think most teams have started playing four bowlers and every team wants to pick up 20 wickets and that's the only way you can win a Test match. We have definitely used that tactic and it has helped us in every Test match that we have played away from India. So, the workload also becomes slightly easier to manage that way with five bowlers and when you have that kind of quality, you might as well use it." The 29-year-old stated that vice-captaincy duties won't take an effect on his role at the top of the order but will engage him more while fielding. "According to me, there hasn't been any. You always have the responsibility when you are the opener as you have to give a good start to the team. There will be no difference in terms of batting. But I think in the field, there will be more involvement with regards to doing strategies and practically passing information to Virat (Kohli). If we try and work together, then it will be really helpful and will take some pressure off Virat." Rahul played a crucial role in India going up 2-1 in England before the last Test in Manchester was cancelled because of fear of a COVID-19 outbreak in the camp, scoring 315 runs in eight innings at an average of 39.37. He is hopeful of carrying his good run in England to South Africa. "The only thing in my hands is how to prepare in the best way to give myself the best chance to perform and succeed in these conditions. The preparation has been going very well here. Not just me, everyone in the team had a good time in the middle." "I will try to give my team a good start like the way I did in England. As I said before, new ball is very important, especially in South Africa. How I get through that new ball and try to score big for my team. Hopefully, I can continue the from England here in South Africa." Rahul signed off by saying that the talk in the Indian team has been only about the first Test. "The discussion so far has only been about the first Test match. We are not thinking too far ahead. The first Test match of the series is the most important for us to start well. All our discussion and focus has been on trying to do the best in the first game and get the team off to a good start, be it with the bat or ball."
Mumbai, Dec 24 : Maharashtra recorded as many as 1,078 cases of suicide by farmers in just five months -- June-October 2021, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said here on Friday.

Replying during the Question Hour in the Maharashtra Legislature, he said that of these, 491 cases were declared eligible for and provided the benefits under the state government's Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Loan Waiver Scheme by the respective district level committees.

Citing the causes, Wadettiwar said that the farmers' suicides are reported due to the high debt-burden an their inability to repay, damage caused due to natural calamities, soil infertility and also personal/family reasons.

The government is serious about tackling this issue and presently provides financial assistance of Rs 100,000 to the survivors of the deceased farmers, he said.

"However, in my view, farmers suicides should be included as 'disaster' so that the heirs of the deceased farmers can be given aid of Rs 400,000. I shall bring up this proposal before the state cabinet," said Wadettiwar.

He said that the state cabinet has asked him and Agriculture Minister Dadaji Bhuse to study Telangana's 'Rythu Bandhu Programme' which proposed investment support to agriculture and horticulture crops by way of grants of Rs 5,000/acres for each farmer in the Kharif and Rabi seasons.

This can be utilised for agriculture inputs like seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, labour and other investments in the field chosen by the farmers for the particular crop season for their welfare.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chennai, Dec 24 : A 29-year-old man working in Bahrain was arrested by the All Woman Police of Adayar from a hotel at Thiruvanmiyur on Thursday after his wife lured him into a trap.

As decided, the man walked into the room to meet his social media friend but to his utter shock, found his wife there. He was not able to get out of the room as the woman had already informed the police.

The 25-year-old woman from Neelankarai in Chennai got married to the Non-Resident Indian from Arumbakkam in February 2021 after an year of courtship.

The woman told the police that while surfing through her husband's desktop casually, she was shocked to find his nude photos along with phone numbers and photographs of several women.

She also found that her husband was using social media platforms to lure women to the flesh trade. In order to expose her husband, she opened a fake Instagram account and chatted with him and lured him into the trap.

The man, according to the woman, was luring women into flesh trade. The woman informed the police that there were several messages that her husband had sent to women convincing them to indulge in flesh trade with the promise of providing high-paying customers.

She told police that the man had asked her to indulge in flesh trade mistaking for some other woman. He also informed her that she would get good clients considering her looks as the woman had share some fake pictures with him.

Police said that the man was addicted to porn videos but will have to probe whether he had indulged in flesh trade. A senior officer of Adayar All Woman police station said that the man's phone has been sent for forensic testing.

The 29-year-old is remanded in judicial custody.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday extended his warm greetings and wishes to all fellow citizens, especially Christians, for Christmas.

The President, in his message, said: "Christmas is celebrated on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Lord Jesus Christ. This festival instills peace, harmony and compassion in the lives of people and also promotes unity and fraternity amongst members of the society. Jesus Christ's message of love and compassion continues to inspire the entire humanity even today." "On this occasion, let us resolve to build such a society that is based on the values of justice and liberty by adopting the ideals and teachings of Jesus Christ in our lives," he said, as per a communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Chennai, Dec 24 : The opposition AIADMK and the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) of TTV Dhinakaran, paid floral tributes on Friday to the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and matinee idol, M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) on his 34th death anniversary in separate functions.

AIADMK leaders and former Chief Ministers O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K. Palaniswami led the observance of the death anniversary of the late Chief Minister at his mausoleum at the Marina beach. Both the leaders also paid floral tributes to the late Chief Minister at their residences.

The leaders called upon the party cadres to work unitedly for the party and to work against the anti-people policies carried out by the Stalin-led DMK government that was in power in the state.

Former Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam in a statement referred to the rising prices of vegetables and essential commodities including groceries as a major failure of the DMK government.

He said that the rising prices of vegetables were not benefitting the farmers but instead, middlemen and intermediaries were taking the advantage of the rise in prices.

Panneerselvam also called upon the AIADMK cadres to stand united for the ensuing Urban local body polls slated in a couple of months' time. He also said that the AIADMK as a party has all the resources to fight for the people of the state and to expose the major flaws being carried out by the DMK government.

Meanwhile, AMMK leader and nephew of V.K. Sasikala, TTV Dhinakaran paid floral tributes to the late Chief Minister and founder of AIADMK, M.G. Ramachandran at the AMMK headquarters in Royapettah during the 34th death anniversary of the late leader.
Kathmandu, Dec 24 : Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is leaving for India on January 10 to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, according to local media reports.

Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is a biennial event launched in 2003, and the 2022 event on January 10-12 is the 10th edition.

A detailed itinerary was not immediately available but sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Deuba and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi is very much likely.

Besides Modi, Deuba will be meeting some other senior Indian politicians and leaders when he will be in New Delhi and Gujarat.

His first foreign trip after he was appointed Prime Minister - for the fifth time - in July, was to the UK's Glasgow to participate in the climate change conference in November.

Deuba's visit to Gujarat comes at a time when talks about his state visit to India were being talked about.

The visit to the southern neighbour also comes on the heels of Deuba's comeback as a strong President of his party, the Nepali Congress, at its recently-concluded general convention.

Deuba was appointed Prime Minister on July 13 following a Supreme Court order a day before in which the bench also overturned then Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's May 21 decision to dissolve the House.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Officials of the United Nations have said that they are busy considering the resumption of the economy in Afghanistan for which the global body will allocate a package of $8 billion, Khaama Press reported.

The amount of money that is supposed to be given to Afghanistan in 2022 will be spent to deliver various services in the war-torn country.

The package is aimed at providing healthy food for children in schools, creating job opportunities, paying off electricity debts of Afghanistan to central Asian countries, and rebuilding governance beyond humanitarian aids in the country, the report said.

UN Secretary General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ramiz Alakbarov, said that they do not want to turn to an alternative government in Afghanistan, adding that Afghan people need dignity and hope.

He said that it is important for the international community to support them so that the gains of the past two decades are preserved in Afghanistan, the report added.

The move comes after the UN had estimated that over half of the population of Afghanistan is starving as foreign aid is stalled and people are suffering from vast unemployment.
New Delhi, Dec 24: UN officials appear to have run out of options as they have turned to one of the most wanted terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani, currently the Interior Minister of the Taliban regime, asking him to provide security to its personnel and missions working in Afghanistan.

The UN is ready with a proposal to pay $6 million per year to Sirajuddin Haqqani who ironically also heads the UN designated terror outfit Haqqani Network (HQN). With a bounty of $10 million on his head, Sirajuddin Haqqani is among the top wanted terrorist list of the US.

According to the proposal, the UN will pay the money to Haqqani to safeguard the UN offices and facilities in Afghanistan. The Interior Ministry of the Taliban government is responsible for the internal security including the security of the UN and other foreign missions in Afghanistan but the security situation in the country has gone worse after the Taliban's capture of power. The UN withdrew all its staff and closed all facilities citing the lack of security.

"The United Nations has a duty as an employer to reinforce and, where necessary, supplement the capacity of host states in circumstances where UN personnel work in areas of insecurity," said the Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq, reports New York Post citing Reuters.

UN pitches paying $6M for security to Taliban unit whose chief is wanted by the FBI Interestingly it was the same Haqqani network which is responsible for deadly attacks on the foreign missions including the UN missions in Afghanistan during the previous regime. In their last regime in 1996, the Taliban had attacked the UN mission and dragged out the former president Najibullah and hanged him.

According to the report of Reuters, the UN proposal said that most of the USD 4 million security budget proposed for 2022 by the 20 UN agencies operating out of Afghanistan is the payment made to protect the UN personnel. This fund will boost the wages of Taliban 'fighters' who are 'protecting' UN personnel by $275-to-$319 per month. This will also provide them a monthly food allowance of USD 90 per person.

Last week, Sirajuddin Haqqani had told the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative, Dibra Lines, that the world must be prepared to engage with the Taliban. The recent picture of Haqqani released by his ministry still has the blurred face of Sirajuddin Haqqani. The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that if the UN and the world did not want to be threatened on Afghan soil, the group should be recognized as a responsible "government".

But the US and the UN are not in hurry to legitimise the Taliban government. On Wednesday, the US formally exempted US and UN officials doing official business with the Taliban from the US sanctions clearing the way for proposed UN payments of $6 million to the group for security.

According to media reports, the US has allowed its officials and those of certain international organizations, such as the United Nations, to engage in transactions involving the Taliban or Haqqani network as long as they are official business on certain kinds of projects, including humanitarian programs for basic human needs and education.

But the US maintains that sanctions against some Taliban leaders including leaders of Haqqani Network will remain in place. There are four "wanted" Haqqani leaders in the Taliban government including Sirajuddin Haqqani and his uncle Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani and both carry the bounty of $15 million on their heads.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Dec 24 : The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice on a plea filed by Tata Motors Ltd (TML) challenging the rejection of manual submission of its bids for operation of 450 buses under the Delhi government's cluster scheme.

The manual submission was done at 3.54 p.m. on December 22, the TML said, praying for an urgent listing in this regard.

The TML's writ petition, filed through Karanjawala & Co, was listed before a division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh.

The matter was argued by senior advocate Gopal Jain assisted by the Karanjawala & Co team comprising of advocates Nandini Gore, Aditi Bhatt, Neha Khandelwal, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, and Karanveer Singh.

The bench observed that it is inclined to hear the issue if a delay in manual submission of documents would result in disqualification of TML from the bidding process if a valid online bid has been duly submitted on time.

Issued notice, the court granted interim relief to TML, recording the undertaking of the government that the contract will not be awarded to any bidder before the next date of hearing, January 18, 2022.
Panaji, Dec 24 : A political party cannot promise a corruption-free government, and only God can deliver corruption-free governance, Congress MP and former Goa Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha said on Friday.

"There are many parties in the fray this time. Keep your eyes open. Anyone can make promises. (Delhi Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal has announced a corruption free government," Sardinha said at a press conference in South Goa.

Kejriwal has made a series of pre-poll assurances to the people of Goa which includes free water, free electricity, unemployment doles, allowances for women, apart from promising corruption-free governance.

"Only God can possibly give corruption-free government," Sardinha said, adding that at the most political parties can promise minimised corruption in governance.

Sardinha's comment comes at a time when the state is heading for the 2022 state assembly polls, which are scheduled for early February.
Belagavi, : Dec 24 (IANS) The winter session held amid Omicron fears in Belagavi in north Karnataka for 10 days ended on Friday. Though the ruling BJP managed to present and get the Anti-Conversion bill passed in the assembly, it desisted from tabling the bill in the Legislative Council.

The ruling party leader in council, Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari, announced in the council house that the bill would be presented in the next session. The BJP is planning to present the controversial bill in the upper house after the newly elected members to the council take oath.

Presently way behind a majority, the BJP will be just one short of a majority after the new members take oath. The strength of the BJP would stand at 37. As party leaders are confident of getting the support of independent MLC Lakhan Jarakiholi, they can prove their majority.

Though the Opposition members strongly protested and demanded the extension of the session, the Chairperson of the Council adjourned the session for an indefinite period.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Assembly Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri also adjourned the House for an indefinite period even as the Opposition Congress demanded that the issues concerning the north Karnataka region must be addressed.

Kageri informed that as many as 149 questions were answered in the session. During Zero Hour 24 issues were taken up and discussed.

The ruling BJP's strategy to stump the Opposition Congress in connection with the Anti-Conversion bill is being widely discussed in political circles. The issue also highlighted the lack of coordination between Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and Congress State President D.K. Shivakumar.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who insisted on conducting the session at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi amid Omicron fears, is having the last laugh. He finally gained the upper hand over the Opposition after the bypoll defeat, allegations of Bitcoin scandal and corruption charges by the Contractors' Association, party sources said. The way the BJP worked as a team for passing the Anti-Conversion law and stumped the Opposition will definitely go in favour of CM Bommai, according to party sources.
Patna, Dec 24 : The Darbhanga unit of the Bajrang Dal has threatened to start a movement against 'love jihad' from Friday.

This was announced after two cousin sisters from Darbhanga eloped with two youths from the Muslim community and got married in a mosque in Kolkata a few weeks ago.

The family members of the girls registered an FIR against their boyfriends under the IPC section of kidnapping. The Darbhanga police managed to arrest the two youths on December 16 and produced them in the district court which sent them to 14 days judicial custody.

Anand Prakash Madhukar, the President of Darbhanga's Bajrang Dal unit, said that the family members of the two girls started a protest after this incident and the Darbhanga police arrested the two youths under pressure from the girls' families.

"The mental state of one of the girls is unstable. Still the youth from the other community eloped with the girl. This seems to be done intentionally which comes under love jihad," Madhukar added.

"Cases like these are increasing in the country. We need to have a strong law against them. Under the pretext of love jihad, youths from the other community were involved in affairs with Hindu girls intentionally, indulging in marriages and forcing them to change their religion. The young girls do not know the consequences of such acts. Basically, the idea behind love jihad is to torture Hindu girls after marriage," Madhukar said.

"We have decided to start a movement in the area to make people aware about the consequences of love jihad. We also want to attract the attention of the state and Central governments to make stringent laws against love jihad," he added.

Krishna Nandan Kumar, Darbhanga (Sadar) Sub-Divisional Police Officer, said that an FIR under the IPC section of kidnapping was registered in Singwara police station in the district.

"We have arrested the accused and traced the two girls from Kolkata. The girls have changed their religion after marriage with the two accused persons," the official added.
Mumbai : Inthe era of email, Maharashtra Dy.CM AJIT PAWAR shoots off a humble post-card penned in Marathi, to President R. N. Kovind, urging to confer the status of 'classical language' for Marathi. Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai : Inthe era of email, Maharashtra Dy.CM AJIT PAWAR shoots off a humble post-card penned in Marathi, to President R. N. Kovind, urging to confer the status of 'classical language' for Marathi. Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai, Dec 24 : In the 21st century era of e-mail and instant messaging, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has relied on a nearly two-century-old means of communication to draw the attention of the President Ram Nath Kovind.

The oft-maverick Ajit Pawar - nephew of Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar - on Friday shot off a humble postcard to the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the long-pending issue of according the "classical language" status to Marathi.

In the neatly-typed postcard, Pawar has pointed out that although the Centre had taken the decision in 2004 to confer the "classical language" status to various languages, the Marathi language has been ignored despite repeated requests.

Even a high-level committee of language experts appointed by the Centre had unanimously approved a proposal to this effect seven years ago, but there has been no further progress in the matter, he said.

Pawar exhorted the President that it was necessary to grant the status of a "classical language" to Marathi as recommended even by the Sahitya Akademi, at the earliest.

"Marathi is not only an ancient language but also the state language, used by litterateurs, intellectuals, by people of religion besides the common masses, and ranks among the major languages in the world," he pointed out.

Citing how there many documents which provide testimony that Marathi is a "classical language", he urged the President to accord the status on priority.

Then, Pawar personally signed the postcard in green ink, mentioned his full residential address, affixed 2 stamps of Rs 3 each with the picture of the shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, and it was 'posted'.

Last year, the Maharashtra Legislature passed a unanimous resolution recommending to the Centre to accord the "classical language" status to Marathi.

In anticipation of the status, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in October cleared the proposal to construct a 'Marathi Bhasha Bhavan' on a 2,500 square metre plot in south Mumbai, which had been on the backburner for nearly eight years.

Coming up within the Jawahar Bal Bhavan complex at Marine Drive, the work on the centre is starting shortly with a completion target of 18 months, with a library, an expo centre, conference halls, etc, to promote the Marathi language.

During the tenure of Congress Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, a committee chaired by litterateur Rangnath Pathare had prepared a voluminous report running into 500 pages on the same issue.

The report had been forwarded to the government in July 2013, but the matter remained unresolved after the change of guard both at the Centre and the state.

The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, which started in 1878, has demanded the "classical language" status for Marathi several times in the past.

Presently, there are six languages bestowed the status officially - Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Odia, based on various parameters.

This paves the way for two prestigious international-level awards for scholars of eminence in the Indian "classical language", setting up centres of excellence for studies in these languages, the University Grants Commission creating or starting certain number of Professional Chairs in such languages besides dedicating various institutions for the same to promote the study and research in such "classical languages".

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in)
New Delhi, Dec 24 : The Indian and Iranian navies discussed enhancing mutual cooperation in training cadets and young officers and various aspects of sail training after Indian naval ship Sudarshini reached Port Sahid Bahonar at Bandar Abbas in Iran. It is an effort of the Indian Navy towards familiarising friendly foreign navies about various facets of operations and training on board. INS Sudarshini is presently in its culmination phase of deployment in the Gulf region.

The ship was escorted by IRIS Zereh to Port Sahid Bahonar on December 22. A delegation of the IRI Navy first Naval Region and the Naval Attache at the Indian embassy received the ship.

The reception was followed by an onboard visit by Gaddam Dharmendra, Ambassador of India to Iran. He along with his team was given a guided tour of the ship. The ship's staff were hosted at a lunch on the invitation of the Ambassador. Personnel from the IRI Navy were also invited. A joint cake cutting ceremony was held to mark the visit.

The Commanding Officer accompanied by the Indian Naval Attache called on the Commander, IRI Navy first District. "Historical maritime linkages, mutual co-operation between both the Navies on the subject of training cadets and young officers and various aspects of sail training were discussed during the call-on," the Indian navy said.

Captain Hamza, Director of Training (IRI Navy), visited the ship with a team of officers. They were provided an in-depth overview of the functioning and features of the ship during harbour training of IRI navy cadets.

The IRI navy trainee officers (Sea Riders) designated to undergo sail training visited the ship for a familiarisation tour. Practical knowledge of seamanship, sail arrangement, rope work and the technicalities of sail training was shared. Hands-on practical knowledge and experience on sail rigging of both sides was also imparted during this visit.

The ship will be staying at Bandar Abbas for three days which includes a visit to the naval base and the embarkation of Sea Riders from the IRI Navy to provide sail training experience over a day's sortie.
Chandigarh, Dec 24 : The Chandigarh administration on Friday banned those not fully-vaccinated against Covid-19 from public places, including hotels, bars, cinemas and banks.

An order issued by UT Adviser Dharam Pal said that adults whose vaccine doses are still pending should remain out of "public places, markets, functions, public transports and religious places until they're fully vaccinated." "As we are all aware, the Covid-19 pandemic has posed a huge challenge to the community and affected each and every individual adversely.

"In public places with large gatherings like sabzi mandis, grain markets, public transports, parks, religious places, malls, shopping complexes, haats, local markets and other similar places, only fully-vaccinated (second dose) adult persons or those who are not due for the second dose as per health protocol are to be allowed," read the order.

The violators will be penalised with a fine of Rs 500.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : US intelligence agencies have assessed that Saudi Arabia is now actively manufacturing its own ballistic missiles with the help of China, CNN reported.

The development could have significant ripple effects across the Middle East and complicate the Joe Biden administration's efforts to restrain the nuclear ambitions of Iran, the Saudis' top regional rival, the report said.

Saudi Arabia is known to have purchased ballistic missiles from China in the past but has never been able to build its own -- until now, according to three sources familiar with the latest intelligence. Satellite images obtained by CNN also suggest the Kingdom is currently manufacturing the weapons in at least one location.

US officials at numerous agencies, including the National Security Council at the White House, have been briefed in recent months on classified intelligence revealing multiple large-scale transfers of sensitive ballistic missile technology between China and Saudi Arabia, according to two sources familiar with the latest assessments, the report said.

The Biden administration is now confronted with increasingly urgent questions about whether Saudi's ballistic missile advancements could dramatically change regional power dynamics and complicate efforts to expand the terms of a nuclear deal with Iran to include restraints on its own missile technology.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are bitter enemies and it is unlikely Tehran will agree to stop making ballistic missiles if Saudi Arabia has begun manufacturing its own, the report said.
Chennai, Dec 24 : Tamil comedian and character actor Vadivelu was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai after he turned Covid-19 positive.

He had returned to Chennai from London on Thursday where he had attended some functions. He was tested at the Chennai international airport and on Friday, he tested Covid-19 positive.

Doctors attending to him said that his health condition was stable and he was recovering well.

The comedian had quit acting for a while and had made strong political statements against DMDK leader Vijayakanth while campaigning for DMK candidates during the 2011 elections. Slippers were hurled at the comedian-actor during the campaign at Tiruvanaikovil where then Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa was contesting the polls.
Chandigarh, Dec 24 : Sixty per cent out of the total 6,33,475 eligible people cast their votes for the 35-ward Municipal Corporation Chandigarh on Friday, poll officials said. It was 0.5 per cent higher than the 2016 polls. The ballots will be counted on December 27.

Long queues were seen throughout the day outside a majority of the polling booths located in colonies and villages located in the suburbs of Chandigarh.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the city saw 73.6 per cent polling.

BJP MP Kirron Kher reached a polling booth in Sector 7 to cast her vote.

Former city MPs Pawan Bansal (Congress) and Satya Pal Jain (BJP) too cast their votes, besides former Chandigarh BJP unit President Sanjay Tandon.

Outgoing BJP Mayor, Ravi Kant Sharma and Chandigarh BJP unit President, Arun Sood voted in Sector 37.

As per the officials, the poll percentage was just 33.71 per cent till 1 p.m and 45 per cent by 4 p.m.

Wing Commander (retd) Satish Bhatia, a former Olympian and a national badminton champion, along with his wife Madhu Bhatia were among the early voters.

"Despite my illness, I decided not to miss an opportunity to elect a Councillor of your choice on whom you can vouch for enhancing urban amenities and increasing usable green spaces," Bhatia, who was a decorated bomber pilot with the Indian Air Force, told IANS outside the Sector 47 polling booth.

Justifying his decision to vote despite his old age, R.P. Dua, 85, a retired Central government employee and a resident of Sector 27 D, said, "When it comes to electing a Councillor, the preference goes to the candidate who communicates the needs of the community, especially the elderly to the Municipal Council, despite his/her political affiliation." "There has been no report of any hiccups in the poll process across the 35 wards," an electoral officer told IANS.

The ruling BJP made development and its achievements in the past six years as its main campaign agenda.

The Congress, having lost three successive elections to the BJP, based its campaign on anti-incumbency, saying the saffron party failed miserably to retain the tag of the 'City Beautiful'.

The AAP campaign was largely focused on replicating its successful "Delhi Model" in the city.

A total of 212 polling stations had been set up in different parts of the city. Among 694 booths, 220 were deemed sensitive. Most of these booths are in the 13 new villages that were merged with the municipal corporation.

Unlike the 2016 civic body poll, there were around 1,000 voters per polling booth. The figure was 1,400-1,500 in 2016.

Over 6,000 police and BSF personnel were on poll duty with 4,200 poll officials.
Kolkata, Dec 24 : In an unprecedented move, the West Bengal Education Department is mulling to replace Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as the Chancellor of different state universities with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in a break with the long-established custom.

Interacting with the media in a programme, state Education Minister Bratya Basu said: "The Governor does not extend any cooperation and unnecessarily holds back files, thus my department is constrained to consider replacing the Governor with the Chief Minister as the Chancellor of different universities." The reactions came after the Governor came into direct conflict with the state government, alleging: "Education scenario @MamataOfficial worrisome as no Chancellor & VC of Private Universities turned up for meeting with Governor-Visitor. Shocking unionism".

The Governor had, on December 20, invited Chancellors and Vice Chancellors of 11 private universities to discuss the avenues of improving the education system in the state. However, they refused to attend the meeting and sent a letter to the office of the Governor expressing their inability to attend the meeting in the current Omicron situation.

The Governor again convened the same meeting on December 23, and assured the Chancellors and Vice Chancellors that the meeting will be conducted after maintaining Covid-19 protocols but still no one turned up.

A furious Dhankhar, in a series of tweets, said: "It is really unfortunate that the chancellors and vice-chancellors who were 11 in number didn't turn up in a meeting with a visitor who is also the governor of the state. The same situation happened in 2020 there was a similar situation when the vice-chancellors of state universities didn't turn up for the meeting." "These developments are alarming and it shows the rule of the ruler and not of law. The state government is making appointments of vice-chancellors ignoring the chancellor. I am now being forced to take a strong view of the developments and direct a revisit into all the appointments," he said, asking the UGC to look into the developments that are hampering the process of education in the state.

On the Governor's outburst, Basu said: "The Governor is only good at penning Twitter messages so we will consult legal brains on whether he can be replaced with the Chief Minister as Chancellor."
DHAKA: At least 40 persons were killed when a packed launch caught fire on the Sugandha river in the southern district of Jhalakathi in Bangladesh (Credit: Ians) Image Source: IANS News

DHAKA: At least 40 persons were killed when a packed launch caught fire on the Sugandha river in the southern district of Jhalakathi in Bangladesh (Credit: Ians) Image Source: IANS News

DHAKA: At least 40 persons were killed when a packed launch caught fire on the Sugandha river in the southern district of Jhalakathi in Bangladesh (Credit: Ians) Image Source: IANS News

DHAKA: At least 40 persons were killed when a packed launch caught fire on the Sugandha river in the southern district of Jhalakathi in Bangladesh (Credit: Ians) Image Source: IANS News

Dhaka, Dec 24 : At least 40 persons were killed when a packed launch caught fire on the Sugandha river in the southern district of Jhalakathi in Bangladesh early on Friday.

Officials said the death toll is likely to go up, as many passengers sustained burn injuries after the fire swept through the Barguna-bound MV Ovijan-10.

The three-story launch caught fire at around 2 a.m. on Friday. The Fire Service suspects that the flames that swept through the launch originated from the vessel's engine room and were likely caused by some kind of explosion. However, it is not yet clear as to what caused the explosion.

Expressing shock and grief at the loss of lives in the fire tragedy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday directed the authorities concerned to ensure speedy treatment of the injured and hand over the bodies of the deceased to their families at the earliest.

As ordered by the Prime Minister, officials of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) of the Bangladesh Police rescued the injured persons and shifted them to Dhaka for treatment using helicopter.

RAB chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun went to the spot and also visited the injured at the hospital, Khandaker Al Moin, RAB media wing director, told IANS on Friday evening.

Hasina, who is presently in Maldives on a state visit, expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members and prayed for quick recovery of the injured, a PMO release said.

The Bangladesh government will provide financial assistance of 1.5 lakh taka to each of the deceased person's family, said Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Minister for Shipping. They will also be provided 25,000 taka to meet the funeral expenses, he added after inspecting the gutted launch on Friday afternoon.

"We will also provide medical assistance to the injured," he said.

Meanwhile, the Shipping Ministry and the Water Transport authorities have initiated separate inquires into the launch tragedy. The ministry has formed a seven-member panel, headed by Joint Secretary Tofail Islam, to look into the incident. The panel has been told to submit its report within three business days, ministry spokesperson Jahangir Alam Khan told IANS.

The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) has also initiated a probe into the fatal launch blaze by forming a six-member committee, which will be headed by Md Saiful Islam, Additional Director in the port and transportation division.

Among the survivors was Hossain Mohammad Al-Mujahid, UNO executive officer for Patharghata Upazila, and his wife. Hossain and his wife were travelling in a VIP cabin of the launch. They were woken up from sleep by the screams of their the co-passengers. As smoke engulfed the launch, Hossain jumped into the river, followed by his wife, who suffered a broken leg after colliding with the steel railing of the vessel.
Hyderabad, Dec 24 : Telangana's Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy on Friday said if the Centre failed to give a written assurance for procuring the entire paddy produced in the state during the ongoing Kharif season, the state government will dump the produce at India Gate.

The minister, who is leading a state delegation and camping in the national capital for almost a week, also slammed the Centre for its attitude towards the state.

Recently, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao had said that if the Centre did not come forward to lift paddy, the state will have no option but to dump the same at the BJP office and India Gate.

Niranjan Reddy said the Centre had agreed to lift only 60 lakh tonnes from the state during the current season and the state government has already procured it from farmers but there is more paddy lying at the procurement centres while more paddy is expected to arrive as it is ready for harvest in some places in the state.

He said when the delegation met Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Piyush Goyal three days ago to demand that the Centre lift the entire paddy being produced in the state, he had assured that he will give clarity in two days. "Two days have passed. We could not get his appointment. This is not the way the Centre should function," he said.

The minister said the Centre, which decides minimum support price, controls exports, store houses, and the railways, was throwing its hands up.

He said the Centre was treating the state governments as if they were not constitutionally elected. "The Centre wants to see that states remain at its mercy. This is not good for the nation," Reddy said.

Stating that in the past those who insulted the states' sentiments had to pay the price, he said it was the responsibility of the Central government to avoid such a situation.

He also alleged that the Centre was giving preferential treatment to states ruled by BJP or the state which it likes.
Gandhinagar, Dec 24 : Gujarat on Friday reported 13 new Omicron cases, taking the state's tally of the new Covid variant to 43.

Of the new cases, 7 were reported from Vadodara, followed by 3 in Kheda, 2 in Ahmedabad and 1 in Anand.

The patients infected with Omicron had returned from the UK, Tanzania, Zambia, the UAE and Nigeria. Of the total 43 cases in the state, 8 have been discharged after testing negative.

The state also reported 98 fresh Covid-19 cases and 3 deaths in the 24 hours ending 5 p.m. on Friday against 69 recoveries. The state presently has 694 active Covid cases, of which 8 are on ventilator support.

Ahmedabad reported most Covid cases on Friday at 32, followed by Surat (18), Vadodara (10), Rajkot (7), Kutch (6), Valsad (5), Kheda and Rajkot (3 each), Navsari, Sabarkantha, Vadodara, Gandhinagar and Junagadh (2 each), and Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Gir Somnath and Surat (1 each).

During the day, over 1.75 lakh doses of Covid vaccine were administered, taking the total count statewide so far above 8.80 crore.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : The rising risks associated with Covid-19's Omicron variant has not dissuaded holiday makers from their plans this season, as 58 per cent citizens still plan to travel during December to March period, the latest survey by LocalCircles showed on Friday.

The survey received more than 19,500 responses from citizens residing in 320 districts.

It indicated that while such a large number of people have travel plans, only 18 per cent of citizens have made their bookings so far.

Besides, the survey showed that of those who plan to travel in the next 90 days, the highest number, 49 per cent are likely to visit family, friends and also undertake other miscellaneous travel while 21 per cent have plans to travel to a holiday destination.

Further, a comparative analysis of the latest survey with the one conducted in March 2021 showed that the enthusiasm level of citizens to travel despite the Omicron threat is higher than what it was before Delta and the second wave.

"While 18 per cent have already made bookings, the government must ensure that as the risk rises in different parts of the country, travel restrictions are put in place and airlines and hotels advised to permit rescheduling without penalties," said Sachin Taparia, Founder of LocalCircles.

"If travel is to continue, it is an absolute must that Central and State Governments and various authorities enforce the mask and social distancing compliance on the ground. With Omicron found to be '3-5X' more transmissible than the Delta variant, things can get out of hand very quickly if the restrictions and enforcement is not paid attention to." India's travel and tourism industry was impacted between April and June as many families cancelled their summer travel plans amid the drastic surge of cases led by the Delta variant during the second Covid wave.

Then as the country entered into unlocking the economy after the outbreak, an exercise conducted by LocalCircles found out that 28 per cent of citizens had made plans to travel during August and September.

Similarly, October-November also saw busy airports, flights and trains with a lot of people travelling during the festive season.
Gandhinagar, Dec 24 : The Gujarat government on Friday extended the duration of the night curfew in eight cities by two hours amid the spike in the cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, officials said.

According to a notification, the change in the timings will be effective from December 25 in the cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar.

Gujarat has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases of late.

On Thursday, more than 100 new cases were reported in a single day after nearly seven months. On Friday, it saw a little less than 100 cases, including 13 with Omicron variant.

The state has also reported 43 cases of the Omicron variant so far. These cases have been reported in Municipal Corporation areas of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Gandhinagar and Mehsana, Anand and Kheda.

Following the rise in cases, the Gujarat government has extended the night curfew timings by two hours.

On Friday, a notification was issued by the state home department. The curfew would be in force from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. instead of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

"Commercial activities in shops, restaurants, shopping complexes, marketing yards, marts, hair cutting saloons, beauty parlours among others in these eight cities are allowed to remain open till 11 p.m.," said the notification.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : The shortage of natural gas for domestic consumers in Karachi sparked multiple protests in the city on Friday, disrupting traffic flow and causing delays on major roads, Samaa TV reported.

Pakistan faces an acute shortage of natural gas this winter. Several areas in Karachi have experienced gas-load shedding.

On Friday, dozens of residents of Mehmoodabad and Bazarta Lines staged a demonstration at the Main Korangi Road at the National Medical Centre and blocked vehicular traffic coming from Korangi to FTC.

Teams of law enforcement agencies tried to remove the protesters from the road, but they gathered at another location, the report said.

Karachi traffic police tweeted about the protest, reporting that the road between Kala Pul and FTC building had been closed for traffic because of public protest.

In another protest, residents from the Keamari area marched to the Jinnah Bridge and blocked vehicular traffic. The demonstration was led by Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Abdul Qadir Patel.

Traffic police officials put the number of protesters between 800 and 1,000.

Federal Energy Minister Hammad Azhar has said that the government would not supply imported Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to domestic gas consumers, who pay lower rates, the report added.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Friday, the minister said that the government was importing 10 to 11 cargos of LNG to meet the demand, but since LNG prices have gone up in the international market, the imported gas cannot be supplied to domestic consumers.

The current government has increased natural gas price for commercial consumers and the CNG sector by several folds over three years. However, the rates for gas supplied to homes have registered a minimal increase.

Azhar said Pakistan's domestic gas reserves were dropping 9 per cent per annum and it has become difficult to supply gas to domestic consumers.

The minister said the government is unable to provide cheaper natural gas to domestic users beyond a certain quantity.
Patna, Dec 24 : The police in Nawada district on Friday arrested 17 cyber criminals from the Warisaliganj block.

Confirming the development, district Superintendent of Police, D.S. Savlaram, said that the kingpin of the gang happens to be the newly-elected mukhiya of a village panchayat that falls under the Warisaliganj block.

"We have been receiving complaints about cyber crime cases from several districts in Bihar and other states of the country. On Friday, we received a tip-off about a gang that was active in Chakway village under Warisaliganj police station. Accordingly, we conducted a raid and arrested 17 persons," Savlaram said.

"We have also seized Rs 1,35,716 in cash, nine bank passbooks, 10 mobile phones, five ATM cards, an Aadhaar card, a cheque book and large number of forged documents of various companies," Savlaram said.

"During brief interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime. They have also revealed the name of the kingpin, who is a newly elected a mukhiya of a panchayat under the Warisaliganj block," she added.

The accused were involved in cyber crime for many years and earned huge amount of money through forgery. They used to send random links to individual persons and later duped them after hacking their mobile phones, the officer said.

"A hunt is on to nab the remaining accused," she added.
Panaji, Dec 24 : The Covid infection rate in the state has almost doubled from 1.8 per cent to 3.5 per cent, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Friday, expressing concern about the increase.

He also said the Goa government is in the process of procuring genome sequencing machinery within one month for prompt assessment of suspect Omicron cases.

"We are very concerned that the positivity rate from 1.8 per cent has gone up to 3.5 per cent. This is a serious thing and hence, people should take all precautions. Our advisory will be issued but people should not go to any crowded places without masks. As far as possible, all functions should be in open spaces and functions should not be organised in AC halls.

"We have not introduced any restrictions for now being a tourist season and festive season and Christmas is celebrated in a big way in Goa, but the celebration should be with precautions," Sawant said after a meeting of the state government's task force on Covid management.

"There was a meeting of the task force. We specially discussed about the Omicron virus. The first decision is that we have approved the establishment of a genome sequencing machine at the GMC. By Monday, Tuesday, we will source the machine and place an order and within a month, we will set it up. It is a machine needed to test for the Omicron virus," he said.

Sawant also said that a total of 28 suspect Omicron samples had been sent to a Pune-based Central government laboratory for tests so far.

"Eight were found positive with the Delta virus. So far none have tested for the Omicron variant. 19 reports are still pending. That's why we have taken the decision to get the genome sequencing machine here," he said.

The Chief Minister also said that there were around 3,500 foreign tourists in Goa and Health Department officials were trying to keep in touch with them during their stay in Goa.

"We are trying to keep in touch with them (during their stay here) but some of them... their mobiles are not reachable. So we are issuing an advisory for the general public from the Health Department and Tourism Department. For foreign tourists taking an RT-PCR test after eight days, so we have asked the hotels they are staying in, to get them tested at the nearest health centre," Sawant said.

"Those who have not done it yet, the hotels have to insist that they get it done. If it is positive, then they have to get genome sequencing done and have to visit the GMC for further investigation. We will send the samples to NIV (National Institute of Virology) in Pune for genome sequencing. The Health Department is alert to this and is doing its work."
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Releasing of e-books and flagging the National Test House (NTH) Mobile Van for Drinking Water Testing marked the National Consumer Day 2021 with the theme "Consumer - Know your Rights" organised by the Department of Consumer Affairs here on Friday.

The virtual event was attended both by Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Minister Piyush Goyal and his deputy Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

"Following the mantra of 'Consumer is King', we have transitioned from 'Consumer Protection' to 'Consumer Empowerment and Prosperity'," Goyal said, adding that the consumers should demand good quality and protection of their rights.

Stating that drinking water is being supplied to each household, he said: "This has increased our responsibility. On the lines of 'Mobile Van' flagged today for Drinking Water Testing, BIS and NTH can take charge of the testing and provide such a facility in each district. Later, drinking water testing facilities may be provided in at least 10,000 places." Three e-Books - "Landmark Judgments on Consumer Law and Practice", "Handbook on Mediation under Consumer Protection Act 2019", and "Handbook on E-filing before Consumer Redressal Commission" were virtually inaugurated, a Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry release said.

Choubey, in his keynote address, stressed on the significance of consumer rights and that the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has widened the platform for consumers to assert and enforce their rights in case of violation.

He also highlighted the strides made by the Legal Metrology Department by taking strong enforcement measures and appreciated the enterprising effort taken by the department over the past year wherein 255 cases were registered under the Legal Metrology Act, 2009 and 80 companies compounded their offences by paying a total of Rs 43,55,500.

Secretary, Consumer Affairs, Leena Nandan, Additional Secretary Nidhi Khare, Joint Secretaries Anupam Mishra and Vineet Mathur attended the event along with other senior officers, presidents and members of Consumer Commissions, stakeholders from states/UTs, industry associations, and consumer organisations.
New Delhi, Dec 24 : Experts have expressed concern that the Delimitation Commission's proposal to increase Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir can fan a spate of violence in the Union Territory, as this proposal can change the dominance of the political parties having larger base and influence in the Valley.

The local population of the Valley may consider that they have been deliberately neglected by being offered only one seat, while six seats have been proposed for the Jammu division, experts said.

They also said that discontentment among the people in the Valley may disrupt their belief and trust in the Central government, which has initiated a series of development works in the Valley after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in 2019 to give them equal rights as the rest of the country.

Admitting the fact that that the local population in Kashmir may take it as the domination of the Jammu region in the region's politics, sources in the security grid in the UT said that the sentiments of the Valley can be exploited by the terror outfits actie there and may possibly result in disruption of peace and the development process there.

They also said that this could destroy the 'trust dividends' earned by the government in recent times after the change in special status of the erstwhile state of J&K.

The sources also admitted that the demographic situation has equally changed in both the regions in the last 10 years, hence offering only one seat to Kashmir will not be welcomed by the local population too.

An expert on Jammu and Kashmir and West Asia, Qamar Agha, said that if the proposal of the Delimitation Commission headed by former Supreme Court justice Ranjana Desai is accepted by the government, the political parties in Jammu will dominate J&K politics and also in government formation once the statehood is restored.

"Earlier, the J&K government used to be dominated by the people or representatives of Kashmir region and they used to lead or dominate in the state government, but increasing six seats in Jammu and only one in Kashmir will imbalance the political situation there. This could also have an impact on the local population," Agha said, adding that the discontentment may be used by the anti-national groups active in the Valley to flair up terrorism.

However, Sanjeev Srivastatva, professor of international studies at the Delhi University, said that the panel's recommendation to increase Assembly seats in Jammu division was long awaited, as the population in this region has largely increased in the last 10 years based on the 2011 Census.

"As far as the impact on the security situation is concerned, the Narendra Modi-led government has zero tolerance policy on terrorism, and it will take care of things aptly if any such situation arises," he said.

Srivastava also said that the Commission's proposal is fair and the political parties which rejected it are only keeping their own political interests in consideration.

On December 20, while meeting with the stakeholders of Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi, the Commission proposed the increase of six Assembly seats for Jammu and one for Kashmir.

Soon after the proposal came into public domain, political parties such as National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, and Apni Party rejected it and expressed their reservations.

Rejecting the Delimitation Commission proposal, PDP chief Mebooba Mufti said that her apprehensions about the Commission were not misplaced as they want to pitch people against each other by ignoring the Census of 2011, and giving six seats to one region and only one to Kashmir.

Reacting to the proposal, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdulla said that this is not acceptable to them, as the distribution of seats in the proposal is not justified as per the 2011 Census.
Bengaluru, Dec 25 : Bengal Warriors defeated Gujarat Giants 31-28 on Day 3 of the Pro Kabaddi League Season 8 held at The Sheraton Grand, Whitefield, here on Friday. This was Bengal Warriors' second win in as many matches while Gujarat Gaints have one win and one loss. The Warriors have 10 points the same as Dabang Delhi but are placed second on a lower points-difference while Gujarat have six points.

Bengal Warriors started well and established a slender lead (16-11) against Gujarat Giants at half-time. They maintained their advantage despite the valiant efforts of the Gujarat Giants, managed to register a narrow victory.

Maninder Singh was the top scorer for Bengal Warriors with eight points while Esmaeil Nabibakhsh contributed four points.

Bengal Warriors won 18 raid points as against 19 by Gujarat Giants. But it was in defence that they scored, claiming 10 points as against eight by their rivals. They bagged two all-outs as against none by the Giants.

Rakesh Narwal was the top scorer for Gujarat Giants with 12 points while Rakesh Sungroya contributed four points.
Yangon, Dec 25 : The number of Covid-19 infections has risen to 529,327 in Myanmar after 213 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours on Friday, according to the Ministry of Health.

Six more deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 19,248 on Friday in the country, Xinhua news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

A total of 506,764 patients have been discharged from hospitals and over 5.96 million samples have been tested for Covid-19 as of Friday.

Myanmar detected its first two Covid-19 cases on March 23 last year.
CityFibre, the UKs largest independent full fibre platform, has appointed a new build partner to lead its 32 million investment in digital infrastructure throughout Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Svella Connect has been selected to deliver the construction programme on CityFibres behalf. The team will work closely with CityFibre, Barnsley Council and local communities to manage disruption and ensure a fast and successful rollout.

Mobilisation is now under way with Svella Connect to replace the previous build partner and construction is due to begin again in early 2022. Throughout the project residents will be kept informed by direct mailings ahead of works in their streets beginning.

Natalie Ward, CityFibres city manager for Barnsley, said: We are delighted to have appointed a new build partner so quickly who we know will really help ramp up our operation in the town. Already this year we have made significant progress and we aim to accelerate even faster throughout 2022.

CityFibre is leading the charge in South Yorkshire to make full fibre available to the people and businesses of Barnsley and we look forward to this transformative technology being available in even more homes very soon.

Gavin Davies, Svella Connect managing director, added: This appointment as a build partner is great news for Svella Connect and its exciting for us to lead such an important multi-million pound infrastructure project which will see homes and businesses benefit from a modern, hybrid network.

It reinforces our position as a key infrastructure partner to CityFibre, supporting its nationwide connectivity targets, and will see us further expand and strengthen our delivery teams in Yorkshire.
Hasty Pudding Theatricals has declared Ozark actor and director Jason Batemen its 55th Man of the Year.

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Bateman will be roasted by the troupe at Harvard University's Farkas Hall on Feb. 3. He is also expected to attend a performance of the company's original production, Ship Happens.

"The Pudding is proud to present this honor to an Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe award-winning actor," the organization said in a press release Thursday.

"From being the DGA's youngest ever director for directing three episodes of Valerie at age 18, to starring in numerous television shows and movies, to starting his own production company, Mr. Bateman has made a significant and meaningful impact in the worlds of television and film."

The Man of the Year award was established in 1967. No ceremony was held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Past recipients of the honor include Milo Ventimiglia Paul Rudd , and Ryan Reynolds
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy. Snow likely late. Low 24F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. About one inch of snow expected..

Tonight

Cloudy. Snow likely late. Low 24F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. About one inch of snow expected.
TORRINGTON  The Northwest CT Chamber of Commerce announces the following meetings and events.

Holiday closing: The Chamber Office will be closed for the holidays through Dec. 31.

Jan. 4: Small Business Council Meeting, 8 a.m. The Small Business Council has been established for the small business owner/manager - the decision makers - to discuss challenges, share solutions and work as a back-office consortium.

Many small business owners have issues that they stumble upon throughout their workday that they may not have experience with - but another small business owner does. The Chambers Small Business Council is a resource for the owners and managers so they can keep their businesses running smoothly. To be added to the Small Business Council, email Lauren@nwctchamberofcommerce.org.

Jan. 6: Membership Committee Meeting, 8 a.m. Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerces Membership Committee is a group of dedicated individuals who assist the Chamber staff throughout the year.

Under the Membership Committee umbrella, there are three distinct groups: Member Ambassadors, Hospitality and Community Representatives. To join the Membership Committee, email Lauren@nwctchamberofcommerce.org.

Jan. 7: Manufacturers' Coalition Meeting, 8 a.m. The Manufacturers Coalition, a group comprised of individuals from manufacturing companies in the Northwest corner, meets on the first Friday of every other month. All members of the business community are welcome to attend. Meetings focus on specific areas of interest including: employee recruitment and retention, workforce development, on-the-job training programs and grants, legislative updates that affect manufacturers, facility tours, sharing of best practices, and the development of industry-specific curriculum for local educational institutions. To be added to the Manufacturers Coalition, contact Lauren Zordan at 860-482-6586 or lauren@nwctchamberofcommerce.org
LITCHFIELD  Theres a movie theater in Bantam, showing first-run movies and independent films. Its just waiting to be discovered.

Most recently, the newly released West Side Story and Nightmare Alley were showing in one of the Bantam Cinema and Arts Centers two viewing rooms, with evening and matinee shows. Executive Director Robert Kwalick, who joined the nonprofit organization earlier this year, was busy preparing for the 1 p.m. matinee.

These movies aside, we plan to show are independent films that you wouldnt normally see, he said. The most requested movie weve been asked about so far is Belfast and were getting it, hopefully by the middle of January. Were also going to show The Tragedy of MacBeth with Denzel Washington.

Earlier this month, Litchfield Parks & Recreation screened Its a Wonderful Life at the cinema as a fundraiser. That was very popular and well-attended, Kwalick said. And West Side Story and Nightmare Alley have had steady audiences.

Formerly known as the Bantam Cinema, the new arts center was formed in early 2021 when a group of local residents purchased it from the previous owners, Ken Merz, David Koch and Sidney Koch. The theater, originally built in the late 1920s, is at 115 Bantam Lake Road/Route 209, next-door to Woods Pit BBQ.

On its website, the cinemas members said, The cinema will expand its programming with a focus on creating exciting experiences that will foster a sense of community. Programming will include guest speakers, discussion panels, theme-nights, film festivals, special film series, and other special events. By the end of 2022, Bantam Cinema & Arts Center hopes to also offer small live events such as music, comedy nights, and cabarets. In addition, there will be family and school opportunities to encourage a love for film and the arts in the younger generations. We aspire to promote Connecticut food and drink and offer local products that appeal to the palettes of its patrons.

Getting people in the door is the biggest challenge, but Kwalick is confident audiences will grow. He also realizes the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases is probably keeping some people away.

We have 7,000 names on our email list,, he said. We do rush tickets for movies; they do rush tickets on Broadway, so why not here? Our concessions are open; we ask people to wear masks and we ask for a proof of vaccination. Its hard, because things arent open to people who dont have that. We request masks, but we cant enforce it. So unless youre eating and drinking, we ask that you keep it on.

For me, masks have become an accessory, Kwalick said. Its just part of what I do; Ive grown used to it.

The director has many future plans for the cinema. He recently received a donation from Joe DiBlasi, owner of Litchfield Piano Works and Litchfield Music Center, of two pianos  an upright keyboard and a digital piano. Both were placed in the theaters second room, which is designed for films as well as live music, readings, open mics and local bands.

We had a Tuesday night reading recently with Doug Winkel from the Washington Dramalites, and weve had interest from other playwrights to have readings, Kwalick said. Ive got open mic poetry events in mind, too. Ive also been contacted by local high school bands and a bluegrass band, who are interested in performing here.

On Feb. 13, poet Susan Katz is doing a reading, and our artist of the month wall will be coming in soon. And on Jan. 24, the Litchfield Prevention Council is showing a local film, Uprooting Addiction. The filmmaker (also wants) to make it available virtually to people, so Im checking the rights for that. That event is being done in concert with Greenwoods Counseling Services.

The buildings spaces are available to rent, and insurance is required, Kwalick said. On Jan. 3, a family is holding an 80th birthday party there. Individual groups and nonprofits can rent us, he said.

The Bantam Cinema and Arts Center also is part of the very newly formed Litchfield Arts Council. Theres talk of creating an arts corridor, Kwalick said. Which makes sense, because theres a lot going on here.

The borough of Bantam, a stretch of Route 202 starting from around West Morris Road and continuing to North Shore Drive to the east, approximately, is home to a variety of restaurants, retail stores and other businesses as well as art galleries and creative spaces. Many can be found in the Bantam Arts building, and a new gallery, AMArthouse, recently opened in the former Gilyards Outfitters building.

Im glad the arts council exists, Kwalick said. Social media marketing works, but its not enough. Having people get together like this will help everyone.

To learn more about the Bantam Cinema and Arts Centers movie schedule and other events, call 860-361-6066, visit https://www.bantamcinema.org or find them on Facebook. Email Kwalick at executivedirector@bantamcinema.org.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden brought some Christmas Eve cheer to hospitalized children who aren't well enough to go home for the holidays.

It's longstanding tradition for first ladies to visit Children's National Hospital at Christmastime, but Joe Biden's visit on Friday was a surprise. It marked the first time that a sitting president had joined the fun, the White House said.

It wasnt the only tradition that the president joined in on Friday. Jill Biden answered calls to the the North American Aerospace Defense Commands Santa tracking service, another longstanding tradition for first ladies, and she was joined by Biden for the calls.

At the hospital, the Bidens spoke with a group of children making lanterns as part of a winter craft project, asking each one what they drew on their lanterns. Some drew family, snowmen or other holiday-themed art.

They both spoke to a child who said the hospital helped him when he was down.

Well we hope were bringing you some joy today, Jill Biden responded.

The president added, Youre bringing us some joy, pal.

Biden also pulled out his phone to show the kids photos of his new dog, Commander, a nearly four-month-old German Shepherd puppy. The dog joined the family this week and was seen playing with a handler on the South Lawn of the White House complex earlier Friday before the Bidens left for their visit to the hospital.

His name is Commander! Jill Biden told the kids. And this morning he was eating my slippers!

The president and first lady then sat before the hospital's Christmas tree, where Jill Biden read Olaf's Night Before Christmas to the kids, which was broadcast to hundreds of children in their rooms at the hospital.

The Walt Disney Co. provided copies of the book for each patient so they can follow along with the first lady, the White House said. Each book includes a White House bookmark designed by her office.

The annual tradition of a hospital visit by the first lady dates to Bess Truman, who served in the role from 1945-1953.

Before returning to the White House, the two stopped briefly at a Jill Biden-themed Christmas tree set up on the street in D.C.'s Dupont Circle neighborhood by a local business owner. The president hung the 2021 White House Christmas ornament on one of the branches, nestled between large cutouts of Jill's face dotting the tree.

Back at the White House, the two capped off their Christmas Eve festivities by answering calls for NORAD, as they watched Santa soar over the United Arab Emirates on the Santa tracker screens. They took three largely pleasant phone calls from kids and parents, though one father capped off an otherwise polite conversation with the president by wishing him a happy holidays and adding, Let's go Brandon! before hanging up. The phrase has become widely used by conservatives as a stand-in for a more vulgar epithet against the president.

Biden didn't seem to catch the caller's intent, however  he responded, Let's go Brandon, I agree" as the call came to an end. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Biden's response.



AP writer Darlene Superville contributed reporting.
TORRINGTON  Each year, the Lewis Mills High School Girls Volleyball Team helps raise awareness and money for the Charlotte Hungerford Hospitals Pink Rose Breast Cancer Fund.

This year, members of the team pitched in and helped raise $816.34 in donations at their annual Dig Pink fundraiser.

The overwhelming support and generosity we receive from the volleyball team and their supporters at Lewis Mills is so gratifying to all of us. Their enthusiasm and interest in organizing and achieving this very successful fundraiser will directly help women access lifesaving early detection services that are critical to improved outcomes for our patients, said Tammy Rouleau, R.N, CHH Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator.

The Pink Rose Fund, established in 1998, provides financial support for educational outreach and screening to assure that women in northwest Connecticut have comprehensive, coordinated access to services related to breast cancer prevention and treatment.

The purpose of the hospitals Early Detection Program is to ensure that ALL women in our community have access to regular mammograms. Early detection through mammography has been found to be the safest and most effective way of finding breast cancer in its earliest and most treatable stages.

For more information about the Breast Cancer Early Detection Program, call 860-496-6819.
ASTORIA, Ore. (AP)  Da Yang Seafood has been fined $105,000 by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for improperly discharging wastewater into the Columbia River.

The state says the violations happened 32 times between June 2018 and June 2021 from the seafood processors facility at Pier 2 at the Port of Astoria. When the wastewater was dumped, the state said Da Yang failed to comply with the permitting limits for effluent, The Astorian reported this week.
STAMFORD  At the mouth of Cove Island Park, blinking red lights stretched out in two directions for as far as the eye could see. Occasionally, passengers craned their necks out from their stopped cars to judge how close they were to the entrance or the COVID-19 testing site beyond it.

It was all to no avail. From where one of the lines started, at the corner of Weed Avenue and Matthews Street, the testing clinic was more than half a mile away.

Rounding the corner on Matthews Street to join the long line of people waiting, Martha Dombroski rolled down her window, peeked out of the car and sighed. The site had barely been open for an hour, and she was already losing faith in her ability to get a test.

This sucks, she yelled out, exasperated after leaving work early to get on the queue. Dombroski got exposed to COVID over the weekend. Though she felt fine, she wanted to get a negative test to assuage the pit in her stomach.

Im seeing my 91-year-old aunt, she said, inching her car forward through the traffic. With plans to see someone vulnerable to the virus over the weekend, Dombroski would rather be safe than sorry.

Dombroski isnt alone.

The demand for COVID-19 tests in Stamford has reached a fever pitch ahead of Christmas and New Years. Those searching for tests encounter long lines and cleaned out inventories at formal testing facilities and pharmacies alike as the omicron variant tightens its grip over both Connecticut and the country.

Federal, state and local governments are scrambling to meet the appetite for testing to beat back omicrons impact, but the new variant is on track to outpace their efforts.

Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday said the state is expanding its capacity at 23 state-run testing facilities and hospitals are increasing their capacity. Across all its providers, Stamford currently has the resources to test about 2,000 people daily, according to Mayor Caroline Simmons. In the new year, the mayor is looking to open another testing facility for residents, though accommodations have yet to be made.

At Stamford Health, Director of Infectious Disease Dr. Asha Shah told Hearst Connecticut Media Group that the hospital is looking to creatively expand testing beyond mass testing facilities.

I think were not alone in Stanford or the state or in the country with the tremendous demand for testing and thats outpacing supply in terms of staffing, she said. Though Shah emphasized that Stamford Health has enough tests, she added that there are only so many hours in a day that the hospital and city can run clinics, especially as people run to snag results before the holiday season.

Shah said the hospital is working to decentralize the process in terms of testing by helping people get results through their primary care providers. Similarly, Simmons said the city and state Departments of Public Health want to secure additional at-home COVID tests to distribute through healthcare providers like Community Health Center.

Both argued that encouraging testing through alternate means frees up resources at mass sites, like the one at Cove Island Park, where extreme demand forced Sema4 to cut off the line early three times this week.

After just 46 minutes on Wednesday, Stamford officials announced via Twitter that no new cars could line up at the site, which was scheduled to be open for five hours

City officials moved the site to Cove Island Park after crushing demand on Monday crippled traffic near Stamford High School, where the site used to operate.

The Sema4 site (was) moved to Cove Island due to the traffic back up it was causing at Stamford High, special assistant to the mayor Lauren Meyer said in an email. Given the rise in cases and an uptick in individuals wanting and/or needing to get tested, it was moved to accommodate a larger flow of traffic.

Even after moving the site, traffic persisted and a nearly identical situation unfolded by the waterfront Tuesday.

Waiting for hours in slow-moving traffic was not Dombroskis first choice.

By the time her car joined the crush of vehicles trying to snag a test through Sema4, she had already visited a handful of other sites.

Her search for a test started on Sunday after Dombroski learned of her exposure. She tried booking through her primary care provider and urgent care clinics  No luck. Everything was already spoken for.

When Dombroski called CVS to see if she could register for a test with them, the operator told her that the nearest appointment was in Philadelphia.

Further up the line, Anne DeJongh had the same problem. Shed been exposed to COVID at a theater production over the weekend and, like Dombroski, just wanted to be safe, despite her lack of symptoms.

DeJongh estimated that shed driven over to the Sema4 clinic just before 4 p.m. After more than half an hour of puttering down Weed Avenue, she still had a substantial wait ahead of her. All she could do was stay on line.

After the sun had set and police officers were busy sending away the steady trickle of cars that continued to pull up to Cove Island Park, Emilia Furano was still nervous about her chances of getting a test. Though shed made it past the line cutoff, there were still so many cars in front of her.

What if theyd made a mistake? What if she left empty-handed?

Furano was tired, she wanted to go home and she felt disillusioned with how the pandemic had continued to unfold. It was all 2020 deja vu for her.

You get your first shot. You get your second shot. You get a booster, the Greenwich resident said before trailing off and fixing her hands back on the steering wheel.

After a few seconds of inching forward in the parking lot, the cars in front of Furano stopped again, the break lights washing her face in red light.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
In the wake of the recent sacrileges and bomb blast, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, rolled out his next set of guarantees AAP will deliver if voted to power in Punjab. Addressing a poll rally in Gurdaspur, Kejriwal promised appointment of honest police officers without bribes, probe into all sacrilege cases, securing Punjab's borders, state-of-the-art technology to shoot down drones and a 'dedicated police team' outside every religious place of worship across Punjab. The northern state, along with Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa will go to polls on February 2022.

Kejriwal rolls out 5 promises

.@ArvindKejriwal's GUARANTEE for a Peaceful Punjab:



1Post Honest Police officers without taking bribes

2Jail masterminds behind all Beadbi

3Secure Punjab's borders

4State-of-the-art tech for Soldiers to nab drones

5Dedicated armed force to stop sacrilege in religious places pic.twitter.com/paQTsFINIU  AAP (@AamAadmiParty) December 24, 2021

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal slammed Punjab government for the law and order situation. Promising that the AAP govt will provide a strong govt, Kejriwal speculated a larger conspiracy at play in the wake of the 'sacrilege' attempts and explosions. Kejriwal is in Punjab and will join the Christmas celebration at Dhariwal.

"First sacrilege & now this blast in Ludhiana that too before polls are seemingly a conspiracy to disturb the peace. Some people are deliberately doing it. They should be strictly punished. I appeal to the people of Punjab not to let such minds succeed. The person who attempted to desecrate Guru Granth Sahib could have been sent by someone. Unless the state govt is not honest, committed, such incidents will recur. AAP will give a strong govt in Punjab & punish masterminds behind such crimes," said Kejriwal, politicising the incidents.

Ludhiana court blast

An explosion occurred at a Ludhiana court on Thursday at around 12:25 PM, killing one and injuring 5. The prime suspect is the one who has been killed in the blast, say police. As per sources, the blast occurred in a women's washroom on the third floor inside the court premises. Visuals from the scene show walls and parts of the ceiling damaged in the third-floor washroom of courtroom no. 14. It has also come to light that intel sources in a report to the Centre had warned of Pakistan's ISI aiding pro-Khalistani groups in Punjab, in a bid to create disharmony in the state ahead of the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.

Recent Sacrileges

On Sunday morning, a man was lynched to death for allegedly attempting to desecrate Shri Guru Granth Sahib in the Nizampur Gurudwara. Locals claimed that the man tried to escape after being caught by the Gurdwara authorities who handed over the alleged accused to Sikh outfits. The police claimed that the 'sacrilege' was brought to light by a video uploaded by Amarjeet Singh, but refuted any sacrilege - arresting Singh

Similarly, an unknown youth attempted sacrilege in the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple on December 18. Caught on CCTV, the man is seen grabbing the golden sword (kirpan) and trying to grab the holy book before being stopped by SGPC officers. He was seen being dragged out of the shrine and later allegedly thrashed by enraged devotees to death. No arrests is done in this case and even the victim has not been identified.
Shocked at Punjab CM Charanjit Channi's accusations linking Akali Dal BS Majithia and the recent violence in Punjab, Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Badal on Friday, condemned it. She urged the CM to expedite the probe into these cases, instead of politicising them. Recently, Punjab has witnessed two brutal lynchings over alleged 'sacrileges' and an explosion in a Ludhiana court.

Badal: 'Probe cases, stop politicising'

Defending her brother - BS Majithia, Badal said, "We condemn the CM's statement in which he alleged that the recent horrific incidents of sacrilege and the Ludhiana blast occurred after Cong govt registered case against former minister BS Majithia. He should expedite the probe into these cases, instead of politicising them". Dismissing Congress' accusation over Akali Dal's hand in the recent events, she added, "This is a revival of the old Congress tactics of the 1980s and 1990s when they first painted Akalis and then Sikhs as 'separatists' and 'terrorists'".

CM @CHARANJITCHANNI has accused Akalis of creating unrest in the state. This is a revival of the old Congress tactics of the 1980s and 1990s when they first painted Akalis and then the entire Sikh quom as 'separatists' and 'terrorists'. The same story is being repeated now. 2/3  Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) December 24, 2021

Earlier on Thursday, CM Channi alleged that that attacks in the state were occurring after the drugs case against Bikram Singh Majithia was filed. Drawing a parallel between the registration of an FIR against the SAD leader, recent sacrilege incidents, and the bomb blast that rocked the Ludhiana city, Channi questioned as to why such horrendous incidents were taking place only after Majithia was booked. The Punjab CM contended that 'anti-Punjab forces' wanted to disrupt the peace of the state and asserted that the state government would probe the Majithia angle in connection with the Ludhiana blasts. Majithia has sought anticipatory bail after a drugs case was filed against him.

Ludhiana court blast

An explosion occurred at a Ludhiana court on Thursday at around 12:25 PM, killing one and injuring 5. The prime suspect is the one who has been killed in the blast, say police. As per sources, the blast occurred in a women's washroom on the third floor inside the court premises. While the nature of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, an NIA team is currently on site probing it.

Visuals from the scene show walls and parts of the ceiling damaged in the third-floor washroom of courtroom no. 14. Punjab CM Charanjit Channi has visited the site and the injured victims, promising free treatment. Taking cognizance of the issue, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has given a 72-hour deadline to find the culprits, sources informed on Thursday. It has also come to light that intel sources in a report to the Centre had warned of Pakistan's ISI aiding pro-Khalistani groups in Punjab, in a bid to create disharmony in the state ahead of the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.
Actor and model Urvashi Rautela is known for avidly using her social media platforms to create a stir in the fashion world with her attires. Recently, the model judged the Miss Universe 2021 pageantry where the Indian representative, Harnaaz Sandhu, made the country proud by bringing home the crown after 21 years. Urvashi Rautela also achieved a major feat internationally as she recently bagged a prestigious honour from the Israeli army.

The 27-year-old received the Symbol of The Armour award from the Israeli army Moshe Levy and became the first Indian to do so. Interestingly, the model's uncle was a CDS (Chief of Defence Staff). To prepare mentally as well as physically, the young model reportedly took advanced training with the Israeli army for two weeks. It was also one of the biggest dreams of Urvashi Rautela. Watch the video of the young model receiving the award below.

Earlier, Rautela took to her Instagram to share multiple pictures of her visiting former Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during her stay in Israel while gearing up for the Miss Universe contest. She also gifted him the Bhagwad Gita and taught him a few words in Hindi. Sharing the video, she wrote, ''THANK YOU PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL FORMER FOR INVITING ME & MY FAMILY #MissUniverseXUrvashiRautela #RoyalWelcome  My Bhagavad Gita: A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return. -The Bhagavad Gita (sic)''

More on Urvashi Rautela

As mentioned earlier, Rautela judged the pageantry contest in Israel. Talking about the same ahead of the event, she said, ''Im truly honoured to be a part of the Miss Universe 2021 Pageant in Eilat, Israel. By trusting in themselves and strongly working hard to fulfil their aspirations, all these wonderful women from across the globe represent and symbolise the Miss Universe Organization's principles, and I can't wait to experience this significant occasion with all of them on this great global platform. This year's Miss Universe competition focuses more on climate change, as well as other social and global challenges confronting competitors and their nations."

(Image: @urvashirautela/Instagram)
A 24-year-old man who returned from Ireland to Kolkata was on Friday found to be infected with the omicron variant of coronavirus, health officials said.

At present, West Bengal has three omicron patients who are undergoing treatment, they said.

The new patient got admitted to a hospital on December 21, following which his sample was sent for genome sequencing and it came back as positive for omicron, a Health Department official said.

The patient is undergoing treatment in an isolated room in the restricted COVID unit of the hospital since his admission, he said.

"The patient is haemodynamically stable and relevant conservative medical management is going on," he added.

Earlier, a person who returned from Nigeria, and another person who came back from the UK were found to be infected with the omicron variant.

A seven-year-old boy who came back from Abu Dhabi via Hyderabad was also omicron-positive but he has recovered.

West Bengal on Friday reported 550 new COVID-19 cases and five more deaths, as per the daily bulletin.

The state has so far reported 16,29,530 COVID-19 cases and 19,707 deaths.

Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Birbhum districts reported one death each.

Of the new cases, 217 were reported by Kolkata.

The state now has 7,446 active cases.

So far, 16,02,377 people have recovered from the disease, including 532 on Friday.

The new cases were detected after testing 37,016 samples.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Amid the Omicron scare, a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking the strict enforcement of COVID-19 norms during the 2022 Assembly elections. Contending that the novel coronavirus cases are expected to rise sharply as Omicron has replaced Delta as the dominant variant, petitioner Vishal Tiwari argued that the processions and public gatherings pertaining to the upcoming polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur need to be restricted. Therefore, he also asked the SC to direct the Election Commission of India to direct all parties to conduct its election campaign via the digital medium.

The petitioner observed, That it is prominent and established that the instructions, guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India has remained forceless and has never witnessed ground level practical enforcement. The rallies, promotional campaigning and public gathering do not follow the principle of social distancing and compulsory mask wearing, the instructions have never been complied by the political parties. Such has derogated the notion of public health". At present, there are 358 Omicron cases in India.

Omicron scare

The B.1.1.529 variant of COVID-19 was first detected in South Africa from a sample collected on November 9. As infections steeply increased in the country in recent weeks, it reported this variant to the World Health Organization on November 24. Two days later, the UN health body designated it as a Variant of Concern based on the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution and named it 'Omicron'.

While studies are underway to assess its transmissibility, severity of infection, the performance of vaccines and diagnostic tests, and effectiveness of treatments, the UN health body has advised physical distancing, wearing of masks and vaccination. In India, persons arriving from Europe, Countries in Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong and Israel have to get tested on arrival and observe home quarantine for 7 days. On December 21, the Centre revealed that Omicron is at least three times more transmissible than the Delta strain.

ECI under fire for belated action

During the course of the election campaign in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and Assam earlier this year, the ECI attracted criticism for its rather belated actions to contain COVID-19 spread even as the second wave was at its peak. For instance, it banned campaigning between 7 pm and 10 am and increased the silence period to 72 hours on April 16 after the Calcutta High Court called for strict implementation of the COVID-19 curbs. On April 22, the poll body took more steps such as prohibiting roadshows and cycle, bike, and vehicle rallies and restricting public meetings to a maximum of 500 persons.

This order too came in the wake of the HC pulling up the ECI for failing to effectively enforce novel coronavirus guidelines. Meanwhile on April 26, a Madras HC bench led by the then CJI Sanjib Banerjee described the poll body as an "irresponsible institution" which should face murder charges for its failure to ensure compliance with COVID-19 norms in election rallies purportedly leading to a spike in cases. A day earlier, the Allahabad HC urged the Centre to stop rallies and postpone the UP election citing the threat of a "third wave" of COVID-19.
Pune, Dec 24 (PTI) The Ahmednagar district administration on Friday issued a 'no vaccine, no entry' order covering various areas, including private establishments, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, auditoriums, marriage halls, agriculture markets as well as events.

The order, issued by Collector Rajendra Bhosale, will start from Saturday and it has been made mandatory for people visiting these places to have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and follow pandemic appropriate behaviour, an official said.

Meanwhile, a woman having a travel history to Nigeria tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Srirampur tehsil of the district, said Bhosale.

He also informed that 19 students from a residential school in Takali Dhokeshwar village in Parner tehsil have tested positive for COVID-19 over the last three to four days.

"There are over 400 students from Classes V to XII in the residential school. All 19 students who have tested positive are hospitalised. They are stable and there is nothing to worry about," he added. PTI SPK BNM BNM BNM

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted that, based on intelligence, an operation in Doboka (Hojai) resulted in the seizure of 61 soaps carrying 680 gms suspected of Heroin. He said it was buried in a compartment between the car's footboard and base. He went on to say that two people from another state had been apprehended.

He said, Based on intelligence, in an op in Doboka (Hojai), Assam Police team intercepted a car & seized 61 soaps containing 680 gms suspected Heroin, hidden in a compartment b/w footboard & base of the car. Two persons of another state arrested,"

Assam Police team intercepts car, seizes 61 soaps with 680 gms suspected Heroin

"Based on intelligence, in an op in Doboka (Hojai), Assam Police team intercepted a car & seized 61 soaps containing 680 gms suspected Heroin, hidden in a compartment b/w footboard & base of the car. Two persons of another state arrested," tweets Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma pic.twitter.com/s9LNXSxtmh  ANI (@ANI) December 24, 2021

Recent Heroin busts in India

Six persons have been arrested in connection with the seizure of almost 20 kg of heroin, police reported in Tuticorin on Wednesday. According to police sources, on Tuesday, a special unit on patrol discovered three people acting suspiciously and detained them for questioning. According to the sources, the squad discovered 162 grammes of heroin in their baggage. The squad stormed a residence based on information from the trio, finding three more persons with 21 kg of the narcotic and arresting them. The heroin is estimated to be worth Rs 21 crore in total, according to the sources. District Superintendent of Police Jeyakumar praised and congratulated the team.

The India Coast Guard and Gujarat ATS captured a Pakistani fishing boat carrying 77 kilogrammes of heroin on Sunday in a significant crackdown on cross-border drug smuggling. According to Gujarat's PRO Defense, the Pakistani boat 'Al Huseini' with six crew members was caught entering Indian waters with a drugs stash worth around Rs 400 crores. The boat was taken to Jakhau for further examination. Smugglers from Pakistan attempted to exploit the Gujarat coast as a transit route to deliver narcotics to their destination, but all attempts were prevented, according to Gujarat ATS Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Himanshu Shukla. Since 2016, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has confiscated drugs worth over Rs 1,900 crore, with narcotics worth Rs 900 crore recovered this year alone, according to officials. During this time, the ATS detained more than 70 persons in some of the most serious narcotics cases. ATS officials said they collected heroin worth Rs 900 crore in various operations this year, including 120 kg of the contraband valued at Rs 600 crore retrieved from Morbi district, which was also provided by a Pakistani smuggler and brought to the Gujarat coast by sea route.

Inputs: ANI

Image: ANI
In a major development, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Friday held another high-level internal security meet at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to discuss the Ludhiana court blast incident. IB Director Arvind Kumar, CRPF and NIA Chief Kuldiep Singh and BSF DG Pankaj Singh attended the meeting along with other officials of NIA and MHA.

This happens a day after the Home Secretary briefed the Punjab government and gave clear and strict orders to find the culprits within 72 hours. The MHA asserted that all mechanisms will be at the disposal of the Punjab government to nab the culprits. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also took cognizance of the incident and gave 72 hours deadline to find the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju is currently in Ludhiana in the backdrop of the blast in District court and said that 'matter being taken seriously.'

Ludhiana court blast

A bomb went off in the District Court Complex here in Ludhiana on Thursday, killing one person and injuring six others, prompting the Punjab government to declare a high alert in the state. As per the investigation so far, Police have suspected that the man killed in the blast in the second-floor toilet was trying to assemble or plant the explosive device. As forensic teams and specialised agencies were being summoned to the blast site, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi expressed apprehension that the explosion might have been an attempt to create anarchy in the poll-bound state.

Intelligence sources have informed that the blast might have been carried out by Pakistan backed international terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa. According to the intel report, the explosion was executed by the chief of Babbar Khalsa, Badwa Singh with the support of a local gangster named Harvinder Singh Rindha with the aim of creating instability in Punjab. On this input, the intel agencies have already issued advisories and inputs to the local police and administration.

Image: PTI
Chief of Army Staff of India, General MM Naravane on Monday had a telephonic interaction with Major General Matar Bin Salim Bin Rashid Al Balushi, Commander of Royal Army of Oman, and discussed issues of bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.

On Twitter, the news of the telephonic conversation between the defence officials of India and Oman was communicated. "General MM Naravane, COAS, had telephonic interaction with Major General Matar Bin Salim Bin Rashid Al Balushi, Commander, Royal Army of Oman and discussed issues of bilateral defence cooperation," the post read. It also had embedded a picture of MM Naravane sitting in his chamber, probably clicked before or after the telephonic conversation with his Oman counterpart.

What, however, caught the attention of those coming across the picture was the background - a full-sized, beautifully framed, iconic picture from the Surrender of Pakistan after the 1971 Indo-Pak war. In the picture, the then Major-General in the Pakistan Army Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi can be seen signing the instrument of surrender to the then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command of the Indian ArmyGeneral Jagjit Singh Arora.

General MM Naravane #COAS had telephonic interaction with Major General Matar Bin Salim Bin Rashid Al Balushi, Commander, Royal Army of Oman and discussed issues of bilateral defence cooperation.#IndiaOmanFriendship#IndianArmy pic.twitter.com/JlcTTo5xxr  ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) December 13, 2021

Picture of Surrender of Pakistan after the 1971 war grabs netizens' attention

Within minutes of the Indian Army tweeting, the post garnered likes in thousands and retweets in hundreds. Most of the likes and retweets were because of the picture in the background as the Netizens underlined that it reminded them of the legendary victory of the Indian Army against that of Pakistan.

While some described the picture with adjectives like awesome, others rightly added that 'the Indian army was India's pride'.

Everytime Indians see that picture in the wall ....they remember the Legendary Victory of Indian Army. pic.twitter.com/BaThr3umVf  Ivar Runa Yggdrasill (@levathiansword) December 13, 2021

Sincere, smart and focused Army chief of India..... Jai Hind. Jai Hind ki Sena 



However, background picture is also too good. Gives satisfaction of highest level   Proud Bharatwasi (@ProudBharatwas1) December 13, 2021

Background picture is awesome   Utkarsh (@UtkarshSoni19) December 13, 2021

RT this tweet because background picture   Tejas   (@TejSinnarkar) December 13, 2021

background pic   dj (@dj40575939) December 13, 2021

Our army our pride  Funny earth (@FunnyEarth0) December 13, 2021

It is pertinent to mention here that India is currently celebrating 50 years of victory against Pakistan under the name of ' Swarnim Vijay Varsh'. The Swarnim Vijay Varsh was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the National War Memorial in New Delhi on December 16, 2020. Four victory flames, or the Swarnim Vijay Mashaal, lit from the eternal flame at National War Memorial, is being carried through the four cardinal directions of the country and will converge back at New Delhi in December 2021.
Noida/Raebareli, Dec 23 (PTI) With the arrest of three Nigerian nationals from Delhi, the Uttar Pradesh police claimed to have busted a gang of cheats involved in duping Indians through social media sites like Facebook and Instagram.

The arrest was made from outer Delhi by a team of Raebareli police with the help of Lucknow unit of the state's Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday, officials said.

Circle Officer (Raebareli City) Vandana Singh said the breakthrough came when the district police was probing a case of online fraud in which a woman had claimed con worth Rs 32 lakh.

Those held have been identified as Okou Christian, Labaye Ke Justin and Nnalue Hycienth Chukwunonso, all citizens of Nigeria, who had come to India two years ago and were staying on rent in Nilothi Extension area of outer Delhi, she said.

The accused told police that they had set up a system in their rented accomodation in Delhi from where they targeted people online through websites like Facebook, Instagram or even Whatsapp, the Raebareli police said.

The gang would create fake profiles and reach out to people, luring them into long chats and conversations. Their fake profiles would have pictures of foreigners along with names and other details, saying they are from the UK, the US, or any other developed country, the police said in a statement.

After establishing a connect with the victims, the accused would tell the target that they are sending them expensive gifts, police said, revealing the gang's modus operandi.

Eventually they would call the person using an Indian alibi, saying a gift has reached Delhi in their name and contains some jewellery or foreign currency, but could only be cleared against a certain amount of processing fee  which ranged from thousands to lakhs, as in the case of the Raebareli woman, who claimed con amounting to Rs 32 lakh with her, the police added.

The police have seized five laptops, three internet modems, 10 mobile phones, nine sim cards, some artificial jewellery, among other items from their possession, officials said.

An FIR under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 467, 468 , 471 (all related to forgery) and under the Information Technology Act was lodged against them at the Mill Area Police Station in Raebareli, they added.

PTI KIS SRY

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Scientists have long known that the asteroid which struck our planet 66 million years ago wreaked havoc on Earth as the event resulted in the formation of toxic clouds that blocked the sunlight and eventually killed the dinosaurs. However, a new study claims that this harrowing condition lasted for two years, providing no scope for life to thrive during the said time. As per the current scientific reports, the dinosaur-killing asteroid was 12 kilometres wide and it slammed in the modern-day Gulf of Mexico, killing 75% of all life forms.

Earth turned into hell for almost two years after getting hit by asteroid

As mentioned earlier, the massive impact resulted in the emission of huge amounts of ash and soot particles in the atmosphere, which made the planet a biohazard. The sunlight was unable to reach the surface, and whatever heat remained beneath the clouds heated the planet to disrupt the survival and growth of organisms. Shockingly, enough the new study conducted by a team from the California Academy of Sciences has suggested that the Earth remained in darkness for a long time and was a living hell for two complete years.

"The concentration of soot within the first several days to weeks of the fires would have been high enough to reduce the amount of incoming sunlight to a level low enough to prevent photosynthesis", lead author Peter Roopnarine told Live Science.

The scientists were able to determine the time frame so accurately after they recreated the ecological communities that lived around the impact area and studied the impact of the long-term dark period. According to a report by Live Science, fossils of as many as 300 species from the said area were picked following which the scientists exposed them to simulations of the harrowing darkness. Reportedly, the species were exposed to a dark period of 100 to 700 days to determine how long certain species survived in the given time frame. Existing records suggest that nearly 73% of vertebrate species were wiped out following the asteroid collision and that the ecosystems reached their 'critical tipping point' after 200 days.

Much to their surprise, the scientists found out that 81% of the subject species were wiped out till the completion of 700 days, which made them conclude that the darkness and a hellish environment lasted for two years on Earth. "Conditions varied across the globe because of atmospheric flow and temperature variation, but we estimated that the darkness could have persisted in the Hell Creek area for up to two years,' Roopnarine was quoted by Live Science.

(Image: Unsplash)
A court in Moscow imposed a fine of over 7.2 billion Rubles (approx $96 million) on Google after finding it guilty of recurrent breach of Russian law. According to a report by the Russian news agency Interfax, LLC Google was found guilty of an administrative offence by a justice of the peace from Judicial District No. 422 in Moscow's Tagansky District. The court fined the company 7,221,916,235 rubles and zero kopecks, the report added. The judge computed the amount using data from the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media on Google's annual revenue, a source familiar with the development told the Interfax.

The company was found guilty under Part 5 of Article 13.41 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. For legal entities, the penalty ranges from 5% to 10% of the total amount of revenues collected in the calendar year preceding the year in which the administrative infraction was discovered. Meanwhile, the company stated that it will make a decision in due time whether to appeal against the verdict of the court. "We will study the decision of the court and after that, we will determine the next steps," the company said in a statement as per Interfax.

Moscow court fined Google 3 million rubles in July

It should be mentioned here that the companies like Google, Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok have been repeatedly penalised in Russia for not removing prohibited content. The amount of fines against companies already amounts to about 200 million rubles, the report stated. Earlier in the month of July, a Moscow court had ordered Google to pay a fine of 3 million rubles for violating the rule of storing the personal data of Russian citizens on servers in Russia. The move was part of the Russian government's effort to tighten its grip on online activity. It was the first time that a fine was imposed on Google over data storage regulations, reported Associated Press (AP).

Image: Unsplash/ANI/Representative
PARIS (AP)  France on Thursday condemned the Malian transitional authorities' decision to allow the deployment of the Wagner Group, and accused Moscow of funding the private military company's use of mercenaries in the West African country.

We are aware of the involvement of the Russian government in providing material support to the deployment of the Wagner group in Mali, the French foreign ministry said in an emailed statement. It called on Russia to revert to a responsible and constructive behavior in West Africa.

Mali has struggled to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. Extremist rebels were forced from power in the country's northern cities with the help of a French-led military operation, but they regrouped in the desert and began launching attacks on the Malian army and its allies.

In June, Col. Assimi Goita was sworn in as president of a transitional Malian government after carrying out his second coup in nine months. Mali faces increasing isolation from the international community over the juntas power grab. Elections are due to be held in February, but there are fears they will be delayed.

We deeply regret the choice of the Malian transitional authorities to use already scarce public funds to pay foreign mercenaries instead of supporting the Malian Armed Forces, the French statement said.

The Wagner Group has been accused by western governments and United Nations experts of human rights abuses in the Central African Republic and involvement in the conflict in Libya. France and Germany have both objected to the presence of its mercenaries in Mali.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the company has a legitimate right to be in the West African nation because it was invited by the transitional government, and he has insisted that the Russian government is not involved.

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At least 11 people have died after a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of southern Greece. Coast guard divers conducted the search operation of a submerged boat for passengers who might have been trapped inside on Friday, December 24. According to a report by AP, the Greek Coast Guard informed that 90 people have been rescued overnight and early Friday.

According to the Greek coast guard, 90 people who have been rescued near the remote island of Antikythera include 52 men, 11 women and 27 children. People who survived were brought to the port of Piraeus, near Athens. The Greek Office of the United Nations Refugee Agency took to Twitter and expressed that they were extremely saddened at reports of seven people who lost their lives in the shipwreck. The UNHCR had posted the tweet before the divers recovered four more bodies. Greek police has arrested three people on Friday, 25 December on smuggling charge and has detained 92 migrants.

Rescue operations continues for third day

Meanwhile, the search operation carried out by the authorities continued for the third day in the Central Aegean Sea. The search operation is being conducted after a boat carrying migrants sank near the Folegandros island on December 22. Authorities have rescued 13 people and 17 people are missing. Among the 13 rescued people, 12 had been rescued from the island of Folegandros in the southern Cyclades.

Authorities have informed that the people were from Iraq, while coast guard informed that the rescue operation began on Tuesday night. The authorities had received information that a vessel carrying migrants had suffered engine failure and started taking on water south of Folegandros. According to AP, smugglers in Turkey have been sending sailboats with migrants and refugees across the Mediterranean Sea towards Italy averting Greek islands.

With inputs from AP

Image: AP/Representative
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday condemned a Pakistan court's order on Kirpan Sahib. Peshawar High Court issued an order regarding the Kirpan Sahib and allowed possession of Sri Sahib along with license under the 2012 Arms Policy, hurting sentiments of the Sikh community.

Calling it another injustice with minority Sikhs in Pakistan, Sirsa said, "Peshawar High Court has banned Kirpan Sihab. The court said that the Sikhs community will need to make a license to carry Kirpan. Before 1947, Pakistan and India were one so their judicial system knows how important these five Kakars are."

He added, "The court foolishly said that this knife-sword cannot be kept without a license. This is not a sword, it is Kirpan that we have got due to Guru Ji's grace. It would like to assure Sikh brothers in Pakistan that the Indian government will ensure that Kirpan is allowed there like it is allowed elsewhere in the world."

Kirpan, a curved, single-edged sword or knife, is a mandatory Sikh article of faith to be kept on one's person. It is the fifth of the five pillars (Kakar) of Sikhism along with Kesh, Kangha, Kada and Kachha. The Kirpan or Sri Sahib is a symbol of rebellion against Oppression.

Manjinder Sirsa says 'Hindu women not safe' in Pakistan

Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Monday shared a via on his Twitter hand and said that the video was shot in broad daylight outside the session court in Pakistan. He said that a woman being abducted was screaming for help but the abductors were not afraid of police or government action. "They dragged her from hair and put her in the car," he added.

He claimed that the 19-year-old Hindu woman was abducted, raped and re-married to an elderly Muslim man. The BJP leader said that he talked to the victim's mother on December 20 and she sobbed inconsolably over the cruel act.

This is not the first human rights violation by Pakistan. Last month, human rights activists had claimed that every year 1000 Hindu and Christian girls are forced to convert to Islam.
A resolution condemning the Sialkot lynching incident was unanimously passed on Friday, December 24, in Pakistan's Upper House. A Sri Lankan national, Priyantha Kumara, was brutally tortured and then killed by a mob in Sialkots Wazirabad Road. During the incident, the export manager of a factory was attacked over blasphemy allegations and his body was set ablaze.

"The unfortunate incident of this gruesome brutality reflects the mindset of extremist elements that exist in our society, which has not only tarnished the peaceful image of Pakistan but also Islam," The Express Tribune quoted the resolution.

The resolution further read that the incident violated Islam's principles, teachings, and injunctions. The practices of the Holy Prophet, morale and human values, constitution and law of Pakistan, and Pakistani society's customs and norms have also been violated, it added.

Further, the House expressed condolences to the family of Priyantha Kumara and stated, "The House echoes the grief and sorrow felt and expressed at the national level over this brutal and shameful incident by the Pakistan people across the board including political leadership and Islami scholars."

Resolution seeks immediate govt action to counter violence

The resolution seeks the government to take immediate measures in line with administrative, legal, and awareness to eradicate and counter violent tendencies observed in society. According to the demands of the resolution, people involved in similar violent incidents in the past must also be punished as it is not only related to the killing of Priyantha Kumara.

In his remarks, the Chair said he will send a delegation of the senators to Sri Lanka to personally hand over the copy of this resolution to the family of Priyantha Kumara and express condolence with the family.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan when concluding the discussion over the Sialkot incident, said the mob attack was strongly condemned by all the segments of the society.

Human rights groups condemn Sialkot lynching incident

Following the killing of a Sri Lankan citizen in Sialkot, many human rights groups had condemned the incident. According to reports by various human rights groups, thousands of blasphemy cases have been registered against religious minorities including Hindus, Shias, Christians, and Ahmadiya Muslims in Pakistan from 1987 till date. In Pakistan, several blasphemy cases still await justice.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: ANI)
As per the United Nations Children's Fund, children across Afghanistan are becoming increasingly vulnerable to disease and illness as a result of a deadly combination of rising malnutrition, an unprecedented food crisis, drought, disruptions to vital health and nutrition centres, a lack of access to and poor quality of water and sanitation services, and crippling winter weather. As the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan worsens, outbreaks of life-threatening diseases are putting children's lives in jeopardy, according to UNICEF.

Afghanistan reports 66,000 measles, 4 cases of wild poliovirus, with other disease outbreaks in children

In 2021, more than 66,000 cases of measles have been documented in youngsters. Acute watery diarrhoea, malaria, and dengue fever outbreaks have also occurred. This year, four cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV-1) were confirmed. As families struggle to heat their houses and keep their children warm, severe winter weather conditions, with temperatures already well below freezing in many locations, increase the risk of pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI), according to the UN agency.

Children in high-altitude areas are particularly vulnerable and require immediate life-saving assistance, such as winter clothing, blankets, and heating fuel. Respiratory tract infections cause 25-30% of mortality in children under the age of five, with pneumonia accounting for 90% of these deaths, according to the report.

"We are approaching a critical juncture for Afghanistan's children, as winter brings a slew of health concerns," said UNICEF Afghanistan Representative Abdul Kadir Musse.

"There isn't any more time to waste. Many of the country's children may not live to see spring unless quick, concerted action is taken, including ensuring that we have the resources to deploy additional cash transfers and winter supplies." UNICEF launched its largest-ever single-country appeal earlier this month to meet the needs of almost 24 million Afghans, half of whom are children. UNICEF launched its largest-ever single-country appeal earlier this month to meet the needs of almost 24 million Afghans, half of whom are children.

Rising health risks for children across Afghanistan

UNICEF's $2 billion appeal aims to prevent the collapse of health, nutrition, water, sanitation, education, and other critical social services for children and families. UNICEF paid November salaries to over 10,000 front-line health workers in over 1,000 health facilities and supplied medical supplies and winter heating materials to over 1,000 health facilities last month. Due to the food crisis and limited access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services, UNICEF forecasts that one out of every two children under the age of five will be critically malnourished in 2022. UNICEF said it will prioritise life-saving actions to treat children and deliver other essential services, guided by humanitarian values.

UNICEF's response will help assure the continuity of important services by averting the collapse of critical systems for children, while also conserving hard-won gains, such as protecting women's and girls' rights, according to the organisation. UNICEF is relying on the international community's help in securing sanctions exemptions in order to secure the timely delivery of supplies and services to Afghanistan's children, according to the organization.

(with inputs from ANI)

(Image: Shutterstock/AP)
A fake Facebook profile dubbed as Kabul News TV was widely circulated on social media claiming the return of former President Ashraf Ghani. According to the fact check conducted by news agency Pajhwok, it has been found that the Facebook page was created intentionally to spread fake news about the return of former President Ghani. When the news agency contacted Kabul News TV, it has also confirmed no such Facebook page had been associated with the news channel. "Zabihullah Mujahid talked with President Ashraf Ghani on the telephone and Ghani pledged to come back to Afghanistan this month. Mujahid said preparations for a special ceremony to welcome President Ghani will be made in the coming four days and Ghani would be offered an important ministry," read the Facebook post of bogus Kabul News TV.

Have a look at the Facebook post:

The fact check conducted by news agency Pajhwok has learnt that the Facebook page has 48 followers and the post was shared 63 times. However, several Afghan citizens posted screenshots of the post on social media platforms. The post also claimed Ghani would be given an important ministry in the all-men government. Meanwhile, while reacting to the claims published by the bogus Facebook page, acting Government Deputy Spokesperson Ahmadullah Waseeq told Pajhwok Afghan News the comments were not correct.

Ghani had left the country as per planning, says Karzai

Recently, during an interview with AP, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai denied the media reports claiming Ghani had fled from Afghanistan at the last moment in August this year. He added, "it was planned theory". . Karzai revealed he and the government chief negotiator, Abdullah Abdullah, had been working with the Taliban leadership in Doha on a mediated accord to allow the militia to enter the national capital under controlled conditions. He told a day before the Taliban took over the country, he came to know about the intention of the "terror" outfit. Karzai claimed he had discussed the developments with Ghani and Abdullah on August 14. According to him, Ghani agreed that they would leave for Doha the next day with a list of 15 others to negotiate a power-sharing agreement. However, at 2:45 pm when he dialled the senior military officers to know the ground situation, Karzai was informed all the officials left the country, including Ghani.

Image: AP/Twitter
As unrest in Solomon island continues to grow, China stepped in to tackle the situation and announced to send its soldiers to the riot-hit nation, Sputnik reported. During a regular press conference on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian reiterated Beijing's commitment to solving the situation in the island nation. He said a group of police consultants and a consignment of equipment to assist police in the Solomon Islands will be sent in the next few days. However, he clarified it was the request of Honiara to send the Chinese police and not the initiative taken by the Communist government.

"At the end of November, serious anti-government unrest broke out in the capital of the Solomon Islands, China strongly supported the efforts of the government of the Solomon Islands to ensure stability in the country, '' the Chinese Foreign Ministry said as per Sputnik. Lijian further defended relations between China and the Solomon Islands, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the Solomon Islands. The Chinese Foreign Ministry then went on to sharply condemn all unlawful acts of violence in the island region.

Protestors specially targeted Chinese official buildings

Notably, the statement from Chinese FM came nearly a month after the Solomon island plunged into a severe riot. The violence erupted in the capital of the Solomon Islands due to concerns about the countrys increasing links with China. In addition, American broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) said that the people of the Island also protested over their decade-old demand related to ethnicity, corruption and disputes over the government's move to enhance ties with China. According to Global Times, the protestors targeted parliament, Chinese businesses and other buildings in the Pacific nation's capital, Honiara, last month.

The protesters also demanded the stepping down of the incumbent Prime Minister of riot-hit Solomon Island, Manasseh Sogavare. However, he categorically refused to take care of the protestors' demands. He claimed that the violence that swept the capital city, Honiara, was staged by a few people with an "evil goal" to depose him. Further, the Beijing Foreign Ministry said, "Chinese goods and related personnel will arrive in the Solomon Islands shortly and will play a constructive role in enhancing the capacity of the Solomon Islands police force." It is worth mentioning that since the violence erupted in the Solomon Islands, the Prime Minister sought help from several nations including Australia, New Papua Guinea and New Zealand.

(Image: AP)
Marking the beginning of the electronic exchange of customs data between Maldives and India, a pilot project on pre-arrival cargo data exchange was jointly launched by the two nations on Thursday. Taking to Twitter, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs - said that Vivek Johri, Chairman of CBIC, and Abdulla Shareef, Commissioner General of Maldives Customs, jointly launched the pilot on pre-arrival customs data exchange in a virtual ceremony.

Electronic exchange of Customs data on real-time basis between India and Maldives marks a major initiative by leveraging technology to facilitate trade between the two countries and improve compliance, the CBIC wrote in another tweet.

Mr Vivek Johri, Chairman CBIC & Mr Abdulla Shareef, Commissioner General, Maldives Customs jointly launched Pilot on Pre-arrival Customs Data Exchange in a virtual ceremony marking beginning of electronic exchange of Customs data between two countries for swifter EXIM clearances. pic.twitter.com/0AbLrosgbS  CBIC (@cbic_india) December 23, 2021

Separately, Maldives Customs said that the project was signed under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between customs of two nations. The Indian High Commission in the Maldives informed that now the launch of the Pilot project on Pre-Arrival Customs Data Exchange between the two countries would fast-track customs payments, help identify frauds and reduce the time for clearances. It will even strengthen the supply chains to further enhance bilateral trade.

India will always remain true friend

It is to mention that the Maldives consider India as one of its closest bilateral partners. Earlier this week, the Maldives government also reaffirmed that the nation's long-standing ties with India are based on principles of mutual respect and understanding. "India will always remain a true and trusted friend of the people of the Maldives," the Maldives government said in the statement.

It noted the support provided by India, in areas such as search and rescue capabilities, casualty evacuation, coastal surveillance, and maritime reconnaissance, directly benefited the Maldivian people. According to the statement, India's participation and support, particularly on marine security matters, is aimed at deepening the strategic alliance and ensuring the safety and stability of the Indian Ocean region.

(Image: Twitter)
Just days before world powers are to resume talks on the 2015 nuclear deal in Vienna, Iraq called for direct negotiations between Iran and the United States. According to AP, Iraqi Foreign Minister Faud Hussain batted for direct talks between Tehran and Washington, after meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian. At a news conference, Hussein stressed that increased tensions between Iran and the US directly impacts Baghdads stability.

It is to note that the US and Iran are Iraqs two powerful allies and Baghdad remains crucial support for Washingtons security policy in the region. However, the Iranian-backed militants wield massive power in Iraq. The Iraqi Foreign Minister said, Any opening in Tehran-Washington relations will positively impact Iraqs internal situation from political, economic and security perspectives.

"We think it's time for direct talks between Tehran and Washington so that the two countries reach a common understanding not only on the nuclear issue but also on sanctions imposed on Iran, he said.

Iran-US tensions after Washington abandoned deal

The Iran nuclear deal of 2015 had granted Tehran relief from sanctions by the rest of the world to limit Islamic Republics nuclear program. However, Iran was pushed into a fresh crisis after the United States under then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord and reimposed the crippling sanctions on Iran. In retaliation, Tehran geared up its nuclear program and is now spinning a stock of uranium enriched to 60% purity, the AP report stated. Iran now remains a short technical step away from weapons-grade levels.

While US President Joe Bidens administration has expressed willingness to rejoin the nuclear deal, Tehran has struck a hard line in negotiations since conservative President Ebrahim Raisi came into power. Consternation is also building among the European nations who are participating in Vienna, the Austrian capital. The parties involved in the landmark deal signed under former US President Barack Obama will resume efforts on Monday.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministers call for direct US-Iran talks came after officials in Tehran have refused to directly speak to American officials in the rounds of talks since Washington abandoned the deal. Speaking alongside Hussein, Amirabdollahian urged the United States to lift sanctions on Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister said, We say it out loud that if you want your concerns over Irans peaceful nuclear issue to be removed, then all of the nuclear deal-related sanctions must be removed.

(IMAGE: AP)
Snipers and motor rifle brigades of Russia's Southern Military District held military exercises in the Rostov region, close to the Ukrainian border.

The soldiers of motor rifle brigades trained to handle the Igla man-portable air defence systems while the snipers honed their sharpshooting.

Ukrainian and Western officials repeatedly raised their concerns over Russian military build-up near Ukraine that could signal plans by Moscow to invade its ex-Soviet neighbour.

The Kremlin insists it has no such intention and has accused Ukraine and its Western backers of making the claims to cover up their own allegedly aggressive designs.

Moscow presented its demand amid soaring tensions that stoked fears of a possible invasion and described a NATO expansion and weapons deployment in Ukraine as a "red line".

President Vladimir Putin has pushed for Western guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine, and the build-up could reflect an attempt to back up the message.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and shortly after cast its support behind a separatist rebellion in the country's east.

The fighting, which started more than seven years ago, has killed over 14,000 people and devastated Ukraine's industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The United Nations Special representative on Thursday, 23 November, raised deep concern over credible reports of serious human rights violations to disperse the protesters who tried to hold a sit-in close to the Republican Palace. Pramila Patten, the Secretary-Generals Special Representive on Sexual Violence in Conflict in the UN press release, expressed concern over the use of rape and gang rape of women and girls during anti-coup protests in Sudan. The statement of Patten comes after Liz Throssell in Geneva on 21 December, said that they have received allegations of sexual harassment by Sudanese security forces against women who attempted to flee the area around Presidential Palace on Sunday, 19 December.

Calling for a probe into the matter, Patten urged the Sudanese authorities to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of human rights violations. Pramila Patten urged Sudanese authorities to take effective measures to ensure the survivors get access to medical, legal and psychosocial assistance. Furthermore, she called for accountability procedures to stop the recurrence of such violence.

The perpetrators of these human rights violations must be identified and prosecuted, Pramila Patten said in the UN press release. I join the call of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for a prompt, independent and thorough investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual harassment, Pramila Patten said in the UN press release.

Pramila Patten noted that some of the survivors have filed judicial complaints and have taken medical assistance while others have not filed the complaint due to social stigma. She urged the Sudanese authorities to conduct investigation into the allegations of rape and sexual harrasment. Patten called on the international community to use their good offices with leaders of Sudan to demand an end to all forms of violence against civilians, including sexual violence.

Protest in Sudan

Scores of people marched in the streets of Khartoum on Sunday, 19 December, in protest against the military coup. Security personnel used tear gas to disperse the crowds heading towards the presidential palace, AP reported citing activist Nazim Sirag. People participating in the protest chanted slogans, The people want the downfall of Burhan," as per AP. Protestors waved Sudanese flag and white ones with printed images of people killed in the uprising protests. Sudanese authorities had enhanced the security across the capital ahead of the protests. The government buildings and military buildings had been barricaded in order to stop people from reaching the presidential palace.

Inputs from AP

Image: AP
Taiwan is expecting the deal for the purchase of the US-made Sky Guardian unscrewed drones to be finalized by March next year, as the talks with Washington to procure the Paladin self-propelled howitzers are ongoing, Taiwans Ministry of National Defense told the Taipei Times on Thursday, December 23. The ministry expects to receive a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) from the US defence ministry early at the beginning of the next year, the Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng said at the Legislative Yuans Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

Letter expected in March

Kuo-Chengs response was issued after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liao Wan-Ju enquired about the delivery of the Atomic General MQ-9B Sky Guardian uncrewed drones. At the meeting, Taiwan air force Chief of Staff Huang Chih-Wei said that the letter from Washington was expected in March. Apart from the drones, Washington has also struck the deal to deliver M2A2T Abrams tanks, F-16V Block 70 jets, M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, extended-range air-to-ground missiles, ground-launched Harpoon missiles, field information communications systems, and Patriot III missile systems to Taiwan amid the threat of Chinese attack.

Taipei Times quoted the defence ministry as saying that at least four LOAs for the arms deals with the US have not been received and that the arms delivery could be delayed by at least 10 or more months. Head of the Ministry of National Defenses Department of Strategic Planning, Lee Shih-Chiang, meanwhile stated that Taiwans defence ministry has estimated for the LOA of the Sky Guardian LOA to arrive early next year as the legislature has already approved the arms budget to procure the more drones for the next year. Although, he added, that the LOA for over 40 M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers is still under discussion with the US defence ministry.

The LOA for the field information communications systems meanwhile has already been received, the Taiwan defence ministry said. With respect to the 40 M109A6 Paladin howitzers, there have been certain disagreements on price and the specifications of precision parts, said Lee Shih-Chiang.
Taliban on Thursday said that a joint delegation of Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are negotiating over the management of five airports in Afghanistan. Months after the extremists took over control of the war-ravaged nation, the spokesperson for Taliban-led Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation, Imamudin Ahmadi said that Turkish and Qatari delegations will kickstart negotiations with officials and technical teams of the ministry, reported Khaama Press.

The five airports, which will be included in the upcoming discussion, are Kabul International Airport, Kandahar International Airport, Mazar-e-Sharif International Airport, Khost Airport, and Herat Airport. The Taliban government said that it is entirely focused on Afghanistans national interests while signing agreements with both Turkish and Qatari delegations to jointly operate the airports. Ahmadi was quoted by Tolo News as saying, The contract will be about the tower, ground handling and some more technical sections.

It is to note that NATO-member Turkey managed and protected the Kabul airport for six years until the United States and other forces of the alliance left Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban takeover. Turkey, a close ally of Qatar, has long expressed willingness to continue to run the airport as it is the main gateway from landlocked Afghanistan. It is also a crucial source of humanitarian aid. Qatar is also a key player in relations with the Taliban and it even hosted months of US-Taliban peace talks in Doha.

International flights to be operational 24 hours

Meanwhile, the ministry has said that once the agreement is signed, international flights from airports in Afghanistan will be operational for 24 hours each day, stated Tolo News. Turkish and Qatari delegations holding talks on airports management came just two days after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevult Cavusoglu announced the same meeting. He had said that both sides would travel to Kabul and meet with authorities over the management of the airports. Cavusoglu had stated that Turkey and Qatar would jointly take responsibility once the agreement is signed.

(IMAGE: AP)
As the Taliban continues to reiceve economic sanctions, the United Nations has decided to propose $8 billion aid in Afghanistan for next year to rebuild the fallen economy of the country. The United Nations' plan would have to expand beyond its current humanitarian role into rebuilding governance systems and social services, such as giving meals in schools, creating jobs, and finding means to pay Afghanistan's electricity obligations to its neighbours, as per a report by the Wall Street Jornal.

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the United States froze $9 billion in Afghan central-bank assets. The financial sanctions have immobilised the country's banking sector. Many employers, notably in the public sector, have not been paid in months. As a result, Afghans are facing alarming levels of starvation and poverty. Since the Taliban's takeover, international donors have contributed more than $1 billion to address emerging requirements for the rest of 2021, including giving food supplies to seven million people in November.

Largest-ever fundraising drive

The United Nations will launch an appeal for $4.4 billion in 2022, which is the largest-ever fundraising drive for a country, to cover food, shelter and other necessities to keep people alive. Ramiz Alakbarov, who is the United Nations Secretary-General's special representative for Afghanistan and the humanitarian coordinator estimates that another $3.6 billion will be needed to preserve lives and rebuild livelihoods, according to the Wall Street Journal. This financing will keep schools and hospitals open and their workers employed.

The United Nations is also distributing $230 in cash to select impoverished families. According to the Wall Street Journal, Ramiz Alakbarov stated that more than a bit of bread is required for a human being, they require dignity and hope. However, He claims that the UN does not wish to become Afghanistan's alternative government. Alakbarov stated that restarting economic activity could inspire some confidence in the future and avert a huge exodus of refugees, which is the concern of Afghanistan's neighbours and European countries as economic collapse has driven millions of despondent Afghans across their borders.

Difficult to assist ordinary Afghans without giving money to the Taliban

UN claims that it will be difficult to assist ordinary Afghans without giving money to the Taliban and resources into the hands of the Taliban, according to the Wall Street Journal. The United Nations has sanctioned more than 130 Taliban people and companies for terrorism.

Image: AP
WikiLeaks' 50-year-old founder Julian Assange has appealed to Britain's appellate Courts verdict in the Supreme court, several reports confirmed on Thursday, Dec. 23. The high court had ruled earlier this month that Assange could be extradited to the United States. The former was ordered to be handed to the US authorities over criminal charges of espionage as he faces 18 counts related to his media company WikiLeaks' release of vast troves of confidential, sensitive, and unclassified US Army records and data on military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which the US argues has caused national security concerns.

Assurances by Washington behind verdict

On Dec. 10, Washington won an appeal over Assanges extradition in London's High Court. A judge ruled against the Lower court verdict over assurances given by Washington about the media moguls safety as he is suicidal and suffers from mental health deterioration. Assange, held at the high-security Belmarsh Prison in the UK, had also suffered a stroke resulting in drooping right eyelid, memory lapse, and other neurological damages as he battled to avoid being extradited to the US. Washington pledged not to hold the WikiLeaks founder in a so-called "ADX" maximum-security prison in Colorado, UKs final court of appeal stated, adding that the latter will be transferred to Australia to serve the sentence.

Assange has been struggling with stress, UKs leading news outlets quoted his fiancee Stella Moris as saying. She further informed that Julian Assange had been on anti-stroke medication, and had an MRI scan while held in the prison as his health had been on the decline. Stella Moris, earlier yesterday said the Court's ruling about Assanges extradition raises questions on procedural and human rights safeguards.

"Under English law, in order for the application to have a chance to be considered by the Supreme Court, first the same High Court judges who ordered Julian Assange's extradition must certify that at least one of the Supreme Court appeal grounds is a point of law of general public importance," she said in a statement accessed by the ABC news. She then stressed that an application for leave to appeal was under consideration by the High Court judges.

The Australian parliamentarians have also been insisting that Prime Minister Scott Morrison must intervene in the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's case as he is an Australian citizen. The latter has been confined in the UK prison since 2019 after he was arrested for violating his bail conditions. The UK court now believes that the risk of Assange committing suicide was minimized by guarantees from American authorities, and if extradited, Assange will not be held in a restrictive jail. Assanges lawyers had earlier asserted that they would appeal the ruling.
Amid a tremendous surge in coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) is mulling to set up makeshift hospitals. According to a report by Daily Mail, the Army has been called by the NHS to assist in making the makeshift coronavirus hospitals. The NHS directed the Army to set up temporary hospitals inside hospital canteens, car parks and meeting rooms. However, the NHS will take a final call after assessing the situation of the health centres. Citing the officials of NHS, the media report said that the arrangements will be made in the largest hospital of London-- Nightingale. Those makeshift hospitals will be called 'little Nightingales'. Notably, there are Nighangle seven hospitals in the United Kingdom.

According to The Times, the government would also rope in that practitioners who don't have clinical experience, if the cases of Omicron will be overwhelmed. Earlier in January this year, UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Navid had implemented the same method to cope with the overwhelming COVID cases. The makeshift hospitals were shut down in April this year after the case in the UK went down. "In light of the potential threat of Omicron, it is right that the NHS prepares for any surge in hospital admissions. Hospitals are already putting measures in place. The best thing the public can do is book their booster vaccine," Daily Mail quoted the NHS Spokesperson.

Cases would rise tremendously before Christmas, says chief medical officer

Since the UK reported a record number of number COVID-19 cases in the past five days, the government has implemented several measures. The Boris Johnson-led government invoked a new set of rules ordering masks to be worn in most indoor settings in England and requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to enjoy leisure services such as nightclubs and large crowded events. Despite invoking necessary steps to curb the spread of the highly infectious virus, England chief medical officer forecasted that the cases would rise tremendously before Christmas. Citing the new COVID variant as the major driver of the flow of new cases in the UK, Professor Chris Whitty said that the country already struggled to minimise the casualties due to the delta variant and the Omicron further added woes to the government.

Death related to COVID-19 could rise up to 75,000

Earlier on Sunday, scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine informed that death related to COVID-19 could rise up to 25,000 and 75,000 in the next five months if strict measures are not taken urgently. The researchers also had forecast nearly half a million people being hospitalized with the highly infectious virus by the end of April. It also noted that the cases in January would break the earlier record. Further, the scientists pointed the soar and severity of the cases will depend on how much the new COVID variant escapes protection from vaccines. Though the researchers have not mentioned the role of a booster dose and the effect in tackling the new variant, they advocated for administering it.

Image: AP
New rules will soon also target religious activities carried out entirely online.

Policemen stand in front of St. Joseph's Church in Beijing during a mass on Christmas eve, Dec. 24, 2020.

Police and religious affairs officials across China are warning tens of millions of Christians in the country not to gather to celebrate Christmas, with many citing the coronavirus pandemic, RFA has learned.

The pastor of an unofficial Protestant "house church" in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong who gave only the surname Chen said local police had contacted him on Dec. 22 to make sure his church didn't organize anything.

"In our town, we're not allowed gatherings, not even parties," Chen said. "This is also happening in Henan [province] and other places, using the pandemic as a pretext."

"We can only meet online now."

The pastor of a church in the eastern province of Shandong, who gave only the name John, said similar restrictions are in place where he lives.

"They warned us in the run-up to that there are to be no activities [related to ]," he said. "It's the same for some of the churches outside [town]."

"We can only have underground activities."

Meanwhile, government censors appeared to have scrubbed references to the festival from social media platforms, as local officials in the southwestern region of Guangxi warned primary and secondary schools, students and parents not to stage any activities.

'Foreign festivals'

According to a photo of the directive issued by the Rongan county education bureau, schools are to refrain from celebrating "foreign festivals," and instead focus on traditional Chinese culture.

Some comments to a post on Sina Weibo confirming that the directive is genuine took issue with the move.

"What is the legal basis for this?" user @Small_fish_bottle wanted to know, while @The_wind_blows added: "We want cultural self-confidence! Ban foreign goods and foreign festivals!"

While some agreed that shouldn't be celebrated in schools, @Desperate_Corgi_with_Short_Legs asked: "What about Chinese Christians haha."

"Then I wish Rongan education bureau a Merry ," user @The first princess of the second empire and its repairable SAMA quipped, while @Yangliu Xixi Zhao Jiuzhou said the bureau would likely "promote it by prohibiting it, which is a big mistake!"

While one user asked why everyone had to be politicized, user @Xu Guanzi replies: "The so-called political participation is actually an applauding machine. If you want to express any actual opinions, they think you are provoking something."

Bob Fu, president of the U.S.-based Christian rights group ChinaAid, said the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will soon implement new regulations clamping down on any kind of religious activity online, as well as in person.

Online controls from March 1

Administrative measures governing online religious content will take effect from , 2022, he told RFA.

"Once again, they are using legalistic methods to restrict and undermine the religious freedoms of Chinese citizens," Fu said. "The police and state security police will now intervene in the case of online religious activities, in the next step in the CCP's suppression of religious freedom."

The new rules govern any form of religious content online, including video gatherings, training sessions, videos of sermons or other preaching content, as well as fund-raising "in the name of religion."

The rules require police, state security police, internet censors and religious affairs bureaus to "supervise and manage" all online religious content, meaning that church meetings conducted remotely could also soon be targeted by the authorities.

Anyone providing religious content online will be required to hold a license, which won't be given out to anyone who has previously been in the sights of local authorities for "illegal" religious activity in the past, a copy of the rules posted to the Cyberspace Administration website on Dec. 20 said.

Licenses must be approved by religious affair bureaus at provincial level or above, while no overseas organizations or individuals will be allowed to produce any online religious content in China, it said.

In particular, the rules ban "using religion to incite subversion of state power ... [or] oppose the leadership of the CCP."

Content is also banned from "inducing minors to believe in religion, or organizing or forcing minors to participate in religious activities."

Anyone "impersonating" a cleric online will also be targeted, making unofficial house church pastors and lay preachers vulnerable to prosecution under the new rules.

"National security agencies shall guard against and deal with foreign institutions, organizations, and individuals, as well as domestic institutions, organizations, and individuals colluding with foreign institutions, organizations, and individuals, to use religion to conduct activities that endanger national security on the internet," the draft rules say.

Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Authorities at two more universities in Hong Kong on removed memorials to the 1989 Tiananmen protests and the massacre of civilians that ended them, following the removal of the "Pillar of Shame" sculpture from the University of Hong Kong.



Authorities at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) took down a 6.4 meter bronze replica of the "Goddess of Democracy" figure used by students calling for democracy and the rule of law on Tiananmen Square in the spring and early summer of 1989.



Meanwhile, Lingnan University removed or painted over two public art works commemorating the victims of the massacre.



Students and alumni at CUHK responded by leaving mourning offerings of white flowers and candles where the statue once stood, playing a cover of the protest-related song "Bloodstained Glory" by Cantopop diva Anita Mui.



The removal of public memorials to the Tiananmen massacre comes amid a citywide crackdown on public dissent and political opposition under a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from , 2020.



The CUHK statue, created by New Zealand artist Chen Weiming, had been on display at CUHK for 11 years after police removed it from the Times Square shopping mall in Causeway bay in .



Police eventually released the statue amid a public outcry, and it was taken by the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China to CUHK.



The now-disbanded student union -- which was derecognized by the university earlier this year -- said at the time that the statue "also represents our pursuit of a free and democratic society."



Then union president Eric Lai said in a 2010 speech: "If anyone tries to remove the Goddess of Democracy statue, we call on the public to come to CUHK to defend it."



But the statue disappeared overnight, with scant opportunity for defending it, within hours of the removal of the "Pillar of Shame" from the University of Hong Kong (HKU).



Chen told Reuters on : "Since the Chinese communists implemented the national security law in Hong Kong, they have eradicated the freedom of press, of assembly and the freedom of expression."



Lai said he wasn't surprised by the move.



"Now that HKU has quietly moved the Pillar of Shame, other universities are following suit, and removing any memorials to , 1989 from their campuses," he told RFA. "There has been no let-up in the 'plague-cleansing' activities of the Hong Kong government [when it comes to dissent]," he said.



Former CUHK vice chancellor Joseph Sung said universities should strive to be inclusive spaces that allow the freedom to express many different opinions.



"I think university education should be inclusive, and that different ideas and theories should be allowed to bloom like a hundred flowers," Sung told RFA on .



"The insistence that the statue of the goddess of democracy be removed shows that there is no room for different ideas or opinions," he said.



Like HKU on , CUHK authorities said it had never given permission for the statue to be displayed on campus, and that it was placed there by two now-disbanded organizations.



"Now that the national security law is in place, I can't see any university that will be willing to show true independence on its campus, or to cherish pluralism, or protect freedom of speech," Lai said.



"I also don't expect to see universities take the interests of their students as a starting point [any more]," he said. "On the contrary; it seems as if they are collaborating with the government in this 'clean-up' operation, and even in rewriting history."



Lingnan University said it had removed items from its campus that could pose "legal and safety risks."



Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
U.S. President Joe Biden at a signing ceremony where he signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act at the White House in Washington, DC, Dec. 23, 2021.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law a bill banning imports from the Xinjiang region of China that lack proof they were not made with forced labor, vowing to use every tool at our disposal to keep products made under coercion out of supply chains.

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act blocks the import of goods into the U.S. from Xinjiang without "clear and convincing evidence" that they were not made with forced labor. It also authorize sanctions on foreign individuals and entities found responsible for rights abuses.

The United States will continue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure supply chains are free from the use of forced labor  including from Xinjiang and other parts of China, Biden tweeted after signing the bill.



When I met with Uyghur internment camp survivors, family members, and advocates in earlier this year, I promised to promote accountability, tweeted Secretary of State Antony Blinken Today, @POTUS signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, underscoring our commitment to combatting forced labor.

Bidens signature came a week after the Senates unanimous passage of the bill, a move that matched full House support and underscored bi-partisan support for policies to counter abuses of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang.

The ongoing genocide perpetrated by the Chinese government against the Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities is a challenge to the conscience of the entire world, which is why the House twice passed legislation to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its exploitation of forced labor and put an end to this horrific practice, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

President Dolkun Isa of the Germany-based World Uyghur Congress (WUC) said Bidens signature sends a powerful message to the world that slave labor is unacceptable in the 21st century that he expects will encourage democratic countries especially the G7 countries to follow suit.

This piece of legislation will punish companies that benefit from the sweat and blood of Uyghur slave labor, added Isa.

Series of rebukes over Xinjiang

The Biden administration and its predecessor have ramped up U.S. responses to Xinjiang abuses, including sanctions such as visa restrictions and asset freezes of Chinese officials, as well as import restrictions on tomatoes, wigs and solar energy equipment over forced labor concerns.

The Commerce Department recently added 34 research institutes and tech firms to a blacklist of purveyors of technologies that can be used to surveil and repress minorities.

Nury Turkel, vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), called Thursdays enactment of the forced labor law a great day for America and the Uyghur people who were enslaved and subjected to genocide in Communist China.





Turkel, who is one of four USCIRF officials hit by Chinese sanctions this week, said China has polluted the global supply chain with tainted consumer products made by enslaved Uyghurs and this required a global effort to counter.

The U.S. shouldnt fight this alone, and I urge others, European countries, in particular, to get on the right of history by robust policy and legislative responses, said Turkel, who is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank.

China, which angrily dismisses criticism of its treatment of Uyghurs as foreign interference in its internal affairs, has sustained a series of international rebukes over its policies toward the 12 million Uyghurs and small numbers of ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other Turkic language-speaking Muslims.

On Dec. 6, citing abuses in Xinjiang and elsewhere, the U.S. announced it will send athletes but not government officials to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which open in February. Five other countries have joined the diplomatic boycott.

Intel apologizes

On Dec. 9, an independent Uyghur Tribunal in London ruled that China has committed genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. Its ruling was based on testimony from survivors, witnesses and experts on the network of detention camps in which China has held as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs and other minorities.

Beijing claims the camps are vocational training centers set up to fight poverty and extremism.

Although the tribunal is non-binding and has no state backing, Uyghur groups responded to the findings of genocide and crimes against humanity by preparing or proceeding with lawsuits in Argentina and the U.K.

Chinas pushback against the Xinjiang has included a massive propaganda effort to stir up boycotts of foreign brands and to depict Uyghurs as content with and grateful for Chinese rule, sanctions against U.S. officials, and threats to deny market access to foreign consumer brands.

The U.S. chipmaker Intel became the latest firm to find itself in Chinas crosshairs, when a letter to suppliers that it "is required to ensure our supply chain does not use any labor or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region" stirred up anger in the country that was amplified by state media.

"Although our original intention was to ensure compliance with US laws, this letter has caused many questions and concerns among our cherished Chinese partners, which we deeply regret," Intel said in an apology posted Thursday on Chinas version of Twitter.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, discussing the Intel controversy, repeated Beijings rejection of forced labor concerns.

We have stressed many times that the allegations about forced labor in Xinjiang are lies cooked up by anti-China forces in the U.S. with the purpose of tarnishing Chinas image, undermining stability in Xinjiang and holding back Chinas development, he told a news briefing in Beijing Thursday.

Reported and translated by Alim Seytoff for RFA's Uyghur Service. Written by Paul Eckert.
A fishing community in central Vietnam is uniting to oppose a container port after police and workers for the development injured several fishermen who were rallying against the project.

Hundreds of residents of the Binh Thuan commune in Quang Ngai provinces Binh Son district gathered on Dec. 17 to block National Highway 1A to demand the release of fishermen arrested earlier in the day for protesting construction of the port.

Project developers and provincial police had attacked protesters, leaving many seriously injured, said one woman named Nguyen Thi Be. She had tried to go fishing that morning but found her way cut off, she said.

When I asked why we had to leave, they said we were no longer allowed to stay here, as they needed to start building the port, said Be, whose name has been changed to protect her from retaliation by authorities.

Other fishermen then gathered in large numbers and began to shout to oppose the construction, saying that we had to earn a living and that if the company was going to take the sea away from us, they would have to give us something else to live on.

Project workers and police then attacked the crowd, Be said.

One persons teeth were broken, and some others suffered broken arms and scratches on their faces from all the beating and shoving. One of my arms was broken too. We are very angry, she said.

Project developer the Hoa Phat Group was awarded approval in June 2019 to build the port in a U.S. $169 million project that has offered local fishing families compensation described by many as unequally distributed, leading to area protests.

For most of us, our livelihood depends on fishing, and when the Hoa Phat Company began to encroach more and more on the sea, local people began to ask for compensation, said one local resident surnamed Trung.

But the company called it financial support instead of compensation, and when providing the support they made it unequal and unfair, he said. People therefore got upset and began to block work on the project, with many setting up tents on the construction site in protest.

Asked whether local authorities are supporting residents demands for better support, Nguyen Thi Be replied that commune officials said that residents should allow the company to proceed with its work, and that the company would gradually meet their demands.

However, the company hasnt done this, and so we have lost our confidence in the commune authorities, she said.

RFA called the Binh Son District Peoples Committee for comment on the case, but staff members refused to provide contact numbers for committee officials.

While all land in Vietnam is ultimately held by the state, land confiscations have become a flashpoint as residents accuse the government of pushing them aside in favor of lucrative real estate projects, and of paying too little in compensation.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The commander of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says war games conducted this week in the country were intended to send a message to Israel.

The military drill, which reportedly included firing ballistic and cruise missiles, ended on December 24.

"These exercises had a very clear message: a serious, real...warning to threats by the Zionist regime's authorities to beware of their mistakes," Guards chief General Hossein Salami told state television.

Tehrans announcement was swiftly condemned by Britain, which said Iran's use of ballistic missiles was a "threat to regional and international security.

"The launch is a clear breach of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which requires that Iran not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons -- including launches using ballistic missile technology," the British Foreign Ministry said in a statement on December 24.

It urged Iran to immediately cease its activities.

Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said 16 ballistic missiles of different classes had been fired simultaneously and had destroyed predetermined targets.

Bagheri's claims could not be verified independently, and Western experts say Iran often exaggerates its military capabilities.

"These exercises were designed to respond to threats made in recent days by the Zionist regime," Bagheri told state media.

Israel has long hinted that it could resort to preemptive strikes to deny Iran the means to make a bomb. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with a nuclear arsenal.

Tehran says all its nuclear activities are peaceful.

Iran has accelerated its nuclear advances as negotiations to return to the accord struggle to make headway. The talks will resume on December 27.

The military drills began on December 20 in the south of the country.

The drills came as U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan met on December 22 with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett amid the Jewish states opposition to efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

Bennett has accused Iran of "nuclear blackmail" and charged that revenue it gained from sanctions relief would be used to acquire weapons to harm Israelis.

Sullivan told reporters in Israel that Washington continues to believe that "diplomacy, deterrence, and pressure" remain the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP and IRNA
Not long after Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan gained independence in late 1991, they started reminding the world that they were located in the heart of the Eurasian continent, the crossroads of civilizations for centuries.

It was a much better idea than billing themselves as the "southern flank of the former Soviet Union." Such a moniker would have made Central Asia sound like a dead-end, and for years after independence the region was exactly that.

Central Asia had deep connections to Russia, but few other places.

So regional officials invoked the reputation of the past, reminding the world of the ancient trade routes that once passed through the region and could be renewed.

Thirty years after independence, Central Asia is again becoming a Eurasian trade hub and, along with that, the competition for influence in the region is heating up once more.

Russia

Russia has exerted the strongest foreign influence in Central Asia since the early 19th century and it has continued to do so in the years following independence.

Many people in Central Asia still speak Russian, Russian TV is still available in many places in Central Asia, and millions of labor migrants have been going to Russia since the Soviet Union collapsed to send essential remittances that not only help families back home but help sustain the economies of some Central Asian countries.

But inside Central Asia it is China that has been winning friends by spending large amounts of money the Russian government does not have to fund a range of mainly infrastructure projects in a region that irredentists still consider to be Russias backyard.

But Moscow has military bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and is seen by many, including some governments in Central Asia, as the guarantor of security in the region.

The Talibans return to power in Afghanistan presented the Kremlin with an opportunity to reassure Central Asian governments of Russian military and security help and strengthen Russian influence in these countries.

In the wake of the Talibans seizure of Afghanistan, The Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has stepped up its activities with member states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

The CSTO conducted military exercises in Kyrgyzstan in early September, and in Tajikistan in the second half of October in which Kazakh troops also took part.

Uzbekistan used to be in the CSTO but is not currently, and though Tashkent has resisted the Kremlins calls for it to rejoin, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev did attend the virtual CSTO summit on August 23.

In early July 2021, with the withdrawal of foreign forces in Afghanistan well under way, Uzbek and Russian forces conducted military exercises in Uzbekistan, and Russian units with Tajik troops in Tajikistan just days before the Taliban took control in Kabul in mid-August.

Russian support during these times of "security anxiety" because of the changing situation in Afghanistan might ease concerns about spillover into Central Asia in the form of its people belonging to militant groups operating in Afghanistan.

But that support will not be given for nothing. The Central Asian states have been anxious to stand on their own two feet, but now they find themselves leaning again on former colonial master Russia for security assurances.

China

China was among the first countries to recognize the independence of the Central Asian countries, establishing diplomatic ties with all five states in the first week of January 1992.

Thirty years later it would be difficult to imagine Central Asia without Chinese investment.

China has become one of the leading, if not the leading trading partner for every Central Asian country and many of the biggest projects carried out in the last 20 years, particularly infrastructure projects, would not have been possible without financial backing from Beijing.

Simply put, China has been willing to put money into Central Asia that no other party has been willing or able to.

The value of China to the Central Asian states is being seen again as the pandemic slows the global economy and China has returned to be one of the few countries able to spend money in the region.

But not as much money as a decade or more ago.

The great projects China wanted built in Central Asia are almost all completed, the only notable exceptions being Line D of the natural-gas pipeline network running from gas fields in Turkmenistan through Central Asia to China, and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

China does not need to spend billions of dollars on projects in Central Asia any longer. Tens of millions of dollars are enough to keep Central Asia hooked on Chinese financing.

It is not much money for China, but it is for Central Asia, particularly for the poorer countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Those three countries have fallen into a debt trap with China that has seen Tajikistan, for example, pay off some of what it owes by granting mining concessions to Chinese firms.

As the Chinese money flowing into Central Asia has decreased, the attitude of the local populations has been turning against China.

Anti-Chinese sentiment in Central Asia is fueled by concerns about Beijings intentions.

Maps and schoolbooks in China showing large sections of Central Asia as being part of Chinas historic lands do not ease Central Asian concerns, even when Chinese officials say they are simple mistakes.

But the same mistakes have been happening for decades now.

Beijings brutal treatment of Muslims -- Uyghurs mainly but also ethnic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz --- in Chinas western Xinjiang region is also stirring anger and resentment in Central Asia.

On November 2, the Central Asia Barometer group released the findings of its polls in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan asking people who they thought would be the first to help their countries in a time of need.

In Kazakhstan, only 4.9 percent of respondents thought China would be the best able to help with economic and other problems.

In Uzbekistan, only 2.6 percent of the respondents thought China would come to Tashkent's aid.

Russia topped both those polls with 54.3 percent in Kazakhstan and 53.9 percent in Uzbekistan.

Turkey

Turkey has stepped up its activities with Central Asia in recent years, one recent example being the creation of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Istanbul on November 12.

The OTS members are Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, with Turkmenistan and Hungary as observer nations.

Turkey is a natural ally for the four Turkic-speaking states of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

After those countries became independent, Ankara was possibly the most desirable partner for them, not only because of cultural and linguistic affinities they all shared but also because of Turkeys role in international politics as a NATO member with strong ties to Europe and, more generally, the West.

Turkish President Turgut Ozal was a proponent of pan-Turkism.

Ozal toured Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in April 1993 and Turkic brotherhood was part of his message.

It was a message that resonated well, and some form of Turkic-based cooperation has existed ever since with the OTS being only the latest, albeit most significant, evolution of this cooperation.

But Ozal died shortly after returning from his Central Asian trip and Turkey was in no position to invest the amounts of money the Central Asians needed. As a consequence, Ankaras role has remained constant, but could never compare with Russia and Chinas influence in the region.

Recently, Turkey has elevated its role in global politics, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogans resurgent policy having the country flexing its muscles in Syria, Libya, and Azerbaijan.

Erdogan has stood up to Russia over Syria and even to China over Beijings appalling campaign against Turkic-speaking Muslims in Xinjiang.

With Central Asia becoming ever more dependent on China and Russia for money and security, the timing of Turkeys rise on the global stage could not be better for the four Turkic-speaking countries in the region.

Friendship with Turkey gives those four Central Asian states another strong partner to help balance relations with Russia and China and the cultural and linguistic ties make Turkey a more attractive partner to most Central Asians.

The Islamic South

Central Asia is the northern frontier of the Islamic world, and Central Asian leaders have mixed feelings about this. Being part of the Islamic world separates the region from former colonial master Russia, and that was important for the Central Asian leaders in the early period after independence.

But the leaders themselves, who had all been members of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, did not know much about Islam and it was not long before they realized the power of the religion to unite their people was as much of a danger to them -- if not more so -- than Russia moving to reclaim control of its former territory.

Not surprisingly, all the Central Asian leaders opted for secular forms of government.

But from the beginning, these leaders were confronted by a competing model of governance in Iran where a theocracy had already maintained control for 12 years.

Iran was easy to keep at arms length. Only Tajikistan had strong connections -- cultural and linguistic -- with Iran and Iranians are mainly Shi'a Muslims while most Central Asians are Sunni.

When the Taliban captured Kabul in September 1996, another model of theocratic governance appeared on Central Asias southern doorstep, but the Taliban were a Sunni group, although with an extremely strict interpretation of Islam.

One of the fears with the Taliban in power in Afghanistan in the late 1990s was that they could present an alternative model of governance to the increasingly corrupt regimes riddled with nepotism and cronyism that were developing in Central Asia.

The return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan means that once again there are two theocracies bordering Central Asia.

The Central Asian governments have taken an entirely different and friendlier policy toward the Taliban now than they did in the late 1990s, the last time the Taliban was in power.

But a statement from Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarovs office during the CSTO summit in Dushanbe on September 16, 2021, indicates that the concerns of the late 1990s are still present today.

Japarov said the formation of a theocratic state in our region will undoubtedly negatively affect the current situation in the member countries of the CSTO.

Japarov could easily have replaced members of the CSTO with Central Asian states.

The people of Central Asia are increasingly more religious.

Neither the Iranian nor Taliban models of Islamic rule are very appealing to the huge majority of people in Central Asia, but the idea that a country could be ruled using Shari'a law is attractive to some.

Stand Together Or Fall Separately

After 30 years of independence, Central Asia has emerged from more than 100 years of isolation.

The leaders in the region have said they do not want it to become an arena for big power competition but being at the crossroads of Eurasia, the five countries inevitably are caught up in the push and pull of various -- and sometimes conflicting -- interests, influences, and ideas.

But, as they begin their fourth decade of independence, there seems to finally be a realization among them that some form of regional solidarity is the best solution to many of their challenges.

One sign of this is the summits of Central Asian leaders that were not held for nearly 20 years but were recently renewed and have taken place three times since 2018.

Even the frequency of bilateral meetings of Central Asian leaders has increased.

This new spirit of cooperation could be the five countries best insurance of maintaining their sovereignty as they deal with the disparate big-country influences that surround and penetrate their region.
Talks with Iran aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal will resume in Vienna on December 27, European Union coordinator Enrique Mora said.

"Vienna talks to resume on Monday 27 December. The JCPOA Joint Commission will meet to discuss and define the way ahead," Mora wrote on Twitter on December 23, referring to the formal name of the pact -- the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"Important to pick up the pace on key outstanding issues and move forward, working closely with the US. Welcome to the 8th round, he added.

The United States has participated indirectly in the ongoing talks.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed tough economic sanctions. Tehran reacted by gradually ramping up its nuclear program and enriching uranium well beyond the thresholds allowed in the agreement.

President Joe Biden has signaled that he will rejoin the deal if Iran returns to full compliance. The JCPOA limited Irans nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

Participants will continue the discussions on the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the [deal] and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides," an EU statement said.

Diplomats from the three European countries involved said after the talks adjourned last week that negotiators in Vienna were rapidly reaching the end of the road. They have expressed frustration with Tehran's new demands in recent weeks but pointed to some technical progress so far.

Russian delegate to the talks Mikhail Ulyanov said on Twitter that usually it isnt popular to engage in serious business between Christmas and the new year.

But he said that in this particular case this is an indication that all negotiators dont want to [waste] time, and aim at speediest restoration of the nuclear deal.

U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier this week that current diplomatic efforts aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran may be exhausted within weeks."

U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley warned of a "period of escalating crisis" if diplomacy failed to restore the agreement.

Iranian officials claim the countrys nuclear program is purely for civilian use.

With reporting by AP and dpa
In a sign of thaw in ruptured ties, Saudi Arabia has approved visas for three Iranian diplomats allowing them to take up posts at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the kingdom, Saudi and Iranian officials said.

Shiite-led Iran and Sunni-controlled Saudi Arabia have held several rounds of talks since April aimed at improving relations.

The two regional rivals severed diplomatic relations in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following Riyadhs execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

Saudi Arabia has agreed to grant visas to three Iranian diplomats as part of a routine procedure for representatives of a member state of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which is headquartered in Jeddah, a Saudi Foreign Ministry official said on December 24.

Speaking in Tehran on December 23 alongside his Iraqi counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the visas were issued last week and that a new round of talks with Saudi Arabia in Baghdad will take place soon.

He added that Baghdad-brokered talks with Riyadh had gone well, and Saudi officials had responded positively to Tehrans proposals.

"We are ready to send technical delegations to restore relations to normal," he said.

The Saudi kingdom has described the direct discussions launched earlier this year with Tehran as cordial but exploratory.

Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters and Bloomberg
Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said in a statement on December 23.

"The president has mild symptoms and feels well. In line with epidemiological measures, he will remain in self-isolation from where he will perform his regular presidential duties," the statement said.

Djukanovic canceled meetings earlier in the day after coming in contact with an infected person. One of the meetings canceled was with Mustafa Sentop, the speaker of Turkeys parliament, who is on an official visit to Montenegro.

Djukanovic, 59, has led the former Yugoslav republic, a NATO member, and a candidate for membership in the European Union, either as president or prime minister for over three decades. He is facing re-election in 2023.

Montenegro, which has a population of only 620,000, has lost 2,385 people to COVID-19 among a total of 161,944 people infected.
Russia has doubled the imports of natural gas from Turkmenistan this year, Moscow's ambassador in Ashgabat told reporters on December 24.

Russia this year stands to buy about 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas from Turkmenistan, nearly twice the amount purchased in 2020, Ambassador Aleksandr Blokhin said.

Relatively cheap imports of gas from Turkmenistan and other Central Asian countries have enabled Russia to boost its exports to Europe.

This year's volumes were on a par with the period before 2016, when Russia halted gas imports from Turkmenistan amid pricing disputes.

The move put significant pressure on Turkmenistan's economy, which is highly dependent on hydrocarbons as a source of hard currency.

Russia's state-owned energy giant Gazprom resumed the purchases of Turkmen gas in 2019 when it signed a five-year contract envisaging annual deliveries of 5.5 billion cubic meters.

Russia was once the leading importer of Turkmen gas until it was displaced by China in 2010. Turkmenistan annually exports up to 40 bcm of gas to China.

Turkmenistan owns the world's fourth-largest known reserves of natural gas but has limited infrastructure to export its energy resources.

Earlier in 2021, Chinas state-owned CNPC started work to set up new wells at Turkmenistans giant natural gas fields in exchange for future gas supplies.

Turkmenistan also hopes to export gas to India and Pakistan via Afghanistan in the future. However, the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-India-Pakistan (TAPI) gas pipeline has been stalled for many years.

The 1,800-kilometer pipeline is expected to carry 33 bcm of natural gas each year from Galkynysh, the world's second-biggest gas field, to the Indian city of Fazilka near the Pakistani border.

Turkmenistan has already built its segment of the pipeline, but it remains unclear when the remaining length of the pipeline will be constructed.

Based on reporting by Interfax, AP, and Reuters
A court in Moscow said on December 24 that it was fining Alphabet's Google 7.2 billion rubles ($98 million) for what it said was a repeated failure to delete content Russia deems illegal, the first revenue-based fine in this kind of case in Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused social media platforms and other tech giants of flouting the country's Internet laws, including a push to force foreign firms to open offices in Russia and store Russians' personal data on its territory.

Many critics say the move is an attempt by Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the Internet and quell dissent.

Social media companies have already been fined hundreds of millions of rubles for content violations.

However the fines that Meta, Twitter, Google and other foreign tech giants received stretched into the tens of millions of rubles, not billions.

The Interfax news agency reported that the fine was calculated as a percentage of Google's annual earnings.

Google said it would study the court documents and then decide on its next steps.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and TASS
The Russian Foreign Ministry says a Molotov cocktail has been thrown at the Russian Consulate in Ukraines Lviv, calling the attack an act of terrorism.

The ministry said on December 24 that it summoned Ukraines charge daffairs to protest over the attack and demanded apologies from Kyiv.

Ukrainian police said they had launched a probe into the matter, which they described as "hooliganism.

The incident comes as tensions have escalated between Kyiv and Moscow after Russia massed about 100,000 combat-ready troops near its border with Ukraine in what the United States has called a possible prelude to an invasion.

New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company revealed that Russia has in recent weeks continued stationing more tanks, mobile rocket artillery systems, and advanced short-range ballistic missile batteries near the border as well as on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

The images released by U.S.-based Maxar Technologies on December 23, showed a base in Crimea packed with hundreds of armored vehicles and tanks as of December 13. A Maxar satellite image of the same base in October showed the base was half empty.

Asked about the military build-up, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on December 24 that Moscow was acting to defend its own security.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
The United States and Ukraine deny that Kyiv is preparing a military offensive in its eastern region, an assertion made by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his news conference on December 23.



White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that facts make clear that the only aggression at the border of Russia and Ukraine is the military buildup by the Russians and the bellicose rhetoric from the leader of Russia.



Psaki also noted that NATO is a defensive alliance and there is no evidence to suggest anything to the contrary from the United States or NATO members.



Putin claimed that concern in the West over its troop buildup and a possible invasion of Ukraine could be a prelude to a possible attempt by Ukraine to launch an offensive against separatists in the east.



It seems they are preparing another operation [in Donbas] and are warning us not to get in the way, or there'll be sanctions," Putin said.

Ukrainian officials have denied any intention to launch an offensive against the separatists. Ukraines Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said Putins claim about Kyiv preparing a military operation was untrue.



The Foreign Ministry on December 23 also protested what it said was an illegal humanitarian convoy sent by Russia to the Donbas, parts of which have been under Moscow-backed separatists control since April 2014. It complained that the convoy passed through a border crossing not controlled by the government in Kyiv.



U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on December 23 discussed the situation with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who also said NATO is a defensive alliance.



Ukraine continues to show commendable restraint in the face of Russian provocation and aggression, she added.



Truss said any Russian incursion would be a massive strategic mistake and would be met with strength, including coordinated sanctions with our allies to impose a severe cost on Russias interests and economy.



Truss and Blinken agreed on the importance of reinforcing coordinated support amongst allies and partners to impose consequences and costs for further Russian aggression towards Ukraine, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.



Psaki also noted that Putin said he was encouraged by the fact that there are plans for diplomatic talks in January.



We also believe that that is the best path and the right path forward, she said, adding that there has been no final agreement on the location or timing for the talks.

Putin said that there had been an agreement to hold a meeting in Geneva in January.



A senior U.S. administration official said on December 23 that the United States was ready to engage in talks with Russia in early January regarding its demand for security guarantees, but the official did not name a location.



However, the official reiterated that some of Russias demands are unacceptable. Speaking on a conference call with reporters, the official also said that any dialogue must be based on reciprocity and that the West will raise its own concerns about Russian actions.



Russias demands essentially call for a "sphere of influence" for Moscow in its near abroad, including veto power over the foreign policy choices of its neighbors. Ukraine and Georgia have said they want to join NATO to protect themselves from possible Russian aggression.



The official said that, if Russia invades Ukraine, the U.S. and its allies are prepared to impose severe costs that would damage Russia's economy and bring about exactly what it says it does not want -- more NATO capabilities, not less, closer to Russia, not further away.

With reporting by AP and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
The United States has welcomed an announcement from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that Ukrainian government forces and Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine have agreed to abide by a 2020 cease-fire.



The U.S. State Department on December 23 applauded efforts by the OSCE to reach the agreement and urged the parties to fully adhere to their commitments.



We hope the resultant peace will create the diplomatic space necessary to de-escalate regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussion, the State Department said in a statement.



OSCE chairperson-in-office in Ukraine, Mikko Kinnunen, announced the agreement on December 22, calling it of utmost significance for the people living on both sides of the contact line.



A statement issued after a meeting of officials from Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE -- known as the Trilateral Contact Group -- and representatives of the regions in Donetsk and Luhansk controlled by pro-Russian separatists said the participants expressed their strong determination to fully adhere to the measures to strengthen the ceasefire agreement of 22 July 2020."



The State Department said the U.S. continues to call on Russia to fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreements to pull back forces and weapons from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine.

The Minsk agreements are aimed at reaching a durable cease-fire in eastern Ukraine leading to steps toward a political solution. Brokered in 2015 by France and Germany in the Belarusian capital, the agreements set a series of cease-fires in eastern Ukraine which have generally failed to hold.



The State Department statement again also called on Russia to pull back forces it has amassed along Ukraines borders and end its aggressive and threatening rhetoric.



Western countries accuse Russia of having massed around 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders in a possible prelude to an invasion. Russia denies having any such intention. The United States has warned the Kremlin of unprecedented sanctions should it launch an attack.



Kyiv has been battling a pro-Moscow insurgency in two breakaway regions bordering Russia since 2014, shortly after the Kremlin annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. The conflict has killed more than 13,200 people



Ukraine expressed cautious optimism following the announcement from the OSCE.



"There is a sense of a real possibility for the first time in a long while to ensure a cease-fire on the contact line," Andriy Kostin, a Ukrainian envoy in the talks, said in a statement.



Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, chairwoman of the OSCE called the agreement on the cease-fire a "small but important first step towards de-escalation along the contact line."

With reporting by AFP and Reuters
(idexonline.com) - I have a confession to make. When I first read that the Pope had blessed a lab-grown diamond, I laughed. The cynical journalist in me dismissed it as a PR stunt. But then I considered the fact that the leader of the world's 1.34 billion Catholics doesn't grant an audience to the first marketing guy to turn up at the Vatican requesting a product endorsement. Diamond Foundry, the US-based manufacturer, had clearly been pushing at an open door when it made its approach. Pope Francis has been vocal in his support of sustainability issues over the last eight years, and has been particularly outspoken about the harm caused by mining. In July 2015 he spoke about those suffering as a result of mining activities, and he urged governments, suppliers, business leaders and investors to hold multinational mining companies to account over their behaviour.
This has raised the interest of both domestic investors as well as several foreign investors. Many investors are now clambering to get a share of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area, as now it is being seen as a potential gold mine.

Land assigned to business giants

Recently, Ho Chi Minh City allocated vast tracts of land to a number of businesses to implement several lucrative projects. The enterprise that was allocated the most land was the Dai Quang Minh Company, which is currently developing an urban area in the beautiful and strategic location of Thu Thiem. The Dai Quang Minh Company was allocated up to 60 lots, and in exchange Dai Quang Minh will build four roads in Thu Thiem New Urban Area as well as the Thu Thiem 2 bridge.

Other enterprises such as the CII Company were assigned 9 lots to build infrastructure in the Northern residential area of Thu Thiem; while the South Korean investor, GS Engineering Construction Corp (GS), was assigned 4 lots to invest in the Tan Son Nhat-Binh Loi route. The investor for building the Thu Thiem 4 bridge is expected to be assigned 11 lots.

Many land plots in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area have also been allocated to a group of investors. A favorable location right at the entrance of Thu Thiem Tunnel, has been assigned to Emperor City Co., Ltd., a joint venture between Tran Thai-Tien Phuoc and GAW from Hong Kong. The Lotte Group has been assigned a land area of 7.45 hectares, currently under the trade name Thu Thiem Eco Smart City. A leading large real estate corporation in Vietnam has also been assigned 17 hectares for a Center of Finance and Banking, Trade and Services, as well as for a housing project. An area of 8 hectares has also been assigned for a multi-functional residential and commercial area.

One of the BT projects that has received the most attention from the public in recent times in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area is that of the Dai Quang Minh Company, for the construction of a 12 km internal road at a total investment of around VND 12,000 bn. This enterprise has been allocated the most land through BT projects. Specifically, under BT contract, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has agreed to assign Dai Quang Minh Company around 79 hectares of land in the urban area to develop many real estate projects.

High price of land

Currently, a project comprising of 1,100 apartments on Nguyen Co Thach Street is open for sale since 2020, covering VND 100 mn per sq. meter, with recorded transactions of VND 130 mn per sq. meter. Another luxury apartment project located on Luong Dinh Cua Street is selling at transaction price higher than VND 150 to VND 220 mn per sq. meter. Also along the Saigon River, apartments and commercial centers are for sale at VND 160 to VND 180 mn per sq. meter. Most of the prices of these super luxury apartments have increased by 30% to 50% since they were constructed.

Meanwhile, land prices at riverside locations around the Thu Thiem peninsula range from VND 350 to VND 400 mn per sq. meter. According to a survey by Rever, the price of high-rise buildings in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area have continuously skyrocketed year by year between the period 2015 until 2021. The lowest price increase was of 30% for projects offered for sale within the last two to three years, while projects that were offered for sale six years ago now have an increase of over 100%.

Mr. Le Hoang Chau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Real Estate Association (HoREA), said that the auction results of Thu Thiem land plots brought a great source of revenue for the budget of Ho Chi Minh City, especially at a time of the ongoing pandemic which was wrought with difficulties. This auction is also the basis for Ho Chi Minh City to develop large urban areas by means of public auctions and biddings. However, the winning price of the auction is too high, and it will affect the whole area, pulling the real estate price level in the surrounding areas to a new high. Investors will have to set very high expectations for market price, which will definitely affect the supply and demand for housing for many years to come.

According to the Management Board of Thu Thiem New Urban Area, there are currently 51 plots of land in the new urban area covering over 793,000 sq. meters. These plots of land are all waiting for more investors, and many of these lots are already up for auction. The Ho Chi Minh City Land Fund Development Center said that it is completing the auction procedures for 6 land lots in functional area 1 and 3,790 apartments on 5 land lots from R1 to R5 in an area of 38.4 hectares in An Khanh Ward. It is expected that land lots and apartments will be put up for auction in early 2022. The plots of land in functional area No. 1 are planned for commercial, service, and housing needs. The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has also approved the 1:500 ratio plan for these 6 land lots and advocated for each lot to be auctioned to select investors. There are 6 lots in area 2C, 2 lots are planned for the convention and exhibition center and the land lot bears the symbol 7-1. According to the plan, the land lot 7-1 will be a resort hotel, which has now completed compensation for site clearance and has been approved by the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to auction off for land use rights.

Star Viet Real Estate Investment Co., Ltd won bid for 3-12 plots after 70 auctions, valued at VND 24,500 bn, 8.3 times higher than starting price of VND 2,942 bn. Viet Star is a member of the Tan Hoang Minh Group, with head office in O Cho Dua Ward, Dong Da district, Hanoi. Tan Hoang Minh Group is the developer of several high-end projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung is the company representative. Dream Republic Joint Stock Company won bid for 3-5 plots for VND 3,820 bn, 6.6 times higher than starting price, beating 130 bids from 21 auctioneers. Dream Republic was established in October 2017, with headquarters in VVA Tower, No. 277-279 Ly Tu Trong, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Ms. Tran Thi Mong Linh is the company representative. Sheen Mega JSC won bid for 3-8 plots with area of 8,500 sq. meters at VND 4,000 bn, 4 times higher than starting price. The auction had 10 businesses registered but only 6 participated with 67 bids. Sheen Mega was established in November 2019, headquartered at 32 Le Loi, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen is General Director and legal representative of the company. Binh Minh Trading Co., Ltd. won bid for 3-9 plots covering an area of about 5,000 sq. meters for VND 5,026 bn, 6.9 times higher than starting price of VND 728.6 bn. Binh Minh Company is located in Cong Vi Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi. Binh Minh Trading Co., Ltd. won bid for 3-9 plots covering an area of about 5,000 sq. meters for VND 5,026 bn, 6.9 times higher than starting price of VND 728.6 bn. Binh Minh Company is located in Cong Vi Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

Do Tra Giang
Two of the regions more conservative government bodies  the Escondido City Council and the county Board of Supervisors  will decide soon whether to join a growing backlash against the states sanctuary laws.

Escondido Mayor Sam Abed and Councilman John Masson have put an item on the April 4 agenda that would authorize the citys filing of a legal brief in support of the federal governments lawsuit challenging three state laws enacted last year.

I expect it to pass, Abed said Wednesday.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is expected to discuss the matter in closed session on April 17.

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Ive always supported the great working relationship between the Sheriffs Department and federal law enforcement agencies, and it needs to continue, said Supervisor Dianne Jacob, adding she intends to support the county joining the lawsuit.

Escondido appears to be the first city in San Diego County to tackle the issue.

The inland North County city would join the Orange County Board of Supervisors, which on Tuesday voted 4-0 to join the federal lawsuit as a friend of the court. Several other cities in Orange County are also beginning to take action against the states sanctuary laws.

Senate Bill 54, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, prohibits state and local police agencies from notifying federal officials in many cases when they have unauthorized immigrants in their custody who could be subject to deportation.

San Diego County supervisors, all Republicans, will consider the Trump Administrations lawsuit against the states sanctuary policy as well as Californias lawsuit against the administrations decision to ask about citizenship in the 2020 census when members convene in closed session on April 17, said a spokeswoman for Supervisor Kristin Gaspar.

The board typically doesnt discuss lawsuits openly, but any decision to take a side in the cases would later become a matter of public record.

In an interview Wednesday, San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said he does not think the county should get involved in the administrations lawsuit against the states sanctuary policies.

Id tell them stay out of it...that would be my recommendation, he said.

Deputies shouldnt act as immigration officers because it might deter people who are in the country illegally from reporting crimes, making them vulnerable to victimhood, he said.

For domestic violence, they wont report it to the cops if theyre in the country illegally, Gore said.

Escondido Police Chief Craig Carter said he preferred not to comment since he hasnt seen what his council is proposing.

In 2006, Escondido made national headlines when it tried to enact an ordinance that would have punished local landlords who rented dwellings to unauthorized immigrants.

The city became the focus of large protests, Fox News broadcast live from beneath the green dome in front of City Hall, and the rift in the city between its Latino and white populations intensified. That was exacerbated by what some thought were controversial DUI and drivers license checkpoints conducted by local police, often in Latino parts of town, as well as other policies adopted by the council around the same time.

The city has been trying to distance itself from racial issues ever since.

Though the city is more than 50 percent Latino, Escondido Councilwoman Olga Diaz, the lone Democrat and Latina on the council, often finds herself on the losing end of 4-1 votes. She said Wednesday she has not yet seen what the council will be asked to vote on next week, but said she will be engaged when the vote is taken.

Here we go again, she said.

What I do know is that its an election year and every time its an election year Sam (Abed) has some kind of immigration thing he wants to discuss or have sort of vivid in peoples minds, she said.

Both Abed and Masson, strong conservatives who have been outspoken about the federal governments lack of a comprehensive immigration policy and are the two council members who have placed the item of the agenda, are running for re-election this November.

Diaz said a few years ago the council adopted a policy she feels applies to this case.

We have a council policy that says we will only put things on the agenda that directly affect the city of Escondido and that we will not be taking positions on things that are not city issues, she said.

I would imagine this is the kind of thing that policy was meant to prevent.

Supporters will argue that the sanctuary and other state laws dealing with immigration have a direct impact on what happens in their city.

Last April, the Escondido council passed a resolution expressing opposition to SB 54, saying it did not provide protection for local communities because it expressly prohibits local law enforcement, who are most likely to come into contact with violent offenders unlawfully in the United States, from communicating effectively with federal authorities who are the only agencies who have the authority to remove these individuals from the country.

jharry.jones@sduniontribune.com; 760/529-4931; Twitter: @jharryjones


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Its the end of the year. Suddenly you realize that you forgot to do something at the bank. Perhaps you wanted to get a deposit in before the weekend. Or maybe you wanted to make a transaction so that it has a 2021 date instead of 2022. If something like this comes up for you, then you need to know are banks closed on New Years Eve 2021?

New Years Eve is Not a Holiday

Did you know that New Years Eve is not an official holiday? Its certainly a day when many of us celebrate. Whether you stay until midnight with the kids and watch the ball drop on tv or you go out on the town for champagne toasts, you almost certainly celebrate New Years Eve rather than New Years Day. However, when it comes to holidays, New Years Eve isnt official. New Years Day is the official holiday. So, when trying to figure out are banks closed on New Years Eve, thats something to keep in mind.

New Years Day is a Saturday in 2021

Since New Years Day is the holiday, rather than New Years Eve, theres no obvious reason for banks to close on New Years Eve.

We do need to make a quick note that this year New Years Day (the holiday) falls on a Saturday. This impacts some calendars. For example, the stock market is always closed on weekends. Therefore, if a holiday falls on a weekend, they typically celebrate it on either Friday or Monday. Since New Years Day 2022 falls on a Saturday, theyll actually close on Friday, New Years Eve, in observance of the holiday.

This is unusual, but it happens some years.

Are Banks Closed on New Years Eve 2021?

So, does this type of unusual closure affect banks? No. Banks are not closed on New Years Eve 2021. According to MyBankTracker, none of the major banking institutions are closed on New Years Eve. All of them, including at supermarket branches, are closed on New Years Day 2022.

What Are Bank Hours on New Years Eve 2021?

Although your bank will be open on New Years Eve, you do want to pay close attention to the hours. Most major banks are going to have regular hours. MyBankTracker reports regular hours for the following banks:

Bank of America

BB&T

BBVA Compass Bank

Capital One

Chase

Citibank

Fifth Third Bank

SunTrust Bank

U.S. Bank

Union Bank

Wells Fargo

They further report shortened hours at some banks as follows:

BMO Harris Bank Closes at 3 p.m.

Citizens Bank Closes at 2 p.m.

KeyBank Closes at 3 p.m.

M&T Bank Closes at 3 p.m.

PNC Bank Closes at 12 p.m. (supermarket branches may vary)

Regions Bank Closes at 4 p.m.

TD Bank Closes at 6 p.m.

If you do your banking with a local bank or credit union, then you should check directly with them. Chances are theyll be open on New Years Eve and not on New Years Day just like the major banks. However, you do want to ask if you have banking that you need to be sure to get done in 2021.

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With the omicron variant spreading rapidly around the world and the federal government warning that U.S. hospitals could be swamped with new COVID-19 patients, Bay Area hospitals say they are equipped to handle a winter surge if it happens.

Weve learned to be prepared. We have a lot of levers in place, said Dr. Michael Vollmer, Kaisers regional hospital epidemiologist for Northern California.

Vollmer and other hospital leaders say they are relying on techniques theyve honed since the pandemic began nearly two years ago: monitoring case numbers to try and keep staffing at necessary levels  despite a widespread shortage of nurses made worse by the pandemic. Being ready to shut down nonemergency surgeries at a moments notice if needed, as was done early in the crisis. And, always, pushing COVID prevention through vaccination.

Courtesy, Kaiser Permanente

The one advantage we have over London and New York is that were not dealing with a double wave of delta and omicron, said Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa Countys health officer.

At the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, hospitals and clinics are prepared for a potential surge in hospitalizations and are continuously monitoring the growing threat of omicron throughout the country, a spokesperson said.

Omicron cases in California have rocketed up in the weeks since the nations first case emerged in San Francisco. Across the country, the variant has already overtaken delta and represents the vast majority of coronavirus infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

In California, COVID hospitalizations have not rocketed up, although that could change. Hospitalization numbers typically lag behind new infections by about two weeks.

San Franciscos public health director, Dr. Grant Colfax, says that based on recent case data, COVID hospitalizations in the city could top 500 this winter, roughly double the highest number, 256, reached on Jan. 11.

Yet experts remain hopeful that omicron will live up to its reputation for causing milder disease than earlier strains.

Still, the states seven-day average for COVID hospitalizations is rising  although its not clear whether omicron is the cause. That number stood at 4,005 as of Thursday, up 15% from 3,475 on Dec. 1. Thats less, so far, than in past surges. A year ago, before vaccinations, the states seven-day average stood closer to 17,000 hospitalizations. And at the height of the summer surge, as the delta variant raged, weekly hospitalizations averaged about 8,500.

It could mean that omicron really isnt as severe as delta or prior variants  particularly in a highly vaccinated area like the Bay Area  we hope, said Dr. Joshua Adler, UCSFs chief clinical officer. Or it could represent a delay, where its a couple weeks later that we see hospital rates go up. So its still a little early.

Courtesy UCSF

New but preliminary results from South Africa, where omicron first emerged this fall, appear to confirm that the variant is less likely than earlier strains to send people to the hospital.

But some Bay Area experts view that news with caution, not only because the study hasnt been peer-reviewed, but also because South Africas population is younger than in the U.S. However, South Africans are also far less vaccinated than Americans and are virtually un-boostered at this point, although they tend to carry more post-infection antibodies.

Meanwhile, the rise of omicron is challenging hospitals in another way: by exacerbating a long-standing nursing shortage that already was hit hard by the pandemic. A UCSF study released in August found that many older nurses recently quit or soon plan to, creating an insufficient number of nurses across California that isnt expected to improve until 2026, when a wave of nursing students is expected to graduate.

You have to think of the health care system as theyve been driving a long way and their tires are bald and they dont have a spare, said Dr. Karen Relucio, Napa Countys health officer. So any (patient) increase in a surge when theyre already down on staffing  and the staffing on board are exhausted  is definitely going to have an impact, even if (omicron causes) less hospitalizations.

But omicron is already causing more infections in the community  and nurses and other heath care workers are part of the community. Even if they catch a mild case, they cant go to work.

To ease the nursing shortage nationwide, the CDC announced Thursday that health care workers who test positive for the coronavirus but have no symptoms can now return to work after seven days  or less if their hospital is experiencing a shortage  as long as they test negative. The CDC also said health care workers who are exposed to the virus no longer need to quarantine at home if they are fully vaccinated and have had a booster shot.

The move prompted a swift rebuke from Oaklands National Nurses United, the nations largest organization of nurses, which condemned it as weakening safety in the face of what could be the most devastating COVID-19 surge yet.

To prevent the nursing shortage from getting worse in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that all health care workers in the state will be required to get a booster against COVID by Feb. 1.

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.

Right now, though, because hospitals are working with shortages of staff, were starting from a place of less capacity than a year ago, said Kiyomi Burchill, a vice president with the California Hospitals Association.

Courtesy, California Hospitals Association/

Ironically, that problem is partly because of an improvement in pandemic conditions.

Hospitals are busy with a lot of non-COVID stuff this winter, much more than last winter, said Farnitano, the Contra Costa County public health officer. We dont have the cushion that we had last year, when elective procedures were postponed and flu cases were virtually nonexistent.

Those patients are largely back now  and many of them are in worse shape than they would have been if they hadnt delayed medical care during the pandemic. Still, many hospitals say theyve got it covered. At least for now.

We are fully staffed through the holidays and have adequate PPE, said Dr. Andra Blomkalns, chair of emergency medicine at Stanford University.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Hospitals & Clinics also has enough staff  although that could change as COVID-19 cases and illnesses increase, including among our workforce, a spokesperson said.

Whatever impact omicron turns out to have on hospitals  a picture that will become clearer in the next few weeks  well be OK, said Dr. Bela Matyas, Solano Countys health officer.

Hospitals step up, no matter how bad it is, he said. Health care workers just have it in their blood to do whatever it takes.

Nanette Asimov and Erin Allday are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com, eallday@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov, @ErinAllday
Relatives, loved ones, and city and state officials gathered for a candlelit vigil on Thursday evening to honor the life of Angelo Quinto, the 30-year-old Navy veteran from Antioch who died after police officers restrained him for several minutes one year ago in December 2020.

The hybrid vigil, which was held in person and on Zoom, was a way to honor Quintos life one year after he died and to highlight accomplishments after his death, said Quintos sister, Isabella Collins, referring to the Antioch City Councils adoption of body-worn cameras and dashboard cameras for police and the passage of AB490  which prohibits police from using techniques that involve a substantial risk of positional asphyxia  as well as community activism and organizing.

Some speakers, such as Assembly Member Mike Gipson, D-Gardena (Los Angeles County); Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe; and Antioch City Council Member Tamisha Torres-Walker, gave speeches in front of an altar decorated with flowers, flickering candles and framed photographs of Quinto. A sign declaring, Justice! 4 Angelo Quinto hung above the altar. Several speakers called for transparency from the Police Department.

Attendees bowed their heads for 30 seconds of silence before Collins sang Adeles Make You Feel My Love and shared memories of her brother. Around this time of the year, Collins said, the family would gather to place a Christmas tree and sing karaoke, where he would sing I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys or other songs by the pop band.

He loved to sing his heart out, even it wasnt good, and thats the spirit of him, Collins said with a smile. I just wanted to remember that and bring that to our heads and also just remember what a goofy dude he was  and very loving. He would so appreciate so many people coming together like this.

A year ago, on Dec. 23, 2020, Quintos sister called 911 to report that she was concerned that he might hurt himself or their mother. His family said he was experiencing a mental health crisis when police officers responded to the home, pinning him down for several minutes. His mother told The Chronicle he was pleading for his life when officers were restraining him. He died three days later. Police did not notify the public of his death for nearly a month.

In August, Quintos death was ruled an accident by a jury. A forensic pathologist who contracts with the Contra Costa County coroners office said during a coroners inquest hearing that the cause of death was excited delirium syndrome due to acute drug toxicity with disturbances and physical exertion.

Former Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks defended the police response, saying during a news conference in March that police officers followed restraint procedures and common control techniques used to control and cuff people who are under arrest, which he said are taught at California Peace Officers Standards and Training academies.

During his remarks at that news conference, Brooks said, At one point during the handcuffing, an officer did briefly, for a few seconds, have a knee across a portion of Angelos shoulder blade, which he said was a common technique used for prone handcuffing. He added that officers did not use a knee or any other body part to gain leverage or apply pressure to Angelos head, neck or throat, which is outside of our policy and training.

John Burris, one of the familys attorneys, said via Zoom during the vigil that this case is an opportunity to take a strong look at policing with respect to police restraining people and cutting off their airways and responding to a person experiencing a mental health episode. He commended Quintos family, community activists and city leaders for working to improve policing practices in Antioch and said that their work can have an impact that stretches into other cities and beyond California.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Assembly Member Gipson, who wrote AB490, said at the vigil that legislation wont bring Angelo back, but we hope that it will be an example so that another family (doesnt) have to experience what this family had to experience.

Wanda Johnson, whose son Oscar Grant was killed by a BART police officer in 2009, said via Zoom that her own sons police killing sparked a movement and encouraged the Quinto family to continue being an impactful voice for Angelo Quinto.

We have to band together and work together to ensure that our policing system operates and works the way that we want it to work, versus the way that they have been accustomed to work for so many years, Johnson said. Press forward to ensure that not only change takes place for your son, but for those sons and daughters that may come behind your loved one.

Taun Hall, whose 23-year-old son, Miles Hall, was shot and killed by police in Walnut Creek, commended Quintos familys work and said that it shows what can be done when we stand together and we work together to challenge police policies and procedures, adding, We cant just say, Thats how it is. We have to fight.

Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez
In the battle against the coronavirus, among the most familiar tools are vaccinations, tests, masks and medical treatments.

But when it comes to confronting the mental toll the pandemic can exact, a Marin organization and two dozen kids in Kenya are relying on pens, paints, crayons and coloring books.

Harambee Arts, an organization founded and guided by Gloria Simoneaux, 74, of San Rafael, came up with the idea of creating coloring books to help children living in Africas biggest slum, Kibera in Kenya, express some of the trauma theyve been feeling because of the coronavirus, lockdowns, restrictions and isolation.

Studies have found that childrens emotional and cognitive health has worsened significantly during the pandemic, with many suffering loneliness, stress and anxiety.

Harambee Arts runs an expressive arts therapy program in Kenya, started by Simoneaux 14 years ago when she was a Fulbright scholar. Expressive arts therapy uses art  from painting to singing and dancing  to help people heal from trauma.

When COVID-19 first hit, Harambee Arts made and distributed 2,000 masks with the message Love and Hope silk-screened onto each. As the pandemic deepened, Simoneaux wanted to keep the staff of 12 employed and paid, and help the 200 kids in the program deal with the loss of their daily routines and, sometimes, family or friends claimed by the coronavirus.

More for you COVID shots are under way for young kids. So when will California end its school mask mandate?

We had a thought of creating a workbook with the kids to deal with the trauma, with the strong emotions related to the pandemic, Simoneaux said. They created this exquisite coloring book.

Created mostly by 24 kids in Kenya, the coloring book came back to the U.S. to be designed before it was returned to Kenya, where 2,000 copies were printed and distributed.

Teachers were trained how to use the workbook to help kids talk about their feelings on the pandemic. An additional 1,000 copies have been distributed in New York City, through a program Simoneaux works with, and she plans to hand out 1,000 more to Bay Area teachers after training them how to use the coloring book.

This is not really a money-maker for us, she said. We just really want to share it.

Titled You Are the Star of This Story, the coloring book has a colorful cover with a scene of an African village, photos of kids drawings and an introductory message from 12-year-old Maliah under the heading I Am A Star.

I have been born and raised in Kibera slum, she writes. The pandemic has been really hard on me because it caused extraordinary challenges. I felt sad, lonely, angry, scared. This book gave me a way to express all that I am feeling. I hope that you will share your experience also.

The book asks questions about how kids felt during the pandemic, and presents a blank template for them to express themselves and share their feelings.

Draw yourself before the pandemic, living your everyday life, reads the first drawing panel. Its followed by directions to draw yourself after a year of pandemic. How did you feel differently in your body? What changed?

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.

Children are asked to draw how they felt  whether sad or afraid, angry, lonely or unsafe. Theyre also asked to draw happy moments during the pandemic and to make a picture of how they calmed themselves when they were upset.

The book asks kids to Imagine putting all of the difficult feelings into a box and throwing that box as far as you can into the sky with all of your strength, the directions read. Say, Bye bye corona virus to those feelings as they disappear into outer space.

Simoneauxs favorite section is also popular among many kids.

Please shower yourself with love all over your body, inside and outside, it instructs. Then send showers of love to all of your family and friends. Also send love showers to all of the children all over the world who are experiencing the same feelings as you.

The point is to give kids a way to express feelings they may have hidden and discuss them  and its been a success in Kenya, Simoneaux said. Some said they hadnt realized their kids were feeling lonely or anxious. It gave a lot of kids a chance to share feelings they may have considered insignificant when parents were dealing with job loss or trying to keep their families fed.

It was wildly popular, she said. It really brought families together.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
Paul Chinn/The Chronicle 2020

The extremely contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus is taking a toll on airline staffing, leading to dozens of cancellations each from Delta and United nationwide on Christmas Eve.

Asked about the impact to its hub at San Francisco International Airport, United pointed to the website FlightAware, which reported that 10 outbound flights (2% of the airports total) were canceled on Friday, and 16 flights (3% of the total) were canceled inbound. Those figures cover all airlines, not just United, though most appear to involve United.
Californians were salty after spending $276 million of taxpayer money to hold the September recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom, which he easily beat back. Nearly 80% of likely voters told pollsters afterward that it was a gigantic waste of money  not to mention time and focus during the pandemic and lurching economic recovery.

Many called for changing California century-old recall process and the supermajority Democrat-dominated Legislature responded by holding a series of hearings to determine what to do next. But its decision might not happen until the spring  a potential six-month gap that is a memory-fading lifetime in politics. It could be even longer before potential changes come before voters in November.

Could the momentum dissipate by then?

Yes and no, said state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, who is chairing the joint committee examining the recall process. The recall was somewhat of a scarring event. At the same time, voter interest does move about.

Meanwhile, two high-profile recalls in 2022 will provide another test of the system. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and three members of the San Francisco school board will face recalls. In Shasta County, Supervisor Leonard Moty will face a recall summons before voters Feb. 1.

Its a sign of impatience by people who either feel like weve gone too far in one direction or think we havent gone far enough, said Larry Gerston, author of Californias Recall Election of Gavin Newsom: The Politics of Political Reform in the COVID Era.

I think its a reflection of a lot of discontent. Society is more polarized than ever, said Gerston, a professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University.

Here are some lessons learned from the recall efforts that dominated the 2021 political landscape, and a look at what 2022 portends:

Democrats still run California: Newsoms camp was alarmed last summer, briefly, by polls that showed the race in a dead heat among likely voters. But that was largely because most Democratic voters were not paying attention because they didnt take it seriously.

Once Newsoms campaign woke up, their electorate  who were alarmed by the sight of conservative talk show host Larry Elder surging in the polls  the Democrats nearly 2-to-1 advantage over Republicans among registered voters proved too much to overcome.

Until proven otherwise, Republicans will be able to win statewide office only through the backdoor of a recall. A Republican hasnt won statewide in California since 2006. The lesson for Republicans: They need to build a larger coalition of Republicans, independents and conservative Democrats if they want a prayer of winning statewide, recall or otherwise.

Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press 2021

The state party didnt help matters by not endorsing a candidate for fear of alienating a portion of its base voters. That enabled Elder to surge as the leading Republican, even though his views on the minimum wage, race relations, women in the workplace and climate change were out of step with most Californians.

The result, Gerston said, is that Newsom wound up winning the recall by almost exactly the same percentage (62%) that he received when he was elected governor in 2018  a fact that left many wondering why state taxpayers paid $276 million for an election that showed that voters felt the same about Newsom.

Politically, the failed recall attempt could hurt Republicans politically in a different way beyond this year, said Joshua Spivak, author of Recall Elections: From Alexander Hamilton to Gavin Newsom.

I think that theres a really, really, really strong chance that Newsom has (his re-election ) race wrapped up even in a big Republican wave year nationally, said Spivak, a senior fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College in New York and the founder of the Recall Elections Blog.

The threat is real: One big effect of the past year is that now voters have seen that they hold a powerful weapon in the ability to boot office-holders.

One analyst likened the threat of a recall as a gun behind the door.

The real effect is not success. The real effect is the threat of a recall, said David McCuan, a professor of political science at Sonoma State University who taught a course on recalls this fall. The way I explained it (in class), the point is to not nuke the Russians, the point is to threaten to nuke the Russians. Its a deterrent.

Its a gun behind the door, he said.

Even if the target of a recall survives  or the recall campaign doesnt qualify for the ballot  the office-holder still has to divert valuable time and resources from their day job to prepare to defend themselves. Ask Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon.

A recall petition against him failed in September after gathering fewer than half the 580,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot. A second attempt to boot Gascon is ramping up, though, led by former Republican Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley.

And even those who survived feel the effects of the grueling experience. Speaking at an Oakland school a few days after the recall, Newsom said the experience changed him.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle 2021

It sharpens your focus about time, he said. Things that you may have looked at on the rise and said, over the next two, three years, we want to get this done, you start looking at very differently and saying, well, whats possible in the next two to three months?

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.

Californians will see how long those changes to Newsom last. And then they will get their regularly scheduled chance to decide whether to re-elect him in 2022.

Reforms wont be easy: After Newsoms victory and the taxpayer price tag surfaced  calls to reform the process flooded in. A joint committee in the Legislature has held two hearings on possible reforms, with a third likely in early 2022.

A November survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that 78% of likely voters said the recall election is in need of changes. Half felt it needed major changes, 28% preferred minor ones.

The most popular (72% approval) proposal, according to the survey, would require a runoff election between the top two replacement candidates if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.

Less popular (64% support) was the idea that a recall could be held only if the elected official engaged in illegal or unethical activity. Receiving the same amount of support was an idea to raise the signature requirement on a recall petition from 12% to 25% of the total votes cast in the previous election for that office.

Others have suggested having the lieutenant governor take over for a recalled governor, and dispensing with the idea of a replacement race.

In addition to the Legislature exploring possible reforms, the bipartisan Little Hoover Commission held hearings in the fall over what could be done to improve the system.

Democrats need to be careful how they frame changing this system, which gives voters a last-resort type of tool to use against elected officials.

I really question the wisdom of making changes especially if it goes so counter to the party narrative, Spivak said. You have the Democrats as the defenders of voting rights, of expanding the vote. Why in California are we saying, But lets limit it here? OK, its not the same type of vote. But just from a messaging perspective. It really does not make sense.

McCuan, however, was skeptical that voters will be as supportive of recall changes if it comes before them on the ballot in November.

I think its more likely to change the death penalty in this state before we tinker with the initiative process, McCuan said. Voters are very suspicious of any change to that framework.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle

Mary Ellen Carroll, director of emergency management, said during a special Board of Supervisors meeting in San Francisco late Thursday afternoon that thousands of people lost power in the Richmond District.

A PG&E outage map showed power loss in the Golden Gate Park area, the outer Richmond District and the Lands End area.
Regarding Breeds Tenderloin crackdown assailed (Front Page, Dec. 21): San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is opposed to Mayor London Breeds proposed crackdown on crime and drugs. What further proof does anyone need of his complete incapacity for the position he now holds?

Not only should Boudin be recalled from office in June, but he should be forced to resign immediately for the good of the city. Since he probably lacks the decency to do this, he should be summarily removed for incompetence and gross neglect in carrying out his duties.

Boudin does not seem to believe in punishment for criminals breaking the law out of some misguided concepts about addressing equity in society. That is an entirely separate issue requiring other approaches to remedy.

Nick Yale, Oakland

Consider a babys worth

Regarding In abortion debate, lets define viable fetus (Insight, Dec. 19): Melissa Harris pro-abortion op-ed on the baby she chose to let live seemed familiar; similar stories come into my email in-box quite often to show the utter immorality of abortion. A few small changes in Harris article would make it a pro-life one.

Harris writes taking my pregnancy to term was the right decision for me and having that choice was everything. She is ignoring the value of the baby in himself, as someone other than something for herself and her husband.

The reasons some couples might have to have their baby killed are not justifications for that killing, any more than my lust justifies my rape of my beautiful neighbor or my greed my stealing. Viability is a red herring.

John Wills, Oakland

Dont blame Ginsburg

Regarding Blame Justice Ginsburg (Letters, Dec. 20): I found the letter so demeaning and unkind to the memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman of valor who fought so hard for the rights of women and equality for all. Her entire life was spent seeking justice in an honorable way. Her ethical standard was high and her integrity unchallenged. That this letter was written by a woman pains me.

Up until her final day, Ginsburg remained keen of mind, sharp and in good spirits for our nation. To force her to retire before she was ready to would have smacked of ageism. How many of us would want to be forced into retirement before we feel ready? As long as one can serve effectively and showcase excellent decision making skill, she should have the freedom to choose the time of her retirement. Retirement shouldnt be a political decision.

To blame her for the downturn of the Supreme Court is naive. To blame her posthumously for what the future unloaded on us is ludicrous. Place the blame where it truly belongs: on those who strategically planned to tarnish the court. Lets not tar Ginsburgs memory, but rather honor it as a blessing.

Evie Groch, El Cerrito

I love a city that cares

Regarding S.F.s 1971 design plan remains relevant today (Front Page, Dec. 20): John Kings piece on San Franciscos 50-year-old Urban Design Plan, which still has much relevance for today because it touches on truths that defy trends, ends on a note I truly appreciate. The fact that residents care, King notes, testifies to the fact that people have always felt San Francisco was worth fighting for.

It still is, and people still fight. And they should.

I worked as a city planner here for 30 years, and in that time my peers from fast-growing places like Houston or Atlanta sometimes marveled at the debates and delays that famously drag out San Franciscos approval process.

Its gotta be frustrating to work there, theyd quip sympathetically.

It can be, Id shrug, but Id rather work in a city that cares too much than one that doesnt care enough.
Every year around this time, some segments of Muslim social media light up for the season. But its not to wish each other Merry Christmas.

For some Muslims, there is an ongoing debate on whether they can wish their Christian friends and neighbors Merry Christmas. Some believe that saying these words is a sin, while others proclaim it is a religious obligation to wish people well during their festivities. Like all things rooted in scripture or law, it can be subjective to ones interpretation and approach. Some may even argue it is a question of intention.

As if this was not enough of a minefield, there is ever-present debate in the broader country about divorcing Christmas from the holidays to make it more inclusive. Proponents of this view argue that we should wish people Happy Holidays while opponents campaign to take back the holidays and insist on saying Merry Christmas.

In the spirit of the holidays, and as a Muslim law professor and attorney, I decided to draft this nonbinding, inclusive greeting on a pro bono basis for those who wish to play it safe:

I hereby wish each of my past, present and future friends, colleagues, students, clients and even strangers, a Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Other Religious or Non-Religious Celebration or Commemoration you may mark during this period!*

*DISCLAIMER: These wishes are extended without any personal liability on my part. Notwithstanding the preceding greeting, I make no representation and offer no warranty or guaranty that you will, in actuality, have a Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Other Religious or Non-Religious Celebration or Commemoration.

I further make no representation that I celebrate any of these.

In the event you do not celebrate any religious/cultural holiday, then I covenant that no offense was intended and none should be inferred. If such is the case, then on a without prejudice basis, I hereby retract the respective religious greeting and herein substitute Happy Holidays in its place.

In the event you wish to respond or reciprocate, I undertake not to bill you for reading the said response.

This solemn wish is made on my own accord and not under any duress or coercion. The greetings are extended on a without prejudice basis in the spirit of tolerance, pluralism and human courtesy.

This greeting is assignable and transferable. I hereby grant you a nonexclusive, sublicensable and transferable right to use and extend this greeting strictly in the same manner and only to the extent expressly stated in this grant. This license has no quantity restriction. You may issue an unlimited number of greetings for an unlimited number of times during the term of the license. This license is valid for a period covering 30 days before and after December 25th. Once the license expires, you need to wait for the following year. The rights granted to you, above, may be exercised by any persons receiving the greeting from you provided that such persons agree to abide by the terms of this greeting.

NOT SOLICITOR-CLIENT OR ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED

This message is NOT the subject of solicitor-client or attorney-client privilege and MUST be communicated with as many others as you possibly can. Thank you for your assistance.

Feel free to use this greeting.

All kidding aside, I have no hesitation in wishing my Christian friends and colleagues a Merry Christmas. For some Muslims, like the former mayor of San Carlos and the second Muslim mayor in the country, Omar Ahmed, they create new traditions that embrace their identity as Muslim and American. Every year before his passing in 2011, Mayor Ahmed would dress up in a Santa Claus hat and hold Muslim Christmas, bringing friends together for a meal and a movie.

For Muslims who are concerned that a Christmas greeting may be crossing the line, you should know that there is a growing chorus of Muslim religious leaders who have issued nonbinding religious opinions, or fatwas, stating that greeting non-Muslims during their festive seasons was permissible.

For instance, Mufti Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, the grand mufti of the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan in Malaysia, said, Its no more than a mere greeting to express happiness and enjoyment upon seeing the happiness of those celebrating ...

According to another fatwa by the European Council for Fatwa and Research, it is permissible to say Merry Christmas to non-Muslims. They note the Quran does not forbid us from being kind and civil to non-Muslims, and there is no clear evidence in the Quran or the teachings of the prophet against it.

Shaikh Ahmad Kutty, a Canadian scholar and my dad, said, There is no harm in using the standard greeting that is common to people. If you are greeting Christians, you may wish them happy or Merry Christmas. This does not in any way mean that you are adhering to the specific Christian dogmas of trinity, crucifixion, etc., unless you definitely intend it. We are not to project onto words meanings that are not commonly understood by them. Just as Christians wish Muslims happy Eid, we can definitely our wishes to Christians for a merry Christmas. Islam is all about reciprocating kindness with kindness.

And so in the spirit of the holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzah and a belated Hanukkah Sameach!

Faisal Kutty is a lawyer and associate professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles.4
After a marathon Board of Supervisors meeting that lasted until the early hours of Christmas Eve, Mayor London Breed won key approval after a majority of the board said theyd support the mayors declaration of a state of emergency in the Tenderloin to address the tragic spike in overdose deaths.

Eight of 10 supervisors present voted in favor.

The declaration would put the citys emergency management department in charge of the public health crisis response and speed up Breeds ability to open a service center within weeks where outreach workers can refer people on the streets to housing and treatment.

The vote was Breeds first test in her controversial plan to improve street conditions and crack down on crime in the long-troubled Tenderloin, which thrust her into the national spotlight last week. She has stressed that she wants to save lives, but also said she wants to get people off the streets after hundreds of residents, many low-income immigrant families, complained that the situation was untenable.

The declaration itself doesnt mention policing, but many supervisors worried that voting for it would be tacit support of Breeds intention under her proposal to enforce every single law at our disposal to get (drug users) either into treatment, or sadly, the alternative is jail, as she said last week.

Most who did vote yes tried to walk a fine line between stressing the urgent need to address a public health crisis  more than twice as many people died of overdoses than of COVID-19 in the city last year  and denouncing potentially jailing people addicted to drugs.

Supervisors Dean Preston and Shamann Walton voted no in protest over the plan for more policing.

The emergency declaration is part of a bigger plan in the Tenderloin that includes setting up the service facility, ramping up policing and improving infrastructure. Breed also proposed two measures to fight retail theft after recent high-profile Union Square incidents and plans to ask the board in January to approve spending more on police overtime citywide.

The mayor doesnt need the declaration to ramp up enforcement. Under the emergency, she has the power to move money into the police budget, but her office promised Thursday that she would not do that without a board vote that is expected in January.

Breed was not present during Thursdays hearing. The police chief and head of emergency management seemed to temper her hard-line approach to policing from last week, under grilling from supervisors.

Police Chief Bill Scott said the department is not planning on using an arrest tactic to clear the streets. Director of Emergency Management Mary Ellen Carroll said that while interrupting illegal activities that are a threat to public safety is a basic citywide response, the declaration is based on a public health emergency and is in no way a means to criminalize drug use, nor can it be leveraged for more policing.

Scott and Carroll said the focus will be on outreach workers getting people help at the center. But if someone refused and continued to, for example, use fentanyl on the sidewalk, Scott said, that needs to be addressed. He said police would not always arrest people, but they would ask for other city resources or pull people to another place, not force them, but ultimately make clear that we wont tolerate doing that on the streets.

Breed also said last week that the city would enforce an ordinance that prohibits sitting or lying on the sidewalks. Scott said Thursday that the law wouldnt land people in jail, but that officers would ask people to move or at least make the sidewalks passable.

Under the law, the first offense triggers a fine or community service. A second offense within a day can lead to jail time.

Supervisor Matt Haney, who represents and lives in the Tenderloin, has pushed the city to treat the overdose crisis with the same urgency as the pandemic.

We are overwhelmed, he said. This is a status quo that we absolutely need to challenge and disrupt with everything we have.

He reiterated the declaration was declaring a public health emergency  not authorizing a policing blitz  and pushed to have the health department lead outreach and provide adequate treatment and housing. He opposes criminalizing drug users.

Supervisor Hillary Ronen demanded to know that the declaration wouldnt double down on a ... failed drug war, but said shed vote yes to provide crisis resources and quickly fill vacant city worker positions in substance use and mental health treatment.

Carroll also said the proposed center could bring together city resources, keep track of treatment and housing beds, and fill them efficiently  a key component of a mental health reform law Ronen and Haney authored.

Supervisor Catherine Stefani said no one is saying we will arrest or prosecute our way out of this and stressed a combination of social services and law enforcement, consequences and treatment was needed, but she feared current city policies were enabling people to their death.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman also said that while he believed the situation was a public health problem, it is also a public safety problem that sometimes requires law enforcement.

Preston said Thursdays hearing didnt assure him the declaration wouldnt be used for policing, massive sweeps and a linkage center thats a road to nowhere, questioning the citys availability of service resources. Walton said that any opportunity we allow for negative interaction between law enforcement and people of color is very problematic.

Beyond policing, Preston and Supervisors Connie Chan and Aaron Peskin criticized the lack of details in the plan and questioned the timing, with a rushed rollout before the end of the year.

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.

Peskin, who was absent Thursday, wrote in a letter to his colleagues that the mayors sudden realization during the winter recess that the Tenderloin is in crisis is odd and feels overtly political. He asked his colleagues to vote yes Thursday while requesting the board bring the declaration back for discussion and a decision in January.

The state of emergency will be in effect for 90 days. It can be revoked by the board at any time and extended.

Dozens of residents and activists spoke for and against the declaration during public comment.

Speakers in support thanked the mayor for taking swift action to try to save lives and drawing a hard line against illegal activity to protect residents.

Those opposed skewered the mayors announced intention for more policing as cruel, coercive and likely to fail in improving street conditions without addressing root causes. Instead, they called on the mayor to open a drug sobering center and a site where people can use drugs under medical supervision indoors, both of which she is planning for next year.

Breed is also continuing to acquire more treatment and permanent supportive housing beds and investing in teams of mental health professionals who respond to people in crisis instead of police officers.

Others had nuanced perspectives.

I see this counterproductive dichotomy, where it seems like the only two solutions are lock them up or dont lock them up, with no real thoughtful, long-term investment in evidence-based strategies in the middle, Vitka Eisen, CEO of addiction treatment provider HealthRIGHT 360, said in a statement before the meeting.

Eisen did not support another War on Drugs, instead pushing for implementing mental health care reform, housing people in shelter-in-place hotels and creating more alternative responses to the police.

Because a problem is complex does not mean it is not solvable. It requires a flexibility in thinking, she said. We can do this.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench
His eyes alight with messianic fervor, his silver hair flowing to his shoulders, Richard X Zawitz expounded on why the Tangle, the handheld, twistable plaything he invented decades ago, is far more than just a whimsical, curvy toy.

Its a manifestation of essential energy, a symbol of eternity, a boon to the human race, he said, as he showed off human-sized tangle sculptures at the South San Francisco headquarters of Tangle Creations.

Over the years, I discovered I have some sort of magic object, he said. Theres no getting around it. What else could it be? How else could a twisty plastic noodle last 40 years in this world?

Indeed, the Tangle has tapped into many trends while selling 250 million copies, according to the company. A chrome version was among the first art toys sold by New Yorks MoMA. It has FDA endorsement as therapeutic for stress relief, hand therapy and smoking cessation. Michael Jackson posed for Italian Vogue wearing an unfurled 4-foot Tangle slung across his chest like a bandoleer. It got a boost from the national fascination with fidget toys. Its a TikTok darling. And soon it will star in an animated series.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Its tactile, visual and very sensory, said Chris Byrne, an independent toy consultant also known as the Toy Guy. Its endlessly fascinating when you play with it. It can be very meditative.

Zawitz, 75, who exudes a buoyant energy, feels that now the pliable coil is on the cusp of an even bigger emergence onto the world stage, where it can help manifest peace through creativity.

Back in the flower-child days (Im a classic character out of the 60s, he says), Zawitz was a sculptor and student of Asian art and philosophy who became fascinated with circles, spirals, waves and curves. That led to his invention of the Tangle. It started out as a walnut-wood sculpture, 3-feet long when opened end to end, made of several 90-degree joints that could be manipulated.

Nobody could take their hands off it, he said. I had an epiphany that I could make this thing for everybody.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

So, in 1980, he created a handheld Tangle out of plastic and a larger chrome Tangle sold at museum shops and high-end department stores. His dad ran a business buying and selling used hotel furniture at Fifth and Bryant in the city.

Zawitz, who had moved here from his native Massachusetts after college in Hawaii and several years traveling in Asia, worked there all day and then would stay up all night with a crew assembling Tangle pieces manufactured in China.

In 1989, the company behind Slinky became its distributor and sold 500,000 to Kmart. Mattel later licensed it for construction toys, although they failed to gain traction. McDonalds distributed it with Happy Meals. Walmart showcased it at checkout lanes, selling 9 million. Zuru Toys, an aggressive new toy company based in Hong Kong, marketed it until a year ago.

Along the way, Zawitz had to fend off toy pirates who ripped off his designs.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Fortunately, the gods were smiling, he said. My first year in business, I met a guy in Hong Kong who told me I needed a patent on my product in Taiwan, so I applied and got it. I was copied so much that I began getting copyrights, patents and trademarks all over the world.

Now three generations of the Zawitz family  Richard, his son, daughter-in-law and grandson  run the company in a remodeled old warehouse that is half art gallery for Zawitzs sculptures and an impressive collection of Asian art. Theyre adding new ideas like light-up balls and illuminated active wear.

And there are lots of different Tangles in all sizes, textures and colors.

Zawitzs titles are Tanglemaster, sculptor and thaumaturgist, or magician.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

As someone who believes in metaphysical things, alchemical transformations, I turned plastic into gold, he said of the Tangles success.

Tangle may get blockbuster status thanks to a licensing deal with Canadas Wow Unlimited Media for an animated series tentatively titled  what else?  Tangle.

Tangle is a phenomenon that hasnt received the attention it deserves, said Michael Hirsh, CEO of Wow, whose pedigree includes animations of Barbie, Octonauts and a televised version of Dreamworks Madagascar. Richard has imbued it with the Taoist philosophy and insights he studied as a young man when building it. It manages to touch on so many aspects that are important to kids television today.

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.

While he doesnt want to tip his hand about the shows premise, Hirsh said, Were going to capture the flavor of Tangle as being a problem-solving device that also is imbued with a sense of whats right in the universe.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Production timetables mean the shows release is a couple of years off.

Research increasingly shows that fidget toys like Tangle can help people improve their concentration and cope with with issues such as ADHD, autism and impulse control.

Tangle toys just move gently in your hands to mold into different shapes without becoming the focus of your attention, said Roland Rotz, a clinical psychologist who co-wrote Fidget to Focus, a book about how performing repetitive sensory-motor activities in the background can help people improve attention and other cognitive abilities.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

That visual motor event is not unlike doodling, Rotz said. This background stimulant assists your ability to listen and pay attention. It works similar to how meditation works.

Zawitz, who emanates a Willy Wonka-like exuberance with a touch of Ram Dass-like mysticism, envisions his own version of the golden ticket. Called the Missing Link Contest, it would be a global treasure hunt (via geocaching) for a very special Tangle with a $1 million prize.

I want to create a fad bigger than Rubiks Cube, he said. Not only is Tangle a fun thing that can reach anybody without any instruction, but it is extremely beneficial to the human race.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Over the past five trading days, major banks have been in focus on the hawkish Federal Reserve and solid economic expansion despite concerns related to the surge in COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant. In company-specific developments, business restructuring/expansion initiatives continued, with Regions Financial RF announcing yet another deal to bolster fee income sources.

Also, BNY Mellon BK continued to strengthen its collaboration with SNB Capital by expanding operations in Saudi Arabia to help build a robust, market-leading and inclusive capital market ecosystem. On the other hand, Citigroup C made advances with its plan to exit consumer banking operations in selected markets by announcing the sale of its operations in the Philippines.

Further, legal matters cropped up for JPMorgan JPM and Capital One COF. JPM agreed to pay $200 million to the regulators for failures in record keeping, while COF will pay $190 million to settle a class-action lawsuit.



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

(See the last bank stock roundup here: Bank Stock Roundup for the Week Ending Dec 10, 2021)

Re-cap of the Weeks Important Developments

1. At the heels of the recently closed buyout of Sabal Capital, Regions Financial has inked a deal to acquire a preeminent merger and acquisition (M&A) firm, Clearsight Advisors, Inc. The acquisition marks an additional avenue for the bank to broaden its specialty capabilities as well as M&A advisory services for existing technology sector clients. The company intends to consolidate Clearsight into Regions Banks expanding Capital Markets division.

2. As part of its plan to exit consumer banking operations in selected markets, Citigroup has signed an agreement with UnionBank of the Philippines to dispose of its consumer banking franchise in the Asian country. UnionBank will pay cash consideration for the net assets of the acquired businesses along with a premium of PHP45.3 billion (around $908 million). The deal will enable Citigroup to free up roughly $300 million of allocated tangible common equity.

3. BNY Mellon is expanding its collaboration with SNB Capital (the Securities, Asset Management and Investment Banking arm of Saudi National Bank, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias largest commercial bank). SNB Capital and BNY Mellon have announced a data management solutions collaboration in Saudi Arabia, further solidifying the companys presence in the country.

4. JPMorgan will be paying $200 million as a fine to the U.S. regulators  the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The company has been accused of widespread and longstanding failures to preserve employee communications on personal mobile devices, messaging apps and e-mails.

Per the regulators, JPMorgan allowed its staff to use WhatsApp and other communication platforms on their personal devices, and failed to preserve the offline communications in a violation of the federal securities law.

5. Capital One has agreed to pay $190 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by its customers following the massive data breach incident. While noting that it has fully reserved the amount, the company stated the settlement will cover 98 million Americans.

Capital One, in an emailed statement, said, We are pleased to have reached an agreement that will resolve the consumer class litigation in the U.S.

In July 2019, Capital One had announced that data related to more than 100 million customers accounts and credit card applications were illegally accessed by a hacker in March that year. Subsequently, federal prosecutors had arrested Paige A. Thompson, a former Amazon cloud employee, for breaching the COFs server.

Price Performance

Here is how the seven major stocks performed:



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Over the past five trading sessions, shares of Bank of America gained 1.2%, while that of Citigroup rallied 1.1%.

Whats Next in the Banking Space?

Over the next four trading days, the major bank stocks are likely to perform in a similar fashion, unless there is any major change in the economic front and/or changes in number of COVID-19 cases.

More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!

It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 77 billion devices by 2025, creating a $1.3 trillion market.

Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 4 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2022.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report



Citigroup Inc. (C): Free Stock Analysis Report



Regions Financial Corporation (RF): Free Stock Analysis Report



The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BK): Free Stock Analysis Report



Capital One Financial Corporation (COF): Free Stock Analysis Report



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Russian court slaps Google, Meta with massive fines

MOSCOW (AP)  A Moscow court has fined Google nearly $100 million and Facebooks parent company Meta $27 million over their failure to delete content banned by local law. The Tagansky District Court ruled on Friday that Google repeatedly neglected to remove the banned content, and ordered the company to pay a 7.2-billion ruble ($98.4-million) fine. Google said it would study the court documents before deciding on its next steps. Later Friday, the court also slapped a 1.9 billion ruble ($27.2 million) fine on Meta for its failure to remove banned content. Russian authorities have ramped up pressure on tech companies this year, accusing them of failing to remove calls for unsanctioned protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

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Omicron is latest blow to pandemic-weary front-line workers

BOSTON (AP)  The surge in coronavirus cases driven by the new omicron variant is the latest blow to hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain staffing levels. COVID-19 absences among workers at London hospitals tripled this month, and nearly 10% of the citys firefighters were out sick. In New York, about twice as many police officers took sick time this week than normal. Countries such as Spain have eased quarantine rules to allow more people to continue working. Some U.S. states have called in the National Guard to help boost short-handed hospitals.

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US to lift omicron-linked travel ban on southern Africa

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. will lift travel restrictions on eight southern African countries that it imposed to try to blunt the spread of the COVID omicron variant. The White House says the temporary travel bans bought scientists necessary time to study the new virus variant first discovered in South Africa. The World Health Organization and leaders in southern Africa criticized the travel ban as ineffective. The ban had barred entry to all non-U.S. citizens who had been in South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It will be lifted on New Years Eve.

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Airlines cancel flights due to COVID staffing shortages

NEW YORK (AP)  Airlines are canceling hundreds of flights as the omicron variant jumbled schedules and drew down staffing levels at some carriers during the busy holiday travel season. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said Friday they canceled flights because of staff shortages tied to the omicron variant, while other airlines say operations are proceeding normally. Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been a regular problem for the U.S. airline industry this year as travel recovered. While some travelers canceled holiday plans because of rising case numbers, many others kept to their vacations during some of the years busiest travel days.

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China denounces US law on Xinjiang imports

BEIJING (AP)  The Chinese government has denounced a U.S. law that restricts imports from Xinjiang as a violation of international law and dismissed complaints of abuses against mostly Muslim minorities in the region as lies. President Joe Biden signed the measure amid mounting tension including appeals by activists for a boycott of Februarys Winter Olympics in Beijing. It prohibits U.S. businesses from importing goods from Xinjiang unless they can be proven not to have been made by forced labor. A foreign ministry spokesman said the measure disregards the truth and interferes in Chinas affairs. Foreign governments and researchers say more than 1 million Uyghurs and other minorities have been confined in camps in Xinjiang.

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Spains king urges renewed caution amid surge

Spains King Felipe VI has warned citizens to remain cautious as the coronavirus can still inflict widespread damage. His annual Christmas Eve speech came amid a record number of infections in the country Friday. Health authorities have reported three days in a row of record-breaking caseloads and have reinstituted mandatory mask-wearing in open spaces with few exceptions. We all have to do everything possible not to take steps backwards in this health crisis that has caused so much suffering, Felipe said.

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Stocks mixed across global markets in quiet holiday trading

BEIJING (AP)  Global stocks were mixed in quiet trading on Friday, with many markets closed or ending early in observance of Christmas. Stocks slipped in Paris and Tokyo, inched higher in Seoul and Hong Kong and were nearly unchanged in London. Financial markets took the day off in the United States, Germany and many other countries. A day earlier, Wall Streets S&P 500 set a record as fears ebbed about how badly the omicron variant will hit the economy. Of course, much is still uncertain about omicron, which seems to spread extremely quickly. Several airlines canceled flights Friday because many workers called in sick.

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NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  Cyprus move to open up its power generation market and boost the share of renewable sources in its energy mix will face its first big test next year, when the European Unions executive arm assesses the project.

Cypriot lawmakers in October approved a law aimed to decouple the power grid operator from the state-run Electricity Authority of Cyprus and enable private power generation companies to supply homes and businesses.
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

There are reasons to resent social media  for one, it can be infuriatingly addictive and potentially isolating. But like anything else in todays social landscape, its a two-sided coin.

Social media also fosters connections that would be challenging to make in person, especially between businesses and consumers. It gives businesses a chance to be relatable, and according to the data, its working. At least 90% of people on Instagram follow a business, according to Instagram data from October 2019.

Instagram is a crucial tool to grow your small business online  and you dont have to dive headfirst into the influencer hype to use it successfully. To help you get started, here are six Instagram marketing tips from small-business owners and marketing pros.

1. Keep it in-house, but dont be afraid to delegate

Suzie Mills, co-founder of Practice Everywhere, a digital fitness company, and Honest Soul Yoga, a yoga studio with locations in Texas and Virginia, tried to hire an outside firm to manage the businesses social media accounts. Ultimately, the curated approach didnt pan out. "It wasnt timely, it never made sense, it never looked personal," she says.

Rather than spend big bucks on a third-party company, chances are you can find people with a knack for social media within your own business. Julia Lopez, Mills co-founder, suggests giving a few trusted employees access to the businesss Instagram account.

"You need to give your Instagram to the people that know your business and your brand best," she says.

2. Plan ahead

Scheduling out content and time to publish Instagram posts is critical for busy small-business owners productivity.

"Knowing what days I will post versus what days I just share to my Story are so vital," said Dominique Lenaye, owner of Itty Bitty Bookstore in Stoughton, Wisconsin, in an email. Unlike traditional Instagram posts, Stories disappear after 24 hours. In the same vein, Lopez and Mills put their Instagram photos and captions into their Google calendar to help them stay on schedule and collaborate more easily.

Angel Kwiatkowski, founder of Cohere Coworking in Fort Collins, Colorado, says her best advice for new small-business owners is to "photograph everything relentlessly." That way, you dont have to rack your brain for content ideas  or lean too heavily into promotional content. To avoid the latter, Chelsea Huddleston, marketing director of ELEV8 Climbing and Fitness in Traverse City, Michigan, tries to strike a balance on the gyms Instagram account: 60% photo content and 40% promotional content.

3. Share the spotlight with staff and customers

When youre not sure what to post next, dont be afraid to pass the baton off and give your staff and customers some attention. Lopez says following your employees is a solid first step. If they share your passion, they might "share things that are in alignment with the business" on Instagram already. In that case, simply repost their relevant content  with credit, of course.

And be sure to look at posts that tag your business. Reposting customers positive interactions with your brand (especially on Stories) shows off your business while showing your customers some love.

4. Leverage the features that make sense for your business

There are numerous ways to promote your business on Instagram  but they wont all make sense for your specific brand.

"I definitely think that overwhelming your Instagram with two, three posts a day is not the way to go," Lopez says. Thats where Stories come in handy, she adds. Stories are a great way to share snippets of your day without inundating your followers feeds. By adding interactive elements, like polls or questions, you can also better understand your audience and what they want from your account.

Maria Romo, owner of The Brow Shaping Queen in Frisco, Texas, finds tagging specific businesses to be more organic than hashtags, so this is where she directs her energy. "I feel like youre probably seen more if you tag other businesses because then they re-share you," she says.

5. Let apps do the work for you

Theres no shortage of small-business apps to make every aspect of your company  including social media  easier.

Lenaye uses Planoly, a free Instagram scheduling app, to keep her businesss account organized, while Huddleston uses Canva Pro templates to simplify the posting process. For editing photos, Aimee Breeden, owner of Studio A Staging in Baltimore, turns to Adobe Lightroom. Other apps, like Unfold, offer free templates for posts and Stories, too.

6. Remember that Instagram isnt the end-all be-all

"Its so easy to believe that any methodology is the thing thats going to make or break your business," Kwiatkowski says. But your businesss future doesnt hinge on any single thing alone  Instagram included.

"Believe in yourself," Breeden says. "The more you do it, the better youre going to get at it."

Hillary Crawford writes for NerdWallet. Email: hcrawford@nerdwallet.com.

The article Small-Business Owners Share 6 Tips for Using Instagram originally appeared on NerdWallet.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  Three people were shot and killed at an apartment building in north St. Louis, authorities say.

Police said that officers responded to a call about the shooting just before 2 p.m. Thursday.
MIAMI (AP)  A COVID-19 outbreak took place on a South Florida-based cruise ship for the third time this week, as the number of coronavirus cases in Florida hit its highest level since the start of the pandemic.

An undisclosed number of passengers and crew aboard the Carnival Freedom cruise caught the virus so the ship was denied entry to Bonaire and Aruba, Carnival said in a statement.

The ship has 2,497 passengers and 1,112 crew members and was scheduled to return to Miami on Sunday following an 8-day cruise. Passengers were required to be vaccinated and they were tested before leaving last Saturday, according to Carnival.

Carnival Freedom is following all protocols and has a small number on board who are in isolation due to a positive COVID test," the statement said. Our protocols anticipate this possibility and we implement them as necessary to protect the health and safety of our guests and crew."

Ashley Peterson, a passenger on the ship, tweeted a photo of a Dec. 22 letter from the ship's captain apologizing for being unable to make stops in Aruba and Bonaire. The letter said passengers would get $100 per room in onboard credit, as well refunds for planned excursions.

It was the third outbreak this week affecting cruise ships operated by Carnival and Royal Caribbean departing Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Meanwhile, Florida had 31,758 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, breaking a record for the most cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic in the U.S. in March 2020, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new record was driven by the spread of the new omicron variant through the Sunshine State.

The previous single-day highest number of cases was in last August, during the height of the delta variant wave in Florida, when 27,802 cases were reported.
More than 50 Haitian migrants landed in the Florida Keys on Friday, according to federal agents.

The 52 migrants were part of a maritime smuggling operation and they were taken into federal custody in Key Largo, U.S. Customs and Border Protection tweeted.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)  A child welfare provider that struggled financially as it served Omaha-area families was plagued with mounting debt, poor money management and other problems even before it won a Nebraska state contract, according to an audit by the group's home state of Kansas.

The audit of Saint Francis Ministries released Thursday shows a nonprofit in financial disarray, with managers who spent money on themselves instead of programs and a chief executive at the time who enjoyed lavish trips paid for by the organization, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP)  The Central Nebraska Regional Airport in Grand Island has been awarded a $1 million federal grant under the new infrastucture law.

The Federal Aviation Administration is awarding $22.2 million to Nebraska under the law, according to the Grand Island Independent. Kearney Regional and North Platte Regional Airport Lee Bird Field will each get around $1 million as well.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  Delaware State University will delay the return of students to campus by two weeks because of the surge in coronavirus cases that is being driven by the omicron variant.

The Delaware State News reports that classes will begin as planned on Jan. 10. But they will be held virtually for those two weeks.
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP)  A Massachusetts father charged with bringing a gun to his daughter's school to confront a male student who allegedly punched the girl has been held without bail even though he denies being in possession of a weapon.

Jerome Weekes, 41, of Canton, appeared at a hearing Thursday to determine whether he is a danger to society and was ordered held until a jury-waived trial on Jan. 18, The Telegram & Gazette reported.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Sixteen-year-old Kim Bryant was near her Las Vegas high school on Jan. 26, 1979, before she was kidnapped, raped and slain by a stranger.

The killing of the promising Western High School sophomore caused a river of heartache that hasnt stopped flowing over 40 years later.

It doesnt go away, Bryants father, Edward Elliott, of Missouri, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A 16-year-old girl  this SOB took her life and everything she had going for her.

Four years after Bryant was abducted, a nearly identical crime was committed against Clark High School graduate Diana Hanson, 22. The college student was home in Las Vegas for the Christmas holidays when she was abducted on Dec. 30, 1983, while jogging. She, too, was raped and killed. Her body was later found on the outskirts of Las Vegas.

It was hardest on my parents, to lose a child, Hansons brother, Kevin Hanson, of Florida, told the Review-Journal. Time doesnt heal. It just makes you put it in the back of your head. So for the longest time, I was really angry and hated the guy.

The months, years and decades would pass with no arrests. The long wait for answers for both families, however, finally arrived in a span of one week starting in late November.

Las Vegas police announced they used advances in DNA technology by a Texas-based lab, a philanthropists donations and gumshoe detective work to link long-deceased Las Vegas resident Johnny Blake Peterson to both killings.

I always knew they would eventually figure out who it was, Hanson said. I really appreciate that the police department never gave up on her, and I dont think they give up on any of the victims like my sister.

SEARCH, HEARTBREAK

There were few leads for police to work with in both the Bryant and Hanson cases. There were no advanced traffic cameras at major intersections, no DNA testing available. Instead, there were witness accounts, blood typing, fluid collection, a search for fingerprints, hopefully a jailhouse snitch and, in the Hanson case, also some tire tracks to work with.

Bryant was last seen with a friend at a Dairy Queen near her school the morning she disappeared. Her father described her as a beautiful, kindhearted, loving child with a bright future ahead. On that day, Bryant planned to get a ride from her boyfriend, but when he showed up, she was gone. Her tote bag holding her belongings was found in the street, alerting her parents immediately that something was wrong.

What followed was a frustrating delay in getting the word out as some questioned whether she could have run away. Her body was found in the desert more than three weeks later, on Feb. 20.

Retired Las Vegas police Detective John Silbaugh started working on the case a few months after the discovery when he joined the homicide detective squad for a second time in his career. He said he and others worked on the case for years. It was obvious the person who killed Bryant was a cold-blooded predator, but police had few clues.

We had witness statements about different vehicles, one of them was a four-wheel drive Jeep or SUV of some type, he said. A couple of guys in it, seen talking to her. That was it. No description  all we had was maybes and could bes.

At one point detectives traveled to Michigan to interview a man who supposedly witnessed the crime only to learn the story was fiction.

Given the way the crime was carried out, police believed Bryants killer was likely responsible for other similar crimes and would probably kill again if not caught.

When you have a woman or a girl kidnapped, murdered, put in a desert, that is an M.O., Silbaugh said. From the first one he does to the last one he does, it never changes.

Elliott said that at one point the family was told by police that a criminal executed in Texas was the likely killer, but the family never believed it. As the years went by, the torment of not knowing was a colossal drain on everyone.

His late wife, Sharrie Elliott, wrote to the Las Vegas Review-Journal months after her daughters disappearance: I cannot shop for her birthday presents, I cannot have a cake made for her, there will be no party with her smiling face.

I know it sounds stupid, but on Kims birthday I would give anything if I could say to her, Rest now, baby, they have caught those who hurt you so bad and took you away from us, she wrote.

Diana Hansons father was a pilot stationed at Nellis Air Force Base at the time of her abduction.

About three months before her death, Kevin Hanson said, his sister made a surprise visit from college to see him in Mississippi when he, like his father, obtained his pilot wings at an Air Force base.

She wanted to be a model for a while, he said. She did some modeling when she was 15, and when she ended up in college at North Texas State she was pursuing a design degree, interior design. She was very creative. She would make Christmas presents more than buy them.

Diana Hanson was a regular jogger, and Kevin Hanson had gifted his sister a Walkman with headphones so she could listen to music while running. Her brother said when she was home in Las Vegas, she would always go jogging with a friend to be safe. On the day she went missing, though, she went alone.

Within 24 hours of her disappearance and the police being called, her father was asked to identify his daughter at the morgue. She had been stabbed more than a dozen times.

The devastation would never go away for the Hanson family.

For my mom, anytime she saw a movie or something where a mother is helping her daughter get ready for a wedding or something, she would be upset, Hanson said. We grew up Catholics, and she was actually praying for the guys soul. It took her years. She was angry at God for a while, and then she prayed for the killers soul.

Like in the Bryant case, there was little to work on. Police set up roadblocks searching for witnesses in the days after the killing. They found a single set of tire tracks at the crime scene that offered some promise that they would one day crack the case. Silbaugh was no longer working in homicide when Diana Hanson was killed, but police suspected there was a strong chance the Hanson and Bryant cases were related.

We were thinking it might have been a transient. That is kind of what I thought, Kevin Hanson said.

DNA BREAKTHROUGH

Both the Hanson and Elliott families remained steadfast in the belief that one day the killer would be identified, no matter how long it took, and both families stayed in touch with police.

Current Las Vegas police homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said the big break came this year when detectives took DNA evidence collected from Bryants body and sent it to a pioneering private lab in Texas called Othram Inc.

The lab had helped Las Vegas police solve another cold case homicide by using advances in DNA technology to identify a Las Vegas killer using just 0.12 nanograms of DNA. The testing was made possible by money donated by Las Vegas philanthropist and entrepreneur Justin Woo.

We decided that we wanted to build a lab that would be sort of the forensic lab of the future, said Kristen Mittelman, chief business development officer at Othram. A lab that would be able unlock DNA clues from forensic evidence in a way that has never been done before.

The lab has developed proprietary methods to perform DNA sequencing on extremely small samples of evidence to create what Mittelman calls high performance profiles of a suspected killer.

Thats what the lab did with the old samples secured from the crime scene in Bryants case. It then uses publicly available genealogy databases, as well as their own database, to chart out the family tree of the killer, eventually allowing police to identify the person through DNA comparison.

It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done, Mittelman said. I dont think anyone should have to wait 42 years to find out what happened to their loved one.

DNA MATCHES

On Nov. 29, the killer of Bryant was identified as Peterson, who was 19 at the time of the crime. He died in the Las Vegas area in 1993 and was never on anyones radar as far as a suspect in Bryants case, though he was at one point a rape suspect in the valley. Spencer said police are still trying to figure out the exact circumstances of Petersons death.

Kevin Hanson said when Bryants case was solved, a detective received a witness account from someone who knew Peterson and who said around the time his sister went missing, Peterson had a brand new set of Walkman headphones in his trunk. This prompted police to do a direct DNA match between Petersons DNA profile and DNA from Diana Hansons case. It was another match, confirming Peterson had killed both.

Police and family members said they knew of no connection between Peterson and the young women. Peterson had been a student at Western, but police have no indication that he knew Bryant. Spencer said police are now checking five other cold case sex assault homicides of women in the valley in the late 1970s and early 1980s to see if Peterson is responsible.

Saddened, Kevin Hanson said. For (my mother) I think it was good closure that we know who it is. I think she was actually relieved he was deceased.

Elliott said Peterson should be thankful hes dead, adding that if Peterson were alive today thered be an arrest warrant out for me.

If he was alive, and Im 80 years old, hed wish to hell he was never born, Elliott said.

Elliott and Hanson expressed appreciation for all those involved in giving their families the name of who was responsible for all the misery. Elliott, choking back emotion, had a simple message for Woos donation that made the DNA match possible.

Just tell him, from the Elliotts, we really appreciate it, he said.
HOUMA, La. (AP)  Days before Christmas someone stole the seat to the bicycle that a 26-year-old man used to get to and from work in all sorts of weather. A community fundraiser to replace the bike brought quickly expanded, and Houma residents gave Chris Bergeron his first car on Thursday, WWL-TV reported.

Bergeron works the night shift at Mr. Ronnies Famous Hot Donuts in Houma, more than 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from his home. His bicycle seat was stolen while he was working Monday.

Company co-owner Kellen Picou, who describes Bergeron as one of the best people he's ever hired, posted blurry security video online, hoping to identify the thief.

I dont ever remember him calling in sick, said Picou. Any time he was ever late it was usually due to weather.

Colleen Chiasson saw Picou's message and began raising money for a new bike but quickly changed goals. I just had this overwhelming feeling that I could do better, so I said, You know what, Im going to buy a car, she said.

Within 24 hours she had $6,000  enough not only for a used car, but for a year of insurance.

Im still trying to process that its mine, Bergeron, who was said Thursday afternoon.

Bergeron walked to work when Picou hired him three years ago, then bought a bike.

Ive pretty much had to walk and ride my bike everywhere even from since childhood because my dads always been busy, my mom has always been working, said Bergeron. Im just used to it.

The car will make life much easier, he said.

Its not going to be as hectic trying to find a way to and from and if the weather is bad, I dont have to worry about it, said Bergeron. Its really, really heartwarming and not at all anything I would have expected.
CHICAGO (AP)  Defendants spoke directly to jurors in a series of recent high-profile trials, defying conventional wisdom that the risks of taking the stand usually outweigh the benefits.

Among those who chose to testify was Kim Potter, convicted Thursday of manslaughter for killing Daunte Wright during a traffic stop when the Minnesota police officer mistook her gun for a Taser.

Another was Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of murder last month for shooting three protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two and wounding a third.

The run of testifying defendants raises the question of whether a shift in thinking is occurring among lawyers, many of whom have long regarded putting clients on the stand as a desperate, last-resort option.

ARE MORE DEFENDANTS TESTIFYING?

Anecdotally, there may be some indication of that.

There has been a spate of defendants taking the stand  and that is a break from tradition, said Chicago-based jury consultant Alan Tuerkheimer.

He surmised that defendants are more prone to speak in the age of social media, when people post or read public comments on everything. That may have altered jurors' expectations, too.

There seems to be this growing expectation (among jurors) that if a defendant is on trial  he or she should fight for themselves and tell their story, he said.

Former federal prosecutor Phil Turner said he wasn't convinced lawyers were changing their dim views overall about clients testifying.

I would want to see a lot more trials to tell, he said.

AT WHAT OTHER RECENT TRIALS HAVE DEFENDANTS TESTIFED?

Actor Jussie Smollett testified at his Chicago trial this month, telling jurors he told the truth about being the target of a racist, homophobic attack. Days later, jurors convicted him of lying to police.

So did Travis McMichael, a white man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man, as Arbery ran empty-handed through a Georgia subdivision. He and two co-defendants were later convicted of murder.

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes testified for seven days in November at her fraud and conspiracy trial in California. Her jury is still deliberating.

Potter testified last week, sobbing as she described her horror at realizing she had shot Wright during a traffic stop.

ARE THERE STUDIES ON DEFENDANT TESTIMONY?

There's no recent data on percentages of defendants nationwide who have chosen to testify. That'll take years to compile. And studies on defendant testimony are few and far between.

One study of over 300 criminal trials published in the Cornell Law Review in 2009 found that some 77% of defendants who testified were found guilty. Among the defendants who chose not to testify, around 72% were convicted.

A 1950s study by Harry Kalven and Hans Zeisel found that defendants without criminal records testified over 90% of the time and those with criminal histories testified around 70% of the time.

Defendants with records are more reluctant to testify out of fear it'll enable prosecutors to expose the extent of their criminal pasts to jurors. The high-profile defendants who testified recently had no criminal records or minimal ones.

WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE RECENT DECISIONS TO TESTIFY?

Both Rittenhouse and McMichael claimed self-defense, so their states of mind during the shootings were central to their trials. They had little choice but to testify since only they could tell jurors what they were thinking and feeling.

Rittenhouse conveyed that he feared for his life, breaking down on the stand as he described a protester he fatally shot charging at him. McMichael told jurors he was forced to open fire, alleging Arbery attacked him and grabbed his shotgun.

Although it wasn't as crucial to their trials, Holmes and Potter also testified about their states of mind.

Holmes testified that she never intended to dupe anyone about blood testing technology her startup touted as revolutionary and that she sincerely believed the company could make it work.

Potter told jurors she was overwhelmed with fear right before she shot Wright because she believed he was about to drive off with another officer partially inside his car.

In Smollett's case, it's unclear what he thought he would gain by testifying, especially amid overwhelming evidence that he faked an attack on himself.

Turner said Smolletts lawyers may have tried to talk him out of it.

But a lot of times, lawyers dont control their clients, he said. Asked how he thought Smollett did on the stand, Turner answered: It was a disaster.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF TAKING THE STAND?

The biggest risk is that, by testifying, defendants open themselves up to a potentially devastating cross-examination.

Prosecutors seek to rattle defendants or catch them in lies, or to provoke them into losing their temper or into blurting out something incriminating.

During cross at his trial, Rittenhouse made no obvious blunders. But McMichael undermined his case under tough questioning, admitting that Arbery neither threatened him verbally nor brandished a weapon.

One defendant whose lawyers likely concluded the risks of testifying were too great was Ghislaine Maxwell. The British socialite, who is charged with recruiting teenage girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein, didn't testify at her New York sex trafficking trial. No verdict has been reached.

ISNT NOT TAKING THE STAND RISKY, TOO?

It can be.

Jurors aren't supposed to hold a defendants silence at trial against them. And prosecutors are barred from citing a defendants decision not to testify as evidence of guilt.

But Tuerkheimer said that even with instructions from a judge not to, some deliberating jurors likely do factor in a defendants decision not to testify.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. recently added two new weapons to its small arsenal against the coronavirus: pills that patients can take at home to treat COVID-19.

The drugs from Pfizer and Merck join a handful of other therapies that have been shown to blunt the worst effects of the virus. But each treatment has different advantages and tends to work best for certain types of patients at different stages of the disease.

Here's a look at the current COVID-19 drugs and how they are used:

PILLS

The prescription pills are the first COVID-19 therapies that don't require infusions or injections delivered by health professionals.

The Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizers Paxlovid on Wednesday and Mercks molnupiravir on Thursday.

Mercks drug is for adults with a positive COVID-19 test, early symptoms and who face the highest risks of hospitalization. Pfizer's is for anyone 12 and older who likewise face the highest risks of hospitalization.

Pfizer's drug is likely to become the first-choice treatment against the virus, because of its superior benefits and milder side effects. Molnupiravir carries a warning against use during pregnancy and the potential to cause birth defects. The FDA also said molnupiravir should be considered only when other treatments are unavailable or otherwise inappropriate for a patient.

Both treatments should be started soon after symptoms develop, which means patients must get tested and diagnosed quickly.

Experts predict antiviral pills eventually could be used in combination to combat COVID-19, similar to HIV drugs.

ANTIBODY DRUGS

For more than a year, antibody drugs have been the first-choice treatment for patients with early COVID-19 symptoms who dont yet require hospitalization.

Three such drugs are authorized as treatments in the U.S. and theyve been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 70% or more when given within 10 days of symptoms. They are mainly used for high-risk adults with early COVID-19 symptoms, but they are also occasionally used to try to block infection in people who are highly vulnerable to the virus.

But the omicron variant is dampening enthusiasm for them. Drugmakers Regeneron and Eli Lilly recently warned that laboratory testing suggests their antibody therapies will be much less potent against omicron, which contains dozens of mutations that make it harder for the treatments to attack the virus.

The third option, from British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, appears to be the best positioned to fight omicron, but it's not widely available in the U.S.

The drugs have several limitations: They have to be infused or injected by a health worker and they are expensive and complicated to manufacture.

HOSPITAL TREATMENTS

Remdesivir, an antiviral infusion, remains the only drug for hospitalized patients that specifically targets the coronavirus.

It is used for patients who need extra oxygen but dont require breathing machines. In those cases its been shown to cut recovery times by several days. But the drug has fallen out of favor with many doctors because it hasnt been shown to improve survival. And the World Health Organization doesnt recommend it, given its cost and the lack of clear benefit.

Steroids drugs  a staple of emergency care  have been shown to boost survival in hospitalized COVID-19 patients by blunting inflammation and other immune-system reactions, which drive the worst effects of the disease in later stages.

U.S. regulators also authorized giving newly infected people transfusions of blood plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19. But theres little evidence it significantly reduces illness and death.

A U.S. panel of experts concluded the evidence is insufficient for many people and that it's not recommended for hospitalized patients without impaired immunity. And the WHO recently recommended against its continued use.

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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.
GARY, Ind. (AP)  Gary's mayor has imposed the first wave of planned restrictions, including limits on traffic at city offices, in response to surging COVID-19 cases in the northwest Indiana city.

Mayor Jerome Prince said Thursday that the first phase of the city's two-phase effort would begin immediately and stay in effect through Dec. 31, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.

He ordered all city department heads to immediately identify employees who must report in-person for work and the remote workers who can do their jobs from home.

Prince said the goal is have fewer people physically working together in city offices to reduce foot traffic at city facilities during Indiana's current surge in coronavirus cases.

Prince asked residents for patience if they face longer waits at city hall due to a decrease of in-person staff, and urged contractors and businesses seeking to renew permits and licenses to do those renewals through the city's online portal.

Prince said he would announce the second phase of the COVID-19 restrictions next week, but stressed that those steps would not affect businesses, schools, churches.

On Thursday, Lake County had seen 491 new COVID-19 cases and six new deaths in the previous 24 hours and the county's positivity rate stood at 16%.

So, proportionately in Gary, we have seen similar increases, said Gary Health Commissioner Dr. Roland Walker, who advised residents planning indoor holiday gatherings to limit the number of people and allow for social distancing.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  The coroner's office has identified the 14-year-old girl who was fatally shot by Los Angeles police Thursday when officers fired on an assault suspect and a bullet went through the wall and struck the girl as she was in a clothing store dressing room.

Police also fatally shot the suspect Thursday morning at a Burlington store in the North Hollywood area of the San Fernando Valley, police said.

The Los Angeles County coroner identified the girl as Valentina Orellana-Peralta and the suspect as Daniel Elena Lopez, 24. Online coroner records show their autopsies have been completed and their causes of death were both a gunshot wound to the chest.

LAPD officers have shot at least 37 people  17 of them fatally  in 2021 after another police shooting occurred on Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times. Those figures mark a dramatic rise in cases where officers shot or killed people in either of the last two years  27 people were shot and 7 of them killed by LA police in all of 2020. In 2019, officers shot 26 people, killing 12.

In the last week, LA officers have killed four people  including two men in separate incidents on Saturday, the newspaper reported.

On Thursday, witnesses in North Hollywood told KCBS-TV that the man began acting erratically, threatening to throw items from the upper floor, and he attacked a woman with a bicycle lock shortly before noon as the store was crowded with holiday shoppers.

Officers answered a report of an assault and others of shots being fired, police said. Investigators have not found a gun at the scene.

The suspect was shot and died at the store but one of the bullets went through drywall behind the man and killed the girl, who was in a changing room with her mother, police said.

Officers found the teenager dead after seeing a hole in a solid wall that you can't see behind, LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said.

Investigators didn't immediately know whether she was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.

This chaotic incident resulting in the death of an innocent child is tragic and devastating for everyone involved, Police Chief Michel Moore said in a statement late Thursday night. I am profoundly sorry for the loss of this young girls life and I know there are no words that can relieve the unimaginable pain for the family.

Moore promised a thorough, complete and transparent investigation into the shooting and said a critical incident video that will include 911 calls, body camera and other video will be released by Monday.

The woman who was attacked is not being identified.

Investigators were trying to determine whether the assault was random or targeted. Choi said they don't believe the teenager was related to the person who was attacked.

Police found a heavy metal cable lock near the suspect, Choi said.

The California Department of Justice was investigating the shooting, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

News reports showed a woman with a bloodied face, who appeared to be the assault victim, being placed in an ambulance.

The victim was taken to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries, Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said. Choi said she had wounds to her head, arms and face.

On Friday morning, the Times reported that the Burlington store remained closed even though it was supposed to open at 7 a.m.

Multiple signs posted in Spanish and English that read closed until further notice!!! greeted would-be shoppers as others left flowers and a flickering candle in a memorial for the teen outside the store.

Edwin Arroyo, supervisor of Nancys Cleaning Services, told the Times he discovered blood smeared on a wall in the dressing room, as well as on a cream-colored dress left on a hanger.

It was a horrible scene, Arroyo, a father of daughters ages 12 and 18, told the newspaper. I dont know how many gunshots there were, but there was a lot of blood everywhere.

The shooting recalled a July 21, 2018, confrontation in which LAPD officers accidentally shot and killed a woman at a Trader Joes market. Officers got into a gunfight with a man who authorities say shot his grandmother and girlfriend before leading police on a chase that ended when he crashed his car outside the market.

A police bullet killed Melyda Corado, 27, the assistant store manager, as she ran toward the stores entrance after hearing the car crash.

The suspect, Gene Evin Atkins, took employees and shoppers hostage for three hours before surrendering, authorities said.

Atkins has pleaded not guilty to the killing.

Prosecutors found two police officers acted lawfully when they returned Atkins gunfire.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  At least 13 people died after a migrant boat capsized in the Aegean Sea late Friday, bringing to at least 27 the combined death toll from three accidents in as many days involving migrant boats in Greek waters.

The sinkings came as smugglers increasingly favor a perilous route from Turkey to Italy, which avoids Greeces heavily patrolled eastern Aegean islands that for years were at the forefront of the countrys migration crisis.

The coast guard said 62 people were rescued after a sailboat capsized late Friday some 8 kilometers (5 miles) off the island of Paros, in the central Aegean. Survivors told the coast guard that about 80 people had been on the vessel.

Five coast guard patrol boats, nine private vessels, a helicopter and a military transport plane continued the night-time search for more survivors, authorities said, while coast guard divers also participated.

Smugglers based in Turkey increasingly have packed yachts with migrants and refugees and sent them toward Italy.

Earlier, 11 people were confirmed dead after a sailboat Thursday struck a rocky islet some 235 kilometers (145 miles) south of Athens, near the island of Antikythera. The coast guard said Friday that 90 survivors  52 men, 11 women and 27 children  were rescued after spending hours on the islet.

People need safe alternatives to these perilous crossings, the Greek office of the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said in a tweet.

In a separate incident Friday, Greek police arrested three people on smuggling charges and detained 92 migrants after a yacht ran aground in the southern Peloponnese region.

And a search operation also continued for a third day in the central Aegean, where a boat carrying migrants sank near the island of Folegandros, killing at least three people. Thirteen others were rescued, and the survivors reported that at least 17 people were missing. Authorities said the passengers originally were from Iraq.

Greece is a popular entry point into the European Union for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. But arrivals dropped sharply in the last two years after Greece extended a wall at the Turkish border and began intercepting inbound boats carrying migrants and refugees  a tactic criticized by human rights groups.

More than 116,000 asylum-seekers crossed the Mediterranean to reach EU countries this year as of Dec. 19, according to UNHCR. The agency said 55% traveled illegally to Italy, 35% to Spain, and 7% to Greece, with the remainder heading to Malta and Cyprus. ___

Derek Gatopoulos on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dgatopoulos ___ Full AP coverage of global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  A top public heath official is concerned that fewer than half of all eligible K-12 public school students in Rhode Island have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

According to the most recent available data on the state Department of Health's new website showing vaccination rates among all eligible public school students 5 years and older, 48% are partially vaccinated and 42% are fully vaccinated, WPRI-TV reported.
CRESTON, Iowa (AP)  An Iowa man has been convicted of killing his brother whose body was found this summer in a rural field more than a week after he was reported missing.

The Des Moines Register reports that jurors deliberated about four hours this week before finding 43-year-old Dustin Seley, of Creston, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 58-year-old Timothy Fechter.
TOKYO (AP)  Japan's Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other game-changing weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to Chinas growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.

The 1.1% budget increase for the year beginning in April is the 10th consecutive defense spending increase and is in line with Japans pledge to the United States to strengthen its own defense capabilities to tackle increasingly challenging security issues in the region.

The budget, which still needs to be approved by parliament, includes a record 291 billion yen ($2.55 billion) for defense research and development, up 38% from the current year.

Of that, 100 billion yen ($870 million) is for development of the F-X fighter jet to replace Japans aging fleet of F-2 aircraft around 2035. It would be Japan's first domestically developed fighter jet in 40 years.

Japan and Britain recently announced joint development of a future demonstration fighter jet engine and agreed to explore further combat air technologies and subsystems. The project includes Mitsubishi and IHI in Japan and Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems in the U.K.

As Chinas military buildup extends to cyberspace and outer space, Japan's Defense Ministry is also pushing for research into artificial intelligence-operated autonomous vehicles for aerial and undersea use, supersonic flight, and other game-changing technologies.

The budget allocates 128 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for purchase of a dozen F-35 stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin Corp., including four with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities for use on two helicopter carriers being converted into aircraft carriers, key to Japan's joint operations with the United States in the defense of the Indo-Pacific region.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, formerly known as a dove, has quickly adopted more hawkish policies and said Japan should consider acquiring a pre-emptive strike capability in response to Chinas military buildup and North Koreas growing missile and nuclear capabilities.

The Japanese and U.S. militaries have compiled a draft joint contingency preparedness plan for a possible Taiwan emergency, such as fighting between Chinese and Taiwanese forces, Kyodo news agency reported Thursday, citing unidentified Japanese government sources, amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China.

China claims self-governing Taiwan is its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. It has increased its military threats by holding exercises near the island and frequently sending warplanes into its air defense identification zone.

Under the reported plan, the U.S. Marine Corps will set up temporary bases on islands in Japans Nansei chain between Kyushu and Taiwan for the deployment of troops in the early stages of a Taiwan emergency, while Japans military will provide logistical support as well as ammunition and fuel supplies, Kyodo said.

Japan and the United States are likely to agree to start drawing up an official preparedness plan at a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers expected in January, Kyodo said.

The plan, which also includes islands near Okinawa, the site of the bloodiest battle in World War II, is certain to face protests from local residents.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi refused to comment Friday on the report, saying only that Japan and the United Sates have action plans in case of emergencies and plan to update them, but that the details could not be disclosed. Kishi added that a decision by the Japan-U.S. committee in charge of negotiating the status of forces agreement between the nations would allow the U.S. military to open a new base on Japanese soil.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, recently cautioned Chinese President Xi Jinping against triggering a Taiwan emergency, saying that China should be aware of the serious consequences.

Japans defense spending now ranks among the top 10 in the world, according to international defense research organizations.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Democratic state senator from Milwaukee has given up on her lieutenant governor run.

Lena Taylor issued a statement Thursday evening saying she has suspended her campaign after deliberate thought and prayer. She said the lieutenant governors office offers a platform to discuss issues but she can have a direct impact on constituents as a legislator.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP)  A western Michigan man has been convicted in the fatal 2019 stabbing of a man whose body was found dumped in an Ottawa County park.

A jury deliberated for less than an hour before convicting Jordan Scott Loomis, 30, of murder. The Grand Rapids man will be sentenced to life in prison on Jan. 25, the Grand Rapids Press reported.

Prosecutors said Loomis stabbed 51-year-old James Earl Robertson eight times in a vehicle on Nov. 25, 2019, drove to a Tallmadge Township park and dumped his body there.

Robertson's body was found about two weeks later.

Loomis testified on his own behalf at trial, telling jurors he was addicted to crack cocaine and that he met up with Robertson while he was on a four-day binge of drug use.

Crack cocaine is the devils drug pretty much, Loomis said during his testimony. As soon as you take it, you just want more and more.

Kent County prosecutors alleged that Loomis hoped to get Robertson, a would-be dealer, to give him some crack on the promise for a later payback, and if Robertson refused, he planned to rob him.

Prosecutors also said Loomis took $50 from Robertson, although Loomis claimed Robertson gave him the money. They said Loomis never went to a hospital and Robertson died in the vehicle after the stabbing.
New Jersey will pay about $53 million to settle claims that the states negligence contributed to the deaths of more than 100 veterans at state-run homes during the coronavirus pandemic, attorneys representing the bulk of the claimants said Thursday.

The settlement reached this week involved the families of 119 residents of veterans homes in Paramus and Menlo Park, according to attorney Paul da Costa. Da Costa's firm represented 72 of the claimants, who will receive about $32 million in total. The families had filed notices of intent to sue but hadn't yet formally filed lawsuits, da Costa said.

"This settlement of course does not replace their lost loved ones who served their countries honorably, but it certainly represents a good measure of civil justice," da Costa said. My clients do take satisfaction in the fact that there has been a resolution that they believe gives a voice to their lost loved ones.

More than 200 residents of the homes have died during the pandemic. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphys administration came under criticism in April 2020 when it directed veterans homes not to turn away patients who had tested positive, an order that was later rescinded.

In October 2020, the Justice Department sent a letter to Murphy questioning its nursing home death count and announced it was launching a formal investigation of the states veterans homes after receiving what it described as incomplete answers to an earlier request for data.

During the first months of the pandemic, New Jersey also took steps to protect long-term care facilities like veteran's homes from liability for basic negligence if they were considered to be acting in good faith during the public health emergency.

That raised the bar for potential lawsuits, said attorney Scott Piekarsky, whose firm represented 14 families of veterans who had lived at the Paramus facility and whose claims accused the facility of gross negligence.

These werent easy, slam dunk cases, but we felt we had enough and we were going to stay the course, Piekarsky said. The state did the right thing in not putting these families through years and years of litigation.

Messages seeking comment on the settlement were left Thursday with Murphys office and with the state attorney generals office. The settlement was first reported by NJ.com.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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NY lawmakers arent voting on bill to detain the unvaccinated

CLAIM: New York lawmakers will vote Jan. 5 on a bill that would allow for the indefinite detention of the unvaccinated.

THE FACTS: The claim is misrepresenting a bill, first introduced in the New York state legislature in 2015, that would allow for the temporary detention of individuals infected, or suspected of being infected, with a contagious disease during a public health emergency. The state Assemblys health committee has no plans to take action on the bill, and its sponsor, Assemblyman N. Nick Perry, now says he will withdraw it. While the proposal failed to find support among lawmakers, it is still causing a stir online. In recent days, social media users have pushed a claim that lawmakers are planning to vote on the bill as soon as Jan. 5  and that it would allow for the indefinite detention of people who arent vaccinated against COVID-19. But no such vote on the bill in question was slated for that day, which is actually just the start of the legislative session. Citing concocted stories online about the bill, Perry, its sponsor, tweeted Monday that he would take legislative action to strike the bill, remove it from the calendar, thus ending all consideration, and actions that could lead to passage into law. The bill proposed allowing the state to temporarily detain someone carrying or suspected to be carrying a contagious disease  or someone they came into contact with  in a medical facility or other appropriate facility. The bill also said such a person shall not continue to be detained after they are determined to be no longer contagious. It also included a provision to require the state to seek a court order if a person was to be held for more than three days. Frank Shea, a spokesman for Perry, told The Associated Press that the bill was first proposed in 2015 after a nurse defied quarantine after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. Shea said that while Perry reintroduced the bill year after year, he had not actively pushed for the legislation and said it would be withdrawn because it had become a distraction. The most recent introduction came in January 2021, when it was referred to the Assemblys Committee on Health. There was no other action on it. Before Perry announced Monday that he would withdraw the bill, the office of Assemblyman Richard Gottfried  the chair of the Committee on Health  also said in a statement to the AP that there were no plans to vote on it. This bill has been introduced every year since 2015, has never been taken up by the Committee, has not been cosponsored by other legislators, and has not had a companion bill in the Senate, the statement said. The Committee does not plan to put the bill on an agenda.

 Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in Philadelphia contributed this report.

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Posts misrepresent Washington University study on COVID-19 immunity

CLAIM: Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis released data showing that if you have had COVID-19, even a mild case, you are likely protected from the virus for life.

THE FACTS: The researchers found that people who have recovered from COVID-19 have bone marrow cells that can create antibodies for decades, but that doesnt mean those individuals will be immune to new variants of the virus. As the highly contagious omicron variant quickly became the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., a misleading article and several social media posts falsely claimed that people who have had COVID-19 before are immune for the rest of their lives. If youve had COVID-19, even a mild case, major congratulations to you as youve more than likely got long-term immunity, read an article published Tuesday on the news site The Epoch Times. In fact, youre likely to be immune for life, as is the case with recovery from many infectious agents  once youve had the disease and recovered, youre immune, most likely for life. However, the posts misrepresent the research they cite  a study published in May in the journal Nature  according to study co-author Dr. Ali Ellebedy, who teaches pathology and immunology at Washington Universitys medical school. The study examined the blood and bone marrow of people who had experienced mild COVID-19 infections and found long-lived antibody-producing cells, evidence that people who have recovered from COVID-19 would likely create antibodies against it for a long time. Still, the study "does NOT show nor claim that people recovering from mild SARS-CoV-2 infection are protected for life, Ellebedy said in an email. Epidemiological data clearly show that people recovered from earlier infection can be infected especially with emerging variants of concerns like Delta and Omicron. Ellebedy explained that having detectable antibody response for a lifetime doesnt necessarily mean being protected from the virus for a lifetime. Not all antibodies are protective especially if the virus they are raised against is constantly changing, Ellebedy said. A prior infection doesnt seem to offer much protection against an omicron infection although, like with vaccination, it may reduce the chances of severe illness. Scientists in South Africa and Britain have found that reinfections among people who have battled COVID-19 appear more likely with omicron than with earlier mutants of the virus, including delta. The Epoch Times did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

 Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed this report.

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Scientists identify COVID variants through sequencing, not symptoms

CLAIM: The illness that scientists are labeling the omicron variant of COVID-19 may actually just be the common cold or the respiratory syncytial virus, both of which appear more often in the winter months.

THE FACTS: Despite posts claiming scientists are just calling the common cold or an RSV infection the omicron variant, no one is just putting a new scientific name on a cold. Scientists have identified the omicron variant through precise genetic sequencing, not simply by noticing cold-like symptoms. By sequencing the genome of the coronavirus in a respiratory sample from someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, scientists can pinpoint the ways in which the virus has mutated. Thats how they know when a new coronavirus variant is spreading in the population, as opposed to a previous strain. Every bacteria and virus has specific genetic markers, said Dr. Anita Gupta, a professor and anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Scientists, she added, look for those genetic markers when they sequence the viral genome, and thats how theyre able to identify which type of variant they have. The post also ignores that COVID-19 diagnostic tests do more than just confirm you are sick: They are designed specifically to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Whether you use a PCR test, which looks for genetic material from the virus, or a rapid test, which looks for proteins on the surface of the virus, a COVID-19 test identifies that the virus that causes COVID-19 was found inside your body. COVID-19 tests are designed to register as positive only in the presence of SARS-CoV-2, not other viruses, Gupta explained.

 Ali Swenson

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Faucis sister did not publish book about the omicron variant

CLAIM: Faucis sister Angelique Fauci published a book on the omicron variant of the coronavirus the same week it was discovered.

THE FACTS: The self-published e-book, which Amazon removed from the website, was not written by Dr. Anthony Faucis sister. Fauci, head of the National Institute of Health and Infectious Diseases, only has one sibling. Her name is Denise Scorce. Social media users shared a screenshot of the e-book titled Omicron and the Other COVID-19 Variants: All You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines & Variants by Dr. Angelique Fauci with false claims about its author. How did Faucis sister publish a book on Omicron in the same week Omicron was supposedly discovered?! #Plandemic #Omicron, one Twitter user wrote. A National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases spokesperson confirmed in an email to The Associated Press that Dr. Faucis sister did not write a book about the omicron variant. His sister was mentioned in a 2007 tribute to Fauci. The 17-page Kindle edition was published on Nov. 26  the same day the World Health Organization designated omicron a variant of concern  can no longer be purchased on Amazon. An Amazon spokesperson said the book was removed for violating content guidelines but provided no further details. The books synopsis contained multiple punctuation, capitalization and word choice errors. Multiple self-published books about the omicron variant appeared on Amazon in recent weeks. Books can be published on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing in minutes. According to the website, Publishing takes less than 5 minutes and your book appears on Kindle stores worldwide within 24-48 hours and changes can be made to the books at any time. Amazons content guidelines note that self-published books can be pulled for being incomplete, including content that disappoints our customers, is poorly translated or is already freely available online.

 Associated Press writer Arijeta Lajka in New York contributed this report.

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No COVID-19 vaccines stored in building that caught fire in Italy

CLAIM: A video shows a fire at a military warehouse in Italy that was storing COVID-19 vaccines. The fire occurred on the date members of law enforcement had to be vaccinated.

THE FACTS: A fire did break out at an Italian paramilitary police barracks on Dec. 15, the vaccination deadline, but there were no COVID-19 vaccines on site as some online posts falsely claimed. Social media users shared a video showing a fire consuming a building in Italy along with the false claim that the building is a military warehouse that stores COVID-19 vaccines. While a fire did occur on Dec. 15 at the Salvo DAcquisto barracks, which houses Carabinieri, Italian paramilitary police, the site did not contain a store of COVID shots, a spokesperson for the Carabinieri confirmed to The Associated Press. Carabinieri are posted in every town and city in Italy. The spokesperson said the fire affected an area used as housing, and that vaccinations are not performed at the location. There is an infirmary at the barrack, but it is used for everyday medical calls, officials said. Some Italian newsoutlets reported on the fire at the time, including iNews24. The outlet shared a video of one angle of the fire on Facebook. Their video, which contained a watermark, was among those misappropriated on social media. But iNews24s coverage did not mention vaccines or the vaccine mandate, nor did other local reports. The video caption just said the footage showed the carabinieri barracks are on fire. The cause of the fire remains unknown. One person was injured.

 Associated Press writer Karena Phan in Sacramento, California, contributed this report with additional reporting from Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan.

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UNADILLA, N.Y. (AP)  A state trooper shot and killed a man Wednesday at a home in upstate New York after police say the man refused to comply with commands to drop a knife.

Mark Beilby, 24, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the confrontation at a home in Unadilla, southwest of Oneonta.
HONOLULU (AP)  Honolulu police have arrested an off-duty police officer for alleged assault as part of an investigation into an accidental shooting that injured a man.

Police responded to a report of an accidental discharge of a firearm in Niu Valley at about 12:55 a.m. Thursday, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
PARIS (AP)  Worshipers in face masks filed into Saint-Germain-lAuxerrois Church across from the Louvre Museum on Friday for Christmas Eve Mass, and were greeted by the rector of the closed Notre Dame Cathedral.

It was the second year that holiday service are being held under the shadow of the coronavirus.

Everyone was masked and members of the congregation sprayed people's hands with disinfectant as they entered. Children in the choir sang while masked and spaced out across the podium. They had to produce negative coronavirus tests to participate.

We have very strict rules in place, said Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, who is rector of Notre Dame, which has been closed since a devastating fire nearly three years ago. The communion wafer is placed into worshipers hands and there is no kiss of peace. There is no contact whatsoever.

Chauvet has been leading the congregation at Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois while the cathedral is being repaired.

In the lead-up to Christmas, France has recorded its highest-yet number of daily coronavirus infections while hospitalizations for COVID-19 have been rising. But the government has held off on imposing curfews, closures or other restrictions for the festivities.

Maria Valdes, a dual Mexican-French citizen at Mass, said she was resigned to the restrictions of the pandemic. She has gotten used to the ever-changing rules and regulations in her private and public life.

As far am Im concerned, we have to live because this is a virus that isnt just going to go away," Valdes said. "Respect the rules, but we have to live.

Chauvet said before celebrating the Mass that much as the fire ravaged Notre Dame, the pandemic has devastated communities, whole towns and families. The lockdowns and isolation have left people disoriented, tired and emotionally exhausted, he said.

I meet with people who wonder if they are going to manage to get out of this situation, people who are sometimes losing hope, he said.

Christmas is hope, Chauvet added. We have to continue to fight, to reach the point where we can try to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In September, the famed medieval cathedral was finally deemed stable and secure enough to start reconstruction from the blaze in April 2019 that tore through its roof and toppled its spire. Work on the spire started a few days ago and authorities hope to have Notre Dame open to visitors and religious services in 2024, the year Paris hosts the Olympics.

Carpenters, scaffolding experts, professional climbers, organ mechanics and others are taking part the effort, which included special temporary structures to secure the iconic towers, vaults and walls of the huge roofless structure, and a special umbrella to protect it from the weather.

Its not simple, Chauvet said of the work. But, he said, like people in his congregation will recover from the pandemic, the cathedral will recover its past glory.

The spire will be the same, the roof will be the same, he said.

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Associated Press journalist Barbara Surk in Nice, France, contributed to this report.
ATLANTA (AP)  The Biden administration's decision to revoke approval of Georgia's plan to require Medicaid recipients to meet a work requirement was jeered by top Republicans in the state but welcomed by Democrats as an opportunity for a bigger expansion of the health care program.

U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said Thursday that implementing the work requirement during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic would only work to hinder the overall wellbeing of low-income Georgians. The work provision was part of the state's plan  dubbed Georgia Pathways  to make more low-income Georgians eligible for Medicaid.

Considering the physical, mental, social and economic toll the public health emergency has taken on individuals, CMS believes it is especially important that the low-income individuals who are the intended beneficiaries of the Georgia Pathways to Coverage demonstration be able to access coverage and care without the initial and continued eligibility obstacle of a work requirement that may be unreasonably difficult or impossible for individuals to meet under the circumstances of COVID-19 and its likely aftermath, she wrote in a letter to Georgia Department of Community Health Commissioner Caylee Noggle.

The work requirement had been approved by the Trump administration. CMS revoked it and Georgia's plan to charge some Medicaid recipients monthly premiums for their health coverage.

Gov. Brian Kemp's office in a statement Thursday accused the White House of attempting to hide behind the holiday by announcing the revocation two days before Christmas. It said it planned to challenge the decision in court.

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, a fellow Republican, said it is shameful that President Biden has denied thousands of Georgians healthcare coverage.

Like the Grinch, he has stolen hope away from so many families who need it  right at Christmas, Ralston said on Twitter.

Republicans had presented Georgia's plan as a financially responsible alternative to a full expansion of Medicaid services under the Affordable Care Act. The plan sought to add an estimated 50,000 poor and uninsured Georgia residents to the Medicaid rolls in its first two years.

Democrats in Georgia said the state should fully expand Medicaid.

Whats shameful is blaming Biden and others for @GaRepublicans ongoing failure and refusal to expand Medicaid, Democratic State Rep. Sam Park said on Twitter.

Under the Affordable Care Act, states gained the option of expanding Medicaid to low-income adults who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level, with the federal government picking up 90% of the cost. More than 10 million people have gained coverage that way.

But Georgia and some other states rejected that option. Kemp said a full expansion would be too costly in the long run.

The Democratic Party of Georgia called Kemp a Grinch, saying a full Medicaid expansion would cover 500,000 people in the state.

Brian Kemp and Georgia Republicans  who have the power to fully expand Medicaid right now  are entirely responsible for denying health care coverage to thousands of Georgians," Democratic Party of Georgia spokeswoman Rebecca Galanti said in a statement.

The Biden administration is separately reviewing Georgias plan to overhaul how state residents buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. That plan  under which Georgia residents would bypass healthcare.gov and shop for federally subsidized health insurance through private agents  was also approved by the Trump administration.
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP)  Detectives in Maryland's Montgomery County say they've identified the skeletal remains of a missing Silver Spring woman.

The county's police department said in a news release Thursday that DNA analysis linked the remains to Brenda Lee Hopkins.

Police said there is no evidence that suggests foul play is involved in Hopkins disappearance. Detectives suspect that Hopkins may have suffered from Alzheimers and wandered away from her home. She was reported missing in August of 2018.

Detectives said their investigation into Hopkins' whereabouts was somewhat complicated by the fact that they were unable to confirm an exact date that she was last seen.

Her remains were found in April off of a highway in a small, wooded area.
OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP)  Police said Friday that they were searching for a man suspected of taking part in a shootout at a crowded suburban Chicago shopping mall in which four people were wounded, including another suspected gunman who was taken into custody.

The shootout at the Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook was between two men who apparently knew each other, Oak Brook police Chief James Kruger said. It happened at around 5:45 p.m. Thursday in a corridor of the mall, which was crowded with Christmas shoppers.
SHULLSBURG, Wis. (AP)  Police in southwestern Wisconsin are searching for a man who stole donation money from a Shullsburg church.

WMTV-TV reported Thursday that a man searched the donation boxes and jars at St. Matthews Catholic Church on Wednesday afternoon and made off with an unknown amount of money.
PARIS (AP)  Protesters angry over virus and vaccine rules occupied Guadeloupe's regional legislature because of stalled negotiations over their grievances about management of the French Caribbean island.

Regional Council President Ary Chalus agreed to a meeting with some of the protesters' representatives, the council tweeted after Thursday's incursion. Officials in Guadeloupe and Paris denounced the protest action as unacceptable and a threat to the democratically elected body.

Inside the council building, the protesters strung a banner reading No to Obligatory Vaccination, No to the Health Pass, according to images posted online by local officials. A Christmas tree was shown knocked over.

Labor unions and the Collective Against Exploitation want the French government to abandon a measure ordering health workers to be suspended without pay unless they are vaccinated against COVID-19.

The protesters in Guadeloupe are also seeking better access to clean water, pension and wage increases, and mass employment.

Vaccinations are mandatory for all French health workers and a health pass is required to enter all restaurants and many venues in France. The measures have met the stiffest opposition in Guadeloupe and Martinique, reflecting long-running frustrations over inequality with the French mainland.

Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France, uses the euro currency. One-third of the island's population lives below the poverty line, and the cost of living is higher than in the French mainland. Water supplies have been a major problem in recent years because of obsolete pipes.

Anger over France's handling of a toxic pesticide in Caribbean banana fields has fueled mistrust in the governments COVID-19 vaccine polices, along with misinformation shared on WhatsApp or Telegram groups.

Virus infections are again on the rise in Guadeloupe, and the prefecture on Thursday extended restrictions through Jan. 6 requiring masks outdoors in public places as well as indoors, and a health pass for tourist activities like diving trips.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  The number of children under the care of Connecticut's child welfare agency trails the number children statewide when it comes to getting vaccinated for COVID-19, according to recently released figures.

While 30% of children ages five to 11 across Connecticut have received at least one dose of the vaccine, 3.5% of children in the care of the state Department of Children and Families who are in the same age group have received at least one dose, the Hartford Courant reported on Friday.
Republican members of the state's bipartisan redistricting commission want the Connecticut Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to tap a Stanford University law professor to help redraw congressional districts after the group couldnt reach a bipartisan agreement and missed its deadline this week.

The four commission members, all state legislators, filed a motion that requests Nathaniel Persily not serve as the court-appointed expert or special master and that two special masters instead be appointed to preserve the publics confidence in the fairness of the redistricting process.

A copy of the motion to reconsider was released Thursday evening by the court.

The motion came hours after the state's highest court issued a notice announcing it had appointed Persily, who previously served as special master in 2011 during the last reapportionment process when Connecticut lawmakers also couldnt reach a bipartisan agreement on congressional district boundaries.

The Republicans noted that Persily's name was not on the list of three possible special masters they had submitted for the court to consider. However, he was mentioned publicly by Democratic Senate President Martin Looney as someone the Democrats would recommend to the court. Ultimately, the Democrats did not submit any names.

By rejecting the names offered by the Republican members, and selecting the only person publicly advocated for by the Democratic members, this Court risks deviating from its goal of ensuring that its role in the redistricting process does not have any appearance of partisanship, the GOP members wrote in their motion.

The court has not yet responded to the Republicans' motion. A message was left seeking comment with a Judicial Branch spokesperson.

The GOP lawmakers noted in their motion that Republicans in North Carolina were upset with a redistricting plan submitted by Persily in 2017 and how Persily was one of the special masters proposed by Democrats in Virginia this year. Ultimately, the Supreme Court of Virginia chose two special masters, one from the list offered by Republicans and one from the Democrats  the scenario the Connecticut GOP is now seeking.

Connecticut Republicans also argued in their motion that since Persily was the special master in 2011, he will be partial to abiding by his prior work and that would be substantially unfair to the Republicans on the Reapportionment Commission "who believe that the maps should avoid partisan gerrymandering and be drawn in accord with traditional redistricting principles.

A message was left seeking comment with Persily, an election law expert who formerly taught at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions. Besides Connecticut and North Carolina, he previously served as a court-appointed expert to craft congressional or legislative redistricting plans in Maryland, Georgia, New York and Pennsylvania, according to his Stanford Law School biography.

On Tuesday, the commission's deadline, House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said that both Democratic and Republican state lawmakers had faced external pressures from people in Washington during their deliberations to redraw the congressional lines in a certain way, despite reaching agreement on how to redraw legislative districts.

But Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, blamed the states all-Democratic congressional delegation for the process falling apart, accusing the five U.S. House members of wanting to retain safe districts.

According to a notice issued Thursday by the State Supreme Court, Persily is ultimately required to submit his plan to the justices on or before Jan. 18. The court will then accept submissions up until Jan. 24 and a hearing before the court is planned for Jan. 27. The court is expected to file its redistricting plan with the Office of the Secretary of the State by Feb. 15.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  An author known as the father of Chicano literature left behind a bilingual childrens book after his 2020 death, telling a story about Christmas in the American Southwest.

The tale from Rudolfo Anaya, who died from natural causes at 82, is being published posthumously for the holiday season by Museum of New Mexico Press with parallel text in Spanish and English. The story extends a cycle of Anaya's illustrated childrens books with a playful cast of animal characters, centered around a tiny, inquisitive owl named Ollie Tecolote.

The book was crafted by Anaya painstakingly in his waning year as an invitation to children to explore literature in English and Spanish, said Enrique Lamadrid, a publisher and retired chairman of the Spanish teaching department at the University of New Mexico. Lamadrid collaborated closely with Anaya in his final years to translate "Owl in a Straw Hat" series into Spanish.

We crafted that really, really, really carefully so that kids would be comfortable," said Lamadrid, who first befriended Anaya in the 1970s. You start with love. You have to fall in love with your second language in order to be any good with it at all.

Anaya achieved lasting literary fame and influence with the novel Bless Me, Ultima in 1972 about a boys coming of age in post-World War II New Mexico under the guidance of a traditional spiritual healer. The book became a movie  and an opera.

Anaya wrote his New Mexico Christmas Story for children initially in English, sprinkling in a smattering of Spanish-language words and phrases about Hispanic holiday comfort food and traditional Christmas pranks performed by abuelos."

Translated literally, abuelos means grandfathers or grandparents, while it's also used as slang for costumed family elders in northern New Mexico who traditionally go house-to-house at Christmastime to ask startled children whether they have been naughty or nice.

The books images are from painter and pop-culture muralist Moises Salcedo  who goes by El Moises  and provide a splashy visual tour of winter holiday traditions in northern New Mexico, from handcrafted farolito candle lights to steaming pozole stew and an adventure that touches upon the three wise men.

Michelle Garcia, a preschool teacher for the city of Albuquerque, reads an earlier Owl in a Straw Hat book to her 4- and 5-year-old students, seated in a semicircle, allowing for comments and questions.

Hispanic traditions run deep in New Mexico, where Spanish settlers arrived in the 1598. Nearly half of the state's population claims Hispanic heritage, and some students in Garcia's class  but not all  recognize the Spanish words in Anaya's book. Garcia says a short English-Spanish glossary in the book helps her answer any questions.

There's just a such a variety of wording, they can relate, especially if they're from Chicano descent or any kind of Spanish descent," said Garcia, who traces her Hispanic roots and comfort with Spanish expressions to grandparents in northern New Mexico and southernmost Colorado.

Garcia took a day off to meet Anaya shortly before his death, knowing that he would appear at the dedication of a public library in his name.

He said he met his wife at the library, Garcia said. It was just this amazing story to encourage children to come to the library and to read and to open a book. It just encouraged me to tell those stories.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A small number of attendees at a recent holiday party hosted by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and his wife at their Greenwich home have tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson for the Democratic governor said.

Both Lamont and his wife Annie, however, have regularly tested negative for the virus since the Dec. 11 private event, where guests were required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated and present a negative test, according to Max Reiss, Lamont's director of communications.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  Two civil rights groups are suing South Carolina, saying the newly drawn state House maps discriminate against Black people by diluting their voting power and again saying lawmakers are taking too long to approve U.S. House maps.

The groups amended an October lawsuit that said the General Assembly was taking too long to pass the maps, preventing potential candidates from researching the new districts and not giving enough time for lawsuits to be considered before the two-week filing period starts March 16.

Defendants traded one constitutional violation  malapportionment  for two others: racial gerrymandering and intentional racial discrimination, said court documents filed Thursday by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The lawsuit was anticipated. South Carolina's maps have been challenged in courts, sometimes successfully, for the past 50 years.

The suit asks a federal judge to find the new House districts passed the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor earlier this month to be unconstitutional and if necessary to delay March filings and June primaries for the 124 seats until fairer districts can be drawn. It also asks the court to set a Feb. 15 deadline for the U.S. House maps to be finished.

The groups said they reserve their right to sue later over the 46 South Carolina Senate districts, which don't come up for election until 2024.

The lawsuit cites 28 of the 124 House districts where race was used to either exclude or concentrate Black voters in districts to dilute their overall political power.

There are lines that split Anderson into four districts like a shattered mirror to prevent Blacks from having enough clout to influence the result in any of the districts, the lawsuit said.

There is the bunny ear that extended into Chester to put Black voters in the city into a Fairfield County district that is already overwhelmingly minority instead of surrounding areas, the NAACP said.

The lawsuit also cites districts in Sumter where it said Black voters were shunted out of Republican Ways and Means Chairman Murrell Smith's district, as well as areas in Richland County; Orangeburg County; Florence and Williamsburg counties; and in Dillion and Horry counties.

Leaders in the state's Republican-dominated Legislature pointed out they didn't make significant changes to the districts drawn after the 2010 U.S. Census. Those maps were approved both by judges and under the federal Voting Rights Act  a requirement not needed this time because it was thrown out eight years ago by the US. Supreme Court.

They also said the maps kept more districts where minorities were the majority of voters than plans by the NAACP and other groups.

The NAACP said their plan had more districts where Black voters were 40% to 50% of the population and could influence more elections.

The House maps also were roundly criticized by groups like the South Carolina League of Women Voters, which said the number of general election races where the winning margin is projected to be within 5 percentage points was cut in half to just eight seats  or only 6% of the House.

The group ran a computer program that generated nearly 12 billion possible House maps and found just over 400 had more bias than the one proposed by the chamber.

Still unresolved are maps for the U.S. House. Both chambers have their own proposals. The state Senate's idea kept the districts similar to the 2010 map, but made the 1st District, which is the only thing approaching a competitive district, more Republican.

The House had a more radical change that would have kept the Charleston area more whole. but backtracked on the proposal before a public meeting scheduled for next Wednesday.

South Carolina added nearly 500,000 people in the 2020 U.S. Census, but that growth was lopsided both geographically toward the coast and the South Carolina suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, and racially as the number of people who identified themselves only as African American fell by more than 10,000 people.

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Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP.
MIAMI (AP)  A South Florida woman has been arrested and charged with a series of thefts of underwear from Victoria's Secret stores.

The 56-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday and charged with nine counts of grand theft, three counts of retail theft and a count of resisting an officer without violence, according to Miami-Dade County court records.
MADRID (AP)  Citizens should remain cautious as the coronavirus can still inflict widespread damage, Spain's King Felipe VI said during an annual speech  as infections in the country climbed to a yet another record Friday.

Addressing the nation in a pre-recorded Christmas Eve broadcast, the Spanish monarch said that a successful vaccine rollout has improved the situation from a year earlier. But he urged people not to drop their guard.

We are seeing that the virus still has the capacity to harm in many ways," Felipe said. The risk has not disappeared.

Spain, like most of Europe and other parts of the world, is experiencing a record spike in contagion over the festive period, when families traditionally hold large gatherings. Health authorities have reported three days in a row of record-breaking caseloads and have reinstituted mandatory mask-wearing in open spaces with few exceptions.

We all have to do everything possible not to take steps backwards in this health crisis that has caused so much suffering," Felipe said.

The king also remembered residents of the Spanish island of La Palma, in the Atlantic Ocean, where a volcano eruption for nearly three months has destroyed houses, infrastructure and crops but caused no casualties.

Today our hearts and our thoughts remain with you, the monarch told islanders.

Watching the king's annual appearance on television just before Christmas Eve dinners is an annual ritual in many Spanish households. In recent years, as scandals tied to the royal family have swirled, media commentators and politicians scrutinize his speech searching for signs of the monarch's attunement to the mood of his subjects.

But there was no direct reference to the circumstances of Felipe's father, former King Juan Carlos I.

The former monarch, 83, moved to the United Arab Emirates last year after judicial probes on his possible financial wrongdoings emerged. Although a Swiss probe on money laundering was dropped recently, prosecutors in Spain's Supreme Court are still investigating the allegations.

Since assuming the throne in 2014, Felipe, who is 53, has tried to distance himself from his father.

In his speech on Friday, the current monarch said that all institutions of the state should serve people.

We must, Felipe said, respect and abide by the laws, and be an example of public and moral integrity.

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Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
A weather system is expected to produce strong to damaging winds Friday across much of New Mexico as well as rain, with snow expected in higher mountains, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service issued a warning for high winds up to 40 mph (64 kph) into Friday evening for eastern New Mexico from Mexico on the south to Colorado on the north.
MORRO BAY, Calif. (AP)  A surfer was killed in an apparent shark attack on Christmas Eve off the central coast of California, authorities said.

The male surfer was pulled from the water north of the famous Morro Rock around 10:45 a.m., Morro Bay police said on Twitter. He was not responsive after being brought to land.
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP)  A Louisiana appeals court has upheld a man's attempted murder conviction for stabbing a stranger who threw a beer can at him during an argument outside a truck stop casino.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal rejected DeWayne A. Sylvester Sr.'s argument that his 10-2 conviction is unconstitutional under a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, The American Press reported.
SHORTER, Ala. (AP)  Two railroad cars full of automobiles caught fire and burned in an east Alabama town, officials said.

The Shorter Volunteer Fire Department, in a statement shared on social media, said the freight cars caught fire Thursday night in Macon County. Photos showed flames licking through openings on the sides of the car carriers at a rural crossing.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A Utah school district is removing two books from libraries after a complaint from a parent.

The Washington County School District in Southern Utah will pull the award-winning books Out of Darkness and The Hate U Give," communications director Steven Dunham told KTVX. The first book will come off secondary school shelves and the second will be removed from elementary and intermediate schools.

Out of Darkness follows a romantic relationship between two teenagers, a Mexican American girl and an African-American boy, in Texas in the 1930s. The Hate U Give follows a 16-year-olds life after the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer amid the Black Lives Matter movement.

The decision comes after committees reviewed the books and found profanity and sexually explicit content, Dunham said. He said the school recognizes parents rights, but hopes parents also recognize there are valuable lessons to be taken from the literature.

Another Utah school district, the Canyons, removed several books to review them last month after an email complaint. Libraries around the country have seen increased calls to review or remove books from school libraries, part of a renewed conservative interest in public education as a political issue.
ROME (AP)  Lawyers for defendants in a big Vatican financial trial asked the Holy See newspaper on Friday to correct the record after it ran a front-page editorial this week largely defending the investigation and insisting that the rights of the defense were being respected.

The letter to LOsservatore Romano editor Andrea Monda was signed by eight defense attorneys and follows a Dec. 20 editorial penned by the Holy Sees editorial director, Andrea Tornielli.

The trial concerns the Holy Sees 350 million euro (nearly $400 million) investment in a London property deal but has expanded to include other alleged financial crimes. Vatican prosecutors accuse Italian brokers, Vatican officials and a self-styled security analyst of bilking the Vatican coffers of millions of euros, largely donations from the faithful.

Ever since the indictments were handed down in July, attorneys for the 10 defendants have objected to a series of actions and omissions by the prosecution that they say have irreparably harmed their ability to mount a defense. They have cited the prosecutions refusal to turn over all the evidence and to interrogate the suspects on all charges during the investigative phase of the case.

In preliminary decisions, the tribunal president has largely agreed with the defense, ordering prosecutors to deposit all the evidence, nullifying the indictments against four of the suspects and ordering the prosecution to essentially start over.

In the editorial, Tornielli stressed that the two-year investigation amounted to the biggest, most complicated case ever brought before the tribunal. The fact that it was sparked by internal controls is evidence that the trial represents a real stress test for the Vatican City States judicial system, he wrote.

Tornielli acknowledged that the 1913 procedural code in use created objective problems and that Vatican prosecutors often had to confront notably complicated questions without precedent for the tiny city state. But he insisted that the right to a fair trial, enshrined in a Vatican law in 2013, was being guaranteed.

Lawyers for the defense disagreed and asked Monda to print their side.

In the letter sent Friday, they said the editorial didnt correspond to the reality of the trial and appeared to be an effort to normalize the multiple procedural violations by the prosecution that the court has already sanctioned.

The lawyers argued that even the large dimensions of the case and the use of computerized evidence is in fact fairly normal in the legal profession and do not affect the respect of defensive guarantees.

The court reconvenes Jan. 25, when prosecutors are expected to announce whether they will seek new indictments against the four suspects whose cases were in limbo, or will shelve some of the charges.

The uncertain fate of the trial has concerned Cardinal George Pell, who as Pope Francis money czar had flagged problems with the London investment years ago but was unable to get to the bottom of it. In a recent interview with the National Catholic Register, Pell said he wasnt sure if the case could go ahead.

Im not confident of anything with the Vatican trial. I dont know whats going on, Pell was quoted as saying. Im not even entirely sure that it will go ahead. It might fail for legal reasons.
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP)  Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said on Thursday he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Democrat said via Twitter Thursday evening that he had just received word of the positive test and that hes been isolating at home since he started experiencing symptoms on Sunday.

Ferguson said he and his family will continue to isolate per public health guidelines.

While the timing is unfortunate, and Im disappointed to miss Christmas with family, Im grateful to be vaccinated and managing my symptoms at home," Ferguson said in a subsequent tweet. "Im beginning to feel better and look forward to getting my booster shot.
ATLANTA (AP)  The Biden administration has rejected Georgia's plan to expand Medicaid coverage on the condition that recipients meet a work requirement.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Thursday that it was revoking the state's authority to require work activities or charge Medicaid recipients higher premiums. The Trump administration had approved the work provision.

CMMS cited the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in part for its decision, saying work requirements would significantly compromise the effectiveness of Georgia's plan to boost coverage.

The decision was a blow to Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who had promoted Georgia's Medicaid plan as a fiscally responsible alternative to a full expansion of Medicaid services under the Affordable Care Act. The plan sought to add an estimated 50,000 poor and uninsured Georgia residents to the Medicaid rolls in its first two years.

The Kemp administration said it planned to fight Thursday's decision in court.

Georgia proposed and received approval to implement an innovative waiver that would expand coverage and access in a fiscally conservative way," spokeswoman Katie Byrd said in a statement. We are disappointed the Biden Administration chose to turn its back on a bipartisan group in the Georgia General Assembly that came together to help create a fair and balanced healthcare framework that increases options and lowers costs.

Under the Affordable Care Act, states gained the option of expanding Medicaid to low-income adults who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level, with the federal government picking up 90% of the cost. More than 10 million people have gained coverage that way.

But Georgia and some other states rejected that option. Kemp said a full expansion would be too costly in the long run.

Democrats have criticized Kemps plan for doing too little, saying it would leave at least 350,000 Georgia adults uninsured because they dont meet the threshold requirements. The issue is likely to be a key one in the state's 2022 gubernatorial election.
One hundred and seventy-four years ago, the first rescue crew arrived at Donner Lake, encountering a scene of carnage that still shocks all this time later.

Eighty-seven men, women and children entered the Sierra Nevada Mountains in October 1846. Known as the Donner Party, led by George Donner and James F. Reed, they were victims of bad luck and bad leadership.

Their biggest mistake was taking a new "shortcut" called the Hastings Cutoff, which led them through Utah and across the Great Salt Lake. Crossing the blistering Great Salt Lake took its toll on the cattle and the people; the party was three weeks behind schedule and low on supplies as they approached the Sierra Nevada Mountains. (A fascinating historical aside here: Lansford Hastings, the man who invented and promoted the shortcut without even trying it first, later died while trying to colonize Brazil with Confederate sympathizers.)

Then, bad luck came into play. A brutal winter storm descended on them, blocking the pass and trapping the Donner Party near today's Donner Lake. Some families set up camp while others donned makeshift snowshoes to try to walk to Sutter's Fort in present-day Sacramento for help. In the three weeks those desperate souls braved the woods, eight died, most of them cannibalized by the others. Only a handful made it to a Miwok village alive.

James L. Amos/Getty Images

The rescue party left Sutter's Fort on Jan. 31, 1847, and found the survivors at Donner Lake on Feb. 18. Forty-six starving, half-dead people made it out alive.

Despite their infamy, because the Donner Party arrived ahead of the Gold Rush, they became some of the first white leaders in newly founded communities across the state. Their names still grace streets, schools and even a town, and the villain of the expedition was the first man to introduce lager to California.

Here are the fates of some of the most well-known members of the Donner Party.

The Reed family

The Reed family had an inauspicious start to their lives in the west, but modern-day San Jose was partly shaped by them. Patriarch James, 46, was the leader of the party for some time, but he was banished in Nevada when he fatally stabbed oxen teamster John Snyder during a dispute. Reed arrived in Sutters Fort ahead of the Donner Party and raised money for rescue efforts when it became clear his family was trapped somewhere in the woods. The Reeds were only one of two families to survive the winter intact.

The Reeds moved first to Napa to recover from the ordeal while James served as the sheriff of Sonoma. In 1847, they settled in San Jose, where James managed a fruit farm. He became even wealthier in 1848 when he struck gold in Placerville. Back in San Jose, James bought 500 acres of land, some of which was later donated to create San Jose State University.

Reed, Margaret, Virginia, Carrie, Patterson, Lewis, Keyes and Martha streets in San Jose are named after members of the Reed family. Virginia, who was 13 at the time of the expedition, kept cookies or candy in her pocket until she died at age 87.

We have left everything, but I dont care for that, she wrote a cousin shortly after their rescue. We have got through with our lives. Dont let this letter dishearten anybody. Remember, never take no cutoffs and hurry along as fast as you can.

The Murphy family

The tale of many of the girls and women of the Donner Party is one of great suffering even after survival. Because most were left without a male patriarch who could financially provide for them, even young girls married almost immediately to keep from starving again in their new home state.

Mary Murphy was one of them. Her mother, Levinah Jackson Murphy, was already a widow when she and her seven children, some married adults, joined with the Donners. Levinah, then 50, cared for the children as group after group departed for safety, eventually dying before she herself could be rescued.

Mrs. Murphy was so kind to the little children that we remember her affectionately, Georgia Donner wrote years later. ... [As the children left with a rescue party,] Mrs. Murphy walked to her bed, laid down, turned her face toward the wall. One of the men gave her a handful of dried meat. She seemed to realize that we were leaving her, that her work was finished.

Although just 13 when she was rescued, Mary Murphy married William Johnson three months later. "I hope I shall not live long for I am tired of this troublesome world and I want to go to my mother, she wrote in 1847. Young, orphaned and afraid, Mary suffered abuse at Johnson's hands until the courageous teenager divorced him.

Yuba County Library/Archive

She then married French immigrant Charles Covillaud in 1848. Covillaud had made his fortune mining gold and became a prominent landowner. In 1850, he helped lay out a new city. He named it Marysville after his wife. Mary died at the age of 35 at her home there. Obituaries did not record her cause of death, but called her a woman of more than ordinary intellect, and possessed a kind, generous and noble disposition. All who knew her, loved her.

Brother William G. Murphy, 10, tried to hike through the snow to safety but, without snowshoes, he had to turn back. Brother Lemuel, 13, went on and later died and was cannibalized. William survived long enough, cared for by Mary, that he was rescued.

William became a leading citizen in adulthood. As a teen, he learned Spanish and also spoke a Native American dialect well enough to work as an interpreter at Bidwells Bar. He attended law school at the University of Missouri and was admitted to the bar in 1863. He went on to serve as the district attorney of Yuba County and city attorney of Marysville.

In 1896, William Murphy gave the keynote address at the 50th anniversary memorial ceremony for the Donner Party. They all, with me, had hopes, ambitions, daydreams, fond anticipations as to what they would accomplish when they reached that fairy land of promise, he told a crowd of hundreds in Truckee. ... But there are memoirs of the past, mostly sad, burned into our very natures, that will not down at our bidding though fifty years have passed.

William died in 1904 at age 68 after a long illness and is buried in the Yuba City Cemetery.

Lewis Keseberg

Few today claim relation to Lewis Keseberg, the villain of the Donner Party.

Keseberg, a German immigrant, became the sagas most infamous alleged murderer after the final rescue party arrived at Donner Camp in April 1847 and found only Keseberg living. Tamsen Donner, wife of the Donner Party leader, was dead. Accusations were rampant that Keseberg murdered and ate her. Additionally, Keseberg was found to be in possession of George Donners jewelry and $250 in gold. Newspaper reports record that people taunted Keseberg in the streets.

However, Kesebergs legacy as a brewer endures. In 1853, he founded Sacramentos Phoenix Brewery, the first to introduce lagers to the region. The Sacramento Bee referred to him as the first brewer in Sacramento.

In 1879, historian C.F. McGlashan, who attempted to talk to every surviving member of the Donner Party, came out in defense of Keseberg. According to McGlashan, a wretched Dutchman living near Truckee impersonated Keseberg for years and was the actual source of many of the grisly legends about his villainy.

Scores of residents living in that town remember the man, and have often been horrified at his recitals of his fiendish, ghoul-like exploits, McGlashan wrote in an op-ed. Nothing delighted him more than to repeat to a gathered crowd tales of ghastly feasts on quivering human flesh."

The truth of those dark months died with Keseberg, who perished penniless in a hospital for the poor in 1895. His burial place is unknown.

The Graves family

Mary Graves was 19 when her parents took their nine children west. She joined what became known as The Forlorn Hope, the last party to depart camp for help. Over the course of 33 days, the handful of adults and children, the youngest just 10, slowly made their way from Truckee Lake out of the mountains. Nine survivors stumbled into a group Native Americans, who fed and clothed them. The strongest, William Eddy, then headed further west to raise the alarm for help.

By the time Mary Graves reached safety, both her parents were dead, her mother and a brother partly cannibalized. "I wish I could cry but I cannot, she is recorded as saying. If I could forget the tragedy, perhaps I would know how to cry again."

Mary wed three months later. Her husband, Edward Pyle, was murdered the next year in 1848. Some historians claim his killer was the first person hanged in California under U.S. law.

She died in 1891 of pneumonia at her home in Tulare County.

Sister Nancy Graves was only 9 years old during the deadly winter and was unknowingly fed flesh from her dead mother, a fact she only learned later. Understandably, she refused to speak of the horrible events again. She joined the Methodist church in 1852 and married Rev. Williamson in 1855, who preached at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Santa Rosa. They had five children, including son George, who was an artist in Virginia City, and settled in Sebastopol. She lived to be 69 and is buried at Sebastopol Memorial Lawn Cemetery.

The Donner family

The Donner children lost both of their parents in the tragedy. George Donner accidentally cut his hand, which became infected and spread gangrene up his arm. He died in March 1847 in between relief parties. Wife Tamsen died shortly after.

Three-year-old Eliza Donner was among the last to be rescued, along with sisters Frances, 6, and Georgia, 4. Upon arrival at Sutters Fort, Eliza and Georgia were taken in by a Swiss couple while Frances went to live with the Reeds. The couple kept custody of Georgia, while young Eliza moved in with her half-sister Elitha (for whom Elitha Donner Elementary School in Elk Grove is named) when Elitha was able to care for her. For one year, she attended St. Catherines Academy in Benicia, a girls-only school run by Dominican nuns.

In 1861, she married politician Sherman Otis Houghton, who had recently been widowed by his first wife, another Donner Party survivor Mary Martha Donner. Houghton was a member of the San Jose Common Council and served as the fourth mayor of the city from 1855-56. He also represented California in the 42nd and 43rd U.S. Congress.

Eliza went on to publish The Expedition of the Donner Party and its Tragic Fate in 1911, a wrenching account of a little girl watching her loved ones die one by one. During the bitterest weather we little ones were kept in bed, and my place was always in the middle where Frances and Georgia, snuggling up close, gave me of their warmth, she wrote, and from them I learned many things which I could neither have understood nor remembered had they not made them plain.

Eliza lived a long life, dying at the age of 78 in Los Angeles, where she is buried at the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery.

The McCutchen family

William Big Bill McCutchen, from Tennessee, brought his wife Amanda and his baby daughter Harriett with him on the long journey west. They were invited to join the Donner Party in Wyoming. McCutchen was part of several rescue efforts, but he couldnt save his daughter, who died at Donner Lake.

McCutchen and his wife settled in San Jose, where William was elected sheriff in 1853. One story recounts the time McCutchen and a San Jose alderman decided to race their horses through the streets of San Jose; McCutchen won a bottle of whiskey but was fined $10 by the mayor for his rash adventure.

Son Edward McCutchens legacy can still be felt in the city today. He became a well-known attorney in San Francisco and founded the firm McCutchen, Doyle, Brown and Enerson. The firm merged with Bingham Dana in 2002 to form Bingham McCutchen, which had 850 attorneys in offices all over the country, including at Embarcadero Center, until it shuttered in 2014.

The Breen family

The other family to suffer no deaths that winter, the Breens moved to San Juan Bautista where father Patrick became a wealthy rancher. Isabella, barely a year old, was the only infant to survive the Donner Party. She lived to be nearly 90 and was the last member of the fated expedition to die, passing away in 1935.

ushistoryimages.com/Courtesy

Her obituary said she never wished to talk of the story and fled from the room when elders spoke of that which she sensed to have been terrible. Her death, the Oakland Tribune wrote, snapped the only human link we have with an epic story.
The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday extended card tokenisation deadline by six months till June 30, 2022, from the earlier deadline of December 31, 2021.

"The timeline for storing of CoF (card-on-file) data is extended by six months, i.e., till June 30, 2022; post this, such data shall be purged," it said in a notification.

"In addition to tokenisation, industry stakeholders may devise alternate mechanism(s) to handle any use case or post-transaction activity that currently involves or requires storage of CoF data by entities other than card issuers and card networks."

The RBI's card tokenisation guidelines mandated replacing the actual card data with encrypted digital tokens, which are then used to facilitate and authenticate transactions.

The devaluation of sensitive card details would have alleviated risk and reduced vulnerability of sensitive data. However, industry bodies urged the RBI to extend card tokenisation deadline beyond December 31, 2021.

The Merchant Payments Alliance of India (MPAI) and the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) had recently urged the central bank to extend the CoF tokenisation deadline of December 31 for merchants.

Citing several operational challenges that will hinder the transition to the token-based payments ecosystem, the industry bodies voiced their concerns over industry readiness on the RBI directive on card-on-file tokenisation.

The MPAI and ADIF said that 'ecosystem readiness' is a sequential process of going live with stable API (application programming interface) documentation for tokenised transactions. The digital payments ecosystem is a long way from consumer-ready solutions and unless regulated entities are compliant, merchants will not be able to successfully process tokenised transactions, they said in the joint letter.
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A cocktail of cheap money, a global pandemic, and the rise of environmental and social concerns, created a record year for mergers and acquisitions both in Australia and overseas. And theres more to come.

A $3.7 billion offer for Link Administration just days before Christmas, and biotech giant CSLs $16.4 billion acquisition of Switzerlands Vifor Pharma Group just weeks before, capped off an incredible year of activity with the value of deals more than 500 per cent higher than 2020, according to EY.

This includes the Afterpay acquisition by Square (now known as Block Inc) which ranked among the top ten deals globally, and the sale of Sydney Airports ranking as Australias biggest ever cash deal.

2021 has been an outstanding year for Australian M&A, with a string of large-scale deals outpacing previous cycles. Amidst the deal frenzy, prices have skyrocketed to the highest average deal value in our M&A Outlook history, Corrs Chambers Westgarths head of corporate, Sandy Mak, says.
It was a warm spring evening in Taipei and more than a hundred celebrities, founders, venture capitalists and tech executives gathered for cocktails and hors doeuvres. The headline event, a fireside chat, was just an excuse for Taiwans best-connected people to socialise, enjoying the kinds of freedoms the rest of the world lacked amid another wave of COVID shutdowns.

As the virus ravaged in the US, well-heeled young professionals wanting to enjoy Taiwans less COVID-restricted life started flooding in. Credit:AP

Notable was that many in the crowd werent long-term Taiwan residents. While quite a few were born there, or had family connections, most had spent little time in their ancestral homeland while building their lives in Silicon Valleys tech hub, the academic institutions of New England, or on Wall Street. But as COVID spread around the world, these same people grabbed their Taiwan passports or scrambled for an exclusive Gold Card visa and headed to that one sanctuary where life remained normal.

A similar scenario was playing out for the privileged and well-connected around the world. With money, passports and flexible employment, they managed to pull off the greatest trade of all: COVID arbitrage. The choice of where to live, how to work and which international schools to attend provided relative comfort for the rich, while billions of others scrambled for vaccines and grappled to balance the demands of their jobs and homeschooling.

For wealthy Indians, escaping the ravages of the pandemic involved chartering private jets while their home nation was brought to its knees, as waves of COVID-infected patients gasped for oxygen. Bollywood stars were spotted heading to the tropical archipelago of the Maldives, while entire families decamped to Dubai where one-way flights from New Delhi cost $US20,000 per person. The Emirati municipality has become so popular among Indian expats that its jokingly referred to as the safest Indian city.
On Madames recommendation, Coralie also studied classical ballet with Raissa Kouznetzova, and Spanish dance with Sheila Whytock. Coralie spent almost 15 years with Madame, as she called her revered teacher. It was always a challenge. That is why I stayed so long. By 1947 the European members of the company had either retired or returned to Europe. Bodenwieser reformed the company with her Australian dancers, including Shona Dunlop, Eileen Kramer and Coralie, for whom she choreographed new works. Where Eileen was a lyrical dancer, Coralie was dramatic. She was electric on stage, remembers Barbara Cuckson, who studied with Bodenwieser as a child. She was fierce and passionate and a bit wild. Between 1947 and 1950 Coralie toured with the company all over Australia, twice throughout New Zealand and for nearly an entire year in South Africa. In 1950 she went to London, performing with Mardi Watchorn and Elizabeth Russell as the Arunta Dancers at the New Boltons Theatre and the Coconut Grove Night Club. Coralie Hinkley, former dancer now writer at home in Woolahra. January 23, 1992. Credit:SAGE And, somewhere along the line, says her daughter Sancha, who was born after Coralies return to Sydney in 1954, she managed to have a baby. Coralie returned to performing and teaching with Madame, and in 1957 choreographed her first major work Unknown Land, based on the poetry of the Jindyworobak poet Rex Ingamells with an original score by John Antill (composed for piano, it was later recorded by the SSO under Sir Bernard Heinze).

To have studied with and become a favourite dancer of Gertrud Bodenwieser was remarkable enough. In 1958, as the first Australian to win a Fulbright Scholarship for postgraduate study in dance, at the age of 35 Coralie went to New York to study American modern dance. This was an entirely different way of using the body. It was as if Id been in English all my life, went over and suddenly learnt Japanese and Chinese and Korean, she said. Over the next three years she studied daily with Martha Graham then Merce Cunningham, took classes at Juilliard School in advanced choreography with Doris Humphrey and Louis Horst, and, at night, completed a Bachelor of Science in Education majoring in dance at New York University. Coralie Hinkley Summers were spent at the Connecticut College of the Dance New London, the absolute centre for the modern American dance; here, she said, I had the compatibility of kindred spirits. Her work was selected for the American Dance Festival, she had a visiting lectureship at Smith College in Massachusetts and begun a masters degree at NYU, but other people decided it was time I came home. Immediately on return to Sydney she shared her revolutionary new skills with colleagues, running classes and workshops in dance studios and gymnasiums all over Sydney, including the Bodenwieser Studio, now run by Keith Bain and Margaret Chapple in City Road.

Coralie Hinkley with friend Noelene Elder, Paddington, 2015. She was completely different when she came back, says Barbara Cuckson. Coralie choreographed two major works for Valrene Tweedies recently formed Ballet Australia: Eloges, produced first in 1961 for ABC television, and Day of Darkness, based on The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca, in 1962. From 1963 to 1974, Coralie taught at Fort Street Girls School, in essence setting up a school of modern dance within the high school. Some of her students went on to dance with Cai Thai Chan at the One Extra Dance Company, for whom Coralie choreographed several works. Her 1980 book, Creativity in Dance, an account of her teaching practice, remains a classic in its genre. In the 1980s, Coralie became involved in the education movement, lecturing at conferences in London, Hamburg, Porto and Salt Lake City. She had always been interested in the relationship between the spoken word and movement (the dancers movement should break through the confinement of the word) and in the 1990s, having had three hip replacements and increasingly dependent on walking sticks, published four books of poetry, giving readings at Writers in the Park and the Poets Union. Teaching and learning for Coralie were a continuum: in 1997, when she was 80 years old, she took classes in performance poetry at the Sidetrack Theatre with Amanda Stewart. In the 2000s Coralie became involved with community centres all over Sydney, performing with the Milk Crate Theatre and the Sydney Street Choir. At Mission Australia, in particular, Coralie found a creative home in the Cooinda room, run by the artist Astra Howard. Here she staged a series of impromptu works with homeless people. Howard remembers Coralie standing barefoot surrounded by people on the floor, quietly moving amongst them adjusting an arm or a shoulder, constructing scenes with their bodies. Another work, titled Intimacy, was an improvisation with a 30-year-old man centred on the idea of touch.
Counter-terror police say that alleged aspiring jihadist Daniel Greenfield was allegedly well into planning a terror attack when they arrested him in Sutherland on Christmas Eve.

The 34-year-old had planned to attack police officers, government officials and other Muslims that he deemed insufficiently devout, Detective Superintendent Michael Sheehy told reporters on Friday morning.

Counter terror police arrest Daniel Greenfield on Christmas Eve Credit:NSW Police

This individual is [allegedly] posting a significant amount of material about bombings and manufacturing explosives, Det Supt Sheehy said.

We will suggest he was planning to commit a terrorist attack that would be an act of violence against law enforcement.
An elderly passenger has died and the pilot flown to hospital after a light plane crashed on a north Queensland beach on the morning of Christmas Eve.

Emergency services were notified about 8am on Friday of the crash at Ball Bay, about 50 kilometres north of Mackay.

The wreckage at Ball Bay. Credit:RACQ CQ Rescue

Police officers attended and there were two people in the plane. Paramedics assessed both patients at the scene. Firefighters also attended.

Police have confirmed the aircrafts passenger, an 83-year-old man, died at the scene.
Recently, the Bishop of Noto in Sicily had to apologise to outraged parents and perplexed children for letting slip that Santa per se, did not exist, but that the celebration of St Nicholas was legit.

Its always a difficult area for parents to navigate: everyone wants their children to grow up to be honest. There comes a point where they must break the news that the fictitious characters Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny et al, who annually and surreptitiously enter the house, are not real.

Unlike Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, an early Christian bishop and a fixture of Christmas in the Netherlands, did exist. Credit:AP

This would have come as a great relief to a certain nephew, who shall remain nameless, who trembled on such occasions and had to sleep in his parents bed on these particular nights because of what he perceived as stranger danger. Little did he realise he was slumbering in the arms of both Santa and the Easter Bunny.

C. S Lewis, writer of the beloved Narnia Chronicles and theologian, had no problem in the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe introducing the character of Father Christmas. Likewise, the Catholic JRR Tolkien of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, fame produced the beautifully illustrated and comically written in spidery text, The Father Christmas Letters.
The one thing that Christmas trees and Christmas cribs have in common is a star or an angel on top whose light shines down upon all that is beneath. Whether Christmas star or angel, its light illumines what otherwise would remain in shadow. It reveals delights and gifts, warmth and hope; but most especially it reveals a child who would be the light of the world. Christmas is the living memory of the greatest gift we have ever been given: that of the Christ-child, Emmanuel, who is God-with-us. He is the great gift of hope at Christmas: the gift of a God who is with us, who loves us and binds us together in all that is worth living for  and who remains with us, through thick and thin. May Jesus, child of God and of Mary, and light to the nations, illumine the darkened regions of the world, and the shadowy places of the human heart. May we look to His light and find hope for our families, and for ourselves. May the light of Christmas  the light of Jesus  spread out its rays to bring reconciliation between enemies; to light up bridges over troubled waters; to reveal new ways towards renewed friendships. A child; a light; a hope. May these be yours this Christmas. Uniting Church Victoria and Tasmania moderator Denise Liersch

Over Advent and Christmas this year were hearing the stories of Jesus birth through the eyes of Lukes gospel. Loading One of the things I like about Luke is the way he tells us that God meets us in ordinary, everyday life, in unexceptional events, in the lives of unremarkable people in unimportant places. Luke sets the scene in these birth stories for the whole of Jesus life, about how God is especially interested in those whom others tend to look down upon. Those on the edges. Those who are separated from family and community through illness, prejudice, or stigma. And it is they who recognise the divine in Jesus as he weeps with them, touches their hearts, heals them, and restores them to life.

With all the daily tasks and activities that take up our attention, we can miss the moments where God meets us. In the people we meet. At work. In the sun, with the sun on our back or the wind in the trees. In the conversations we share. In the pleasures and joys and in the pains and griefs of daily life. We can be so absorbed by everything we do and are involved in, we can miss the moments where God meets us in our lives. May you recognise the graced moments of encounter with God in the small stories of your life and like Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary and the shepherds, tell of the wonders that you have heard and seen. May the blessings and the peace that God brings in Jesus be with you this Christmas. Presbyterian Church of Victoria moderator Peter Phillips
Danny Hodgson, who was left fighting for his life in an induced coma after being attacked from behind while out in Perth in September, has recovered enough to spend Christmas at home with friends and family.

His family released a statement saying they were happy to announce Danny would leave hospital on Christmas Eve to join the family festivities at home.

The family of Danny Hodgson have said they are grateful to have him home and recovering for Christmas.

Seventeen weeks ago we began an unimaginable journey that no family should ever have to take, the statement read.

Our son, brother, nephew, grandson and boyfriend, Danny Hodgson, was struck down in an unprovoked act of violence, and in the blink of an eye our lives changed forever.
News of the Duke of Edinburgh, in hospital and nearing the end of his life at the age of 99, did not halt the onslaught. Having already declared he felt really let down by [his] father, who had stopped taking his calls, Prince Harry went on to give a series of candid interviews. Having therapy on air to overcome his past trauma, he spoke of the genetic pain and life as a royal as a mix between The Truman Show and living in a zoo. Later in the year, the announcement of his autobiography coming in 2022 promised his unvarnished truth about his years growing up in Britain before fleeing to California with his new family to find financial freedom. Even the birth of the second Sussex baby, a little girl in June, was marred by a muddle over her name, Lilibet Diana. She was named in the Queens honour, said Harry and Meghan. The Queen  whose childhood nickname of Lilibet was used by Prince Philip, her parents and her closest friends  was not asked but told, sources replied. Prince Harry and Meghan released a Christmas card featuring son Archie and the first public photo of their daughter, Lilibet. Credit:Alexi Lubomirski/Archewell Foundation

The duchess won her case against the Mail on Sunday twice, but more was aired about her relationship with the royal family than anyone would have wished. Her in-laws were constantly berating her husband over why they hadnt put a stop to Thomas Markles misbehaviour, she said in text messages revealed in the case paperwork. They fundamentally dont understand. Scandals and sadness And so it went on. The Prince of Wales was embroiled in an embarrassing cash-for-honours story, which saw his one-time closest aide resign from his charity after coordinating with fixers over an honour for a Saudi billionaire donor  without the Princes knowledge, of course. Barbados removed the Queen as head of state in what was seen as the first of a domino effect for the Commonwealth realms over the coming years. In May, the Queens new five-month-old puppy Fergus died, just as she was finding her feet again after the loss of the duke. Prince Andrew has said he unequivocally denies the allegations against him. Credit:AP Most seriously, the ghost of the Duke of Yorks decades-long association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein finally reached crunch point, with his accuser Virginia Giuffre serving legal papers and former friend Ghislaine Maxwell in court.

Loading That was the moment, says a palace source, that led to the family working in consultation. The Duke was encouraged to step back from his public duties. That was really the beginning of the formulation of what you could call a Queen, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge alliance. And major decisions about anything affecting the future of the monarch now include Prince Charles and Prince William, where they once would have gone to the Queen alone. The private secretaries of Kensington Palace, representing William and Kate, are involved in the big institutional meetings in a way they were not several years ago, and each generation is having input into decisions they will one day live with once the Queen is no longer with them. What its proved is that when it comes to the big issues, they all think alike, says a different palace source, of recent challenges. You couldnt get a bit of paper between them. Therefore, there is this continuity: they understand whats important and what isnt. When push comes to shove, can you be half a member of the Royal family or not? No you cant. Theyre rock solid on that. Youve got to go out and be seen - they all agree on that.

A third added: The Queen is still very much the boss. I see it almost like a chairman, COO, CEO roles. She sets the values and makes the ultimate decision, [the Prince of Wales] advises and enforces, and [the Duke of Cambridge] provides further advice and support. They all have different strengths. They all have, very usefully, different perspectives as well. It helps, when youre taking decisions that people will have different views about, if youve got multi-generational apparatus for trying to get to the right answer. The consequence of that of course is that it brings father and son closer together, and all three ultimately closer together because theyre doing more all together. Family pride The result has been some of the brightest moments of the year. The public warmth has been unmistakable. In the once icy seas of emotionally stunted filial relationships has come gushing praise. I am very proud of my son, William, said Charles, ahead of his Earthshot Prize to help save the environment.

It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet, lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William, the Queen told COP26 in her official address. I could not be more proud of them. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, laugh as the Queen prepares to cut a cake with a sword at The Big Lunch initiative, during the G7 summit in June. Credit:AP In June, the ladies of the family - the Queen, Duchess of Cornwall and Duchess of Cambridge - giggled their way through their first joint engagement in nearly a decade, as Her Majesty cut a cake with an ornamental sword. And who can forget the great return for British cinema, which saw Prince Charles, Camilla, William and Kate team up on the red carpet for the glittering James Bond premiere? In the tough moments, too, there has been unity. Statements which would once have been drafted and issued by Buckingham Palace alone are largely agreed by aides across all three households and - for the most important - the royals themselves. From left, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Charles, on the red carpet for the premiere of the James Bond film No Time to Die. Credit:Getty

Everyone realised that stories about households fighting is just a distraction from the far more important things going on in the world, a palace insider says. The family focus has been on that, looking outwards. When the Queen said recollections may vary over the Sussexess most shocking claims of racism, it would have been with Prince Charles and Prince Williams approval. When Prince Harry had to forgo his military patronages against his will at the end of his trial year living the American dream, the working Royal family were regretful but firm that the line between the monarchy and making money must be clear. The recent row with the BBC, which infuriated aides with the Princes, saw a rare joint statement from all three palace press secretaries representing their bosses. Loading Some of this, of course, has been for practical reasons. While private and press secretaries once had to arrange a formal meeting in the diary, or telephone through a switchboard to put pen to paper, they now fire WhatsApp messages to one another day and night. The technological leap of the pandemic made it suddenly possible for the Queen to simply videocall her two heirs for a chat at the same time, should she wish to. With Prince Charles and Prince William now doing investitures for the Queen at Windsor Castle rather than Buckingham Palace, they can pop in for a cup of tea and a chat in the private apartments close by. There is not, several sources said, a great reimagination of the Prince of Waless personal relationship with his son. While much closer than they were a decade ago, it is unwise to imagine any huge emotional outpouring between them. Rather, there has been a concerted effort to support each others work publicly, uniting in their causes and messaging. Prince William, one canny royal observer pointed out, has steered well clear of the cash-for-honours stories involving his fathers charity, keenly aware of the risk of being tarred with the same brush.

Prince Harry, left, and Prince William at the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday, July 1, 2021. Credit:AP Above all, sources say, the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William are agreed on the purpose of the head of nation: to unify, to provide stability, to celebrate the achievements of others and support their service. Increasingly this year, they have also been embracing what lesser mortals might describe simply as the fun side of the job. The happiness business Lord Charteris, the Queens former private secretary, once described the Royal family as being in the happiness business, spreading a little cheer where it is in short supply. In the sometimes very dark days of 2021, this objective has come into its own. Little has topped Her Majestys rather unexpected visit to the cobbles of Coronation Street in July, where she walked out to meet a cast of old favourites to the soaps theme tune.

For others, it was a letter that brought joy. In October, when she must already have been feeling somewhat unwell, the Queen elegantly turned down an Oldie of the Year Award, claiming you are only as old as you feel and she therefore did not qualify. The day the Queen went to Coronation Street, to meet actors in the long-running soap, on July 8, 2021. Credit:AP Prince William, too, has embraced the lighter side of life, after the serious work of his Earthshot Prize. Recent interviews have heard him share his headbanging music taste, answer quickfire questions about his Christmas plans from children, and delight in talking about his three childrens cheeky antics at home. For keen observers of the British monarchy, the loyal public has rallied in protective support of a Queen enduring a terrible time, even before she was laid low with a mystery illness which left her undergoing tests in hospital. She has lost her husband of 73 years, she has endured the public fallout of family matters, and all against the backdrop of the pandemic, said Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello! magazine, and yet she has remained as steadfast as ever with her family rallying around her.

Certainly, after seeing her sitting alone at Prince Philips funeral, there was a huge outpouring of sympathy and support for her, particularly from people who had gone through similar experiences themselves during Covid-19. The photo of the Queen sitting alone in St Georges Chapel ahead of the funeral of Prince Philip touched many who had attended funerals under COVID restrictions. Credit:AP The future The Sussexes will continue to plough their furrows with Netflix and Spotify, serving up books and interviews and - hopefully for all involved - finding quiet contentment in their new riches and healthy family. Their mission to activate compassion in action and uplight and unite communities continues through their non-profit, Archewell. The civil suit against the Duke of York will see justice done in one way or another. Hopes of a full return to public life are vanishingly small, despite the plans for his rehabilitation dreamt up during his imposed isolation at Royal Lodge. The Queen, when she is fully recovered and back in the public eye, will be joined at all times by a member of her family, both for companionship and to step in should she have to make a last-minute decision to stay at home.

Loading It has definitely been a turbulent year for the family and the institution more broadly, says a source. Some of that has brought some of the family closer together. The Queen is untouchable and will always be untouchable now. Its been a hard year and everyone will do everything they can to support and serve her. As the Queen recovers her strength after illness, she has much to look forward to. That affection from the public and that unmatched thrill of seeing her in real life will be made plain next year, as she reaches her 70th year on the throne  a feat unmatched in British history. Every detail of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations has been planned with the Queens taste and comfort in mind. An all-singing, all-dancing pageant, a horse show designed around her love of all things equine, a concert, the street parties, the tree-planting and the flag-waving: it will be pomp and pageantry of the like this worn-down nation has forgotten can exist. And she will never stand alone. The Telegraph, London
~ Buncamper filed an appeal, but will be suspended from Parliament~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament Claudius Buncamper has been convicted in the Ruby case that was filed by the Prosecutors Office.

The court convicted the longtime civil servant to 32 months imprisonment and has banned him for a period of 7 years as a civil servant, while his wife Maria Buncamper Molanus has been sentenced to 10 months imprisonment.

In the meantime, the court also sentenced Leroy La Paix and Roberto Flanders to 12 months conditional with 210 hours of community service.

In the meantime, the Independent Member of Parliament confirmed in an invited comment to SMN News that he has filed an appeal against the convictions rendered against him and his wife on Thursday.

Based on the ruling rendered on Thursday the Independent Member of Parliament will be suspended from the Parliament of St. Maarten even though the conviction is not irrevocable. Even though Buncamper has declared himself an independent Member of Parliament the seat will now return to the USP for them to appoint a deputy.

Article 50 paragraph 2-b states when a Member of Parliament is convicted for bribery and was sentenced to more than one-year imprisonment, they are automatically suspended from parliament and be replaced by a deputy even though the sentence is not irrevocable.

Based on this the next person in line to deputize for the Independent Member Parliament will be Chanel Brownbill who was convicted for tax fraud. However, Tax Fraud is not on the list for mandatory suspension. Brownbill was sentenced to 8 months irrevocable prison sentence which was confirmed by the Supreme Court. The only thing that will stop Brownbill's appointment to the Parliament of St. Maarten is if he is picked up by the Prosecutor's Office to serve his time in prison.

While on suspension MP Buncamper will receive his remuneration until the end of the parliamentary term ends.

Member of Parliament convicted for bribery to 32 months imprisonment and a 7-year ban on holding public office in 'Ruby' case.



C.B., a Member of Parliament was sentenced by The Court of First Instance to an unconditional prison sentence of thirty-two (32) months and to a 7-year ban on holding public office for his role in the Ruby case. The suspicion against C.B. was focused on corruption during his tenure as Head of Infrastructure at the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (VROMI) and the misuse of public funds for personal purposes. C.B. was found guilty of requesting and accepting bribes of over 600.000 guilders in a period of 2,5 years in relation to the tendering procedure for management contracts of the landfill on Sint Maarten. The bribes included lucrative contracts for his wife and son. He was also convicted for forging invoices related to the sewage plant in order for VROMI to pay for personal expenses for his family and the Lions Club.

C.B. was acquitted for the abuse of power related to the relocation of business premises operated by his family members on a parcel in Kim Sha Beach.

Co-suspect M.B.M was sentenced to 10 months unconditional imprisonment. She was found guilty of taking bribes in association with her husband C.B. The Court took into account that M.B.M. was previously convicted for fraud.

The Court ruled that the behavior of M.B.M. and C.B. in particular inflicted damage to the trust of the people of Sint Maarten and damage to the integrity of the public administration. As role models, they should have only acted in the interest of the people of Sint Maarten. Also did neither C.B. nor M.B.M. show any acknowledgment or insight into the criminality of their actions.

The other two suspects L.L. and R.F. each received 12-month conditional prison sentences and 210 hours of community service for paying the bribes. The corporate entity they used in the tender procedure was convicted to a conditional fine of 100.000 Antillean guilders. The Court took into consideration that although their acts were severely undermining to society, they do not deserve an unconditional prison sentence as they cooperated with the investigation and offered, to a certain extent, insight into the facts even though they incriminated themselves with their openness in the

matter. It was also taken into account that the C.B. and M.B.M. had a significantly more active role in staging the corrupt microsystem than L.L and R.F. had.

The sentences were slightly lower than requested by the Prosecutors Office because of undue delay in the Ruby Case. However, this does not apply to the ban on holding public office: the Court ruled that due to the severity of this case, a 5-year ban is not adequate and it should be 7 years instead. The outcome of this case shows that the justice system takes crimes that harm the country and by extension every member of the society, very seriously. This type of crime is even more damaging to the community when perpetrated by people who should serve as role models and guardians of the patrimony of the people. Civil servants and those contracted by the government to execute tasks on its behalf must carry these out with the good of the country and its people in mind and not betray the trust and confidence placed in them.

The Ruby investigation was started in July 2018 by the RST Investigation Team under the authority of the Anti-Corruption Taskforce (TBO) of the Attorney-Generals Office of Curacao, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, due to strong indications of structural mismanagement of the landfill which resulted in serious health risks for the community of Sint Maarten.

On February 12, 2021, the Court of Appeals of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and the BES-islands ordered the prosecution of C.B. This order was required as the Constitution of Sint Maarten and the National Ordinance of individuals with Political Authority prescribe that the Prosecutors Office can only prosecute individuals with political authority after an order to that effect has been issued by the Court of Appeals.

For a well-functioning democratic society, it is essential that citizens have confidence in their government and public administration. Administrative corruption is a multi-faceted phenomenon that occurs typically at the interface of public and private interests. Corruption can permanently disrupt a society, it undermines the integrity of the government and leads to unfair commercial competition. For this reason, TBO takes indications of corruption very seriously and, if necessary, has them thoroughly investigated.

Press Release Prosecutors Office.
~ NAPB actions counterproductive after 11 years of struggle ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson took note of an article that was published by the Board of the Nationaal Algemene Politie Bond (NAPB) Union on December 20th, 2021. An additional statement was sent out by NAPB on December 21st, 2021. The articles came after Minister Richardson announced via social media postings and an issued press statement that the National Decree containing general measures (LBHAM) approving and establishing the Function Book for the Ministry of Justice had been signed by His Excellency Eugene Holiday and the Minister on December 20th. The Minister reiterates that NAPB and all other unions, both individually as in CCSU, as well as all the organizations within the Ministry of Justice, were fully engaged in the process of design and approval of the functions and Function Book. A process completed after 11 years since Sint Maarten got its own Justice Ministry.

Minister Richardson would like it to be known that this in no way is a prank and that no one is being punkd. The unions have been fighting to establish a Function Book for the departments within the Ministry over several years. NAPB was only interested in the Function Book for the Police department, whilst Minister Richardson insured this was done for all departments recognized in the existing LIOL and is currently taking steps to incorporate other agencies such as the Court of Guardianship and a few others.

Minister Richardson has privately and publicly outlined all actions undertaken in regard to the functions and positions of the workers of the Justice Ministry, has given the NAPB the opportunity to contribute every step of the way, and based on contributions provided, made the appropriate adjustments.

With the support of the government organization, the correct procedural steps were followed and this process carried the inclusion of the Committee of Civil Servants Unions (CCSU) as well as the representatives of the NAPB. The ABVO, NAPB, and WICSU-PSU Unions all engaged in countless hours with Minister Richardsons retained lawyer in order to establish the formation of the Function Book for the departments within the Ministry of Justice. It is clear that Minister Richardson has done what no one has done before and engaged with the unions directly to ensure their participation, in addition to any participation in CCSU context.

On July 28th, 2021, the Union's representatives signed a statement of assent approving the submission of the updated Function Book. This was reflected via an email issued to the CCSU from the Ministry on October 22nd, 2021, whereby Minister Richardson submitted a letter and the updated Function Book to CCSU Chairman Rafael Boasman to which he indicated that CCSU will proceed in accordance with the procedure stipulated in the LMA article 112h.

In accordance with article 112g, the CCSU is obligated to provide an advice to the Minister within 6 weeks. After confirming receipt of the email sent on October 25th, 2021, no advice or response was provided to the Minister of Justice on the updated Function book. The 6 weeks timeframe was until December 6th, 2021, and to date no response has been received from the CCSU. Earlier this year when the CCSU reviewed the first draft they formally requested an additional 2 weeks to submit their advice which was granted. However, this was not the case this time around.

In the letter submitted to the CCSU, Minister Richardson stated, The Function Book presented herewith for confirmation of assent, is the product of the work conducted with the NAPB, ABVO, and WICSU in work sessions from July. This Function Book is crafted with due consideration and processing of the advice of the Progress Committee and the Law Enforcement Council, while a thorough legal review was conducted to assert compliance with higher laws. The confirmation of assent issued by the unions is to be included in the resubmission of the Function Book to the Council of Advice. We further approve the submission of this statement of assent to the Council of Advice with the updated Function Book for the Ministry of Justice.

Apart from the fact that signing the statement of assent contradicts the statements made by NAPB of not approving the function book, there is also a misconception in claiming an agreement with NAPB. According to the legislation, these procedures regard not an agreement with the NAPB, but with the CCSU, including NAPB. The NAPB union was included in the process upon the request of Minister Richardson to the CCSU so that their voices could be heard and input taken as they are not a formal union within the CCSU. As such, it is disappointing to see the NAPB exhibit unethical behavior in a bid to tarnish the Ministers reputation and further stagnate the progress of the employees of the Ministry of Justice. These actions publicly displayed by NAPB cannot be seen in a good light as it is to the disadvantage of the very employees they claim to represent.

Additionally, on November 29th, Minister Richardsons retained lawyer sent out the minute notes of another meeting had with the ABVO, NAPB, and WICSU-PSU unions on this day. The minute notes sent to the unions entailed the discussion, points of agreement, and concerns that were voiced during the meeting held in which they were also given the update that the function book was at the Cabinet of His Excellency Governor Holiday.

On November 26th, 2021, Minister Richardson received a letter from NAPBs lawyer concerning the Bezoldigingsregeling (Salary scales) to which Ministers retained attorney responded to and reminded NAPBs lawyer that several emails were issued to address the Function Books, the Rechspositie regelingen and the Bezoldigingsregeling. However, emails sent were met with no response from the president of the NAPB. NAPB was informed that the Bezoldigingsregeling was a part of the exercise as there was an invitation extended to all the unions on this regulation. The need for all unions at the table was of priority as they provided conflicting positions concerning the incorporation of the 16.3% in the salary, given that it appears that this was done during 10-10-10, but on the specific request of KPSM workers, was reversed by January 1, 2011.

The second statement issued referenced issues that are not linked to the Function Book, should it be deemed necessary, the Minister has facts and documents to support her position in any legal proceedings.

Upon taking office in March 2020, as Minister of Justice, I have made the formation of the long-awaited Function Book my number one priority. Together, with the many stakeholders of this major accomplishment, we did and are doing everything in our power to rectify the issues within the ministry, and not on a case-by-case basis. Id like to remind the Board of the NAPB that the establishment of the Function Book would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of the Work Group, the Progress Committee, the advices of the Council of Advice and the Law Enforcement Council, the revision and approval by the Council of Ministers and His Excellency Governor Holiday. All these stakeholders have done their part in this process and have all confirmed that the Management of the Ministry of Justice has completed the Function Book for its employees the right way taking all aspects into consideration. As such, I refuse to engage in such a public back and forth with the NAPB beyond this response, concluded Minister Richardson.
Identity and access management in 2022 - what will the future look like?

As we enter into 2022, there is still a level of uncertainty in place. Its unclear what the future holds, as companies around the world still contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working has been encouraged by most organisations and the move to a hybrid working system has become business as usual, for the majority of businesses. Some have reduced their office space or done away with their locations altogether. Following best security practices With all this change in place, there are problems to deal with. According to research, 32.7% of IT admins say they are concerned about employees using unsecured networks to carry out that work. Alongside this, 74% of IT admins thought that remote work makes it harder for employees to follow best security practices. This need to manage security around remote work is no longer temporary. Instead, companies have to build permanent strategies around remote work and security. The coming year will also create a different landscape for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Here are some key predictions for next year and what to start preparing for in 2022: The reality of SMB spending around security will hit home SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working, especially in comparison to their size. They had to undertake significant digital transformation projects that made it possible to deliver services remotely, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weve seen a shift in mindset for these companies, which are now more tech-focused in their approach to problem solving. According to our research, 45% of SMBs plan to increase their spending towards IT services in 2022. Around half of all organisations think their IT budgets are adequate for their needs, while 14.5% of those surveyed believe they will need more, to cover all that needs to be done. Identity management spending to support remote work For others, the COVID-19 pandemic led to over-spending, just to get ahead of things and they will spend in 2022, looking at what they should keep and what they can reduce their spending on. Areas like identity management will stay in place, as companies struggle to support remote work and security, without this in place. However, on-premise IT spending will be reduced or cut, as those solutions are not relevant for the new work model. Services that rely on on-premise IT will be cut or replaced. The device will lead the way for security We rely on our phones to work and to communicate. In 2022, they will become central to how we manage access, to all our assets and locations, IT and physical. When employees can use company devices and their own phones for work, security is more difficult. IT teams have to ensure that theyre prepared for this, by making sure that these devices can be trusted. Wide use of digital certificates and strong MFA factors Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication There are multiple ways that companies can achieve this, for example - By using digital certificates to identify company devices as trusted, an agent, or strong MFA factors, like a FIDO security key or mobile push authentication. Whichever approach you choose, this can prevent unauthorised access to IT assets and applications, and these same devices can be used for authentication into physical locations too. Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication. Understanding human behaviour Alongside this, it is important to understand human behaviour. Anything that introduces an extra step for authentication can lead to employees taking workarounds. To stop this, it is important to put an employee education process in place, in order to emphasize on the importance of security. The next step is to think about adopting passwordless security, to further reduce friction and increase adoption. Lastly, as devices become the starting point for security and trust, remote device management will be needed too. More companies will need to manage devices remotely, from wiping an asset remotely if it gets lost or stolen, through to de-provisioning users easily and removing their access rights, when they leave the company. Identity will be a layer cake Zero Trust approaches to security Identity management relies on being able to trust that someone is who they say they are. Zero Trust approaches to security can support this effectively, particularly when aligned with least privilege access models. In order to turn theory into practical easy-to-deploy steps, companies need to use contextual access, as part of their identity management strategy. This involves looking at the context that employees will work in and putting together the right management approach for those circumstances. For typical employee behaviour, using two factor authentication might be enough to help them work, without security getting in the way. How enterprises manage, access and store identity data There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time For areas where security is more important, additional security policies can be put over the top, to ensure that only the right people have access. A step-up in authentication can be added, based on the sensitivity of resources or risk-based adaptive authentication policies might be needed. There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time, so that it aligns more closely with those use cases. Identity management critical to secure assets in 2022 There are bigger conversations taking place around digital identity for citizenship, as more services move online as well. Any moves that take place in this arena will affect how businesses think about their identity management processes too, encouraging them to look at their requirements in more detail. Overall, 2022 will be the year when identity will be critical to how companies keep their assets secure and their employees productive. With employees working remotely and businesses becoming decentralised, identity strategies will have to take the same approach. This will put the emphasis on strong identity management as the starting point for all security planning.
Nicolaus Copernicus proposed his theory that the planets revolved around the sun in the 1500s, when most people believed that Earth was the center of the universe . Although his model wasn't completely correct, it formed a strong foundation for future scientists, such as Galileo, to build on and improve humanity's understanding of the motion of heavenly bodies.

Indeed, other astronomers built on Copernicus' work and proved that our planet is just one world orbiting one star in a vast cosmos loaded with both, and that we're far from the center of anything.

Countdown: The most famous astronomers of all time

Education

Born on Feb. 19, 1473, in Torun, Poland, Mikolaj Kopernik (Copernicus is the Latinized form of his name) traveled to Italy to attend college, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Copernicus' father had died when the child was young, and his uncle became a leading figure in his life.

Copernicus' uncle wanted him to study the laws and regulations of the Catholic Church then return home to become a canon, a type of official in the Catholic Church.

However, while visiting several academic institutions, Copernicus spent most of his time studying mathematics and astronomy . While attending the University of Bologna, Copernicus lived and worked with astronomy professor Domenico Maria de Novara, doing research and helping him make observations of the heavens.

Due to his uncle's influence, Copernicus did become a canon in Warmia, in northern Poland, although he never took orders as a priest. He conducted his astronomical research in between his duties as canon, the Encyclopedia Britannica noted.

The Copernican model of the solar system

The Copernican Planisphere, illustrated in 1661 by Andreas Cellarius. (Image credit: Public domain)

In Copernicus' lifetime, most believed that Earth held its place at the center of the universe. The sun, the stars , and all of the planets revolved around it.

One of the glaring mathematical problems with this model was that the planets, on occasion, would travel backward across the sky over several nights of observation. Astronomers called this retrograde motion. To account for it, the current model, based on the Greek astronomer and mathematician Ptolemy's view, incorporated a number of circles within circles  epicycles  inside of a planet's path. Some planets required as many as seven circles, creating a cumbersome model many felt was too complicated to have naturally occurred.

In 1514, Copernicus distributed a handwritten book to his friends that set out his view of the universe. In it, he proposed that the center of the universe was not Earth, but that the sun lay near it. He also suggested that Earth's rotation accounted for the rise and setting of the sun, the movement of the stars, and that the cycle of seasons was caused by Earth's revolutions around it.

Finally, he (correctly) proposed that Earth's motion through space caused the retrograde motion of the planets across the night sky (planets sometimes move in the same directions as stars, slowly across the sky from night to night, but sometimes they move in the opposite, or retrograde, direction).

Copernicus finished the first manuscript of his book, "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" (" On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres ") in 1532. In it, Copernicus established that the planets orbited the sun rather than the Earth. He laid out his model of the solar system and the path of the planets.

He didn't publish the book, however, until 1543, just two months before he died. He diplomatically dedicated the book to Pope Paul III. The church did not immediately condemn the book as heretical, perhaps because the printer added a note that said even though the book's theory was unusual, if it helped astronomers with their calculations, it didn't matter if it wasn't really true. It probably also helped that the subject was so difficult that only highly educated people could understand it. The Church did eventually ban the book in 1616, according to Physics Today .

The Catholic Church wasn't the only Christian faith to reject Copernicus' idea.

"When 'De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium' was published in 1543, religious leader Martin Luther voiced his opposition to the heliocentric solar system model," says Biography.com. "His underling, Lutheran minister Andreas Osiander, quickly followed suit, saying of Copernicus, 'This fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy upside down.'"

Copernicus died on May 24, 1543, of a stroke. He was 70.

Where was Copernicus buried?

Frombork Cathedral, where a skull belonging to Copernicus was found (Image credit: Getty/Moment)

In 2008, researchers announced that a skull found in Frombork Cathedral did belong to the astronomer, according to The Guardian . By matching DNA from the skull to hairs found in books once owned by Copernicus, the scientists confirmed the identity of the astronomer. Polish police then used the skull to reconstruct how its owner might have looked.

Nature quotes the AFP as stating that the reconstruction "bore a striking resemblance to portraits of the young Copernicus."

In 2010, his remains were blessed with holy water by some of Poland's highest-ranking clerics before being reburied, his grave marked with a black granite tombstone decorated with a model of the solar system. The tomb marks both his scientific contribution and his service as church canon.

"Today's funeral has symbolic value in that it is a gesture of reconciliation between science and faith," Jacek Jezierski, a local bishop who encouraged the search for Copernicus, said according to the Associated Press. "Science and faith can be reconciled."

The unmarked grave was not linked to suspicions of heresy, as his ideas were only just being discussed and had yet to be forcefully condemned, according to Jack Repcheck, author of "Copernicus' Secret: How the Scientific Revolution Began."

"Why was he just buried along with everyone else, like every other canon in Frombork?" Repcheck said. "Because at the time of his death he was just any other canon in Frombork. He was not the iconic hero that he has become."

Refining the work of Copernicus

Statue of Copernicus in Torun, Poland (Image credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus)

Although Copernicus' model changed the layout of the universe, it still had its faults. For one thing, Copernicus held to the classical idea that the planets traveled in perfect circles. It wasn't until the 1600s that Johannes Kepler proposed the orbits were instead ellipses. As such, Copernicus' model featured the same epicycles that marred Ptolemy's work, although there were fewer.

Copernicus' ideas took nearly a hundred years to seriously take hold. When Galileo Galilei claimed in 1632 that Earth orbited the sun, building upon the Polish astronomer's work, he found himself under house arrest for committing heresy against the Catholic Church.

Despite this, the observations of the universe proved the two men correct in their understanding of the motion of celestial bodies. Today, we call the model of the solar system, in which the planets orbit the sun, a heliocentric or Copernican model.

"Sometimes Copernicus is honored as having substituted the old geocentric system with the new, heliocentric one, as having regarded the sun, instead of the Earth, as the unmoving center of the universe," Konrad Rudnicki, an astronomer and author of "The Cosmological Principles," wrote. "This view, while quite correct, does not render the actual significance of Copernicus's work."

According to Rudnicki, Copernicus went beyond simply creating a model of the solar system.

"All his work involved a new cosmological principle originated by him. It is today called the Genuine Copernican Cosmological Principle and says, 'The Universe as observed from any planet looks much the same,'" Rudnicki wrote.

So while Copernicus' model physically placed the sun at the center of the solar system, it also figuratively removed the focus from Earth, making it just another planet.

Additional resources

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Great businesses are like rainbows, reflecting and refracting light into an array of vibrant colors. Successful business people understand that the broader their reach, the greater the palette of colors theyll be able to display. Our world is now moving away from antiquated norms imposed by a select few and embracing a more realistic and inclusive view of humanity.

Over the past year, weve been forced to explore diversity in new and unexpected ways. Weve attempted to end and upend systemic racism and discrimination. Weve witnessed Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements, seen sports and entertainment figures come out of the closet and learned that the world goes on even when people dont show up at the office.

People are demanding to be seen for who they really are, not judged by the color of their skin, sexual orientation, gender, race or any other box that they are forced into by social constructs fueled by ignorance, fear or a desire to control.

Diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, have become the new corporate mantra, and companies across the country have rushed to adopt DEI programs. In addition to addressing disparities in recruiting, hiring, pay and promotion, DEI turns out to be good for the bottom line. But companies that fail to implement DEI at all levels  including the executive suite  cannot truly consider themselves successful.

Related: Are You the DEI Consultant Your Industry Needs?

A board game is needed

In 2018, California enacted the Women on Boards law, making it the first U.S. state to mandate that women be represented on the boards of publicly traded companies. At least one person who identified as a woman had to sit on corporate boards by the end of 2019; in 2022, two women must sit on boards with five directors and three women on boards with six or more members.

California isnt an outlier. France, Germany, Norway and Spain also require female representation on corporate boards. This year, lawmakers in Washington, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii and Illinois have passed similar laws, with Illinois requiring public companies to submit a report of their board constitution.

Its about time. Women have built companies, run countries and gone into space. They should certainly be included in the ranks of corporate directors. But they arent.

Related: 4 Ways DEI Can Help Manage Business Risk

Laws are needed

Despite the great strides women have made in recent decades  in government, business, science and the arts  they are still woefully underrepresented in the corporate stratosphere. If it takes laws to make corporate America do the right thing, then so be it.

According to a recent report, of the 650 public corporations in California subject to the Women on Boards law, less than half have so far complied. The law imposes penalties for noncompliance, but the state hasnt actually enforced these. Nevertheless, the law has made a difference: Women used to hold just 17% of the seats on company boards in California; now they hold more than 30% of board seats.

Its a good start, but there is a long way to go before women are meaningfully represented on corporate boards. Keep in mind that the laws only cover publicly traded companies. Most companies are still free to do whatever they want with their boards.

Given what we know about public companies, its a safe bet that few women sit on the boards of private companies, in California or elsewhere. Its time for all companies, including small businesses, to take a serious look at who sits on their boards of directors and to commit to making changes.

Related: 7 Ways Leaders Can Level Up Their DEI Workplace Strategy

Women are needed

Why women? And why now? From a purely economic standpoint, studies show that companies with greater gender diversity are more profitable. It should be obvious that women comprise a large segment of our society. They vote, shop, work and serve in the armed forces. Women do pretty much everything the male half of the population does.

In fact, it could be argued that they do far more than their male counterparts. Some give birth. Some serve as the primary caretakers for children and elderly relatives. Some generally run the household, providing cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping and transportation services. In addition to all of these jobs, women also hold actual jobs and earn wages.

Women bring a different perspective to business issues. They provide an alternative approach to problems and a unique understanding of consumers needs and concerns. Remember the scene in the movie Big, in which Tom Hanks character  a child in a mans body  tells toy-company management what kids really like? A company that doesnt include women in its top ranks risks losing potentially half of its market.

Diversity is essential

The same could be said about every demographic in our society. Todays businesses should embrace diversity, not just among rank-and-file workers, but in management and on boards of directors. Executive suites and corporate boards should reflect the consumers to whom companies market and sell their products and services.

Hollywood is an interesting microcosm of the workplace in that for too many years diversity was (and to a certain extent still is) glaringly absent. Then, seemingly out of nowhere and contrary to diversity myths, the blockbusters Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians proved that diversity actually sells big time in Hollywood.

A 2022 resolution

When DEI is implemented at the highest levels of business, everyone benefits. Consumers know that their interests are important, and companies know that they are building a loyal and dedicated customer base.

Even small businesses can and should make this happen. Lets make diversity an essential for entrepreneurs in 2022!

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Nearly two years after liquor giant Diageo decamped from Norwalk for New York City and Stamford, a major new tenant plans to occupy the vacated space in The Towers in late 2022.

The Financial Accounting Foundation plans to move its headquarters next fall to 801 Main Ave., across the way from its current location in the Merritt 7 Office Park in Norwalk. Founded in Stamford in 1972, the Financial Accounting Foundation has called Norwalk home for more than three decades.

Operating as a nonprofit, the Financial Accounting Foundation oversees the Financial Accounting Standards Board and Government Accounting Standards Board, which are supported by industry fees. The combined organizations revenue totaled $60 million in 2020.

The Norwalk headquarters operation totals about 160 people, according to a spokesperson, who said the Financial Accounting Foundation elected to stay in Norwalk after considering more than 15 possible locations in Fairfield County and Westchester County.

Led for a decade by Teresa Polley, the Financial Accounting Foundation installed a new executive director last year in John Auchincloss, a Weston resident who was general counsel under Polley.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board will occupy nearly 80,000 square feet of space at 801 Main, one of three buildings in The Towers complex just north of the Merritt Parkway.

Building & Land Technology, which owns The Towers, recently completed The Curb apartment complex on Glover Avenue and is laying the groundwork for the larger North Seven development that could add as many as 11 new buildings.

The state Department of Transportation is building a new Merritt 7 station on the Metro-North Danbury branch that will include a pedestrian footbridge to the Merritt 7 Office Park.

The Financial Accounting Foundation becomes the second major Merritt 7 tenant in the past few years to move to The Towers complex that includes 801 Main, along with FactSet, which offers platforms for financial market research and analysis.

FactSet took over much of Xeroxs former headquarters at 45 Glover Ave., after the office equipment giant relocated to 201 Merritt 7 in 2017. Heavy equipment manufacturer Terex moved its own headquarters last year to 45 Glover from Westport.

Frontier Communications recently reupped at 401 Merritt 7, which it shares with the Financial Accounting Foundation and several other tenants. Besides Xerox and Frontier, other Merritt 7 tenants include data backup provider Datto, Hearst Connecticut Media Group, soda brand Reeds and convention host Reed Exhibitions.

Includes prior reporting by Abigail Brone and Paul Schott.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
After 300 intimate partner deaths in 20 years, has enough changed?

We reviewed hundreds of pages of police reports, criminal case filings and court data related to intimate partner violence in Connecticut. Here are our key findings.
BRIDGEPORT  Every day for a week Denese Taylor-Moye has gone to court hoping to confront the man who allegedly killed her grandson.

But each day she was sent away and told the suspect, Luis Morales, was still in the hospital.

On Thursday, Morales was brought into the Golden Hill Street courthouse for arraignment only to begin complaining of chest pains and be sent back to the hospital.

But this time, Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton had enough. She ordered Morales arraigned virtually from the hospital.

Taylor-Moye, a former City Council member, and her family gathered in a courtroom around a laptop monitor with the judge and lawyers.

The judge ordered the 33-year-old Morales held in lieu of $3 million bond and continued the case to Jan. 4. She also ordered him to have a psychiatric evaluation.

I just want justice to be served, Taylor-Moye said later. He shot my grandson in the back like a coward.

Morales, who is on probation for an assault conviction, is charged with murder, felony murder, first-degree-robbery, criminal possession of a pistol, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a high-capacity magazine.

He is accused of fatally shooting 23-year-old Clinton Clint Taylor on Dec. 16.

Police said shortly after 9:30 p.m., officers responded to a shooting at a Park Avenue grocery store.

When officers got there, they said they found Taylor lying face down on the floor near the counter. He had been shot several times and officers found multiple 9mm bullet shell casings next to his body.

While officers were examining the homicide scene, police said they received another call of a robbery across the street from the grocery store. Police said a man told them he had been approached by a man wearing a navy-blue track suit who had pistol-whipped and robbed him.

Police said officers spotted a suspect a short distance away and gave chase. They pursued him through backyards before finally catching him on Austin Street, police said. During the case, police said the man dropped a 9mm pistol with an extended magazine.

Police said the man only gave his name as Lucifer, however, they said they later identified him as Morales.

Detectives later viewed video from the grocery store, police said. The video showed Taylor walking into the store. A short time later, they said a Honda sedan pulled up to the store and a man, later dentified as Morales, got out of the car and entered the store.

Police said the video shows Morales pointing a gun at Taylor and shooting him several times. As Taylor lies on the floor, the video shows Morales going through Taylors pockets removing money, police said. Police said Morales then kicked Taylors body several times before leaving the store.

Police said the gun recovered from where Morales dropped it later was identified as one stolen from the Birmingham, Ala., police department.
SEYMOUR  The suspect in a double-fatal hit-and-run crash that killed an elderly Shelton couple had bought a one-way plane ticket to Mexico scheduled for Thursday morning before investigators received an anonymous tip identifying him Wednesday afternoon, according to police.

A state police narcotics task force set up surveillance at the West Haven home of the suspect, 24-year-old Jair Irigoyen-Flores, as Seymour detectives worked through the night with court officials to type up an arrest warrant and get it signed by a judge.

Irigoyen-Flores eventually surrendered to police outside the home about 7 a.m. Thursday, one hour before the plane he had bought a ticket for was scheduled to take off.

The fatal crash, on Dec. 10 on Bank Street, killed James and Barbara Tamborra, both 81.

More than two dozen of their family members, friends and police officers filled the courtroom at Derby Superior Court to see Irigoyen-Flores arraigned Thursday morning on two counts of misconduct with a motor vehicle and a single count of evading responsibility in connection with the crash.

Judge H. Gordon Hall ordered Irigoyen-Flores to surrender his passport and ordered his bond remain set at $1.5 million, citing the suspects purchase of a plane ticket  and his alleged flight from the scene of the accident that killed the Tamborras.

There do appear to be some indications of an intention to flee, the judge said.

The Shelton couple were rushed to the hospital after being hit as they were crossing Bank Street following a funeral, police said. An officer helping the couple cross the road, Dedrick Wilcox, narrowly avoided being hit by the driver, police said.

James Tamborra died from his injuries soon after the crash. Barbara Tamborra died a few days later in the hospital.

The defendants lawyer, Dan Lage, declined to comment in court Thursday, but during the arraignment he disputed his clients intention to flee.

Looking at this warrant, I see a few things that are consistent with my mind with fear on his part, not necessarily criminal intent to flee, Lage said. Since being apprehended, the gravity of this situation has certainly made itself clear.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Seymour Police Department, one of the Tamborras three children, Kenneth Tamborra, thanked police, the press, the public  and the anonymous tipster who identified Irigoyen-Flores to police Wednesday.

The family is still suffering from a gaping hole left by his parents deaths which theyre feeling all the more during the holiday season, he said. But he said he smiled after getting a phone call Thursday morning telling him about the arrest in the case.

I knew eventually somebody would say something, he said. Im just glad it happened sooner rather than later. Hearing he was about to flee to Mexico just puts a cold chill in your heart.

Seymour Police Chief Paul Satkowski also thanked the person who called in the tip.

Youre a godsend, Satkowski said. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The chief said investigators had worked tirelessly since the crash tracking down tips  including stopping motorists at a roadblock last Friday near the scene of the crash  but with little to no success until the tip came in Wednesday.

Supervisory Assistant States Attorney Charles Stango, the prosecutor who signed the arrest warrant, said he was notified about 11 p.m. Wednesday about the tip.

We had to really speed up the clock, he said. It was a complex investigation that we really brought to a head because we were aware of the fact that we might have lost the individual forever.

In the warrant, a neighbor of Irigoyen-Flores, who said he had borrowed her car, said he called her crying when he got home on the night of Dec. 10. The warrant said he told her he did not know if he hit someone or something on his way home from work. She told investigators he kept saying he couldnt see them because it was dark, the warrant states.

The vehicle involved  a 2015 Acura RDX  was seized by police and would be searched for forensic evidence, Satkowski said.

Stango said its too early to tell whether further charges could be possible.

Misconduct with a motor vehicle is a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison brought in cases of negligent driving which causes a death. Evading responsibility is punishable by up to 20 years in prison when the accident involves a death.

Right now the charges that were brought in the warrant are appropriate with the facts that we have, Stango said.

Irigoyn-Flores is scheduled to return to court Feb. 14.
Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Her Majesty Margareta, conveyed a message on Christmas Eve, according to tradition, stating that this year has been a difficult one for all humanity due to the pandemic and voiced her confidence that " we will see the light at the end of the tunnel. "

"The year 2021 has not been easy. Like last year, the pandemic continues to darken our lives. People feel exasperation, sadness and discouragement. I extend my condolences to all those who have lost relatives, friends or colleagues. I too have gone through mourning and grief. That is why I understand those who have lost a loved one. However, I am confident that we will see the light at the end of the tunnel," affirms the Custodian of the Crown of Romania.

Her Majesty Margareta says that at year end her thoughts go out to the elderly and she has confidence in the future, "thanks to the young Romanians".

"Now, at year end, my thoughts are with the elderly, because they have so much to offer to society (especially young people), and sometimes their age is seen as a weakness instead of being appreciated as a treasure. Thanks to the young Romanians, I have confidence in the future We have an admirable new generation, well educated and specialized. They are full of initiatives and creativity. However, we continue to have a large part of them abroad. I hope the young Romanians will have reasons, before long, to return home," the message reads.

Her Majesty also wants to convey her admiration and affection to the Romanian military, "who honour their country and their families," but also warm congratulations to the private sector, "which, despite the pandemic and the political and administrative difficulties, has shown professionalism, ability to adapt and the strength to move forward".

The Crown Custodian recalls that 2021 marks the 140th anniversary of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Romania and the 100th anniversary of the birth of King Mihai.

"I would like to thank all those who commemorated my father," she says.

Her Majesty Margareta also states that, as every year, the royal family tried to promote the Romanian economy, education, responsibility for the environment, science and art.

"Despite the pandemic, we have tried to give confidence and support to local communities through our work at the Red Cross, the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation, organizations under royal patronage and my House projects," said the Crown Custodian.

Her Majesty Margaret has a message for all Romanians - from the country, from the Republic of Moldova and for those "far from home and family".

"In this fateful, dark hour across the world, the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and His love for us are a beacon of light for each of us. At Christmas, we carry all our loved ones in our souls, even if sometimes we cannot be together. These years of suffering have brought together in their hearts and minds all the people of the earth, regardless of their religion, language, or origin. I wish all Romanians in the country, in the Republic of Moldova and those far from their homeland and family, many years of health, hope and peace of mind," the Custodian of the Crown of Romania also transmitted.
More than 22 tonnes of waste paper, which a Romanian citizen was transporting from Bulgaria to Romania without complete cross-border documents, was stopped at the Giurgiu border crossing point.

"The border policemen from the Giurgiu border crossing point carried out the specific control over a truck driven by a Romanian citizen, aged 56, who was about to enter the country. He was transporting, according to the accompanying documents, waste paper. The policemen, however, has suspicions related to the legality of the respective transport and they requested the authorized support of the commissioners from the National Environmental Guard. After verifications, it was established that the truck carried 22,320 kilogrammes of waster paper, from Bulgaria, meant for a commercial company in Ilfov County," reads a press release sent on Friday by ITPF (General Inspectorate of the Border Police) Giurgiu.

Following the verification of the transfer documents, the authorities found that certain sections of the submitted documents were not filled in, thus not complying with the legal provisions in force.

Consequently, the authorities did not allow access to Romania for this means of transport, the waste being returned to the shipping company. AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis made, this year, 16 external trips, which total expenses of RON 7,607,800.34, according to a response of the Presidential Administration, at the request of AGERPRES.

On 7 and 8 May, President Iohannis attended the Social Summit in Porto, Portugal, the informal meeting of the European Council, as well as the EU-India Summit, in a videoconference format, with the Prime Minister of the Indian Government, Narendra Modi, and on 24 and 25 May attended the extraordinary meeting of the European Council in Brussels. On June 14, the president participated in the NATO Summit in Brussels, on June 16 and 17 he made a state visit to Estonia, and on June 24 and 25 he was in Brussels, where he attended the EPP Summit and the European Council meeting. On July 8 and 9, Klaus Iohannis participated, in Sofia, Bulgaria in the Three Seas Initiative Summit, on August 27, in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova in the events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Republic of Moldova, and on September 9 he made an official visit to the Swiss Confederation.

On September 21 and 22, President Iohannis participated in the high-level segment of the 76th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, which took place in New York, and on October 1 and 2 he was in Aachen, Germany, where he participated in the "Charlemagne European Forum" and the ceremony of awarding the International Charlemagne Prize of the Aachen - For the Unity of Europe.

Also, on October 5 and 6, Klaus Iohannis participated, in Brdo, Slovenia, in the informal meeting of the European Council and in the EU-Western Balkans Summit, on October 13, in Malmo, Sweden, in the Forum dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and combating anti-Semitism, on October 21 and 22, in Brussels, in the European Council meeting, and on October 27 he made a state visit to Egypt.

Klaus Iohannis participated, on November 1 and 2, in Glasgow, Scotland in the high-level segment of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), and on December 15 and 16, in Brussels, in the Eastern Partnership Summit and in the European Council meeting.
While some travelers canceled holiday plans because of rising case numbers, many others kept to their vacations during some of the years busiest travel days. The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen nearly 30 million people from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, compared with nearly 44 million during the last holiday season before the pandemic.

Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday that it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a massive rise in sick leave among pilots. The cancellations on flights to Houston, Boston and Washington come despite a large buffer of additional staff for the period.

The airline says it couldnt speculate on whether COVID-19 infections or quarantines were responsible because it was not informed about the sort of illness. Passengers were booked on other flights.

Lufthansa said in a statement that we planned a very large buffer for the vacation period. But this was not sufficient due to the high rate of people calling in sick.
Bartholomew was hospitalized overnight in the United States in late October and later had a stent installed to open up a clogged coronary artery.

He is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, which gives him prominence but not the power of a Catholic pope.



NEW DELHI  Indias Health Ministry says an analysis of 183 omicron variant infections showed that 87 were in fully vaccinated people and three involved individuals who had booster doses.

India has confirmed a total of 358 cases of the omicron variant and 114 of the infected individuals already have recovered, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told reporters Friday.

He said Asian countries are seeing COVID-19 cases decline overall, unlike in North America and Europe.

India was overwhelmed by two massive outbreaks in September 2020 and in May of this year. It recorded more than 400,000 new cases in 24 hours at the peak of its second surge in May. In the past two weeks, the country has averaged around 7,000 new cases a day.
He was tested regularly for COVID during his two-week-plus stay, Ayzman said. On Keynigshteyns way home in an ambulance, his doctor got test results showing he had tested positive for COVID. It can take two to 14 days from exposure to COVID for patients to start showing symptoms such as a fever, though the average is four to five days. His grandson believes that because Keynigshteyn was in the hospital for over two weeks before testing positive, he contracted COVID at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

As the ambulance doors opened and Keynigshteyn finally saw his wife and other family members, he smiled for the first time in weeks, Ayzman said. Then the crew slammed the doors shut and took him back to the hospital.

A few days later, Keynigshteyn died.

You put your trust in the hospital and you get the short end of the stick, Ayzman said. It wasnt supposed to be like that.

Ayzman wanted to find out more from the hospital, but he said officials there refused to give him a copy of its investigation into his grandfathers case, saying it was an internal matter and the results were inconclusive.
India was overwhelmed by two massive outbreaks in September 2020 and in May of this year. It recorded more than 400,000 new cases in 24 hours at the peak of its second surge in May. In the past two weeks, the country has averaged around 7,000 new cases a day.

Bhushan said 61% of Indias over-18 population has received two vaccine doses. Despite being home to some of the worlds largest vaccine makers, India has relied largely on two jabs: the Astra Zeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute and Bharat Biotechs domestically developed vaccine.

BERLIN  Germanys health minister says the country's proportion of coronavirus infections with the new omicron variant will increase sharply in the days ahead.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach acknowledged there would be delays in local health offices reporting figures over the holidays, but he appealed on Twitter for people to take steps to avoid infection during Christmas festivities.

According to the national disease control center, Germany had 3,198 COVID-19 cases attributed to omicron as of Wednesday, a 25% increase from the previous day. The disease control center said Thursday that of those cases, 48 people were hospitalized and one person had died.
It said in a statement that it was trying to get passengers to their destinations quickly.

While some travelers canceled holiday plans because of rising case numbers, many others kept to their vacations during some of the year's busiest travel days. The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen nearly 30 million people from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, compared with nearly 44 million during the last holiday season before the pandemic.

Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday that it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a massive rise in sick leave among pilots. The cancellations on flights to Houston, Boston and Washington come despite a large buffer of additional staff for the period.

The airline says it couldn't speculate on whether COVID-19 infections or quarantines were responsible because it was not informed about the sort of illness. Passengers were booked on other flights.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  An author known as the father of Chicano literature left behind a bilingual childrens book after his 2020 death, telling a story about Christmas in the American Southwest.

The tale from Rudolfo Anaya, who died from natural causes at 82, is being published posthumously for the holiday season by Museum of New Mexico Press with parallel text in Spanish and English. The story extends a cycle of Anaya's illustrated childrens books with a playful cast of animal characters, centered around a tiny, inquisitive owl named Ollie Tecolote.

The book was crafted by Anaya painstakingly in his waning year as an invitation to children to explore literature in English and Spanish, said Enrique Lamadrid, a publisher and retired chairman of the Spanish teaching department at the University of New Mexico. Lamadrid collaborated closely with Anaya in his final years to translate "Owl in a Straw Hat" series into Spanish.

We crafted that really, really, really carefully so that kids would be comfortable," said Lamadrid, who first befriended Anaya in the 1970s. You start with love. You have to fall in love with your second language in order to be any good with it at all.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  The doctor for a private Christian boarding school that has been the focus of an abuse investigation in Missouri was charged with child sex crimes.

An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for David Earl Smock, 57, the longtime physician for Agape Boarding School, the Kansas City Star reported. Smock is charged with second-degree statutory sodomy, third-degree child molestation of a child less than 14 years of age and enticement or attempted enticement of a child less than 15 years of age, court records show.

Smock was not in custody as of Friday, according to the jail website in Greene County, where the case was filed. The probable cause statement was not immediately available Friday because the court was closed for the holiday.

Agape remains under scrutiny after five staffers were charged in September with assaulting students. One of the defendants is Smocks son-in-law.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP)  Russia has doubled the purchases of natural gas from Turkmenistan this year amid rising global demand, the Russian ambassador in Ashgabat said Friday.

Ambassador Alexander Blokhin said Russia this year stands to import about 10 billion cubic meters (353 billion cubic feet) of gas from Turkmenistan, nearly twice the amount imported in 2020.

This year's volumes were on par with the period before 2016, when Russia halted gas imports from the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation amid pricing disputes and a slump in global prices.

Moscow resumed the purchases of Turkmen gas in 2019 when it signed a five-year contract envisaging annual deliveries of 5.5 billion cubic meters (194 billion cubic feet).

Turkmenistan is overwhelmingly dependent on exports of its vast natural gas reserves, and Russia's 2016 move to halt supplies dealt a heavy blow to the Turkmen economy.

China has replaced Russia as the top export destination for the Turkmen gas. Turkmenistans President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said the country annually supplies 40 billion cubic meters (1.4 trillion cubic feet) of gas to China.
GARY, Ind. (AP)  Gary's mayor has imposed the first wave of planned restrictions, including limits on traffic at city offices, in response to surging COVID-19 cases in the northwest Indiana city.

Mayor Jerome Prince said Thursday that the first phase of the city's two-phase effort would begin immediately and stay in effect through Dec. 31, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.

He ordered all city department heads to immediately identify employees who must report in-person for work and the remote workers who can do their jobs from home.

Prince said the goal is have fewer people physically working together in city offices to reduce foot traffic at city facilities during Indiana's current surge in coronavirus cases.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP)  A drifter convicted of killing two Massachusetts men in carjackings in 2001 and sentenced to death has died, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The bureau said Gary Lee Sampson, 62, died Tuesday at the medical center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.

Sampson was first condemned to die in 2003. A judge later granted him a new sentencing trial after finding that a juror at his first trial had lied about her background. A new federal jury sentenced him to death in 2017 for the killing of Jonathan Rizzo, 19.

Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision on Sampsons penalty for the killing of Philip McCloskey, 69, so Sampson was sentenced to life for that crime.

Sampsons lawyers said he was brain damaged and mentally ill when he separately carjacked Rizzo, a college student from Kingston, and McCloskey, a retired pipefitter from Taunton, stabbed them each more than a dozen times, slit their throats and left them to die.

Sampson received a separate life sentence for killing a third man, Robert Eli Whitney, in New Hampshire.
The intentional dissemination of known falsehoods aimed at sowing doubt about the integrity of our elections threatens our very ability to function as a democracy. These falsehoods also destroy the lives of Americas election workers, whose service to our system of government places them in the crosshairs of those who seek to undermine it with their disinformation, the lawsuit alleges. Plaintiffs Ruby Freeman and Wandrea Shaye Moss have been the targets of such a campaign of lies, accused by Defendants James Hoft, Joseph Hoft, and The Gateway Pundit of committing ballot fraud to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The lies about Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss have not only devastated their personal and professional reputations but instigated a deluge of intimidation, harassment, and threats that has forced them to change their phone numbers, delete their online accounts, and fear for their physical safety.
As frustrating as it is that one senator can hold that much power over a measure that the majority party wants, thats the reality of Americas political system. Those who support the initiatives could more constructively direct their ire at the self-defeating way the bill has been marketed.

The price tag has moved around but has generally been described as near $2 trillion. However, thats a deceptively high number because its spread over a decade, and its paid for (or mostly paid for, depending on who is doing the analyzing) by tax hikes on corporations and the wealthy. Even the Congressional Budget Office, whose numbers are more pessimistic than Bidens, puts the real addition to the deficit at less than $370 billion total over 10 years.

Yet that $2 trillion phrase keepings popping up as the central focus of debate, offering a fat target to Republican opponents  which is galling, given that the GOPs 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy actually did load almost $2 trillion onto the deficit, and without making life better for most Americans.
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
In the landlocked central African nation of Mali there is still a large amount of Islamic terrorism and violent tribal feuds. Despite that there are problems getting the local security forces the equipment they need. Thats because Mali has a major problem with its government and the miniscule (about 7,000 troops for a country of 20 million) Mali armed forces. The commanders of this small military have staged three coups since 2012. The May 2021 coup was not well received by foreign aid donors. Most military aid has ceased and the number of foreign troops helping to deal with the Islamic terrorism is shrinking. The departing troops are mainly from France, which pays for its own 5,100 counterterrorism troops who operate throughout the region but primarily in Mali.

Because of the May 2021 coup, the government is dominated by military officers. That means no more free stuff from donors. The Mali military has to buy its own new equipment. In 2021 this mainly consisted of armored vehicles to lower army casualties from Islamic terrorist attacks. The military government could afford this because Mali is a major exporter of gold and a food exporter. Mali has been able to purchase about sixty armored vehicles from various nations, including China, which has delivered at least six of their new wheeled VN2C IFVs (infantry fighting vehicles).

VN2C is an MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) design that also serves as a 6x6 IFV. VN2C is a 19-ton vehicle with the standard (for MRAP) V shaped hull to deflect the force of an exploding mine or roadside bomb. There is additional armor added so that the VN2C achieves the low end of what is generally considered MRAP level protection. Most Western MRAPS have Level 4 protection compared to Level 3 on the VN2C. The VN2C has a lot of features customers want, like a one-man turret equipped with a 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine-gun. The turret also has two four-cell grenade launchers. There are some firing ports for the passengers. Top speed is 100 kilometers an hour and an unrefueled range is up to 800 kilometers on roads, depending on average speed.

The VN2C appears to be a variant of the older Chinese Type 92 wheeled, 13-ton 6x6 vehicle that carries 12 soldiers and a 25mm cannon in a one-man turret. The Type 92 design was based on the French VAB vehicle rather than Russian models previously used. Introduced in the 1990s the Type 92 chassis, often referred to as the WZ551, was used as the basis for a lot of other weapons (artillery, anti-tank, support). Two or three of the 12 people on board are the crew. The manufacturer called the export version of the Type 92 the VN2B and the VN2C is considered a natural evolution of the B model.

The Mali military was not happy with foreign donor demands that the military undo the May 2021 coup and start cooperating with political factions that made possible the 2020 coup. That coup led to the formation of a government meant to end coups as well as massive government corruption. To that end the 2020 coup leaders and pro-reform politicians formed the interim, and foreign donor approved, CNT (National Transitional Council) government. The foreign donors insisted that a civilian lead the CNT with one of the military coup leaders as his deputy. The army and civilian members of the CNT did not get along. The main disagreement that triggered the May coup was about efforts to negotiate with Islamic terror groups and ineffective measures to prosecute corrupt politicians.

After the 2021 coup France concluded that the Mali leaders were incorrigibly corrupt and that the expensive French counterterror operation in the north was no longer worth the effort. Neighboring nations were willing to continue cooperate in suppressing Islamic terrorism but France began reducing and redeploying its 5,100 counterterrorism troops to assist less-corrupt neighbors serious about reducing the terrorism without feeding local corruption. This reduction involves reducing the French force 40 percent, to about 3,000 troops and those reductions are most visible in northern Mali, where some French bases have been shut as the troops depart.

As long as Mali has money to spend, Chinese arms firms will sell them whatever they can pay for. Thats long been the Chinese policy with any foreign customer. This also provide combat testing for Chinese equipment and weapons, which is noted by the Chinese manufacturers so that improvements can be made without getting Chinese soldiers killed. Equipment used in combat is also easier to sell to other export customers, as well as the Chinese military itself. China encourages many local firms to develop and export military equipment. Chinese forces have a choice of who to buy from and new gear with the best combat record gets the big orders from the Chinese military.
FILE PHOTO: The Bryan Mound Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an oil storage facility, is seen in this aerial photograph over Freeport, Texas, U.S., April 27, 2020. REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo

By Ahmad Ghaddar

LONDON (Reuters) -Brent crude futures snapped a three-day rally on Friday in light trading before the Christmas holidays, but the benchmark ended the week higher, with the market focusing on next steps by OPEC+ and the impact of the Omicron variant.

Brent crude futures settled 71 cents lower at $76.14 a barrel at the early close of 1300 GMT, rising by about 3% on the week.

U.S. markets are closed on Friday for the Christmas holiday.

Oil prices have recovered this week as fears over the impact of the highly infectious Omicron variant on the global economy receded, with early data suggesting it causes a milder level of illness.

"The omicron-is-mild rally could well continue into January now, but reality will bite in February I believe, as the end of the Fed taper moves into sight," OANDA analyst Jeffrey Halley said.

The U.S. Federal Reserve said last week it would end its pandemic-era bond purchases in March, paving the way for three interest rate increases that most Fed policymakers now believe will be needed next year.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia, known as OPEC+, will meet on 4 January to decide whether to go ahead with a 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) production increase in February.

Russia believes oil prices are unlikely to change significantly next year with demand recovering to pre-pandemic levels only by the end of 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday.

Some investors remained cautious amid surging infection cases.

Omicron advanced across the world on Thursday, with health experts warning the battle against the COVID-19 variant was far from over despite two drugmakers saying their vaccines protected against it and despite signs it carried a lower risk of hospitalisation.

Coronavirus infections have soared wherever the variant has spread, triggering new restrictions in many countries, including Italy and Greece, and record numbers of new cases.

Global oil demand roared back in 2021 as the world began to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and overall world consumption potentially could hit a new record in 2022 - despite efforts to bring down fossil fuel consumption to mitigate climate change.

(Additional reporting by Yuka Obayashi in TOKYO. Editing by Jane Merriman, Kirsten Donovan)
ATLANTA, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This weekend, leaders from Georgia Power announced a series of historic grants from The Georgia Power Foundation to UNCF to support HBCUs across the state. Over the next five years, the Foundation will award $500,000 in grants to assist the UNCF in its mission to provide equal access to college education through a robust and nationally-recognized pipeline of under-represented students. UNCF's goal is to increase the total number of African American college graduates by focusing on activities that ensure more students are college-ready, enrolled in college and on track to graduate.

Over the past decade, Georgia Power and the Georgia Power Foundation have contributed $1.2 million in support of UNCF through initiatives focused on education, youth scholarships and STEM.

"We are grateful to the Mayor's office for continuing to present this annual event to raise funds and visibility for the important work of UNCF and, on behalf of Georgia Power, we are happy to be able to expand our support of this impactful organization," said Bentina Terry, senior vice president of Regional External Affairs and Community Engagement at Georgia Power and co-chair of this year's UNCF Mayor's Masked Ball Atlanta. "We believe that a quality education and uplifting and mentoring the next generation of Georgians through our time and resources is key to ensuring our city and our state remain a thriving place to live, work and serve."

"For nearly 80 years, UNCF has helped more than one million students earn college degrees. None of this would be possible without partners like this year's supporting sponsor, Georgia Power," said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. "They are a tremendous community ally, and I am grateful for Georgia Power's significant contribution towards the education of students enrolled in HBCUs across the state."

The new 5-year commitment follows a recent announcement by Southern Company of $10 million in grants to provide Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students with incentives to use their talents to drive economic development in the communities that surround their campuses through internships, leadership development and innovation to support career readiness. This is part of a broader $50 million multi-year initiative by Southern Company to provide scholarships, internships, leadership development, access to technology and innovation to support career readiness for students attending select HBCUs within the Southern Company system's service footprint. Of that original commitment, $40 million has been pledged to date  including a $25 million founding partnership with Apple to launch the Propel Center; a new digital learning hub; business incubator; and global innovation headquarters in Atlanta for HBCU students; $5 million to increase access to technology for HBCU students and the newest grants announced today.

Georgia Power's Social Justice Commitment Georgia Power, along with the Georgia Power Foundation, have committed to invest $87 million throughout 2021-2025 to continue advancing racial equity and social justice efforts in Georgia. This funding will support initiatives focused on education equity, criminal justice equity, economic empowerment, and energy justice. The company's investment is part of the overall commitment by Southern Company and its charitable foundations to invest a combined $225 million over five years to support these efforts. This financial commitment is a key component of Southern Company's Moving to Racial Equity framework to help guide and further define its actions and commitments around racial equity work.

About Georgia PowerGeorgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the Company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the Company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the Company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

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SOURCE Georgia Power
BEIJING, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a news report from Beijing Review: On the third floor of the Gubei Civic Center in Shanghai's Hongqiao Subdistrict, a small group of residents are discussing how to use smart technologies to make senior citizens' life more convenient.

In another hall at the center, a meeting is being held to collect opinions from the public on adding new infrastructure to one of the subdistrict's commercial streets. Residents discuss the new infrastructure that is needed, what its standard should be and how the projects should be implemented.

Such practices of democratic consultation and decision-making have become the norm in Hongqiao and other places across China.

In November 2019, President Xi Jinping visited the center, where he said, "People's democracy is a type of whole-process democracy." This was the first time the concept was publicly put forward.

China's whole-process democracy can be understood as "from the people, to the people, with the people, for the people," said Xu Wenhong, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. It covers election, decision-making, management and supervision, in order to meet people's needs and solve their real problems, Xu said.

Chinese socialist democracy takes two complementary forms: In one, the people exercise their right to vote in elections; and in the other, people undertake extensive deliberations before major decisions are made, Li Junru, former Vice President of the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said.

Upholding the citizens' status as masters of their country has been a commitment of the CPC since its founding 100 years ago. The Constitution of the People's Republic of China stipulates that all power in China belongs to the people, and they shall, in accordance with legal provisions, manage state affairs, economic and cultural undertakings and social matters. This clause determines China's democracy is innately equipped with a whole-process feature, which ventures well beyond electoral equality to enable the public to have its say in the general course of governance.

In China, the people exercise state power through the National People's Congress and local people's congresses, roughly equivalent to U.S. legislatures. Deputies at the county and township levels are directly elected; those above the county level, indirectly. The task befalls upon all deputies to communicate with their constituencies and represent them on the political stage.

China also values consultation, mainly conducted through the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which involves members from non-CPC parties and various social sectors. Matters of public concern are debated by the people's congresses, CPPCC national and local committees and other stakeholders before major decisions are finalized.

In the capital city, the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress has taken a series of initiatives in recent years to apply the concept of whole-process democracy to legislative processes.

In formulating regulations on garbage sorting and property management, deputies visited communities to hear public opinion. Topics such as fines for violations and restrictions on the use of packaging were discussed.

Deputies are not only participants in the making of laws, but also involved in the supervision of their enforcement. From July to October 2020, 13,000 deputies inspected 5,000 urban residential compounds and 3,000 villages in Beijing to check if the garbage sorting regulations were implemented to the letter.

Also, city authorities swiftly respond to people's concerns expressed through the 12345 resident service hotline and its online platform.

Residents who have dialed the hotline are asked to provide feedback on whether their problems have been solved.

Wei Jiawen is one of them. "I was invited to a seminar and given a list of questions beforehand, including what improvements can be made," she said. "I consulted relatives and friends and aired opinions on their behalf too."

By Beijing Review reporter Ji Jing

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SOURCE Beijing Review
BEIJING, Dec. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Puxin Limited (NYSE: NEW) ("Puxin" or the "Company"), a private educational services provider in China, today provided business updates following the recent regulatory developments relating to after-school tutoring services, including the Opinions on Further Alleviating the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring for Students in Compulsory Education, published in July 2021 by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council (the "Opinion") and the related implementation rules, regulations and measures promulgated by competent authorities.

In compliance with the Opinion and applicable rules, regulations and measures, the Company plans to dispose tutoring services related to academic subjects (the "K-12 Academic AST Services") at all learning centers across China (the "Disposal"). The Company is in discussion with potential buyers of the proposed disposal. The proposed transaction will be determined after negotiations between the Company and the potential buyers, subject to definitive agreements to be entered into by the relevant parties. There can be no assurance regarding the ultimate timing of the proposed transaction or that the transaction will be completed. In the third quarter of 2021, revenues from the Company's Academic AST Services accounted for approximately 59% of its total revenues.

In long-term, the Company will focus on educational services that are not related to the K-12 Academic AST Services, such as its Study Abroad Education Programs and Full Time Arts Education Programs. The Company will continue to explore potential strategic opportunities and provide updates as appropriate.

The Company will continue to seek guidance from and cooperate with government authorities in various provinces and municipalities in China in connection with its efforts to comply with the policy directives of the Opinion and any related implementation rules, regulations and measures. The Company will further adjust its business operations as required, and update its shareholders as appropriate.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "would," "expect," "anticipate," "future," "intend," "aim," "plan," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "project," "continue," "confident" and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: continued listing of the ADSs on the NYSE, compliance with NYSE rules, future developments related to the Notes, the planned discontinuation and sale of the K-12 tutoring services, the Company's goals and strategies, its ability to achieve and maintain profitability, its ability to attract and retain students to enroll in its courses, its ability to effectively manage its business transition and expansion and successfully integrate new businesses, its ability to identify or pursue targets for acquisitions, its ability to compete effectively against its competitors, its ability to improve the content of its existing courses or to develop new courses, and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the Company's corporate structure, business and industry. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

About Puxin Limited

Puxin Limited (NYSE: NEW) ("Puxin" or the "Company") is a private educational services provider in China. Puxin has a strong acquisition and integration expertise to effectively improve education quality and operational performance of acquired schools. Puxin offers quality educational services to students, and has developed online and mobile applications to enhance students' learning experience. For more information, please visit http://www.pxjy.com/.

Contacts

Puxin LimitedInvestor RelationsPhone: +86-10-6269-8930E-mail: ir@pxjy.com

ICA Investor Relations (Asia) LimitedMr. Kevin YangPhone: +86-21-8028-6033E-mail: puxin@icaasia.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/puxin-limited-provides-business-updates-301450677.html

SOURCE Puxin Limited
More than 50 Haitian migrants landed in the Florida Keys on Friday, Dec. 24, 2021, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. (Dreamstime/TNS)

MIAMI (Tribune News Service)  More than 50 Haitian migrants landed in Key Largo Friday morning, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. This marks the second time in a month that a large group of Haitians have come ashore in Florida.

The group of 52 included four children, and about 15 people in need of medical attention, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said.

They arrived about 7:15 a.m. off Card Sound Road in an old wooden sailboat with the words "Blood of Jesus" written on the side. It is unclear if the arriving migrants came directly from Haiti.

In November, a rickety wooden sailboat washed up in the Upper Florida Keys with at least 63 Haitian migrants. Some of the migrants told U.S. immigration authorities that they had traveled from Haiti and had spent over three weeks out at sea, marking the first time in more than two years that such a large group of Haitians managed to evade U.S. Coast Guard crews patrolling the Florida Straits. The group was eventually transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and taken to Broward Transitional Immigration.

The Haitian migrant landings come amid a worsening humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti, where the president was assassinated in July and a deadly earthquake struck five weeks later, killing more than 2,200 Haitians along the southern peninsula. With ongoing recovery slowed by gang violence, clashing gangs have also forced the displacement of more than 19,000 Haitians since June.

And a kidnapping surge has led to the abduction of more than 800 individuals this year, including 17 missionaries with a U.S.-based charity on Oct. 16. Last week, 12 remaining hostages were finally released after two months in captivity.

Since mid-September when thousands of Haitians showed up at the U.S. southern border with Mexico in Del Rio, Texas, the Biden administration has expelled more than 11,900 Haitians from the United States onboard 111 ICE charter flights, including three flights on Thursday.

Among a reported 368 Haitians returned to Haiti this week were 45 children, including a 9-day old infant who was born in Mexico and sent to Haiti with her 29-year-old mother. They had spent six days in detention facilities in Arizona and Texas, said Steve Forester, the immigration policy coordinator for the Institute of Justice & Democracy in Haiti.

Forester, a Haitian community and immigration activist who lives in Miami, said there are no words to describe the continued deportation of Haitians by the Biden administration, which has expelled more than 14,000 since January.

The expulsions "are obscene" and lack humanity, Forester said. "Sending human beings to such conditions  44% of them are women and children, including infants  dumping them there, it is completely against any notion of humanity," he said.

"Haitians love their country and want to stay," Forester added. "But as long as conditions of desperation exist such as they are, inevitably people are going to seek to leave. The obligation, the challenge, the task for the United States is to finally get its policy right for Haiti. Instead of supporting corrupt, democratic leaders, we need to support the robust civil society that is ready with a plan forward."

Since Oct. 1, the U.S. Coast Guard has interdicted 332 Haitians at sea. During the previous fiscal year, Oct. 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021, 1,527 Haitians were interdicted at sea.

On Friday, the U.S. Coast Guard said that it had repatriated 39 Cubans to Cuba following four interdictions due to safety of life at sea concerns off the Florida Keys.



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Hawaii Congressman Kai Kahele (Facebook)

HONOLULU (Tribune News Service)  Hawaii Congressman Kai Kahele is urging a top Navy official to publicly apologize for insulting and offensive comments  he made during a hearing this week on the Navys Red Hill fuel facility, which is believed to be the source of petroleum contamination in the Navys drinking water system.

During the hearing, in which the Navy is contesting an emergency order issued by the state Department of Health to drain the Red Hill tanks until they can be determined safe to operate, Ella Foley Gannon, an attorney for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, asked Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy James Balocki whether he thought the current situation constituted a crisis.

Balocki said it may be an urgent and compelling situation perhaps, not a crisis.

Ive been in combat, so I know what crisis looks like,  he said. This is a situation that can be remedied with the resources that have been brought to bear.

Balockis comments contrasted with Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and other top Navy officials who have repeatedly referred to the situation as a crisis.

Later in the hearing, Earthjustice attorney David Henkin, who is representing the Hawaii Sierra Club, asked Balocki whether he was aware that people have gotten sickened by this accident.

Im not,  responded Balocki.

Balockis comments came after the Hawaii Sierra Club presented tearful testimony from two women whose husbands are in the Army. One woman talked about how her 16-month-old son broke out in a rash and how her sick dog desperately searched for puddles of water to drink in the days before they found out their tap water was contaminated.

Its been nearly a month since the Navy and DOH began receiving hundreds of reports from residents in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam that their tap water smelled of fuel. Navy water users, primarily military families, have complained of nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, headaches and sick and dying pets.

Approximately, 3, 400 military families have been relocated to hotels, primarily in Waikiki, as the Navy works to flush its distribution lines to remove petroleum contamination.

DOH samples taken from the Navys Red Hill shaft earlier this month registered total petroleum hydrocarbons associated with diesel fuel that were 350 times the states environmental threshold for safety.

Kahele, in a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro on Wednesday, said he found Balockis comments, demeanor, and lack of awareness to be wholeheartedly inappropriate, further displaying a lack of candor and respect to affected servicemembers, their families, and the residents of O ahu.

He urged Balocki to issue a public apology.

I also urge the Navy to examine and address the clear inconsistencies present across the entirety of its organization regarding public messaging on this crisis,  Kahele wrote.

Balocki, a civil serv ice employee, serves as principal adviser to the secretary of the Navy and assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment. He testified that Del Toro sent him to Hawaii to assist with the response to the contamination in the Red Hill shaft and that he was on Oahu from Dec. 1 to 14.

I was intimately involved in the efforts every day,  he said.

A spokesman for the secretary of the Navy didnt immediately respond to a request seeking comment from Del Toro and Balocki.

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The ship was at Guantanamo for a regularly scheduled port visit when the outbreak occurred. The Milwaukee had been underway less than two weeks after leaving its homeport of Naval Base Mayport, Fla. on Dec. 14, according to the Navy. (Aaron Lau/Navy)

WASHINGTON  A coronavirus outbreak aboard the USS Milwaukee has delayed the littoral combat ships scheduled departure from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, service officials said Friday.

The ship was at Guantanamo for a regularly scheduled port visit when the outbreak occurred. The Milwaukee had been underway less than two weeks after leaving its homeport of Naval Base Mayport, Fla. on Dec. 14, according to the Navy.

All crew members are vaccinated against the coronavirus and those who have tested positive have been isolated aboard the ship away from other sailors, the service said in a statement Friday.

The vaccine continues to demonstrate effectiveness against serious illness, the Navy said in its statement.

The service did not say how many crew members tested positive.

The Navy has not yet determined which variant of the virus affected the sailors. After the Delta variants outbreak in August, the Omicron variant has been spreading rapidly throughout the United States this month.

The ship is following an aggressive mitigation strategy in accordance with Navy and [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines.

The ship had been conducting operations against illicit trafficking in the Caribbean Sea before stopping at Guantanamo, according to the Navy.

The Pentagon in August required all service members to receive the coronavirus vaccine. As of Wednesday, more than 98% of active-duty sailors had been vaccinated, the Navy said in a Wednesday coronavirus data update.

It is the first publicly known ship outbreak since the Navys vaccination deadline passed Nov. 28.

About 5,361 active-duty sailors remained unvaccinated as of Wednesday. Those sailors have either refused the shots, started a vaccination series but have not yet completed it, are awaiting decisions on exemption requests or have not had access to the vaccination due to operational schedule and/or remote location, according to the Wednesday update.

So far, the Navy has approved seven permanent and 140 temporary medical exemptions across the active-duty force. About 2,844 active-duty sailors have requested vaccine waivers for religious reasons, but none have been approved.

Since the pandemic began, 51,230 sailors have caught the coronavirus  17 of who died.

The first major Navy ship outbreak happened in March 2020, when the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt diverted to Naval Base Guam mid-deployment as more than 1,271 sailors  or about a fourth of its crew  contracted the virus. One sailor died from that outbreak.

The Roosevelt in February suffered another outbreak, with three sailors testing positive. The ship was operating in the Indo-Pacific at the time.

Doornbos.Caitlin@stripes.com

Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos
Ethiopian military members parade with national flags attached to their rifles at a rally organized by local authorities to show support for the Ethiopian National Defense Force, at Meskel square in downtown Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Nov. 7, 2021. (AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya  Ethiopia's government has announced that its forces will not advance deeper into the Tigray region.

Ethiopian forces have been ordered to maintain the areas they have won back from the Tigray People's Liberation Force, but not to go further into the Tigray region, the Government Communication Service head, Legesse Tulu, said Thursday.

The Ethiopian federal army and its allies have made strong advances in recent weeks, recapturing major towns and cities in the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions that Tigray fighters had seized earlier this year. The Tigray forces have been forced to retreat back to their home region.

"The first phase operation to expel the terrorist group from the areas it invaded has ended with victory. At this moment the enemy's desire and ability (to engage in war) is severely destroyed," said Legesse.

"The government will take further steps to make sure that (the Tigray forces) desire won't arise again in the future. For now, Ethiopian forces are ordered to maintain the areas it has controlled," he said.

The government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's announcement that its soldiers will not pursue the Tigray forces into their home region could be an opening that encourages a cease-fire and negotiations to resolve the conflict.

Earlier this week the leader of the Tigray forces said its fighters have been ordered to withdraw back to Tigray.

"I have ordered those units of the Tigray Army that are outside the borders of Tigray to withdraw to the borders of Tigray within immediate effect," Debretsion Gebremichael said in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Debretsion proposed an immediate cease-fire to be followed by negotiations.

He also proposed the establishment of a no-fly zone over Tigray to prevent air attacks over the region and the imposition of an international arms embargo on Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the Tigray conflict that erupted in November 2020 between Ethiopian forces and fighters from the country's Tigray region, who dominated the national government before Abiy became prime minister in 2018.

As a result of a months-long government blockade, some of Tigray's 6 million people have begun starving to death, according to aid groups. Thousands of ethnic Tigrayans have been detained or forcibly expelled in an atmosphere stoked by virulent speeches against Tigrayans by some senior Ethiopian officials. Alarmed human rights groups have warned some of the anti-Tigrayan rhetoric is hate speech.

Last month, the Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency as Tigray fighters moved closer to the capital, Addis Ababa, and carried out a number of abuses against ethnic Amhara, according to accounts by local residents. The Tigray forces say they are fighting to lift the blockade on their people.

The Ethiopian government's military appears to have been strengthened by aerial drones purchased from China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, said William Davison of the International Crisis Group.

"Tigray forces appear to be in a weakened position after giving up all the areas they controlled," he said.
Then-Gambian President Yahya Jammeh speaks at the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on September 24, 2013. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  A Gambian truth commission found former President Yahya Jammeh responsible of murder, rape and torture during his 22-year rule.

A report read out Friday by Kimbeng Tah, a ministry of justice official, listed crimes Jammeh and named associates were held responsible for. Its findings are not legally binding, with those accused still "benefiting from the presumption of innocence," Tah told reporters Friday in the capital, Banjul.

The commission, which concluded an almost three-year investigation last month, was created by Jammeh's successor, Adama Barrow, who won a second term in office after a Dec. 4 vote.

Jammeh, who now lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea, seized control of the West African nation in a 1994 coup, leading a regime accused of torture and disappearances. He also forced HIV sufferers to follow his own treatment methods. The commission found that these included sexual violence against patients.

"Our resolve is stronger today to intensify our campaign to bring Yahya Jammeh and all those who bear the greatest responsibility for crimes committed under the previous regime to justice," Sheriff Kijera, the chairman of the Victims' Centre, told Bloomberg after the report's release.

___

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A zip-top bag covers Jamie Williamss kitchen faucet at her Aliamanu Military Reservation home in Honolulu. (Marie Eriel Hobro/Washington Post)

Yemery Moroyoquis hair began falling out in June.

In August, Jamie Williams started a period that didnt stop for months, baffling her doctor.

For Alicia Contreras, it was October when she discovered the rash on one of her newborn twins.

As U.S. military officials have scrambled to address a public health crisis stemming from the discovery of jet fuel in the tap water supply at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, multiple residents there have come forward with claims of unexplained illness predating the Navys notification late last month that thousands of households had been exposed to dangerous amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons.

In interviews with The Washington Post, members of 10 military families said they are increasingly suspicious  and afraid  their ailments were caused by more extensive contamination than the Navy has disclosed. Many shared physicians notes, emails and visual records documenting symptoms that, in some cases, date back to late spring.

I firmly believe this is a way bigger problem than the military has acknowledged, said Kate Needham, co-founder of Armed Forces Housing Advocates. Her nonprofit support group has made contact with about 700 of the more than 8,000 affected families, she said, with dozens detailing accounts of serious illness spanning at least six months to a year.

Definitely, definitely much longer-term than theyre either going to admit or they understand at this point, Needham said of Navy officials whose response to the ongoing emergency became the subject of a Defense Department Inspector General investigation this week.

More than 90,000 people living on and near the base use the Navys water system.

The militarys account of whats happened has evolved as more information surfaces about the Navys management of a troubled World War II-era fuel-storage facility built underground barely 100 feet above an aquifer. Senior officials told state legislators in Hawaii earlier this month that they traced the contamination to a Nov. 20 leak of 14,000 gallons of jet fuel from the Red Hill storage area. Families began complaining of noxious odors in their tap water eight days later.

This week, another top Navy official said he had a working theory that a fuel release in early May, much bigger than the Navy first disclosed, may have eventually migrated into the peoples drinking water, causing the November contamination.

Nearly 3,500 military families stationed at the base have been forced from their homes and into hotels. Many have blasted the Navy for what they said was a lack of urgency to disclose warning signs, pointing to delays between elevated test samples and required reporting to the Hawaii State Department of Health. They also criticized the Navy for taking days to announce it halted operations at Red Hill.

The health department says that from June to September, fuel had been detected in the nearby Red Hill water shaft on multiple occasions, with two tests in August exceeding what the state health agency calls its environmental action levels. The levels are designed to bring closer scrutiny and trigger an emergency response if necessary, but the Navys results were not relayed to the state for months, said Fenix Grange, a state environmental health official, during a virtual hearing Monday to discuss the Hawaii governors emergency order to empty the fuel the tanks and make repairs.

This is an early warning sign of something going on. And yet the [health] department was not aware of it, which is a concern, Grange said.

An oil and gas expert consulting for the state, David Norfleet, later predicted, Its not just possible there will be future fuel leaks, it is imminent.

Chris Waldron, an environmental engineer for the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, disputed there were disclosure delays, saying in an interview Tuesday that the military uses the same testing center in California that the state uses and that Navy officials notified the health department about the August samples in late September. The results can take two weeks or more to get back, he said.

Capt. Michael McGinnis, the surgeon for U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in an interview that he has heard families express fear about their maladies predating the November spill. Im certainly concerned about potential correlation to the water, he said of the 10 families interviewed by The Post. But McGinnis stopped short of endorsing their claims, saying that with such a small sample, it was challenging to make conclusions before more is known about past contaminations and noting that the militarys health-record systems did not record a rise in associated symptoms before November.

Families told The Post that in some cases they sought treatment from civilian health care providers  or not at all, if they believed routine stress was making them or their loved ones sick. The military has created a registry to record peoples health concerns, McGinnis said, but it is currently set up to document exposure only from Nov. 28 and forward. He said it could be revised if officials determine exposure may have started sooner.

Right now, McGinnis said, were really focused on what we understand to be the beginning of this event, which is the 28th.

A history of leaks

The Red Hill storage facility comprises 20 underground steel fuel tanks encased in concrete, each about 20 stories tall, with a total capacity of about 250 million gallons. It was engineered in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and in recent years has become the subject of intensifying scrutiny from state officials and environmentalists who closely monitor nearby groundwater and the lines feeding peoples homes.

Critics of the militarys response have homed in a May 6 pipeline rupture at Red Hill. The Navy said initially it released 1,600 gallons of fuel into an access tunnel. But during Mondays hearing, an attorney representing a local water agency described previously undisclosed Navy documents revealing that one of the fuel tanks emptied as much as 473 barrels  roughly 19,000 gallons  in less than a minute.

I and others have a working theory, thats still under investigation, that fuel, at least some of that, was released into tunnels that led to the fire suppression line, which eventually triggered the November incident, said Capt. James Meyer, commanding officer of Naval Facilities Hawaii. The Navy has claimed that water was not contaminated before late-November, but state health agency documents show an increase in petroleum detections in groundwater underneath the tanks and significant increases in the Red Hill water shaft in July in August.

Waldron, the Navy engineer, said he has not seen evidence linking that event, or any other leak, to symptoms described prior to November.

The militarys response has been vexing, critics say. Often, they contend, senior Defense Department officials strike a conciliatory tone in public, as theyve done in recent weeks, while mounting a robust effort behind the scenes to evade accountability.

In October, for instance, Hawaii fined the Navy $325,000 for environmental violations stemming from inspection violations a year prior, including discovery that the military failed to perform its required safety tests on the fuel tanks, according to the state health department. The Navy contested some of the findings and has not paid the fine, pending an alternative resolution, said Lydia Robertson, a Navy spokesperson.

In response to the public health threat facing Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) ordered the military to empty Red Hills tanks and make immediate repairs. Military officials instead declared an operational pause. The Navy on Monday said it has set up a system to flush tap water lines and force out contaminants.

The Hawaii delegation to Congress, long concerned about the problems at Red Hill, wrote to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Nov. 1, before the most recent leak, questioning the seriousness with which the Navy takes its responsibility to communicate clearly with the public about matters concerning health and safety.

They were not transparent enough before, Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who chairs the Senate Armed Services subcommittee overseeing maritime forces, said in an interview. Going forward, she said, it would be up to state health officials - not the military - to determine when the water was clean enough for those families living in hotels for the past month to return home.

The military must find a more durable solution to make sure that the Red Hill tanks and the pipes that are connected to these tanks - or any of the Red Hill systems - do not contaminate the water in any way, shape or form, she said.

This is why Ive been asking: What is the long-term role, if any, of Red Hill going forward? Hirono said. Ive been asking the military in the years theyve come before my committee, long before this happened . . . all of this comes to a head when people actually start to smell and taste this stuff in their water.

Ten days after the leak, Del Toro told Hawaiis representatives in Congress that he is fully committed to ensuring the safe operation of Red Hill and related systems, insisting in a handwritten response that the Navy does prioritize timely and accurate reporting, to them and to regulators.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said the Pentagon would solve the problem safely, expeditiously and transparently.

Unexplained illness

The Army, Navy and Coast Guard families who spoke with The Post shared their physicians contemporaneous notes and, in some cases, private photographs documenting the sudden onset of symptoms  mostly consistent with petroleum exposure, according to federal and state health officials  and corresponding requests for treatment. The materials date to July.

Stephanie Monroe, an Army spouse, said her 10-year-old daughters hands started cracking and peeling in late spring. Their doctor suspected eczema, but none of the creams she was prescribed seemed to help. Monroe tried forbidding her daughter from climbing trees, for fear it was a reaction to sap. The condition cleared up when the girl went to sleep-away camp for a week in July, but it returned with a vengeance as soon as she came home, Monroe said.

There were days when it was so painful for her she couldnt even write, she said.

Nastasia Freeman, a Navy spouse, watched her two sons struggle with stomach pain that she initially blamed on stress arising from their recent move to Hawaii from Florida. But the condition worsened, and by October her oldest, age 11, was to sent to the hospital. The doctor, she said, was stumped, but prescribed medication to help flush the boys system while advising, keep him hydrated; he needs more water than normal.

Moroyoqui, the Army spouse who said her hair started falling out in June, also struggled with headaches, forgetfulness and skin breakouts. She spent thousands of dollars on hair treatments, facials and other products, she said, upsetting her so greatly she was given a prescription for anti-depression medication, she said, adding that the symptoms began to subside soon after her family left base housing for a hotel.

I felt like I was going crazy. I didnt feel like me, she said. It was horrible.

Williams, a Coast Guard spouse, said she started her period in the middle of a birth-control cycle in August. It didnt stop for over three months, according to notes her doctor took during a Nov. 5 visit, which she shared with The Post. She approached other women in her neighborhood, finding three who reported similar problems also starting around the same time, she said. Other, more acute symptoms, like a fractured memory and fatigue that began in the summer, cleared up when I stopped drinking the water, she said.

Contreras said she also experienced extreme fatigue and mental fog over the summer while pregnant with her twins. She was hospitalized twice for pregnancy complications, and her babies were born prematurely in August. After a healthy first few weeks in the hospital, she brought them home  but they began to vomit routinely, and one developed a rash while the others skin turned gray, she said.

The military has acknowledged a connection between petroleum exposure and some, but not all, of the symptoms described by those in Pearl Harbor who believe there is a link between their illnesses and fuel leaks before the Nov. 20 incident. A fact sheet distributed to families Dec. 5 cites conditions like skin irritation, nausea and confusion. Hair loss and menstrual abnormalities were not on that list. A study of women in the Air Force, assessing data from 2001 and 2002, determined that handling jet fuel did not have significantly higher odds of such disorders, according to a federal profile on jet fuels, though it did not account for ingestion or exposure over time.

Most symptoms of petroleum exposure are acute, and there is little to no information known about the long-term health impacts of exposure, the Hawaii health department says.

Chelsey Simoni, a registered nurse and former aviation medic whose nonprofit, HunterSeven, researches toxic exposure in the military, said it would be rare that the chronic issues described by those in Pearl Harbor would result from short-term exposure unless its a heavy amount. She also warned that for young children especially, ingesting petroleum can damage the central nervous system over time, affecting parts of the brain that control functions such as hearing.

In terms of growth and development, this is a known correlation, Simoni said.

Many of the chemicals associated with petroleum can produce long-term health problems, even for those without immediate symptoms, said Lynn Goldman, dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University and an environmental health expert.

The situation presents the military with a serious dilemma, she said. Red Hill is the linchpin fuel facility for military operations in the Pacific, where the Pentagon has turned its focus to counter China. But defense officials also have a responsibility to protect the drinking water supply  an imperative made more complicated by the inherent risks that underground tanks pose, Goldman said.

They eventually fail, she said. All of them.
Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye leaves the prosecutors office on March 22, 2017 in Seoul. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Friday, Dec. 24, 2021, that Park would be pardoned and released from prison on Dec. 31. (Lee Young-ho/Xinhua/Sipa USA/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  South Korea will pardon convicted former President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted from office after massive protests over a far-reaching influence-peddling scandal and sentenced to 22 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power, the government announced Friday.

President Moon Jae-in, who was elected after Parks impeachment in 2017, said the pardon was being issued to stop fighting buried in the past and to shore up national unity in the face of challenges ahead. He said Parks deteriorating health from nearly five years in prison was taken into consideration. She will be released Dec. 31.

Park, 69, has been an abiding icon for conservative opposition protesters who contend that her ouster and imprisonment were politically motivated, despite her conviction being upheld by the nations highest court. She is the daughter of the late dictator Park Chung-hee, a controversial military strongman who ruled South Korea for nearly two decades.

She has been hospitalized since late last month, suffering from shoulder pain, spinal disk issues and mental health problems, according to her representatives. She has been behind bars for four years and nine months.

Parks impeachment, which marked the first time a South Korean president was legally removed from office, came after months of large-scale peaceful protests in 2016 and 2017 in which more than a million citizens filled the streets holding candles and demanding her removal, at times in frigid temperatures.

The wide-ranging scandal revealed that Park and a close confidant received millions in bribes from some of the nations wealthiest conglomerates, including Samsung, in exchange for favorable government decisions. The candlelight movement, as the protests came to be known, marked a watershed moment for the countrys still-young democracy.

Samsungs third-generation scion Lee Jae-yong was also convicted of bribery and other charges for payments steered to foundations controlled by Parks confidant, Choi Soon-sil, in exchange for government decisions that would help smooth his succession as de facto head of the storied conglomerate.

Moon and his political allies had previously dismissed the possibility of a pardon, citing national sentiment and Parks apparent lack of remorse. Despite issuing apologies while she was still in office, she has struck a defiant tone during her incarceration.

This month, a collection of her letters to supporters is scheduled to be published, including allegations that others had unloaded their baggage onto me.

Falsehood may briefly block peoples eyes and cover their ears and deceive the world, but in time, truth will reveal itself, she wrote, according to excerpts quoted in the local media.

An attorney for Park on Friday told reporters gathered at her hospital that she apologized for causing the people worry, and that she would focus on improving her health.

Park is one of 3,094 people being pardoned in time for the new year. Not on that list is Lee Myung-bak, who preceded Park as president, was convicted of bribery and embezzlement in a separate case and is serving a 17-year sentence.

Two other former presidents, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, had previously been convicted and jailed, then later pardoned. Chun and Roh, military rulers who both died this year, were convicted in 1995 of mutiny and corruption but were pardoned in 1997, serving just two years in prison.

Parks pardon is likely to reverberate in South Korean politics ahead of Marchs presidential election.

Opposition candidate Yoon Seok-youl, a former prosecutor who played a major role in investigating Parks corruption case, previously said he would pursue pardons for both Park and Lee if he were elected. Lee Jae-myung, a former provincial governor running for Moons ruling party, has said he was against a pardon.

A November poll by Gallup Korea found the country split over the idea, with 48% opposing a pardon and 44% supporting it. The survey showed a clear generational divide, with people under 40 overwhelmingly against Parks release and their elders, many of whom tend to favorably remember the economic development under Parks father, saying she should be pardoned.

Moon, in his campaign to succeed Park, had pledged to limit pardons for those convicted of corruption and embezzlement, in an effort to set himself apart from previous presidents. Many before him had issued pardons for politicians, elected officials or the heads of powerful conglomerates known as chaebol, at times claiming it was for the sake of the countrys economy.

The pardons announced Friday also included one for former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, a previous political ally of Moons, who served a two-year term for receipt of illicit campaign funds until her release in 2017.

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The State Historical Museum and the Kremlin Tower are seen on Red Square in Moscow on Dec. 8, 2021. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg)

MOSCOW  A Moscow court on Friday slapped Google with a nearly $100 million fine and also fined Facebook's parent company Meta $27 million over their failure to delete content banned by local law, as Russia seeks to step up pressure on technology giants.

The Tagansky District Court ruled that Google repeatedly neglected to remove the banned content, and ordered the company to pay an administrative fine of about 7.2 billion rubles (about $98.4 million).

Google said it would study the court documents before deciding on its next steps.

Later Friday, the court also slapped a fine of nearly 2 billion rubles ($27.2 million) on Meta for failure to remove banned content.

Russian courts had previously imposed smaller fines on Google, Facebook and Twitter this year, and Friday's rulings marked the first time the size of the fine was calculated based on revenue.

Russian state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said Google and Meta were specifically accused of violating the ban on distributing content that promotes extremist ideology, insults religious beliefs and encourages dangerous behavior by minors, among other things.

The agency said that Facebook and Instagram have failed to remove 2,000 items despite the courts' requests to do so, while Google has failed to delete 2,600 such items.

It warned that they may face more revenue-based fines for failure to delete the banned content.

Russian authorities have steadily ramped up pressure on social media platforms, accusing them of failing to purge content related to drug abuse, weapons and explosives and extremist views.

Earlier this year, authorities criticized tech companies for not deleting announcements about unsanctioned protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Russian authorities also have demanded that foreign tech giants store the personal data of Russian citizens on servers in Russia, threatening them with fines or possible bans if they fail to comply.

Alexander Khinshtein, head of the committee on information policies in the lower house of Russian parliament, said the massive fine should send a clear message to all IT giants.

He added that Russian law envisages other forms of punishment for failure to comply with court orders, including slowing down traffic and complete blocking.
Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver speaks from a San Diego high rise on Aug. 27, 2021, about the work his organization is doing to assist Afghans safely leave Afghanistan. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

SAN DIEGO (Tribune News Service)  Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver sipped a sugar-free Red Bull, while working his laptop and talking on his phone from a window table at the University Club atop Symphony Towers downtown Tuesday. He was doing what he's done almost every day since August  helping coordinate the evacuation of someone from Afghanistan.

VanDiver, 38, heads #AfghanEvac, a group of veterans, service members and government officials that organized to help get Afghans who had helped the U.S. during the 20-year occupation out of the country upon the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August.

Four months later, those efforts continue. VanDiver met with the Union-Tribune just a few hours before he was scheduled to fly to Washington, D.C., for a ninth meeting with officials from the Biden administration. VanDiver was cautious with aspects of the effort  such as the subject of his morning phone call  and jumped on and off the record during the interview to protect those still in Afghanistan. While many are not in immediate danger, he said, others are targets for the Taliban.

"There are definitly folks, like the Afghan Special Forces, who were trained by us, who went through the (U.S. Army Special Forces) course ... those folks don't have a path here right now," VanDiver said. "Those are some of the folks we're actively trying to get here right now and I think we'll have some success, (but) those people are being killed."

Challenging new chapter

The fall of Kabul in August might have come as a surprised to many but veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been outspoken about the need to expand the U.S. Special Immigrant Visa program to accommodate the thousands of Afhans that worked for the U.S. during the occupation. After the U.S. military took control of the airport in Kabul, horrific images of desperate Afghans trying to escape on military aircraft served as a wake-up call to just how desperate the situation in the city was.

That's when VanDiver, founder of the San Diego chapter of the Truman National Security Project, started to organize with other members of the national organization to help identify those in Afghanistan who needed out, get the necessary paperwork approved and coordinate with people on the ground in Kabul to see it through.

However, once the last U.S. aircraft left the Kabul airport Aug. 30, another, more challenging chapter in the effort began.

The U.S. military had evacuated more than 120,000 people out of the country. But thousands more were left behind.

Many volunteers on the evacuation effort had to get back to their lives, jobs and families. VanDiver took a leave from his job at a San Diego consultancy firm to continue to work on evacuations.

The challenge, he said, is two-fold. First, there's a logistics challenge related to getting enough flights out of the Kabul Airport. VanDiver expects the airport to return to normal operations in January. The second problem, and more difficult to solve, is U.S. immigration policy, which affects who is eligible to come.

"This is a systemic challenge that we've created over the 20 years that we've been in Afghanistan, from first implementing a cap on the number of (special immigrant visas, or SIVs) that can be granted to not having the infrastructure in place for the resettlement agencies and a State Department to handle this," VanDiver said.

VanDiver and #AfghanEvac's efforts to push the Biden Administration to act are bearing fruit. On Dec. 18, the White House announced it appointed a Special Advisor for Afghan Resettlement  something VanDiver's group had asked for in an open letter Dec. 3. The appointment is key, VanDiver said, because the advisor will have tasking authority over multiple agencies, which will help planning over what will be a multi-year resettlement effort.

"We feel really good that we are being taken seriously," VanDiver said.

But there's only so much that can be done by the administration, he said. A legislative fix is also needed. Evacuate Our Allies, another organization partnered with #AfghanEvac, is supporting an Afghan Adjustment Act to allow Afghans on humanitarian parole to gain permanent status in the U.S.

Apart from the bill, VanDiver said, the cap on SIVs also should be increased, something that also would require Congress action.

"Here is the challenge," he said. "The president, I think, could do more and they're taking our asks very seriously ... but a lot of these fixes are legislative."

1,100 resettled in San Diego

The Union-Tribune previously reported on how San Diego's congressional representatives have been working behind the scenes to facilitate evacuations from Afghanistan, but local government agencies have also stepped up. VanDiver said people from the city, county and state government offices have been involved.

In October, the county established the Afghan Resettlement Task Force to help coordinate between local governments, schools and non-profit groups.

According to the county, more than 1,100 people have resettled in San Diego County from Afghanistan since August.

VanDiver said he hopes #AfghanEvac will be able to step back and hand its work off to official government agencies early next year. As operations at the airport normalize, he said, and the State department fills in the gaps, he expects the frequency of flights out of the country to increase.

There's still the issue of increasing the number of what he calls "lilly pads"  places, such as Doha, Qatar, that serve as first stops for evacuation flights  that needs to be solved. His organization's next push is to see the U.S. appoint a foreign service officer as ambassador to Qatar.

On Wednesday, as VanDiver was boarding a plane back to San Diego from Washington, D.C., the Treasury department announced it was issuing three general licenses to facilitate more humanitarian aide to Afghanistan  another one of #AfghanEvac's open-letter requests.

As the fall of Kabul falls from the front pages and cable news talk shows, VanDiver said, veterans remain united and motivated to see those who helped the U.S. during the war given every opportunity to get out of Afghanistan safely. He said decision-makers in Washington should remember that.

"This one issue  how we treat people we served with overseas, whether it's Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere else  is the singular issue that unites veterans no matter their political ideology or their religious ideology," VanDiver said. "You won't find space between us on this, and they should ignore us at their peril."

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2021 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Visit sandiegouniontribune.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
U.S. Army helicopters are parked in the port of Alexandroupoli, Greece, on Dec. 3, 2021. (Sakis Mitroldis/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service)  The defense authorization measure that the Senate cleared last week would end, starting in fiscal 2023, a requirement for the Pentagon to file certain public reports about more than $2 trillion worth of major weapons.

It's a unique class of documents that experts say has improved oversight of such spending for more than half a century. The fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act had required that the documents, called Selected Acquisition Reports, be terminated after fiscal 2021. The new fiscal 2022 NDAA retains the termination mandate but extends the deadline by two years.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is working on a replacement reporting system that would make the information available in a database in real time instead of in quarterly or annual reports. But the new system is not yet ready, and its proposed elements are not clear to the congressional Armed Services committees, whose new NDAA requires reports from the Pentagon about the forthcoming system.

The SARs, as the reports are called, provide information on the degree to which the Pentagon's most expensive weapons programs are meeting cost, schedule and technical performance objectives.

Because the current reports, which date back to 1968, have been invaluable to congressional aides, defense experts, auditors and reporters, many support continuing them as is. Virtually everyone agrees, however, that if they are to be replaced, it must be by a system that is as good or better at keeping track of how officials are doing at meeting commitments to deliver hundreds of billions of dollars worth of weapons on time and on budget.

The SARs regularly reveal problems in weapons programs that Defense Department officials had not previously volunteered to divulge. In recent years, the documents showed growth in costs for programs such as the F-22 and F-35 fighter jets, the Airborne Laser antimissile program and the Navy's Littoral Combat Ships, among many others.

The SARs represent "the best information available to the public about the real costs of our weapons systems and are the only basis for independent assessments of cost growth across the Defense Department's portfolio," said Mandy Smithberger, a defense analyst at the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog group, which favors retaining the SARs.

The fiscal 2020 NDAA simply repealed the SARs, effective in fiscal 2021, whether a replacement is ready or not. The new NDAA just extends that deadline.

President Joe Biden is expected to sign the fiscal 2022 NDAA into law in the coming days.

Earlier this month, when House and Senate Armed Services panel members finished writing that bill behind closed doors, they did not include a provision from Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., that was in the House's version that struck the fiscal 2020 abolition of the SARs  restoring the requirement for the reports.

Transparency issue

While the SARs have been valuable to policymakers in Congress and inside the Pentagon, many of them now want to replace the longstanding reports.

The Pentagon's recently rewritten acquisition rules provide for different degrees of oversight for different kinds of programs, and so department officials want reporting on program performance to also be more varied and tailorable.

What's more, many policymakers would like the reports to be available in real time instead of only periodically, which now makes the SARs lagging indicators of program status, supporters of the change say. And incorporating the information in a new database could enable new forms of analytics, they say.

The goal of changing the system is to enhance it "to ensure transparency," a Senate Armed Services Committee aide said.

The Pentagon has different acquisition "pathways" now, with reduced requirements for some programs to report their cost and schedule information inside the department. The objective of the new approach is to streamline bureaucracy in cases where weapons need to be fielded faster.

But the more tailored reporting process that the Pentagon is developing is far from complete, said Shelby Oakley, director of contracting and national security acquisitions at the Government Accountability Office, in April testimony before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee.

The Senate Armed Services Committee report accompanying its version of the NDAA, which never passed the Senate because of an unrelated dispute over amendments, reveals that senators back the new system but do not want to jettison the current one without knowing the replacement is fully operational.

"However, until these efforts are fully developed and implemented, the committee believes the requirement for Selected Acquisition Reports should be maintained to ensure the Congress continues to receive critical information about the cost, schedule, performance, and other challenges of the Department of Defense's largest acquisition programs," the Senate panel's report said.

Paperwork reduction push

The Pentagon told Congress this summer it is not providing SARs this year and justified it on the grounds that, because the fiscal 2022 budget request did not include projections for future spending, the reports could not be complete.

The SARs have been targeted for years by those in Washington who believe the Pentagon is required to complete too many reports for Congress. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, for example, tried to do away with the SAR reports in 2004.

In a letter to Armed Services leaders back then, Danielle Brian, POGO's executive director, warned of the dire consequences of doing away with the reports.

"Their elimination would deal a serious blow against open government," Brian wrote. "For instance, the latest round of SARs revealed a disturbing story of out-of-control weapons systems unit cost escalation for programs ranging from the F/A-22 tactical fighter to the Comanche helicopter. This important information could have been kept out of the public debate were it not for the SARs."

The GAO's Oakley warned the Senate subcommittee in April that much depends on the development of new ways to track weapon program performance.

"Not making meaningful changes to focus oversight on the most important aspects of program performance could have reverberating effects for decades to come if critical programs continue to deliver disappointing results," Oakley said.

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2021 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Visit cqrollcall.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden speak with the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center on Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and families calling into the NORAD system via teleconference in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Biden, first lady visit hospitalized kids on Christmas Eve

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden brought some Christmas Eve cheer to hospitalized children who aren't well enough to go home for the holidays.

It's longstanding tradition for first ladies to visit Children's National Hospital at Christmastime, but Joe Biden's visit on Friday was a surprise. It marked the first time that a sitting president had joined the fun, the White House said.

It wasn't the only tradition that the president joined in on Friday. Jill Biden answered calls to the the North American Aerospace Defense Command's Santa tracking service, another longstanding tradition for first ladies, and she was joined by Biden for the calls.

At the hospital, the Bidens spoke with a group of children making lanterns as part of a winter craft project, asking each one what they drew on their lanterns. Some drew family, snowmen or other holiday-themed art.

They both spoke to a child who said the hospital "helped him when he was down."

"Well we hope we're bringing you some joy today," Jill Biden responded.

The president added, "You're bringing us some joy, pal."

Biden also pulled out his phone to show the kids photos of his new dog, Commander, a nearly four-month-old German Shepherd puppy. The dog joined the family this week and was seen playing with a handler on the South Lawn of the White House complex earlier Friday before the Bidens left for their visit to the hospital.

"His name is Commander!" Jill Biden told the kids. "And this morning he was eating my slippers!"

The president and first lady then sat before the hospital's Christmas tree, where Jill Biden read "Olaf's Night Before Christmas" to the kids, which was broadcast to hundreds of children in their rooms at the hospital.

The Walt Disney Co. provided copies of the book for each patient so they can follow along with the first lady, the White House said. Each book includes a White House bookmark designed by her office.

The annual tradition of a hospital visit by the first lady dates to Bess Truman, who served in the role from 1945-1953.

Before returning to the White House, the two stopped briefly at a Jill Biden-themed Christmas tree set up on the street in D.C.'s Dupont Circle neighborhood by a local business owner. The president hung the 2021 White House Christmas ornament on one of the branches, nestled between large cutouts of Jill's face dotting the tree.

Back at the White House, the two capped off their Christmas Eve festivities by answering calls for NORAD, as they watched Santa soar over the United Arab Emirates on the Santa tracker screens. They took three largely pleasant phone calls from kids and parents, though one father capped off an otherwise polite conversation with the president by wishing him a happy holidays and adding, "Let's go Brandon!" before hanging up. The phrase has become widely used by conservatives as a stand-in for a more vulgar epithet against the president.

Biden didn't seem to catch the caller's intent, however  he responded, "Let's go Brandon, I agree" as the call came to an end. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Biden's response.

AP writer Darlene Superville contributed reporting.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an interview in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Complex on Dec. 17, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

The coronavirus is sweeping through official Washington, with staffers for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris recently testing positive for the virus as a growing number of federal officials continue to disclose their own "breakthrough" cases.

Harris, who flew to Los Angeles on Wednesday night for a week of vacation, came in close contact on Tuesday with a staffer who tested positive for the coronavirus the next morning.

The vice president, who has been vaccinated and received a booster shot, tested negative twice on Wednesday and will be retested on Friday.

Symone Sanders, Harris' senior advisor and chief spokesperson, said in a statement Wednesday that the staffer, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, had tested negative on Tuesday, Monday and every day last week.

"As [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance does not require fully vaccinated people to quarantine after an exposure, the vice president will continue with her daily schedule," Sanders said in her statement on Wednesday. She added that Harris and her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, would remain in L.A. through New Year's.

Another spokeswoman for Harris declined to discuss how the potential coronavirus exposure might affect her time in Southern California.

Biden, 79, has also had close contact in recent days with a staffer who had tested positive. The half-hour of close contact occurred aboard Air Force One last Friday, the day Biden delivered a commencement address in South Carolina and then flew to Wilmington, Del., for the weekend.

House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), the No. 3 Democratic leader, was with Biden in South Carolina, where the president addressed the graduating class at South Carolina State University.

Clyburn, 81, who is fully vaccinated and received his booster shot in September, tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday night.

He said he is asymptomatic, but received an inconclusive at-home test on Sunday ahead of his granddaughter's wedding, which he will forgo.

More than a half-dozen other members of Congress have said they've tested positive for the coronavirus this week, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland). All said they were fully vaccinated, and most had gotten boosters.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said Thursday morning that after weeks of regular testing, "last night I got bad news  I tested positive."

Coons said he had minimal symptoms and is optimistic he'll recover after isolating and adhering to CDC guidelines. "Like millions of other families," he added, "it seems we'll also be wrestling with another holiday spent on Zoom and canceled plans for travel or gathering."

The CDC said this week that the Omicron strain of the coronavirus is more virulent than previous variants, with the health agency warning that the new variant can spread to others even if they're vaccinated or have no symptoms.

The CDC also said that "the recent emergence of Omicron further emphasizes the importance of vaccination and booster," noting that despite the likelihood of breakthrough cases, vaccines should protect against severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths.

"COVID-19 breakthrough cases are going to become ubiquitous with the Omicron variant," said Amesh A. Adalja, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "No one is going to escape infection in the long run. However, if you are somebody who is fully vaccinated, these cases are going to be mild and may not even prompt you to call your doctor. This is a good thing and not something to panic about because the vaccines are protecting us against what matters: severe disease, hospitalization and death."

In a speech Tuesday, Biden cautioned that the Omicron variant is "serious and potentially deadly business for unvaccinated people." His administration also announced it was deploying 1,000 troops to hospitals, setting up additional vaccination sites and buying 500 million at-home rapid tests that will be available to Americans for free beginning next month.

___

2021 Los Angeles Times.

Visit latimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Edward McDaniel Jr., 55, an Army doctor, and Brenda McDaniel, 63, a retired Army colonel and nurse, were shot and killed Wednesday in the front yard of their home in Springfield, Va., according to police. (Facebook)

Edward McDaniel Jr., an Army colonel and doctor who treated generals, and his wife, Brenda, a retired Army colonel and a nurse who had served in the White House, had just returned home from walking their dogs on a spring day when a man approached them in their driveway.

The man pulled out a handgun and shot each in the head, leaving the couple to die in front of their upscale Springfield, Va., home in May, according to a witness. The reason behind the high-profile slaying in broad daylight had largely remained a mystery for six months.

But at a preliminary hearing in Fairfax County General District Court in early December, an acquaintance of the alleged gunman, Ronnie Marshall, testified the pair had gone to the McDaniels' home not to target the accomplished couple, but to confront their son.

D'Angelo Strand told a judge Marshall was seeking Mike McDaniel because the son was part of a group that allegedly jumped and robbed Marshall, an accusation Mike McDaniel denies. Strand, Marshall and Mike McDaniel all worked together at a FedEx warehouse in Lorton, Va.

A judge found probable cause to forward Marshall's case to a grand jury following the hearing on Dec. 6. Marshall, 20, is facing two counts of second-degree murder and firearms violations.

Michael C. Sprano, Marshall's attorney, declined to comment on the case but pointed out in court that Strand's account of the shooting had shifted over time in interviews with detectives.

Strand, 19, was facing the same charges as Marshall, but after he testified against his co-defendant, Fairfax County prosecutors amended Strand's charges to a single count of accessory after a homicide. He is expected to plead guilty to the charge in January. His attorney declined to comment.

Fairfax County prosecutors have yet to offer details about the case in court, but a former attorney for Marshall explained their theory of the case in a filing earlier this year. Fairfax County prosecutors declined to comment on that account.

The events that led to the killing began two days earlier on May 24.

The former attorney for Marshall wrote in the filing that prosecutors maintain his client was at the McDaniels' home on that date.

The filing claims that prosecutors assert Mike McDaniel and two other people jumped Marshall, took money from him and had the police called on him. Fairfax County police had previously said they were called to the McDaniels' home on May 24 for the report of a burglary.

Brian Drummond, an attorney for the McDaniel family, wrote in an email that Mike McDaniel denies assaulting and robbing Marshall and noted he has not been charged with any crime. Drummond declined to comment on other aspects of the case and said the family may issue a statement after the legal proceedings conclude.

The day after the alleged assault, word began to spread at the FedEx warehouse where Marshall, Strand and Mike McDaniel worked about what had happened, according to the filing of Marshall's former attorney. The filing claims prosecutors believe those discussions left Marshall angry and embarrassed.

On the morning of the killing, Mike McDaniel was on a FaceTime call with one of the people who allegedly helped jump Marshall when he told the person that Marshall was outside with a gun and he needed to call police, according to the filing by Marshall's former attorney.

Soon after, the confrontation between Marshall and the McDaniels began. Marshall asked the couple where their son was and whether he would get his property back, Strand testified. The couple appeared to recognize Marshall and called him by his first name. Strand told a judge Marshall pulled out a gun and shot and killed both. The shooting occurred about 9:20 a.m., police said.

As Marshall and the acquaintance sped from the scene, Marshall said he had to open fire because "they knew his name," Strand testified.

A witness was able to see the license plate of the car Strand and Marshall fled in, according to a search warrant. The vehicle was registered to Strand.

A Fairfax County police officer found the McDaniels minutes after they were shot, lying on the driveway and in a drainage ditch in front of their large brick home. Both had been shot in the head and showed no signs of life.

Authorities began a manhunt for the McDaniels' killers.

The next day, Strand arrived at work and told management he wanted to turn himself in, according to a search warrant. Marshall was arrested later in the day after U.S. Marshals spotted him in Fairfax County.

Felice McDaniel, Edward's mother, had said previously her son had served two stints overseas in Iraq and was scheduled to retire from the Army in the months after he was killed, but he was still planning to work as a doctor.

She said he wanted to be a doctor after a watching a friend from high school suffer with mental illness.

"They loved their country. They loved their service. They loved the people who were their patients," Felice McDaniel said of her son and daughter-in-law.

Lennie Enzel, a retired colonel with the Army Nurse Corps and Brenda McDaniel's superior when she was assigned to William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, wrote in a Facebook message to The Washington Post that Brenda was an impressive colleague. Brenda McDaniel was selected to the prestigious post of White House nurse during the Clinton administration.

"She was one of the brightest, kindest, most professional Army Nurses with whom I ever had the honor to serve as evidenced by her tour as a White House Nurse," Enzel wrote.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis struggled to make sense of the killings at a news conference soon after the shootings.

"We've lost two brave, dedicated, lifelong servants to our community ... and for what?" Davis said. "That's what's got us shaking our heads."
Wow.what a year we have all endured, says Western Bay of Plenty Neighbourhood Support manager Bruce Banks. Your Neighbourhood Support team would like to wish you all a very safe and happy festive season. With the change in the traffic light system, it is only natural that the roads will be very busy as people head off to spend time with family and friends. Please plan your trip, and allow extra time for your journey. Better to arrive late than not at all. Christmas is not just a time for receiving gifts, but also a time to be thankful for what we already have, and to reflect on the last couple of years that have been tough on all of us, says Bruce. "Many people, and we all know some of these, have had it particularly tough, and still struggling to cope mentally, physically and financially. "You might have friends, family or neighbours that fall into this category so please take a few moments to consider those that are worse off than yourself. It might just be a card in their letterbox, or inviting them for a drink, or a bite to eat. A small gesture of kindness might just cheer up a neighbour who is elderly, alone, or isolated from family and friends. "During 2021, we as a community have shown just how resilient we all are, and hopefully we have a brighter 2022 to look forward to. "Bring it on."
The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime.
An award-winning powerful email client with a friendly, cool interface.It has every feature an advanced user will ever need. Virus-proof Email System for all Windows versions to make your e-communication safe and easy.

The Bat! has a lot of benefits that make your e-mail experience simple and convenient:

Microsoft Exchange Connectivity

The Bat! connects to Microsoft Exchange Servers using native MAPI protocol to fetch or send the messages. You just have to install Microsoft Office Outlook or Microsoft Exchange Client to supply the Exchange connectivity components which The Bat! will be using

Anti-spam Protection

The Bat! has Bayesian filtering in the default installation. You have to educate the plugin what is spam and what is not, and then it will do the job.

Smart Sorting Office

The Sorting Office is a powerful filtering system, not only sorts your incoming, outgoing, read, and replied messages to folders, but also can auto-respond; reply with a custom template; forward, redirect, print, or export messages; send reading confirmations; run an external program and more. The Bat! sorting office is so sophisticated that you can even run the mailing list server with the full subscribe/unsubscribe functionality. More...

Handy Message Templates

In addition to the signatures, The Bat! allows to create the message templates that are using special macros. Any mailbox, folder or entry in the Address Book can have a set of templates for the new message, reply or forward. These templates will greatly expedite the process of message composition, especially when the message has some standard or common text. More...

Quick Templates

In the message editor, Quick Templates will save you hours of typing. Insert text blocks - even from files on disk - add custom message information, attach files and vCards, and more - all with a couple of keystrokes and without using menu commands.

Efficient Antivirus Protection

The Bat! will warn you when you try to open a suspicious attachment. In addition, unlike some other mail clients, The Bat! does not start any scripts automatically. The Bat! v2 features new plug-in interface for anti-virus programs to check data for viruses only in special occasions like receiving mail or saving attachments. The use of plug-ins saves you from the imperative of utilizing permanently running antiviral monitors that may significantly degrade performance of the computer.

Message Parking

Message parking is designed to prevent accidental deletion of a valuable message. When a message is parked, you will not be able to move it to another folder, nor will it be deleted or automatically purged.

Built-In Backup and Restore

You can make backups of all the configuration settings, address books and folders, and restore such information from the backup file in case of accidental data loss. You can also add a comment to the backup file, select which accounts to backup and even password protect the archive file. In addition The Bat! you to create a separate backup for each mailbox.

Mail Synchronisation

Mail synchronisation is one way of keeping two separate copies of The Bat! up to date with each other. You synchronize the messages themselves, mailbox and account settings, the Address Books and attached files.

Extended Support of National Codepages

The Bat! allows you to set an individual codepage per mailbox, per folder or per entry in the Address Book.

Convenient Message Dispatcher

The message dispatcher is special feature of The Bat!, which lets you look at the messages stored on your POP3 or IMAP mail server without downloading them. This is very useful for managing your mail remotely, for example leaving "that copy of the huge document" on the server until you get home but retrieving and reading the urgent memos while still on the mobile connection.

Fast Address Book

The Address Book provides you with an easy way to maintain the list of contacts you have. It is possible to create groups dedicated to a particular classification or for use as a mailing list. Every entry in the Address Book can have a personal and business address, it's own Template, default Codepage, and even photograph and S/MIME-certificate attached to it.

Multilanguage Interface

The Bat! allows to change the interface language "on the fly" without a need to restart the progam.

Submission Forms

Submission forms is a tool for creating queries that are automatically processed by servers - are a great solution for a business client-server environment.

Strong Cryptography

The internal PGP implementation, based on the award-winning OpenSSL lets you encrypt messages and sign them with digital signatures. Handy manager for digital keys included. Free plugins for PGP v5.5, v6.0.2, 6.5, v7.x & v8.x GnuPG is also supported. The Bat! also supports S/MIME via Internal Implementation or Microsoft CryptoAPI. The Bat! is the first e-mail client to support S/MIME compressed data. The Bat! support Secure Socket Layer (SSL) v3.1 / Transport Layer Security (TLS) v1.0 with AES algorithm.

Powerful Import Wizard

The Bat! allows to import messages from the following mail clients:

Microsoft Outlook Express v4.xx, 5.xx, 6.0 Microsoft Office Outlook 97, 2000, XP, 2003 Netscape Communicator v4.xx Netscape Mail v2.xx, 3.xx Eudora Lite/Pro Pegasus Mail v2.xx, 3.xx

You can import the address books in the following formats:

Outlook Express (Windows Address Book) Microsoft Office Outlook (Contacts Folder) LDIF-file Business Card(VCard) Comma-separated (plain text) Tab delimited (plain text) INI-file Eudora Address Book Pegasus Tag File

Fast, Built-in Image Viewer

The Bat! has built-in image viewer supporting GIF, PNG and JPEG formats. You don't have to wait until an external image viewer gets loaded.

Runs on any Windows PC

The Bat! has very modest system requirements. It runs on any Windows PC platrofm with at least 800x600 screen resolution and 256 color disply. There are no minimum requirements on memory size or CPU speed. Here is the list of supported operating systems:

Windows 10

Windows 8

Windows 95 with Internet Explorer 5.0

Windows 98 with Internet Explorer 5.0

Windows Millenium (ME) with Internet Explorer 5.0

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(Photo : GettyImages/Photo by JUNG YEON-JE) Samsung Phones

SSDs have been integral in storing data at faster transfer rates compared to HDD. With that, Samsung is now introducing the PCIe Gen5 SSD, which is capable of up to 13,000 Mbps, being 30% more power-efficient, and a decent 608 Mbps of data transfer per watt used.

Samsung Announces Its Own PCIe Gen 5 SSD

Samsung has recently announced PCIe Gen 5 SSD made for enterprise customers called the PM1743, one of the first PCIe 5.0 SSDs in the space. With the help of Intel's Alder Lake desktop processors launching, PCIe Gen 5 will be available to the general public.

The adoption will only go up as the processor supports it, with Samsung being one of the first to jump into the space. Before getting too excited, the practical use for the PCIe 5 SSD, the Samsung PM1743, is for enterprise servers meaning the use of this technology for personal use could take a while before it officially rolls out.

Samsung PM1743 Compared to the 980 PRO SSD

The new SSD is capable of doing almost twice what Samsung's previous PCIe 4.0 SSDs were capable of doing. An example is the Samsung 980 PRO SSD, which could only do 7,000 Mbps or megabytes per second.

According to the story by XDA-Developers, the PM1743 is promising speeds of up to 13,000 Mbps along with an increase in performance of up to 6,600 Mbps for write speeds with the previous Samsung 980 PRO only capable of supporting up to 5,100 Mbps in write speed.

Other Features for Samsung's PCIe 5 SSD

When it comes to efficiency, the PCIe 5 SSD says it is 30% more power-efficient, which is a very important feat in the commercial and enterprise space. To add, the new Samsung PM1743 is also reportedly capable of offering transfer rates of 608 Mbps per watt.

As for the memory, the Samsung PM1743 will come with capacities ranging from about 2TB up to 16TB while offering different form factors. It will also be the very first PCIe 5.0 SSD made for the enterprise that comes with dual-port support allowing servers to continue operating despite one port failing.

Read Also: Pixel 6 and 6 Pro Owners Report 'Spontaneous' Screen Cracks | Google Responds 'Screens Don't Just Crack'

Competition in the PCIe 5.0 SSD Space

Mass production for the Samsung PM1743 is expected to begin in Q1 of 2022. Aside from just Samsung, XPG has also recently announced that they will be showcasing two of their prototype PCIe 5.0 SSDs at CES 2022, saying they can provide faster speeds as per Adata.

To explain what the competition could look like, PRoject Nighthawk is already promising read speeds that go up to 14 Gbps, with write speeds going up to 12 Gbps. On the other hand, Project Blackbird will be offering slower write speeds but is expected to go up to 10 Gbps, with both having capacities of up to 8TB.

Related Article: 3G Network to Retire in 2022 with Tens of Thousands of Android Phones to Stop Working

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
New artificial lungs design is now being developed by the researchers at the Princeton University. As of the moment, the use of this unnatural organ is not yet possible.

Yes, some hospitals are using supporting health technologies to assist those individuals with damaged lungs. However, they are not actually replacing that body part yet.

This ongoing innovation could soon become a reality, thanks the new study involving humble backyard lizards.

"If we understand how lungs build themselves, then perhaps we can take advantage of the mechanisms mother nature uses to regenerate or engineer tissues," said the new study's principal investigator, Celesto Nelson, via Princeton Edu News' recent report.

Artificial Lungs Could Become a Reality?

According to Science Daily's latest report, the humble backyard lizards are essential in the new study since their body structure solves the most complicated issue of the living world, which is breathing.

Also Read: Virsys12 Celebrates 10 Years of Transforming the Business of Healthcare with Technology

Compared to the human organ, this animal's lungs can develop at first, the lizard's organ called anole lungs start a few days into development as a hollow, elongated membrane.

This part is surrounded by a uni-form layer of smooth muscle. This just show how the tiny creature's organ is unique from human's. Meanwhile, involved experts described the backyard lizard's organ as a mesh stress ball.

This means that it could take huge amount of stress and then go back to its original form without taking that much damage. If you want to see more details, you can view this link.

How Can Artificial Lungs Become a Reality?

Nelson explained that if experts want to design artificial lungs that have the characteristics of the anole lungs, they need to go deeper into science.

Right now, Princeton University experts are already working on the new design paradigm for the artificial lungs. However, they did not confirm when the new organ replacement would be available.

In other news, Apple stores in the United States and Canada were temporarily closed. On the other hand, Pfizer's COVID-19 pill, Paxlovid, finally received FDA authorizations.

For more news updates about artificial lungs and other health-related topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Green Climate Leads a New Age of Future-Forward Investments

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google promised owners of its Pixel phones that they would be able to watch Netflix in HD. Owners, however, have been complaining that the feature never came.

Google Promised Pixel Owners for a Fix to Its Resolution Issue

According to the story by XDA-Developers, earlier this year, Google Pixel owners reported that the Widevine DRM level dropped down to L3. This means that DRM-protected content like Netflix won't be able to play in HD, bringing the pixel count down to 540p.

As per the report, it currently looks like any device starting with the Google Pixel 3 onwards could be affected by this. Back in April, Google acknowledged the problem and promised owners that they were working on a fix.

Google Pixel 3 Models and Up Affected

Eight months later, and as 2022 is fast approaching, there is still no fix to be found. To add on, users are still reporting problems with the Google Pixel 3 having only one more end-of-life update left.

A list of complaints was replied to by a certain user on Reddit gathered from around the internet, while more and more users have also recently complained about the same problem as well. Users even went on complaining that even the recent Android 12 update didn't fix the problem either.

Phones Get Downgraded to Widevine L3

The problem is known to pop up when a phone becomes downgraded to Widevine L3 as content that is DRM-encrypted becomes no longer decoded in the Trusted Execution Environment or TEE. In a number of cases, content protected by Widevine can only play in 480, which isn't the best scenario when trying to stream high-quality content.

A lot of premium Android devices that have the certificate by Google support Widevine L1, sometimes even in combination with some other DRM methods. With that, modified phones or basically uncertified phones, however, might only be capable of supporting L3 or L2.

No Timeline on When Google Will Fix the Issue

Software updates are also capable of causing Widevine DRM to revert to either L2 or L3. A certain service just like Netflix has been able to certify all Pixel devices for HD through Widevine L1, and the Pixel 3 is already certified for HDR.

As of the moment, it remains unclear as to what is really causing the current issue with users not appearing to get a good answer from Google. To add, Google has also not given a timeline as to when a future fix could come out.

Read Also: Pixel 6 and 6 Pro Owners Report 'Spontaneous' Screen Cracks | Google Responds 'Screens Don't Just Crack'

Issue Doesn't Affect All Units

The issue, however, doesn't apply to all users, with XDA-Developer noting that their Google Pixel 5 and Google Pixel 6 Pro remain unaffected. Despite the exceptions, there has still been a significant number of reports from device owners regarding the issue.

As of the moment, only Google can confirm as to when the fix update will roll out.

Related Article: First SMS Text Message Now Being Sold as a $150K NFT | Proceeds to be Donated to the United Nations Refugee Agency

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Oppo has been making some huge rounds when developing and enhancing its smartphones and other gadgets. However, it seems like it would focus on electric car production in the coming years, as stated by some rumors.

Right now, many manufacturers are already transitioning to EV making. Most of them are traditional automakers, such as GM, Volkswagen, and other big names.

Their sudden decision came after the U.S. government urged them to replace gas-based vehicles with zero-emission models. This effort is expected to reduce the rising carbon emissions in various parts of the globe.

Recently, Tech Times reported that Huawei is also transitioning to EV making, thanks to its partnership with Seres. Meanwhile, a new Tesla Starlink EV mod was spotted.

Oppo Transitions to EV Making

According to Auto Evolution's latest report, the new electric vehicle project of Oppo is expected to rival the upcoming Apple Car, which is claimed to have the perfect autonomous feature (even better than Tesla's FSD).

Also Read: Tesla's Video Games to STOP Working While EV is in Motion: NHTSA

However, Oppo would not specifically build the upcoming electric vehicle by itself. Instead, it is expected to work with other traditional carmakers.

But, some speculations claimed that it could also copy the strategy of the iPhone maker, which is designing and manufacturing its own electric vehicle.

Right now, not many details about the new Oppo EV are leaked yet. But, it is expected to debut this coming 2024. If you want to see more information about the major transition of the smartphone maker, you can view this link.

Why Manufacturers Transition to EV Making

Many factors encourage tech manufacturers to transition to EV production. Centrica Business Solutions provided some of them.

The first one is reducing the total cost of transportation networks, public transport fleets, as well as ownership of vehicles. On the other hand, EVs could also reduce their carbon footprint.

These are just some of the reasons why non-automakers and traditional carmakers are moving to the EV market.

For more news updates about Oppo's first EV and upcoming details about it, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: GM 'Everybody In' Campaign to Focus on Airport's Ground Equipment, New El Camino in Clean Energy

This article is owned by TechTimes

Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Two Lafayette community betterment groups  ReCover Acadiana and the 24 Hour Citizen Project  are joining forces to create a new nonprofit, Civicside, focused on building support for local advancement projects and providing resources to the next generation of civic leaders.

The new nonprofit made its soft launch in November at the 24 Hour Citizen Projects annual pitch event. The merger is the natural outgrowth of the partnership between the groups leaders, Kate Durio and Butch Roussel.

The two friends and their organizations have led often intersecting paths in their missions to improve Lafayette and greater Acadiana, they said.

+7 Brunch fans rejoice! Bourree Restaurant in Youngsville eyes March reopening after fire closure The new year is approaching and the team at Bourree Restaurant in Youngsville is optimistic that 2022 will treat them better than 2021 as they

In 2013, Durio and Gretchen Vanicor formed ReCover Acadiana, an evolution of their work with the705s philanthropy committee. The group focused on ways to improve community space, from planting trees in parks and public areas to reimagining how streets and urban areas are used through Better Block events.

A year later, Roussel launched Civicside, a local crowdfunding website. He partnered with Durio in her then-role at the Downtown Development Authority to launch a guerilla parklet in downtown Lafayette as one of the sites first projects, converting a parking space into an urban park with seating to encourage pedestrians to enjoy downtown.

It proved to me that if you give people an outlet to make change in their community in a very direct way, theyll seize the opportunity, Roussel said.

+7 Creole Nutcracker broke down racial barriers to dance, now they want more boys and men The founders of Lafayettes Creole Nutcracker have had success carving out a new performing arts tradition in the community, and now theyre s

The website, a local iteration of larger sites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter, later morphed into the signature in-person event, 24 Hour Citizen Project, as Roussel realized a less duplicative, in-person platform could be more impactful and better channel support.

The pitch event has funded everything from the creation of the Krewe des Canailles walking parade to efforts to combat food insecurity.

Durio and ReCover Acadiana provided administrative support and assisted with management of the seed funding; the close ties created significant overlap between the groups volunteer and leadership pool, they said.

The Civicside name eventually fell by the wayside, but Roussel said there was always a whisper in the back of his mind that kept him from giving up the name completely. He held onto the URL, always feeling that an opportunity for it would resurface.

+2 Lafayette PD officer reinstated after firing over failed drug test he says was tied to CBD use The Lafayette Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board on Tuesday opened the door for the city-parish government to reconsider how the wi

When merger discussions began in earnest, that opportunity appeared.

You have a business side where you take care of your work and you have a personal side where you take care of your family  but what about your civic side? What are you doing for your community? Durio said.

Nobody taught me in Hammond, Louisiana, where I grew up, about how to engage in my community. Nobody ever told me that I had the potential to create change in my public surroundings. Lafayette has a lot of people that are engaged in the community in a variety of ways, but Id challenge us to see if were engaging civically in projects that make a direct impact, Roussel said.

Helping Acadiana's homeless: ShareHouse deliveries to roll smoothly with new truck, trailer Its not a sleigh and those werent toys, but ShareHouse has landed an early Christmas gift that will help it deliver many needed goods to peo

The idea of a merger was floated over the past two years and in April both organizations teams gathered for a formal planning session to work out the kinks of what a new nonprofit would look like and lay out their goals.

The new organization will be led by a seven-person board, with Durio and Roussel serving as co-presidents, and a major goal is to diversify leadership to make the organization more representative of Acadiana, Durio said.

The overarching vision for Civicside is to support community improvement projects year round and serve as a launch pad and resource for the next generation of local leaders to find support to take their community impact work from concept to reality, they said.

+3 For years, there was a lab school in Lafayette; here's why UL leaders want to bring it back The University of Louisiana at Lafayettes plan for a lab school on its campus took another step forward last week with action by the UL Syste

We need to make sure were cultivating a path for people that are coming up behind us. Theres a lot of stuff in the last 10 years that Butch and I have figured out, but things would have been a lot easier if we hadnt had to figure it out and had somebody helping us, Durio said.

We thought that given that experience we could be that expertise, be that administrative support, be that think tank to help younger, more energetic people to see inspiring civic projects come to life, she said.

The group plans to host quarterly workshops with a featured speaker in one of Civicsides areas of interest, like public space planning, the arts, and local beautification and revitalization efforts. The goal is for attendees to learn the skills and meet the people they need to make their envisioned community projects successful.

Civicside will maintain the 24 Hour Citizen Project as a banner event, but the nonprofit is also seeking opportunities to fund community betterment projects year round.

While the initial focus is on Lafayette, Durio and Roussel said they hope to support community work in surrounding parishes.

The Civicside team has already initiated conversations in Vermilion and St. Landry parishes to find avenues where they can champion ongoing community work and help raise awareness about those efforts. Enriching the quality of life in the region benefits everyone, regardless of parish boundaries, Durio said.

The leaders envision Civicside as an organization for everyone, from school children to working professionals to retirees. Theres no fee for involvement  having a low barrier to entry was important to the group  and they want everyone passionate about advancing the region to be able to carve out a niche for themselves, they said.

Were just getting started, so come figure it out with us, Durio said.
A man who scammed a small, hurricane-battered Louisiana town out of $600,000 by pretending FEMA would foot the bill for his recovery work faces up to three decades behind bars, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.

Clarence Billy Burkette  an erstwhile congressional hopeful twice investigated for impersonating a police officer, allegedly making himself out to be chief of the Louisiana Band of Choctaw Tribal Council in 2018 and an East Feliciana Sheriffs Office deputy in 2016  was indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of wire fraud.

The Dec. 16 indictment accuses him of misrepresenting his disaster-relief services to the St. Tammany Parish hamlet of Pearl River, which about 2,600 people call home.

Prosecutors say the 53-year-old contractor from the East Feliciana Parish town of Slaughter talked Pearl River leaders into hiring him to repair damage from hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Isaac by claiming the Federal Emergency Management Agency would pay back most, if not all, of the cost.

But officials say that once the town tried to claim those reimbursements, elected leaders realized theyd been hoodwinked.

+2 Louisiana tribe ousts chief who was arrested when he signed up to run for the U.S. Congress CLINTON  Billy Burkette received international attention for his campaign earlier this summer when he was led away in handcuffs after officia

According to the Dec. 16 indictment, Burkette formed the company that went on to become a vehicle for his years-long con in February 2010. Called Global Disaster Recovery Building Services, the firm purported to specialize in helping cities identify and secure public money for disaster repairs.

The indictment traces the fraud back to 2016, when Global Disaster Recovery landed a contract with Pearl River to secure federal reimbursement for relief projects.

Over the ensuing two years, prosecutors say they identified 62 invoices Burkette submitted to the town for a combined $629,761 and some change in services he claimed to have provided under the disaster-relief contract. The town paid him the vast majority of those bills: $598,196.25 in all.

When it came time to collect from FEMA, however, the payback fell dramatically below what Burkette allegedly promised.

From August 2017 to March 2019, officials say, FEMA covered just $9,215 of what the town paid Burkette. From November 2017 to March 2019, officials say FEMA paid just $76,766.

The indictment goes on to describe extraordinary lengths Burkette allegedly took to pull off the scheme.

From early 2016 to spring 2018, prosecutors say Burkette devised a way to bilk Pearl River through a wide range of lies by omission as well as false and fraudulent promise, pretenses and representations. As part of his carefully plotted deception, officials say he misrepresented how much FEMA would cover by citing the agencys 100% reimbursement policy, which was unique to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina but not subsequent storms.

Officials say he lied about needing the town to hand over a bunch of money up front for income taxes, which he never paid. He also allegedly overstated his importance to the towns Board of Aldermen, claiming in a March 28, 2016, meeting that he led the state in disaster-recovery efforts and developed a lot of the programs they are currently using now.

At the same 2016 meeting, Burkette allegedly convinced the Board of Aldermen to hire him to lead FEMA training courses for elected officials that he told them were mandatory to qualify for federal reimbursement. The indictment says he billed the town more than $4,000 for the classes, knowing full well that they were in no way linked to how much FEMA would pay back.

Prosecutors say Burkette lied about the methodology for tracking costs and led Pearl River leaders to believe FEMA would reimburse up to $5 million when all was said and done.

When asked by the Board of Aldermen in a March 2017 meeting about discrepancies between his high-dollar pitch and FEMAs comparatively trifling payout, the indictment says Burkette assured them everybody else has always gotten it back.

After that public confrontation, the indictment describes Burkette as still having the nerve to ask for the town to pay outstanding invoices to pay taxes that he never filed.

Investigators say Burkettes slow-motion pilfering left them plenty of evidence: invoices, emails, public meeting minutes.

The indictment cites three writings, signs and signals that the feds cast as evidence of wire fraud and money laundering. Two are hefty deposits from the town into Burkettes company bank account, a third is an email he sent to a Pearl River official that misrepresented how much of his invoices FEMA would cover.

In announcing the charges Friday, the U.S. Attorneys Office of the Eastern District of Louisiana noted that the indictment merely alleges the crimes and that Burkette is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, however, Burkette faces up to 30 years in federal prison, up to five years of supervised release and up to a $1 million fine and fees for each of the three wire-fraud counts.

Burkette is due in court Jan. 3 for an arraignment.
Two churches, each more than a century old, have been born again.

Turned so they now face each other, the former Lutheran and Presbyterian churches will be known as the Twin Steeples Creative Arts Center in Ponchatoula.

The center, 220 E. Oak St., will open Dec. 30 with a celebration of art, music and food from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The only thing missing will be Harry Gabriel, the driving force behind the creation of the center. The artist, adventurer, landscaper and philanthropist died of leukemia in March.

That's the sad part of this story.

But Twin Steeples' board president Kim Zabbia pushed forward with Gabriel's dream. There's still some landscaping to do around the bricked courtyard connecting the churches' entryways, but everything else is ready.

Zabbia, also an artist, showed off the center, pointing out how part of the space is already highlighting the work of locally connected artists, painter Matthew Moore and photographer Robby Klein.

She also mapped out how the center will be used as a music and performing arts venue, as well as a space for art classes.

The past

The two old churches are located in the same block, but faced different streets. In 2019, Gabriel bought one of the buildings, a former Lutheran church built in 1901, with the idea of turning it into an arts center.

His brother, John Gabriel, an architect in Houston, remembered his LSU architectural thesis of the property he compiled 45 years earlier. The thesis documented the Presbyterian church next door and how the two churches, though not identical, share a similar design.

Zabbia said it was thought the Presbyterian church was constructed in 1879, but recent records show that the building opened as a Methodist Episcopal church in 1893, later changing hands with the Presbyterian congregation.

"Our pamphlets say 1879, but we're going with 1893," she said. "And people still refer to the two buildings as the Lutheran church and the Presbyterian church, but we're going to call them the 1901 and the 1893."

+33 Photos: Twin Steeples Creative Arts Center to open Dec. 30 in Ponchatoula The Twin Steeples Creative Arts Center, 220 E. Oak St., Ponchatoula, will open on Dec. 30 with an art show and live performances.

John Gabriel's old thesis project showed the two churches had faced each other, joined by a bricked courtyard.

"It was Harry's brother's thesis that started it all," Zabbia said.

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Harry Gabriel, meantime, began talking to the Presbyterian church about an arts center. The church's young minister, Aaron Gordon, had been mulling over a similar idea.

Gordon is a musician and had been inviting other musicians to perform in the old Presbyterian church's excellent acoustics.

"Aaron had used that church once a month for music, and some art shows," Zabbia said. "There was a group of people that would just get together and do stuff, so Aaron was big on the idea. He talked to his congregation, of which Harry and his whole family were part of, and they decided to sell for a dollar."

The Lutheran church had been standing empty since the mid 1960s, when the doors were closed by its dwindling congregation. It served as a photography studio, then a private residence before Gabriel purchased it.

"The crazy thing about this is you have these two churches that have been standing on the same block for more than 100 years, and they've never met," Zabbia said. "Until now."

So, Harry Gabriel created a nonprofit corporation, along with a detailed budget. Zabbia, who also is the wife of Ponchatoula Mayor Robert Zabbia, began fundraising for the center, while Harry Gabriel matched every donated dollar with his own.

Finally, four hydraulic dollies showed up on Jan. 21 to swivel the two churches face to face to become the Twin Steeples Creative Arts Center.

Both buildings are structurally sound, though some hardwood flooring had to be replaced in the former Lutheran church, and its interior converted from a residential space back to its original open sanctuary.

The future

Zabbia and fellow board members have already planned performances and art exhibits for 2022, but the grand opening on Dec. 30 is their priority. The event will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring dancers Cassidy Fulmer and Mercedes Mize, live music by Avery Meyers and T.J. Barends, and fusion dance company Innovative Soul.

"We had a soft opening in November, but we want Dec. 30 to be our birthday," Zabbia said. "I've got the visual artists for the whole year lined up, which is almost 20 people. We're trying to get as many local artists to begin with, who either live here or are from here or from Louisiana. I want to push our local artists, and this will be a combination of visual and performing artists and musicians."

Zabbia added that the center also will be hosting monthly children's events.

"There's still so many details to iron out," she said. "Even after the grand opening, there'll be construction to finish. It's a $600,000 construction project, and we've raised about $150,000 in the last year, but I think Harry's estate will cover all the construction. But I see us being more full speed by summer."

As for Harry Gabriel, his leukemia had been in remission for 10 years before it returned in 2021.

"He said he wanted me to help him make this arts center happen," Zabbia said. "I said, 'Oh, I will.' I mean, people get ideas for arty things, and they bring them to me to make them happen. But he said, 'You're going to really help me.' And I said, 'Harry, I'm not going to make this happen for you. You're going to make this happen, and I'll help you."

And he did.
The Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe is a powerful symbol representing one of Mapungubwe South Africa most physically powerful animals, the rhinoceros and one of South Africa's most enduring symbols of wealth, gold.





Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe

The famous South African city of Mapungubwe is pronounced as mah-poon-goob-weh. The graves of Mapungubwe royalty were buried in the upright seated position which is associated with royalty usually buried with a variety of gold and copper items, exotic glass beads, and other prestigious objects. These finds provide evidence not only of the early smelting of gold in southern Africa but of the extensive wealth and social differentiation of the people of Mapungubwe. The famous South African city of Mapungubwe is pronounced as mah-poon-goob-weh. The graves of Mapungubwe royalty were buried in the upright seated position which is associated with royalty usually buried with a variety of gold and copper items, exotic glass beads, and other prestigious objects. These finds provide evidence not only of the early smelting of gold in southern Africa but of the extensive wealth and social differentiation of the people of Mapungubwe.





The remains of Mapungubwe graves were uncovered in 1932 by inexperienced amateur and experienced archeologists from the University of Pretoria. South African art would not be complete without a discussion of the small, small enough to sit in the palm of your hand, Mapungubwe golden rhinoceros, crocodile, ox and cat uncovered from these graves.





The most famous graveyard golden statue is the tiny golden rhinoceros is made from wood covered in a thin layer of pure gold recovered in 1934 from a royal grave at the site of Mapungubwe in northern South Africa.





Its creation in the 13th century is a reflection of the wealth of the state of Mapungubwe, southern Africa's earliest known kingdom. The gravesite was rediscovered in 1932 and excavated by the University of Pretoria, yielding gold jewelry including anklets, bracelets, necklaces, beads and animal figurines recovered from three elite burials.





Mapungubwe lies in the far north of South Africa bordering present-day Botswana and Zimbabwe and was the biggest kingdom on the subcontinent until its demise at the end of the 13th century. Mapungubwe had a sophisticated state and economic system, which included agriculture, mining and advanced artisanship, and traded gold and ivory with Asia and Egypt.





Mapungubwe's position in southern Africa also enabled it to control trade, through the East African ports to India and China, and throughout southern Africa. The main business area of Mapungubwe covered an area of 2.5 the size of Hong Kong with three major capitals of Schroda, Leopards Kopje, and Mapungubwe hill. Mapungubwe developed into the leading business center and the largest indigenous kingdom in Southern Africa.





Mapungubwe is largely known because of its control of the gold trade with the coastal Swahili settlement at Kilwa Kisiwani almost 2,000 miles away to the north-east in what is today Tanzania.





Considered by some as the capital of southern Africas first state, Mapungubwe may have reached a population of 5,000. The city grew in part because of its access to the Limpopo River, which connected the region through trade to the ports of Kilwa and other sites along the Indian Ocean.
Companies and individuals behind a string of Chapel Street bars face prosecution over alleged breaches of workplace laws in the wake of raids by the wages watchdog.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched legal action in the Federal Circuit Court against one of the few businesses in the La La Bar Group that has not folded: J.D. Chapel Nominees Pty Ltd. The company runs the Jane Doe Bar in Prahran.

The Jane Doe Bar in Prahran at the time of the Ombudsmans raids. Credit:Joe Armao

Jane Doe was part of a network of nightspots under the La La Bar Groups umbrella, which The Age revealed in 2019 faced accusations of significantly underpaying staff.

The Ombudsman sprang Jane Doe with surprise audits in the wake of The Ages reporting, along with others in the La La Bar Group including Wonderland, Electric Ladyland, and Lucky Liquor on Chapel Street.
People infected will often become seriously ill about seven to 10 days later and cases of the highly contagious Omicron variant have only just begun to soar in Victoria, doubling overnight on Wednesday before reaching 98 on Friday. Professor David Pilcher is concerned about the rise in coronavirus hospital admissions coinciding with staff isolating. Credit:Penny Stephens There is a genuine worry that this is going to translate into a real increase in demand [at a time] when its even harder to staff up the ICU and the hospitals, Professor Pilcher said. There were 75 patients infected with coronavirus in Victorian ICUs on Friday, up from 52 for the same time last month. But the true number of Victorians in ICU with coronavirus is much higher, with another 40 people who are no longer deemed infectious but still suffering from the ill-effects of the disease lingering in intensive care beds, bringing the total to 115. Exhausted and burnt-out healthcare workers who had taken leave for the festive season are now being asked to come back early to fill shifts.

Even with the best goodwill in the world, people are just absolutely knackered, Professor Pilcher said. Youre asking people to come in and do extra shifts at times when they understandably want to be with their families. The latest Victorian hospital data, obtained by The Age, confirmed almost 94 per cent of those most gravely ill with coronavirus in ICU were unvaccinated. The other 6 per cent had largely been immunised, but most had underlying illness or compromised immune systems, making them susceptible to a more severe bout of the virus. There still remains very, very few patients who have ended up needing the most severe level of support if they have been fully vaccinated, Professor Pilcher said. On Friday, none of the almost 400 Victorians in hospital with coronavirus had received a booster and about 51 percent of overall hospital admissions were unvaccinated. Another 4.8 per cent of people in hospital with COVID-19 had received one dose of the vaccine, while about 44.2 per cent had received two doses, the majority of whom were receiving medical care in general coronavirus wards.

Loading Australian Medical Association Victorian president Roderick McRae said the pressure was being felt in every corner of hospitals, including emergency departments, where seriously ill patients with coronavirus were arriving in increasing numbers. Everything is happening at once, Dr McRae said. We have exponential growth of Omicron, were trying to wind up vaccination centres to get boosters out to people and at the same time the testing centres are being overwhelmed. There just are not enough healthcare workers available to staff up the system to the level that is needed. Restrictions remain on elective surgeries, as waiting lists grow to more than 60,000 and major public hospitals are put under intense pressure, with most surgery being booked in for private hospitals.

Earlier this month, the state government announced up to 75 per cent of surgeries could resume at private hospitals. Stephen Warrillow, the director of intensive care at Melbournes Austin Hospital, said ICUs across the state had also reported a rise in trauma patients being admitted for critical care, putting further pressure on the limited number of intensive care beds and staff. Were also getting people coming in with severe infections, heart attacks, brain haemorrhages and all the terrible things that can happen to a person who needs care, he said. Its the combination of workload that can be very challenging. Experts have warned the Omicron variant is spreading so quickly that they fear cases may overwhelm hospitals and cause mass illness and death, even if the strain is found to be less severe than Delta. Melbourne University infectious diseases epidemiologist and vaccinologist Fiona Russell said data from South Africa very strongly indicated it was causing less severe disease than other variants.

How we know that is because cases in South Africa shot through the roof, but the hospitalisations and deaths have not, Professor Russell said. In Britain, there are indications that someone with Omicron is between 31 and 45 per cent less likely to attend an emergency room  and 50 to 70 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital  compared with a patient with the Delta variant. Other early data released recently by Imperial College London suggests vaccines, including AstraZeneca which provides very little protection against Omicron transmission, were holding up well when it came to preventing severe disease. Loading Professor Russell said that while coronavirus hospitalisations in Britain were on the rise, it was too soon to determine how severe Omicron was because everyone admitted to hospital was being screened for coronavirus.

The problem there is that people go into hospital with a broken leg and they get a swab and they get included into the local data, and disentangling that is impossible right now, she said. Professor Russell, who is calling for a priority booster blitz for Australians over 60, said mounting studies indicated that even after two doses of the vaccine the risk of hospitalisation for Omicron appeared to be two-thirds less than it was for Delta. But she warned that even if Omicron was milder, it was an extremely infectious variant that just takes off and goes berserk. If there are lots cases going around, and more mingling, there will be more people ending up in hospital just due to the sheer number of infections, which is why boosters are so critical, she said A Victorian Department of Health spokesman said health services were responding to additional pressures triggered by the Omicron outbreak and were ensuring staff could take leave when possible.
A child has been rushed to hospital after being mauled by a dog on the Gold Coast on Christmas Eve.

Paramedics were called to an address in Varsity Lakes about 11.45am on Friday.

The male child sustained multiple bite injuries and was treated at the scene by the specialist high acuity response unit. He was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition.

A second patient, a female adult, also went to the hospital with minor injuries and chest pain.
Queensland has recorded 589 cases of COVID-19 across the state, but authorities say hospitalisations remain low.

Health Minister Yvette DAth said there were more 1300 active cases across the state and urged Queenslanders to wear their masks.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette DAth. Credit:Matt Dennien

Ms DAth said 32 of Queenslands 77 local council areas had cases of COVID-19 within their communities.
The Andrews governments new pandemic legislation was put to its first major test this week as authorities sought to address the threat posed by the highly infectious Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The controversial laws, which the state opposition and various interest groups argued would lead to more lockdowns, were used to implement a set of restrictions less onerous than those that the states public health team had pushed for.

Acting Premier James Merlino and Health Minister Martin Foley on Thursday. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Chief Health Officer Brett Suttons advice for everyone aged eight years and older to wear a mask inside  except in private homes  was accepted by Health Minister Martin Foley. Professor Suttons other suggestions, to implement density limits in hospitality businesses and prohibit dancing on dance floors, were not implemented.

Mr Foley told reporters yesterday that he needed to consider not just the public health issues in his decision, but the economic, social and human rights impact of restrictions.
Noting that Durer drawings are extremely rare and that he thought all were accounted for, Schorer said he told Phillipson, As someone who knows Albrecht Durer in and out, its impossible. Eleven days later, the owner texted pictures of the artwork to Schorer, who said he drove straight to the mans house, where, he said, the man and his wife lived modestly. Schorer sat down at the kitchen table to look at the piece. It was either a masterpiece or the greatest forgery I had ever seen, he said. Schorer, who specialises in recovering lost art, paid the man a $US100,000 advance to sell the drawing, he said. (The exact terms are confidential, but both will get money when it sells, he said.) Schorer would lose his advance if the work turned out to be a forgery. Phillipson said his friend, the owner of the drawing, declined to comment.

Loading Three days later, Schorer boarded a flight to England to rush the drawing into the hands of Jane McAusland, a paper conservator who advises museums, dealers and auction houses. She did not respond to emails this week from The New York Times. Three weeks after his visit, McAusland told him that the drawing had been stained with tea or coffee to make it look like an antique, Schorer said. But he asked her to look again, and she replied by email the next day with an image. He clicked on it, and the picture showed a translucent light shining through the paper. It had the trident watermark, which is only in Albrecht Durers drawings, he said. My mind was blown. Durers preferred medium was a special paper made by his patron, Jacob Fugger, one of the richest men who ever lived. Only Durers workshop had access to that paper, which bore Fuggers signature watermark, according to Christof Metzger, a Durer expert and chief curator at the Albertina Museum in Vienna.

Scholars noted the signature had been written with the same ink used in the drawing. Credit:Getty Images Schorer said he met Metzger on his tour of 14 cities around the world to try to authenticate the drawing. Over more than two years, he said, he met a slate of experts, all but one of whom agreed that the drawing was an original Durer. Clues like the paper, the pen strokes and the style of the Madonna suggested that this was not a forgery, Metzger said. He dated the piece to 1503, when Durer made a similar depiction of the Virgin Mary on a grassy bench. Metzger believes the artist was drawing ideas for a 1506 watercolour titled The Virgin With a Multitude of Animals. The newly discovered drawing was the first complete, finalised composition of Durers to be discovered since 1932, Metzger said.

The artists works have long been collected because of his mastery of both granular details and hallucinatory fantasies, Metzger said, and for this reason, a new, absolutely unknown work is absolutely once in the lifetime. Not all are convinced, however, that the work was drawn by Durer. Loading Fritz Koreny, a senior researcher at the Institute for Art History at University of Vienna, believes it was made by a Durer apprentice, Hans Baldung. He declined to elaborate, because he is working on his own publication about the drawing. He said, however, All the significant details speak for Baldung. Koreny estimated that if Baldung made the drawing, its value would be only up to a quarter of what it would be worth if Durer drew it.

No matter who created it, the artwork had travelled from Germany to a noble family in Italy to the Louvre Museum and private collectors in France before it wound up in Massachusetts, Metzger said. Jean-Paul Carlhian, an architect, took the piece to Massachusetts sometime after his family acquired it in 1912, Metzger said. At some point in the last century, the family decided the drawing was not a real Durer, Schorer said. That is most likely how it ended up at the Carlhian familys estate sale that the unidentified buyer of the drawing attended in 2016. Carlhians daughter Penny Carlhian declined to comment. Durer churned out piece after piece until he died in 1528. About 1500 have been accounted for, Metzger said. Only 24 are known to remain in private collections, which is what makes the newly discovered drawing so special, he said. For now, the drawing is being housed at Agnews Gallery in London. It will be displayed next month at the Colnaghi gallery in New York.

Schorer and the drawings owner stand to make a significant windfall when the drawing goes on sale, probably sometime in the new year. He declined to speculate on its value, but he said it could be the most valuable work by a Renaissance master to hit the market since a chalk sketch by Raphael sold for nearly $US48 million in 2012. Agnews Gallery plans to ask for an eight-figure sum for the drawing, according to a statement from the gallery last month. Schorer has travelled the world to learn about art, but he remains astonished that the greatest piece he helped discover was found, as he put it, in my backyard. Life is downhill from that moment forward, he said. Ill never have an experience like that again. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Toyota Expands C+pod Sales to All Customers in Japan

Toyota City, Japan, Dec 23, 2021; Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced today that it will expand sales of the "C+pod" ultra-compact battery electric vehicle (BEV) to all corporate and municipal customers, and now the general public as well, from December 23. The vehicle was launched for select corporate and municipal customers in December last year. All vehicles will be offered via lease contracts(1), starting from Toyota vehicle dealers and Toyota Rental & Lease Agencies throughout Japan(2).The C+pod is an environmentally-friendly two-seater BEV. Smaller than a minivehicle, it has been designed as a mobility option for a diverse group of daily users who frequently travel short distances with few passengers. This might include young, single new drivers, or older individuals who may be nervous about driving.

It has been well received by customers who have used it, especially for its ease of handling, environmental friendliness, and full range of safety and security features despite its ultra-compact body. We are now ready to deliver the C+pod to a wider range of customers, so we have decided to expand the sales target to all customers nationwide.

The lease agreement enables casual C+pod use while also ensuring comprehensive vehicle collection with proactive 3R (reduce, re-use, recycle) initiatives for the onboard batteries. This is part of Toyota's goal of achieving a carbon neutral mobility society.

Toyota will continue to offer a diverse mobility lineup, including the C+pod and C+walk T(3), to provide safe and secure mobility matched to the needs of customers no matter their stage of life or ability, from new daily drivers to the older drivers, and wheelchair users.

(1) Price plans vary according to dealer. Please contact your local dealer or Toyota Rental & Lease Agency.

(2) Not available at some dealers.

(3) Launched in October 2021. An easy-to-use three-wheel BEV that can be driven while standing.

Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
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Variable clouds with snow showers. Low around 20F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 80%. About one inch of snow expected. Heavier amounts in persistent snowbands.
The Richland Hills Police Department in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. (Screenshot/Facebook)

2 Men Arrested for Trafficking 3 Guatemalan Teens in Texas

Two Hispanic men have been charged with human trafficking after being discovered during a routine traffic stop in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in Texas.

The two men were traveling with three Guatemalan nationals, aged 17, 18, and 19, when a Richland Hills, Texas, police officer stopped them on Dec. 19.

None of the vehicles occupants had identification or spoke English, the Richland Hills Police Department said in a Dec. 23 statement.

The three rear passengers all appeared to be young adult males and exhibited signs of unusual nervousness during the encounter, which led the officer to continue his investigation out of concern for their welfare, the statement reads.

A Spanish-speaking officer was called to the scene and subsequently determined that the three Guatemalans were victims of labor human trafficking.

The driver, Jorge Martinez Jimenez, a 34-year-old Hispanic male, was arrested on charges including trafficking, forced labor, and possession of a controlled substance. The passenger, Jose Leonel Flores, a 45-year-old Hispanic male, has been charged with trafficking, forced labor, and failure to identify himself while also being a fugitive.

Jimenez and Flores were booked into the North Richland Hills Joint Detention Center and later transferred to the Tarrant County Detention Center in Fort Worth.

The three victims were initially transported to the police department, where they were provided food and victim services. They were later taken to a local victim advocacy center for further assistance, according to the statement.

From the information we have gathered in the initial investigation, we believe the victims were forced to do manual-type labor, such as roofing work, a Richland Hills police department spokeswoman told The Epoch Times.

The Richland Hills Police Department subsequently handed the investigation over to the Tarrant County Sheriffs Offices Human Trafficking Unit.
Terry Newsome, dressed in a Downers Grove South High School spirit wear, sits in the school auditorium where he spoke up about Gender Queer last month, on December 13, 2021. (Cara Ding/The Epoch Times)

Antifa Threatens Illinois Dad Who Opposes Sexually Explicit Books at Schools

About a month ago, Terry Newsome, a father of two high school freshmen in a Democratic-leaning Chicago suburb, started to speak out against a local public schools decision to carry a book that contains sexual scenes.

He spoke out at school board meetings of the Downers Grove public school district. He also voiced his opinions to several local and national media outlets, including The Epoch Times.

Two days after the publication of the Epoch Times article, Newsome found threatening messages against him on a locally run Twitter account called Antifascist Rumor Mill.

One of the messages put out by that Twitter account says, Action items announced soon in regard to Terry Newsometime to Drop Pops and his hateful agenda.

A screenshot of Antifacist Rumor Mills Twitter account.

The book Newsome has concerns with is called Gender Queer: A Memoir. Authored by Maia Kobabe, it chronicles Kobabes journey growing up as a nonbinary, asexual person.

On several pages, Kobabe illustrated graphic sex scenes between two people. Some captions also contain sexual messages.

Kobabe said the book speaks to a unique group and is fit for high school students. Her opinion is backed up by national publications such as School Library Journal.

However, her books sexual scenes do not sit well with many parents, including Newsome, and they have fought to ban it from high school libraries in many parts of the country.

Just read the book. If the graphics in there are not child pornography, I dont know what is! Newsome told The Epoch Times.

After Newsome found the threatening messages against him on the Antifascist Rumor Mills Twitter account, he reported it to Downers Grove Police Department.

He told Sergeant Jeremy Thayer that he is not anti-Trans, anti-gay, or homophobic, as the Antifascist Rumor Mills Twitter account alleged; rather, he just doesnt like the books sexual content, according to email correspondence obtained by The Epoch Times.

Newsome told Thayer, Im concerned that they may start to focus on my house or my family.

The Epoch Times reached out to Antifascist Rumor Mills Twitter account but did not receive a reply.

Last month, Jim Devitt, another parent, found a picture of his being posted on the same Twitter account after he voiced his concerns about Kobabes book at Downers Grove school districts November school board meeting.

An ANTIFA social media account published an image of Jim DeVitt speaking out against a book with graphic sexually content at the November school board meeting in Downers Grove, Illinois. (Courtesy of Terry Newsome)

Days after, Devitt received a threatening phone call from an unknown person.

That makes several parents that he knows of afraid of coming forward and speaking out their minds about the book, Devitt told The Epoch Times.

While the left preaches inclusion and free speech, they are stifling those rights of others who they do not believe with, Devitt said.

Newsome and Devitt told The Epoch Times they wont back down on the fight for what they think is right.
A nurse fills a syringe with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Pasadena, Calif., in a file photograph. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia Cuts Booster Dose Gap From Five to Four Months

Australians will be eligible for a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine earlier after the nations immunisation body recommended a shorter time frame.

Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Friday that from Jan. 4, booster shots will be brought forward to four months after the second dose, from five months currently.

Then from Jan. 31, people who have had their two doses can get their booster after three months.

States and territories are slowly reintroducing restrictions and updating how they trace and isolate positive cases as infections soar across the country.

Compulsory mask-wearing is now in place across almost every state and territory after NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet backflipped on his anti-mandate position on Thursday.

NSW will also reintroduce QR codes in all settings from Dec. 27, when hospitality venues will return to the one person per two-square metre rule.

It comes after the state hit a new record of 5,715 daily infections on Thursday, up almost by 2,000 on the previous day. That number fell slightly to 5,612 on Friday.

Victoria has also reintroduced a mask mandate, ahead of the state reporting 2,095 cases on Friday.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan followed the lead of the two biggest states after a backpacker tested positive on Thursday after being infectious in the community for a number of days.

High risk, large public events in WA will be cancelled and dancing has been banned except at weddings.

I know this is not the news we wanted to hear two days before Christmas, but unfortunately this is the reality of COVID-19, McGowan said.

Queensland reported 369 new daily infections on Thursday while South Australia had 484, Tasmania 26 and the Northern Territory 10.

The ACT also recorded a new daily case record with 85 new infections, prompting the territory to update its definition of a close contact.

There are also growing calls for the federal government to make rapid antigen tests available for free amid concerns of more case number spikes over the Christmas break.

The NSW government plans to make rapid antigen tests free to residents, to ease congestion at overwhelmed PCR testing sites.

Long queues at testing clinics around the country this week prompted calls for a rethink of entry requirements in states like Queensland, which demands a negative PCR test prior to arrival.

Queensland will move to allow rapid antigen tests ahead of travelling. but not ahead of the new year.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese wants the federal government to do more on the rapid testing front.

I dont think anyone should be excluded from getting a rapid antigen test because of their income, he said.

While the federal government has put in free rapid testing measures at residential aged care facilities, it has resisted calls by doctors to make the tests free universally.

By Dominic Giannini
Some of the newly commissioned upgraded F-16V fighter jets are seen at a airforce base in Chiayi in southwestern Taiwan on Nov. 18, 2021. (Johnson Lai/AP Photo)

Beijing Conducting Targeted Infiltration in Taiwan: Review

There are signs that Beijing has doubled down on its spying efforts in Taiwan in recent years amid rising tension across the Taiwan Strait. Analysts have expressed both concern and optimism.

In the past decade, at least 21 serving or retired Taiwanese officers with the rank of captain or above have been convicted of spying for China, according to a Reuters review of court records on Dec. 20 and reports from Taiwans official news agencies. At least nine other serving or retired members of the armed forces are currently on trial or being investigated on suspicion of contacts with spies from China, the review shows.

The convicted officers were found guilty of recruiting spies for China or passing a range of sensitive information to China, including contact details of senior Taiwanese officers and details of Taiwans agents in China.

Those cases reveal that China has mounted a broader campaign to undermine the democratic islands military and civilian leadership, corrode its will to fight, extract details of high-tech weapons, and gain insights into defense planning, according to Taiwan spycatchers and former military officers in the island and the United States.

Former major general Lo Hsieh-che is reported to be the highest-ranking officer arrested for allegedly spying for China in 50 years. He was the head of the electronic communications and information department in the Army until his arrest in early 2011.

China is conducting a very targeted infiltration effort towards Taiwan, said retired Taiwanese navy Lieutenant Commander Lu Li-shih. Espionage cases, he said, show that Beijing has compromised almost all ranks, including top-level generals, despite intensive internal education campaigns in the military warning of the dangers of Beijings espionage efforts.

Beijings agents often begin softening their targets with offers of small gifts, drinks, and meals, said Lu. Handlers typically pay richly for the first piece of secret information extracted from current or retired officers. This payment would later be used to blackmail them into supplying further intelligence at a much lower price, according to Lu.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will also entice prospective Taiwanese spies to accept free overseas trips where they would meet their Chinese handlers and other CCP officials. The official documents allege that six serving and retired officers received all-expenses-paid trips to South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, as well as Chinese cities including Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macau.

As China rattles sabers for an invasion of Taiwan, having advance knowledge of defensive plans, communication codes, weapons sites, and troop locations will offset some of the difficulties of the attack, according to analysts. Disloyal officers might also refuse to fight, misdirect their troops, or defect to the attackers.

In a September report about the Chinese military, Taiwans defense ministry acknowledged that in an attack, agents for China lurking on the island could strike at command centers to decapitate Taiwans military and political leadership, as well as demoralize its armed forces.

The repeated cases of the most senior level of Taiwan armed forces officers being convicted of espionage has got to have a psychological effect on the officer corps and in the ranks, said Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel. And, once you can create doubt in the honesty of ones leaders, the rot sets in and deepens.

Legislator Wang Ting-Yu noted light penalties for spying crimes in Taiwan. Currently, our biggest challenge is our judges lack the awareness of national security, said Wang. In fact, the heaviest punishment for CCP espionage-related offenses could be death, based on the islands latest legal provisions.

A specialized court might be an alternative to battling spying crimes in the democracy, recommended Su Tzu-Yun, director of the Defense Strategy and Resources Division of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan. Our enemies will use every means to expand their spying network, he warned. However, he believes that Taiwan will close its national security loopholes.

We wouldnt have to worry about the issue too much, he stressed.

Reuters and Luo Ya contributed to this report.
Beijings Political Warfare Campaigns Exploit Social Media

News Analysis

Social media are an increasingly important front in the Chinese regimes political warfare campaigns.

With the increasing loss of credibility of legacy media among Americans, people are turning to independent and social media for their news and information. A Pew Research poll nearly a year ago reflected the shift away from traditional television news to digital devices that is accelerating: More than eight-in-ten U.S. adults (86%) say they get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet often or sometimes, including 60% who say they do so often. [Furthermore, when asked what they] prefer to get news on, roughly half (52%) of Americans say they prefer a digital platformwhether it is a news website (26%), search (12%), social media (11%) or podcasts (3%).

And while 11 percent of Americans getting their news from social media is not a large number, consider the narrow margins of victory in various U.S. political campaigns in 2020 and subsequently in 2021. This is why the political left in 2020, aided by their Big Tech allies, went all out to control dialogue on social media during the presidential campaign.

And the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are all-in on trying to influence and control social media, too, for its own purposes.

Background

China is using political warfare, as coordinated by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) General Political Department (GPD), to achieve its geopolitical goals around the world. Each target or objective of the CCP has an attendant political warfare strategy that is tailored according to the targeted society: Taiwan, India, the United States, Canada, domestic Chinese citizens, etc.

Some of the general principles of CCP political warfare are adapted to suit the target: undermine the legitimacy of the foreign government; challenge the democratic order in the particular society; challenge and exploit international law and international organizations to achieve goals; promote alternatives with Chinese characteristics to widely accepted universal values; and use the full range of information warfare tools to persuade, coopt, and influence political leadership, academics, cultural figures, and average people to adopt the CCPs objective(s).

The objectives of CCP political warfare campaigns are invariably to weaponize all available sources of information to gain political power (ultimately, worldwide), capture and control foreign leaders, and defeat all counter-narratives aimed at exposing and reversing CCP aggression and hypocrisies. Always in play are the psychological warfare aspects of CCP political warfare that lead to the demoralization of decision makers and especially targeted populations.

Thus, to achieve its political warfare objectives, China places great stock in information warfare, which is an amalgamation or derivative of the Chinese strategy of Three Warfares that includes concurrent psychological, media, and legal components. Propaganda is the tie that binds the Three Warfares together.

Before the phrase information warfare was invented, Mao Zedong himself valued the use of propaganda to win over the masses domestically: The world is progressing, the future is bright and no one can change this general trend of history. We should carry on constant propaganda among the people on the facts of world progress and the bright future ahead so that they will build their confidence in victory.

Students for a Free Tibet protest below a new electronic billboard leased by Xinhua (2nd from top), the news agency operated by the Chinese regime, as it makes its debut in New Yorks Times Square on Aug. 1, 2011. (Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images)

Exploiting Social Media

In recent years, the CCP has incorporated Soviet-era concepts of active measures to expand its information warfare toolkit in order to exploit new technologies and capabilities.

Active measures include the following: disinformation; false flag operations; counterfeiting; destabilization of foreign governments; direct support to and exploitation of foreign protest movements to weaken social cohesion; use of facade structures and false front entities; direct purchase of foreign media and/or control through paid advertising; and the mounting of social media campaigns using false accounts and proxies to target and influence key decision makers.

Social media have enormous reach and the ability to influence daily decisions of millions of people on a plethora of topics, not the least of which include the political. For example, current statistics reflect that Facebook has 1.9 billion daily active users and 2.9 billion monthly active users. Twitter has 396.5 million users, which represents 8.85 percent of all social media users in the world. With Twitter also being the most popular social media among users aged 25-34, it stands to reason that the CCP would target Twitter and Facebook to capture the youngjust as Adolf Hitler (Hitler YouthHitlerjugend), Joseph Stalin (Young Communist League  KOMSOMOL), and Mao Zedong (Communist Youth League of China) did in the past. Control the next generation; control the populationthe goal of every tyrant in history.

The methods those dictators used were cruder than the subtleties that are possible through the exploitation of social media. And the CCP aims to control social media by hook or by crook. It already controls WeChat and TikTok; why not Twitter and Facebook, too, as a modern tool in its political and information warfare tool chest? The CCPs methods in doing so might make the Nazis and Soviets blush.

A reflection of the U.S. flag is seen on the signs of the WeChat and TikTok apps on Sept. 19, 2020. (Florence Lo/Reuters)

Bot Armies

A bot is defined as a software program that imitates the behavior of a human, as in participating in chatroom or Internet Relay Chat (IRC) discussions.

A single program can control and manipulate hundreds or even thousands of imitation accountsreferred to as bot armieson social media. For example, the fake accounts can be manipulated to automatically like or retweet postings that present CCP propaganda or Chinese government narratives to give the false appearance of wide support for the particular topic. This is a very powerful force-multiplier in the propaganda wars being conducted on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media.

There have been many reports of bot armies being used by the CCP:

 During the 2016-2019 Russiagate hoax, as reported by The American Spectator, China was operating one of Twitters largest propaganda bot networks. The original information source was a Twitter safety report published in June 2020. According to Twitter, nearly 200,000 bots and fake accounts were suspended, including what Twitter referred to as 23,750 accounts of a highly engaged core network.

 Last September, as reported by The Diplomat, Facebook suspended 155 accounts and 11 pages that included China-based network that targeted political disinformation at users in the Philippines. The accounts were linked to individuals in Chinas Fujian Province.

 As noted by Dutch media this September, cybersecurity firm FireEye published a report detailing Chinese-backed accounts that were part of a coordinated social media influence campaign that promoted the narratives of systemic racism, coronavirus fears and anti-Trump sentiments in order to mobilize protestors in the United States in 2020.

 In November, The Diplomat reported that a study from the Oxford Internet Institute and the Associated Press documented 26,879 Twitter accounts that amplified posts from Chinese diplomats or state media nearly 200,000 times before getting suspended by the platform for violating rules prohibiting manipulation.

 As reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation earlier this month, Twitter suspended thousands of accounts, including many linked to a Chinese campaign aimed at downplaying the Chinese governments role in the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The report said that Facebook suspended 524 Facebook accounts, 20 Pages, four Groups and 86 Instagram accounts linked to China for nefarious practices.

Deepfake Technology

According to Norton, a leader in cyber protection technologies, deepfake technology is an evolving form of artificial intelligence thats adept at making you believe certain media is real, when in fact its a compilation of doctored images and audio designed to fool you.

Perfect technology for influencing unsuspecting users on social media platforms like the popular YouTube application!

The Chinese are using artificial intelligence to create false images and videos aimed at corrupting and influencing social media chats and conducting spear phishing attacks, as well as to propagate false CCP-friendly videos.

According to an FBI alert reported in March, foreign actors are currently using synthetic content in their influence campaigns, and the FBI anticipates it will be increasingly used by foreign and criminal cyber actors for spear phishing and social engineering in an evolution of cyber operational tradecraft.

Frequent viewers of YouTube videos beware!

Use of Contractors to Generate Fake Content

The Chinese are blatant about their use of social media to shape public opinion at home and abroad. To arm their social media and cyber warriors in the political warfare campaigns, The New York Times reported on Dec. 20 an example of soliciting online bids from commercial contractors to produce content, including videos (using deepfake technology?), in support of official public opinion managementa CCP euphemism for public control through the use of propaganda.

According to the Times report, the purpose for that solicitation is to create hundreds of fake accounts on Twitter, Facebook and other major social media platforms. The goal is an upgrade in sophistication and power: a series of accounts with organic followers that can be turned to government aims whenever necessary.

Should any content sourced from mainland China be trusted?

Conclusion

The Chinese regimes political warfare has ramped up in a new and modern domainthat of social media and the internet. Chinese-sponsored cyberwarfareinvolving fake social media accounts, bot armies, deepfake technology, and artificial intelligenceis hard at work every day of the year in attempting to fool and influence millions of unsuspecting users around the world. If a particular social media posting or video seems to be not quite right for its pro-China narrative, then there is a very good chance that it is indeed fake!

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Belgium Man Arrested While Attempting to Get 9th COVID-19 Vaccine on Behalf of Others

A man was arrested in Belgium on Sunday after attempting to get his ninth COVID-19 vaccine on behalf of others, according to local media reports.

The unnamed 33-year-old was arrested in Fosses-la-Ville, near Namur, after staff at the vaccination center notified officials, The Brussels Times reported.

He was allegedly being paid 100 to 150 euros ($113 to $169) by individuals who did not want to be vaccinated against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus and arrived at the centers with their identity cards in order to get a Covid Safe Ticket (CST) without being vaccinated themselves.

Employees in multiple vaccination centers in the cities of Namur and Charleroi alerted police after they noticed the man had returned for more vaccine shots within a short time period, according to De Standaard.

He was reportedly arrested by undercover police officers.

The Namur public prosecutors office has ordered an investigation into the incident and noted that several people who had given the man their ID cards to get vaccines on their behalf have already been identified. They face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 800,000 euros ($906,000) for forgery and fraud by means of information technology, if found guilty.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine three weeks (21 days) apart, two doses of the Moderna vaccine four weeks (28 days) apart, or one dose of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine.

Individuals receiving a vaccine that requires two doses should get the second shot as close to the recommended interval as possible and no earlier than the recommended interval, as per the CDC.

It is unlikely that the mans health is at risk from too many vaccinations, virologist Steven van Gucht told The Brussels Times. But he is also not necessarily better protected against the virus. You cant stimulate your immune system endlessly.

Under current rules in Belgium, only those who are vaccinated and can present a Covid Safe Ticket can enter bars, restaurants, and fitness centers, and enter gatherings or events with more than 50 people indoors or 100 people outdoors.

Those working on the front line, such as firemen and nursing staff, must also be vaccinated by Jan. 1, 2022, and face dismissal on April 1, 2022, if not fully vaccinated by then.

Earlier this month, authorities in New Zealand said they were investigating a man who allegedly received as many as 10 COVID-19 vaccine shots in one day on behalf of other people.

The New Zealand news website Stuff.co.nz reported that the unidentified man visited several vaccination sites and was paid to receive the shots on behalf of other individuals, assuming their identity.

Astrid Koornneef, a manager of the countrys COVID-19 vaccine and immunization program, confirmed that the New Zealand Ministry of Health was aware of the alleged incident and an investigation was underway.

We are very concerned about this situation and are working with the appropriate agencies, she told the New Zealand Herald. The ministry didnt elaborate on where the alleged incident occurred, and officials provided no other details.

To assume another persons identity and receive a medical treatment is dangerous. This puts at risk the person who receives a vaccination under an assumed identity and the person whose health record will show they have been vaccinated when they have not, Koornneef said. This could affect how their health is managed in the future.
A traveler arrives at the international terminal of O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on Nov. 08, 2021. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Biden to Lift Travel Restrictions on 8 Southern African Countries

The White House said Friday that the Biden administration will lift travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month in a bid to curb of the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Kevin Munoz, spokesperson for the White House, said in a tweet that President Joe Biden will lift the restrictions on Dec. 31, adding that the move was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The restrictions gave us time to understand Omicron and we know our existing vaccines work against Omicron, esp boosted, Munoz wrote on Twitter.

After Omicron was detected in southern Africa last month, the Biden administration barred entry to the United States for nearly all non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa.

U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, as well as noncitizens who are the spouses of citizens or permanent residents were exempt from the ban.

When President Joe Biden announced the restrictions, he called them a precautionary measure until we have more information, adding that the move would be subject to re-evaluation.

While it is unclear whether the restrictions slowed the spread of Omicron in the United States, a senior Biden administration official told Reuters that the travel ban has served its purpose.

It bought time to understand the science, it gave time to analyze the variant, the official told Reuters.

This was not meant to keep Omicron out. We knew we couldnt do that. The point was to reduce the number of cases coming inin those early days and weeks.

The CDC said on Dec. 20 that Omicron had been detected in most states and territories and was rapidly increasing the proportion of COVID-19 cases it is causing.

The agency added that scenario analyses indicate that the spread of Omicron in the United States is likely to lead to a national surge in the coming weeks with peak daily numbers of new infections that could exceed previous peaks.

Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washingtons School of Medicine have revised their COVID-19 infection projection model to include omicron. They estimate the United States could see a total of around 140 million new infections over the next three months, peaking in late-January at about 2.8 million new daily infections.

We are expecting an enormous surge in infections  so, an enormous spread of omicron, IHME director Dr. Chris Murray said Wednesday, USA Today reports. Total infections in the U.S. we forecast are going from about 40 percent of the U.S. having been infected so far, to having in the next 2 to 3 months, 60 percent of the U.S. getting infected with omicron.

At least 74 percent of Americans have reportedly received at least one dose of vaccine and around 62 percent have been fully vaccinated.

Early studies from drugmakers indicate that some of the current treatments for COVID-19 seem to be effective against Omicron, while early data from South Africa suggests it is far less severe.

Still, even if Omicron infection does lead to less severe disease, its rapid growth ratebelieved to come from a combination of higher transmissibility and increased immune evasionwill likely mean more infections and so the absolute numbers of people with severe outcomes could be substantial, the CDC said.
The back wall of a classroom in Government Bilingual High School, Ekondo Titi, shattered by improvised explosive devices during the November 24 attack of the school which resulted in the death of four students and a teacher. (The Epoch Times)

Cameroon Grieves Children Killed In School Shooting

In what reads like a reenactment of the October 2020 massacre of school children in Cameroon, children have yet again paid a heavy price in the drawn-out war rocking the Central-African state.

On November 24, 2021, unidentified gunmen stormed a state-run secondary school in Ekondo Titi, Ndian Division of South West Cameroon, killing four students and a female teacher. Seven other students were wounded. The South West Region of Cameroon is one of the two English-speaking regions of the country where separatists have been fighting to form a breakaway state which they call Ambazonia since late 2016. A similar attack happened in the same region on October 24, 2020, when gunmen opened fire in a school killing seven children and wounding 13 others. Both the Cameroon military and the leaders of the Ambazonia secessionist movements blame each other for the separate attacks.

A dozen secessionist assailants, deceitfully dressed in military gear and equipped with automatic weapons, stormed the premises of [the school] and started firing indiscriminately in the direction of the classrooms where students and teachers were already in class, before activating an improvised explosive device, Atongfack Guemo Cyrille Serge, the spokesman of the Cameroonian army said in a statement.

The assailants belong to a terrorist group headed by the so-called general ten kobo, who is equally responsible for the kidnapping and incommunicado holding of [six] divisional delegates [in the same locality] on June 15, and the murder of [one of the] divisional delegates, he said.

But speaking to The Epoch Times in a text, Chris Anu, the communications secretary of the United States of America-based Interim Government of Ambazonia pushed back, insisting Ambazonia restoration forces did not carry out the attack.

They [Cameroon military] carried out the killing of these school children in Ekondo Titi hoping that Ambazonia restoration forces will be held responsible, he told The Epoch Times.

Cameroon soldiers have a pedigree for killings like these ones and they must be held accountable. They went to Kumba and killed students. They killed a child going to school in Buea. They killed another child coming back from school in Bamenda. French Cameroon soldiers are known to attack even sick people in hospitals as was the case in Shisong and Kumba. French Cameroon has been carrying out these dastard acts hoping that the international community will place the responsibility over Ambazonian restoration forces.

President Paul Biya has described the attack as cowardly and heinous, promising it will not go unpunished.

Be assured of my steadfast determination to fight relentlessly these criminals and terrorists. The government pays the utmost attention to issues of security and population mobility, especially in regions affected by violence, he said in an official telegram addressed to the families of the victims.

Experts attribute the ongoing blame game to the challenging nature of 21st century asymmetric warfare  where the innocent and vulnerable groups suffer the most from its impact without recourse to justice.

In the absence of ownership, the real actor and motive behind the Ekondo Titi incident can only be analyzed from the angle of which actor stands to benefit or lose the most from such a grave incident especially in this case where both Ambazonia separatist and government forces accuse the other of masterminding the attack, said David Otto, a native Cameroonian and the director of counterterrorism for the Geneva Centre of African Security and Strategic Studies.

Attacks of this nature almost certainly form the core of propaganda to be exploited by all parties, he told The Epoch Times in an email.

The Cameroon government will use the incident to paint the separatist as evil and further cement the terrorist label at all levels. For Ambazonia separatists, theyll paint the incident as a state-sponsored strategy to use pseudo-groups or military men dressed in civilian attire to launch these attacks as a sabotage strategy to Ambazonia independent goals. Its a combination of both sides exploiting the core elements of attention; fear and propaganda in counter insurgency to make progress by any means.

The conflict in Cameroon stems from the countrys past, first as a German colony that was later split between France and Britain. In 2016, violent separatist groups launched a full blown war against government forces after they accused the state of further deploying intimidation and repressive tactics against civil protest organized by teachers and lawyers.

The only two English-speaking regions which make up about 20% of the total population are fighting for a change of a centralized governance system either through full independence or a return to a federal system of governance with equal status as was the case before the 1972 referendum, Otto told The Epoch Times. Over the years, persistent civil society calls and protest against the majority 80 percent French centralized government to stop all forms of marginalization, were either ignored or met with repressive measures from state security forces.

But apologists of the Biya regime insist the purpose of the conflict has been defeated.

The Anglophone crisis is the first of its kind in the world to be a self-inflictive war given [that] it stemmed from peaceful corporatists demands of teachers and lawyers which was later hijacked by separatists who deliberately turned these genuine demands into the madness of the so-called struggle of independence, Elvis Mbwoge, Political Scientist, Security Counterterrorism Expert and Assistant Lecturer in the University of Buea in South West Cameroon, told The Epoch Times in a text.

Cameroonians have enjoyed relative peace than most countries in the world to the extent that they do not understand fully the concepts and the consequences of secession and war, he said.

I believe the government of Cameroon is aware of this reality  the reason [it is] reluctant to declare a full-scale war against armed secessionists. The government still believes these are misguided youths who deserve a second chance.

But the Cameroon military has recently suffered huge casualties from the hands of the Ambazonian fighters; a situation Otto says is partly fueled by the regions topography.

The complex, hilly and deep forest topography of the south west and north west regions play a very significant role in how Ambazonia separatist groups plan, attack and retreat using guerrilla style multiple-tactics on unsuspecting government forces, he told The Epoch Times.

These armed groups consist of locals who have a mastery of the local terrain and enjoy protection, trust and support from the local communities  these factors render military strategies ineffective and often counter-productive  leading to multiple casualties.

Anu explained: [Cameroon] never for once believed [that] we were going to resist  not only resist, but to fight this war for five years.

We started this war using cutlasses, sticks, Dane guns and rubber guns. But we have now graduated from using these [rudimentary weapons] to the AK47s and we are also now using Improvised Explosive Devises not bought from anywhere out of Ambazonia, but manufactured in Ambazonia.

The use of these weapons is pushing Cameroon to the wall, he said.

Mbwoge disagrees, and rather sees a reluctant and ill-equipped state army trying to disarm determined armed separatists within the problematic regions where such casualties have become inevitable.

Sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation are paramount elements for statehood. No state in the world will happily hand over part of its territory to a disunited, disorganized group of armed secessionists, he said.

Opinions are deeply polarized among Cameroonians regarding how to get out of the current political stalemate. While leaders of the secessionist movements maintain their quest for autonomy is unstoppable, many pro-government lobbyists insist the form of state is non-negotiable. The European Parliament has urged both sides to immediately re-initiate peace talks.

At the interim government of Ambazonia, we are only ready to initiate an internationally recognized mediation/negotiation with Cameroon, Anu told The Epoch Times.

We will not go in for anything so-called two-state federation. We want a free and independent Ambazonia and French Cameroon isnt going to give it to us; the international community/the United Nations will give it to us. But if they do not give it to us, we will fight with everything that is within us to take that country and rule it like the Somaliland did even without the recognition of the United Nations, he said.

Mbogwe said such stance smacks of sheer recklessness.

Real rebels throughout history understood the dynamics of power which the leaders of Ambazonia are yet to understand, he told The Epoch Times.

Their insistence of no turning back is at the expense of the people they are claiming to liberate. How true is their no turning back policy when the average man is fed up with the war? How true is that policy when they have adopted a policy to keep their children out of school and their people out of work? How true is that policy when they are disunited, disorganized and lack the ability to compromise? How true will their policy of no turning back work when they continue to order killings, kidnappings and maiming of their own people.

Otto thinks a compromise can eventually be reached all the same.

This is the fifth year of the conflict and no side can claim on the balance of capacity, that it can defeat the other anytime soon, he told The Epoch Times.

The earlier both sides review the existing options for a peaceful settlement, the better for the stability of all stakeholders. Right now, both parties are unable to back the current hardline stands of winning in the battlefield. The form of the state is non-negotiable and independence is a no turning back is a respectable starting position. In the phase of negotiations, positions are likely to shift depending on what is at stake for each party.
Canadians Opportunity to Attend Christmas Church Services Uneven As Local Rules Vastly Differ

With Christmas upon us, a number of Canadians will not be able to attend a church service to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and those who can attend might choose not to do so due to caps on attendance or fears of contracting COVID-19.

All provinces and territories in Canada except Saskatchewan are imposing restrictions on places of worship, with at least Nunavut having decided on Dec. 24 to close churches altogether due to eight active cases.

With introductions of COVID-19 in multiple communities over the past week, we must move to the strictest public health restrictions across the entire territory, Dr. Michael Patterson, Nunavuts chief public health officer, said in a statement.

Quebec allows places of worship to operate at a higher capacity than some provinces, but it is the only one to require a vaccine passport to enter.

Places of worship are allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity with a maximum occupancy of 250 people, who must remain seated.

The Christmas Eve mass in the famous Saint Josephs Oratory and the Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral in Montreal will still take place, but other parts of the province have chosen to forego church services altogether.

The diocese of the city of Quebec has cancelled all collective celebrations until Jan. 10, other than funerals.

Im aware it will be very disappointing to not congregate in the church this year to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, but I consider it our duty to participate in the collective effort to avoid increasing the spread of the coronavirus, the head of the diocese, Cardinal Gerald C. Lacroix, said in a statement.

This type of situation across Canada since the onset of the pandemic is leaving some faith groups reflecting on the state of religious rights in the country.

Banning people from attending Christmas church services is a cruel and repressive move that I cant believe is actually happening in a democratic nation like Canada, says Jack Fonseca, political operations director for the pro-life group Campaign Life Coalition.

While authorities are taking a top-down approach in attempting to manage the different sectors of society, some religious adherents feel that the very nature of their existence is being curtailed.

Our civil liberties and constitutional rights are being attacked, and those of us who refuse the abortion-tainted COVID injections are being denied the right to worship God and to receive the sacraments, says Fonseca.

Fetal cell lines are used in various stages of vaccine development, and this is cited by some persons of faith as grounds to reject vaccination.

Across the Country

In British Columbia, if participants are not all vaccinated, worship services are limited to 50 percent seating capacity, including choirs. Otherwise there are no capacity limits.

In Alberta, capacity is limited to a third of the fire code occupancy.

Saskatchewan does not have any capacity or vaccination status limitations on places of worship.

In Manitoba, capacity is at 50 percent with proof of vaccination, or 25 percent capacity or a total of 25 people, whichever is lower, when proof of vaccination is not required.

For Ontario, capacity is limited to allow physical distancing of 2 metres between people of different households, but that limit is lifted if vaccination can be verified.

In New Brunswick, where proof of vaccination is not required, capacity is at 50 percent capacity under the fire code.

In Nova Scotia, faith gatherings are capped at 25 percent capacity and up to 50 people.

For Prince Edward Island, new temporary measures came into effect on the morning of Dec. 24 and will last until Jan. 8. Worship services are limited to a maximum of 50 attendees and up to 50 percent in capacity in venue.

In Newfoundland Labrador, capacity is at 100 people or 50 percent (whichever is less) if proof of vaccination can be verified, and at 25 percent if it isnt.

In the Northwestern Territories, all non-household gatherings are capped at 25 people.

In the Yukon, all indoor organized gatherings are capped at 50 percent of the venue capacity.
A video photo showing a sceen of group playing, during the carol tribute event for La Palma volcano workers, in the Canary Islands, Spain. (AP/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Carol Tribute for La Palma Volcano Workers

The Christmas spirit could be about to settle on the volcano on the Canary Islands that started erupting in September.

Its been quiet for the past 13 days, and scientists say just one more day is needed for the eruption to be declared officially over.

This would mean Christmas Day is the day that residents can celebrate the end of the event.

A band played a traditional Christmas carol on the island late Thursday in tribute to emergency workers who have kept local people safe during the eruption.

Its been the islands longest eruption on record and has forced several thousands of people out of their homes, although no deaths have been reported.

The Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa, are a territory of Spain.
Anders Corr, publisher of the Journal of Political Risk and author of "The Concentration of Power," in New York on Dec. 13, 2021. (Bao Qiu/The Epoch Times)

CCPs Economic Power Makes US Corporations Subservient to Beijing: China Analyst

The Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) economic power makes corporations and governments subservient, aiding Beijings plan to achieve global hegemony, according to China analyst Anders Corr.

Corporations [and]  governments are starting to fall in line with what the Chinese Communist Party wants them to do  in a way that really should concern us, Corr, principal at advisory firm Corr Analytics and author of The Concentration of Power, told EpochTVs American Thought Leaders program.

Corr, who also is a contributor to The Epoch Times, said the CCP coerces corporations to do its bidding in exchange for access to the Chinese market, which accounts for 20 percent of the worlds economy. Companies tend to comply with the CCP because they want to sell their products to Chinas 1.4 billion people and get cheap labor from them, he said.

Such was the case with Apple, he said. The company reportedly made a secret deal with the CCP in 2016 to spend $275 billion in China over five years. The deal also included the forced transfer of technology. Corr said the deal was apparently coerced, as the CCP was making certain apps unavailable on Apples App store.

If you prove to China that you are on the Chinese Communist Partys side  [by] donating $275 billion in a secret agreement to tech transfers to China, if you prove that  maybe they give you a better deal  that maximizes your short-term revenues [and] increases your bonus as a CEO, but sells out shareholders down the road, Corr said.

He argued that such actions are possible due to the CCPs concentration of power, which allows it to act as a gatekeeper to the Chinese market. This kind of power is unavailable to the U.S. president because of economic freedom in the United States.

Many of the companies making deals with the CCP are willing to overlook ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese regime because of greed, according to Corr.

He mentioned that some businessmen, such as billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio, justify their deals with the CCP by saying that they cant get involved in rights and governance issues and that the United States also has its own problems. But Corr believes that this is an unacceptable statement.

You cant compare a triple genocide in Chinaof the Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Falun Gongto whats going on in the United States, Corr said. To compare the two is a total whitewash of China and a slander on the United States.

The analyst said the CCP has the goal to achieve global hegemony, which is an accepted truth in academia. He said the CCP uses this economic power to expand its political influence in the United States.

The influence that Beijing has over American politics through our corporations is actually quite similar to the influence that Beijing has in other countries, Corr said. Whether its Uganda or Philippines, they wield quite a bit of power through being able to turn on and turn off imports and exports between China and all other countries in the world.

Western democracies arent doing enough to counter the CCPs expansion and should coordinate a strategic approach to China, along with other Western countries so that they make sure that our corporations are not selling out democracy when theyre doing business in China, according to Corr.

We should be resisting more. We should be seeing more evidence of resistance against the CCP, that were just not seeing, he said. The G-7  they couldnt agree even on a diplomatic boycott of the Olympic Games when theres three genocides going on in China.
CDC Cuts COVID-19 Quarantine, Isolation Time for Health Care Workers to Ease Staffing Shortages

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday released updated guidance for isolation and quarantine, cutting the length of time health care workers need to do so amid an increase in cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

As of Monday, Omicron makes up at least 73 percent of new cases in the United States, according to the CDC.

The new guidance reduces isolation time for health care workers with COVID-19 from 10 to 7 days, provided they are asymptomatic and can present a negative test.

That isolation time can be cut further if there are staffing shortages, the CDC said.

Health care workers who are fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot do not need to quarantine at home following high-risk exposure.

The updated guidance only applies to health care workers and may still be revised as officials receive more information on the Omicron variant. The CDC said the new guidelines are meant to limit the effects of staffing shortages at medical and health care facilities dealing with an influx of COVID-19 patients.

No other isolation and quarantine guidelines were changed or updated on Thursday.

As the healthcare community prepares for an anticipated surge in patients due to Omicron, CDC is updating our recommendations to reflect what we know about infection and exposure in the context of vaccination and booster doses, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. Our goal is to keep healthcare personnel and patients safe, and to address and prevent undue burden on our healthcare facilities. Our priority remains preventionand I strongly encourage all healthcare personnel to get vaccinated and boosted.

The public health agency also updated its guidance for contingency and crisis management to mitigate significant health care worker shortages.

The new guidance comes shortly after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the new Omicron variant of the virus is up to 70 percent less likely to result in hospitalization.

Preliminary findings on the new variant showed that the risk of hospital admission for an identified case with Omicron is reduced compared with a case of the Delta variant, according to the government agency.

An individual with Omicron is estimated to be as much as 45 percent less likely to attend the emergency department compared with Delta, and as much as 70 percent less likely to be admitted to hospital.

Meanwhile, researchers from Imperial College London estimated that Omicron patients were 20 to 25 percent less likely to need hospital care and 40 to 45 percent less likely to be hospitalized for one night or more when compared to those with the Delta variant.

However, health experts are still researching the newest variant, first discovered in South Africa. Omicron is believed to be infecting more people who have previously had COVID-19, with 9.5 percent of people being reinfected with Omicron in the UK, according to UKHSA, which based its findings on the results from lateral flow or PCR tests (pdf).

On Monday, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading faster than the Delta variant, and warned against Christmas holiday gatherings.

Ghebreyesus also noted that in his view 70 percent of the population of every country needs to be vaccinated by the middle of next year if the pandemic is to be beaten in the coming year.

On Dec. 21, what is widely believed to be the first death in the United States related to the new Omicron variant was reported in Texas.

An unvaccinated Houston man between the ages of 5060 who had been infected with COVID-19 previously is believed to be the victim of the Omicron-related death, Harris Country Public Health (HCPH) confirmed.

The individual was at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19 due to his unvaccinated status and had underlying health conditions, health officials said.
In this picture taken on May 11, 2017, a drone flies in the showroom of the DJI headquarters in Shenzhen, China. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

China Is Creating Your Complete Digital Twin (Including Your DNA)

Commentary

Due to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) breach, some may think that the Chinese Communist Party is simply collecting intelligence on those Americans associated with the U.S. government. They are, and far more than that.

Chinas intelligence services are doing far more than creating the Hollywood stereotype portrayal of a manila folder with all of our hard copy biographical information and a paper-clipped black and white photo of us, perhaps in a compromising situation. China is establishing comprehensive electronic folders on everyone in the United States.

This can include web searching history, online purchases in totality, complete medical records, all texts, and all other evidence of our being. One component that starts to go beyond the digital is the DNA structure of our physical body. How do they get that? Perhaps through unlawfully accessing our medical records or maybe through our voluntary biological samples given in the innocent pursuit of our family lineage. Either way, dark and disturbing intentions are in play.

Unconstrained by Legal Guardrails

You may say, So what? Big deal. Amazon and Google do this already. Perhaps they do, but what Chinese intelligence is doing for all Americans and for the Chinese and non-Chinese population of the world is establishing a decisive digital dominance to map every single person, including their DNA. This is done on a scale far beyond what Facebook and others in Big Tech aspire to. There are privacy, civil liberty, and legal guardrails in the United States and Europe that constrain even the most adventurist of Mark Zuckerbergs dreams.

This lack of legal bumper cushions for the CCP, combined with a lack of social mores, feelings, and faith-based values is what sets China apart from even the darkest of Big Techs goals and dreams. Although U.S. social media (and the U.S. Intelligence Community) may have set the original framework and tenets of Big Data and Big Data analytics, the Chinese state apparatus has codified, on an exponential scale, how to use the establishment of a digital persona to control and condition the behavior of an individual through simple rewards and penalties.

The public manifestation is the blooming social credit system instituted by the CCP in China. Most human personalities will conform after a few penalties or rewards in such an environment. Its our innate human nature, but its also a slippery slope to more vicious totalitarianism.

A Chinese Digital Silk Road

The key enablers of this digital twin strategy are the vanguards of the CCPs intentions, through their own social media firms, such as TikTok, and other companies, including DJI (the dominant drone manufacturer) and Huawei.

With Chinese law and operating strategy, all Chinese companies are de facto majority-owned by the state and are required to always do the bidding of the state. These companies are modeled on the front companies that the U.S. Intelligence Community established and used sparingly since the 1950s, but at a far grander scale, and all Chinese companies are part of this ploy. Its a legal requirement for their existence.

Its odd, interesting, and amusing that the same CCP system that encouraged the birthing and expansion of these companies is now also showing concern with their growth and influence, as well as their leaders, such as Alibaba founder Jack Ma. The Trump administration aggressively asserted trade control measures toward many Chinese companies, as has the Biden administration with its most recent application of the obscure, but very powerful tool of the Entities List.

Ive conducted a dialogue with Costcos front office on the ill-advised corporate decision to carry DJI drones. It has often been open, transparent, and expressed concern, but at the same time, the retailer has still carried DJI products. However, this season, its also carrying a non-DJI producta possible hint of a transition of product types on the shelves and a hat-tip to Costco liability concerns over DJI.

But if one looks very closely, the origin of the new non-DJI drone is still Shenzhen, the same city where DJI has its large and unique headquarters. What do drones have to do with feeding our digital persona?

The DJI drones are now flying endpoints on a worldwide network and share hundreds of live or post-flight data elements with servers in China. Were allowing flying, cyber vacuum cleaners that have the data collection capabilities of modern digital flight recorders on commercial airliners, but these also collect video, audio, and signals intelligence, as well as other sensoring capabilities that are breathtaking.

If you still say ho-hum, big deal with this situation, I frankly dont know what to say. Allowing a foreign power to fly in our airspace with flying intelligence collection vacuum cleaners to map our total environment is a very bad idea. Would China allow us to do this in their airspace? I may be stepping out on a ledge on this one, but the CCP would be unlikely to reciprocate.

To What End?

All of this may be true, but again, so what? I had one very senior intelligence official recently tell me that Chinas behavior makes it easier for the Five Eyes Community to steal back all of this information after they collect it. This is one way of looking at the situation and a possible strategy, but not one I would place money on.

With the fusion of DNA information, could China be tailoring follow-on releases of viruses to target non-Han personalities? As a career planner and strategist, this posit is well within the boundaries of the realistic and possible. In the end, nothing good can come out of a ruthless, totalitarian state bent on world domination and the elimination of the United States as the world leader establishing our digital twins. Nothing.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Tech giant Intel is apologizing to China after backlash from Chinese shoppers. At issue is the companys statement about avoiding forced labor in Xinjiang.

The first day of lockdowns has begun in Xian, the harshest in China so far. Life in the megacity seems to have stopped, except for the long queue of people waiting for virus tests in the snow.

The Chinese foreign ministry says that Lithuania will be swept into the trashcan of history. A Lithuanian lawmaker responds by saying communism is already in the trash can.

A new Hong Kong government-backed study finds that three doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine is not effective at protecting against the Omicron variant. Most of China is vaccinated with Chinese vaccines.

A leading Hong Kong university has dismantled and removed a famous statue from its campusone that commemorates the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

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Chinese Catholics, who belong to an "underground" church, attend a mass in Donglu, Hebei Province, China, on May 22, 2013. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Regime Issues More Restrictions to Prohibit Religious Activities During Christmas

The five departments of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) issued a notice prohibiting online religious gatherings prior to this years Christmas. Many local governments and public security departments have joined forces to restrict religious activities, and the authorities have banned Christmas celebrations in the name of epidemic prevention.

Before Christmas, the governments and public security departments of Guangdong, Shandong, Anhui, Guangxi, Zhejiang Provinces, and other regions once again joined forces to restrict non-government sanctioned religious activities.

The pastor of a Guangdong house church, surnamed Chen, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on Dec. 22 that the local police had notified the church in the morning in the name of epidemic prevention that gatherings were not allowed during Christmas.

The pastor of a church in Shandong, named John, also said that the local situation is the same as in other parts of the countryChristmas celebration is not allowed. It has been ordered that there should be no religious activities, and some churches in other places are like this. They can only do underground celebration activities.

Church activities in Pingyang county of Wenzhou city in Zhejiang Province were also suspended by the communist authorities in the name of epidemic prevention.

The CCPs suppression of Christmas celebrations started three years ago, and each year before Christmas, the regime prohibits state-owned enterprises and schools from celebrating Christmas. A Chinese Christian said that recently, shopping malls everywhere no longer sell Christmas lights and Christmas trees.

While the Chinese regime has been restricting and prohibiting in-person religious gatherings in the name of epidemic control, online gatherings have become more and more popular. Mainland China scholar David Li told the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times that peoples enthusiasm for faith has increased. This has alarmed Beijing, which wants to control peoples thoughts, and the regime will inevitably suppress the spread of Christianity.

On Dec. 20, the five departments of the regime, including the State Administration of Religious Affairs, the State Internet Information Office, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of National Security, issued the Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services, prohibiting any organization or individual from teaching, uploading, posting, and distributing online any religious lectures and sermons. It also bans religious information services through websites, apps, online forums, etc.

Chinese Catholics walk through a security checkpoint outside a government-approved Catholic church in Beijing, on Dec. 24, 2007. (Teh Eng Koon/AFP via Getty Images)

Regarding the Chinese regimes suppression of religious activities, Wu Zuolai, a U.S.-based scholar told The Epoch Times that the CCP is going backward, restoring the confinement of peoples thoughts and behaviors like during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The Christian culture is a departure from Marxism, communism, and what the CCP propagates.

He said that religious beliefs and communism are essentially in conflict. One is about compassion, the other is about the philosophy of struggle. Communism is committed to hatred, hatred between nations, historical hatred, and incitement to hatred.

In addition, Wu pointed out that religion is organized, which is most feared by the CCP. He said, If the common people are all by themselves individually, then the CCP will not fall, no matter how corrupt it is, or how it starved to death tens of millions of people. But once people are organized, it will be different. So the CCP is indeed afraid of it and faces great challenges.

He said that, on the other hand, churches in various places are also using various online methods to meet and develop. The CCPs suppression may provoke more resistance, and many people may just get over the great firewall built by the regime to restrict access to information, and the CCP would not be able to stop it.

Luo Ya and Cheng Jing contributed to the report.
COVID-19 Restrictions Questioned as Omicron-Related Hospitalizations Remain Low

The president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business is questioning Canadas new round of COVID-19 restrictions put in place to stop the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, despite reports that the variant causes less severe illness than its predecessors.

If #omicron continues to result in very few admissions to hospitals/ICUs, how long will it be before provinces remove their new restrictions and lessen the panic theyve created. U.S. public health officials say there is no need to close schools or businesses, Dan Kelly, who is also the chief executive officer and chair of the business advocacy group, wrote on Twitter.

Kellys comment comes after Ontarios top doctor said Dec. 21 that there havent been any known intensive care admissions in the province due to Omicronnearly a month after Canadas first two cases of the new variant were detected in Ottawa on Nov. 28.

Omicrons hospitalization rate in Ontario was around 0.15 percent as of Dec. 21significantly lower than the provinces general COVID-19 hospitalization rate, said Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontarios chief medical officer of health.

If #omicron continues to result in very few admissions to hospitals/ICUs, how long will it be before provinces remove their new restrictions & lessen the panic theyve created. US public health officials say there is no need to close schools or businesses.  Dan Kelly (@CFIB) December 23, 2021

Similar findings were reported around the world.

The UK Health Security Agency said on Dec. 23 that a person infected with Omicron is 70 percent less likely to be admitted to the hospital compared to one with the Delta variant, and is 45 percent less likely to require a visit to the emergency department.

The risk of hospitalization due to Omicron was estimated to be 80 percent lower than with the Delta variant, according to a recent study conducted by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and major universities in South Africa.

As the latest variant of concern, Omicron was found to be more transmissible than previous COVID-19 variants, probably because it multiplies more rapidlyreplicating 70 times faster than the Delta variantaccording to a study conducted by the University of Hong Kong.

The study also found that Omicron multiplies more in the respiratory tract, which likely explains why it causes significantly lower infection in the lung than the original SARS-CoV-2.

However, government and public health officials have called for further restrictions and mass vaccinations in response to Omicron.

On Dec. 23, the Quebec government tightened public health restrictions for the third time in less than a week, limiting in-person gatherings to six people starting Dec. 26, while gyms, bars, and schools in the province were abruptly closed following a Dec. 20 announcement.

Other provinces and territories also released tougher COVID-19 restrictions on Dec. 21, including British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

In a statement issued Dec. 23, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) urged Canadians to reduce social contacts and receive a vaccine booster shot.

As of Dec. 22, there have been 3,536 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant, reported in 12 provinces and territories, according to PHAC.

While PHACs statement said Omicron cases are expected to add additional strain on the healthcare system in coming weeks and that the increased hospitalization and critical care admission in Ontario and Quebec are driving the national trend, it did not mention the exact numbers of intensive care admissions caused by the variant.

Alexander Zhang and Omid Ghoreishi contributed to this report
The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Va., on Oct. 9, 2020. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Defense Department Staff Test Positive for COVID-19 After Base Tour

WASHINGTONSeven U.S. Department of Defense staff who traveled last week to multiple American bases, including Indo-Pacific Command on Hawaii, have tested positive for COVID-19, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

The staff, which consisted of civilian and military personnel, traveled to bases in Michigan, Colorado, Hawaii, California, and Nebraska as part of Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks visit to the United States bases and commands, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. Hicks tested negative.

Hicks was touring American bases as the Biden administrations 2023 budget takes shape. The Defense Department hopes to focus budget dollars toward a military that can deter China and Russia.

The staff had been vaccinated and tested for coronavirus exposure before the trip. Kirby said the staff who tested positive following last weeks travel were in quarantine. He added that the Pentagon was contacting all hotels, bases and other personnel who may have come in contact with the travelers.

During a visit to Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Hicks saw a simulated space training exercise, Space Flag, hosted by U.S. forces.

During the stop in Hawaii, military commanders demonstrated a software tool they have built to predict how the Chinese government would react to American actions in the region, such as military sales, U.S.-backed military activity and even congressional visits to hot spots like Taiwan.

Indo-Pacific Command oversees all U.S. military operations in and around the vast Pacific Ocean and South Asia.

All staff on the trip followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidelines, including the stringent wearing of masks and social distancing where and when possible, Pentagon spokesman Kirby said.

By Mike Stone and Susan Heavey
New emails have just been revealed that expose the evidence of how Dr. Francis Collins and Dr. Anthony Fauci worked together to not only suppress scientific debate, but also to suppress the free speech of American scientists.

Meanwhile, Procter & Gamble has issued recalls of several of their products following the discovery that they contained a cancer-causing compound.

And this is actually the eigth time such a recall has happened this year. In fact, just several months ago, Johnson & Johnson had to recall several of their previously FDA-approved sunscreens because they likewise contained benzene.

Lastly, according to a government report, at a minimum, $100 billion have been stolen from COVID-19 relief programs that were set up by the government.

Resources:

 The CCP narrative around natural origins:

https://ept.ms/33Oj6DP

 AMAC:

https://ept.ms/3bzYr8f

 Takedown Emails:

https://ept.ms/3JingnC

https://ept.ms/3JhqSX2

https://ept.ms/3Jf7pGB

https://ept.ms/3yTRHvL

 Procter and Gamble recall:

https://ept.ms/32hScnE

https://ept.ms/3H5DlLC

 Johnson & Johnson recall:

https://ept.ms/3pqYmKV

https://ept.ms/3pna5Kg

https://ept.ms/3yUYiG9

 Secret Service:

https://ept.ms/3FsBpwf

https://ept.ms/3mvRk5t

https://ept.ms/3Jj4NHU

https://ept.ms/3sxso1o

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Fired Health Care Workers Adjust to New Ways of Living During the Holiday Season

Many health care workers, once hailed as heroes for working throughout the pandemic, now settle into the holiday season without jobs because of their personal medical decisions.

In North Carolina, Carlton DeHart was working as an advanced heart failure coordinator nurse for the Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte when she was fired in September for not meeting the deadline to get vaccinated for the Chinese Communist Party virus.

Because DeHart was undergoing fertility treatment, she told The Epoch Times, she decided against it, adding that she didnt feel comfortable adding a not-long tested unknown into my body.

She chose not to file for an exemption because, she said, its a form of compliance.

She doesnt regret the decision, she said, and with the reducing rates of efficacy, changing definitions of what it means to be fully vaccinated, increasing reports of side effects, and the censorship surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines, shes still determined not to comply.

Though DeHart misses her team and her patients, she said doesnt miss the top-down draconian hospital politics that pushes allopathic treatment.

Her hope is that the firings will propel a new medical community forward that doesnt lean into the heavily prescribed drugs, radiation, and surgery but into more innovations outside of orthodox medicine.

I think we were moving that way anyway because people werent happy with the corporate care they were getting, and this will hurry that along, DeHart said.

I Never Bought Any of This

In Indiana, Erika McCoy was a certified critical care nurse, as well as a COVID nurse for the last year and a half with the Community Health Network, where she worked for 19 years.

She also taught critical care to nursing students at the University of Indianapolis.

Before the vaccine mandates even began, she was fired in August for not wearing a mask.

I never bought any of this, McCoy said. I knew everything was a lie from day one when they were telling us how to wear our PPE (personal protective equipment) properly because of this bat virus on the loose that they said came from a fish market down the street from a lab that weaponizes viruses.

Vocal about her beliefs, she said she had already had a target on her back.

However, patients and students were relieved when she told them they didnt have to wear a mask in front of her, she said.

In 2020, the hospital began restricting visitors.

That was not OK with me, McCoy said.

Having visitors is good for the health of the patient, she said. Visitors who know the patient better than the nurse notice acute changes in the patient. I cant tell you how many visitors have tipped me off to acute changes I wouldnt have noticed otherwise because I dont know how they are normally.

Meanwhile, red flags multiplied into more red flags, she said.

The narrative didnt sit well with my gut, she said. I didnt need a study to tell me that my CO2 (carbon dioxide) levels increased in my body with wearing a mask for 13 hours a day. I just knew it was wrong the second it was on my face. We are not meant to live that way.

Since being fired, life has been stressful, she said, but shes found a new mission in studying constitutional law.

Im a single mom so I worry about income, but I told them when I left, Youve taken away my job. Now Im going to expose you, she said.

McCoy is studying the affidavit process by bringing justice through statements of fact, she said, and shes also teaching the process.

Its extensive, which is why I think many people arent doing this, she said.

However, McCoy said she shouldnt have to quote U.S. or state code to declare her body as her property.

There is no man, no institution, no government, or any other person who can make me put anything on or in my body that I do not agree to, she said.

For those who complied, McCoy said, the goalpost will only keep moving forward as freedoms continue to be subtracted from the people.

If we give up now, it will just keep going and going, McCoy said. Once freedom is taken, it isnt given back.

Protestors gather to oppose the vaccine mandate for health care workers in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Oct. 1, 2021. (Mei Li/The Epoch Times)

Temporary Freedoms Versus Essential Liberty

In Virginia, Ethan Craig, a physicians assistant, prepares to uproot his family and move to Florida where he has a potential job offer after being fired in September for not taking the vaccine, he told The Epoch Times.

As a member of the National Guard, he was able to get a full-time position with the military reserve force after he was fired before the Virginia state National Guard implemented its own vaccine mandate, ending his active-duty orders, which didnt remove him from the Guard but caused him to lose his second job this year for not getting vaccinated.

Craig had worked at an Ear, Nose, and Throat clinic where he said his medical director had been strongly encouraging the vaccine.

When the vaccines rolled out, Craig said two of his older siblings who were as doctors eligible for the first round developed severe reactions after receiving their two doses of Moderna.

In his clinic, he said a coworker developed neuralgia in both upper extremities after the shot, while a female patient in her 50s suffered a heart attack six hours after her shot.

Another female patient broke out in an autoimmune rash on her torso that he said plagued her with pruritus.

Another middle-aged female patient he said developed tinnitus after her vaccine that interfered with her daily life.

All of these women were healthy and very low risk to any side effects from COVID, Craig said. Its one thing to read all of these studies that show the dangers and ineffectiveness of the COVID shot while reading about the benefits of multiple therapeutics, but its another thing to know several people in my own circle on this small peninsula of Virginia that have suffered from side effects from the shot.

When he brought this to his medical directors attention, Craig said he discounted them.

Craig said it was a vaccinated employee who brought COVID into the office, spreading it to two employees: one who had been vaccinated and the other who had natural immunity, with the vaccinated employee having the worse symptoms.

Still, Craig said, the medical director sent out an email to staff blaming the outbreak on the unvaccinated.

Our government and the CDC have successfully convinced some of the smartest people in our communities to fear a virus that has a 98.4 percent recovery rate, Craig said.

When Craig came down with COVID, he said he treated it with ivermectin and the symptoms lasted two days.

After the entire staff tested positive, the medical director mandated the vaccine, and Craig agreed to get vaccinated under the condition that the company would pay for all medical bills for any side effects.

Doesnt this sound like a perfectly reasonable condition, especially if you have complete faith in the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 shot? he asked. Ill let you guess what he decided.

A person receives a COVID-19 vaccine at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, on April 15, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Craig and his wife, a teacher, now look forward to Boynton Beach, Florida, where hes been offered a job at an Ear, Nose, and Throat clinic that isnt mandating the vaccine.

Everywhere else hiring required the shot, so it looks like we are going to a state that has medical freedom, he said.

Still, its not just Craig who was impacted by the job loss.

His wife now must change schools and find a new community.

Though they dont have kids, Craig pointed to the children of parents who lost their job this year because of the mandates and what it must be like for them during the holiday season.

For Craig and his wife, the job offer is a relief, while for many, he said, they continue to struggle because of a government and employers who are denying people their 14th Amendment right to life and liberty, as well as to bodily autonomy.

They insist that to protect the vaccinated from the unvaccinated, they must coerce everyone to get the jab or remove dissenters from society, Craig said.

However, in quoting founding father Benjamin Franklin, Craig said, Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
People line up at the Histopath pre-departure COVID-19 testing clinic at Sydney International airport in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 23, 2021. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

Flights Cancelled on Christmas Eve Disrupt Aussie Travel

Hundreds of Australians preparing to reunite with their families for Christmas have experienced disruptions after three major airlines cancelled and rescheduled dozens of flights on Christmas Eve.

Australias busiest route between Sydney and Melbourne was the most affected as Jetstar and Virgin Australia cancelled 22 flights between the two cities on Dec. 24.

Both airlines have also cancelled or rescheduled more than 20 flights between the major cities and Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Brisbane.

Meanwhile, a small number of Qantas services were cancelled just due to demand, with all passengers reaccommodated on flights within a short time frame.

A Virgin Australia spokesman said the airline had cancelled the flights earlier in the week but all customers had been moved onto alternative flights with no one being left behind.

Meanwhile, passengers of Jetstar, a Qantas subsidiary, were only notified as late as 9 p.m. on Dec. 23, when many customers would have been in bed to wake up for an early flight, with the airlines customer service line closing at 10 p.m.

A Jetstar spokesperson apologised for the late flight cancellations, saying the problems were caused by crew availability.

Unfortunately like many people in Sydney and Melbourne, a large number of our frontline team members are being required to test and isolate as close contacts given the increasing number of cases in the general community, and as a result we have had to make some late adjustments to our schedule, the spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

We appreciate the frustration this causes, especially as customers are travelling for Christmas, and sincerely apologise for the impact these changes are having on travel plans.

We are working to minimise any delays and reaccommodating passengers on flights as close as possible to their original departure times across both Jetstar and Qantas services.

Customers took their frustration to social media, with one Jetstars passenger saying: Went to book Jetstar out of Goldie 3 weeks ago. All flights disappeared before my eyes. I rang them only to be told theyd cancelled all flights for 5 days. No PAX.

Went to book Jetstar out of Goldie 3 weeks ago. All flights disappeared before my eyes. I rang them only to be told theyd cancelled all flights for 5 days. No PAX.  One Fat Duck (@_onefatduck) December 23, 2021
There's an increasing amount of research showing the potential effects of vitamin D on COVID-19 outcomes

Floridas new surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has issued a statewide public service announcement in support of commonsense COVID prevention strategies such as optimizing your vitamin D, staying active, eating nutrient-dense foods, and boosting your immune system with supplements.

Florida Healths HealthierYouFL.org website now urges Floridians to Talk to your health care provider about how certain supplements or foods containing vitamins and minerals might help boost your immune system, such as zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C and quercetin. These are all well-known supplements that have been shown to have a positive impact on your COVID-19 risk.

The surgeon general also supports the use of monoclonal antibodies in acute cases, and as prevention in high-risk patients who have been exposed to COVID-19. Available treatment locations can be found on FloridaHealthCOVID19.gov.

Physicians Should Use Clinical Judgment

Florida Health even highlights emerging treatments such as fluvoxamine and inhaled budesonide. Importantly, Florida Health now states that:

Physicians should use their clinical judgment when recommending treatment options for patients individualized health care needs. This may include emerging treatment options with appropriate patient informed consent, including off-label use or as part of a clinical trial.

Well, no one could be happier about this than I. Ive been calling for vitamin D recommendations since the earliest days of the pandemicideally nationwide, but statewide is at least a start, especially considering that Florida is the sunshine state.

Ladapo was appointed Florida surgeon general and secretary of the Florida Department of Health by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sept. 21, 2021, and its refreshing to finally see COVID guidance that makes sense. In his acceptance speech, Ladapo said:

I am honored to have been chosen by Governor DeSantis to serve as Floridas next Surgeon General. We must make health policy decisions rooted in data and not in fear.

I have observed the different approaches taken by governors across the country, and I have been impressed by Governor DeSantis leadership and determination to ensure that Floridians are afforded all opportunities to maintain their health and wellness while preserving their freedoms as Americans.

Vitamin D Papers Top List of Most Popular Studies of the Year

On Oct. 31, 2020, I published a scientific review in the journal Nutrients, co-written with William Grant, Ph.D., and Dr. Carol Wagner, both of whom are part of the GrassrootsHealth expert vitamin D panel.

As of Oct. 31, 2021, our paper, Evidence Regarding Vitamin D and Risk of COVID-19 and Its Severitywhich you can download and read for freewas the second most downloaded study from this journal in the past 12 months. It was also No. 2 in citations and No. 4 for views.

The study with the most downloads in the past year and the all-time highest number of views was another vitamin D paper by Bhattoa et al., which found that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of influenza and COVID-19 infections and deaths.

A third vitamin D paper, by Gaelle Annweiler et al., also nabbed the No. 1 spot for most-cited study in the past 12 months. This study found that vitamin D supplementation improved survival in frail elderly patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Clearly, vitamin D has been at the forefront of many minds, and Im glad the Florida surgeon general recognizes its importance as well. While mainstream media and many health authorities still refuse to recognize the scientific basis for the recommendation of vitamin D for COVID, the tide may be changing.

As early as the end of September 2020, data from 14 observational studiessummarized in Table 1 of our papershowed that vitamin D blood levels are inversely correlated with the incidence and/or severity of COVID-19. Many critics of vitamin D will claim that these associations are not causal. However, there are statistical tools such as the Bradford Hill criteria that can actually prove causation when these associations are strong enough.

The Bradford Hill criteria are a group of nine principles (i.e., strength of association, consistency of evidence, temporality, biological gradient, plausibility or mechanism of action, and coherence, although coherence still needs to be verified experimentally) that can be useful in establishing epidemiologic evidence of a causal relationship between a presumed cause and an observed effect.

Hills criteria have been widely used in public health research. When it comes to whether vitamin D insufficiency is a risk factor for COVID-19, Hills criteria have largely been satisfied, meaning responsible clinicians should not overlook it.

How Vitamin D Protects Against COVID

Its important to realize that your body is well-equipped to handle just about any infection, provided your immune system is working properly, as thats your bodys first line of defense. Vitamin D receptors are found in a large number of different tissues and cells, including your immune cells. This means vitamin D plays an important role in your immune function specifically.

If vitamin D is lacking, your immune system will be impaired, which in turn makes you more susceptible to infections of all kinds, including COVID-19. As explained in our paper, having sufficient vitamin D in your system can reduce your risk of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections through several different mechanisms, including but not limited to the following:

Reducing the survival of viruses

Inhibiting the replication of viruses

Reducing inflammatory cytokine production

Maintaining endothelial integrity (endothelial dysfunction contributes to vascular inflammation and impaired blood clotting, two hallmarks of severe COVID-19)

Increasing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) concentrations. Angiotensin II is a natural peptide hormone that increases blood pressure by stimulating aldosterone. ACE2 normally consumes angiotensin I, thereby lowering the concentration of angiotensin II. However, SARS-CoV-2 infection downregulates ACE2, resulting in excessive accumulation of angiotensin II, which worsens the infection

Boosting your overall immune function by modulating your innate and adaptive immune responses

Reducing respiratory distress

Improving overall lung function

Helping produce surfactants in your lungs that aid in fluid clearance

Boosting T cell immunity, which plays an important role in your bodys defense against viral and bacterial infections. When vitamin D signaling is impaired, it significantly impacts the quantity, quality, breadth, and location of CD8 T cell immunity, resulting in more severe viral and bacterial infections.

According to a Dec. 11, 2020, paper published in Vaccine: X, high-quality T cell response actually appears to be far more important than antibodies when it comes to providing protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 specifically

According to a Dec. 11, 2020, paper published in Vaccine: X, high-quality T cell response actually appears to be far more important than antibodies when it comes to providing protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 specifically Increasing expression of antimicrobial peptides in your monocytes and neutrophilsboth of which are cell types that help fight infections and play important roles in COVID-19.

Enhancing expression of an antimicrobial peptide called human cathelicidin, which helps defend respiratory tract pathogens

From my perspective, vitamin D optimization is one of the easiest, least expensive, and most impactful strategies to reduce your risk of serious SARS-CoV-2 infection and other respiratory infections.

Vitamin D optimization is particularly important for dark-skinned individuals (who tend to have lower levels than Caucasians unless they spend extended time in the sun), the elderly, and those with preexisting chronic health conditions. All of these are also risk factors for COVID-19, so population-wide optimization of vitamin D levels could significantly improve COVID outcomes among the most vulnerable.

How Vitamin D Influences Your COVID Risks

At this point, theres no shortage of studies showing that higher vitamin D levels beneficially impact all stages of COVID-19. Having sufficient vitamin D has the following benefits.

Lowers your risk of testing positive for COVID: The largest observational study to date, which looked at data for 191,779 American patients, found that of those with a vitamin D level below 20 ng/ml (deficiency), 12.5 percent tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, compared to just 5.9 percent of those who had an optimal vitamin D level of 55 ng/ml or higher. This inverse relationship persisted across latitudes, races/ethnicities, sexes, and age ranges.

Reduces your risk of symptomatic illness: SARS-CoV-2-specific investigations have found that COVID-19 is far more common in vitamin D deficient individuals.

In one such study, 82.2 percent of COVID-19 patients tested were deficient in vitamin D, compared to 47.2 percent of population-based controls. (Mean vitamin D levels were 13.8  7.2 ng/ml, compared to 20.9  7.4 ng/ml in controls.)

They also found that blood levels of vitamin D were inversely correlated to D-dimer levels (a measure of blood coagulation). Many COVID-19 patients have elevated D-dimer levels, which are associated with blood clots. This was particularly true with the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. While less common with subsequent variants, some blood clotting, just less intense, can still occur.

Reduces infection severity: Our vitamin D paper also lists data from 14 observational studies that show that vitamin D blood levels are inversely correlated with the incidence and/or severity of COVID-19. This is quite logical, considering that vitamin D regulates inflammatory cytokine productiona lethal hallmark of COVID-19and is an important regulator of your immune system.

Reduces your risk of hospitalization: Reduced severity would translate into a lower risk for hospitalization, and thats precisely what researchers have found.

A Spanish study found baseline vitamin D levels inversely correlated with the risk of ICU admission, and that giving supplemental vitamin D3 calcifediol at 532 micrograms to a hospitalized patient on their first day of admission, followed by 266 mcg on days 3, 7, 15 and 30 reduced ICU admissions by 82 percent.

Reduces your risk of death: COVID-19 patients with a vitamin D level between 21 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) and 29 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) had a 12.55 times higher risk of death than those with a level above 30 ng/mL, an Indonesian study found. Having a level below 20 ng/mL was associated with a 19.12 times higher risk of death.

Another study by researchers in the United Kingdom found that the risk of severe COVID-19 and related deaths virtually disappeared when vitamin D levels were above 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L).

A third paper published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics found a marked variation in mortality depending on whether the patients lived above or below 35 degrees North latitude. As noted by the authors, having adequate vitamin D could be very important in preventing the cytokine storm and subsequent acute respiratory distress syndrome that is commonly the cause of mortality.

Speeds viral clearance: While having enough vitamin D in your system will reduce your odds of infection and serious illness, taking oral vitamin D once infected can still help you recover faster.

Research published by BMJs Postgraduate Medical Journal in November 2020 found oral vitamin D supplementation in SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals with mild symptoms who also had low vitamin D, helped speed up viral clearance.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 60,000 IUs of oral cholecalciferol (nano-liquid droplets) or a placebo for seven days. The target blood level was 50 ng/mL. Anyone who had not achieved a blood level of 50 ng/mL after the first seven days continued to receive the supplement until they reached the target level.

Periodically, all participants were tested for SARS-CoV-2 as well as fibrinogen, D-dimer, procalcitonin, and CRP, all of which are inflammatory markers. The primary outcome measure of the study was the proportion of patients testing negative for COVID-19 before day 21 of the study, as well as changes in inflammatory markers.

Of the 16 patients in the intervention group, 10 (62.5 percent) tested negative by Day 21, compared to just five of the 24 controls (20.8 percent). Fibrinogen levels were also significantly decreased in the treatment group, indicating lower levels of clotting.

How to Optimize Your Vitamin D Level

For optimal health, immune function, and disease prevention, you want a vitamin D blood level between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL year-round. In Europe, the measurements youre looking for are 150 nmol/L and 200 nmol/L.

If you live in a sunny locale like Florida and practice sensible sun exposure year-round, you might not need any supplements. The DMinder app is a helpful tool to see how much vitamin D your body can make depending on your location and other individual factors.

Many, unfortunately, dont get enough sun exposure for one reason or another, and in these cases, an oral vitamin D supplement may be required. Just remember that the most important factor here is your blood level, not the dose, so before you start, get tested so you know your baseline.

How to Ensure Ideal Vitamin D Dosage

First, measure your vitamin D level: One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of measuring your vitamin D level is to participate in the GrassrootsHealths personalized nutrition project, which includes a vitamin D testing kit. Once you know what your blood level is, you can assess the dose needed to maintain or improve your level.

Assess your individualized vitamin D dosage: To do that, you can either use the chart below, or use GrassrootsHealths Vitamin D*calculator. (To convert ng/mL into the European measurement (nmol/L), simply multiply the ng/mL measurement by 2.5.) To calculate how much vitamin D you may be getting from regular sun exposure in addition to your supplemental intake, use the DMinder app.

Factors that can influence your vitamin D absorption include your magnesium and vitamin K2 intake. Magnesium is required for the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. If your magnesium level is insufficient, the vitamin D you ingest orally may simply get stored in its inactive form.

Research by GrassrootsHealth shows you need 146 percent more vitamin D to achieve a blood level of 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) if you dont take supplemental magnesium, compared to taking your vitamin D with at least 400 mg of magnesium per day.

Your best bet is to take your vitamin D with both magnesium and K2. According to GrassrootsHealth, combined intake of both supplemental magnesium and vitamin K2 has a greater effect on vitamin D levels than either individually, and those taking both supplemental magnesium and vitamin K2 have a higher vitamin D level for any given vitamin D intake amount than those taking either supplemental magnesium or vitamin K2 or neither.

Data from nearly 3,000 individuals revealed 244 percent more oral vitamin D was required to get 50 percent of the population to achieve a vitamin D level of 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) if they werent concurrently also taking magnesium and vitamin K2.

Retest in three to six months: Remeasure your vitamin D level in three to six months, to evaluate how your sun exposure and/or supplement dose is working for you.

Take activated vitamin D (calcitriol) if your level is low and you come down with an acute infection such as COVID-19. The dose is 0.5 mcg on day one and then 0.25 mcg daily for seven days.
Fountain Valley Decides to Regulate Short Term Rentals Instead of Full Out Ban

The city of Fountain Valley, Calif., voted 3-2 on Dec. 21 to draft a motion to support short-term rentals with a moderate amount of restrictions, instead of fully prohibiting them.

Short-term rentals are defined by the city as renting a living space for less than 30 days. Available options are commonly listed by homeowners on websites such as Airbnb and Vrbo.

Given that short term-rentals are not explicitly addressed in Fountain Valleys municipal code, the city previously took the stance that they were prohibited. Due to the lack of an explicit prohibition, it was challenging to hold violators accountable. The city estimates that there are approximately 175 short-term rental operators in the city.

At recent August and November council meetings, the city council reduced approaches on how to deal with short term rentals to just two choices: either prohibit them completely or allow them with a moderately restrictive level of regulations.

For moderately restrictive regulations, the city manager explained it would entail a number of rules. First, the city would introduce a permitting process, where only one license per owner would be issued, in order to prevent corporations from taking over housing stock. The ordinance would also limit the number of unhosted short term rentals, where the owner is not present, to 100. There would be no limit on hosted operations.

Councilmembers said the current system of businesses taking over neighborhoods needs to be changed.

Somebody needs to speak up for our city and for our residences. We literally have businesses operating from our homes here. This is a residential community. Im just floored, Mayor Pro Tem Kim Constantine said. We dont issue permits, we dont issue licenses for this.

Constantine, who voted against allowing the operation to continue with restrictions, said the $250,000 in tax revenue the city would receive from taxing operators is not worth it.

Let me tell you something, I am not excited about the $250,000 potential revenue, because were really going to have to have this policed with code enforcement, the police, various city staff, planning and building, and others. Its just its not worth it to this city.

Councilmember Michael Vo said whether the city allows or prohibits short term rentals, it will cost the city money because they need to enforce it.

Whether we regulate it so that it can happen in an orderly manner that would benefit our residents or we just [prohibit STRs] and it will grow  it could go underground  and other people can rent the house for 30 days and sublease it to other people [in an effort to get around the ordinance].

The council voted to direct city staff to bring back a motion to approve short term rentals with the moderate level of restrictions, with Mayor Patrick Harper and Mayor Pro Tem Constantine dissenting.
An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir and being developed by Merck & Co. Inc. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP. (Merck & Co. Inc./Handout via Reuters)

France Cancels Order for Mercks COVID-19 Antiviral Drug

PARISFrance has canceled its order for Merck & Co.s COVID-19 antiviral drug following disappointing trial data and hopes instead to receive Pfizers competing drug before the end of January, the health minister said on Wednesday.

France is the first country to publicly say it has canceled an order for the Merck treatment after the company released data in late November suggesting its drug was markedly less effective than previously thought, reducing hospitalizations and deaths in its clinical trial of high-risk individuals by about 30 percent.

The latest studies werent good, Olivier Veran told BFM TV.

Merck did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

There are hopes Merck and Pfizers experimental pills could be a game-changer in reducing the chances of dying or hospitalization for those most at risk of severe illness.

France had placed an early order for 50,000 doses of the nucleoside analogue drug molnupiravir developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

The cancellation would not incur a cost, Veran said.

In Italy, the office of the special commissioner for the COVID-19 emergency said on Nov. 18 it had received a mandate from the health ministry to buy 50,000 courses of Mercks pill and another 50,000 of Pfizers. The contract has not yet been finalized, but is in progress, a spokesperson for the commissioner told Reuters on Tuesday.

Italian drug regulator Aifas head Nicola Magrini told a Senate committee on Dec. 9 the two treatments could be available in Italy from the end of January.

However, regardless of the availability of the drugs, there will be assessments of their use, two top government scientific advisers told Reuters.

There must and will be an evaluation, independently of the assessments of regulatory bodies, Walter Ricciardi, top adviser of health minister Roberto Speranza, told Reuters.

Germany has already bought Mercks antiviral treatment, health minister Karl Lauterbach told Reuters on Wednesday.

This is a binding order, he said, adding Berlin was also in talks with Pfizer about buying its antiviral drug.

The European Medicines Agency is expected to decide whether to approve the Merck and Pfizer pills in the new year.

Pfizers Paxlovid, a protease inhibitor, has shown near 90 percent efficacy in preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in high-risk patients.

France had purchased that drug instead, Veran said, without saying how many doses it had secured.

France is lined up to get it before the end of January, Veran continued. It has not yet been decided whether the drug would be available over the counter in pharmacies, the minister said.
Brandy and hard cider give this homemade wassail a bit of kick, while soft apple cider or apple juice lends a little sweetness and tempers the alcohol. (Jennifer McGruther)

Spread Cheer Into the New Year With Homemade Wassail

The traditional English drink, a hot, spiced, boozy brew, has a long history of generosity and merrimentand a good dose of mischief

Youve undoubtedly heard the Wassail Song, or Here We Come A-wassailing, which seems to be on replay throughout all of December. Love and joy come to you, / And to you your wassail too, begins the refrain. With verses that celebrate food, drink, generosity, and merriment, its a cheerful tune intended to bring blessings to the listener.

Wassail, as we know it today, is a boozy mulled hard cider, although many modern recipes skip the alcohol in favor of sweet apple cider. Rooted in pre-Christian traditions, wassail (the drink) and wassailing (the practice) are older than Christmas itself.

The oldest versions of the drink were likely made by warming mead, a honey wine, with spices. Occasionally, you might drop in a roasted crabapple, which would puff up when exposed to the heat of the wassail bowl. Later versions of the brew included hard cider or barley beer in place of the mead, but the warmth and spice remained a constant.

These steaming communal bowls of spiced alcohol would be shared with wintertime visitors along with the greeting, Ws hil, in a sort of medieval toast that meant, Be in good health. This greeting evolved to the modern word wassail and, over time, came to be associated less with a blessing of good health and more with the drink itselfand the merriment that ensues once youve drunk plenty of it.

Blessing the Apple Trees

As a nearly ancient drink that invokes blessings for health in the deepest, darkest nights of winter, wassail has somewhat mystical roots. As an agrarian society, the ancient peoples who lived in modern-day England owed their survival to the land and the bounty it offered. Certain crops, apples among them, proved essential to their survival. These fruits fed not only families, but also livestock, and were used to make cider, too.

As midwinter orchards stood cold and dormant, revelers gathered to bless the apple trees. Its an ancient tradition still performed today in some parts of rural Britain. Torchbearers light the way while merrymakers sing songs and make a ruckus by banging pots and pans. Families warm themselves by bonfires, and growers pour a little wassail at the base of each tree. If they do their jobs right, they frighten away evil spirits and please the tree spirits with their blessing, ensuring a plentiful harvest the next autumn.

With time, the ancient practices of blessing the apple trees and making merry began to mix and enmesh themselves with another winter holiday: Christmas.

Yuletide Merriment

With big box stores putting up Christmas displays as soon as Halloween ends, the modern Christmas season seems to extend for months. In the traditional calendar, though, it begins on Christmas Eve and extends for 12 days thereafter, ending on the evening before Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night.

During the Christmas season, when the holiday spirit loosened the societal strictures that kept the rich and poor, the privileged and disadvantaged apart, the young and poor engaged in the practice of mumming or wassailing. Singing wassailing songs, they went door-to-door to the homes of their wealthy neighbors, where theyd drink from the wassail bowl and toast to the health of the master and mistress of the house. In addition to wassail, revelers often also demanded food, trinkets, or money from their hosts, who, begrudgingly or not, were bound to comply.

Often, however, these 12 days became marked less by holiness and more by festivity and drunken merriment that could border on buffoonery. Drinking such a potently alcoholic brew, house after house, often resulted in outright debauchery. Early records describe wassailers as engaging in mischief on the Twelfth Night, shooting muskets into the air and damaging property. There was more than one attempt, both in England and in colonial America, to ban these Christmas traditions.

Victorian Sensibility

By the Victorian era, the booze-fueled rowdiness that characterized earlier Christmas celebrations began to fade, and holiday traditions began to focus on generosity of spirit and family. With time, the drunken and raucous practice of wassailing from door to door evolved to become the decidedly tamer and wholesome version we know today: Christmas caroling.

Gone are the musket shots, the banging of pots and pans, the demands of entry to your neighbors homes, but you can still warm up some wassail to sip on a cold winter night. You might even offer some to your neighborsor the apple trees.

Traditional Wassail

Brandy and hard cider give this homemade wassail a bit of kick, while a team of warm spices infuse the drink with notes of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Soft apple cider or apple juice lends a little sweetness and tempers the alcohol.

If you prefer to make an alcohol-free version, substitute soft apple cider or apple juice for both the brandy and the hard cider. You can also easily swap out the spices listed in this recipe for prepackaged mulling spices you can find at most grocery stores during the winter holidays.

Serves 8

8 cups soft apple cider

2 cups hard apple cider

1/2 cup brandy

2 ounces fresh ginger, cubed

2 ceylon cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

8 whole cloves

6 green cardamom pods

6 allspice berries

2 star anise pods

1 medium apple

Pour both the soft and hard ciders into a medium pot, and then stir in the brandy. Drop the spices into the pot. Warm the wassail over medium heat until steaming, and then turn down the heat to low. Cover the pot, and allow it to warm at least 20 minutes before serving.

While the wassail warms on the stove, slice the apple crosswise into discs about 1/8-inch thick. Set aside.

To serve, strain the wassail through a fine-mesh sieve into mugs or a serving bowl. Garnish with apple slices.

You can store prepared wassail in the fridge for up to 3 days. To serve, warm it on the stove over low heat until pleasantly hot.

This recipe originally appeared on NourishedKitchen.com and is reprinted with the permission of the author.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) rides on a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Type 10 tank during a review at the JGSDF Camp Asaka in Tokyo on Nov. 27, 2021. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)

Japan Cabinet OKs Record Defense Budget Amid Taiwan Concerns

TOKYOJapans Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other game-changing weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to Chinas growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.

The 1.1 percent budget increase for the year beginning in April is the 10th consecutive defense spending increase and is in line with Japans pledge to the United States to strengthen its own defense capabilities to tackle increasingly challenging security issues in the region.

The budget, which still needs to be approved by parliament, includes a record 291 billion yen ($2.55 billion) for defense research and development, up 38 percent from the current year.

Of that, 100 billion yen ($870 million) is for development of the F-X fighter jet to replace Japans aging fleet of F-2 aircraft around 2035. It would be Japans first domestically developed fighter jet in 40 years.

Japan and Britain recently announced joint development of a future demonstration fighter jet engine and agreed to explore further combat air technologies and subsystems. The project includes Mitsubishi and IHI in Japan and Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems in the UK.

As Chinas military buildup extends to cyberspace and outer space, Japans Defense Ministry is also pushing for research into artificial intelligence-operated autonomous vehicles for aerial and undersea use, supersonic flight, and other game-changing technologies.

The budget allocates 128 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for purchase of a dozen F-35 stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin Corp., including four with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities for use on two helicopter carriers being converted into aircraft carriers, key to Japans joint operations with the United States in the defense of the IndoPacific region.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, formerly known as a dove, has quickly adopted more hawkish policies and said Japan should consider acquiring a preemptive strike capability in response to Chinas military buildup and North Koreas growing missile and nuclear capabilities.

The Japanese and U.S. militaries have compiled a draft joint contingency preparedness plan for a possible Taiwan emergency, such as fighting between Chinese and Taiwanese forces, Kyodo news agency reported Thursday, citing unidentified Japanese government sources, amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China.

China claims self-governing Taiwan is its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. It has increased its military threats by holding exercises near the island and frequently sending warplanes into its air defense identification zone.

Under the reported plan, the U.S. Marine Corps. will set up temporary bases on islands in Japans Nansei chain between Kyushu and Taiwan for the deployment of troops in the early stages of a Taiwan emergency, while Japans military will provide logistical support as well as ammunition and fuel supplies, Kyodo said.

Japan and the United States are likely to agree to start drawing up an official preparedness plan at a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers expected in January, Kyodo said.

The plan, which also includes islands near Okinawa, the site of the bloodiest battle in World War II, is certain to face protests from local residents.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi refused to comment Friday on the report, saying only that Japan and the United Sates have action plans in case of emergencies and plan to update them, but that the details could not be disclosed. Kishi added that a decision by the JapanU.S. committee in charge of negotiating the status of forces agreement between the nations would allow the U.S. military to open a new base on Japanese soil.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, recently cautioned Chinese leader Xi Jinping against triggering a Taiwan emergency, saying that China should be aware of the serious consequences.

Japans defense spending now ranks among the top 10 in the world, according to international defense research organizations.

By Mari Yamaguchi
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gestures during a news conference at the Ecuadorian embassy in central London on Aug. 18, 2014. (John Stillwell/Reuters)

Julian Assange Appeals Extradition to the US

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday lodged an appeal to Britains Supreme Court against a lower courts decision to extradite him to the United States.

The U.S. government has levelled an 18-count superseding indictment against the 50-year-old Australian, meaning he would face a 175-year prison sentence if convicted. However, the U.S. authorities said in its appeal that a sentence of between three and six years was more likely.

Assange, who did not appear in court, is wanted by U.S. authorities over WikiLeaks publication of vast troves of classified U.S. military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010 and 2011.

The application came two weeks after Washington won its appeal over Assanges extradition in Londons High Court, which saw Assange moving a step closer to facing charges of violating espionage law and conspiring to hack government computers in the United States.

The London court said it was satisfied with a package of assurances given by the United States about the conditions of Assanges detention, including a pledge to not hold Assange in a maximum security prison in Colorado, and that he would be transferred to Australia to serve any prison sentence.

The United States also said Assange would receive clinical and psychological treatment at the prison he was jailed in.

The Supreme Court is the United Kingdoms final court of appeal.

Assanges fiancee, Stella Moris, said in a statement on Thursday the High Court must first certify that at least one of the Supreme Court appeal grounds is a point of law of general public importance in order for the application to have a chance to be considered by the Supreme Court.

Moris, a lawyer and the mother of Assanges two children, also said the application for leave to appeal filed on Thursday is currently under consideration by the High Court judges. A decision is not expected before the third week of January.

Birnberg Peirce Solicitors, who are representing Assange, said they believe serious and important issues of law of wider public importance are being raised in Assanges application.

They arise from the Courts judgment and its receipt and reliance on US assurances regarding the prison regimes and treatment Mr Assange is likely to face if extradited, the lawyers said in a statement.

Because this application is now the subject of judicial consideration, his lawyers do not propose to comment further at the moment.

We hope and trust the High Court will grant a certificate on the questions raised as well as giving permission to appeal in order that they can thereafter be fully argued before the Supreme Court.

U.S. authorities brought a High Court challenge against a January decision by UK district judge Vanessa Baraitser that Assange should not be extradited to the US on grounds that he was likely to attempt suicide if held under harsh conditions.

The High Court overturned the British courts ruling on Dec. 10 after a two-day hearing in October.
LA County Sheriff Says District Attorneys Policies Contribute to Crime Wave

Los Angeles Countys sheriff slammed the countys district attorney (DA), saying his policies and failure to prosecute all criminals is contributing to the crime wave in the city.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva made appearances at both a neighborhood groups town hall and on Fox News on Dec. 22. During both appearances, Villanueva said the policies and directives DA George Gascon has implemented have led to an increase in crime.

Soon after he took office Dec. 2020, Gascon issued directives for LA district attorneys not to prosecute misdemeanors such as trespassing, criminal threats, drug and paraphernalia possession, public intoxication, and resisting arrest.

He also directed his office to treat repeat violent offenders as first-time offenders by not using prior-strike enhancementsincluding for rape, murder, kidnapping, and robbery. Under Gascons leadership, no minors will be tried as adults, regardless of the crime, and prosecutors are prohibited from seeking the death penalty except in extremely rare circumstances.

Villanueva told Fox News that Gascon failed to prosecute more than 12,000 cases after suspected criminals were brought in by deputies.

That is disheartening for any cop to think all their work is being undone by a careless and irresponsible district attorney, Villanueva said. But theyre not going to stop doing their job.

Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department (LASD) deputies stand outside St. Francis Medical Center hospital following the ambush shooting of two deputies in Compton, in Lynwood, Calif., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters)

Villanueva called for responsible district attorneys who are going to file their cases.

And if they want to play the role of public defender, they should just quit their job and go over to the public defendersand everything they say makes perfect sense for a public defender, not a district attorney, he said.

According to the sheriff, Los Angeles County also saw a 92 percent increase in homicides in the past two years and a 16 percent increase in grand theft auto.

I have a zero bail schedule, which means every person I catch with a stolen car gets a ticket, walks out of jail, Villanueva said. In fact, theyre out of jail before theyre even done writing the report, the deputies.

A new campaign to recall Gascon launched earlier this month and held a press conference on Dec. 6.

One of the recall proponents, retired district attorney Kathy Cady, cited a recent increase in smash-and-grab robberies and follow-home break-ins as a reason for Gascons removal.

There are victims out there in those smash-and-grab robberies and in those home invasion robberies, Cady told NTD, sister media outlet of The Epoch Times. All of those victims are outraged, and they should be, and the communitys outraged. Instead of charging misdemeanor crimes when appropriate, thats not happening. Instead of making sure the people stay in custody with the appropriate bail set, thats not happening. Instead of making sure that appropriate allegations of weapons uses are being filed, thats not happening.

Gascon was served with the notice of intent to recall on Dec. 6. Now the Registrar of Voters must approve the petition, and recall organizers will have 160 days to collect 580,000 signatures for the recall.

An earlier attempt to recall Gascon failed to meet the required number of signatures by Oct. 26. A campaign spokesman told the Los Angeles Times the original recall had collected about 200,000 signatures.
The Family Assistance Ministries, a faith-based non-profit organization, distributed about 1,000 pounds of food ahead of Christmas to Orange County families in need at the Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Dec. 23, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Local Nonprofit Distributes a Thousand Pounds of Food Ahead of Christmas

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.Cars lined up as volunteers distributed approximately 1,000 pounds of food with Family Assistance Ministriesa faith-based nonprofit organization that provides aid for Orange County residentsat the Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church on Dec. 23.

There is a sense of unity and community that happens at these events, Elizabeth Andrade, CEO of Family Assistance Ministries, told The Epoch Times.

For the last five years, the non-profit and the church have been distributing food on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month, with approximately 2,000 pounds of food made available each time.

Food and housing insecurity is a real issue in Orange County, and it will take all of us in order to solve it, she said.

According to Andrade, the type of households in South Orange County the non-profit serves usually have most of their earnings go into rent and other major expenses.

The demographic were seeing right now is more seniors who are raising their grandchildren, Cassandra Ondryas, lead volunteer coordinator, told The Epoch Times.

Ondryas, who also serves as an elder for the church, said that since the pandemic, they have donated food to places where one residential unit is occupied by two to three different families.

According to the Elder Economic Security Index, 45 percent of seniors in Orange County dont have enough money for their necessities.

In addition to the elderly providing for their grandchildren, the other common group receiving food donations are service workers from nearby resorts like The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Montage Laguna Beach, and the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach.

The Family Assistance Ministries, a faith-based non-profit organization, distributed about 1,000 pounds of food ahead of Christmas to Orange County families in need at the Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Dec. 23, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Food donations during the holidays help the parents purchase a tree and gifts for their children.

According to the non-profit, many corporate groups donate, to fulfill kids Christmas wish lists instead of providing gifts to their staff.

Its the difference between having wrapped gifts under the tree and having a tree in general, or not, Andrade said.

For the last 22 years, the non-profit has established a group of regular donors supporting their distribution centers. Most donations come from other faith-based organizations, civic groups, and families in South Orange County.

For every dollar donated, the non-profit redistributes 92 cents back to the community.

Earlier this year, Senator Pat Bates awarded Orange Countys Family Assistance Ministries as the 2021 Nonprofit of the Year for the 36th Senate District as part of California Nonprofits Day, a statewide membership organization.

Some volunteers at the event have served with the non-profit for over seven years whereas some were first-timers.

Those interested in volunteering can call 949-492-8477 or visit their website at family-assistance.org.

If someone has not volunteered in general, I encourage folks to try it once and see how you feel afterward, Andrade said. You can see it both from the families receiving the benefits of the programs and the ones who donate.
Homeless individuals living out of their cars park in the city of Westchester, Calif., on Dec. 12, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Los Angeles Neighborhood Fears Proposed Homeless Shelter Too Close to Day Care, Elementary Schools

Some Los Angeles residents fear a new homeless shelter may soon be coming to their neighborhood with elementary schools and a day care facility nearby, according to city documents obtained through a public records request made by the residents.

Community members in Westchester and Playa del Rey say they discovered city officials requested information on two properties owned by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to potentially establish temporary pallet housing for the homeless. One of the locationsNorth of Westchester Blvd, east of Fire Station 5 and west of La Tijerais an empty plot of land a few hundred feet south of a preschool through 8th-grade Catholic school.

Our top concerns are safety of the kids. I mean, theres drug abuse, defecation, theres prostitution, theres fights, theres fire, like the list goes on and on, Westchester resident Lucy Han told The Epoch Times.

The move comes as city officials grapple with pressure from residents to find housing options for homeless people living on the streets. About a third of voters said they have felt unsafe due to homeless individuals in their neighborhoods, with 39 percent saying they have considered leaving their city or neighborhood because of the issue, according to a 2021 poll conducted by the Los Angeles Business Council and Hart Research.

Voters are also more pessimistic than optimistic that city leaders can adequately address the homeless crisis, the poll found. Researchers interviewed 906 registered voters in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, city officials have been inquiring about empty parking lots, parks, vacant buildings, and unused industrial land for temporary housing units, pulling from the city budget and Proposition HHH funds. Prop. HHHa $1.2 billion taxpayer-funded bond that was passed in 2016 by voterspromised 10,000 permanent supportive housing units for the homeless. But after five years, only 489 of those units have been built, according to a report from March.

Han, who has lived in Playa del Rey since 2006, said residents are compassionate and want to help elected officials find options to house the homeless in industrial areas. She suggested Manchester Square, which is also on the table as a potential pallet location, 10 miles from the LAX airport.

She said she discovered through city records that their district representative, Councilmember Mike Bonin, has been working with Congresswoman Maxine Waters since September to place other pallet locations in their district. But she and other residents are concerned the city is not communicating with the community before the properties are negotiated.

The city of Westchester, Calif., on Dec. 12, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Lt. Geff Deedrick of the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department Homeless Outreach and Services Team (LASD HOST) said he has never heard about any other proposed shelter locations near schools until this one.

Being the subject matter expert, as someone whos last 10 years of my professional life have been connecting those in the vulnerable population with services, it absolutely makes no sense to put a shelter like that near two schools, Deedrick told The Epoch Times.

If youre going to have a shelter in a community, do it in a positive way where the community can help, he said.

HOST is deployed in different regions throughout the county by Sheriff Alex Villanueva to connect the homeless with housing and mental health resources. They went head-to-head with Bonin over the summer when Villanueva directed them to clear encampments on the Venice Boardwalk. Shortly after, Bonin requested $5 million from the city to employ homeless-provider St. Josephs Center to also connect people with housing.

Venice residents and small business owners said crime has gone down since the boardwalk was cleared.

President of the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa, Paula Garez, told The Epoch Times that Bonins office told her they dont think the pallet shelter across from the elementary school will move forward.

Weve asked, Well if you dont think that its going to move forward, then remove it from consideration so that we can take all this hysteria from the neighborhood out of the mix, Garez said. And they wont do that, so that tells me theres something there.

Garez said the neighborhood has gone into full effect, with Han and another resident writing a letter addressed to Rep. Waters, the general manager of LAWA, and the Western Pacific Division Director Federal Aviation Administration opposing the shelter. It was signed by 400 additional neighbors.

The letter highlighted the rise in crime when there were more than 80 encampments in Westchester Park before it was cleared in October. Han said other temporary shelters in Bonins district, such as A Bridge Housing, have also attracted more homeless encampments outside of them.

We really want to be preemptive about this and at least raise the visibility, she said. The principal didnt know, the fire station chief didnt know, and the residents didnt knowwe found this out through a [public records request].

Garez said even though the neighborhood council hasnt taken an official stance on the proposed pallet shelter in the neighborhood, residents fully support other shelter locations in the district owned by LAWA that are away from schools and residential areas.

A homeless encampment in Santa Ana, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Youre having more homeless-on-homeless crime, more deaths of the homeless, more crime coming into the neighborhoods, and theres no one thats looking out for everybody, Garez said. And it should be equal protection, whether youre house or unhoused.

In October, Los Angeles officials voted 12-2 to ban encampments and restrict sitting, lying, sleeping, or storing, using, maintaining, or placing private property, or otherwise blocking the public right-of-way in 54 specified areas across three districts. The two dissenting votes were Councilmembers Bonin and Nithya Raman.

There should be penalties. And to say that were NIMBYs or we dont care about the homeless, nothing can be further from the truth, Garez said. We think that doing nothing and letting them exist in their squalor when weve raised billions of dollarsand we voted for thiswe chose to give up our money, theyre not being respectful of that.

Boninwho is facing a recall efforthas been criticized by some of his constituents over his handling of the homeless issue. He recently voiced support for a large development project approved by the city council, which will include 140 housing units on city-owned parking lots in Venice on the Venice Boulevard median.

The councilmember said in a tweet that he supports a a broad range of housing and services to address homelessness, including shared housing, motel conversions, master leasing and more. And we need projects like thispermanent supportive housing, which is the proven, most successful solution for chronic homelessness.

The Los Angeles Housing Authority (LAHSA) reported in 2020 that Bonins district had the largest uptick in homeless numbers from the previous yearroughly 40 percentwith 3,165 unhoused individuals.

LAHSA also announced this month that the homeless rehousing system placed 10,373 people in permanent housing in the first six months of 2021.

Councilmember Mike Bonin, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and LAWA did not respond to a request for comment by press deadline.
On his fathers farm in Rutland, Jim Irving and his family were out walking when he spotted a few bits of ancient pottery scattered on the ground. Little did he know that further investigation into this would lead to the discovery of an extraordinary 1,700-year-old Roman mosaic, depicting Achilles and the Trojan War from The Iliad, and the remains of an ancient villa.

Upon finding these traces during lockdown in 2020, Irving accessed satellite imagery and discovered a cropmark, and after a preliminary search he contacted the Historic Environment team at Leicestershire County Council, who in turn reached out to the University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) to excavate the area.

It was like literally within a couple of weeks before we had people on site to start working this properly, Irving told the University of Leicestershire. He, too, was able to work along archeologists in the field.

Rutland mosaic and surrounding villa discovery. (Courtesy of Historic England Archive via University of Leicester Archaeological Services)

Given the nature of this exceptional find, Historic England secured funding for urgent archeological excavation, which began with a careful clean of the exposed Roman mosaic. It was a spine-tingling experience as the first figures were revealed, and we quite literally came face to face with the past, said John Thomas, deputy director of ULAS, in a statement.

The researchers soon uncovered a remarkable Roman mosaic, dating back from the third to fourth century, the first of its kind in the UK, which depicts scenes from the end of the Trojan War as told in Homers classic, with several frames illustrating a story sequence, almost like a comic book.

The first of which features the Greek warrior demigod Achilles facing Hector of Troy on the battlefield, both riding chariots led by horses of different colors. In the second frame, Hector, now dead, is being dragged behind Achilles, who rides his chariot and wields a red shield. The third and last scene shows Hectors body being ransomed to his father, Priam, for his sons weight in gold; a central figure balances a large scale on his shoulders with gold weighing on one side, Hectors lifeless corpse on the other.

The first panel shows the duel between Hector and Achilles. (Courtesy of University of Leicester Archaeological Services)

The middle panel shows the victorious Achilles dragging Hectors body behind his chariot. (Courtesy of University of Leicester Archaeological Services)

The final panel shows the eventual exchange of the body for Hectors weight In gold. (Courtesy of University of Leicester Archaeological Services)

Additional funding, prompted by the heightened significance of the find, allowed for magnetometry and ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys, which revealed stunning insights; the Roman villa complex extends far beyond the structure containing the mosaic and comprises an ancient farming community inside an angular enclosure. On Nov. 25, 2021, the rare mosaic and the surrounding villa complex were protected as a Scheduled Monument.

The villa is also surrounded by a range of other buildings and features revealed by a geophysical survey and archaeological evaluation, including what appear to be aisled barns, circular structures and a possible bath house, all within a series of boundary ditches, said Thomas.

A member of the team from ULAS/University of Leicester during the excavations of a mosaic pavement. (Courtesy of Historic England Archive via University of Leicester Archaeological Services)

The Rutland mosaic and surrounding villa discovery. (Courtesy of Historic England Archive via University of Leicester Archaeological Services)

He believes that the owners of the villa were well educated in the classics of the day and possibly sought to impress visitors. A Roman villa would have been a high-status farming establishment with its own landscaped estate, said Thomas. What we can tell from the style of the mosaic and the high quality of its workmanship is that this is someone who was classically educated, and they wanted to either educate their friends in that way or perhaps more likely show off their knowledge.

Interestingly, delving into ancient literature has revealed that these scenes from the mosaic are, in fact, an alternate ending to The Iliad. In the original, Achilles refuses to return Hectors bodynot even for his weight in goldwhereas this alternative may be a revamp by the great Athenian playwright Aeschylus, of whose work little survives. The Romans, according to ULAS, would have known of this retellingeven more than 1,700 years ago in rural Rutland.

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A student wears a face mask on the campus of the UCLA college in Westwood, Calif., on March 6, 2020. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Many Students at University of California Say They Prefer In-Person Classes

After the president of the University of California (UC) sent a letter to all ten campuses encouraging the schools to take action to address surging COVID-19 cases, some UC campuses including Los Angeles, Irvine, and Riverside announced that they will return to remote instruction for at least the first two weeks of the winter quarter.

In addition to starting the next quarter online, UC also announced that a vaccine booster is required for all eligible personnel and students. The deadline for students to upload their proof of vaccine booster is Jan. 18, and employees working on campus have until Jan. 31.

California State University also announced that all 23 campuses in its system will mandate COVID-19 booster shots for all eligible individuals.

Tom Liang, a third-year computer science student at UCR, said he prefers in-person instruction rather than taking classes online, and he believes making the first two weeks remote wont make much difference regarding COVID-19 cases.

I dont think remote instructions will effectively reduce the transmission rate. But I do think it will negatively impact students learning experiences. It will be a concern to me if UCR is also mandating the booster, Liang said.

Leslie Lara, a third-year at UCI studying aerospace engineering, said the entire quarter should be completed online so students will have the flexibility to take care of themselves if they or their family members test positive for COVID-19.

I prefer safety over everything. I think shutting down is necessary, because people are losing their lives, Lara said.

Alex Nunez, a senior History student at UCLA, said he likes in-person classes better, but the two weeks of remote instruction would give students more time to get the booster.

I believe anything to mitigate the new strain of the virus should be implemented,  Nunez said. The only concern I have about all of this is the policies regarding masks. A lot of students dont take it serious, and I feel like the school doesnt really have any real repercussions for students who keep on getting caught without masks in the dorms.

Jacob Sayono, a third-year electrical engineering student at UCLA, said hes very disappointed that classes are back online, and he believes that taking online classes will harm students mental health.

I think UCLA, or the UC system did not consider the consequences of making classes online. I think some students would even dare to say that [its] better to get COVID than being depressed and being stuck at home, Sayono said.
A burnt passenger ferry is seen anchored off the coast of Jhalokati district on the Sugandha River in Bangladesh, on Dec. 24, 2021. (AP Photo)

Massive Ferry Fire Kills at Least 39 in Southern Bangladesh

DHAKA, BangladeshA massive fire swept through a crowded river ferry in Bangladesh early Friday, leaving at least 39 people dead and 70 injured, officials said. Many passengers leapt from the vessel into cold waters to escape the blaze.

It took 15 fire engines two hours to control the fire and another eight to cool down the vessel, according to fire officer Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, who led the rescue operation. Afterward, the blackened hull of the ferry sat anchored at the rivers edge. Many anxious relatives gathered on the banks, while divers continued to search the waters.

The blaze broke out around 3 a.m. on the MV Avijan-10, which was carrying 800 passengers, many of whom were traveling to visit family and friends for the weekend, officials said.

I was sleeping on the deck and woke up hearing screams and a loud noise, survivor Anisur Rahman told reporters, adding that he saw smoke coming from the back of the ferry. I jumped into the freezing water of the river in the thick fog, like many other passengers, and swam to the riverbank.

Survivors and injured of a ferry fire get treated at a government medical hospital, in Barishal, Bangladesh, on Dec. 24, 2021. (Niamul Rifat/AP Photo)

Police officer Moinul Haque said rescuers recovered 37 bodies from the river, while two people died from burn injures on the way to the hospital. All of the 70 injured were hospitalized, including some with severe burns.

Ferries are a leading means of transportation in Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by about 130 rivers, and accidents involving the vessels are common, often blamed on overcrowding or lax safety rules.

The ferry was traveling from Dhaka, the capital, to Barguna, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) to the south. It caught fire off the coast of Jhalokati district on the Sugandha River, toward the end of the journey.

Bhuiyan said the fire may have started in the engine room. The government set up two committees to investigate the blaze and ordered them to report their findings in three days.

In April, 25 people died after a ferry collided with another vessel and capsized outside Dhaka.

By Abdur Rahman Jahangir
Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese (left) on Dec. 11, 2020 and Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right) on Dec. 9, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Merry Christmas, Australia! Political and Religious Leaders Express Best Wishes

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese have wished Australians a merry Christmas.

In a video message with Toto, his dog, Albanese said Australians deserved a happy Christmas after the tough couple of years.

Thanks to everyone for taking care of each other. Australians have stood together and now as our borders are opening up again, were getting back together off the zoom and actually back in the room with family, friends, and loved ones.

May the festive season bring you joy, and may it be a sign of better times to come, he said.

Morrison said this year had reminded Australians to be thankful for each other, while acknowledging the families grieving the loss of six children in Devonport, Tasmania.

The prime minister spoke about what the holidays mean to different people, including that some find the festive season lonely and that some will be missing lost loved ones.

Merry Christmas, Australia! Christmas is a time of hope. Despite the many challenges we have faced this year, and the terrible losses so many Australians have experienced, I know we will find comfort and reassurance this Christmas in each other, and the quiet confidence and optimistic spirit that always enables Australians to push through, Morrison said in a video on Facebook.

The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, said Christmas was the living memory of Emmanuel, who was the greatest gift we had ever been given.

May Jesus, child of God and of Mary, and light to the nations, illumine the darkened regions of the world, and the shadowy places of the human heart.

May the light of Christmasthe light of Jesusspread out its rays to bring reconciliation between enemies, to light up bridges over troubled waters; to reveal new ways towards renewed friendships, Comensoli said.

The Martin Place Christmas tree lights up in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 28, 2020. (Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

The Archbishop for the Anglican Church of Adelaide, Geoff Smith, said it would make a huge difference to the world if the people accepted Gods love and shared it with each other.

As we come again to this Christmas time, I encourage us to ponder afresh the love of God seen most clearly in the coming of Jesus and to respond to this love by loving others. Showing forgiveness, gentleness, kindness, and graciousness.

These are not just wordsthey actually make a difference. The challenges we face are very real. But in the end we can be sure we are not on our own. We are not unloved. God is with us. God loves us. We know thats true, because of Christmas, Smith said.

Politicians Send Greeting to Epoch Times Readers

Politicians also gave season greetings to readers of The Epoch Times and viewers of its sister-outlet, NTD.

Queensland One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts, New South Wales Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, South Australia Liberal Senator Alex Antic, and leader of the United Australia Party, Craig Kelly.

Christmas is a time to reach out and bring close all those we love and those that continue to need our support after another challenging year, Roberts said. I hope you and your family enjoy safe and festive holidays. I pray that we can all meet in the New Year with hope and optimism.

Antic wished all Epoch Times readers a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

To all the readers, I, like you, look forward to continuing to read all of the great stories in 2022, Antic said.

Kelly said the past year had been one of the most difficult and hoped that the new year would be better.

Weve seen human rights abused across the world. Weve seen freedom fighters on the forefront try to protect freedom and democracy not only here in Australia, but also throughout the world, he said. Lets hope that 2022 is a great year for the supporters of freedom and democracy.
A man tries to peep into the site where the "Pillar of Shame" statue by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot which pays tribute to the victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing on June 4, 1989, used to stand, after being removed at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in Hong Kong, on Dec. 23, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

More Hong Kong Universities Take Down Tiananmen Memorials

Two more universities in Hong Kong erased public artwork commemorating Beijings 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, mainly students, known as the Tiananmen Massacre.

Just before dawn on Dec. 24, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) took down a statue depicting a woman holding a flame. The 21-foot tall bronze sculpture, named Goddess of Democracy, is a replica of a 30-foot tall white plaster and foam statue erected by art students and brought to Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of protesters were killed during the massacre under communist rule.

In memory of the fallen, the Hong Kong statue stood on the CUHK campus for over a decade since 2010. Yet the university said on Dec. 24 that it was never approved.

The university never authorized the display of the statue on its campus, and no organization has claimed responsibility for its maintenance and management, it said in a statement.

Later on Dec. 24, students at CUHK lit candles into the shape of the Goddess of Democracy, in response to the removal of the statue.

University students light candles to form a Goddess of Democracy after the statue was removed from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, on Dec. 24, 2021. (Vincent Yu/AP Photo)

The same day, a relief sculpture portraying the crackdown disappeared from a wall at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. The bas-relief included images of a line of tanks halting before a lone protester known as tank man, and victims shot by Chinese troops being carried away.

A spray painting of the Goddess of Democracy at the student union on campus was also painted over in grey paint.

Not even on a wall: @lingnanuni has also spray painted over a Goddess of Democracy painting above the student union officehttps://t.co/dSvAXiER27 pic.twitter.com/89wdkcBMXT  Kris Cheng (@krislc) December 24, 2021

Students responded by pasting a sheet of paper with the word shameful on the effaced image, which was quickly ripped off by security guards.

Chen Weiming, the artist that created both the statue and wall relief, said he would sue the universities if there was any damage to his works.

The monuments appeared to have joined the fate of a towering Pillar of Shame statue at the University of Hong Kong. A day earlier, the statue, showcasing a tall pile of torn and twisted bodies with emotional details depicted, was carted away in parts in a container truck after standing on the campus for more than 20 years.

The text at the base of the sculpture reads, The old cannot kill the young, in English and Chinese.

The Council of HKU said it did so based on external legal advice and risk assessment for the best interest of the university.

The disappearances of these symbolic monuments at three universities in quick succession mean hardly any public Tiananmen memorials remain in the financial hub, as Beijing has mounted its effort to erase the bloody repression from the public consciousness.

Pillar of shame  pillar = shame pic.twitter.com/jooUwrvnPP  All Things Bright and Beautiful (@allthings_hk) December 24, 2021

In September, police raided the June 4th Museum in Hong Kong and collected a cut-out of the Goddess of Democracy.

Hong Kong was once the only Chinese-ruled city where people could commemorate the victims of June 4, 1989. Yet local police started to ban candlelight vigils last yearthe first time in 30 yearsciting concerns about the pandemic.

Nine protesters who participated in the 2020 vigil were given jail sentences in September, ranging from six to 10 months. More pro-democracy activists were found guilty of joining the unauthorized assembly, including media tycoon Jimmy Lai.

The citys legislature also passed a new film censorship law in October to safeguard national security. Movies with content deemed to violate the law will find their license revoked.

Reuters contributed to this report.
New Data on Omicron Offer Glimmer of Christmas Hope: UK Health Official

New studies showing the Omicron coronavirus variant may be up to 70 percent less likely to lead to hospitalisation offer a glimmer of Christmas hope, a senior UK health official has said.

But UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Chief Executive Dr. Jenny Harries refused to retract her earlier statement that Omicron could be the most serious threat the UK has faced during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

According to preliminary findings published by her own agency on Thursday, someone with Omicron is estimated to be as much as 45 percent less likely to attend the emergency department compared with the Delta variant, and as much as 70 percent less likely to be admitted to hospital.

Talking on BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Friday, Harries said, There is a glimmer of Christmas hope in the findings that we published yesterday, but it definitely isnt yet at the point where we could downgrade that serious threat.

She said Omicron has become the dominant strain now right across the UK, and cases are still doubling across most regions of the country.

She added, What we have got now is a really fine balance between something that looks like a lower risk of hospitalisationwhich is great newsbut equally a highly transmissible variant and one that we know evades some of our immune defences, so it is a very balanced position.

Previously, Harries told the House of Commons on Dec. 15 that Omicron was probably the most significant threat since the start of the pandemic, and cases would be staggering compared to what had gone before.

She told the BBC on Friday that it is still too early to retract the statement, as the newly published findings are preliminary and data around Omicrons impact on the elderly is still needed.

I dont think we do know yet that this is going to be a significantly less serious disease for the populationthe older populationthat we are normally most concerned about in relation to serious disease and death, she said.

The UKHSA findings are consistent with two studies published on Wednesday, both of which suggest the severity of the Omicron variant is relatively mild.

Researchers from the Imperial College London estimated that Omicron patients were 20 to 25 percent less likely to need hospital care and 40 to 45 percent less likely to be hospitalised for one night or more when compared to patients with the Delta variant.

Scientists in a separate Scotland-wide study said Omicron is associated with a two-thirds reduction in the risk of hospital admission compared with Delta.

On Thursday, Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College London and the lead scientist on the ZOE COVID Study app, also said that preliminary data based on around 2,500 probable cases reported on the ZOE app suggest that Omicron is milder than Delta.

PA contributed to this report.
New York Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul during news conference at the state Capitol in Albany, N.Y., on Aug. 11, 2021. (Hans Pennink/AP)

New York Explicitly Makes It a Crime to Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Cards

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law a measure that makes falsifying COVID-19 vaccination cards a crime.

The measure (S.4516-C/A.7536-B), referred to as the Truth in Vaccination law, takes effect immediately.

The law makes it a class D felony to falsify COVID-19 vaccine cards, by amending the legal definition of a written instrument in the penal code to explicitly include a COVID-19 vaccine card that shows information such as the date a person received their vaccination, the type of vaccine, and its lot number.

Non-violent class D felonies are punishable from no jail with probation, to up to seven years in jail.

The new law also amends the penal law to create a crime under computer tampering in the third degreea non-violent class E felonyfor intentional entering, alteration or destruction of computer material related to COVID-19 vaccine records. Non-violent class E felonies are punishable by one and one-third years to four years in prison.

Sean Ross Collins, a spokesperson for state Sen. Anna Kaplan, who co-sponsored the legislation, told The Epoch Times that criminal possession of a forged instrument, which is a Class A Misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.

Blank COVID-19 vaccination cards are stacked at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Larry Flynts Hustler Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 21, 2021. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

A statement from Hochuls office reads: Individuals who misrepresent their vaccination history, not only jeopardize their own health, but the health of all those they come into contact with. This legislation ensures that as New York opens up and many businesses choose to rely on checking vaccination status, the falsification of vaccination records will not be tolerated.

Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement, We need to make sure we learn the lessons of the pandemic so we dont make the same mistakes twice. These new laws will help us improve our response to the pandemic now, crack down on fraudulent use of vaccination records, and help us better understand the areas of improvement we need to make to our health care system so we can be even more prepared down the road.

New York currently mandates COVID-19 vaccine proof for workers and customers in indoor venues including restaurants, gyms, and theaters.

Check Point Software Technologies, a global cybersecurity company, noted in September that fake vaccine card sales have drastically increased since President Joe Bidens announcement of vaccine mandates.

On Sept. 9, Biden announced he would direct the Department of Labor to create a rule to have companies with over 100 employees mandate COVID-19 vaccinations or weekly testing. On the same day, he signed an executive order to require all federal workers, government contractors, and their employees, to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with no option to opt out via COVID-19 testing.

A release from Kaplans office acknowledged there have been numerous high profile reports of professional athletes, high-ranking NYPD officers, FDNY and sanitation workers, and medical facility staff attempting to circumvent public health and safety regulations through use of fake cards and digital passports.

Correction: This article incorrectly stated the penalty for a non-violent Class E felony; it carries a penalty of one and one-third years to four years in prison. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Nigerian Lawmakers Discuss Malfeasance in Mass Jailbreak

JOS, NigeriaLawmakers in Nigeria have demanded a probe of a recent mass jailbreak in Central Plateau State, raising questions about collusion by prison employees. Prison administrators have deflected or stonewalled queries by journalists and elected officials.

From the security networking around the prison and the way the incident occurred, it is clear that there was compromise on the part of securities working within that [prison], said Congressman Simon Mwadkwon to The Epoch Times.

More than 260 inmates escaped from the Medium Custodial Center in Jos, the capital of Plateau State on Nov. 28, after a six-man gang overpowered armed guards at the entrance to the fortified building. The prison is at the center of a heavily guarded complex of police and secret-service headquarters buildings.

But the attackers escaped with 262 inmates in a lightening-fast operation on a bright Sunday evening. As of Dec. 7, only 21 escaping inmates had been rearrested. The attack linked to Fulani militants was the fourth major jailbreak in Africas most populous nation, raising fears of a terror spike in the countrys north where terrorists have killed hundreds in recent months.

Prior to the attack, inmates had access to smuggled phones with which they planned the breakout, investigators told The Epoch Times on background. The carefully planned attack was settled months before its execution, but officials ignored warning signs, one investigator said.

This plan was hatched between July and August this year, said the investigator on background. They planned to use explosives to access the building but aborted twice when we shared Intel and joint patrols were carried out, the source said.

They wanted to come through the State High Court [A complex of six buildings housing six District Courts located 500 meters southeast of the Jos prison], which is usually quieter and less guarded. They intended to park around the High Court and walk down to the prison [through a street that adjoins the Jos Area Command, a zonal headquarters of the Nigerian Police Force and the state headquarters of the Department of State Services], the source added about the aborted plan.

The breakout has infuriated lawmakers from the state who are calling for a public probe of possible compromise of police and prison officials.

The Nigerian Government should urgently set up a transparent probe panel to unearth the conspiracy or some renegades, said Senator Istifanus Gyang who represents Jos at the Nigerian Senate. Some few individuals cannot continue to drive us backwards, said Gyang to The Epoch Times by text.

Mwadkwon who represents Barkin Ladi County, the home of many of the jailbreakers, told Epoch Times; To say there is some kind of compromise I think is an understatement, he said. Somebody collaborated to plan this because it is difficult for an outsider to just walk into that facility and set about 252 inmates free. Its very difficult given the security surrounding the prison, said Mwadkwon.

Even the attack on the prison vehicle in Barkin Ladi clearly shows that there was a compromise, he said. How did those that attacked know that they were bringing inmates to court that day? Where did they get their Intel? queried Mwadkwon.

Another Congressman, Solomon Maren called for the resignation of security chiefs in the State. You cannot rule out the [likelihood] of conspiracy, said Maren to The Epoch Times.

Sometimes you wonder how these things happen most especially within that zone where you have the DSS office, there is Police A-Division [zonal Police station], the Police Headquarters is facing the place, the prison service is just beside it and the quarters around there is also a police and prison quarters. So you cant help but to wonder, said Maren. He noted one of the inmates who escaped in the latest breakout is notorious for kidnapping and murders in Bokkos county, which Maren represents.

The illegal use of mobile phones by inmates has been confirmed by the leader of the bar in Plateau State  Mr. Yakubu Bawa. From what we gathered, they [inmates] had phones and were able to communicate outside the prison, said Bawa to The Epoch Times.

Some residents have reported receiving threatening calls from inmates prior to the breakout. I was personally called by one of our boys here  a notorious criminal who was convicted of kidnapping and murder, said Mr. Mohammed Adam, a resident of a Fulani town on the south of Jos. He called me from prison threatening to kill me when he comes out, and I was wondering how he got a phone and how he knew he would get out. He was accusing me of assisting police to arrest him, and there are many of us like that, said Adam to The Epoch Times by phone.

The spokesperson of the Correctional center in Plateau State, Assistant Superintendent of Corrections (ASC) Geoffrey Longdiem did not respond to Epoch Times inquiries on how cell phones got to inmates prior to the Nov. 28 jailbreak. The Comptroller of the Jos Custodial Center, Samuel Aguda, told The Epoch Times he was barred from commenting on the attack.

Im not authorized to speak to the press on the attack, said Aguda to The Epoch Times by text. The Comptroller General and the Minister of Interior have spoken. I dont want to speak on issues that are beyond my power, wrote Aguda in a thread of text messages on Dec. 11.

Aguda on Nov. 29 told journalists Fulani herdsmen [militants from a predominantly pastoralist Fulani ethnic group terrorizing communities in Central Nigeria] were responsible for the attack. He also refuted claims by the Comptroller General of Corrections, Halilu Nababa on Nov. 28 that terrorists who attacked the Jos prison were trapped in the facility following a gun duel with police.

The prison has a record of breakouts. On July 8 four inmates escaped from the Jos prison, one year after the same group of inmates escaped from a prison van in Barkin Ladi county south of Jos, according to Vanguard News. Again on July 23, gunmen believed to be Fulani militants ambushed a prison van ferrying inmates to court, releasing six inmates according to officials. Four were later rearrested.

Aguda told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the four escaped on July 8 due to the negligence of guards. It is either that they duplicated the key to the cell or there was serious negligence on the part of personnel on duty. The inmates escaped through the fence, he said on July 9.

The Plateau State Police Commissioner, Onyeka Bartholomew and the Police spokesperson in the State, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Uba Ogaba did not respond to inquiries about Adams claims that he said he reported.

But following two embarrassing jailbreaks in the States of Lagos and Kogi in 2014, Nigeria banned wardens from entering prison yards with cell phones. At the time, the countrys interior Minister, Abba Moro accused prison wardens of smuggling cellphones to inmates.

What needs to be urgently done is thorough investigation of what happened, said a former Army Major, Gabriel AdOfikwu commenting on the Nov. 28 breakout. We need to interrogate the efficiency and efficacy of our security apparatus, said AdOfikwu to The Epoch Times by phone.

In sane societies, when this kind of thing happens, you wont need to sound the alarm before people tender their resignations for not doing their jobs, said AdOfikwu.

The breakout has terrified residents who are apprehensive of possible attacks by escaping inmates. Even we the Fulani are not safe because they look at us [who oppose them] as sellouts, said Adam to The Epoch Times. We have reported this but all the securities are telling us is to watch out, he said.
Then-National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins stands in Bethesda, Md., on Jan. 26, 2021. Collins stepped down in December 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

NIH: Check Out Wikipedia to See Why Great Barrington Declaration is Dangerous

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its top officials are doubling down on criticism of the Great Barrington Declaration after emails showed they quickly moved last year to oppose it.

The declaration, penned last year, said lockdowns were producing negative short- and long-term effects on public health, such as lower childhood vaccination rates, fewer cancer screenings, and worsening mental health. The experts who signed on called for focusing COVID-19 prevention efforts on the most vulnerable, particularly the elderly, while loosening restrictions on the young and healthy, who are at little risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Dr. Martin Kulldorff, at the time a professor of medicine at Harvard University, Dr. Sunetra Gupta, an epidemiologist at Oxford University, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, an epidemiologist at Stanford University Medical School, signed the declaration, as did hundreds of other medical experts.

But top officials in the United States government were displeased with the declaration, which they felt wasnt based on sound science. New emails obtained and published by the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) and a congressional panel (pdf) show Dr. Francis Collins, who just stepped down as head of the NIH, directed a top subordinate, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to publish a quick and devastating published takedown of the declarations premises.

Fauci ended up going on television to criticize the declaration while Collins spoke publicly about his opposition to the Washington Post. Fauci also sent links to two op-eds he said debunked and served as a refutation of the approach promoted by the declaration, the 2020 emails show.

Some experts have said the messages from top health officials amount to unnecessary censorship. At the time Collins called for a takedown, no COVID-19 vaccines were available, and harsh restrictions had led to soaring unemployment, school closures, and businesses being forced to shut down.

When it comes to lockdowns or school closures, the answer to the question of whether the benefits exceed the harms and, if so, under what conditions, is far from certain, and scientists will continue to study this for decades. As a good scientist, Collins should have recognized the massive uncertainty around these policies, Dr. Vinay Prasad, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote in an op-ed.

In public, Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins urge Americans to follow the science. In private, the two sainted public-health officials schemed to quash dissenting views from top scientists, added the Wall Street Journal editorial board.

The NIH and Collins are standing by the opposition to the Great Barrington Declaration.

On Fox News Sunday this month, Collins claimed again the trio of scientists did not have the credentials to be making such a grand sweeping statement and said that if the strategy outlined in the declaration were followed, hundreds of thousands of people would have died.

Collins, who was speaking as director of the NIH, did not cite any studies or research to back up his position.

Studies are mixed as to the benefit of lockdowns and over 800,000 Americans have died with COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Bhattacharya wrote on Twitter that the strategy outlined in the declaration was mischaracterized by opponents and that any strategy would lead to the epidemic ending when a sufficient number of people have immunity, through COVID-19 recovery or vaccination.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, at his home in California on April 17, 2021. (Tal Atzmon/The Epoch Times)

So the question is how to get through this terrible pandemic with the least harm, where the harms considered include all of public health, not just COVID. The GBD & focused protection of the vulnerable is a middle ground between lockdown & let-it-rip, he said.

Lockdowners like Collins & Fauci presumably think that focused protection of vulnerable is impossible. They could have engaged honestly in a discussion about it, but would have found that public health is fundamentally about focused protection.

Supporters of the scientists note that Florida officials closely hewed to strategies outlined in the declaration and say the state successfully balanced protecting the elderly and avoiding crushing restrictions against most others after a brief lockdown.

Fauci did not respond to requests for comment submitted to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the agency he heads.

An NIH spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email that Collins has spoken out against the declaration since October 2020, saying it was dangerous and unsupported by scientific evidence.

The WHO and many others have said the same. Much of this is captured on Wikipedia with citations. I encourage you to check out the page with the citations, she added.

Thats a testament to the lack of science and the abundance of politics at the NIH right now. Theyre using Wikipedia articles and New York Times and Vox and Wired Magazine op-eds to determine what are supposed to be scientific matters and shunning actual scientists who work on this, Phillip Magness of AIER responded.

Magness, speaking to The Epoch Times, pointed to how Fauci, when messaging Collins, cited editorials rather than studies in scientific journals and how, shortly after, Fauci received an email containing more op-eds from a deputy, who indicated in the subject line that hed spoken with Fauci about the articles before sending them over.

Among them were an op-ed and a competing declaration called the John Snow Memorandum signed by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, now the head of the CDC, and a slew of other experts who opposed the Great Barrington Declaration. Walensky and the others argued that lockdowns prevented some deaths from occurring and hospitals from being overwhelmed while acknowledging they led to secondary effects like harming economies and mental and physical health. They said policymakers should keep restrictions in place, at least for a while.
NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Dec. 23)

Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter is found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter, the FDA authorizes the emergency use of Mercks antiviral pill, and semiconductor giant Intel apologizes to China following a backlash from Chinese consumers.
A screenshot of Gramercy Tavern taken on July 29, 2021, one of several properties owned by the Union Square Hospitality Group, where the COVID-19 vaccine mandate policy will be implemented in New York City. (Screenshot via Googlemaps.com)

NYC Restaurant Group to Require Boosters for Employees and Customers

Danny Meyer, owner of the Union Square Hospitality Group, has announced that vaccine booster shots will become compulsory for employees and diners at each of their locations.

The groups properties consist of eighteen upscale eateries, mostly scattered throughout Manhattan, including several Michelin-starred locations. The announcement came during a Wednesday appearance by Meyer on CNBCs Squawk Box.

At this point, the science has changed, said Meyer. What has been a little bit tougher has been watching this crushing wave of Omicron sweeping through New York City and certainly through the country.

The state of New York officially requires all indoor diners to be at least partially vaccinated, with a new policy requiring at least two shots effective December 27th (notwithstanding those who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine). However, the city has not officially mandated booster shots for indoor dining.

Throughout the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, Meyer has made a point of signaling certain values concerning epidemiology. Last year, Meyer told reporters that he did not intend to reopen his restaurants until a CCP virus vaccine was widely available and criticized other restaurants for returning to business. During a podcast appearance with Vanity Fair, Meyer also criticized 2020s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), claiming that it could be the most irresponsible thing in the world for a restaurant to actually apply for and get this PPP loan because you are on the hook  to pay back that loan. When it subsequently emerged that Union Square Hospitality Group had received at least $11 million dollars in PPP loans, he referred to the program as one of the few pieces of hope the restaurant industry has been provided in recent months, without clarifying the apparent contradiction to his earlier remarks.

Meyer is also the founder of the fast-food chain Shake Shack, which has not yet announced any policy for booster requirements. Indeed, the Union Square Hospitality Groups policy is one of the first of its kind to be announced in the United States and may serve as a bellwether for future booster mandates on a much larger scale. Until then, the Manhattan brunch crowd can dine in comfort, knowing that their culinary experience will be accessible only to those of their neighbors who have received the latest injections the pharmaceutical industry has to offer.
Plane crashed when it left the city of Goma en route to Shabunda in South Kivu province, Congo, on Dec. 23, 2021. (Sreenshot/Google Maps via The Epoch Times)

Official: Small Plane Crashes in Congo, All 5 Aboard Killed

BENI, CongoA small passenger plane with five people aboard crashed in eastern Congo on Thursday, and authorities said there were no survivors.

Three passengers and two crew members were aboard the Malu Aviation plane that had left the city of Goma en route to Shabunda in South Kivu province.

We have just launched investigations to determine the (cause) of this crash, said Dieudonne Kashombanya, administrator of Shabunda. We sympathize with all the families of the people killed.

Malu Aviations website says it offers both cargo and charter flights in the region.

Plane crashes are not uncommon in eastern Congo, though flights are still viewed as safer than overland travel because the region is home to many armed groups.

By Al Hadji Kudra Maliro
Ohio Governor Signs Born Alive Abortion Bill Into Law

The Republican governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, signed into law a measure to criminally penalize doctors who dont provide medical care to babies born alive after an abortion attempt.

Ohio Senate Bill 157, also referred to as The Born Alive Infant Protection Act, creates protections for children who are born alive after a failed abortion attempt, a release from DeWines office on Dec. 22 reads.

The new law also expands abortion manslaughter to include failing to take measures to preserve the health of a child born alive after an abortion, and creates a right of action for the affected mother to sue a person guilty of abortion manslaughter.

The bill also creates new rules around ambulatory surgical facilities where abortions are attempting to be performed, in order to ensure the health and safety of a child when born alive after an abortion.

State Sen. Terry Johnson, a Republican, sponsored the bill.

Thank you Governor DeWine for standing up for Ohios newborns and protecting life at its most vulnerable stage, Johnson said in a statement after the measure was signed into law. Every child, no matter the circumstances surrounding his or her birth, deserves our compassion and care.

The bill will require the attending doctor to report circumstances of babies who survive the abortions, and penalize them if they are found not to have done so. The Department of Health will then annually publish the number of babies who survive abortions in Ohio while keeping the details confidential, according to a release from the Ohio Senate about the new law.

Provision Opposed By Planned Parenthood

The new law makes sure that taxpayer dollars are not directly or indirectly funneled into abortions, by blocking doctors from working for state-funded hospitals and medical schools if they separately consult as a doctor for an abortion clinic.

Planned Parenthood objected to the bill due to the provision, saying it would disqualify all physicians who teach medical students or are affiliated with public hospitals and institutions from entering these contracts with abortion clinics.

There is no medical justification for disallowing qualified, experienced physicians from agreeing to provide backup coverage for abortion providers under a variance, Adarsh Krishen, the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, said in a statement. In fact, if the state was genuinely concerned for patient safety, such physicians would be ideal. Instead, this provision is only meant to make it more challenging for abortion providers to remain licensed and operational.

The Center for Christian Virtue, Ohios largest Christian public policy lobby, suggested the provision could potentially shut down two abortion clinicsPlanned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio and Womens Med Center in Daytonwho rely on state-funded doctors for their services.

Today the state of Ohio has made a bold statement about where our values liewith women, children, and familiesnot with the abortion industry which demeans and exploits them, Nilani Jawahar, the groups legislative liaison, said in a statement.

She said the law has life-affirming provisions and is a declaration that Ohio will fight back wherever we can to keep our beautiful state from becoming a dark place where the weak and helpless are discarded to serve the interests of the powerful.

The Born Alive Infant Protection Act, with all its life-affirming provisions, is a declaration that Ohio will fight back wherever we can to keep our beautiful state from becoming a dark place where the weak and helpless are discarded to serve the interests of the powerful.
The works of American sculptress Emily Bedard follow in our countrys tradition of paying homage through classical monuments

In spite of her made in the USA appeal, being an American sculptor is not something Emily Bedard was always celebrated for. When I first entered the molding industry, I had people who questioned my ability because I wasnt French or European, recalled Bedard. I would produce a really strong structural element, and the salesman would sell it as if it was a French artist who made it.

Clients, in fact, sometimes wouldnt trust Bedard because she was American. There is a general stereotype that Americans dont have roots in traditional craftsmanship, that traditional American art has to come from Europeans, she said. Thats ridiculous, she added, since America has such strong roots in classicism.

At age 34, this native-Vermonter-gone-New-Yorker has undoubtedly proven that American hands are creating ageless, epochally awe-inspiring works of art that our country can be proud of. Bedard has won multiple awards in her young life, including the highly coveted Edward Fenno Hoffman Prize from the National Sculpture Society, and the Award for Emerging Excellence in the Classical Tradition from the prestigious Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, which Bedard says has been a tremendous support for her continuing education as a sculptor.

Her early works include the breathtaking 6-foot Liberty statue at the 1876 Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which graces the highly celebrated Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut; the life-like clay bust of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, and the pair of gold eagles that flank the central clock at the Edward Kennedy Institute in Boston. Bedard has also had quite the A-list of private clients, including Mark Wahlberg, Yoko Ono, Oprah Winfrey, and Uma Thurman.

She is currently working on a piece for the National Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial, to be built at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This sizable memorial will occupy about 200 feet on the sacred public pathway, and will feature American soldiers and traditional military armaments, such as tanks and planes, with a desert background. The sculpture was commissioned by the National Desert Storm War Memorial Association , and it will be the first national memorial to represent the fierce conflict that soldiers faced in the Liberation of Kuwait campaign 30 years ago.

Bedard hopes to break ground sometime in 2022, and when she does, shell be working right down the street from the Lincoln Memorial, the fabled work of one of her idols, Daniel Chester French. Like Bedard, French was a native New Englander, who drew special inspiration from American patriotism.

Bedard, admittedly not your typical millennial (she barely touches a computer), had always wanted to serve in the military, a bygone aspiration that regrettably went unfulfilled. I always had this strong desire to give back to this country, reflected Bedard. I met a lot of pushback to do that, and wasnt sure how I could use my limited abilities to do that, but then I figured out that public monuments can speak to the human spirit and remind people of the achievements and honors of the people who have served our country. She added that this gave her a deeper motivation with the abilities I had been given.

In furthering her commitment to promoting Yankee craftsmanship, Emily purposely searched out an American art school: to be specific, a small, charming one in New England, as she describes. She attended the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, located in a quintessentially quaint seaside town in Connecticut. I chose this school because it was very evident that when graduating from there, you were going to come out with very traditional skills, said Bedard.

She also wanted to bring credence to the profession as being more than a stigmatized starving artist pursuit. Born to two artists and introduced at an early age to artist colonies like Maines Monhegan Island, Emily also had a strong interest in the sciences, specifically engineering. And so, to become a true sculptor, Emily molded the two together, and found her niche in ornamental work for high-end architecture.

Today, in addition to running her art studio in the hip Greenpoint Historic District of Brooklyn, Bedard is the creative director at Foster Reeve & Associates, a group of globally-renowned custom designers of ornate custom plaster molding. Whether its fancy cornice molding on a mansion, or the sword of a soldier, Emily is obsessively preoccupied with unassuming allegorical details. She has an undying love for sculpted drapery. She explained that she has always really liked drapery like that on a classic Roman statue, the way cloth falls on a figure and almost appears to cling to the form, as if it is real flesh.

When colleague Meredith Bergmann asked her to assist with the making of the Womens Rights Pioneers Monument on Literary Row in Central Park, Bedard was, of course, excited to be a humble part of that creation. It is an imposing 14-foot statue, which features American rights activists Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton having a conversation. She described it as a long overdue representation of women. There was also this added bonus for Bedard: I got to do the curls of Elizabeth Cady Stantons hair!

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
Police officers patrol an area outside Beijing's Tiananmen Square (back) on World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2020. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images)

Pregnant Teacher in China Disappears After Plea for Help From Psychiatric Hospital

She was forcibly admitted to a mental institution after defending another teacher who was fired

A Chinese teacher who is pregnant disappeared soon after she secretly sent out her last message for help from a psychiatric hospital, where she said she had been forcibly taken.

Find a way to save me was the last plea for help received from Li Tiantian, a teacher in rural Yongshun County, in central Chinas Hunan Province.

She wrote several posts online saying that local authorities had been threatening her since Dec. 18. Education authorities, police, and hospital employees forced her to sign her name on documents in a show of her pleading guilty for her online speech. Eventually, she was committed to a psychiatric hospital.

She had posted comments in support of another teacher, named Song Gengyi, from Shanghai Zhendan Vocational College. During class, Song questioned the credibility of the death count of the Rape of Nanking, which is officially listed as 300,000 Chinese deaths, and cited a lack of historical records to support the conclusion.

The school immediately fired Song after receiving a complaint from one of her students due to her remarks not being in line with the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) rhetoric on the event.

If I Die, That Would Be Two Lives

Song didnt deny the violence during the Nanjing Massacre itself, Li voiced her support on Chinas Twitter-like blogging platform Weibo on Dec. 17. She just presented her individual viewpoint.

Li said there was nothing wrong with Songs actions, and she argued that what was questionable was the student informing on his teacher, authorities who manipulated the reporting, and intellectuals who stayed silent about the incident.

Soon after, Li began receiving threats from officials, according to an internet user named Brother Lou, who relayed a message from Li seeking help at 6:09 p.m. on Dec. 18.

Li said that seven or eight officials from the local education and police authorities suddenly showed up at her front door and coerced her to sign her name on documents admitting her guilt, according to her relayed message. If she refused, she would lose her job and be arrested. They told her that the provincial governor had issued instructions to punish her.

At 4:51 p.m. on Dec. 19, Brother Lou relayed a second message from Li saying the local education authority and the hospital sent people to harass her, requiring her to seek hospital care for injections and medication, citing mental health concerns, according to the message.

Im pleading for societys help, wrote the teacher. If I die, that would be two lives!

A post spread on social media said Li is in her fourth month of pregnancy.

Lis 7:43 p.m. message on the same day shows that more than 10 people broke into her bedroom and forcibly took her away before she could get properly dressed.

At 9:20 p.m., her last message went to a teacher surnamed Chen, who forwarded it to Brother Lou.

Teacher Chen, Im Li Tiantian, she wrote. Im being forcibly held in the psychiatric hospital of Yongshun County by local police. She said she smuggled the phone in her underwear. My cellphone is running out of power.

Find a way to save me!

The Epoch Times repeatedly reached out to the local public security bureau and the education bureau but received no reply.

Staff in the Xiangxi Prefecture Psychiatric Hospital declined to provide client information or a phone number, citing privacy concerns.
A demonstrator holds a sign opposing the COVID-19 vaccination during a protest march over coronavirus measures and social grievances in Pointe-a-Pitre in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, on Nov. 27, 2021. (Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images)

Protesters Storm Guadeloupe Legislature Over Vaccine Rules

PARISProtesters angry over virus and vaccine rules occupied Guadeloupes regional legislature because of stalled negotiations over their grievances about management of the French Caribbean island.

Regional Council President Ary Chalus agreed to a meeting with some of the protesters representatives, the council said on Twitter after Thursdays incursion. Officials in Guadeloupe and Paris denounced the protest action as unacceptable and a threat to the democratically elected body.

Labor unions and the Collective Against Exploitation want the French government to abandon a measure ordering health workers to be suspended without pay unless they are vaccinated against COVID-19.

The protesters in Guadeloupe are also seeking better access to clean water, pension and wage increases, and mass employment.

Vaccinations are mandatory for all French health workers and a health pass is required to enter all restaurants and many venues in France. The measures have met the stiffest opposition in Guadeloupe and Martinique, reflecting long-running frustrations over inequality with the French mainland.

Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France, uses the euro currency. One-third of the islands population lives below the poverty line, and the cost of living is higher than in the French mainland. Water supplies have been a major problem in recent years because of obsolete pipes.

Anger over Frances handling of a toxic pesticide in Caribbean banana fields has fueled mistrust in the governments COVID-19 vaccine policies, along with misinformation shared on WhatsApp or Telegram groups.

Virus infections are again on the rise in Guadeloupe, and the prefecture on Thursday extended restrictions through Jan. 6 requiring masks outdoors in public places as well as indoors, and a health pass for tourist activities like diving trips.
Quebec Not Ruling Out Making COVID-19 Vaccination Compulsory: Health Minister

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube says it is possible that the government will make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for Quebecers if necessary.

I would simply say today that if we have to go there, well go there, Dube said during a press conference on Dec. 22. Right now were not there.

The minister was responding to a question as to why the province doesnt go tougher on the unvaccinated by making vaccination compulsory, but continues to impose restrictions that affect those who are vaccinated.

Dube stressed that the government has done much in the course of its COVID-19 measures, to make a big difference between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated population.

Over the past few weeks and months, Quebecers who got vaccinated were able to have a bit of a more normal life, which is not the case for the unvaccinated. The unvaccinated  need a vaccine passport, he said.

Given that the situation for contracting the coronavirus could worsen, we wont hesitate to go further, he said.

On Dec. 21, Quebecs public health institute said the more transmissible Omicron variant accounts for more than 80 percent of new infections in the province. But Dube said the Delta variant still accounts for the majority of those hospitalized with COVID-19 in Quebec.

Premier Francois Legault, who was present at the press conference with Dube, announced new restrictions, limiting the number of people permitted at indoor private gatherings to six people or two family-bubbles, starting on Dec. 26.

On Dec. 20, Dube abruptly ordered the closure of bars, gyms, and schoolshours after previously announced capacity restrictions on bars, restaurants, and other businesses came into effect.

With the increase of cases and hospitalizations, we must put in place new measures, he said.

Andrew Chen contributed to this report
Restaurant Chain Broken Into 5 Times in 2021, Police Give Safety Tips

SAN JOSE, Calif.The left door of a restaurant is boarded up, contrasting the still-intact glass door beside it. A light green paper taped on the plywood reads: We were burgled last [night]. No cash here! 11/24

Local Bay Area restaurant chain Noodle Talk has had its three stores broken into five times this year. Two locations suffered one break-in each, while the restaurant in San Jose was broken into three times. The last break-in was as recent as Thanksgiving.

Lina, the manager of Noodle Talk in San Jose, told NTD television that after each break-in they must close their business and wait for repairs.

The repeated damage has the staff on edge. The looting happened again and again, so our workers [are] really worried about their safety and their workplace, Lina said.

Crime has not only affected their windows and employees, Lina said,  our customers [are] considering their safety eating at our restaurant, so our business rapidly dropped.

Burglars strike around 3 a.m. to 4 a.m., and Lina said it costs about $250 each time to replace the shattered glass. The burglars do not take much because the restaurant does not keep a lot of cash on hand.

The first time, they got like 20 bucks. Second time, they only got a couple coins. And then the last time, they really got 40 bucks, Lina said.

The restaurant is thinking about reducing hours, but that would mean less business. They have been working with the police to pursue the case and hope to see results.

The restaurant is one of many businesses that were broken into in 2021. Another business owner fears her bubble tea shop will be the next target.

Im really worried the next store will be me, said Alice Jin, owner of Calibear Cyber Cafe in Sunnyvale. We want to ask the government to protect us. We want the police officers to protect us.

Jin is friends with the owner of Noodle Talk. She said glass door repair companies are backlogged with requests due to smash and grabs.

They blame the break-ins on Proposition 47, which reduced some felony charges to misdemeanors.

Prop 47, under $950, you dont have to go to jail  They just need a [hammer] and theyre in and stealing your money. And you cannot punish them. If you do something to them, you [will] probably go to jail. So I cant [believe] the law is for the normal people, not for the criminal people, Jin said.

Santa Clara County undersheriff Ken Binder answers questions at a Crime Prevention Forum with business owners at Noodle Talk in San Jose on Dec. 20, 2021. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

A Crime Prevention Forum to support local business owners was held at Noodle Talk on Dec. 20. The forum was attended by law enforcement agencies, business owners, and community members. The police said they cant make laws, only enforce them. But they do encourage people to report a crime, even if the amount stolen does not exceed $950.

Burglaries in San Jose are still a priority. So when somebody calls in and someone is breaking into their house or into their business, it is a huge priority for the police officers. There isnt one police officer that doesnt start going that direction if theyre available, said Todd Trayer, a captain with the San Jose Police Department.

They have advice for businesses to stay safe from burglars.

They like easy targets, said Ken Binder, undersheriff at Santa Clara County. Binder recommends increased security measures such as deadbolts and surveillance cameras. The hope is that criminals will go to another business. They like the path of least resistance.

More police have been stationed in the area since the break-ins. They encourage businesses to report any criminal activity.
An elaborate display featuring a cross and bouquets of flowers was set up on US Route 17 heading southbound. The name of the crash victim is covered on on Dec. 13, 2021. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Roadside Memorials Help Bring Closure, But Laws Differ From State to State

The last five words Traci Haupert of Peru, Indiana would ever say to her daughter Taylour Sparks were, Be safe. I love you.

On that clear spring morning of May 5, 2018, Sparks, who was just 25 years old, was a passenger on her boyfriends motorcycle as the two went rolling along on US Route 24, bound for a fundraiser in northern Indiana.

Haupert said they would have completed the 200-mile journey had it not been for the motorcycles bald rear tire that blew out at 9:30 a.m. The accident sent Taylour careening onto the cold pavement of the four-lane highway to her death.

Her boyfriend survived the crash.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda is a common self-reproach when you lose a child in a traffic accident, Haupert says.

The pain and confusion are unbearable. The regret over what might have been, or done differently, is never-ending, she added.

She didnt even make it 10 miles from her house, Haupert said while struggling back tears on the telephone. I didnt realize how many friends my kid had until the day of her funeral. She never knew a stranger.

As a surviving parent, Haupert said the worst part was having to drive past the spot where her daughter diedover and over again.

She wanted to do something positive to remember Taylour. So the grieving mother built a wooden cross. Inscribed on it were Taylours full name, date of birth, and death. Haupert then got to work setting up the cross in a nearby clearing on Route 24 where everyone could see it.

A roadside cross stands in memory of Taylour Sparks of Indiana, who was killed in a motorcycle accident on US Route 24 on May 5, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Roadsidetribute.com)

Taylour Sparks, 25, was killed in a motorcycle accident on US Route 24 in Indiana on May 5, 2018. Her mother set up a roadside cross to memorialize her daughter. (Photo courtesy of Traci Haupert)

I have to drive past that stretch every day of my life. Thats why I put it out there. I put it out there for me, Haupert said.

Perhaps it was fate that made Haupert get on her computer one day recently and Google her daughters name.

The website that came up was called Roadsidetribute.com.

Haupert discovered that someone had already taken a photo of the roadside cross and posted it on the site, along with a short biography of Taylour. She then reached out to Jim Hill, who founded the site in 2014 as a virtual space and registry where people can memorialize their loved ones who died in traffic accidents.

Ive taken pictures of so many (roadside) tributes. Id say probably a third of the tributes arent even up anymore, Hill, a retired engineer at the Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Mich., told The Epoch Times.

A large roadside memorial can be found overlooking the southbound US Route 17 near the Campe Verde, Arizona line on Dec. 13, 2021. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

He now resides in Indiana and works in information technology, although hes still passionate about improving motor vehicle safety.

Why do people put up roadside memorials?

Why do people put up headstones? Hill said. Really, its the same thing. Its just a way of grieving. Its just to give them something tangible to remember the person that died.

Ive seen a few people building sites. It feels kind of like breaking into a funeral with uninvited guests.

The one thing Hill said he noticed in his travels was the faded condition many of the roadside memorials were in. Many had been set up in dangerous locations, making it difficult to access them.

He found a safe solution with his website, which enables grieving people the opportunity to create a lasting virtual memorial to a loved one. His goal is to increase registration from the current 675 listings to 100,000 or more virtual tributes.

The purpose isnt for ads or financial gain, he said.

I want people to drive more safely. I cant stand to see these accidents. I wouldnt be surprised if there are a million of these (roadside memorials) around, he told The Epoch Times.

Jim Hill of Indiana is the founder of RoadsideTribute.org, a virtual memorial to victims of vehicular crashes. The site has nearly 700 entries to date. (Jim Hill photo)

All across the United States communities are filled with roadside memorials to motor vehicle fatalities.

U.S. Route 17 in Arizona is ranked as the fourth most deadly highway in America. More than a dozen memorials can be seen set back from the shoulders of the north and southbound lanes between Flagstaff and Phoenix.

Chiseled into a stone monument at the base of a large homemade cross, flanked with baskets of faded carnations, one roadside tribute reads, Adam My Forever Love Till We Meet Again.

The roadside tribute was built near the Campe Verde line. The accident happened on Feb. 25, 2010.

Officials say most states will allow roadside memorials to stand temporarily or for long periods of time provided they are safe, environmentally friendly, regularly maintained, and, in many cases, state-approved. There are currently state-sponsored roadside memorial tribute programs in 23 states.

California is the only state where tributes are prohibited.

Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Douglas Nick said the agency handles roadside memorials with respect.

Unless they pose an immediate safety hazard, they are marked with a notice that they need to be removed within 60 days. If ADOT staff need to remove a memorial, it will be stored at an ADOT facility and attempts will be made to contact the family so they can get the items, Nick told The Epoch Times.

A pair of rusting roadside crosses still stand along the southbound lane of Route 17 near Phoenix, Ariz., on Dec. 13, 2021. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

He said the agency cant speculate on whether these memorials have a salutary effect on family members or influence driver behavior.

Flagstaff, Arizona Police Chief Daniel Musselman said does not believe roadside memorials encourage drivers to slow down.

I think it does allow the family some closure and a place where they feel they can go to pay their respects to lost loved ones. By erecting a shrine they ensure the persons memory is not forgotten, Musselman told The Epoch Times.

In West Virginia, which has a roadside memorial program, approximately 400 people die annually as a result of crashes on state highways.

To help memorialize loved ones killed in crashes, the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) has created guidelines to erect and maintain roadside memorial signs.

The Roadside Memorial Sign is an official sign that is provided and placed by the Division of Highways, and is installed as close as possible to the site where a fatal motor vehicle crash occurred. The memorial consists of white lettering on a blue background, and contains 1 of 3 messages chosen by the applicant followed by the name of the deceased, according to the WVDOH on its website.

Haupert said she got permission from the Indiana Department of Transportation to erect her daughters memorial cross.

I like to be able to take care of it, she said, although she has to take a deep breath every time she sees it driving by.

When you see a cross just say a prayer, not for the one who died, but for the ones who survive, Haupert said.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks to media after a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Legislative Building in Regina on March 9, 2018. (Michael Bell/The Canadian Press)

Saskatchewan Not Imposing Additional COVID-19 Restrictions Ahead of Holidays

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he wont impose additional restrictions, unlike other provinces, as the new Omicron variant has been mild and his provinces COVID-related hospitalization numbers have dropped.

So far, Omicron cases around the world have been milder than earlier strains of COVID. That has also been the case here in Saskatchewan, Moe said in a video posted on Twitter on Dec. 23.

Even with new cases on the rise, COVID-related hospitalizations continue to drop and are now at their lowest level since August.

But the premier said his government is still tracking the situation very closely and hasnt ruled out the possibility of introducing additional measures around large gathering sizes next week.

Saskatchewan is the only province this week not to introduce new public health measures as the country faces increasing cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

It is also the only jurisdiction currently without capacity limits at businesses or gathering limits in homes, whereas provinces such as Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia had been announcing stricter versions since last week.

As of Dec. 23, Saskatchewan saw 194 new COVID-19 cases, and 87 hospitalizeddown four from the previous dayincluding 29 patients admitted to the intensive care unit.

Case counts are definitely rising and they will continue to rise in the days ahead. However, if serious cases and hospitalizations remain low and manageable, we do not want to go back to shutting down activities, restricting businesses in our communities, and taking away your personal freedoms, Moe said.

Moe also urged Saskatchewan residents to get booster shots and pick up rapid testing kits to test themselves regularly over the holiday season.

We should be concerned about Omicron but not panicked, he said.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report
Some Vaccinated Australian Seniors Remain Hesitant on Vaccine Safety

Among older Australians who have said they were overwhelmingly likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine, some are still raising concerns of vaccine safety and efficacy.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, has tragically led to the death of 2,168 Australians, 96 percent of whom were aged 50 and over. Currently, over 96 percent of Australians aged 50 and over have received two doses of a vaccine.

Research conducted by not-for-profit representative body National Seniors Australia has shown that, of 4,498 participants aged 50 and over, 86 percent were likely or very likely to receive a vaccine against COVID-19.

But it also revealed that of 759 respondents providing optional feedbackof which 510 were in the likely or very likely categorymore than half expressed some degree of vaccine hesitancy.

Primary safety and efficacy concerns included the speed of vaccine development, harmful side-effects (short and long-term), adequacy of vaccine testing, the type and duration of protection offered by vaccination, and the effectiveness of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine compared to the PfizerBioNTech vaccine.

Other sources of hesitancy connected to the vaccine decision process included, deferring to a medical authority; a lack of trust in the government, health authorities, in pharmaceutical companies; a lack of available and reliable information a lack of choice in available vaccines; and belief that vaccination was unnecessary due to COVID-19 not being a serious disease or being at low risk of contracting it.

Australias National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance outlines that typical vaccine development methodology could take up to ten years. Due to the pandemic, the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine was approved one year after the country saw its first case, with approval granted for AstraZeneca afterwards and Moderna recently.

However, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has reassured that all approved vaccines are safe for use with serious side effects seen only very rarely.

The TGA lists pericarditis and myocarditisinflammation of the heartas very rare side effects of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

According to the TGA, myocarditis is reported in one to two in every 100,000 people who receive Pfizer, and two to three in every 100,000 people who receive Moderna. It is more common in young men and teenage boys after the second dose (six to 12 cases per 100,000 Pfizer doses and eight to 16 cases per 100,000 Moderna doses).

Students wait to receive the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 at Qudos Arena in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 9, 2021. (Dean Lewins-Pool/Getty Images)

As of Dec. 19, the TGA has received 415 reports which have been assessed as likely to be myocarditis from about 26.2 million doses of Pfizer and 37 reports which have been assessed as likely to be myocarditis from about 1.5 million doses of Moderna.

The TGA has also found blood clotting to be a very rare side effect of AstraZeneca, and is reported in about two in every 100,000 vaccinated people following the first dose, with the risk much lower after the second dose.

While initially available to all ages, international concerns surrounding AstraZenecas blood clotting side effect meant the TGA restricted its use to only those aged 60 or over.

Though vaccine efficacy has dropped, particularly against the Omicron strain, the department of health has issued a statement encouraging a booster dose of Pfizer for its potential to increase the efficacy against COVID-19 and the new strain.

The Pfizer booster dose has also been approved for use in children aged five and over based on the results of a recent clinical trial that the TGA said demonstrated high effectiveness, with most side effects mild and transient.

But Nick Coatsworth, Australias former deputy chief health officer, previously stated he did not think Aussie kids needed the vaccine, given the predominance of mild symptoms experienced by the age group when they contract the novel coronavirus.

Whilst I encourage parents to vaccinate their 12-15-year-old children, the risk of myocarditis especially in young boys is sufficient that parents have every right to wait for more data or to decline vaccination, he said.
ACCC has announced it will crack down on price-gouging of RATs amid a nationwide shortage. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)

South Australia Begins Rollout of RAT COVID-19 Tests

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has called for patience as the rollout of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests begins across the state.

The government has lifted a ban on the widespread use of the tests, clearing the way for their sale in pharmacies and supermarkets.

Until now they have only been used in certain sectors, including health care and the mining industry.

We planned for the use of rapid antigen testing to be implemented when we reached a level of COVID within the community and we have now hit that mark, Marshall said.

Rapid antigen testing is a useful tool for surveillance testing and asymptomatic South Australians who are looking for a greater sense of confidence before socially interacting with others.

The premier said South Australian stores would take time to transport the stock to their shelves and urged people to remain patient over the coming days if they were not immediately available.

However, the state opposition said the pharmacy industry was given no notice of the change and feared a sudden rush on its members with limited or no stocks.

Rapid antigen tests are recommended for people with no symptoms, but who want greater assurance they will not infect people in their family or the community.

The government said they could be used before entering high-risk settings such as nursing homes, before going out where there may be crowds, before going to work, or as reassurance for asymptomatic people feeling anxious or worried in the current COVID climate.

It is also hoped that will reduce demand on the states virus testing centres which have been swamped in recent days.

Anyone who tests positive on a rapid antigen test must get a more conclusive PCR test and isolate until they return a negative result.

Their introduction comes after SAs coronavirus infections more than doubled on Thursday with 484 new cases reported, taking the number of new infections since the states borders opened a month ago to 1,307.

Seven people are in hospital with one man in his 30s on a ventilator.

SA now has 1214 active infections, most being managed in home isolation.

By Tim Dornin
South Koreas Former President Pardoned Over Corruption Charges

Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who has been serving a 22-year prison term for corruption charges, was granted a special pardon by the government on Friday and is set to be released on Dec. 31.

We must overcome the pain of the past and move forward into the new era, President Moon Jae-in said in a statement, adding that national unity and humble inclusiveness are more urgent than anything else.

Moon noted that the amnesty for Park, 69, was also made in light of her health, which has deteriorated significantly since she was imprisoned in March 2017.

I hope this would provide a chance to go beyond differences in thoughts and pros and cons, and open a new era of integration and unity, he remarked, imploring those who oppose the amnesty to understand the governments purpose.

Park was the first female president of South Korea and the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee. Four years ago, she was impeached and arrested due to a political scandal involving trustees in politics.

In the final verdict in early 2021, the court sentenced Park to 20 years in prison for political intervention and bribery, plus another two years for intervening in party referrals, totaling a 22-year sentence. At the same time, she received more than 20 billion won (about $17.7 million) in fines and recovery.

Due to failure to pay fines within a specified date, Parks private house in Seoul was confiscated in March of this year and was auctioned off in August. Park is the fourth former president of South Korea to be imprisoned; the three before her were Roh Tae-woo, Chun Doo-hwan, and Lee Myung-bak.

Two former presidents Roh Tae-woo and Quan Doo-hwan were pardoned by the then-president while serving their sentences, establishing a precedent. Lee Myung-bak is still serving his sentence of 17 years in prison.

Moon has previously rejected the move to pardon both Park and Lee, saying that judicial justice and national consensus must be considered before deciding a pardon. But many supporters and politicians of the conservative main opposition People Power party had called for Parks pardon ahead of next years election.

At the beginning of this year, Park Geun-Hye was given a final verdict and deemed eligible for pardon. According to a survey by Realmeter, a polling agency in South Korea, 47.7 percent of respondents supported the pardon while 48 percent opposed it. Since then, there were calls to Moon Jae-in for the pardoning of Park Geun-Hye to promote national unity.

Lisa Bian and Reuters contributed to this report.
L - Yoon Seok-yeol of the main opposition conservative People Power Party, delivers a speech on Nov. 5, 2021, in Seoul after winning the party nomination. R - Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party speaks during the final race to choose their presidential election candidate on Oct. 10, 2021, in Seoul. (The Epoch Times edited image via Getty Images)

South Koreas Top 2 Presidential Candidates Embroiled in Scandals Ahead of Election, Policy Debates Turn Into Mudslinging

With less than three months until South Koreas presidential election, candidates of both major parties are competing over their prospects as the countrys next president. However, family scandals and controversies appear to have dominated the debate instead of policy discussion and plans for the future.

The 2022 South Korean presidential election will be held on March 9, as President Moon Jae-ins single five-year term ends that month. And it appears to be a duel between Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) and Yoon Seok-youl of the main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) as third-party candidates not having nearly enough support to clinch the top role.

However, as the election closes in and stakes get higher, both candidates have been embroiled in scandals and controversies involving their family members.

Lee Jae-myung Scandals

On Dec. 16, Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate for the Democratic Party, admitted that his 29-year-old son had engaged in illegal gambling through a press release and has since issued many apologies, according to South Koreas JoongAng Daily.

Ruling Democratic Party presidential candidate for the 2022 election Lee Jae-myung speaks during a press briefing in Seoul on November 10, 2021. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

I apologize for my sons wrongdoings, the candidate said. I failed as a parent to properly teach my child. Lee added that his son deeply repents of his actions and said that he told his son that rightfully assuming responsibility is the way to lessen that misery.

However, nine years ago, as the mayor of Seongnam City, Lee shared an article on Twitter titled, Gambling is a sign of ruin for the country, as he went on to criticize those that gamble.

After the gambling scandal broke, later that same day, more allegations pointed to Lees 29-year-old-son visiting a massage parlor suspected of sex trafficking. The following day, Lee said his son had denied allegations he visited a massage parlor for sex, according to The Korea Herald.

I also checked, but he says there was no sex trafficking, Lee told reporters after a party meeting at the DP headquarters. He swears its not true, so as a parent, I have to trust him.

Prior to the recent scandals, Lee faced heavy criticism for defending a nephew who brutally killed two women and later downplayed his case. Lee apologized after the Supreme Court of South Korea upheld a life sentence for his nephew in 2007. However, the opposition is now questioning his fitness to hold office, citing his past actions.

Lee is a qualified lawyer in South Korea, having passed the bar exam in 1986. Lee served as a defense attorney for his nephew when he was accused of murdering his girlfriend and her mother in 2006.

Yoon Suk-yeol Controversies

Amid the scandals and accusations against his political rival, South Koreas leading conservative candidate for the People Power Party (PPP), Yoon Suk-yeol, apologized for the controversy surrounding his wifes inaccurate resume, according to a Reuters report.

Yoon Seok-Youl, the presidential candidate of People Power Party, speaks during a press briefing in Seoul on November 12, 2021. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

South Koreas YTN news network accused Yoons wife, Kim Keon-hee, of falsifying parts of her resume when applying for jobs at universities in 2007 and 2013. Kim said in an interview with YTN that she had, indeed, claimed to have won an award that she had not won, blaming herself for the indiscretion.

On Dec. 17, Yoon said he was sorry for causing concern to the people over controversy related to [his] wife.

Regardless of the reasons, the fact that the credentials were inaccurately stated and it triggered controversy runs counter to fairness and common sense that I have underscored, Yoon told reporters.

The principles and standards that I have always adhered to should be equally applicable to my family and the people around me. I will live up to the peoples expectations and humbly accept the criticisms of my wife from the people, Yoon added, citing a Yonhap News report.

A political novice, Yoon rose to fame as prosecutor-general for indicting Cho Kuk, a former justice minister and aide to President Moon Jae-in, over several charges, including bribery and fraud in getting his daughter into university.

The controversy surrounding the resume of Yoons wife makes people question the double standard of justice advocated by Yoon.

Falling Popularity, Mudslinging Instead of Policy Debates

With the presidency at stake, both candidates are busy fighting off scandals and accusations one after another. Amid the ongoing CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic and the rising U.S.-China tensions, neither candidates seem to be offering South Koreans a clear vision for the countrys future.

Recent polls show the popularity of both top candidates on the decline.

According to a poll conducted Dec. 1217 by South Korean polling agency Realmeter, the popularity rating of Lee and Yoon were at 38.0 percent and 44.4 percent, respectively, dropping 1.7 percent and 0.8 percent compared to a week prior.

A nationwide poll conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute over Dec. 1718 showed the popularity of Lee and Yoon were at 40.3 and 37.4 percent, respectively. Lees rating fell by 0.3 percentage points while Yoon fell 4.6 compared to its previous poll.

Major Korean outlets published editorials weighing in on the candidates family matters.

The Dong-a Ilbo editorial called on the leaders to set aside their family-related scandals, unite the nation, reduce polarization, and address the ongoing pandemic and U.S.-China tensions.

Hankyorehs editorial urged the candidates to stop the mudslinging at each other and show people their visions on the important issuesdomestic and aboardfacing South Korea.
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.), speaks during the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on "Online Platforms and Market Power" in the Rayburn House office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 29, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Suspect Arrested in Philadelphia Carjacking of Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon

A suspect has been arrested following the carjacking of Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) in South Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced on Dec. 23.

Officials arrested Josiah Brown, 19, of Wilmington, Delaware, on Thursday on charges of carjacking and carrying and using a firearm in connection with the armed carjacking.

Brown appeared in federal magistrate court in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon and is currently being detained by authorities.

Police were able to track Scanlons car to New Castle, Del., where they arrested five people who approached the parked vehicle in the parking lot of the Christiana Fashion Center. Brown was among the five people and was in possession of the keys to Scanlons vehicle, officials said.

Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams said in a statement that the investigation was in its very initial stages and that officials would evaluate charging decisions.

Armed carjacking is a serious federal crime. There have been a rash of violent crimes like this recently, and while there were national security implications to this particular incident, we are always working collaboratively with our local partners to evaluate if cases should be taken federally, she said. Working together means more resources, more tools, more intelligence. Ive said it before and Ill say it again: If you pick up a gun and use it to commit a crime, together, we will come after you. And we are very good at what we do.

Jacqueline Maguire, special agent in charge of the FBIs Philadelphia Division said that anyone willing to victimize a total stranger at gunpoint at any time, much less in broad daylight, in the middle of the day, is a clear threat to our community.

If convicted, Brown faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

Scanlon, a Democrat, represents Pennsylvanias 5th Congressional District. That includes parts of South Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

In a statement provided to WVPI-TV, Scanlons office said that two armed men approached her near FDR Park on Wednesday.

Wednesday afternoon, at around 2:45 p.m., Congresswoman Scanlon was carjacked at gunpoint in FDR Park following a meeting at that location, her office said. The Congresswoman was physically unharmed. She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her local police department for coordinating with Philly PD to ensure her continued safety.

Police told the station that the suspects demanded the keys to her vehicle, a 2017 Acura MDX, and took off with it. The vehicle was last seen being driven westbound on Pattison toward Penrose streets, they said.

Chief Inspector Frank Vanore, who confirmed the incident, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that later the two suspects were last seen driving Scanlons car toward Interstate 95 southbound.

Scanlons government cellphone, identification, personal cellphone, and purse were also in the vehicle at the time it was taken, officials told the station.

Shes physically OK, but her vehicle and possessions are gone, Scanlons spokesperson, Lauren Cox, told The Inquirer.

According to court documents cited by the Inquirer, Brown admitted to holding a real but unloaded gun up to Scanlon to intimidate her. Brown is a suspect in multiple other incidents, including a string of car break-ins.

The suspect wrote Scanlon an apology letter following Wednesdays incident, as per the Inquirer.

Philadelphia set its all-time yearly homicide rate earlier this month, according to figures released by the city. As of Dec. 23, the city saw 545 murders in 2021, surpassing the previously set record of 500 murders in 1990.

The Epoch Times contacted the congresswomans office for additional comment.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Clean-up efforts are underway to clear a massive oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Tarballs Hit Shore From Second Oil Spill in a Week in Huntington Beach

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.After a new oil sheen was spotted Dec. 22 off the coast of Bolsa Chica State Beach, officials announced Dec. 23 that tarballs have also come onshore in Huntington Beach despite proactive measures.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlifes Office of Spill Prevention said in a Twitter post that their agencies were on-site investigating the oil sheen, with an overflight this morning.

The U.S. Coast Guard of Southern California and the County of Orange were also helping with the investigation, the department said.

Despite proactive measures implemented overnight to contain the sheen, officials said the afternoon of Dec. 23 that tarballs were spotted onshore near Huntington Beach Lifeguard Tower 10 and Dog Beach, which they are attempting to clean up.

More sensitive environmental sitesincluding the Talbert Marsh, Bolsa Chica wetlands, Newport Slough, and the Santa Ana Riverwill be enclosed by floating physical barriers overnight, according to the department.

This was the second oil sighting in about a week, after another sheen about 400 feet long and 100 feet wide was spotted about half a mile off the shore of Bolsa Chica State Beach.

After testing the oil samples, the oil was found to be inconsistent with the Orange County oil pipeline leak in October, according to the department.

Officials said that they will continue to monitor shorelines from Anaheim Bay to the Santa Ana River.
Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford, 19, gestures as she speaks during a conference at a Belgian ambassador's residence in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Dec. 22, 2021. (Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)

Teen Pilot Rutherford Takes a Step Closer to Circumnavigating Globe

JAKARTATeenager Zara Rutherford, bidding to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the globe, recalled the challenges involved in crossing a deserted and icebound Siberia on Wednesday after landing in Jakarta.

The 19-year-old Belgian-British pilot, who left Belgium in August, hopes to complete her 51,000-kilometre (32,000 miles) trip across five continents and 52 countries by mid-January 2022.

The toughest leg so far was flying across northern Russia, she told reporters in the Indonesian capital, because if anything went wrong, help in sub-zero temperatures would likely be hours away.

If for any reason the engine stops I think I could survive. I could either land on the land or (use) the parachute or ditch in the water. Ill be ok, she said.

The problem is if Im in minus 35 degrees Celsius, once Im on the ground and Im three hours away from the closest human, I actually dont know how long I can survive.

To meet the criteria for a round-the-world flight, Rutherford has designated two points opposite each other on the globe, Jambi in Indonesia and the Colombian town of Tumaco.

Describing every solo flight as an adventure and a challenge of wits, the daughter of two pilots said she hoped her journey would inspire other young women into the fields of aviation, science, technology, mathematics, and engineering.

The record she is bidding to break is held by Shaesta Waiz, who was 30 when she flew solo around the world in 2017.

by Kate Lamb
The Gray Lady Winked: How The New York Times Distorts, Alters History

Author challenges the belief that The New York Times is a model of trustworthy journalism

The New York Times has allowed many of its key reporters to present stories that were distorted, sometimes even reframing history to benefit those in power, journalist Ashley Rindsberg says in his new book about the newspaper.

Rindsberg sat down with EpochTVs American Thought Leaders host Jan Jekielek to discuss The Gray Lady Winked: How The New York Timess Misreporting, Distortions, and Fabrications Radically Alter History. You can watch full interview on EpochTV.

Rindsbergs book challenges the long-held belief that the NY Times is the model for trustworthy journalism and integrity.

The author criticized the NY Times for putting profit before the welfare of people who were or are living under oppressive regimes.

Its come at the cost of peoples lives, as we saw in the case of the Ukraine famine, and as well, through The New York Times cover-up of the Holocaust, and their anti-immigration stance that they took against the Jews during those years.

At that time, the NY Times Moscow bureau chief, Walter Duranty (192236), was hailed for his reporting from Russia but later was criticized for his misreporting, especially in the case of the famine in Ukraine. In addition, the papers Berlin bureau chief, Guido Enderis, was known for being a Nazi supporter.

Rindsberg said this alteration of history continues to the present, citing the 1619 Project published by the NY Times in 2019. The NY Times webpage states that the 1619 Projects version of history aims to reframe the countrys history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.

Rindsberg said the NY Times has the power to influence what the public believes to be true, and what it chooses to publish can alter history.

Thats the common thread there, whatever the sympathies might be, the Times is willing to allow the sympathies to take hold. And were seeing that right now, with the 1619 Project, and this woke awakening, this radical awakening in the newsroom, Rindsberg said.

For Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the 1619 Project, to write in her essay, in that magazine issue, that the Revolutionary War was fought to preserve slavery is just on its face false. Theres no historical evidence to support it whatsoever.

The 1619 Project has been widely criticized by scholars for its historic inaccuracies and alteration of historical facts.

It was a claim that The New York Times actually fact-checked with a professor of African American history at Northwestern University, who told them that its not a claim that they can make, its false. Its wrong, and they made it anyway. The key here is to understand that the mistakes, the errors, and the falsehoods were not a problem for The New York Times, they didnt correct the biggest ones. They tried to defend them, they left most of them in there, Rindsberg said.

What you really start to understand is that those falsehoods were the point. If youre trying to change history, you literally have to change it, and thats exactly what the project does. It literally changes history, without any basis, without evidence, in a non-scholarly way.

Jekielek pointed to the fact that in the past two decades, the NY Times has published little coverage of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) ongoing human rights abuses of spiritual and religious groups such as Falun Gong and the Uyghurs.

Rindsberg said the heads of the large corporate media such as The NY Times align with the CCPs agenda mainly for profit.

But I think from the top where the culture is at the newspaper, where the editorial guidance is set, there absolutely has to be that consideration. Theyve already found out the hard way, when they bumped up against Chinas Great Firewall, as its proverbially called, when they were locked out, in I think 2011, 2012, Rindsberg said.

And now they are trying to get back in, they [are] still maintaining a Chinese edition of the newspaper. And again, like with the Falun Gongand the Uyghurs are exactly the same pattern were seeing right nowwheres the reporting, where are the op-eds, where are the editorials?

The NY Times didnt respond to a request for comment on Rindsbergs findings by press time.
Since Sen. Joe Manchins (D-W.Va.) statement rejecting the Build Back Better bill, accusations against him have ranged from his being called untrustworthy to being accused of stopping democracy. But, has he really left democracy hanging by a thread, as one Washington Post columnist suggests?

In this episode, Im joined by Tom Del Beccaro to explore exactly where BBB stands in relation to democracy. Tom is a contributor to The Epoch Times and the author of The Divided Era.

History has left us with some compelling examples of where excessive government spending can lead.

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TSA Officer Saves Infant Who Stopped Breathing at Airport

NEWARK, N.J.A security officer leapt over conveyor belt rollers and saved a 2-month-old boy who stopped breathing at a security checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, newly released video shows.

The footage, released Thursday by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, shows TSA officer Cecilia Morales springing into action to resuscitate the child Dec. 9 after his mother picked him up from a car carrier and noticed he wasnt breathing.

Morales, an EMT who has been a TSA officer for about two months, told the agency she performed the infant version of the Heimlich maneuver, placing the baby face down on her arm and patting him on the back to get him breathing again.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer Cecilia Morales jumps over a conveyor belt at security checkpoint to assist mother with unresponsive baby, performing life saving maneuver at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., on Dec. 9, 2021. (Transportation Security Administration via AP)

It was the first time she had performed the technique on an infant, she said. A pediatric EMT arrived a short time later to give the baby oxygen. A TSA spokesperson said the agency didnt know what caused the baby to stop breathing.

I saw the video afterward, Morales said. It was the first time Ive ever seen myself in action, saving a life. It was mind-blowing to watch. I felt that my training and experience just took over.

Two months on the job and shes literally a life-saver, Thomas Carter, the TSAs Federal Security Director for New Jersey said in a statement. Officer Moraless quick reaction and actions helped ensure that this family will have a happy holiday season. Her actions were inspiring.
Turkish cleric and opponent to the Erdogan regime, Fethullah Gulen, adresses at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pa., on July 18, 2016. (Thomas Urbain/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey Freezes Assets of 770 People for Alleged Terror Links

ISTANBULTurkey froze the assets of 770 Turkish nationals and a Chicago-based foundation, according to a decision published Friday in the countrys official gazette.

The list of targets includes 454 people with alleged links to Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States. The Turkish government accuses Gulen and his network of being behind a bloody coup attempt in 2016. Gulen has denied the allegation.

Gulen is the honorary president of the Chicago foundation that had its assets in Turkey frozen. The Niagara Foundations parent organization, the Alliance for Shared Values, is a nonprofit of the Gulen movement, which Turkey designated as a terror group.

The list published Friday shows 119 other people had assets frozen for links to the ISIS terrorist group, al-Qaeda, the al-Nusra Front, and other alleged terror groups that abuse religion.

Another 108 people were targeted for alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, which is designated a terror group by Turkey and the United States.

Eighty-nine people with alleged links to leftist groups designated as terror organizations were also listed in the ruling.

The decision was signed by Turkeys interior, treasury, and finance ministers.
Students walk past the UBC sign at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in a file photo. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Canadian Study Discovers Why Omicron Transmits So Rapidly

The University of British Columbia announced Wednesday that it has completed the worlds first molecular-level analysis of Omicron, revealing possible reasons behind the new COVID-19 variants high transmissibility.

With the help of a near atomic resolution cryo-electron microscope, UBCs analysis revealed that Omicrons heavy mutations and ability to evade immunity contribute to its high transmissibility, according to Dr. Sriram Subramaniam, one of the researchers.

Both the characteristics we see as a result of spike protein mutationsstrong binding with human cells and increased antibody evasionare likely contributing factors to the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant, said Subramaniam, a professor in the universitys faculty of medicines department of biochemistry and molecular biology, in an article on UBC News.

These are the underlying mechanisms fuelling the variants rapid spread and why Omicron could become the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 very quickly.

The Omicron variant has a record 37 spike protein mutations, which is roughly three to five times more than any previously identified COVID-19 variants.

This is important for two reasons. Firstly, because the spike protein is how the virus attaches to and infects human cells. Secondly, because antibodies attach to the spike protein in order to neutralize the virus, Subramaniam said

Therefore, small mutations on the spike protein have potentially big implications for how the virus is transmitted, how our body fights it off, and the effectiveness of treatments.

Usually when a virus mutates, it could potentially become weaker and less transmissible, but that was not the case for the Omicron variant, Subramaniam said in an interview with the Toronto Star.

So when you have such a large number of mutations, the remarkable thing about this particular variant is it still retains about the same level of efficiency at recognizing our cells [as previous variants].

He also noted that the Omicron spike protein is more adept than that on any other variant at evading the antibodies used as treatments, as well as dodging the immunity produced by either vaccines or natural infection.

Having taken a closer look at Omicron, Subramaniam said the surprising thing about the virus is that while its interface looks different, it remains effective at binding itself to human cells.

The good news is that knowing the molecular structure of the spike protein will allow us to develop more effective treatments against Omicron and related variants in the future, he said in the UBC article.

Understanding how the virus attaches to and infects human cells means we can develop treatments that disrupt that process and neutralize the virus.
Universities and the Big Questions

Commentary

Christmas is usually a time to celebrate with friends and family, indulge in food and drink, and spend more than we can afford buying gifts. But the new COVID restrictions mean that we will, yet again, be denied the usual festivities and celebrations with our loved ones. Perhaps this is a year to stand back and reflect on the nations spiritual state.

Like many Canadians of a certain age, I have witnessed the remarkable decline of the Christian Church as a significant social force throughout the industrialized, democratic nations. Yet Christmas and the Christian ethos are woven into the fabric of western civilization. As Karl Popper, the eminent philosopher of science, wrote, our Western civilization owes its rationalism, its faith in the rational unity of man and in the open society, its faith in its scientific outlook, to the ancient Socratic and Christian belief in the brotherhood of man.

But the rituals and symbols of Christianity that once carried enormous and powerful public significance have been stripped bare of their profound truths. It is difficult not to see this as a decline and loss. It may be challenging to state the precise nature of this loss, but at its centre is a corrosion of the spiritual dimension of life, a loss that is both profound and unsettling.

Perhaps this sense of loss is nothing more than a romantic nostalgia for an earlier, simpler way of life, the fabled Golden Age of yesteryear, where all was right with the world, God was in his heaven, and one knew where one stood in the great chain of being. But we know too much to return to such absolutist pieties. Pascals formula about knowing too little to be dogmatists, and too much to be skeptics, perfectly captures our human dilemma. Nevertheless, when surveying our contemporary society and culture, there is a real enough sense of decline. However we might struggle to define it, and as elusive and imprecise as it might be to categorically state it, something important has been lost.

In his superb book, The Malaise of Modernity, Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor points out that by any material index, western peoples are better off than any society in history. Their well-being, he says, is primarily due to the western embrace of science.

Yet such material comfort has been purchased at a high cost. According to Taylor, we have instrumentalized reason, confining it exclusively to the service of science. Whereas every previous age stressed the importance of rationally deliberating about how best to live, we now insist that reason only addresses existences means, never its ends. In the realm of values, human reason is mute. Choices are arbitrary. Does one prefer chocolate or vanilla? Fundamentalist faith or philosophy? Fyodor Dostoevsky or Paulo Coelho?

For moderns, the questions of value, whether moral, political, or aesthetic, are merely a matter of individual choice, of idiosyncratic preference. Beyond the scientific and empirical, we no longer recognize objective truths, nor even the idea that such truths might exist. We are, each of us, self-validating centres, and the values we happen to embrace are legitimate only insofar as we have freely chosen them.

The slide to subjectivism is attested to by the proliferation of so-called self-care books. Self-fulfillment, self-realization, and various like-minded nostrums are the holy grail of modern life. We are becoming a society of narcissistic self-absorption, a society where, as Alexis de Tocqueville famously remarked, each is enclosed in his own heart.

Taylor is undoubtedly correct that humans seek something more than material well-being. They seek access to a transcendent, more comprehensive whole, some guide to what makes life worthwhile and meaningful.

Regrettably, our public universities have given up on addressing how we should live, what living is for, or what one should care about. These are the most important questions a person can ask, yet universities have expelled such questions from their classrooms, judging them unfit for disciplined study.

In his passionate polemic, Educations End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life, Anthony T. Kronman, former Dean of Yale Law School, writes, I have watched the question of lifes meaning lose its status as a subject of organized academic instruction and seen it pushed to the margins of professional respectability in the humanities. He asks, Why is it that the question of what living is for has disappeared from the roster of questions our universities ask in a disciplined and deliberate way?

This truncation of the educational mission represents a failure of the first order. A gap needs to be filled, and universities need to forthrightly and unapologetically address the question of how we ought to live.

Perhaps the best summation of education is given by Leo Strauss: Education consists of learning to read with accuracy and precision what the best minds have said about the most serious questions. And it is difficult to conceive of a question more serious than how one ought to live.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Paramilitary police officers wearing face masks march next to the entrance of the Forbidden City in Beijing on Sept. 20, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

US and China Compete for Influence Through Law Enforcement in Latin America

News Analysis

Latin America is the new frontline in the battle for influence between the United States and the Chinese regime.

The current threat includes the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) law enforcement partnership program in the developing world, particularly, Latin America.

The CCPs international law enforcement cooperation (LEC) consists of providing materials, equipment, inexpensive digital tools, training to foreign police officers, as well as consultation on judicial legislation. Focusing on the developing world, these programs include installing Xinjiang-style surveillance systems.

Through LEC, autocratic regimes are partnering with the CCP to increase their surveillance and social control over their own people. The program may not pose an immediate or direct threat to the United States, but it does pose a threat to the development of democracy and the maintenance of freedoms throughout the developing world.

This trend is particularly worrying in Latin America, as it brings CCP surveillance right to the U.S. southern border and Caribbean coast. For this reason, the commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Admiral Craig Faller, identified China as the greatest threat to U.S. interests.

In its 2008 and 2016 Latin America policy white papers, Beijing stressed the importance of judicial and police cooperation. At the 2019-2021 forum for China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the CCP prioritized fighting organized crime and corruption. The increasing presence of Chinese companies in the region, as well as international crime such as drug and human trafficking, have become pretexts for the CCP to get more involved with local law enforcement and security forces.

Chinese organized criminal gangs expanding in Latin America have motivated local governments to organize joint operations with Chinese counterparts. In June 2010, Brazils Secretary of Justice Romeu Tuma Junior was fired for being an agent of the Chinese mafia. In 2016, Chinese security forces cooperated with local authorities in Argentina to counter the Chinese triad Pi Xiu. Similar cooperation has taken place in Panama and other nations, as well.

Increased Chinese investment has positioned a growing number of Chinese people and business interests in dangerous places. The CCP public-private partnership structure provides government support for private firms, which makes the country richer.

Apart from financial subsidies and soft loans from state-owned banks, this support extends to physical security. Consequently, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and security forces conduct training, preparing to engage on foreign soil to rescue citizens or to protect Chinese businesses. Chinese petroleum and mining firms operate in remote regions of often war-torn or unstable countries, sometimes encroaching on indigenous land, making them vulnerable to violent attacks or kidnaping for ransom. The PLA had to intervene when Chinese workers were attacked in South Sudan. In Yemen and Libya, the PLA had to evacuate Chinese citizens. These types of risks also exist in Venezuela and other parts of Latin America, such as when Chinese oil projects came under attack in northern Ecuador.

As part of the LEC, Chinese companies have donated police vehicles and equipment to countries in Latin America, particularly in the Caribbean. In the Colon Free Trade Zone in Panama, Huaweis Safe City Technology has been installed, including facial recognition cameras, similar to those used to oppress the Uyghurs in Chinas Xinjiang region. ZTE has helped Venezuela control its populace through smart ID cards. A team of ZTE employees is now stationed in CANTV, the Venezuelan state-run telecommunications company. Argentina decided to buy surveillance tech from ZTE.

A display for facial recognition and artificial intelligence on monitors at Huaweis Bantian campus in Shenzhen, China, on April 26, 2019. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

In 2017, China sold 51 Chery Tiggo armored vehicles to the Uruguayan national police, and donated two Marcopolo omnibuses and 10 armored trucks. China also provided the police with 4,000 surveillance system components, 1,000 of which were deployed on the Brazilian border. The rest went to the capital, Montevideo, as part of the national response system. In addition to surveillance technology, Uruguay is also deploying Chinese biometric systems. Chinese security products now make up 53 percent of the Uruguayan market.

Through international police exchanges and training, the CCP strives to normalize technology-based social control systems. Addressing the 86th Interpol General Assembly, CCP leader Xi Jinping said that the Chinese model is a more efficient system that should be used for global security and social management.

Non-democratic actors are following Chinas lead, adopting a cybersecurity law that is modeled after Beijings. Venezuelas Nicolas Maduro regime also used Chinese training and technology to build a social management system. Since 2008, 80 countries have adopted Chinas domestic surveillance tools.

The dissemination of the CCPs security model throughout the world is having a negative impact on human rights and rule of law, as well as the security of U.S. citizens at home and abroad. In order to counter the negative influence of the CCPs international law enforcement cooperation, the U.S. State Department has offered the International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEAs). The goal of the State Department academies is to enhance the skills of foreign criminal justice partners of the United States, as well as improve coordination in combating international crime.

The Academys vision is to enhance democracy by supporting the rule of law, and to use improved legislation and law enforcement to better the functioning of free markets in order to maintain social, political, and economic stability. Over the past 20 years, 60,000 officers from 85 different countries have graduated from ILEAs.

While the U.S. State Department is offering a high-quality law enforcement alternative, partnership with China is often accompanied by loans, grants, and investmentsmaking the battle for influence all the more difficult.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
US Has Fallen Behind in the Artificial Intelligence Race

Why AI could make or break us in the years to come, according to Nicholas Chaillan

We need to stop being complacent, Nicholas Chaillan said. We need to wake up before its too late for our kids.

On a recent episode of American Thought Leaders, host Jan Jekielek discussed the dangers of falling behind communist China in our artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities with Nicholas Chaillan, former chief software officer for the U.S. Air Force.

Jan Jekielek: Its been reported that you believe the United States has already lost the AI war.

Nicholas Chaillan: I dont believe weve lost. But if we dont act now and not in 5 to 10 years like some Pentagon reports are saying, we have no chance in succeeding.

China is leading right now. Theyre already leading in many of those fields, because of their adoption of technology from their companies.

Mr. Jekielek: What is AI and why is it important?

Mr. Chaillan: Artificial intelligence is going to make or break us in the years to come, because, effectively, AI can make decisions for you, accelerating access to information, coming to conclusions that the human brain cant comprehend.

Heres an example. Using DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency], which is the defense research lab, we set two jets fighting each other, one flown by artificial intelligence and the other by the best Air Force pilot. Every single time, the human lost.

Its going to change the way we think, the way we build weapons.

Mr. Jekielek: Why are you so sure that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is ahead of the United States in terms of AI development?

Mr. Chaillan: I can tell you we could change this by ensuring that U.S. companies partner more with the Department of Defense [DOD]. But by not being able to do that, what we guarantee is that these companies have no choice but to work with the CCP.

The U.S. government has no Agile training to this day mandated for our acquisition workforce.

Mr. Jekielek: Explain to us what Agile means, for the layperson.

Mr. Chaillan: Agile is what allows you to become more efficient.

By adopting Agile, you continuously deliver value, small incremental pieces of value, so you can validate that what youre building makes sense for your customers, or the warfighter, in my case. You can be more efficient.

You end up never waiting five years to learn that a billion dollars of taxpayer money was wasted.

There is no Agile training. We built it during my tenure, but it wasnt mandated. The mandated training is still the legacy training.

Mr. Jekielek: Basically, youre saying that if you could explain to some of the leadership of these Big Tech companies the true nature of the threat, they would come on board voluntarily, but they dont have access to that information.

Mr. Chaillan: Most of these companies arent cleared. The most innovative AI companies or smaller companies dont have security clearances.

Thats mostly because they dont understand that by making those weapons more efficient and better, we can prevent mistakes and save lives. But you cant just live in your Silicon Valley bubble. You have to look at whats going on around the world and take action sometimes.

So, if we dont have access to the best breed of technologies, were not going to keep up. Were already behind.

In 10 years, it will be too late to fix it. This is whats criminal.

Mr. Jekielek: What is the cyberthreat from China and other bad actors?

Mr. Chaillan: The threat is tremendous, not just at the DOD, but also across critical infrastructure, like power and water.

If Im China and Im going to attack Taiwan, it would make sense to disable some of our power, so our military would be so busy trying to fix the situation in the United States that we couldnt even think about Taiwan.

Mr. Jekielek: Fascinatingand really scary.

Mr. Chaillan: This is the life we live, and people need to realize whats going on.

You know, we have a tremendous risk on the supply chain side, where all the chips, everything we buy is made in China. What stops them from putting malicious code into these chips?

Mr. Jekielek: Are you concerned that these capabilities already exist and havent been identified?

Mr. Chaillan: One hundred percent. Were doing very poorly when it comes to supply chain management.

People arent taking seriously the supply chain risk as a whole. We see cars sitting in lots because theyre awaiting chips coming from China. How is that acceptable?

Mr. Jekielek: So, are you suggesting that some of these supply chains should be repatriated?

Mr. Chaillan: Without a doubt. We should never have let them leave.

Mr. Jekielek: What are the highest priorities in your mind?

Mr. Chaillan: Anything that has to do with the most advanced chips and software.

Keep in mind, when you buy a piece of software, that software comes with dependencies from other companies. These projects can be impacted by malicious actors.

We have a concept called a time bomb in software, where that software can be triggered to explode the system or turn off all the software in the system. All these triggers could be dormant for years until the bad actor decides to push the button and say, Thats it. It is time for us to activate this.

Mr. Jekielek: To me, TikTok is kind of this elephant in the room. How is it not a massive intelligence operation for the benefit of the CCP, creating profiles on millions of Americans?

Mr. Chaillan: I have no doubt TikTok should be banned in the United States and in Europe.

First of all, it gets tremendous access to your phone, so it sees your pictures, videos, and your geolocation and a lot of other things about you.

This can be used also as a weapon of misinformation, where they can promote content. People dismiss TikTok as a teenager app, which is absolutely not true. Its used by countless companies for their marketing.

Mr. Jekielek: What would you say were your most significant contributions that the DOD or that the Air Force can build on now?

Mr. Chaillan: Well, first of all, we demonstrated that a small group of people can drastically impact change in the department.

We took the F-16 and the U-2 jets, and we deployed advanced Agile capabilities and AI machine learning on the jet in 12 days, showing that AI could help the pilot make decisions without impacting the airworthiness of the aircraft and the safety of the people on board.

We built this capability. We open-sourced it to the world. We see five nations using it. We see dozens of other federal agencies using it. Its probably the biggest contribution back to open source from the U.S. government.

Mr. Jekielek: As we finish up here, where would you like to see things go for DOD?

Mr. Chaillan: First of all, I would like to make sure that we empower our fighters. We have tremendously bright people.

We need to communicate better with industry. We need all U.S. companies to join us in the fight. We have to share this knowledge.

We need to stop being complacent. We need to wake up before its too late for our kids.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
US SEC Rejects Valkyrie, Kryptoin Bitcoin Trusts

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission vetoed two proposals to offer bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF), dealing a blow to market participants who had hoped the agency would green light the effort after approving futures-backed bitcoin funds in October.

In a notice dated Wednesday, the markets regulator said both of the proposals to list and trade shares of Valkyrie Bitcoin Fund and the Kryptoin Bitcoin ETF Trust failed to be approved because they did not meet its standard.

(These proposals) do not meet the standard of being designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices and to protect investors and the public interest, the SEC said.

The SEC in October approved two bitcoin futures-based funds, the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF and the Valkyrie Bitcoin Strategy ETF, which made their Wall Street debuts the same month.

However, the regulator has yet to accept an application for a spot bitcoin ETF. Last month, the SEC rejected an application to create a spot bitcoin fund from VanEck, and on Dec. 17, delayed a decision on a similar proposal from Grayscale Bitcoin Trust.

ETFs are investment tools that track baskets of stocks and have become popular due to their lower fees. A Bitcoin ETF, which provides exposure to the digital currency, aims to save the hassle of buying the cryptocurrency from an exchange and managing the private keys.

Industry groups and stock exchanges have long sought to gain approval from the SEC on these products.

Democratic SEC Chair Gary Gensler and investor advocates, however, worry about what they see as a lack of regulatory oversight and surveillance which heightens the potential for fraud and manipulation, they have said.

By Hannah Lang and Katanga Johnson
Mount Cumbre Vieja erupts in El Paso, spewing out columns of smoke, ash, and lava as seen from Los Llanos de Aridane on the Canary island of La Palma in Spain, on Sept 19, 2021. (Desiree Martin/AFP via Getty Images)

Volcanoes in 2021 Push for Eruption Forecast Research

2021 was a busy year for volcanologists.

The two eruptions that got the most media attention were Fagradalsfjall in Iceland and Cumbre Vieja in La Palma, Spain.

The Icelandic volcano erupted first, back in March.

And even though it was expected thanks to monitoring measures, it was one of the most astonishing events of the year, according to experts.

Its the first eruption there since the 13th century, I think, on the Reykjanes peninsula. So thats interesting. And in the past, the eruptions there haveif we look at the last 10,000 years or sothere have been eruptions and episodes that have lasted for a century or more, so this one could go on for a long time episodically, says Clive Oppenheimer, Professor of Volcanology at the University of Cambridge.

The eruption, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from the capital Reykjavik, was not a threat to the population.

Its also interesting in that it was very clear that it was going to happen. So in terms of monitoring and eruption prediction, several months before there were swarms of earthquakes in that region, there was a swelling of the ground surface that was picked up with satellite instruments, and then the earthquakes became very intense, and there were hundreds a day, says Oppenheimer.

The volcano became a tourist hotspot within days, the slow flows meant people could get close to action without too much harm.

Hundreds walked eight kilometers (5 miles) to access it.

Unlike the Icelandic eruption, Cumbre Vieja on the island of La Palma, in Spain, caused a lot of damage, and threatened the lives of inhabitants.

It started in September, and scientists believe it stopped or slowed down on Dec. 13.

When lava met manmade objects, it spelt danger.

One of the particular hazards was that these banana plantations were being inundated with the lava. Very, very thick lava. Its just burying everything. But it was igniting the sheets of plastic that I think are used to protect the bananas from the wind. And so there were kind of toxic clouds of this burning plastic, and its quite hazardous. Id never thought of this, says Oppenheimer.

The lava engulfed many buildings and houses.

More than 7,000 people had to be evacuated.

Right now we feel powerless because you cant do anything against a volcano, you cant do anything, said Daniel Alvarez, evacuated resident, and bar owner.

Lesser-known volcanoes were also active this year.

The Pacaya volcano in Guatemala started to erupt in early February.

In April, a thick layer of ash put a grey veil on the usually green forest landscapes of the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, posing a greater danger to the population than the eruption itself.

More than 6,000 people had to be rehoused in shelters.

In May, it was Indonesias Mount Sinabungs turn to eruptand it erupted again in July.

It spewed a thick column of volcanic ash 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles) into the sky.

People were advised to stay 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the craters mouth and to be aware of ashfall and avalanches of volcanic debris.

The same monthmore than 7,500 kilometers (4,700 miles) awayCongos Mount Nyiragongo erupted for the first time in nearly two decades.

According to the U.N. childrens agency, 5,000 people fled to nearby Rwanda, while another 25,000 sought refuge to the northwest.

At least 15 lost their lives.

On the other side of the planet, the famous Kilauea volcano in Hawaii also erupted in late September.

Although its 2018 eruption endangered the population, this years phenomena was contained to the volcano park of the island.

Officials said increased earthquake activity and ground swelling was detected, and so they raised the alert levels accordingly.

Since the unpredictability of volcanic eruptions causes disruption and poses significant danger to communities, theres a lot of interest in research to forecast volcanic activity.

NASA researchers published a report in April stating that satellite data may help predict eruptions monthsor even yearsin advance.

NASA used instruments onboard satellites to analyze over 16 years of radiant heat from several volcanoes that have been active in recent decades.

They found that in the years leading up to an eruption, the radiant surface temperature over much of the volcano increased by around one degree Celsius, and decreased again after the eruption.

In Spain, where the Cumbre Vieja volcano was erupting since Sept. 19, the countrys largest supercomputer helped researchers make short and mid-term predictions.

Each morning for two hours, one of Europes largest supercomputers processed data from the eruption.

At 8 a.m., the predictions were ready to be analyzed.

But forecasting remains a challenging task.

The point is that what youre trying to do is to visualize something that you cant see because all the pre-action is going on 3 kilometers (1,8 miles), 5 kilometers (3,1 miles), 10 kilometers (6,2 miles) or more down. And we dont have direct access to it. So we need to make measurements at the surface of gas emissions, of the surface elevation because it might inflate before an eruption of earthquakes. And we can do these with ground-based instruments, satellite, drones, says Oppenheimer.

And looking to the future, Oppenheimer says its safe bet to expect more eruptions next year.

More of the same, well see more volcanoes that have been dormant for some time, will come to life. Some of the old faithfuls, familiar names like Etna and Stromboli, theyll continue doing their thing, says Oppenheimer.

He says more need to be done to translate the knowledge we already have into action.

We still need to make a breakthrough to really convert the scientific understanding to civil protection and protecting the communities that are threatened by volcanoes, says Oppenheimer.
A Volkswagen logo is seen as it launches its ID.6 and ID.6 CROZZ SUV at a world premiere ahead of the Shanghai Auto Show, in Shanghai, China, on April 18, 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Volkswagens Production in Wolfsburg to Rise 43 Percent in 2022: Labor Boss

FRANKFURTVolkswagen expects to produce around 43 percent more vehicles at its main plant in Wolfsburg, its works council head told a German newspaper, a marked improvement from this year but still impacted by an ongoing shortage of semiconductors.

This year, Volkswagen expects to produce around 400,000 cars in Wolfsburg, down from what works council head Daniela Cavallo previously said had been an initial 1 million target.

While the situation is expected to improve in 2022, along with an easing of chip supply, the impact of the scarcity will still be felt, Cavallo told Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung.

The programme for the year has not [been] fixed yet. But at the moment plans foresee 570,000 produced vehicles in Wolfsburg. Of course, there are also risks involved, Cavallo, who also sits on Volkswagens supervisory board, said.
Australian children will soon be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. (ricka_kinamoto/Adobe Stock)

Western Australia Opens COVID-19 Vaccinations for 5 to 11 Year Olds

Children in Western Australia (WA) aged five- to eleven-years-old will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination from Jan. 10, 2022, soon after Australian health authorities gave the green tick for the age bracket.

This comes as the state expects new vaccine supply from the federal government, with those wishing to have their children vaccinated needing to book in to one of the states many available vaccination clinics.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group (ATAGI) has recommended children receive one-third the standard dose of the Pfizer vaccine with two shots, eight weeks apart. Regions experiencing an outbreak, however, could see this gap shortened to three weeks.

WA Premier Mark McGowan has appealed to parents to have their children vaccinated while cases of Omicron are expected to grow in the state.

I urge parents with children aged 5 to 11 to get them vaccinated against COVID-19 to avoid serious illness from the Omicron variant, McGowan said on Dec. 24.

WA Premier Mark McGowan speaks during an announcement in Perth, Australia on Dec. 13, 2021. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

McGowan encouraged parents to book their children in before the states borders opened on Feb. 5, 2022.

The vaccine is the safest and most effective way to protect your child. Children, unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people are likely to be more susceptible to the impacts of the latest variant of concern. Please dont delay, book your children in today.

The announcement comes the day after the state became the first to mandate a third booster shot for its workers, with McGowan citing skyrocketing Omicron-based hospitalisations. But earlier, Paul Kelly, the nations chief medical officer, had told reporters at a press conference alongside the prime minister that this was not the case.

ATAGI has stated that to realise some of the benefits for young age vaccinations, a large proportion of the 5-11 year age group would need to be vaccinated.

ATAGI notes that real-world evidence on the safety of this vaccine in children aged 5-11 years is rapidly accumulating overseas, including data on the low rate of rare adverse events following immunisation, notably myocarditis, which the clinical trial was insufficiently powered to assess, ATAGI said in a statement.

Read More Australia Approves Pfizer Vaccine for Kids 5 to 11

The approval for the Pfizer vaccine for children is based on the results of a recent clinical trial that the Australias drug regulator said demonstrated the Pfizer vaccine was highly effective and that most side effects are mild and transient.

Meanwhile, Nick Coatsworth, Australias former deputy chief health officer, previously stated that he did not think Aussie kids needed the vaccine, given the predominance of mild symptoms experienced by the age group when they contract the novel coronavirus.

Coatsworth, who was the face of Australias vaccination rollout and has been active in promoting COVID-19 vaccines overall, stressed caution when it comes to vaccinating younger children.

Nick Coatsworth, Australias Deputy Chief Medical Officer, speaks during a national COVID-19 briefing in Canberra, Australia, on July 9, 2020. (David Gray/Getty Images)

Whilst I encourage parents to vaccinate their 12-15-year-old children, the risk of myocarditis especially in young boys is sufficient that parents have every right to wait for more data or to decline vaccination, he said.

In doing so, the child must not then be subject to differential public health treatment which is effectively mandating by regulation.

Experts in the United Kingdom have questioned whether the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines would outweigh the risks for kids, given that for those who are infected, the symptoms normally do not persist longer than 12 weeks, research published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal found.

The debate surrounding the vaccination of the 12 to 15-year-old cohort in Britain was also heightened as recent U.S. research revealed that boys aged 12 to 15 with no underlying medical condition are four to six times more likely to suffer from rare heart inflammation from vaccines than ending up in hospital with COVID-19 over a four-month period.

The margin of benefit, based primarily on a health perspective, is considered too small to support advice on a universal programme of vaccination of otherwise healthy 12 to 15-year-old children at this time, JCVI said in a statement in September.

Daniel Khmelev Follow Daniel Khmelev is an Australian reporter based in Perth covering energy, tech, and politics. He holds bachelor's degrees in math, physics, and computer science. Contact him at daniel.khmelev@epochtimes.com.au.
Workers clear a mudslide from a double lot on Westover Drive in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 23, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group via AP)

Western Storms Bring Flood Threats, Snow for Christmas

LOS ANGELESTwo people died in a submerged car, evacuations were ordered for wildfire-scarred California, and Seattle and Portland faced the rare chance of snowy streets as a wave of storms rolled through the West.

An atmospheric rivera sky-born plume of moisture from the Pacific Oceanwas fueling the weather, which could dump rain and snow over much of the region through Christmas, while the Pacific Northwest was looking at a dayslong cold snap.

On Thursday, two people died when their car was submerged in a flooded underpass in Millbrae, just south of San Francisco. Firefighters rescued two people who had climbed atop a car but they couldnt reach the fully submerged vehicle, San Mateo County sheriffs Det. Javier Acosta said.

In the Sierra Nevada, an evacuation warning was issued for about 150 homes downstream of Twain Harte Lake Dam after cracks were found in granite that adjoins the manmade part of the 36-foot-high (11-meter) structure. Authorities began releasing some water, but the dam didnt seem in any immediate danger, Tuolomne County sheriffs Sgt. Nicco Sandelin said.

The Sierras could see 5 to 8 feet (1.5 to 2.4 meters) of snow through the holidays, with 10 feet (3 meters) possible at higher elevations, and authorities urged people to avoid traveling through the mountain passes, which could be treacherous.

A large eucalyptus tree blocks the northbound lanes of Highway 13 just past Redwood Road in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 23, 2021. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

In Southern California, evacuation orders were issued Thursday night in Orange County because of possible mudslides and debris flows in three canyons where a wildfire last December burned the ground bare. The Orange County Fire Authority reported a mudslide Thursday night in one canyon that affected some roads but no injuries were reported.

The area saw flooding in a storm last week and several homes were red-tagged.

Steve Learned left the area Thursday morning after doing what he could to protect his home.

The last storm just killed us, buried our road, he told KABC-TV. My street turned into a creek bed about 2-and-a-half feet deep with rocks and mud. I hope it doesnt do it again.

The Pacific Northwest was facing frigid temperatures and measurable snow was possible in both Seattle and Portland, forecasters said.

Seattle planned to open two severe weather shelters in the evenings starting Saturday. Daytime temperatures could struggle to reach freezing and overnight lows could drop to single digits into next week, National Weather Service meteorologist Reid Wolcott said.

This is a rare event, Wolcott said Thursday. Its been years since those of us at the weather service in Seattle have seen forecast data like this.

Portland and Multnomah County planned to open severe weather shelters on Saturday.

In this image taken from video from a Caltrans remote video traffic camera, traffic is stopped along a snow covered Interstate 80 at Donner Summit, Calif., on Dec. 23, 2021. (Caltrans via AP)

If you dont have to go out, dont go out, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said. She urged people to check on neighbors and pets and help to keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued a state of emergency declaration Thursday evening to remain in effect through Jan. 3, saying expected snow and sustained temperatures below freezing could result in critical transportation failures and disruptions to power and communications infrastructure.

Portland and Multnomah County earlier declared states of emergency.

The storms do have a bright side by increasing mountain snowpacks that provide a substantial amount of water when they melt. Long-term drought conditions continue to blanket nearly 94 percent of the West, according to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center.
Chinese People's Liberation Army personnel attending the opening ceremony of China's new military base in Djibouti, on Aug. 1, 2017. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Why Is China Training Military Officers Around the World?

Commentary

Four centuries after being occupied by the British, Barbados recently became a republic, renouncing Queen Elizabeth II in the process. Time to rejoice. Well, not quite. As Barbados cuts ties with Britain, it becomes closer with Beijing.

In 2019, shortly before the pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt, the governments of Barbados and China signed an agreement to jointly advance the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The author Robert Hardman, commenting on the deal, warned the Barbadians that there is no such thing as a free lunch. A significant price, in other words, must be paid. By signing a deal with Beijing, a country essentially enters into a Faustian bargain, trading the keys to the house for a few nice roads and buildings. Sadly, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, seems oblivious to this fact.

Not only is the Caribbean nation part of the BRI, it has been sending its military officers to China for training. Not just traditional military training, but Chinese language and culture training.

In fact, on closer inspection, dozens of countries around the world are sending military officers to China for training. The question, though, is why?

What do South Korea, Singapore, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen have in common? Not much, on first inspection, However, all of these countries receive military training from Beijing, and all of these countries have sent officers to China for training.

In Pakistan, China also provides training to military personnel.

Each year, members of Botswana Defence Forces (BDF) travel to China for training.

In 2019, Nigeria, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Beijing, allowing members of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to train its troops.

In Namibia, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) funded a state-of-the-art military college.

In Tanzania, you will find the Comprehensive Training Center (CTC), a Chinese-built training facility for the Tanzania Peoples Defence Forces (TPDF).

Interestingly, under its most recent China-Africa Action Plan 2018-2021, China receives at least 5,000 military professionals annually. Of course, if the people cant come to China, China will come to the people.

Is China attempting to build a world army? No. The CCP has other plans.

Pakistans army chief General Ashfaq Kayani (left) and General Hou Shusen (right), deputy chief of staff of Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), watch the Pakistan-China military drill in Jhelum, Pakistan, on Nov. 24, 2011. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)

All of the abovementioned countries are members of the aforementioned Belt and Road Initiative. To understand the power of the BRI, one must fully appreciate the power of attraction, or soft power.

To quote Joseph Nye, the father of hard power and soft power, the application of the latter occurs when one country gets other countries to want what it wants  in contrast with the hard or command power of ordering others to do what it wants.

Whereas hard power relies on coercion, using military or economic muscle to get a country to bend to certain demands, soft power involves launching a charm offensive. It centers around the allure of a countrys culture, political ideologies, policies, and visions for the future.

The BRI, you see, is all about soft power. Ostensibly, by signing a deal with China, a country receives improved infrastructure, including new bridges and ports. In reality, by signing such a deal, a country allows the CCP access to its resources and access to its people.

The training of military personnel from around the world must be viewed through a much broader lens. With the CCP, its all about controlcontrolling the minds of the masses, from the media to the military. In all of the above countries (except Yemen), Confucius Institutes (CIs) can be found. These institutes are run by Hanban, an organization affiliated with the CCP.

Not surprisingly, since the first ever CI opened in the South Korean city of Seoul in 2004, criticisms have come thick and fast. Staff at these institutes have been accused of conducting industrial and military espionage, as well as cracking down on conversations involving Taiwan and Tibet.

The CCPs influence can be felt not just in academia, but also in various branches of government. A recent report by the human rights group Safeguard Defenders highlights this in great detail. In countries like Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia and the Philippinesall BRI membersTaiwan nationals have been extradited or deported. However, as the report highlights, they have not been returned to Taiwan. Instead, under increasing pressure from Beijing, these foreign governments have instead forcibly sent them to China, where they have no roots and no families. These countries are willing participants in transnational repression, allowing the CCP to pursue economic fugitives, Uyghur refugees, human rights defenders, and fleeing Hong Kongers.

This is what I meant by a Faustian bargain. Once that pen hits the paper, and once a countrys leaders sign on the dotted line, the CCP becomes a shadow government. It moves in, builds training centers and ideological institutes; it goes about molding minds and shaping policies. More often than not, as the deportation of innocent people shows, it succeeds in its attempts to poison governments and rewrite policies.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Woke Pharmacists Add Diversity, Anti-Racism to Professional Oath

Pharmacists across the United States will soon have to embrace the lefts political and cultural agenda as a result of radical new ideologically motivated revisions to the wording of their professional oath.

Although Marxist-inspired critical race theory in public education has been meeting unprecedented resistance across the country in families with children in government-run schools, woke ideology has been consolidating its hold over academia, government, the corporate world, and the helping professions.

One manifestation of wokeness or political correctness is health equity, a variant of social justice ideology that has been defined as the absence of unfair and avoidable or remediable differences in health among population groups defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically.

The official Oath of a Pharmacist will require new pharmacists to commit to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism, according to the board of directors of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and the board of trustees of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

The new language was approved by a joint AACP and APhA oath revision steering committee and approved by their boards at their respective meetings in November, and is expected to be ratified at an online meeting on Jan. 18, 2022. The newly revised oath will be used for all spring 2022 pharmacy school commencement ceremonies.

The new oath reads in part: I promise to devote myself to a lifetime of service to others through the profession of pharmacy. In fulfilling this vow: I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering my primary concerns. I will promote inclusion, embrace diversity, and advocate for justice to advance health equity.

Lakesha M. Butler, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville School of Pharmacy, spoke about the origins of the policy in a statement provided by AACP.

The joint committee led a critical charge of boldly expanding our professional oath to include the necessary elements of equity, inclusion, and diversity, Butler said in the statement. The revised oath charges all pharmacists to take an active responsibility in promoting health equity and commit to being change agents in the system of pharmacy practice and beyond.

Juan Rodriguez, APhAASP national president and student pharmacist at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy, praised the reworked oath. ASP is the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists.

The Oath of a Pharmacist is intended to be both a fluid and long-lasting representation of pharmacists and student pharmacists dedication toward our profession and patients, Rodriguez said in a statement.

Our collective efforts in recognizing and leading this change is a proud moment for the entire profession.

John Sailer, a research associate at the National Association of Scholars (NAS), has written about the politicization of medical schools. NAS describes its mission as uphold[ing] the standards of a liberal arts education that fosters intellectual freedom, searches for the truth, and promotes virtuous citizenship.

The changed oath is an especially stark example of a quickly accelerating trendthe blending of politics and medicine, Sailer told The Epoch Times via email.

Already, medical schools across the country are bending their curricula and practice to promote the ambiguous but politically charged notion of health equity. Its no surprise that the AACP and APhA have followed suitthough requiring a commitment to inclusion, diversity, and health equity in an oath is something of an innovation, he said.

Ultimately, the move subordinates science to the goal of social justice. Inevitably, this will further politicize medicine and science, and, in the long run, that hurts everyone.
Slightly more than 100 cases of omicron have been detected across Connecticut, authorities said this week, while the COVID variants rise nationwide has forced the cancellation of hundreds of holiday weekend flights.

There were 3,414 more confirmed COVID-19 tests in the state from Wednesday to Thursday, with a daily test positivity rate of 9.02 percent. There were 837 patients hospitalized with the virus, of which 75.9 percent were not fully vaccinated.

There have been 14,284 cases of the delta variant detected in Connecticut along with the 106 omicron cases, the states data showed.

As cases of the omicron variant continues to pop up, and more cases of the delta and other variants are reported across Connecticut, towns and cities have reinstated mask mandates for public places.

The rise in COVID-19 infections also led airlines to cancel hundreds of flights because of staffing shortages. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines canceled flights because of staff shortages tied to the omicron variant. Delta canceled 145 flights on Friday and 111 on Christmas Day, according to FlightAware. United canceled 175 Friday flights and 69 Saturday flights.

In Stamford, the public schools were closed Thursday after a bus driver shortage as COVID-19 case numbers climbed statewide and across the nation. The closure announcement came after more than 60 cases of the virus among public school students and staff were reported on Tuesday since Dec. 17, city officials said.

There were 13 recent deaths among individuals in nursing home and assisted living facilities with COVID-19, according to the latest data from the state. Among the deaths was one at Ludlowe Center for Health and Rehabilitation in Fairfield, where 13 residents and six staff are currently infected with the virus. The facility has 129 staff and residents.

There are currently 136 confirmed virus cases among residents at nursing homes and assisted living facilities and 242 among staff at those facilities.

The state Department of Public Healths COVID-19 alert map indicates 166 out of the states 169 municipalities were in the red zone, indicating case rates of more than 15 per 100,000 people over the last two weeks.

The state indicated that those who are unvaccinated are four times more likely to be infected with COVID, 13 time more likely to die from it and 13 times more likely to be hospitalized from it.
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NORWALK  A city business had merchandise stolen during a recent robbery, and officials are asking for the publics help to identify those involved.

Aitoro Appliance on Westport Avenue reported that two men driving a Ford truck stole two gas grills from the store around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
CAIRO (AP)  Hundreds took to the streets in several Libyan cities to protest the cancellation of Friday's long-awaited presidential election, a blow to hopes of ending a decade of chaos in the oil-rich North African country.

Several parliamentary candidates and political groups have called for the protests, which underline risks to a fragile stability in the oil-rich nation that's a haven for militias and still riven by an east-west divide.

Libyas election commission has proposed Jan. 24 as a new date for the presidential poll, which was to be followed by parliamentary elections on Feb. 15. But no dates have been officially set or agreed upon by the country's rival factions.

At a Benghazi rally, protesters raised banners reading yes for elections, no for postponement."

All of Libya must have elections on time. We reject any postponement or manipulation of the Libyan will," Mohamed Alorfy, an activist told the crowd.

Earlier, many parliamentary hopefuls have circulated a poster calling for rallies on what they dubbed Salvation Friday. The poster listed the demands of protesters, namely to set Jan. 24 as a final deadline for the poll.

Do not be passive. Take to the streets and express your opinion. Force them to respect your will, AlSalhen AlNihoom, a parliamentary candidate from the eastern city of Benghazi, wrote on his Facebook page.

Protesters have also rallied for the same purpose in other cities and towns of eastern Libya including Tobruk and Derna. Small groups also took to the streets in the western city of Misrata, the southern village of Gatroun and the town of Hun in central Libya.

Earlier this week, some 50 parliamentary hopefuls denounced the cancellation of the vote, insisting in a joint statement that the commission should set another final date for holding it. The statement called on Libyans to take to the streets to defend their right to a safe, stable and sovereign country.

For nearly a year, the planned election was the lynchpin of international efforts to bring peace to Libya. But with several well-known figures  including the son of ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi  declaring candidacy despite officials bans, the election commission never published a list of accepted candidates.

Many observers had warned that either scenario  holding the vote on time or postponing it  would be a destabilizing setback.

The U.S, U.K., France, Germany and Italy on Friday jointly called on Libyan authorities to swiftly determine a date for the polling and to issue the final list of presidential candidates.

We recall that free, fair and credible elections will allow the Libyan people to elect a representative and unified government, and reinforce the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya, the Western nations said in their statement.

They also warned that that local or foreign individuals or entities who obstruct or undermine the electoral process in Libya might face UN-imposed sanctions.

On Thursday, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that elections should be held in the appropriate conditions, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. The U.N. top diplomat vowed that his organization will continue to support Libyan efforts to overcome challenges and hold both presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

Libya plunged into turmoil after the 2011 uprising that culminated in the overthrow and killing of longtime strongman Gadhafi. Eventually, the country split between rival governments  one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and another U.N.-supported administration in the capital of Tripoli, in the west. Each side is supported by a variety of militias and foreign powers.

In April 2019, Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try and capture Tripoli. His campaign collapsed after Turkey stepped up its military support of the Tripoli government with hundreds of troops and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.

Mediated by the United Nations, an October 2020 cease-fire led to the formation of a transitional government with elections scheduled for Dec. 24. But with the vote now cancelled, the fate of that government is now unclear. The parliamentary committee said the governments mandate ends on Friday.

On Friday, the interim president of the east-based parliament called on members to convene in a general session on Monday in the city of Tobruk. The call came two days after the parliament's presidency announced that it had tasked a 10-lawmaker committee to propose within a week a new roadmap. It said then that lawmakers would discuss the proposal in the next general session.

The poll cancellation coincided with the 70th anniversary of the independence of Libya. In Tripoli, the mood was festive but more subdued than previous years, with folk music and people waving flags in Martyrs Square.

Libya was occupied for decades by various nations, and it was not until 1947 that both Italy and France relinquished claims to parts of the country. The United Libyan Kingdom was announced with U.N. backing in late 1951 under King Idris. In 1969, Gadhafi led a military coup that deposed King Idris and subsequently forced him into exile until he died in Cairo in 1983.
On Monday, a group of U.S. lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernard Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sent a letter to Amazon requesting information about the Dec. 10 warehouse collapse in Edwardsville, Ill. that left six employees dead. The letter was addressed to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and CEO Andy Jassy.

The structure suffered a direct hit from a tornado prior to collapse. The tornado caused "catastrophic damage," the Edwardsville Police Department wrote on Facebook. Bezos had been criticized for his late response to the warehouse collapse.

"We have heard alarming reports about the events that took place in the warehouse moments prior to the tragedy, and these reports fit a larger pattern: Amazon puts worker safety at risk in everyday situations and emergencies alike," the letter reads. "As we work to ensure that tragedies such as this one are not repeated, we seek answers about what happened at your Edwardsville warehouse and whether your policies may have contributed to this tragedy."

The letter was also signed by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, Alex Padilla, D-California, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, as well as Reps. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, Jesus Garcia, D-Illinois, Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, Andy Levin, D-Michigan, Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, Jamaal Bowman, D-New York, Mondaire Jones, D-New York, Barbara Lee, D-California, Jerry McNerney, D-California, Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, Donald Payne, D-New Jersey, Ayanna Presley, D-Massachusetts, Paul Tonko, D-New York, Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-New Jersey, and James McGovern, D-Massachusetts.

"The circumstances that led to six deaths at the Edwardsville warehouse are heartbreaking and another reminder that Amazon's anti-worker and anti-union practices put their workers directly in harm's way," Warren said in a statement. "Putting corporate profits above the health and safety of workers is unacceptable. Amazon must answer for its exploitative labor practices  and we cannot let a tragedy like this happen ever again."

The letter states that "reporting on the events on and leading up to the tragedy on Dec. 10, 2021 raises serious concerns about Amazon's worker safety policies." The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Edwardsville area 36 hours before the tornado touched down, with the Edwardsville Amazon warehouse in FEMA's highest tornado risk area, the letter says. "It is not clear whether Amazon gave any advance instructions to workers on Dec. 10 or provided them with flexibility to remain safely sheltered at home."

At least one Amazon driver "appears to have been instructed by dispatch to 'keep driving' because 'we can't just call people back for a warning unless Amazon tells us to do so,'" the legislators wrote. The letter also says that the driver was informed less than 50 minutes before the tornado touched down that "if she did stop, it 'won't be viewed as for your own safety' and 'will ultimately end with you not having a job come tomorrow.'"

With both sides of the warehouse and the roof collapsing under the 155 mile per hour winds, the situation is "raising questions about whether the facility met appropriate building standards," the legislators wrote. Additionally, activity on the company's internal message board during the storm "'revealed a communication breakdown in which corporate failed to notify employees about the tornado even as it happened,'" the letter's authors wrote.

Edwardsville Police Chief Michael Fillback also stated after the tornado that the authorities had "challenges" in knowing "how many people we actually had at that facility at the time because it's not a set staff."

The U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration has opened an investigation into workplace conditions at the warehouse.

"Right now our focus remains on taking care of employees and partners, the family members of those killed by the tornado, and the communities affected by this tragedy," Amazon said in a statement to CNET. Amazon did not reply when contacted for this story.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea on Friday commemorated the 10th anniversary of former leader Kim Jong Ils death with calls for greater public loyalty toward his son and current leader Kim Jong Un, who is struggling to navigate the country out of deepening pandemic-related hardships.

In his 10 years at the helm of North Korea since his fathers death, Kim Jong Un, 37, has secured the same absolute power enjoyed by Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, the current leaders grandfather and state founder. Despite massive economic shocks caused by draconian anti-virus measures and long-dormant diplomacy with the United States, North Korea shows no signs of political instability and few outside experts question Kims grip on power.

But the long-term stability of Kim Jong Uns rule could still be questioned if he fails to work out steps to address the ongoing difficulties and improve public livelihoods, some observers say.

At midday Friday, as a siren blared for three minutes, North Koreans fell silent and bowed in respect for Kim Jong Il. Cars, trains and ships blew their horns, national flags were lowered to half-staff and masses of people climbed Pyongyangs Mansu Hill to lay flowers and bow before giant statues of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.

During an outdoor ceremony, senior North Korean official Choe Ryong Hae called Kim Jong Il the parent of our people who built up the potentials for the Norths military and economic might. Under Kim Jong Un, Choe said North Korea's strategic status has been boosted and urged the public to "faithfully uphold his leadership.

The North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper published articles venerating Kim Jong Il and calling for greater unity behind Kim Jong Un.

In an apparent echo of official propaganda, Pyongyang citizen Won Jong Rim also told the Associated Press Television News that our great general (Kim Jong Il) went through so much hardship, pushing his way along such an arduous path, to build a paradise here, achieving what the people want.

On previous anniversaries, Kim Jong Un paid respect at a mausoleum where the embalmed bodies of his father and grandfather lie in state. But state media didn't say whether he went there this year too.

Kim Jong Ils 17-year rule was overshadowed by a famine in the 1990s that killed hundreds of thousands of people and international isolation over his nuclear ambitions. North Koreas economy had reported a slight yet gradual growth for the first several years of Kim Jong Un's rule. But the coronavirus pandemic, mismanagement and U.N. sanctions following Kim's nuclear and missile tests have taken their toll.

North Koreas trade with China, its biggest trading partner and an economic pipeline, shrank by about 80% last year before it plunged again by two-thirds in the first nine months of this year. Last year, the Norths economy suffered its biggest contraction since 1997 while its grain production also dropped to its lowest level since Kim took office, according to South Korean government estimates.

Kim refuses to return to talks with Washington and Seoul. He has called for building a stronger, self-reliant economy while keeping tough virus restrictions including two years of border shutdowns. Analysts say Kim fears that his countrys broken public health system could not afford a major virus outbreak  though he maintains a questionable claim that North Korea is coronavirus-free.

Unless North Korea accepts offers for denuclearization talks with the U.S., it cannot stay away from powerful international sanctions. Without international cooperation, North Korea must continue to seal off its borders due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. And this is a North Korean dilemma, analyst Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said in a recent paper.

The Norths advancing nuclear arsenal is the core of Kims rule, and hes called it a powerful treasured sword that thwarts potential U.S. aggressions.

During his 10-year rule, North Korea has performed 62 rounds of ballistic missile tests, which are banned by multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, according to Seouls Unification Ministry. The number is compared to an estimated nine rounds of tests during Kim Il Sungs 46-year rule, and 22 rounds during Kim Jong Ils 17-year rule. Four of the Norths six nuclear tests and its three intercontinental ballistic missile launches all occurred under Kim Jong Uns rule.

North Korea marked the 10-year memorial of Kim Jong Il with public ceremonies and state propaganda. More significant will be Kim Jong Uns attempt, after a decade in power, to map out a credible path for post-pandemic diplomacy and economic recovery, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
The community is shaped by those who live within, and its important to highlight those that are involved in the shaping of said community.

One great advantage to being a locally community-driven newspaper is that we have the opportunity to tell these stories.

Through the power of community storytelling, we can help to showcase what makes this area special.

Hopefully, we can continue to do and expand on these types of community storytelling.

We here at the Edwardsville Intelligencer present to you, the Carols of Christmas.

Carolyn Green

Carolyn Green lives in Dunlap Lake, Edwardsville, Illinois. She owns C. Green & Associates, Inc., a marketing strategy firm that helps business leaders win the support needed to be successful.

Her passion is community collaboration and uniting people to work together on projects that seem impossible to most.

Green is also active in association management and is the manager for Dunlap Lake. She has served as a board member for six non-profit organizations and has held leadership roles in six community-based collaborations across four states.

Green got her name from her parents, who are named Carl and Carroll. As Green said, it just seemed natural.

Growing up, the holidays were a big deal for Green, her parents and her sister. The four of them would spend six weeks decorating, cooking and making gifts. Even as adults, both Green and her sister would return to their parents home during the holidays with their families to spend a few full days together.

My mother created a magical time I could never replicate, Green said.

A family tradition for Green is to watch The Lord of the Rings movies, and her favorite Christmas carol is Old City Bar by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Carolyn Koester

Carolyn Koester has been a full-time real estate agent at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties for over 20 years.

She regularly volunteers with the Edwardsville Rotary at the Build a Bed project, assembling food packets for children in Africa, or delivering one of her home cooked meals to someone in need.

I look for ways to serve others, Koester said. I value the opportunity to give back to the community where I make money.

Koester and her husband Alan have been married for almost 50 years, have three children and 10 grandchildren. The Koesters built their home in Edwardsville 34 years ago.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, walking on the bike trail and creative cooking.

Her favorite Christmas movie is Home Alone, and her favorite Christmas song is the Pentatonix version of Hallelujah.

Carol Eckhoff

Carol Eckhoff lived in Colorado for 36 years before moving back to Alhambra, where she works in commercial furniture, space planning and project management.

She received her undergraduate degree at Eastern Illinois University and her masters degree at Illinois State University.

Her passion is to help people grow personally and professionally. As she said, help them find their strength.

As a kid, Eckhoffs favorite Christmas memory was being at her grandmas house in Litchfield. The house on the farm was full, and everyone would be gathered around the adult and kid tables.

We all dreamt about when our turn would come to go to the Big Table, Eckhoff said.

Having never been married or never having children, Eckhoffs favorite Christmas movie is What a Wonderful Life.

I could see it every year, Eckhoff said. Friendships are the true meaning of being rich.

While in school, Eckhoff sang every year in the choir, and O Holy Night has always been her favorite Christmas carol.
Before the 2015 general election that brought President Muhammadu Buhari into office, the Major General had contested the presidential post in three consecutive years without success. In the year 2015 which ambitious and unrelenting Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential race, there were some electoral reforms that were passed the the National Assembly and signed by the then President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. During his early years in office, President Buhari admitted that he was one of the beneficiaries of electoral reforms and declared to Nigerians that he would do everything in his power to give Nigerians credible and transparent electoral system that we devoid electoral malpractice. This was his words. Made publicly. Yet, two terms in office and less than two years to leave the office, Mr President has not taken any pragmatic steps to match his words with action. Rather, our electoral system, as of today, still wallops in shambles within his capacity.

In 2019, when the amendment bill on electoral act was brought to Mr President, it was immediately rejected by him based on the justification that 2019 general election was too close for any electoral amendment. Not relentlessly, the current 9th National Assembly sent another new amendment bill to the President for assent, after 30 days of the stipulated period for the president to make decision, President Buhari also rejected the bill pointing out to legal, security and financial reasons for his rejection.

Expectedly, his refusal to sign the bill has generated furore in public space. Media houses, Civil Social Groups, human rights' lawyers, activists and concerned citizens have expressed their disappointment and condemned the action of Mr President. To some individuals,they said they were not even shocked by the President's rejection because his action has rather confirmed their earlier prediction. The one question critically begging for urgent answer is; does Nigeria President really wants electoral reforms as he had promised?

Perhaps, two times chances for him to do so have been futile. In 2019, it was assumed that maybe because the President, who was desperately seeking second term in office, was being careful not to lost the general election; that made him not to append his signature on the amendment bill. But, the narrative now is different. Aside that Nigerian Constitution does not permit third term, the President himself has reiterated that come 2023, he will be heading and retiring to his home town in Daura. Beyond that, Nigerians are concerned why President Buhari will be leaving Aso Rock Villa without leaving behind sustainable and credible electoral system despite that he has no business in 2023 elections.

The fact is that President Buhari is being hypocrite only justifying his actions with frivolous excuses. First, his administration has not only been accused of high level of nepotism, tribalism, corruption, falsehood, dehumanization and disregard to rule of law and courts' rulings, but also been tagged as incompetent, clueless, and unfaithful administration. Since the inception of his government, the country's economy has never abated of impoverishment, our national security has never been maintained, and even the future of we, the youths, has not be safeguarded in their hands. Despite his assurances and promises in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari passmark has been failures all through

Back to the electoral bill, everyone knows, including the president that our current electoral system does not give room to transparency and is also capable of malpractice and misconducts either by electoral officials or power monger politicians . This alone is capable of undermining the credibility of our electoral process. As incoming statesman, President Muhammadu Buhari should know this is the period for him to reconstruct his tarnishing legacy.

The obvious reason for his rejection of the electoral bill is adduced to be the inclusion of the compulsory direct primary elections which compels our electoral body, INEC, to for all political parties across the country. If this was the concern of the president, does it make sense to throw away bathwater with the baby inside? Should we, because of one section of the bill, send the whole document into garbage can? Should we let the concerted efforts of our legislators whose sleepless nights and restless days for the execution of the bill go unproductive? Should a person's or party's opinion override the public decision? The answer to these questions should be ultimate and emphatic NO!

If the National Assembly which has alternative power to make the bill a law, wants to redeem itself from public label of being a rubber stamp legislature, it must do everything in its constitutional power, put its house in order to ensure full implementation of the new electoral amendment bill. And again, if this administration truly wants to reinstate their integrity to the people of Nigeria, the 2021 electoral amendment bill must be effective and be used in the forthcoming general election even if by expunging the direct primaries for political parties from the bill.

 Damilare Adeleye is an undergraduate in Lagos State University. Can be reached via; [email protected]
Psychologically, the place called Nigeria cannot continue pretending to be something it is not: Unity.

Persistently, Nigeria is divided along the lines of ethnic and religious tensions that from time to time boil over into grand ridiculousness.

If Nigeria was truly a secular society the violations of the basic rights of the newly crowned 44th Miss Nigeria, Shatu Garko, would not occur. Irrespective of her faith, for whatever reasons her freedom of assembly which implies freedom of association, and freedom of expression and movement should not be violated. Not in this day and age.

Nigeria's 1999 so called constitution luckily contains a 'no state religion' clause but the North for the most part, said no, we will mix religion and government. And it Did.

Which is a boost for the likes of Sheik Harun Ibn Sina the Commander General (CG) of the religious Police force, Hisbah, an Islamic organization, funded by the Government of Kano State.

CG Harun Ibn Sina in an interview with BBC Hausa expressed selective discrimination and prejudice towards the new Miss Nigeria when he singled out the beauty queen over the way she dressed for a special occasion.

The CGs approach to her was a form of discriminatory harassment at least in the eyes of the Constitution. Ms. Garko made history as the first hijab adorning Muslims to win the national beauty pageant, an annual celebration which started in 1957 showcasing positive attributes of Nigerian women.

But in the eyes of historic muslim northern Nigeria, especially the Hisbah board of religious police, social educational celebrations like the beauty pageant, is part of Western education, and Western education is a sin.

Could it be that psychologically, the Hisbah police chief has become more emboldened by many past and current influences. President Muhammadu Buhari in 2001 once asserted that I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria God willing we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of Sharia in the country. Buhari noted that the spread of Sharia is a legal responsibility which God has given us, within the context of one Nigeria to continue to uphold the practice of Sharia wholeheartedly... CG Harun Ibn Sina takes this very seriously.

The likes of this Islamic police chief are further emboldened by a society where strategic national leadership positions are in the hands of powerful Muslims like Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, NSCDC commandant-general Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (Rtd), National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd) and Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. In the mind of the Kano Sharia Police chief, Harun Ibn Sina.

According to the Muslim North, there is no separation of religion from civic affairs and the state, as such participation in a national show like the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant is deemed illegal. Because religion says so.

In other words, it is the secular part of Nigeria that does that despite the national pride that the beauty pageant draws to Nigeria.

Whether the Islamic police, invited the parents of newly crowned Miss Nigeria or not for questioning, is not the issue but what it represents. Among which are the on-going inherent contradictions that exist between the Islamic and secular approach to nationhood. A nation with no common reference point in an atmosphere of pluralism only leads to a faulty unity and pretentious democracy.

Matters like the one of Garko, has again normalized divisiveness in Nigeria. Because of religion, she is being seen as a non-decent Muslim lady, which could be dangerous for her safety. The fact that she was present at the beauty pageant makes her a sinner. Incredible.

The economic benefit of her winnings is supposed to be a plus for the economically strangled North but that does not matter because of religion. Garko, who even wore a hijab during the pageant, won the beauty pageant and took home the prize of N10m, one-year residency in a luxury apartment, brand new car, and many brand ambassadorship opportunities. Yet, all this means nothing to Northern muslim Nigeria because she is acting from the other wing of the society, the secular Nigeria.

From the look of things, it appears that we have already built a psychological wall between the Islamic Northern Nigeria and the secular environs of Nigeria. Just waiting for a real wall.

So why using strategic placed appointments to stop the wall from being built? To ensure that fairness prevails in human life, as Islam recognizes through the concept of al-'adl (justice) and al-ihsan (benevolence) why the resistance? Is it because concentrated power is sweet?

I ask again, how does female discrimination on religious grounds enhance democracy?

How does the existence of a secular institution like the Nigeria Police, functioning under the 1999 Constitution, collaborate healthily with the Hisbah police with very strict Islamic values?

How does a wing of the country, Islamic North, that strongly oppose amending the constitution to facilitate State policing allow the practice of a religious state police like Hisbah? Even regional security outfit in the west, Amotekun was opposed by Northern Nigeria. What is the ulterior motive behind such reasoning?

Currently, how does theocratic ideology, Islamism especially, that is directly targeting liberal democracy and its values as seen in the case of Miss Nigeria, expand democratic state?

The Nigeria religious police, Hisbah approaches to national matters in economics, law enforcement, commerce, dressing, hair style, and association remain persistent, so why not just physically demarcate the Nigeria space?

If Northern Muslims for the most part say secular democracy is purely a Western concept imposed on Muslim spaces, to avoid the continued crisis of religious politic why not physically demarcate the Nigeria now?

As part of the divide, the Hisbah police as an agency established to enforce Sharia law in Nigerias northern states, fits well into Sharias based court system and customary courts of appeals at the State and federal levels.

As a matter of fact, Miss Nigeria is lucky that she was not presented before a Sharia court for civil misconduct.

The Sharia court system across at least 12 States, exist as part of rivalry with secular legal systems in secular Nigeria.

The impact of colonialism on the divide of Nigeria has left Nigerians to struggle unsuccessfully to clearly convey the relationship between religion and the state. The British colonialists in a psychological way bequeathed to the brand-new nation a secular regime at independence, and equally allowed Muslim North, to institute sharia legal order, a paradox that has left Democracy building an uphill battle. Nigeria seems to be retarding backwards awkwardly.

Nigeria, whether it is known or not, is in a state of silent psychological distress between the secular Nigeria, and Islamic Northern Nigeria, and as usual Nigerias identity crisis is again rearing its ugly head across the society.

It is time all of us to be less stupid about religion and region.

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, like him or not once summed up Nigerias reality in this way; One of the challenges facing Nigerians is that we are so good at pretending. We bury our heads in the sand and just pretend that nothing is happening. But something is happening.

We cannot continue to remain as a nation of pretext. A place that is always declaring public holidays through the lens of religion as if Nigeria is at unity and Nigerians are at peace.

John Egbeazien Oshodi who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government Consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult/child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional and Career Development. A former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at the Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African settings. In 2011, he introduced the State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and the Nasarawa State University where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. The Development Professor and International Liaison Consultant at the African University of Benin, and a Virtual Faculty at the ISCOM University, Benin of Republic. Founder of the Proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, Openness. Author of over 40 academic publications/creations, at least 200 public opinion writeups on African issues, and various books. He specializes in psycho-prescriptive writings regarding African institutional and governance issues.

John Egbeazien Oshodi wrote in via [email protected]
Turtle joyriding at Bang Tao under investigation

PHUKET: A local man has come under criticism for posting online a video showing himself and a friend riding on the back of a turtle that had come ashore at Bang Tao Beach.

marineenvironmentanimalsnatural-resources

By The Phuket News

Friday 24 December 2021, 06:46PM

The video showed the two men joyriding on the turtle.

The video showed the two men joyriding on the turtle.

The video showed the two men joyriding on the turtle.

he video was posted on the Facebook page of Fa Rook Utai at 10:02pm Wednesday (Dec 22). The page is marked with a URL noting the name Rook Bennington.

One person, a Thai, criticised the behaviour, pointing out that turtles came ashore to nest.

One foreigner posted, About to get kicked out of Thailand, when the authorities see this!

The reply posted by Fa Rook Utai was, Do you know normally people here in some areas eat [turtles], and I dont want to see them being eaten or traded, and at first my friends chased them into the sea, but they were still eating jellyfish. This is why I had to ride on his back, make it feel scared and escape into the sea. (Before commenting, please ask for the reasons for the action. Thank you very much).

The video itself did not appear to show the men trying to scare off the turtle. Instead, it appears the men were joyriding on the turtles back. One of the men is seen posing while planking on his stomach while riding the turtle.

An officer at Sirinath Marine National Park confirmed that no action could be taken by park officers as the incident occurred outside the parks boundaries.

Hiran Kanghae of the Phuket Marine Biological Center told The Phuket News, Riding a turtle is a serious inappropriate behaviour, a threat that may result in the mother turtle not returning to spawn and possibly dropping her eggs in the sea. It is illegal if the turtle is injured.

The PMBC will look into the incident, Mr Niran said.

Green sea turtles are protected animals under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act 2019, he noted.

PMBC Director Somnuk Boonyai, after being notified of the incident by Mr Hiran,said, We are now contacting the man who posted the clip to investigate the facts to consider whether there are any legal offenses.

Officers at Sirinath National Park reported a green turtle coming ashore to lay eggs on the beach in front of the visitors centre at 4am yesterday (Dec 23).

The turtle took 2 hours and 30 minutes to lay 75 eggs and return to the sea.

The park officers deemed the site where they nest was laid as unsafe, due to possible flooding by high tides, and moved the eggs to a protected area in front of the park rangers office.

The eggs are now under 24-hour surveillance to ensure safekeeping from predators and other disturbances.

It has not been confirmed whether or not it was the same turtle abused by the joyriding.

The turtle joyriding incident occurred at Bang Tao Beach, just 2.6km south of Sirinath National Parks southern boundary, and has seen numerous turtles come ashore over the years.

Prarop Plangngarn, Chief of Operations Center 2 at Sirinath Marine National Park, last year called for hotels and other beachfront businesses to join a campaign to create turtle preservation zones to protect turtle eggs being laid along west-coast beaches on Phukets northwest coast.

Presently, there are only a few areas that are suitable for turtles to lay their eggs because of the continual expansion of human communities and the tourism industry, Mr Prapop told The Phuket News.

The turtles are afraid of humans on shore, so relevant officers must take action to change the environmental factors to help encourage turtles to come ashore to lay their eggs.

We need to create turtle protection areas, and we need to do it quickly, he said.

Turtles have returned to laying eggs in the area. We have not seen this for years. The last time leatherback turtles were spotted returning to Sirinath national park was in 2013, Mr Prarop said.

The areas under consideration include the beaches at Nai Yang as well as Mai Khao Beach  at 14 kilometres long, Phukets longest beach  all the way to Sai Kaew Beach on the northwestern tip of the island.

However, the zone at this stage does not include areas south of the national park.

From October through December, turtles came ashore near a luxury resort on the headland just south of the park and laid eight different nests of turtle eggs, Mr Prarop pointed out in January last year.

The eggs were taken into care by officials from the Phuket Marine Biological Center [PMBC]. We strongly believe more turtles will come back to lay more eggs, he said.

Meanwhile, Sirinath National Park is among six national parks to be proposed for World Heritage status.

The proposal was discussed at a meeting of the Protected Area Committee held at the Sirinath National Park head office led by Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong last December.

Officials must first inform local people about the importance and the advantages of being recognised as world heritage sites, so that they can understand and support the proposal, Vice Governor Piyapong said.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 30F. S winds shifting to NW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low around 30F. S winds shifting to NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Nirvana's lawyers have spoken out about the Nirvana Baby lawsuit, asking the judge if the case can be dismissed as its "too late and too ridiculous."

If you missed it - earlier in the year, the now-grown-up baby on Nirvana's 'Nevermind' album cover filed a lawsuit against the band, alleging that the nude image of himself is child pornography.

According to Variety,

"The motion was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court on behalf of defendants Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Courtney Love (executor of the Kirk Cobain estate), Kirk Weddle (the cover photographer), UMG Recordings and Nirvana LLC."

It asks for the judge to dismiss the case on Jan 20th, 2022, due to the fact that Spencer Elden has spent three decades profiting from his "Nirvana Baby" status, among plenty other reasons.

Not only has he re-enacted the photo multiple times and gotten paid for it, he's also got "Nevermind" tattooed on his chest, has done talk show appearances where he's shown up in a nude coloured onsie, and has sold copies of the album with his autograph on it.

According to Nirvana's reps, Elden has also "used his connection to try to pick up women."

The attorneys also noted: Eldens claim that the photograph on the Nevermind album cover is child pornography is, on its face, not serious.

"A brief examination of the photograph, or Eldens own conduct (not to mention the photographs presence in the homes of millions of Americans who, on Eldens theory, are guilty of felony possession of child pornography) makes that clear."

Plus, Nirvana's lawyers have pointed out that there is a 10-year limit on filing a lawsuit against a child involved in the alleged child pornography, starting from the date where the child could reasonably be aware of the pornographic use - or when they turn 18.
HONG KONG (AP)  Universities in Hong Kong are removing memorials to the bloody suppression of the 1989 Chinese pro-democracy movement centered on Beijings Tiananmen Square.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong early Friday took down the Goddess of Democracy, a statue based on a figure created by art students and brought to the square shortly before the crackdown in which hundreds, if not thousands, of people were killed.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  A group of Republican legislators and voters filed a lawsuit Thursday to block implementation of Maryland's new congressional map, arguing that it's an extreme example of Democratic gerrymandering.

A group called Fair Maps Maryland filed the lawsuit in Annapolis on behalf of plaintiffs including Republican delegates Kathryn Szeliga and Christopher Adams. The suit says the new maps approved earlier this month by the state legislature violate the state constitution by creating an unfair advantage for Democrats.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

WASHINGTON (AP)  North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn and his wife, Cristina Bayardelle, are divorcing after about a year of marriage, citing the difficulty of balancing the enormity of transitioning to a congressman's life, according to a statement tweeted Wednesday by Cawthorns spokesperson.

The 26-year-old ally of former President Donald Trump became the youngest member of Congress last year after his election to the vacant 11th District seat previously held by Mark Meadows. Cawthorn announced last month he will run in a new congressional district, a seat that is friendlier to Republicans.


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ANNE DRAGO, Stonington, Girls Basketball, Senior; Drago was named to the all-tournament team at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. In two games, she scored 38 points and had eight rebounds.

DANTE WILK, Westerly, Boys Basketball, Senior; Wilk was named MVP of the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament after the Bulldogs beat Chariho in the title game. Wilk had a combined 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists and eight steals in two tournament victories.

TYLER LABELLE, Chariho, Boys Basketball, Junior; LaBelle scored 41 points in two games to earn all-tournament honors at the WCCU Holiday Basketball Tournament. LaBelle had 22 in a win against South Kingstown and 19 in a loss to Westerly.

ADDIE HAUPTMANN, Wheeler, Girls Basketball, Senior; Hauptmann scored 32 points in two games in the Montville Christmas Tournament. She also had 20 rebounds, seven assists and eight steals.

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HUDSON  A gravel business with a dock on Hudson's waterfront is suing the city's Planning Board, claiming the board had overstepped its authority by mandating an environmental review of the business' existing operation in the city.

The issue revolves around Colarusso's right to continue to operate the dock and to expand a private haul road connecting the dock to the business' mine in nearby Greenport. After a yearslong review process, the Hudson Planning Board issued a decision in November mandating a thorough review of the entire operation, which the company is trying to get thrown out.

Colarusso's bought the dock and a mine outside Hudson from the St. Lawrence Cement Company in 2014, three years after the city rezoned its waterfront with an eye toward public recreation. The dock was grandfathered in as a "non-conforming use" and could continue to operate as long as no improvements were made. The company also proposed expanding its haul road to two lanes, and the state Department of Environmental Conservation gave the Greenport Planning Board the ability to review this proposal. Greenport ultimately decided to give the haul road a less-thorough review and approved it.

Opponents of the dock operation say as soon as Colarusso's altered the dock's bulkhead and installed 2,000 tons of rock along the shoreline in 2016, it lost its grandfathered status, and the entire operation  including the proposed haul road  could be reviewed by the Hudson Planning Board as though it were a newly proposed project.

Though the alterations were approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Colarusso's never informed the Hudson Planning Board beforehand.

Opponents have also argued the loud, dusty dock, situated a stone's throw from Hudson's waterfront park, is incompatible with contemporary Hudson.

Colarusso's suit claims the Planning Board's decision was "arbitrary, capacious, irrational, effected by error of law and grossly in excess of the (board's) jurisdiction."

Colarusso claims the decision on the haul road was already made by the Greenport Planning Board; that members of the Planning Board were biased against the project; and the board's attempts to restrict the number of trucks on the haul road "amounts to an unlawful regulation of interstate commerce."

Some Hudson residents, including Fourth Ward Supervisor Linda Mussman, have argued the haul road should be expanded. The dump trucks hauling gravel from Colarusso's mine in Greenport to the dock currently pass through low-income neighborhoods in the city, and Mussman has said the pollution and noise amounts to an environmental justice issue.

This is the second time Colarusso's has sued Hudson over the dock operation. The first lawsuit was decided in 2019 by state Supreme Court Judge Michael H. Melkonian, who sided with Hudson, writing that Colarusso's failure to apply to the Hudson Planning Board for the improvements cannot be condoned by the court, according to the decision. Simply put  by undermining the citys zoning laws, (Colarusso & Son) commenced the project at their own risk.

In the current suit, Colarusso's points toward a second court decision by Judge Melkonian where he sided against Hudson. Hudson had sued Greenport, claiming its Planning Board insufficiently reviewed the haul road and the Hudson Planning Board should take up the decision-making. Melkonian disagreed.

Paul Colarusso, president of Colarusso's, sent a statement when contacted by the Times Union saying the company was "compelled" to "assert our legal rights and to protect our business for the sake of our future and our employees."

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"All of the environmental impacts of our mine, the proposed haul road upgrade that is designed to remove truck traffic from crowded city streets, and the dock repair and operations, have been exhaustively analyzed by other federal, state and local agencies and found to be complete and compliant," according to the statement. "There is simply no legal basis for the board to demand any further analysis. The board's decision to delay the haul road improvements is unacceptable and it comes at the expense of the quality of life and the safety of city residents."

Peter Jung, a gallery owner and activist who has fought Colarusso's for years, had yet to read the complete lawsuit, but noted this was the second time the company had sued the Hudson Planning Board.

"Now they've filed a second lawsuit and it's clear that they're desperately trying to avoid a full and fair review process ... just trying to run out the clock rather than just going through the process like any other normal applicant," he said.

Victoria Polidoro, who had been serving as the Hudson Planning Board's attorney, referred questions to Hudson's corporation council, Cheryl Roberts, who referred questions to Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson, who declined comment on the lawsuit. Hudson Planning Board Chair Stephen Steim also declined comment.

Colarusso's dock in Hudson has continued to operate through the previous lawsuits and the two planning boards' review processes.
ALBANY  Common Council President Corey Ellis penned an open letter to city workers, pushing back against criticism from Mayor Kathy Sheehans administration that the Common Council has not been supportive enough of city workers.

The citys department heads and several others wrote a letter to the council last weekend, saying workers who left their jobs cited a lack of support and low morale as part of the reason they found other jobs.

It also contained pointed criticisms of council members that members felt misrepresented their position on the citys use of American Rescue Plan funds earlier this year to reward city workers for their efforts during the pandemic.

Ellis said it was unfortunate that he felt compelled to write a response but that council members felt attacked. Ellis added that the letter came about after the council had declined to immediately approve a raise for an attorney in the city's corporation counsel's office without asking questions.

"We understand that to keep talented people you have to pay them decent wages," he said.

The dueling letters come as the city faces 255 open positions and roughly one in 10 city employees have left their job in the last six months.

In his letter, Ellis pointed to two recently passed laws as proof that the council has supported and fought for city workers. One piece of legislation, which has not been signed into law yet, grants city workers more sick leave during the pandemic and the other creates a minimum compensation level for city workers of $15.50 an hour.

The council is committed to supporting every worker in the city, from the lowest paid position to the highest, he wrote. We understand what city workers are going through and appreciate everything theyve done for the city.

Ellis added that the council pushed for three years to get the city to conduct a pay equity study. That study is supposed to made available in the coming weeks and plays a key role in the dispute.

Sheehan's chief of staff, David Galin, did not return a request for comment.

City Treasurer Darius Shahinfar, who also signed the letter to the council, called Ellis letter a welcome move.

It is unfortunate that a few councilmembers words and actions required our letter of last week, as well as this one, but both are helpful to rebuilding morale for all city staff, he said in a statement. I know we are all grateful for the funds from President Biden that will be used to pay for the long overdue pay study and hope that we will receive reasonable cooperation from the council members to implement its recommendations.

In September, Sheehan announced that the city's white collar workers would receive a 3 percent retroactive raise, as well as an additional 3 percent across the board raise in the 2022 budget, in part using American Rescue Plan funding. Union workers also received "premium pay" for their work during the pandemic.

In the meantime, Sheehan and council leadership agreed not to provide additional raises until the city received the results the pay equity study.

But in their letter, Sheehans administration argued that without the ability to properly compensate workers, including those who receive competing job offers, the city is losing valuable employees. They made it clear they will come to the council next year to ask for salary hikes for some positions.

The department heads noted that many workers are leaving for higher paying jobs elsewhere - and the extent of the vacancies threaten the citys ability to provide services.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

When salary increases for promotions or requests for additional resources are delayed or denied, we end up losing experienced employees and then have to raise the salary anyway to hire replacements.

The letter, and an in-person plea from Corporation Counsel Marisa Franchini on Monday evening, frustrated council members. The letter accused council members of treating the administrations decision to grant raises and stipends using American Rescue Plan funding with contempt and disdain.

Council members argued they had no issue with using the funds to show gratitude for city workers who were often on the frontline during the pandemic.

Several members noted that they supported every raise and position change Sheehan proposed in the 2022 budget. They added that the council had been told to hold off on raises for some lower paid workers until the pay equity study was complete, but now was being asked to support raises for higher paid city employees.

The open jobs are spread throughout the city departments. The largest is the citys police department with 116 openings, which includes crossing guards.

The citys Commissioner of Administrative Services, Rachel McEneny, told the Times Union earlier this week that some of the issues were clearly tied to pay as the city struggles to compete with the private sector and the state.

Other employees in exit interviews indicated they wanted to make life changes and the city needed to be able to respond to new demands by a workforce that had often been on the front line during the pandemic, she said.

McEneny said she anticipates the city taking a deeper dive into some of the other issues behind the employee exodus after the pay equity study is completed.
ALBANY - Another 332 Albany County residents have been infected with COVID-19, one of the highest-ever number of new cases, the county reported Friday.

And a note of sadness on Christmas Eve: A woman in her 50s succumbed to the disease that has now claimed 469 county residents, according to County Executive Dan McCoy's daily update.

The number of new cases reported Thursday was 248 and on Wednesday it was 299. Albany County said its highest new daily caseload was 351 on Jan. 12, 2021. According to state data the second-highest number was also 332 on Dec. 31, 2020.

Other indicators that the pandemic is with us for another holiday season:

There are 2,002 people under mandatory quarantine

The seven-day average of new cases is 242

There are 1,057 active cases countywide

McCoy noted that as of Thursday 78.6 percent of all county residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, and 71.3 percent are fully vaccinated.



Weve lost another Albany County resident to the virus and I send my condolences to her loved ones, McCoy said in his statement. The number of new positive cases is again alarming at over 300 today and that will continue to grow as the COVID-19 spreads and people gather for the holidays."

If there's a silver lining, hospitalizations - 55 as of Thursday - are currently down and McCoy said that is important. "In order to keep it that way, I continue to encourage anyone who is unvaccinated or currently eligible for a booster to get a shot. I also encourage everyone to wear a mask indoors, say 6 feet apart, cough and sneeze into your elbow and wash your hands frequently," he advised.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

In other counties, new caseloads have hit records this month. In Saratoga, the two highest numbers were 289 on Dec. 1 and 285 on Dec. 22. In Greene, the record day was Dec. 17, with 82 testing positive and in Schoharie the record was 48 on Dec. 21.

Getting a vaccine

Residents can receive free Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines (including booster shots) Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., each week at the county health department, 175 Green St. Aside from Wednesdays, appointments are now required. Anyone eligible to receive a COVID vaccine booster dose and would like to receive one from the health department will be required to provide their vaccination card or Excelsior Pass Plus in order to view the formula type, lot number and date of the inoculation.



Albany County continues to deliver vaccines to homebound residents, which includes seniors, disabled individuals, those lacking child care and those with other accessibility issues. Anyone who would like to schedule a time for a vaccine appointment should call (518) 447-7198.



Residents who want a shot from a state-run facility should use the state's website or call the state vaccine hotline at 1-833-697-4829. For general information on the vaccine, residents can also dial the United Way of the Greater Capital Regions 211 hotline or the Albany County Department of Health at (518) 447-4580.




ALBANY  Appellate justices in Albany will allow former employees of St. Clares Hospital in Schenectady to proceed with their lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany over their collapsed pension plan.

In a 5-0 decision rendered Thursday, the Appellate Division of state Supreme Courts Third Department upheld a 2020 ruling by acting Supreme Court Justice Vincent Versaci that rejected a motion by attorneys for the diocese to dismiss the case.

In 2018, the pension fund collapsed, reducing or completely depleting the pensions of more than 1,100 retirees of St. Clares. The hospital on McClellan Street in Schenectady was closed in 2006 by the states Berger Commission, which ordered nine hospitals around the state with redundant or bloated services to close and 48 others to merge or downsize. St. Clares merged with Ellis Hospital in Schenectady.

The Albany diocese co-founded the St. Clare's Corp. to operate the hospital. As a result, employees technically worked for a religious order. And their pension plan was considered a "church plan" by the IRS  exempt from federal requirements of minimum funding and pension insurance, the decision explained.

The St. Clare's Corp. inadequately contributed to the plan, the ruling stated, noting it remained in a precarious financial situation even as it was closed to new members, limits were placed on the ability for employees to accumulate additional years of service and as the merger with Ellis led to a cash infusion.

In 2018, the St. Clare's Corp. terminated the plan and informed pension recipients that their benefits would be cut or ended as of Feb. 1, 2019. In turn, former employees of St. Clare's sued the diocese and the St. Clare's Corp., alleging the entities breached longstanding agreements to fulfill the pension and failed their fiduciary duty to the workers.

An attorney for the diocese, Michael L. Costello, and Brian Whitely, an attorney for the St. Clare's Corp., filed a motion to dismiss the suit. They contend the employees were time-barred from the suit. The attorneys also argued that the hospital had "unfettered discretion to alter the plan in a manner that reduced or terminated benefits."

On Thursday, the Third Department's decision said "documents are far from conclusive on that point." The midlevel court unanimously upheld Versaci's ruling allowing the case to proceed.

The decision, authored by Justice John Egan, said language in a 2000 restatement of the plan stated that no "pension or other benefit granted prior to the time of any amendment or modification of the plan shall be reduced, suspended, or discontinued as a result thereof" unless necessary to comply with legal requirements and that accrued benefits "shall be . . . nonforfeitable" in the event of the plan's termination."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Egan said a 2005 summary of the plan contained similar language.

"The documentary evidence accordingly fails to conclusively refute the allegations that (the employees) had contractually vested

rights to accrued benefits that were violated, and (Versaci) correctly declined to dismiss the breach of contract claim

against the St. Clare's defendants," Egan stated.

Justices Michael Lynch, Christine Clark, Stanley Pritzker and John Colangelo backed the ruling.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP)  Attorneys for a Louisiana oil and gas company have asked a federal judge to reinstate a drilling lease it held on land considered sacred to Native American tribes in the U.S. and Canada.

The long-disputed energy lease in the Badger-Two Medicine area of northwestern Montana near the Blackfeet Reservation was cancelled in 2016 under then-U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. That decision was upheld by a federal appeals court last year.

Now Solenex LLC  the company that held the lease  is making another run at getting a court to restore its drilling rights. In court documents filed Thursday in a lawsuit against the Interior Department, its attorneys argued that Jewell exceeded her authority and the lease should be reinstated.

Solenex founder Sidney Longwell, who died last year, bought the 10-square-mile (25-square-kilometer) lease in 1982 but never drilled on the site. Instead, Longwell confronted major bureaucratic delays within the U.S. departments of Interior and Agriculture that prompted the company to sue in 2013.

The Badger-Two-Medicine area near Glacier National Park is the site of the creation story of the Blackfoot tribes of southern Canada and Montanas Blackfeet Nation. There have been efforts to declare it a national monument or make it a cultural heritage area, and tribal leaders have bitterly opposed Solenexs drilling aspirations.

The Blackfeet have intervened in the case on the side of the government. Blackfeet Nation historic preservation officer John Murray said tribal officials were confident in the case against drilling.

We knew they still wanted to try to do drilling, Murray said. "We've got some good attorneys. I think we're going to prevail."

Solenex attorneys said the government unlawfully outsourced its decisions by deferring to the tribe's wishes to block drilling. They said officials should have considered ways drilling impacts could be lessened or offset if it were to proceed.

Solenexs lawsuit is being waged by the Mountain States Legal Foundation, a Colorado-based firm that pursues cases involving property rights, guns and other conservative causes.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Solenex is listed as a corporation not in good standing with the Louisiana secretary of state for failure to file an annual report. Mountain States Legal Foundation said it is working with the family of company founder Longwell to carry on the litigation.

Justice delayed is justice denied, and theres no better example of that than our client, Mr. Longwell, who spent 38 years of his life trying to defend his property right in an energy lease that initially was granted to him but then summarily denied, Solenex attorney Zhonette Brown said.

Interior Department spokesperson Tyler Cherry declined to comment on the case.
TOKYO (AP)  Japan announced Friday it won't send a delegation of ministers to represent the government at the Beijing Games but three Olympic officials will attend, a decision that follows a U.S.-led move to diplomatically boycott the Games to protest China's human rights conditions.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a regular news conference that we have no plans to send a government delegation.

He said Tokyo Olympic organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto, Japanese Olympic Committee president Yasuhiro Yamashita and Japan Paralympic Committee president Kazuyuki Mori will attend.

Matsuno said the three officials will attend at the invitation of the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees to represent the JOC and JPC.

Asked if its a diplomatic boycott, Matsuno responded by saying: We dont use a particular term to describe how we attend.

Japan's decision not to send a government delegation follows a similar move by the United States and some other democratic nations including Australia, Britain and Canada, which cited China's human rights violations.

The Chinese foreign ministry appealed to Tokyo not to politicize sports.

We hope and urge the Japanese side to honor its commitment with China to supporting each other in hosting the Olympic Games and not politicizing sports, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. China is confident in working with all sides to uphold the Olympic spirit of together and present the world a streamlined, safe and splendid Olympic Games.

Japan, as both a U.S. ally and with China its biggest trade partner, is in a difficult position and has taken a softer approach than its western partners on human rights situations in China's Xinjiang region and Hong Kong.

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made human rights a key part of his diplomacy and created a special advisory position to tackle the issue and has said he hopes to make constructive relations with China. He has been repeatedly asked what to do about the Beijing Olympics in recent weeks but only said he was to make a decision comprehensively for Japan's national interest.

Japan believes that it is important for China to guarantee the universal values of freedom, respect for basic human rights, and the rule of law, which are universal values in the international community, Kishida said later Friday.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Japan took those points into consideration and made its own decision, he added.

Kishida has faced growing calls from the China hawks within his governing party as well as opposition lawmakers to quickly make a decision to diplomatically boycott the Beijing Games.

China has criticized the United States and other countries for violating political neutrality required in the spirit of the Olympic Charter.

Japanese athletes will take part in the Games, which are scheduled to open on Feb. 4.

Japan hopes the Beijing Olympics will be held as the festival of peace in the spirit of Olympics and Paralympics, Matsuno said.

___

More AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
ALBANY  An Albany man tried to cash fraudulent checks, including one for nearly $5,000, at banks in Albany and Bethlehem, the Albany County Sheriffs Office said.

The 33-year-old was arrested on four felony counts: two counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, a grand larceny count and a count of attempted grand larceny.
DENVER  The man known as the Unabomber has been transferred to a federal prison medical facility in North Carolina after spending the past two decades in a federal Supermax prison in Colorado for a series of bombings targeting scientists.

Theodore Ted Kaczynski, 79, was moved to the U.S. Bureau of Prison's FMC Butner medical center in eastern North Carolina on Dec. 14, according to bureau spokesperson Donald Murphy. Murphy declined to disclose any details of Kaczynski's medical condition or the reason for his transfer.

Kaczynski is serving life without the possibility of parole following his 1996 arrest at the primitive cabin where he was living in western Montana. He pleaded guilty to setting 16 explosions that killed three people and injured 23 others in various parts of the country between 1978 and 1995.

At the time of the arrest, Kaczynski's brother David lived in Schenectady. David Kaczynski and his wife went to authorities after reading the manifesto in newspapers and suspecting it was his brothers work.

On Friday, David Kaczynski released the following statement: "I learned a few days ago from one of Ted's correspondents that he had been moved to FMC Butner facility in NC. When I called the Bureau of Prisons, they verified the move but have a policy against disclosing anything more.

"Ted does not communicate with me, so I really don't know anything more than what has already been reported. All I can do is wait and pray for my brother, whom I love even if I despise and deeply regret the harm he has caused."

The Federal Medical Center Butner, in North Carolinas Granville County just northeast of Durham, offers medical services for prisoners including oncology, surgery, neurodiagnostics and dialysis, according to the Bureau of Prisons. It opened an advanced care unit and a hospice unit in 2010.

Butner has 771 inmates, according to the prison bureau, and has been home to notable offenders including John Hinckley Jr., who was evaluated there after shooting President Ronald Reagan and Bernard Madoff, the infamous architect of a massive Ponzi scheme who died at the North Carolina facility earlier this year.

In November, the former Oklahoma zookeeper known as Tiger King Joe Exotic was transferred to the facility after a cancer diagnosis, his attorney said. Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, had been convicted for trying to hire someone to kill an animal rights activist and for violating federal wildlife laws.

The deadly homemade bombs that the vengeful Kaczynski sent by mail  including an altitude-triggered explosion that went off as planned on an American Airlines flight  changed the way Americans sent packages and boarded airplanes.

A 1995 threat to blow up a plane out of Los Angeles before the end of the July 4 weekend threw air travel and mail delivery into chaos. The Unabomber later claimed it was a prank.

The Harvard-trained mathematician had railed against the effects of advanced technology and led authorities on the nations longest and costliest manhunt. The FBI dubbed him the Unabomber because his early targets seemed to be universities and airlines.

In September 1995, The Washington Post in conjunction with The New York Times published his anti-technology manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future. The manifesto was printed at the urging of federal authorities, after the bomber said he would desist from terrorism if a national publication published his treatise.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The treatise led his brother David and Davids wife, Linda Patrik, to recognize his writing and turn him in to the FBI.

Authorities in April 1996 found Kaczynski outside Lincoln, Montana, in a 10-by-14-foot (3-by-4-meter) plywood and tarpaper cabin where he'd been living since the 1970s. It was filled with journals, a coded diary, explosive ingredients and two completed bombs.

Kaczynski hated the idea of being viewed as mentally ill and during his trial tried to fire his attorneys when they wanted to mount an insanity defense. He eventually pleaded guilty rather than let his attorneys proceed.

In his personal journals released at trial by the government at the request of the victims families, Kaczynski described his motive as simply personal revenge."

"I often had fantasies of killing the kind of people I hated - i.e., government officials, police, computer scientists, the rowdy type of college students who left their beer cans in the arboretum, etc., etc., etc., he wrote.

Kaczynski killed computer rental store owner Hugh Scrutton, advertising executive Thomas Mosser and timber industry lobbyist Gilbert Murray. California geneticist Charles Epstein and Yale University computer expert David Gelernter were maimed by bombs two days apart in June 1993.
ALBANY  Gov. Kathy Hochul granted clemency to 10 people on Friday as she also announced plans to reform the state's process for granting clemency, including improving the transparency of the process.

Hochul's actions on Christmas Eve included issuing nine pardons, all of which the governor's office said will help the people stay in the country without fears of deportation or other related issues. One person had his sentence commuted for a drug-related offense that had landed him in prison since 1992.

The news was not warmly embraced by criminal justice advocates, who had been calling for much broader action, particularly among a surge of COVID-19 cases in the state. The Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, which has pushed for policy action on the issues of incarceration, called Hochul's actions a "great disappointment" to not commute the sentence of more than one person.

"We are heartbroken knowing that so many of our mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers are suffering behind bars and facing a slow death penalty," the campaign's director, Jose Saldana, said in a statement. He pointed specifically to no women who are incarcerated being granted clemency.

The governor, heading into her first legislative session as the state's executive, offered her plans to alter New York's process in granting clemency to individuals.

The counsel to the governor is to now select an advisory panel to assist on clemency applications. The panel will include people from a variety of backgrounds, including members of law enforcement, the judiciary, clergy and formerly incarcerated people.

"Instead of talking about what she will do, we call on her to take real action now and moving forward by granting far more clemencies to incarcerated New Yorkers frequently, inclusively and transparently," Saldana said.

With additional resources, the governor's office expects the decision to grant clemency happening throughout the year and can "occur in a meaningful way, and that every application can receive the thorough and timely attention it deserves."

The state plans to release data on number of clemency applications delivered within the year and how many had been granted or denied, following each time Hochul grants clemency. People with open clemency cases are to be notified twice a year that their application remains open.

Hochul also expects to work with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision's clemency bureau to help the agency know what the governor's office is looking for in applications.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"I am committed to increased transparency and accountability in this process going forward," Hochul said in a statement. "No one should be defined by their worst mistake, and these individuals have worked tirelessly to atone for theirs."

Roger Cole, 55, had his sentence of 125-years-to-life in prison commuted by Hochul. He was sentenced during what the governor's office described as the "Rockefeller Drug Law era" at which point "extremely lengthy prisons were handed down for drug-related convictions."

"If he were sentenced today, he likely would not have faced such a lengthy sentence," the governor's office said about Cole in a statement.

The nine people who were granted pardons: Ana Sanchez Ventura, 64; Juan Vinas, 56; Faustino Reyes, 60; Sandra Williams, 65; Francisco Vargas, 53; Orlando Fernandez Taveras, 46; Hanley Gomez, 41; Juan Suazo, 54; and Edilberta Reyes Canales, 56.

They have been crime free, according to the governor's office, for at least seven years and up to 35 years. Several had been convicted for drug-related charges.
TROY  A public-housing apartment complex in Lansingburgh has become a focus in the widening criminal investigation of alleged absentee ballot fraud in the November election.

Absentee ballots were filed on behalf of 45 residents who live in the apartments, many listing "permanent illness or physical disability" as the reason for the person not voting in person, according to records on file at the Board of Elections. Several of the ballots were released to Peggy S. Castle, a Republican and manager of the Lansingburgh apartment complex; she ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Rensselaer County Legislature in last month's election.

Most of the absentee ballots at the apartment complex were returned to Jim Gordon, the county's director of purchasing and a political ally of county Executive Steve McLaughlin. Gordon, a Republican, won a seat on the North Greenbush Town Board in the November election. He is a former Troy councilman and ran unsuccessfully for mayor there in 2015.

Reached for comment on Friday, Gordon disconnected the call and declined to respond to a follow-up request for comment. Castle could not be reached for comment.

The Times Union contacted several individuals who had absentee ballots delivered to them by Gordon or Castle, according to Board of Elections records on file. None of the residents said they were pressured by Castle or others to register to vote or to file an absentee ballot. One man said he voted for Castle, and supported her candidacy, but that he was not pleased she had insisted he register on the Conservative line even though he is a Democrat; he said he had asked to be registered with that party. He asked not to be identified for this story.

The ballot-fraud investigation is being conducted by the State Police, FBI and the state attorney general's office. Sources familiar with the matter said investigators visited the Lansingburgh apartment complex on 114th Street earlier this week to conduct interviews with residents there.

It's unclear whether Gordon or Castle have been interviewed by investigators.

County Republican leaders previously told the Times Union that they were unaware of any fraudulent activity during the election by their party, and that they had simply taken advantage of a directive from the state Board of Elections that allowed individuals to use absentee ballots if they did not want to vote in-person due to the pandemic.

Earlier this month, State Police interviewed Rensselaer Mayor Michael E. Stammel at City Hall, seizing his mobile phone as part of the wider investigation that began with allegations of voter fraud in that city's mayoral race.

"I myself or nobody affiliated with me during the election process, that I am aware of, had anything to do with any wrongdoing with any absentee ballots or any voting intimidation or anything to with the election other than assisting those people who wanted to vote by absentee ballots with their approvals," Stammel said a day after he was interviewed by an investigator.

Stammel, a Republican, won reelection when a judge recently certified his victory over Democratic challenger Richard J. Mooney, who had asked a court to throw out a significant number of absentee ballots, including some filed on behalf of voters who said they had not authorized anyone to file absentee ballots for them.

Last month, a 32-year-old Rensselaer man told the Times Union that absentee ballots applied for on behalf of him and his wife  and submitted to the Rensselaer County Board of Elections  were fraudulent because he has never voted in an election or applied to vote by absentee ballot, and that someone had forged their signatures on the documents. Days after a story on his allegations were published by the Times Union, the tires on his vehicle were slashed outside his residence.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The man, who spoke to the Times Union on condition of not being identified, also said that he had never met Rich Crist, whose name was listed on the absentee applications as the person authorized to pick up the couple's ballots from the elections board. Crist is the county's operations director, a longtime Republican operative and a confidant of McLaughlin. In an unrelated investigation, McLaughlin was arraigned Dec. 1 in Rensselaer County Court on a two-count felony indictment charging him with grand larceny and offering a false instrument for filing in connection with his use of campaign funds.

Crist, who serves as McLaughlin's spokesman, has declined to respond to questions for several weeks.

Earlier this week, the County Legislature voted to give pay raises to dozens of county employees, including Crist, Gordon and McLaughlin, who received a $20,000 pay hike that will boost his annual salary to $142,000. Democrats in the Legislature's minority voted against the pay hikes, some publicly questioning how the body could approve a pay raise for McLaughlin three weeks after he was arrested on felony charges related to his public office.

The Rensselaer man who alleges his and his wife's signatures were forged on the absentee ballot applications had said he was interviewed by State Police investigators last month and told them the documents had been signed without the couple's knowledge, and that his wife's first name was misspelled on one of the documents.

The accusations of ballot fraud have been leveled by opposing Republican and Democratic camps in a year in which a high number of absentee ballots were issued to political operatives and campaign volunteers on behalf of voters who authorized others to handle their ballot.
ALBANY  The state Department of Health has directed health care providers to prioritize who receives New York's limited supply of monoclonal antibodies, a way to treat COVID-19 that can substantially reduce the likelihood of severe illness or death from the virus.

The decision, issued through a directive this week, went by without fanfare from the health department or the governor's office regarding the popular therapeutic treatment. Instead, Gov. Kathy Hochul held multiple public briefings on the pandemic, focusing on vaccinations, tests and hospital capacity, and avoided discussing or disclosing the state's new guidance.

Monoclonal antibodies can attach to parts of the virus and help the immune system recognize and respond more effectively to the virus, helping prevent more severe symptoms or death. They are considered an "investigational treatment" and should be administered promptly after diagnosis and within 10 days of symptom onset, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The governor's office directed questions on the updated policy, which follows federal guidelines, to the state health department.

The health department issued a brief statement on the directive: "Monoclonal antibody treatment is in short supply nationwide. New York state is working with our federal partners to secure allocations to support our patients."

Health care providers should prioritize the treatment for people with COVID-19 over those who have been exposed to the virus but are not exhibiting symptoms, according to the directive, which was issued by acting state health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett.

Under the guidance, individuals who are hospitalized with the coronavirus should receive access to the treatments as opposed to those trying to prevent the possibility of ending up in a hospital.

Health care providers should also prioritize people who are unvaccinated, not fully vaccinated or vaccinated but with a very weak immune system; that includes individuals who are severely immunocompromised and at least 65 years old, according to the state guidance.

The state breaks down specifically how health care providers should determine who gets the therapeutic treatment.

More than 2 million doses of the post-infection treatment have been delivered to states across the country since early September, according to federal data.

New York is fifth in the nation in doses received  just under 100,000 as of last week, according to an analysis of the data. Texas and Florida, two Republican-led states that have championed the treatment, have received the most doses. California and Ohio have also acquired more doses of the treatment than New York, according to the data.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services adjusted its distribution plans and data collection in September following a "20-fold increase" in orders of the treatment between July and August, as the delta variant was on the rise.

"The federal governments priority is to distribute mAbs in an efficient, fair, and equitable manner," according to the federal agency's website. "States (and) territorial health departments know the needs of their jurisdictions and can best determine where product should go."

Monoclonal antibodies were first popularized by former President Donald J. Trump, when he became ill with the virus while in office and was taken by helicopter to the hospital. At that time, the treatment was still generally viewed as experimental and was not accessible to all Americans.

Since then, the treatment, like the name brand Regeneron, have become particularly popular in conservative circles and in Republican-led states.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his health department often discuss monoclonal antibodies and vaccinations as primary weapons against the coronavirus. Florida, with a similarly sized population, has acquired nearly twice as many doses of Regeneron as New York, according to the federal data.

Leaders in Democratic states and President Joe Biden often focus their messaging exclusively on vaccinations as the tool to fight the virus.

This past week, as the highly contagious omricon variant became the dominant strain in the country and led to long lines for testing, reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic, access to testing for a virus that often produces mild symptoms among the vaccinated became the central point of conversation in New York.

"As a reminder, monoclonal antibodies and other therapeutics are not a substitute for vaccination in individuals for whom vaccination is recommended," the state health department's directive reads. "Providers should continue recommending COVID-19 vaccination as the best strategy to prevent COVID-19 severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths."

Earlier this week, researchers were discussing that the monoclonal antibodies treatments that the country had been using may not be as effective against the omricon variant of the virus. Newer therapeutics may be useful, but are also in short supply.

Upstate hospitals have at times been overwhelmed with patients since around Thanksgiving. In the Capital Region, three hospitals were told by the state to limit non-essential surgeries because of the limited amount of beds the facilities could offer for care. Those three hospitals are now off the state's list, but have fewer available beds than they did in the summer, when the virus was relatively under control.

Both Albany Medical Center and Glens Falls Hospital, which are owned by the same company, said through spokesmen they are selecting "patients for therapy based on clinical criteria and prioritizing those patients who are high risk." Neither hospital would disclose their current supply of the treatment.

St. Peter's Health Partners has treated "more than 1,000 COVID-positive patients with antibody therapy," a spokesperson for the hospital said. The hospital began offering its limited supply of the therapeutic, Sotrovimab, which is understood by researchers to be effective against omricon.

No state in the country received as many doses of Sotrovimab as New York did last week, but the total was still limited: 4,242 doses.

The state saw a record-level number of positive cases of the coronavirus this week. On Thursday, it shattered the record, with nearly 39,000 positive cases reported in a single day. Over the last seven days, nearly 179,000 positive cases were confirmed.
Duck! Flying squirrels take to the air in Nebraska city

A crew cutting down a dying oak at the University of Nebraska has made a surprising find  flying squirrels
The GOP establishment in Kansas has never really embraced Kris Kobach.



Now they're looking to throw another political hot potato his way.



Here's the damage . . .



The Legislature's Joint Committee on Special Claims Against the State formally recommended settlement payments of $1.4 million to the ACLU and $475,000 to a second law firm, Dentons US LLP. The two cases were separate but consolidated during litigation.



It seems that plenty of people want to blame Kobach solely for this issue. Among them are Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and current Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab. We admit Kobach is an easy target  and rightfully so  but others had a hand in this. Dont forget that.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
Here's a peek at justice delayed for this embattled politico who let a practical joke of a career spiral out of control . . .

Coleman, who represents a portion of Kansas City, Kansas, in the Kansas House of Representatives, was arrested and charged on Oct. 30 with misdemeanor domestic battery. Coleman posted bond on the charge after spending three days in jail.



About a month later on Nov. 28, Coleman was arrested on suspicion of allegedly driving under the influence in Douglas County, Kansas.



Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman formed a committee to investigate Colemans actions.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

The punchline here is that most Kansas Democrats want him out but GOP loyalists enjoy his suffering as an indictment of the minority party.

Meanwhile, it's obvious the young dude is having a crisis and nobody but State Sen. David Haley has tried to step in and help the dude.
And there is news of another collaboration...this time the Air Guard working with the Prison
The return to a ceasefire, which was agreed upon at a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on December 22, is a step towards de-escalation in eastern Ukraine.

According to Ukrinform, the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, wrote this in a post on Facebook.

"Many months of our efforts to return to full compliance with the ceasefire have borne fruit. During today's meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group, all parties expressed their determination to comply with the agreement of July 22, 2020 on measures to strengthen the ceasefire," he said.

According to Yermak, this is a step towards de-escalation in eastern Ukraine.

"We hope that this time the ceasefire will be sustainable and will save the lives of defenders of Ukraine and civilians. The upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays should be peaceful. May the silence finally reign in Donbas," Yermak said.

On December 22, the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group stated that at a meeting of the TCG, all parties reached a common understanding on the need to resume the ceasefire.

Photo: President's Office

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As of today, there are about 52 battalion tactical groups of the Russian Armed Forces near Ukraines border and their number may increase.

"This year, the Russian Federation has already done what it is doing today to intimidate not only Ukraine but also its Western partners. To date, there are about 52 battalion tactical groups [stationed near Ukraines border], they move along the state border of Ukraine. But I want to remind you that there were 62 such groups in April. In general, their number may increase to 150. Therefore, the task of our military is to follow the situation, get ready, do not relax, do our job," Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Valeriy Zaluzhny said at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Answering a question from Ukrinform, whether there is a further increase in Russian troops in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Zaluzhny said: "We also observe the build-up in Crimea. Well, I would say there has been a slight increase over the past week, we counted an increase of about 1,500-1,800 people. Yes, it [build-up] takes place, the Russian Federation does this. The purpose is a separate issue. "

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Germany and France, as mediators in the Normandy format, welcome the results of the Trilateral Contact Group meeting.

We welcome that participants of the session of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) expressed their strong determination to fully adhere to the Measures to Strengthen the Ceasefire Agreement of 22 July 2020, thus significantly contributing to the security situation along the contact line before Christmas, reads the joint declaration by the German Federal Foreign Office and the French Quai d'Orsay on the situation in Ukraine.

The foreign ministries urge the sides to respect the ceasefire and to continue discussions on further steps in the humanitarian field, e.g., the opening of crossing points and the exchange of detainees, along with the rest of the Conclusions of the 2019 Paris Summit.

According to the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG, at the regular TCG meeting on December 22, the parties reached a common understanding on the need to restore the ceasefire. According to the delegation, this result is especially important in view of the upcoming winter holidays. The Ukrainian side also continues to work in all available formats to release detainees, open entry-exit checkpoints, ensure the implementation of other agreements in the interests of all Ukrainians on both sides of the contact line.

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A total of 650,000 tonnes of coal will be delivered in Ukraine by sea to ensure a stable heating season of 2021-2022.

"Ukraine has enough energy resources. Thanks to the work, in particular of nuclear and thermal generation, we are going through a period of low temperatures smoothly," Energy Minister of Ukraine German Galushchenko said at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to him, 650,000 tonnes of coal are expected to arrive in Ukraine by sea, including from the United States, Colombia, and Australia.

The minister added that the current gas reserves in the underground storage facilities exceed 14.5 billion cubic meters, which is enough for the heating season.

"Naftogaz has the necessary resources but imports will be increased if necessary," energy minister Galushchenko concluded.

As of December 21, six ships have already delivered about 400,000 tonnes of coal, including from the United States, Colombia, and Australia, to Ukraine.

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed a common position with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Trass in response to Russia's growing military presence near Ukraine's borders.

Thats according to the U.S. State Department press service, Ukrinform reports.

"Secretary Blinken spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today to discuss their shared concern about Russias military build-up on the borders of Ukraine," the statement said.

It is noted that the parties discussed NATOs dual-track approach to Russia, noting the Alliance remains ready for meaningful dialogue with Russia, while standing united to defend and protect Allies.

Also on Thursday, the chief of the U.S. State Department spoke with British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss. During the call, they discussed common priorities, in particular in the context of a strong, united response to further Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The parties also agreed on the importance of reinforcing coordinated support amongst Allies and partners to impose consequences and costs for further Russian aggression towards the neighboring country.

As Ukrinform reported, the United States has repeatedly stated its readiness to engage in dialogue with Russia to de-escalate, in close coordination with European allies and partners.

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The United States intends to strengthen its Eastern European NATO allies and support Ukraine's defenses in the event of an escalation by Russia, contrary to Moscow's ultimatum of "security guarantees" in Europe.

Thats according to a senior U.S. administration official who spoke at a phone briefing on Thursday, Ukrinform's own correspondent reported from Washington.

If Russia goes ahead with what may be underway, we and our allies are prepared to impose severe costs that would damage Russias economy and bring about exactly what it says it does not want: more NATO capabilities, not less; closer to Russia, not further away, the official told reporters.

The U.S. has been coordinating with allies on steps that we will take in the aftermath of a Russian incursion, including massive sanctions support for Ukraines ability to defend its territory and force posture adjustments in frontline NATO-Allied states.

Weve conveyed all this directly to Russia, including from President Biden to President Putin, the official underlined. But weve also been clear that there is a different path available should Russia choose to take it.

In this context, he noted that the United States is ready to engage in diplomatic cooperation through several channels, as early as next month. These include the use of the U.S.-Russia bilateral dialogue on strategic stability, as well as multilateral formats such as the NATO-Russia Council and the OSCE.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, last week the Russian Foreign Ministry unveiled two draft agreements on "security guarantees" in Europe. Russia ultimately called on the United States and NATO to withdraw troops and weapons from the territory of the "new members" of the Alliance, which joined after 1997. In addition, Moscow seeks legal guarantees that Ukraine, Georgia, and other post-Soviet countries would never become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance.

An illustrative photo

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Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba discussed the security situation with European Unions High Representative Josep Borrel in a phone call on Thursday.

Thats according to Kulebas tweet, seen by Ukrinform.

"In our call today, Josep Borrell and I discussed the security situation. We both agreed on the key principle: decisions on Ukraines security can only be made with Ukraine at the table, and with the EU at the table on matters of wider European security," Kuleba said.

During the phone call, Josep Borrell reaffirmed the EU's firm stance in support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity amid Russia's military buildup around Ukraine's borders. The relevant statement was released on the website of the European External Action Service on Thursday evening.

On 23 December 2021, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell held a phone call with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmitry Kuleba to discuss the security situation in Eastern Europe in light of Russias military build-up around Ukraine. The military build-up has created new threats and fears of invasion. High Representative reaffirmed the European Unions firm and continued support to Ukraines sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. He stressed that any further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe costs, the statement reads.

Borrell stressed that Russia must de-escalate and fully implement the Minsk agreements.

The EU is closely coordinating with transatlantic and other like-minded partners, including in relation to the two draft treaties affecting the European security architecture presented by Russia. Any real discussion on security in Europe must build on and strengthen OSCE and UN commitments and obligations - true pillars of the European security architecture - and not lead to their erosion. The EU remains committed to the right of every country to make its sovereign choices in foreign and security policy, the document reads.

It is noted that EU High Representative Josep Borrell and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba agreed to stay in close contact.

As Ukrinform reported, on December 23, Borrel said that the European Union had taken into account Russia's security "proposals" to the United States and NATO and was ready to respond with partners to new threats posed by the Russian Federation's aggressive behavior.
The United States welcomes the intention of the parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine to restore the ceasefire and calls on Russia to fulfill its Minsk agreement commitments to pull back forces from Ukraines border.

The United States welcomes yesterdays OSCE announcement regarding the strong determination of Ukrainian government forces and Russia-led forces in eastern Ukraine to fully adhere to the Measures to Strengthen the Ceasefire agreement of July 22, 2020, reads the statement by the U.S. Department of State released on Thursday.

The U.S. Department of State expressed hope that the resultant peace will create the diplomatic space necessary to de-escalate regional tensions and provide a positive atmosphere for further discussion.

The United States also applauds the efforts of the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group.

As the United States has made clear, the conflict in eastern Ukraine can be resolved only in an environment of de-escalation, such as yesterdays announced ceasefire. We stand ready to help facilitate the implementation of the Minsk agreements, in support of the OSCE and the Normandy process, the U.S. Department of State underscores.

In addition, the United States calls on the Russian government to fulfill its Minsk agreement commitments to pull back forces and weapons from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, as well as to pull back the forces it has amassed along Ukraines borders and end its aggressive and threatening rhetoric.

According to the Ukrainian delegation to the TCG, at the regular TCG meeting on December 22, the parties reached a common understanding on the need to restore the ceasefire. According to the delegation, this result is especially important in view of the upcoming winter holidays. The Ukrainian side also continues to work in all available formats to release detainees, open entry-exit checkpoints, ensure the implementation of other agreements in the interests of all Ukrainians on both sides of the contact line.

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Turkey continues to adhere to its principles and maintain close relations with Ukraine, despite extensive relations with Russia, which is in line with the spirit of the times and the interests of the country's national security.

This was stated by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who spoke at the International Security Academy, Ukrinform reports citing Hurriyet.

"We will not ignore our principles and close relations with Ukraine just because we have extensive relations with Russia. In many difficult equations like this, we do whatever the spirit of the time and our national security require. It's a tough job, but that's what diplomacy is for," Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

The minister noted that the situation in relations between Russia and Ukraine and between Russia and NATO had escalated to a dangerous level.

NATO must remain a key element of Euro-Atlantic security. There are efforts by some countries to present the European Union as an alternative to NATO. This is not a constructive or realistic approach. The indivisibility of transatlantic security is our fundamental principle," Cavusoglu said.

As reported earlier, Turkey has reiterated its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as its non-recognition of the temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia, which sparked discontent in Moscow.

On November 29, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was ready to take part in resolving the crisis in eastern Ukraine as a mediator and hoped for a peaceful settlement.

Later, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, said Ukraine would welcome any efforts of its partners that could help put the military conflict in the east of the country to an end and regain the temporarily uncontrolled territories.

In turn, Russia has rejected Turkeys mediation offer.

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Amid multiple reports of a Russian military buildup on the border, Ukrainians remain mentally stable, even calm

When I was a little boy, I used to play in my native Ukrainian town Poltavas central park, where one of the most beautiful Taras Shevchenko monuments is situated. The monument to the greatest Ukrainian poet Shevchenko was erected in 1926, four years into the establishment of the Soviet Union and 65 years after the acclaimed poet passed at the age of 47.

Ukrainian sculptor with a Georgian name, Ivan Kavaleridze, who was also born in Poltava region, has decided to create it in the cubism style that revolutionized European painting and sculpture in the early 20th century. The monument has a carved quote from one of Shevchenkos poems My Testament, saying ...And sprinkle your freedom with the enemys evil blood.

A little Soviet kid, I didnt realize in the late 1980s why we have to be so bloodthirsty and why this particular quote was picked out of the hundreds of Shevchenko's poems? It was a rather unusual appeal from the poet not only in times of the Soviet Union but even after Ukraine became an independent country.

The Budapest Memorandum decision of 1994, when Ukraine became the worlds first and only country to give up on its nuclear arms, previously boasting of the worlds third-largest nuclear arsenal after the U.S. and Russia, was truly expected and seemed very logical. At the same time, it went against the Testament of Shevchenko, who suggested sprinkling freedom with the enemy's blood.

However, it occurred that life is like a supermarket  you can take anything you want, but you still have to pay at the cash register whether you want it or not. And somewhere in my 30s, after Russia unleashed its aggression, I understood the real meaning of Shevchenko's words on that monument. Freedom cannot be just granted by anyone. Mankind is a rather complicated mechanism, but it is still based on the Darwinian evolutionary theory. If you dont make your own choice and defend your ability to choose your future, you have the only right left  to be the resource for someone elses choices.

My grandfather was the son of a Ukrainian farmer, who was arrested and tortured before being executed by the NKVD (the predecessor of the Soviet KGB) on the ridiculous charges of spying for Poland after World War I. My grandfather liked poetry and often recited Goethe to me: He only earns his freedom and his life Who takes them every day by storm.

Now that youve read all this about the storming and blood-sprinkling, you might think I may be more extremist than some Islamic fundamentalists. Frankly speaking though, I dont care because Im totally sure that I have the right to my own future and the future for my children and my nation. And speaking about the future, I keep in mind that I have nothing to lose from my past.

You can compare the rhetoric and slogans of Ukraine with those of other countries to understand what words and emotions are being used to push people toward making certain decisions. Just pay attention to how people feel about their past and their future in the latest period.

The winning slogan of the 2016 Brexit referendum was Take BACK control. Also in 2016, Donald Trump won the elections with his Make America great AGAIN. The next U.S. president was able to successfully sell his voters the emotional approach of Build BACK better.

Russian President Vladimir Putin doesnt actually need any slogans for his campaigns because elections in Russia are not based on the democratic choice of the people. At the same time, Russians have the unofficial slogan related to their attitude to World War II - We can repeat. There is an obvious cult of WWII victory in Russia that is being hugely promoted by government. That includes admiring Josef Stalin as a leader and even comparing him with Putin.

Ukraine has lost more than 8 million lives in WWII, but the Russian approach to the commemoration of WWII erases Ukraine from history, offering the message that it was Moscow that terminated fascism.

This is very important for Putin personally as he named the collapse of the Soviet Union the biggest geopolitical tragedy in the world.

What do these slogans tell us? Make  great AGAIN, Take BACK control, Build BACK better, We can REPEAT... They are all referring to the past, as much as a willingness to revisit something great from the past, as if to say there were times when life was better than today, and that it would be great to get it back.

On the contrary, take a look at the Ukrainian slogans, starting with the lyrics of the Ukrainian anthem, which reads

Fate will smile on us Ukrainians, our skies will be clear.

Our enemies will vanish like dew in the sun,

We will be the only masters in our dear home.

It obviously says that we will be fine one day, but not now. However, it is a very clear message about the expectations from the future, which are more preferable than recollections of our heroic past.

In May 2018 we tried to improve this approach by adopting our country brand in cooperation with highly professional British communicators and branding experts. It says Ukraine Now, delivering the message that it will never be a better time to visit Ukraine, to invest in Ukraine, and to fight for Ukraine than today.

Then lets take a look at the Ukrainian political slogans showcased on billboards across Ukrainian cities during pretty much any election campaign. Petro Poroshenko won the presidency in 2014, calling for the nation to Live in a new way. Then Zelenskiy appealed to the nation: Lets do them together (meaning, lets win the fight against old faces in politics).

What does it tell us about Ukraine? Contrary to other states, Ukrainian society has no positive view of the past. The reason behind this is multiple traumas sustained over the last 300 years from the Russian Empire (the oppressed Ukrainian language), then from the Soviet Union (the Holodomor), and now  Russian aggression. Ukrainians dont like their past because there was nothing good about it.

At the same time, the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin personally have a quirk about their past, because the real might of the Russian nation remained in the times of the Russian Empire (18-19th centuries) and in the Soviet period. Naturally, Putin, as an elder citizen who will celebrate his 70th anniversary next year, is willing to get back those good old times as he sees them.

Everything thats happened to Belarus in the last three years testifies to Putins efforts to rebuild the Soviet Union. The reestablishing of the Soviet Union on new terms means the return to the past which equals death to Ukraine. Of course, we Ukrainians cannot allow this to happen. This is why there remains at least a chance of survival against the possibility of being killed on the battlefield by Russian tanks or missiles, while the return to the past would be an absolutely obvious death in the nearest future.

Unfortunately, certain signals sent by the Western community show that there are many experts and politicians who think Ukraine is not worth fighting with the Kremlin. This is totally understandable. No one wants to take on the risks in someone elses war without a clear profit. But even if you dont understand your advantage or your interest in the existence of an independent and strong Ukraine  its still there.

The history of mankind says that in any war theres only one winner  the future. The future comes despite any struggles or anyones resistance. And if youre not on its side, you just lag behind. The 2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine (the Maidan) was not about changing the political elite or prosecuting corrupt officials. It was not about the course of Ukraine towards the Customs Union or towards the European Union.

Of course, these things mattered greatly. But the core of the Revolution of Dignity was the fight between the past and the future. It was the act of ultimately ruining the Soviet Union in the conscience of Ukrainian society  when some national and foreign politicians could decide the future of the nation instead of the people.

In the wake of all these circumstances, Ukraines greatest goal at present is seen by local experts as an ability to survive and hold out ground over the next five to six months.

The reason for this lies with the obvious risks of the cold period of the year. Frigid weather is a good time for bringing in heavy military equipment and deploying troops. Of course, all this hype around potential repetition of Russian invasion of 2014 has reached its high in recent weeks.

However, Ukrainians remain mentally stable, even calm. Firstly, we have been living in a state of war for the last seven years. Throughout this time, there were only a couple of dozens of days in different periods, when we had no losses among Ukrainian soldiers. This year alone, 64 Ukrainian warriors were killed in action.

As for the full-scale invasion, the audience of the Western media outlets posting dozens of articles about it should know that as early as July 17, 2014, BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers were shelling the Ukrainian territory from across the state border, positioned near the town of Gukovo in Russias Rostov region, when a local resident filmed them on his smartphone. So, it would be rather difficult to scare Ukrainians more than they are already.

On the contrary, the Western audiences are being bombarded by media with more and more reports on the Russian military buildup near the Ukrainian borders.

If you want to know if Putin can make a decision to invade, then yes, he can. But, why would he do that if he can get everything from the EU just by threatening to invade? And thats already happening. EU and Germany officials are saying that the Nord Stream 2 launch can be blocked or even canceled if Kremlin attacks.

This means that, if Putin gives up on the offensive, the Nord Stream 2 would be launched immediately no matter the political position in Kyiv, which stands fundamentally against the pipeline. So, why invade if Brussels and Berlin have already agreed to give Putin what he wants?

Of course, NATO and Washington will never accept the so-called red lines and block Ukraine from joining NATO. However, unofficially, it is rather clear that Ukraines appeals to receive the NATO Membership Action Plan are mostly being ignored by the Allies.

It is important to understand that neither Ukraine nor its population is a primary target of Kremlins propaganda any longer. This doesnt mean, of course, that Russian TV and botnets have ceased their activity altogether. However, now Vladimir Putin has to assure Western leaders that Ukraine is incapable of remaining a political actor in this part of the world.

And this is why Putin needs total political destabilization within Ukraine much more than he does Russian troops marching Kyiv streets. This can be achieved by curbing energy supplies to Ukraine and to the EU member countries who are partially dependent on transit of Russian gas via Ukraine.

On December 1, 2021, Ukrainian government planned to introduce market gas prices for household consumers. That was one of the IMF demands to pursue with the next steps in cooperation, which is vitally important for Ukraines economic stability. However, Zelensky then asked not to change prices, which looks like a populist decision. So, for the majority of consumers, the old fixed price remained in place.

In any case, if the Ukrainian government agrees on market gas prices, it would cause a dramatic increase in prices for households and potentially lead to public unrest. If that happens, January and February will be rather tough months for those who have not prepared for optimizing energy consumption amid price hikes.

On the other hand, the populist decision not to switch to market prices can harm Ukraines cooperation with the IMF. This is also a highly risky endeavor for Zelensky because of the huge criticism in that case on the part of Petro Poroshenkos party and civil society experts.

Besides, because of the ruining of Belarusian sovereignty and Lukashenkos full obedience to Putin, Ukraine might experience shortages of the electricity supplies from Belarus. This is a rather funny fact as Ukraine once used to export electricity itself. But, now balance is very important. The balance in energy consumption is being achieved through Ukrainian thermal power stations and regional energy suppliers. The largest parts of both networks belong to Ukraines wealthiest man Rinat Akhmetov.

Photo by the Ukrainian President's Office

In 2014, Akhmetov had already lost up to 40% of his fortune over Russian aggression and Russians raiding part of his enterprises in Ukraines East. It is highly unlikely he would play along with Vladimir Putin. However, he is a main target of President Volodymyr Zelenskys war on oligarchs, which was announced with the adoption of the relevant legislation in Parliament, which is partially controlled by Zelensky.

Rinat Akhmetov in turn has responded to Zelenskys move with media attacks through his outlets and journalists who make use of any opportunity to criticize the president, including by inviting opposition politicians in some way loyal to Akhmetov to a number of popular panel shows.

In addition, Ukrainians are witnessing an ongoing spat between Volodymyr Zelensky and Petro Poroshenko. Poroshenko sued Zelensky for defamation. On the other hand, Poroshenko is being prosecuted for treason over allegedly giving orders to pay to the occupation administrations in Donbas administration for coal supplied.

In my humble opinion, the most risky part of the whole Ukrainian situation is pushing Zelensky to fight on three fronts, which some of his advisor recommend him doing. At the end of the day, Zelensky has to counter Putin at the Ukrainian borders with Russia and Belarus, tackle Poroshenko in courts and parliament, and Akhmetov  on his TV channels and, presumably, in the next elections, faced by Dmytro Razumkov as presidential candidate.

That is war of all against all and this turbulence is much more threatening for the state than the Mordor hordes that have amassed near our borders.

In case the internal Ukrainian situation turns into a mess (something thats already brewing), which may be followed by a dramatic plunge of peoples trust in own authorities, Vladimir Putin will grasp the opportunity to assure Western leaders that Ukrainians are incapable of running their country. And he, Putin, is able to fix it  only if hes allowed to do that. And that would be the moment of truth for Mr. Biden, Mr. Scholz, Mr. Macron, and Mr. Johnson.

Dmytro Zolotukhin

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ukrinform

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The population census in Ukraine, scheduled for 2023, will take place in three stages.

"In the first stage, we will collect as much information about a person as possible by verifying the registers so that they do not re-enter this data during the registration for the census. In the second stage, the online census will be conducted. In the third stage, those, who did not take part in the online census, will communicate directly with census takers," Deputy Prime Minister  Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov said at a press conference on December 23, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He added that Apple would share its experience of holding the population census in the United States.

As reported, Ukraine plans to conduct an electronic census in February 2023.

On November 30, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine signed a memorandum of cooperation with Apple to conduct the census in Ukraine.

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| By Laura Hager

On Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) hosted three in-person graduation ceremonies, its first in-person degree conferrals since December 2019, when UMSON joined the world in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Summer and fall 2021 graduates from Baltimore and the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) were honored at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, and 2020 and spring 2021 graduates were recognized at a 4 p.m. ceremony.

University of Maryland School of Nursing students celebrate their graduation.

We are truly honored to host an in-person ceremony after two years, said Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the School of Nursing, as she welcomed the graduates and saluted those who served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a reminder that nursing does not have the luxury to pick and choose its moments of service, but rather, it must always be ready to respond.

During the summer and fall 2021 graduation ceremonies held at Baltimores Hippodrome Theatre, 292 degrees and certificates were conferred by University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS. This included 195 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees, 82 masters degrees, four Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees, seven PhD degrees, and four certificates. During the 4 p.m. ceremony, 30 alumni from the 2020 and spring 2021 graduating classes were in attendance to be recognized. (View photo gallery.)

Stephan Davis, DNP, MHSA, BSN 07, NEA-BC, CENP, CPHQ, CNE, FACHE, assistant professor and director, Master of Health Administration Program at the University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health, served as the keynote speaker.

We are University of Maryland nurses, a great honor, but one that comes with tremendous responsibility, Davis said. At a time when our health care systems have been challenged beyond our wildest imaginations, when so many have lost faith in public health, who better than us to nurse America and the rest of the world back to health? Prepared at one of the leading schools of nursing in the world, we are uniquely prepared to do this work.

To the 2021 graduates of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, I challenge you to be bold, fearless, transformational leaders who dream big and shine brilliantly  especially in the places where the shadows of injustice may have otherwise been left unexposed  because you each individually hold the power to inspire change, even in the presence of adversity. Together as Maryland nurses, we will light the paths to the transformation of health and health care for our communities, the nation, and the world.

During the ceremony, DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nursing Students were awarded to Robyn James Minchik, a graduate of the BSN program at USG, and Sean Patrick Carmody, a graduate of the Clinical Nurse Leader masters option in Baltimore. DAISY Awards are given each fall and spring to two graduating entry-into-practice students who demonstrate empathic care and service to patients and their families.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty was presented to Regina Phillips, PhD, RN, CNE, assistant professor, recognizing her commitment to education and her inspirational influence on students. Preceptor Awards, given to preceptors who have facilitated a transformational experience for students with whom they have worked in the clinical setting, were presented at the graduate level to Carol R. Wade, DNP 14, MS 00, BSN 97, RN, CRNP, who works at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) Heart and Vascular Center, and at the undergraduate level to Alexandra Huntress-Reeve, BSN 20, RN, who works in UMMCs pediatric intensive care unit.

Although the chapter in our educational book has ended, another one starts as we venture on to make our mark amongst the ranks of nursing professionals, student speaker Nneka Inez Mitchell, BSN graduate, said to her fellow graduates during the ceremony for Baltimore graduates. As we all move forward, I implore you to be a beacon of light that reflects positively on the nursing profession, and always remember the power of we. 

A few hours later, during the USG ceremony, student speaker Alice Tarh Mformen, BSN graduate, said, As Maryland nurses, we are ready. The value of education is incredible. Our skills are top-notch. We got this, friends.

Kirschling closed the ceremony by congratulating the graduates: We launch you into the world with a mission to do good, endowed with the necessary expertise. We wish you success. Make no mistake: You hold our futures in your hands.
PARIS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 24th Dec, 2021) France had its worst-ever day in terms of new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with more than 91,000 new cases being recorded while the number of deaths also climbed, as the country battles against a fifth wave of the virus, according to Reuters.

"Today's figures are not good," said Health Minister Olivier Veran.

Veran had earlier told reporters that the case number would stand at around 88,000 for Thursday, but the final official tally from the health ministry showed 91,608 new cases.

Veran had already warned earlier this week that France would soon be at 100,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. read more Data from the health ministry also showed that France registered a further 179 COVID-19 deaths in hospitals over the last 24 hours, while the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units reached 3,208, up by 61 from the previous day.
Montreal, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Dec, 2021 ) :The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced Thursday that it has reinstated, effective immediately, the accreditation of India's national dope-testing laboratory, which had been suspended since mid-2019.

The New Delhi-based lab can now resume its anti-doping activities, including urine and blood tests, the Montreal-based agency said in a statement.

A first six-month suspension was imposed on the laboratory in August 2019 due to non-compliance, then extended in February 2020 because WADA experts believed that there were still issues to be resolved.

Covid-19 then impacted WADA's ability to conduct an on-site assessment of the laboratory, leading to a further extension of the suspension before a remote assessment was completed in September of this year.

"WADA is pleased to confirm that the New Delhi Laboratory's accreditation has been reinstated after what has been an extended process due to complications related to Covid-19," WADA president Witold Banka said in a statement.

The international agency is responsible for accrediting anti-doping laboratories, thereby ensuring that they maintain high quality standards.
Los Angeles, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Dec, 2021 ) :A California woman has pleaded guilty to punching a flight attendant in the face -- bruising her and chipping three of her teeth -- during an argument over mask wearing and other air safety requirements.

Vyvianna Quinonez, a 28 year old resident of Sacramento, had initially claimed she was acting in self-defense, before accepting Wednesday the federal charge of "interference" of a flight, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The incident took place on May 23, when Quinonez's Southwest flight began its descent into Sacramento, according to the plea agreement.

The flight attendant requested Quinonez to fasten her seatbelt, stow her tray-table and to reposition her mask so that it covered her mouth and nose.

In response, Quinonez pushed the flight attendant and then began "punching her in the face and head with a closed fist and grabbing her hair," the agreement stated.

According to court documents, she then told police officers who came aboard for her arrest that she was only acting in self-defense -- a fact rebutted by other passengers' videos.

"The flight attendant who was assaulted was simply doing her job to ensure the safety of all passengers aboard the plane," said Randy Grossman, a federal prosecutor in California.

The prosecutor's office said it intends to ask for a jail sentence of four months plus six months of house arrest.

Quinonez will also be banned from flying for three years.

"We appreciate the efforts of federal and local authorities working to bring this case to justice," said Southwest Airlines in a statement to AFP.

"Southwest Airlines has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to physical or verbal abuse against its Employees." Incidents involving agitated or violent passengers have risen sharply in the United States since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, largely fueled by individuals' refusal to wear a mask.

Last week, a man was forced to disembark a flight in Florida for wearing a red thong as a face mask.

According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), more than 5,664 incidents were reported in 2021, of which more than 4,000 were mask-related.

As of August 2021, the FAA had recommended over $1 million in fines for unruly passengers.
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A high level meeting Thursday reviewed the administrative matters regarding holding of local body elections in the state in mid of next year in free, fair and transparent manner

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2021 ) : A high level meeting Thursday reviewed the administrative matters regarding holding of local body elections in the state in mid of next year in free, fair and transparent manner.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi chaired the meeting held in the State metropolis.

The meeting was attended among others, by Chief Secretary Azad Kashmir Shakeel Qadir Khan, Commissioner Muzaffarabad Division Masood-ur-Rehman, Commissioner Poonch Division Ansar Yaqub, Commissioner Mirpur Division Chaudhry Muhammad Raqib and others.

Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister said that the administration of Azad Kashmir had extended full cooperation with the Election Commission in the general elections of 2021 and urged them to fully cooperate with the Election Commission regarding the holding of local body elections in Azad Kashmir. He said the government will provide all the resources to the Election Commission for the peaceful conduct of local bodies elections in the state .

He said that for the last 31 years the common man has been kept away from power and now the power will be transferred to the gross root level through holding local body elections.

In this regard he said the landmark decision of the Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has also come. He said that holding peaceful conduct of the local bodies elections is a bigger challenge than that of general elections and the entire administrative responsibility for the elections will fall on the district administration.

The Prime Minister said in the past only promises were made but no practical steps were taken due to which the common man remained out of power. He urged the administration to utilize their full administrative capabilities for holding peaceful conduct of the local bodies elections.
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More than 1500 overseas Pakistanis from all over the world met with Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on the occasion of "Open Day for Overseas Pakistanis" here at Governor House on Thursday

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2021 ) :More than 1500 overseas Pakistanis from all over the world met with Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on the occasion of "Open Day for Overseas Pakistanis" here at Governor House on Thursday.

Talking to the delegations, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said that the doors of Governor House are open for overseas Pakistanis 24 hours a day and overseas Pakistanis are our priority and they will not be left alone.

Overseas Pakistanis from USA, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, Greece, Portugal, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and different countries met with Punjab Governor and apprised him about their problems and appreciated the steps taken by him for opening the doors of Governor House for overseas Pakistanis.

Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said that the role played by overseas Pakistanis in Pakistan's economic development cannot be forgotten. "I have been fighting for the rights of overseas Pakistanis and the solution of their problems. Overseas Pakistanis are our priority. The doors of Governor House are also open 24 hours to solve their problems and steps are being taken to solve the problems of overseas Pakistanis through Overseas Commission Punjab.

" Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said, "I myself have lived in the UK as an overseas Pakistani. I am aware of the problems and difficulties of my overseas Pakistani brothers and sisters and I assure them that as long as their problems are not resolved, I will not leave them alone. I will continue to raise my voice on every forum for their issues and practical steps will also be taken to solve the problems of overseas Pakistanis." Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said that the PTI government has fulfilled its promise to give the right of vote to overseas Pakistanis. Inshallah, the PTI Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan will not only solve the problems of overseas Pakistanis but will also provide them maximum relief.

Steps will also be taken to provide relief to them. "I am happy that overseas Pakistanis stand by the country and nation in every difficult time." He said "We will always stand by them."Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has a clear policy that no obstacle will be tolerated at any level in resolving the issues of overseas Pakistanis and the government will not compromise on the issues of overseas Pakistanis, he added.
(@FahadShabbir)

The resolution moved by the Leader of the House in the Senate Shahzad Waseem reiterates that extremism is condemnable in all its forms and manifestations.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Dec 24th, 2021) The Senate today (Friday) unanimously passed a resolution condemning the shameful act of mob attack on Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot.

The resolution was moved by the Leader of the House in the Senate Shahzad Waseem.

The resolution reiterated that extremism is condemnable in all its forms and manifestations.

It said the unfortunate incident of gruesome brutality reflects the mind of extremist elements that exists in our society, which has not only tarnished the peaceful image of Pakistan but also Islam.

The resolution said this brutality is sheer violation of the spirit, principles, teachings and injunctions of Islam, the practices of Holy Prophet (PUBH), moral and human values, constitution and laws of Pakistan and customs and norms of our society.

The House, in the resolution, expressed its deepest sympathy with the family of Priyantha Kumara and echoed the grief and sorrow felt and expressed at national level over this brutal and shameful incident.

The resolution demanded immediate punishment of not only the culprits involved in instigating and killing of Priyantha Kumara but also those involved in similar violent incidents in the past.

In his remarks, the Chair said he will send a delegation of the senators to Sri Lanka to personally hand over the copy of this resolution to the family of Priyantha Kumara and express condolence with the family.

Winding up the discussion on a motion regarding the mob atttack on Sri Lanka citizen Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said all the segments of the society strongly condemned the mob attack. He said Malik Adnan, who tried to save Priyantha Kumara, is the real face of islam and the country. He said Malik Adnan was given an award for his brave action.

The House will now meet again on Monday at 3pm.
(@FahadShabbir)

Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said that SAARC could provide a conducive and beneficial atmosphere to build economic synergies, transforming the quality of life of people in South Asian

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Dec, 2021 ) :Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said that SAARC could provide a conducive and beneficial atmosphere to build economic synergies, transforming the quality of life of people in South Asian.

The prime minister in a meeting with Secretary-General South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Esala Ruwan Weerakoon, reiterated Pakistan's commitment to the mutually beneficial goals and objectives embodied in the SAARC Charter As the SAARC Secretary-General also hails from Sri Lanka, the prime minister strongly condemned the Sialkot incident and expressed condolences on the death of Priyantha Kumara who was tortured to death by a mob.

He said that there was no justification whatsoever for such acts and that all necessary steps had been taken in order to speedily bring the perpetrators to justice.

He emphasized strengthening cooperation on issues of common interest including climate change, education, poverty alleviation, energy integration, and health challenges.

The prime minister appreciated SAARC Secretary-General's efforts to further improve and promote SAARC processes and assured him of continued support of the Government of Pakistan in further strengthening regional cooperation under the SAARC ambit.

He also expressed his hope to host SAARC Summit in Pakistan when artificial obstacles created in its way would be removed.

The secretary-general thanked the prime minister for his guidance on SAARC related issues and assured him that during his tenure, he would make determined efforts to strengthen the collaboration among member states in different fields for the benefit of all the countries of South Asian region.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Dec, 2021 ) :Amidst the festivities of Christmas across the world, the Christians in India have been reduced to holding clandestine religious gatherings and secret baptisms as RSS goons never tolerate the non-Hindu rituals.

Any non-Hindu religion has become a liability in Modi's India as vicious Hindutva ideology, seeking Hindu domination in India, is the guiding principle for the BJP-led Indian government.

The Christian minorities feel more threatened in central and northern India, where the BJP, governing party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is firmly in control, and where evangelical Christian groups are making inroads among lower-caste Hindus, albeit quietly.

Narrating the account of his ordeal, Pastor Manish David in Indore told New York Times that a swarm of men dressed in saffron poured inside. They jumped on stage and shouted Hindu supremacist slogans. They punched pastors in the head. They threw women to the ground, sending terrified children scuttling under their chairs.

"They kept beating us, pulling out hair," said Manish David who was also assaulted. "They yelled: 'What are you doing here? What songs are you singing? What are you trying to do?'" The attack unfolded on the morning of January 26 at the Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra Christian center in the city of Indore.

"Pastors hold clandestine ceremonies at night. They conduct secret baptisms. They pass out audio Bibles that look like little transistor radios so that illiterate farmers can surreptitiously listen to the scripture as they plow their fields," New York Times reported.

Under the patronage of the Indian government, Hindu terrorists threaten and kill Christians and vandalize their places of worship with sheer impunity.

Anti-Christian vigilantes are sweeping through villages, storming churches, burning Christian literature, attacking schools and assaulting worshipers. As a result, Indian Christians are forced to hide their faith or perform religious services in secrecy.

Almost 300 million Indian Christians are victims of the Hindu-terrorism. Indian Christians are blamed for religious conversions. The pattern of Christian persecution is often the same.

To Hindu fanatics, the possibility that some Indians, even a relatively small number, would reject Hinduism for Christianity is a threat to their dream of turning India into a pure Hindu nation.

According to a report by the human rights group, more than 300 attacks on Christians took place in the first nine months of 2021, including at least 32 in Karnataka. But only 30 FIRs have been registered so far in these cases.

The report mentions that September alone recorded 69 such incidents, followed by 50 in August, 37 in January, 33 in July, 27 each in March, April, and June, 20 in February, and 15 in May.

At least nine Indian states have planned anti-conversion laws, including Chhattisgarh, which, activists say, has emerged as a "new laboratory" for anti-Christian hatred in India.

On November 28, 2021, a newly inaugurated church in Delhi faced disruption and vandalism in its first Sunday service when members of a militant Hindu nationalist group called the Bajrang Dal stormed the meeting.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a government body, recommended that India be put on its red list for "severe violations of religious freedom".

The report also recommended that the US should impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals' or entities' assets and/or barring their entry into the United States.

Despite India's constitutional protections for religious freedom, approximately one-third of India's 28 states limit or prohibit religious conversion to protect the dominant religion from perceived threats from religious minorities.

While the new legislation in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh targets interfaith marriage in particular, several other states prohibit conversion based on vague criteria, including force, inducement, allurement, coercion, fraud, or misrepresentation.

These anti-conversion laws are too often the basis for false accusations, harassment, and violence against non-Hindus that occur with impunity.

In many cases, authorities did not prevent these abuses and ignored or chose not to investigate pleas to hold perpetrators accountable.

The Washington-based international persecution watchdog Open Doors, has noted that persecution of Christians in India is now "extreme" having increased significantly over the past five years, and has now "remained relatively unchanged for the past year" adding that "the Covid-19 pandemic has offered a new weapon for persecutor".

On October 21, the Association for the Protection of Civil Rights, United Against Hate, and United Christian Forum jointly released a fact-finding report highlighting the series of attacks on churches and hate speech against Christians across India. The world must act now to halt Christian persecution; otherwise, another genocide is in making and this time Indian Christians will be the target.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg concerns over Russia's military activity near Ukraine, but conveyed the United States' readiness to engage in dialogue to resolve the issue, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2021) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg concerns over Russia's military activity near Ukraine, but conveyed the United States' readiness to engage in dialogue to resolve the issue, State Department spokesperson Ned price said on Thursday.

"Secretary Blinken spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today to discuss their shared concern about Russia's military build-up on the borders of Ukraine," Price said in a press release. "They discussed NATO's dual-track approach to Russia, noting the Alliance remains ready for meaningful dialogue with Russia, while standing united to defend and protect Allies."
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

French authorities in the south of the country have temporarily shut down a zoo after a pack of nine wolves escaped from their enclosure during visiting hours, officials said on Friday

Toulouse, France, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Dec, 2021 ) :French authorities in the south of the country have temporarily shut down a zoo after a pack of nine wolves escaped from their enclosure during visiting hours, officials said on Friday.

No humans were injured in the incident last weekend at the Trois Vallees zoo in Montredon-Labessonnie in the Tarn region but four of the wolves were shot dead by park workers and five others anaesthetised by local officials on the scene, local official Fabien Chollet told AFP.

"There were not many people in the zoo at the time and at no time was the public in immediate danger," added Chollet. However the "security problem" meant that the zoo now needed to be closed until the issues were rectified, he added.

The park's owner Sauveur Ferrara told AFP that the wolves, whow were newly arrived at the attraction, escaped after destroying security installations but never went outside the zoo itself.

"Due to the abnormal and dangerous behaviour of some of them, four wolves were sadly killed by the park personnel," he added, emphasising that members of the public had immediately been evacuated from the park.

The park had already in October 2020 been hit by a closure order over security measures but this was then lifted by a court. Its social media page said it plans to reopen now in mid-January.
American technology giant Intel extended its apologies to China on Thursday over its recent letter to suppliers with an appeal to avoid products from Xinjiang due to US sanctions over forced labor concerns

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2021) American technology giant Intel extended its apologies to China on Thursday over its recent letter to suppliers with an appeal to avoid products from Xinjiang due to US sanctions over forced labor concerns.

The company deeply regretted that the letter caused a heated debate and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. The letter was meant to express its compliance with US laws, but did not contain any stance on the matter, the company explained.

"We apologize for the trouble caused to our respected Chinese customers, partners and the public. Intel is striving to be a reliable technology partner to China," Intel said in a Chinese-language statement on the WeChat social network.

Intel issued a letter to suppliers earlier in the month saying that it is required to comply with restrictions on goods from Xinjiang.

"Our investors and customers have inquired whether Intel purchases goods or services from the Xinjiang region of China. Multiple governments have imposed restrictions on products sourced from the Xinjiang region," the letter read. "Therefore, Intel is required to ensure our supply chain does not use any labor or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region."

Earlier in December, the US Congress passed legislation banning imports of goods made with the forced labor of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tibetans, or members of other "persecuted groups" in China. On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2021) The US Department of Justice has awarded nearly $126 million to the country's schools to combat a growing wave of violence, Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Thursday.

"The Justice Department has no greater responsibility than protecting Americans from harm," Garland said in a press release. "Schools must be safe places to learn, and today's investment of more than $125 million under the STOP School Violence Act will help ensure that they are."

The grants will help institute safety measures in and around Primary and secondary schools, bolster school violence prevention efforts, offer training to students and school personnel and employ evidence-based threat assessments, the release said.

The grants are designed to improve security at schools and on school grounds through evidence-based school safety programs, the Justice Department said. The funding also provides grants to ensure a positive school climate by helping students and teachers recognize, respond quickly to and help prevent acts of violence.

The funding comes amid an apparent spike in school violence, including deadly shootings. The US NGO Everytown for Gun Safety documented at least 149 incidents of gunfire on US school grounds this year, resulting in 32 deaths and 94 injuries nationwide.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2021) Moscow and Minsk take into account the expansion of NATO and its forces' build-up near common borders in military-technical cooperation, Aleksey Polishchuk, the head of the Russian foreign ministry's second CIS department, told Sputnik.

Russia and Belarus are bound by obligations to ensure military security within the framework of integration associations, and the western border of Belarus is the common border of the Union State and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Therefore, its joint defense is one of the common priorities of Moscow and Minsk, the diplomat said, adding that a single defense space is now being formed.

"Naturally, this activity takes into account changes in the military and political situation, especially the expansion of NATO and the build-up of the alliance's forces near our borders. They were also taken into account in the updated military doctrine of the Union State, which was approved in early November," Polishchuk said.
German national carrier Lufthansa will cut its winter flight plan by "around 10 percent" as the spread of the Omicron variant fuels uncertainty about travel, chief executive Carsten Spohr said Thursday

Frankfurt, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2021 ) :German national carrier Lufthansa will cut its winter flight plan by "around 10 percent" as the spread of the Omicron variant fuels uncertainty about travel, chief executive Carsten Spohr said Thursday.

"From the middle of January to February, we see a sharp drop off in bookings", leading the airline to cancel "33,000 flights or about 10 percent" of its flights this winter, Spohr said in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS).

"Above all we are missing passengers in our home markets of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium, because these countries have been hit hardest by the pandemic wave," Spohr said.

Europe's largest airline was currently running "about 60 percent" of flights compared with the pre-pandemic year 2019, carrying "roughly half" the number of passengers, the CEO said.

The number of cancellations would have been higher were the company not running 18,000 "extra, unnecessary flights just to secure our landing and takeoff rights," Spohr said.

The airline industry has been battered since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, with countless flights grounded in 2020 as countries closed their borders.

The European airports association ACI Europe estimated on Thursday that the number of passengers travelling through its members had dropped 20 percent since November 24, when the Omicron variant was first reported to the World Health Organization.

Germany has placed stricter limits on travellers coming from the United Kingdom and South Africa, among others, where the new variant has caused a surge in cases.

The sudden headwind for the industry also caused Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair to cut its planned January schedule by 33 percent this week.

- Sick pilots - On Thursday, a Lufthansa spokesman told AFP the airline had already cancelled several transatlantic flights around Christmas, after the number of pilots calling in sick was greater than normal for this time of year.

Asked whether the absences were linked to the Omicron variant, the spokesman said he "could not speculate" as he did not have any information about the causes of illness.

In total, the airline has been forced to axe six flights between December 23 and 26, including services to Chicago, Boston and Washington.

The lack of personnel came despite Lufthansa's "big planned reserves" of crew, the spokesman said.

Swedish national carrier SAS on Wednesday also cancelled nine flights due to the coronavirus, after scrapping some 30 flights worldwide the day before.

Lufthansa posted its first operating profit since the beginning of the pandemic in the third quarter of this year, after a difficult 18 months.

The carrier booked an underlying, or operating loss of 5.5 billion Euros ($6.2 billion) in 2020 and turned to the state for support.

In November, Lufthansa announced it had finished paying back the nine-billion-euro bailout it received from the government earlier than planned.
(@FahadShabbir)

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2021) A US jury found former Minnesota police officer Kimberly Potter guilty on two counts of manslaughter for killing black man Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April of this year, Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu said on Thursday.

"We the jury on the charge of manslaughter in the first degree while committing a misdemeanor on or about April 11, 2021, in Hennepin County find the defendant guilty," Chu said when reading out the verdict.

Chu added that the jury also found Potter guilty of second-degree murder due to her "culpable negligence."

Potter was ordered into custody and will be sentenced on February 18.

Potter and a trainee officer pulled Wright over on April 11, 2021 for expired registration tags and a rearview mirror violation. After making initial contact, the officers learned that Wright had an arrest warrant for a weapons violation and protective order against him, and subsequently tried to arrest Wright with the assistance of their supervisor who arrived at the scene.

Potter shot and killed Wright after he resisted arrest and attempted to re-enter his vehicle. Potter, who can be heard on video of the incident yelling "TASER, TASER, TASER!" before firing the first shot, maintains that use of the handgun was an accident. The defense argued that Potter had legal authority to use lethal or non-lethal force given the fatal risk of fellow officers being dragged by Wright's vehicle.

First-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, and second-degree manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
(@FahadShabbir)

One hundred families separated at the Mexico border under a Donald Trump-era "zero tolerance" policy have been reunited, the United States said

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Dec, 2021 ) :One hundred families separated at the Mexico border under a Donald Trump-era "zero tolerance" policy have been reunited, the United States said.

The 2018 directive -- suspended after roughly six weeks following massive public backlash -- stepped up prosecutions against people caught illegally entering the US and led to the separation of thousands of families.

As a candidate Joe Biden promised a "fair and humane" immigration policy, formally rescinding the former president's ruling when he took office in January.

A task force established by Biden in February has "reunified the 100th family separated under the prior administration's cruel policy," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said Thursday.

In a Twitter thread he said that the reunified families would be granted humanitarian parole, allowing them to live and work in the United States.

Mayorkas added that the task force, working with partners, had identified and registered a further 345 children still separated from their families.

Almost 4,000 children were separated from their families at the Mexican border during Trump's presidency, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

But court documents put the number of minors separated from their parents at 5,500.

Biden's administration has said it intended to tackle what it named the "root causes" of migration: extreme poverty, violence, corruption and the impact of climate change.

Last week, the US abandoned negotiations to financially compensate families separated at the Mexico border under Trump.

Biden's government reached no agreement with attorneys for the families who filed lawsuits over the separations, but left open the possibility of doing so in the future.

Arrests of undocumented migrants on the southern US border reached record numbers in recent years.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2021) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss on Thursday discussed a potential response to the alleged Russian aggression toward Ukraine, State Department spokesman Ned price said.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss on shared priorities, including a strong, united response to further Russian aggression against Ukraine," Price said in a statement.

Both officials agreed on the importance of reinforcing coordinated support among allies and partners to impose consequences and costs in case of Russia's aggressive actions toward Ukraine, Price added.

Russia stands accused of allegedly deploying troops near the Ukrainian border in preparation for an invasion. Moscow has repeatedly denied those accusations, pointing to NATO's military activity near Russia's borders, which it deems to be a threat to its national security. Russia has also said it has the right to move forces within its own sovereign territory as it sees fit.
Okla. Meth Distributor Wanted by DEA in Ark. Arrested in Mexico, Deported to Calif. Charley Rouell will be brought back to Arkansas to face multiple charges

Fort Smith, AR  An Oklahoma man wanted by the Drug Enforcement Administration in the Western District of Arkansas on charges of distributing methamphetamine and state charges in Oklahoma of assault with a deadly weapon, distribution of a controlled substance and conspiracy has been arrested in Mexico and deported to California. On June 9, a federal warrant was issued for Charley Rouell for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of Methamphetamine out of the Western District of Arkansas, Fayetteville Division. On June 10, following a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency investigation, the DEA delegated apprehension responsibility to the U.S. Marshals Service Western Arkansas Fugitive Task Force. Rouell also had a state warrant out of Haskell County, Oklahoma, issued on July 21 for failure to appear on assault and battery with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, conspiracy, and illegally taking game fish. On Oct. 27, the USMS upgraded Rouell to a Major Case and offered a reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to his arrest. The USMS Major Case Fugitive Program prioritizes the investigation and apprehension of high-profile offenders who are considered to be some of the countrys most dangerous individuals. These offenders tend to be career criminals with histories of violence or whose instant offense(s) pose a significant threat to public safety. After a long and thorough investigation by the USMS Western Arkansas Fugitive Task Force and the USMS Eastern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force, information was obtained that Rouell had fled to Mexico. On Dec. 21, through the coordination of USMS Mexico liaisons and the Mexican State Police, both Rouell and his wife, Michelle Rouell, who was wanted on a federal warrant out of the Southern District of California, were arrested by Mexican Police in Mexicali Baja California, Mexico, for immigration violations. Both Rouells were deported by Mexican authorities on Dec. 21 and turned over to USMS in the Southern District of California. Charley Rouell is waiting transfer back to the Western District of Arkansas. Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov. ####



Americas First Federal Law Enforcement Agency


Nigerias Bishop of Oyo Diocese says he is concerned about the recent change of direction by the United States Government on religious persecution in Nigeria.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City.

Bishop Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo of Oyo Diocese, in Nigeria, has joined a growing chorus of persons and organisations critical of the decision by the United States State Department to exclude Nigeria from its annual list of nations it considers among the worlds violators of religious freedom. The reversal, by the U.S., has attracted controversy and criticism from several Christian organisations. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said the removal of Nigeria from the list was appalling and unexplainable.

Nigeria, which was added to the top-tier Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list last year, is no longer included on the list released last month. Bishop Badejo, who sharply criticised the decision, said the situation in Nigeria concerning religious freedom has not improved.

Christians continue to suffer in Nigeria



I was quite surprised to read of Nigerias exclusion from the list of designations for State and non-State religious freedom violators because there is nothing on the ground to suggest that Christians have an easier time practising their faith in Nigeria today than they did one or two years ago. Things have not gotten any better because extremists seem to be gaining even more territory in North-Eastern Nigeria, and the kidnapping of Christian students and members have actually increased in the last year. Only in July Bishop Hassan Matthew Kukah of Sokoto Diocese, speaking to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Religious Freedom in Nigeria, said Beyond the physical elimination of Christian missionary Pastoral agents, other strategies adopted in the persecution of Christians are, the total or partial destruction of Church related infrastructure such as churches, schools, convents, health facilities, and presbyteries across the country. In some Dioceses in the North East such as Maiduguri and Yola, priests have had to leave their parishes after they had been destroyed and the community sacked. The scenario has moved to the North Central and North West zones, the Bishop of Oyo emphasised.

According to Bishop Badejo, This situation is still the same, and the scope of persecution is wide and cross-cutting, involving the rape and forced marriage of Christian girls, the promulgation of policies and privileges that exclude Christians and also forced conversions, he explained.



A lack of interest from the Federal Government



For Bishop Badejo, the Nigerian Government has carried on as if all is well, refusing at every turn to declare as terrorists the extremists behind the wanton destruction, grave abuse of human rights and mayhem.

There is almost complete lack of interest on the part of the Federal Government to help Christians who have been kidnapped en masse, and the Churches concerned have simply had to pay heavy sums for the freedom of their members. On the other hand, the media office of the Federal Government springs to overdrive whenever it perceives any resistance or legislation to the aggression and the occupation moves of the Muslim Fulani herdsmen who have become a menace everywhere in the country," said Bishop Badejo. He continued, This is not to talk of the nefarious activities of ISWAP and the Boko Haram Islamic groups under the umbrella of self-deceit spread by the Federal Government. How can a country in this situation be given a clean bill of health then? he wondererd.

U. S. Department of State consulting wrong people

Bishop Badejo asserts, The only explanation I can think of is that the U. S. Department of State has been consulting with the wrong people or pursuing rather in Nigeria, some interest that does not represent the suffering people of Nigeria. The visit of the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to the country right on the heels of the offer of this pie to the Federal Government should raise some eyebrows about the real intention and purpose of the undeserved favour thus accorded to Nigeria, the Nigerian prelate said.

Bishop Badejo further criticised inconsistencies in US policy, especially when faced with its national interests. He counselled the United States Government to revisit its decision and play the politics of reality rather than politics of interest, in order to save the credibility of its listing, he said.


At the Mass during the Night for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Pope Francis reflects on how God comes into the world in littleness, as a tiny infant, drawing near to us to touch our hearts. The Pope celebrated the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica with a smaller congregation on hand in respect for health-safety rules.

By Vatican News staff writer

Celebrating the Christmas Mass "during the Night," Pope Francis recalled how in the darkness, a light shines, an angel appears, announcing to the shepherds, To you is born this day a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." Telling them how to find the "God who has come down to earth," the angel directs them to the child wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

A poor child wrapped in swaddling cloths

In his homily for the celebration , the Pope noted the contrast emphasized in the Gospel, between the grandeur of worldly powers when Caesar Augustus orders the census of the world, with the small town of Bethlehem where we see the scene of the newly born, poor child found in the manger. The message of the Nativity is that "God does not rise up in grandeur, but lowers Himself into littleness,", the Pope explained, showing that littleness is the path God shows to draw near to us, to save us, to bring us back to what truly matters.

Christmas Mass during the Night in St. Peter's Basilica

Gods grandeur appears in littleness

The central image and message we contemplate today is the Child, how God is completely present in His littleness, the Pope said. He invited us to be amazed by this scandalous truth. He pointed out, too, how the One who embraces the universe needs to be held in anothers arms, how the creator of the sun needs to be warmed, and how tenderness incarnate needs to be coddled. Turning human logic upside down, the Pope said, God comes into the world in littleness. His grandeur appears in littleness.

Christmas Mass during the Night in St. Peter's Basilica

God asks for tender love and interior littleness

The Pope pointed out that the challenge of Christmas is to ask whether we can accept Gods way of doing things, when our human tendency is to seek worldly grandeur. While God lowers Himselfwe try to become great, he said, recalling the birth of Jesus in the midst of the shepherds and the poor. God does not seek power and might; He asks for tender love and interior littleness. The Pope encouraged us to ask Jesus for the grace of littleness, by inviting Him into our daily lives, our families, our communities, so that we can offer one another the same love He shows in coming to dwell among us, to serve and unite. He added, "amid our ordinary lived experience, he wants to do extraordinary things. His is a message of immense hope."

Christmas Mass during the Night in St. Peter's Basilica

Trust and have an open heart

As we invite Jesus into the little aspects of our lives, we also need to invite Him into our own living experience of littleness, the Pope explained, meaning our own weaknesses, troubles, wounds; and to realize that Jesus reminds us, especially on this night, that He loves us just as we are, is close to us, and asks for our trust and an open heart. Recognizing this, we too are called to embrace Jesus in the little ones of today, by loving Him in the least of our brothers and sisters, the poor, forgotten, and needy, as in them He makes Himself known.

Christmas Mass during the Night in St. Peter's Basilica

Everything united with Jesus at the centre

The Pope recalled that Jesus was born close to the poor and forgotten, and by doing so elevates the excluded by first revealing Himself to them, rather than to those who are important in the eyes of the world. He recalled the dignity of all who work, especially in humble jobs, and the need for the dignity of every human person to be respected. So, the Pope said, we must work to ensure no more deaths in the workplace!

The Pope recalled that at the Christmas scene, we also glimpse the Magi coming to worship the Lord, the learned and rich, showing how Jesus brings together the rich and the poor in Bethlehem. Everything is unified when Jesus is at the centre: not our ideas about Jesus, but Jesus himself, the living One."

Christmas Mass during the Night in St. Peter's Basilica

Let us return to Bethlehem, our origins

In conclusion, the Pope encouraged us to return to the origins and the essentials of faith, to our first love, to adoration and charity, like the pilgrims of the past, as a synodal and journeying Church today. The unity of the human family in worshiping the Lord is represented by the Holy Family, the shepherds, and the Magi, who shine as an example for us today to be a worshipping, poor, and fraternal Church.

Calling on everyone to rejoice, the Pope concluded: Let us rouse ourselves, for tonight a light has been lit, a kindly light, reminding us that, in our littleness, we are beloved sons and daughters, children of the light.
Vietnam is among the first countries to adopt the newest network technology  5G with a plan for commercialization in 2022.

5G is expected to revolutionize key industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, and logistics with its faster speed, connectivity, and lower latency.

While 5G indicates numerous opportunities, it takes time and proper methods to leverage its capabilities.

Vietnam plans to license 5th generation (5G) commercialization in 2022 and expand 5G coverage in urban areas and high-tech industrial zones. This involves increasing the number of digital enterprises from 58,000 to 100,000 by 2025 as part of the National Digital Transformation Plan, aiming to build a digital government and economy, and eventually a digital society.

This widescale deployment will make use of around 70 percent of the existing 4G infrastructure, following several small-scaled commercial trials in 2020-2021.

The digital economy plays a pivotal role in facilitating Vietnams socio-economic development strategy, expected to contribute 7 percent of GDP in 2025 and 7.5 percent by 2030. Contributing to this, 5G is projected to create US$13.1 trillion and two million new jobs by 2035.

What is 5G and how it works

5G, the latest mobile internet technology, is believed to be the future of mobile networks. Compared to the latest generations namely 4G, 3G, and 2G, 5G offers largely improved data throughput, low-power networks to support the Internet of Things (IoT), and much lower latency, the delay between sending and receiving signals, to enable clever remote-control scenarios.

In addition, 5G is estimated to use 10 times less energy than 4G by 2025, contributing to a more sustainable and energy-efficient digital landscape.

Widely known for its advantages in speed, connectivity, and security, 5G allows enterprises to process and analyze a greater volume of data with optimal costs. Reportedly, its data transmission speed is 10-20 times faster than the current speed with the capacity to handle up to a million devices per square kilometer.

Additionally, 5Gs latency is only one-fifth of 4G, resulting in shorter delay times and higher productivity.

Moreover, the 5G landscape is more complex and multifaceted than its counterparts. This is proven more effective in tackling problems with dropped connections and low accessibility to a large number of devices. While the previous generations connected billions of people, 5G is expected to connect trillions of devices, transforming the telecommunication network into an interrelated virtual world.

5G deployment in Vietnam

Vietnam is considered one of the frontrunners on 5G development alongside the US, China, and Japan, having licensed various trials during 2020-2021. Currently, three carriers including Viettel, Mobifone, and VNPT have been licensed by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to trial in 16 cities and provinces nationwide.

While Viettel targeted Hanoi with 140 base stations, Mobifone conducted trials in Ho Chi Minh City with 50 stations. Viettel is the pioneer in providing 5G services in Vietnam, following its 4G coverage of up to 97 percent of the Vietnamese population.

In December 2021, Viettel cooperated with global technology giant Samsung to launch a 5G commercial trial in Da Nang, the largest city in Central Vietnam and 11th city to get Viettels 5G coverage among cities such as Hanoi, Bac Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City.

During the trial, Viettel used Samsungs advanced 5G solutions to power its commercial network, which enabled users in Da Nang to experience the full benefits of 5G services. This marks the countrys rising efforts in ensuring the best network infrastructure for digital government development while supporting businesses and growth in developing areas.

The country also plans to reduce the number of 2G subscribers from 24 million to 5-7 million by 2022, to free up more bandwidth for 3G, 4G, and the 5G networks. By 2024, the MIC will stop extending the licenses for 2G/3G technologies, aiming to remove old technologies and stimulate market demand for 5G technology and devices.

This is part of the countrys accelerated adoption of the Industry 4.0 vision highlighted in the National Strategy towards 2030 on technology and innovation. The objectives by 2025 include broadband network infrastructure covering over 80 percent of households and across all villages, and popularizing 4G/5G mobile network service, and smartphones.

Accordingly, a major focus is given to the three key economic regions, including the Northern, Central, and Southern regions, aiming to transform these areas into smart cities via 5G deployment.

Vietnam aims to initially deploy 5G in major urban areas and high growth industry zones, eventually bringing the benefits of digital transformation to key industries, such as manufacturing, logistics, and agriculture.

A revolution for three key industries

Logistics

5G will help logistics businesses currently using IoT devices to develop to a new level. It tackles a common problem which is shipping delays and information delays when notification to customers is needed.

With low latency, logistics service providers will be able to constantly monitor and update shipment status, enhancing the prediction of arrival time and location information.

5G also allows greater communication between vehicles, improving navigation and monitoring of vehicles. This will result in better route planning, shorter delivery times, and lower incidents and errors for drivers.

Augmented reality systems, powered by 5G, can also be used to identify potential hazards, without diverting a drivers attention away from the road. Moving forward, new technologies such as air and driverless delivery could become a reality with the support of 5G, promising a more feasible and advanced logistic connectivity.

Agriculture

Vietnam will focus on deploying 5G in the fields of high-tech agriculture. The industry has been active with digital innovations and hi-tech agricultural production models such as greenhouse technology with an automated watering system, a cooling system for stable temperature and humidity, or artificial insemination.

Throughout the years, many farmers have already installed sensors connected to 4G to remotely monitor field conditions and detect when crops need watering or fertilizing, saving time and increasing productivity.

However, 5G promises a greater transformation. With 10 times faster speed, the wireless sensors connected via 5G networks will increase the amount of real-time data and facilitate precision farming, enabling the implementation of large numbers of IoT devices.

For example, farmers can use health monitoring devices for livestock, gaining much more accurate and timely health data. This allows for significant reductions in the use of antibiotics, without risking the safety of food supply chains.

Manufacturing

As the fastest and most reliable connectivity enabler, 5G is expected to increase factory capabilities and boost agility, minimizing the dependency on wire technologies in operation.

Currently, most manufacturing sites are based on legacy and wired connections. This might be costly and hard to manage. Therefore, a wireless environment helps make processes smarter and less faulty through the real-time transfer of large amounts of data in milliseconds on secure data streams.

Traditional quality control processes can also be streamlined via sensor technology and augmented intelligence (AI), helping technicians to remotely identify faults in production lines and troubleshoot them in a timely manner.

According to a report of KPMG, a factory utilizing wireless communication has the potential to reap a value equal to an extra US$1 per square meter on a daily basis. That means nearly US$4 million a year in added value for a floor of 10,000sq m (the smallest to support a factory).

With enhanced network speed and lower latency, 5G will bring about the concept of connected factories with time-saving and optimized routes, potentially fewer losses.

Opportunities and Challenges

Despite the first strong steps towards piloting 5G, there are still many challenges to optimizing its implementation in Vietnam. For example, network operators encounter problems such as investment costs, frequency licensing, and not having enough users to make a profit.

Besides the costly implementation, they might face the risk that 5G-enabled devices have not yet been widely popular with consumers which results in less demand for this technology, making it hard to balance costs and benefits.

To combat these, Vietnam is implementing solutions to accelerate 5G coverage by mobilizing network operators to share base stations. Specifically, in the early stages of 5G development, each carrier will cover 25 percent of the countrys area and perform roaming together to reduce investment costs. The MIC aims to have 25 percent of the population using 5G by 2025.

Takeaways

With the commercialization of 5G, Vietnam is gradually transforming its digital landscape. However, to fully leverage the capabilities of 5G, technology developers and service providers in Vietnam need to scale the new technologies with speed and agility.

This means the ecosystem needs to come together and find new ways to collaborate and co-create to help Vietnam implement digital transformation and achieve its Industry 4.0 vision with 5G.
On Dec. 20, the New Zealand Ministry of Health released a statement regarding three reports of people who potentially died from myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, after receiving the Pfizer Comirnaty Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

Myocarditis was the preliminary cause of death from a post-mortem examination of a 26-year-old man, and myocarditis was probably due to vaccination in this individual.

The Board met on Dec. 8 to discuss the likelihood of the link of the vaccine to any adverse event, but acknowledged that the coroner held the role of determining the cause and circumstances of death.

The Ministry works across the health sector to deliver better health outcomes for New Zealanders, and is made up of directorates and business units, each with its own functions and areas of responsibility.

Heart inflammation

The death of the 26-year-old New Zealander within 2 weeks of receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine was preliminarily due to myocarditis and likely tied to the jab. Some of the key points from the Boards discussion are:

He was asymptomatic before the vaccine, and his heart inflammation symptoms presented in the days immediately following his first vaccine dose.

He did not seek medical advice or treatment for his symptoms.

Some COVID-19 vaccines increase the risk of myocarditis. The media release notes that Medsafe issued an Alert communication for myocarditis as a rare adverse reaction of the Pfizer vaccine on 21 July 2021.

Myocarditis has many possible causes, and is most commonly tied to viral infections. If treated early, outcomes of myocarditis are better.

A 13-year-old childs death was also reported to the coroner and discussed at length, but the role of the vaccine was unable to be assessed at the time without further information. While myocarditis was implicated in the death of a man in his 60s, the Board ruled that vaccination was unlikely to be the cause due to time from vaccination to the onset of symptoms and clinical factors inconsistent with a causal link.

The Board states, COVID-19 infection increases the risk of myocarditis substantially more than vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine. However, this point is contested among researchers. A recent study showed the Moderna vaccine increases the risk of myocarditis more than COVID-19 for those under age 40.

With regard to the 26-year-olds death, the Board stated that myocarditis is a very rare side effect, and still recommends vaccination with Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine. Nevertheless, recipients of the jab should watch for symptoms of heart inflammation, including chest pain, tightness or discomfort, shortness of breath or abnormal heartbeat (and/or accompanied by fever).

At the time of vaccination, healthcare professionals and patients should engage in a discussion about common expected side effects and rare side effects, along with when and how to seek medical advice.

Adverse events after vaccination

Among the adverse events recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after Janssen COVID-19 vaccination and myocarditis after mRNA (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) COVID-19 vaccination.

GBS is defined by the CBC as a rare disorder where the bodys immune system damages nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, usually after infection with a virus or bacteria. Patients might require intensive care unit (ICU) admission and ventilator support; although most patients recover, GBS can result in permanent paralysis or death.

According to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database run by the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which acts as a national early warning system to detect possible safety problems with U.S. vaccines, 20,244 deaths have been reported after COVID-19 vaccination based on reports through Dec. 10.

Additionally, there have been 106,129 hospitalizations, 12,127 cases of Bells Palsy, 3,297 miscarriages, 10,229 heart attacks, 19,039 cases of heart inflammation, 4,807 cases of low platelets putting individuals as higher risk of bleeding events, 35,529 severe allergic reactions, and 11,126 cases of shingles after COVID-19 vaccination.
The legend of St Nicholas revolves around a Christian monk who lived during the third to fourth century and inspired the fabled figure Santa Claus. Santa is depicted as a rotund and merry man who wears a red suit and cap trimmed with white fur, and black leather belt and boots. As he carries a bag full of presents on Christmas Eve, millions of kids around the world look forward to this event each year.

Known as Nikolaos of Myra, Nicholas was the Greek bishop of Myra. He was an only child of Christian parents born in the ancient Lycian seaport city of Patara on March 15, 270 AD. After his parents perished in an epidemic in his childhood, he was fostered by his uncle, the Bishop of Patara, who taught him to read, and ultimately ordained him as a priest.

Nicholas became the subject of several stories due to his piety and charity. He allegedly gave up all of his inheritance and toured across the countryside, assisting the needy and ill. He was credited with providing money for a dowry to the father of three sisters, saving them from being sold as slaves.

According to legend, Saint Nicholas was said to have traveled by sea to the Holy Land to see where Jesus lived and died. The waters were dangerously rough due to a heavy storm, and the sailors were afraid. After Nicholas prayed for calm seas, the waves became tranqui.

Because of this narrative, he was made a saint in the 9th century.

Nicholas was ordained a bishop by the clergy and people of the province in Myra. Nicholas complained that he was unworthy of the position of bishop. He said that he was too young and inexperienced for such a tremendous amount of authority. All of the bishops agreed that Nicholas appointment as the new bishop was Gods will. They took him into the church and put him in the bishops seat.

In the 1500s, the Dutch added to the Saints legend, and dubbed him Sinterklass. (Image: R.F. (Roel) Jorna via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)

Saint Nicholas also reportedly saved three men who were falsely imprisoned and sentenced. As the legends of Nicholas spread around the world, he became revered as the patron saint of numerous Christian communities throughout Europe. Saint Nicholas is usually depicted as being thin with a long white beard, brimming with joy and compassion.

St. Nicholas is revered as the patron saint of children as well as merchant mariners. He is also the patron saint of Russia and Greece. He was known for his kindness and generosity. Some nations observe St. Nicholas Day on December 5. In the Catholic Church, his feast day is observed on the sixth anniversary of his passing in 343 AD in the city of Myra.

By the Middle Ages, Nicholas fame had extended far and wide due in part to the distribution of relics from his remains to churches in Italy. His renown moved northward, mixing with Teutonic folktales of elves and sky-chariots. By the Renaissance, Nicholas was Europes most popular saint.

Because of the upheaval in the country, Saint Nicholass relics were taken to a pilgrimage site in Bari, Italy, in the year 1067, where they may still be found today. His bones are said to exude an oil (it is referred to as the manna of St. Nicholas,) and its believed to have healing properties. There are many pilgrims that go to Bari to pay their respects at his burial place.

During the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, saint worship was rejected. Saint Nicholas was an exception, however; particularly in the Netherlands, where he took on the Dutch persona Sinterklaas, a tall, white-bearded man in crimson robes who brought toys or coal-lumps to good and bad children every December 6.

Over time and travel, the legend of the real Saint Nicholas evolved into the jolly old elf that Americans know as Santa Claus. (Image: Alexander Pollinger via Pexels)

Sinterklaas becomes Santa in the US

St. Nicholas made his first foray into popular culture in eighteenth-century America. Sinterklaas legends were reportedly transmitted by Dutch immigrants who settled near the Hudson River that travels through eastern New York. In 1804. During the New-York Historical Societys annual meeting, John Pintard presented woodcuts of St. Nicholas. The engravings backdrop has now-familiar Santa imagery, such as stockings stuffed with presents and fruit placed above a fireplace.

Washington Irving contributed to the popularization of the Sinterklaas legends in his satirical 1809 book, The History of New York, which referred to Saint Nicholas as everything from a rascal with a blue three-cornered hat, red waistcoat, and yellow stockings, to a man wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a huge pair of Flemish trunk hose, and unofficially designated him as New Yorks patron saint. He also described him as a portly Dutchman who soared the sky in a wagon, dropping presents down chimneys.

Another New Yorker, Clement Clarke Moore substituted a wagon for a sleigh carried by eight small reindeer in his famous poem Twas the Night Before Christmas, originally written for his daughters as An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas. During the American Civil War, cartoonist Thomas Nast created the first in a series of famous portrayals of a chubby and jovial Saint Nicholas in 1879. Nast is the one who gave Santa his North Pole workshop, elves, and his wife, Mrs. Claus.

Santa figures around the world

Santa Claus was not the only gift-giver to show up at Christmas during the 1800s. Kris Kringle, or Kristkindl in German, means Christ Child. This term entered the English language around 1830 as a result of the immigration of Pennsylvania Dutch settlers. Kris Kringle is an angelic figure thought to bring gifts to well-behaved Swiss and German children.

Jolly elf Jultomten is believed to deliver presents on a goat-drawn sleigh in Scandinavia, where Christmas is celebrated widely.

English legend says Father Christmas visits each household on Christmas Eve to fill childrens stockings with holiday presents; while children in France have their shoes filled with small gifts by Pere Noel. (Father Christmas). Italians believe in a benevolent witch named La Befana who travels on the eve of the epiphany, down chimneys on a broomstick, and delivers coal to naughty children and gifts to good children.

Toys are delivered to children in the US by Santa Claus flying from rooftop to rooftop on Christmas Eve. His magic sleigh is pulled by his reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph. Traditionally, empty stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Santa and Mrs.Claus live in the North Pole, and youngsters send letters to Santa and trace his travels throughout the globe on Christmas Eve. Children frequently leave cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer. Santa Claus keeps a list of whos naughty and nice, and parents remind their children of this list to ensure good behavior.
Cambodia's longtime ruling party voted to endorse Prime Minister Hun Sen's eldest son as "future prime minister" on Friday but did not specify when he might succeed his father, who has been in power for more than three decades.

In one of the world's longest premierships, Hun Sen, 69, has overseen a period in which political rivals have been jailed or exiled, critical media outlets shuttered and civil dissent crushed.

His Cambodian People's Party (CPP) - which holds every seat in parliament - said it had unanimously endorsed his son Hun Manet, a 44-year-old senior military figure, as "the prime minister candidate in the future."

But party spokesman Sok Eysan told Reuters that Hun Sen will not resign anytime soon and that the timeline for Hun Manet to run for the office has not been set.

The country is next due to hold elections in 2023.

"The party's congress continues to support Samdech Hun Sen to be the prime minister," Sok Eysan said, using a Khmer honorific for the prime minister that roughly translates as "Lord."

Hun Sen has not clarified if he will run in the next elections but earlier this month said he would support his son as his successor.

His office could not be reached for comment on Friday.

Hun Manet is a deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) and joint chief of staff who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1999.

Sam Rainsy, opposition figure living in exile in France, on Friday, called the planned succession a "temporary triumph of nepotism."

"His main objective is the preservation of impunity associated with power for his family," Sam Rainsy told Reuters via email.

Political analyst Lao Mong Hay said Hun Manet's succession to his father has been assured.

"Whether he will succeed at the 2023 or at the 2028 election, will remain subject to further horse-trading within the party," he told Reuters.
VOA  CONNECT

EPISODE # 206 ((previously aired as EP 155))

AIR DATE # 12 24 2021 ((previously aired 01 01 2021))

TRANSCRIPT

OPEN ((VO/NAT))

((Banner))

Its a Wonderful Life

((SOT))

((Brian Rohan. Lead Character George Bailey/Jimmy Stewart impersonator))

George Bailey means selflessness. George Bailey means caring. George Bailey means love thy neighbor. I think George Bailey is the best of us.

Zuzu:

Daddy.

George Bailey:

Zuzu, Zuzu, my little ginger snap, how do you feel you?

((Animation Transition))

((Banner))

Festive Lights

((SOT))

((Lucy))

I want COVID to be gone so we can go back to our normal lives.

((Animation Transition))

((Banner))

Rebirth

((SOT))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

This year, I have decided to make two ravens embracing. I thought it was one of the most important things I'd ever seen.

((Open Animation))

BLOCK A

((PKG)) ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE

((TRT: 03:07))

((Topic Banner: Its a Wonderful Life))

((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))

((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))

((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))

((Map: Seneca Falls, New York))

((Main character: 2 female, 3 male))

((Sub character: 1 female, 1 male))

((Open Banner))

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

Seneca Falls is celebrating the 75th anniversary of a beloved Christmas movie at its annual Its a Wonderful Life Festival.

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

Many believe that this small town was director Frank Capras inspiration for the movies setting, Bedford Falls.

((Francis Carcillo. Its A Wonderful Life Festival Board Member))

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

The movie is about a man who lives in a small town who never really feels satisfied in his own community, and he doesn't realize how important he is.

((Brian Rohan. George Bailey/Jimmy Stewart impersonator))

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

George Bailey means selflessness. George Bailey means caring. George Bailey means love thy neighbor. I think George Bailey is the best of us.

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

((Zuzu))

Daddy.

((George Bailey))

Zuzu, Zuzu, my little ginger snap, how do you feel?

((Monica Capra-Hodges, Frank Capras Granddaughter))

It's always relevant. You know. There are times like you know right now where we're trying to survive this pandemic,

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

and we've had a lot of loss and a lot of stress. And can identify with George Bailey and the wonderful message at the end where family and friends and everybody in town comes together to save him. And it's a beautiful message of hope.

((MUSIC))

((Tricia Mirras, Seneca Falls resident))

I think it's a wonderful festival. It is great to see our downtown so busy and with so many out-of-town visitors, and everyone is very happy and glad to be here. And I think during this particular time, the message that the movie brings is more important than ever. And you feel that here in town.

((Francis Carcillo. Its A Wonderful Life Festival Board Member))

This year, I think we're expecting better than 20,000 for the 75th anniversary festival. Personally, I'm very proud to live in Bedford Falls. The local population and the pride, the sense of pride in this has increased every year. You know there are still people who doubt and think maybe it's not true, but even those people like the idea. I mean who wouldn't want to live in Bedford Falls?

((Music))

((Brett Perry, Its a Wonderful Life fan))

I was on the George Bailey Bridge. It must have been half 10, 11 o'clock last night. Nobody around. I decided to do a classic thing of leaning on the bridge. I lent over the bridge, looking into the water.

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

I felt some odd things on my nose and face. I thought, what on earth is that? I looked up, and it was snowing. Not much, but it was snowing. And for a Welshman coming to Seneca Falls, it's a wonderful life. That was the moment for me. I'm feeling emotional just now just thinking about it. The snow on the George Bailey Bridge, you couldn't write it. Absolutely amazing. Sorry. I'm tearing up now.

((Karolyn Grimes, Actress who played Zuzu))

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

I believe that everyone can identify with George, so we have that opportunity to look at ourselves and realize that we too can make a difference. Daddy, teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.

((Zuzu))

Look, Daddy, teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.

((George Bailey))

That's right. That's right. Attaboy, Clarence. (singing)

TEASE ((VO/NAT))

Coming up..

((Banner))

New York City Lights

((SOT))

((Joe, Local Homeowner))

Well, I've been decorating my house for about 25 years since my son was about nine years old.

BREAK ONE BUMP IN ((ANIM))

BLOCK B

((PKG)) NYC HOLIDAY LIGHTS

((previously aired January 1, 2021))

((TRT: 3:52))

((Banner: New York City Holiday Lights))

((Reporter/Camera/Drone: Aaron Fedor))

((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))

((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))

((Map: Brooklyn, New York))

((Main character: 9 females))

((Sub character: 6 males))

((MUSIC))

((Megan))

I've been coming to Dyker Heights. Well, this is my first time actually so he's actually taking me on a tour of Dyker Heights.

((Brian))

Yes and Ive been here several years. My parents grew up in Brooklyn. So, everybody knows about it from the surrounding area.

((MUSIC))

((Megan))

Brian was just telling me about a house that you can see from space, so we're on the hunt to find that house that you can see from space.

((Brian))

Hot chocolate.

((Megan))

Hot chocolate. Wink, wink.

((Brian))

Yeah.

((Megan))

Nah, it's hot chocolate.

((MUSIC))

((The Calamine Family, Son))

It's really nice and I like, I think the lights are very beautiful. It's just really nice how everybody decorates and lets everybody come by their properties and watch the lights.

((MUSIC))

((The Calamine Family, Father))

Since I'm a little kid. So, I'm 46. So, it's been a long time. So, Lucy Spata, this is her house. Well, supposedly, she started this, you know, doing it in an extraordinary way and I guess that tradition sort of caught on in the rest of the block and the surrounding houses. And then it just started, I guess, expanding to the whole neighborhood. So, it's become a destination now.

((The Calamine Family, Mother))

We've seen busloads of people. They have those big buses coming and there's loads of people on the buses. It's pretty wild to see, because, like he said, we've been coming here for so long since we were little. And then to see these giant buses pull up with tourists to come and now it's a tourist attraction. It's wild.

((The Calamine Family, Father))

What I heard, a lot of people restrained themselves from decorating this year because they didn't want crowds of people outside and stuff like that. They were afraid.

((MUSIC))

((Joe, Local Homeowner))

Well, I've been decorating my house for about 25 years since my son was about nine years old. We start right around Halloween. We put up some orange lights for Halloween, and the day after Halloween, they come down and the colored lights begin to go up. Well, my house, of course, is my favorite.

((MUSIC))

((Robert, Local Tour Guide))

I live here in Dyker Heights. I've been living here for six years, and what I do is I tour. I have my friend that owns the tour. The basic tour is just meet up on 86th street, come down 84 all the way down from 12th Avenue to 10th Avenue. Then we drive up, you go down to 83rd and we come up and we meet up at John's Deli up there on 13th Avenue.

((MUSIC))

((Kanwal))

To my family in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, we wish you a very Happy New Year and a great year to come.

((Felts Family))

Happy New Year. Happy New Years to everyone.

((MUSIC))

((Wendy))

Happy New Year.

((MUSIC))

TEASE ((VO/NAT))

Coming up..

((Banner))

Rebirth

((SOT))

((Neighbor))

Joe is my neighbor. He's a really great sculptor and it's kind of an honor to be able to work with Joe Pachak. Some people come around and want to tell him what to do and he kicks them out.

BREAK TWO

BUMP IN ((ANIM))

BLOCK C

((PKG)) BURNING SCULPTURE

((Previously aired January 2020))

((TRT: 15:00))

((Banner: Rebirth after Winter Solstice))

((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martinez))

((Native American flute: Aldean Ketchum))

((Map: Bluff, Utah))

((Main characters: 1 male))

((Sub characters: 6 male; 2 female))

((NATS/MUSIC))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Hallowed ground retains its own energy. I relish the day after the burn, when I get to come and clean it up and walk away from a black stain. It's great. I mean, something happened and there's a tiny black stain on the earth where it happened. Very simply, it makes me happy. I love it.

((NATS))

((Courtesy: John Grager))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

My name is Joe Pachak. I'm an artist. I love to do sculpture. Every year, I make a very large piece of sculpture

((Courtesy: John Grager))

and on December 21st, at a very important time, Winter Solstice,

((Courtesy: Roger Hansen))

the beginning of the astronomical year,

((Courtesy: Eric Ming))

I set fire to it as a spiritual event connected to the science of our relationship between Sun and Earth. When you start a new year like that your spirit is raised.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

We are seeing a pecked route out that was done a very long time ago. And Im counting: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 pecked steps going up right here.

Utah is a very rich place for prehistoric culture. It is right on the crust of the earth, everywhere.

I've worked as an archaeologist in Bluff for 25 years and rock art has inspired a lot of things that I have produced as sculpture and painting. Hopefully, people will see the importance of rock art as a message to the modern world.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

I used to come down here when I first moved to Bluff in 1983. I was climbing two trees and sitting up there in the crotch of the tree with a drawing pad. I looked up and I saw a mammoth. I had just discovered the first Pleistocene rock art in North America. And I got choked up. I mean, its such a powerful event. I mean, I had just discovered the first Pleistocene rock art in North America. No other rock art depicting mammoths have ever been found in North America or South America. They are approximately 14,000 years old. I actually cried out loud when I saw that that was a mammoth and that there were other tusks on the panel. It's inspiring, you know.

((Courtesy: Wayne Ranney))

((NATS))

About 20 years after the discovery, I built the life size mammoth to commemorate that mammoths were near the town of Bluff.

((Courtesy: John Gregor))

After the mammoth, I've done nine other

((Courtesy: R.E.Burillo))

effigies that were burnt on Winter Solstice,

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

This year, I have decided to make two ravens embracing. It's something that I saw on a river trip. I thought it was one of the most important things I'd ever seen. Our country, especially now, needs to express love in any way that it can. There are two sides that arent getting along. So, this is really a good subject for this year.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

There is communication. Its a relationship. I've been feeding them for about 20 years. Here's one flying around.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

This is a good one. Maybe this one.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

We are a few days away from Thanksgiving now and it's gotten a lot colder. We still have a lot of work to do.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Yeah, one person could not do this alone. It's impossible. We have about 25 volunteers show up. I feel great about having the community come down. I like the idea that they feel that they've invested time and that this is part of their celebration. So, I want that to happen. It's important.

((NATS))

((John Gregor, Volunteer))

Ive worked on that yesterday. That and then the other one over there and then over there a little bit. You know, this town has only got a few hundred people but there's probably easily a significant majority of them that are involved in this at some point.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Lets go help unload.

((Jim, Neighbor))

Hey, how is it going?

Where do you want these willows?

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Jim.

Right in here, somewhere.

((NATS))

((Kelly, Volunteer))

We harvested these from our farm which is called the Historic Curtis John's farm on highway 162.

((NATS))

((Neighbor))

Joe is my neighbor. He's a really great sculptor and it's kind of an honor to be able to work with Joe Pachak. Some people come around and want to tell him what to do and he kicks them out.

((NATS))

((Jose Yavari, Volunteer))

Watch your leg.

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Cut down a little bit.

Ugh?

((Jose Yavari, Volunteer))

Watch your leg.

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Watch my leg?

I wouldnt saw my own leg.

((John Gregor, Volunteer))

I said that about my thumb the other day and tried to cut it off.

((NATS))

((Kelly, Volunteer))

I dont know why we do this. We do it for the sake of art, but its like how things work here.

((Bess Bennett, Neighbor))

Yeah. Its just another thing of Bluff.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Do you have any more curved sticks? Ill take that one.

Jose, I like it that you keep referring to this as an organic thing.

((NATS))

((John Gregor, Volunteer))

Oh, shoot.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

I got it.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Weve used all those large curved sticks up already.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

We're looking for willows. Can you cut this one? These died during a flood. You can see its plentiful.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Yeah, free sticks, makes it nice. I've probably spent at the max. $300 on wire and a new saw and pliers.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

There's too much commercial stuff in our lives, you know. We don't do anything because we truly love it and I don't want to do this as a commercial thing.

((NATS))

((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))

Good morning. How are you doing?

((Jose, Volunteer))

How are you?

((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))

What was your name?

((Jose, Volunteer))

Jose.

((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))

Jose. Good to see you.

((Jose, Volunteer))

Yeah.

((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))

The raven, you know, it dissipates whatever bad is. That's what we practice.

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

How would you want to set them on fire?

((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))

When we want to burn this, we will say, All the bad things that's going on in the world, we're going to burn it right now.

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

I really do try to involve the Native American cultures that I live around. I want to make artwork that is culturally sensitive that will bring people together.

((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))

Okay. Ahehee.

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Ahehee.

((NATS))

((Courtesy: Curtis Yanito))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

This is Winter Solstice morning. It's a happy day for me. After two months and two days, we've finished the sculpture and we're ready to celebrate.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

When this burns, it will come to life.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

I feel so exhilarated. I feel so energized. I'm ready to take on another year. I'm ready to take on my 70th trip around the sun.

((NATS/MUSIC))

((Courtesy: Curtis Yanito))

((Crowd))

Oh, God. It's too bad.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

They just took a nap. Yeah.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

They're taking a nap. I don't feel bad about it. Not one bit. They're still embracing.

((Friends))

They are. Well, it was beautiful when it was standing. It's beautiful now.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

Yeah, it's beautiful now.

((NATS/MUSIC))

((Courtesy: Michael Ramsey))

((Aldean Ketchum, Ute Flute Player))

Tog'oyak. Thank you.

((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))

Winter Solstice for Native Americans is our new year, so, Happy New Year.

((Crowd))

Happy New Year.

((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))

The Raven, you know, it provides healing for like nightmares and sadness and stress and leads onto Alzheimers. Tonight, when the light is fired, say "pah", so we send all the bad energy off. That's it. Thank you. Pah.

((Crowd))

Pah.

(NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

I believe the collapsing embracing ravens may be a metaphor for what is happening in our world, in our creative process of the industrial age. With that in mind, I want you all to have a good year and I want you to come back next year after you've traveled around the sun, standing on this earth. Thank you very much for coming.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

When you sacrifice or burn something that you've worked hard on, it remains in the memory of all those people who watch it because there's more profound aspirations in the crowd.

((NATS))

((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))

We don't need a lot more objects in the world. We need experiences to help us grow.

((NATS/MUSIC))

IN COMING WEEKS ((VO/NAT))

In coming weeks.

((Banner))

Weathering the Storm: Part 2

((SOT))

((Chris Brunet  Resident, Isle de Jean Charles))

What is climate change? For us, the major factor would be erosion of the land. Because, you know, the Gulf of Mexico is pushing north. And so, with the running tide being constant, well the land in itself, doesn't have the chance to hold itself together against that movement.And then, you have the man-made error that plays in climate change,where all of these canals were dug. Southeast Louisiana is just littered with canals carved out for pipelines for the production of oil and gas.

Whenever they dug these canals, they just created more avenues for water to come in. It just speeded up the process. And by the time we noticed how bad it was, it was actually almost too late.

CLOSING ((ANIM))

voanews.com/connect

BREAK THREE

BUMP IN ((ANIM))

SHOW ENDS
((PKG)) ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE

((TRT: 03:07))

((Topic Banner: Its a Wonderful Life))

((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))

((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))

((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))

((Map: Seneca Falls, New York))

((Main character: 2 female, 3 male))

((Sub character: 1 female, 1 male))

((Open Banner))

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

Seneca Falls is celebrating the 75th anniversary of a beloved Christmas movie at its annual Its a Wonderful Life Festival.

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

Many believe that this small town was director Frank Capras inspiration for the movies setting, Bedford Falls.

((Francis Carcillo. Its A Wonderful Life Festival Board Member))

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

The movie is about a man who lives in a small town who never really feels satisfied in his own community, and he doesn't realize how important he is.

((Brian Rohan. George Bailey/Jimmy Stewart impersonator))

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

George Bailey means selflessness. George Bailey means caring. George Bailey means love thy neighbor. I think George Bailey is the best of us.

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

((Zuzu))

Daddy.

((George Bailey))

Zuzu, Zuzu, my little ginger snap, how do you feel?

((Monica Capra-Hodges, Frank Capras Granddaughter))

It's always relevant. You know. There are times like you know right now where we're trying to survive this pandemic,

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

and we've had a lot of loss and a lot of stress. And can identify with George Bailey and the wonderful message at the end where family and friends and everybody in town comes together to save him. And it's a beautiful message of hope.

((MUSIC))

((Tricia Mirras, Seneca Falls resident))

I think it's a wonderful festival. It is great to see our downtown so busy and with so many out-of-town visitors, and everyone is very happy and glad to be here. And I think during this particular time, the message that the movie brings is more important than ever. And you feel that here in town.

((Francis Carcillo. Its A Wonderful Life Festival Board Member))

This year, I think we're expecting better than 20,000 for the 75th anniversary festival. Personally, I'm very proud to live in Bedford Falls. The local population and the pride, the sense of pride in this has increased every year. You know there are still people who doubt and think maybe it's not true, but even those people like the idea. I mean who wouldn't want to live in Bedford Falls?

((Music))

((Brett Perry, Its a Wonderful Life fan))

I was on the George Bailey Bridge. It must have been half 10, 11 o'clock last night. Nobody around. I decided to do a classic thing of leaning on the bridge. I lent over the bridge, looking into the water.

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

I felt some odd things on my nose and face. I thought, what on earth is that? I looked up, and it was snowing. Not much, but it was snowing. And for a Welshman coming to Seneca Falls, it's a wonderful life. That was the moment for me. I'm feeling emotional just now just thinking about it. The snow on the George Bailey Bridge, you couldn't write it. Absolutely amazing. Sorry. I'm tearing up now.

((Karolyn Grimes, Actress who played Zuzu))

((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))

I believe that everyone can identify with George, so we have that opportunity to look at ourselves and realize that we too can make a difference. Daddy, teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.

((Zuzu))

Look, Daddy, teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.

((George Bailey))

That's right. That's right. Attaboy, Clarence. (singing)

TEASE ((VO/NAT))

Coming up..

((Banner))

New York City Lights

((SOT))

((Joe, Local Homeowner))

Well, I've been decorating my house for about 25 years since my son was about nine years old.
"There is nothing in the world like the food you can find in Louisiana," Chef Isaac Toups, owner of popular New Orleans restaurant Toups Meatery, told VOA. "It's such a unique mix of so many different cultures that converged here from around the globe. They brought their ideas about food with them and made a cuisine that is unparalleled."

Immigrants' culinary influences span centuries in New Orleans, a port city near the mouth of the Mississippi River. From French colonists who were the first Europeans to permanently settle in the area in 1699 to Vietnamese immigrants in the 1970s to recent arrivals from all over the world, newcomers have continually added to the DNA of local cuisine.

Liz Williams, founder of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and author of New Orleans: A Food Biography, says there's something unique about the way cultures  and cooking  have melded in this Southern city compared with other places in America.

"You can find every food in the world in New York City," Williams said. "Go two blocks that way for this type of cuisine and six blocks the other way for that type of cuisine."

New Orleans, by contrast, has spawned a gastronomical melting pot. Or, to use a local analogy, a gumbo.

"There's no 'New York City cuisine' because all those immigrant groups didn't meld together," she said. "In New Orleans, though, all of these different immigrant cuisines have been influenced by New Orleans food and influenced New Orleans food. There's a melding, merging and updating that seems to be constantly happening here that doesn't happen in other places."

Early settlers

Mention Louisiana cooking, and most people think of Creole cuisine, Cajun cuisine or some mixture of the two.

"When the two foods were first being established in Louisiana in the 18th century, they were two distinct cuisines from two distinct regions," explained chef Donald Link, owner of several New Orleans restaurants all under the banner of the Link Restaurant Group. "Creole food was being created in New Orleans while Cajun food was in the more rural, southwestern part of the state."

Creole culture in New Orleans arose from a mixture of the early French settlers, Spanish immigrants who followed shortly after, enslaved people taken from Africa and the Native Americans who were already here. Once the United States purchased Louisiana from France in 1803, waves of Anglo-Americans came to New Orleans as well as thousands who fled the Haitian Revolution taking place at the same time.

The confluence created a unique mix of cultures that is reflected in local cooking to this day.

"New Orleans is often called the most northern city in the Caribbean, and there was a lot of influence coming from Spanish-controlled Latin countries," explained Link. "They brought their rice, beans, guisados and stews. And then the French brought their boudin and fricassees and all these celebrated techniques, and Africans had gumbo, which comes from the West African word for okra. It all came together to make what we call Creole food."



Creole food is considered a cosmopolitan cuisine. It often features rich sauces, local herbs, ripe tomatoes and local seafood.

"You use what you have available to you," said Brad Hollingsworth, owner of longtime New Orleans favorite Clancy's. "Here, that means all these great, fresh fish from the Gulf of Mexico: speckled trout, pompano, red snapper, redfish, flounder and all the way down the line."

Hollingsworth said cuisine from Creole culture is more focused on sauces than its Cajun counterpart. That, he said, is in large part because of the city's ability to attract settlers from more cosmopolitan, cultured areas of France.

"They brought with them the French mother sauces that we really lean into at Clancy's," Hollingsworth said. "Bechamel, veloute, espagnole, hollandaise and tomato. We use them to complement our local fish or meat. It's a combination of using what is geographically available and the techniques of the immigrant groups who came here."

Cajun food, on the other hand, is known for being more rustic. It features meat-heavy, all-in-one-pot dishes like jambalaya and the rice-filled, spicy pork blood sausage known as boudin.

The Cajuns were also largely originally of French descent, but these French-influenced immigrants came from backcountry parts of Acadia in Canada rather than the major cities of France. They were forced out of Canada by the British in 1755, and about 3,000 arrived in rural Louisiana, where they interacted with German immigrants, Native Americans and enslaved people  all of whom added their own culinary influences.

"Cajun cuisine was more of a country food, while Creole cuisine was more of a city food," said Toups, who grew up in the part of Louisiana known as Cajun Country, about two-and-a-half hours west of New Orleans. "That's because the Cajuns were French fur trappers, not French-trained chefs like you might find in the city. As a poorer immigrant group, we had to add things to make our meals last. Fortunately, the region had tons of rice, which is why you find rice in our classics like boudin, jambalaya and gumbo."

Continuing the evolution of a food

During the 19th and 20th centuries, thanks to improved methods of communication and better transportation, the two cuisines began to merge and inspire each other. They also continued to be influenced by other groups

German immigrants, for example, brought their passion for sausages to Cajun food, which helped create Louisiana's famed spicy andouille. But the next big addition to the local food scene came when nearly 300,000 Italian immigrants  most of them Sicilian  moved to the city between 1884 and 1924.

"If you look at stuffed peppers in other places, they're usually prepared with rice," said Liz Williams, who will be releasing the book, Nana's Creole Italian Table in March 2022, "but in New Orleans, our veggies are stuffed with breadcrumbs. That's an effect of the Sicilians who arrived here."



Red gravy, the Creole adaptation of tomato sauce  similar to how Creoles use a roux in gumbo as a thickener  and the introduction of sno-balls, made from shaved ice, to New Orleans are further examples of how New Orleanian and Sicilian cuisines merged.

"In Sicily and lots of Europe, it was common during hotter months to walk up a mountain to collect snow that you could flavor with syrup for a summertime treat," Williams said. "In America, most places use crushed ice for more of a frozen sherbet. In New Orleans, however, shaved ice is used because it emulates more of what our Sicilians knew back home."

In more recent decades, Mexican immigrants came to New Orleans to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They, too, left an impact on their new home  not just on the cuisine, but also the way it's served.

New Orleans is now dotted with dozens of taco trucks it didn't have before the storm.

"Because the local ingredients are different here," Williams explained, "so are the items sold. You're not going to find fried oyster tacos in many places in the world, but you can find them in New Orleans."

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Pots and pans in kitchens across one of the world's most unique food cities clatter with creations that can't be found anywhere else. At two-time James Beard award-winning chef Alon Shaya's restaurant, Saba, Louisiana blue crab is a local addition to a traditionally Mediterranean hummus. Popular Indian restaurant Saffron NOLA adds curried seafood and basmati rice to gumbo, Louisiana's state dish.

And Dong Phuong Bakery, an institution formed in 1982 after thousands of Vietnamese refugees arrived in New Orleans after the Vietnam War, has forever changed how many residents think of two of their most prized foods. Dong Phuong and their unique king cake  topped with cream cheese icing because bakery owner Huong Tran didn't want her cake to be as sweet as the ones with traditional sugar icing  is one of the most popular in the city. Also, the bakery's bread is sold by the thousands to restaurants across the city. The beloved Louisiana po'boy sandwich is now often made with Vietnamese-style banh mi bread instead of the more Louisiana-standard French bread.

"We came here as refugees with nothing, so of course it makes us so proud to have our new home appreciate what we can add to the food here," explained Linh Tran Garza, president of Dong Phuong Bakery. "But we're also continuously influenced by our home, as well."

Garza points to the emergence of Viet-Cajun cuisine as proof that the two cultures are evolving with each other.

"It's a great thing, I think. We should always be paying attention to the community and seeing how we can get better, give customers what they want, or create some new amazing food."

Liz Williams said that is something New Orleans is especially able to do, perhaps more so than any other American city, because of its past.

"I think it has to do with us being originally colonized by the French while much of the rest of America was colonized by the British," she said. "The British have a way of doing things and, historically, exercise less flexibility. The French, however, are more curious and more eager to make great food. They see it as an art, and they welcome new inspiration. The Creoles sought and welcomed that inspiration centuries ago, and I think our culture continues to do it today."
Ethiopia's government said it will hold back its army from entering the Tigray region, after Tigrayan rebels retreated to the region this week. Analysts say the two sides are indicating there could be a window for ceasefire after thirteen months of devastating war.

Ethiopia's Government Communications Service Minister, Legesse Tulu, announced the pause was to save Ethiopia's army from what he called further sacrifice and to avoid further accusations of atrocities.

Tulu said the Tigrayan forces - the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF)  were heavily hit.

He added that Ethiopia's military defense forces having reclaimed Eastern Amhara and parts of Afar that were under TPLF occupation, have been ordered to stay at their current locations.

The pause came after Tigray forces on Monday announced in a letter to the UN's secretary general that they were pulling out of neighboring regions to pave the way for peace. The letter cited the suffering of Tigrayan people after 13 months of war as a key reason for their retreat.

The rebels' withdrawal and the government's halting its offensive could help usher in negotiations for an end to the year-long war.



The International Crisis Group (IGC) in a report Thursday said both sides should use the opportunity for a ceasefire.

"This opportunity is reallyis a rare chance, for the parties to look for a negotiated path forward," said Murithi Mutiga, the ICG's Horn of Africa director. "It is encouraging that the Tigray forces considered they could no longer try and put pressure on Addis Ababa; but it is also encouraging that the authorities have decided to pause their advances and not move into Tigray."

Ethiopia's federal forces spent months fighting in Tigray then fell back in June under a rebel counter-offensive.

Tigrayan forces in July pushed into neighboring Amhara and Afar regions before this week's withdrawal back to Tigray.

Despite the fresh hope for peace, Mutiga doesn't believe the two sides are likely to sit down at the negotiating table.

"In the Ethiopian context, as we know, historically there has been no culture of accommodation," Mutiga said. "It has been one trying to win outright victory on the battlefield. And so, there might be a temptation on all sides to try and press the advantage."

Regional media report federal forces conducted an air strike Wednesday on a power sub-station in the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle. Reuters news agency reported the strike knocked out power across the city.
Polish Senator Krzysztof Brejza's mobile phone was hacked with sophisticated spyware nearly three dozen times in 2019 when he was running the opposition's campaign against the right-wing populist government in parliamentary elections, an internet watchdog found.

Text messages stolen from Brejza's phone  then doctored in a smear campaign  were aired by state-controlled TV in the heat of that race, which the ruling party narrowly won. With the hacking revelation, Brejza now questions whether the election was fair.

It's the third finding by the University of Toronto's nonprofit Citizen Lab that a Polish opposition figure was hacked with Pegasus spyware from the Israeli hacking tools firm NSO Group. Brejza's phone was digitally broken into 33 times from April 26, 2019, to October 23, 2019, said Citizen Lab researchers, who have been tracking government abuses of NSO malware for years.

The other two hacks were identified earlier this week after a joint Citizen Lab-Associated Press investigation. All three victims blame Poland's government, which has refused to confirm or deny whether it ordered the hacks or is a client of NSO Group. State security services spokesman Stanislaw Zaryn insisted Thursday that the government does not wiretap illegally and obtains court orders in "justified cases." He said any suggestions the Polish government surveils for political ends were false.

NSO, which was blacklisted by the U.S. government last month, says it sells its spyware only to legitimate government law enforcement and intelligence agencies vetted by Israel's Defense Ministry for use against terrorists and criminals. It does not name its clients and would not say if Poland is among them.

Citizen Lab said it believes NSO keeps logs of intrusions so an investigation could determine who was behind the Polish hacks.

EU response

In response to the revelations, European Union lawmakers said they would hasten efforts to investigate allegations that member nations such as Poland have abused Pegasus spyware.

The other two Polish victims are Ewa Wrzosek, an outspoken prosecutor fighting the increasingly hardline government's undermining of judicial independence, and Roman Giertych, a lawyer who has represented senior leaders of Brejza's party, Civic Platform, in sensitive cases.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday dismissed revelations that Giertych and Wrzosek were hacked as "fake news." Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro said he had no knowledge of "illegal actions aimed at the surveillance of citizens" but also said Poland was "not helpless" in taking action against people suspected of crimes.

Giertych was hacked 18 times, also in the run-up to 2019 parliamentary elections that the ruling Law and Justice party won by a razor-thin margin. That victory has continued an erosion of democracy in the nation where the popular 1980s protest movement Solidarity presaged the eventual collapse of the Soviet empire.

The intense tempo of the hacks of Brejza and Giertych "indicates an extreme level of monitoring" that raises pressing questions about abuses of power, Citizen Lab senior researcher John Scott-Railton said. Pegasus gives its operators complete access to a mobile device: They can extract passwords, photos, messages, contacts and browsing history, and activate the microphone and camera for real-time eavesdropping.

"My heart sinks with each case we find," Scott-Railton added. "This seems to be confirming our worst fear: Even when used in a democracy, this kind of spyware has an almost immutable abuse potential."

Other confirmed victims have included Mexican and Saudi journalists, British attorneys, Palestinian human rights activists, heads of state and Uganda-based U.S. diplomats.

An NSO spokesperson said Thursday that "the company does not and cannot know who the targets of its customers are, yet implements measures to ensure that these systems are used solely for the authorized uses." The spokesperson said there is zero tolerance for governments that abuse the software; NSO says it has terminated multiple contracts of governments that have abused Pegasus, although it has not named any publicly.

Despite any measures NSO might be taking, Citizen Lab notes, the list of abuse cases continues to grow.

Doctored texts

Brejza, a 38-year-old attorney, told the AP that he has no doubt data stolen from his phone while he was chief of staff of the opposition coalition's parliamentary campaign provided critical strategy insights. Combined with the smear effort against him, he said, it prevented "a fair electoral process."

Text messages stolen from Brejza's phone were doctored to make it appear as if he created an online group that spread hateful anti-government propaganda; reports in state-controlled media cited the altered texts. But the group didn't exist.

Brejza says he now understands where TVP state television got them.

"This operation wrecked the work of staff and destabilized my campaign," he said. "I don't know how many votes it took from me and the entire coalition."

Brejza won his Senate seat in that October 2019 race. But since the ruling party held on to the more powerful lower house of parliament, it has steered Poland further away from EU standards of liberal democracy.

Election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said at the time that control of state media gave the ruling party an unfair advantage but called the elections essentially free. They were unaware of the hacking.

Brejza has been a Law and Justice party critic since it won power in 2015. For example, he has exposed large bonuses paid to senior government officials. In another case, he revealed that the postal service sent tens of thousands of dollars to a company tied to ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Brejza fears the hacking could have compromised whistleblowers who had reached out to him with evidence.

NSO Group is facing daunting financial and legal challenges  including the threat of default on more than $300 million in debt  after governments used Pegasus spyware to spy on dissidents, journalists, diplomats and human rights activists from countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and the United States. The U.S. blacklisting of NSO has effectively barred U.S. companies from supplying technology to the Israeli firm.
Sino-U.S. trade tensions could flare up again as it appears China will miss its obligations under a nearly expired agreement that emerged from a dispute during the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, analysts said.

The Economic and Trade Agreement signed by the two superpowers in January 2020 is set to end December 31. Trade observers say China has not complied with a clause that obligates it to buy imports of manufactured goods, farm products, energy products and certain services from the U.S. at a total of $200 billion more than the 2017 total. China purchased $186 billion in goods and services in 2017 before the trade war, according to U.S. government figures.

China has had trouble complying because of delays in Chinese aircraft orders from the U.S. and pandemic-related setbacks, said Matthew Goodman, senior vice president for economics with the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies, a research group.

"I do think that the Biden administration is going to follow through on this agreement and hold China to account," Goodman told VOA. "I don't see any reason that they're going to change tack."

China had met just 62% of its import purchasing goal as of October, according to an analysis by Chad Bown, senior fellow with the Peterson Institute for International Economics, another research organization in Washington.

U.S. manufacturers may have lacked capacity as well to meet the demand for China-bound goods, said Bashar Malkawi, a University of Arizona law professor who specializes in trade. China's pandemic-era border closures further harmed U.S. exports, he said.

The nearly four-year-old trade dispute launched by Trump over the Sino-U.S. trade imbalance has placed tariffs on $550 billion worth of goods, including $350 billion originating in China. The dispute also led to a chill in broader two-way relations that would run through Trump's term.

"The environment between these two countries is toxic," Malkawi said. "Trade war and mistrust have been raging since 2018 and will not ease for the foreseeable future."

What's next

The U.S. trade representative's office did not reply to a query for this report asking whether China had lived up to the agreement. Its website does not indicate what might happen in 2022.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a speech at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in October that the U.S. government will discuss with China its "performance" and that under the agreement, China had made "commitments that benefit certain American industries, including agriculture, that we must enforce."

The U.S. side will "work to enforce the terms of phase one," she added, referring to the terms of the deal.

Tai indicated that the United States had yet to review the agreement.

China hopes the U.S. government "will create favorable conditions for the two nations to expand trade cooperation," Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Gao Feng said Thursday, as quoted by the China Daily news website.

Gao said China had "exerted strenuous efforts to offset negative impact from factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the global economic recession and the constraint of supply chain" to carry out the agreement, according to the website.

China is the largest goods trading partner of the United States, with $559.2 billion passing both ways in 2020, according to the trade representative's office.

U.S. goods and services trade with China totaled about $615.2 billion in 2020, with imports at $450.4 billion.

Expiration of the trade deal potentially gives China an opening to negotiate for buying the U.S. goods that it needs, said Song Seng Wun, an economist in the private banking unit of Malaysian bank CIMB. China traditionally buys U.S. foodstuffs, civilian aircraft and aircraft parts. Its tech firms depended on American supplies before the trade war as well.

"I suppose it always boils down to what China wants to buy and what the U.S. wants to sell," Song said. "China can be more selective in buying. Politics matters more at this point."

Chinese officials might consider asking to buy the U.S. goods that China needs most, possibly swapping out the ones in today's agreement, said Stuart Orr, School of Business head at Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia.

"I think China is probably going to have to try to renegotiate, and the reason probably motivating that will be the volume of supplies of some of the things that it actually needs," he said.
While many countries are fighting off their worst coronavirus outbreaks yet, Japan is detecting hardly any COVID-19 infections at all. Observers are trying to figure out why.

As recently as late summer, Japans coronavirus outlook wasnt great. An outbreak coinciding with the Tokyo Olympics was killing dozens per day and overwhelming hospitals.

Starting in September, though, as Japan ramped up its vaccination campaign, the country saw a dramatic plunge in the number of reported cases and eventually the number of deaths.

Since then, the situation has only improved. Japan this month has reported an average of less than one COVID-19 death per day  a shockingly low number for a country of 126 million.

No one knows exactly why Japan has experienced such success -- especially while other countries, even its immediate neighbors, have been hit by serious winter waves of the coronavirus.

There are many possible explanations. Nearly 80% of Japans population is fully vaccinated. Virtually everyone wears masks. Even after the government relaxed restrictions this autumn, people continued to socially distance themselves.

Some researchers have pointed to Japans low rates of obesity. Several recent studies have concluded that COVID-19 is more severe in obese individuals.

Cultural customs may also play a role. For instance, Japanese do not typically kiss, hug, or even shake hands during greetings. Many Japanese are also relatively quiet in public settings, points out Kentaro Iwata, an infectious disease specialist at Japans Kobe University.

Masking and keeping silent in public places is very important [for fighting the virus]. Everybody knows it, but practicing it can be very difficult in some parts of the world, maybe due to cultural reasons, said Iwata, who has dealt with infectious outbreaks for more than 20 years, by email.

Those factors, however, do not explain why neighboring South Korea, which shares many cultural traits, is dealing with its worst COVID-19 outbreak yet.

One possible explanation is that Japan is testing far fewer people, Kenji Shibuya, an epidemiologist and researcher at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, said.

In the first half of December, Japan tested an average of 44,623 people per day, according to government data. South Korea, whose population is less than half that of Japan, conducted an average of 238,901 tests per day during the same period, according to official data.

Because of Japans lack of testing, it is difficult to believe that official case figures reflect reality on the ground, Shibuya told VOA in an email.

If the lack of testing were a major factor, though, Japan would have likely seen a surge in other indicators, such as the number of hospitalizations or deaths from respiratory illnesses, as other experts have noted.

In the absence of any definitive explanation, some researchers have tried to identify a so-called X-factor. One study even suggested many Japanese people share a genetic feature linked to white blood cells that helps the fight against COVID-19. Others theorize that the coronavirus variant spreading in Japan may have mutated itself into extinction.

Whatever the reason for Japans success, the battle is not over, said Shibuya, who said he still expects the country to see a winter wave of infections.

In a possible ominous sign, Japan this week identified its first cases of community transmission of the omicron variant, which scientists say spreads much faster than previous iterations of the virus. Many of those found to be infected with omicron had no history of overseas travel, officials said.




At least 37 people died Friday in an inferno on an overcrowded night ferry in Bangladesh, with terrified passengers leaping overboard and dozens including children still unaccounted for.

The latest maritime tragedy to hit the impoverished low-lying nation saw a fire burn through the three-story vessel in the early hours while passengers slept on board.

As light broke, rescue workers combed through the still-smoking and charred remains of the vessel, removing dead bodies wrapped in white plastic as distraught relatives waited on the muddy riverbank for news.

"I have just found the body of my mother-in-law. She jumped in the river and died of drowning. I don't know what happened to my wife and children," said Mohammad Russell from the riverbank near Jhalkathi, 250 kilometers south of Dhaka.

"I searched the hospital. My wife and children weren't there. I hope they survived by jumping into the river. Oh, Allah, save them," he told AFP.

Mohammad Ismail, 48, said that he threw his mother overboard into the "very cold" river and dragged her to the shore, but when he returned on a fishing boat his wife and daughter were nowhere to be seen.

"I saw a person burning in flames," he told AFP by phone. "My other daughter survived after someone threw her in the river."

"My father, me, my six-month-old nephew and my sister were traveling together. When the fire broke, I gave the baby to a man. He was trying to save the baby. But now we cannot find them," one woman survivor said.

Witnesses said the blaze originated in the engine room, which may already have been on fire when the vessel left Dhaka late Thursday.

It had a license to carry 420 people but survivors said it was overcrowded. One official estimated that up to 700 passengers were on board when it left Dhaka.

"We were sleeping on a mat on the ground floor deck. All the passengers were sleeping. My nine-year-old grandson, Nayeem, was with me, he jumped into the river. I don't know what happened to him," said an elderly grandmother.

Local police chief Moinul Islam told AFP that with an unknown number of people having jumped overboard, the death toll may rise further.

"We have sent some 100 people with burn injuries to hospitals in Barisal," Islam said.

"The fire went on for four or five hours before it was doused. The entire [ferry] has been gutted. But they managed to bring it to the shore," local district administrator Johar Ali told AFP.

"It is a new ship. It was constructed in 2019 and it has its fitness cleared until 2022," Golam Sadek, head of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, told AFP.

Experts in the South Asian nation of 170 million people blame poor maintenance, lax safety standards at shipyards and overcrowding for the all-too-frequent such tragedies.

In August, at least 21 people were killed when a boat packed with passengers and a sand-laden cargo ship collided. In April and May, 54 were killed in two separate accidents.

Fires are also a regular occurrence. In July, 52 people perished in a blaze in a food factory in an industrial town outside Dhaka. In February 2019, 70 died in another blaze.
"White-knuckle" -- That's how Rusty Whitman describes the month ahead, after the launch of the historic James Webb Space Telescope, now tentatively set for Saturday.

From a secure control room in Baltimore, Maryland, Whitman and his colleagues will hold their breath as Webb comes online. But that's just the beginning.

For the first six months after Webb's launch, Whitman and the team at the Space Telescope Science Institute will monitor the observatory around the clock, making tiny adjustments to ensure it is perfectly calibrated for astronomers across the world to explore the universe.

The most crucial moments will come at the beginning of the mission: the telescope must be placed on a precise trajectory, while at the same time unfurling its massive mirror and even larger sun-shade -- a perilous choreography.

"At the end of 30 days, I will be able to breathe a sigh of relief if we're on schedule," said Whitman, flight operations system engineering manager.

He leads the team of technicians who set up Webb's control room -- a high-tech hub with dozens of screens to monitor and control the spacecraft.

In the first row, one person alone will have the power to send commands to the $10 billion machine, which will eventually settle into an orbit over 1.5 million kilometers away.

In other stations, engineers will monitor specific systems for any anomalies.

After launch, Webb's operations are largely automated, but the team in Baltimore must be ready to handle any unexpected issues.

Luckily, they have had lots of practice.

Over the course of a dozen simulations, the engineers practiced quickly diagnosing and correcting malfunctions thought up by the team, as well as experts flown in from Europe and California.

During one of those tests, the power in the building cut out.

"It was totally unexpected," said Whitman. "The people who didn't know -- they thought it was part of the plan."

Fortunately, the team had already prepared for such an event: a back-up generator quickly restored power to the control room.

Even with the practice, Whitman is still worried about what could go wrong: "I'm nervous about the possibility that we forgot something. I'm always trying to think 'what did we forget?"

In addition to its job of keeping Webb up and running, the Space Telescope Science Institute -- based out of the prestigious Johns Hopkins University -- manages who gets to use the pricey science tool.

While the telescope will operate practically 24/7, that only leaves 8,760 hours a year to divvy up among the scientists clamoring for their shot at a ground-breaking discovery.

Black holes, exoplanets, star clusters -- how to decide which exciting experiment gets priority?

By the end of 2020, researchers from around the world submitted over 1,200 proposals, of which 400 were eventually chosen for the first year of operation.

Hundreds of independent specialists met over two weeks in early 2021 -- online due to the pandemic -- to debate the proposals and pare down the list.

The proposals were anonymized, a practice the Space Telescope Science Institute first put in place for another project it manages, the Hubble Telescope. As a result, many more projects by women and early-career scientists were chosen.

"These are exactly the kind of people we want to use the observatory, because these are new ideas," explained Klaus Pontoppidan, the science lead for Webb.

The time each project requires for observations varies in length, some needing only a few hours and the longest needing about 200.

What will be the first images revealed to the public? "I can't say," said Pontoppidan, "that is meant to be a surprise."

The early release of images and data will quickly allow scientists to understand the telescope's capacities and set up systems that work in lock step.

"We want them to be able to do their science with it quickly," Pontoppidan explained. "Then they can come back and say 'hey - we need to do more observations based on the data we already have.'"

Pontoppidan, himself an astronomer, believes Webb will lead to many discoveries "far beyond what we've seen before."

"I'm most excited about the things that we are not predicting right now, he said.

Before the Hubble launched, no exoplanets -- planets that orbit stars outside our solar system -- had been discovered. Scientists have since found thousands.
Kenya's government recently said it will pay more than $800 million of the debt owed by the national carrier, Kenya Airways, and give it nearly half-a-billion dollars in budget support over the next two years. Economists disagree on whether the government is making the right move.

The government recently said it will support the airways for two years to remain competitive.

The government recently requested $800 million from the International Monetary Fund to fund the bailout. The state owns 49 percent of the airline.

Samuel Nyandemo is a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, teaching economics. He says the government has no business supporting money-losing companies.

"Its not the work of the government to subsidize non-profit making entities," Nyandemo said. "Instead, the government should try to privatize such kinds of bodies that are not able to stand on their own feet. So, it's defeatist for the government to borrow money and start subsidizing a body like Kenya Airways which has monopoly power in the market and this is just because of mismanagement.

In September, Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Allan Kilavuka said the airline suffered a net loss of $100 million between January and June. The company lost $130 million in the same period in 2020.

The airline has been effected by COVID-19-related travel restrictions and flight cancellations.

James Shikwati, a Nairobi-based economist, says the financial hardship caused by the pandemic means the airline is qualified to receive support from the government.

I think the flexibility of the challenges caused by COVID we would say it makes sense if you keep it alive using all the instruments available that can ensure it goes back to profitability," Shikwati said.

Kenya Airways financial challenges began in 2012.

Nyandemo says the carrier is being mismanaged.

"Kenya Airways has over-employed staff. They are overpaying pilots," Nyandemo said. "All this has led to inefficiencies in terms of operational cost and thats why the Kenya airways is not able to break even. Besides that, there is gross mismanagement.

The Kenyan government has been pushing for the nationalization of the airline but parliament has so far blocked the action.

The International Monetary Fund said in a statement the government has canceled a plan to fully nationalize the airline.

Shikwati says the airline can be profitable if managed well.

"Kenya Airways and Ethiopian airlines have always been competing," Shikwati said. "Kenya, in the 80s, chose the path of privatizing as a way to make the airline competitive. I think Ethiopia at that time picked on being national heavy government-supported. So now you compare with the realities going on, creating a mixed bag in my view is not a problem. It should be something that can make the airline remain competitive.

Some economists are calling on the airline to restructure its operations, downsize its staff, negotiate new leases and contracts and use the governments support and authority.
Another two Hong Kong universities removed public artwork Friday commemorating Chinas 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijings Tiananmen Square.

The Goddess of Democracy statue was taken away before dawn from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The statue, depicting a woman holding a flame high, was created by Chen Weiming and resembled the original, which was made mostly of papier-mache and erected in Tiananmen Square during the protests.

In a statement, the university said the statue was unauthorized.

"Following an internal assessment, and as the manager of the university campus, CUHK has removed the statue," the statement said.

A relief sculpture depicting the Tiananmen massacre also disappeared Friday from a wall at Lingnan University.

On Thursday, a leading Hong Kong university dismantled and removed a statue commemorating the crackdown from campus.

Students and onlookers gathered Thursday morning at University of Hong Kong to contemplate the removal of a statue that stood in the campus for more than two decades.

University officials say the statue has been placed in storage.

The Council of HKU said in an early Thursday statement it made the decision to remove the statue during a Wednesday meeting, "based on external legal advice and risk assessment for the best interest of the university."

The artwork of anguished human torsos is one of the few remaining public memorials in the former British colony to mark the bloody crackdown, which is a taboo topic in mainland China, where it cannot be publicly commemorated.

Known as the Pillar of Shame, the statue was a key symbol of the wide-ranging freedoms promised to Hong Kong at its 1997 return to Chinese rule.

The sculptor, Jens Galschiot, told VOA he tried to negotiate with authorities to remove the statue intact so it could be taken to his native Denmark but was ignored.

He called the act brutal and said it was destroying art, and he lamented that Hong Kong is getting more and more like China.

China has never provided a full account of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Officials gave a death toll of about 300, but rights groups and witnesses say thousands may have been killed.

Authorities have been clamping down in Hong Kong under a China-imposed national security law that human rights activists say is being used to suppress civil society, jail democracy campaigners and curb basic freedoms.

Authorities say the law has restored order and stability after massive street protests in 2019. They insist freedom of speech and other rights remain intact and that prosecutions are not political.

The VOA Mandarin Service contributed to this report.
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to get tough on terrorists and bandits after explosions Thursday killed at least five people at Maiduguri airport just minutes before he arrived. Nigerian authorities have claimed progress in the fight against Islamist insurgents, but security experts say the explosions throw that claim into question.

The president, speaking during his visit to Maiduguri Thursday, said security forces will employ new military hardware in their operations against bandits and terror groups in the north.

The president said, "I have ordered, and we have started receiving, some military hardware, aircraft, armored cars, helicopters, and we are going to be very hard on them."

Buhari also praised the efforts of troops responding to the insurgency, stating that the security situation in northeastern Nigeria is much better than it used to be.

But the multiple explosions on three areas in Maiduguri, including one a few kilometers away from the airport where the president was to land Thursday, show the terrorists remain active, says security analyst Ebenezer Oyetakin.

"They can still effectively terrorize whosoever is their target, and that is exactly what they have done yesterday," Oyetakin said. "It also shows that they are still very much around."

No group claimed responsibility for Thursday's explosions that killed at least five people, but Borno state residents and experts say the attack bears the hallmark of Boko Haram.

Nigerian authorities say recent operations against the Islamist terrorist group are making a significant impact.

On Thursday, defense authorities said 51 terrorists have been killed within the past two weeks, while more than 1,000 have surrendered.

But Borno State resident and freelance journalist Sani Adam says the surrender of some terrorists does not eliminate the threat.

"The reason why they are surrendering is because they lack leadership because of Shekau's death," Adam said. "

Abubakar Shekau, the head of the chief Boko Haram sect, reportedly was killed in June.

Boko Haram and splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province, have waged war against the government in the northeast since 2009.

Oyetakin says the terrorists were making a statement with the Maiduguri bombings.

"They always want to demonstrate that they are still around, even when they have been weakened," Oyetakin said. "So, they always want to project themselves from the angle of strength."

More than 300,000 people are estimated to have been killed by terrorists in the northeast, and millions of others remain displaced from their homes.
The Russian foreign ministry said Friday that someone had thrown a Molotov cocktail at the Russian consulate in Ukraine's Lviv and that it had formally protested over the attack, which it called "an act of terrorism."

Russia's foreign ministry summoned a Ukrainian official and demanded apologies from Ukrainian authorities.

Ukrainian police in Lviv said they had launched an investigation into the incident, which they referred to as "hooliganism."
New satellite images captured by a private U.S. company show that Russia has continued to build up its forces in annexed Crimea and near Ukraine in recent weeks while pressing the United States for talks over security guarantees it is seeking.

Reuters could not independently verify the latest images from U.S.-based Maxar Technologies. The Kremlin reiterated on Friday that it reserves the right to move its own forces on Russian territory as it sees fit and that Western countries were carrying out provocative military maneuvers near its borders.

U.S., European and Ukrainian leaders have accused Russia of building up troops again near Ukraine's border since October after an earlier brief buildup in April, when Maxar also released images. U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders say Moscow appears to be weighing an attack on Ukraine as soon as next month, something Moscow has repeatedly denied.

The images released late on Thursday showed a base in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, packed with hundreds of armored vehicles and tanks as of Dec. 13. A Maxar satellite image of the same base in October showed the base was half empty.

Maxar said a new brigade-level unit, comprised of several hundred armored vehicles that include BMP-series infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, self-propelled artillery and air defense equipment, had arrived at the Russian garrison.

"Over the past month, our high-resolution satellite imagery has observed a number of new Russian deployments in Crimea as well as in several training areas in western Russia along the periphery of the Ukraine border," Maxar said in a statement.

It cited increased activity at three sites in Crimea and at five sites in western Russia.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia wanted to avoid conflict, but needed an "immediate" response from the United States and its allies to its demands for security guarantees. Moscow has said it expects talks with U.S. officials on the subject to start in January in Geneva.

When asked on Friday about the build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was acting to defend its own security.

"Russia is moving its own troops around on its own territory against the backdrop of highly unfriendly actions by our opponents in NATO, the United States and various European countries who are carrying out highly unambiguous maneuvers near our borders," said Peskov.

"This forces us to take certain measures to guarantee our own security."

Biden has threatened strong economic and other measures if Russia invades Ukraine, building on sanctions imposed over Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and backing for an ongoing separatist rebellion by pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. A U.S. official has said new retaliatory measures could include tough export controls.

Russia says it wants NATO to halt its eastwards expansion and is seeking guarantees that the Western military alliance will not deploy certain offensive weapons to Ukraine and other neighboring countries.

Other Maxar images showed a build-up at the Soloti staging ground in Russia close to the Ukrainian border, with photos shot at the start of December showing a larger concentration of military hardware than in September.

Other pictures showed continuing build-ups at Yelnya, a Russian town around 160 miles (260 km) north of the Ukrainian border, and at the Pogonovo training ground near the southern Russian city of Voronezh.
Instead of celebrating their sons coming-of-age, this month 34 families in South Africas Eastern Cape province are mourning their deaths.

At least 34 young men have died this month during traditional initiation to manhood rites. The country's cultural rights commission is calling for a crackdown on schools that offer the dangerous rituals to prevent more deaths.

Initiation to manhood is a common tradition, especially among the Xhosa people. But it is also dangerous and can be deadly.

Every year, teenage boys leave their families to spend weeks with a traditional leader in the wilderness, where they also undergo circumcision.

South African officials are scrambling to understand what went wrong this season.

David Luka Mosoma is chairman of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities.

"No nation prides itself by committing genocide of his sons... and no culture can be blamed for this because the deaths of an initiate is a consequence of human negligence, including the current criminal activities and commercialization of the practice, said Mosoma.

South African Police are investigating the deaths, which authorities said appeared to be from botched circumcisions, negligence, and abuse.

Authorities earlier this month said one boy drowned after a leader forced him to swim.

The premier of Eastern Capes province, Oscar Mabuyane, told reporters that communities must take more responsibility to ensure safety during the rite of passage.

Various complications that could have been avoided if men in communities played their part in the process, said Mabuyane. "How do you explain to mothers of these boys that they died in our care because of septic wounds, dehydration and assault?

The cultural rights commission says nearly 700 young men have died in the past decade during initiation rites, while countless more suffered botched circumcisions.

Despite public outrage sparked by the deaths, outlawing the ancestral tradition in South Africa isnt an option.

Ubuntu Family Health Center clinical psychologist Anele Siswana studies initiation rites. He says the tradition is too important for communities.

There's a place and relevance for what this process is about. It has a lot to do with helping young boys to become better men what it means to be a responsible person, what it means to be a provider, what it means to be someone that provides security, what does it mean for you to be independen, said Siswana.

Siswana says the commercialization of the tradition has contributed to the rise of illegal schools vying to make a profit.

Illegal initiation schools have been blamed for the bulk of recent fatalities.

South Africa has laws in place to ensure the safety of initiates, but rights commission chairman Mosoma says the funds and resources needed to enforce regulations are lacking.

Specialized court (should) be introduced to fast-track charges and prosecution to deal with initiation-related crimes, said Mosoma. "No one should be spared for committing gross violations or gross negligence.

Meanwhile, South Africas Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities is calling for the immediate closure of illegal schools and closer monitoring of registered ones.
Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached and jailed in a far-reaching corruption scandal that rocked the country in 2016 and 2017, has been pardoned by her successor.

South Koreas Justice Ministry on Friday included Park in a list of those granted a special amnesty for the sake of national harmony.

We must overcome the pain of the past and move forward into the new era, President Moon Jae-in said in a statement. Now is the time to boldly join forces toward the future rather than quarrel with each other in the past.

Moon added that Parks health had deteriorated significantly during her five years in prison.

The 69-year-old Park, who was serving a 22-year jail sentence, had experienced problems with her back, shoulder, and mental health. She had spent much of her jail sentence in a hospital.

Her pardon is likely to have far-reaching political consequences in South Korea, which is fiercely divided over Parks legacy. The issue will figure prominently in the countrys presidential campaign ahead of a March 9 vote.

Park is the daughter of South Koreas longtime military dictator, Park Chung-hee, who was assassinated in 1979. The Parks are reviled by South Koreas liberals, the driving force behind the countrys democratization in the 1980s. However, many conservatives still look fondly on the military dictatorship, saying it helped lead to South Koreas rapid economic development.

Park, South Koreas first and only female president, was removed from office in 2016 following months of nationwide protests, known as the Candlelight Movement, demanding her ouster. She was imprisoned in 2017 on charges of abuse of power, coercion and bribery.

Her potential pardon had long been the subject of debate in South Korea, where it is very common for ex-presidents to be jailed, often by their political rivals. In the end, Park, a conservative, was pardoned by Moon, a liberal.

It is not clear how the move will affect the presidential campaign. Polls now show a tight race between ruling party nominee and former provincial governor Lee Jae-myung and main conservative candidate Yoon Seok-youl, a former chief prosecutor.

'A new era'

Both candidates face a tricky situation when it comes to Parks pardon.

Yoon, the conservative candidate, on Friday welcomed the move, saying the pardon was late but justified. However, he is in a difficult position, having led Parks 2017 prosecution  a moment that effectively made him a star in South Korean politics.

Yoon is the one who put her in prison. So Yoon is also not in a good position, said Lee Sang-sin, a researcher with the Korea Institute for National Unification.

Lee, the liberal candidate, had publicly opposed a pardon; he may now find it necessary to criticize President Moon, a member of his own party. The pardon may spark a backlash among liberals, Lee, the KINU researcher, said.

According to a poll last month, 39% of South Korean voters supported a pardon, while 44% opposed it.

Among supporters of South Koreas ruling liberal Democratic Party, 77% of voters opposed a pardon.

In his statement, Moon pleaded with those who may oppose the pardon, saying it should serve as an opportunity for unity, harmony, and the beginning of a new era.

Considering the many challenges we face, he said, national unity and humble inclusiveness are more urgent than anything else.
Taliban officials in Afghanistan confirmed Friday that they had discussed plans with a joint delegation from Turkey and Qatar for firms from the two countries to run airports in Kabul and other Afghan cities.

The talks came as the international community looks for ways to scale up delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, where millions of people are facing extreme hunger.

Taliban transport ministry spokesman Imamuddin Ahmadi told VOA a preliminary round of discussions with a joint team of Turkish and Qatari companies was held Thursday. He said further meetings were planned for early next week, but no deal had been reached so far.

Before traveling to Kabul this week, Turkish and Qatari companies signed a memorandum of understanding to operate the city's airport on the basis of equal partnership, Turkish media reported Thursday.

Ahmadi said other airports under discussions with the Turkey-Qatar delegation were in the Afghan provinces of Balkh, Herat, Kandahar and Khost.

Ankara agreed to provide security for the Kabul airport after the Taliban took over the country in mid-August following the abrupt U.S.-led foreign troop withdrawal from the country later that month.

Turkey helped the U.S.-backed deposed Afghan government manage and protect the airport for six years until the final international troops left the country August 31.

The abrupt, chaotic U.S. troop exit from the country damaged parts of the Kabul airport. Qatar helped the Taliban repair and make the facility operational again.

The United States and its allies evacuated 124,000 foreign nationals and at-risk Afghans after the Taliban seized control of the capital. But thousands more people want to leave the country, mostly those who worked closely with the former government and Western militaries, fearing Taliban reprisals.

The departure of the foreign forces and financial sanctions on the Taliban have plunged Afghanistan into economic turmoil and worsened the humanitarian crisis stemming from years of war, drought and high levels of poverty.

The U.N. estimates more than half of the countrys nearly 40 million people face starvation, with 1 million children at risk of dying of severe acute malnutrition.

Kabuls airport is currently the main route for flying humanitarian assistance into Afghanistan and for people who want to leave the country.
Uganda's director of public prosecution has charged 15 suspects with terrorism in connection with November bombings claimed by the Islamic State terror group.

The 15 suspects appeared Wednesday before a magistrates court where the charges were read to them.

The charges are in connection with bombings and other terror activities in the areas of Mpigi, Wakiso and Kampala in which four people were killed.

The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks but authorities believe they were carried out by a Ugandan rebel group, the Allied Democratic Forces.

Jacquelyn Okui is the spokesperson for Ugandas director of public prosecution.

Director of public prosecution has charged 15 suspects with three counts of terrorism, two counts of aiding and abetting terrorism and one count of belonging to a terrorist organization, Okui said.

The suspects, all Ugandan nationals, include five women.

Okui says the matter is still being investigated and upon completion, the police will resubmit the case file to the DPPs office for the purpose of putting the suspects on trial.

During raids to dismantle the ADF cells in the East African country following the November suicide bombings, Uganda Police said they killed five suspected terrorists and arrested over 20 suspected ADF members.

Ugandan and Democratic Republic of Congo army forces also launched air strikes and sent troops into Congos Beni district to hunt for ADF fighters.

The joint forces reported capturing 35 ADF fighters and destroying some of the rebel forces strongholds in eastern DRC.

The ADF has been blamed for thousands of killings in the DRC and Uganda over the past two decades.
The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office has asked a court to arrest former President Petro Poroshenko on suspicion of high treason and financing pro-Russian separatists, a lawmaker from Poroshenko's faction in parliament said Friday.

On Christmas Eve, the prosecutor general office confirmed the information ... that the prosecutor general had approved a motion to arrest Poroshenko with the possibility of bail set at 1 billion hryvnia [$37 million]," Iryna Gerashchenko said on Facebook.

The prosecutor general's office declined to confirm Gerashchenko's claim.

On Monday, the state investigative bureau said Poroshenko, who is visiting Poland, was suspected of "facilitating the activities" of terrorist organizations in a preliminary conspiracy with an unnamed group of people, including some top officials in Russia.

The next day, Poroshenko dismissed as unacceptable a decision by authorities to investigate him for high treason. His party said the accusation was fabricated on the instructions of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

"Our political team views the recent actions [of the presidential office] and its fully controlled security forces as political repression against the opposition and its leader, selective justice, intimidation and pressure," Gerashchenko said.

Ukraine has been at war with Russian-backed separatists in the Donbass region since 2014. Moscow has unnerved the West with a troop buildup near Ukraine in recent months.
This year, Republicans and Democrats have made a point of publicly embracing Taiwan with a flurry of congressional visits and an invitation to the Democracy Summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden. State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching reports on how officials are promoting closer U.S.-Taiwan ties without fundamentally changing Washington's overall "One China" policy.
This close to Christmas, scores of Zimbabwean travelers would normally be packed at bus stations, rushing to get home from neighbouring South Africa, to see their loved ones. However, bus drivers are seeing far less people than expected. COVID-19 shut the borders for much of 2020. (Reuters)
Italy tightens rules amid rapid spread of Omicron variant.

The Italian government has banned all public New Year's Eve celebrations and ordered the closure of night clubs and discos until 31 January 2022, as part of fresh covid restrictions announced on Thursday.

The measures, designed to stem soaring covid-19 cases during the busy Christmas period, came the same day that Italy registered a record high daily caseload of 44,595 new coronavirus infections, the highest since the start of the pandemic.

The nationwide restrictions follow the recent cancellation of planned New Year events in many cities across Italy as mayors and regional took matters into their own hands.

Italy's latest rules include a return to wearing masks outdoors, with the more protective FFP2 masks required on public transport and in cinemas, theatres and at sporting events.

The scope of the Super Green Pass - which can only be obtained by those who have been vaccinated or recovered from covid - has been extended to museums, gyms, swimming pools and bars, meaning that unvaccinated people will be unable to drink a coffee or eat a sandwich at the counter.

The duration of the Green Pass certificate will also be cut to six months from the current nine, with effect from 1 February, with the waiting time for a third dose 'booster' following second vaccinations reduced to four months from five.

The new measures come as preliminary studies carried out by Italy's higher health institute (ISS) show that the Omicron variant accounted for 28 per cent of covid cases in the country.
Virginia Postrel: You came to the U.S. as a graduate student in psychology in 1992 and worked for many years at the Institute of International Education, as well as other jobs in international education. Your new book, America Calling, is a memoir of your own experiences and a report on the general state of foreign students in the U.S. How is the experience of current students different today from when you came?Rajika Bhandari, author, America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility: Students are quite different in how theyre approaching the idea of a foreign credential. Theyre seeing it from the perspective of a very savvy consumer. Should I go to the U.S.? Is that the best return on investment for my familys money? Or am I going to go to the U.K. or some other country? Students are armed with information in a way that they never were before.
Further bolstering the case that Putin is only pretending to lose touch with reality is that his demands are consistent with what he has been saying for nearly 15 years. In a 2007 speech in Munich, Putin argued that Russia was promised that, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NATO would not expand to Eastern Europe. This history is debatable. What is not debatable is that large majorities in countries that were once under the sway of the Soviet Union favored joining the NATO alliance. Putins proposal ignored the right to self determination of Poles, Latvians and others.
Some people I spoke with are now planning to leave Singapore for good. Expats will come and go. The problem for the government isnt a few disrupted Christmas holidays, but rebuilding trust in regional business travel, particularly among employment-pass holders who arent guaranteed re-entry. Early in the pandemic, many expat families were split up for months because one parent had been traveling abroad when Singapore closed its borders. Who will get on a plane and chance that outcome today? What business will want to foot the bill for an employees indeterminate hotel stay if borders shut suddenly? Singapore may be proudly risk averse, but it seems all too willing to gamble its carefully managed reputation away.More From Other Writers at Bloomberg Opinion:
Makepeace was one of several artists selected by NASA to document the telescope before its deployment to a planned orbit almost 1 million miles from Earth. The D.C. resident worked from photographs, mostly his own, to draw realistic but not overly technical close-ups of the device. His statement notes that he enjoys the counterintuitive idea . . . of using a very imprecise medium, like soft charcoal, to render the image of one of the most technically advanced and precise objects ever devised and constructed by mankind.
Some of the international flight cancellations did not appear to be related to the pandemic, and the overall disruption was modest. But in the United States, the cancellations struck during one of the busiest travel periods in two years. Some people who spent last years holidays at home  before vaccines were rolled out for most people  were willing to venture to airports after enduring nearly two years of restrictions.
2

On May 7, 1912, a pedestrian at 14th and F streets NW pointed at the Washington Monument and excitedly said that a man was climbing up the side of the obelisk. Soon, a crowd of hundreds gathered to watch the daredevil. What did they really see?
Iranian general calls war games a warning to Israel: War games conducted this week by Iran in the Persian Gulf were intended to send a warning to Israel, the country's top military commanders said. The Revolutionary Guards' war games, which included firing ballistic and cruise missiles, ended Friday. "These exercises had a very clear message: a serious, real  warning to threats by the Zionist regime's authorities to beware of their mistakes," Gen. Hossein Salami, chief of the Guards, said on state TV. "We will cut off their hands if they make a wrong move."
Lower courts routinely assign cases to judges randomly to foil this pernicious practice. The current Supreme Court situation is forum shopping on steroids. The litigants in particular cases probably intend to lose in every court below as quickly as possible to reach their chosen judges. We can stop this without changing how the Supreme Court hears cases by not expanding the court, but rather, extending it: three panels of the current nine-justice format, with cases randomly assigned. Perhaps an en banc option for serious matters. Cases are still heard by nine justices; its just that the litigants dont know which panel theyll get. And without that assured outcome, the current charade pretending to be justice can be ended.
The Russell Senate Office Building is a key government building, one named to honor the memory of former senator Richard Brevard Russell Jr. (D-Ga.). In his long career in the Senate (1933 to 1971), and as noted by Adam Jentleson in Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy, Russell first opposed and then blocked key civil rights bills introduced to protect African Americans from lynching, disenfranchisement and unequal treatment under the law. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, Russell, the former governor of Georgia, responded by boycotting the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
Trump has been highly critical of the panels work, saying it is partisan and that its only goal is to hurt him politically. He refers to it as the Unselect Committee, playing off its official title of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Trump and Republican lawmakers have argued that the committees subpoenas and requests for information are fishing expeditions, and it is unclear how much the committee has uncovered beyond what is publicly known about what happened that day.
A plaque of copper alloy in the Benin Kingdom Court Style from the mid-16th to 17th centuries. (Franko Khoury/National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution)

I have a visceral reaction to seeing things that shouldnt be on display, says the new director of the African Art Museum.
HADDAM  A driver was taken to the hospital after crashing into a utility pole Wednesday afternoon, according to fire officials.

Shortly after 3 p.m., Haddam volunteer firefighters responded to a one-vehicle crash on Parker Hill Road South with reported wires down and possible entrapment, officials said.
WESTPORT  Christmas is often referred to as the season for giving and this year, the Westport community took that saying a step further to ensure that students in need would also have a happy holiday.

The Westport Education Association, students, the Parent Teacher Association and other members of the community joined together to sponsor nearly 100 students across the state as part of the Connecticut Education Association Holiday Bear Project, a program which collects gifts for students in need.

This community is generous to a fault, Westport Education Association Co-President and Staples High School math teacher, Stacey Delmhorst, said. We put out a call like this and it just comes pouring in. Im so glad that I work in a community where were able to do this for other communities right down the road. It means a lot to me, and every year Im just more overwhelmed by what weve been able to accomplish.

CEA Vice President and Connecticut Education Foundation President, Joslyn DeLancey, said altogether this years collection was able to give presents to nearly 500 students from grades K-12. She said the collection was also a significant improvement over last year, which only collected about 200 due to COVID.

Delancey said because they were unable to get into schools last year, they collected gift cards instead of gifts. While last year was difficult to collect gifts, she said this year has reminded everyone of just how important it is to give.

Its tremendously important one because of the amount of community building that it did, especially for the students who were sponsoring, Delancey said. They could actually give somebody something happy and fun and celebrate after all of the loss that weve seen throughout the pandemic especially for kids who have lost family members to COVID or whose parents are out of work because of the current issue.

She added gift cards do not translate the same. Theres something really special about being able to open actual presents.

CEA has been running the holiday bear project for over 20 years. Delmhorst said Westport schools have been involved with the program for the last five or so years. She said she remembers thinking if one student and their family can go out and buy a couple of gifts, what a whole classroom of kids would be able to do would be huge.

When I first heard about it I thought this would be a great way to get my kids involved, she said. We were talking a lot about kindness with sincerity here and how doing things for other people without getting something in return is really important.

She said this collection put that into practice.

 I found that it really brought the classes together so I continued to do it, she said.

The students were tasked with buying a gift from the Christmas list and bringing it to school. All of the students then took a period off to wrap the gifts.

Delancey said academics are important, but that community building is an important aspect that gave all the students something to look forward to.

The Westport community was so generous in some of the gifts that they provided, Delancey said.

serenity.bishop@hearstmediact.com
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Senior Adviser - Ethics in Evidence Generation, Florence, Italy

Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund

Country: Italy

City: Florence

Office: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence

Closing date: Thursday, 20 January 2022

Senior Adviser - Ethics in Evidence Generation, Fixed Term P5 - Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence Italy

Job no: 546998

Position type: Fixed Term Appointment

Location: Italy Division/Equivalent: Field Results Group

School/Unit: Florence, Italy

Department/Office: Office of Research

Categories: Private Fundraising and Partnerships

UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Research

Job organizational context: To underpin its programmatic, policy and advocacy work, UNICEF invests substantially in commissioning and conducting research, evaluation and data collection and analysis in order to create a strong evidence base to support the realization of the rights of every child, especially the most disadvantaged.

The Office of Research-Innocenti (UNICEF Innocenti) is the dedicated research office of UNICEF. It commissions and undertakes research on emerging or current issues of relevance for children in order to inform the strategic directions, policies and programmes of UNICEF and its partners. The office explores emerging issues, identifies research gaps, and brings together existing researchers to support or undertake new research, data collection and analysis to address critical questions. Under the UNICEF Policy on Research (CF/EXD/2016-2003) of 19 April 2016, the Office also supports and facilitates the research of other parts of UNICEF, including through the development of appropriate procedures and guidelines and establishing quality and ethical standards. This includes the establishment and oversight of the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation and Data Collection and Analysis (CF/PD/DRP/2015-001 v.2 March 2021) of 1st April 2021.

DAPM is responsible for driving and shaping UNICEFs evidence-informed analysis and advocacy, strategic planning, monitoring, reporting and learning. The work enables UNICEF to function in a more coherent manner across headquarters, regional offices and country offices to accelerate results for children at-scale based on data, evidence, and analysis, and the application of human-rights based and results-based management approaches. The Data & Analytics section (D&A) which sits within the Division of Data Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM), is the global go-to for data on children. It leads the collection, validation, analysis, use and communication of the most statistically sound, internationally comparable data on the situation of children and women around the world. D&A upholds the quality, integrity and organization of these data and makes them accessible as a global public good on the data.unicef.org website.

UNICEFs Evaluation Office, based in New York, serves as the steward of UNICEFs independent evaluation function. The Evaluation Office commissions and manages independent corporate evaluations and other evaluative exercises (e.g., evaluability assessments, syntheses, reviews), usually conducted in collaboration with external consultants but sometimes embedding Evaluation Office staff in the evaluation teams. It also leads in the development and implementation of evaluation policy, strategy and systems; oversees evaluation quality assurance processes; undertakes evaluation capacity development activities within and outside the Organization; actively promotes an enabling environment for evaluation and a strong evaluation culture; and ensures transparent access to evaluation information. Working in a complementary manner with UNICEFs other data, evidence and research functions, the Evaluation Office aims to deliver consistently timely, credible and useful independent analyses that harness knowledge to help the Organization deliver results for children.

All three offices play a key role in building an evidence and learning culture across UNICEF and beyond and have responded to the institutional requirement for stronger ethical standards in all evidence generation and use activities by developing relevant procedures, guidance and tools. They have also provided technical assistance across the organization and beyond to strengthen generation, communication and use of quality-assured and ethically generated evidence in decision-making

Further information on UNICEF-Innocenti can be found at https://www.unicef-irc.org/ and some of its work to date on ethical evidence generation at https://www.unicef-irc.org/research/ethical-research-and-children/

Information on the Evaluation Office and evaluation function can be found at https://www.unicef.org/evaluation/.

information on the Data and Analytics function can be found at: https://data.unicef.org/about-us/

Purpose of the job: Ethical reflection and conduct in evidence generation is requisite in an equity-based organizational framework. A focus on the most marginalized, and frequently, the most vulnerable population groups necessitates measures to ensure that participants are respected and that the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of all children, groups and persons involved in or likely impacted by the evidence generation activity are protected throughout the process. Further, efforts must be taken not only to mitigate against risks to participants, but also to staff and to the organization as a whole. Finally, the practice of data collection and analysis entails ethical issues that extend beyond the "do no harm" principle and include issues around bias mitigation and other threats to the validity and reliability of data being used in analysis, as well as ethical knowledge management practices in the dissemination and rollout of analytical work.

The incumbent is responsible for acting as an institutional focal point for technical advisory support in ethical evidence generation (EEG) to UNICEFs 220+ offices and National Committees. This role also has a mandate within UNICEF for developing standards, training and education on ethical evidence generation issues and for representing the organization or providing inputs to relevant UN and other external for a on such issues. The incumbent will also develop think pieces in new and emerging areas of ethics and child rights, for example, ethics in a digital age or ethics and innovation, particularly in relation to global audiences and as a contribution to our global public goods mandate.

He/She will work with staff to attain high ethical standards in their proposed evidence generation and use activities and will be responsible for establishing processes to ensure the organization has access to internal and external ethical review processes. Where relevant, the incumbent will manage, design or implement these processes and support their development where local responses are created.

The incumbent will be required to deliver training on EEG which may take place at any of our global locations or be delivered remotely. The post will also be responsible for developing other capacity-strengthening materials or tools as necessary in order to support ethical evidence generation and use amongst UNICEF staff and partners more widely.

This post will report directly to the Director of UNICEF Innocenti with on-going guidance and input from the Director of Evaluation and the Chief Data Officer, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring. More formal matrix management reporting arrangements will also be explored in 2022.

The post will be based at the UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti in Florence, Italy.

Summary of the key functions/accountabilities:

1. Set an agenda for the Ethics in Evidence Generation function for the period of the new Strategic Plan 2022 2025 (15%) and monitor outcomes.

Audit organizational needs across UNICEFs service and programme functions in relation to ethical evidence generation, technical gaps and support needs.

Ensure ongoing monitoring of frontier issues in ethics in evidence generation, particularly as pertains to technologies.

Establish and monitor an implementation plan for the duration of the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022 - 2025, focusing on priority activities for the period and reflecting and reviewing implementation in relation to contemporary developments and needs over the period.

2. Establish UNICEF Ethics Review Processes across the organization that are flexible and responsive to organizational need (20%)

Maintain and continue to promote the UNICEF U-Report Ethics Focal Point programme allowing for local reviews of polls submitted via the U-Report and other digital platforms.

Provide remote training for U-Report Ethics Focal Points and timely technical assistance for complex or sensitive polls on request.

Provide regular technical assistance to staff on whether ethical review is required, its potential nature and appropriate review processes to utilise.

Establish, monitor and quality assure use of private IRBs/ERBs under Long-Term Agreements or other appropriate organizational contracting arrangements.

Support any local development of UNICEF ethics review panels through the provision of templates and delivery of training as required and orientation of panel members to the technical and ethical literature, appropriate policy, statutes and regulations.

Determine the nature, implementation, maintenance and quality assurance of any contracting arrangement with third party ethical review providers.

Document common EEG issues arising at UNICEF and disseminate de-identified findings to inform guidance materials, training, lesson-learning and other institutional capacity development activities as well as to inform external discourse and products on critical issues relating to EEG involving children.

Develop other tailored approaches for ethical review as required.

3. Provide ongoing technical advisory support in ethical evidence generation and use, acting as an institutional focal point in this area (25%)

Provide technical advisory support to staff on complex operational questions pertaining to ethical evidence generation, to mitigate against ethical violations and/or endorsement of partner activities that may present not only ethical, but legal and reputational issues as well as to ensure joined up and consistent ethical processes across the organization.

Participate and contribute to relevant organizational working groups in relation to issues such as data privacy, child safeguarding, data governance and technologies and ethics. Provide inputs into relevant internal and external documents on critical issues and organizational positions in relation to ethical considerations in these domains.

Provide ethical guidance to UNICEF staff across programming and for evidence generation activities undertaken by National Committees as well as service units and divisions that undertake various forms of data collection and analysis that involve human subjects or sensitive secondary data.

Monitor the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation and Data Collection and Analysis (2021) to ensure ongoing relevance, minimum standards, incorporation of technological advances that may affect its implementation and its practical application in the field for subsequent reviews of the Procedure.

Provide advisory support to ensure that ethical standards are maintained along the entire evidence chain from generation, through to sharing and safe storage/disposal of data as well as of data use/re-use, working in close collaboration with the Data Protection & Privacy Specialist situated within the Office of the Executive Director in order to ensure consistency of advice.

4. Capacity development in Ethical Evidence Generation for UNICEF staff and partners (25%)

Undertake training and institutional capacity building activities in ethical evidence generation tailored to UNICEF needs, such as online presentations, consultations, face-to face workshops in global or regional events and meetings and online e-course development.

Contribute to delivering Innocentis Research Management and Methods training (and associated products) upon request to regional and country offices, including updating and delivering the existing module on Ethical Evidence Generation within the training.

Maintain and update the Innocenti Ethics in Evidence Generation webpage providing tools, guides and relevant resources and links to support organizational practice

Maintain the Child Research Legislation Mapping project

5. Internal and External Engagement with Relevant Partners (15%)

Contribute to production of new think pieces including Innocenti discussion papers related to new and emerging areas of ethical research and child rights e.g. ethics in a digital age, ethics and technologies for data collection etc. This should seek to maintain UNICEFs reputation amongst external audiences as a global thought leader on critical ethical issues relating to evidence generation involving children and help to facilitate and inform external discourse and advocacy.

Represent UNICEF in regular meetings of the United Nations Inter-Agency Committee on Bioethics. c2QGLgQ Dh7qKS

Participate or input into other relevant external fora including conferences and meetings of relevance to ethical evidence generation involving children.

Liaise with the UNICEF Ethics Office for cross referral of relevant ethics issues and requests for advice and, where appropriate, to support the UNICEF Ethics Office with organization-wide Ethics initiatives.

Contribute to the UNICEF Evidence into Action blog and to the relevant evidence functions webinars, podcasts, Facebook chats and other communication channels as appropriate - to make a contribution to ensuring that UNICEF retains its thought leadership role in the Ethics and Child Rights area.

Manage and support the Ethical Research Involving Children Programme (ERIC) in collaboration with Southern Cross University ensuring further development of blogs, research tools, training resources, case studies and online events where relevant to generate awareness of ethical research involving children, support reflective practice and foster greater interest and engagement with the ERIC initiative.

Participate as a member of the United Nations Evaluation Group working group on ethics.

Participate in relevant organizational committees and working groups including the Responsible Data for Children Initiative managed by Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring Division and the data sharing working group led by the Legal Office.

Ensure that UNICEF staff across all evidence functions (data, research, evaluation) are kept informed and updated in all areas of ethical evidence generation to enable them to carry out their own roles and in support of an organizational evidence and learning culture.

For every child, you demonstrate: Core Values

Care

Respect

Integrity

Trust

Accountability

Core Competencies

Builds and maintains partnerships (I)

Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (I)

Drive to achieve results for impact (I)

Innovates and embraces change (I)

Manages ambiguity and complexity (I)

Thinks and acts strategically (I)

Works collaboratively with others (I)

Functional Competencies

Analyzing (III)

Relating & Networking (III)

Deciding & Initiating Action (III)

Applying Technical Expertise (III)

Planning and Organizing (III)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Qualifications:

Education: Advanced university degree in social or political science, international relations, ethics, human rights, child rights or other fields related to the work of UNICEF. A Ph.D. or equivalent qualification or experience is preferred but not essential.

Professional Experience: A minimum of fifteen years of professional experience at the national and international levels, preferably in the fields of international development research/evaluation and child rights.

Demonstrable knowledge of principles, regulations, guidelines, policies, and ethical standards governing conduct of research with human subjects, particularly with children .

Experience in human research ethics deliberation including membership of formal or informal ethics review committees. Provision of ethical decision making in respect of research involving children within a review process will be highly regarded.

At least three years of experience in designing and delivering organizational learning, tools, guidance, capacity building and training activities regarding ethical evidence generation with human subjects.

Demonstrable understanding of evolving ethical research processes and practices in the digital age.

Strong networks in the research ethics field, particularly amongst those working in the international development and child rights sectors.

Demonstrated ability to create and implement effective ethical policies and procedures across diverse and decentralized institutional contexts.

Understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks for the transfer and use of human subjects data across diverse international contexts.

Proven experience in communicating complex scientific concepts in a straight-forward manner for non-specialists, through oral and written channels.

Proven ability to convey credibility and authority when delivering ethics-related technical advisory support and training. Other requirements: Previous experience in establishing and managing a Human Research Ethics Review Board or Committee would be well regarded but is not essential.

Independent decision making, critical appraisal and attention to detail skills and the ability to make good judgements are critical.

Ability to navigate complex ethical situations, giving contextualized and pragmatic advice.

Experience in applying ethical regulations and guidance to practical situations including in low and middle-income country contexts.

Demonstrated experience of translating strategic direction into tangible objectives and plans of action.

Demonstrated ability to work independently, organize work according to deadlines, set high standards for quality of work and consistently achieve project goals.

Solid writing, analytical, problem-solving and presentation skills particularly in the context of international work settings.

Good knowledge of UNICEFs internal organization is an advantage but not essential.

Language Requirements: Fluency in spoken and written English is required; working knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

Remarks:

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Internal candidates may be given preference over external candidates. The term "Internal" refers to all staff members with fixed term, continuing or permanent appointments.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Advertised: Dec 21 2021 W. Europe Standard Time Application close: Jan 20 2022 W. Europe Standard Time

Link to the organizations job offer: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1640115664908
A spate of positive COVID tests in the restaurant business, on top of the latest round of social distancing restrictions ordering restaurants and other public commercial venues to revert back to 50 per cent capacity, has triggered a mini avalanche of temporary restaurant closures across the city.

A spate of positive COVID tests in the restaurant business, on top of the latest round of social distancing restrictions ordering restaurants and other public commercial venues to revert back to 50 per cent capacity, has triggered a mini avalanche of temporary restaurant closures across the city.

But worse than that, industry veterans fear the timing of the latest restrictions  coming as it has during the busiest week of the year  will presage a spate of permanent closures that will slowly emerge in the traditionally slow months of January and February.

The fourth wave caused by the Omicron variant has struck a number of local establishments with positive tests among staff causing them to temporarily close and inspiring a new form of doom scrolling on social media where many establishments let their patrons know about their status.

This could not have come at a worse time."  Steve Diubaldo, coowner of the Handsome Daughter

"This could not have come at a worse time," said Steve Diubaldo, one of the owners of the Handsome Daughter, a live music venue on Sherbrook Street, in reference to their decision to close until at least next week after one of their staff members tested positive.

"Everyone was looking forward to finally being able to make some money because this is typically the busiest couple of weeks of the year," he said.

Instagram posts from Kings Head, La Roca, The Roost, Oxbow, Confusion Corner Drinks + Food and all the Leopolds locations in the city ad others echo similar scenarios that have prompted temporary closures at all those establishments.

But there are some who believe that regardless of staff infections that have forced closures or their relative ability to continue to provide excellent dining experiences even at 50 per cent occupancy, the latest government order has devastated consumer confidence in dining out.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Scott McTaggart, owner and operator of Fusion Grill.

Scott McTaggart, the owner/operator of Fusion Grill on Academy Street runs a nimble, 12-table dining room with a small staff of seasoned professionals.

He said, "The announcement last Friday restricting occupancy to 50 per cent was not the issue. The issue is that consumer confidence went into the toilet. A half hour after the announcement we started getting calls from people cancelling reservations."

Restaurant and hotel staff have been on the blower all week encouraging patrons to come out.

But still, Shaun Jeffrey of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said, "Cancellation rates for holiday parties has been atrocious."

SUPPLIED Manitoba Restaurant & Food Services Association executive director Shaun Jeffrey.

Jeffrey applauded the province for quickly coming to the table with some modest financial supports this week for affected business but believes its unfair that his industry has suffered the most grievous damage.

"By announcing the last round of restrictions the government was telling the public, whether they actually said it out loud or not, that the restaurant industry is unsafe and there is nothing further from the truth," he said.

And the added cruelty for the restaurant industry of having to forego vital holiday season earnings, is that retail stores are open and busy.

"It is brutal seeing the malls full," Jeffrey said. "It is such a gut punch at this time of the year, saying one industry is more safe than the other."

Some, like Diubaldo, said, "I cant take it too personally or Id go off the deep end. Youve got to roll with the punches. Thats all we can do."

I cant take it too personally or Id go off the deep end. Youve got to roll with the punches. Thats all we can do.  Steve Diubaldo

McTaggarts operation, which has not been hit by any positive tests, dug in and re-jigged things once again.

Hed been having a very successful December, with patrons happy to be out and even finding that it was more possible to sell later seatings than is normally the case.

When the latest restrictions were announced that came into effect on Tuesday he and his chef quickly worked up New Years eve special, got it up on social media and has been taking orders for New Years take-out and filling up his limited seating capacity for the traditional big night out.

McTaggart acknowledges the quirkiness of his own personality  "I really enjoy the challenge"  but worries the constant re-vamping of operations and roller-coaster ride of uncertainty is going to take its toll on the industry.

Try our Dish The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. Dish arrives in your inbox every other Friday. See sample. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"I think a lot of people are just going to say, Why?.  Scott McTaggart, owner/operator of Fusion Grill

"I have been hearing about the level of weariness from operators across the country," said McTaggart who is on the board of directors of Restaurants Canada. "People are making the decision to hang on through Christmas, put some money in the bank and pay some bills and then take a look in January as to whether or not they want to do this again. I think a lot of people are just going to say, Why? "

Jeffrey said his office is taking calls daily from members telling the association they are ceasing operation, temporarily or permanently.

He refuses to disclose the tally, but is not surprised.

"I made it very clear in the last round when we opened in September that if a fourth wave closure came around we would start seeing massive casualties. We are and we will," he said. "Going into January and February it will only be more. That is the sad reality."

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
The lights on the balcony on the top floor of Queen Streets Ashbury Place apartments make a bold pronouncement to the city of Winnipeg.

The lights on the balcony on the top floor of Queen Streets Ashbury Place apartments make a bold pronouncement to the city of Winnipeg.

They tell people driving down Route 90 something the radio stations have already made obvious with their musical selections. Each year, when they first glint and glimmer, the lights draw a line in the snow and remind those who notice them that one year is ending and another is beginning. They make people point. They make people stare. They make people remember. "Hark," the lights shout. "Christmastime is here."

They do all of that in just six capital letters: H-U-M-B-U-G.

The first time the lights glowed was in 1974, shortly after Sidney and Margaret Farmer moved into their apartment on Queen Street. At the old house, on nearby Duffield Street, the living room was populated at Christmastime by reindeer, snowmen and streamers strung from corner to corner, a yuletide scene visible from the sidewalk.

Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press Sidney (Sid) Farmers infamous Humbug light display still shines brightly from his former apartments balcony, which faces the Route 90 underpass near Polo Park.

Sidney Thomas Farmer loved many things: he loved his family, first and foremost. He loved curling. He loved his job at the post office, where for 40 years he sorted mail quickly and accurately.

"It was important to him that all those letters and Christmas cards would get to the right spot," says his son, also named Sidney Thomas Farmer.

Another thing Sidney Farmer loved was Christmas, and celebration in general. Six storeys above the sidewalk, in his and Margarets new apartment, he sought a way to show that love, and to make people laugh.

"He wanted something that people would remember," his son, now 72, says. "He wanted something to stand out."

So the elder Farmer, who served in the navy during the Second World War as a leading torpedo seaman, gave his brother-in-law Art Robb a call. Robb, an airline mechanic, was good with his hands and with wires. After a few discussions, he got to work on a strange one-off project: six wooden capital letters, with holes for changeable bulbs, the wiring hidden on the back.

SUPPLIED The late Sidney (Sid) Farmers Humbug sign has brought joy to Winnipeggers since 1974.

When Robb finished the letters, Farmer couldnt help but grin at his little joke come to life, his son recalls. Here was a man who was the antithesis of Ebenezer Scrooge, the angry, miserly antihero of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol who needs to be reminded of the spirit of Christmas by supernatural visitors.

Humbug is an angry word Scrooge deploys to make clear his displeasure with Christmas; Farmer thought it would be funny, a little ironic, to put that word up on his balcony  a contradiction of Scrooges bane set in twinkling lights.

His son, who worked as a bakery supervisor for Safeway, opened the companys store at Madison Square, directly across from his dads sign, and could see it from the parking lot.

"My dad was the furthest thing from a Scrooge," he says. Even if he had some right to be.

A decade before the move to Queen Street, Farmer developed bone cancer in his leg. In a bleak prognosis, doctors told him prior to an operation that if he woke up and his leg was gone, hed have the cancer beat. If his leg was still there, he would have six months to live.

Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press Sidney (Sid) Farmer thought it would be funny, a little ironic, to put that word up on his balcony.

He woke up with two legs, and lived for another 47 years.

That might help explain why celebrating Christmas was important to the son of a blacksmith. He had come out on the other side of a dark abyss and understood the value of a couple of lights.

When, in 2002, his health worsened, Farmer moved into Deer Lodge Centre. That same year, in October, Margaret died at the age of 78. At the centre, the younger Sidney Farmer and his sister spoke to the chaplain about Christmas, how the time of year meant so much to their father.

They brought him rum and eggnog, shortbread cookies, set out a few poinsettia plants in his room. Their father would go down to the lobby to hear the carollers sing as frequently as he could.

But those six capital letters did not join Farmer at his new abode: the apartment buildings caretaker asked if they could stay, because, as Farmer had hoped, they had brought joy and laughter, not to mention a modicum of local fame, to an otherwise unspectacular balcony in an otherwise average building.

Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press Sid Farmer shows off his Hohoho light display, which is a contrast to his father Sids famous Humbug light display.

He and his son agreed, and each winter since, the letters have gone up as though Farmer never left. (Theyve moved up to a balcony of a suite on the 11th floor; the tenant did not answer after several knocks.)

Over the decades, one mans whim became a citys inside joke, and one familys holiday tradition became an annually anticipated addition to that citys skyline. Each year, when HUMBUG goes up, people take their private notice. Others take to their social media accounts to alert those in on the joke that HUMBUG is back, and thus, winter, and thus, another year come and gone.

Local brewery One Great City, located across the street in Madison Square, released a special beer  the Humbug Sour  a few weeks ago.

Oddly, much of the signs fame has accrued since July 2011, when Sidney Farmer died at the age of 90. Even after a life well- and long-lived, it was and still is difficult for his family to fathom a holiday season without their patriarch presiding.

"I do remember the sign from when I was a kid," says the elder Sidney Farmers grandson, 42-year-old Mike Halprin. When he, his sister, and his parents drove to Winnipeg each winter from Canmore, Alta., to visit Nana and Poppa, those six capital letters would greet them.

SUPPLIED Sid Farmers grandson, Mike Halprin, has fond memories of his Poppas Humbug sign, and has put up a tribute to his grandfathers famous Humbug sign at his own home in Canmore, Alta.

Some years, theyd arrive at two in the morning. But Margaret and Sidney would be wide awake; theyd put their grandchildren on their laps and give them hugs and kisses as if it were dinnertime.

Halprin, who works as a firefighter, gets messages from friends and family in Winnipeg each year when the sign goes up; in a way, its how people say happy holidays. But two provinces away, he doesnt see it as often as hed like.

Fortunately, his father started CanSign, a still-active sign-making company in Canmore, Alta., in 1979.

"I had been thinking of making my own for years," Halprin says. He just needed a nudge.

In 2019, while rescuing people from a house fire in Canmore, Halprin was concussed. Hes still recovering from it today, and as Christmas 2020 neared, was in what he calls a slump.

SUPPLIED Sid Farmers grandson, Mike Halprin, with his tribute to his grandfathers famous Winnipeg Humbug sign at his own home in Canmore, Alta.

His fiancee knew he needed a boost. "She said we should make a sign to honour Poppa," Halprin says. "She knew it would mean a lot to me, and when she suggested it, a light went on in my head."

The sign-making companys graphic designer whipped up an H, a U, an M, a B, a U and a G, and the couple did all the other labour themselves.

When the project was finished, they put four consonants and two vowels up on the front deck of their house at the end of a sleepy street in Exshaw, about 10 minutes away from Canmore.

Halprin knew from experience not to stare at the lights from up close. So he and his fiancee turned around, walked 20 or 30 paces, then spun around again to look at what theyd built.

"As soon as I saw it, I teared up," he says. "I thought of Nana and Poppa, my cousins, and Uncle Sid. It brought tears to my eyes and flooded my heart with emotion right away."

This winter, as Sid Farmers HUMBUG sign glimmers in Winnipeg for the 48th Christmas, Mike Halprins version in Exshaw is back for its second.

"Every time I come home and see the sign, I get this amazing flash of Poppa, and his ear-to-ear grin," says Halprin. "I can hear him laughing."

All that, in just six letters.

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)  Outside a foreign currency exchange in Zimbabwes capital, hordes of people desperate for U.S. dollars are pushed up against each other.

A woman reads messages on her mobile phone while waiting in a bank queue in Harare, Zimbabwe on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021. In Zimbabwe and other African nations, the virus's resurgence is threatening the very survival of millions of people who have already been driven to the edge by a pandemic that has devastated their economies. When putting food on the table is not a given, worries about whether to gather with family members for the holiday or heed public announcements urging COVID-19 precautions take a back seat. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)  Outside a foreign currency exchange in Zimbabwes capital, hordes of people desperate for U.S. dollars are pushed up against each other.

Thats it, keep it tight, some shout, trying to prevent others from jumping the line to buy the money that could get them a discount on goods pegged to a quickly devaluing local currency.

Nearly two years into a global pandemic, a new spike in coronavirus cases driven by the omicron variant is once again shuttering businesses, halting travel, reviving fears of overwhelmed hospitals and upending travel and holiday plans in countries around the world.

But in Zimbabwe and other African nations, the virus's resurgence is threatening the very survival of millions of people who have already been driven to the edge by a pandemic that has devastated their economies. When putting food on the table is not a given, worries about whether to gather with family members for the holiday or heed public announcements urging COVID-19 precautions take a back seat.

Yes, I have heard of the new variant, but it can never be worse than having nothing to eat at home right now, says furniture store clerk Joshua Nyoni, one of the dozens waiting outside the exchange. Like many others in the chaotic crowd, Nyoni alternately wears his face mask below his chin or puts it in his pocket.

The United Nations Economic Commission on Africa, or ECA, noted in March that about 9 in 10 of the worlds extremely poor people live in Africa. The ECA now warns that the economic effects already felt since the pandemic began in 2020 will push an additional 5 to 29 million below the extreme poverty line.

If the impact of the pandemic is not limited by 2021, an additional 59 million people could suffer the same fate, which would bring the total number of extremely poor Africans to 514 million people, the agency says.

The World Bank estimates the economy went from 2.4% growth in 2019 to a 3.3% contraction in 2020, plunging Africa into its first recession in 25 years.

"The economic disruption wrought by COVID-19 has pushed hunger crises off a cliff, Sean Granville-Ross, Africa regional director for the nonprofit charitable organization Mercy Corps, told The Associated Press.

Granville-Ross says his organization in 2021 saw an alarming spike in need in regions such as the Sahel, West Africa, East Africa and southern Africa where some countries were already experiencing humanitarian crises and conflict before COVID-19.

Worry is now intensifying amid a spike in COVID infections in Africa, which currently accounts for about 9 million of the worlds roughly 275 million cases.

The World Health Organization has for months described Africa as one of the least affected regions in the world in its weekly pandemic reports. But in mid-December it said the number of new cases was "currently doubling every five days, the fastest rate this year as the delta and omicron variants push up infections. Both South Africa and Zimbabwe have been reporting reduced numbers over the past week, but authorities remain cautious.

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Renewed travel restrictions and possible lockdowns will only push millions more people to poverty and undermine the slight economic recovery we have started to see, Granville-Ross says.

Compared to the continent as a whole, where just over 7% of the population has received two shots of the coronavirus vaccine, Zimbabwe is regarded as a success story  even though only about 20% of its 15 million people have been fully vaccinated.

Amid lingering hesitancy, the government has threatened to widen vaccine mandates. But for many people, virus infection fears have taken a back seat to the more urgent task of finding enough money to feed their families.

Dozens of residents desperate for access to money in an economy where cash, especially the U.S. dollar, is king, sleep outside both foreign currency exchanges and banks, huddled closely together for days. Elderly people, many without face masks or not properly wearing them, stand in tightly packed lines that snake for kilometers, waiting to withdraw their pensions.

I would rather spend my time here than queue for the vaccine, says Nyoni, outside the crowded foreign currency exchange.

If I catch the virus, they may quarantine me, treat me or even feed me if I am hospitalized," he says. "But hunger is different: You cant be put in quarantine because the family has nothing to eat. People just watch you die.
TOKYO (AP)  Japan's Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other game-changing weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to Chinas growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.

FILE - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, rides on a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Type 10 tank during a review at the JGSDF Camp Asaka in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Kishidas Cabinet approved record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) budget Friday, Dec. 24, for fiscal 2022 that includes researches and development into future fighter jets and other game-changer arsenals as Japan bolsters its arms capability amid China's rise and its tension with Taiwan. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP, File)

TOKYO (AP)  Japan's Cabinet approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 on Friday that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other game-changing weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to Chinas growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.

The 1.1% budget increase for the year beginning in April is the 10th consecutive defense spending increase and is in line with Japans pledge to the United States to strengthen its own defense capabilities to tackle increasingly challenging security issues in the region.

The budget, which still needs to be approved by parliament, includes a record 291 billion yen ($2.55 billion) for defense research and development, up 38% from the current year.

Of that, 100 billion yen ($870 million) is for development of the F-X fighter jet to replace Japans aging fleet of F-2 aircraft around 2035. It would be Japan's first domestically developed fighter jet in 40 years.

Japan and Britain recently announced joint development of a future demonstration fighter jet engine and agreed to explore further combat air technologies and subsystems. The project includes Mitsubishi and IHI in Japan and Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems in the U.K.

As Chinas military buildup extends to cyberspace and outer space, Japan's Defense Ministry is also pushing for research into artificial intelligence-operated autonomous vehicles for aerial and undersea use, supersonic flight, and other game-changing technologies.

The budget allocates 128 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for purchase of a dozen F-35 stealth fighters from Lockheed Martin Corp., including four with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities for use on two helicopter carriers being converted into aircraft carriers, key to Japan's joint operations with the United States in the defense of the Indo-Pacific region.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, formerly known as a dove, has quickly adopted more hawkish policies and said Japan should consider acquiring a pre-emptive strike capability in response to Chinas military buildup and North Koreas growing missile and nuclear capabilities.

The Japanese and U.S. militaries have compiled a draft joint contingency preparedness plan for a possible Taiwan emergency, such as fighting between Chinese and Taiwanese forces, Kyodo news agency reported Thursday, citing unidentified Japanese government sources, amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China.

China claims self-governing Taiwan is its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. It has increased its military threats by holding exercises near the island and frequently sending warplanes into its air defense identification zone.

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Under the reported plan, the U.S. Marine Corps will set up temporary bases on islands in Japans Nansei chain between Kyushu and Taiwan for the deployment of troops in the early stages of a Taiwan emergency, while Japans military will provide logistical support as well as ammunition and fuel supplies, Kyodo said.

Japan and the United States are likely to agree to start drawing up an official preparedness plan at a meeting of their foreign and defense ministers expected in January, Kyodo said.

The plan, which also includes islands near Okinawa, the site of the bloodiest battle in World War II, is certain to face protests from local residents.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi refused to comment Friday on the report, saying only that Japan and the United Sates have action plans in case of emergencies and plan to update them, but that the details could not be disclosed. Kishi added that a decision by the Japan-U.S. committee in charge of negotiating the status of forces agreement between the nations would allow the U.S. military to open a new base on Japanese soil.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the governing Liberal Democratic Party, recently cautioned Chinese President Xi Jinping against triggering a Taiwan emergency, saying that China should be aware of the serious consequences.

Japans defense spending now ranks among the top 10 in the world, according to international defense research organizations.
NEW YORK (AP)  Airlines canceled hundreds of flights as the omicron variant jumbled schedules and drew down staffing levels at some carriers during the busy holiday travel season.

FILE - A Lufthansa flight arrives from Munich, Germany at Miami International Airport, on Nov. 8, 2021, in Miami. Three major airlines have reported canceling dozens of flights as illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 take a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday, Dec. 24, 2021 that it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a massive rise in sick leave among pilots. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

NEW YORK (AP)  Airlines canceled hundreds of flights as the omicron variant jumbled schedules and drew down staffing levels at some carriers during the busy holiday travel season.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said they canceled flights because of staff shortages tied to the omicron variant. Delta canceled 145 flights on Friday and 111 for Christmas Day, according to FlightAware. (Other factors, such as weather, are also causing cancellations.) United called off 175 flights on Friday and 69 on Saturday.

Not all airlines said COVID was disrupting their travel schedules. American Airlines said it had nothing to report, while Southwest Airlines said things are running smoothly. JetBlue did not respond to a request for comment.

Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been a regular problem for the U.S. airline industry this year. Airlines encouraged workers to quit in 2020, when air travel collapsed, and were caught short-staffed this year as travel recovered.

The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation, United said in a statement. As a result, weve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport.

Travelers trek through Terminal E at Logan Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Boston. At least three major airlines say they have canceled dozens of flights, Friday, Dec. 24, because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Delta said it canceled flights Friday because of the impact of omicron and possibility of bad weather after it had exhausted all options and resources  including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying.

The airlines both said they were trying to rebook passengers.

While some travelers canceled holiday plans because of rising case numbers, many others kept to their vacations during some of the year's busiest travel days. The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen nearly 30 million people from Dec. 20 through Jan. 3, compared with nearly 44 million during the last holiday season before the pandemic.

Travelers wait in line to be tested for COVID-19 at Logan Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Boston. At least three major airlines say they have canceled dozens of flights, Friday, Dec. 24, because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Germany-based Lufthansa said Friday that it was canceling a dozen long-haul transatlantic flights over the Christmas holiday period because of a massive rise in sick leave among pilots. The cancellations on flights to Houston, Boston and Washington come despite a large buffer of additional staff for the period. The airline says it couldn't speculate on whether COVID-19 infections or quarantines were responsible because it was not informed about the sort of illness. Passengers were booked on other flights.

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According to FlightAware, there are nearly 3,400 canceled flights on Friday and Saturday, with at least half of the cancellations by Chinese airlines. About 20% of affected flights  745  were to, from or within the U.S. This is a small fraction of global flights. FlightAware says it has tracked more than 120,000 arrivals in the past 24 hours.

Coronavirus infections fueled by the new variant have also squeezed staffing at hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations that have struggled to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers.

Travelers trek through Terminal E at Logan Airport, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in Boston. At least three major airlines say they have canceled dozens of flights, Friday, Dec. 24, because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel season. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

To ease staffing shortages, countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian was among those who have called on the Biden administration to take similar steps or risk further disruptions in air travel. On Thursday, the U.S. shortened COVID-19 isolation rules for health care workers only.

___

McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany.
BOSTON (AP)  Staff absences for COVID-19 tripled this month in Londons hospitals, and nearly 10% of the citys firefighters called out sick.

Workers, left, change their medical gloves as people are tested for COVID-19 at a walk-up testing site at Farragut Square, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, just blocks from the White House in Washington. The worldwide surge in coronavirus cases driven by the new omicron variant is the latest blow to hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers as the pandemic enters its third year. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

BOSTON (AP)  Staff absences for COVID-19 tripled this month in Londons hospitals, and nearly 10% of the citys firefighters called out sick.

In New York, about 2,700 police officers were absent earlier this week  twice the number who are ill on an average day. And on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, grocery worker Judy Snarsky says shes stretched to her limit, working 50 hours a week and doing extra tasks because her supermarket has around 100 workers when it should have closer to 150.

We dont have enough hands. Everybody is working as much as they physically and mentally can, the 59-year-old in Mashpee said. Some of us have been going like a freight train.

The worldwide surge in coronavirus cases driven by the new omicron variant is the latest blow to hospitals, police departments, supermarkets and other critical operations struggling to maintain a full contingent of front-line workers as the pandemic enters its third year.

Governments have taken steps to stem the bleeding across a range of jobs considered essential for society, from truckers and janitors to child care providers and train conductors. But nurses and other workers worry that continued staffing woes will put the public at greater risk and increase burnout and fatigue among their ranks.

Seattle Officer Mike Solan, who leads his citys police union, said his department is down about 300 officers from its usual force of 1,350.

Its difficult for our community because theyre waiting for that call for help, he said. "And then were at risk because we dont have the proper safe numbers to have a safe working environment when we answer that call for help.

Michelle Gonzalez, a nurse at New Yorks Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, said she and her intensive care unit colleagues never truly had a break from COVID-19, and the arrival of omicron has only reawakened her post-traumatic stress.

Prior to work, I get really bad anxiety, she said. If Ive been off for two days, I will come back in a panic because I dont know what Im walking into.

Countries including Spain and the U.K. have reduced the length of COVID-19 quarantines to ease staffing shortages by letting people return to work sooner after testing positive or being exposed to the virus. The U.S. did similar for health care workers only.

Meanwhile in the U.S., states such as Massachusetts have called in hundreds of National Guard members to help fill the gaps in hospitals and nursing homes, where they serve meals, transport patients and do other nonclinical work.

In Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan has promised to veto legislation repealing a $4-an-hour hazard pay raise for grocery workers, which has been in place for nearly a year in some major West Coast cities, including Los Angeles and Berkeley and Long Beach, California.

Now is not the time to roll back the pay for these critical front-line workers, the Democratic mayor said earlier this week.

Unions representing health care workers gripe that far too many hospitals failed to fill staff vacancies or to retain pandemic-weary staff.

For example, there are 1,500 nursing vacancies in New York's three largest hospitals alone, or about double the number at the onset of the pandemic, said Carl Ginsberg, a spokesman for the 42,000-member New York State Nurses Association.

There are not enough nurses to do the job right, and so there are situations where the units have dangerous conditions, where patients are in jeopardy, he said.

In London, the U.K.s omicron epicenter, a wave of staff absences is hitting hospitals just as COVID-19 admissions have doubled in three weeks. The latest surge will probably persist until mid-January, officials said.

It wouldnt take much to cause a crisis, said David Oliver, a consultant physician at a hospital in southeast England.

The operators of U.S. nursing homes, which were crippled by some of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks early in the pandemic, are among those pleading for officials to do more.

While cases in long-term care facilities have not risen sharply yet, the industry is bracing for omicron with 15% fewer workers today than when the pandemic began, said Rachel Reeves, a spokesperson for the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, an industry trade group.

Nursing homes historically struggle to compete with other health care operators because their pay rates are effectively fixed by the government, she said, so providers hope President Joe Bidens administration can boost Medicaid funding and create staff recruitment and retention programs.

Caregivers are burned out, Reeves said. Not only have many experienced tremendous loss, it has been exhausting  physically and emotionally  battling this virus day in and day out.

Bidens $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan provides $350 billion for state and local governments to provide premium pay to essential workers. States are also using other buckets of pandemic funds to bolster their workforce.

In West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice said Tuesday that his administration will use $48 million of the state's remaining CARES Act money on recruiting and training nurses to meet a goal of adding more than 2,000 new nurses over the next four years.

But its not just health care systems warning of dire consequences and seeking more support.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, was among those who have called on the Biden administration to cut recommended COVID-19 quarantine times down to five days, or risk further disruptions in air travel. Delta, United and Lufthansa have canceled dozens of flights over the Christmas period as illnesses take a toll on flight crews.

Train operators also warn of sudden cancellations and other service issues as subways and commuter lines endure COVID-19-related staff shortages.

In the U.K., train company LNER said this week that its canceling 16 trains a day until Christmas Eve. Transport for London, which operates the subway and employs about 28,000 people, also warned of slowdowns because 500 front-line staff are off work because of COVID-19-related illness.

Even small businesses such as restaurants and nail salons, which are not necessarily considered essential, are preparing to further curtail hours, or briefly shut down if worker shortages worsen.

Manhattan restaurateur Bret Csencsitz said the labor shortage prompted him to reduce seating and eliminate staples such as burgers and oysters from the menu at Gotham, which reopened last month.

Trophy Brewing in Raleigh, North Carolina, cut operating hours and decided to close three of the business four locations early on New Years Eve, said David Lockwood, the companys co-owner.

In Washington, D.C., DogMa Daycare & Boarding For Dogs said this week that it was canceling all day care until Jan. 3 because several staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

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Daniel Schneider, a Harvard professor focused on low-income workers, said the public should keep in mind that essential workers simply dont have the luxury of working from home, as some Americans do.

White-collar workers need to appreciate the real risks that these folks take, he said. You cant ring up groceries from home. You cant stock shelves from home.

___

DInnocenzio reported from Sandwich, Massachusetts, and Calvan reported from New York. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Kelvin Chan in London; Josh Boak in Washington; Mike Sisak in New York; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; and Bryan Anderson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
PARIS (AP)  Protesters angry over virus and vaccine rules occupied Guadeloupe's regional legislature because of stalled negotiations over their grievances about management of the French Caribbean island.

PARIS (AP)  Protesters angry over virus and vaccine rules occupied Guadeloupe's regional legislature because of stalled negotiations over their grievances about management of the French Caribbean island.

Regional Council President Ary Chalus agreed to a meeting with some of the protesters' representatives, the council tweeted after Thursday's incursion. Officials in Guadeloupe and Paris denounced the protest action as unacceptable and a threat to the democratically elected body.

Inside the council building, the protesters strung a banner reading No to Obligatory Vaccination, No to the Health Pass, according to images posted online by local officials. A Christmas tree was shown knocked over.

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Labor unions and the Collective Against Exploitation want the French government to abandon a measure ordering health workers to be suspended without pay unless they are vaccinated against COVID-19.

The protesters in Guadeloupe are also seeking better access to clean water, pension and wage increases, and mass employment.

Vaccinations are mandatory for all French health workers and a health pass is required to enter all restaurants and many venues in France. The measures have met the stiffest opposition in Guadeloupe and Martinique, reflecting long-running frustrations over inequality with the French mainland.

Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France, uses the euro currency. One-third of the island's population lives below the poverty line, and the cost of living is higher than in the French mainland. Water supplies have been a major problem in recent years because of obsolete pipes.

Anger over France's handling of a toxic pesticide in Caribbean banana fields has fueled mistrust in the governments COVID-19 vaccine polices, along with misinformation shared on WhatsApp or Telegram groups.

Virus infections are again on the rise in Guadeloupe, and the prefecture on Thursday extended restrictions through Jan. 6 requiring masks outdoors in public places as well as indoors, and a health pass for tourist activities like diving trips.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  An author known as the father of Chicano literature left behind a bilingual childrens book after his 2020 death, telling a story about Christmas in the American Southwest.

This image provided by Museum of New Mexico Press, shows illustrations in the newly published children's book titled "New Mexico Christmas Story," from Museum of New Mexico Press. The book is written by Rudolfo Anaya with artwork by El Moises and a Spanish translation from Enrique Lamadrid. An author known as the father of Chicano literature left behind a children's tale about Christmas in the American Southwest when he died in 2020 of natural causes. The bilingual tale from Rudolfo Anaya is being published posthumously this year. (Moises Salcedo/ Museum of New Mexico Press via AP)

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  An author known as the father of Chicano literature left behind a bilingual childrens book after his 2020 death, telling a story about Christmas in the American Southwest.

The tale from Rudolfo Anaya, who died from natural causes at 82, is being published posthumously for the holiday season by Museum of New Mexico Press with parallel text in Spanish and English. The story extends a cycle of Anaya's illustrated childrens books with a playful cast of animal characters, centered around a tiny, inquisitive owl named Ollie Tecolote.

FILE - Author Rudolfo Anaya poses for a photo at home Thursday, April 28, 2011, in Albuquerque, N.M. Anaya, known as the father of Chicano literature, left behind a children's tale about Christmas in the American Southwest when he died in 2020 of natural causes. The bilingual tale is being published posthumously this year. (Morgan Petroski/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

The book was crafted by Anaya painstakingly in his waning year as an invitation to children to explore literature in English and Spanish, said Enrique Lamadrid, a publisher and retired chairman of the Spanish teaching department at the University of New Mexico. Lamadrid collaborated closely with Anaya in his final years to translate "Owl in a Straw Hat" series into Spanish.

We crafted that really, really, really carefully so that kids would be comfortable," said Lamadrid, who first befriended Anaya in the 1970s. You start with love. You have to fall in love with your second language in order to be any good with it at all.

Anaya achieved lasting literary fame and influence with the novel Bless Me, Ultima in 1972 about a boys coming of age in post-World War II New Mexico under the guidance of a traditional spiritual healer. The book became a movie  and an opera.

Anaya wrote his New Mexico Christmas Story for children initially in English, sprinkling in a smattering of Spanish-language words and phrases about Hispanic holiday comfort food and traditional Christmas pranks performed by abuelos."

Translated literally, abuelos means grandfathers or grandparents, while it's also used as slang for costumed family elders in northern New Mexico who traditionally go house-to-house at Christmastime to ask startled children whether they have been naughty or nice.

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The books images are from painter and pop-culture muralist Moises Salcedo  who goes by El Moises  and provide a splashy visual tour of winter holiday traditions in northern New Mexico, from handcrafted farolito candle lights to steaming pozole stew and an adventure that touches upon the three wise men.

Michelle Garcia, a preschool teacher for the city of Albuquerque, reads an earlier Owl in a Straw Hat book to her 4- and 5-year-old students, seated in a semicircle, allowing for comments and questions.

Hispanic traditions run deep in New Mexico, where Spanish settlers arrived in the 1598. Nearly half of the state's population claims Hispanic heritage, and some students in Garcia's class  but not all  recognize the Spanish words in Anaya's book. Garcia says a short English-Spanish glossary in the book helps her answer any questions.

There's just a such a variety of wording, they can relate, especially if they're from Chicano descent or any kind of Spanish descent," said Garcia, who traces her Hispanic roots and comfort with Spanish expressions to grandparents in northern New Mexico and southernmost Colorado.

Garcia took a day off to meet Anaya shortly before his death, knowing that he would appear at the dedication of a public library in his name.

He said he met his wife at the library, Garcia said. It was just this amazing story to encourage children to come to the library and to read and to open a book. It just encouraged me to tell those stories.
TORONTO - The billionaire Weston family is selling its luxury British department store chain Selfridges to Thailand's Central Group and Austrian real estate group Signa.

A woman takes off her face mask as she carries Selfridges bags after leaving the department store in London, Friday, Dec. 24, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Alastair Grant

TORONTO - The billionaire Weston family is selling its luxury British department store chain Selfridges to Thailand's Central Group and Austrian real estate group Signa.

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The deal, confirmed Friday by Central Group, is reportedly worth 4 billion pounds, or about C$6.87 billion.

Central already owns up-market retailers including Rinascente in Italy, Illum in Denmark, Switzerlands Globus and The KaDeWe Group in Germany.

W. Galen Weston acquired Selfridges in 2003 and combined it with other luxury retailers into the Selfridges Group in 2010.

The company, which now owns 18 department stores, was offered for sale after Weston passed away in April.

His daughter, Alannah Weston, who is chair of Selfridges Group, said in a statement that the sale was the successful realization of my fathers vision for an iconic group of beautiful, truly experiential, department stores."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2021.
Harvest Manitobas mission has always been to work towards a future where no Manitoban goes hungry, and no matter whats thrown at the organization this holiday season, it will continue that work.

Harvest Manitobas mission has always been to work towards a future where no Manitoban goes hungry, and no matter whats thrown at the organization this holiday season, it will continue that work.

Though Harvest sees a rise in demand for food around this time every year, president and CEO Vince Barletta reported that the economic uncertainty that Manitobans have faced due to the pandemic has contributed to an even greater need.

He said that right now, the organization is at record levels of demand, feeding over 80,000 Manitobans each month.

Its a serious issue, and I think, sadly, that demand is only going to increase in the month ahead.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Harvest Manitoba operated with few volunteers, and the whole operation was turned on its head, said Barletta.

According to Barletta, demand grew by about 30 per cent, and at the same time, food donations dropped by about 80 per cent

Now, he is happy to report that over the past number of weeks, many volunteers have begun to return to the warehouse, the call centres and the delivery trucks that allow the organization to make the impact it can.

However, the new Omicron variant is cause for concern, he said.

The organization is taking the steps it can to ensure safety for its staff and volunteers, adhering to public health measures and guidelines. This past November, a mandatory double vaccination policy was put in place.

Thats a very powerful weapon in our fight to make sure that Harvest stays as safe and healthy as it can be, said Barletta.

New and upcoming policies include supplying and mandating the use of N95 masks, and deployment of rapid testing kits.

For Barletta, keeping the warehouse open is the top priority.

This variant puts a new set of challenges in front of us, but weve all been facing challenges for nearly two years, and so well continue to adapt and we have very dedicated people here working to do that.

In the food banks, Harvest is now individually pre-packaging items in hampers, which Barletta said allows food to reach peoples hands and tables not only more quickly, but most importantly, more safely.

During the holidays, though Harvest is seeing a greater demand than normal, theres also a great deal of generosity, he said.

Manitobans who have been able to give resources like time, food and money are directly supporting the one in eight Manitobans who experience food insecurity.

In response to the record levels of food insecurity, Barletta said the organization has also placed a record number of yellow bins out in the community.

Much of the food that Harvest collects during the holiday season works to sustain the organization months into the new year, he said.

Its a busy time now, but it sets us up to ensure that were going to have food available well into 2022.

Janice McWilliams, 66, has been volunteering with Harvest Manitoba for the past 12 years, and all through the pandemic.

A teacher by trade, McWilliams started volunteering with Harvest because she saw firsthand how important nourishing food is for students and their learning, and always kept food in her classroom for students who needed it.

Food is such a basic need, said McWilliams.

There isnt anybody that doesnt need food, and most certainly children trying to cope with school, so for me, I find the volunteering is extremely fulfilling.

Before the pandemic, she volunteered in the organizations childrens programming. Since those programs were suspended, she moved to work with the client services department.

On the phones in client services, McWilliams talks to clients, registering and orienting them for the first time, and helping returning clients re-entering the system after years of not using the food banks.

Last holiday season, McWilliams was also on the phones. Theres normally a slight increase around this time, but this year the organization has seen a dramatic increase in calls, she said, especially from new clients.

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Throughout the pandemic, theres been a gradual increase in demand, but this past month and a half has certainly seen a steep spike.

On a normal morning in this past September or October, McWilliams would take anywhere from three to five new clients each morning. Now, she speaks to 10-15, and thats just me, she said.

The other staff and volunteers in client services are receiving higher numbers on their own as well.

Harvest Manitoba is always looking for new volunteers to help with all of the jobs, and one of the things that McWilliams loves about the organization is that everyone is welcome.

I just love that, the picture of everyone being welcomed, she said.

It doesnt matter what your gifts are or what struggles you have, youre always welcome at Harvest.
Eighty years ago, the Agerbak brothers of Pilot Mound were in the middle of war, thousands of miles from home, and witnesses to the fall of Hong Kong to Japanese forces.

Eighty years ago, the Agerbak brothers of Pilot Mound were in the middle of war, thousands of miles from home, and witnesses to the fall of Hong Kong to Japanese forces.

The eldest was Borge, the middle brother was Tage, and the youngest was Knud. They were farm boys, each in their 20s and looking to help the war effort while also earning a steady pay to send their families during an unsteady time.

So they signed up to join the Winnipeg Grenadiers, and after a few postings elsewhere, were bound for the Pacific front.

"A lot of it was patriotism, and a lot of it was desperation (of the economic times)," says Carol Hadley, daughter of Borge, whose cohort called him "Buster" and referred to his brothers as "Tiger" and "Ken."

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Photo of Sgt. Borge Agerbak of the Winnipeg Grenadiers.

The Grenadiers  along with the Royal Rifles from Quebec and the Indian Armys Rajput Regiment  arrived in Hong Kong to provide reinforcements for the British, who were prepping for battle. The Winnipeg contingent got there in November 1941, and for a few weeks, they enjoyed their time, taking rickshaw rides and seeing the city.

But on Dec. 8, as Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor on the other end of the Pacific Ocean, a simultaneous surprise attack happened on the Hong Kong colony.

The allied forces fought for 17 days  nearly 15,000 against nearly 30,000 Japanese.

On Christmas Day, Hong Kong fell, with an estimated 2,113 allied and 675 Japanese troops killed.

On Christmas Day, Hong Kong fell, with an estimated 2,113 allied and 675 Japanese troops killed.

About 10,000 troops who survived became prisoners of war, forced to work in shipyards and mines, starved, tortured and deprived of medical care.

They sabotaged the enemy when they could, poorly mixing concrete with the goal local tarmacs would crumble as Japanese planes landed. Along with the men were two nurses, May Waters from St. Vital and Kay Christie from Toronto, the only female POWs, Hadley says.

The Dec. 29, 1941 edition of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote: "Among the defenders of Hong Kong who made such a name for themselves in the heroic stand of empire forces, which was finally ended on Christmas Day, the men of Pilot Mound, Manitoba were well-represented."

There were 12 Pilot Mound residents who fought in Hong Kong: Guy Stewart, Jack Fordyce, Jack Hay, Bill Mayne, Ed Toews, Buzz Winram, Dick Currie, Ed Currie, Keith Stewart, and the Agerbaks.

Borge and Knud were in the same company and taken prisoner, but their brother was deemed missing. Tage Agerbaks fate was unknown until the early 1950s, when he was officially declared killed in action.

SUPPLIED The Agerbak boys: standing is Knud (Ken), squatting is Taige (Tiger) and at the machine gun is Borge (Buster).

For four years, the allies were imprisoned, eating 1,000 calories or less every day. They were kept in the type of conditions designed not just to break men, but shatter them. When the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, the men woke up one morning to find no guards, and presumed the war was over, Hadley says.

Borge, who joined the war effort with a heft of 180 pounds, now weighed 100.

No prisoner who survived imprisonment escaped unscathed: their bodies were, in many cases, irrevocably damaged; their minds often saddled with the unbearable weight of post-traumatic stress.

"Its hard to forget an experience like that," Borge Agerbak told the Free Press in 1997.

The memories of war rendered December  what for many is a celebratory period  somber, says Hadley, who was born in 1946 and now serves as the Prairie regional director of the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association.

Its hard to forget an experience like that."  Borge Agerbak

Her parents, particularly mother Evelyn, did their best to make the holidays happy. However, her father would often need time to sit and quietly reflect on what he had lost in Hong Kong on Christmas Day 1941.

Many veterans of the battle had similar experiences, and for years, spoke only amongst themselves about what had happened. Over time, Hadley says, they realized they needed to share their stories because too few understood what theyd experienced.

They wanted to erect monuments, to have their stories taught in schools. They wanted the surviving widowers and families to be looked after. To that end, the commemorative association was founded in 1995.

Hadleys parents returned to Hong Kong every five years to pay tribute to Tage, visiting the spot in the Sai Wan Cemetery where his name is memorialized. In 2000, Hadley and her brother accompanied their father and his colleagues to see the places theyd once seen through younger eyes.

"It was amazing to hear these men talk," Hadley says.

It was amazing to hear these men talk."  Carol Hadley, daughter of Borge

Theyd tried hard to conceal the horrific memories from their families, but in Hong Kong, they walked together and often broke out in laughter, recalling inside jokes from their days as saboteurs.

Both Borge and Knud Agerbak died in 2001. In the two decades since, the number of Canadian survivors of the Battle of Hong Kong have been winnowed down year by year.

In September, the last surviving Winnipeg Grenadier, George Peterson, died at age 100. (He was a member of the Arden Seven, a group of friends and brothers from St. Vitals Arden Avenue who survived the battle and were taken prisoner.)

Out of the nearly 2,000 Canadian soldiers who fought in Hong Kong, only four are still living. The youngest will turn 100 next summer; the oldest will turn 105 in April.

Eighty years ago, they were young men who found themselves in the middle of war.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
It took hours for emergency responders to get the proper equipment to free a critically injured Manitoba politician from her SUV after she collided with a fuel truck on Highway 6 in northern Manitoba earlier this month, the Free Press has learned.

It took hours for emergency responders to get the proper equipment to free a critically injured Manitoba politician from her SUV after she collided with a fuel truck on Highway 6 in northern Manitoba earlier this month, the Free Press has learned.

Danielle Adams, the 38-year-old NDP MLA for Thompson, who was married and had two sons, died on the remote spot 200 kilometres south of Thompson a short time after being pulled out of the vehicle.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, MANITOBA NDP NDP member of the Manitoba legislature for Thompson Danielle Adams died in a car accident near the northern Manitoba city.

Witnesses have told the Free Press 911 and emergency-dispatch lines were called multiple times and appropriately trained medical help only arrived after she had succumbed to her injuries.

Witnesses said it was an excruciating wait for help.

"The trauma to the people who saw it  the sight of the accident and the condition of Danielle; she needed help immediately," said Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook.

"Its just a shame that somebody had to die to get everything looked at."

Northern leaders say the tragedy underscores the danger routinely faced by people who live in Manitobas vast north. They want the province to hold an inquest to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. For example, they say inadequate snow clearing on the long stretches of open highway forces drivers to stay in the middle of the road to avoid snowdrifts.

Adams left home in Thompson around 10 a.m. on Dec. 9, to drive 750 kilometres south to Winnipeg, where she was to attend an NDP fundraiser the following night. Fifty kilometres south of Ponton, Adams SUV collided with a gas truck, and she was pinned inside.

Several people familiar with the incident say the SUV connected with the hands-free emergency call service On Star, but that Adams had trouble speaking.

RCMP say they were dispatched at 11:24 a.m., and an officer arrived on the scene at 12:20 p.m. after driving more than 85 km "in very poor winter driving conditions," the force said.

The highway had only been partially cleared  either by a grader or by semi-trucks that make tracks in unplowed snow. Under either condition, people often drive in the same lane with their headlights on and move over when another vehicle approaches.

"Because the area is so large now, it takes them a long time to get the one (side plowed). So then everybodys travelling on the wrong side of the road," said NDP MLA Tom Lindsey, who represents Flin Flon, another vast northern riding.

FACEBOOK Danielle Adams, left, with Niki Ashton.

"(When) you get behind a semi and its snowing, you cant really tell which side of the road youre on."

Hours before the crash, Lindsey had sent Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler a letter that detailed concerns about the quality of snow removal on Highway 6, the main north-south link in Manitoba.

Numerous people told the Free Press that at least one first-responder arrived at the crash site expecting a fuel leak, and had no clue someone was in critical condition.

A day after the crash, RCMP said neither speed nor alcohol was a factor in the incident.

NDP MP Niki Ashton has written to Manitobas chief medical examiner, calling for an inquest to probe the slow emergency response and road-clearing practices.

This isnt about assigning fault; this is about finding out where the gaps were, where there were problems, and improving them."  NDP MP Niki Ashton

"This isnt about assigning fault; this is about finding out where the gaps were, where there were problems, and improving them," said Ashton, who was Adams friend since high school and hired her as a constituency office worker before Adams successfully ran for MLA in 2019.

That office has had a torrent of calls from people who were on the scene, community leaders and those who frequently drive on Highway 6.

"This is top of mind for a lot of people, and they want to see answers to the serious questions that they have."

Smook echoed Ashtons call for an inquest.

In a statement, Manitoba Infrastructure said it reviews every serious collision for possible safety improvements, in lockstep with local communities.

"Manitoba Infrastructures highway maintenance staff monitor road conditions in northern communities and co-ordinate snow-clearing operations within the constraints of weather and geographic distances," wrote a spokeswoman.

"The department uses a blended service delivery model for snow-clearing operations through a combination of internal, external and local government forces."

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew said he met recently with Premier Heather Stefanson to discuss concerns about response times and road-clearing.

He said Stefanson and Schuler were receptive to their concerns.

"I dont want to politicize Danielles death. So, the reason why we are working to provide answers to the family is because I believe this is the same thing Danielle would have done, had this tragedy befallen another person in the north," said Kinew.

"Its really sad when a familys grief is compounded by having unanswered questions, in the wake of losing a loved one."

A group of northern mayors is working on a proposal to improve road safety in the region, and they hope to present it to the province next month.

Snow Lake Mayor Peter Roberts said that includes adding passing lanes, improving cellphone service and better snow clearing.

"Our fire department is probably a little more overwhelmed than myself," Roberts said, adding theyve responded to roughly five fatalities on Highway 6 since the spring.

"Thats unheard of up here in the north."

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He and Smook said theyd like an inventory of resources in each community so 911 dispatchers know from where they can dispatch a helicopter that can hold a stretcher, or the right device to extricate someone from a vehicle.

Smook believes these services have been cut back, and she said mayors will go beyond simply discussing their needs.

"This time, it will go beyond the talking phase; well be holding people accountable," she said.

Adams death has shaken people who regularly use Highway 6.

"Its very unsettling. Ive had children travelling the road this past week. If they get in an accident, or come upon one, it could be hours before somebody who has any experience gets to the scene."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
I used to always start my Introduction to Canadian Politics course by telling students it was a particularly great time to take the course, because so many interesting and remarkable things were happening. Then I finally noticed I was saying this every year, because Canadian politics is always interesting and remarkable.

Opinion

I used to always start my Introduction to Canadian Politics course by telling students it was a particularly great time to take the course, because so many interesting and remarkable things were happening. Then I finally noticed I was saying this every year, because Canadian politics is always interesting and remarkable.

You could say the same thing about Manitoba politics, but 2021 has been especially noteworthy. Its worthwhile to think about what the events of 2021 will mean for the future, as we move toward the next provincial election, scheduled to take place in just under two years.

Of course, the most importance change is Brian Pallisters departure as both premier and longtime leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. The former premier was severely damaged by the fallout of his governments handling of the first three waves of the pandemic.

As the situation worsened, Pallister took the blame on himself, rather than dumping it on his ministers, becoming almost the sole face of the governments communication with Manitobans about the pandemic. And while his freewheeling style saw the premier score some points early on, by the end his public performances were almost entirely panned.

The pandemic didnt bring about the end of his time as premier. Rather, it was Pallisters unguarded statements on residential schools, and his characteristic unwillingness to meaningfully apologize, that set the gears in motion that would eventually see him leave office.

The previously timid PC caucus asserted itself and Pallister, who only months  if not weeks  earlier was thought to rule with an iron fist, emerged from a party meeting in Brandon on Aug. 10 and threw in the towel.

Is the party in a stronger position with Heather Stefanson sitting in the premiers chair? The answer is almost certainly yes. The memory of Pallisters time in office will fade, as will the bumpy, contested race that saw Stefanson defeat Shelly Glover to become leader of the party.

And Stefansons biggest strength was revealed even prior to the leadership race: she enjoys very strong support from the party caucus, which will make her time as premier much easier.

But Stefanson has not done enough to initiate the remaking of the government in her own image. Despite some initiatives such as cancelling the Pallister governments unpopular Bill 64 (the Education Modernization Act), Stefansons premiership feels like one of relative continuity rather than a sharp break with her predecessor.

The polls seem to bear this out, with the PCs seeing little improvement following the initial response to Pallisters resignation.

Even with two years left until the next election, its likely the biggest challenge Stefanson will face has already arrived: the Omicron variant. Decisive leadership that shows a willingness to break with Pallisters cautious reluctance to impose strong public-health restrictions will provide a foundation for Stefanson to build a new profile. But flunking the Omicron test will make the march to re-election that much more difficult.

What about Wab Kinew and the NDP? Kinew has had a comparably easy time as Opposition leader while media has focused on the PC governments struggles to manage the pandemic and select a new leader. On the other hand, Kinew has also developed relentless discipline and focus as leader and has worked to keep the spotlight squarely on bread-and-butter NDP themes, particularly health and education.

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The allegation that previous PC cuts to health care have made management of the COVID-19 pandemic difficult is particularly effective and damaging.

Much of the current NDP caucus was first elected under Kinew in the 2019 election. These MLAs have little, if any, experience with the internal NDP conflicts of the recent past. Further, NDP nominations in many Tory-held seats appear to be hotly contested by strong candidates, a reliable sign of confidence in the partys prospects in the next election.

The party bureaucracy seems to be managing this process to ensure a strong slate in 2023. But beneath the surface, clear ideological fault lines have developed within the party, between left-wing MLAs and activists who prefer an unalloyed progressive party and moderates who hope to steer the party in a direction that will make it more palatable to the middle-class Winnipeg suburbanites whose votes will be needed to win an election.

The question of police reform and funding, for example, is a point of tension, as some NDP MLAs and activists have developed sharp critiques of the Winnipeg Police Service that dovetail with recent progressive campaigns elsewhere to defund the police. But what energizes young NDP activists may well be anathema to voters in Southdale, Riel and Fort Richmond who are more concerned about crime.

Tiptoeing among these fault lines will be a continuing challenge for Kinew  one that will become even more difficult as the pandemic finally recedes.

Royce Koop is a professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba and academic director of the Centre for Social Science Research and Policy.
THE geopolitical question of the moment is: how important is it to humour Russian President Vladimir Putin? The answer is: not very. Throw him a fish or two, because hes running a bluff and you dont want to humiliate him, but theres no need to placate him with major concessions.

Opinion

THE geopolitical question of the moment is: how important is it to humour Russian President Vladimir Putin? The answer is: not very. Throw him a fish or two, because hes running a bluff and you dont want to humiliate him, but theres no need to placate him with major concessions.

This question has become urgent because Putin is demanding guarantees that Ukraine will never join NATO. He also wants the alliance to withdraw all the non-local troops and weapons it has deployed in countries that were not in NATO before 1997. And he is hinting that he might invade Ukraine if NATO does not comply.

Areas that were not in NATO before 1997 is a lot of territory. It includes Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all under Soviet rule before 1989, plus five other countries in the Balkans that were Communist-ruled but not under Soviet control: Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia.

Thats more than 100 million people, most of whom have unhappy memories of Russian rule and a lingering fear of Russian domination. Thats why they all joined NATO (and most of them joined the European Union, too).

They will never let the Russians make them vulnerable again, and there is no reason for NATO to give in to Putins demands. The notion that Russia might actually invade Ukraine is, frankly, ridiculous.

Ukraine is a country the size of France, with 43 million people. Its armed forces are less-well-equipped than Russias, but they have become considerably more professional during seven years of low-level fighting against Russian-backed separatists in the two southeastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Russia has slightly more than three times Ukraines population, much bigger armed forces and a lot more money (thanks to abundant oil and gas), but invading Ukraine would not be a stroll in the park. The Russians could certainly take the east, and maybe Kyiv, but conquering the west would be doubtful.

And afterwards, Russian occupation troops would face a huge and long-lasting guerilla resistance.

Besides, the immediate consequence of an overt Russian invasion would be a trade embargo by all the NATO countries that would quickly bring the Russian economy to its knees. Moreover, the Russian people are definitely not up for that kind of adventure: Putins entire regime would be at risk of collapse.

This is not like the old Cold War, when the Soviet Union and its satellites were only outnumbered two-to-one by NATO. Now its just a much-diminished Russia against a greatly expanded NATO: three-to-one in regular military forces, seven-to-one in population, 25-to-one in GDP.

Russia has lots of nuclear weapons, so nobody is going to attack it, but in any other kind of war it is hopelessly overmatched. Putins demands dont really make sense in terms of Russian security.

Putin inherited the reality of an enlarged NATO when he took power at the end of 1999, and raised no objection then or for a long time afterwards. After all, he was very busy with the war in Chechnya and other post-imperial border conflicts for the next decade.

He did start obsessing over Ukraine after the 2014 revolution in Kyiv overthrew the pro-Russian president there, but he then effectively took Ukrainian NATO membership off the board by sponsoring a pro-Russian armed revolt in Donetsk and Luhansk.

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There was never much support for Ukrainian membership in NATO anyway, precisely because it might oblige the alliance to defend Ukraine against Russia. By creating a permanent military confrontation in eastern Ukraine, Putin made Ukrainian membership unthinkable. The status quo was ugly, but satisfactory  so why try to change it?

One possibility is that having former U.S. president Donald Trump in his pocket  nobody knows why, but he did  gave Putin a sense of security that has now evaporated. Another is that he just sees Joe Biden as weak, and he is trying his luck. But his motive doesnt matter, really, because the whole project is foredoomed.

NATO doesnt have to do anything except to make it clear to Moscow in private that any Russian aggression against Ukraine  not a full-scale invasion, which is out of the question, but even a border incursion somewhere  will be met with a full economic blockade of Russia.

Dont say that in public, of course. Dont back Putin into a corner; dont make him lose face. Dont create panic in the western public with exaggerated reports of a Russian military buildup, either (as the boys and girls at the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington have been doing, simply out of habit).

Give Putin no concessions, but show him respect. Keep talking to him, and eventually hell come in from the ledge hes gone out on at the moment.

Gwynne Dyers new book is The Shortest History of War.
The Christmas tree in our living room pales in comparison to what weve decorated in years gone by.

Its smaller. Its shorter. Its even missing that Christmas tree smell so synonymous with home-for-the-holidays.

In other words, its a perfect tree for another COVID Christmas where everything we have seems less than we want or need.

This was never going to be an easy Christmas for our family as it marks the first one without my wifes father who was one of Englands COVID casualties in January. The death of my mother just four days before her Christmas birthday has only made the hard even harder.

But even for those not grieving, these holidays still seem less, still seem harder because they are not what we expected.

A few short weeks ago, almost everything seemed possible, or at least as close to possible as permitted in a pandemic. This was to be a Christmas that made up for the one COVID stole from us last year. This was to be the Christmas the fully-vaccinated could unwrap with little reason to fear.

Until it wasnt. Until we needed to hunker down again. Until we needed to brace for a surge that has now overwhelmed our testing capacity.

All is not calm. All is not brighter.

Against this depressing backdrop, I feared our newsroom tradition of finding a Christmas story to deliver comfort and joy might become another casualty of COVID.

Fortunately, a Christmas tree came to the rescue. And not just any Christmas tree as Melissa Martin writes in our 49.8 cover story. The yuletide symbol Melissa found has been on duty for 12 straight months at a personal care home that lost so much when the virus ripped through it a year ago.

As told by Melissa, the story of the Christmas tree at the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg is about the power of hope, and how the holidays can call us back to things that matter like memories and moments.

Theres a line in her story that speaks to me even more so because of what our family has just been through: "In a time when so much has been lost, everything regained matters."

This Christmas will be one of loss in a way that my wife and I have never before experienced. In countless other ways, too, this Christmas will be one impacted by losses of varying magnitudes for all Manitobans.

But lets not lose sight of what we have regained. I get that it might be hard to see, but we are closer to the end of the pandemic now than we were a year ago.

Let this be a holiday where you make memories and moments to help you connect in ways that matter, that sustain, that restore your faith. Let this be a holiday where the time you have friends and family makes up for what you missed last year.

Let this holiday be one that surprises by growing on you in ways you couldnt imagine, just like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree in our living room.

We will be giving the crew that helps put this nightly newsletter together the week off. Ill be back in your inbox on New Years Eve. Merry Christmas!



Paul Samyn, Editor

THE LATEST NUMBERS

To see a larger selection of charts showing the state of COVID-19 provincially and nationally, visit COVID-19 by the numbers.

THE LATEST IN MANITOBA

 Manitoba reported 556 new COVID-19 infections and 0ne pandemic death Thursday. Thats the most new cases in a single day sine May 21, whem there were 594. The five-day test positivity rate is 10.9 per cent provincewide and 10.6 per cent in Winnipeg. New infections were detected in all health regions, but 60 per cent were in Winnipeg with 355 cases. There were 51 new cases in Prairie Mountain Health, 62 in Southern Health, 41 in Interlake-Eastern and 47 in the Northern Health region. There was no information about the death.

For the latest information on current public health orders, restrictions and other guidance, visit the provincial government's website.

First- and second-dose vaccinations are available for all Manitobans over five years of age. Third-dose shots are available to all Manitoba adults. Check eligibility criteria and recommended time frames between doses at wfp.to/eligibility. Appointments can be booked online at wfp.to/bookvaccine or by calling 1-844-626-8222.

Manitobans who have received all required doses of a vaccine at least 14 days ago can request an immunization card to prove complete vaccination. To request a digital or physical card, visit the provincial government's website.

THE LATEST ELSEWHERE

 Canadas two largest provinces reported record high COVID-19 cases counts Thursday, as preliminary data from Britain indicated that people with the Omicron variant are up to 70 per cent less likely to need hospitalization than those with the Delta mutation.

In Quebec, the provincial government reported 9,397 new cases and a rise of 28 COVID-19-related hospitalizations, for a total of 473. The province also reported six more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.

As well, exponential growth in COVID-19 cases was reported in Montreal, where a top health official confirmed that one of every five tests for the virus was coming back positive. Dr. Mylene Drouin said that 60 per cent of the positive cases in Montreal were among people between the ages of 18 and 44, adding that the citys latest data also confirm that 90 per cent of new infections involved the Omicron variant.

 The federal immigration minister says some of temporary measures that have helped the government meet its targets this year could be here to stay even after the pandemic ebbs away.

During the pandemic, as it became more and more difficult to bring people to Canada from abroad, the government turned to people already in the country to meet its immigration targets.

While some of the new permanent residents this year have been immigrants and refugees who arrived in Canada through traditional means, the federal government focused on allowing temporary residents to make the country their permanent home.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said the measures were designed specifically to address pandemic-related problems, but could be helpful after the pandemic passes.

 Ecuador is making vaccination against the coronavirus mandatory.

The government said Thursday that only Ecuadorians with a medical condition that could be complicated by vaccination will be exempt. Those people must provide documentation.

Officials say the order comes because of an increase in coronavirus infections and the circulation of new variants such as omicron.

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Ecuador says it has enough vaccine to immunize the entire population. As of Tuesday, about 77% of Ecuadors 17.3 million people had been vaccinated. About 33,600 people in Ecuador have died from COVID-19.

Earlier this week, the body overseeing health policies to combat the pandemic decreed that vaccination certificates must be shown to enter restaurants, cinemas and other public areas.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

"The message is we are having intense community transmission in Montreal. Its exponential  its touching young adults."

 Dr. Mylene Drouin on the emergency situation in Montreal

LOCAL NEWS

NATIONAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

COVID-19 BASICS
Demand for COVID-19 tests has overwhelmed provincial laboratories with results pending for more than 7,500 people across Manitoba, just one day after public-health officials insisted capacity had not been exceeded.

Demand for COVID-19 tests has overwhelmed provincial laboratories with results pending for more than 7,500 people across Manitoba, just one day after public-health officials insisted capacity had not been exceeded.

In a release sent late Thursday afternoon, the provincial government said it is taking at least four days for COVID-19 test results to be reported back to the public.

A laboratory technologist demonstrates one of the steps taken when a specimen is tested for COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/Darryl Dyck

Consequently, the 556 new COVID-19 infections reported Thursday  the highest single-day increase since May 20  does not accurately reflect the number of people currently carrying the virus.

"Long line-ups and wait times for test results need to be expected," the province said in the release.

Public-health officials did not hold a media availability Thursday. A request for comment from Premier Heather Stefanson and Health Minister Audrey Gordon was not returned.

However, deputy chief provincial public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal was asked repeatedly about the provinces ability to ramp up testing capacity during a news conference Wednesday afternoon as hundreds of people in Winnipeg who were feeling unwell and fearing they were infected with the coronavirus sat in bumper-to-bumper vehicle lines snaking around test sites or stood outside  in some cases for hours  to get a nasal swab.

Dr. Jazz Atwal, Manitoba deputy chief provincial public health officer. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/John Woods

"At the present time, from my understanding, capacity has not exceeded," Atwal told reporters Wednesday. "The system hasnt, from a testing side, been overwhelmed at this point. Its being stretched."

Atwal said work was underway to increase capacity; the province said Thursday it is currently "exploring options to expand laboratory capacity to help alleviate the backlog."

A new testing strategy that would put a greater emphasis on the use of rapid tests was also near completion, Atwal said. No other details were provided.

Opposition NDP Leader Wab Kinew said the massive test backlog shows the Progressive Conservative government has not learned from past mistakes and "refused to invest" in contact tracing and testing.

"Manitobans want to do everything they can to make it through the holidays safely, but the PCs are making it harder for folks to do the right thing," Kinew said in a statement to the Free Press. "It looks like Premier Stefanson and her Health Minister will spend the holidays repeating the mistakes of Brian Pallister and past PC health ministers."

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Opposition leader Wab Kinew.

Its time for COVID-19 priority-testing lists and a stronger public-health message to tell Manitobans not to get tested if they dont have any symptoms  or even if their symptoms are very mild, experts say.

"If you cant get tested, you still know what you need to do," said Dr. Richard Rusk, a former provincial medical officer of health. He urged Manitobans to have "a quiet Christmas, a quiet holiday" and isolate themselves if they have symptoms, even if they dont have results or the ability to get tested. Rusk is now the medical director of the Pure Wellness private medical clinic in Winnipeg. Until last year, he specialized in infectious diseases for provincial public health and has expertise in managing testing and contact-tracing capacity.

The testing system is designed for people who are sick, not for people who dont have any symptoms, he said, but because of the widespread transmission of COVID-19 now, "anyone whos got a sore throat would be worried."

The demand is due to the degree of virus transmission now, but Rusk said some of the people seeking tests might have just been trying to be as safe as possible before Christmas.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Vehicles wait in a long line to get into Nairns drive-in COVID testing site Wednesday.

"If weve run out of capacity, does that change anything? Im not convinced it does," he said, emphasizing that people should still avoid having lots of contacts and follow established public-health guidelines.

Asked if Manitoba could have done anything differently to avoid reaching maximum capacity, Rusk urged individuals to do whatever they can.

"We can blame, but we also have to take responsibility," he said. "None of us want to go back to March of last year, none of us, especially when its Christmas. But those core public-health approaches are essentially (the key). Isolation is still, by far, the best way of making sure the virus does not leave you and infect someone else."

Testing should be prioritized for symptomatic Manitobans who are considered high-risk  those living in congregate settings, the elderly and the immunocompromised, said medical microbiologist Dr. Philippe Lagace-Wiens. He urged the province to develop a priority list and stop testing asymptomatic people until the situation improves.

"The messaging really has to start to change once youve got backlogs like this," he said.

The province has said long lines at testing sites should be expected  and that was the case again Thursday as Manitobans idled their vehicles at drive-thru sites or stood in lengthy queues in the cold. Several people were turned away an hour before closing time at the Garrick Centre site after standing in a block-long line. The Health Links phone line, too, is completely overwhelmed  taking 4,000 calls a day from people who wait hours on hold to speak with a nurse.

Public-health officials reminded Manitobans they cant get tested through the public system if they need results to travel. Prospective travellers must book an appointment with a private provider.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Cars lineup to get to the drive-thru COVID testing site on Main Street Tuesday.

The rapid, but predicted, jump in COVID-19 cases has been attributed to the highly infectious Omicron variant, with the number of new cases expected to double every two to four days. Between one-quarter and one-third of all new cases were estimated to be Omicron as of Wednesday.

Earlier pandemic projections also put Manitoba on a course to hit 1,000 cases daily by early January due to the variant, which is more likely to cause an infection in fully vaccinated people.

The fastest increase in new cases has been in Winnipeg, where 355 new infections were reported Thursday. The city currently has a seven-day average of 200 cases a day, compared to an average of 68 cases one week prior.

Another 62 cases were reported in Southern Health region, 51 in Prairie Mountain , 47 in the North and 41 in Interlake-Eastern.

In the past week, the seven-day average for cases in Southern Health  where COVID-19 vaccination rates are the lowest in the province  has remained steady at 49 cases a day. The region had driven provincial case counts for weeks with an average of 60 cases a day at its fourth-wave peak.

However, epidemiologist Souradet Shaw said its too soon to say if the fourth wave has crested in Southern Health.

Rather, its possible that the Delta-variant epidemic has either flatlined or decreased while Omicron remains on an upward trajectory in the region, Shaw said.

"We may see case numbers stall a bit in that region, and then rise rapidly, in line with the rest of the province," said Shaw, who is Canada Research Chair in Program Science and Global Public Health at the University of Manitoba.

"Accessibility of PCR testing, and willingness to test, will also play into what we are seeing in reported cases over the next couple of weeks."

Meanwhile, the number of people being treated for COVID-19 grew by seven to 144, including 30 in intensive care, after some marginal improvements in hospitalization numbers from a week ago, a spokesman for Shared Health said.

The medical intensive care unit at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg MIKAELA MACKENZIE/FREE PRESS FILES

As of midnight Thursday, 91 patients were in intensive care in Manitoba for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 care.

"Given the sharp increase in COVID activity in our province in recent days due to the presence of the Omicron variant, we anticipate these numbers will continue to climb  perhaps significantly  in the days ahead," the spokesman said.

According to the health authority, the rate of admission to intensive care for COVID-19 cases has been consistent throughout the pandemic with about 1.5 per cent of all cases requiring critical care.

Given that so much is still unknown about the Omicron variant, it is difficult to determine its effect in the coming days on ICU admissions."  provincial spokesman

"Given that so much is still unknown about the Omicron variant, it is difficult to determine its effect in the coming days on ICU admissions," the spokesman said. "If that statistical trend continues to hold with this new variant, eight or nine of the 556 new cases reported today by public health will be admitted to ICU in the next week or two.

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The province reported that 47 per cent of COVID-19 patients being treated in hospital Thursday were unvaccinated and 71 per cent of COVID-19 patients in intensive care were unvaccinated.

Statistics from Shared Health show that of 394 COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care between June 1 and Dec. 11, 92.1 per cent were not fully vaccinated.

The statement from Shared Health encouraged people to get third-dose booster shots, wear masks and stay home and get tested when ill.

"Doing these simple things will not only significantly reduce the risk of getting COVID, but it will also help fatigued health-care workers at hospitals and health centres who are bracing for another patient surge in the coming days," the spokesman said.

 With files from Katie May

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
EDMONTON - Alberta's Opposition says the governing United Conservative Party showed hypocrisy by going ahead with a Christmas party a few hours after the health minister strongly encouraged workplaces to cancel holiday gatherings.

Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping gives a COVID-19 update in Edmonton, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON - Alberta's Opposition says the governing United Conservative Party showed hypocrisy by going ahead with a Christmas party a few hours after the health minister strongly encouraged workplaces to cancel holiday gatherings.

NDP house leader Christina Gray says Albertans are sick of the government not following its own advice to curb the spread of COVID-19.

"This government continuing to ask Albertans to do what they say but not what they do is incredibly frustrating and unfortunately, I think, contributes to the challenges were in now," Gray said Thursday.

Health Minister Jason Copping had asked workplaces Tuesday afternoon to cancel their holiday social gatherings to align with the province's work from home order, even if their get-togethers were set for venues participating in the vaccine passport program.

"These measures bear an extra weight during the holiday season when we want to gather with family and friends," Copping told reporters. "I encourage all Albertans to keep their contact with others limited this holiday season."

He also announced the government was expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, buying more rapid tests and imposing new capacity limits and rules in an effort to curb rising case numbers of the Omicron variant.

A few hours later, the UCP held a Christmas reception at Edmonton's Parlour Italian Kitchen and Bar.

UCP spokesman Dave Prisco said government officials decided to proceed with the party because the venue was compliant with regulations and the health minister had given the advice only a short time before.

"This event was compliant with the Restrictions Exemption Program and we were at reduced capacity at the venue throughout the evening," Prisco said in a email.

Prisco added that a UCP holiday party scheduled in Calgary for Wednesday was cancelled.

He did not respond to questions about how many people were at the Edmonton party.

Gray said the NDP caucus cancelled its holiday party, which had been set for Dec. 16, "to limit in-person contacts given rising COVID-19 case counts and other provinces imposing restrictions."

She said this is not the first time the UCP government has not followed its own advice.

Last holiday season, several legislature members resigned from cabinet or were stripped of their responsibilities after it came to light that they went on international vacations contrary to public health guidelines at the time.

Over the summer, Premier Jason Kenney also apologized for breaking COVID-19 rules at a dinner party with cabinet ministers, which was caught on camera. It took place on the rooftop patio attached to Kenney's penthouse office, nicknamed the "Sky Palace," at the Federal Building.

"Jason Kenney needs to lead by example," Gray said.

"Whether it is the Sky Palace parties weve seen, his MLAs going on vacations when Albertans have been told not to, and now having a Christmas party the same day the minister of health told all other workplaces they should cancel their Christmas parties," she said.

"It is frustrating, it is exhausting, and Albertans are sick of it."

Also on Thursday, as the province identified 1,625 new cases of COVID-19, the chief medical officer did not respond to multiple questions from reporters about whether she was disappointed to hear about the Christmas party her colleagues attended.

Ready, Pet, Go! Leesa Dahl looks at everything to do with our furry, fuzzy, feathered, fishy (and more!) pet friends. Arrives in your inbox each Monday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"My job is to provide recommendations, to provide the public with specific details on what we know about variants," Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.

"So I think if I were to sit in judgment of everyone who perhaps caused increased risk, I would not have enough hours in the day, so I will just say that all of us, everyone across this province, we have an opportunity right now.

"COVID-19, in the form of the Omicron variant, is spreading very fast. In this next week, the choices that we make will have significant consequences, not just for us but, for those around us."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2021.

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
WINNIPEG - Public health officials in Manitoba are urging residents to significantly scale back holiday celebrations as the province reported nearly 750 new COVID-19 cases Friday, making it the highest daily count of the pandemic.

Manitoba Health and Seniors Care Minister Audrey Gordon addresses media prior to children receiving their first inoculations in the COVID-19 vaccination clinic, in Winnipeg, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

WINNIPEG - Public health officials in Manitoba are urging residents to significantly scale back holiday celebrations as the province reported nearly 750 new COVID-19 cases Friday, making it the highest daily count of the pandemic.

The government didn't implement new restrictions as case numbers continue to climb due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant. But the province's top doctor said officials are closely watching developments.

"We're here today to strongly recommend Manitobans limit their close contacts throughout this holiday season. Manitobans must, and I stress must, follow the current public health orders," said Audrey Gordon, the minister of health and seniors care.

Chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said residents need to adjust their plans this weekend as the province is seeing rapid transmission of Omicron.

"Many people were having multiple gatherings planned this weekend," Roussin said. "If you were going to three or four gatherings this weekend, this should be down to one. If you're having 10 people over, you should limit that number further."

The province announced 742 new cases Friday, up from 556 cases a day earlier, for a total of 3,626 active cases. The province also reported two more deaths linked to the virus.

There were 135 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19, with 24 of those patients in intensive care.

Four new cases of the Omicron variant were reported for a total of 22.

Roussin also said the latest case counts are likely an underestimate, as the province's testing system is at capacity and there was a backlog of 10,000 tests. The wait time for results is about four days.

Roussin estimated 10 per cent of the backlogged tests are positive cases.

He encouraged young people under the age of 40 who don't have underlying health conditions to stay home and isolate if they have cold or flu-like symptoms, saying "you can assume you have Omicron."

Roussin was pressed Friday on why the province wasn't implementing new restrictions immediately.

"We're looking at this by the hour. We need to pivot quickly with the messaging and so we're sending out some very clear messaging that holiday plans need to change," he said.

He added Manitobans should expect some changes to large gathering sizes next week.

Tighter public health orders previously came into effect Tuesday in the face of the emerging Omicron variant.

Private indoor gatherings with vaccinated people are limited to household members plus 10 other people, while gatherings that include anyone who is unvaccinated are limited to one household plus five guests. Gyms, movie theatres and restaurants, which require people to show proof of vaccination, are limited to half capacity.

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The province also made some changes Friday to eligibility requirements to receive a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead with Manitoba's vaccine implementation group, said anyone 50 and over can now book a booster shot five months after their second dose. The six month time frame between second and third shots still applies for those under 50.

"It's really important that we prioritize people that are at the highest risk of severe outcomes," said Reimer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2021.

___

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  Los Angeles police fatally shot a 14-year-old girl who was inside a clothing store dressing room Thursday as they fired at a suspect who had assaulted a woman earlier, authorities said.

Police officers work at the scene where two people were struck by gunfire in a shooting at the Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Los Angeles police fatally shot a 14-year-old girl who was inside a clothing store dressing room Thursday as they fired at a suspect who had assaulted a woman earlier, authorities said.

Police also killed the male suspect, authorities said. He and the girl have not been named. The woman who had been assaulted was taken to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries.

The shots were fired around 11:45 a.m. at a Burlington store  part of a chain formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory  in the North Hollywood area of the San Fernando Valley.

Police initially responded to reports of a person being assaulted with a deadly weapon as well as reports of shots being fired, said Los Angeles police Capt. Stacy Spell at a news conference. Spell said officers opened fire when they saw the suspect assaulting another person.

Police officers arrive the scene where two people were struck by gunfire in a shooting at the Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

The suspect was struck by the officers' bullets and killed, Spell said.

One of the bullets went through a dressing room wall and struck the 14-year-old girl, according to LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi. Officers later found her inside.

You cant see into the dressing rooms and it just looks like a straight wall of drywall, Choi said at a second news conference.

Investigators do not yet know whether the teenager was in the dressing room before the violence began or ran in there to hide, he said.

The California Department of Justice was investigating the shooting, Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

Police officers work at the scene where two people were struck by gunfire in a shooting at the Burlington Coat Factory store in North Hollywood, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Choi said authorities do not yet know the man's motive or whether he knew the woman he initially assaulted in the store.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said that woman had moderate to serious injuries and was transported to a hospital. It wasn't immediately known if she'd been shot but Choi said she had injuries to her head, arms and face.

Police found a heavy metal cable lock near the suspect that they say may have been used in that assault.

Spell said the injured woman was the victim in the first assault report. It was not immediately clear what weapon was involved in that assault.

He added that police had received calls about the suspect acting erratically before the incident.

Imelda Garcia said her sister works in the store and was on break when she heard gunshots and everyone started running. Garcia said she spoke to her sister on the phone and that she's OK but sounded really nervous.

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Police escorted people out of the store nearly two hours after the shooting.

The shooting recalled a July 21, 2018, confrontation in which LAPD officers accidentally shot and killed a woman at a Trader Joe's market. Officers got into a gunfight with a man who authorities say shot his grandmother and girlfriend before leading police on a chase that ended when he crashed his car outside the market.

A police bullet killed Melyda Corado, 27, the assistant store manager, as she ran toward the stores entrance after hearing the car crash.

The suspect, Gene Evin Atkins, took employees and shoppers hostage for three hours before surrendering, authorities said.

Atkins has pleaded not guilty to the killing.

Prosecutors found two police officers acted lawfully when they returned Atkins gunfire.
For those whove been decorating, cleaning, cooking and baking in preparation for Christmas, its a relief to know were as ready as possible to welcome loved ones and to celebrate the holiday together. For those who cant be with loved ones for whatever reasons, theyll most likely talk to them on the phone and recall all the wonderful memories they share.

Two weekends ago, I picked up Adrian, one of my two adult grandchildren, from Madison, where theyre finishing their senior year at the University of Wisconsin. After we took a long walk in my favorite woods, we decorated the Christmas tree. Almost every decoration had a story behind it that I passed on to Adrian as we hung them on the tree.

Even the tree has a story. Years ago, my daughter, whos Adrians mother, and I spotted it sitting on a curb in a Minneapolis suburb near where they lived at the time. Although Id always sworn Id never have an artificial tree, as soon as I saw it I knew it was perfect for my little house. Narrow and under six feet tall, with a real cedar trunk and tiny cedar cones on its branches, it looked as if it was just cut down. And now, years later, it still does. In fact, I have to keep reminding myself not to water it.
CAMBRIA  Cambria-Friesland School District is searching for its next superintendent but will have some big shoes to fill as Timothy Raymond retires after eight years as the district administrator.

We are going to miss him, said Valerie Glover, Cambria-Friesland library instructional assistant said. We dont want him to retire. Hes the best superintendent weve had in the 27 years that I have been here.

Glover said there was a simple gesture he made when first coming to the school that made a difference right away: He said hello to some high school students when entering the building. That respect of the student body and staff at the school has made a difference over the years, he said.

Raymond began his career as a teacher for 16 years and has been an administrator for the last 16 years.

Raymond said he had a great experience as a teacher, but moved into administration to make more of an impact on students. He met his wife while teaching in Medford.

Shes been my incredible wife for the last 30 years, Raymond said.
JUNEAU -- COVID-19 related deaths in Dodge County will likely be the highest reported for a single week when the final numbers are released Friday.

The Dodge County Public Health released the data for its COVID-19 daily snapshot on Thursday that showed that the county had 13 confirmed deaths on Wednesday with three additional cases listed as probable COVID-related deaths.

Dodge County Public Health Nurse Abby Sauer said a confirmed death is a positive test from someone who had a PCR test and a probable death is someone who had a positive rapid antigen test.

So far, for December, we have reported 20 confirmed positive deaths and 3 probable positive deaths, Sauer said. Unfortunately we will be reporting additional deaths in (Friday's) numbers as well.

In total, 263 people have died of COVID in Dodge County since the start of the pandemic.

It was reported Thursday that an additional nine people were hospitalized due to the virus for a total of 1,211 people who have been hospitalized from the virus.

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There are 793 known cases in the county with 17,835 people having contracted the virus and reported it since the beginning of the pandemic.
Gablemans lawyer James Bopp said on Thursday the former justice is investigating a series of allegations against the Elections Commission, including those by Republican Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, who earlier this year called for five members of the commission  two Republican appointees and three Democratic appointees  to be charged with crimes for waiving the states special voting deputy requirement in nursing homes. The commission made the decision, at first unanimously, after several nursing homes barred voting deputies because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is (Gablemans) hope that through this investigation some of these allegations  hopefully all of them  can be disposed of, debunked and we just move on, but some of them may not be and that is what he is trying to investigate in order to determine and make recommendations on what legal changes need to be made to election law, Bopp said, adding that recommendations may also include changes to the state Elections Commission itself.

Outside money
This holiday weekend is a tale of two Christmases: Heavy snow, rain and wind are forecast for the entire US West Coast, while potentially record-breaking warmth will toast the South.

The rest of the United States over this period looks to be unseasonably warm. Christmas holiday travel could be hindered by rain and snow most often in the West, but a few storm systems could lead to some headaches in parts of the Midwest, East and South.

Much of the southern U.S. will enjoy a dry and very warm Christmas Day., with high temperature records set to fall Saturday from Texas into the Southeast. The West will continue to be stormy.

Heavy rains in Northern California left two people dead in a submerged car as authorities urged residents of Southern California mountain and canyon communities to voluntarily leave their homes because of possible mud and debris flows.

In the Sierra Nevada, an evacuation warning was issued for about 150 homes downstream of Twain Harte Lake Dam after cracks were found in granite that adjoins the manmade part of the 36-foot-high (11-meter) structure. Authorities began releasing some water, but the dam didn't seem in any immediate danger, Tuolomne County sheriff's Sgt. Nicco Sandelin said.
Looking for a unique gift, but not finding anything to write home about. Try talking to The Potting Shed Antiques Owner Don Hartman. "I havent worked a day in 28 years." Don says its not working when youre doing what you love. He stocks the shelves with things youre not going to find at the usual retail stores, and theres no shortage of unusual items. He believes thats whats drawing customers to the store.

"I think its a lot of lack of inventory in your gift shops throughout the area, and the fact that theyre tired of the same old thing and want to buy something different, something unique, something that has a history."

Business has been increasing. In fact Don has 4 employees, and the phone is always ringing. "Weve gone from averages of 14-15 customers a day to an average probably about 40-45 a day, so thats a nice increase for a small business."

Antiques isnt the kind of business you can just jump into. Its taken Don years to build up an inventory, and the knowledge to make it succeed. "You got to know what youre doing. Youve got to do your research. Youve got to have reference books, youve got to have the price guides."

Most of all Don says you have to love what youre doing. The thing that brings him the most joy is seeing a customer walk out with a smile on their face. "This is my retirement. I retired at 44, and Im having a ball in retirement. Im going to be here until they put me in the ground probably. Theyre going to bury me out of here." (laughs)

So if youre a last minute shopper, and youre having trouble finding that unique gift, you might want to consider coming to a shop like The Potting Shed Antiques.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)  Police departments locally and nationwide are facing staff shortages. But on local agency is testing a unique way to recruit for open positions.

If you're driving through Greater Lafayette this holiday weekend, you might notice a billboard inviting you to join the team at the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office.

"We've got a lot of people coming here for the holidays; Purdue students leaving, coming back; families coming in and out; people from Indianapolis, Chicago, Fort Wayne," Sheriff Bob Goldsmith says. "Really trying to reach people in the surrounding communities."

Goldsmith says police departments across the country are facing staff shortages. A News 18 previously reported, Lafayette Police Department is also short on officers.

The billboards are one way the sheriff's office hopes to recruit employees.

"A lot of people go to universities and job fairs and things like that," he says. "With COVID restrictions, those type of things have been difficult to do so this is just one way we can reach several tens of thousands of people a day."

The billboards represent the variety of careers through the sheriff's office, including specialized units like K-9 and SWAT.

"We're fortunate as an agency to be able to have several specialty areas that a lot of agencies don't offer ... having those things I believe helps attract others to our department," Goldsmith says.

The sheriff's office has openings for two deputies, four jail deputies and one dispatcher.

The billboards cost about $2,500. But Goldsmith says its worth the investment to attract top talent to the sheriff's office.

"We have some openings, we're hiring and come join our team," he says.

To apply, visit the Tippecanoe County website.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - The COVID-19 Omicron variant has not officially been detected in Tippecanoe County yet, but that hasn't stopped the Tippecanoe County Health Department from worrying about it.

As we've reported, the Omicron variant has been detected in the state. TCHD Executive Assistant, Amanda Balser said symptoms seem to be less severe.

Right now they're seeing different symptoms with the most recent wave of COVID cases. They include more patients with sore throats, diarrhea and vomiting. Balser said people should take the Omicron variant just as seriously as other variants.

"I don't think we've seen enough with the Omicron variant yet to know exactly what the death toll is going to be, but just like with every other variant, we have to be just as safe," said Balser.

Balser advised that it's best to avoid holiday gatherings if you are experiencing any symptoms.

"If you have any symptoms at all, stay home. Don't infect loved ones. Don't infect your friends at holiday parties," she said.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jurors on Thursday convicted a suburban Minneapolis police officer of two manslaughter charges in the killing of Daunte Wright, a Black motorist she shot during a traffic stop after she said she confused her gun for her Taser.

The mostly white jury deliberated for about four days before finding former Brooklyn Center officer Kim Potter guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter. Potter, 49, faces about seven years in prison on the most serious count under the states sentencing guidelines, but prosecutors said they would seek a longer term.

Potter, who testified that she didnt want to hurt anybody, looked down without showing any visible reaction when the verdicts were read.

Potter, who is white, shot and killed the 20-year-old Wright during an April 11 traffic stop in Brooklyn Center as she and other officers were trying to arrest him on an outstanding warrant for a weapons possession charge. The shooting happened at a time of high tension in the area, with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin standing trial just miles away for the killing of George Floyd. Potter resigned two days later.

Jurors saw video of the shooting that was captured by police body cameras and dashcams. It showed Potter and an officer she was training, Anthony Luckey, pull over Wright for having expired license plate tags and an air freshener hanging from his rear-view mirror. During the stop, Luckey discovered there was a warrant for Wrights arrest for not appearing in court on the weapons possession charge, and he, Potter and another officer went to take Wright into custody.

Wright obeyed Luckeys order to get out of his car, but as Luckey tried to handcuff him, Wright pulled away and got back in. As Luckey held onto Wright, Potter said Ill tase ya. The video then shows Potter holding her gun in her right hand and pointing it at Wright. Again, Potter said, Ill tase you, and then two seconds later: Taser, Taser, Taser. One second later, she fired a single bullet into Wrights chest.

(Expletive)! I just shot him. ... I grabbed the wrong (expletive) gun, Potter said. A minute later, she said: Im going to go to prison.

In sometimes tearful testimony, Potter told jurors that she was sorry it happened. She said the traffic stop just went chaotic and that she shouted her warning about the Taser after she saw a look of fear on the face of Sgt. Mychal Johnson, who was leaning into the passenger-side door of Wrights car. She also told jurors that she doesnt remember what she said or everything that happened after the shooting, as much of her memory of those moments is missing.

Potters lawyers argued that she made a mistake by drawing her gun instead of her Taser. But they also said she would have been justified in using deadly force if she had meant to because Johnson was at risk of being dragged.

Prosecutors sought to raise doubts about Potters testimony that she decided to act after seeing fear on Johnsons face. Prosecutor Erin Eldridge, in cross-examination, pointed out that in an interview with a defense expert Potter said she didnt know why she decided to draw her Taser. During her closing argument, Eldridge also replayed Potters body-camera video that she said never gave a clear view of Johnsons face during the key moments.

Eldridge also downplayed testimony from some other officers who described Potter as a good person or said they saw nothing wrong in her actions: The defendant has found herself in trouble and her police family has her back.

Prosecutors also got Potter to agree that she didnt plan to use deadly force. They said Potter, an experienced officer with extensive training in Taser use and use of deadly force, acted recklessly and betrayed the badge.

For first-degree manslaughter, prosecutors had to prove that Potter caused Wrights death while committing a misdemeanor - in this case, the reckless handling or use of a firearm so as to endanger the safety of another with such force and violence that death or great bodily harm to any person was reasonably foreseeable.

The second-degree manslaughter charge required prosecutors to prove that Potter caused Wrights death by her culpable negligence, meaning she caused an unreasonable risk and consciously took a chance of causing death or great bodily harm to Wright while using or possessing a firearm.

Under Minnesota law, defendants are sentenced only on the most serious conviction if multiple counts involve the same act and the same victim. Prosecutors had said they would seek to prove aggravating factors that merit whats called an upward departure from sentencing guidelines. In Potters case, they alleged that her actions were a danger to others, including her fellow officers, to Wrights passenger and to the couple whose car was struck by Wrights after the shooting. They also alleged she abused her authority as a police officer.

The maximum for 1st-degree manslaughter is 15 years.
On December 4, one day ahead of the International Volunteer Day, staff members of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) visited the Xizongbu Community in Beijing's Dongcheng District to render services for children and elderly people.

Ten departments of the ACWF and the Women's Federation of Dongcheng District carried out 10 voluntary projects, as they responded to the needs of families in the community.

The ACWF set up a women volunteers' station at Xizongbu Community, where residents can receive services such as family education guidance, psychological counseling, safety and protection knowledge education and aid regarding smartphone use. They also participated in training on enhancing the capacity of voluntary services.

Huang Xiaowei, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, led the voluntary service.

Huang Xiaowei (2nd L), Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, visits the home of a senior resident. [For Women of China]

When visiting the home of Du Minzhu, a 78-year-old woman, Huang held Du's hands and asked about her health and difficulties in life. Huang said the Party always takes the people's desire for a better life as its goal and put people first. She told Du that the women volunteers are an important group who will serve their needs.

Huang also urged Party organizations of the ACWF to continue to organize Party members to do practical work for women and families at the grassroots level, in accordance with Party history learning and education.

The ACWF holds a voluntary activity of providing services for children and elderly people in Xizongbu Community in Beijing's Dongcheng District on December 4. [For Women of China]

Women volunteers encourage children in the community to read more books. [For Women of China]

Huang Xiaowei (2nd R, front row), Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, speaks to a girl from the community. [For Women of China]

During the activity, Huang presented a flag to the general team of the women volunteers of the ACWF. Wu Haiying, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, presented a flag to the women volunteers' team of the Xizongbu Community. Zhang Xiaolan, Vice-President and Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, presided over the activity.

(Translated and edited by Women of China)
Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the All-China Women's Federation, attends a work conference on the implementation of the law on family education promotion on December 14. [Women of China/Zhang Jiamin]

A work conference on the implementation of the law on family education promotion was held by the Office of National Working Committee on Children and Women (NWCCW) under State Council, the Ministry of Education, the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), the Supreme People's Court and six other ministries and state-level organs on December 14.

Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of the ACWF, delivered a speech at the meeting.

Noting the importance of implementing the law on family education promotion, Shen stressed fulfilling the duty of women's federations to promote the law to women and families, highlighting the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education, supporting parents educating their children in a scientific way, and taking well-coordinated steps toward constructing the system of family education guidance service.

Shen called for more efforts to care about the education of left-behind children whose parents have migrated to other places for work and children in need, organize activities of caring for and serving left-behind children and children in need on a regular basis, and strengthen the training of relevant personnel on family education.

Other participating ministries and state-level organs also deployed their work on the implementation of the law at the meeting.

Huang Xiaowei, Deputy Director of the NWCCW under State Council, Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice-President and First Member of the Secretariat of the ACWF, presided over the meeting.

(Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China)
Weather Alert

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON... * WHAT...Snow ending. Total snow accumulations will range from 1 to 2 inches across most of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana and southeast Missouri. Amounts from 2 to 4 inches can be 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. Travel conditions will remain very hazardous. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. &&

...VERY COLD TONIGHT... As we clear out tonight, temperatures will drop to lows in the single digits most areas to just above 10 degrees toward the Missouri Bootheel. Combined with north, northwest winds 5 to 10 mph, minimum wind chill temperatures should bottom out from the single digits to a few degrees below zero, making for a very cold start to the day Friday.
Law reform will save lives of abuse victims across the region, says police and crime commissioner

A police chief is very proud that a campaign hes supported will help save the lives of domestic abuse victims in North Wales.

The regions Police and Crime Commissioner, Andy Dunbobbin, says its resulted in a change to legislation that means in future domestic abuse and sexual offences will have to treated as seriously as knife crime and homicide cases.

The amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court Bill will make it a legal duty for local authorities, police forces and other agencies to work together to tackle serious violence.

Along with other PCCs, Mr Dunbobbin worked with the SaveLives pressure group to secure the change to the legislation thats now been backed by Home Secretary Priti Patel.

According to Mr Dunbobbin, it was an important step towards achieving the wholesale reform needed to bring perpetrators to justice whilst protecting adult and child victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

He is also a long-standing ambassador for the White Ribbon charity thats dedicated to engaging with men and boys to end violence against women and girls.

Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority in the commissioners Police and Crime Plan which sets out the blueprint that Chief Constable Carl Foulkes must implement in policing North Wales.

This year Mr Dunbobbin has secured an extra 1.4 million in funding to support the work of organisations that provide vital support to abuse victims in North Wales.

Recipients include the Domestic Abuse Safety Unit North Wales, Stepping Stones North Wales, the Sexual Abuse Recovery Centre (SARC), the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) North Wales and Gorwel.

Mr Dunbobbin said: I stood for election because I want to make a real and tangible difference to peoples lives.

I see protecting and supporting vulnerable people as one of the most important aspect of my role as police and crime commissioner.

Thats why it is such a high priority in my first Police and Crime Plan thats delivering on the promises I made in my election manifesto.

I was proud to support the SaveLives campaign and prouder still that it has resulted in this fundamentally important amendment to the legislation.

This will undoubtedly result in lives being saved here in North Wales and across the UK by helping victims break free from a cycle of abuse and misery whilst ensuring that perpetrators feel the full force of the law and are punished accordingly.

The changes to the Bill mean that local authorities, police forces and other agencies must address domestic abuse and sexual violence to the same degree as knife crime and homicide.

It will require all the relevant agencies to work together to end the scourge of domestic abuse for everyone, for good.

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, said: It sends a very clear message to victims and survivors that tackling and preventing domestic abuse and sexual violence are top priorities and not optional extras.

This amendment will ensure there is an early intervention, public health focused approach to tackling serious violent crime.
Students deliver festive cheer with virtual Christmas Carol Service

Secondary school students have delivered some much needed festive cheer to the local community.

The annual Ysgol Rhiwabon Carol concert in St Marys Church Ruabon was held this year with a digital twist.

However due to covid restrictions this year the school decided to hold a Virtual Carol Concert for the whole community to enjoy during these difficult times.

Headteacher, Mrs Melanie Ferron-Evans, said: We are very proud of our pupils talents and are delighted that we have been able to showcase them from St Marys Church using our You Tube TV Channel.

I hope you enjoy the concert and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

The Christmas Carol Concert can be viewed in full below:
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) held a politically strong and highly-engaged online public meeting Wednesday to discuss how to take forward the fight to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

More than 250 people participated in the meeting from at least 26 countries, ranging from Brazil to multiple European and South Asian states, reflecting the global support for Assange and the struggle to free him.

A feature of the more than two-hour meeting was the constant stream of more than 650 comments and questions posted by participants, and the appreciative responses to the answers and clarifications provided by the speakers.

The full video of the meeting can be viewed below, or by clicking here.

SEP holds online meeting to demand immediate release of Julian Assange

The SEP called the emergency meeting in response to the December 10 ruling by the UK High Court ordering Assanges extradition to the United States. If transported to the US he will be tried on espionage charges and potentially face a life sentence or the death penalty for publishing documents exposing the war crimes, mass surveillance and diplomatic intrigues of the US and its allies.

The meeting heard reports from two prominent World Socialist Web Site writers on the persecution of Assange: Thomas Scripps, assistant national secretary of the SEP (UK) and Oscar Grenfell, SEP (Australia) national committee member and national convenor of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality. SEP (Australia) National Secretary Cheryl Crisp chaired the meeting.

Opening the meeting, Crisp explained the critical connection between the defence of Assange and the decision of the WSWS to launch a Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 pandemic.

For almost two years, capitalist governments around the world, with the support of the trade unions and the corporate media, have conducted a campaign of lies and misinformation to justify their murderous profit-driven pandemic policies. The millions of entirely preventable infections and deaths from COVID-19 serve a stark reminder that, as Crisp said, the truth is a life and death question.

Without the truth, Crisp continued, ordinary people, the working class, the mass of the worlds population are completely disarmed, but that is what has happened in the course of the past two years. She said the workers inquest would expose and answer the falsifications and coverups, just as the WSWS would continue to do on the frame-ups and character assassination of Assange.

Speaking first, Scripps characterised the legal proceedings against Assange as a travesty of justice. He explained: The judiciary has consistently taken the desired outcomes of British and US imperialism and worked backwards to fashion rulings and judgments to suit those ends.

Scripps described the disdain for the law exhibited by the British courts and prison system. Throughout his time in Belmarsh, Assange had access to his lawyers interrupted and was denied the time or material necessary to prepare his caseagainst all rights of due process, he said.

Absurdly, in Assanges October hearing, the judge accepted the prosecutions argument that his case had nothing to do with the war crimes, wars of aggression and collateral murder; extraordinary rendition and torture exposed by WikiLeaks.

The judges had accepted phony assurances that Assange would be well treated in US prisons, offered by the same government and agencies that had plotted to assassinate Assange.

Scripps made the critical point that Assanges salvation has never been the British judiciary. His freedom and defence have always depended on a mass movement of the international working class.

Scripps continued: The real damage to the fight for Assanges freedom has therefore been done by those who have opposed this orientation and directed the campaign not to the working class but to the courts, right-wing governments, liberal NGOs and media organisations and tame and toothless so-called lefts.

By way of example, Scripps described the promotion of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as a champion of Assanges cause by the Dont Extradite Assange campaign. He noted: Corbyn has the dishonour of being the man in a position to do the most for Assanges cause who in reality did the least.

Speaking next, Grenfell explained that the Swedish investigation into Assange was a complete frame-up, which provided the ideological cement for an unholy alliance of the US intelligence agencies, the so-called liberal press, upper-middle-class feminists and the pseudo-left.

Grenfell detailed the role of the Greens-backed Gillard Labor government, which tried to illegally tear up his passport and pledged to help the US intelligence agencies campaign to destroy WikiLeaks.

In recent weeks, Grenfell reported, various Australian government figures have bemoaned Assanges plight, feigned sympathy for his medical issues and declared that the saga has gone on too long.

None has taken any action. Typical was Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who declared: I have no power in Britain or US over these matters. I have no standing in the British courts.

Grenfell said conclusions must be drawn from these experiences. The first and perhaps most crucial step is to dispense with futile illusions that are a dead-end at best and a cover for the very forces responsible for Assanges plight at worst. Assanges freedom is not going to be secured by writing friendly letters to your local MP, or by imploring [Australian Labor Party leader] Albanese to grow a spine.

Instead, Grenfell urged defenders of Assange to turn to the international working class, and bring the fight for his defence to the global resurgence of the class struggle that is already underway.

Grenfell explained: The persecution of Assange is, at the most fundamental level, aimed at intimidating the opposition in the working class and creating a precedent for its suppression.

These reports generated lively discussion in the chat field, as well as a question-and-answer session. A central theme of the questions was what can we do? And could Assange be defended through appeals to politicians or other establishment figures?

The panelists, along with SEP members and supporters who contributed in the chat, explained that the fight for Assanges freedom depends fundamentally on the development of consciousness and understanding in the working class.

Scripps said: A resolution passed in a workplace, or in a neighbourhood, is worth infinitely more than a dozen editorials in the Guardian, or a dozen motions put in parliament.

Grenfell said: Action needs to be taken, but the crucial question is, what is the political perspective that action is based on? Theres been no shortage of appeals to bourgeois politicians and capitalist governments to intervene in Assanges defence.

We dont disagree with placing demands on governments, but what weve always explained is that theyll only take this step, which would come up against the US alliance and against their own attack on democratic rights domestically, if theyre forced to do so by mass pressure from below. That means mobilising a social force.

Attendees expressed their warm appreciation of the meeting and the answers to the questions.

Iwan wrote: Many, many thanks to the speakers and organizers for this important meeting and the tireless efforts of the SEP to free Julian Assange!

Ingrid said: Misinformation is everywhere, not only mainstream but alternative platforms. WSWS is the only place that makes sense in very dark times.

Pietro wrote: Julians freedom is a revolutionary question. Julian represents anti-war sentiment. That is why his freedom is synonymous with the overthrow of the warmongering capitalist system.

Mitchell, an IT worker from Queensland, said: The events of the last few years show that its up to people power to do the work. All change will come from the bottom up, not the top down. I dont trust the press anymore. Ive read the World Socialist Web Site for 5-6 years; Im an avid reader of it.

He continued: Barnaby Joyce? I dont trust him. Those politicians arent going to help, they dictate over us. The working class needs to assert its independence to carry this struggle forward.
More than 300 doctors and medical professionals from around the world have issued an appeal for the immediate release of Julian Assange from prison in the UK because of the serious deterioration in his health indicated by the stroke he suffered in October during his UK High Court extradition hearing.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters from a balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

On December 22, Doctors for Assange released an open letter, published below, to Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, imploring him to seek the WikiLeaks founders urgent release on medical grounds. The letter makes that request based on Joyces recent statements suggesting that the US extradition request against Assange should now be dropped.

That hundreds of doctors have again written, warning of Assanges dire medical situation, underscores the grave dangers he faces as he spends yet another year behind bars with extradition hanging over his head and the prospect of being incarcerated for life on trumped-up US espionage charges.

It must be noted, however, that Joyces comments were entirely hypocritical. They were designed to head off the mounting popular demand for Assanges freedom, and remained in line with the longstanding refusal of Australian governments, both Liberal-National and Labor, to intervene on behalf of Assange, an Australian citizen.

I have no power in Britain or US over these matters. I have no standing in the British courts, Joyce stated in his op-ed piece in Nine Media newspapers. That echoed the position of the government itself, which is to respect the UK legal process, even though the UK High Courts December 10 ruling to clear the way for Assanges extradition is another pseudo-legal travesty by the British judiciary.

The Australian government has restated that stand in response to every previous call by the Doctors for Assange to release him since 2019. Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne reiterated that in a reply on April 24 to an earlier letter by Doctors for Assange asking the government to seek Assanges release because of his dangerously poor health after years of confinement and psychological torture. In that reply, now published by the doctors for the first time as an appendix to their new letter, Payne again contemptuously declared: Australia has no standing in this process.

In reality, successive Australian governments are directly responsible for Assanges persecution. Starting with the Greens-backed Gillard Labor government in 2010, they have been centrally involved in a conspiracy with the US, UK and Swedish governments to railroad Assange to jail and hand him over to the US because of WikiLeaks powerful and widely-read exposures of the atrocities, mass spying and regime-change operations conducted by the US and its allies.

The WSWS and the Socialist Equality Parties are continuing to fight for the development of a mass movement in the working class for Assanges liberty as part of the struggle against the entire capitalist economic and social order that is responsible for his incarceration. This week, we held an emergency online public meeting to discuss how to take forward this fight.

*****

Doctors for Assange

Letter to Barnaby Joyce MP, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, 22 December 2021

Dear Deputy Prime Minister,

We would like to thank you and commend you on your recent statements calling for the US extradition request against Julian Assange to be dropped.

We are a group of over 300 doctors and medical professionals from around the world, concerned about the health of Julian Assange and the health of our democracies. We have been writing to the governments of the UK, Australia and the US since November 2019, warning that Julian Assange is in a fragile state of health as a result of his treatment in the UK pursuant to unprecedented US charges, and that he could die in prison. We have been seeking Mr. Assanges release on urgent medical grounds, as an unconvicted, nonviolent, Australian journalist and publisher incarcerated in a high security UK prison for journalistic activity. Our letters have received widespread media coverage, including in major news outlets worldwide, and our warnings have twice been published in The Lancet.

We are writing to you now in light of recent reporting that Mr. Assange has suffered what was described as a mini stroke, exhibiting signs of neurological damage. As concerned doctors, including many residing in Australia, we implore you, as the Australian Deputy Prime Minister, to intervene with the UK Government to seek Mr. Assanges immediate release on urgent medical grounds.

You raise a crucially important point that Mr. Assange has committed no crime, neither in the UK nor in Australia, where the publications for which he is imprisoned occurred. He is guilty of, and charged with, nothing in the UK. Further, the crimes under the Espionage Act he is charged with committing in the US are political in nature. As citizens, we are alarmed that Mr. Assanges extraterritorial persecution threatens national sovereignty, the rule of law, human rights and press freedom worldwide. As doctors, we are alarmed that the news of Mr Assanges mini stroke, in the context of dramatic physical deterioration, underscores that his incarceration also threatens his health and indeed life.

It is important to note, as we have been warning for two years, that a cardiovascular event, such as stroke, is a foreseeable and preventable outcome of the persecution that Mr. Assange has suffered and continues to suffer. In our first letter to the Australian Government, in December 2019, to ensure that it was appraised of the medical risks to its citizen incarcerated for journalism, we wrote:

(1) Julian Assanges case is a medically complex and precarious one for two key reasons:(1) Mr Assange has been assessed as suffering all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and his medical team; and

(2) Mr Assanges medical status as torture victim is exacerbated by a history of years of medical neglect and fragile health in the Ecuadorian Embassy.

[Such a case] entails a potentially precarious interaction of psychological and medical factors Via immunosuppressive and cardiovascular mechanisms, persistently and chronically activated stress physiology causes susceptibility to a range of potentially catastrophic illnesses and diseases, including, but not limited to, cancer and cardiovascular pathology.

To ensure the Australian Government was also appraised of the risks of its own inaction, we wrote:

Should Mr Assange die in a British prison, people will want to know what you, Minister [Payne], did to prevent his death.

(Please see the enclosed Appendices 1-5 for all correspondence with the Australian Government).

Following news that Mr. Assange had suffered a cardiovascular event, under extreme stress on the first day of his High Court hearing, October 27th, we issued a statement (please see Appendix 6), on December 12th, noting that:

This dangerous deterioration of Mr. Assanges health underscores urgent concerns raised by Doctors for Assange over the past two years. Therefore, once again, Doctors for Assange calls for Mr. Assange to be released from prison so he can access consistent, high quality, independent medical caresomething which is impossible for him to obtain in Belmarsh prison.

On the High Court upholding the US extradition request despite Mr. Assanges serious medical deterioration, we wrote:

Assurances that Mr. Assange will not be subjected to harsh prison conditions by the very agency that has been plotting to kidnap and assassinate him are farcical. For the High Court to accept such a ludicrous proposition, describing the assurances as solemn undertakings offered by one government to another,calls into serious question the independence, impartiality and integrity of the UK judiciary.

Crucially, in its solemn undertakings, accepted by the High Court, the US Government retains the power to impose Special Administrative Measures on Mr. Assange, and to assign him to ADX Florence, two of the harshest, most brutal prison conditions in the US. Both facilities violate the Convention Against Torture, to which Australia is a party, and epitomise the oppressive US prison conditions that formed the basis of the denial of the US extradition request in the first place.

In light of these alarming medical and legal developments, we are writing to you now to ask you to consider the serious state of Mr. Assanges health, and the real possibility that a continuation of his unjustifiable detention in the UK may prove fatal, even before any extradition to the US.

Perhaps our concerns were previously dismissed by your colleagues as hyperbolic. They are not. On the issue of cardiovascular pathology, we have been proven right. We do not wish to be proven right on the issue of Mr. Assanges survival.

We are concerned that Mr. Assanges apparent mini stroke may be the tip of a medical iceberg. Indeed, his symptoms suggest as much. It is therefore imperative that Mr. Assange be released from prison, where his health will otherwise continue to deteriorate further and where his complex medical needs cannot be met, and that he immediately receives independent, high quality medical care.

Accordingly, we implore you, as Deputy Prime Minister, to intervene with the UK Government to seek Mr. Assanges immediate release on urgent medical grounds. We reiterate that he is an Australian citizen, innocent in the eyes of the law, and guilty of and charged with nothing in the UK.

Yours sincerely,

Doctors for Assange

Website: https://doctorsforassange.org

Email: info@doctorsforassange.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Doctors4Assange
Following Omicrons emergence as the dominant strain in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and Portugal, the vaccine-resistant variant is quickly engulfing Western and Central Europe. In many countries, officially-recorded infections have doubled in a few days, as Omicron is set to become the dominant strain in Europe before the new year.

Shoppers do their last Christmas shopping in Covent Garden in London, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Despite an explosion of cases of the vaccine-resistant variant, European governments are refusing to take any significant action to reduce transmission.

Many politicians in fact actively encouraged the European population to gather with family and friends. Yesterday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the population that people can go ahead with their Christmas plans. French President Emmanuel Macron told those who will have the joy of being with their families for Christmas only to take a reassurance rapid test and then follow barrier gestures for social distancing with family and friends. Yesterday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated, this is not March 2020 or last years Christmas.

In contrast, World Health Organisation (WHO)-Europe chief Hans Kluge warned Tuesday of another storm coming, adding: the sheer volume of new COVID-19 infections could lead to more hospitalizations and widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services.

Under current conditions, Christmas celebrations this year will be a mass super-spreader event. Under a barrage of misinformation from capitalist governments and media, millions of European families are being lulled into hosting events that will lead to the deaths of tens of thousands of loved ones. In reality, infection rates are at record highs, and sky-high caseloads mean hospitals will soon be overwhelmed all across the continent.

In Western Europe, Omicron is quickly becoming dominant. The UK is witnessing an unprecedented explosion of the virus, with 119,789 cases reported Thursday, following 105,330 cases on Wednesday.

London is the centre of the current surge and has seen a spike in hospitalizations since mid-December. On December 20, 301 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, an 80 percent increase on the previous week.

In France, 91,608 cases were recorded on Thursday, after 84,272 cases on Wednesday, the two highest daily totals in the entire pandemic. Due to staff shortages from infection, the National Railways have begun cutting regional train services. On Thursday, the Scientific Council warned of hundreds of thousands of daily cases in January and a possible disorganization of society from the beginning of January as huge numbers of people are infected or in quarantine.

In Spain, cases doubled to 60,041 on December 22 from 26,568 on December 20. The Omicron variant is apparently responsible for most of the surge, going from 3 to 47 percent of cases in the space of just one week. The PSOE-Podemos governments only measure has been to mandate mandatory mask wearing outdoors.

Spanish epidemiologist Quique Bassat stated that we need stricter and more restrictive measures which are capable of containing this uncontrolled transmission.

Portugal, where Omicron is already dominant, recorded 8,937 cases on December 22, the highest since January, and almost double the average for the last seven days. Deaths in Italy are at their highest point since May, with an average of 128 in the last seven days. The seven-day average of 27,199 for new cases is the highest since November 2020.

In Germany, cases and deaths fell slightly in the last week following a prolonged wave driven by the Delta variant. In the last three months, a staggering 16,000 Germans have died. However, the fall in Delta cases and deaths is quickly being replaced by a rapid rise of Omicron, which now is estimated to account for 30 percent of cases. On December 23, the Robert Koch Institute confirmed the first death from the Omicron variant in the country.

Omicron is already dominant in the Scandinavian countries. In Denmark, the seven-day average for cases is now over 10,000, with a record 13,057 cases recorded on December 21. In a country which has adult double vaccination rates of 96.2 percent and an adult triple vaccination rate of 46.2 percent, this shows just how devastating Omicron will be throughout Europe in the coming weeks. The seven-day average for deaths is now at its highest point since February.

In the Netherlands, what have been coined as strict lockdown measures by the capitalist press, have been announced until at least January 14. However, four guests will be allowed to attend another household for Christmas and New Years celebrations, non-essential production is continuing, and the government intends to reopen schools on January 10. Such measures will neither protect the population from the Omicron surge nor eliminate circulation of the virus.

While the impact of Omicron is already being felt in Western and Central Europe, the virus is rapidly moving East. As death and infection rates fall in those countries after a devastating Delta wave, they will be likely hit even harder by Omicron.

Since October 1, 90,000 Russians, 37,000 Ukrainians, 21,000 Romanians, 17,000 Poles, 10,000 Bulgarians, 8,000 Hungarians, 5,500 Czechs, have died of COVID-19. Nine of the top 10 countries for COVID-19 deaths per million inhabitants are Eastern European or Balkan states. The virus has thrived there on low vaccination rates, official herd immunity policies, and health care systems ravaged by the restoration of capitalism in the former USSR and Eastern Europe.

The Delta wave is in fact still claiming over 10,000 deaths a week in these countries. However, the Omicron variant has already been identified in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Czechia, Hungary and all the Baltic States. It is only a matter of time before it begins to dominate there.

Although Western and Central European nations have higher vaccination rates and have begun campaigns for booster jabs, millions remain unprotected. In Eastern Europe, over 100 million people remain unvaccinated. Significantly, most children in Europe have either received only one jab or are totally unvaccinated.

With schools fully opened throughout the autumn term, the number of child hospitalizations has surged in Europe. In France there are currently 153 children hospitalized with COVID-19, including 35 in critical care. On Wednesday it was reported that another child in the UK died from COVID-19, bringing the total to 121 deaths of under-19s since the pandemic began. Between December 1 and 16, 148 children were hospitalized in Germany, over half of whom were below 3 years old.

In contrast to the criminal inaction of European governments, health authorities in China are once again showing that stringent health measures can eliminate circulation of the virus and protect lives. In the city of Xian, 13 million people have been locked down after the detection of 127 infections in a round of mass testing. Such measures have repeatedly halted outbreaks in China.

As Omicron cases explode exponentially in Europe, the alarm must be sounded. The continent is on course for a health and societal crisis leaving hundreds of thousands dead from COVID-19, and many more dead due to devastated health care systems inability to provide care.

The capitalist class bases its health policy not on infections, deaths, or even hospital saturation, but on its ability to keep non-essential production running so that its stream of profits is uninterrupted. Thus, even in the face of a highly infectious and vaccine resistant variant, it refuses to put in place the measures necessary to defend human life.

In March 2020, wildcat strikes begun by Italian workers spread through Europe and led to the only proper lockdowns to date. Now, only a conscious mass movement of the European working class directed against the bourgeoisie and its policies of mass infection can lead to a scientific fight against the virus.
The Taiwanese conglomerate Foxconn, a major Apple Phone supplier, has been forced to close a flagship factory in India for the past week, after workers blocked a key interstate highway to protest the food poisoning of hundreds of their coworkers in a company-provided canteen.

The protesting Foxconn workers blocked the Chennai to Bengaluru highway for some ten hours beginning around 10 PM Friday, Dec. 17. (Facebook)

At least 159 young female workers employed at Foxconns plant in Sriperumbudur, on the outskirts of Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, were hospitalised for food poisoning Friday, Dec. 17. This was a result of their eating a contaminated meal from canteens attached to the company-provided hostels where workers live in conditions akin to those of 19th century indentured labourers.

The company and government authorities are trying to scapegoat the canteen workers who cook and serve the food at the hostels for the incident. Two have been arrested.

According to the Kanchipuram District administration, a further 256 workers were treated as out-patients for vomiting, diarrhoea and dizziness.

Over 1,000 female workers mounted a boisterous protest to voice their anger over the mass food poisoning. They complained that they have repeatedly raised objections to the horrid food they are being served. But whenever they do, Foxconn denies any responsibility and tells them to register their complaints with Tamil Nadus DMK-led state government, whose Labour Department is notorious for its intimate ties to management.

According to news reports, the earliest the plant, which employs more than 5,000 workers, will resume production is this Sunday.

The plant shutdown was aimed not only at appeasing the outraged Foxconn workers. Both management and the DMK government feared the protests could spread across the Sriperumbudur industrial belt, a major centre of auto production, as workers employed by other transnational companies and their suppliers face similar conditions.

The Sriperumbudur Foxconn facility manufactures iPhone 12 models for Apple and has started to make Apples new, highly-promoted iPhone 13 models as well. In addition, the plant manufactures Amazon Fire TV sticks, Xiomi brand cell phones and other high tech items.

On the evening of Friday, December 17, Foxconn workers learned that hundreds of their colleagues were being treated for food poisoning after eating their evening meal at their hostel cafeteria. According to news reports, workers exchanged WhatsApp messages expressing concern over the fate of eight workers who had disappeared, fearing they could have died. When they approached management, it shrugged off their concerns, effectively trivializing the incident.

Following this, hundreds of Foxconn workers who had come to start their shift decided to block a major nearby highway. Beginning around 10 p.m. and continuing until it was broken up by police some 10 hours later, workers paralysed traffic on the highway that connects Chennai with Bengaluru, the capital of the neighbouring state of Karnataka. Making clear their anger over the brutal working conditions they endure and their hatred for the company, the protesting workers chanted Down with Foxconn.

Numerous protesting workers were beaten by the police and thrown into police vans. The police reportedly detained 70 workers at a wedding hall. Twenty-two trade unionists were also arrested and charged with whipping up the protests.

The Kanchipuram District administration claimed that as of Monday, December 20, 158 of the 159 hospitalised workers had been discharged.

A former Foxconn worker named Durga Devi, who was interviewed in Tamil on YouTube, described the nightmarish conditions these workers face in their hostelsconditions that have only worsened during the pandemicand the unhygienic food they are provided every day. Durga emphasized that the cooks and workers at the canteen are not to be blamed for the poor quality of the food they serve. Instead, she indicted the company management for skimping on food expenditure and cleaning.

Durga explained that student hostels that previously provided accommodation to college engineering students, but had been shut down for students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were leased by Foxconn to house its workers. These hostels are so far away from the plant that it takes workers about an hour and a half to travel to the plant by company bus every day. This means that workers spend three hours daily just traveling back and forth from work.

She described the crowded accommodation they endure: The hostel rooms mostly dont have windows and in these rooms 8 to 15 workers have to stay. For instance, when I was staying in the hostel, there were a total of 14 workers in my room. When workers complained to the management that they dont even have enough space to store their luggage in their allotted room, they were told to adjust themselves to what they have been provided.

Durga also complained that we dont even get proper sleep and the hostel is not maintained hygienically. We have to dine and sleep in the same place. It is unbearable. She added, It is impossible to maintain any kind of social distance in these crowded rooms to prevent the spread of pandemic.

Reuters news organisation reported in May of this year that hundreds of workers got infected with COVID-19 at Foxconns Sriperumbudur factory, forcing the company to temporarily curtail production. As a result, production of the Apple iPhone 12 manufactured at the plant for the Indian market has slumped by over 50 percent. This has prompted Foxconn management to exert massive pressure upon workers to increase production, by increasing the intensity of work and compelling them to work longer hours.

Due to Washingtons ever-escalating offensive against China, Foxconn and Apple are both anxious to shift production from China to India. Indias Narendra Modi-led government, which is closely aligned with the US in its anti-China offensive, is, for its part, anxious to transform India into an alternate production chain-hub to China. It lavished huge sums as well as tax and other concessions on Foxconn to convince it to site Apple cell phone manufacture at the Sriperumbudu plant.

The Tamil Nadu general secretary of the Stalinist Communist Party of India, Marxist (CPM), K. Balakrishnan, condemned the police action against the Foxconn workers on the night of Dec. 17-18. This is completely hypocritical, as the CPM contested the 2021 state elections in a DMK-led electoral bloc, continues to work closely with this ethnic-chauvinist regional party and frequently extols it as a friend of the working class. On taking office in May of this year, the DMK government, with the support of the CPM and its sister Stalinist party, the Communist Party of India (CPI), pressed forward with the reopening of the economy amid Indias devastating second wave of the pandemic.

So close are relations between the DMK and the two Stalinist parties, the latter funded their campaigns for Indias 2019 national elections almost entirely from a massive donation of Rs. 250 million ($3.6 million) that the DMK made to them.
Last week Indonesia officially recorded its first cases of the new Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, which has quickly spread into Southeast Asia. The variant was finally discovered after two weeks in which the Indonesian government refused to impose urgent public health measures to prevent the arrival and spread of Omicron.

Workers in protective gear lower a coffin of a COVID-19 victim for burial at the special section of the Pedurenan cemetery designated to accommodate the surge in deaths during the coronavirus outbreak in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Monday, July 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

The Health Ministry has so far reported three infections of Omicron, all linked to overseas travellers. Spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi told local magazine Tempo this week that the ministry had traced 250 close contacts of the three confirmed cases, of which 10 people tested positive for COVID-19. Genome sequencing is underway to determine whether it is the Omicron variant.

The first case was detected on December 15. The victim had no recent history of overseas travel and was a cleaning worker at the Wisma Atlet emergency hospital in Jakartas Kemayoran district, a facility created in March 2020 to treat COVID-19 patients and quarantine Indonesians returning from abroad.

The worker reportedly contracted Omicron from a citizen returning from Nigeria on November 27, who was being quarantined at Wisma Atlet.

The following day, the government announced an additional five suspected cases, including three Chinese nationals at a hospital in Manado, North Sulawesi, and two Indonesians who had returned from South America and Britain. The latter two were confirmed as Omicron cases on Friday, after authorities completed genome sequencing. Both were also being quarantined at the Wisma Atlet hospital.

The Health Ministry was able to identify the five individuals and the first case using a specific type of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that can detect the S-gene target failure (SGTF), which is one of the identifiers of the Omicron mutations.

The Omicron variant, after emerging in South Africa last month, has recently been reported in a number of Indonesias neighbours, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. The World Health Organisation (WHO) categorised the highly transmissible and vaccine-resistant strain as a variant of concern and a very high risk nearly a month ago, warning world governments that Omicron cases could double every one and a half to three days.

Despite the evident danger, no serious health measures were implemented. Instead, the Indonesian government made a conscious decision to continue its reopening plans, through a vaccine-only strategy, and force the population to live with the virus.

President Joko Widodo said in a livestreamed address last week that the arrival of Omicron was inevitable, and warned the public against becoming complacent as restrictions are relaxed.

Widodo reiterated false claims that Omicron is mild and that vaccines offer effective protection. Its important to be on alert but we should not panic because so far, Omicron has not shown any characteristics that could endanger patients, especially those who have been vaccinated, he said.

He went on to address the population: Even though the domestic situation is close to normal, dont slack off implementing health protocols. In fact, not only is the situation far from normal, but if anyone is guilty of disregarding public safety, it is Widodos government.

Limited mobility restrictions on public activities, introduced on November 29, remain the only measures to slow transmission. Planned stricter measures were scrapped two weeks ago. The government response is largely confined to impotent public appeals. Widodo has asked people and state officials to temporarily refrain from travelling abroad, while Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin called for mask wearing and physical distancing.

Despite recent travel bans on some African countries, as many as 3,000 people have continued to enter Indonesia every day over the past month, according to Kompas.

Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who leads the official COVID-19 response in Java and Bali, revealed on Monday that the government had prepared contingency measures to be implemented only if certain unstated conditions regarding Omicrons spread are present. But until then, the current inadequate restrictions will stand, only to be further relaxed at the soonest opportunity.

After the announcement of the first case, Luhut pointed to the corporate-financial preoccupations underlying the governments pandemic policy: The development of the Omicron variant will be the key to economic recovery in 2022. If Omicron were to result in significant hospitalisation and the current vaccines were to lose their potency, the recovery would be slower than expected.

Hostile to any tightening of restrictions, Indonesias financial elite is raising concerns that any retreat from the reopening agenda will severely impact economic activity, especially consumer spending over the end-of-year holiday period.

Josua Pardede, chief economist at Bank Permata, predicted Omicron would have a limited effect on fourth-quarter GDP growth, confident that the government will continue eliminating social restrictions over the holidays. Omicron can be a threat [economically] if not mitigated by the government, he said.

Rully Arya Wisnubroto, a senior analyst at state-owned Bank Mandiri, told the Jakarta Post, We see that uncertainty is still high, [but] the probability of continued economic growth is still quite [high]. Bank Mandiri projects GDP to grow 5 to 5.5 percent next year, in line with targets outlined in the state budget.

The hope that Indonesias economy, which suffered a major contraction last year, will return to pre-pandemic conditions in 2022 is based on the expectation that the governments reckless and homicidal reopening plans will proceed unhindered.

Responding to recent talk of reimposing lockdown measures, Gilbert Simanjuntak, from Jakartas Regional Legislative Council and a member of Widodos PDI-P party, hailed the herd immunity policies of the UK and Brazilian governments. He also asserted, like Widodo, that the spread of Omicron was inevitable.

By contrast, medical experts have criticised the lack of public health barriers against Omicron, which has ravaged countries with relatively higher vaccine coverage, including the US, the UK, and elsewhere in Europe. Only 38 percent of the Indonesian population is double vaccinated, with Health Minister Budi calling it unlikely Indonesia will meet its target of 50 percent before the year ends.

Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, described Omicron as a clear threat to Indonesias healthcare system. He noted that, as viral transmission still occurs across the country, Indonesia is not truly safe and has not escaped the crisis yet.

He added, Furthermore, Indonesia is not a country that has isolated itself over the past month before [the first Omicron case] was found, and the genomic surveillance remains limited. He has called for a drastic expansion of the national contact tracing program to track the variants spread, with at least 2 to 5 percent of all positive cases each month to be examined for Omicron.
The following statement was approved for circulation after an emergency meeting of the Kaiser Workers Rank-and-File Committee on Wednesday evening. To contact the committee, e-mail Kaiserwrfc@gmail.com or text (213) 419-0737.

Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers rally earlier this month. (Source: Twitter/MorePerfectUnion)

The massive surge in the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is now under way across the world. In the United States, cases have already surged passed 200,000 per day, and the University of Washington estimates that more than 2.8 million Americans will contract the virus each day by the end of next month. Without question, this is the most serious phase of the pandemic yet.

This outcome was entirely preventable. For more than a year, medical health experts have been warning about the potential emergence of new and more-infectious variants and urged public health measures such as the closure of workplaces and schools to contain the virus and prevent this from happening. But nothing was done. The government refused to carry out policies that would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives because this would have hampered profits and rising stock market values. The public has been repeatedly lied to, by officials and media outlets that claimed the pandemic was on the wane, there was light at the end of the tunnel, and so on.

We are now about to enter the third year of the pandemic. We workers at Kaiser Permanente like health care workers across the US and the globe, are exhausted, burnt out and angry, and now grappling with the most serious period of the pandemic yet.

In Bidens address to the country Tuesday, the president declared categorically that he would not carry out lockdowns or any other serious safety measure, outside of encouraging people to get vaccinated. He justified this do-nothing approach by claiming that the country is much more prepared today for whats coming than it was in March 2020, when limited lockdowns and quarantining were implemented nationwide.

The three big differences between now and then, he claimed, are the existence of vaccines for COVID, the supposed better preparedness of the hospital system, and an understanding of how to keep our kids safe from COVID in school. He went so far as to claim that children are as safe in school as anywhere else and dont need to be quarantined if they are exposed.

We are stunned by the level of falsehoods contained in this speech. First, it is not true that people who are vaccinated are safe. It is well known that the Omicron variant is so infectious that it renders even two doses, without a third booster shot, ineffective at stopping infections, and even Biden himself was compelled to admit in the same speech that many vaccinated people will be infected. Second, the claim that schools are safe has no basis in reality. Schools are the primary source of outbreaks. Child deaths from COVID have been on the rise in recent months, and we know from our own experience that our ER units are receiving increased numbers of children with severe COVID cases.

But perhaps the biggest falsehood of all is that the hospital system is prepared for the Omicron surge. We issue this blunt warning to workers and general public: The hospital system is much worse off now than it was in March of 2020. We have been worn to the bone after two years of COVID.

Even at this early stage, many areas of the country are already running out of hospital beds, and nearly 8,000 COVID patients are admitted to hospitals each day. But this does not tell the whole story. Conditions inside the hospitals have deteriorated and, as at other workplaces, basic safety measures are being discarded.

Here is what is happening at Kaiser Permanente facilities on the West Coast:

Two years on, there is still not adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). Many of our coworkers are still making do with surgical masks instead of N-95s, which are not even required by the hospital administrations, contributing to the airborne circulation of COVID in hospitals.

COVID surveillance among the workforce is entirely inadequate. Even though many of us come into contact every day with infected patients, hospitals are relying only on self-reporting and weekly testing to track the spread of infections among hospital staff.

Hospitals are still allowing visitors, with only limited precautions. Many visitors take off their masks in hospital rooms, and what protocol exists is impossible to enforce. Many hospital visitors are no doubt asymptomatic carriers who are unwittingly spreading COVID while visiting loved ones.

Staffing ratios are still stretched to the limit. In California, we are working to the legal maximum nurse-to-patient staffing ratio under state law, in violation of our union contract.

Management is turning a blind eye to the spread of COVID among staff. Only recently at one of our facilities did they even bother to discourage workers from attending Christmas parties over the holiday season. They still pretend that infections only occur outside of the workplace.

Our 80 hours of supplemental COVID sick leave is not being replenished. If we have used it up already, we have to use our allotment of normal sick days. This amounts to economic blackmail to pressure us to work even if we are sick.

In Northern California, where 700 stationary engineers had been on strike for months until they were sent back to work this week by the union without a contract, critical equipment has been maintained by totally untrained scab labor, calling their reliability into question.

Management is attempting to address severe staffing shortfalls with travel nurses and a paltry $400 in incentive pay for us to take on extra shifts. But at this point, no amount of money is enough to convince health care workers to take up jobs at a hospital or to work longer hours, which will only increase their odds of contracting COVID and spreading it to their loved ones. Many of our colleagues are considering seeking work outside of hospitals or leaving the profession altogether. As those who remain get infected, this will produce even more severe shortages.

But even if they were able to entice people with economic incentives, there simply are not enough nurses on Earth to deal with the forecasted surge, which will quickly overwhelm hospitals. In his speech, Biden bragged about stockpiling gowns, masks, and ventilators to deal with the surge of hospitalizations, as well as plans to build temporary wards in parking garages. But how can this help when there are no people to wear the PPE, or operate the ventilators, or staff the makeshift wards?

Hospitals should be the last, not the first phase of the strategy to fight the spread of this deadly disease. Everything should be done to prevent people from having to go the hospital in the first place. This means everything must be done to suppress and stop the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 until it is eliminated entirely.

Such a strategy, long proposed by the worlds most principled scientists, begins with the emergency shutdown of all schools, nonessential workplaces and nonessential travel immediately. This must be combined with universal testing and the most robust program of contact tracing and quarantining, along with the allocation of the resources necessary to provide full income to workers during the temporary shutdown. If this does not happen, the hospital system in the United States faces imminent collapsenot in months, but in weeks and, in some areas, even days.

Biden has completely rejected these life-saving measures. Instead, the president and his fellow Democrats and Republicans have assured big business that nothing will be done to interfere with their profits during the holiday shopping and travel season and beyond.

If lives are to be saved, then the working class must take action to save them. This is exactly what teachers, manufacturing, meatpacking and other workers did in March 2020, when they launched a series of wildcat strikes, centered in the auto industry, to force schools and workplaces to shut down.

We call on workers in the factories and other workplaces, as well as educators across the country: Organize now to shut down workplaces and save lives! Demand that during these shutdowns, that the livelihoods of workers and small business owners are protected.

This requires a fight against the pro-company unions, which have helped management keep the country open during repeated surges. The Alliance of Health Care Unions sabotaged our own struggle, canceling a strike by 32,000 Kaiser Permanente workers and enforcing a new contract that does nothing to address chronically low staffing levels and in fact commits the unions to helping management in finding further areas to cut.

This betrayal did not just impact us. We would have used our strike to not only demand the immediate allocation of resources for hospitals and public health measures, but to alert the public about the dangers of the looming winter surge. But this is precisely what the unions didnt want because it would have jeopardized their lucrative relations with management, through which the union bureaucrats draw tens of millions of dollars over the life of the new contract.

We have launched the Kaiser Workers Rank-and-File Committee to provide health care workers with a voice and a real leadership. We insist that health care workers be provided all the necessary PPE and medical equipment and that rank-and-file committees oversee all health and safety conditions to assure that the needs of workers and patients take priority over profit.

We also urge workers: participate in the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 pandemic, including by giving your own testimony on conditions health care workers have faced and now face. To prepare for the fight ahead, we need to prepare ourselves with knowledge. We must draw the balance sheet of the past two years, explaining in detail what has happened at workplaces around the country, which individuals and institutions are responsible for carrying out these false policies, and what could have happened, and still can happen, with a correct, scientifically grounded policy.

We urge workers to take up this fight today by contacting us by e-mail at Kaiserwrfc@gmail.com or by text at (213) 419-0737. Alternatively, you can contact the World Socialist Web Site by filling out the form below.
For the second year in a row, the Christmas holiday is blighted by the continued onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic. Worldwide, there have been nearly 280 million recorded cases and just over 5.4 million officially confirmed deaths. And the real toll is far higher. Excess death projections from the Economist estimate that 18.4 million men, women and children have died in the past two years from COVID-19.

People line up to receive test kits to detect COVID-19 as they are distributed in the Lower East Side neighborhood in the Manhattan borough of New York Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Accepting the higher figure, the coronavirus pandemic has been as deadly in two years as World War I was over four years. Moreover, the rate of death has increased: About twice as many people died from the virus in 2021 than in 2020. As World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted on Wednesday, there were more coronavirus deaths in 2021 than from HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined.

Now, the emergence of the Omicron variant of the virus, first reported to the World Health Organization exactly one month ago, threatens to eclipse even these heart-stopping figures. The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington predicts that there will be as many as 3 billion cases over the next three months. As the IHME noted, thats as many infections as weve seen in the entire pandemic so far.

More starkly, such a spike in infections would cause a truly staggering number of deaths. If Omicron is even a fifth as lethal as Delta, the IHME figures imply 3 million additional deaths by the end of March. And contrary to the claim that Omicron is mild presented in the corporate media, there is ample evidence to suggest that this variant is about as deadly as its predecessors, in which case the tally of the dead would skyrocket even higher.

The collapse of hospital systems under the impact of such a surge in cases would drive the death toll even higher. A September study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that nearly 1 in 4 deaths during the first 10 months of the pandemic took place because hospitals were overwhelmed. An October paper from the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that mortality from other acute and chronic illnesses surged during times of high COVID-19 hospitalizations.

In the United States, where the IHME predicts 140 million new cases by April, there are already signs of such appalling conditions returning. Reports have emerged on Twitter, for example, that a major hospital system in Phoenix, Arizona, has enacted crisis standards of care. Patients 75 and older will reportedly have to meet certain criteria to be eligible for life-saving care, and those 85 and older will not be eligible at all for some treatments.

No doubt such policies will become more common in the near future. There are currently more than 70,000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the US, the majority of those as a result of a fall surge of the Delta variant. The full impact of the Omicron variant, which was only detected in the US on December 1 and is now the cause of an estimated 73 percent of cases nationwide, has yet to be felt.

If we wait for signals in increasing hospitalizations, were probably too late by a substantial amount, said Marm Kilpatrick, an infectious disease researcher at University of California, Santa Cruz, to NPR. She continued, Im quite concerned that hospitals across the country will be overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases.

New York City, the current epicenter of the pandemic in the US, is likely a precursor for the rest of the country. Hospitalizations have gone up 50 percent since the beginning of the month, while new cases have more than tripled from 7,000 a day to more than 22,000 a day, higher than even last winters peak. Deaths have also begun to trend upward, from 38 a day to 59 a day.

Pediatric hospitalizations have risen particularly sharply in the state, doubling over the past week. The data tracks that of South Africa, which has made clear that children, who remain largely unvaccinated, are particularly susceptible to the new variant of COVID-19.

The situation continues to worsen elsewhere in the US. An outbreak in Florida has caused the states 7-day average case count to jump from 2,700 to nearly 11,000 in just a week. In Illinois, daily average cases have risen to more than 11,500, just under the state record set last winter. Similarly in Ohio, daily cases have exceeded 10,000. New England states such as Rhode Island and Connecticut also have daily case counts at or exceeding their previous highs and, on a per capita basis, are facing a number of infections second only to New York.

Nationally, there is an average of more than 173,000 new cases each day and just under 1,300 deaths. The test positivity rate has also begun to climb, reaching 9.1 percent, indicating that many more cases are going undetected as Omicron rips across the country.

Thousands of these cases, moreover, are among those who were previously considered to be fully vaccinated. Data from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health shows that among its more than 11,200 COVID-19 cases since the beginning of December, 3,300 were among vaccinated patients, further evidence of Omicrons increased ability to evade immunity.

Breakthrough cases are a particular concern for the elderly. National data from the CDC shows that among the 27 states reporting, there have so far been 1.5 million cases among those vaccinated and 16,727 deaths. Of those deaths, 6,258 were among people between the ages of 65-79 (2.26 percent of the 277,000 breakthrough cases in that age group), and 8,011 were aged 80 and older (8.56 percent of the 93,000 cases in that age group).

Extrapolating such numbers based on the IHME predictions suggests there will be millions of breakthrough cases among the elderly from Omicron and tens of thousands of deaths over the next three months.
Falsely and irresponsibly reassured by President Biden and the media, millions of people are traveling throughout the United States to celebrate the holiday with their families and friends. They have been misled about the nature of the pandemic, the drop in efficacy against infection of available vaccinations, and the risk of exposure to the virus. A terrible price will be paid for the refusal of the Biden administration to take the public health measures that are necessary to stop viral transmission. There is a grave danger that millions will be infected. Countless thousands will become seriously ill, suffer long-term consequences and even die.

Registered nurse Bryan Hofilena attaches a COVID Patient sticker on a body bag of a patient who died of coronavirus at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. Many hospitals across the country are struggling to cope with burnout among doctors, nurses and other workers. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Only one month since news broke of a new variant in southern Africa, Omicron has spread with unprecedented speed throughout the world. It has already surpassed the Delta variant globally and is driving almost vertical spikes in cases, particularly in Europe and the United States.

According to projections from numerous scientists, a disaster is unfolding that will dwarf all previous surges of the pandemic. This week, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecast that as many as 3 billion people, roughly 38 percent of the worlds people, could become infected with Omicron in the next three months.

Despite the claims in the media and the political establishment, there is no evidence that the Omicron variant is significantly less severe than previous strains. Data published out of the UK on Thursday showed that a lower percentage of those infected with Omicron are hospitalized. But this is largely a byproduct of the fact that Omicron is infecting at a far higher rate those who have been vaccinated or have already had COVID-19, and, therefore, have greater resistance to the virus.

The intrinsic severity of Omicron, epidemiologists warn, appears to be the same or only slightly milder than Delta. Because Omicron is far more transmissible, this means it will lead to a far higher total number of people getting sick and dying from the disease.

A substantial portion of the worlds population remains entirely unprotected from the coming tsunami of infections. An estimated 43 percent of the global population have not received a single dose of vaccine, while only 5.7 percent has received a third dose to provide adequate protection against Omicron. Those with only two doses of vaccine are largely unprotected from infection. Their risk of hospitalization and death remains to be determined but is believed to gradually increase after six months.

If the average infection fatality rate of unvaccinated and vaccinated people is roughly 0.5 percent globally, then 15 million people would die from the coming wave of infections and hospitalizations. Due to the rapid surge of infections, hospital systems globally will become overwhelmed, leading to a potentially far greater fatality rate and number of excess deaths, with less developed countries experiencing the worst outcomes.

Omicron poses a far greater risk than previous variants to children, especially those under five years old who are unvaccinated, globally. Data from South Africa and the United Kingdom show record numbers of child hospitalizations, indicating that Omicron could be at least 20 percent more severe among children. Over three times as many children have died at the start of the Omicron surge in South Africa compared to previous variants.

The ruling class is responding to this unfolding disaster with criminal indifference. Death is being trivialized. Nowhere is this clearer than in the United States where, even prior to the impact of Omicron, more than 1,000 people are dying every day.

In his speech earlier this week, US President Joe Biden declared that there would be no change from the vaccine-only approach of the American government. In claiming that the US is in a much better position now than in March 2020 when the pandemic began, Biden did not even acknowledge that more than 830,000 people have died during this period, including more than 400,000 since he became president.

In the media, the death of approximately 10,000 people every week goes largely unmentioned. Two weeks ago, when tornadoes ripped through the US and killed nearly 100 people, the country was genuinely shocked by the tragedy. But the media barely reports that more than 10 times as many people are dying every day from COVID-19.

What accounts for the difference in reporting? The tornado can be reported as a freak occurrence, with limited consequences and implications in terms of national and global social policies.

But the pandemic is a catastrophe of a vastly greater magnitude, affecting the entire planet and requiring an immediate and massive allocation of economic resources and a fundamental change in social priorities. The implementation of the policies and actions necessary to end the pandemic are viewed by the financial-corporate capitalist elites and the governments they control as incompatible with their class interests.

That is why the media, both in the US and Europe, is promoting the conception that COVID-19 will never be eliminated and that it will persist for years to come. The pandemic will become endemic. The Wall Street Journal spelled this out bluntly in an article published Thursday:

The Omicron variants aggressive advance is the latest twist in the course of a disease that public-health experts say is on a path toward becoming endemic in the U.S. In other words, the Covid-19 pandemic wont have an end date. Rather, a crisis that engulfed the world within months of the coronaviruss discovery in China will dissipate in fits and starts into something that feels more like normal over the course of years, infectious-disease experts say.

Describing what persistence of COVID-19 as an endemic disease would actually mean, the Journal writes:

More than 1,200 people in the U.S. are dying of Covid-19 each day. But even at far higher levels of death and transmission than are typical for the flu, public-health experts say Covid-19s spread will likely settle into a pattern predictable enough to be considered endemic.

The article concludes with a chilling statement by Andrew Noyes, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Irvine: Covid is part of the woodwork now, he said. Its part of the furniture.

This Nazi-like indifference to human life is the spirit that has guided the governments response to the pandemic.

The lives of countless millions of people cannot be held hostage to capitalist interests! An urgent change in policy is necessary if a catastrophe is to be averted. The vaccine-only approach that has become dominant throughout much of the world, particularly in the United States and Europe, has completely failed to address the crisis.

Vaccinations are a necessary component of efforts to contain the pandemic. The promotion of anti-vaccine sentiment by the fascistic right, which spearheaded the campaign against lockdowns, is thoroughly reactionary. Those who promote vaccine hesitancy imperil the lives not only of those who are unvaccinated but the population as a whole.

However, the current narrative that the pandemic is fundamentally a problem of the unvaccinatedpromoted heavily by Biden on Tuesdayis false. Claims that the vaccinated face little danger to their health are entirely unsubstantiated. There is substantial evidence that even the completion of the two-shot regimen is ineffective against infection, with those infected suffering from Long COVID at comparable rates to those who are unvaccinated. In the face of a rapidly spreading virus, it is nothing less than criminal to limit actions to a long and drawn-out campaign for vaccinations that will do little to stop viral transmission in the days and weeks ahead.

The emergence of the Omicron variant, moreover, demonstrates that so long as the virus is allowed to circulate, there is the constant danger of the emergence of new, more infectious and vaccine-resistant variants. Furthermore, scientists warn that because Omicron is infecting huge numbers of people in such a short time span, it will accelerate the rate of mutation.

Mass vaccination is only effective if it is combined with aggressive public health measures aimed at stopping transmission and eliminating and eradicating the virus once and for all.

What is done in the next days and weeks is critical. Every public health measure must be deployed to stop the spread of the virus and save lives. A Zero COVID strategy must be implemented in every country, aimed at progressively eliminating SARS-CoV-2 in ever-broader geographic regions until all human-to-human transmission is stopped and the virus is eliminated globally.

This is achievable.

The ability of China, a country of 1.4 billion people, to limit deaths to under 5,000 and cases to 100,000 demonstrates that Zero COVID is viable. Its response to recent outbreaksincluding emergency lockdowns, combined with mass testing, contact tracing and quarantining to break the chain of infectiondemonstrates the types of measures that must be taken.

The Chinese authorities are currently confronting a significant outbreak in Xian, the capital city of Chinas Shaanxi Province, with 13 million residents. Global Times, a Chinese newspaper published in English, reports:

Starting Thursday, the 13 million residents in Xian were required to stay indoors. Only one family member of each household is allowed to leave the house to purchase daily necessities every two days. Other than special needs such as sickness or participating in anti-epidemic work, people are not encouraged to go outside. The Xian Xianyang International Airport cancelled all domestic flights on Thursday. Chinese flight tracking platform Feichangzhun showed that 765 flights scheduled on Thursday were cancelled. Only three international flights at the airport remained as of press time. Trains to multiple cities were also suspended.

These measures impose significant temporary restrictions on individuals. But they are justified by the real threat to human lives, and their efficacy has been proven. The claim that such actions, which have mass popular support in China, are an unacceptable infringement on personal freedom is a cynical, lying justification for a policy that has led and will lead to the death of millions.

Modern science has shown that the closure of all nonessential workplaces and the transition to remote learning for all schools for a period of two months could quickly bring viral transmission under control and lay the basis for the full-scale elimination of COVID-19. These necessary lockdowns must be accompanied by the provision of full financial and social supports for all workers and small-business people affected.

Two-month lockdowns must be combined with the globally coordinated production and distribution of vaccines and high-quality masks to all countries, as well as the use of mass testing, contact tracing, the safe isolation and treatment of infected patients, and a dramatic expansion of health care infrastructure. At every essential workplace and hospital, workers must have access to the highest quality N95 or better masks, as well as modern filtration and ventilation systems. All nonessential domestic and international travel must cease immediately to allow for the elimination of the virus in each country.

With billions of people now able to access the internet, the conditions exist for a mass public education campaign to teach society the science of the pandemic. The science of airborne transmission must be broadly disseminated and reinforced on a daily basis, in particular, through educational programs on social media and television.

The guiding principle of the elimination strategy is that science and public health must take unconditional precedence over the financial markets and the profit interests of corporations. In the 21st century, the technology exists to quickly end the pandemic. But the response of world governments hearkens back to the 14th century, when the Black Death ripped through feudal society and killed nearly 100 million people.

As the world enters the third year of the pandemic, it is clearer than ever that ending the pandemic is not primarily a medical or scientific issue. It is a class question. For the ruling elite, the only number that matters is not the daily death toll, but the price of shares traded on Wall Street. Even amidst the unfolding disaster, the S&P stock market index closed at a record high on Thursday, fueled by the endless supply of money from the Federal Reserve and the pledge from Biden that nothing will be done that impinges on corporate profits.

For the ruling class, there is no limit on the number of dead that they are willing to accept. The limit will not come from above, but from below: through a mass social and political movement of the working class.

The working class must take matters into their own hands. There is a growing recognition among workers, drawn from the experience of the past two years, that their lives mean nothing to the capitalist ruling elites. We are looked at the same way farm animals are looked at, one autoworker in Indiana remarked. When we die, they will just hire more.

Workplaces and schools are centers for the transmission of the virus, while cases and deaths are being covered up by the corporations and the official trade unions. So many workers are going home sick and there arent enough workers to start shifts, another autoworker in Michigan told the WSWS. The company and the union arent doing anything to inform us when a worker gets COVID, but were finding out on our own, and were talking to each other.

The Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic has been established by the World Socialist Web Site to break through the cover-up, falsifications and misinformation that have been deployed throughout the pandemic to justify policies responsible for the deaths of millions. The Inquest is gathering testimony from scientists and workers in all sectors to expose the conditions in workplaces and schools, which have functioned and continue to function as central areas for the transmission of COVID-19.

We are convinced that an understanding of the pandemic will lead to effective organization and action to stop the pandemic.

The Socialist Equality Party and World Socialist Web Site call for the formation of rank-and-file safety committees in workplaces, schools, public health facilities and neighborhoods.

Circulate this statement as broadly as possible directly and on social media. Organize discussions online and in workplaces. Demand the shutdown of non-essential production and an end to in-person learning. Do everything you can to alert your co-workers, friends and family about the developing danger and what must be done to stop it.

We make a special appeal to scientists and health care professionals: You have a responsibility to speak out. Publicize the facts, and inform the public. Support the Global Workers Inquest by submitting testimony about the many different elements of the science of COVID-19 that have been covered up and denied. Many scientists have been fighting throughout this pandemic for an elimination strategy. Broader layers of scientists must be mobilized to speak out and clarify the public on the necessity for an urgent change in policy.

Only through the combined mass mobilization of millions of people, armed with a scientific understanding of the pandemic, will we be able to prevent the further needless infections, suffering and deaths of millions worldwide.
Yolanda Diaz, now Podemos general secretary and deputy prime minister of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government, has claimed that she knew the dangers of COVID-19 before the pandemic began. However, she agreed to calls within the government not to take action or to publicly discuss the need for aggressive public health measures.

Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, January 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

In a recent radio interview, Diaz claimed she was aware of the danger the virus posed on February 15, 2020. That is a month before several European governments decided to carry out strict lockdowns after a wave of wildcat strikes erupted in European auto, steel and logistics industries to demand the right to shelter at home to avoid infection across Europe. Diaz said:

I remember well that Pablo [Iglesias, then leader of Podemos] was deputy prime minister and I called him, devastated by what was happening. On February 15, as the pandemic hit Italy strongly, I summoned my team because I was convinced that Spain is Italy and we needed to deploy a lot of measures because we saw what was going to happen. So much so that on March 4, I presented a highly controversial guide to the Government, and I was accused of being an alarmist.

Diaz, like the rest of the PSOE-Podemos government, knew how dangerous the virus was and agreed to keep silent. Over the next year, the virus caused over 100,000 deaths and over 5 million infections in Spain. Her remarks thus expose the PSOE-Podemos governments politically-criminal indifference and deliberate negligence.

Diazs statements apparently mark an attempt to distance herself from her fellow PSOE ministers on the issue of their murderous management of the pandemic. Spain is facing a sixth upsurge of the virus, which threatens to kill tens of thousands, amid a wave of strikes and anti-austerity protests across Spain and internationally. The plain fact, however, is that Podemos was a full partner in the PSOEs prioritising of profits over human lives.

The WSWS noted last year that the Spanish government already had evidence of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic since at least January 2020. Last year, journalist Bob Woodward revealed that US President Donald Trump received briefings from intelligence sources that the COVID-19 pandemic would be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency. Yet Trump then deliberately misled the public about the severity of COVID-19.

The WSWS explained that this revelation also exposed European governments, who had access to similar data and deliberately downplayed the risks posed by the pandemic. Indeed, Pablo Iglesias, who was Podemos general secretary and deputy prime minister at the time, sat on the Intelligence Affairs Commission in charge of directing, supervising and controlling the activities of the National Intelligence Center (CNI). Spains embassy in Beijing was also reportedly warned about the virus.

Diazs reference to February 15 is significant, insofar as it exposes her cynical and false pose of concern about the health of the Spanish people. Three days before, the organisers of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) had suspended an event that routinely gathers over 100,000 participants.

This measure, an important warning about the danger from the virus, was harshly criticized by the government. Then-PSOE Health Minister Salvador Illa declared that there was no public health reason to adopt any measure regarding any event planned in Barcelona, Catalonia or Spain. Vice President Nadia Calvino called the decision to suspend the MWC totally premature, boasting that Spain had one of the most efficient and effective health systems in the world. That system would be on the verge of collapse just a month later.

While she now claims she was devastated by her governments role in misleading the public, Yolanda Diaz in fact joined the chorus of government misleaders and falsifiers. She neither condemned the remarks of her fellow ministers nor alerted the working class. Instead, as Labour Minister, she denounced the MWC, stressing her concern about the impact that the cancellation of the Mobile World Congress may have on the unemployment figures for this month of February.

Diaz made no significant statement about the virus until March 4, as COVID-19 tore through workplaces, mass transit and schools, and Spain reported its first death. On that day, the Labour Ministry published an action guide for companies. At that time, Italy was already under lockdown, with hundreds of infections and dozens of daily deaths.

The guide did not do much beyond recalling elementary health measures and the legal right that workers have, in case of imminent danger to their health, to leave their workplaces. Its publication was criticized by Spains big business association the CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations), which accused it of generating alarm and confusion. Similarly, General Union of Labour (UGT) leader Pepe Alvarez, criticized the guide on March 5, calling it unilateral.

Diaz backed down after Health Minister Illa dismissed the guide as not a protocol that companies should follow, agreeing that only the Health Ministry could decide upon health measures.

The following day, she publicly downplayed the virus. Interviewed before the parliament, she said, we have to be cautious. I send a message of calm. Nothing is happening. We have to act the way we have been doing so far. Not one word was said about how her own government disregarded her guide.

In the following days, as workers remained on the job to continue producing profits for the financial markets, thousands of workers were infected on the job. The PSOE-Podemos government adopted public health measures only on March 14, when they were compelled to adopt a strict lockdown. Before this, it had allowed a feminist march to proceed in Madrid on March 8, though it was expected to gather tens of thousands of people.

Diaz did not participate in the demonstration, though leading members of the government did, only briefly explaining, We are in a pandemic and the main thing is public health. She stayed silently at home, while allowing thousands of protesters to be infected.

Diazs statements are monuments of cynicism and hypocrisy. She and the other Podemos leaders were key to implementing the policy of learning to live with the virus. Though they knew the danger the virus posed, they downplayed it from the outset to let the capitalists keep making money at the cost of over 100,000 lives in Spain, and 1.5 million in Europe.

Diaz later helped rapidly reopen workplaces, as the spring 2020 lockdown was lifted before the virus was under control. Working with the Workers Commissions (CCOO) and UGT unions, she forced millions of workers back to nonessential work. They did this even as unions recognised that most companies are not in a position to guarantee these health and safety conditions, as CCOO leader Unai Sordo declared in April 2020. This led to disaster.

Today Podemos plays the same essentially criminal role. The COVID-19 pandemic is exploding out of control in Spain, as the more contagious Omicron variant spreads rapidly across Europe. Spain this week recorded 60,041 cases Thursday and 49,823 cases Wednesday, the highest infection totals ever. Yet it continues to oppose critical public health measures in order to defend capitalist profits.

Diazs role is a warning on left populist parties and politicians allied to Podemos internationally, like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in America, Jean-Luc Melenchon of La France Insoumise, Janine Wissler of Die Linke in Germany, and Syriza in Greece. Drawn from the affluent middle class and based on anti-scientific identity politics of race and gender, they adopt murderous policies based on lies about life-and-death issues for the working class.

The World Socialist Web Site is promoting a Global Workers Inquest on the COVID-19 Pandemic, to reveal the crime committed by the capitalist system in response to the pandemic and the necessity of a political response by the working class. This will also expose Podemos and figures like Diaz who use lies, disinformation and provocations to mislead workers in Spain and internationally.
The jury in the trial of former police Officer Kimberly Potter returned a guilty verdict Thursday on two counts of manslaughter for the shooting death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, on April 11.

This undated file booking photo provided by the Hennepin County, Minn., Sheriff shows Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center, Minn., police officer. (Hennepin County Sheriff via AP)

After deliberating for 27 hours since Monday, the 12-member jurycomprised of nine whites, two Asian Americans and one black memberfound Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter when she fired one fatal shot from her gun at the young man during a traffic stop and attempted arrest. Potter, a white officer with 26 years in the Brooklyn Center Police Department, had claimed on the day of the shooting and throughout the trial that she mistook her service weapon for her Taser when she shot Wright.

The former police officer displayed no emotion when the verdict was read. The parents of Daunte WrightArbuey Wright, who is black, and Katie Bryant, who is whitewere in the courtroom and let out sighs and cries, according to news reports. Bryant told reporters later in the afternoon, The moment we heard guilty on manslaughter one emotion, every single emotion that you can imagine just running through your body. I kind of let out a yelp because it was built up in the anticipation.

In deciding on both first- and second-degree manslaughter, the jury concluded that Potter had committed a conscious or intentional act in handling her gun in a manner that created a risk that she was aware of and disregarded and that she had also consciously taken a chance of causing great bodily harm.

Potter was ordered held without bail by Fourth Judicial District Judge Regina Chu after the verdict was read at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, and was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. Judge Chu, who is scheduled to sentence Potter on February 18, denied a motion by the defense to allow Potter to go home before sentencing on the grounds of her deep roots in the community. The judge said, I cannot treat this case any differently than any other case.

The maximum prison sentence for first-degree manslaughter, based on reckless use or handling of a firearm, is 15 years. Since Potter, 49, has no criminal history, legal experts say Minnesota sentencing guidelines recommend a prison term of between 6 and 8.5 years. Potter was transferred to the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, Minnesota, according to the state Department of Corrections.

The fatal shooting of Daunte Wright and the subsequent indictment, arrest and trial of the officer who killed him are a case study in the class-based application of law enforcement and criminal justice in America that are repeated day in and day out in towns and cities across the country.

Wright was driving with his girlfriend in a vehicle that was registered in his brothers name, and they were on their way to a car wash when they were pulled over by police on April 11. Potter was a passenger in a Brooklyn Center police cruiser, along with a trainee officer who observed Wright signaling a right turn from a left turn lane. The officers then determined that his car registration tag was expired, and he had an air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror, a violation in the state of Minnesota.

After Wright was pulled over, the officers found that he was driving without a license, did not have proof of auto insurance and, when they ran his name through a police database, that there was an open warrant for his arrest due to failure to appear in court on a misdemeanor gun possession charge. The officers also found that there was a protective order against Wright by an unnamed woman.

The officers decided to arrest Wright, and he exited the vehicle and put his hands behind his back in order to be handcuffed. At this point, Wright started resisting the arrest, broke free from the officers and reentered the car. The training officer opened the passenger side door and attempted to prevent Wright from gaining control of the steering wheel.

By this point, Potter, who was on the drivers side, had already taken her 9mm Glock from her right-side holster while her Taser remained holstered on her left side. She said, Ill tase you, and then yelled, Taser!, Taser!, Taser! and fired a single shot into Wrights chest. Police body cam footage shows Potter pulling her gun, shooting Wright and immediately saying she shot him by accident because she mistook her gun for a Taser and exclaiming, Holy shit, I just shot him.

The car moved away from the location of the traffic stop for a short distance before it collided with another vehicle. He was shortly thereafter pronounced dead at the scene. The incident took place during the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who was later found guilty of killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck on May 25, 2020.

In the charged political environment nearly a year after the mass protests against police violence arising from the brutal killing of Floyd, word about the shooting of Wright spread throughout the Minneapolis area and demonstrations began immediately in the Twin Cities and spread to other parts of the US.

Police attacked protesters for three days after crowds formed outside of the Brooklyn Center police headquarters. Police in riot gear were deployed, mass arrests were carried out, and media representatives were detained in what was described by reporters as a war zone. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott called on Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to mobilize National Guard troops that were then quickly dispatched to back up the local police.

It was under the conditions of social unrest that Potter was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter by the Washington County Attorneys Office in the death of Wright. With protests continuing and demands being raised for the charges to be upgraded to murder, the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison took over the prosecution of Potter on May 21. On September 2, Ellisons office added the charge of first-degree manslaughter.

Throughout the trial, which began on December 8, the defense argued that Potter had committed an action error when she shot Wright with gun. In the words of her lawyer, this means doing one thing when intending to do another, or, according to an academic definition, it is a human error under stress.

Significantly, the psychological argument against conviction of Potter was combined by her defense lawyers with claims that her use of deadly force was justified even if she did not know she had a gun in her hand. As is typical in the rare instances that police are tried for committing murder, the defense argued that Wright was responsible for his own death. These arguments, which are used to justify so many police killings every year, were rejected outright by the jury.
The World Socialist Web Site recently interviewed Elizabeth, a nurse in California, on her experiences and those of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This interview is testimony provided to the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic, which aims to expose the lies and misinformation used to justify the official response to the pandemic that has led to the needless deaths of millions worldwide.

The WSWS is gathering testimony from workers in every industry and throughout the world on your experiences during the pandemic. If you wish to learn more and participate, read the statement below announcing the Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic and fill out the form at the end of the statement.
In a long-running legal case brought by the Transport Workers Union (TWU), the Federal Court last week handed a victory to Australias largest airline. It ruled that Qantas would not have to reinstate over 2,000 workers, even though the company had unlawfully destroyed their jobs when it outsourced its ground-handling operations in 2020.

Qantas jet [Credit: pxfuel.com]

Justice Michael Lee admitted that Qantas had deprived the workers of continued employment. Nevertheless, it would be impractical to order their reinstatement.

Lees ruling accepted the companys argument that rehiring the workers was impossible because at least eight months had transpired since the sackings and Qantas Ground Services no longer existed. Lee ignored the fact that Qantas had moved rapidly to dismantle the unit with the express purpose of thwarting any reinstatement order.

Like its international and domestic competitors, Qantas has used the pandemic ruthlessly to bring forward previously-prepared restructuring plans, ensuring workers bear the cost of the global crisis. Outsourcing its ground operations was calculated to save the airline around $100 million annually. Qantas had already slashed 8,500 jobs after the pandemic hit in March 2020.

Lees verdict comes as no surprise, least of all to the TWU. After the sackings, the union moved to shut down any possibility of a genuine struggle by the workers themselves. Rather, it sought to bury the issue in drawn-out legal proceedings, leaving the workers fate in the hands of the capitalist courts.

During court hearings in July, Lee rejected the companys argument that its outsourcing resulted purely from financial pressures caused by the pandemic. He found that Qantas deliberately undertook the decision ahead of negotiations for a new enterprise agreement, during which ground staff workers could have legally engaged in industrial action.

At the same time, Lee assured the company that his judgment did not mean that Qantas was required to reinstate workers or pay compensation or penalties.

TWU national secretary Michael Kaine claimed at the time that the ruling meant workers cannot be bypassed by employers like Qantas which want to drive down wages and conditions. Lees refusal to order reinstatement exposes the fraudulent character of Kaines boast.

Having consciously undermined any fight to defend jobs, the TWU responded to the court ruling by complaining: This finding brings a sad end to a year of unimaginable anguish for unlawfully sacked workers and their families.

Kaine declared: The TWU is undeterred in its belief that these workers deserve their jobs back. He continued: We will appeal and continue the fight for justice alongside the ongoing matters of compensation and penalties on Qantas.

In other words, Kaine is condemning the sacked workers to further months of legal appeals and machinations before they find out if any compensation will be forthcoming.

Buoyed by the knowledge that it can rely on the TWU to contain any potential opposition, Qantas said it will appeal Lees original decision on the legality of the sacking. A successful appeal by the company would quash any possibility of compensation.

A Qantas spokesperson declared last week that if the company loses the appeal, we expect compensation ordered by the court would take into account the fact that the affected workers were all given generous redundancy packages.

In reality, redundancy payments were part of the workers entitlements and have nothing to do with determining compensation for their illegal sacking.

Last week, Qantas reported it expected a loss of more than $1.1 billion for the first half of the 202122 financial year, due to COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions. But since the onset of the pandemic, Qantas and its domestic rival Virgin Australia have been handed billions of dollars in government assistance, on the phony pretext that this would save jobs.

Under the International Aviation Support (IAS) package introduced by the federal Liberal-National government in March, the two airlines have raked in a total of $200 million. This was ostensibly to be used to retrain and keep 8,600 staff and maintain fleets in readiness for the reopening of international borders.

This bonanza was on top of $1.2 billion in previous government handouts to airlines. That included $726 million from the JobKeeper scheme, which Qantas used to offset its wages bill, $102 million in federal fee refunds, $276 million to underwrite the continuation of domestic operations and overseas repatriation flights, and $110 million for freight assistance.

Virgin Australia got $25.6 million under IAS, taking to an estimated $500 million total it had received in government handouts since being bought by private equity giant Bain Capital last year. Having finalised the buyout, Bain destroyed 3,000 jobs and shut low-cost carrier Tigerair, slashing hundreds of positions.

While continuing to cry poor, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce last week said he expected the airlines low-cost carrier Jetstar to be operating at 120 percent of pre-COVID levels, while Qantas will be around 150 percent. Qantas announced last week it had placed an order for 40 Airbus jetsat a cost of up to $4.6 billionwith options to buy an additional 94 aircraft over the next decade.

Airline workers need to draw lessons from these bitter experiences. The fight for decent jobs and conditions cannot be carried out within the framework of the pro-business trade unions and the capitalist legal system.

What is required is a conscious break with the unions and the construction of new working-class organisations of struggle, including rank-and-file committees, across the aviation industry in Australia and globally.

This struggle requires a socialist perspective to place the airlines and all essential industries under public ownership and the democratic control of the working class, to be used for social need, not private profit.
In an extraordinary speech on Tuesday before Russias officer corps, the entire Defense Ministry as well as cadets of military schools, President Vladimir Putin made clear that the Russian government is preparing for a potential war with NATO.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

For much of the speech, Putin highlighted case after case in the past three decades in which the US has bombed countries, in complete disregard of international law and previous agreements. He pointed to Iraq, Libya and Syria and, in particular, the bombing of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Putin also accused the US of supporting ISIS and other Islamist terrorist organizations, including in separatist Islamist movements in Russias North Caucasus.

In recent weeks, Putin has made several major public statements, invoking the danger of a Yugoslavian scenariothat is, the break-up of the country through a combination of ethnic conflicts, civil wars and imperialist bombardmentsrepeating itself, on a much larger scale, in Russia.

Putin indicated that the Kremlin fears that the US, working together with the government in Kiev, is preparing a military provocation with chemical weapons. Pointing to the situation in Ukraine, where a US- and EU-backed coup in 2014 toppled a pro-Russian government, triggering an ongoing civil war and massive build-up of NATO on Russias borders, Putin said that NATO must understand that We have no way further to retreat, this is right before our doorstep.

Putin warned, In case of continuation of the rather aggressive line of our Western colleagues, we will respond with adequate military-technical measures, [we] will react harshly to the unfriendly steps.

Yet while stating that any written contracts or agreements with the US and NATO were effectively worthless, he doubled down on the need for NATO to sign just such an agreement with guarantees to Russia that it would acknowledge certain red lines. Underscoring just how desperate a situation the Kremlin oligarchy sees itself in, Putin cried that the NATO powers must give, Something, at least something.

A few days before Putins speech, the Kremlin issued a list of guarantees that it wants NATO to provide, including to stop further arming of Ukraine in the military stand-off with pro-Russian separatists in East Ukraine, and to cease stepping up its troop deployment to Eastern Europe. The Russian government also demands that NATO issue a written guarantee that it would never accept Ukraine as a member state.

US and EU officials have already indicated that they regard many of these demands as unacceptable. The US and Russia are scheduled to resume negotiations about the conflict over Ukraine early next year.

The same day that Putin gave his speech, the Biden administration met to discuss new sanctions in the case of a war between Russia and Ukraine, which would hit the Russian economy on a hitherto unprecedented scale. The sanctions now being discussed include the banning of any exports of Apple products, as well as technology that is critical to the aircraft and automobile industry of Russia, two of its largest industrial sectors.

Earlier reports by CNN and BBC indicated that the US and EU are also considering cutting off Russia from the SWIFT agreement, the main basis for international financial transfers, which are critical to the operations of Russian banks and companies in the world economy. Such a move is widely described as the nuclear option in economic warfare by the imperialist powers and would threaten a near-total collapse of the already fragile and crisis-ridden Russian economy.

Just a few days earlier, the US Congress passed a record war budget of $770 billion, focused on preparing for war against China and Russia.

NATO has also continued to step up its provocations and war preparations on Russias borders in recent weeks. According to a report by the German Sueddeutsche Zeitung, US general Tod Wolters proposed on December 7 that 6,000 troops from NATOs spearhead unit should be mobilized so that, in case of war, they can be moved within just five days into a crisis region. Usually, the time foreseen for such deployments is at least seven days. The spearhead unit is currently stationed in Turkey but will be based in Germany in 2023. Other special and logistical units have also been put on high alert.

In an indication of bitter conflicts behind the scenes within the oligarchy over how to respond to the growing pressure from imperialism, the Russian business daily Kommersant, the Russian equivalent of the British Financial Times or American Wall Street Journal, had a lead article on Putins speech that was drenched with cynical comments, and compared Putins warnings of a provocation with chemical weapons by the US in Ukraine, with Colin Powells notorious lie about weapons of mass destructions in Iraq.

The piece warned that this is already not the Cold War, everything has become a lot hotter and concluded with the sardonic comment that it would be nice to have an assurance that there will be a new year.

While Putin, not without foundation, is warning of the repetition of the Yugoslavian catastrophe on a much bigger scale in the former Soviet Union, the truth is that the Russian oligarchy has no progressive response whatsoever to the ever-growing danger of war. It is revealing that the 30-year anniversary of the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 26 has been largely passed over in silence by the Russian media and went entirely unmentioned by Putin.

The Putin regime and the ruling oligarchy as a whole have emerged out of the Soviet bureaucracy that betrayed the October Revolution for decades, and liquidated the USSR in 1991. When the US attacked Iraq in January 1991, ushering in a three-decades-long period of imperialist wars of plunder, they did so with the acquiescence of the Moscow bureaucracy.

Focused on the destruction of the Soviet state and the plunder of its social resources, robbery that was carried out hand-in-glove with the American bourgeoisie, the newly emerging oligarchy in Russia was caught up in the delusional belief in the possibility of peaceful cooperation with imperialism. Yet all the agreements and assurances from NATO, including that it would not move closer to Russias borders, were blown to pieces within years.

Now, that the imperialist powers are openly preparing for war against Russia, the only response from the Putin regime is a combination of endless begging for what Putin himself recognizes are worthless assurances, on the one hand, and the promotion of nationalism and a military build-up, on the other.

The utter bankruptcy of the oligarchys response to the threat of an imperialist assault is determined by its class interests. The biggest enemy that it sees itself confronted with is the Russian and international working class, not imperialism. On all critical matters of class policy, above all the social counterrevolution of recent decades, and the homicidal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian oligarchy has, in fact, been mirroring the policies of the American and European ruling class.

The only social and political constituency for the fight against imperialist war is the working class. This fight needs to be connected with a determined struggle for the elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the root cause for war and mass death, the capitalist system. This struggle, above all, requires the building of a revolutionary leadership in the working class that is rooted in the critical historical experiences of the struggle of the Trotskyist movement against Stalinism.
With the Omicron variant spreading out of control in the United States and around the world, management at Stellantis Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) says it will keep the giant facility open through Christmas Eve. Although the move has been confirmed to the World Socialist Web Site by multiple plant workers, it is not clear as of this writing whether the move affects the entire plant workforce or only certain departments.

The announcement follows the death earlier this month of a SHAP worker and her husband, Monique and Anthony Bowen. Plant workers believe the deaths were COVID-19 related, although this has not been confirmed by management or the United Auto Workers. They are survived by a daughter, Quanique Willis, also a SHAP worker.

Death notice for Monique and Anthony Bowen

The provocative announcement of Christmas Eve shifts comes at the end of a critical status period in the plant, where workers were forced to work for 90 consecutive days to make up for lost production at the plant due to widespread supply chain problems. SHAP, which produces the highly profitable Ram pickup trucks, is among the most important for the entire Stellantis company.

SHAP workers inform the World Socialist Web Site that the union has told them that 300 workers are off for COVID-19 or quarantining at SHAP. The continued operation of the plant through the holidays will inevitably lead to a further explosion in cases.

However, management and the union officialdom, much like they did at the start of the pandemic, are retreating to the safety of their own homes. At approximately the same time that the announcement was made about the Christmas Eve shifts, UAW Local 1700, which covers SHAP, announced it was canceling the December membership meeting and closing its business office between December 24 and January 3.

Public health experts warn that the super-infectious Omicron variant will lead to the largest surge in cases yet, and the University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicts 2.8 million new cases each day by the end of January. But in remarks Tuesday, President Biden rejected new lockdowns of schools and nonessential business on the false grounds that such measures were unnecessary because the country is better positioned to meet the surge than it was in March 2020. In fact, shutdowns occurred in that early stage of the pandemic in response to a global wildcat strike wave, centered on the auto industry, which forced the shutdowns.

In reality, next to schools, factories and other large workplaces are among the main vectors of transmission for COVID-19. Auto plants, which have thousands of workers crowded together in enclosed areas with poor ventilation, where they are often compelled to shout over deafening industrial machinery, have ideal conditions for the aerosolized spread of coronavirus.

Workers at SHAP [Credit: FCA media]

But the state government of Democrat Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan, where cases were already surging before the emergence of Omicron, has responded to this not by closing factories, but by discontinuing reporting figures on outbreaks at factories and construction sites.

Already, the number of deaths in the auto plants is rapidly growing. Earlier this week the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter reported the deaths of Omie Smith and Kevin Andrew Railey at the Sterling Stamping plant (SSP), located next to SHAP. A post on the UAW Local 140 Facebook page at the nearby Warren Truck plant reported the death of an unnamed worker due to COVID-19.

Multiple people in the plant are testing positive, a veteran Warren Truck worker who was infected in early 2020 told the Autoworker Newsletter. They need to shut it down. I read on the Facebook site that people are getting COVID like crazy even though theyre vaccinated. Someone needs to stand up and shut them down.

A worker at the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant told the Autoworker Newsletter of two deaths at the plant within two weeks this past month. One was a 46-year-old worker and the other was a 51-year-old. The official causes of death have not been publicly confirmed.

A Ford Ohio Assembly worker said, No additional precautions here. They have really been lax. They arent even cleaning stations after positive cases.

The hospitals will be like war zones marking patients heads with save or no treatment marks.

The response from management and the United Auto Workers union has an air of unreality about it. A letter from Stellantis management to workers this week acknowledged that COVID-19 cases were rising, but announced no new measures to protect workers, merely advising workers to wear masks, wash their hands and social distance, an impossibility in a crowded auto plant.

The management letter goes on to offer the following advice. As you make plans for holiday celebrations, being aware of peoples health status before you gather will keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy. Ask the people you will be with in advance if they are vaccinated and if they have been exposed to anyone with the COVID-19 virus in the last week.

The hypocrisy of this statement is staggering. If they were seriously concerned about exposing the families of autoworkers to COVID-19, they would have shut down the plants long ago. While they encourage autoworkers to ask if family members have been exposed, thousands of autoworkers themselves have been exposed, often without their knowledge given the systematic cover-up of cases by management and the union, which has left many relying on word of mouth to follow the spread of cases in their plants.

Management, clearly fearful that anger in the plants is reaching the boiling point, have been suddenly rushing up and down the lines at some plants to enforce masking requirements which they had left unenforced for months, workers inform the World Socialist Web Site.

Channeling their inner Marie Antoinette, Sterling Stamping management attempted to placate rising tensions in the facility by announcing an additional 10 minutes for the workers lunch break on Thursday! Workers responded on social media with disbelief and sarcasm. Great negotiating guys! one worker said, in reference to the UAW.

UAW Local 1264, which covers Sterling Stamping, issued a call earlier this week for a moment of silence to reflect and honor those we have lost.

One Sterling Stamping worker responded: Ten minutes extra, hugs and prayersthe UAW is paid to protect us and the company is criminally neglectful [for] manslaughter by not enforcing COVID protocols. The UAW is criminally responsible and a tool of management.

Remarking on moves by management to more strictly enforce masking, a worker commented, It is about time. We are here to make a living, not die.  some of us die to make auto parts for a company that only cares about a profit.  [and] a union that has left employees to die.

The situation is being made worse by economic blackmail, in which many workers, unable to do without a paycheck for two weeks during the expensive holiday season, feel pressured to work through exposures and even infections. One worker at the Stellantis Mack Avenue plant in Detroit said, Its insane in the plant. The scariest thing is that you can be exposed multiple times in a single day. Everyone is sick.

So many workers are going home sick, that a lot of times, there arent enough workers to start shifts. The TPTs (temporary part-time workers) are being forced to do 12 hours shifts to fill in. Then there are workers who are coming in sick because if they take off, they wont be paid over the holidays. People need the money and are doing whatever they can to stay at work.

People are losing their parents. Ive signed two sympathy cards this week for my co-workers. One lost a mother and the other a father.

The company and the union arent doing anything to inform us when a worker gets COVID. But were finding out on our own and were talking to each other. Theres only one reason why a worker would be sent home now when they need all the workers they can get. Its because they got COVID.

A worker at the Stellantis Tipton, Indiana, transmission plant told the Autoworker Newsletter, Something that is seriously bothering me is knowing we the factory workers are forced to come to work with a deadly pandemic, thats one thing, but the other part [is] that the company and union are allowing the regional reps and international reps and all that work for them  to work from home.

If that doesnt tell people that their union dues mean nothing Workers are being looked at the same way farm animals are looked at. When they die they will just hire more. Not one person who works at Chrysler means anything, especially to the company and the international [UAW].

A workers husband was found dead last week, he added. They are trying to keep it quiet, because this worker tried to tell them there are workers testing positive for COVID-19, but afraid to say anything because they cant afford to go without a paycheck. This is where the company and union are at fault. The really bad part is knowing that the company and union know whats going on inside the plants.

All sections of the political and corporate establishment as well as the unions are committed to a policy of putting profits before human lives. Workers cannot accept the proposition that their lives and the lives of their loved ones are expendable, a mere cost of doing business. Decisive action is required to fight for the shutdown of the factories, nonessential businesses and schools and full compensation for workers until the virus can be eliminated. The experience of China and other countries demonstrates that this is an achievable goal.

The fight for this requires workers build their own organizations of struggle, rank-and-file committees, independent of the corporate-controlled unions. The Socialist Equality Party and the Autoworker Newsletter will assist workers interested in building and expanding rank-and-file committees at their plants.
Asia

India: Delhi school teachers suspend online classes over unpaid salaries

About 200 teachers from all three branches of the SS Mota Singh School in Delhi suspended online classes on December 20 in protest over unpaid salaries. The teachers allege that they have not been paid salaries for the last four months. Non-teaching staff have also not received their pay.

Teachers decided to strike after management failed to clarify when wages would be dispersed and said they will remain on strike until the issue is resolved.

Punjab hospital nurses demonstrate and strike against pay cut

Around 200 striking nurses from hospitals in Ludhiana, Punjab state, marched from the Civil Hospital to Jagraon Bridge on December 18 to protest a pay cut. The nurses walked out on indefinite strike on December 16 in opposition to the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.

The Punjab Nurses Association said that rather than increase the pay grade of nurses, their sixth pay commission had cut their wages. Nurses are demanding a pay increase and payment of certain allowances. They said the strike will continue till their demands are fulfilled.

Resident doctors at government hospitals in New Delhi on strike

Resident doctors at government hospitals in New Delhi walked out on December 21 as part of a nationwide protest to oppose the suspension of postgraduate medical admissions, which is causing extra workload. Resident doctors from several states across India walked out on December 6 over the issue. The action is being coordinated by the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA).

This years NEET-PG 2021 post graduate entrance exam, which usually occurs in January, was postponed until September because of rising COVID-19 cases. Post graduate medical admissions have been stayed by the Supreme Court, which has postponed hearing petitions filed by students questioning the validity of resident seat allocation until January 6.

The striking doctors said they will not return to work until they receive a written assurance from the government that the issue is being resolved.

Sri Lankan public sector doctors hold national walkout

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) called a country-wide indefinite strike on December 21 over seven demands. These include an end to the violation of the national wage policy, stopping appointments for post-internship graduate doctors without approval of the transfer board and for the 2022 transfer list to be published. The GMOA warned that the strike will continue until an acceptable solution is found.

South Korea: Unions at Hankook Tire plants shut down 23-day strike

Unions at Hankook Tires manufacturing plants in Daejeon and Geumsan, South Korea called off their 23-day strike on December 17 after organising a new wage deal with management.

The two major Hankook Tire unions, affiliated with the Federation of Trade Unions and Trade Unions of Korea, called an indefinite strike on November 24, after four months of negotiations and ineffective short-duration rolling stoppages during November.

Unions initially demanded a 10.6 percent wage increase to compensate for a wage freeze last year that followed five years of low wage increases between 2 and 3 percent. Management offered only a 5 percent wage increase and a bonus of 5 million won ($US4,200). Hankook Tires net profit more than doubled to 525.4 billion won between January and September, up from 235.2 billion won a year earlier.

The unions called off the strike after accepting a slightly improved offer from management that fell far short of workers wage demand. The deal includes a 6 percent increase in basic monthly pay, 5 million won in performance-based pay and a bonus of 2 million won.

Filipino food-processing workers imprisoned for striking

Over forty striking workers from pasta producer Soft Touch Development Corporation (STDC) in Valenzuela, 14 kilometres north of Manila, were viciously attacked by police using water cannon on Tuesday and imprisoned on anti-democratic charges. They were charged with holding an illegal assembly, disobedience towards a person in authority and causing alarm and scandal. They were released 36 hours later.

The workers walked out after management told them they were to be laid off on December 24 for forming a union. According to a lawyer representing the workers, the company claimed employees were prohibited from forming a labour union because their employer is a manpower agency that hired them.

The companies use manpower agencies as shields against labour unions, a practice that deprives workers of their rights. He said this has been a recurring issue involving the practice of enforcing short-term work contracts.

Australia

Senior nurse managers at New South Wales regional hospitals strike

Senior nurse managers at several health facilities in Western NSW stopped work between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Tuesday to protest the dire state of rural and regional health. Members of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association (NSWNMA) Nurse Managers branch in the Western NSW Local Health District met on December 17 and voted to walk out over the state governments failure to respond to their formal complaints.

A NSWNMA spokesperson said senior nurse managers and health services managers are concerned that they cannot fill rising nurse vacancies and critical gaps in rosters. The circumstances are devastating for the nursing workforce, which is also grappling with pandemic fatigue, the spokesperson said.

NSWNMA wants an urgent meeting with the government and introduction of state-wide nurse-to-patient ratios on every shift, including a minimum of at least three nurses in every rural and remote facility, two of whom must be registered nurses with first-line emergency care qualifications.

New South Wales commuter rail workers continue limited strike action

As part of over three months of ongoing industrial action over bargaining for a new enterprise agreement (EA) for members at Sydney Trains and NSW Trains, the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) called strike action on Monday. RTBU members stopped work for 8 hours starting at 8 p.m. on Monday while AMWU members held rolling stoppages at rail network depots on Tuesday.

The unions want 3.5 percent annual pay increases, slightly above the current official CPI of 3 percent, but far short of what is needed to keep up with the rapidly increasing cost of living. Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is only offering a 2.5 percent annual pay rise that includes a 0.5 percent superannuation bump, meaning the actual wage increase would be just 2.04 percent.

Rail is the last mode of public transport to remain on state-owned following the sell-off of the states bus and ferry networks, spearheaded by the Labor Party and enforced by the unions.

In preparation for possible privatisation, TfNSW has rejected demands that the new enterprise agreement retains base working conditions if employees are transferred to a private company, permanent job conversion for contractors after three months service and that any employee affected by a restructure or workplace change be given job priority in the new structure. TfNSW also wants to slash redundancy payments from a maximum of 64 weeks pay to 12 weeks.

The unions have restricted industrial action, dragging out the dispute in the hope of wearing down workers until they accept a deal that fits into the NSW governments privatisation plans for Sydney Trains and NSW Trains.

Sydney bus drivers continue industrial action in wage dispute

Drivers working for contract bus operator Transit Systems across Sydneys inner west and southwest, reimposed work bans on December 16 in their struggle for a pay increase in the companys proposed enterprise agreement. Transport Workers Union and Rail Tram and Bus Union members turned off their fare collecting readers for 24 hours, did not wear their uniforms and refused to access company communications out of hours.

The drivers began industrial action on November 22, turning off fare collection readers for 24 hours, and again for three days on November 29, followed by 24-hour strikes on December 6 and 7 in region 6 and region 3 respectively.

Transit Systems workers want an end to the two-tier employment system in Region 6 and improvements to Region 3 pay and conditions to align them with public sector drivers. The unions are seeking a meagre 2.5 percent wage increase, less than the current consumer price index (CPI) of 3 percent, far short of the rapidly increasing cost of living in Sydney.

Transit Systems NSW is contracted by the NSW state government to operate in two of Sydneys 14 contract regions. It has 1,867 workers and 848 buses operating out of six depots.
Flagler Beach Detective Rosanna Vinci and Records Clerk Susie Buttner teamed up to solve a case leading to the arrest of a pair accused in a number of armed robberies.

Susie Buttner has worked as the records clerk at the Flagler Beach Police Department for five years. Before that, Buttner was a school teacher for 36 years, teaching English and reading in the Florida Keys.

But she always had an interest in law enforcement, so much so that a detective calls her Constable Buttner.

Well, the constable noticed something recently which helped lead to the arrest of a pair accused in a string of armed robberies along the East Coast.

The case started on Nov. 6 when Flagler Beach Police found a stolen Ford box truck with Virginia plates in the 500 block of South Ocean Shore Boulevard. A license plate reader had alerted officers to the vehicle as it headed east on State Road 100. But when police found it minutes later, it was unoccupied.

Flagler crime news: Deputies find grenade in Flagler County traffic stop

Cold case: Volusia County suspect sought in decades-old rapes

Seven days later, a woman returned home after being away for three weeks to find that her house on South Central Avenue had been burglarized. Money, jewelry and her Honda CRV were among the pilfered items.

Buttner read both reports.

I'm thinking to myself: There's a connection here, Buttner said in an interview. Because I'm positive that those suspects are the same ones, you know, because the timeframe and they needed a place to stay.

And they needed a ride back to where they came from, she added.

So then I looked at those and, I'm positive there's a link, so I went to the detective and I said, you know, I really think you should look at these two cases, Buttner said.

Flagler Beach Detective Rosanna Vinci took over the case. Vinci said in an interview that she investigates cases of vehicles stolen from Flagler Beach. But she does not usually work on cases of vehicles stolen from other jurisdictions and found in Flagler Beach.

She said she was not aware of the stolen box truck but was reviewing the burglary.

Vinci is the one who gave Buttner the Constable Buttner nickname and now the constable wanted her attention.

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She mentioned like, Hey, you know do you think these two might be related?' Vinci said.

Vinci compared reports and agreed.

It seemed probable, she said. We recovered a stolen box truck. Those people have nowhere to go and now we have a stolen vehicle reported a week later. And that's not two things that are usually back-to-back in Flagler Beach.

The Flagler County Sheriffs Office processed the box truck for fingerprints and other evidence.

Flagler Beach patrol officers processed the evidence in the burglarized house, including the fingerprints.

A property and evidence clerk at Flagler Beach took the prints from the truck and the house to Volusia County Sheriffs Office at 10 a.m. on Dec. 1 and by 4 p.m. police had the suspects' identities, said Flagler Beach Police Chief Matthew P. Doughney, who praised the different agencies for working together.

Theres working hard, and theres working smart. In this case we worked not only hard but smart with multiple different agencies not only in Flagler County and Volusia County, but in other states as well, Doughney said.

The burglars had left behind plenty of work for Flagler Beach Police officers processing the scene.

They kind of made themselves at home in there, Vinci said. They cooked food, they showered, they slept in the bed.

The womans husband had passed away and the burglars realized this, leaving a message in the burglarized house.

They left a note on her whiteboard in the kitchen saying 'Sorry, we're homeless. Sorry for your loss,' Vinci said.

Flagler Beach Police sent the fingerprints to be processed on Dec. 1 to the Volusia County Sheriffs Office. In less than 24 hours, the analyst had the matches to Rickley J. Senning and Jesann Willis.

As Vinci investigated she started seeing multiple recent incidents with Willis, 35, and Senning, 32.

Senning is no stranger to the law, particularly in Maryland.

Senning was indicted in 2014 in Maryland on charges of assaulting and kidnapping a Montgomery County Maryland circuit court judge with whom he was living, according to news accounts. The judge had represented Senning when she was a public defender and was his ex-girlfriend, according to news accounts.

He served three years for that and obviously has not learned his lesson, Vinci said in the interview.

Vinci also got a call from a detective in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, telling her that they were working an armed robbery at a hotel in which the Flagler Beach womans stolen Honda was used.

Vinci saw that Senning and Willis were from Montgomery County, Maryland, so she called law enforcement there. They quickly responded that they were looking for the pair.

The Flagler Beach burglary victim also started receiving notices of unpaid tolls from various states with a photo of her Honda CRV blowing through the toll booths. The tag had been switched on the vehicle to an unused tag which had been kept in the burglarized house in Flagler Beach.

Vinci passed on the information to the other law enforcement agencies and they zeroed in on the pair in the stolen Honda.

On Dec. 2, the day after the fingerprints were matched by the Volusia County Sheriffs Office, Senning and Willis were arrested in Washington, D.C.

They knew they were in a specific area, but had no idea what vehicle they were operating, Vinci said. And once they knew that vehicle, that was the nail in the coffin."

Buttner and Vinci said they were excited to learn of the arrests.

And they confessed, Buttner said.

They confessed to everything, Vinci seconded.

The agency issued a press release saying the Flagler Beach case had led to the arrest of a modern day Bonnie and Clyde.

Senning and Willis confessed to three armed bank robberies and numerous armed robberies to jewelry stores, gas stations and hotels in various states, according to the press release from Flagler Beach Police.

Vinci worked with detectives, investigators and agents from Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the FBI on the case, the release stated.

Vinci said the gun used in the armed robberies was stolen in Ohio.

In Flagler County, Senning and Willis face charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft of a motor vehicle, theft and criminal mischief.

Vinci and Buttner are not sure why they came to Flagler Beach but both have ties to Florida. Vinci said she believes Sennings father lives in South Florida.

Vinci and Buttner believe that if Senning had not been arrested, the outcome would have been quite bad for someone during an armed robbery.

It was only a matter of time before he hurt somebody, Vinci said.

Buttner said she enjoyed helping crack the case. It was different from her usual duties sitting behind clear partition fielding questions from the public in the police department lobby. She also handles public records requests

I like meeting the people and taking care of the people, Buttner said. Im a firm believer that when people call in for a public records request, its my duty to honor it as quickly and efficiently as I can. And then I get to meet the citizens and I get all kinds of different calls from people.

Doughney praised his departments retired school teacher turned records clerk, who the chief said saw something and said something.

Shes not a sworn officer but its one big team, Doughney said. For this case to be solved through the cooperation of a retired school teacher who reads every report  I couldn't be prouder of her."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler Beach police clerk, who was former teacher, helps crack case
WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden paid a surprise Christmas Eve visit on Friday to a childrens hospital in Washington, where he offered holiday greetings to patients and their families and showed off a photo of the new first puppy, Commander.

Biden accompanied first lady Jill Biden to Childrens National Hospital in Washington. The hospital visit is an annual holiday tradition for first ladies, but Bidens visit marked the first by a sitting president.

A dozen children seated at tables were making luminary lanterns when the Bidens were escorted into the room. A boy named Beau held up his lantern for the president. Biden remarked that he had a son named Beau and now has a grandson by the same name.

First lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden greet patients at Children's National Hospital in Washington on Dec. 24, 2021.

Youre bringing us some joy, Biden told the children.

My grandson loves laser tag, he said to one boy.

Biden showed another boy a cellphone photo of Commander, a 3-month-old purebred German shepherd, and suggested he might bring the first pooch to the hospital in the summer.

The first lady noted that the first pet ate her slipper earlier Friday morning.

More: 'Current hold time is 2 hours and 43 minutes': Christmas flight cancellations send travelers scrambling

Peter Neal, fiance of President Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden, plays with Commander, a purebred German shepherd puppy and the newest member of President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden's family, on Dec. 24, 2021, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.

After visiting with the children, the Bidens sat in front of a Christmas tree, where the first lady read Frozen Olafs Night Before Christmas. Biden joked that he reads the book at night before bed, along with his briefing books.

Later, the Bidens stopped in Washingtons Dupont Circle neighborhood to check out a Christmas tree dedicated to Jill Biden and other educators.

Biden placed the official White House Christmas ornament on the 17-foot tree, which sits on a street corner outside the Italian restaurant Floriana and has been decorated for the past few years with a theme that honors well-known figures in the community.

Last years tree paid tribute to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who stopped by for a visit. Two years earlier, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came by to check out the tree, which had a photo cutout of her at the top instead of a star.

Story continues

More: Supreme Court to hear arguments in challenges to Biden vaccine-or-testing mandates on Jan. 7

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for a photo with Dito Sevilla near a holiday tree at the Italian restaurant Floriana in Washington, on Dec. 24, 2021. Since 2012 outside the restaurant, a holiday tree with a theme has been decorated and this year's tree has been decorated with images first lady Jill Biden and other educators.

Keep the faith, Biden said when asked what message he has for Americans.

Upon returning to the White House, the Bidens spoke with several children who called into the federal government's official "Santa Tracker," which is run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The father of one of the children ended their conversation by wishing Biden a merry Christmas and adding, "Let's go Brandon," a coded insult often uttered by Biden's detractors. Biden seemed not to catch the reference, adding "Let's go Brandon, I agree."

President Joe Biden shows a photo of the Biden family's new puppy, Commander to a patient at Children's National Hospital in Washington, on Dec. 24, 2021.

The Bidens are spending their first Christmas as president and first lady at the White House. They also will eschew a family tradition of traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the New Years holiday, a trip they have made with family nearly every year since 2008.

Bidens brother James owns property on Water Island, and Biden often has spent the week there or on St. Croix. Instead, the Bidens will spend a few days between Christmas and New Years in Delaware.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Contributing: The Associated Press

More: President Biden: My winter plan fights COVID with testing and vaccines and without lockdowns

First lady Jill Biden displays a lantern made by a patient at Children's National Hospital as part of a winter craft project as she and President Joe Biden visit patients in Washington on Dec. 24, 2021.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President, first lady make Christmas Eve visit to children's hospital
Joel Coen had just put to bed Hail, Caesar!  his 17th feature film with brother Ethan Coen  when the idea for The Tragedy of Macbeth came to him.

It was 2016, and Coen was watching the Oscar-winning actress and his longtime wife, Frances McDormand, play Lady Macbeth in a Berkeley, California, theater production.

It wasnt McDormands first crack at the role.

Im not saying I was good, McDormand joked in a recent Q&A event after a Tragedy of Macbeth screening about her first Lady Macbeth performance  as a 14-year-old. Im just saying it hooked me. And so Ive kind of been working on her ever since.

Coen started discussing the possibility of working on her, too. Together, he and McDormand would eventually formulate a vision for a film adaptation, with Coen writing and directing, and McDormand playing Lady Macbeth and serving as a producer.

Coen and McDormand, both well into their 60s, also decided the film would stray from tradition  their Macbeths would be unequivocally advanced in age.

It felt important to us, McDormand said. And when I did it on stage, it was important to me to acknowledge that I was postmenopausal, that I was not of childbearing age  and that that was going to be significant in the relationship and the destruction and the deterioration of the Macbeths relationship because he as a man can have an heir. He could have an heir with another woman. But he has stayed with her even though she hasnt kind of filled her political job in the marriage.

A24/Apple TV+

Coen also placed a priority on maintaining Shakespeares classic dialogue.

Another ambition was to do the play, do the verse  dont sort of run away from that, Coen said in the Q&A event.

But a compromise, however small, would be required.

We had a long discussion between ourselves and with Denzel, McDormand said of Denzel Washington, who played the lead role in The Tragedy of Macbeth at 66. Changing just the tense when he says, Bring forth men-children only, for thy undaunted mettle should produce nothing but males.

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The line, not unlike many others in the Shakespeare oeuvre, carries weight. Delivered late in Act I in the bell tower when Macbeth is plotting the murder of King Duncan with Lady Macbeth, it most resoundingly serves as a declaration by Macbeth that Lady Macbeth should exclusively give birth to males because of her inordinate strength and courage in the face of adversity.

Think about this play in the context of the Macbeths being an older couple and that the marriage having been a long one, McDormand said. And that does cast a different sort of light on the text.

Coen and McDormand said they thought an adjustment in two words of the line to change a verb tense  the only tweaks made to Shakespeares verse in the film  would deliver a strong message and help achieve their vision.

So we changed it to should have produced, McDormand said. And I think what I like about that is that he first says, Bring forth men-children only, which is probably something he said a lot. Because shes a bad-ass, and hes always liked that about her. But then he catches himself and realizes thats probably not going to happen, and what have I just said to the woman I love?

Washington was also key to the interpretation, Coen said, and agreed to take the role without equivocation.

I think Denzel understood immediately that kind of, you know, dichotomy in the character, that he was in certain ways in the play, hes extremely sympathetic, especially at the beginning of the play, Coen said. But hes also a gangster.

Coen said Washingtons acting strengths paired perfectly with Macbeth.

This is what he is so good at  holding those two things at the same time, Coen said. That was the big deal. Thats what hes great at.

A24/Apple TV+

The film features another important dichotomy  a physical surrealism versus the stark reality of a marriage story  that was decided on later.

This was a bit of a journey, Coen said.  How we could make this play into a movie but keep the feel of it being a play? That was really the ambition.

While they were resolute in preserving Shakespeares verse, and Coens on-set process with cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel was not unusual, the director said they took extra time in preproduction to conceive the films visual and physical approaches.

Looking at other movies, Coen said, trying to figure out how much were going to build. How much of this is all going to be on sets, for instance, was a baseline decision that had to be made.

They decided the whole movie would be shot on soundstages in Los Angeles.

Once that was made, you know, because we wanted to do things that had some scale, it was a question of, How do we do that for a price? Coen said. And also, has it been done before? And has it been done in black and white? Which is a very different thing than thinking about those problems in color.

So we were looking at movies from the silent era like Sunrise, movies from the 30s and 40s that were made by Dryer and some German expressionist movies, Coen said of Carl Theodor Dreyer, an early to mid-20th century Danish filmmaker known for emotional heft and deliberate pacing.  We werent really interested in those idioms per se as we were in learning how to build these sets and what you could do.

Coen and Delbonnel also studied the theoretical writings of noted early 1900s theater actor, director and set designer Edward Gordon Craig, suggested to Coen by actress Kathryn Hunter, who they had tapped to play the Three Witches character who prophesizes to Macbeth that he should be king.

He was a very, very influential designer in Britain and just on the whole history of theater design  and also did a lot of Shakespeare, Coen said of Craig. And he had these very, very interesting ideas about Shakespeare, one of which was that doing Shakespeare wasnt about realism in any way. It was about sort of embracing it as a dream. This was kind of a singular, particular sort of importance to him and sort of baseline tenet of the way he sort of approached the material. And that was very resonant I think.

They also mined Japanese cinema, Coen said, including Akira Kurosawa and the black-and-white master Masaki Kobayashi.

All done on sets, and its very theatrical, Coen said of Kobayashi.

A24/Apple TV+

Coen said he sought to mark the film with as much play-oriented theater sensibility as possible. To familiarize the cast, they were given look books to acquaint them with the sets and what the world was going to be that they would inhabit.

They also rehearsed the film like a play, with Washington methodically going through a premurder scene in which he offers a soliloquy as he navigates a corridor that led to King Duncans room.

We all interchanged parts for two weeks, McDormand said. And then the last week we kind of galvanized and started getting up on our feet after being at the table.

Then, with three-and-a-half weeks left in production, they were met with an unexpected break.

Movies have such a momentum going forward, sort of an inexorable push. So in that sense it was a luxury, Coen said about the productions four-and-a-half month shutdown in 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coen used the extra time to edit what theyd shot. Upon the films return to production, COVID was still thought to be transmitted and transferred significantly by touch, something McDormand said required a major adjustment on set.

A24/Apple TV+

We shot the banquet scene then, after we had broken, McDormand said. When we came back, we were going to have bread and wine on the table.

Anyway, we decided no roast meat, no vegetables  nobody likes to come into the Macbeths house cause they dont have good food. They get drunk and they break things, McDormand joked. So we got rid of the wine, we got rid of the bread, and everybody got a goblet, and we said Dont let anyone touch your goblet. Dont you even drink out of your goblet.

But the return was worth the wait, and Coen said at no time did he think the film wouldnt get finished.

Summing up The Tragedy of Macbeth, McDormand recalled recent remarks by actor Daniel Craig, who said this play holds so much for so many interpretations.

And thats why Shakespeare keeps sticking around, McDormand melodically and matter-of-factly stated, like a high school teacher to her class.

As for students who skip a step or two in their studies of Shakespeares Macbeth simply by watching the film, McDormand delighted at the prospect.

Absolutely, yes! McDormand said. Thats why we did it. Really.

The Tragedy of Macbeth opens in theaters Saturday, Dec. 25 and begins streaming Jan. 14 on Apple TV+.
As pre-pandemic level crowds hit airports for the the holidays, four major U.S. airlines have canceled more than 900 Christmas Day flights due to the fast-spreading omicron variant of COVID-19.

As of Saturday afternoon, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways and American Airlines had canceled a combined 950 Saturday flights.

Delta Air Lines canceled 308 flights on Christmas Day and has already canceled 69 flights scheduled for Sunday.

Saturday's cancellations come after United, Delta and JetBlue canceled 454 Christmas Eve flights.

MORE: Winter holiday travel rush likely to approach pre-pandemic levels

Delta Air Lines canceled 173 flights for Christmas Eve. The airline says the "flight cancellations are due to a combination of issues, including but not limited to, potential inclement weather in some areas and the impact of the omicron variant."

"Delta teams have exhausted all options and resources -- including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying -- before canceling around 90 flights for Friday," Delta said in a Friday statement to ABC News. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans. Delta people are working hard to get them to where they need to be as quickly and as safely as possible on the next available flight."

PHOTO: A United Airlines airplane is pushed back from its gate at Newark Liberty International Airport as the sun rises in Newark, N.J., Dec. 13, 2021. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

And it's not just Delta that's feeling the impact of the variant on crews.

As of Saturday afternoon, United had canceled 240 Christmas Day flights and 85 flights scheduled for Sunday. It had canceled 201 flights on Christmas Eve.

"The nationwide spike in omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation," United said in a statement on Friday. "As a result, we've unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport."

"We're sorry for the disruption and are working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays," the airline added.

Story continues

MORE: Airline CEOs face lawmakers on cancellations, delays despite $54B bailout

JetBlue has canceled 123 Christmas Day flights due to COVID issues. It had canceled 80 flights Christmas Eve.

"Like many businesses and organizations, we have seen an increasing number of sick calls from Omicron," JetBlue said in a statement Friday. "We entered the holiday season with the highest staffing levels we've had since the pandemic began and are using all resources available to us to cover our staffing needs. Despite our best efforts, we've had to cancel a number of flights, and additional flight cancellations and other delays remain a possibility as we see more Omicron community spread."

Alaska Airlines has resorted to offering extra pay to their healthy employees who can work added shifts into this upcoming Christmas weekend.

The airline says they have had to cancel 10 Christmas Eve flights due to some of their employees quarantining after reporting that they may have been exposed to COVID-19.

PHOTO: People wait in line to check in at the United Airlines ticket counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Dec. 20, 2021. (Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters)

American Airlines canceled 88 flights on Christmas Day.

"Our operation has been running smoothly, and unfortunately a number of COVID-related sick calls led us to make the difficult decision to precancel some flights scheduled for today," a representative for American Airlines said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday. "We proactively notified affected customers yesterday, and are working hard to rebook them quickly. We never want to disappoint our customers and apologize for any disruptions to their holiday travel plans."

Airlines for America, the group that lobbies on behalf of all major U.S. airlines, is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to shorten the quarantine time for fully vaccinated individuals, saying the omicron surge may create "significant" disruptions.

"The omicron surge may exacerbate personnel shortages and create significant disruptions to our workforce and operations," Nick Calio, A4A's CEO, said in a letter on Thursday to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

MORE: COVID-19 live updates: Cruise ship must remain at sea after 55 people test positive

Calio proposed the isolation period to be shortened to five days from symptom onset for breakthrough infections.

"In turn, those individuals would be able to end isolation with an appropriate testing protocol," Calio wrote.

The letter comes after Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways, both A4A members, also asked for isolation periods for fully vaccinated individuals to be shortened.

Airlines cancel hundreds of holiday flights due to omicron impacts on crews originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - December 24, 2021) - According to official news, Pluto Capital, a venture capital provider of blockchain in Singapore, has already completed a $2.5 million seed investment round in BetaMars. The two parties will jointly explore the future world of mankind and expand the metaverse.





Source: Twitter @Betamars2025

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/108411_c48cfe216441da17_001full.jpg

Pluto Capital has raised $30 million in crypto funds, which will be invested in seed funding and incubation for early blockchain projects. The core team members come from well-known financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and SoftBank. It has invested in some of the current industry giants in the early stage, including Binance, Bitmain, Polkadot, Bybit and so on.

BetaMars is a metaverse game themed on"Mars migration." It aims to build a highly decentralized, open and free parallel world in the future. The project has several phases. In BetaMars 1.0, players will be divided into Lords and Miners, both engaging in the building of the fundamental world based on land and its resources. In the later 2.0 and more versions, players will explore to create the civilization of BetaMars world.





Source: Twitter @Betamars2025

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7987/108411_c48cfe216441da17_002full.jpg

BetaMars Social Network:

Official Website: http://www.betamars.io/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Betamars2025

Telegram: https://t.me/betamars

Discord: https://discord.gg/cwAVSkG6Eb

Media contact

Contact: Yuki

Company Name: BETAMARS LIMITED

Website: http://www.betamars.io

Email: BetaMars2050@gmail.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/108411
The Elgin Marbles on display at the British Museum (Getty)

In 1984, Neil Kinnock, then leader of Britains opposition Labour Party, did something few politicians here have dared: he pledged to return the Parthenon Marbles.

Those classical sculptures, often called the Elgin Marbles after the British aristocrat who removed them from the Parthenon in the early 1800s and brought them to London, were a moral issue, Kinnock told reporters during a visit to Athens.

The Parthenon without the marbles is like a smile with a missing tooth, he said.

Lord Kinnocks comments made headlines at the time, but when he returned to London, he found that few in his party shared his views, let alone Conservative members of Margaret Thatchers government. He didnt push the idea.

Most of his successors, including Tony Blair, insisted that the marbles should stay put in the British Museum, as one of its highlights.

Last week, the sculptures returned to public view after a prolonged closure of the museums Greek galleries caused by the coronavirus pandemic and maintenance work. They reappeared as activists around Europe are clamouring to rectify perceived historical injustices, yet the idea of returning the marbles to Athens seems to have as little political support here as it did in Kinnocks day.

The British governments official position is that it is not responsible for the marbles fate: that, it says, is a matter for the British Museums trustees, a group largely appointed by the prime minister that has repeatedly said the sculptures are integral to the museums mission of telling world history.

Boris Johnson  an Oxford classics graduate who loves to quote ancient Greek  has for years said the marbles belong in London. In 2012, when he was Londons mayor, he wrote to a Greek official saying he had reflected deeply over many years on the sculptures, and, as much as he sympathised with the Greek case, it would be a grievous and irremediable loss if they left the British Museum.

By tradition, Britains government does not interfere in the day-to-day running of museums it funds. But the current government has recently applied pressure to shape their policies

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When Johnson met with Greeces prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, last month, he reiterated the government position that anything to do with the marbles was a question for British Museum trustees, not him.

Throughout 2021, as other European governments announced restitution policies and gave items back, Britains buck-passing on the marbles looked increasingly out of step.

In April, Germany said it would start returning around 1,100 looted artefacts known as the Benin Bronzes from its museums to Nigeria, beginning next year.

In June, Belgiums government agreed to a plan to transfer ownership of stolen artefacts in its museums to their African countries of origin.

In October, President Emmanuel Macron returned 26 looted items to Benin, building on a 2017 pledge to hand back African art from the countrys museums.

Germany recently announced that it museums will return their Benin Bronzes to Nigeria beginning next year (Getty)

Yet in Britain, a one-time colonial and trading power whose museums are stuffed with treasures from its former possessions, restitution is not even on the political agenda. Neither the government nor the opposition Labour Party has issued a policy statement on the subject, and there has been no debate on the issue in parliament.

Current and former British politicians give a host of reasons for the lack of action. Kinnock said in an email that the government, and much of the British public, had the tendency to cling to (or even yearn for) a real or imagined past.

Returning artefacts would be seen as woke, Kinnock added, and the government treats that as vampires treat sunlight.

The Tory MP John Hayes, chair of the influential right-wing Common Sense group, said Belgium, France and Germany were returning items to their former colonies to improve relations, but Britain had much better connections with its prior imperial possessions.

Activists say the government could take action on the Parthenon Marbles if it wanted to (Getty)

By doing nothing on restitution, British politicians were being more sensible than their continental counterparts, he said, adding that the belief that all items should be returned to their countries of origin was a preposterous position, with no logical end.

By tradition, Britains government does not interfere in the day-to-day running of museums it funds. But the current government has recently applied pressure to shape their policies. Last year, Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary at the time, wrote to museum leaders, telling them to retain and explain disputed monuments, such as statues of slave owners, rather than removing them from view.

Dowden also made his own views on restitution clear, saying in September that Benin Bronzes in the British Museum properly reside in the collection.

Activists say the government could take action on the Parthenon Marbles if it wanted to. Artemis Papathanassiou, a member of a committee under Greeces culture ministry that works for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, said that since Britains government sets the rules for major museums and often appoints their trustees, it should get involved.

They just dont want to take responsibility, she says.

Greeces prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis talks to Boris Johnson in No 10 in November (Getty)

In September, a Unesco committee on returning contested artefacts said the dispute over the marbles has an intergovernmental character and, therefore, the obligation to return the Parthenon sculptures lies squarely on the United Kingdom government.

Yet politicians insist that the matter is out their hands. Under the 1963 law that governs the British Museum, the trustees can only remove items from the collection if they are unfit to be retained and can be disposed of without detriment to the interests of students.

Samantha Knights, a lawyer working on restitution cases, says the law is so vague that it potentially gives the trustees some leeway. When Elgin took the marbles, Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire; he had a permit to make excavations at the Parthenon, though it is unclear whether he had permission to remove anything. Knights said the trustees could decide that, because of the history of the way the Parthenon Marbles came to be acquired, and the very powerful arguments of the Greek government for their return, they are now unfit to be retained.

But whether the trustees would be prepared to come to that conclusion is another question, Knights adds.

The British Museums trustees do not seem in the mood for giving back.

Lord Kinnock said he felt rather forlorn when he considered the chances of the marbles being returned (AFP/Getty)

Since September, the board has been led by the former chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne. Osborne did not respond to several interview requests for this article, but in an opinion piece in The Times this month he said the museum was open to lending our artefacts to anywhere who can take good care of them and ensure their safe return, including Greece. The Greek government has previously rejected offers to borrow the Parthenon Marbles, holding out for their permanent return.

Hartwig Fischer, the British Museums director, also declined to be interviewed but said in an emailed statement that the marbles helped visitors gain an insight into the cultures of the world and how they interconnect over time. The museums website explains that the sculptures convey the influences between Egyptian, Persian, Greek and Roman civilisations, and argues that they are best presented in this context.

Janet Suzman, an actor and the chair of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, says she hoped changing attitudes around the world to where African artefacts belong would influence views on the marbles. In November, a survey by YouGov said 59 per cent of the British public believes the marbles belong in Greece.

But Osbornes appointment had made her much less hopeful about the cause, Suzman says.

Nobody is appointed to the British Museum unless you swear on your mothers grave that you wont be returning anything, she says.

Kinnock said he felt rather forlorn when he considered the chances of the marbles being returned. Other European governments had their own reasons for returning disputed items, he said: Germany, for instance, had a clearly different attitude toward restitution, perhaps influenced by national reflections on its roles in the Second World War and the comparative brevity of its empire.

Change in Britain will only come with a different government that would, in various ways, seek to improve the UKs perception of its history, he said. Then, he added, there would be a strong possibility that our admirable country will be Great Britain in 21st-century terms.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Gary Sampson, of Abington, who murdered three people during a 2001 killing spree across the South Shore and into New Hampshire, died at a federal medical prison in Springfield, Missouri, on Tuesday, Dec. 21, at age 62.

Over the course of four days in July 2001, Sampson killed Jonathan Rizzo, 19, of Kingston; former Quincy resident Philip McCloskey, 69, of Taunton; and Robert Whitney, 58, of New Hampshire.

After pleading guilty, Sampson was sentenced to death in 2003 for the deaths of Rizzo, a college student, and McCloskey. That initial death sentence was overturned after a federal judge determined that one of Sampson's jurors had lied about her background.

He was sentenced to death a second time following an eight-week death penalty trial in federal court in February 2017.

Feb. 8, 2017: Jury imposes death sentence on Gary Sampson

Sampson was tried separately for Whitney's murder and received a life sentence. Massachusetts does not have a state death penalty, but defendants charged with federal crimes in the state can be put to death.

Gary Lee Sampson

After the second trial, survivors of Sampson's victims faced him.

"You showed no remorse, and your apology was robotic," Philip McCloskey's son, Scott McCloskey, told Sampson. "Rot in hell."

Family members spoke of their hatred for Sampson, of the devastation he'd caused in their lives, and of their commitment to bringing him to justice. Some of them said they could not bear the thought of him enjoying himself in prison with access to books and television.

"I don't know if you will ever receive the death penalty, and I don't really care," said Mary Rizzo, Jonathan Rizzo's mother. "I do care that you will have more restriction on death row."

Rizzo said she was able to push Sampson out of her head during the day, but her nights were still haunted by images of her son's death. For years, she said she was unable to be the wife and mother her family deserved because of the "dark hole" she found herself in.

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Gary Sampson appears at his arraignment in Brockton District Court on Aug. 2, 2001.

"I waited up for them on the couch, thinking that if they didn't come home it would be my fault and no one else's, just as I thought Jonathan's death was my fault," she said of her two sons.

On Jan. 11, Sampson's appellate attorneys, Judith Mizner, Madeline Cohen and Sara Cohbra, filed a new brief arguing his death sentence should be overturned.

Although no cause of death has been released, medical records included in the latest appeal of his death sentence showed he had a life expectancy, when he was 55, of nearly three years. He was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease, likely caused by an untreated hepatitis C infection.

In 2016, Sampson's attorney argued that he was terminally ill and that should be a good enough reason to not give him the death penalty.

A killing spree from from the South Shore to New Hampshire

Shortly before the murders, Sampson, a drifter who grew up in Abington, called the FBI to turn himself in for a series of bank robberies in North Carolina. After the FBI didn't send anyone to arrest him, he started his killing spree on July 24, 2001, according to court documents.

McCloskey, a retired plumber, offered Sampson a ride in Weymouth. Sampson walked McCloskey up a hill in Marshfield, where he killed him and tried unsuccessfully to steal his car, according to court documents.

While Sampson was hitchhiking in Plymouth three days later, Rizzo offered him a ride. Sampson held him at knifepoint and ordered him to drive him to Abington, where he killed him and took his car, according to court records.

Sampson fled to New Hampshire and broke into an empty vacation home. He was discovered by a family friend of the owner, Whitney, on July 30. After a fight, he tied Whitney to a chair and strangled him with a rope, according to court records. He stole Whitney's car and fled to Vermont, where he abandoned it a day later. Hitchhiking again, he was picked up by William Gregory, who escaped from his moving car after Sampson threatened him with a knife.

Sampson broke into another vacation house, called 911 and surrendered to Vermont state troopers, according to court records.

See our past coverage of Gary Sampson's case

Feb. 8, 2017: Jury imposes death sentence on Gary Sampson

Dec. 23, 2016: Spree killer Gary Lee Sampson addresses jury for first time

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here's our latest offer.

The Patriot Ledger's reporter partner, WCVB, contributed to this story, as did former Patriot Ledger reporter Neal Simpson. Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Gary Sampson dies in Missouri prison hospital following death sentence
Flowers are attached to the fence outside of the tennis courts at Oxford High School as a memorial in memory of the four students fatally shot.

On Tuesday, Nov. 30, 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, brought a semi-automatic handgun to school and opened fire on fellow students at Oxford High School in Michigan. He killed four students. He wounded six more, plus one teacher.

After every mass school shooting, we collectively grieve for the dead children, their friends, their families, and their communities. Yet, the same cycle keeps repeating itself over and over. Our children are no safer at school today than they were 20 years ago, at Columbine High School, in Littleton, Colorado.

My thoughts always return to the Columbine survivors because the first one I met taught me an important lesson.

In July 1999, I was a first-year pediatric resident at the University of Colorado in Denver. Two months before, on April 20, two high school seniors opened fire at Columbine High School, killing 12 students and one teacher. Fifty-two terrified kids took refuge in the library. When the shooters entered the library, they randomly shot students who were hiding under the tables. In all, 10 students were killed and 12 were wounded in that one room.

Those who were spared watched helplessly as their friends and classmates bled to death on the library floor. My patient was one of them. Her mother said, Please dont close the door. My child cannot be in closed spaces after being in the library at Columbine High School that day. She still struggles with PTSD.

Until that moment, I didnt realize Columbine High School was only 20 minutes south of Denver. While I dont remember why this child was being seen, I will never forget her mothers words.

Over my three years in Colorado, I crossed paths with others who were in the building that day. I learned that the trauma from Columbine extended far beyond its library walls. At the time, the Columbine massacre seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime catastrophe. I never imagined it would happen again. But it did. And it keeps happening.

Then, on December 14, 2012, a 20-year-old man shot his mother 4 times with a .22-caliber rifle before driving to Sandy Hook Elementary, in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children and six teachers were then slaughtered with weapons from the gun collection of the shooters mother. In Classroom 10, when the shooters gun jammed, six children managed to escape to safety. The lone survivor in Classroom 8 was a 6-year-old girl with enough foresight to play dead.

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After Sandy Hook, I naively believed there would be sweeping changes in our gun laws. I couldnt have been more wrong. Of course, the gun control debate briefly takes center stage after every mass school shooting. But nothing ever changes, no matter how many children die.

Parents in America have had to accept that schools are no longer the safe places they once were. But Sandy Hook changed me. At the time, I was a parent to three and pregnant with my fourth. I cried for days and read everything I could about the actions of the children who survived. When my oldest son started kindergarten in the fall of 2013, I wanted to give him the best chance to make it out alive if a shooter entered his school.

At the start of every school year, while other parents walk their children to their schoolroom, help them pick out a seat, drop off their labeled school supplies, and meet their new teacher, I memorize the layout of the classroom. I want to know which route provides the quickest escape. Together, my children and I brainstorm about what they should do if a shooter enters their school or worse, their classroom. We review the possible entry and exit points, the windows, and the doors and focus on how they can get out of the building safely.

If there is a door, they should use it. If there is a window, they should open it, climb out, and run in a zig-zag pattern away from the building. If their classroom is on the second or third floor of the school, we talk about the fact that their chances of survival are likely better sustaining a broken leg after jumping out the window than staying inside and trying to hide. And if there is no exit door or window, we talk about playing dead. My children have practiced playing dead. I have told them to get as close to the nearest dead child and stay still for as long as they can. In truth, the active shooter conversation continues throughout the year.

To me, this is the reality for every parent in America with school-aged children.

This brings me to my point: We must accept that gun control in America is a pipe dream.

We must find another way to prevent school shootings, like implementing the same security measures at our schools that exist at our airports. Merely one to two million passengers fly every day in this country, yet airport security measures transformed overnight following 9/11. Forty-eight million students attend public schools every day nationwide and yet, when children are gunned down in cold blood, we throw up our hands in despair after the latest gun-control measure fails in Congress.

Enough is enough. Nothing will change until we acknowledge the fact that there are too many parents out there like James and Jennifer Crumbley, who will buy their children guns for Christmas and leave them unsecured at home. There are too many parents who will ignore the warning signs that their children are preoccupied with violence. And there are too many Americans who love their guns more than other people's children.

Children like yours or mine, who are no safer than those children in the Columbine High School library two decades ago.

Dr. Niran Al-Agba is a pediatrician in Silverdale and writes a regular column for the Kitsap Sun. Contact her at niranalagba@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Opinion Gun control is a lost cause. So what can we do?
Lori Modjewski sits at her desk at the First National Bank in Wakefield on Wednesday. Modjewski retired after 43 and a half years of working at the bank, following her shift on Wednesday.

By CHARITY SMITH

[email protected]

Wakefield - Lori Modjewski, vice president of operations and human resources at the First National Bank in Wakefield retired on Wednesday after 43 and a half years of service.

"Things are changing, so it's time. Trying to keep up with the technology is getting to be hard at times," Modjewski told the Daily Globe. "I'm just looking for a little bit more relaxing lifestyle. It's time for some of the younger ones to do some of the work."

Modjewski grew up in Wakefield and graduated from Wakefield High School. She met her future husband Michael while attending Gogebic Community College and married him in 1977. She started at the bank as a teller in 1978, shortly after graduating from GCC with an associate degree in data technology.

She worked her way up the ladder over the years. As vice president of operations and human resources, she was in charge of hiring, employee paperwork and payroll. "Anything to do with the employees," she said. She also was responsible for making sure all the tellers' drawers were balanced, dealt with online banking and often handled questions and problems customers might have.

"I like this kind of work - working with numbers and things like that. It's been fun," she said.

Bank president Tony Ringsmuth said he has worked with Modjewski for more than 30 years. He said he started working with her as a teller when he was in high school. He said she's very good with people and with employees, and said she has a strong work ethic.

Ringsmuth said they'll miss her versatility. "She does everything. She can do almost any job at the bank. She has seen a lot of changes - technology. She was here before computers. She will be sadly missed."

Paula Koruga, vice president of loans, who has been best friends with Modjewski since the seventh grade and worked at the bank with her for the last 42 years, said she has a very high character and will be really missed at work. Koruga said they will miss Modjewski's institutional knowledge.

"They call us dinosaurs here sometimes, because we were here way before computers were ever here," said Koruga.

Modjewski said that she has really enjoyed working with her co-workers and the community and that is what she will miss the most about her job. "It's been a nice place to work," she said. "It was nice working in a small community you knew who everybody was. I think that I made a big difference staying here and being comfortable with the people that you work with and the customers."

Modjewski said she and her husband plan to move to Sheboygon, Wisconsin, to be closer to family there.

Jordan Ringsmuth, Tony Ringsmuth's son, will take over for Modjewski. She said she gave her notice last year in order to allow time for her to train someone. "There's lots of things you do once a month, some you do quarterly, some you only do annually. So I gave them a year's notice so we'd have time to train," she said.

Modjewski said she is excited for the next chapter. "You get to a point where you know you are ready," she said. "I just want to have time to enjoy the grandkids."
Tulane University in New Orleans is delaying the start of its spring semester because of the latest surge in coronavirus cases, and another private school says students must get booster shots before returning
When do people learn languages?

My concern here is to look at what linguistics can tell us about why and when people learn a language. (Summary: It's not easy, so they'll try not to.) I'll also cover the subsidiary questions that usually interest folks more: How can I learn a language? and, How can I make other people learn this language?

The problem: other people's languages

Just as everyone thinks they're an expert on language, everyone thinks they're an expert on learning languages... that is, on other people learning languages and why they ought to. Typical interested parties: People want students to learn foreign languages.

People want immigrants to learn the national language.

People want their home language to be the national language.

Minorities are concerned that their languages not disappear.

Esperantists want everyone to learn Esperanto.

Non-Americans want to learn English.

Non-Americans are worried that everyone will learn English.

Parents may want to teach their children something besides the national language Discussions of these subjects generally veer off into pointlessness, because they're based on morality and myth. People talk about what people should do, what languages they should speak or not speak. But you can't talk about that till you know what's involved in learning a language-- how hard it is, what's needed to do it, when it happens or doesn't happen. When these things are discussed at all, people generally get their facts wrong. My purpose with this page is not so much to argue for or against any of these goals, but to set out the facts (as far as they're known), and draw some mostly unwelcome lessons.

Some myths about language learning

Or half-myths; but those can be more dangerous than outright falsehoods. Languages are learned in school People can learn languages in school... but most of the time they don't. To see this, simply look at American foreign language instruction. Many high schools and colleges require several years of a foreign language; the usual result is that students make the absolute minimum effort to pass, and five years later are unable to produce a sentence in the language. These courses typically take 3 to 5 hours a week; one might expect more of bilingual or total-immersion schools. But even here the results are not perfect. Some Canadian schools teach French to anglophones by immersion; it's reported (Francois Grosjean, Life with Two Languages, p. 219) that the students do well enough academically, but have "great difficulty" communicating with French-speaking Canadians outside the school, and don't initiate conversations in French. European schools have a better reputation than U.S. ones, but I'm not convinced that the situation is spectacularly different. After ten years of English, students may do quite well; but if they don't have ongoing opportunities to practice, their English may not last much more than the American students' French or Spanish. The basic fallacy here is to take learning as an irreversible process. Because someone learned something in school, whether it's Latin or trigonometry or the exports of Venezuela, it doesn't mean that they still know it. An example is the father of a friend of mine, a Brazilian who studied in the US for a year. Forty years later, he can still read English, but he's quite unable to carry on a conversation in the language. To sum up: school courses may help you to learn a language (see below); they can't be counted on to teach it to a whole population. Immersion schools will probably work, though even that will be of no use if the student doesn't keep using the language after graduating. My ancestors learned by 'sink or swim'; so can you This one tends to get trotted out in arguments against bilingualism. The idea is that immigrants never received special treatment in the past, and yet learned the national language just fine; so present-day immigrants shouldn't get any help now. It ain't necessarily so. First, if those ancestors immigrated as adults, then very likely they didn't learn the national language well, if at all. For Americans, at least, the details are generally several generations back and misty. We forget just how multilingual the country was at the height of European immigration. People generally moved into ethnic enclaves, married among themselves, and worked in menial jobs where there was little need for English. There were daily newspapers in half a dozen languages in all the major cities (indeed, a surprising number of them still exist). Much of the bureaucracy we have to deal with today didn't exist: income tax, health plans, credit card contracts, forms required by schools. Older immigrants could often get by with a minimal command of English, or none at all. Children might indeed be sent to a school which taught in English only. This 'worked' in the sense that the child learned English; but this is far from proving that this is the only or best way to treat immigrant children. At the very least these children missed a year or two of instruction, and the later they came, the less command of formal English they would have attained. And maybe that was acceptable in 1880 or 1920, when most jobs required little education and minimal formal English. Today almost all jobs require a high degree of schooling; and complicated forms and directions are inescapable. What worked several generations ago may be insufficient today. I know this guy who speaks ten languages! A complicating factor in almost any discussion of these issues is that the people discussing them-- and that includes myself and probably most readers of this page-- are likely to enjoy languages, and may have learned a few essentially for fun. For such people, the brutal facts about most people's language learning-- i.e., that they don't do it-- may be hard to believe or sympathize with. We learned French, and enjoyed it! Look at all those Larousses on the shelf! We had so much fun talking to that schoolteacher in Versailles, buying French rap at FNAC, reading Daniel Pennac, answering that Tech Support call from Montreal ... can't people see that learning languages is both fun and useful? Well, no, any more than people in general see the fun in manga, or algebra, or skeet- shooting, or ska. Like it or not, language geeks are a minority, and their abilities are no guide to language policy. Children learn languages easily This is a popular commonplace, and one asserted by linguists as well, mostly due to Noam Chomsky's belief in an innate 'language organ'. (Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct popularizes Chomsky's ideas.) Unfortunately, the evidence is against it. Children begin learning languages at birth (infants pay attention to their parents' voices, as opposed to random noises or even other languages), and haven't really mastered it subtleties before the age of ten years. Indeed, we never really stop learning our language. (See David Singleton, Language Acquisition: The Age Factor, p. 56.) This isn't exactly the sort of behavior (like foals walking an hour after birth) that we call 'instinct' in animals. But at least it's effortless, isn't it? Well, no, as we can see when children have a choice of languages to learn. What's found is that, to be frank, children don't learn a language if they can get away with not learning it. Many an immigrant family in the U.S. intends to teach their child their native language; and for the first few years it goes swimmingly-- so much so that the parents worry that the child won't learn English. Then the child goes to school, picks up English, and within a few years the worry is reversed: the child still understands his parents, but responds in English. Eventually the parents may give up, and the home language becomes English. An anecdote from Grosjean: Cyril, a little French boy in the States, started going to an English-language day care center, he brought home English-speaking friends, he watched television, and American friends of his parents quite often came to dinner. Above all, Cyril realized that his parents spoke quite good English, and as there was no other reason for speaking French (no French-speaking grandmother or playmate, no French -speaking social activities outside the home), Cyril probably decided that the price to maintain both languages... was too high. Little by little he started speaking English to his parents and ceased to be an active bilingual, although he retained the ability to understand his fist language. The linguist R. Burling spent two years in the Garo Hills of India; his son grew up speaking English and Garo-- mostly the latter. They left India when the boy was three; for awhile the boy would attempt to speak Garo with anyone he met who looked Indian. But within six months, he wouldn't speak any Garo and seemed to have trouble with even simple Garo words. A child is likely to end up as a fluent speaker of a language only if there are significant people in her life who speak it: a nanny who only speaks Spanish, a relative who doesn't speak English, etc. Once a child discovers that his parents understand English perfectly well, he's likely to give up on the home language, even in the face of strong disapproval from the parents. These stories help demonstrate that it's a myth that children learn to speak mainly from their parents. They don't: they learn mostly from their peers. This is most easily seen among children of immigrants, whether they come from differing language backgrounds or merely different dialect areas: the children invariably come to speak the dialect of their neighborhood and school, not that of their parents. (I found a neat example of this in my college's alumni magazine: A liberal family in Mississippi sent their daughter to the public schools, which except for her were all black. She grew up speaking fluent African-American Vernacular English.) Supporters of the 'language instinct' make much of the fact that children learn to speak without formal instruction-- indeed, they notoriously ignore explicit corrections. For instance, an example collected by Martin Braine [Pinker, p. 281]: Child: Wnat other one spoon, Daddy.

Father: You mean, you want the other spoon.

Child: Yes, I want other one spoon, please, Daddy.

Father: Can you say "the other spoon"?

Child: Other... one... spoon.

Father: Say "other".

Child: Other.

Father: "Spoon."

Child: Spoon.

Father: "Other... spoon."

Child: Other... spoon. Now give me other one spoon. This argument ignores the fact that very little of what we learn is through formal instruction. Children aren't schooled in video games, either, yet they pick them up with the same seeming ease. The apparent effortlessness is largely an illusion caused by psychological distance. We just don't remember how hard it was to learn language. (In fact, there's some studies suggesting that memory is tied to language, so that we can't remember the language learning process.) The perception of effortlessness should be balanced, anyway, by the universal amusement (which some cartoonists have been mining for nearly half a century) over children's language mistakes. Another anecdote: my wife liked to tease a young boy who was having trouble understanding the reciprocal nature of personal pronouns: Adult: Is this your ball?

Child (trying to say it's his): Yes, it's your ball!

Adult: So, it's my ball?

Child: No! (cries) That's not exactly easy! Another clue that children find language difficult is that they become agitated when someone speaks the 'wrong' language. An English-German bilingual child, Danny, was speaking to a German-speaking researcher; trying to help, his mother (who normally only used English with him) asked, Was macht der Vogel? ("What's the bird doing?") Danny, startled, told his mother, Nicht 'Vogel'! ("Not Vogel!") He points to the researcher and said Du Vogel ("You bird"), and to his mother and said Du sag 'birdie' ("You say birdie"). Another example: an Italian-German bilingual girl, Lisa, became upset and started to cry when an Italian friend spoke to her in German. On another occasion, Lisa's father said something to her in German, and she responded, No, tu non puoi! ("No, you can't!") Keeping two largely unknown language systems separate is a tricky task, and associating each with different people helps: Lisa can count on knowing that whatever Daddy says is Italian. If anyone in her life could use either language at any time, the learning task would become much harder. One may fall back on the position that language may be hard for children to learn, but at least they do it better than adults. This, however, turns out to be surprisingly difficult to prove. Singleton examined hundreds of studies, and found them resoundingly ambiguous. Quite a few studies, in fact, find that adult learners progress faster than children (Language Acquisition, pp. 94-106). Even in phonetics, sometimes the last stronghold of the kids-learn-free position, there are studies finding that adults are better at recognizing and producing foreign sounds. Now, I think Singleton misses a key point in understanding this discrepancy: the studies he reviews compare children vs. adults who are learning languages. That's quite reasonable, and indeed it's hard to imagine an alternative approach; but the two groups are not really comparable! All children have to learn at least one language; but few adults do. So the studies compare the situation of all children with that of the minority of adults motivated to formally learn other languages. Why do children learn languages well, when even adults who want to learn them have trouble with them? Innate abilities aside, children have a number of powerful advantages: They can devote almost their full time to it. Adults consider half an hour's study a day to be onerous.

to it. Adults consider half an hour's study a day to be onerous. Their motivation is intense. Adults rarely have to spend much of their time in the company of people they need to talk to but can't; children can get very little of what they want without learning language(s).

is intense. Adults rarely have to spend much of their time in the company of people they need to talk to but can't; children can get very little of what they want without learning language(s). Their peers are nastier. Embarrassment is a prime motivating factor for human beings (I owe this insight to Marvin Minsky's The Society of Mind, but it was most memorably expressed by David Berlinski (in Black Mischief, p. 129), who noted that of all emotions, from rage to depression to first love, only embarrassment can recur, decades later, with its full original intensity). Dealing with a French waiter is nothing compared with the vicious reception in store for a child who speaks funny. If adults could be placed in a similar situation, they might well learn languages as readily (I don't say 'easily'!) as children. The closest such situation I can think of is cross- cultural marriage. And indeed, this works quite well. My wife, for instance, a native Spanish speaker who came here in her late 20s, has learned exceptional English, since we speak it at home. By contrast, some of her Spanish-speaking friends of the same age, married to other Spanish speakers, speak English haltingly and with a strong accent.

So when do we do it?

By now, I think, the positive content of this paper will be anticlimactic: Languages take immense effort to learn, and people will only learn them if it's socially or economically inescapable. To put it another way: the way children learn or don't learn languages, as reviewed in the last section, holds for adults as well-- compounded by adults' lack of the special advantages of children (time, motivation, peer pressure). So what makes learning inescapable? Again, we can learn from the children. Mere opportunity isn't enough. As we saw, immigrant children have an excellent opportunity to master their parents' language-- but, if possible, they don't. They learn only if they can't interact with relatives otherwise (e.g., if the relatives are monolingual). Similarly, adults may be exposed to other languages-- their neighbors speak one, or their employees do, or it's on another TV channel, or it's taught at a nearby school-- but these sources are easily ignored. The exposure has to be from people you need to interact with. For adults, this means principally employers, relatives by marriage, children, and clients or vendors who don't speak a language you already know. The importance of these sources varies, of course, with time and quality. Very little is needed to learn to buy groceries in another language, or to learn how to do a menial job. Immigrants will probably not master the local language unless they work mostly with natives, or marry a local; their best chance will probably be to learn the language from their children. Note that harrassing immigrants by requiring government forms to be in English will accomplish little. Bureaucracies are important and intimidating, but no one interacts with them enough that they force language learning. The usual strategy is to take a friend or child along to translate. 'Need' must be interpreted from the learner's perspective, not the observer's. I discovered this when a Peruvian couple (old friends of my wife's) stayed with us for a few months. They couldn't find work in Peru, so they certainly had good reason to look for work here and to learn English. But they approached both tasks haphazardly. The husband had a tutor for learning English-- but he discovered that the tutor spoke Spanish, and so they chattered away in Spanish. When he wasn't noodling with his computer, he looked for jobs-- mostly by checking the want ads in the local Hispanic paper. They ended up moving to Spain. It's a bit like weight loss: people will say they "need to lose weight", but they'll believe any fad or scam rather than actually eat less or exercise more. Our Peruvian couple didn't take language learning seriously so long as they had a backup plan of moving to Spain. Children growing up in a monolingual environment can't avoid the work, so they learn the language. Everyone else, if possible, doesn't. The market for a language We can also look at this from the perspective of the language. Who will learn French, or Navajo, or Esperanto? A bit cynically, but realistically, I answer: the ensemble of those who find it completely unavoidable. No amount of rationalization, publicity, or moral suasion will increase the figure-- though it may increase the language's popularity among language geeks. The "language problem" Auxlangers and foreign language teachers make much of the "language problem" and the costs of not knowing languages; but they forget that for most people, the problem never rises above the level of an annoyance, and the costs are never paid. Learning a language well enough to negotiate business deals, for instance, could easily cost an adult five years of time and $10,000 in tuition. An executive or bureaucrat doesn't have that sort of time-- nor is the capability worth the time investment. He hires interpreters and translators instead. It's certainly a disadvantage that so much interesting material, from books to movies to music to comics, is published in languages we can't understand. But we can hire translators too, or rather let the publishers do so. Material in other languages is not so much unavailable as delayed. Of course, not everything gets translated-- frustratingly so, if you know something about the source culture. Informed comics fans, for instance, are puzzled why Lewis Trondheim or Ralf Konig, enormously popular in Europe, and by no means difficult or inaccessible, are almost unknown in the U.S. However, there may be reasons for this. Americans aren't used to long-form comics-- they simply have no category to put Trondheim in, and vaguely compatible English-language works (say, Joe Matt or Dan Clowes) are almost as obscure. And Americans are not quite ready to read gay-themed books like Konig's, however funny. By contrast, manga has made a spectacular conquest of American youth... when I see young cartoonists doodling, it's more likely to be an imitation of manga than of Disney or Peanuts or even superhero comics. And the desire for more manga and anime has led a surprising number of fans to try to learn Japanese. The cost of learning a language Auxlangers sometimes attempt to quantify the cost of the "language problem"-- e.g. they tot up the cost of translation within European companies or the Brussels bureaucracy, and compare it to the huge monolingual market in the US. Such efforts are not so much wrong as misleading. First, they benefit from the specious impresiveness of large-scale sums. Heck, chewing gum is a $4 billion industry in the U.S. alone. In a $6 trillion economy, it's not hard to wallop people with high numbers. The calculations should be done per capita. How much do I lose by not knowing Arabic? Then let's compare that to the cost of learning Arabic-- or, if you like, your favorite auxlang. This should be compared to the cost of hiring a translator for the times I need to talk to an Arabic speaker or read Arabic media. And let's not forget the opportunity costs: the money and time it takes to learn Arabic or Esperanto isn't available to do something else. I suspect that if you did all these calculations, you'd find that we're already minimizing language costs, and that spending more money on teaching a rarely-used auxlang to everyone would be uneconomical. Translators are awfully cheap, considering. Languages over time Let's look over the history of a language, and how the 'market' for it changes over time. Historically, a language's fortunes begin to rise when its speakers conquer a wide swath of territory. The need to learn a conqueror's language is almost always greater than the conqueror's need to learn that of the conquered; that's why the languages of Latin America are Spanish and Portuguese and not Quechua or Nahuatl, those of the Mediterranean are Romance and Arabic and not Berber or Hittite, those of China are Sinitic and not Thai or Zhuang. (Exceptions arise when the conquerors are few. E.g., when about 50,000 Normans conquered England, they were eventually swamped by the several million English; the same can be said of the nomadic conquests of China.) We shouldn't exaggerate the interest in learning the conqueror's language. From what we see in current societies, we may well doubt that many Incas learned Spanish, or Gauls learned Latin, or Mesopotamians learned Arabic. In pre-modern societies, where schooling and religion happened entirely within the ethnic community, even their children may not have learned the invaders' language. An interesting case study is found in Bruce Mannheim's The Language of the Inka since the European Invasion. Sometimes the Spanish complained that the Indians continued to speak Quechua... but in fact the conquerors found it very handy to dominate a people who couldn't speak their language, and thus couldn't protest or understand the laws used against them. Measures were sometimes taken against community leaders who learned Spanish too well. Over time the conquerors' language does spread. Some of this is due to very basic reasons: the conquerors directly colonize the new territory; or they take wives from among the locals, resulting in a quick population boost. (English took over in North America due largely to the first factor; Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America due to the second.) Conquest also allows other outsiders entry, and they or their children will pick up the dominant language (this has reinforced English, Spanish, and Portuguese in the Americas). If people from different linguistic backgrounds mix, they're forced to use the national language-- which is why American blacks speak English and not any African languages. Some number of outsiders will also learn the language, either to deal directly with the empire, or to work as translators. Scholars and others may learn the language for cultural reasons; this effect can persist long after the empire has decayed or fallen. Latin was still widely learned in Europe 1500 years after (the Latin-speaking half of) the Roman Empire disappeared. In modern times, national languages are reinforced by universal education, as well as by conscription, economic mobility, and other forces that mix up populations. Modern media are often blamed for spreading language, but this is doubtful: people don't try to speak like radio announcers and TV actors; they try to speak like the other people in their neighborhood, school, or barracks. As with anything that's difficult to master, languages can generate affection, and people are tempted to explain the cultural influence of a language by its inherent excellence. Thus the French like to talk about the clarity and logic of French. Pay no attention; literary and cultural influence ultimately depends only on conquest. Conquest makes nations big and rich; big populations produce more artists, and rich ones pay for more art. For all we know, Lappish is the world's greatest language to write poetry in, but we'll never know, because the Lapps neglected to ever conquer a bunch of their neighbors. Eventually people abandon a language, a process called language death. This is a sad process, especially in the case of unwritten languages whose grammars, lexicons, quirks, and cultural resources are entirely lost; but it's also a natural one, and by no means limited to modern times. (As Latin thrived, it supplanted Oscan, Umbrian, Faliscan, Venetic, Etruscan, and other languages of pre-Roman Italy.) Linguists have studied the process (for a report see David Crystal, Language Death), and found that it proceeds in stages, often over a couple of generations: the language is used in more and more restricted contexts, and its grammar simplifies, as its more obscure rules are lost. In Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things, George Lakoff considers Dyirbal, whose gender system provided his title. When the language was fully alive, its four genders had some rather complex rules: e.g. everything female belonged to the feminine gender, but also objects used mostly by women, and certain birds which were considered to have the spirits of female ancestors. As the language gave way to English, the rules were simplified, till the last speakers used the gender only for female humans. (Thus, when you hear about the last three speakers of a language, all in their 90s, the language is probably already dead. If they're the last speakers, they may not have learned the grammar or lexicon in its original extent, or at best they've forgotten most of it.)

How-To Section
In the editorial, Tornielli stressed that the two-year investigation amounted to the biggest, most complicated case ever brought before the tribunal. The fact that it was sparked by internal controls is evidence that the trial represents a real stress test for the Vatican City States judicial system, he wrote.

Tornielli acknowledged that the 1913 procedural code in use created objective problems and that Vatican prosecutors often had to confront notably complicated questions without precedent for the tiny city state. But he insisted that the right to a fair trial, enshrined in a Vatican law in 2013, was being guaranteed.

Lawyers for the defense disagreed and asked Monda to print their side.

In the letter sent Friday, they said the editorial didnt correspond to the reality of the trial and appeared to be an effort to normalize the multiple procedural violations by the prosecution that the court has already sanctioned.

The lawyers argued that even the large dimensions of the case and the use of computerized evidence is in fact fairly normal in the legal profession and do not affect the respect of defensive guarantees.
Ethan's only friend had moved away at the end of October, the family dog had died and the teen was sending his mother disturbing texts about his state of mind, prosecutors said.

On the day of the shooting, the parents were summoned to discuss Ethan's disturbing drawings spotted by a teacher on what appears to be a geometry worksheet.

It included a handgun and the words, The thoughts wont stop. Help me. There's a bullet with the phrase blood everywhere above a person who appears to have been shot. The paper also says my life is useless and the world is dead.

Ethan subsequently scratched out some of the images and words and wrote, OHS Rocks! ... I love my life so much!!!! ... Were (sic) all friends here."

School officials said the Crumbleys refused to take Ethan home, and the shooting followed. The prosecutors office earlier had described the writings but publicly attached them to a court filing for the first time Thursday.
BEAVER CITY  Five men were sentenced Wednesday in Furnas County District Court for their involvement in a sex trafficking case.

The men were sentenced after William Billy Quinn was given 176.5 years in prison for 13 counts of sexual assault and sex trafficking of a 15-year-old.

During the sentencings, Corey OBrien with the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office said that it has become more and more obvious to distinguish in sex trafficking cases the difference between someone who exploits and sells someone for sex and a person who buys someone for sex.

OBrien noted the power and manipulation that Quinn had not only over the victim but also over the adult men to make poor decisions.

In some ways, they were victims of Quinn, OBrien said during the sentencings.

The prosecution noted that the mens cooperation in the investigation and testifying at Quinns trial was valuable. The prosecution stated that these men did make terrible decisions, but each of the men had minimal criminal history before this case and were at low risk to offend again. The prosecution did not actively advocate for jail time for each of the men.
New Delhi: IT biggies like TCS, Infosys and HCL Technologies beginning to re-consider their decision to call their employees return to office as Omicron scare looms large in the country, said a financial daily report.

As opposed to their previous plans both TCS and Wipro are reportedly mulling a 10 percent workforce reporting from the office set up, said an ET report. These companies are also toying with the idea of different permanent work models for their employees as the coronavirus pandemic, and the spread of the Omicron variant, destabilize their latest return-to-office plans.

IT bellwether company Infosys too is reportedly taking a "cautious approach" as most companies are now seen taking a wait-and-see stance as they weigh the spread of Omicron and its potential harmfulness.

India recorded 122 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in a span of 24 hours, the highest so far, pushing its tally in the country to 358, 114 of which have recovered or migrated, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The 358 Omicron Covid variant cases have been detected across 17 states and union territories so far, it showed.

Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of 88 cases of the Omicron variant, followed by Delhi with 67, Telangana 38, Tamil Nadu 34, Karnataka 31 and Gujarat 30.

The ministry data updated at 8 am also showed that India recorded 6,650 new coronavirus infections, taking its tally of cases to 3,47,72,626, while the count of active cases has declined to 77,516.

With PTI Inputs

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#mute
Amritsar: Conjoined twins--Sohna and Mohna--from Punjab's Amritsar have bagged a job in the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

The 19-year-old conjoined twins joined the job on December 20.

Sohna-Mohna said they were grateful to the Punjab government for providing them with this opportunity.

"We are very glad about the job and have joined on Dec 20. We thank the Punjab government and the Pingalwara institution, which schooled us, for the opportunity," the twins told ANI.

READ | Conjoined twins of Chhattisgarh die under mysterious circumstances, old video surfaces

The twins will be working in the supply control room.

"Sohna-Mohna help us look after the electrical appliances here. The Punjab government has hired them. Sohna got the job and Mohna helps alongside. They have work experience as well," Ravinder Kumar, substation Jr Engineer, PSPCL said.
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday (December 24, 2021) reached Ayodhya and offered prayers at the Ramjanmabhoomi.

The two leaders also performed an 'aarti'.

"Jai Shri Ram! Blessed to have the Divya Darshan of Bhagwan Shri Ramlalla Virajman at the Shri Ram Janambhumi Mandir in Ayodhya with UP CM Shri Yogi Adityanath ji. May Lord Shri Ram bless us all with good health and happiness," Sonowal tweeted.

Jai Shri Ram! Blessed to have the Divya Darshan of Bhagwan Shri Ramlalla Virajman at the Shri Ram Janambhumi Mandir in Ayodhya with UP CM Shri @myogiadityanath ji. May Lord Shri Ram bless us all with good health and happiness. pic.twitter.com/rtBNRHIJdJ  Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) December 24, 2021

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal offer prayers at Ramjanmabhoomi in Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/x0FmSg8CvS  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) December 24, 2021

Yogi Adityanath and Sarbananda Sonowal are in the holy city to launch various developmental projects.

 Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) December 23, 2021

Six 50-Bedded Integrated AYUSH Hospitals 250 new AYUSH Dispensaries in the state. pic.twitter.com/oZU7RZNbvp  Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) December 23, 2021

The visit comes amid the Yogi Adityanath-led government facing flak over the alleged land 'scam' in Ayodhya linked to local MLAs and relatives of state government officials.

Earlier on Thursday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and BSP supremo Mayawati sought the intervention of the Supreme Court in the said case, a day after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a probe into the matter.

Gandhi dismissed as an "eyewash" the probe into what she called as Ayodhya land 'scam' in areas around the proposed Ram temple while Mayawati demanded that the state government cancel the land deals if the allegations on the issue are true.

Gandhi said the Supreme Court should take suo motu cognisance of the land deals and hold an inquiry as the Ram temple in Ayodhya is being built following its order.

She also accused BJP leaders and officials of indulging in "corruption" and said they have hurt the faith of people who have donated for the construction of the Ram temple.

As per a media report, MLAs, mayors, relatives of the commissioner, SDM and DIG have bought land in Ayodhya after the apex court announced the verdict in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute in November 2019. This is noteworthy that the long-awaited verdict had cleared the way for the construction of the Ram temple.

Mayawati, a former UP chief minister, urged the Supreme Court to take note of the media report and order a high-level inquiry into the land deals.

"It is a very serious matter. My party would want the Supreme Court to take notice and if the allegations are true, the state government needs to get the deals cancelled," she told reporters in Lucknow when asked to comment on the report.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held frantic parleys on Friday (December 24) and brought about a truce between warring factions in poll-bound Uttarakhand, with senior leader Harish Rawat who had declared a virtual revolt announcing that he would lead the party's election campaign.

The party, however, made it clear that its chief ministerial candidate will be picked only after the election outcome. It has been a bone of contention between various factions of the party.

The damage control exercise was led by Gandhi who met Rawat and other state leaders. The meetings came two days after Rawat had declared a virtual rebellion, saying the leadership had abandoned him and he felt he had had enough.

Emerging from the meeting, the former Uttarakhand chief minister said, "We put our problems before the leadership and accept whatever decisions are taken by them. I will lead the party campaign in Uttarakhand elections."

"Kadam kadam badhaye ja, Congress ke geet gaye ja (Keep marching ahead together, sings paeans to Congress)," he said, adding that he will continue to work for the welfare of Uttarakhand.

The Congress president has the special right to decide on the leader of the Congress Legislature Party after talking to elected legislators, Rawat said. He said everyone honours that and will abide by the decision of the Congress president.

Gandhi also separately met state Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal, who supported Rawat in the ongoing factional war within the state unit.

Rawat, it is learnt, is keen to be projected as the chief ministerial face of the party, but Gandhi has said that the decision would be taken after the elections.

Gandhi also met AICC in-charge of Uttarakhand Devendra Yadav, with whom Rawat is reportedly not getting along well, and several other leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Pradeep Tamta, Congress Legislature Party leader Pritam Singh, Yashpal Arya and former state unit chief Kishore Upadhyay.

It was made clear in the meeting that Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take a decision on who would be the chief minister after the elections if the party bags majority.

"We had a very successful meeting," Yadav said and mentioned about the decision on the chief ministerial face.

Godiyal said an atmosphere as required by Rawat would be created and everyone would support him.

Uttarakhand goes to assembly polls early next year and the Congress is trying to return to power in the hill state.

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New Delhi: All the eligible adults in Delhi are vaccinated with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, announced Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday (December).

Delhi completes the first dose to 100% eligible people - 148.33 lakh. Salute to Doctors, ANMs, Teachers, ASHAs, CDVs and all other Frontline workers. Congratulations to DMs, CDMOs, DIOs and all-district functionaries, Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.

Delhi completes first dose to 100% eligible people - 148.33 lakh Salute to Doctors, ANMs, Teachers, ASHAs, CDVs and all other Frontline workers. Congratulations to DMs, CDMOs, DIOs and all district functionaries  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 24, 2021

Delhi achieved the milestone on Thursday night. According to the Cowin dashboard, 1,48,27,546 people in the capital have taken at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by 8 pm on Thursday.

About total vaccinations, over 2,53,37,557 doses have been administered in the city since the inoculation exercise started on January 16.

As many as 1,05,10,011 people have received both doses.

Meanwhile, as the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to pose threat, Delhis tally has touched 67, the second-highest in India after Maharashtra.

According to data from the Union Health Ministry, out of these 67 Omicron cases, 23 have been discharged.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday reviewed a high-level meeting with health experts to monitor the preparedness for any uncertain pandemic situation.

The leader later announced that the national capital is ready to tackle any potential wave with the capacity to combat one lakh cases daily. Delhi has also ramped up its testing process and is conducting over 3 lakh cases every day, Kejriwal announced.
Vadodara: A four-year-old girl and three others were killed in a powerful blast of a boiler at a chemical factory located in Vadodara GIDC area of Gujarat on Friday, which also left 11 people injured, a police official said. A 65-year-old man, a teenager and a 30-year-old woman are among the deceased, he said.

"A powerful blast ripped through the area around 9.30 am. Fifteen persons were found injured and they were rushed to nearby hospitals. Four of them were either declared brought dead or died during treatment," inspector of Makarpura police station, Sajid Baloch, said.

The persons who lost their lives in the incident and the injured ones included workers and people who were passing by from the area when the blast occurred, he added.

"The four persons died either due to burn injuries or after getting hit by some flying objects. A forensic team has reached the spot to investigate the cause of the blast," Baloch said.
New Delhi: The annual India, US 2+2 meet at foreign and defense ministers' level will take place in the 3rd week of January in Washington. India's external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar and defense minister Rajnath Singh will travel to Washington for the meeting.

This is the 4th round of dialogue that is taking place which alternates between New Delhi and Washington. Three rounds of dialogue have taken place between the two sides so far in September 2018, December 2019 and in October 2020. Dialogue this year was proposed in the first week of December but could not materialize.

The 2+2 meet is an annual mechanism at the foreign and defense ministries level between India and the US meant to discuss bilateral ties in defense, strategic and security domains. The inaugural India-US ministerial 2+2 dialogue was held on September 6, 2018 in New Delhi in which the then US secretary of state Michael R. Pompeo and secretary of defense James N. Mattis had visited India to hold dialogue with EAM late Sushma Swaraj and former defense minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

India has 2+2 mechanisms at foreign and defense ministers' level with four countries - US, Japan, Australia and Russia. Russia is the only non-Quad member with which India has this mechanism. The maiden Indo-Russia 2+2 meet happened in Delhi on 6th of December, the day that saw Russian President Putin visiting India for the annual India Russia summit.

The dialogue happens in the backdrop of India getting deliveries of the S400 system from Russia which can attract US's CAATSA - Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions. However, it depends on the US Congress on whether there will be a waiver for India.

2021 saw Indian PM Modi visiting the US for the first in-person Quad --India, US, Australia and Japan meet. Relationships between India and US have increased steadily and become broad-based even as India Russia ties while being traditional, have seen defense and space being only 2 key focus areas.

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New Delhi: India continued the trend of recording less than 15,000 daily new COVID-19 cases for the 57th day and reported 6,650 infections cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's data stated on Friday (December 24, 2021).

The Health Ministry informed that the country's active coronavirus caseload currently stands at 77,516 and accounts for less than 1% of the total cases.

It also said that 7,051 fresh recoveries and 374 deaths were registered in the last 24 hours. With this, India has seen a total of 3,42,15,977 recoveries and 4,79,133 fatalities.

The cases of Omicron, however, continued to rise as the total tally crossed 350 on Thursday.

According to the latest statewise list shared by the Health Ministry, there have been 358 infections of the new COVID-19 variant across 17 states and UTs in India. Out of these, 114 have been either discharged, recovered or migrated.

Maharashtra (88), Delhi (67), Telangana (38) and Tamil Nadu (34) has been the worst Omicron-hit states.

Check statewise status of Omicron cases in India

We should be Satark and Saavdhan: PM Modi in view of Omicron

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of COVID-19 and the Omicron situation in the country. He also took stock of the availability of drugs, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, ventilators, PSA plants, ICU/oxygen supported beds, human resources, IT interventions and status of vaccination.

The PM directed the officials for maintaining a high level of vigil and alertness at all levels and told the Centre to work in close coordination with the States

"In view of the new variant, we should be 'Satark' and 'Saavdhan'," the PM said.

The fight against the pandemic is not over, he said, and the need for continued adherence to COVID safe behaviour is of paramount importance even today.

Reviewed the COVID-19 situation across India, particularly in the wake of Omicron. Our focus is on further ramping up health infra, testing, tracing and ensuring full vaccination coverage. https://t.co/mbx44TLKcU  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 23, 2021

Centre reviews COVID-19 status in view of Omicron variant

The Centre on Thursday also advised States and UTs to not let their guard down and maintain their preparedness for fighting COVID-19 and its variants. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan reviewed the public health preparedness of the States for fighting the virus and the Omicron variant along with the progress of vaccination with Health Secretaries and NHM MDs of States and UTs.

He highlighted the trajectory of COVID-19 and brought attention to emerging evidence on the Omicron variant driving the growing number of cases globally.

The Union Health Secretary also reiterated that local containment measures are to be put in place by the District/local administration when either the test positivity increases beyond 10% or occupancy of oxygenated beds increases beyond 40%.

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Srinagar: Police claimed that today in Anantnag encounter one terrorist of the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit was killed in a joint anti-terror operation. Police said as per records he was involved in police officer as well as in 3 BJP workers killing.

A statement released by Jammu Kashmir police said, "Based on a specific input regarding presence of a terrorist in village Mominhall Aarwani area of Bijbehara Anantnag, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Police, 1st RR and 90 Bn CRPF in the said area."

During the search operation, as the presence of the trapped terrorist got ascertained, he was given ample opportunities to surrender. However, he denied the surrender opportunities and instead fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter.

In the ensuing encounter, one terrorist identified as Shahzad Ahmad Seh son of Bashir Ahmad Seh resident of Sehpora Kulgam was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of the encounter.

As per police records, the killed terrorist was a categorized terrorist linked with proscribed terror outfit HM and was part of groups involved in several terror crime cases. He was involved in the following killings:-

 Police Inspector Mohammad Ashraf Bhat of Chandpora Kanelwan Anantnag at his residence on October 19, 2020.

 3 BJP workers at YK-Pora Kulgam on October 29, 2020.

 BJP Sarpanch and his Wife at Lal-Chowk Anantnag on August 9, 2021.

Besides, he was also involved in the attack on DDC candidate Anees ul Islam Ganie at Sagam Kokernag on December 4, 2020 and in snatching a weapon from a constable at Shamispora crossing in the Khudwani area of Kulgam on July 25, 2021.

Moreover, he was involved in various grenade lobbing incidents and attacks on security establishments in Anantnag and Kulgam areas.

Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition including 01 AK 47 Rifle, 02 AK Magazines, 40 AK rounds and a Grenade were recovered from his possession. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation.



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Ludhiana (Punjab): The person who died in the Ludhiana court blast yesterday (December 23) is believed to have had brought explosives to the District Court Complex, police said on Friday. "The blast (in Ludhiana court) occurred at 12:22 pm, yesterday (Dec 23)... Preliminary investigation suggests that the person who died in the blast was the handler/criminal. Forensic experts, bomb experts looking into the matter," Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Ludhiana Commissioner of Police, told ANI.

The blast in the court left several injured, the state government said. An FIR was registered on Thursday in the case under the relevant section of the Indian Penal Code, Explosive Substance Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Police suspect that the man killed in the blast on the second-floor toilet was trying to assemble or plant the explosive device.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday (December 24) said his government has sought Centre's support to crack the bomb explosion case that rocked the Ludhiana court premises. Channi said he had spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah hours after the explosion and that the Centre has dispensed teams to Punjab to investigate the case. The chief minister denied intelligence failure saying, "There is no such thing. We are alert."

A bomb went off in the district court complex in Ludhiana on Thursday, killing one person and injuring six others, prompting the Punjab government to declare a high alert in the state.

Today, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Som Prakash, and others reached District Courts Complex, Ludhiana to take stock of the situation. They also met Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and other senior police officials. Ludhiana Commissioner of Police informed that the explosion was heard near the Record Room on the second floor of the Ludhiana Court complex. "Bomb disposal team and forensics team has been called from Chandigarh for probe," he said.

(With Agency inputs)
Beed: In what can be dubbed as a major goof-up by the authorities, names of two alive individuals have been included in the list of people who died due to COVID-19 in Maharashtras Beed, reported PTI quoting an official said on Friday.

"It has come to light that the names of a social activist and one more person, both of whom are still alive, have figured in the list of the deceased. So far, two such names have been found and work is on to check whether any more such people are included in the list," an official of Ambejogai Municipal Council said.

According to the official, the list of the COVID deceased was prepared by the revenue department based on the information given by the district health department.

The incident came to notice after the Maharashtra government asked authorities to prepare a list of COVID deceased for the announced compensation.

The Maharashtra government had recently announced that financial assistance of Rs 50,000 would be provided to the families of each of those who succumbed to the coronavirus infection.

The list mentions the names of 532 deceased, he said.

Tehsildar Vipin Patil said the work of making the list of COVID-19 victims has been going on.

"We have sent the list to the municipal council and the gram panchayat for verification. The final list will be prepared after correcting the mistakes," he said.
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday said that no evidence of sacrilege has been found in the Kapurthala case, wherein a man was lynched.

Channi also said that the FIR in the case will be amended and probed accordingly.

Addressing a press conference, Channi said, "In Kapurthala (killing of a man for alleged sacrilege), no evidence that sacrilege was done. The matter is being probed... FIR to be amended."

The postmortem of the unidentified man has revealed an attack with a sharp weapon. "It has been revealed in the postmortem that he was attacked over with a sharp weapon leading to multiple injuries. There are over 30 sharp cut marks on the body including neck, head and hip," executive Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Narinder Singh informed on Thursday.

"There is also a mark of inserting a sharp object into the chest," he added while also saying that the cut mark on the left side of his throat reveals that his breathing tube was cut.

"We have taken DNA samples for identification of the body," he added.

The last rites of the man were performed by the Municipal Corporation after the postmortem.

On December 19, an unidentified man was allegedly beaten to death by locals at Nizampur in Punjab's Kapurthala district for allegedly disrespecting the `Nishan Sahib` at the village Gurudwara.

READ | At least 2 feared dead in Ludhiana court complex blast

Meanwhile, Inspector-General, Jalandhar Range, GS Dhillon had said that as per investigations there was no visible sign of sacrilege and the police is investigating the allegations. Videos of people beating up the man who allegedly attempted sacrilege have gone viral on the Internet.
Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Friday decided to pass all students who failed in the intermediate first year (11th class) examinations.

Education Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy announced that keeping in view the students` future, the government decided to pass all the failed students with minimum passing marks.

The decision will benefit over 2.35 lakh students who had failed in the exams, the results of which were declared last week.

The decision came amid the continuing protests by student groups and opposition parties over the alleged irregularities in evaluation of answer sheets and suicide of at least six students over their failure in the examination.

The Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE) had conducted the exams for the first year from October 25 to November 3. A total of 4,59,242 students had appeared in the exams (both general and vocational courses) and only 49 per cent (2,24,012) students passed the exams.

Student groups, backed by opposition parties, had been staging protests at the TSBIE office for the past week, demanding that the government declare all students pass. They alleged that the bungling by the TSBIE led to suicide of students.

Congress leader T. Jagga Reddy had threatened to lay siege to the TSBIE office with 10,000 students on December 28.

The Education Minister, however, dismissed the allegation that there were irregularities in conducting the exams or in evaluation of answer sheets. She pointed out that over 4.5 lakh students had written the exams and out of 49 per cent students who passed the exams, 10,000 had scored 95 per cent marks.

Sabitha Indra Reddy termed the protests at TSBIE office as unfortunate. She said the opposition parties should keep the politics aside and think about the future of students.

She said the exams were conducted for the betterment of students and in the interest of their future as intermediate first year is very crucial for further studies.

The minister said the students were given one month`s time and online classes were conducted for them through T-SAT and Doordarshan.

She advised students to work hard and score good marks in the intermediate second year. She asked them not to think that if they protest, they will be declared passed in the second year too.

The annual intermediate examinations could not be conducted in March-April this year due to the COVID-19 situation and all the students of first year were promoted to second year. However, the government decided to conduct the exams in October-November.

The students had opposed the move and questioned the rationale behind it as they were already promoted to the second year.

The government, however, had defended its decision. It pointed out that these students had not written the Class 10 exams as the same could not be conducted last year due to the pandemic. It argued that in case the exams are not conducted for second year due to the same situation, there will be no method to evaluate them and this will affect their academic future.

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New Delhi: A terrorist was killed in an encounter with the security forces that broke out in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district in the wee hours of Friday (December 24, 2021).

The Kashmir Zone Police informed that the search is currently going on and that further details will follow. The encounter had started between the security forces and terrorists in the Arwani area of the Anantnag district.

Encounter has started at Mumanhal (Arwani), area of Anantnag. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow," the Kashmir Zone Police had tweeted.

A police officer had earlier said that a joint searching team security force laid cordon and search operation on a specific input about the presence of terrorists in the Arwani village.

"As the searching party cordoned the suspected spot, the exchange of fire started and resulted in a gunfight," he added.

Sources in the police said that input with forces is that 2-3 terrorists were trapped.

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Belagavi: Former Karnataka chief minister and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah has termed the anti-conversion Bill passed by the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday as "anti-Constitution and anti-human being" and `RSS agenda`, to which the ruling BJP countered Congress that the draft of a bill on similar lines had been prepared in 2016 by the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah.

Amid the ruckus by the Opposition, Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed the Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021 or anti-conversion bill.

In the assembly, JC Madhuswamy, State Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister placed on the record that this bill was actually initiated by the Siddaramaiah-led government in 2016.

Speaking to the reporters here after the bill was passed amid the ruckus by the Opposition, Siddaramaiah said, "It is anti-Constitution and anti-human being. It is not a question of religions, all religions are equal and are equally respected in the Constitution."

Siddaramaiah also called the bill an `RSS agenda` and further alleged that the drafted bill prepared in 2016 was completely different from what the current state government has drafted in 2021.

Reacting to Siddaramaiah`s remark, Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai said, "Certainly, there is nothing to hide. He (Siddaramaiah) himself had printed the Bill and signed the draft. He is a part of it. He approved the RSS agenda in 2016 itself."

Bommai added, "We know the situation of SC and ST. They are ignored and remain vulnerable. Our intention behind bringing this bill is to protect SC, ST communities and women."

The Bill will provide for the protection of the right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means. It proposes imprisonment of up to 10 years for forced religious conversion.

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NEW DELHI: Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao parted ways in July this year after being together for 15 years. And since then, there have been several speculations doing rounds around their separation.

Recently, some pictures of Aamir Khan and his 'Dangal' co-star Fatima Sana Shaikh went viral on social media. The photo suggested that the Bollywood Mr Perfectionist has tied the knot with Fatima. However, we must tell our readers that it's not true and the photo is actually a morphed picture. For the unversed, Fatima Sana Shaikh was mercilessly trolled by netizens when Aamir and Kiran announced their separation. Trolls accused the actress for being the reason behind their divorce and called her names.

Take a look at the viral photo below:

In the original picture, Aamir was standing alongside Kiran Rao. The former couple, who continue to co-parent their son Azad, had posed for the paparazzi at Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta's engagement ceremony. Whereas the photo that has gone viral on the internet has Fatima's face superimposed on Kiran's face.

We again tell our readers that the viral photo of Aamir and Fatima, where she is seen sporting a sindoor, is not real.

Speaking about Aamir-Kiran's divorce, they released a joint statement and it read, "We will also continue to work as collaborators on films, 'Paani Foundation', and other projects that we feel passionate about. A big thank you to our families and friends for their constant support and understanding about this evolution in our relationship, and without whom we would not have been so secure in taking this leap. We request our well-wishers for good wishes and blessings, and hope that - like us - you will see the divorce not as an end, but as the start of a new journey."

On the other hand, Aamir and Fatima have worked together in films like 'Dangal' and 'Thugs of Hindostan'. They share a great friendship.

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New Delhi: Megastar and ever-young Anil Kapoor turned a year older on Friday (December 24) and his friends and family had showered him with good wishes and love on his special day.

His daughter Sonam Kapoor who is currently living in London penned a sweet note for him and expressed that he's always in her heart. She wrote, "Happiest Birthday, daddy! Your courage, humility, and warmth always inspires me. There is no one like you, and I couldnt have wished for a better father. There may be distance between us but youre my heart, so youre always with me. Love you!"

The 'Delhi 6' actress also shared throwback pictures of the duo from when she was a little girl.

Anil Kapoor's good friend and director Farah Khan also shared a fun, lighthearted post for him.

Farah revealed the actor's secret to preserving his youth so well and praised him for "his zest for life, his passion for his work n his middle class upbringing that keeps him grounded".

She wrote, "Loving this man since 1992.. everyone talks of how young he looks but only a few know the reason.. his zest for life, his passion for his work n his middle class upbringing that keeps him grounded.. papaji tussi great ho.. Happy birthday @anilskapoor love u papaji.. my morning bitch fest partner."

Arjun Kapoor also shared a hilarious, must-see post for the 'AK vs AK' actor.

He wrote, "Youth ka Khazana, Joshila Jawaani ka Namuna. Sirf Evergreen hi nahin, Aisi Everlasting beauty kabhi dekhi hi nahin. He ages like fine wine And makes all other actors whine. Din-b-din young hote rehte hain toh inka kya kasoor, Its the curious case of Anil Kapoor! P.S. : Happy Birthday to my Jhakkas chachu. What a playa!"

On the work front, Anil Kapoor was last seen in Anurag Kashyap's film 'AK vs AK'.

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New Delhi: Starting today (Friday, December 24) bank branches will remain closed in several parts of the country for various state mentioned holidays.

Before visiting your bank branch, you must keep note of the dates during which your particular bank branch may remain closed. However, you must note that the banks will NOT be closed for all the mentioned days in all states or regions. This is the total number of days when banks in different parts of the country will remain closed for state-observed holidays. For example bank branches might be closed for U Kiang Nangbah in Shillong but not closed for the same festival in Himachal Pradesh.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mentioned some days when the banking operations will remain closed in the month of December 2021, although online banking activities will continue to work.

It must be noted that the bank holidays vary in various states as well not observed by all the banking companies. Banking holidays also depend on the festivals being observed in specific states or notification of specific occasions in those states.

Reserve Bank of India places its Holidays under three brackets --Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act; Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holiday; and Banks Closing of Accounts.

Here is the list of bank holidays falling in the remaining days of December 2021. Check out the list.

Christmas Festival (Christmas Eve): December 24

Christmas: December 25

December 26- Sunday

Christmas Celebration: December 27

U Kiang Nangbah: December 30

New Years Eve: December 31

Holidays of the mentioned days will be observed in various regions according to the state declared holidays, however for the gazetted holidays, banks will be closed all over the country.

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New Delhi: If you have a bank account, you almost certainly have a debit card associated with it. Debit cards are used for a variety of financial services. A debit card can be used to withdraw money from a bank account at an ATM. The debit card can be used to pay for items in retail locations using POS machines, to shop online using ecommerce platforms, and to pay bills.

While debit cards have an authentication mechanism in place to protect customers, hackers continue to target cardholders using various tactics to obtain card and confidential information. As a result, while using a debit card, consumers should be continually watchful against fraud. Learn how to protect yourself when using a debit card in the sections below.

The PIN is the most sensitive piece of information when using a debit card. Never save your PIN on your phone or any document that could be accessed by others. It's ideal if you remember the pin. For any service, banks do not require your PIN. If someone on the phone asks for your PIN, it's likely that they're impostors posing as bank employees. The CVV, or three-digit number on the back of your debit card, is the same. For internet transfers, CVV is used.

Hackers nowadays prefer to make a series of modest, insignificant transactions from multiple accounts rather than a large payment from a single account. This technique is used to avoid alarm. As a result, frauds have the potential to go undiscovered for a long period. Notify your bank right away if you discover an unknown transaction on your statement. The same is true for cards that have been misplaced or stolen. Notifying you as soon as possible also protects you in the event that the card is used in a financial scam. Also, keep an eye on transaction SMS sent by the bank to your registered cell phone. If you receive a notice for a transaction you did not conduct, notify your bank as soon as possible.

Use your card only with reputable merchants or websites. Similarly, do not rely on others to assist you when withdrawing money or using it to make a payment. When inputting your PIN at an outlet, don't let others see it. Also, never let a trader or anyone else swipe or use your debit card at a POS terminal without your permission.

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New Delhi: The date for disbursal of 10th installment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) is just around the corner. Earlier there were a lot of speculations regarding the date of disbursal, which has now been confirmed as January 1.

A message is being sent by the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Tomar informing eligble farmers that on January 1, 2022, Rs 2,000 will be transferred to their accounts under PM KISAN scheme. In the message sent to the farmers, it has been said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the next installment under PM Kisan Yojana on January 1, 2022 and will release equity grant to farmer producer organizations. Farmers can join this program through pmindiawbcast.nic.in or through Doordarshan.

The PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme provides annual cash transfer of Rs 6000 to the farmers in three equal instalments. The first instalment is between April- July; second instalment is between August-November and the third instalment is between December-March.

What to do if your name is missing in the beneficiary list?

You can check the beneficiary list via pmkisan.gov.in website. However, what to do if your name is missing in the beneficiary list? You can call PM Kisan Samman's helpline on 011-24300606 and file your complaint.

Who are excluded from the PM-KISAN Scheme?

Those excluded from the PM-KISAN include institutional land holders, farmer families holding constitutional posts, serving or retired officers and employees of State or Central government as well as Public Sector Undertakings and Government Autonomous bodies. Professionals like doctors, engineers and lawyers as well as retired pensioners with a monthly pension of over Rs 10,000 and those who paid income tax in the last assessment year are also not eligible for the benefits.

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New Delhi: The Central government is expected to soon roll out the monetary benefits under the 10th instalment of PM Kisan Yojana. According to media reports, the government could release the 10th instalment on January 1, adding to the celebrations of New Year for crores of farmers in India.

For those unversed, the Central government provides a financial benefit of Rs 6000 every year in three different instalments of Rs 2000 each to eligible farmers as part of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Yojana.

Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme was introduced by PM Modi two years ago in 2019. The centrally-sponsored scheme aims to provide income support to all landholder farmer families across the country with cultivable land, subject to certain exclusions.

So far, the government has credited 9 instalments under PM Kisan Yojana, and the farmers are expected to receive the 10th instalment anytime soon. While most farmers will receive Rs 2000 with the rollout of the 10th instalment, a few farmers could receive Rs 4000.

Which farmers could receive Rs 4000 instalment?

Farmers, who had registered under the PM-KISAN yojana previously but didnt receive Rs 2000 with the rollout of the 9th instalment, are eligible for receiving Rs 4000 with the 10th instalment as part of the scheme.

Moreover, eligible farmers will have to complete their electronic KYC or e-KCY to receive the benefits under PM Kisan yojana. The official PM KISAN website says, "eKYC is MANDATORY for PMKISAN Registered Farmers. Pls. click eKYC option in Farmer Corner for Aadhar based OTP authentication and for Biometric authentication contact nearest CSC centres." Also Read: Hexagon Nutrition IPO: Firm files papers with SEBI to raise up to Rs 600 crore

You can visit the official PM Kisan website which is https://pmkisan.gov.in/ to complete your KYC electronically. Also Read: DDA Flats on sale: Authority lists 18,335 units under Special Housing Scheme, check eligibility, how to apply

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New Delhi: As the calendar year 2021 is coming to an end on 31 December, there are major financial works that need to be taken care of. While leaving some of them unfinished may make you pay penalty, others may directly impact on your finances.

Here is a list of 4 major financial works you must complete before end of December 2021.

PF Account Nominee

If you have a Provident Fund account, then you must not ignore this deadline. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has made it necessary for all PF account holders to designate a nominee. The deadline for adding the nominee is December 31, 2021. Failure to add a nominee to your PF account by the necessary date can result in a variety of problems, including the loss of benefits such as insurance money and pension. Importantly, PF account holders can add the nominee online, as we describe here.

ITR Filing Deadline

The government had in September extended the deadline till December 31 for filing of income tax returns by individuals for the financial year 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic and technical glitches in the IT portal. Earlier, the deadline was extended to September 30, 2021. Usually, the last date for filing the ITR (Income Tax Returns) for the individual taxpayers is July 31.

Submission of Life Certificate for pensioners

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension has extended the deadline of submission of Life Certificate to December 31 from the previous deadline of November 30, 2021. It must be noted that that every Central Government Retired Employee is required to submit life certificate in the month of November for continuation of his/her pension. Hence, in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in various states and keeping in view of the vulnerability of elderly population to Corona Virus, the ministry has now been decided to extend the existing timeline for submission of Life Certificate for all age group of pensioners from 30/11/2021 onwards. Now, all Central Government pensioners may submit Life Certificate till 31st December, 2021.

EPFO's Aadhaar and UAN deadline

The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has extended deadline for Aadhaar linking of UAN till December 31, 2021 for Establishments in NORTH EAST and certain class of establishments. Issuing a circular, the EPFO said, "...after allowing sufficient time of almost four years for Aadhaar seeding, EPFO issued instructions dated 01.06.2021 cited above mandating that UANs is to be Aadhaar seeded for receipt of contributions through ECR. However, considering the challenges faced by the employers & employees in expeditious seeding of Aadhaar in UANs particularly in view of corrections required in Aadhaar data of employees in aftermath of second wave of Pandemic, the EPFO with prior approval of the Central Government extended the time for mandatory seeding of Aadhaar in UAN for filing ECR up to 01.09.2021 which was communicated vide reference cited 2 above."

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New Delhi: A rare one shilling silver coin, produced in 1652, was recently auctioned for Rs 2.6 crore on the internet (USD 350000). The coin was discovered in a candy container. This silver coin is notable for being one of the first to be produced in Colonial New England.

The initials NE for New England are etched on one side of the coin, while the Roman numeral XII is inscribed on the other.

The coin was sold for Rs 2.6 crore to an unidentified internet bidder from the United States, according to London-based Morton & Eden Ltd.

"I am not surprised by the high level of interest in this outstanding coin. In a statement, coin analyst James Morton said, "The sum paid, which was above estimation, underlines its tremendous historic significance and outstanding original condition of preservation."

Prior to 1652, coinage from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the Spanish Empire were accepted as legal tender in New England.

According to legend, there was a coin scarcity, which is why the Massachusetts General Court selected John Hull as Boston mintmaster. Hull is supposed to have been in charge of overseeing the creation of the first silver coins in North America.

The mint that created the coin in 1652 was closed in 1682, according to the auctioneer.

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New Delhi: Apple has issued a warning to customers about using third-party repairs on their devices, as well as any unknown parts used during the repair process. Users buying used iPhones will soon be able to see if an iPhone has been repaired and if genuine or third-party parts were used, thanks to the recent iOS 15.2 update. The new function will also indicate if the repaired parts are working well or not, giving customers a clear picture of what they are spending their money on.

The number of details offered on repairs will now be determined by the iPhone model purchased. The battery will be displayed on the iPhone XR, XS, and MS Max, while the battery, camera, and display replacements will be displayed on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. The battery and display replacement history for the iPhone 11 will be displayed.

How to check iPhone service history, repair details:

Go to the General menu in Settings.

On the top, tap the About section.

Look for the part titled "Parts and Service History."

The specifics will be revealed. Learn more can also be tapped to know better about part replacement.

The 'Parts and Service History' section will not appear in the About section if the phone has not been repaired or replaced. This indicates that a specific iPhone model has never been physically damaged.

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New Delhi: A Moscow court on Friday said it was fining Alphabet`s Google 7.2 billion roubles ($98 million) for what it said was a repeated failure to delete content Russia deems illegal, the first revenue-based fine of its kind in Russia.

Moscow has increased pressure on big tech this year in a campaign that critics characterise as an attempt by the Russian authorities to exert tighter control over the internet, something they say threatens individual and corporate freedom.

Google said in an email it would study the court ruling before deciding on further steps.

Later on Friday, the court fined Meta Platforms 2 billion roubles ($27.15 million) on the same grounds. Russia`s communication watchdog Roskomnadzor said that Facebook and Instagram failed to remove two thousand pieces that violate Russian laws whereas Google keeps 2,600 pieces of banned content.

Meta Platforms did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Russia has imposed small fines on foreign technology companies throughout this year, but Friday`s penalties mark the first time it has exacted a percentage of companies` annual Russian turnover, greatly increasing the sum of the fine.

It did not specify the percentages, although Reuters calculations show Google`s fine equates to just over 8%.

Russia has ordered companies to delete posts promoting drug abuse and dangerous pastimes, information about homemade weapons and explosives, as well as ones by groups it designates as extremist or terrorist.

Google, which has paid more than 32 million roubles in fines over content violations this year, is at odds with Moscow on a number of issues.

Russia has demanded it restore access to state-backed broadcaster RT`s German-language channels.

Last week, a sanctioned Russian businessman claimed victory over Google in a court case that could see the tech giant hit with another heavy fine. Also Read: DDA Flats on sale: Authority lists 18,335 units under Special Housing Scheme, check eligibility, how to apply

Moscow has also demanded that 13 foreign and mostly U.S. technology companies, which include Google and Meta Platforms, be officially represented on Russian soil by Jan. 1 or face possible restrictions or outright bans. Also Read: PM Kisan 10th instalment: THESE farmers could get Rs 4000 on Jan 1, check if youre eligible

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New Delhi: The iPhone 14 series, Apple's next generation of iPhone, is expected to be released later this year. According to a new claim, LG Display would supply Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) panels for Apple's next-generation iPhones. According to a story in The Elec, LG Display would supply some of the LTPO TFT OLED displays for the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max in 2022.

Despite its small size, the order appears to be a huge gain for LG display, according to the report. "Winning the Cupertino order for LG Display is essential for the South Korean manufacturer since it would help it to maintain an edge over its Chinese rival BOE, which is aggressively aiming to extend its stake in Apple's OLED panel supply chain despite the deal's limited amount." BOE also manufactures LTPO TFT technology, however its products have yet to be commercialised. BOE previously provided TFT displays made of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series.

LTPO panels have a 120Hz refresh rate and are a more advanced technology that luxury smartphones with OLED displays employ.

Samsung, a competitor of LG Display, has a monopoly on the supply of OLED screens to Apple. The display panels for the iPhone 13 Pro variants were provided by Samsung. Apple benefits from the inclusion of LG as a supplier since it reduces the company's dependency on Samsung and may result in a lower pricing.

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New Delhi: Bigg Boss 15's favourite couple Karan Kundrra and Tejasswi Prakash are on a rocky path and fans fear if their relationship is heading towards a dead end. In the last episode, fans saw Karan and Tejasswi getting into a huge fight and Teju claiming that Karan never loved her.

This hurt Karan to the core as he felt she had neglected all the efforts he had made for her in the past eight weeks. Fans were concerned about the actor after he noticed that he hadn't eaten properly since the fallout. One fan even tweeted about his concern to Karan's sister Meenu.

To this, she replied, "Hell be fine hun! Hes only clearing his system of all the garbage and fake love to make room for Karan Neeti!!"

Hell be fine hun! Hes only clearing his system of all the garbage and fake love to make room for Karan Neeti!! #KKundrraSquad #KaranIsTheBoss #KaranKundrra @OrmaxMedia @justvoot @VootSelect  Meenu Kundra (@Meenukundra) December 21, 2021

It appears as if Meenu took an indirect jibe at Tejasswi Prakash by referring to her as 'garbage'.

Tejasswi's brother took notice of this and tweeted in reply to Meenu's tweet. He wrote, "She is standing with her "people" right from Day 1.And when she takes a stand for herself, she's called TRASH! How fair is that? Only if we could think before using such languageShe's my sister, a daughter, a woman! Lets maintain dignity! #TejasswiPrakash #TejasswiIsTheBoss"

She is standing with her "people" right from Day 1.And when she takes a stand for herself, she's called TRASH! How fair is that? Only if we could think before using such languageShe's my sister, a daughter, a woman! Lets maintain dignity! #TejasswiPrakash #TejasswiIsTheBoss  PRATIK WAYANGANKAR (@PRATIK_PGW) December 22, 2021

Karan had quite the meltdown in the Bigg Boss house during the 'Ticket to Finale' task. He told his friends that he cannot handle being in the BB house anymore and wanted to go home. However, Rakhi Sawant asked him and Teju to focus on the trophy and not on their relationship.

Bigg Boss even scolded them for getting the current task cancelled.

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BEIJING: The Chinese city of Xian has imposed tight curbs on outbound travel and commuting within the city, putting its 13 million residents in a lockdown as a new COVID-19 outbreak sees community cases tick higher.

The daily count of domestically transmitted COVID-19 infections with confirmed symptoms in Xian has increased for six consecutive days since December 17.

That brings the total number of local cases to more than 200 during Dec. 9-22, smaller than many outbreaks outside of China. No infection caused by the Omicron variant has been detected in Xian.

Consistent with Beijing`s stance that no flare-up can be allowed to spread, Xian has made it difficult for residents to leave.

Those who want to travel out of the city need to test negative for COVID-19 before departure and get clearance from employers or community-level authorities.

The city has suspended long-distance bus services and banned taxis and cars hired on ride-hailing platforms for trips out of town, and dispatched police at highway exits to dissuade those who intended to leave.

Livestreaming video provided by local traffic police on social media showed some highway sections in Xian were almost empty.

Starting Thursday, only one person in each Xian household can go out for necessary shopping every two days, while other family members must stay home unless they have essential jobs.

All domestic flights to and from Xian previously scheduled for Thursday have been cancelled, according to data provided by Variflight. Outbound flights from Xian for Friday are still available, online travel booking apps show.

The city has run at least two rounds of mass testing.

A few other local regions, such as Sichuan province and Chongqing city, demanded people who had recently visited Xian to be quarantined for up to 14 days before they could travel freely.

For Wednesday, mainland China confirmed a total of 71 local symptomatic cases, including 63 in Xian, according to a statement by the National Health Commission.

There were no new deaths, leaving the national death toll at 4,636.

Mainland China had 100,644 confirmed cases as of Dec. 22, including both local ones and those found among international travellers.

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New Delhi: Extreme weather events in 2021 shattered records around the globe. While hundreds died in storms and heatwaves, farmers struggled with drought, and in some cases with locust plagues. Wildfires set new records for carbon emissions and swallowed forests, towns and homes.

Many of these events were exacerbated by climate change. Scientists say there are more to come  and worse  as the Earth`s atmosphere continues to warm through the next decade and beyond.

Here are some of the events witnessed over the past year:

February  A blistering cold spell hit normally warm Texas, killing 125 people in the state and leaving millions without power in freezing temperatures.

Scientists have not reached a conclusion on whether climate change caused extreme weather, but the warming of the Arctic is causing more unpredictable weather around the globe.



(A woman carries bottled water she received from a shelter after record-breaking temperatures in Texas | PHOTO: Reuters)

February  Kenya and other parts of East Africa battled some of the worst locust plagues in decades, with the insects destroying crops and grazing grounds. Scientists say that unusual weather patterns exacerbated by climate change created ideal conditions for insects to thrive.

(Farmers fight back: making animal feed from a locust plague | PHOTO: Reuters)

March  Beijing`s sky turned orange and flights were grounded during the Chinese capital`s worst sandstorm in a decade. Busloads of volunteers arrive in the desert each year to plant trees, which can stabilize the soil and serve as a wind buffer. Scientists predict climate change will worsen desertification, as hotter summers and drier winters reduce moisture levels.

June  Nearly all of the western United States was gripped by a drought that emerged in early 2020. Farmers abandoned crops, officials announced emergency measures, and the Hoover Dam reservoir hit an all-time low. By September, the U.S. government confirmed that over the prior 20 months, the Southwest experienced the lowest precipitation in over a century, and it linked the drought to climate change.

June  Hundreds died during a record-smashing heatwave in the U.S. and Canadian Pacific Northwest, which scientists concluded would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change. Over several days, power lines melted and roads buckled. Cities, struggling to cope with the heat, opened cooling centers to protect their residents. During the heatwave, Portland, Oregon, hit an all-time record high of 116 Fahrenheit (46.7 Celsius).

July  Catastrophic flooding killed more than 300 people in central China`s Henan province when a year`s worth of rain fell in just three days. Meanwhile, in Europe, nearly 200 people died as torrential rains soaked Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Scientists concluded that climate change had made floods 20% more likely to occur.

July  A record heatwave and drought in the U.S. West gave rise to two massive wildfires that tore through California and Oregon and were among the largest in the history of both states. Scientists say both the growing frequency and the intensity of wildfires are largely attributable to prolonged drought and increasing bouts of excessive heat from climate change.



(Dixie Fire, Californias largest active fire burns at night in Taylorsville | PHOTO: Reuters)

July  Large parts of South America are suffering from a prolonged drought. While Chile is enduring a decade-long megadrought linked to global warming, this year Brazil saw one of its driest years in a century. In Argentina, the Parana, South America`s second-longest river, fell to its lowest level since 1944. Around the globe, heatwaves are becoming both more frequent and more severe.

August  In the Mediterranean, a hot and dry summer fanned intense blazes that forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes in Algeria, Greece and Turkey. The fires, which killed two people in Greece and at least 65 in Algeria, struck amid an intense heatwave, with some places in Greece recording temperatures of over 46 Celsius (115 Fahrenheit).

Late August  Nearly all the world`s mountain glaciers are retreating due to global warming. In the Alps, Swiss resort employees laid protective blankets over one of Mount Titlis`s glaciers during the summer months to preserve what ice is left. Switzerland already has lost 500 of its glaciers, and could lose 90% of the 1,500 that remain by the end of the century if global emissions continue to rise, the government said.

August/September  Hurricane Ida, which hit Louisiana as a Category 4 storm, killed nearly 100 people in the United States and caused an estimated $64 billion in damage, according to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. As the remnants of Ida moved inland, the heavy rains created flash flooding across the densely populated Northeast, vastly increasing the storm`s death toll.



(Hurricane Ida in Louisiana | PHOTO: Reuters)

Climate change is strengthening hurricanes, while also causing them to linger longer overland  dumping more rain on an area before moving on. Studies also suggest these storms are becoming more frequent in the North Atlantic.

September  Infrastructure and homes in Russia are increasingly in peril as underground permafrost melts and deforms the land underneath them. Permafrost was once a stable construction base, in some regions staying frozen as far back as the last Ice Age. But rising global temperatures threaten the layer of ice, soil, rocks, sand and organic matter.

November  The worst floods in 60 years in South Sudan have affected about 780,000 people, or one in every 14 residents, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Every year the county goes through a rainy season, but flooding has set records for three years in a row. The destruction will likely increase as temperatures rise, scientists say.

November  A massive storm dumped a month`s worth of rain over two days in the Canadian province of British Columbia, unleashing floods and mudslides that destroyed roads, railroads and bridges. It is likely the most expensive natural disaster in Canada`s history, although officials are still assessing the damage.



(Rainstorms cause flooding and landslides in the western Canadian province of British Columbia | PHOTO: Reuters)

Meteorologists said the rain had come from an atmospheric river, or a stream of water vapour stretching hundreds of miles long from the tropics. Atmospheric rivers are expected to become larger  and possibly more destructive  with climate change, scientists say.

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